Sherlock watched Nicolas Flamel, who was surrounded by a group of Wizards, then glanced at the closed doors of the house in the courtyard, recalling the scene of Nicolas Flamel walking out just moments ago.
It seemed like he had walked over from the backyard of the small building, rather than from inside the house.
This was just an insignificant detail, but Sherlock had carefully noted it.
"Let's go, we should head over too." Seeing Nicolas Flamel talking to the visitors, Fleur called Sherlock and Harry to the outermost edge of the crowd.
"...My apologies, everyone. Perenelle and I went to Lyon a few days ago and only just returned today, keeping you waiting in Paris for so long."
Nicolas Flamel appeared to be a very gentle old man; upon meeting the visitors, he apologised first.
"Also, because of my issue, you have all gathered at my home on the same day, and my house cannot accommodate all of you, so I can only meet with you outside. However, I am well aware of your intentions, and it is not really appropriate to talk here; come to the back of the courtyard, there is an open space there."
They followed Nicolas Flamel around to the back of the courtyard.
As Sherlock walked along the side of the Flamel residence, he specifically observed the garden.
Inside the Flamel residence, there was clearly a large backyard, more than enough to host the dozen or so Wizards there.
But for some reason, he did not choose this backyard, instead choosing to meet outside the house.
Just as Nicolas Flamel had said, there was a fair-sized open space behind his courtyard, and it was quite secluded, with no Muggles passing by and a dense forest not far away.
It seemed he had prepared beforehand; many chairs and small round tables were set up on the lawn in the open space, with some desserts and teacups placed on them, looking just like a garden tea party.
The visitors sat down on chairs around the small round tables, and Nicolas Flamel took the letters of introduction from everyone's hands.
He stood in the centre, looking around at everyone and said,
"A long life has made me weary of the feeling of living; death is something everyone must eventually experience."
"I realised this truth a year ago, so after discussing it with my wife Perenelle, we decided to destroy the Philosopher's Stone. We planned to welcome our own deaths and prevent that stone from falling into the hands of those with ulterior motives."
"But after all, the Philosopher's Stone is the most brilliant creation of my life; even if destroyed, the remaining fragments still possess unimaginable magic."
"So I intend to give these fragments away to the new generation of the Wizarding World as a final contribution to this wonderful magical world before I welcome death."
The visitors broke into applause; Nicolas Flamel's selflessness had made them all beneficiaries.
Sherlock also greatly admired the old man's state of mind; giving up immortality just like that, and destroying the Philosopher's Stone just like that.
People like Riddle, who had even torn his own soul apart for immortality, or the Malfoy family, who had acted as fence-sitters for decades for wealth and status, ruining their reputation, stood in stark contrast.
Yet the old man before him treated all of this as nothing.
He pulled a tiny, blood-red crystal from his pocket, letting everyone see its dazzling brilliance in the reflection of the sunlight.
"A Philosopher's Stone fragment; the magic it retains can still make it a powerful alchemical item. As for the use of this alchemical item... you can explore that yourselves after you obtain it."
Nicolas Flamel put the Philosopher's Stone fragment back into his pocket.
At this moment, on the arm briefly exposed when Nicolas Flamel lowered his hand, Sherlock seemed to see a familiar mark, and he was momentarily stunned.
Nicolas Flamel continued.
"But simply giving the fragments to you directly is a bit too simple and boring. So, I want to play a little game with you."
"There are a total of twenty-three Philosopher's Stone fragments, and there are seventeen of you here; I have hidden the fragments in that forest."
He pointed towards the forest not far away.
"You can go into the forest and search for them yourselves; no matter how many you find, the fragments you find belong to you."
At this moment, someone couldn't help but ask,
"Then what if we don't find a single one?"
"Then I can only apologise; whether you find one depends entirely on your own luck," Nicolas Flamel said loudly. "And during the process of searching for the Philosopher's Stone fragments, for the sake of fairness, you cannot use magic. Before entering the forest, you can temporarily leave your wand with me for safekeeping."
After hearing what he said, the visitors below began to whisper to each other.
"Seventeen people looking for twenty-three; the probability of everyone finding at least one is quite high," Fleur said, eager to try.
Sherlock, however, frowned deeply.
"Why hold such a game? What if a conflict breaks out during the search for the fragments?"
