《Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione》Chapter 42: A New Effect

Qin Yu gazed at the golden pyramid before him, unable to shake the feeling that he was admiring a true work of art.

It was breathtaking—the perfectly angled, shimmering golden faces seemed to ripple with light, dazzling in their beauty.

Then his eyes drifted to his two professors, both looking more than a little worn out.

A strange thought popped into Qin Yu's mind: Did I really put these two through all this... just to make a magical refrigerator? Wasn't this a bit much?

He glanced at Professor Snape—the man's usually sleek, jet-black hair was now dry and splitting at the ends from exhaustion.

With a pang of guilt, Qin Yu watched Professor Snape closely.

Catching his gaze, Snape rolled his eyes and said icily, "I don't know what's going through that head of yours, but if you keep looking at me like that, I can't guarantee I won't toss you out the third-floor window."

"Heh, I just thought you looked a bit tired. You and Professor Swenton have really been working hard lately!" Qin Yu replied, a sheepish grin masking his sincerity.

"Research is never a burden for me. On the contrary, it's you who should adjust your attitude. You can't approach challenges with fear," Snape continued, cold as ever.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Qin Yu nodded quickly.

"All right, Severus, enough lecturing. It's time to show off the results of our work!" Professor Swenton interjected at just the right moment.

"Mm." Snape nodded, signaling his agreement.

Both professors stepped aside in unison. With a flourish of his wand, Swenton pointed at the pyramid.

One of the golden panels floated up, hovering in midair and revealing the hollow interior.

Inside, a delicate porcelain plate rested, piled with fruit: an apple, three bananas, a bunch of grapes, and two avocados.

Seeing Swenton's proud smile and Snape's slightly raised chin, Qin Yu could only sigh inwardly. I really am a sinner—dragging two masters into this, all for a glorified fruit box. Isn't this a bit much?

Still, he kept any doubts off his face.

"The two of you are incredible! I never imagined you'd replicate the small pyramid's spellwork so quickly," Qin Yu said, genuine admiration in his voice.

And it was genuine—Qin Yu had tried studying the pyramid's runes himself, but could only barely copy their shapes, with no magical flow at all, let alone any real effect.

Now, as he felt the pulsing magic within this new pyramid, he finally understood what Professor Swenton meant by "classical magical aura."

"Replicate? Do you really think we'd stoop to something so basic?" Snape sneered, pride dripping from every syllable.

"Huh? Didn't you?" Qin Yu blinked in surprise.

Snape didn't bother answering. Instead, he tapped the tip of the pyramid with his wand, muttered an incantation, and instantly a thin mist of cold began to swirl inside.

As the frosty haze spread, Qin Yu heard the crack, crack, crack of ice crystals forming. The pyramid's alchemical walls quickly coated themselves in a layer of rime.

The fruit on the plate was soon covered in frost—frozen solid.

"Whoa—flash freezing?" Qin Yu stared at the professors in disbelief.

The little pyramid Bill had given him only had a basic preservation charm, and its magical aura was nothing like this. But this larger pyramid radiated power—and now, it could freeze things in an instant. Qin Yu hadn't expected that at all.

"Severus, we agreed I'd do the demonstration! How could you?" Swenton protested, visibly annoyed.

"Does it matter who demonstrates?" Snape replied coolly.

"Of course it matters! How am I supposed to build my heroic image in front of my student?" Swenton argued, indignant.

"Oh, if you want, you can do it again," Snape offered, deadpan.

"What's the point? The first time is always the most impressive!" Swenton huffed.

"You never specified who'd go first," Snape said, razor-sharp.

"You—you're just being difficult!" Swenton snapped, gritting his teeth.

"Call it whatever you like," Snape said, folding his hands at his waist, utterly unmoved.

"…"

"Um…" Qin Yu raised his hand, unable to watch the bickering any longer.

"Speak." "Qin, you can't stand him either, can you?" they both said in unison.

"Er, I just wanted to say that whoever demonstrates, both of you are brilliant in my eyes! You've shown me what true wisdom and magical mastery look like. Being your student is my greatest honor!" Qin Yu declared with heartfelt sincerity, as diplomatic as ever.

Swenton's expression softened immediately, while Snape just gave a noncommittal snort and let it go.

