Flame of Inspiration

Emerald-green flames flickered in the fireplace as Ian stepped out of the firelight, lifting his gaze slightly.

The lights in the room were already on.

She was a woman in her thirties, elegant and coolly beautiful. Time had not worn away her beauty; instead, it had lent every glance a mature charm.

Almost the instant he appeared, she threw herself into his arms. Their lips met, their breaths entwining.

"Ian, I haven't seen you in five years."

"I know." He smiled and murmured, "But you still look as enchanting as ever, as though time has never touched you."

"That's because your rejuvenation potion worked." The woman chuckled, her fingertips gliding along his jaw. "It's a shame the effects are so short-lived. Can't you make them last longer? Or... make them permanent?"

"If I did that, I'd have no business left."

"That sounds like a Slytherin answer."

"The Sorting Hat did hesitate for quite a while back then," he joked. "Fortunately, my thirst for knowledge outweighed my ambition."

Amid their laughter, they became entangled once more.

Just as her breathing grew hurried, he suddenly stopped.

"Where's your husband?"

"He went out. He took the children on vacation and won't be back for another few hours."

As soon as the words fell, their clothes tumbled to the floor in disarray.

Several hours later, night lay heavy beyond the window.

Ian leaned against the headboard. The woman in his arms had already fallen asleep, her breathing even.

He was not asleep.

On the contrary, as the exhaustion in his body faded, his thoughts became increasingly clear.

The Werewolf Transformation Curse.

The words flashed through his mind.

The moment a werewolf bit a human, a virus invaded the bloodline and altered the body—this was a reconstruction on the level of bloodline itself.

If he could isolate that "conversion factor" and bring it under control...

Wouldn't that mean holding the key to rewriting the Life Code?

He sat up, his eyes glinting in the darkness.

"If the mutation mechanism can be artificially controlled, then bloodlines can be changed without pain, and curses may even be reversed..."

This was an entirely new direction.

Formulas and the structures of magical arrays surfaced in his mind, his thoughts surging like a tide.

—If a virus could be used as a medium to rewrite the Life Code... perhaps a form of "Controlled Evolution" could be created.

Unfortunately, he still needed test subjects.

He would not lay a hand on children, but perhaps—

"Perhaps some Death Eaters should be made to do the dirty work."

He muttered softly, a chill curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Someone like Bellatrix, that madwoman... though her madness would be far too difficult to control."

A soft sound interrupted his thoughts.

The woman had awakened and was watching him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Research."

"Have you found a way to cure Astoria's blood curse?" She sat up, her expression complicated.

"I've found a preliminary solution," he said calmly. "If I have enough samples, I may be able to completely remove the Bloodline Curse from your Greengrass Lineage. I only need time."

She nodded, a flicker of hope passing through her eyes.

Half an hour later, they lay embracing in silence.

When she fell asleep again, Ian rose and gave his wand a light wave.

The scattered clothes floated up and neatly dressed him again.

He fastened his tie and prepared to leave.

Her quiet voice came from behind him.

"Ian."

He stopped.

"You know this isn't just a transaction to me."

He did not turn around.

"What do you mean?"

"At first, I approached you to save my daughter. But after all these years... I've truly fallen for you. If one day you ask me to leave my husband, I won't hesitate."

Ian fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"I know. But some things lose their original beauty once they are given a definition."

With that, he stepped into the fireplace. Flames swept up, and his figure vanished.

He returned to his own estate.

Everything was quiet.

The dying embers in the fireplace flickered faintly in the darkness. He settled into an armchair and began sorting through his new experimental ideas.

"Momo."

He called softly.

With a faint pop, a House-elf dressed in a neat little suit appeared.

Her ugly face looked especially earnest beneath her meticulous manners.

She had been at his side ever since he was six—

Watching him study, watching him travel, watching him immerse himself in research, watching him wander between darkness and light.

She was one of the few who truly understood him.

"Master, there are two letters this week." Momo respectfully raised the letters. "One is from Hogwarts, and the other is from Madam Amelia Bones."

"Read the Hogwarts one first."

He opened the envelope and skimmed it quickly.

The contents were brief.

—The school had officially appointed him Alchemy professor for the new term, with his tenure beginning in September.

He nodded.

"Looks like I'll have to go back again."

"And Amelia's letter?"

Momo opened the second letter and read quickly:

"Madam Bones insists that you attend dinner tonight. Otherwise, she will send you one thousand Howlers every day. If you still refuse, she will have Aurors arrest you on fabricated charges."

Ian laughed.

"She really would do that."

He leaned back in his chair, a trace of gentle helplessness in his eyes.

"Reply to her. Tell her I'll be at dinner on time."

Momo nodded and vanished into the air.

The firelight in the fireplace flickered again, illuminating his calm profile.

Ian raised his head toward the window, where the moonlight was soft and pale.

Five years of solitude and research seemed to gather at that moment into a lucid flame of inspiration.

He murmured softly:

"The Life Code... perhaps I'm one step closer to Truth."