Back-to-School Day

After Flamel demonstrated it once, Loren began his first attempt to draw Alchemy Array.

Having made ample preparations, he fully understood the structure of this rudimentary Alchemy Array, and all three pairs of Rune were imprinted in his mind.

He was also thoroughly familiar with the properties of Unicorn Tail Hair after it was activated by Magic Power, and the related theories.

I compared my envisioned sketching process with Flamel's demonstration. Feeling confident, I could say everything was ready, and I was just waiting to get started.

He sat cross-legged, waved his hand to summon a box, and used Levitation Charm to levitate the Unicorn Tail Hair in mid-air. Loren couldn't activate the entire tuft of Unicorn Tail Hair at once; he had to do it one hair at a time.

The tip of the wand touched the Unicorn Tail Hair, and Loren carefully channeled Magic Power through the wand into the hair, which was then activated, emitting a silvery-white light.

Its tail hairs grew shinier and shinier, then burst into flames with a hiss, turning into a wisp of white smoke that dissipated into the air.

The first Unicorn Tail Hair is ruined.

He was still a little confused; how could it have evaporated?

"You've channeled too much Magic Power into it; your tail can't handle it." Flamel floated above the black boiler, not even glancing at Loren.

On his second attempt, Loren controlled a tiny amount of Magic Power to flow into the tail hair, but the tail hair merely adhered to the wand and neither dissipated nor was activated.

He slightly increased his Magic Power output, but fearing he was giving too much, he increased it a little and then reduced it again.

The Unicorn Tail Hair lit up, lasted for a while, then dimmed, turning into black ash that fell into the box.

The second tail hair is ruined.

"Maintain a stable output of Magic Power. Once the Unicorn Tail Hair is activated, it will exhaust all of its Magic Power." Flamel floated leisurely, still not looking at Loren.

Loren remembered the increased Magic Power he had just received and maintained a steady output, adhering to the same standard.

The Unicorn Tail Hair clung to the wand, emitting a shimmering white glow.

His face lit up with delight as he held up his wand and showed it to Flamel. The sudden movement caused him to lose control of the Magic Power flow.

The Unicorn Tail Hair turned into white smoke and dissipated, rendering the third Unicorn Tail Hair useless.

"Calm down, stay focused until the magic circle is finished." Flamel seemed to be falling asleep.

After failing three times in a row, Loren stopped, his hand holding the wand trembling slightly, and he felt his shoulders stiffen.

Thankfully, this is a virtual laboratory in the Fantasy Book. If this were in the real world, the Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest would have its tail ripped off bald.

Loren couldn't help but ask, "How did Alchemy train in the past? Did they have enough materials to consume?"

"Otherwise, why do you think Alchemy pursue turning lead into gold?" Flamel replied.

Well, this kind of training method really requires someone with the Midas touch to afford it.

"Call!"

Loren closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. He mentally reviewed his actions, ensuring the Magic Power power activated by the Unicorn Tail Hair was within a suitable and stable range.

He adjusted his mindset and tried again.

Successfully activating the Unicorn Tail Hair, I used the wand like a quill to draw a magic circle on the bottom of the suitcase.

Loren shakily touched the suitcase with his wand, and white patterns of light appeared on it. He was relieved that the Unicorn Tail Hair wouldn't bleed like ink.

He carefully began to write, and the white light of the Unicorn Tail Hair clung to the bottom of the box.

Before the crooked circle closed, the tail hairs disappeared.

As a magical material, Unicorn Tail Hair cannot be activated indefinitely; even if the Magic Power is stable, it will dissipate after a certain time limit.

Unlike Flamel, who could draw a magic circle with a single tail hair, Loren had to quickly complete a single stroke in the composition with a single tail hair, otherwise it would dissipate if he exceeded the time limit.

If a ring is drawn by connecting multiple Unicorn Tail Hair end to end, the flow of Magic Power will be blocked at the joint, which may damage the alchemical item.

Loren kept trying, and even after drawing the tuft of tail hair in the suitcase, he still couldn't draw the basic double rings of the magic circle. Not even one of the rings was crooked and not symmetrical at all.

A dull ache ran through his neck and shoulders. "Why does my body feel so real in the Alchemy Laboratory? It's not like it's Duel Chamber!"

"Only by completely mimicking the real environment can the practice be effective."

Flamel saw that Loren was on the right track, so he disappeared, leaving him alone to repeat the same thing over and over again.

