Chapter 29 – Patronus Therapy
As for the favor Nicolas Flamel mentioned in the letter...
Leo barely needed to think before arriving at a conclusion.
The Philosopher's Stone.
It was almost certainly connected to Dumbledore's plan involving Voldemort. Using the Stone as bait to lure him out, allowing Harry to confront danger, grow stronger, and slowly mature.
Honestly, it sounded exactly like something Dumbledore would do.
"Oh," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "then it seems you are quite a fortunate child. For Nicolas Flamel to personally offer you instruction... your ancestor must have been extremely important to him."
The old wizard genuinely looked surprised.
Originally, Dumbledore had assumed that even if Leo's ancestor had once known Nicolas Flamel, the old alchemist would at most send a few books, notes, or perhaps some rare magical materials.
Personal instruction was entirely different.
Nicolas Flamel had not formally taught anyone for an incredibly long time. So long, in fact, that most of the wizarding world had forgotten he had ever taken students at all.
Realizing his words might sound slightly misleading, Dumbledore quickly clarified.
"What I mean is," he said gently, "my old friend has lived in seclusion for many years. It has been a very long time since he last taught anyone personally."
"Yes," Leo replied honestly. "The letter mentioned that my ancestor once shared a life-and-death bond with Master Flamel."
There was no point hiding it.
Dumbledore could confirm the truth simply by writing to Flamel himself. Besides, Leo still needed the Headmaster's help replying to the letter.
"Life-and-death..." Dumbledore murmured quietly. "I see."
Nearby, Headmistress Dilys Derwent immediately spoke up.
"Child, Albus is correct. Nicolas Flamel is one of the greatest figures in magical history."
"Forget the history," Eupraxia Mole interrupted firmly. "Accept the apprenticeship immediately."
Another former Headmaster muttered from his portrait.
"You know, transferring houses is still technically possible..."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"A student may request reassignment shortly after Sorting," he explained calmly. "Though it rarely happens."
Then he glanced toward the battered Sorting Hat sleeping nearby.
"Still," Dumbledore continued thoughtfully, "the Sorting Hat chose Slytherin for you."
He looked Leo over carefully before smiling.
"In the words of the East, that would be called fate."
Leo stared at him blankly.
Why was the greatest wizard alive blinking at him like that?
And why was he saying something so cheesy with a completely serious face?
Honestly, Leo suddenly felt colder than if someone had dumped him naked into a snowstorm.
Back during the Sorting, Leo had genuinely considered several different houses.
Ravenclaw suited his intellect perfectly.
Hufflepuff sounded peaceful, full of food and gossip, which honestly matched his ideal lazy lifestyle.
Even Gryffindor had advantages. Staying close to the main characters would make surviving future disasters far easier than enduring endless political games inside Slytherin.
Those children were only eleven years old and already acting like miniature politicians fighting life-and-death wars.
Then Leo remembered Draco.
His little dragon had already been halfway corrupted by him.
Immediately, he felt much better.
"Ahem."
Dumbledore cleared his throat lightly.
"My boy," he said gently, "your condition still concerns me. You seem rather... lethargic."
Leo immediately focused again.
"I'm not sure what's wrong either," he admitted honestly. "Madam Pomfrey said she couldn't find any physical problems. She thought it might disappear naturally after a few days."
Inside, however, Leo had already reached another conclusion.
Forget transferring houses.
If Dumbledore could cure this strange mental exhaustion, Leo was willing to forgive almost anything.
After all, he still had plans.
Plans involving reforming Slytherin.
Plans involving preventing Draco from growing into an arrogant pure-blood disaster.
Plans involving living peacefully without getting dragged into life-threatening nonsense every other week.
Somehow, those plans kept becoming more troublesome.
"Reparo."
Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it gently toward Leo.
Soft white light burst from the tip.
The magic flowed over Leo's body like tiny silver fish swimming through water.
Instantly, a tingling warmth spread through him.
His mind cleared.
His body relaxed.
The sensation felt unbelievably refreshing, like drinking ice-cold lemonade on a scorching summer day.
"How do you feel?" Dumbledore asked.
Leo blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
"...That feels amazing," he admitted honestly.
Unfortunately, the sensation faded moments later.
Without thinking, Leo blurted out,
"Wait—keep going!"
The portraits burst into laughter.
Even Dumbledore looked amused before obligingly waving his wand again.
The soothing magic washed over Leo a second time.
Warmth spread through every inch of his body, easing the strange heaviness lingering inside his mind.
Dumbledore watched carefully.
Then his expression slowly changed.
The lethargy returned almost immediately after the spell ended.
Interesting.
This clearly wasn't a normal physical issue.
