Chapter 140: Mysterious Alchemy
This was the second day since Shawn had found Professor Tyra.
It was also Tuesday at Hogwarts.
The weather was cold, but the sky was clear.
In the corridor, Shawn carried a stack of books. Every so often, one of them floated up beside him and shifted position, making it easier for him to cross-reference a key point between different texts.
Just then, a violent explosion went off to his left. Shawn flinched back and saw the Weasley twins crawl out from behind a portrait, clutching a handful of oddly shaped fireworks.
"Fancy something special?" Fred called loudly.
"Wizard Crackers!" George said, tossing one into Shawn's hand.
Shawn's wand was out even faster than George's. With a flick, the cracker froze in mid-air.
"Oh, that is not ideal," George said, staring at the imminent explosion, then grabbing Fred, who was already trying to bolt.
Shawn quickly learned what a Wizard Cracker really was. It did not go pop with a dull bang. It detonated like cannon fire, swallowing the twins in a cloud of blue smoke. At the same time, it blasted out a navy rear-admiral's hat and several lively white mice.
Fred wore the hat, blue smoke puffing from his mouth as he croaked, "Magnificent Green… brilliant nonverbal spell…"
Wizard Crackers were not truly dangerous, but Shawn felt several spells flaring at once in that split second: a Blasting Charm, Transfiguration, and something like a Howler's sound-storing enchantment.
Alchemy really was marvellous. A simple combination of spells could create a bizarre Wizard Cracker.
Yet at the same time, Shawn felt something else. Not Charms, not Transfiguration, but a power that was mysterious and profound.
In the last few days, that sensation had been especially common whenever the Weasleys pulled out their little inventions.
Thinking as he went, Shawn cast Scourgify, cleaning the corridor and the twins in one sweep.
Then he looked at them, smiled faintly, nodded politely in farewell, and headed towards the spiral staircase.
"Do you think he felt it? Alchemy cannot afford to lose a genius," Fred said, spitting out a scrap of colourful paper and stuffing the white mice back into the firework box.
"Of course. He is," George said, one eyebrow lifting.
"Magnificent Green," they said together, then shut their eyes and vanished into a hidden passage, Wizard Crackers tucked away.
Ever since Hogwarts had been draped in its thin layer of white, Shawn had been studying Alchemy earnestly, especially the twins' notes. They were full of wild ideas and descriptions so brief they were almost insulting.
But there was no denying it. Those sparse notes were ten times better than the vague, murky, unreadable alchemy books.
Perhaps alchemists feared later generations would casually unravel their secrets. Perhaps scholars simply wanted Alchemy to look mysterious.
Either way, alchemy texts were packed with symbols and euphemisms. They were almost like Michael talking in his sleep, saying whatever came to mind.
For example:
[A circular diagram infused with sigil magic is an invention of ancient sorcery. Anyone who carries a special or hidden purpose in their heart will use it. With it, they protect themselves from 'dangers of the soul', dangers that threaten them from without.]
This was an "illusion" within the alchemical domain. The circular diagram printed in the book was simply the runic expression of a Confundus Charm. It was part of the secret behind how the Leaky Cauldron kept Muggles out.
Strange, was it not?
But without reading Alchemy: A First Glimpse, An Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes, and The Fifth Element: Exploration all the way through, no one would ever know what that circle meant.
It appeared in Alchemy: A First Glimpse, yet only The Fifth Element: Exploration explained it. And in the end, only a witch or wizard truly fluent in An Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes could identify what it actually referred to.
In short, Alchemy's mysterious nature only made Shawn more interested, especially since it seemed rooted in the entire field.
It felt as though it was meant to be… mysterious magic.
Compared to that, Potions was far more straightforward. Shawn had just finished organising the fusion enlightenment method, forming a temporarily complete system for the potion will domain.
After that, with this method, any witch or wizard could brew potions, even with mediocre talent, even if they only barely understood the brewing process.
But that was fine.
You only needed to believe, and leave the rest to magic.
It was easy to imagine what sort of impact this entire theory would have on the Potions field.
And today, Shawn carried that complete manuscript down to the dungeons.
It made him feel as if this trip had genuine historical significance.
The cold wind of the dungeons was always sharp enough to make a student shiver the moment they left a warm fireplace behind.
Further down, the air grew heavy, mixed with soil, plants, and the sour tang of cauldrons.
Professor Snape stared ahead, firelight flickering across the parchment in his hands. It was Shawn's fusion enlightenment method—the final piece of his potion-will framework.
In the corner of that parchment was an inconspicuous "1", and even Snape would never have imagined a breakthrough could come this quickly.
Of course, only witches and wizards who could not even manage the basics would think of other ways.
In the dungeon, the curl of Snape's mouth might have been mockery, or it might have been approval.
Then the dungeon door opened. Snape watched coldly as Shawn began brewing with practised ease.
Steam rose from the cauldron. Rose petals and vanilla pods were added one by one. Then Shawn moved smoothly, carrying out the improved ritual step by step.
He carefully felt out the reason this ritual magic worked.
It should be a kind of suggestion, a tool that reinforces a wizard's conviction.
Before long, bubbles surfaced in the cauldron. Shawn stirred according to a strict sequence, making Snape frown deeper and deeper at the sight.
In the final stirring, the sticky liquid turned gold, and the panel prompt rang right on time.
[You brewed a cauldron of Elixir to Induce Euphoria at Entry level. Proficiency +3]
Shawn opened his panel:
[Title: Novice Potioneer]
[Greatly increases perception of potions; slightly enhances potion talent]
[Advancement: Three Proficient-level potions and three Entry-level potions to unlock Proficient-level title in Potions domain]
[Boil-Cure Potion: Proficient (10/3000)]
[Deflating Draught: Proficient (20/3000)]
[Swelling Solution: Proficient (20/3000)]
[Elixir to Induce Euphoria: Apprentice (110/300)]
…
As long as Elixir to Induce Euphoria reached Entry level, Shawn would unlock a new Potions title.
And at the same time, mysterious Alchemy would open itself to him.
Once Alchemy appeared on the panel, it would not get to decide whether it stayed mysterious.
Shawn slowly drank a potion, and the stamina consumed by the improved ritual began recovering rapidly.
"You believe that?" Snape said, raising an eyebrow. "Shawn Green, when the Elixir to Induce Euphoria is boiling, how many turns should you stir to the left?"
"Two, Professor," Shawn replied, recalling the steps.
"Idiot. Completely wrong."