Anomaly in the Cloning Experiment

After dawn, Lin An Alvin Bones sorted out the textbooks and experimental equipment for his alchemy class.

He had spent nearly the entire summer immersed in research, leaving much of the course preparation behind. The textbooks he had written only needed printing, so he first handed the samples to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall.

McGonagall handed him a list. "These are the students who have signed up for the Alchemy elective."

Lin An took it and gave it a casual glance, but his expression shifted—the number of applicants far exceeded his expectations.

Nearly half of them were Muggle-born students. It seemed yesterday's lecture on "Magic and Technology" had indeed stirred something in their hearts.

"Looks like I'll need to print more textbooks, and double the materials as well."

He murmured to himself.

McGonagall tilted her head and glanced at him. "The school will provide the materials, so use them without worry. But don't even think about wasting them."

Lin An smiled and nodded. She had always been shrewd and strict when it came to accounts.

If she had been given full control, Hogwarts' finances would probably have been in perfect order long ago.

After leaving the office, Lin An walked slowly along the corridor. The long-missed atmosphere of the school left him slightly dazed.

After several years apart, Hogwarts remained unchanged—its stone walls ancient, its candlelight warm, and the air carrying a faint scent of beeswax.

After strolling around for a while, he headed toward the grounds and saw an old friend he had not met in a long time—Rubeus Hagrid.

When the two had first met, Lin An had only wanted to borrow materials from the Forbidden Forest.

But Hagrid's honesty and kindness had quickly made Lin An lower his guard. Their friendship had swiftly deepened.

Lin An had once developed a unique spell for him—Voice of Nature.

It allowed the caster to communicate directly with magical creatures, unhindered by language barriers.

For Hagrid, who delighted in taming beasts, it had been more precious than a bag of Galleons.

Years had passed, but their friendship remained unchanged.

The two talked for most of the day until night fell. Lin An reunited with Snape, and in the familiar shadows of the Forbidden Forest, they Disapparated without a trace.

The two appeared in a secret underground research facility.

It was a building in the Muggle world, disguised on the outside as an abandoned factory.

Inside, however, everything was spotless and new. Magical circuits were embedded in the walls, while rows of experimental chambers stood behind glass windows.

Scientists from around the world were hard at work. Some wore white coats, while others wore wizarding robes, their races and languages intermingling.

Yet when each of them saw Lin An appear, they consciously stopped what they were doing and gave him a slight nod.

This was the research team he had assembled with his own hands.

Its members were all brilliant minds—biologists, genetic engineers, and magical scholars.

At first, they had been rather arrogant toward this young "investor," until they discovered that his understanding of anatomy and molecular structures far surpassed convention.

In Lin An's eyes, science and magic had never stood above or below one another. They were merely two paths leading toward truth.

Sometimes science could lift the veil from magic, and sometimes magic could prove the miracles of science.

Many spells had drawn their inspiration from those cold, lifeless formulas.

Snape followed him into the central control area.

Inside the three enormous glass cultivation chambers in the center, three human bodies floated silently in green liquid.

Two of them were male and female, their familiar faces enough to make one's heart tremble—

They were Lin An's parents: Edgar Bones and Joanna Bones.

The third was a replica of Lily Potter.

Lin An stared at them, his expression as still as stone.

These three bodies were not corpses, but soul vessels built through alchemy from recombined original genes.

An elderly scientist with white hair stepped forward and reported respectfully, "Mr. Bones, the test subjects are still unable to survive for more than a year.

"At present, we believe the problem occurs during the stage of genetic collapse."

"Genetic collapse?" Lin An frowned.

"Yes. Every sample develops a cellular self-destruction response within twelve months."

Lin An fell into thought, his fingertips lightly tapping against the glass.

The cloned Lily lay peacefully in the liquid with her eyes closed, her face tranquil as though she were asleep.

"Have you found the cause?" Snape approached, his voice low.

"Not yet," the old scientist answered.

Lin An said nothing more.

His gaze drifted among the three bodies, and his expression gradually grew grave.

These clones had not been created solely for resurrection.

What he truly sought was the possibility of reloading a soul—

To separate the soul from the flesh, then house it once more in a perfectly replicated form.

"If genetic collapse is the result of matter rejecting the soul," Lin An murmured, "perhaps we should try a different approach."

Snape glanced sideways at him. "What do you mean?"

"The body perhaps should not be based on bloodline, but on 'frequency.'

"The soul has its own fluctuations, while the magical frequency of a clone differs too greatly from that of the original.

"If we cannot tune those frequencies—then even a perfect replica is nothing but an empty shell."

His gaze turned cold, and his voice lowered. "We must find a way to tune it.

"Whether through alchemy, runes, or Dark magic."

The white-haired old man hesitated. "Sir, if the Ministry of Magic learns of such an experiment—"

"The Ministry of Magic?" Lin An sneered. "They cannot even tell the difference between potions and genes."

The air abruptly turned cold.

His words silenced every researcher.

Snape suddenly spoke. "One of these bodies... belongs to her, doesn't it?"

Lin An did not answer.

The two looked at one another in silence.

That silence held more power than any words.

The lights swayed within the liquid, illuminating the cloned Lily's profile—

That face was gentle and serene, yet held not a trace of life's warmth.

"Do you truly intend to bring her back?" Snape asked quietly.

"It is restoration," Lin An corrected softly. "She is not a reborn Lily, but a vessel for a soul.

"I only want to verify where the boundaries of the soul lie."

"And if you fail?"

"Then I continue."

His calm tone sounded firmer than any oath.

A faint dripping sound echoed through the air.

Heartbeats intertwined with the hum of machinery, like a frigid symphony jointly composed by science and magic.