Chapter 36

Over the course of the next month and a half, my training continued apace, Magnus Gamp training me in various things. My study of Wandlore continued, where I learned about various less common wand woods and cores. Things like Teak Wood, which bonded best to those who were physically strong and mentally stubborn and was an excellent wood for combat magic, or Lindwyrm Scale Wand Cores which provided an extra measure of power without sacrificing too much control, but were rare outside Scandinavia.

Once I'd gotten that down, he would begin teaching me the basics of how wands were put together. Though it was unlikely I would be able to craft a wand of my own for some time yet, and even when I did, I was likely to get failures until I could really practice. The end goal of teaching me Wand Lore was for Magnus Gamp to get me to take the Ministry's Wand Crafter Accreditation Exam, which would allow me to craft and sell my own wands if need be.

"After all, you never know when you might need a backup." Pointed out Magnus Gamp.

"Backup? I thought Wizards only ever bonded to one wand for their whole lives?" I questioned.

"That's what the Ollivander Family has been pushing for years, but it's not strictly true. That's more of a marketing ploy." Scoffed Magnus Gamp.

"How do you mean?" I queried.

"It's so they can advertise their wands as being a lifetime commitment and in doing so, keep their monopoly on Wand Crafting in Britain. Most Ministry Accredited Wand Crafters wind up working either for them or for Gringotts because of how effective the marketing is." Explained Magnus Gamp.

"Gringotts? I thought the Goblins weren't allowed wands?" I asked.

"They're not. Gringotts employs more than just Goblins, though. Specifically, Curse Breakers lose wands all the time to traps and wards on ancient Tombs and Ruins. Gringotts likes to have a supply of replacements so that the amount of downtime for their Curse Breakers is cut down on." Answered Magnus Gamp.

"Time is money." I mused.

"Indeed. It's also power, especially when ancient magic and lore are involved. Just another reason why the Ministry ought to be giving the Goblins what they want with the whole Gringotts Break-In Debacle. If Fudge believes the Goblins don't have a metric shiteload of ancient and powerful magical artifacts they've dug out of tombs and such ready to go in the event of war, then he's an even bigger fool than I thought." Frowned Magnus Gamp.

"You think they're not negotiating in good faith?" I questioned.

"I think they're playing Silly Buggers with the Envoys out of some notion of Wizarding Superiority. Mark my words, there's going to be a lot of pain coming out of this. All the more reason to get you trained up properly." Scowled Magnus Gamp.

Aside from Wandlore, Magnus Gamp taught me other subjects as well. Mind you, he only taught me one more bit of Bardic Magic. Draíochtúil Teanga, or the Enchanting Tongue. To perform it, I had to recite the Story of Cliodhna and Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, how the Queen of the Bain Sidhe gave the Lord of Muskerry the ability to deceive others without offending them, and how he incorporated it into his castle. Once I had that done, the magic would grant me the same, giving me the ability to talk my way out of most situations, though those who had a strong grasp of Occlumency would be able to throw off the effect. Once again, until I practiced it enough to get it down to a few mnemonic lines, I was unlikely to use it much, though thankfully, I could use Oneiromancy to practice the magic while I slept.

What filled the rest of my time with Magnus Gamp, aside from the constant practice duels and spars, which always saw me improve incrementally while still getting my arse kicked, was Alchemy Lessons. Apparently, Magnus Gamp had realized my capability for potions and enchanting and had sought to teach me a bit of basic alchemy. I was honestly pretty excited about that. Alchemy could be a pretty big ace in the hole if you were good at it. It was to potions what potions were to Muggle Chemistry, after all.

"So what, are you gonna teach me to turn lead into gold or something?" I queried.

"Not exactly. The sort of Gold you can make with Alchemy isn't the best quality stuff, nor is it anything that would be able to trick a competent wizard into thinking it's the genuine article. We're talking gold of less than ten karats in purity, the sort of thing the Goblins would laugh you out of Gringotts for trying to sell them. At the same time, you'll lose some of the original material to waste. The only way around that is to have the Philosopher's Stone, but unless you're Nicholas Flamel and have managed to keep that fact from me, I think you're out of luck there." Refuted Magnus Gamp.

"Well, I doubt the Muggles care too much about that. They buy and sell gold of less than ten Karats all the time." I pointed out.

"True, you could dump a bunch of gold on the muggle market and collect a quick pile of Muggle Pounds. However, doing too much of that is going to draw attention. Then you'll get a visit from the Ministry about endangering the Statute of Secrecy, and I doubt you want that." Responded Magnus Gamp.

