PX Project

Soisen could not stay too long to prevent Dumbledore or others from noticing his absence, so after comforting the two women for a while to regulate his emotions, he left to return to Hogwarts.

A few days later, he learned that Potter was named captain of his house quidditch team.

Why do people keep telling him these things, he doesn't care!

Wait, that gave him an idea.

He went to meet the head of house, Professor Sinistra, and after a brief conversation with her, a note appeared on the board in the Galegold common room announcing that a tryout would be held to found the house quidditch team.

Although her house was still the one with the fewest members due to seeking quality over quantity, it had been several years since students had started entering and there were enough of them to found their own quidditch team.

As he had hoped, many students in the house were enthusiastic about the idea, like Ginny, and wanted to be part of the founding team that would go down in Hogwarts history.

Soisen was assigned as honorary captain directly by everyone despite disliking the magical sport and was included in the team photo that was taken once the tryouts were over.

Contrary to the mood of his house, the other four were not happy about the news. More specifically, it was the Quidditch team captains who were huffing in annoyance, as it meant that the time to train on the pitch available to all would be reduced.

They seemed to have forgotten that Galegold House has a private quidditch pitch within their common room facilities....

But despite this, they actually asked for a set time to practice on the outside pitch!

It couldn't be helped, although they could practice as much as they wanted at home and clandestinely to avoid spies, taking training time away from the other teams was a good way to stunt their growth.

And from time to time they needed to train outdoors to really enjoy the sky.

Soisen only attended the first few training sessions to motivate the team and noticed something quite interesting. During one of the relays to train outside where they met the Gryffindor team leaving the stadium, Potter took an uncharacteristic look at Ginny, who despite noticing his stare, decided to ignore him as if he hadn't noticed and continued talking to the Striker next to her.

Yes, Ginny managed to join the founding quidditch team of Galegold house and as their Seeker no less.

It seems that Potter began to awaken his feelings for the young Weasley, but unlike the original story, Ginny hadn't gotten close to Dean Thomas due to her enriched experiences in the house and the interest she felt for the surviving boy withered in favor of maturing.

Soisen was pretty sure that if Potter tried to kiss Ginny right now, what he would receive would not be warm, sweet lips, but a slap hard and stinging enough to leave a well-defined red mark on his face for days.

Maybe even crack his glasses!

Too bad you won't be able to see it in the front row....

Anyway, over the next few days he recommended his friends to Slughorn during the first club meeting and to his surprise, Cedric got in too!

It made sense once he thought about it, he was now in his last year at Hogwarts, he participated as the school's champion last year and his father, Amos Diggory, worked in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic.

He possessed the kind of fame and connections that Slughorn would not let slip away.

Soisen was delighted to see one more friend than expected and they quickly formed their own circle within the club, leaving Slughorn intrigued and trying to learn more details of how they all met.

The meetings proved to be quite profitable, as Slughorn was delighted to boast of his connections and had quite interesting stories to share, not to mention the debates on various topics that would arise from time to time, be it potions, economics, magizoology, etc.

...A few weeks later...

Soisen entered the Menesters' Room to find Silvia with a soot-covered face working on a large metal arm covered in mostly black cloth. Hermione was off to the side comparing two scrolls of the latest invention Soisen gave her some time ago and trying to understand how to implement them into her current work. Several damaged artifacts of similar shapes rested on the table next to her, green smoke billowing from them.

The challenge was exhilarating enough that she didn't notice how time or her surroundings passed once she was immersed.

-How is the PX project going so far? -he asked after approaching her and, without caring about her dirty face, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

-Not in front of Hermione! -smiled Silvia despite her protest as she mumbled and a bit of red was revealed on her face, "The limbs won't be a problem, it's just that unlike the alchemical golems we modified last time, this is a project we're creating from scratch. If it weren't for your blueprints, I'd have no idea where to start.

-Do you think we can reach the goal before the end of the school year? -he asked as he hugged her around the waist.

Silvia rolled her eyes but seeing that Hermione didn't seem to be paying attention to them, she didn't struggle and leaned a little on her boyfriend's shoulder.

-As long as they don't put too much homework on us, I think we can do five by then -she answered him as she felt her mental energy replenish- But Hermione seems to be having some problems on her side, you should give her a hand.

-What? -Hermione seemed to come out of her trance when she heard his name- -Soisen! You're just in time, I need you to clarify something about these "magic batteries" you created. I understand everything from beginning to end, but every time it reached the sixteenth step, they explode without remedy! -she rubbed her hair with her hand, showing her frustration as her gaze seemed to want to set fire to the scrolls in her hands.

-I'm coming! -He turned his back to Hermione and stole a quick kiss on Sylvia's lips before pulling away and moving closer to see where the problem was. He examined the prototypes in total bewilderment once he checked the smoke- How could you possibly manage to make the magic batteries explode, they don't even have flammable components, I made sure of that!

-I don't know, that's the problem! -Hermione complained as she bared her teeth at him, clearly not in as good a mood as the other girl in the room who was now humming happily as she tightened the nuts on the robotic hand.

-Wait, you used Ashwinder eggs for the formula for the liquid inside? -Soisen noted the peculiar aroma associated with this potion ingredient.

-Yes, isn't that what you said? -Hermione asked, trying to remember and find the parchment with the formula he gave her, lost somewhere among the rest of the parchment on the table.

-Hermione, you have to use adult salamander blood instead," Soisen patiently clarified once he had located the problem, "The reason the batteries explode is the reaction of the Ashwinder eggs with the rest of the mixture, which should result in a sort of delayed-action explosive glue.

-You mean... Of course! -Hermione stood up with a look of disbelief that she hadn't noticed something so obvious despite knowing the properties of each ingredient she used, "The Ashwinder eggs are stimulated by the hedgehog quills and the nettle oil! -He suddenly dropped his head on the mahogany table and let out a cry of frustration.

She'd been stuck for three days over a silly thing like this!!!!

Soisen could only pat her shoulders to encourage her.