Harry Potter : Bloodraven

"Mr. Weasley..."

The calm, sharp voice sliced through the silence, causing Ron to flinch and sending a shiver down his spine.

He didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken. He had walked right into another one of the professor's traps.

Hundreds of eyes were on him—some curious, others amused—but most flicked between him and the figure behind him, filled with pity. The weight of their stares made his stomach drop, and heat rushed to his face in embarrassment.

He swallowed hard and turned slowly, finding the person everyone at Hogwarts had been talking about standing casually in front of his desk, watching him with amusement.

Gulp.

"Prof... Professor, I..."

"Would you mind sitting down first, Mr. Weasley?"

Contrary to what he was expecting, the professor's tone wasn't sharp or reprimanding. Instead, it was calm, almost kind, as though they were speaking to him gently.

So he hurriedly stepped off the chair and sat down properly, but his eyes were fixed on the desk, too embarrassed to look up. He cast a quick sideways glance at his friend and noticed Harry also had his head down.

Was Harry trying to spare him the embarrassment of suffering alone? He thought. His chest swelled with emotion, and his eyes stung with the urge to cry, touched by how much his friend—no, his best friend—seemed to care for him.

Unbeknownst to Ron, Harry's reluctance to look up had nothing to do with standing by him. He was just terrified that the professor might have overheard his earlier comment about the cat.

It was when Ron stood on the chair to argue with Malfoy that Maverick canceled his Disillusionment Charm. He was honestly speechless at the little redhead's foolish behavior and couldn't help but wonder how this idiot managed to conquer the smartest witch of their generation.

Nonetheless, he had no intention of punishing them over some silly argument. If anything, he preferred to see his students get along. Detention, in his eyes, was nothing more than overtime babysitting—a waste of time he could spend far more productively.

Walking to the center of the classroom, he glanced over the rows of curious faces, pausing briefly on each one and observing the students while offering the best professor smile he could muster as possible. He didn't want to play Snape or McGonagall and would rather be someone more approachable in the eyes of his students.

He saw the sea of faces, some exchanging glances, some looking expectantly at him, while others leaned forward slightly, all waiting for him to speak.

"Good afternoon..."

A soft hum of his greeting was returned, but only a few seemed to speak.

"Well, it seems only a few of you think this beautifully bright afternoon is good, isn't it?"

"Good afternoon, professor!"

This time, the whole class spoke in unison, and Maverick nodded to everyone, his expression showing approval.

"Welcome to the class of alchemy. Before we get started, I'll give a short introduction of myself..."

He then repeated what he had said in the last class, telling the students a bit about himself, his education, and his background.

The students all listened attentively, with only a few noble heirs whispering among themselves at the mention of his Muggle education and his teacher.

He didn't mind, though. Scrutiny was inevitable—after all, they had grown up knowing almost nothing significant about the world outside their own.

"Well, with that out of the way, let's begin." Then, wasting no time, he posed his first question, making sure to maintain a kind smile as he glanced across the rows of students.

"Can anyone tell me what alchemy is?"

Swish!

A few hands shot up, and he pointed to a young wizard with the Ravenclaw badge pinned to his uniform, gesturing for him to speak. "Please state your name first..."

The boy stood up trying his best to look as confident as possible. "I'm Terry, Professor. Terry Boot... and... Alchemy is… crafting magical items..."

Mavrick's smiled warmly at the boy and he gestured for him to sit. "An excellent answer, Mr. Boot. Five points to Ravenclaw."

"Mr. Boots' answer, though a bit reductive, is a correct description. Alchemy... is the magical art of transformation and creation. It involves the careful crafting of magical objects, using runes to channel and direct magical energy, and applying charms to imbue those objects with specific properties. It's a comprehensive approach to magic that demands both precision and creativity."

He turned his attention to another raised hand at the very front, looking eagerly at him. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"Professor," Hermione inquired, "is it the same runes that are taught in the elective course Ancient Runes?"

Maverick nodded. "Very observant... To answer your question, Ms. Granger, ancient runes are indeed used in the creation of alchemical items. In fact, most multipurpose magical items are created using ancient runes. However, for this class, until the elective course begins, we will only be using basic runes."

He explained further.

"The main difference between Ancient Runes and basic runes is that Ancient Runes let you inscribe much more complex instructions and handle greater magical power. Basic runes, on the other hand, are simpler—think of them as the basics, without the same depth or flexibility. For example, if basic runes are like simple numbers from zero to nine, Ancient Runes are more like a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols, making it possible to create more advanced magic."

He paused, looking around the room before turning back to Hermione. "Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied looking satisfied as she sat back down.

Mavrick continued. "To make a product that can be considered an alchemical creation, it must have two properties... runes and charms."