"All right, so what am I learning, then?" I asked.

"We'll start with the basics of Western Alchemy, as codified by Paracelsus in the sixteenth century. Starting with the most basic and fundamental of Alchemical Laws, the Law of Equivalent Exchange." Began Magnus Gamp.

I resisted the urge to make a joke about Homunculi or something Fullmetal-related. Nobody would get it here, plus that series wasn't even out yet. Instead, I buckled down and learned what Magnus Gamp was willing to teach. It turned out that Equivalent Exchange wasn't the only Law of Alchemy, there were a bunch of others. For one thing, Alchemy couldn't be used to create things, only alter them. This meant that, for instance, while you could use alchemy to increase the amount of fire in any given area, you couldn't use it to simply create the fire out of nothing, though an Alchemical Spark Solution applied to a wand tip before casting a fire-based spell like Incendio would create an extremely powerful blast of flame. A lot of Alchemy was like that, being an additive to an existing discipline used for modification purposes.

As to what I was taught, there was the Purification Solution, which could be applied to various things to increase their purity, though it wouldn't work on something that had already been affected by Western Alchemy, such as Gold created by chemically transforming lead, though the jury was out on whether it could be used to purify metal transformed by Non-Western Alchemy. Then there was the aforementioned Alchemical Spark Solution, which would greatly increase the power of flame spells cast by a wand coated in it. There was the Alchemical Elemental Treatment Oil, which, when spread on a material, effectively treated that material to better resist fire, electricity, cold, and so on. Finally, there was the Alchemical Effect-Preserver, which was an additive to potions that allowed the effect of the potion in question to last longer to the tune of thirty minutes per drop added.

That last one could be dangerous, though. It was toxic enough that adding any more than four drops for a total of two hours tacked on to the duration of a Potion could be hazardous to your health. Furthermore, adding more than two drops would ruin some potions, as they were delicate enough that any further dilution would cause the entire effect to unravel.

"And if that happens, you don't want to be anywhere near it. Potion failures have been known to be explosive, corrosive, scalding, toxic, and have even stranger effects. I once saw a man ruin a potion that proceeded to burst into a gas cloud that turned anyone who stepped into the cloud into spun glass. So just out of caution, you should never add more than two drops of this to any potion until you know what you're doing." Insisted Magnus Gamp.

"Right. What about Felix Felicis, that's already toxic, right?" I questioned.

"Do you have a death wish, Lad?" Queried Magnus Gamp.

"No, that's why I'm asking." I refuted.

"To answer your question, Felix Felicis is about as Toxic as a glass of Firewhiskey. On its own, that is. Adding the effect enhancer to it though multiplies that toxicity. The effect isn't linear either, it's exponential. Sure you can maybe add a single drop and be fine, if woozy. Adding two means you'll be in Saint Mungo's faster than you can blink, adding more is instant death." Explained Magnus Gamp.

"Right. Don't add it to Felix Felicis, got it." I nodded.

"Damned Straight." Huffed Magnus Gamp.

"What about things like the Girding, Strength, or Gytrash Speed Potions?" I asked.

"Those aren't dangerous to you so much as they are to folks around you. That may be all well and good when you're fighting, but what happens when you go to pat your allies on the back for a fight well-fought and wind up dislocating their shoulder because you're still hopped up on Strength Potion? There's a reason that people like Hagrid tend to be gentle, Lad. When you live in an area where everyone else may as well be made out of cardboard, you have to watch your strength. The same would apply with this." Informed Magnus Gamp.

I nodded at that. It made sense, after all. I'd be sure to be careful, and spend some time getting used to extended periods of enhanced strength, speed, and durability while under the effects of extended-duration potions before trying them out in any kind of serious situation. I would have to do that regardless once my nightly Bluemoon Grass Elixirs had finally reached critical mass and allowed me to begin using some of the Azarinth Order's Magic. It seemed a good idea to get practice in with this first.

Of course, Magnus Gamp wasn't my only teacher, and as we finished out January and went through February, my other, normal, classes, continued as well. We continued our unit on Fertilizers in Herbology, starting with Plant-Based Fertilizers and continuing on with Mixed Fertilizers and potion-based Fertilizers. It turned out that there was such a thing as Omnivorous Magical Plants. The Nubian Devil Tree, for example, ate both nearby plants, giving it a monopoly on sunlight in its immediate area, and any animals looking to wander nearby to steal its fruit, which was not only fragrant and delicious but could keep someone full for an entire day.

