Professor Murray and Alchemy

Alchemy was closely connected to Ancient Runes, and Ancient Runes was an extremely difficult course to learn. Aside from A History of Magic, most subjects at Magic School emphasized practice, but Ancient Runes had to begin with rote memorization.

Characters, glyphs, pronunciations, meanings—ancient runes differed vastly from modern languages in every respect. There was no way to master the foundations of this course except through memorization. Even among the many students who chose Ancient Runes as an elective, few managed to memorize all of it by graduation.

Fortunately, no Ravenclaw student had a poor memory. Though Wade was not as exceptional as Hermione, he had specifically trained to strengthen his memory, and his memorization speed was not much slower than hers. In the three months since encountering magic, he had relied on his powerful memory and love for magical alchemy to memorize several books cover to cover, then reinforced them through repeated writing from memory. He would no longer make mistakes in that area.

After a moment of silence, Professor Murray began questioning him on the contents of those books. Then he took out parchment and a quill, randomly asking Wade about ancient runic characters and short phrases for him to write down.

More than an hour later, Professor Murray had no choice but to admit that this student, who still looked like a child to him, had not lied. He truly had mastered everything he claimed to know.

Alchemy was one of Hogwarts' most difficult subjects, and Professor Murray's standards were exceptionally strict. Fewer than ten students in each year could take Alchemy as an elective, and all of them were among the best in their grades. Yet Professor Murray dared say that if he summoned the few seventh-years he was currently teaching, even the most outstanding among them would make one or two small mistakes on these questions.

Alchemy required genius-level imagination and creativity, as well as an attitude more meticulous, rigorous, and painstaking than the gears of a watch. Those two qualities rarely existed in the same person.

And what stood before him was only a... a...

Professor Murray suddenly realized that he knew nothing about the student in front of him.

"Child, what year are you in now?" the old professor asked kindly.

"First year, sir," Wade said.

Professor Murray fell silent again. "I remember—Ancient Runes is a third-year elective?"

"Yes, sir," Wade said, trying to appear composed rather than like a peacock fanning its tail to show off.

Professor Murray did not care whether the student before him seemed mature enough. He merely began recalling his own self at eleven... and his level when he first encountered alchemy at sixteen... and the standards displayed in their first year by the great wizards he knew of—Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Voldemort...

As he thought, Professor Murray's gaze at Wade increasingly resembled that of someone who had discovered an untapped treasure. His smile grew ever gentler as he softly asked, "What is your name? Which House are you in?"

"Wade Gray, Ravenclaw House," Wade said, looking up. He had already noticed something from the change in the other man's attitude.

Professor Murray asked again, "You really like alchemy, don't you, Wade?"

His tone now was utterly different from before, grave and earnest.

"Yes, Professor." Wade's answer was as steady as ever. "It's a truly wondrous field, with the power to change the world. Perhaps I'll spend my entire life studying it."

"Then as a wizard, what do you think of Muggle technological inventions?" Professor Murray asked.

The question could not have been easier. The furnishings in the office alone made it clear what sort of answer the professor wanted to hear. But this time, Wade fell silent. Only after thinking seriously for a long time did he say, "Muggle technology is developing rapidly. Their tools of production are constantly being improved, their exchange of information and communications are becoming more efficient, and the changes they bring to the world are increasingly significant. Wizards need to actively learn, absorb, and integrate these advancements. Otherwise, one day, we'll be left behind by the times."

That was what he truly believed.

Though he longed for the wonders of magic, compare the real gap between the two sides:

Wizard communication—owls; Muggle communication—mobile phones and the internet, capable of reaching someone in an instant.

Wizard population—probably only a little over three thousand in Britain, and only several hundred thousand to around a million worldwide; Muggle population—more than fifty-seven million in Britain alone, and 5.4 billion worldwide. In twenty years, that number would grow to seven billion, and in thirty years, it would reach eight billion.

Wizard killing—Killing Curses, usable only by a small number of Dark Wizards; Muggle killing—Maxim Guns, incendiary bombs, nuclear bombs, self-propelled artillery, howitzers, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Even a two-year-old child could pull a Gun's trigger and kill someone.

The gap between the two sides was so immense. In the past, when Muggles had been ignorant, wizards could only maintain their survival by doing everything possible to hide themselves. In the future, as technology grew ever stronger, wizards would have to learn from the Muggle world, draw closer to it, and integrate into it. Only then would they avoid being easily swallowed by the times.

Wade actually had many more dangerous thoughts, but they were not convenient to voice. He feared that if he got carried away talking, Professor Murray's current favorable impression of him would vanish completely, and he would instead lump Wade in with something like the "third generation of Dark Lords"—wouldn't that be terribly unfair?

Professor Murray was already very satisfied with even such a broad answer. Smiling, he said, "I teach the sixth- and seventh-years every Monday and Thursday. If you have any questions, you may come to my office at those times. So long as you maintain your passion for alchemy, I would be happy to set aside two hours each week to guide your studies."

Professor Murray's words were very restrained, but the next moment, he found a copy of From Zero to Hero: Learning Magical Item Creation among his books and lent it to Wade. He also set their tutoring session for Thursday before finally allowing Wade to leave.

As he walked out with the book in his arms, Wade looked through the window at the Black Lake beside the Forbidden Forest and suddenly remembered the figure he had seen when he woke that morning.

That had probably been Professor Murray, hadn't it? The same silvery-white hair...

Wade suddenly stopped. His scalp went numb, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

When had he seen that person? Then he met Professor Murray afterward... Had there even been ten minutes in between? Damn it! The fever had been so bad that he could not remember the time clearly.

No matter what, it could not have been long.

If that person had been Professor Murray, how could he have reached Wade's location in roughly ten minutes? Hogwarts prohibited Apparition. Professor Murray was old and certainly would not climb stairs quickly, nor did he look like some young lad who would ride a Broomstick to get around.

If that person had not been Professor Murray... and not Dumbledore... then who was it? Another professor Wade did not know, or...

He thought perhaps he was overthinking it. Harry Potter's first year at school should have been a peaceful one... at least for ordinary students... Yet waves of chill still kept washing over him.

"What's wrong, Wade?" Professor Murray asked behind him.

The voice that had sounded kindly and gentle before now carried an inexplicable hint of something eerie.

"Nothing." Wade was surprised that his voice remained so calm, with a faint note of gratitude. "I was only thinking how fortunate I was that you happened to pass by and find me this morning, Professor... Had you just returned from outside then?"

"Of course not." Professor Murray did not seem suspicious. He smiled and casually explained, "I don't usually live at the school. I only come here through the fireplace when I need to teach—oh, the fireplace in my office can temporarily connect to the Floo Network. The Ministry of Magic specially authorized it. This morning, I had just arrived at my office when I heard Griffiths shouting in the corridor. When I went out, I ran into you."