Chapter 012

"Yeah well unless you happen to know how to bring back the dead, my necklace, my mum's notebooks my dad's Cloak and this Mirror are the closest I'm ever going to get to my family so excuse me for spending some time here. Sir." Harry twisted back around to the Mirror. He hadn't forgotten what McGonagall had said about why he was with the people his mother had hated.

"My boy, no magic can bring back the dead." Dumbledore sighed. He reached forward to lay a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry scowled and threw it off.

"I know that, Professor. I'm not an idiot. Maybe I could come up with a cluster that would give a nice imitation of life but it wouldn't be real." Harry was still staring at the Mirror so he missed the flash of fear and desire that passed through Dumbledore's eyes. "Did you have my dad's Cloak?"

"I did."

Harry ground his teeth trying very hard not to lash out. "Why wait a decade to return it then? Sir."

"I knew your relatives would not appreciate such a treasure. I simply wished to ensure its safety until you rejoined us." Harry huffed, conceding the old man had a point there.

"Well thank you for making sure I got it back. I would have preferred it as soon as I got to Hogwarts but thanks for not just keeping it, Professor." Dumbledore gave a slight nod. "You're taking the Mirror away aren't you?"

"I am."

"Fine..." Harry slowly climbed to his feet and touched the Mirror's surface with a sad smile. "Bye, Mum. Bye Dad. Bye guys." He turned and walked past Dumbledore. "Thank you for giving me some time with them, Professor."

"Have a pleasant evening, Harry." Dumbledore watched Harry walk away and turned to the Mirror himself. An image of Harry – cloaked completely in black with yellow eyes wide open – stared lifelessly back at him from the phantom's position slumped on the floor. A phantom Dumbledore was standing over the boy holding a rune cluster that he held to Arianna's chest. Dumbledore started crying as the phantom version of his sister slowly started to breathe again.

When Neville and Hermione returned from their holidays Harry showed them the Invisibility Cloak as well as his initial plans for the Ninja cluster that would be an improved version of it incorporating sound dampening effects as well. Both were extremely impressed.

"Did you have any luck in the Restricted Section searching for Flamel?" Hermione asked after correctly guessing he'd have checked the book out from under the Cloak.

"No, none of them had anything." Harry shook his head. He knew he remembered the name from somewhere but it just kept eluding him.

"My Gran said it didn't ring any bells," Neville said. "She said he might be from out of the country."

"Well that would certainly make a bit more sense I suppose," Hermione said. She sighed. "That would also make this far more difficult."

"It's a shame he didn't do anything famous. Then he would've been in more books even if he was – " Neville cut off as Harry slapped his forehead. "Harry?"

"I am such an idiot!"

Hermione shook her head and snorted. "Harry, you are not an idiot. You are a savant. It's pretty much the exact opposite of idiot in the magical world."

"Exactly, Hermione!" Harry yelled looking between the two of them. "A savant!"

"Um, Harry," Neville said, "you're going to have to explain it better than that."

"Nicolas Flamel. Is. A. Savant! An alchemical savant!"

"He's what?" Neville asked frowning. Hermione's eyes widened and she nearly jumped out of her seat murmuring how she'd be right back.

"He's an alchemical savant, Nev! After my first talk with Shiva I got a book out from the library on previous magical savants and he was in there as one from the 1300s." Hermione came flying back down the stairs with a giant tome in her arms. "I think he's on a chocolate frog card too. He was a French savant who specialized in alchemy though he also may have helped found one of the schools there or at least make it into more a world renowned one."

"Beauxbatons, yes," Hermione said as she dropped the giant book onto the table in front of the two boys. "I checked this out for a bit of light reading – "

Neville gaped. "That's light?" Harry just laughed. Hermione glared.

"Yes. Anyway look! 'Nicolas Flamel – along with his wife Perenelle – is famous for being the only known inventor of the Philosopher's Stone.' Do you know what this means?"

"Philosopher's Stone?" Harry asked.

"Honestly, Harry!" Hermione huffed. "You remember that he helped with Beauxbatons but not that he created the Philosopher's Stone? It's an incredibly complex alchemical creation that can supposedly turn lead into gold as well as create the Elixir of Life!"

"Oh."

"Bit of understatement there, Harry," Neville chuckled. "I don't suppose you could make a rune cluster to do that huh."

"Well, the lead to gold thing, probably." The other two stared at Harry while he was lost in the intertwining rune structures testing and discarding possible combinations. "Yeah. I could do that. Not the Elixir thing though. I'd need at least four different prime runes that I don't think even exist to do that. Direct manipulation of a Soul or variant rune most likely."

Hermione's mouth closed with a snap. "Yes, well. Impossible things and eternal riches aside, at least now we know what – and most likely why – Professor Snape is looking to steal it."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Now we just need proof."

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