"What sort of Doylem would keep such a thing?" Questioned Susan, my usual partner for Herbology.

"I suspect the fruit is the reason. It probably is good for some sort of potion aside from being really filling." I shrugged.

"Blaise is correct, well reasoned, dearie. Five points to Slytherin. The Fruit of the Nubian Devil Tree is used in several potions taught at Uagadou, including one of the potion-based fertilizers we'll be talking about next week." Nodded Professor Sprout.

"Sounds like it's big business then. I just hope folks are ready if these things go radge." Huffed Susan.

"Never fear, Dearie. There are specialists to call in just such a case. You didn't think that Wizards domesticated such plants as the Devil's Snare, Venomous Tentacula, and so on without having a plan in place in case of such things, did you?" Chuckled Professor Sprout.

Curiosity sated, Susan and I paid attention to the remainder of the lecture. The next week, we did indeed find out about the Nubian Anti-Famine Potion, which was a magical, Potion-Based, Fertilizer that allowed plants to grow even in the driest of conditions. Apparently, the Magical Negus of Ethiopia had abused the shit out of it to help feed Magical Ethiopia during the Famine of Eighty-Four to Eighty-Five, all while Muggle Ethiopians starved en masse or turned into refugees. The abuse of it all attracted a large Zār spirit, a type of Malevolent Magical Nature Spirit that was fond of possessing people to cause trouble. The Spirit possessed the Negus' son and required the effort of a team of Specialists in Shamanic Magics to force the Spirit out of the Prince, though not before the Prince started a border war with Magical Sudan that lasted until Nineteen-Eighty-Seven.

The story was used to illustrate that overuse of magic that altered the natural world such as Potion-Based Fertilizers could bring harm as well as benefits. Professor Sprout warned against such tactics as part of the lesson, or else the consequences could be dire for multiple people beyond just yourself. I honestly thought that was a decent lesson to take away, especially as the Negus of Magical Ethiopia could have still imported food, which would have allowed him to use less of the Fertilizer and avoid the debacle with the possession and subsequent border war.

Aside from that, we learned about two other Magical Plants in Herbology, the Ironroot Plant and the Rustleaf Plant. Both had been common pests on various Magical Farms, with the Ironroot Plant having been well known for destroying plows back in olden times while the Rustleaf Plant would cause the blades of Scythes to rust. Nowadays, they are only cultivated in greenhouses for their use in different Alchemical Solutions, with the stems of the Rustleaf Plant being components in Anti-Rust Oil used on various metal tools as part of the manufacturing process and the leaves of the Ironroot Plant being components in the Wood-Strengthening Polish that were often applied to broomstick handles.

Susan and I helped to unpot and plant specimens of both, careful to avoid getting our trowels anywhere near the leaves of the Rustleaf Plant and carrying the heavy Ironroot Plants together. We then moved to help others in their own efforts, earning us both five points for each of our houses. That was pretty much it for Herbology up to the end of February.

Then there was Transfiguration, where we spent the rest of January doing revision on the Bubble Conjuring Spell. It turned out that the Student who needed the most help was actually Seamus Finnegan of Gryffindor. Something about how his magic wanted to burn rather than create water, at least according to Professor McGonagall. Seamus took the full three weeks, including the week before my Detention in the Forbidden Forest to get the Bubble Conjuring Spell down, even with help. Parvati devoted herself almost exclusively to helping Seamus, which left Tracey and I to pick up the slack. Fortunately, we had help in the form of Harry and Daphne, both of whom had gotten it early on in the Second Week and could help others out.

I spent much of my time helping Neville. He'd taken my advice that I'd given him over the holidays, it seemed, and had picked up a new wand. Instead of his Father's Ash Wand, but instead an Alder Wand.

"Nice Wand, Nev. Looks like you took my advice." I offered.

"Yeah, it turns out that Professor McGonagall spoke with Gran about it before New Year's and had the same concerns you and the others did. Since it was a visit from a Professor, Gran had to agree. My new wand's a bit shorter than my Dad's was, Alder and Pheonix Feather, ten inches instead of my Dad's eleven." Nodded Neville.

"Good on you. You need some help here?" I questioned.

"Would you? I'm still getting used to the new wand." Agreed Neville.

