Chapter 256: Preparation
After listening to Phineas's idea, Phoebus fell into deep thought.
She was his youngest daughter—his most beloved, and the one he owed the most. How could he not feel conflicted?
But he didn't hesitate for long before making up his mind.
They would do as Phineas suggested.
After all, if nothing was done, Astoria would only live until the age of twenty. And in the years leading up to that, the curse would gradually weaken her, forcing her to endure unimaginable torment. It was better to take the risk and try. If it succeeded, it would be a blessing for them all.
And if it failed—at least it would spare her a few more years of suffering.
Having made up his mind, Phoebus didn't delay any further. He and Phineas each wrote a letter to Dumbledore.
Since Dumbledore was at Nico's manor at the time, accompanying Nico and his wife through their final moments, the letter could not be sent by owl. It had to be delivered in person—by Phineas, who knew the manor's location.
Without further delay, he bid Sirius goodbye and told him to return home. Then he instructed Puff to take him to the border between England and France.
Even house-elves couldn't Apparate across international borders in a single jump. If the Greengrass family had lived closer to France, it might have been possible—but from where Puff stopped now, it was clear their manor was located near the Scottish Highlands. The address Phoebus had given him confirmed this.
So, they could only Apparate as far as the border, then jump again.
Fortunately, house-elves possessed a unique magical resilience. Even after such a long-distance Apparition, they didn't need to rest to recover their strength. After three consecutive jumps, Phineas finally arrived at the quiet little town of Nicolas in France—the place where Nico had lived in seclusion.
Making Puff invisible, Phineas approached Nico's residence and stepped inside.
At that moment, Nico and Dumbledore were sitting in the living room, drinking tea and eating dessert.
Perhaps it was due to their age—or maybe, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
Both Dumbledore and Nico had a fondness for sweets. Phineas suspected the latter explanation made more sense, especially since he shared the same preference.
He had originally bought the sugar factory just to curry favor with Dumbledore, but in the end, he too had fallen in love with the kind of food that could instantly lift one's spirits.
After greeting Nico and Dumbledore, Phineas explained his thoughts and assumptions regarding Astoria's curse.
"That's a solid idea. It has the potential to succeed," Nico said after hearing him out, offering genuine praise. "It seems Phineas now possesses a profound understanding of the nature of magic. If not for your age, you might already be considered a great wizard."
Phineas smiled and asked,
"So, senior, professor, do you two think this scenario has a high chance of being successful?"
Dumbledore nodded and said,
"To be honest, Phineas, I've made similar assumptions before. In fact, there was once a student at Hogwarts who had a similar idea and attempted it himself. However, his control over Fiendfyre was lacking, and the Phoenix Flame proved even more difficult to manage. His experiment ultimately failed. Because of that, the idea was buried and forgotten."
Phineas said confidently,
"Don't worry about that, Professor. I'm very confident in my control over Fiendfyre. And when it comes to the Phoenix Flame, no one in the entire magical world understands or controls it better than you. That's why the main reason I came here today is to invite you to work with me in removing the curse from Astoria."
Dumbledore glanced at Nico, a little hesitant.
There were two reasons for his hesitation. First, this idea was only a hypothesis. Although it had a high probability of success, it remained untested. More importantly, there were no safe conditions under which to test it. Failure would mean the loss of a life—something the Dumbledore of today, who had become far more compassionate over the years, could not bear to risk.
If it had been him decades ago, perhaps he could have made such a decision without hesitation. But now, he...
The second reason was Nico.
Because of their agreement and Nico's own choice, the Philosopher's Stone had been destroyed, and the remaining Elixir of Life would only sustain Nico and his wife until September—just long enough for Nico to make the final preparations for their passing. As one of Dumbledore's few remaining old friends, their impending departure weighed heavily on him.
Nico seemed to sense Dumbledore's hesitation and said with a smile,
"Come to think of it, I'm quite interested in Phineas's idea. Phineas, I think you won't refuse some old guys to watch your experiment, right?"
Phineas was stunned, then quickly said,
"Of course, Senior. If you can be there, I'll have a better chance of success."
Yes, Nico was the most powerful alchemist in the magical world today, even surpassing the alchemists of the Elders' Council.
If he was present, he might be able to do something as demanding as saving Astoria's life even if Phineas and the others failed.
Seeing that Nico was willing to go, Dumbledore no longer hesitated and decided to accompany Phineas to Greengrass Manor.
Because of his loyalty and Astoria, Phoebus had already told Phineas the location of the manor, so they didn't need to detour to London and wait for the Greengrass carriage on the way back.
"Thank you very much for coming, Professor Albus Dumbledore."
Phoebus had been waiting at the gate of the manor for a long time. When he saw Phineas and the others, he came out and greeted Dumbledore.
As he spoke, he noticed Nico.
Since Nico had lived in seclusion in the magical world for hundreds of years, Phoebus did not recognize him at first and hesitated.
But as the patriarch of his family, Phoebus was quick-witted. He immediately realized this must be the person Phineas had invited to help his youngest daughter. Without hesitation, he extended his hand and said,
"And this gentleman, thank you very much for coming."
As he spoke, he shook Nico's hand firmly, which startled Phineas, but it was already too late to stop him.
Suddenly, there was a click.
