Chapter 46: Alchemy
The Christmas holidays ended, and the students returned to Hogwarts the day before term began.
Vade quietly made his way to the room on the eighth floor of the castle and took out the griffin egg. Then he repeatedly thought, I need a room where this egg can hatch.
The room transformed into a stretch of open grassland. The ceiling overhead became a blue sky, and warm sunlight shone down upon a nest made from soft cushions.
"Is it really that simple? Does it only need plenty of sunlight?" Vade doubtfully placed the egg inside, then opened the detailed book on alchemy Daphne had given him and began studying it carefully.
He had already read the book once during the holidays, but going through it again still proved highly rewarding.
More than half an hour later, he closed the book and took an engraving knife and a piece of gold jewellery from his pouch, preparing to make a simple talisman.
He picked up the knife and carefully carved runes into the gold.
Each stroke was infused with a different amount of magic. At the same time, he quietly recited the incantation, merging the spell’s power into the gold.
When the final stroke was completed and the magical circuit stabilised, golden light seemed to flow across the pattern on the talisman, though it quickly faded back to normal.
"Success." Vade smiled, pleased to have completed the first alchemical item of his life.
The talisman had no particularly special function. It merely absorbed sunlight, allowing its wearer to enjoy the warmth of sunshine even on a cloudy day.
It had cost two Galleons to make, and he doubted it would sell for much more.
For a wizard, enjoying sunlight was merely a matter of casting a spell, so there was little reason to waste money on such a thing. Even so, that did not mean there was no market for it at all.
Young witches and wizards might enjoy such a novelty. It might sell if placed in a gift shop.
Rumble!
At that moment, the ceiling suddenly changed. The blue sky became a mass of black clouds, and the golden sunlight was replaced by flashes of lightning.
Vade froze for a moment, but after realising what had happened, he was not particularly surprised.
Perhaps this was how it was supposed to be. Otherwise, the egg’s affinity with lightning would never have manifested.
He turned his attention back to the talisman. Although he had succeeded, the finished product was extremely crude.
First, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary piece of gold jewellery. Second, the magical circuit had not been concealed, which spoiled its appearance.
Vade took out another piece of gold jewellery. This time, while carving with the engraving knife, he used the Mending Charm to conceal the marks. However, he failed before completing even a third of the runes.
A layer of black scorch marks appeared across the gold, making it look as though it had been exposed to fierce flames.
"Well, there go two Galleons." Vade sighed regretfully. He did not attempt to repair the jewellery with the Mending Charm, because the spell could not restore an object containing complex magic.
One step at a time.
Vade stood and performed a divination with a Knut. After confirming that no one was outside, he tossed out a paper figurine, destroyed it, and left the room.
As for the griffin egg, he had no intention of moving it before it hatched. It was certainly safer here than in the dormitory.
After leaving the eighth floor, Vade went directly to the library on the fifth floor.
When Daphne saw him, a trace of annoyance appeared between her brows. "You’re late. I’ve been waiting for you for fifteen whole minutes."
"Sorry." Vade smiled awkwardly, then held out the gold talisman. "I prepared this as a thank-you gift."
"A thank-you gift?" Daphne looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
"That detailed book on alchemy helped me a great deal. This is the first alchemical item I’ve ever made, so it has some commemorative value."
Daphne immediately became interested and picked up the gold ornament to examine it carefully.
Before long, she began to feel warmer, as though she were sitting beside a fireplace.
The weather was still fairly cold, so the sensation was quite noticeable.
"It absorbs sunlight and allows the wearer to feel its warmth more clearly," Vade explained.
Daphne’s eyes lit up. "How did you do it? A first-year wizard shouldn’t be able to create an alchemical item at all."
"That’s what you call talent." Vade proudly lifted his chin. "My results in most other subjects may not be particularly good, but I’m very talented in Divination, Potions, and alchemy."
"Be honest. How many times did you fail?" Daphne asked playfully.
Vade froze. Was this sort of thing usually easy to fail?
However, claiming to have succeeded on his first attempt would not help him keep a low profile, so an embarrassed look appeared on his face at just the right moment.
"There’s no need to say everything you notice. I admit that I failed, but you’d better not ask how many times."
"Fine, but does this become useless at night?"
"More or less." Vade neither confirmed nor denied it. "And it only lets someone feel the warmth of sunlight. It doesn’t affect the surrounding temperature."
"It doesn’t sound especially useful, but creating it at all is already impressive. Perhaps you really will become an alchemist one day."
"Not only that. I’ll also become a Potions master."
"In consideration of this gift, I’ll reluctantly forgive you this time.
"But don’t let it happen again. My father has never once made my mother wait for him."
Vade shrugged unconcernedly, then opened his book and enjoyed the rare period of peace and quiet.
Not far from them, Hermione dropped a thick old book onto the table, making Harry and Ron widen their eyes involuntarily.
"I’m sorry I sent you looking in the wrong direction. I borrowed this book a few weeks ago to read for pleasure."
"You read that for pleasure?" Ron could hardly believe it.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She had originally intended to tell them directly that she had asked Vade for help, but she was worried they would overthink it, so she decided to use the book as an explanation instead.
"What is it?"
"Do neither of you ever read? The Philosopher’s Stone is a legendary object with extraordinary magical properties. It can transform any metal into pure gold and produce the Elixir of Life, which grants immortality.
"The only Philosopher’s Stone currently in existence belongs to Nicolas Flamel. The famous alchemist celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year." After finishing the passage, Hermione looked at the two of them. "Do you understand now? This is what Fluffy is guarding on the fourth floor."
"No wonder Snape wants it," Harry said. "Anyone would want to get their hands on something like that."
"Wait, Harry," Hermione interrupted. "Have you considered that it might not be Snape?"
"Impossible. It has to be him," Ron cut in. "Every sign points to Snape as the most likely suspect. Have you forgotten that we saw him jinxing Harry?"
"It may have been the counter-curse," Hermione said. "There was another possibility. Someone else could have been jinxing Harry and trying to make him fall from his broom, while Snape noticed and used the counter-curse in time to stop them."
(To be continued.)