"But I'm worried that Grandma Tina might..."
Adam hesitated for a moment before handing the small silver flask back to Nicolas.
"Don't worry, I'll write a letter to them and let them know about it," Nicolas patted his shoulder reassuringly, but the next second, a distressing "crack" sound was heard.
He seemed to be quite used to this, tapping the fractured spot a few times with his left index finger, and his arm returned to normal as he continued, "I actually live in Devon most of the time because Perenelle planted a lot of flowers and plants there. I only come back here to France for holidays."
"I always thought you wouldn't care about holidays," Adam asked, confused. "After all, Headmaster Dumbledore didn't come to the Halloween feast last time, and it was the same for the other older professors."
In his mind, this old man had lived for over six hundred years and had experienced countless holidays. Perhaps to him, these days were no different from any other.
"No need to find it strange," Nicolas's smile remained, and he said to Adam with emotion, "You do experience many things in life, whether it's a holiday or an ordinary day, but the only memories that leave a lasting impression are always those spectacular moments."
Nicolas raised his hand, took a few opera tickets out of his pocket, and showed them to Adam, his voice gentle and calm.
"Just like my love for the opera, which was a trend I followed when I was eighteen, just like you. But to young people a few hundred years later, it seems a bit tacky."
"Maybe you see this as stubbornness, or perhaps living in the past and refusing to wake up."
"But I'm just as passionate as ever about the things I fell in love with when I was eighteen."
After that, Adam cautiously asked if he could bring Shirley along, and Nicolas readily agreed.
Corinna was also very much in favor of the idea, as she had to stay behind to repair the manor. Although she believed the Saints wouldn't return, she still wasn't sure she could get Shirley away in time.
The three of them boarded the dirigible. Nicolas noticed Shirley's face was a little pale and comforted her with a smile, saying she could try to overcome her fear of heights and not worry about anything going wrong.
However, his smile quickly vanished a few minutes after Adam took the helm.
He had always thought his flying style was quite aggressive, but now he realized that he was a bit too cautious in comparison.
---
The massive and unwieldy dirigible flew over Paris. Just a few seconds before it was about to crash into the Eiffel Tower, it went from level flight to a sudden stall, swinging dramatically like a pendulum on a vertical plane, then diving in reverse, tracing a 'U' shape to easily pass over the tower's tip.
Even though Nicolas knew that the defensive runes on the dirigible would deflect upon impact, ensuring no damage to either the dirigible or the tower and allowing for a smooth landing under the protection of magic, the fact that they were less than six feet from the spire was a heart-stopping moment that almost made him hit the emergency brake button.
The flight path stabilized as it climbed after clearing the spire. Just as Nicolas was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the entire dirigible began to shake violently as it passed through the clouds, piercing through them like a diving peregrine falcon, plummeting toward the ground at a near-falling speed.
By the time he came to his senses, a huge Christmas tree had appeared in front of the cockpit, its branches entwined with colorful string lights and adorned with all sorts of small gift boxes and record-shaped ornaments.
He could even clearly see the snow on the ground being blown away by the air pressure, revealing the neatly trimmed lawn beneath, with dark green blades of grass swaying wildly in the wind.
Just a second before he slammed the brake button, the dirigible suddenly stopped, hovering like a leaf above the marked spot, and finally descended slowly to the ground.
A Muggle from a nearby record store pushed open the door and looked out at the empty street in confusion, muttering about how windy it was today and how it had suddenly stopped.
"Safe landing! Phew, too bad I was a little slow, or else I should have..." Adam let out a satisfied breath, quietly debriefing the mistakes he had made and jotting them down in a small notebook.
Nicolas turned to look inside the dirigible. The house-elf wearing a flight cap was trembling in the corner, and the young witch beside the pilot's seat was pale, gripping her seatbelt tightly.
He suddenly realized that her fear of heights might not have been something she was born with.
"How did you do that maneuver around the spire and the sudden stop when you landed?" Nicolas asked.
"I used a Floating Charm and a Slowing Charm, taking a page out of Quidditch with the Quaffle," Adam said, raising his wand. "I actually think there should be a wand holder on the rudder. And if the material was made of the best magical conductor, mithril..."
Nicolas sighed, rubbing his forehead. He patiently explained the dirigible's runic circuits to Adam, who then reluctantly let go of the rudder.
As they walked across the lawn, Adam noticed a very familiar-looking automated mowing device in a corner of the courtyard, but it was modified differently from the one at his house.
A white-haired witch greeted them warmly. It was Perenelle, Nicolas's wife, who was also over six hundred years old.
She noticed Shirley's pale face and thoughtfully brought two cups of warm honey lemon water, complaining to Nicolas, "I've told you several times, you shouldn't fly that dirigible so fast. Look how scared these two children are."
Nicolas subconsciously looked at Adam, who was sitting comfortably by the fireplace, sipping his lemon water, and was speechless.
"Come with me, little Adam," Nicolas sighed, motioning for Adam to follow him. "There's something here that Albus commissioned me to build."
Adam, curious, followed Nicolas into a laboratory filled with many alchemical devices. Numerous mechanical arms were methodically forging parts and carving intricate runes on their surfaces.
A massive furnace stood in the center of the lab, with a bright yellow flame flickering inside. One could stand near it and not feel any heat, but the ores thrown into it melted at an incredible speed.
The flame looked very much like the legendary Goblet of Elemental Fire recorded in "Legendary Alchemy," a magical flame that could burn forever.
"This is a matter conversion furnace," Nicolas explained, pointing to the furnace. "I built it for the young wizards at Beauxbatons a while ago so they could experience the wonders of alchemy even with a limited understanding of runes."
Adam examined the furnace carefully and quickly noticed the clever design. The surface of the semi-finished products cast from it not only had pre-carved grooves for the runes but also had the corresponding runic symbols marked on them.
Users could easily complete the creation of these prefabricated alchemical items by simply following the steps.
Nicolas saw the confusion in his eyes, gestured to the conversion furnace, and the mechanical arms stopped operating. He said in a gentle voice, "Not all young wizards, like you, have mastered Ancient Runes, or what we commonly call runes. At both Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, this is an elective course that isn't offered until at least the third year."
"And alchemy involves a wide range of subjects, requiring the combination of spells, divination, potion-making, and even philosophy..."
Just as Nicolas was explaining the difference between traditional divination and arithmancy, Adam raised his small hand and replied, "I know about this. The thirteenth-century witch, Bridget Wenlock, was the first to discover the magical properties of the number seven and was also a Hufflepuff graduate."
Nicolas nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Since you already know about magical mathematics and Bridget's story, it shows that your foundation is quite solid."
"It seems Albus was right. The History of Magic professor at Hogwarts is incredibly knowledgeable, and Beauxbatons can't compare in that regard."
Adam let out an awkward laugh, rubbing his small face without saying anything. He couldn't exactly tell Nicolas that he had painstakingly memorized all this information from the library after a certain incident.
"This also relates to the matter we're about to discuss. Albus said you found one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
"And he mentioned with concern in his letter that he suspects Voldemort may have created more than one Horcrux..."
Nicolas's expression remained calm, but as he said the next sentence, his eyes filled with an inquisitive look.
"So, may I see it? The Locket of Salazar Slytherin."
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