Three People Can't Sleep in One Bed / Alchemy Comes in Modern and Ancient Forms

Hermione was also quite unhappy. The way the four of them were enjoying their time together in pairs was making her both jealous and angry.

And then there are those obviously suggestive terms of address. Good grief, a doctor and a Prophet, are you two trying to pair up with me using these special terms of address?

So what does my identity mean to you?

Outsider?!

Despite her inner grumbling, Hermione didn't choose to throw a tantrum or slam the door and leave; instead, she silently swallowed her anger.

Besides being Harry's girlfriend, she also had an adopted sibling relationship with him. As family, Harry had to act sensibly when he met the Flamel couple, who were clearly close to him.

Ultimately, however, the reason Hermione endured so much and acted so magnanimously was because...

She was afraid.

Harry was adopted by the Granger family. Initially, he had nothing but the Granger family, so he belonged entirely to the Mr. and Mrs. Granger and was Hermione's little brother.

But later, the Scamander family gradually joined him, along with his godfather Sirius, and now the legendary alchemist couple Nicolas Flamel.

They all treated Harry like family and elders, so while Hermione was happy for Harry, she was also genuinely afraid.

She feared that one day, as the Granger family's importance in Harry's heart waned, he would eventually leave the family, and leave her as well...

Even though Harry had promised her that he would never leave, who can predict the future?

Compared to these influential figures in the Wizarding World, her family and background were too ordinary to offer Harry any help whatsoever.

Putting aside the distant examples, even this Loony in front of her, whom she has never really liked, comes from a respectable wizarding family.

Unlike myself, I'm just someone others talk about...

"So, Mr. Flamel summoned me here today hoping that I could learn alchemy from you?"

Just as Hermione was starting to feel anxious again, she suddenly overheard Harry and Flamel couple talking.

"Of course! Perenelle and I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival with the little Prophet!" Nicolas Flamel excitedly grasped Harry's hand. "I'm certain you two will be my best students!"

"Doctor, you and the little Prophet, from now on you should call me and Teacher Nicolas Flamel." Perenelle nodded with satisfaction. "We have a lot of alchemical materials; you can look through them freely. They will definitely be helpful to you. Also..."

Perenelle glanced at Hermione, then said kindly to Harry, "If your sister wants to learn, she can give it a try..."

"She's not my sister!"

Harry's confident voice silenced Perenelle, drawing the attention of all four people in the room.

After taking a deep breath, Harry turned to Hermione and, slowly and deliberately, uttered a title that left everyone speechless.

Hermione is... his fiancée!

"Harry... you?!"

Overwhelmed with shock, Hermione instinctively covered her mouth. At that moment, she didn't know what to say or even what expression to make.

She stood there completely stunned, her thoughts frozen, only able to let Harry's words of address echo in her heart again and again...

Ultimately, it reaches the depths of the heart and takes root!

Chapter 244 One bed is not enough for three people to sleep in.

Seeing the four people in the room freeze in surprise, especially Hermione who was speechless with astonishment, Harry smiled with satisfaction.

That's the effect he wanted to achieve.

Logically speaking, he and Hermione haven't even been in a relationship for six months yet, so he shouldn't have taken such a big step...

After all, it would seem absurd to anyone to refer to someone who is only thirteen years old as a fiancée.

But Harry had to make Hermione's identity clear today, because he had keenly sensed that the girl behind him was starting to feel inferior again.

How could Harry not know Hermione?

This academic superstar, the best student in all of Hogwarts, and a genius witch highly praised by all the teachers, actually harbored a deep-seated inferiority complex.

This inferiority complex stems from her family. In the Wizarding World, where families are everywhere, Hermione is just an ordinary person with no special background. That's why she works so hard to improve herself and wants to prove that even if she doesn't come from a wizarding family, she is still not inferior to others... and may even do better!

But the harder she climbed, the more she came into contact with the behemoths at the top of the Wizarding World. The power accumulated by these families over generations, even dozens of generations, was something Hermione could not catch up with through her own efforts alone.

As these families began to surround Harry, Hermione's inferiority complex became increasingly apparent.

It was precisely because Harry knew that Hermione's inferiority complex was largely influenced by him that he used that term of endearment for Hermione.

Even in front of the famous Flamel couple, and even though Hermione herself wasn't prepared, Harry had to solemnly declare how important Hermione was to him!

Harry's emphasis on his girlfriend wasn't strong enough, and it didn't give Hermione enough affirmation, so Harry had to take it a step further!

In any case, he never had even the slightest doubt about his future with Hermione.

"Uh... whatever it is, just stay here this summer. Also, make sure you get along well with each other while you're studying."