"I may have another method," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
Leo immediately sat up straighter.
"Really?"
Even temporary relief felt incredible.
Besides, being treated personally by the greatest wizard of the age was surprisingly wonderful.
"Expecto Patronum."
Dumbledore's calm voice echoed through the office.
A brilliant silver-white figure burst from the Elder Wand.
The glowing Patronus circled gracefully through the air.
Leo immediately recognized its form.
A phoenix.
A magnificent silver phoenix, almost identical to Fawkes.
The Patronus flew around Leo slowly, scattering shimmering light like silver snowflakes.
At first, Leo simply admired how beautiful it looked.
Then the silver light touched him.
"Mmh..."
A far stronger sensation surged through his body.
Compared to the earlier spell, this felt deeper.
Warmer.
More powerful.
The energy spread through both body and mind simultaneously, merging with Leo's immense spiritual strength like warm water soaking into exhausted muscles.
The feeling was indescribably comfortable.
It honestly resembled sinking into a hot bath after collapsing from exhaustion.
"Ah..."
Leo unconsciously let out a quiet sound before immediately realizing what he'd done.
The portraits nearby looked thoroughly entertained.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore continued watching thoughtfully.
One minute passed far too quickly.
Eventually, the Patronus dissolved into silver mist.
Leo looked genuinely disappointed.
"...That was incredible."
For the first time in days, the suffocating heaviness clouding his thoughts had almost completely vanished.
Even if the problem wasn't fully cured, he finally felt refreshed again.
Afterward, Leo borrowed parchment and a quill from Dumbledore before quickly writing a reply to Nicolas Flamel.
Once finished, he handed the letter back respectfully.
Then, before leaving, he smiled politely and said,
"Headmaster, next time I'll bring you a dessert you've definitely never tried before."
Leo already had the perfect idea.
Iced bitter melon lemonade.
Technically speaking, it still counted as dessert.
After Leo finally left the office, Dumbledore remained staring silently toward the doorway for a long time.
The office grew quiet.
Then the Sorting Hat suddenly twitched atop the cabinet.
The old hat stretched lazily and yawned.
"Dumbledore," it grumbled hoarsely, "why are you staring at me like that?"
The tip of the hat wobbled suspiciously.
"Did my stitching split again? Fix it if it did."
Dumbledore folded his hands calmly.
"Sorting Hat," he said quietly, "why did you place Leo Nicholas into Slytherin?"
It was a question that had been bothering him increasingly over the past few days.
With Leo's terrifying intelligence, Ravenclaw would have welcomed him instantly.
And yet—
Slytherin.
The Sorting Hat fell silent.
Several seconds passed.
Then it let out a long sigh.
"Because," the ancient hat said slowly, "that child is strange."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Strange?"
"Very strange."
The Sorting Hat's brim twitched.
"When I looked into his mind, I saw ambition, intelligence, caution, curiosity, kindness, courage, and enough stubbornness to drive a dragon mad."
The portraits began listening carefully.
"That isn't unusual," Dumbledore said.
"No," the Sorting Hat agreed. "The unusual part is that he genuinely wanted all four houses."
The office fell silent.
Even Dumbledore looked surprised.
"He wanted Ravenclaw because he loves learning."
"He wanted Hufflepuff because he likes peace, food, and avoiding trouble."
Several portraits chuckled.
"He wanted Gryffindor because he thought staying near Harry Potter would increase his survival rate."
This time, even Dumbledore laughed.
"And Slytherin?" he asked.
The Sorting Hat paused.
Then it answered quietly.
"He wanted Slytherin because of Draco Malfoy."
The laughter stopped.
Dumbledore blinked.
"Draco?"
"Yes."
The Sorting Hat sounded oddly amused.
"He spent half our conversation worrying that if nobody interfered, young Draco would grow into an insufferable idiot."
Several portraits burst out laughing.
"One of his deciding thoughts was, and I quote: 'Somebody has to save the little dragon before he becomes a complete disaster.'"
The entire office erupted.
Even Fawkes let out a soft musical trill.
Dumbledore covered his face with one hand.
For the first time in years, he found himself completely speechless.
Meanwhile, entirely unaware of the philosophical interrogation happening behind him, Leo happily descended the spiral staircase.
His mood had improved dramatically.
Today had been a double victory.
First, Nicolas Flamel himself had offered to teach him alchemy.
Second, Dumbledore's Patronus had temporarily eased his strange condition.
As Leo walked through the corridors humming cheerfully to himself, only one thought remained in his mind.
Tonight, he was absolutely eating two enormous bowls of beef stew over rice.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
The house-elves had already finished developing the new dishes he requested.
....
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