When Loren woke up the next day, his mind was still filled with the image of the Unicorn Tail Hair flashing white. Looking at the bright window, he felt a sense of relief.

He spent an unknown amount of time in the Fantasy Book last night, using up dozens of Unicorn Tail Hair, only to draw a circle that looked decent.

Sigh. There are things to do during the day too; I need to practice the Untraceable Extension Charm.

The Alchemy Array simply enhances the effect of the Untraceable Extension Charm, provided that the user knows the Untraceable Extension Charm.

Ultimately, the practice location was set up in the Room of Requirement. Loren conceived a pile of sand in the Room of Requirement, cast the Untraceable Extension Charm on a honey bottle, and poured sand into the bottle to test the effect.

As a high-level spell, he could barely unleash its Magic Power, but the effect was poor. On his first attempt, it took him almost half a day to barely lighten a bottle of sand a little.

Using his talent for correcting course, Loren made rapid progress; the bottle gradually became lighter and lighter, and could hold more and more sand.

During the rest of his vacation, Loren drew magic circles at night and practiced the Untraceable Extension Charm during the day.

Hermione wrote another letter during the holidays, this time addressing it as "Dear Loren".

She read Miranda Goshak's textbook manuscripts that she brought back from the Room of Requirement, which gave her a deeper understanding of some basic spells.

The story recounts her visit to a museum, mentioning the England's economic recovery and the positive results of some government policies. Hermione also discusses her desire to invest the money from her building cooperative.

The last part mentions wanting to use magic to make her front teeth smaller, but her parents objected, preferring braces instead.

Loren hesitated. The Christmas holidays were almost over in less than two weeks. Was it necessary to reply?

Looking up, I noticed that even the Hānhan wasn't eating his jam bread anymore, and his round eyes were staring at me.

He was eventually made to write a reply under the supervision of the Hānhan.

Looking back at England during this period, the England government implemented a series of reforms that reduced the inflation rate, promoted economic growth, and led to increased consumption. However, this was because Hermione came from a middle-class family, and the influences she was exposed to were all positive.

In September 1992, England will experience a currency crisis, leading to a sharp devaluation of the Pound Sterling.

The reply analyzed some monetary issues, citing the rising national debt of the England and the possibility of currency devaluation, and advised Hermione that if she wanted to manage her finances, she might exchange the money in the building cooperative for US dollars or marks.

Regarding the little Witch's front teeth, Loren replied that he thought squirrels were cute too.

Thinking of the currency crisis, he also wrote a letter to Grandpa Bates, advising Bates to convert his assets.

Considering that he had supported his comrades' families on a farm in Scotland for decades, his living expenses at Hogwarts were more than some Pure-blood families. Grandpa Bates could still travel all over England, on his own annual tours. Loren thought Grandpa Bates might actually be a very wealthy man.

At the end of January, the snow at Hogwarts began to lighten, with only light snowfalls every few days. They could no longer have their joyful snowball fights, as spring was fast approaching.

Loren was finally able to fully sketch the basics of the array: the double rings and the Hexagram within them. Compared to the magic array, the Untraceable Extension Charm was already prepared; now all that remained was to draw the three pairs of Rune.

The day before school started, Loren rushed from the Room of Requirement to the Great Hall for lunch.

Still preoccupied with the idea of Untraceable Extension Charm, he didn't notice the little Witch standing beside him.

"What have you been busy with lately?" a girl's soft voice asked.

"The Untraceable Extension Charm." Loren finished speaking and turned to the little Witch beside him, "Hermione, you're back!"

Her voice carried a joy she herself was unaware of.

Hermione had shoulder-length curly hair, and her large, bright brown eyes were fixed on Loren's face. When she smiled, she revealed her squirrel-like front teeth.

The girl's pretty face furrowed when she heard the Untraceable Extension Charm's reply. "Personal use of the Untraceable Extension Charm is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic."

"I know," Loren nodded. "Are you going to report me?"

This answer gave Hermione a familiar feeling, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. It was definitely Loren himself.

The two walked side by side down the corridor.

"I think what you're doing is wrong."

"I know. Are you going to report me?"

"We're only in first grade, we shouldn't try this kind of spell."

"I know. Are you going to report me?"

"This violates both school rules and the law."

"I know--"

Bang!

A slap on Loren's shoulder made them both feel better.

During the dinner conversation about money, Hermione mentioned that her mother agreed with Loren's views, was curious about him, and invited Loren to visit the Granger house during the summer vacation...