After a long moment of stunned silence, it was Perenelle who spoke first to smooth things over, thus defused the somewhat awkward incident.

However, Harry detected a subtle hint of reproach in the way she looked at him...

That look in her eyes was as if she were blaming a scumbag who had fallen for someone else.

"Okay, you guys put your luggage away first, then get some rest. The teaching can start tomorrow."

Nicolas Flamel clearly knew that he and his wife had acted too hastily and caused trouble for Harry, so he quickly and unsteadily slipped away.

When only Harry and his two companions remained in the living room, the atmosphere became even more awkward than before.

Hermione, are you feeling better?

After a long silence, Harry broke the silence first, tidying Hermione's hair while offering her a gentle smile.

"Hmm..." Hermione nodded slightly, but then shook her head, passing her burning gaze, which was mixed with a defiant spirit, past Harry and staring straight at Luna Lovegood.

Hermione is now absolutely jealous of Luna Lovegood's sudden appearance... well, she's burning with rage. The sense of shared identity from fighting side by side is still there, but the affection between them has almost completely vanished.

Although she gained a clearer understanding of Harry's feelings and found significant solace in it, Hermione was also acutely aware of the Flamel couple's differential treatment of her and Luna Lovegood.

And this resentment at being ignored was naturally transferred to Luna Lovegood.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I came here of my own accord." Luna Lovegood's tone and gaze were calm, but her attitude was clearly confrontational. "I also want to know why that mentally unstable old lady tied me up here, and my dad must be very worried at home."

Although she wasn't very knowledgeable about social etiquette, Luna Lovegood, with her intelligence, could certainly tell that she had been implicated by Harry.

The insane old woman who kidnapped him, and now the Flamel couple, are both people who know Harry. The reason they've dragged him into this mess is definitely because of the ring that was Harry's mother's keepsake.

So, Luna Lovegood was completely caught off guard and kidnapped to Paris, and then suddenly found herself being bombarded with displays of affection from her partner. She was in a pretty bad mood right now.

Therefore, Luna Lovegood completely disregarded Hermione's accusatory attitude.

"I said you two... uh, you continue~"

As for Harry, he had intended to try and calm the two girls who were at each other's throats, but before he could even get started, he was silenced by four pairs of eyes glaring at him.

Looking at the two women locked eyes, neither willing to tolerate a 'third party' in their relationship, Harry couldn't help but silently question the heavens...

This really is a tragic fate!

The atmosphere fell silent again. The unexpected encounter between the three men in Paris eventually led to an awkward situation where everyone felt like a third wheel.

Hermione harbored a persistent thought that 'I was first,' but that didn't change the fact that the Flamel couple didn't like her.

Luna Lovegood was completely bewildered by everything that was happening to her, and was also caught off guard by being forced to witness a public display of affection.

When he got to Harry... he was now 100% certain that if he dared to interfere in the fight, the two girls from Eagle House, who were glaring at each other, would definitely team up to kill him.

"I'm saying... this stalemate can't go on like this." Seeing that neither woman was willing to back down, Harry had no choice but to continue, "How about we do as Mr. Flamel suggested, put our luggage away and settle in first?"

"Sure, but there's only one guest room here, and only one bed. If you need, I can help you carry your luggage in." Luna Lovegood agreed without batting an eye, as if she were stating something perfectly ordinary.

This attitude, however, caused Hermione, whose temper had begun to calm down, to explode again. "Just one bed? Fine, so you're saying that if I hadn't come over today, you were planning to sleep with Harry, right?"

Hmph, you little brat, your fox tail has finally been revealed!

Please get your facts straight! Harry just admitted it himself: I'm his fiancée. Even if we're going to sleep together, it should be me sleeping with him!

"That's not what I meant." Faced with Hermione's questioning, Luna Lovegood calmly shook her head. "If you two want to sleep together, I'm fine with giving up my bed. Where's his suitcase? I can stay there."

"I didn't bring my suitcase on this trip, and even if I had, there's no way you could stay here." Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Besides, don't you guys think about it? This is Nicolas Flamel's house; there's absolutely no way I'm sleeping with any of you!"

"So how should I sleep?" *2

The plan was rejected, and the two women, at a loss for what to do, immediately spoke in unison.

"Of course, you two will sleep in the same bed." Harry pointed speechlessly to the small bed in the guest room. "What else do you want?"

"No!" *2

"I don't want to sleep with her!!" *2

"Protest denied!" Seeing that the two women were still relentlessly pressing the issue, Harry immediately hardened his expression, tossed his luggage into the guest room, and said, "Starting tonight, I'll be sleeping on the floor in this guest room. You two go to bed and sleep! Also... no one is allowed to slack off during the night!!"

