Few people knew that Nicolas Flamel, besides being a great alchemist, was also an outstanding master of divination.
That was largely because Nicolas Flamel rarely practiced divination at all. As he liked to say, divination spoiled the hard-won surprises the future had to offer, and for someone who had lived for centuries, those surprises were far too precious.
Dumbledore, however, was one of Nicolas Flamel's few closest friends. Naturally, he knew just how skilled Flamel was in this field.
"What do you wish to foresee?" Nicolas Flamel asked.
"Something about Tom," Dumbledore replied. "The timing of his resurrection."
"Wait, does that really require divination?" Nicolas Flamel asked in surprise. "If he obtained the Philosopher's Stone, he could return at any moment."
"I understand," Dumbledore said calmly, lifting his teacup, "but something doesn't feel right. Tom's behavior doesn't match his usual temperament."
In Dumbledore's eyes, Voldemort had always been extremely cautious. Under normal circumstances, he should never have rushed to seize the Philosopher's Stone while Quirrell was still at risk of dying at any moment.
According to Dumbledore's original plan, Voldemort would have taken Quirrell into the Forbidden Forest to hunt unicorns, then carefully confirmed the contents of each trial set by the professors, before finally moving to claim the Philosopher's Stone.
Although every trial guarding the stone was relatively simple, Quirrell didn't know that. Voldemort, in Dumbledore's understanding, would never allow him to act recklessly.
That was why Voldemort's sudden grab for the Philosopher's Stone and immediate escape struck Dumbledore as unreasonable. It was far too rushed. By his estimation, Quirrell should still have been searching for unicorns in the Forbidden Forest at that time.
That should have been the perfect opportunity to arrange for Harry to come face-to-face with his destined enemy and sense the presence of his nemesis.
But now Voldemort had fled, Quirrell was dead, the Philosopher's Stone was gone, and the planned encounter had completely fallen apart. The situation left Dumbledore deeply unsettled, as though some unseen force had disrupted every arrangement he had so carefully put in place.
What Dumbledore didn't know was that Quirrell's condition had been far worse than he imagined.
In the original story, Quirrell's break-in at Gringotts had gone completely unnoticed. He had suffered no additional injuries, and Voldemort's possession had merely been a form of punishment.
But after Leonard appeared, Quirrell, who should have escaped unscathed, was gravely wounded. He never had the chance to last until Dumbledore could arrange for Harry to meet him.
"So you believe someone interfered with your plan?" Nicolas Flamel asked. "You think the Philosopher's Stone wasn't taken by that person, but by someone you never noticed at all?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Exactly. That's why I want to see when Tom was resurrected. That should tell us whether he truly obtained the Philosopher's Stone."
"A reasonable idea," Nicolas Flamel said, nodding. "Come with me."
He rose slowly and made his way toward his workshop.
The old man's movements were unsteady and frail, as though he might collapse at any moment. Following behind him, Dumbledore felt a constant sense of unease, ready to catch the nearly six-hundred-year-old man if he stumbled.
Nicolas Flamel's workshop was impeccably orderly. Instruments and materials were neatly arranged in their proper places, creating a scene that was both pleasing and calming.
It was exactly how an alchemist's workspace should be. A cluttered workshop would only muddle an alchemist's thoughts.
At the very center of the room stood a raised platform covered with gauze. Nicolas Flamel trembled slightly as he pulled the cloth away, revealing a crystal ball of exceptional quality.
The crystal ball, polished from the finest crystal, appeared cloudy at its core, as though filled with impurities. This wasn't due to poor craftsmanship. Upon closer inspection, one could see that mist was constantly swirling within.
The hazy fog symbolized the unknowability of the future, like secrets hidden deep within mist.
The ever-shifting vapor represented the future's uncertainty, something that could change at any moment.
This was a professional-grade divination crystal ball. Even someone with the slightest talent could glimpse fragments of the future within its changing mist.
But that was the approach of third-rate diviners. For a master like Nicolas Flamel, who had lived for over five centuries, divination meant placing the future directly before another's eyes.
Nicolas Flamel's wrinkled hand brushed across the surface of the crystal ball. Instantly, the mist inside began to spin at high speed, its movement devoid of any symbolic pattern.
Then, as if parted by an invisible hand, the fog split apart, revealing a clear image.
This was the power of a true divination master. Compared to diviners who needed to painstakingly interpret signs, masters like these reduced the process to a simple gesture.
Soon, a graveyard appeared within the crystal ball. Voldemort rose from a cauldron at its center, letting out peals of manic laughter.
Opposite him was Harry Potter, bound to a stone statue, his face contorted with rage.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as he studied the scene.
Voldemort had indeed been resurrected, but not through the Elixir of Life. Instead, it was a strange and unfamiliar ritual.
And the materials used in that ritual were connected to Harry.
More importantly, it was the Harry Potter in the vision himself.
Dumbledore focused on the boy's face, silently calculating.
"He's at least fifteen," Dumbledore said slowly.
"A fifteen-year-old Harry Potter?" Nicolas Flamel pondered. "If I remember correctly, that student of yours only started first year this year."
"That's right," Dumbledore said, frowning. "But the boy in this vision is at least fifteen or sixteen. That would be four or five years from now. The Philosopher's Stone truly isn't with him."
"Then where could it be?" Nicolas Flamel asked.
"Someone I failed to notice took it," Dumbledore said gravely. "This person even forced Tom to abandon Quirrell. Nicolas, can you track the Philosopher's Stone's location?"
"You're giving me too much credit," Nicolas Flamel said, shaking his head. "The Philosopher's Stone is an extremely special substance. No magic affects it, not even prophecy."
"Then what about directly prophesying the person who took it?"
"There are too few conditions," Nicolas Flamel replied, shaking his head again. "Prophecy isn't all-powerful. I'm sorry. It seems I can't help you."
"I should be the one apologizing," Dumbledore said with a sigh, his eyes heavy with concern.
Who was this unexpected stranger?
And what exactly was their purpose in taking the Philosopher's Stone?