《Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione》Chapter 41: Nobility Is Forged Through Trial and Tempering

"Professor Swenton, you truly are a scholar among scholars—a super genius! To crack the formula for this alchemical material in such a short time is nothing short of miraculous. As your student, I couldn't be prouder," Qin Yu declared with utmost sincerity.

"Haha, you're exaggerating, you're exaggerating! I'm still leagues behind my own teacher, Master Flamel. This was just a minor matter, really, not worth mentioning!" Professor Swenton waved off the praise with a self-satisfied air.

Of course, the delighted curl of his lips betrayed just how much he enjoyed it.

Had it been Professor Snape hearing such flattery, he would have rolled his eyes and drawled, "If you spent half as much effort on your spells as you do on sycophancy, you'd be top of the class."

But Professor Swenton was made of sterner—or perhaps just thicker—stuff, and took compliments in stride.

Lately, Qin Yu had been immersed in alchemical theory under Swenton's guidance, performing basic operations like nigredo, citrinitas, and albedo, as well as learning how to obtain pure cinnabar and other foundational skills.

Meanwhile, Professor Swenton had thrown nearly all his energy—outside of teaching Qin Yu—into reverse-engineering the alchemical material from the little pyramid. He'd become so obsessed that even his Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons had grown lackluster; students hadn't been terrorized by his usual gruesome imagery in weeks, and everyone's appetite had improved considerably.

Now, after days of painstaking research, Professor Swenton had finally unraveled the material's composition. It had been no easy feat.

"Alright, Qin, stop daydreaming. Let's get started—I can hardly wait!" Professor Swenton said, rubbing his hands together, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"...," thought Qin Yu.

He understood Swenton's passion for alchemy, but paired with that eager expression, it was almost enough to make him want to bolt from the room.

Oblivious to Qin Yu's inner turmoil, Professor Swenton handed him a set of alchemist's robes, then waved his wand to don a matching set himself.

The robes were long and adorned with ancient, intricate patterns.

Once dressed, Qin Yu joined Swenton at the worktable, surrounded by alchemical materials and gleaming equipment.

"Pop quiz: what is alchemy?" Professor Swenton asked solemnly, as if beginning a sacred ritual.

"Alchemy is the study and manipulation of the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire. By blending and refining these elements, one creates nobler substances, and perhaps even life itself," Qin Yu recited.

"Exactly! Nobility is forged through trial and tempering. The four primal elements of the world are reborn through fire and adversity," Professor Swenton intoned, reverence shining in his eyes.

With that, he guided Qin Yu through the preparatory steps, processing the necessary ingredients.

Qin Yu had performed these tasks many times before; they were almost second nature by now.

By the time he finished, Professor Swenton had set the alchemical cauldron on a stand, a blue flame flickering beneath it.

"Now, add the prepped materials in order," Swenton instructed, while he himself waved his wand to control the flame's intensity and the swirling currents inside the cauldron.

As Qin Yu dropped in the final ingredient, the mixture transformed into a swirling, multicolored liquid.

At that moment, Professor Swenton cast a spell, and the flame roared hotter. He then produced a small glass vial of white powder, uncorked it with great care, and poured about a third into the cauldron.

"This is an alchemical catalyst, a gift from Master Flamel himself. Saves us a world of trouble," Swenton explained, seeing Qin Yu's curious glance.

Qin Yu nodded, eyes glued to the cauldron.

As the white powder touched the molten mixture, it triggered a violent reaction—the liquid seemed to come alive, colors weaving and merging until, at last—

It turned to gold.

Gold—the color of kings.

Of course, Qin Yu knew they weren't making mere gold, but something far more precious.

Professor Swenton watched intently, and when the liquid reached the perfect shade, he slowly reduced the flame, not too fast, not too slow—every motion deliberate.

Once the fire was out, he cast a Levitation Charm on the golden pool. The liquid rose from the cauldron, swirling in midair, and gradually solidified into a sphere about the size of a Quaffle, shimmering with faint, cloud-like patterns on its surface.

"Qin, catch!" Swenton called.

Qin Yu hurriedly cupped his hands beneath the orb.

Under Swenton's control, the golden sphere descended gently, coming to rest in Qin Yu's palms.

The instant he touched it, Qin Yu felt a pulse—something like life itself thrumming within the orb.

Alchemy truly was a wondrous art.

…

The successful forging of the alchemical material was only the first step. Next, they would use it to craft the five faces of a new pyramid.

After that came the real challenge: inscribing the ancient spells from the small pyramid onto each face.

"This is a very old spell, using runes from a forgotten age. Your friend must be quite talented to have engraved them so precisely," Swenton remarked.

"Yeah, Bill really is impressive. I can't even mimic those runes," Qin Yu admitted.

"Haha, reproducing runes isn't just a matter of copying their shape. You have to sense the magic flowing through them. If you just trace them blindly, nothing happens," Swenton chuckled.

"Sounds like a headache," Qin Yu shrugged.

"It is. Legend has it that these runes were born when ancient wizards listened to voices from the void. Thankfully, we don't need to go that far—an approximation will do for replication... Still, this is a two-person job at least."

The first person Swenton thought of was, naturally, Professor Dumbledore. But he dismissed the idea immediately—no sense bothering the Headmaster over something so small.

That left Professor Snape as the best candidate.

Qin Yu couldn't really help with this part, so he left the task in the hands of the two professors.

…

Five days later, as evening settled over the castle, Qin Yu was summoned to Swenton's office.

In the center of the room stood a golden pyramid, over a meter tall.

On either side stood Professor Swenton and Professor Snape—one beaming, the other as cold and severe as a sphinx.

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