Nico's hand fractured.
"Ouch!"
Nico screamed, and Phoebus quickly let go.
"Sir, are you all right?"
Dumbledore smiled and cast a healing spell on Nico.
Phineas smiled and explained to Phoebus,
"This is Nicolas Flamel. He is in a fragile state due to the elixir of immortality."
Phoebus was completely stunned. Dumbledore was a legend in the wizarding world, but after all, he was a person everyone could see and touch, so Phoebus was not that surprised.
But Nico was different. He was said to have lived for 500 years. In the magical world, he was not only a legend but also a myth. When a mythical figure appears before you, shock is a very rational reaction.
Phineas, Dumbledore, and Nico all laughed when they saw Phoebus's expression. Along the way, the three had guessed exactly how Phoebus would react upon learning Nico's identity.
The current reaction made all three of them laugh.
"Okay, senior, professor, let's go in. Astoria fell asleep because of my coma spell. She probably hasn't woken up yet. We still need to wake her up and tell her to make some preparations."
Dumbledore's smile faded when he heard this.
He knew very well that for Phineas's method to work, in addition to controlling the Fiendfyre and the Phoenix Flame, it was even more important for the cursed person to maintain consciousness. Otherwise, even with the Phoenix Flame, the saved person would be nothing more than a living dead without will or soul.
But what kind of willpower is needed to endure the feeling of being burned all over by flames?
Astoria was just a little girl, not even eleven years old. Dumbledore felt distressed thinking about what awaited her.
It's not enough. This is the only way we can do it.
Led by Phoebus and Phineas, they came to the room where Astoria was sleeping. Phineas cast a spell to wake her up.
"Is it over? There's still no way, right?"
Astoria, who had just woken up, asked subconsciously, her tone so calm and practiced that it made people's hearts skip a beat.
Phineas shook his head and said,
"I have some ideas. If nothing unexpected happens, you won't be affected by the curse anymore. Even your family may be freed from it."
Astoria's eyes lit up at this, and she suddenly woke fully from her drowsiness, asking in surprise,
"Really?"
Then she noticed Dumbledore, Nico, and her father Phoebus standing beside her. She quickly stood and saluted.
"Hello, Professor Dumbledore, Father, and this old gentleman."
Dumbledore nodded and said,
"Phineas is right. We have indeed found a way to resolve this curse. However, there is still one problem. We need to ask your opinion."
Astoria hurriedly replied,
"I have no objection. Just do what you think is best."
Phineas shook his head and said,
"No, this method requires your cooperation."
Dumbledore added,
"And this cooperation must come from your own initiative. At the same time, it will involve a kind of pain you have never endured before."
Astoria looked at her father with a puzzled expression. After seeing him nod, she turned to Phineas, waiting for his explanation.
Phineas took a deep breath and said,
"I have discovered the details of the blood curse in your body. If this curse had just been placed in you recently, there might be other, easier ways. However, this curse has been passed down your family line for thousands of years and has become fully integrated into your flesh and blood. Therefore, there is only one way to remove the curse."
Astoria asked,
"What is the solution?"
"Destroy and then rebuild. Your body will be completely destroyed and then rebuilt. This will separate the curse's power from your bloodline, thus completely lifting it."
A trace of fear appeared on Astoria's face as she asked in a trembling voice,
"Will it hurt to be destroyed completely?"
It is normal for children to be afraid of pain. Although Astoria was so frank and indifferent when she told Phineas to go ahead with the experiment, she was actually very afraid.
Phineas nodded and said in a low voice,
"That's right. And because of the curse, the magic we use to destroy your body must be the extremely destructive Fiendfyre. Correspondingly, the only way to restore your body is to use the Phoenix Flame, which has similar properties to Fiendfyre."
Dumbledore sighed and said,
"Miss Greengrass, you have already experienced the Phoenix Flame suppressing the curse at Hogwarts. The process of the Fiendfyre burning and the Phoenix Flame restoring is far beyond what you felt before — hundreds or thousands of times greater. To ensure no accidents occur and we succeed, you must stay conscious throughout."
Astoria was stunned and said blankly,
"In other words, I need to clearly feel the pain throughout the entire process?"
"Yes, that's right, Miss Greengrass. I'm afraid that's the truth."
Astoria pondered for a moment, then spoke firmly,
"Okay, I get it. Let's do it."
Her tone was as if preparing to die, which deeply moved Phineas.
He looked at Phoebus and said,
"We need a very strong room, one that can withstand magic like Fiendfyre."
Phoebus pondered and said,
"I definitely don't have a room that can withstand Fiendfyre, but there is a room in the castle where our family used to practice spells. Some war magic won't cause much damage there."
Phineas nodded.
"That will do."
Hearing this, Phoebus led a few people to the basement of the castle—an empty round room.
The room was very bright. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all dark green. Huge portraits hung on the walls.
"This is our family's magic practice room. However, the place I want to take you to is not here."
As he spoke, he came to a portrait, bowed slightly, and said,
"Grandfather, I need to use the shelter room."
The person in the portrait looked at Phoebus, then stepped aside, revealing a door behind the portrait.
Phoebus reached out and grabbed the door handle on the portrait. He pulled hard, and the door in the portrait opened. A set of stairs stretched down from the portrait.