Loren listed his summer plans: he wanted to eat Grandpa Bates ' roast lamb, visit the Weasley family' The Burrow, and now he added another item: a visit to the Granger house.

They talked about Miranda's manuscripts and the colorful firecrackers at the Christmas party.

They talked about the forest while camping, and about Albania black sorcerers.

From monetary policy to fiscal deficits, the conversation at the dinner table was lively and animated.

Neither of them were talkative by nature, but they always found themselves wanting to talk more to each other. Perhaps, letters were not enough to express the longing that had been frozen over half a winter, sprouting tender buds before spring even arrived.

In the afternoon, a little Witch appeared in the Room of Requirement. She was filling a honey jar with sand, while Loren was filling a honey jar with a large rock.

Hermione didn't know how she was convinced, but having a portable spatial device would be very convenient. The beaded pouch could hold all her luggage and books, and it did sound very tempting.

Dinner time, in the Great Hall.

Draco Malfoy dragged a black leather suitcase to the Gryffindor table, his blond hair plastered to his scalp and slightly sweaty. "Loren Morgan, this is a return gift for you."

The box was opened, and it was packed full of Frozen Pear. The inside of the box had blue patterns, and when it was opened, blue ice crystals were released in the surrounding area.

Over the past month, Loren had been receiving frozen fruit from the young wizards, and seeing so many Frozen Pear made his scalp tingle.

He looked at Malfoy and said, "You're probably trying to kill me—" before he could finish his refusal.

"You have no right to refuse Malfoy's gift."

Malfoy looked at Loren, his chin held high.

The child's smug expression and boastful words amused Loren, and he didn't want to get into a conflict with him.

"Alright." Loren closed the box. "I'll return it to you tomorrow."

"No need to return the box." Malfoy was pleased with Loren's understanding and returned smugly to the Slytherin table.

"Whispering sound!"

Ron, who was sitting not far away, made a strange noise. Before he could say a few words, Harry, who had just returned to school, pulled him aside and started talking about his Christmas holidays.

Sirius Black took him to Godric's Hollow, where he saw his parents' Graveyard.

Sirius Black was so eager to settle scores with Wormtail Peter that he didn't even have time to attend the Potter couple ' funeral.

That Graveyard is very large, with many tombstones.

Godric's Hollow is home to many wizarding families. Sirius Black led Harry to look at each tombstone one by one, searching for a long time.

Harry had never felt anything like it before. As he walked further and further into the Graveyard, he felt a mix of fear and anticipation with each tombstone he approached.

Finally, next to the Dumbledore family Graveyard, he saw his parents' tombstones.

The white marble Winky in the darkness, and Harry memorized the inscriptions on it.

James Potter

Born on March 27, 1960

Died on October 31, 1981.

Lily Potter

Born on January 30, 1960

Died on October 31, 1981.

[The last enemy to be eliminated is death.]

Sirius Black said that it might have been written by Dumbledore, meaning that life transcends death, and that though dead, one lives on.

Harry agreed with the guess because there was Ariana Dumbledore's tombstone right next to it, which sounded like something Headmaster Dumbledore would say.

But they were gone. Now his parents' rotting remains lay beneath the ice and stones, cold and lifeless. Harry thought.

I remained immersed in sadness until I finished reading about the ruins of the Potter family house.

White snow and black ivy buried the broken rubble, while wooden signs emerged like flowers from the tangled nettles and weeds.

It is written in gold on it:

October 31, 1981

Lily and James Potter sacrificed themselves here.

Their son Harry is the only one

A wizard who survived Killing Curse.

This house, invisible to Muggle, has been preserved exactly as it was.

This ruin is dedicated to the Potter couple.

And warn against the violence that led to their families being torn apart.

Alongside it are various inscriptions by wizards who have come to pay their respects over the past ten years, and the magical graffiti from the past decade Winky brightly:

Good luck, Harry, wherever you are.

We hope you read this, Harry. We all support you.

Our sincerest blessings to the Boy Who Lived.

"Hail Harry Potter!" Sirius Black shouted.

This action made Harry blush and pulled him out of his grief.

The two returned to Black family manor for a few days. Harry was happy to be with his godfather, and the two could ride flying broomsticks together and discuss Quidditch.

But Sirius Black couldn't stand the noisy House-elf and took Harry to play in the Muggle world.

Harry wasn't surprised at all that Sirius Black knew about the Muggle world, as evidenced by the Flying Motorcycle Sirius had modified.