Chapter 64
This magic could be learned.
Gray quickly pulled out his notebook and began recording the magical pathways he had observed.
It was a three-dimensional circuit, composed of two distinct parts.
The first part resembled an infinity symbol (∞), with the two loops intersecting at the center—except one line at the crossover point was broken.
One end of the broken line connected to the unicorn's life circuits within its body, while the other linked to its magical circuits, forming a complete loop between life and magic. Then the whole structure slowly faded from Gray's view.
The second part extended outward like a spider's eight legs from the intersection point of the infinity circuit. Yet they were delicate as gossamer threads, swaying gently with every shift in the surrounding environment, allowing the unicorn's form to blend seamlessly into whatever lay around it.
The entire magical circuit seemed alive, subtly reshaping itself in response to changes in the surroundings so the unicorn could merge perfectly with any setting.
Gray recorded this remarkable circuit right after his notes on the Fire-Making Spell and gave it a name.
"Existence Erasure Charm"
Unlike the Disillusionment Charm, which renders an object invisible, this spell diminished the sense of the object's very presence, causing it to blend so completely into the environment that it escaped notice—even if seen directly, the mind would simply overlook it.
Gray closed the notebook with excitement. Though he hadn't managed to learn the first two offensive spells, acquiring even one was a clear win.
At the same time, this confirmed his earlier hypothesis: he could indeed learn new magic by closely observing magical creatures.
The difficulty, however, was immense and required a fair amount of luck.
Of course, he had only recorded the magical pathways for now. Mastering the spell would take considerable practice—but at least he had a starting point.
Gray gave the unicorn a hug, happily patting its neck, only to end up covered in streaks of the ointment still smeared across its coat.
Just then, Hagrid and the others emerged from the hut.
"Enough of that, Harry. I trust Professor Snape. He would never harm a unicorn, and he certainly isn't after the Philosopher's Stone," Hagrid said firmly.
To him, the trio's theory sounded like pure fantasy. They were only eleven or twelve, after all. Back at their age, he too had loved imagining tales of foiling villains and saving the world.
"But Hagrid, we're telling the truth," Ron protested anxiously.
"I think you three should be far more worried about your exams. There's hardly any time left. Honestly, I never should have let slip the name Nicolas Flamel," Hagrid said with regret. He blamed himself for getting the children so worked up.
If he had kept his mouth shut, they wouldn't have known about the Philosopher's Stone on the fourth floor and might have forgotten the whole affair.
"All right, all right, Hagrid—but you have to promise us you won't tell anyone how to get past Fluffy," Hermione said. She had given up trying to convince him and now only wanted assurance about Fluffy's security.
As for the other professors' protections, she suspected Snape had already broken through most of them—except perhaps Quirrell's, though even that probably wouldn't hold much longer.
After all, Quirrell looked so frail that a strong breeze might carry him off.
"I can promise you that. I won't tell a soul," Hagrid declared, raising his hand solemnly. A touch of pride showed on his face.
"This is a task Dumbledore entrusted to me, and I'll see it through properly. I haven't even told Gray, so you can see just how tight-lipped I am."
Gray had walked over by then and heard the last part. The trio turned their eyes toward him.
Gray shrugged. Points of light materialized from the air.
"I'm not curious about it."
"That's the attitude a proper student should have," Hagrid said approvingly. "Don't poke your nose into things that aren't your business. Focus on your studies—that's what matters."
But Harry, Ron, and Hermione clearly weren't convinced. Hermione studied Gray's expression and couldn't shake the feeling that he already knew how to get past Fluffy.
It wouldn't be surprising. Gray always seemed to know the strangest bits of knowledge. He read far more widely than she did, and many of the books she studied had first been recommended by him after he finished them.
"Don't worry yourselves too much. With Dumbledore here, Hogwarts is the safest place there is. No one is stealing the Philosopher's Stone—not even if they got through every single obstacle. Truth is, they wouldn't even pass the first one. Only Dumbledore and I know Fluffy's weakness."
Hagrid finished with an attempt to reassure them, but their expressions showed it hadn't worked.
The four made their way back to the castle. Gray headed straight for the library; he wanted to find books on the Fire-Making Spell. After last night's events and his own use of the spell, some new ideas had begun to form.
They were still just seeds, though—ideas that would need knowledge to grow into something clear and fully formed.
Harry and Ron, meanwhile, were dragged by Hermione back to the Gryffindor common room. The morning had already been lost to the unicorn and Hagrid; the afternoon could not be wasted too.
Though Harry and Ron grumbled and resisted, they had no real choice—and they didn't dare defy Hermione.
Without her help, who knew how badly they might do on the exams? They might not pass a single one.
Gray reached the library, greeted Madam Pince with a nod, and headed inside.
Not to the Restricted Section, of course—the books he wanted weren't quite that advanced.
After scanning six large shelves, he finally found what he was looking for on the seventh.
The book was as thick as two castle bricks stacked together, its title stamped in faded gold lettering.
'Wonders and Whimsies of the Fire-Making Spell'
Gray gave a satisfied nod, flicked his wand to levitate it, and let the heavy tome float beside him as he moved on to the next shelf.
One book wouldn't be enough. He would be busy for a while and didn't know when he'd next visit the library, so he planned to borrow several. That way he could read in bed before sleep or upon waking without having to get up.
On the ninth shelf he spotted another promising title. This one was considerably more worn, its lettering faded and in places completely flaked away—a sign of frequent borrowing.
'Flame: The Origins of Humanity and Wizard kind'
Gray waved his wand again; the book flew out and joined the first, hovering like a pair of obedient bookish companions.
Then, on the twelfth shelf, he found a third. It wasn't much newer or older than the others—just an ordinary well-used volume. Unlike the previous two, however, this one was a collection of stories.
'Tales of Flame and Fire'
Gray scratched his head, hesitated a moment, then waved his wand once more. The slim book—only half a brick thick—floated down to join the others.
He hoped they would prove useful.
With that quiet wish to himself, Gray carried the three books to Madam Pince's desk to check them out.
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