Chapter 160: Ravenclaw's Diadem
"Yes. During the holidays, in addition to advising us on the Wizarding Cards, Dumbledore also gave us the method for refining that crystal ball used to test for magical potential.
"He said he tested other Squibs and confirmed that they too had weak magic." Fred adjusted his backpack strap.
"So, as long as we refine enough of these magic crystal balls, other Squibs can test whether they can recharge them too. That way, we can properly promote the alchemy wands. It would be a huge benefit for Squibs everywhere."
Ethan immediately thought of the twins' alchemy wand business. This seemed like a good opportunity, though it would be difficult to maintain an edge.
Just as Ollivander doesn't completely monopolize the wand market, other alchemists will likely crack the secrets of alchemy wand technology.
Eventually, shops selling alchemy wands were bound to start popping up in various countries.
A shop like this would likely be a side business for a wand shop or general store. After all, the Squib population isn't exactly large. However, since an alchemy wand can only cast one specific type of magic, Squibs would need to buy several. So, the business volume would be moderate.
George shook his head. "We're still trying to refine the crystal balls. We haven't succeeded yet. The one you just saw was our fifth failure already."
"As for the alchemy wand, we'll just release the technology publicly. We aren't exactly strapped for cash right now. Besides, if we put it on the market, it would likely be reverse-engineered and copied anyway. We might as well make it public and save everyone the trouble." The two of them exchanged a look.
"I think all Squibs will thank you." Ethan patted George's shoulder.
Fred shrugged. "We're just doing what we can."
"Dumbledore said we could publish the magic crystal ball refining process, too. We already submitted it to Transfiguration Today... no, Alchemy Today. We've already received a reply, but publication won't be until next month."
"The holiday just started, and we've already sold a dozen alchemy wands. They were bought by the Squibs who took Dumbledore's magic test."
"Even though some of them have lived in the Muggle world for years, they still want to fulfill their dream of casting spells."
Talking about this, George grew somewhat emotional.
Having gone through their own magical awakenings and made it into Hogwarts, they had no way of understanding how it felt to be born into a wizarding family but unable to cast magic.
But among the purchase request letters sent to the school, one was particularly long.
In it, the writer described his depression and longing from childhood to adulthood, expressing his gratitude over and over. It touched the twins deeply.
After Ethan told them about the steady income from the Wizarding Cards, assuring them they were no longer short of money, they made an immediate decision. They would publicly release the method for refining alchemy wands.
They hoped that by giving all alchemists access to this technology, the technique would be further optimized. This way, Squibs across the globe would be able to enjoy affordable and accessible alchemy wands, experience the joy of casting spells, and finally put their regrets behind them.
After lunch, the three of them returned to the Room of Requirement together.
"Ethan, teach us how to use the Undetectable Extension Charm again," Fred said as he unloaded the large bag, pulling items out as he spoke. "We tried it a few times but couldn't get it to work. We don't have a clue why."
"Alright. Cast the spell for me and I'll spot the problem." Ethan didn't object. Since they were just practicing inside the school, the Ministry of Magic wasn't likely to come all the way here to enforce the law.
However, he still reminded them a few more times. Using it privately was fine, but they absolutely couldn't get caught. The Ministry of Magic wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this.
The two took turns casting the spell on their own robe pockets. After they recited the incantation, the pockets were still just pockets.
"Your pronunciation is a bit off. The stress on some of the syllables isn't quite right." Ethan corrected their pronunciation of the incantation.
"This time for sure." They each recited the incantation once more, but the spell still failed.
"Is your magic not strong enough?" Ethan could tell their spellcasting was fine. The wand movements were correct, too.
Noticing them staring, Ethan waved his hand. "Don't look at me. I'm just a bit special."
"Did you manage to cast the Disillusionment Charm? That's not a forbidden spell. If you failed, chances are your magic simply isn't strong enough."
"No. Without the Marauder's Map and the scent remover, we might have been caught several times." The two of them shook their heads in unison.
