Harry shrugged a bit with his good shoulder, "I'll grant, I don't know if that's the truth, because that man told me so many half-truths and outright lies that anything he says I take with a large grain of salt. And it might have been different in this world. But based on the small amount of information I could get from the paper it matched up."
Nicholas spoke up this time. "Here, we lent it to Dumbledore because he said he was experimenting with the stone's effect on different poisons. He said he thought that, because it could create the elixir of life, it might be able to neutralize other poisons. He later told us a dark wizard had infiltrated the castle masquerading as a professor in an attempt to get the stone. He fought the dark wizard off, but the stone was destroyed in the process. We were most upset. He knew I said that the process takes years to create a philosopher's stone. So… we told him we had enough to get our affairs in order. We never told him our secret."
Nicholas was cut off by an irritated growl from Perenelle, "Dumbledore even had the gall to ask if we might consider donating our or money or library to Hogwarts upon our passing. I always knew that man was trouble. I told you that when you were working with him."
"Having the tendency to say what is on one's mind is refreshing in the wizarding world. I never said he wouldn't be trouble. I just said he was a breath of fresh air. You never liked him because he told you that your cooking was a little bit bland." Nicholas countered with an amused smile.
"That's because he's addicted to sugar! If it's not sickeningly sweet, then he thinks it's bland. Then he loses our stone, and expects us to just accept it and get on with impending death." Perenelle huffed softly, before turning her attention back to Harry, "We never told him the truth behind our existence and when he told us the stone had been destroyed, we decided to fake our deaths within the next year or so."
"But…because the stone wasn't the secret behind your long life…" Harry had realized, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"No, it was merely a convenient fiction that stopped us from having to fake our deaths every hundred or hundred and fifty years and then showing up masquerading as our own children or grandchildren. That fiction tends to get tiresome after awhile. Unless of course you're Nicholas, who enjoyed coming up with new names." Perenelle said bluntly.
Nicholas spoke up again, "Harry, the stone did not create the elixir of life. At least not as it's described. It did take part in the creation of a wonderful potion but rather than eternal youth, it was more like… it optimizes one's health. Perfect for use after an illness or debilitating injury. Though useless to us, given our unique physiology, our bodies just absorb it. We never tested it, but it might… might… extend life to the optimum of one in perfect health. But keep someone eternally young? Not so much. But, it could transmute metal into gold!" Nicholas slapped on the last bit as a bit of a defense to his creation. Not wanting Harry to believe he had completely deceived the world.
Nicholas suddenly stood from his chair and moved to stand, looking out the window. Harry could see outside the window and could see some trees, but otherwise it was still dark, though it looked to be growing brighter with pre-dawn light. After several minutes of silence in which both Harry and Perenelle watched Nicholas curiously, Nicholas finally spoke, though he did it without turning back to look at Harry.
"May I ask what your plans are now?" Nicholas asked, in a thoughtful tone.
Harry frowned at that, both at the sudden change of topic, and narrowed his eyes suddenly in suspicion. "If I said I was going to walk out your door right now?"
Perenelle frowned but the reply was from Nicholas, "Then you would be free to go." He responded immediately.
"No he is most certainly not!" Perenelle interrupted. Causing both Nicholas and Harry to turn to her. The former with a surprised expression, the latter with an angry expression. But the retort that was about to come from Harry's mouth was cut off.
"He is not going anywhere until that shoulder is healed. And not until he has a decent meal." She said, her voice firm and strict at any insinuation otherwise, before she turned her fierce gaze on Harry. "And don't even think of protesting."
Nicholas refrained from laughing when he heard the audible "click" as Harry's jaw snapped shut. Almost 5 thousand years of being married to her and his wife could still scare him when she put her mind to it. He shook his head and interjected to save Harry from his wife's wrath. "I didn't mean we'd be kicking him out, dear. I just reassured him that he wasn't a prisoner here. I meant what are you going to do after a good day's rest Harry?" Nicholas asked, hoping Harry would take the hint and not irritate his wife. Harry may not have spent much time around people recently, nor did he have much experience with parental figures in general. However Harry was not stupid, and had spent years fighting a war, and was very cognizant of danger signs. "Well… after I get a good day's rest… and after a good meal of course…," He said, with a glance toward Perenelle who seemed to relax at that.
Harry trailed off, frowning a little bit as he considered. He remembered his ventures earlier in the day, in the graveyard, the Gaunt shack and the Riddle Mansion and then finally at the world cup. What were his options at this point? He knew how events had occurred in his world. How could he stop them in their tracks? Harry narrowed his eyes as a thought occurred to him. "Just because one of the places he hid his Horcruxes in was different, doesn't mean that they all are."
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