And like that, I began walking Neville through the Bubble Conjuring Spell. He was still having a bit of a confidence issue, but it wasn't as bad as it had been previously. He was on his way to getting it by the time the second week of trying ended. He managed to get it in the first hour of the third week, letting me move on to helping someone else. I earned five points for my efforts there, which was neat. By the time the third week of Bubble Conjuring Practice was over, the only people in class still having trouble were Crabbe and Goyle, largely because no one wanted to help them, not even Draco, who simply sneered and said that it wasn't his problem when asked. It looked like someone was going to have to shell out for tutors over the summer.

I was still shaking my head at Draco's Attitude when the next week's Transfiguration Class began and we started learning the Water to Snow Transfiguration, this one was easy for everyone not named Seamus Finnegan and most people didn't need help, since everyone could visualize water turning to snow. I moved to help Seamus, earning another five points as I managed to get him to produce snow, albeit wet and slushy snow, by the end of the class. The last week of February saw us practicing the opposite Transfiguration, Water to Steam, which was right up Seamus' Alley. Nobody had trouble with it, and I managed to get a bit of reading done, pulling out the copy of Volume Three of La Strada dei Re that Daphne had gotten me for the Holidays after I had gotten it down.

That left Astronomy of the classes I cared for, which was mostly identification of various constellations and their uses in Rituals, though we did learn a bit about the various planets in the Solar System. That was our only lesson was all lecture and theory, that didn't involve ritual instruction, however.

For example, we learned about the Constellation Cetus in the first week and its use in the Ritual of Pelagic Adaption. A sacrifice of fish had to be gutted on an altar of whalebone under the light of the Constellation Cetus for the Ritual to work, but for a year and a day afterward, the supplicant could breathe, move, and see underwater as easily as they could on land. In the second week, we learned about Canis Major and its use in the Ritual of Laelaps' Nose, which involved a sacrifice of game meat on an altar of fresh-cut wood under the light of Canis Major. For a year and a day thereafter, the supplicant would gain the ability to sniff out people and animals like a bloodhound.

Most notably, we learned about Taurus and the Ritual of Summer's Renewal, which was a Druidic Ritual that had to be performed as the Sun passed through Taurus in the Spring and involved the sacrifice of grain and blood on a bonfire under the light of Taurus while the sun passed through it. If the ritual was successful, the supplicant would be in good health and more readily attract material wealth for a year and a day afterward. It was a ritual that was known to have not been easily parted with by the Druids, who were the real political power players in pre-Roman and Sub-Roman Britain, and which various Noble Wizards had used to good effect throughout history.

"I wonder if Malfoy's family ever used that?" Mused Hermione from nearby where I was partnered with Padma.

"I don't doubt it." I opined.

"The Malfoys are descended from Norman Aristocrats, aren't they? You'd think they'd have rules against using a Pagan religious ceremony." Frowned Padma.

"Yeah, right, pull the other one. I'm with Blaise on this. The Malfoys are a sneaky lot. If they can get away with cheating like that, they would have." Scoffed Ron, acting as Hermione's Partner.

Fortunately, Malfoy was too busy talking to Pansy Parkinson about some sort of gossip to pay much attention to the conversation. Oath to not screw with my friends and I or not, he wouldn't take us talking about his family like that lying down. One letter to Daddy Dearest about the mean things he'd heard said about his family would be all that it took. Lucius wouldn't even tell Draco if he was putting something into motion, so how could Draco's Oath go off? Fortunately, though, the rest of Astronomy class passed without incident.

Of course, Classes and Tutoring were far from the only things I did. I also had my own training, during which, I finally managed to get the Radharc Oidhreachta down to a mnemonic few lines after practicing for a month and a half in my dreams via Oneiromancy. I got the feeling that Pob Laith would be gotten down to the same few lines by the middle of March and that I would likely have Draíochtúil Teanga down at some point in April. At the same time, I also increased my capability with the Mind Arts and not just the Dead Moment, Occlumency, and Leglimency, either.

All the practice at Oneiromancy had gotten me to the point where I could increase or decrease the time of my Dream Realm versus the time in real life. For every hour spent in real life, two passed in my dream realm. It wasn't quite the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but it would give me extra time to train in my dream realm going forward. At the same time, I was now able to cut the amount of time I would have to spend searching for people by picking up on their emotions down by a third, at least so long as they were only using basic Occlumency Shields to hide them. That would have been handy back in the Forbidden Forest against those Vampires, but I'll take what I could get.

