Harry looked around us, realizing that we must be in the hospital wing. His gaze ended at the table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop next to his bed. I had a similar stack beside me as well.
                          
"Tokens from your friends and admirers," Dumbledore said, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you two and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows." I lightly laughed at that. "I believe your friends and your brothers Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send each of you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you." I grinned ruefully, it would've definitely amused me. "Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."
                          
"How long have we been in here?" I asked.
                          
"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved both of you have come round, they have been extremely worried."
                          
"But sir, the Stone--" Harry persisted. In fact, I wanted to know just as much as Harry did. What really did happen?
                          
"I see neither of you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you two were doing very well on your own, I must say."
                          
"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" I inquired, amazed that he got back so fast. 
                          
"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off both of you."
                          
"It was you," Harry said, thinking back to the figure he must have seen before we both blacked out.
                          
"I feared I might be too late," Dumbledore told us.
                          
"You nearly were, we couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer--" I explained before the professor cut me off.
                          
"Not the Stone, girl, you both-- the effort involved nearly killed you two. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."
                          
"Destroyed?" Harry asked blankly. "But your friend -- Nicolas Flamel--" 
                          
"Oh, both of you know about Nicolas?" Dumbledore said, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best." 
                          
"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?" I questioned.
                          
"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's and my face."To one as young as you two, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all -- the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." 
                          
Harry and I laid down, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.
                          
"Sir?" Harry said. "I've been thinking... sir -- even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know- Who --"
                          
"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."
                          
Oh, how true that was. I was sure that I would always say his name now. I am not afraid of him, I won't allow myself to be.