Chapter 102

ALBERT'S POV

Something else I noticed was that the diadem made me more adventurous. Not adventurous as looking for dragons to slay, but adventurous as being a reckless mad scientist. The diadem has slowly lowered the number of safety precautions I take before an attempt. Before, I used to ask Professor Brődt to supervise me, but now here I am. In my bedroom, I am trying to create a magical artefact.

A bit stupid. There are so many hazards, and if I do make a mistake, nobody will find me for the next couple of hours. Fred, George, and Lee are currently at quidditch practise, and that means I have over an hour of trying not to kill myself accidentally. Previously, when a similar situation like this occurred, random thoughts appeared in my head. Some of them are useful, some of them are interesting facts, and at other times, some would result in my death.

I've tried to recreate the Luminara garlic solution. One of the random thoughts was about how it was first created, and another was about a technique that sped up the process. But my most recent attempt almost killed me. The idea was to add a volatile herb called Umbra folia. It's exactly what it says it is. Umbra is the Latin for shadow or darkness, and folia comes from the Latin folium, which means foliage. It is a shadow leaf.

When I added it to the solution, initially nothing happened, but that quickly blew up in my face. Literally. The solution went everywhere, but the solution was more potent at what it was supposed to do. I think the umbra folia makes the solution catalyse quickly, which means less efficacy of the ingredients is burned off in the brewing process.

After that, I put that on hold and decided to focus on something safer, like making an amulet for my sister's birthday. I went to find Madam Pince and see if she had any books on making a magical amulet. She said yes, and I borrowed it. I got to my room and started to read it. I didn't understand it. It's like giving a book on quantum electrodynamics to a six-year-old. It was all gibberish to me, and I gave up on making a magical amulet based on potions.

I decided to buy her a bracelet or scarf from Gladrags or somewhere else. She'll be happy with something magical. She wouldn't care if I actually made it myself, would she? So that's exactly what I did. She's getting a scarf from Gladrag that's in their luxury range for Christmas and a bracelet for her birthday.

But the idea of making her something wouldn't leave my head. It would be more meaningful if I made her a present myself. I went back to the library and tried to find books about making magical artefacts without using potions or solutions. Then I stumbled on a book about the Egyptian Wizard/Alchemist Khaemwaset; his name means "He who appears in the Thebes." Khaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramesses the Great. Khaemwaset, a high priest in the cult of Ptah at Saqqara, is also known for being the first alchemist to use runes who was not part of the Aztec or Mayan empires.

In his story, Khaemwaset is thwarted in his attempt to get his hands on a secret magic scroll written by the god of wisdom, Thoth. The ghost of the book's previous owner—also a Pharaoh's son—Naneferkaptah and his sister/wife Ahwere, appear. They tell Khaemwaset the dangers of the book and dissuade him from taking it. Naneferkaptah speaks of the powers he had in his lifetime when he possessed the book, such as battling powerful serpents, creating people out of wax, and raising a boat full of people that sank into the Nile. But these powers brought along with them even greater troubles, and he was killed in a boat accident due to the wrath of Ptah.

Khaemwaset ignores the warning and takes the book anyway, but Naneferkaptah ghost appears to him in the guise of a beautiful and important woman, Tabubu, the daughter of the prophet of Bastet. Khaemwaset is so stricken by her that he insists they sleep together. Before they do the deed, she makes him promise to sign over his property to her and her children. For good measure, she even insists that he has to kill his own children so that they don't contend with her children for her inheritance.

Khaemwaset agreed to this, and she had his children killed in front of him. She had them thrown from the window to the dogs and cats. They ate their flesh, and he heard them as he drank with Tabubu. Afterwards, he finally consummated his marriage. He lives his life and learns of runic magic and other magic, but lives with regret for killing his children. He decided to end himself to rid himself of the guilt. When he died, he woke up from this vision and found that he was standing naked in public in front of the Pharaoh, his father, who thought he must be drunk. He rushes home, hugs his still-living and happily undevoured children, and realises that his vision was from the ghost of Naneferkaptah and the God of Wisdom, and he returns the book.