Aside from all that, I began to learn spells from the Book of Dueling Spells that Millie had gotten me for a Holiday Gift. Globus Flammae, for one, which shot an honest-to-gods fireball with the incantation and a circular wand motion followed by a pointing motion. It fired a beachball-sized ball of flame that then exploded into a twenty-foot blast of flames. It was going to be one of my first area-of-attack spells and as those went, you could do worse than a good-old-fashioned fireball, especially if you employed Alchemical Spark Oil on your wand beforehand.

Next was a control spell, Sopor, the Spell of Deep Slumber. This was a spell that would put almost anyone to sleep, even if they had basic Occlumency Shields. It was a simple wand movement, two flicks of your wand followed by a downward slashing motion, all directed at the target. Those with better than the basic Occlumency Shield would be able to shrug it off with effort, even if their Occlumency Shields were only just better than the basics, but that was balanced out by how Sopor bypassed the normal Shield Charm, Protego.

Lastly was the Spell of Sibilus Sagitta, the Hissing Arrow Spell, which conjured a dart of hissing, corrosive, liquid to fire at an opponent. It would burn through most armor and even weaker Shield Charms like the Scutum Charm, though you would have to cast it twice to break through a Protego. It was, effectively, an acid projectile with a certain level of shield and armor penetration, which was great for me, since it would be more useful against Trolls and other magic-resistant, tough-hide-bearing, creatures than the standard Arrow-Shooting Spell. Honestly, if I'd had this available on Halloween, nobody would've gotten their arms broken.

Aside from training, tutoring, and classes, of course, there were also various clubs and socializing. For some reason, Trelawney had been a lot lighter on handing out various detentions lately than she had been. Maybe Dumbledore had spoken to her after the Forbidden Forest Incident and told her to throttle back on her personal vendetta against me, I wasn't sure, but I only had to miss a few club meetings in the month and a half before March and missed no cross-house study group sessions. Most of the detentions she did hand out were also relatively light punishments, I'd have to spend a few hours helping Madame Pince shelve books in the library or help Argus Filch carry a few barrels of Pumpkin Juice down to the Kitchens. Nothing as dangerous as the Forbidden Forest had been.

With that in mind, I was able to make three Club Meetings for Potions Club, the Two remaining Dueling Club sessions in January, and every single one of our Cross-House Study Group Sessions. . .

XXXX

The three club meetings I made for Potions Club were all fairly laid back as well. As I learned how to brew Polyjuice Potion, Disillusionment Tonic, and Fire Ward Salve, there were no real interruptions or insults bandied about. This was largely because of how monstrously difficult those potions were to brew. The difficulty required Professor Snape to be present at Club, and his presence did sort of put a damper on any attempts at Shenanigans. Notably, however, Disillusionment Tonic and Polyjuice Potion were deemed too complex for a First-Year, no matter how gifted, and so I was supposed to just take notes and watch those first two clubs. When it came to the third meeting, however, it looked as if Professor Snape was going to demand I sit this one out as well, but I insisted on at least trying to make it.

"Mister Zabini, I understand you have a talent for Potions, but that is no reason to be a dunderhead and push beyond your capabilities." Drawled Snape.

"I can do it, Professor." I insisted.

"You are aware, of course, that a mistake brewing Fire Ward Salve could very well cause a failure that would burn you horrifically?" Questioned Snape.

"I am, Professor. I am also confident enough in my abilities." I nodded.

"You still wish to try even knowing the risk?" Queried Snape.

"Life is risk, Professor. I take risks just going to class every day in a castle where, at any given moment, a staircase could shift under my feet as I'm stepping onto it, causing me to fall to my death. What's a bit more risk? At least this time, I'll be able to see it coming." I shrugged.

"Very well. Perhaps you are correct, or perhaps a stay in the Hospital Wing will be enough to convince you otherwise. Either way, the problem will be solved." Sighed Snape, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you, Professor." I beamed.

"You understand of course, that if you cause a potions failure, and anyone other than yourself gets harmed, you will be removed from this club, yes?" Asked Snape.

"I understand, Professor." I agreed.

"Very well. You may begin, then." Intoned Snape.

And like that, I began to gather ingredients and follow the recipe. The Recipe called for Iron Shavings, Fire-Dwelling Salamander Blood, Flobberowrm Mucus, and the crushed berries of a Negev Flaming Bush. Of these, the last one was the most dangerous, as you had to maintain a steady, slow, crushing, pressure to crush them without causing an explosion of fire. They also had to be added at a specific point, after the Iron Shavings and Salamander Blood so that the fire-absorbing properties of the salamander blood would absorb the magic, while the defensive properties of the iron shavings would contain the powered blood, but before the Flobberworm Mucus. Then you had to let it steep for an hour stirring three times clockwise every fifteen minutes during that hour.

