https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-820-The-Power-of-the-Phoenix-Potion/12539524/
Chapter 821: Forbidden Knowledge
Chapter 821: Forbidden Knowledge
The most crucial ingredient for creating a Philosopher's Stone is the ashes left behind after a phoenix's rebirth, a fact that Kyle had long been aware of, especially since he had contributed to the creation of the stone before him.
However, what surprised Kyle was that this substance was also needed for its repair.
"I no longer have any ashes from a phoenix's rebirth," Kyle said. "I only took half, and the last time, I gave it all to you. The remaining half is with Snape, and it was also used to make the Phoenix potion."
"I know," Nic replied, nodding. "But Dumbledore's phoenix is with you, isn't it?"
"What use is that?" Kyle asked. "Didn't you say that the ashes from a phoenix's natural rebirth are necessary for making a Philosopher's Stone? It's only been a few years since Fawkes' last rebirth. We can't just keep waiting."
Kyle was unsure how long it took for a phoenix to naturally be reborn, but he knew the interval would not be short. If it happened every few years, the ashes it left behind wouldn't be so precious.
"Oh, you've misunderstood," Nic said, turning to Kyle. "While creating the Philosopher's Stone does require strict standards for ingredients, there aren't as many restrictions when it comes to simply repairing it. Any ashes will do; they don't necessarily have to be from a natural rebirth."
"This..." Kyle hesitated.
He was well aware that rebirth was not a significant event for Fawkes. It would only leave the phoenix weak for a while, and it would recover fully in a few months.
A few months of weakness seemed a small price to pay for a chance to save Dumbledore. This seemed like a very profitable bargain.
However, for some strange reason, Kyle felt a strong resistance to this decision. He had no idea how to even bring up the subject with Fawkes.
Nic noticed Kyle's hesitation but did not rush him. Instead, he calmly said, "You don't have to decide now. You have two weeks to think about it. In two weeks, I'll have finished rewriting the magical text, and then we can turn our attention to the Philosopher's Stone..."
Nic waved his hand, preparing to send Kyle off.
Just then, a golden-red figure appeared in mid-air, and Fawkes landed on Kyle's shoulder, rubbing his head against Kyle's ear with the feathers on his head.
"You heard all that?" Kyle asked.
Fawkes nodded.
"Then it's up to you to decide," Kyle sighed. "If you're not willing, we can think of something else... like asking Newt, or maybe checking out Professor Dumbledore's vault."
Fawkes did not speak but flew to the nearby table. His feathers rippled, and he instantly transformed into a ball of blazing fire.
The fire was bright but gave off no heat, and the wooden table remained completely untouched.
"Now you don't have to worry anymore," said Nic.
"Yeah," Kyle nodded, feeling relieved by Fawkes' decision.
Neither of them spoke after that. Nic used something that resembled a camera to record Fawkes' entire rebirth process.
It didn't take long, only a few seconds. When the flames died down, only a pile of deep brown ashes remained on the table, and a bald chick poked its head out from the ashes.
Kyle reached out and picked it up gently.
"Fawkes, you look really ugly right now," he said.
No matter how many times he witnessed it, the sight of a newly reborn phoenix was always hideous. Aside from being featherless, its entire body looked wrinkled, resembling a shrunken Shar-Pei dog.
Fawkes tried his best to peck Kyle's finger vigorously with his tiny beak.
However, in his current state, this level of attack was barely noticeable to Kyle.
Kyle placed the chick on a soft velvet cushion inside the box and surrounded it with various medicinal herbs—all of them rare and precious. Mandrake leaves, cloak grass, shrunken fig roots, and the like—intended to help Fawkes regain his energy quickly.
"Cheshire," he warned the eager cat, "stay away from him. Otherwise, you'll get a beating later, and I won't be able to stop it."
The cat took a small step back, then haughtily tilted its head and gracefully jumped onto a nearby bookshelf, its long tail swaying above Fawkes' head.
Noticing that Fawkes didn't seem to mind, Kyle paid it no further attention.
After making sure Fawkes was comfortable, he turned his attention to the pile of ashes on the table, which Nic had already collected in a bottle.
"The quality is really not that good, but it's usable," Nic commented.
He handed the bottle to Kyle, who immediately noticed the difference.
The ashes he had received before were beautiful. At first glance, they appeared black, but when held up to the sunlight, countless brilliant golden specks hidden within the blackness became visible.
In contrast, the ashes before him now were purely black. Kyle had to turn the bottle this way and that before he could barely make out a faint glimmer of light flashing by, like the night sky over London, where all the stars were obscured.
"Are you sure this won't affect its use?" Kyle asked.
"It's fine," Nic explained. "The core of the Philosopher's Stone is still intact. All we need to do now is get it functioning again."
"Wait.
Nic held out his hand, and Kyle immediately passed him the bottle.
The ashes of the phoenix, along with the now-dull Philosopher's Stone, were placed into the crucible.
The potion bubbled and churned, the bright pink liquid immediately turning a deep red before fading to a lighter shade.
Nic extended his hand once more.
Kyle instantly guessed what he intended to do; after all, this was how he had been sent away the last time.
"Wait," he said quickly. "Can I watch from the side? I promise I won't disturb you."
This was the process of repairing the Philosopher's Stone, and even though he wasn't going to be crafting it, it was still a rare opportunity. Kyle naturally wanted to observe as much as he could.
