Chapter 121

Who would have thought that Darren would actually push him off the edge of the bridge.

As he fell, he discovered that the rope had snapped. Then, he heard the conversation between Darren and Death.

"Take it out on me if you have to; why pick on an old man?"

These words suddenly struck a chord in his heart.

After all these years, his children, his grandchildren... the family had vanished into history.

There was no one left who could make him feel this sense of being protected. He was clearly an old man, yet he was being shielded by a child.

This feeling was like...

Before he could finish the thought, Darren jumped down from the bridge.

As Darren helped him up, Nicolas Flamel seemed to suddenly think of something. He asked, "Why did you save me? Even though..."

Even though that was Death; even if Darren didn't know, he should have felt afraid.

"I feel you are very kind; you remind me of my grandfather..."

This polite reply suddenly left Nicolas Flamel stunned. He realized all at once that what he had lost over these years was familial affection.

With the passing of his family, he had nothing left to care about except Perenelle.

That was why he had gone to find him when Darren said he didn't like immortality.

Beyond his unwillingness to let go, perhaps he had also hoped that Darren would persuade him to give up his life and return to the embrace of Death.

To set off on that great adventure.

But he hadn't expected that after meeting Darren, not only did his desire for immortality not fade, but he even developed the thought of having one more family member.

Perhaps, he should have another heir?

Nicolas Flamel's idea shocked Perenelle. She covered her mouth in surprise.

"Good heavens, how could you have such a thought? You know perfectly well that I am over six hundred years old!"

"...I don't mean for you to give birth; I intend to adopt an heir."

"What if we adopted the second child of the Potter family, Harry Potter's twin brother, Darren Potter?"

"Wouldn't we be able to enjoy the joy of raising a child again?"

Nicolas Flamel asked excitedly.

He knew Perenelle loved children very much; she had wanted to take in and raise every child that had ever been in their family.

But those children always had impure motives; they understood too much even at a young age.

Even as little ones, they had already begun plotting to make them hand over the Sorcerer's Stone.

Nicolas Flamel needed the Sorcerer's Stone, so naturally, he couldn't hand it over.

But they were his descendants after all, so he was willing to teach them the craft of making the Sorcerer's Stone.

Yet not one of them could learn it, and they even suspected that what he gave them was fake. Such experiences made Nicolas Flamel very angry.

So he sealed off his manor and never let those people come to find him again.

After about several decades of seclusion, when his anger had subsided and he appeared in the wizarding world again, he suddenly discovered that his family was gone.

The Flamel family had disappeared just like that.

In just a few short decades, the Flamel family had spent all their money, wandered everywhere, and the last family member had even made the wrong friends and died at the hands of a traitor.

Nicolas Flamel had avenged them.

But the days that followed became increasingly dull.

Back then, he was only three or four hundred years old, and he had already quietly begun to regret it. Why had he lived so long?

He gradually lost his passion.

Life held nothing but Perenelle.

Perenelle was even more desperate; for a time, she had even wanted to stop using the Sorcerer's Stone.

It wasn't until he said he wanted to keep living that Perenelle chose to wait for him to grow weary on his own.

After the Sorcerer's Stone lost its effect, he had thought about researching other things to extend his life; that wasn't too difficult for him.

However, when he saw the expression of relief on Perenelle's face, he finally gave up.

Later, Dumbledore came to borrow his Sorcerer's Stone and even destroyed it.

He couldn't muster any interest, until he heard Dumbledore say that Darren didn't like immortality, which stirred his competitive spirit.

Who would have thought that after this trip, he would have a new idea. He wanted an heir.

"Darren Potter? Is that the child who said he didn't like immortality?"

Perenelle asked curiously.

She had heard Nicolas Flamel talk about this child, and she especially remembered the angry expression he had when mentioning him.

That expression was enough to keep her amused for a year.

It was just unexpected that Nicolas would suddenly want Darren to be their heir.

"You haven't forgotten that we are going to face death together, have you? I can't stand these days anymore!"

Perenelle said guardedly.

She didn't want immortality anymore; there was nothing in this world she cared about, so what was the point of living?

These years she had only stayed to accompany Nicolas Flamel; if he made something for immortality again, she would go down first!

"No, no, no, I'm just thinking, after we stop using the Sorcerer's Stone, it will still take a few years to die naturally, so why not raise an heir?"

"Look, other people have bad intentions; after staying with us for a long time, they become greedy and repulsive."

"But Darren is different; his heart is pure, his character is excellent, and he has no parents left, nor does he have any inheritance rights to the Potter family."

"Let Dumbledore take charge and have him adopted by us, adding the Flamel surname in the middle."

"He doesn't even need to change his Potter surname; the portraits of the Potter family won't be able to say anything."

"Then we will teach him everything we have learned in our lives. I heard that child is a genius; perhaps he is very suitable for learning alchemy."

"Even if he isn't suitable, he can memorize all our books, and sooner or later he will find a perfect successor."

"Besides, in these last few years, we can also enjoy the fun of taking care of a child, don't you think?"

Nicolas Flamel said excitedly.

He also told Perenelle what had happened in Darren's inner world. Although it gave Perenelle a fright and she scolded him for his recklessness, it did indeed stir anticipation in her heart. It wasn't impossible, after all.

She hadn't seen a young child in over a hundred years.

Because those children always became greedy, which made her very uncomfortable, she had avoided raising children again.

But this child, according to what Nicolas said, was very kind and pure, so perhaps he could really make her last few years more joyful.

So she became anxious. She nudged Nicolas Flamel.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and write to Dumbledore, let him ask the Potter family portraits, and see if the child himself is willing!"

Nicolas Flamel nodded quickly.

He took out stationery and wrote a whole lot of words on the paper with a flourish.

Then, with a tap of his wand, the letter appeared directly on the desk in the Hogwarts headmaster's office.

"Just this isn't enough; we also need to go find Darren. First, to let you have more contact with him and see if he's a good fit."

"Although I don't think it's possible for him not to be a fit; whenever you see that child, you will feel exceptionally happy, and the dark thoughts accumulated over these hundreds of years will vanish."

"Second, to let that child accept us. Perhaps we should read more books and see what kind of scenario can make a child like an elder!"

Nicolas Flamel said excitedly.

Although Perenelle felt he was exaggerating, a strong sense of anticipation welled up in her heart.

Perhaps, in these last few years, she could really spend them very happily...

Hogwarts. Headmaster's office.

Dumbledore looked at Nicolas Flamel's letter in astonishment. His old friend actually wanted to adopt Darren?

He remembered that Nicolas had once said he hated children the most. But what was Nicolas saying now?

He was actually praising children as the most pure creatures in the world.

Ha, he remembered that a while ago, Nicolas had said children were the most annoying, and he and his wife hadn't let children into their house for hundreds of years.

Had his old friend been placed under the Imperius Curse?

Has an old friend been placed under the Imperius Curse?