Ethan nodded. It was simply a matter of insufficient magic. "It must be a problem with your reserves. Just give it some time to grow, and you should be fine."
"I'll cast the Undetectable Extension Charm for you." Ethan cast the spell on their large bag, making it easier for them to carry everything back to the dormitory.
The two of them tidied the workbench and continued their experiment. Ethan looked at the other books from the vault.
These were all books related to bloodlines and flesh magic. Many were hand-copied manuscripts Ethan had never seen in the Hogwarts library. They had to be unique copies.
Of course, he would have to check tonight to find out whether the Forbidden Forest or the Restricted Section had any copies.
Looking at the books, Ethan suddenly remembered that the blood had already stained the pages red. The book in his hand was now useless. After all, he had already discovered the biggest secret inside. The remaining content was the same as his fake copy.
*Do I put this book back? A book in the Restricted Section suddenly changing appearance overnight... Madam Pince would notice something was wrong at a glance.* Ethan felt a headache coming on.
*Find Snape and get him to write another note? Check out the fake book and return the real one?*
*But in that case, wouldn't making the switch be completely unnecessary?*
Ethan felt that returning the book now would make his earlier efforts somewhat redundant. Mostly, he hadn't expected the secret hidden in the book to be so simple. He had assumed that uncovering it would inevitably damage the book.
*Forget it. I'll keep this copy. The library has another one anyway. If they really suspect me, I'll just deny it. There's no proof I took it.* Ethan decided to keep the original. Later, he could find someone to crack the concealment technology built into the cover.
No longer worried about the matter, Ethan continued reading through the books Nathaniel had selected.
Whenever he had an insight or a new idea, he recorded it on parchment.
Ethan scribbled on six or seven pieces of parchment that afternoon. Among his notes were four or five potion recipes and various other ideas.
He made a list of items to buy, planning to write to the shop in Diagon Alley once he returned to the dormitory for the night.
*Besides ingredients, I also need a set of dragon-hide protective gear. Then I can run new trials in the Room of Requirement. The trial potions are the tricky part. I don't know if anyone would be willing to volunteer.*
Of course, this was merely a fantasy. After all, even trials for therapeutic potions were notoriously slow and difficult to yield results. That went double for his potions involving bloodlines and flesh.
Just look at Nathaniel's fate and Salazar's Squib test subjects. Potions like those were fraught with danger.
The three of them returned to the Room of Requirement after dinner, staying until just before curfew.
However, once the twins had gotten a short distance away, Ethan quietly turned back.
He paced back and forth in the corridor, thinking intently. *I need a room to hide things.*
After pacing back and forth three times, Ethan pulled the door open and entered a room filled with various odds and ends.
This room, used for hiding things, was massive. The item closest to Ethan was a huge, dilapidated piece of furniture, but it wasn't the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Where did the Vanishing Cabinet go?" Ethan remembered the Vanishing Cabinet appearing in the Room of Requirement. Draco had repaired it here. But Ethan couldn't find the cabinet now.
He had come to the Room of Requirement this time specifically to find the Vanishing Cabinet and the diadem. Now, his first target wasn't here.
"The diadem couldn't have run away, could it?"
Ethan looked at the various items stacked into towering walls, then flew up to look down at the piles of junk.
There was dilapidated furniture, tattered books, Fanged Frisbees, winged catapults, rusty swords, and everything else one might expect to find.
Beside a cabinet, Ethan spotted a shining soul fragment.
"Found it!" Ethan slipped on his dragon-hide gloves and lifted the cunningly disguised diadem.
He swept the Secrecy Sensor over it, but nothing happened.
"It seems a Horcrux really is a deeply powerful form of Dark Magic."
"It stands to reason. If a Secrecy Sensor could identify a Horcrux, Voldemort never would have used one."
*He worked at Borgin and Burkes, so he's certainly familiar with Secrecy Sensors. He probably even scanned his own Horcruxes with one.*
Although the Secrecy Sensor failed to identify the Horcrux as a Dark object, it at least confirmed there was no curse on it like the one on the Resurrection Stone Horcrux.
