NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Two Taboos
Time passed quickly, and Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye.
Lynn arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office as scheduled after lunch. He held A Simple Introduction to Ancient Runes in his left hand and gently knocked on the office door with his right.
"Right on time, come in!"
Professor Green opened the office door, allowing Lynn to enter.
Lynn stepped inside and curiously surveyed the professor's office.
He noticed that the Defense Against the Dark Arts office was divided into three sections based on Professor Green's arrangement. The outermost area featured a desk flanked by two bookshelves, which seemed to serve as the professor's space for grading students' assignments and preparing lesson plans.
Deeper inside were dozens of cages covered with red cloths, stacked together. Lynn assumed they contained educational materials prepared by Professor Green, similar to the acromantula larvae used earlier in the week. These were likely creatures captured by Professor Green from the Forbidden Forest.
The innermost section of the office contained an array of alchemical equipment, gleaming with metallic flashes. Lynn's eyes were drawn to a prism-shaped apparatus with intricate red lines glowing faintly, perpetually releasing bursts of flame upward.
"Have you memorized A Simple Introduction to Ancient Runes as I instructed on Monday?"
Professor Green closed the door with a wave of his wand and conjured a chair for Lynn using Transfiguration, gesturing for him to sit.
Lynn obediently sat down and nodded. "Yes, I've memorized it all."
Professor Green proceeded to ask Lynn several questions regarding the ancient runes in the book, and Lynn answered fluently.
"Very good. Take these."
The professor handed Lynn two notes.
Lynn glanced down to see that one note contained a dense list of book titles, while the other bore Professor Green's solitary signature.
"These are the alchemy-related books you should study next. Read them in order. Some of the later books are located in the library's Restricted Section. You can borrow them using the signed receipt I've given you."
Professor Green spoke calmly, his piercing blue eyes gleaming. He seemed unconcerned about Lynn misusing his signature for other purposes.
"Understood, Professor Green," Lynn replied as he tucked the note away.
The professor turned and crossed the office, moving toward the alchemical equipment. He stopped in front of the prism-shaped apparatus and beckoned Lynn.
"Come here, Lynn."
Lynn approached and stood beside him.
Before them, the glowing red lines continued to release flames, radiating a comforting warmth.
"You might think that these endless flames are generated solely by this set of runes, correct?"
Professor Green gestured toward the runes and asked.
Lynn thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Professor."
There was nothing else on the device except the runes. Lynn assumed they were the source of the flames, especially since he could sense a magical aura emanating from them.
Hearing this, Professor Green smiled faintly and shook his head. He withdrew his wand and gently tapped the apparatus. The base of the prism opened, revealing a luminous crystal inside.
The crystal emitted a steady glow, radiating magical energy.
"This is a creation inspired by my master's Philosopher's Stone. However, it lacks the ability to transmute base metals into gold or grant immortality. Instead, it stores magical energy and releases it as needed," explained Professor Green. "Now, what have you learned from this demonstration?"
Lynn hesitated, then replied tentatively, "Nothing comes from nothing. To gain something, one must pay an equivalent price?"
Professor Green nodded approvingly. "Exactly. The most fundamental rule of alchemy is equivalent exchange. To obtain something, you must give something of equal value. This principle must be upheld by every alchemist during the alchemical process. You may encounter this rule often in your studies of alchemy."
"Unlike idealistic magic that manifests results with the wave of a wand, alchemy demands effort and balance. While it may not grant immediate gratification, its value is unmatched—it holds the key to eternity!"
Professor Green's previously somber expression transformed into one of fervent belief, his words imbued with conviction.
"Additionally, there are two absolute taboos in alchemy that you must remember." His expression turned grave.
Lynn guessed, "Time and the soul?"
Professor Green shook his head. "Those are magical taboos. Alchemy has only two: never attempt to transcend the realm of the divine, and never perform alchemy on the human body."
Lynn nodded thoughtfully.
The original narrative often emphasized the dangers of tampering with time and the soul, whether through Time-Turners or Voldemort's Horcrux fragments. This had led Lynn to mistakenly believe these were also taboos in alchemy.
But Professor Green had clarified the distinction.
Indeed, while magic and alchemy share similarities, they are distinct disciplines and cannot be conflated.
Moreover, the Time-Turner itself is an alchemical product. If time manipulation were truly taboo in alchemy, such an object could not exist.
After teaching Lynn the foundational rules and taboos of alchemy, Professor Green delved into methods for studying ancient runes and the basics of alchemy, ensuring that Lynn could embark on his journey without hurdles.
"Take this with you—it will suppress your magical energy to one-tenth of its original value."
With the theoretical lessons concluded, Professor Green handed Lynn a bracelet.
Noticing the crystals embedded in the bracelet, Lynn couldn't help but exclaim, "The Anti-Magic Stone?"
One of Professor Green's achievements mentioned in the Chocolate Frog cards was the Anti-Magic Stone, known publicly for its ability to suppress magical energy by 10%. Such suppression typically required a stone the size of a Quaffle.
However, the crystal in this bracelet was no larger than a fingernail, yet it could suppress 90% of Lynn's magical energy.
Could this validate Lynn's earlier speculation—that the Anti-Magic Stone, as initially developed, was significantly more potent, but was later diluted for public release to avoid inciting fear and interference from the Ministry of Magic?