Failed Prototype

It was late at night.

In the quiet corridor, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard from afar.

A pale light suddenly appeared at the corner of the dark corridor. However, there was no one behind the sphere of light, like a ghost floating in the void.

A moment later, the ball of light stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. The lady, who was just about to rest, was obviously very unhappy that her sleep had been disturbed. Before she could even ask for the password after opening her eyes, she was surprised to find that the door behind her had been opened from the inside.

"The timing is perfect." Lee Jordan's voice echoed from the dark corridor.

The ball of light floated into the passageway, and the portrait of the Fat Lady closed again, blocking the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

The gatekeeper woman still looked like she'd seen a ghost.

Actually, the people in the corridor just now were Fred and George. They were under the Disillusionment Charm, which is why they couldn't be seen. When they used the Lumos Charm , they looked like ghosts floating in the void.

The reason the Gryffindor door would suddenly open was because the Twins had arranged a time with Lee Jordan. When they returned on time, Lee Jordan would open the door to the Gryffindor Common Room from the inside and let them in, thus bypassing the Fat Lady.

"What did you get your hands on?" Lee Jordan asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Butter cookies." Fred took out the parchment paper bag and looked at Lee Jordan, who reached out to snatch it, with a reproachful look. "Eat them back in the dorm."

"You guys have definitely already eaten in the kitchen," Lee Jordan said, smacking his lips.

That was inevitable! After a moment, the Common Room fell silent again, and the sound of the three people's footsteps gradually faded away.

The door to one of the dorm rooms was pushed open without warning.

A dark figure was quietly approaching the back of the person sitting in the armchair.

"What is a late-night snack?" the person in the armchair suddenly asked.

"Butter cookies," one person said.

"Want some?" another person asked while eating.

"That guy's almost finished eating it," the third person said.

"Leave some for me." Albert took a deep breath, removed the Disillusionment Charm from the two of them, picked up the now-cold milk tea, took a sip, and examined the Transfiguration thesis he had just finished writing.

"You look exhausted?" Fred handed Albert a freshly brewed cup of milk tea, glancing at the paper beside him. "Why are you making so much trouble for yourself? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

"Thank you." Albert took the teacup, but didn't drink the milk tea inside. He turned to Fred and said, "I would be even more grateful if you didn't make me milk tea with that Nose-Biting Teacup."

Fred was also taken aback.

George chuckled to himself, because he was the one who had given the teacup to Fred.

Albert glanced at George, then turned his gaze to Lee Jordan, who was engrossed in his late-night snack, and said, "Leave me some butter cookies, I'm a little hungry, and don't think I don't know you want to save the last one for me."

Lee Jordan opened his mouth, never expecting that Albert had seen through him.

Not long ago, Albert upgraded Legilimency and Occlumency to level two and three respectively in one go. Although the experience he consumed was a bit painful, Albert knew that it was a necessary process.

Occlumency acts like a protective shield for one's thoughts. With this skill, one no longer needs to worry about one's ideas being easily read by others.

If Albert hadn't run out of Skill Points, he would have liked to upgrade Occlumency to level four.

This protective measure was extremely important to Albert, who, as a time traveler, absolutely did not want anyone to know his secret.

Moreover, if he were to tell Dumbledore about the Ravenclaw's Diadem, he would have to invest more experience and Skill Points in that area.

Of course, it's worth it, as Tom's Horcrux quest afterwards will provide him with plenty of experience!

"How's the Wizard Card from the other houses coming along?" Albert reached out and took the oil paper bag from Lee Jordan, took out a butter biscuit from it, and asked while chewing.

"Ravenclaw has confirmed more than twenty cards, while Hufflepuff has fewer, only eighteen." Lee Jordan thought for a moment and then added, "By the way, two more people are planning to join our club today, and they both want to have their own cards."

"Hmm," Albert responded noncommittally.

"The three of us have already started practicing the Duplication Charm, which should reduce your stress."

Actually, constantly copying Wizard Card isn't entirely without its benefits; Albert's Duplication Charm has already reached level two.

"Speaking of which, I've always been curious about what's in that box?" Fred asked, pointing to a box on Albert's bedside table.

"If you want to know, just bring it over." Albert had no intention of hiding it from them.

After receiving permission, George quickly took the box. He was also curious about what was inside, as he had seen Albert put the Protective Bracelet in it last time.

After the box was opened, the first layer contained three metal objects about the length of a middle finger, with a beautiful silver appearance, looking somewhat like cylindrical lighters. "These are failed attempts I made a while ago," Albert explained to the three of them with a rather helpless expression.

"What is this?" George picked up an object with a puzzled look, staring at the sun-like pattern on its surface, and turned to ask.

"Open it and you'll see," Albert said expressionlessly.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, George pressed a button on it, and then the top of the item opened, and a ball of light flew out. After floating in mid-air, the ball of light suddenly emitted a dazzling white light.

"What the hell is this?" All three of them were startled by the bright light, and George even dropped the items in his hands.

"I'll call it Flashbang for now." Albert stuffed a cookie into his mouth, bent down to pick up the item that had fallen on the ground, and continued, "Well, it's one of the failed attempts. I originally intended to make it into a magical item that could store light sources. It succeeded in one thing and failed in another, becoming a disposable item. Although it can store light orbs on its own, it's actually a useless item."

Albert had actually considered using it to manufacture cheaper Flashbang.

"Damn it, I can't see!"

"It's alright, it'll be fine in a bit," Albert casually reassured him.

"Insidious, but I like it. By the way, what did you make this thing for?" Lee Jordan couldn't help but ask, his eyes still watering.

"Everyone says it's a failure."

Albert was quite frustrated when he talked about it; the thing was actually a failed attempt at Deluminator.

A while ago, Albert got some help from other wizards, but all he managed to create was this failed attempt.

"Aren't you guys going to open a player's joke shop? You can use this technology to research and develop Flashbang in the future." Albert was planning to reuse the waste; it could be considered an achievement, after all.

"I don't find this funny at all," George said dryly.

"No, no, it can blind you," Fred said with a laugh. "It's especially effective in the dark."

"This thing could be used as a defensive weapon... Hmm, never mind." Albert muttered, stroking his chin.

Most wizards only pay attention to their opponent's wand; if someone were to throw it like Flashbang during combat, that would be quite a spectacle. After all, wizards don't usually pay attention to such things.

Albert was still a little worried that the items he created might accidentally cause trouble for him one day, which would be a tragedy.

"What about this?" Lee Jordan asked, pointing to the second item.

"You'll see when you open it." Albert continued drinking his milk tea and eating cookies, preparing to devour the last remaining butter cookies in the oil paper bag.

"Here you go!" Lee Jordan handed the things to Fred, who glanced at Albert and turned on the switch.

"Go to hell, go eat shit, all of you go eat shit." A moment later, a familiar voice that left everyone speechless came from inside.

The sound was loud, and it was shouted out in Sonorus Charm, leaving Fred completely stunned.

"The sound will last for about thirty seconds," Albert said.

"It doesn't seem to do much good except scare people!" George muttered.

"It can store sound," Albert explained. He had originally intended to use it to store the cries of Mandrakes, but since it hadn't been tested yet, whether it would be successful was still unknown.

After all, even Albert didn't know how the Mandrakes's cry killed people. Was it a form of infrasound or a magical curse?

Well, the latter is more likely, since it's more magical.

"What's the last one?"

"Don't open it, it's filled with stench," Albert warned.

"Just how bored do you have to be to make these things?" George felt that Albert was quite boring. He originally thought that Albert would create some interesting magical items, but he didn't expect it to be something like this.

"Do you know what these three things would be if put together?" Albert asked with a strange expression.

"What is it?" the three asked, puzzled.

"Concussion Grenade!" Albert exclaimed.

What is that?

An alchemical tool that, when thrown, can knock out those around it.

However, Albert felt that this thing was still a bit of a waste; a surprise attack might be more effective.

However, if the Stunning Spell could be vaporized and stored, it should achieve a similar effect.

The three looked at each other, indicating that they didn't understand at all.

"And the second floor?" Lee Jordan continued to press.

Albert put the items back and opened the second layer of the box, which contained various versions of Protective Bracelet and amulets.

"Is this the latest version?" Fred asked, pointing to the finest wooden bracelet.

"No, the latest version is in my hands." Albert shook his wrist and said, "Version 3.0, and this is how it works."

Albert raised his hand and gently pushed George away. Before his arm even touched George, an invisible force pushed George away.

"I think I bumped into something," George muttered.

"It's definitely the Shield Charm." Fred's eyes lit up. "It looks pretty good."

"The initial idea was a simple wand," Albert explained, which would allow me to use the Shield Charm silently without a wand.

"You succeeded?" Fred was extremely excited; he certainly knew what that meant.

"Well, I guess so. But it's really only a half-finished product." Albert shook his head. The most frustrating thing was that the new skill still hadn't appeared on his Panel Skill.