Chapter 821: Taboo Knowledge
Kyle had long known that the key ingredient in crafting a Philosopher’s Stone was the ashes left behind after a phoenix’s rebirth. After all, he had contributed to the creation of the very stone before him.
What he hadn’t expected was that repairing it would require the same thing.
"I don’t have any phoenix ashes left," Kyle said. "I only took half last time, and I gave all of it to you. The other half is with Snape, and he already used it to make Phoenix Potion."
"I know," Nicolas nodded. "But Dumbledore’s phoenix is with you, isn’t it?"
"What good does that do?" Kyle asked. "Didn’t you say that the ashes must come from a natural rebirth to make a Philosopher’s Stone? It’s only been a few years since Fawkes last went through it—we can’t just wait indefinitely."
Kyle didn’t know exactly how often a phoenix would undergo a natural rebirth, but he was sure it wasn’t a short interval. If it happened every few years, the ashes wouldn’t be nearly so rare.
"Oh, you misunderstood," Nicolas said, looking at him. "There are indeed strict requirements when making a Philosopher’s Stone. But if it’s just for repairs, the rules are far more relaxed. As long as it’s ashes, it doesn’t have to come from a natural rebirth."
"...I see." Kyle’s expression turned uncertain.
He knew perfectly well that a rebirth wasn’t a big deal for Fawkes. It would only leave him weakened for a while, and in a few months, he’d recover.
A few months of weakness in exchange for a chance to save Dumbledore—it was clearly worth it.
But for some reason, maybe due to some strange emotional resistance, Kyle found himself deeply uneasy about making that decision. He didn’t even know how to bring it up to Fawkes.
Nicolas noticed his hesitation but didn’t press him. He simply said calmly, "You don’t need to decide right away. You’ve got two weeks to think about it. I’ll finish rewriting the magical script in that time, and then it’ll be the stone’s turn..."