"So, which of you will explain how the spell works? I'm really curious," Qin Yu asked eagerly.

"I'll take this one," Swenton jumped in before Snape could answer.

He pointed at the pyramid's open side, now thick with frost, and began his explanation:

"First, the alchemical material your friend used was a lower-grade product from the Egyptian Alchemy Research Center—nothing too expensive. What we made is far superior. The runes he drew in the small pyramid did have some preservation and anti-decay effects, but he never tapped into the full potential of those ancient scripts. That's what Severus and I have been working on. Now, I'd say we've decoded about eighty percent of their capabilities. So, besides preservation, we can now induce rapid freezing!"

As Swenton finished, Snape added, "Many of these runes facilitate magical conversion. If you want to understand how the pyramid operates, you'll need to study each rune and see where it fits in the magical process."

"Sounds complicated…" Qin Yu smacked his lips.

"It is. But with us teaching you, you'll master it in no time," Swenton said confidently.

"Thank you, both of you!" Qin Yu said gratefully.

Of course, there wasn't time for a full lesson today. Qin Yu could see both professors were worn out from their recent research, so he suggested starting formal study the next day.

Neither professor objected—there was no rush.

…

Over the following days, Qin Yu began learning the ancient runes under the joint tutelage of both professors.

The process went smoothly, if a bit monotonous.

Still, watching Swenton and Snape bicker like schoolboys over the smallest things kept Qin Yu entertained. It was a welcome distraction from the tedium.

More importantly, he felt the profound mystery and power of the runes—and the depth of magical knowledge both professors possessed.

One afternoon, the three of them sat together, sipping strong tea and eating fruit from the pyramid. Snape stared at their creation and murmured, "So all this effort was just to store fruit?"

Ha, you finally noticed? Qin Yu nearly choked, awkwardly amused.

"What's wrong with that? Is there a problem?" Swenton asked, genuinely puzzled.

"No problem. I'm just curious—how much did you spend on this pyramid?" Snape asked slowly.

Qin Yu perked up, curious himself. He knew the alchemical materials must be pricey, but had no idea just how much.

"How much? Let me think… The materials probably cost two or three thousand Galleons, maybe a bit more," Swenton mused.

Two or three thousand Galleons? Qin Yu was floored. They'd sold Acromantula venom all autumn and hadn't made that much!

But Swenton wasn't finished. "As for the catalyst Master Flamel gave me, well, that can't be measured in money. You can't buy it anywhere—it's the crystallization of Master Flamel's wisdom."

The world's greatest alchemist's wisdom, and you just used it up? Qin Yu groaned inwardly.

"Of course, the most valuable thing here is still the hard work you and I put in! And, of course, Qin's occasional flashes of inspiration!" Swenton finished, looking quite proud.

It sounded good, but Qin Yu couldn't help but say, "Professor Swenton, maybe I should pay you back? I can't afford Master Flamel's catalyst, but at least let me cover the material costs."

"Haha, Qin, do you really think I did all this just to pass the time?" Swenton laughed.

"Isn't that… cough, of course not," Qin Yu quickly corrected himself.

"Well, there is a bit of that. But after seeing the small pyramid, I really wanted to replicate it—and even surpass it. As a wizard, when you encounter something new, you have to give it your all. It's that thirst for discovery that drives us forward," Swenton said earnestly.

"Yes. I learned a great deal through this process, and deepened my understanding of magic," Snape added.

"Exactly! See, your Professor Snape agrees with me. Sure, we only made a fruit-storing pyramid, but that doesn't mean it's all we can do. Right, dear Qin?" Swenton said with a smile.

"…I suppose you're right. But all those Galleons…"

"Money isn't important to me."

Swenton paused, then added, "Because, honestly, I have plenty of it."

"…"

Qin Yu was dumbfounded. He'd never guessed that the usually modest Professor Swenton was actually wealthy—it completely upended his assumptions.

"Swenton… Swenton of the River Devon, Yorkshire?" Snape muttered, brow furrowing.

"Ha, caught me," Swenton replied with a mischievous smile, as if his secret identity had just been exposed.

Yet, for some reason, Qin Yu sensed a quiet loneliness hidden behind that smile.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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