Welcome to Gaia! ::

(Sure! Would you like the clue to be subtle, mid-level blunt, or "great-big-neon-sign-with-a-humorous-message" blunt? mrgreen )

"Either or - it's probably the same to him, really," Phobius noted in regard to the first bit before considering the second. "Judging from the rather blatant hints Mitis was dropping during the christmas break, it's definitely some sort of magical stone, but the only one I can think of is the Philosopher's stone." Which, come to think of it, would certainly fit - as he recalled, Dumbledore was an old student of Nicholas Flamel. He didn't bother to wonder how Mitis knew what was in the school - knowing him, it probably involved a lot of fire and even more mental scarring.

(Okay then! ...Hypothetically speaking, how would you rate a relevant book dropping onto Hermione's head out of nowhere? mrgreen )

"Yes, but exactly what do you propose we do about it? If we go after it, we'll probably play right into Dumbledore's hands, but if we leave it alone, we risk Voldie getting the stone - neither of which is a desirable scenario." Phobius observed bluntly.
As if on cue, Harry came down, still looking slightly sleepy but not unbearably so - he'd gotten used to sleeping in.

(Fiiine... Party pooper... xd )

"Sorry... guess I just got used to sleeping in at Phobius's house," Harry apologized.
Phobius's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "I can work with that; Mitis will probably want to destroy the thing anyway." His friend had a bit of an agenda against anything he viewed as "overly unnatural", with some exceptions... for example, Phobius didn't count since he had no choice in what he was and had yet to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it to some extent. "Question is, how do we make a convincing fake?"
As if that were some sort of cue, a small fire-colored barn owl landed in front of them with a small, lumpy package. It hooted at them once, then grabbed a slice of bacon and flew off.
Phobius stared blandly at the package, easily able to guess what was inside: a fake philosopher's stone. And a fire-colored owl? Three guesses who that belonged to, and two didn't count. "...I know Mitis is good at crafting things and knows a lot more than he should, but this is starting to get a little ridiculous," he finally decided, pocketing the fake stone for later use.