He then goes on to create magical artefacts from the knowledge he gained from his vision. He even created the first prototype of the philosopher stone using the souls of people who died. Khaemwaset also created some of the most warded pyramids. Most, to this day, have yet to get broken into by ward breakers.

After reading this, I tried to find more books on runes and runic engravings. Surprisingly, I found a book that was printed about 50 years ago about prominent squibs and their contributions to the wizarding world. Fun fact: Marie Curie was a squib. She helped create the next generation of diagnostic charms used by a lot of magical hospitals. She even created a foundation in Poland that gives scholarships to young witches and wizards who want to be healers. I also read about other famous squibs. The list includes Sir Isaac Newton, Richard Feynman, and Queen Victoria I.

Back onto the main topic, I then went to Madam Pince and asked if she had any books on runes. She said that she did but advised me not to try anything stupid by myself. She gave me books on Nordic Runes, Old English Runes, and Egyptian Glyphs. I took the books back to my room to read.

I tried to read all the books in one sitting, but the twins came back from whatever they were doing and forced me to go to lunch with them. After lunch, Lee, Fred, and George went to quidditch practice. Let's get back to trying to make a magical artefact.

Last week, I received an owl from my family, and they sent me a stack of scented candles. I don't know why, but it felt natural to light one as I worked. The room was filled with the scents of Madagascan Vanilla and Sandalwood. I had a piece of paper in front of me with the initial sketch of the design.

I gently tapped my wand on the surface of the wood, activating a transfiguration spell. The wood responded with a soft hum, as if it were resonating with my thoughts. I reached for a set of miniature tools, each charmed to perform intricate tasks with precision, that I begged my father to buy when we went shopping.

I believe my movements were fluid and graceful as I sculpted the finer details into wood. The miniature unicorn began to emerge, its legs taking shape and its delicate features becoming more defined.

Now this may be where I messed up. I summoned a blueprint into the air. It hovered, showing the runic blueprint. The blueprint was going to be used to light up the mane and the horn. I traced the lines of the blueprint with my woodcarver. All of the runes I carved were concentrated at the head.

With a final, sweeping motion of my wand, I sealed the enchantment. The miniature unicorn glowed softly, radiating an otherworldly aura. It stood on the table, a testament to the wizarding artistry that combined craftsmanship with magic. I sat back, marvelling at my creation. The miniature unicorn, in my opinion, exuded an essence of ethereal beauty, capturing the spirit of the magical creatures that inspired it.

As I admired my handiwork, I couldn't help but smile, knowing that I had created my first magical artefact without the help of anyone else. All that was left was to see how well the lighting enchantment worked. If it was a success, I needed to find a blueprint that could store magic in an object so that Nina could use it.

I placed my wand on the tip of the horn and let my magic flow through me. The runes lit up. I kept adding more magic until I felt it was enough. I then activated the runes. The rune let out a soft, warm orange glow as the mane and the horn lit up. I picked up the miniature unicorn and inspected it. Once I gave it the all-clear, I turned it off.

Or at least, I tried to turn it off. The soft, warm orange glow turns bright right until it turns white. At this point, I knew I had seriously messed up. I've messed up a lot recently, haven't I? The unicorn's horn and mane continued to get brighter and hotter until it exploded. Small wooden chunks flew to every corner of the room.

With a long and tired sign, I cleaned up after myself and left the room to get some fresh air. I was walking on autopilot and somehow ended up in front of the headmaster's office. I had my camera somewhere in my robes, so I decided to get closer to the statue. I noticed that it had runes engraved on it. Taking my camera out, I took pictures of it from all angles. Once I was done, I decided to go to the Quidditch stadium to watch the rest of Gryffindor's practice session.