If everything went according to plan, you should have a soft, waxy, gray, salve with whorls of red running through it that you could rub over yourself to avoid being burned by flame. Even Dragonfire would wash over you like it was water, with only Fiendfyre being able to break through the protection. It was powerful stuff, and the complexity of the directions and volatility of the ingredients were what made it difficult for a first-year to make. I handled it, though, managing to avoid causing any incidents and coming out of the Club with a perfectly functional batch of Fire Ward Salve.

"I see you did not have a mishap. Let me see your salve." Intoned Snape.

I held up the large jar of salve I had wound up with and Professor Snape scrutinized it, waving his wand over the lip of the jar that he had me take the top off of. As his wand tip glowed blue, Snape nodded once before turning back to me with a calculating gaze.

"This is an acceptable batch of Fire Ward Salve. You seem to have a gift for Potions, Mister Zabini." Mused Snape.

"Thank you, Professor." I nodded.

"It is not an art often seen with much enthusiasm by the Dunderheads I have had to teach in this school. I believe many in your year and no few of those above it would tell you to focus your efforts elsewhere, on foolish wand-waving and charms. Have a care that you do not heed the so-called advice of your peers to squander your talents. You will find that such subtle arts are far more useful to you as you grow." Advised Snape.

"I don't think there's any danger of that, Professor." I remarked.

"See that there is not. I would hate to hear that such has happened. You may go now." Dismissed Snape.

That was the second most interesting thing that happened to me during club meetings and extracurriculars. The third most happened at Dueling Club, the second time I attended in this stretch of time, as the first time I mostly sat aside and watched the bouts. This time, however, I was being challenged. Terry Boot had spent some time cooking up something for a duel with me.

And I would find myself staring him down in the Dueling Pit because he had finally figured it out. . .

XXXX

I'd been at the observer railing, watching Daphne take on a Second-Year Ravenclaw named Marietta Edgecombe who had said something to annoy her. I'd briefly met Marietta in passing, as she was a friend of Hermione's, though I wasn't going to bet on her over Daphne. I knew my Blonde Friend's abilities were more than the average Second Year could handle. Indeed, as I watched Daphne begin kicking Marietta around the dueling pit, I found a hand tapping my shoulder. Turning to see Terry Boot, I gave a nod.

"What's up, Mate?" I questioned.

"When Daphne's done embarrassing Hermione's Friend, you and I need to have a round down there." He informed.

"Yeah? Did I say something to annoy you earlier?" I queried.

"No, Mate. We're good, but I've been working on something and I'd hardly be a good rival if I didn't make you fight it." Shrugged Terry.

"So you're my Rival, now, are you?" I asked, teasingly.

"Hell, Mate. You know what I mean." Chuckled Terry.

"Sure, we'll head down when Daphne's finished proving her point." I agreed.

It didn't take long for that to happen. Daphne managed to batter Marietta from one end of the dueling pit to the other in the span of just five minutes or so. By the time she was done, Marietta's wand was lying in the sand, while Marietta was on her hands and knees huffing and puffing while her Second, Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, went to grab her wand to return it to her, all while Daphne had a look of smug superiority on her face, gazing over at Marietta from where she was standing by Tracey, who had served as her own Second. Once Marietta had caught her breath, Cho made her way over to Tracey, exchanged some sort of package with her, and both pairs headed up the stairs to the Gallery.

I didn't have much time to wonder what it was that Cho had handed to Tracey, though. Instead, Terry and I made our way down into the Dueling Pit and got ready for our own bout. After a brief conversation, Daphne sent Millie down to Second for me, since she was busy doing. . .something with whatever that package she'd just gotten from Cho was. Meanwhile, Anthony Goldstein was going to be acting as Terry's Second. By the time we had all that figured out, I had already gone through a brief stretching routine and had my wand out in my hand and ready to duel. Terry nodded over to me and I nodded back.

"Any stakes? I think Daphne just got something she wanted from Cho for winning her Duel with Marietta." I Questioned.

"Winner buys the loser an assortment of Candy from Honeydukes? I think they deliver by Owl Order to the Castle." Queried Terry.

"Deal." I agreed.