He examined the diadem closely. It had been fashioned by Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw and was said to bestow wisdom upon the wearer.
The diadem lay in Ethan's palm, covered in a thick layer of dust.
It was inlaid with a large sapphire and many smaller, broken ones. Beneath the shroud of dust, however, the stones looked dingy. They looked nothing like the beautiful gems they were, instead resembling broken blue glass.
The metal band, meant to shine, was also obscured by grime. He could not see the dazzling brilliance it must have displayed while resting upon Rowena Ravenclaw's head.
"Scourgify!" Ethan cast the spell, but the diadem didn't revert to its original appearance.
Ethan tried Reparo and various other spells, but aside from clearing away the dust it had accumulated in the Room of Requirement, the diadem couldn't regain its brilliance.
"I don't know what Voldemort did to make this dust impossible to clean," Ethan said helplessly.
*Leaving it here is risky. Someone with ill intentions might take it.*
*What about putting it in the Chamber? No, that won't do. What if the Heir enters the Chamber again?* Ethan quickly considered the best place to hide the diadem.
*Bury it in the Forbidden Forest?* Having ruled out places like the dormitory and classrooms, Ethan felt this might be a good spot.
*That's no good either. What if other animals dug it up? That would be like Voldemort possessing Nagini and resurrecting again, which wouldn't be fun at all.* Ethan remembered Voldemort's current state and rejected this option too.
*I'll keep it in my hand for now.*
In the end, Ethan still felt that holding onto it himself was the safest bet.
Were Phoenix tears the best way to destroy the Horcrux without damaging the diadem? Fiendfyre was too risky because he didn't know if it would destroy the diadem along with the soul fragment. Basilisk venom raised the same concern.
He wondered if Ravenclaw's diadem actually improved wisdom.
*I'll wait for a chance to get close to Fawkes and collect a drop of his tears. I also wonder if, once Dumbledore teaches me magical creature transformation, my own tears will work if I turn into a phoenix.*
Ethan tore off a relatively intact piece of cloth as he thought. He cleaned it, wrapped the diadem inside, and tossed it into his bag.
To keep the Horcrux from reviving while in his possession, he decided to store it in his bag like this. Until he obtained Phoenix tears, he absolutely wouldn't take it out to admire or play with.
Back in the dormitory, Ethan washed up, placed a fresh Mandrake leaf in his mouth, and went to sleep.
This was already the seventh leaf he'd used that week.
He had started keeping a leaf in his mouth on the Thursday before the full moon.
However, he wasn't sure if it was a side effect of accidentally skipping a day during the Christmas holidays. This time, the leaf lasted less than half a day before he swallowed it at lunch.
Over the following days, he would put one in at night, only to find it gone by morning.
So he resorted to shoving a leaf into his mouth after waking up, tucking it firmly under his tongue.
Yet he had accidentally swallowed that one at dinner, forcing him to place another leaf in his mouth that night.
He hoped it would still be there tomorrow. Ethan pressed the leaf under his tongue and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes the next day, the first thing Ethan did was check with his tongue to see if the leaf was still there.
*Still there. Lucky.* Ethan got up and went to wash up and eat. Then, while eating, he accidentally swallowed the leaf again.
Ethan felt numb. He took a fresh leaf from his bag, placed it under his tongue, and continued chewing.
After sending the letter he'd written the night before to purchase potion ingredients, Ethan began wandering the castle, trying to locate the Vanishing Cabinet that wasn't currently in the Room of Requirement.
He was certain the cabinet was somewhere in the school. After all, aside from the Horcrux Voldemort had hidden there upon his return, every object in the Room of Requirement had been brought there by someone in the castle.
He started his search in the West Tower where the Owlery was located, checking room by room.
He visited abandoned classrooms he had never entered and inspected corners he had never noticed.
Throughout the day, between classes, Ethan continued wandering the castle.
*Could it be in a professor's office? If so, do I have to wait until it gets thrown into the Room of Requirement? That won't be for several years,* Ethan thought.
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