Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel watched in shock as the crystal bed emerged with the boy on top of it. The shaking suddenly began to intensify, and with the heightened senses of the two wizards, they were able to see that it had spread throughout the entire castle before suddenly stopping.
In the Headmaster's Office:
"This is too soon. According to the calculations, it should have taken another century for him to be completely born," the Sorting Hat muttered in shock as he recognized what the tremor represented. Then he shifted in a way that signified a shrug.
"Well, they made sure to plan ahead, so what am I afraid of?"
Back in the room:
"Albus," Nicholas spoke, "that almost seemed as if—"
"The whole castle had stretched itself—as if awakened," Dumbledore finished the sentence. He knew the other teachers who were still in the building must have felt those shockwaves and might be coming to his office right now. But they would have to wait until he found some answers first.
Both of them moved towards the bed and saw that the boy was breathing properly but seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness. They decided not to wake him, as doing so without understanding the situation could be dangerous.
They inspected the bed and discovered four chess pieces at the corners. The unique detail was that each piece seemed to represent the symbols of the four Founders. Albus stretched out his hand to touch the Gryffindor piece, but suddenly—
"Ouch!!" He snapped his arm back from the sudden shock of pain.
"Seems it is protected," Nicholas commented from the side. (Drax would be proud.)
Before they could conduct further investigations, they were interrupted by two spirits who suddenly entered the room. The Bloody Baron and Helena Ravenclaw passed through the walls and froze as they looked at the boy lying on the crystal bed. For a moment, they said nothing and didn't move from their positions.
Dumbledore was alarmed. The Bloody Baron's appearance was surprising, but what shocked him more was Helena Ravenclaw's presence. Albus knew that due to reasons surrounding her death—which were never fully revealed—Helena had banished herself to the Ravenclaw Tower. She only ever left once a year, to silently greet the new students, and even then, she merely watched from a corner.
Seeing her here, Dumbledore realized the situation was even more serious than he had thought.
Suddenly, the Bloody Baron turned toward him and flew at him with an angry expression.
"What the hell did you do, you bastard?! I swear, if something happens to that child, I will find a way to kill you—no matter what it takes!!" the Baron screamed, trying to grab Dumbledore by the collar but failing as his ghostly hands passed through Dumbledore's neck.
"Calm yourself, Baron. The child is alright," Helena said. At that moment, she was examining the few runes left from the ritual circle, which had disappeared earlier. Even as a ghost, she could easily assess the condition of the boy.
"Take him to the infirmary, Dumbledore, and close the door to this room. No one else is allowed to step foot in it," Helena ordered as she looked at Dumbledore.
Although it seemed disrespectful, Dumbledore was too curious about the situation to feel offended. He complied without any protest.
As the boy was levitated and carried away, Flammel asked Helena a question that had been on both his and Dumbledore's minds for some time.
"Young lady, would you be kind enough to tell me whose child this is? If it's not possible, that's alright," Flammel said. Despite his habit of jumping into danger, he was empathetic toward others. He could tell the boy was important to Helena—who rarely showed emotion—so he asked gently.
Helena, her eyes still on the child being carried by Dumbledore, turned toward Nicholas and answered.
"He is a descendant of the Founders of Hogwarts."
This caught Dumbledore's attention. He continued walking, listening intently.
"That is surprising. And if I may be a bit more presumptuous—may I ask which of the Founders was the parent of this child?" Flammel asked.
Baron and Helena exchanged a look, as though debating whether to reveal something. After a moment, Helena made a decision.
"All four of them."
And then she fell silent and said nothing more.
At the Infirmary:
Dumbledore brought the boy to the infirmary, where Madam Pomfrey began conducting a check-up. She was surprised to see a child brought in by Dumbledore after the school term had ended. What surprised her even more was that she didn't recognize the boy. But she decided to ask questions later.
While this was happening, the rest of the teachers came in to inquire about the sudden earthquake that had shaken the entire tower. Dumbledore calmed them down and told them they would be given answers soon. They nodded and left.
Dumbledore then turned to the two ghosts, who had fallen silent after Helena revealed that the boy was a descendant of all four Founders. He decided to explain the events first, as he saw that their emotions were still turbulent from the boy's appearance.
Baron and Helena listened as he recounted the battle that had taken place. When Dumbledore reached the part where the Philosopher's Stone had been swallowed by the floors, a look of realization crossed Helena's face. She turned to Nicholas.
"This Philosopher's Stone—if I'm correct—has the ability for permanent transmutation. Does it also contain a large amount of stored magical energy?"
"Ah, yes, my lady. The stone constantly absorbs magic from the atmosphere. I designed it that way so it could be used with ease. I only ever need to nudge it with a bit of low-level magic for it to activate," Flammel replied. "And since I've used it sparingly, a large amount of magic had accumulated in it."
Helena nodded. "That must have substituted for the energy required to complete the ritual."
"Helena, can you please tell me everything that's going on?" Dumbledore finally asked. Helena turned to the Baron, who gave her a silent nod of approval. She then began:
"This all started with the Founder Protection Project…"
A/N- hope you like it.