Just before the minute hand on the classroom's wall clock pointed to the start of class, Tonks slipped into the Alchemy classroom like a beached fish and dropped into a seat beside a male Hufflepuff classmate.
Her companion was clearly accustomed to her arriving right on the dot and merely whispered a warning: "Professor Shafiq called your name this afternoon and deducted ten points from Hufflepuff. You'd better be careful."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tonks waved her hand dismissively.
Her brain was currently as chaotic as porridge, and she had no desire to continue this unpleasant topic.
After catching her breath, Tonks recalled the handsome boy she had just met on the stairs.
Since he knew the location of the Alchemy classroom and walked so calmly, he must be an older student taking this elective as well.
"So handsome, and studying Alchemy too. How come I never noticed him before?"
Tonks straightened up with interest, her dark eyes darting around the classroom, scanning the surroundings in an attempt to find that upright figure.
But just then, the classroom, which had been filled with murmurs, suddenly fell silent.
Tonks' eyes lit up. She saw the boy walk in. The heavy footsteps of the alchemical puppet behind him sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Just as she was about to nudge her classmate with her elbow to ask which house this boy belonged to, she watched in horror as he walked straight past all the desks, directly to the podium at the very front, and turned to face everyone.
William set down the books in his hand and swept his gaze across the classroom.
Because Alchemy was a highly practical subject, this room looked more like a mysterious laboratory than an ordinary Hogwarts classroom.
The shelves around the room were piled high with jars, ore specimens, and metal ingots glimmering with various sheens. The wide workbenches were equipped with complex distillation apparatuses, precise weighing scales, cauldrons engraved with runes, and various tools.
Sitting sparsely around these tables were a total of eight students, two from each of the four houses.
This wasn't surprising. As the most obscure elective at Hogwarts, Alchemy had a frighteningly high threshold. To enter this N.E.W.T.-level class, students must have achieved O.W.L.s in Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Ancient Runes in their fifth year.
This ensured the number of students taking the course would never be large.
Seeing the students' gazes converge curiously on the gun-wielding alchemical puppet standing beside him, William tapped the desk lightly and began:
"Good evening, everyone. I believe I've already met most of you in this afternoon's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, so I won't introduce myself further."
William's voice echoed in the spacious laboratory. "Although you have already taken a year of Alchemy, considering the previous professor was in a semi-retired state last year, much of the course content may have been taught rather casually."
"Therefore, I still need to re-examine the essence of this subject for you."
Watching William speak eloquently on the podium, Tonks felt her worldview collapsing and reshaping itself.
She mechanically tugged at the sleeve of the male classmate beside her, swallowed hard, and asked in a low voice that sounded as if she had seen a ghost, "That... that is our new professor?"
The classmate looked at her strangely, as if she were an idiot. "Of course it is, Professor Shafiq. What's wrong with you?"
"N-nothing." Tonks covered her face in despair, her formerly pink hair instantly turning a dull, dusty gray.
She had just stopped a professor, called him "fellow student," and asked him where the classroom was... Right now, she just wanted to stew herself in the cauldron in front of her.
William didn't notice a certain Metamorphmagus's breakdown. He continued his lecture:
"Ancient alchemy focused on the transformation of basic elements and substances in nature, such as the legendary transmutation of stone into gold. However, modern alchemy leans more toward pragmatism."
He picked up a piece of chalk and drew three intersecting circles in the air.
"Many so-called alchemical products, like self-stirring cauldrons or the Invisibility Cloaks sold on the market, operate on a core principle that is actually quite simple—finding a way to 'solidify,' 'store,' or 'bind' specific spell effects onto specific physical carriers."
"To achieve this, there are generally two methods."
William pointed to the pile of complex equipment in front of the students. "The first relies on the various instruments before you and the wands in your hands. This is why this course requires you to have obtained O.W.L. certificates in Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration."
"Transfiguration is for altering the form and structure of matter so it can better carry or conduct magic; Charms provides the effects that need to be solidified; and Potions utilizes the properties of various magical ingredients to provide energy stability, enhancement of effects, or serve as a medium for fusion."
"If you can combine these three well and perform precise mixing and enchanting through the instruments, passing the N.E.W.T. exam will be absolutely no problem for you."
At this point, William changed the subject.
"However, if you want to pursue a higher realm, to create alchemical constructs that truly possess a 'soul' or 'intelligence,' then you need the second method—Ancient Runes."
William turned sideways, pointing a finger at the faintly glowing patterns on the chest of the alchemical puppet behind him.
"In your Ancient Runes classes before your O.W.L.s, what you learned were essentially 'dead' characters, mostly used for theoretical translation and reading ancient texts. But I trust that in last year's N.E.W.T. Ancient Runes class, Professor Babbling introduced you to some special concepts."
William's fingertip glided lightly over the runes on the puppet, and the patterns lit up for an instant.
"Those are runic circuits capable of storing magic, guiding energy flow, and even instantly unleashing magical effects. In advanced alchemy, what truly brings dead objects to 'life' and enables extremely complex functions are precisely these intricate runic circuits."
"Alright, talk is cheap without action."
William raised his left hand and gently rubbed the silver ring.
Accompanied by a series of dull thuds, eight silver-gray puppets identical to the one on the podium appeared out of thin air, lined up neatly in the open space of the classroom.
This magical scene undoubtedly caused another gasp in the classroom. Students whispered to each other, their eyes shining with excitement.
Even professors would marvel at such an alchemical ring, let alone teenage wizards.
William waved his wand, and the eight puppets automatically flew to the desks of the eight students.
"These are test subjects for each of you," William said with a smile. "You will need to undertake a major project for the first half of this year. I will give you complete freedom, and the subject is this humanoid puppet."
"If you can successfully modify these puppets before the end of the term, then congratulations. With your skill level, you won't need to worry about the Alchemy N.E.W.T. exam; getting a certificate will be absolutely no problem."