Chapter 215: Alchemy Master Arthur

Chapter 215: Alchemy Master Arthur

After receiving the bookstore clerk's thanks, George and the others left Flourish and Blotts and continued strolling through Diagon Alley.

After buying some miscellaneous magical study tools, Hermione said she wanted to buy a pet.

Over the past two years, she'd spent all her money on books. But after seeing everyone else with their own pets while she had none, she'd grown envious and decided to get one this year.

Her first choice, of course, was an owl—so she wouldn't have to go to the Owl Post every time she wrote a letter.

"It seems some things are destined to happen."

George muttered to himself as he watched Hermione walk out holding a big ginger-colored cat with a face that looked like it had been smashed flat against a wall.

After buying the pet, it was already noon, so everyone went together to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

And it was there that George met, for the first time, the alchemy enthusiast and fan of blending magical and Muggle technology—Arthur Weasley, Ron's father.

At that moment, Arthur Weasley was sitting at the bar reading the Daily Prophet. On the front page, a gaunt, savage-looking Sirius Black could be seen howling.

"You're back. And who might this be?"

Arthur put down the newspaper and asked when he saw the unfamiliar George.

Ginny quickly rushed forward to introduce him:

"Dad, this is George—the one I told you about before."

"Oh, George! I know him—the youngest national Quidditch player and the youngest recipient of the Badge of Bravery! Ginny talks about you every day, says you're the best first-year wizard ever."

Arthur Weasley looked at George with admiration. Though it was his first time meeting George, he already knew it was thanks to George's encouragement that Ginny had found the courage to reveal the truth about the Tom Riddle diary.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley. I heard you're a master in alchemy. I've been teaching myself alchemy recently, and I hope I'll have the chance to ask you some questions."

When it came to alchemy, Arthur was definitely one of the top minds—his modification of that enchanted car was proof enough.

Even the Weasley twins' various prank-related magical items involved a lot of alchemical knowledge, likely thanks to guidance from their father, Arthur.

So if George wanted to study alchemy, Arthur Weasley was certainly an excellent choice.

"Master? No, no, I'm just a hobbyist, really.

But if you're interested, we can discuss it. Lately, I've been thinking—if we added an Undetectable Extension Charm to a Muggle fridge, wouldn't that let us live like it's winter during the hottest summer days?"

As soon as Arthur started talking about his interests, he became completely animated.

George, realizing the rare opportunity, brought up all the issues he'd encountered while self-studying alchemy.

And so, just talking and talking, before they knew it, it was evening.

"If I'd known, I would've set aside some time this summer to visit Ron's house."

While eating dinner at the Leaky Cauldron that evening, George thought this with some regret.

Arthur's level in alchemy was unquestionable. Even after just half a day, George felt he had made great progress in understanding the subject.

Unlike the complex, hard-to-understand alchemical jargon in books, Arthur always found the simplest and most understandable way to explain the difficult concepts.

[Translator: sauron05]

If Hogwarts offered an alchemy class, George thought Arthur would be more than qualified to teach it.

"Looks like I'll have to wait for next summer. But in the meantime, I can chat more with the Weasley twins."

The Weasley twins' alchemy was mostly focused on creating prank magical gadgets, but if used cleverly, those gadgets could also be quite effective as weapons.

For example:

Ton-Tongue Toffee: eating it makes your tongue grow enormous, making it impossible to speak and extremely painful.

The Biting Doorknob: if you reach for it, it might suddenly bite off your fingers.

Constipation Candy: causes the eater to become severely constipated, unable to use the bathroom.

Canary Creams: transforms the eater into a canary for a full minute before returning to normal.

And there were many more like them.

The next day, George carried his luggage and brought his owl, Patch, to the Leaky Cauldron.

Today was the start of term, and the Ministry of Magic had arranged for two enchanted cars to take the Weasley family to the train station. So George hitched a ride with them.

According to Arthur, it was because his magical car was gone, and the Ministry was helping out by providing transport.

But George knew the real reason: Minister Fudge was afraid Sirius Black might attack Harry, so he had Aurors drive the enchanted cars as an escort.

Sirius's escape from Azkaban had already placed Fudge under immense pressure. If the Boy Who Lived were to be killed in a revenge attack by Sirius, Fudge's career would be over.

To protect his position, he had even issued a massive bounty: anyone who captured Sirius would receive 10,000 Galleons from the Ministry.

Given that the Minister's official monthly salary was only 400 Galleons, that amount was an absolute fortune to any ordinary wizard.

"I can't wait to get on the train—at least I can get away from Percy.

He just yelled at me again for dripping tea on that picture of Penelope Clearwater.

You know, his girlfriend—the one who hides her face behind the photo frame because her nose is covered in stains."

Ron was wearing a collarless long-sleeve sweatshirt, carrying his luggage, and complaining to his best friend Harry as they walked. When he spotted George below, he immediately raised a hand in greeting.

"Good morning, George."

"Good morning, Harry, Ron."

George raised a hand in return.

Just then, Ginny's angry voice came from upstairs:

"Mom! I told you, I already checked—I didn't forget anything! Stop nagging me!"

But apparently hearing Ron and George greeting each other, her tone changed instantly.

"Okay, dear mother, I'll go check again right now."

"Harry, looks like you're no longer my sister's number one idol."

Ron shrugged at the remark.

Harry let out a breath of relief:

"I don't think that's a bad thing."

That first-year kid, Colin, had already given him a major headache. If Ginny shifted her admiration elsewhere, it would be a huge relief for him.

"It's okay, Crookshanks. I'll let you out as soon as we get on the train."

Hermione gently comforted the ginger cat she bought yesterday as she carried the wicker basket and pushed past Ron, coming down the stairs.

"Hi, George. You're always so punctual."

"No! You can't let that beast out! What about my poor Scabbers?!"

Ron stood up straight and protested indignantly.

But Hermione completely ignored him and pulled George toward the exit of the Leaky Cauldron.

"George, let's go wait for the car at the front."

"Did you and Ron have a fight?"

George asked with a knowing smile.

Watching kids bicker sometimes was quite entertaining.

(End of Chapter)