Chapter 569: Preparation
Chapter 569: Preparation
After finishing the potions, Liam returned to the Common Room. He continued his research during the free time while waiting for Hermione and the others to return from their exams. However, the wait stretched on for several hours, and it wasn't until late in the afternoon that Hermione and Ron finally came back.
“Liam,” Hermione waved as she climbed through the Portrait Hole. “I passed this time.”
“I knew you would,” Liam said, hugging Hermione with a smile. “I was sure you’d pass this test. By the way, what about the others who went to Hogsmeade with you?”
“The situation isn’t that good,” Hermione shrugged. “At most, a third of the people passed this time. The Ministry of Magic examiners were much stricter than expected. I understand that, of course. Apparition is very dangerous, and it would be irresponsible to give licenses to people who aren’t skilled enough. It’s like giving a driver’s license to someone who can’t drive—”
“Oh, Hermione, I think they were a bit too strict,” Ron said, sitting down looking dejected. He had been in this state ever since he climbed through the Portrait Hole. “I was just incredibly unlucky. The examiner saw me lose half an eyebrow—just half an eyebrow, you know. How bad can that be? By the way, how did it go with Slughorn?”
“It went well. At least the first part of our plan is on track. Professor Slughorn invited me to his office tonight to join him for a gathering,” Harry said, then comforted the dejected Ron. “You just had bad luck this time. I’m sure you’ll pass the next exam—and you can take it with me and Liam.”
“I guess so,” Ron’s mood improved a bit after hearing the reassurance, but he was still a little down. “I only lost half an eyebrow! It’s not like it’s a big deal!”
“You can’t say that,” Hermione’s expression turned serious. “When something goes wrong during Apparition, losing something is completely uncontrollable. Losing half an eyebrow means you could just as easily lose half a leg. So, they’re not letting you pass for your own good—”
“Enough,” Ron looked at Hermione with a helpless expression. “Please, can you stop talking about it? Failing the exam has already made me feel terrible.”
“Okay, I won’t say anything more about it,” Hermione indeed stopped talking about the exam and joined the others as they walked downstairs to the Great Hall for dinner, listening to the students’ comments on today’s exam.
Most of the students who took the exam today were cursing the Apparition examiners during dinner, while the few who passed were expressing a sense of relief, as if they had just escaped a horde of Fire Dragons.
After dinner, they returned to the Common Room, and Harry began preparing for the evening. He sat on the sofa, took out the small bottle, and said, “I don’t think I need to drink the whole thing. We don’t need 12 hours of luck tonight. Four or five hours should be enough to get the final answer. I’ll just take a sip; two or three hours should do.”
They had seen Slughorn enter the Great Hall earlier, knowing his fondness for enjoying his meals slowly. So Harry decided to rest in the Common Room and wait for Slughorn to return before heading to his office.
As the sun cast its last rays of light on Hogwarts Castle, Harry estimated it was time. He and Liam, along with the others, went to a classroom a corridor away from Slughorn’s office and hid inside. Harry then took a small sip from the bottle at just the right moment.
“How does it feel?” Liam asked curiously. He and Hermione had thoroughly analyzed the Elixir, but neither had ever taken it. So he was particularly interested in how it felt after use.
"Brilliant, just brilliant. I think heading straight to Slughorn's office in two minutes is a good idea", Harry said, standing up with a confident smile. "By the way, Liam. Can you lend me your top-of-the-line Defensive Bracelet? I feel like it would be beneficial for this mission. Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it."
"How did you know I have a new product?" Liam asked with a laugh, then pulled a bracelet made of Mithril Thread and Gold Thread from his Dimensional Bag. The bracelet was adorned with a dozen colorful gems. If you looked closely with a magnifying glass, you could see numerous translucent runes shimmering on the gems and the Gold Thread, like stars in the night sky.
"It's absolutely stunning", Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison. It's no wonder they were so amazed; the bracelet, designed by the Elves of The Lord of the Rings, was indeed beautiful and instantly captured everyone's attention.
"This is the most powerful Alchemy defensive magic item I've ever created", Liam told Harry and the others. "It provides ample protection against various physical and magical attacks. I can proudly say that, apart from the Killing Curse, this bracelet can shield you from almost all other dark spells."
"Wow—" Ron gasped. The Weasley family had always been skilled in the creation of magic items, from Mr. Weasley's flying car to the Weasley Twins' inventive prank items. The family's knowledge and traditions revolved around the crafting of magic items, so Ron, having grown up in such a family, was well-versed in this area, which was why he was so impressed.
"Making it must have been quite complex, right? Otherwise, we wouldn't have seen this bracelet before", Harry said, examining the bracelet closely. Even someone with little knowledge of magic items like him could feel the power it contained.
"Yes", Liam nodded. "I developed this new product after thoroughly researching various new threats. The protection it offers is unprecedented. However, as a prototype, its cost is higher than anything I've ever made before."
"How much does one of these bracelets cost?" Ron asked hesitantly.
"The cost is 1750 Galleons, not including the labor", Liam said with a shrug. Ron seemed shocked by the price, his mouth hanging open as he struggled to find words.
"No wonder you haven't given this to the Order of the Phoenix members. The cost is simply too high", Harry said, placing the bracelet in his robe pocket with a serious expression. "I swear I'll return this bracelet to you in perfect condition."
"Don't worry about it. If necessary, you can consider this as payment for the information you gather. Some information is worth far more than money", Liam, as the creator of the magic item, wasn't too concerned about its value. He advised Harry not to worry too much about the price and to use it when needed.
"Thank you so much. But I don't think it will come to that. I'm confident I can easily obtain that memory tonight", Harry said, standing up with a confident smile. "Well, I should be off now. Wait for my success!"
(End of Chapter)
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