"A conflict?" Harry asked, confused.
"If you found two Philosopher's Stone fragments but encountered someone who hadn't found any, do you think they might get jealous, want to get one from you, or simply snatch both away?"
Fleur and Harry heard Sherlock's words and both fell silent.
They looked around at the young Wizards who were discussing excitedly how they would search for the Philosopher's Stone fragments once they entered the forest. Fleur said hesitantly,
"Everyone seems quite harmonious; they shouldn't do such a thing, right?"
Sherlock did not answer Fleur; he was looking at Nicolas Flamel with a thoughtful expression.
He just felt that the little game about searching for the Philosopher's Stone fragments that he proposed at the end was somewhat inconsistent with his previous words.
What made him even more suspicious was the mark he had seen on three different people within two days.
Just as he felt something was wrong, the little game to find the Philosopher's Stone fragments had already begun.
Some Wizards couldn't wait to stand up from their chairs, leave their wands with Nicolas Flamel, and then enter the forest.
Afterwards, almost all the visitors participated, handing their wands over to Nicolas Flamel for safekeeping before walking into the forest.
Soon, the only people left sitting on the lawn were the three of them.
Fleur couldn't wait any longer.
"Are you not planning to participate? Isn't the purpose of coming to France to get a Philosopher's Stone fragment from Mr. Flamel?"
Harry also looked up at Sherlock, but Sherlock shook his head.
"Visiting Nicolas Flamel was just incidental; the main purpose of this trip was to relax. As for the Philosopher's Stone fragments," Sherlock smiled, "I have little interest in that thing; perhaps a complete Philosopher's Stone would make me consider it. If you want to try, don't worry about us, just go ahead."
Fleur stood up from her chair.
"Then I'll go give it a try; if I manage to find two, I'll share one with you."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Then I'll thank you in advance for your generosity."
Fleur walked over to Nicolas Flamel, handed over her wand, and then walked into the forest.
Now, only Sherlock, Harry, and Nicolas Flamel were left.
Nicolas Flamel clearly noticed them; he walked over to them, asking with a smile on his face,
"Are you not planning to go in and try?"
Sherlock waved his hand.
"I brought my student out on a trip this time; being able to see you in person here is already a very lucky thing, so let those who are suitable take the Philosopher's Stone fragments."
Nicolas Flamel looked at Sherlock and Harry's faces, recalling the letter of recommendation they had handed him before sitting down.
"You are Wizards from Britain, recommended by Dumbledore."
Hearing how he addressed Dumbledore, Sherlock narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Yes, sir. I am the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—Sherlock Cavendish, and this is my student, Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter!"
Upon hearing this name, an expression of surprise suddenly appeared on Nicolas Flamel's face, and he turned his gaze to Harry.
"To think I would see you here, what a surprise."
Strangely, after learning Harry's identity, he actually took an interest in the wand Harry had tucked in his pocket.
"Is this your wand?"
Harry awkwardly took out his wand and handed it to Nicolas Flamel.
"Yes, this is what I bought at Ollivander's Wand Shop."
Nicolas Flamel took the wand from Harry's hand, gently stroking the shaft with both hands.
"Holly, about eleven inches; this wood often chooses a master who enjoys dangerous and noble tasks. Harry Potter, you are precisely suited for it."
He spoke softly, then waved Harry's wand.
"Orchideous."
A beautiful orchid bloomed at the tip of the wand.
"Ah, the core is actually a phoenix feather. It doesn't go well with holly, but once matched together, it is an invincible wand."
Nicolas Flamel expressed high praise for Harry's wand, then returned it to Harry's hand.
Sherlock, who had been silently observing him from the side, saw a trace of desperately suppressed greed in his brown pupils; the action of returning the wand to Harry was very awkward, looking almost as though he was reluctant to part with it.
"I must excuse myself for a moment; you can rest here for a while. I estimate it won't be long before someone returns from the forest with a Philosopher's Stone fragment."
He nodded at Sherlock and Harry, then carried the box filled with the Wizards' wands and walked into his courtyard.
After his figure disappeared around the corner, Sherlock's gaze gradually turned cold as he stood up from his chair.
"Go back to the car and wait, Harry," he said flatly. "Wait for me in the car. Remember, when you see me, first ask me where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is. If I cannot answer, attack me directly with a spell!"