"The crafting can be either natural or man-made, but you will rarely see naturally formed objects turned into alchemy without any alteration to their structure. In fact, it's nearly impossible because the process of carving runes changes the very structure of the object."

"In this class, we'll mostly focus on the basic set of runes. Now, I know that might sound boring, but it won't just be about memorizing symbols and their meanings. We'll also be creating alchemical equipment as we go," he added, watching as the students all perked up, exchanging excited whispers at the mention of creating their own alchemy.

"As for charms, I believe that part will be handled perfectly well by Professor Flitwick. In fact, in my class, I'll be referring to his lessons to see which charms you've learned and plan the practical lessons accordingly."

He smiled. "And finally, we will dedicate one day of every month to learning the art of crafting. And it'll be more fun than it sounds."

"Alright." He clapped his hands together. "Today is the first day, so I want to make it memorable for you. First, please take out your basic runes textbooks and turn to page 78."

The room came alive with the rustling of pages and the soft thuds of books being placed on desks. Mavrick waited while scanning the room until every student had their book open. "What you'll see there is the basic rune for light and illumination. Today, we're going to use this rune to create a basic alchemical light source."

He noticed the students' eyes light up at the prospect of diving straight into creation, and a smile tugged at his lips. "Observe carefully," he said, extending his hand. With a deliberate motion, he cast the Flagrate spell, moving his finger through the air to draw a symbol—a simple, angular shape resembling a flame with a single line rising upward.

The students gasped, their eyes sparkling with wonder as they watched Maverick effortlessly use magic.

"This is Luxis," Maverick pointed at the glowing symbol.

"It's a basic rune that represents light and illumination. When inscribed correctly and infused with Magical-Energy, it can produce a steady, glowing light. Unlike Ancient Runes, which can sometimes create complex, self-sustaining enchantments, Luxis requires a direct input of magic to function. Think of it as a match—you need to strike it to produce light, but it won't burn on its own."

As he spoke, he walked over to his desk, where stacks of smooth, flat stone cards were neatly arranged. Each card had one side made of stone and the other covered with a crystal-like surface.

With a wave of his hand, the cards floated into the air one by one, hovering briefly before gently descending onto each student's desk.

"What kind of spell was that?" one student whispered to another.

"Maybe a very advanced variant of the Levitation Charm," came the reply.

Mavrick sighed inwardly, realizing once again how much he took his own magical abilities for granted. To these children, even the simplest acts of magic for him were extraordinary.

The room became a buzz of whispers and murmurs, but he needed to continue with the lesson.

"Alright," he amplified his voice slightly to cut through the chatter. "You can discuss everything else later, but for now, I need your attention."

He walked to the center of the room, holding a similar stone card in his hand. "In your list of required materials, there should be carving instruments. I hope everyone has them with you." He glanced around and nodded to see that no one seemed to have forgotten.

"On your desks are special stone cards made from materials used in carving practice. They are also half-complete alchemical products, which I hope to see finished by each and every one of you before the end of the lesson."

The students picked up the cards, turning them over in their hands and examining both sides carefully.

"You'll notice a faint mark outlining the symbol you see above me on the silver side," Maverick continued. "I want you to use the Glyphblade to carefully carve over it."

"Now, the Glyphblade itself is an alchemical tool, much like a wand. Instead of casting spells, its purpose is to channel your magic into the carving you make. Otherwise, it would just be a simple mark on the stone."

He paused, looking seriously over the class. "Please be careful with the blade. Don't rush. You have fifteen minutes, and it's just one symbol that is already outlined for you."

Seeing the students nod in acknowledgment of his warning, he relaxed his expression, and his lips curved into a smile. "I'll walk around to each of you in the meantime to check your work... you may now begin."

Following his instructions, the students buzzed with excitement, chatting eagerly to one another about the work they were about to do.

Maverick saw the little redhead's face light up with a peculiar gleam as he spoke to Harry. "Harry... this is so cool. I bet Fred and George are gonna be super jealous that we actually became alchemists today."

"You're not gonna become an alchemist in one day, Ronald. We're merely just carving over an outlined symbol. Do you even know the ranks of alchemists...?"

Sure enough, it was his future wife who put him in his place even before Harry had even thought of a response.

Ron glanced at Hermione irritably, then at Harry, before whispering to him, "Mental, that one. How does she even have time to listen to other people when she's so focused on what she's doing?"

Harry sighed, honestly speechless, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to take Hermione's side over his friend, but he also knew Ron's earlier comment sounded stupid.

"Just focus on the work, Ron... before the professor comes and checks," Harry said in the end, carefully holding the Glyphblade as instructed in his textbook.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 112 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic