The applause in the Hogwarts Great Hall had yet to die down when Dumbledore finished his introduction, and the name of the new Alchemy professor stirred whispers among the students.
At the Hufflepuff table, a blonde girl was the first to speak. "Susan, your surname is Bones. Is he a relative of yours?"
Susan Bones looked up and gave a slightly nervous smile as she nodded. "Yes. Ian Alvin Bones is my cousin."
"Then you must know him very well, right?" a classmate beside her pressed.
"Not really." Susan thought for a moment. "But he was very kind to me when we were little—he would buy me candy and toys. But whenever Magic training came up, he became very strict."
Several students exchanged glances, their faces filled with curiosity.
Susan continued, "I remember when I was four, he made me drink a strange potion. My magic suddenly erupted, and everything in the room went flying. Only later did I learn that he had designed the Magic Riot Room especially for me."
"The Magic Riot Room?" a student asked in astonishment.
"Yes." Susan nodded. "My cousin said that every wizard has a Magic Core inside them. If you constantly exhaust your magic and then recover it during childhood, your control will be much stronger in the future. He wanted me to master my magic from a young age instead of being controlled by my emotions."
The Hufflepuff students listened, enthralled. That kind of training seemed almost cruel to ordinary people—but it was precisely because of it that Susan's control over her magic was astonishingly precise.
"Later, he left Britain to travel." Susan's tone softened. "He only sent letters and gifts at Christmas and on my birthday."
She paused, a smile appearing at the corners of her lips. "When I was eight, he sent me a spellbook he had written himself, along with a wand."
"A wand?" her classmates exclaimed.
"That book is an alchemical Creation." Susan spoke softly. "It contains a Memory Charm. Whenever I study a spell, I enter my cousin's memories, see how he practiced it, and experience the details of the magic flowing through him."
At that, a wave of astonishment erupted around them.
Susan smiled and boasted, "It doesn't affect the will; it only shares experience. Aunt Amelia supervised me as I practiced for two hours every day, without fail."
It was those three years of training that allowed Susan to cast basic spells steadily even before she entered Hogwarts.
It was not until the day she boarded the train that she discovered, to her surprise, that almost none of her peers understood magic.
The golden robes shimmered in the candlelight, and his expression remained calm.
"Students," he said in a deep, steady voice, "some of you may have heard my name, while others have never seen me before. I am Ian Alvin Bones, and I will be teaching Alchemy."
The Great Hall immediately fell silent.
"Alchemy is an elective subject, in principle limited to students in their third year and above."
"My classes will not appear on the O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. examinations—but what I teach will be an art capable of changing your fate."
He smiled faintly. "Now, allow me to give a small demonstration."
His gaze swept across the crowd before finally stopping at the Ravenclaw table.
"The young lady wearing the eagle badge, please come here."
The girl who had been singled out froze for a moment, then rose and stepped out of the crowd.
"I—I'm Penelope Clearwater."
"A beautiful name." Ian inclined his head slightly. "May I borrow your badge?"
The girl handed him the blue-and-silver brooch.
Ian pressed his palms together and began chanting in a low voice. An ancient and complex incantation flowed through the air, while a pale green light flashed between his hands.
Several minutes later, he returned the badge.
"Put it on."
Penelope did as instructed.
The next second, her body became as light as a feather, and both her feet lifted off the ground.
Gasps rang out across the Great Hall.
The girl floated in midair, then began to whirl nimbly, looking just like a ghost dancing freely. She flew faster and faster, her skirt brushing past the candle flames as her laughter rang out clear and bright.
The students rose one after another, their eyes filled with shock and envy.
Even the teachers' table broke into low discussion.
Dumbledore stared at the badge, a rare look of astonishment flashing through his eyes.
—Wandless casting, on-the-spot Creation, a short incantation granting the property of flight.
Even he could not accomplish a temporary enchantment of such complexity through Alchemy.
The only person who might possess such ability was perhaps Nicolas Flamel.
Five minutes later, the light around the badge gradually faded, and Penelope landed steadily.
Ian waved his hand lightly. The cushioning spell took effect, and the girl returned to her seat unharmed.
The Great Hall erupted into applause once again.
The students excitedly chattered among themselves:
"This is true Alchemy!"
"It's even cooler than Quidditch!"
"If only I could learn a spell like that—"
Yet Ian remained calm, showing no trace of smugness.
He lowered his head slightly and said in an even tone, "The essence of Alchemy is not miracles, but order.
Every miracle is founded on repeatable laws."
As his voice faded, the entire hall fell silent.
Dumbledore revealed a meaningful smile.
Professor McGonagall turned her head and said softly, "He's more dangerous than the students imagine."
Snape gave no reply. He merely stared coldly at the new professor.
Ian turned and returned to his seat.
A brief thought swept through his mind—
"By speaking only a few words, Odin bestowed the eternal enchantment of Mjolnir. I still need several minutes just to make a badge float for five minutes."
"There's still a long way to go."
His gaze fell upon the night outside the window.
Moonlight refracted through the glass and fell across his fingers, cold and sharp.
The demonstration ended.
The applause faded, but the air still held an indescribable tremor.
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