And with that, the Duel started off strong with Terry making an odd Wand Movement and pointing it at his feet. The arena sand fountained upward and when it subsided, it looked as if Terry had just put up a shield. That, I hadn't been ready for. Thankfully, it didn't look like a standard Protego. It was brown for one thing, and slightly opaque. Fortunately, I could use the Radharc Oidhreachta to try and get a read on whatever it was he had just done. I began to utter my Mnemonic Lines.

"Fionn Ate not the Salmon's Flesh nor skin, but burned his thumb on the sizzling fat. When he popped his thumb into his mouth, he gained all the knowledge in the world." I muttered to myself, even as I dodged aside from an incoming Flipendo fired by Terry from within his shield.

I finished my Mnemonic, ducking beneath a rope conjured with Incarcerous as I did so. Suddenly, everything became clear to me. That was a thin layer of arena sand and dirt that was whirling around Terry. It was just enough to block or parry an incoming spell. It wasn't a real Protego, but it didn't have to be if it could give Terry an opening to fire back during while it, in turn, blocked an incoming attack. Fortunately, I had just learned a spell that bypassed shields. Hopefully, it would work out. If not, I'd just have to eat whatever Terry threw at me in retaliation while I blew down his shield of sand and dirt.

I immediately flicked my wand twice and pulled it into a downward slash as I uttered the incantation. The Spell of Deep Slumber shot out invisibly from my wand like a wave even as I dodged away from an attempt to disarm me with Expeliarmus that Terry fired off. I could feel my Spell struggle to take hold and for a few moments, it seemed like Terry's Occlumency Shields would be just enough to throw it off and force me to go with Plan B. Fortunately for me, however, his Occlumency Shields gave way slightly, and that was all my Spell needed to slip in through the cracks before Terry could refresh his shields. The swirling bubble of dirt and sand collapsed and when it did, it revealed Terry sprawled out on the arena floor, sawing logs.

I made my way over to him and kicked his wand out of his hand before I was declared the winner. I shook him awake and Terry bolted upright moments after I did, looking around, and seeing his wand had been parted from him. He let out a sigh as he realized I'd won.

"I thought for sure I had that one from the way you kept dodging without firing back." Grumbled Terry.

"You would have if I hadn't learned a spell that bypasses shields." I shrugged.

"Yeah? Teach it to me?" Asked Terry.

"Sure, if you'll teach me whatever that shield was." I nodded.

"Dire Alhasba. The Grit Shield, it's something out of a Book that Mum picked up while on Holiday in Turkey a few years back." Informed Terry.

"Mine was the Spell of Deep Slumber. I picked it up out of that Book of Dueling Spells that Millie got me for the Holidays. You up for a trade?" I responded.

"Sure, I can swap spell for spell." Agreed Terry.

"Brilliant. First, though, I like Cauldron Cakes and you owe me a couple." I grinned.

Terry's groan caused my smile to widen as I mounted the steps back up to the Gallery. . .

XXXX

Finally, there were the Cross-House Study Group Sessions. Mostly, I found myself acting as a teacher in these, as we had several people pestering me to learn this or that. The Spell of Deep Slumber was one that was popular after folks saw me use it in Dueling Club at the end of January, but it was far from the only spell folks wanted to learn from me. I even had Daphne, Hermione, Harry, and Millie asking about the recipe for the Fire Ward Salve, apparently, they'd heard I'd successfully brewed up some from their upper years and figured that being able to brew potions that could make them immune to all but the hottest fire was useful.

I did make time to learn some Rasayana and Wuxing Alchemy, though to match the Western-style stuff I was learning from Magnus Gamp. Su Li taught me the Five Interpromoting Elixirs, while Parvati taught me the Rasayana Health Tonic and the Rasayana Mystic Replenisher Tonic. I also picked up the Grit Shield from Terry, though that was something I'd have made time for outside of the Study Group regardless. The time I'd made in the Study Group was short, as so many people had wanted lessons, but I still learned, and that was the point of all this, after all.

The Wuxing Interpromotion Elixirs would change one element to another when splashed on the element in a specific order. The First Elixir turned Wood to Fire, the Second turned Fire to Earth, the Third turned Earth to Metal, the Fourth turned Metal to Water, and the Fifth turned Water to Wood. These Elixirs could also be tweaked to yield certain types of their specific elements, though that wasn't a thing that Su Li knew how to do, as she'd only been able to grab a hold of the Basic Cycles of Elixirs, of which there were five, Interpromoting, Weakening, Inter-Regulating, Overacting, and Counteracting.