"Yes..." *2

Taken aback by Harry's words, the two girls immediately shrank back, reluctantly accepting the fact that they would have to share a bed with each other.

Chapter 245 Alchemy is divided into modern and ancient forms.

"Alchemy, originally, was a method used by ancient chemists—who were also known as sorcerers at the time—to extract precious metals from waste materials."

"Once wizards officially entered this field, the purpose of alchemy changed accordingly, gradually evolving from its original function of refining metals to its current recognized use in creating entirely new magical items."

"In short, from making a small, self-stirring, foldable Cauldron to building a house with countless magical effects, all of these can fall under the category of alchemy."

In Nicolas Flamel's workshop, Harry, Hermione, and Luna Lovegood sat side by side like obedient children, listening attentively to Nicolas Flamel's explanation of alchemy, while secretly worrying about every potentially dangerous move Nicolas Flamel might make.

For example, turning the pages of a heavy book, or writing on a small blackboard with chalk... These actions seem simple, but for Nicolas Flamel now, they would definitely add tremendous pressure to his already fragile bones.

However, it must be said that all three of Harry were very interested in what he was explaining.

Even Luna Lovegood, who was used to daydreaming during theory classes, was listening intently at this moment.

In this day and age, the meaning of alchemy has become so broad that it encompasses almost all magical item creation. Mastering alchemy—even just partially mastering it—would undoubtedly bring them enormous wealth.

To give a simple example, if Harry were to discover an effective method for refining the Acromantula Venom and develop a completely new product based on it, then a pint of the venom as a raw material would likely be worth far more than one hundred Galleon.

Of course, making money is only the most superficial benefit of alchemy; the core pursuit of alchemy lies in creating new items.

Harry listened attentively to Nicolas Flamel's explanation.

His ring also contained a complete set of Basilisk skin and skeleton, which he originally planned to have someone forge or simply sell for money.

However, it is obvious that no matter how he handles it, he will absolutely not be able to avoid the waste of raw materials and the profit margin made by middlemen.

So, if Harry manages to learn alchemy, he might be able to deal with these long-forgotten spoils himself.

Who knows, they might make something really cool then!

"Next, we will focus on some of the shortcomings of modern alchemy."

However, just as Harry was dreaming about the future, Nicolas Flamel, who was giving a lecture, suddenly poured cold water on his enthusiasm and completely extinguished his newly ignited interest in modern alchemy.

In Nicolas Flamel's interpretation, modern alchemy, when imbuing objects with special powers, suffers from unavoidable shortcomings inherent in its magical system.

Modern alchemy employs a special kind of magic that can be solidified onto objects. Once an object is created, alchemists can use unique methods to attach different spells to it, thus giving the object a wide variety of effects.

Take Flying Broomstick as an example. A good Flying Broomstick may be accompanied by various magical effects such as speed-up spells, stability spells, windproof spells, and Cushioning Charm. However, before these spells are applied, it is just an ordinary broom.

Once an item is transformed into a magical object using modern alchemy, it cannot undergo the process of being imbued with a magical spell again.

Taking the Flying Broomstick as an example again, the top speed of the famous broomstick Nimbus 2000 is obviously not as fast as the fastest broomstick on the market today, Firebolt. However, broomstick makers cannot change the speed-up spell on the Nimbus 2000 broomsticks they have already produced in an attempt to upgrade its speed.

If you force a change, either nothing will happen, or you'll just blow up the whole broom.

Besides the inability to alter the solidified spell to change its properties, the properties of modern alchemical products will also decline over time, and all maintenance and repair methods will gradually become ineffective, eventually rendering the items completely unusable.

The reason for this is that neither the objects that serve as the vessel nor the spells that provide power are, in essence, things that cannot last.

Before being enchanted, the Cauldron, brooms, and cloaks used for alchemy were all just ordinary processed products, differing only in the materials and processing techniques used to manufacture them.

The solidified spells that provide them with special powers such as automatic stirring, flight, and invisibility are essentially modern magic—the power to distort reality through emotional resonance and specific spells.

However, distorting reality is not the same as completely changing reality. As we all know, apart from creating Horcrux, the effects of any other spell cannot last forever.

"Because of these known drawbacks of modern alchemy, the products of modern alchemy cannot actually be considered true alchemical creations; at most, they can only be considered magical items." Nicolas Flamel paused slightly, his tone gradually becoming more agitated. "In contrast, ancient alchemy was a completely different art from modern alchemy, with significant differences even from the very first step in creating an item!"

"Although ancient alchemy was introduced and popularized by ancient wizards, its theoretical foundation was laid by outstanding alchemists and philosophers among ordinary people in ancient times. Therefore, the focus of ancient alchemy was always on the matter itself, rather than its possible magical effects."