HP: I have a Proficiency Panel - 145

Chapter 145: Ritual Magic​

Alchemy was far more awe-inspiring and fascinating than Shawn had ever imagined.

The professor promised him an afternoon each week, and she meant it so seriously that even her class time was folded into those lessons.

She led Shawn into the classroom. The students barely noticed the extra presence, too absorbed in their own struggles just to complete their assignments.

Shawn finally had time to look around. The room was filled with all kinds of instruments, and there were not many people inside. Most were from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, with the occasional Gryffindor or Slytherin.

As the professor taught, she had Shawn watch from the very first step—processing materials, to inscribing runes, to infusing magic.

The whole lesson passed, and only a handful of students managed to produce a Howler.

The professor’s expression was no better than those who had just sent out their Howlers.

“Before you learn, seeing the full process of Alchemy is like setting the sails for a ship,” the professor said, ignoring the older students who were leaving. She turned, hands clasped behind her back, and spoke with deep sincerity.

Compared to those upper-years who learned confused and limited, Professor Tyra’s expectations for Shawn were much stricter.

“Alchemy, as a noble and ancient art, has always kept its secrets about endless wealth and perfect souls hidden.

“For those truly gifted witches and wizards, these secrets will finally be revealed.”

Professor Tyra held up a notebook, its pages blank.

“You have one week to record your choices for the materials of the Howler. Remember, Mr Green, slow is fast.”

Alongside the assignment came several books, clearly handpicked. Some of their contents had been obscured by Confundus Charms, leaving only the most precise information.

It seemed Professor Tyra understood perfectly the dreamlike records of alchemists.

“It is not that alchemists deliberately make their writings obscure. Remember this, just as you remember the three stages of Alchemy: selection and melting of materials, transformation and sublimation of metals, and the inscribing and metamorphosis of runes.”

The professor seemed to read his thoughts and smiled.

“In the history of the magical world, alchemists have always tried to turn base metals into shining gold. For them, the world is alive, filled with spiritual power.

“With the right knowledge and the right tools, one can harness these forces. With this noble and ancient art, metal can live, die, and be reborn.”

Lost in thought, Shawn quietly left the classroom.

He had a rough grasp of the three stages of Alchemy in practice—selection, transformation, and the elevation brought by inscribing magical runes.

The professor’s task was in the “blackening” stage: selecting materials, removing impurities.

She would not allow him to look up the materials used for Howlers, only telling him:

“Think carefully, Mr Green. Think carefully.”

So Shawn’s attention turned entirely to the books the professor provided.

They listed dozens of possible materials, making no mention of the four elements, seven planets, or the Philosopher’s Stone, but simply listing possibilities. It was more than enough for Shawn to explore.

Alchemy truly was vast, especially when the professor told him not to skim the surface, but to feel, with his intuition, what Alchemy meant to a witch or wizard.

For several days, whenever the little wizards in the Hope Room saw Shawn, he was studying the differences between various materials.

He read through every book the professor gave him and quickly found the answers.

Another Monday arrived.

The wind howled outside. Professor Tyra sat in her chair, gazing at Shawn with a hint of curiosity.

“Five days, Mr Green. Have you gained any insight?”

“In Alchemy: A Development, it says that witches and wizards have studied Alchemy almost as long as Muggles have,” Shawn mused, as if speaking to himself, “so why are only witches and wizards able to make the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“Because Alchemy, like brewing potions, shares a root thread. This root thread is reserved for magic.

“Correct knowledge and suitable tools are only points in a witch or wizard’s ritual magic. In the end, the ritual always tests the witch or wizard’s spiritual strength. History, knowledge, and the symbolism of materials all serve to reinforce the witch or wizard’s will.

“As The Fifth Element: Exploration mentions, the success of Alchemy is the success of a witch or wizard’s magic.

“It is the witch or wizard who believes the alchemical creation will work, not the creation itself that starts moving.”

Shawn’s eyes sparkled. If this was true, he could open the same path for Alchemy as he had for Potions.

Professor Tyra’s expression shifted, and she stood quickly.

“Child, for three days each week, I want to see you in the Alchemy office.”

…

In only five days, Shawn understood why the professor found Muggle science so interesting.

Alchemy was inherently mysterious. Destroying that mystery made Alchemy difficult to succeed in.

Think about it. If a witch or wizard believed the world had gravity and was certain that feathers could not fly, would feathers still fly?

The professor’s task seemed to have ended, yet it also had not ended.

She had taught Shawn a remarkable spell that made finding materials much easier—

Scarpin’s Revela Spell.

It was a spell used to correctly identify the ingredients of a given potion, invented by Scarpin. Of course, it could also be used in Alchemy.

Professor Slughorn introduced the spell in sixth-year Potions, though only Hermione truly understood it.

“Small tools, Mr Green. Necessary tools,” Professor Tyra said, her eyes brimming with barely contained admiration. She assumed Shawn would master the spell quickly.

Reality made her frown.

Her student, one who was naturally suited to Alchemy, was stuck on such a simple spell.

“The same time tomorrow, Mr Green. I have an afternoon for you.”

After saying this, the professor left for her office, puzzled.

Shawn stood there, dazed.

Tomorrow afternoon… he was supposed to brew potions in the dungeon.

He was only ten points of proficiency away from mastering Elixir to Induce Euphoria. Once he reached entry level, he could unlock a new Potions talent and finally open the door to Alchemy.

Now these two doors had collided. If he dared to open one, he could not imagine what would come bursting from the other.

As Shawn wandered the corridor, lost in thought, Michael and Terry, with his messy curls, happened to pass by.

“Oh, Shawn, I knew I would find you here. Just returning your Charms class notes—huh? Scarpin’s Revela Spell? You’re not going to start counting windows, are you?!”

Michael cried out suddenly.

“Windows are important!” Terry retorted, his face turning a little red.