Chapter 140: The Mystery of Alchemy
It was the second day after Sean had found Professor Terra. It was also Tuesday at Hogwarts. The weather was cold, but clear.
Sean walked down the corridor, carrying a large stack of books. Occasionally, one would levitate and shuffle its position, allowing him to cross-reference a point in one book with a passage in another without breaking his stride.
Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted to his left. He flinched back, just in time to see the Weasley twins bursting out from behind a portrait, clutching a variety of strange fireworks.
"Fancy something special?" Fred shouted.
"Wizarding Cracker!" George tossed a brightly coloured cracker towards Sean.
Sean's wand was out faster than George could blink. With a flick, the cracker froze in mid-air.
"Oh—that's not good," George said, eyeing the frozen, sizzling cracker. He grabbed Fred, who was already trying to make a run for it.
A moment later, Sean saw exactly what a Wizarding Cracker did. It wasn't a simple pop, but a cannon-like boom that engulfed the Weasleys in a cloud of blue smoke. Out of the smoke blast shot a rear admiral's hat and several lively white mice.
Fred, now wearing the hat and puffing blue smoke, grinned. "The Great Green—impressive non-verbal spell..."
The cracker wasn't harmful, but Sean sensed the burst of multiple spells within it—an Exploding Charm, Transfiguration, and something akin to the charm used in Howlers to store sound.
Alchemy was truly wondrous. Simple spell combinations could produce things like the Wizarding Cracker, but Sean sensed something else too. A unique, profound power that wasn't just charms or transfiguration. He felt it especially strongly in the various gadgets the Weasleys had shown him over the past few days.
Pondering this, Sean cast a Scouring Charm, cleaning the soot from the corridor and the twins. He nodded politely to them, a faint smile on his lips, and headed for the moving staircase.
"Do you think he felt it? Alchemy can't afford to lose a genius like him," Fred said, spitting out a piece of confetti and stuffing a mouse back into the cracker box.
"Of course," George replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's the Great Green."
The twins, clutching their crackers, closed their eyes and vanished into a secret passage.
Ever since Hogwarts had been dusted with snow, Sean had been studying Alchemy in earnest, particularly the twins' notes. Though often filled with wild flights of fancy and extremely brief descriptions, they were ten times better than the vague, confusing textbooks.
Perhaps alchemists feared their secrets would be easily cracked, or perhaps scholars just wanted to make Alchemy seem mysterious. Alchemical texts were filled with symbolism and allegory, almost as random as Michael's sleep-talking.
For example: [A circle drawn with charmed power is an invention of ancient magic, used by all who harbor a special or hidden purpose. By this, he protects himself from "dangers of the soul" that threaten from without.]
This was an "illusion" in the field of Alchemy. The circle in the book was a runic representation of the Confundus Charm, the secret behind the Leaky Cauldron's ability to repel Muggles.
Fascinating, right? But without reading A Glimpse of Alchemy, An Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes, and The Fifth Element: Explorations simultaneously, no one would understand what the circle meant. It appeared in A Glimpse, was explained in The Fifth Element, but only a wizard fluent in An Easy Introduction could decipher its reference.
The mysterious nature of Alchemy only fueled Sean's interest, especially since this mystery seemed ingrained in the very fabric of the discipline. It felt as though Alchemy was supposed to be... a secret magic.
Compared to this, Potions was much more straightforward. Sean had just finished compiling the "Fusion Enlightenment Method," forming a tentatively complete system for using willpower in potion-making. With this method, any wizard could brew a potion, even with mediocre talent, as long as they were vaguely familiar with the process.
Believe, and let magic do the rest.
Sean could foresee the massive impact this theory would have on the field of Potions. Today, he was carrying the complete manuscript to the dungeon. It felt like a moment of historical significance.
The dungeon draft was biting, capable of making a student fresh from a warm fire shiver. As he descended, the air grew heavy with the scent of earth, plants, and brewing potions.
Snape was staring ahead, the flickering firelight illuminating the parchment in his hand—Sean's manuscript for the Fusion Enlightenment Method, the final piece of the puzzle. A faint '1' was visible in the corner. Even Snape hadn't expected the breakthrough to come so soon.
Of course, only a wizard incapable of even basic brewing would come up with such a workaround.
In the dungeon, a smirk played on Snape's lips. Was it mockery, or appreciation?
The dungeon door creaked open. Snape watched coldly as Sean expertly began to brew. The cauldron steamed, rose petals and vanilla pods added in sequence... Sean moved fluidly, performing the modified ritual step by step, carefully sensing the reason behind the magic.
It must be a form of suggestion, a tool to strengthen the wizard's conviction.
Soon, the cauldron began to bubble. Sean stirred with rigorous precision, making Snape frown.
As the viscous liquid turned gold in the final stir, the Panel chimed.
[You have brewed an Elixir to Induce Euphoria to the Apprentice standard. Proficiency +3]
Sean checked the Panel:
[Title: Potions Novice]
[Effect: Significantly increases perception of Potions. Slightly improves Potions talent.]
[Next Tier: Adept Potions (Requires three Adept-level and three Novice-level Potions)]
[Boil-Cure Potion: Adept (10/3000)]
[Deflating Draught: Adept (20/3000)]
[Swelling Solution: Adept (20/3000)]
[Elixir to Induce Euphoria: Apprentice (110/300)]
...
Once the Elixir to Induce Euphoria reached Novice level, Sean would unlock a new Potions title. More importantly, the mysterious field of Alchemy would finally open to him. Once Alchemy was on the Panel, its mysteries would no longer be an obstacle.
Sean drank a revitalizing potion, his energy restoring rapidly after the drain of the modified ritual.
"Tell me, Sean Green—when the Elixir to Induce Euphoria boils, how many times should you stir counter-clockwise?"
"Two times, Professor," Sean recalled.
"Imbecile! Completely wrong!"
(End of Chapter)
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