Early the next morning, Linus straightened his teaching robes and headed off right on time for his first Alchemy class.
The timetable showed that he had the third-years this morning and another year group in the afternoon, while his remaining classes for the week were spread across various time slots.
When he pushed open the classroom door, he was greeted by the sight of students sitting in neat, orderly rows.
To his slight surprise, every single one of them had arrived early, their eyes wide with curious anticipation as they tracked his every move.
“Good morning, everyone.” “Good morning, Professor,” the students answered in unison, their voices bright with excitement they couldn’t quite conceal.
Linus drew his wand and gave it a gentle flick.
The stack of heavy textbooks on the podium rose into the air and glided through the room, landing neatly in front of each student.
The gilded lettering on the covers stood out bright and clear: *An Introduction to Alchemy*, by Linus Alvin Bones.
Once every student had a book in front of them, Linus began his opening remarks.
“The study of alchemy generally branches into two main fields.
The first is the study of the four basic elements and their composition—exploring the secrets of turning base metals into gold, and seeking a universal elixir capable of curing all illnesses.
The second is the crafting of magical objects.
This course will focus strictly on the second path, as only the most accomplished alchemists can hope to delve into the first, to say nothing of the immense resources required for it.” “Professor, can you actually turn metal into gold?
You are an alchemy master, after all,” a student called out suddenly without raising a hand.
Linus looked toward the voice, only to see two identical boys sitting side by side.
“You two must be the Weasley twins!” “You’ve heard of us?” Fred and George asked together, sly grins spreading across their faces.
“Of course,” Linus said, his lips curling into a slight smile.
“Professor McGonagall made a point of warning me about your little pranks.
Besides, I knew your brother Bill when I was a student here.
Though I was two years ahead of him, we spoke often, and he mentioned quite a few of your ‘legendary exploits’ back home.” “Fred, it seems our legendary deeds have reached far and wide,” one twin said to the other with dramatic gravity.
“Indeed, George.
Even the famous Linus Bones has heard of us.” “But Professor, you haven’t answered the question yet,” a Ravenclaw student chimed in.
“I will answer it,” Linus said, “though from now on, anyone who wishes to ask a question or speak must raise their hand first.” The classroom instantly quieted down, all eyes fixed on him in intent expectation.
Linus gathered his thoughts and continued: “Yes, I have indeed succeeded in transmuting various metals into gold.
Unfortunately, those transformations were never permanent—lasting six months at the absolute longest.
As far as I know, there is only one alchemist alive today who can achieve true, permanent transmutation.” “Yes, Mr.
Davies?” “Is that alchemist Professor Dumbledore?” asked Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw student who had raised his hand.
“No, not the Headmaster.
If you’re curious, you may go to the library to find out.
Now, let us return to today’s lesson.” “To craft any magical object, you must first understand the properties of various materials, their magical conductivity, and the methods used to process them.
However, that knowledge mostly relies on memorization, and we will cover specific crafting techniques another day.
Today, I will guide you in crafting your very first alchemical item.” Linus waved his wand again, and two items appeared on each student’s desk: a round metal disc and a tool shaped like a quill.
“Raise your hand if you know the Shield Charm.” Only three hands went up in the entire room: the Weasley twins and Cedric Diggory.
“I completely forgot—under Minister Fudge’s administration, the quality of education at Hogwarts has been somewhat lacking lately.
Well then, I assume you all know the Levitation Charm?
If I remember correctly, it was the very first spell you learned in your first year.” Every student nodded in agreement.
“Good.
Now take up your enchanting stylus and engrave the incantation for the Levitation Charm—*Wingardium Leviosa*—onto the metal disc.
Remember, as you trace these words, keep recalling the exact sensation of casting the spell.” With that, Linus demonstrated in front of them.
He etched the words [Wingardium Leviosa] onto his metal disc, and the disc rose smoothly into the air on its own.
Excitement surged through the classroom as the students proved eager to try it out for themselves.
They quickly discovered, however, that it was far more difficult than it looked.
First, the enchanting stylus wouldn’t write smoothly unless they maintained extreme focus.
Second, if their supply of magic was interrupted for even a fraction of a second, everything they had etched up to that point would vanish instantly.
And that was to say nothing of overcoming the natural resistance of the metal itself to receiving magic.
Linus paced up and down the aisles, pausing here and there to offer pointers and correct their mistakes.
Despite repeated failures, the students remained brimming with enthusiasm, and the room was filled with the joy of trial and discovery.
By the time class drew to a close, many students had finished their carving and successfully made their metal discs levitate off the desks.
Of course, most hovered just a few centimeters up, while the best performers only managed a few inches.
Before dismissing them, Linus didn’t assign traditional parchment homework.
Instead, he told the students to take the metal discs and enchanting styluses with them to practice.
At the same time, he instructed everyone to teach themselves the Shield Charm, as it would be the subject of their practical work in the next lesson.
Outside the classroom, the fading rays of the evening sun poured through the stained-glass windows, casting vibrant splashes of light across the discs gleaming with magical radiance.