The next morning, Ian got his teaching robes in order and headed to his first Alchemy class on time. The schedule showed that he would be teaching third-year students that morning, with another year's class in the afternoon, while the rest of the week's lessons were scattered across different time slots.
When he pushed open the classroom door, he saw the students sitting in neat rows. To his slight surprise, every student had arrived early, and pairs of curious eyes were fixed intently on him.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Professor." The students answered in unison, their voices filled with barely concealed excitement.
Ian drew his wand and gave it a light wave. The heavy stack of textbooks on the lectern rose into the air and flew precisely to the front of each student. The gold-embossed title on each cover was especially striking:
Introduction to Alchemy, by Ian Alvin Bones.
Once every student had received a textbook, Ian began his opening remarks:
"Alchemy is primarily divided into two fields of study. The first involves studying the four elements and their composition, exploring the secrets of transmuting metals into gold, and searching for a universal remedy capable of curing every disease. The second involves the creation of magical objects. This course will focus on the second field, because only the most accomplished alchemists can venture into the first, to say nothing of the enormous resources it requires."
"Professor, can you really turn metal into gold? After all, you're a master alchemist." A student suddenly asked without raising his hand.
Ian looked toward the speaker and discovered that he was one of two identical-looking students.
"You must be the Weasley twins!"
"You've heard of us?" Fred and George asked in unison, wearing smug smiles.
"Of course." The corners of Ian's lips lifted. "Professor McGonagall specifically warned me to watch out for your little tricks. And I knew your brother Bill when I was at school. I was two years ahead of him, but we often kept in touch. He mentioned your 'glorious achievements' at home."
"Fred, it seems our legendary exploits have spread far and wide." One twin put on an exaggerated expression as he spoke to the other.
"That's right, George. Even the famous Ian Bones has heard of us."
"But Professor, you still haven't answered the question." This time, the question came from a Ravenclaw student.
"I'll answer it, but from now on, anyone who wants to ask a question or speak must raise a hand first."
The classroom immediately fell silent as every student waited with rapt attention. Ian gathered his thoughts and continued:
"Yes, I have successfully transmuted various metals into gold. Unfortunately, the transformation never lasted. At most, it could be maintained for six months. As far as I know, there is only one alchemist in the world today capable of achieving permanent transmutation."
"Mr. Davies, do you have a question?"
"Is that alchemist Professor Dumbledore?" Roger Davies of Ravenclaw raised his hand and asked.
"No, not the headmaster. If you're curious, you can search for the answer in The Library. Now, let's return to the lesson."
"To create any magical object, you first need to understand the properties of different materials, their magical conductivity, and how to process them. However, knowledge in this area relies mainly on memorization, and we'll discuss the specific processing techniques another day. Today, I'll guide you in creating your first alchemical object."
Ian gave his wand a light wave, and two objects appeared in front of each student: a round metal disk and a quill-like object.
"Raise your hand if you know the Shield Charm."
Only three students raised their hands: the Weasley twins and Cedric Diggory.
"I completely forgot. Under Minister Fudge's administration, the quality of education at Hogwarts really has been less than satisfactory lately. Surely you all know the Levitation Charm, though? If I remember correctly, it was the first spell you learned in your first year."
All the students nodded.
"Good. Now pick up your enchanted pen and write the incantation for the Levitation Charm on the round metal disk—'Wingardium Leviosa.' Remember, as you write these characters, keep recalling how you felt when casting the spell."
With that, Ian gave a demonstration himself. He engraved the words [Wingardium Leviosa] onto the metal disk, and it immediately floated into the air on its own.
The students grew excited at once and eagerly began trying. However, they soon discovered that it was far more difficult than they had imagined.
First, the enchanted pens did not always write as they wished, and controlling them properly required intense concentration. Second, if their magical power was interrupted while they were writing, everything they had written would vanish. Not to mention that they also had to contend with the metal disk's innate resistance to the infusion of magic.
Ian paced back and forth through the classroom, stopping from time to time to offer guidance and point out the students' mistakes. Despite their repeated failures, the students remained enthusiastic, and the classroom was filled with the joy of experimentation and discovery.
By the end of the lesson, many students had completed their engravings, causing their metal disks to float successfully off the ground. Of course, most of the disks rose only a few centimeters, while even the best performers managed merely a few inches.
Before dismissing the class, Ian did not assign traditional parchment homework. Instead, he had the students take their metal disks and enchanted pens home to continue practicing. He also required everyone to study the Shield Charm on their own, as it would be the practical subject of the next lesson. Outside the classroom, the afterglow of sunset filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting brilliant colors across the metal disks shimmering with magical light.
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