The members of the Order immediately began to set out on their respective missions, leaving Dumbledore.

  As the headmaster was finally alone, there was no need to pretend to stay calm. This was the burden of a leader. Even in the event of trouble, Albus could not show weakness. He had to stay strong to keep the emotion and hope that the others had in him.

  In the narration of Snape, there was something that struck him in the way Voldemort behaved in one particular instance.

  After Harry evaded the spell and Cedric was killed, Voldemort decided to let Harry suffer for some time. What Dumbledore found unusual was that Voldemort left and did not stay to kill Harry. That was what caused Harry to be able to escape.

  Dumbledore did not know exactly why, but he felt like Voldemort purposely let Harry escape. On top of that, there was also the issue that Dumbledore was not able to locate Harry Potter. Dumbledore had tried every possible means using magic to find Harry Potter, and yet all of them failed.

  From Dumbledore's point of view, Harry was not proficient enough to the point of practically becoming untraceable. It was only possible if someone on par with Dumbledore had put the counter spell on Harry, preventing others from searching for him.

  Still, Dumbledore was not sure that Voldemort was lying.

  "What are you planning, Tom?"

  Dumbledore breathed in, and his mind was at ease again. In the end, it did not matter. Dumbledore knew Voldemort well enough to face each of his plans.

  --- --- ---

  After all the Death Eaters left, Voldemort got back inside the mansion with Lucius and Wormtail. Voldemort sat at the long, ornate table in the grand drawing room of Malfoy Manor. His cold, slender fingers drummed rhythmically on the polished surface in deep thought. Lucius Malfoy and Wormtail stood before him, their gazes fixed on the Dark Lord, awaiting his words.

  Finally, the tapping stopped and was followed by a question.

  "Lucius, tell me, have you heard anything about Nicolas Flamel's death announced by either the Ministry of Magic from here or France?"

  Lucius Malfoy, still on edge from the earlier encounter with the Dark Lord, hesitated before responding. "My Lord, I... I have not heard any news of Nicolas Flamel's death."

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  "Hmmm, is that so..." Voldemort leaned over the table and used his left arm as a support for his head. He was once again navigating his new memories in search of information.

  "Someone as great as Nicolas Flamel. If he did die, I'm sure all the wizards around, not just France but the world, would know of such news." Voldemort's mind was now working differently compared to the past Voldemort due to the new memories and the subtle changes in his behavior.

  In 1991, four years before the current event, Voldemort took possession of Quirinus Quirrell's body, who was at that time the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts during the 1991–1992 school year. It was the very same year Harry Potter joined Hogwarts for his first year.

  At that time, Voldemort wanted to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone to use it to make himself a new body. At that time, the stone was not with its owner, Nicolas Flamel, but instead was being kept in the highly secure Vault of Gringotts Wizarding Bank; Vault 713.

  The vault 712 was located hundreds of miles underground and required a Gringotts goblin to pass its finger along the length of the door, in order for the door to melt away. If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried to open Vault 713, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped inside the vault until the vault was opened.

  On 31 July 1991, Quirrell was unsuccessful in his attempted robbery, as Rubeus Hagrid had removed the Stone from its vault earlier that same day on Albus Dumbledore's orders.

  After that, the Stone was placed in a special chamber in Hogwarts and guarded by seven enchantments and creatures, provided by the Professors at Hogwarts. Professor Sprout's web of Devil's Snare; Winged Keys, charmed by Filius Flitwick; a life-size board of Wizard's Chess, transfigured and animated by Professor McGonagall; Professor Quirrell's mountain troll; Professor Snape's Potion riddle; and the Mirror of Erised, enchanted to hold the Stone by Albus Dumbledore. Rubeus Hagrid's massive three-headed dog, Fluffy, guarded the trap door through which the chamber was accessed.

  Finally, on 4 June 1992, Quirinus Quirrell was able to reach the Mirror of Erised, where the stone was kept. Quirrell saw himself presenting the stone to his master, but could not figure out how to get it. It was only when Harry arrived, thinking he was protecting the Stone, that Voldemort saw a way he could get it.

  'Only those who wanted to find the stone, but not use it, could get it from the mirror.'

  Unfortunately, when he tried to attack Harry, the contact caused Quirrell to burn alongside Voldemort due to the protective charm Harry's mother left in his skin when she died for him.

  From the knowledge of the new memories, Voldemort knew that after Albus secured the Stone, Dumbledore and Flamel discussed the future of the Philosopher's Stone and agreed that it was best to destroy it.

  Voldemort also knew that Flamel ensured he and his wife had enough remaining elixir to set their affairs in order before they would ultimately die, a fate with which they were quite content.

  But what his new memories did not include was the exact date of the death of Nicolas Flamel and his wife. Voldemort knew that it was between 1992, after the stone was destroyed, and 1997 when it was confirmed that Nicolas was already dead.

  If Lucius had not heard about his death, then there was a great possibility that the French alchemist was still alive.

  "Found out immediately, Lucius, if Nicolas is still alive. And if so, where does he live?" As soon as Voldemort issued this command, Lucius Malfoy left in search of news.