Meanwhile of the two Rasayana Alchemy Tonics I'd learned, the first effectively cured most naturally-occurring Illnesses, though they would do nothing about ones that were inherent in the Bloodline and you could always get sick again once you'd been cured already. Meanwhile, the second automatically replenished spent magical energy, allowing a Wizard to cast more spells over a longer period of time than one that needed to rest to regain their mystical stamina. Unfortunately, relying on it too much was bad for you and you could wind up poisoning yourself from overuse. These also weren't in the book that the Patil Twins had given me for the Holidays, as that was targeted toward Leaders, while these Tonics were often something used by Healers.

However, the most interesting thing that happened over the course of the month and a half happened during the Cross-House Study Group. It happened during the last meeting before March, just as I had gotten the recipe for Mystic Replenishment Tonic down and was in the middle of actually putting the theory into practice via brewing up a batch. Harry came up to me while I was brewing looking like he desperately wanted to ask me a question.

"Hey, so you know about Alchemy, right, Mate?" He questioned.

"Sure. Some, anyway. Why?" I queried.

"Well, I had a question. Have you ever heard the name Nicholas Flamel before?" Asked Harry.

"Anyone who's ever studied Alchemy in the past three and a half centuries has heard of Nicholas Flamel, Harry. He's the one of only two Alchemists since Ancient Times to have successfully created the Philosopher's Stone, alongside Paracelsus." I answered.

"What's a Philosopher's Stone?" Questioned Harry.

"It's a mystical artifact that can be created through very complicated alchemical processes. Not only can you use it to produce unlimited, permanent, high-quality, gold, but it can also produce the Elixir of Life, the only thing in all of Western Alchemy that can make a bloke actually immortal. Supposedly there's stuff in Wuxing Alchemy and Rasayana Alchemy that can do it too, but they don't have anyone who's managed it since the Bronze Age, so who knows on that." I explained.

"Immortal? Does that mean it can bring back the dead?" Queried Harry.

"I'm not sure. Nobody's ever tried that I know of. Why do you ask, Harry?" I asked, already knowing why.

"I heard Hagrid talking about Headmaster Dumbledore working with Nicholas Flamel and that was why Hagrid needed to bring a giant three-headed dog into the Castle." Answered Harry.

"There's a Cerberus in Hogwarts?" I questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, that's why we're not supposed to go in the Forbidden Third-Floor Corridor. Is that bad?" Queried Harry.

"Mate, those things have been used since Ancient Greek Times to guard Tombs and Treasure Vaults. The Reason no muggles have ever found Alexander the Great's Tomb is 'cause there's a Cerberus Guarding it that killed anyone who got close." I frowned.

"So that means that whatever's being kept in the Third-Floor Corridor is safe, then?" Asked Harry.

"Not necessarily. I mean, there's ways to put a Cerberus to sleep and sneak past so you don't have to fight it. Music's a good way, but you can just as easily drug them to sleep with potions. Spells won't work, though. They're resistant to that sort of thing." I informed.

"Huh. You know, we should talk at some point. Ron and I have been trying to figure it out for a month now and you're the only one who's managing to give us anything to go off of." Mused Harry.

And just like that, I'd been sucked into the main plot of the Book that was going on in the background of my life. I mean, I probably would have had to try to help at some point anyway, given the options I ticked on the questionnaire, but I had thought I would at least have been able to wait until April or something. It seemed that wasn't to be, though.

Somewhere, I had a sneaking suspicion the Fates were laughing at me. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, a bit of a time-skippy chapter this time, as we go through all the stuff that happened between Blaise and Harry's trip into the Forbidden Forest and the end of February. The most important thing to note here is that Blaise is being drawn into Harry and Ron's investigation of the Forbidden Third Floor Corridor. With Hermione in Ravenclaw, she doesn't have the same kind of access to Harry she did in canon, so Blaise is effectively going to be their third this time around.

We are now entering the Endgame of Book One. Blaise will have two big concerns going forward, that being the Metamorphing Mandragora in one of the Hogwarts Greenhouses, which he wants to clear while salvaging a cutting for use in his Potions and Alchemy Practice, and somewhat more importantly, the situation with the Stone and Quirrelmort.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve a meeting with Harry and Ron about the Stone, and a scene with Quirrelmort as he tries again to nab the Stone.

Stay tuned. . .