It wasn't out of idle curiosity; he genuinely wanted to learn the technique.
"I understand, but I'm afraid not..." Nic shook his head. "This is still too advanced for you. Do you know the principles of alchemy?"
"Of course," Kyle replied. "Equivalent exchange, avoiding the domain of the divine, and no human transmutation."
He had read about these principles during his time at Beauxbatons.
"Strictly speaking, the Philosopher's Stone falls under the domain of the divine, and it is a forbidden art," Nic said solemnly. "Premature exposure to such knowledge can lead to an unconscious obsession. This knowledge is like a golden ship on the sea, luring you closer as if it's within reach, yet always just out of grasp.
"Because the golden ship itself is in the heavens, what you see is merely its reflection on the sea. And as you pursue it relentlessly, you slowly vanish into the sea, creating but a fleeting splash before the waters calm once more."
Hearing Nic's words, Kyle couldn't help but shudder.
He had only wanted to learn a bit of technique; he never expected it to be so dangerous. With talk of golden ships and seas, he felt compelled to back off.
"Alright, I understand," Kyle said, forcing a smile as he started to walk toward the door.
But after taking just a couple of steps, he turned back and asked, "Nic, do the so-called 'gods' truly exist?"
"Why do you ask?" Nic said with interest. "You must have heard the story of the three brothers in 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard,' where divine artifacts made an appearance, didn't they?"
"But I feel that they are more like powerful alchemical artifacts that have gained a layer of mystique due to the passage of time and the legends that have sprung up around them."
Kyle thought for a moment. "I've seen the legendary Cloak of Invisibility, or should I say, I've seen all three artifacts. Compared to the others, I still find Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem to be the most extraordinary."
"Then do you know how Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem was created?" Nic continued.
"No," Kyle shook his head this time.
"Neither do I," Nic said softly. "But the last time I inquired, I asked Rowena Ravenclaw herself in her memory about how she crafted the diadem."
"What did Ravenclaw say?" Kyle asked, curious.
"She didn't know," Nic replied with a smile. "That particular memory didn't contain much information, or perhaps it was intentional on Rowena Ravenclaw's part. All she remembered was that the diadem was the result of a coincidental alchemical success, but the alchemical process itself was a failure."
"I see..." Kyle hesitated, "but weren't we talking about the concept of 'gods'? How did we suddenly switch to talking about the diadem?"
"Because that's where you might find traces of the possible existence of gods, including those incredible alchemical artifacts," Nic explained. "I'm certain that I couldn't create the diadem; I could only make a shoddy imitation... which I melted down after ten minutes."
"I can't truly discern their origins, so I can't give you an answer to your question," Nic added.
Kyle listened, feeling a bit dazed. By the time he came back to his senses, he found himself in the living room.
He rubbed his slightly swollen forehead.
If he had known that their conversation would take such a turn, he wouldn't have brought it up. He didn't know what had happened, but after just a few words from Nic, he felt as though he had listened to a two-day lecture on magical history, his mind flooded with too much information.
But when he thought about it carefully, it had only been a few sentences.
Now he could understand why Nic didn't want him to watch the process of repairing the Philosopher's Stone and why he had mentioned the golden ship and the sea... This was all a bit abnormal.
Kyle shook his head, trying to dispel the jumble of thoughts.
"Sir, do you require assistance?" Tata, the house-elf, appeared at Kyle's side, her large eyes, like tennis balls, blinking at him.
"If possible, could I trouble you for a glass of lemonade?"
"As you wish, sir," Tata snapped her fingers, and an empty glass appeared in her hand. Several golden, plump lemons jumped out and quickly shriveled up.
"Sir, your lemonade."
"Thank you," Kyle said, taking the glass and drinking. The sour and bitter taste made his whole face scrunch up involuntarily, but at the same time, the jumble of thoughts in his mind seemed to settle down a bit.
Kyle shook his head again and returned the empty glass to Tata, asking, "How much longer do you think Nic will need?"
He was genuinely curious and didn't expect the elf to give him an exact answer.
"That's the master's intention." Tata hesitated, "He thinks it would be best for you to leave the manor during this time, and it's also for your safety."
"My safety...?" Kyle was taken aback, then immediately understood what she meant.
Was Nic worried that he would try to sneak a peek?
That was truly underestimating his character... Besides, there was no way he could succeed even if he had such intentions in Nic Flamel's alchemy lab.
Kyle felt helpless.
But since this was Nic's wish, he didn't plan on insisting further.
To be honest, he did have some other things to take care of.
"Then I'll head back to Hogwarts," Kyle said, "Please let him know that I'll be there, or... just send me an owl."
"Wait, sir," Tata called out and took out another bottle, the same kind that Kyle had drunk from on his first day, resembling raspberry juice.
"This is from Master. He wants you to drink one bottle each morning and night."
"I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is this?"
"Tata doesn't know." The house-elf shook his big ears. "But Master spent a long time preparing this for you, and he said it will be of great help to you."
"Alright." Kyle took the bottle of drink.
He didn't ask why there was only one bottle because, for someone like Flamel, creating a bottle with the Refilling Charm was a simple task.
Taking the drink, Kyle left the manor with Tata.
"Then, see you next time."
"Fawkes, let's head back to Hogwarts..." Kyle said, but there was no response.
"Oh!" Kyle slapped his forehead, having forgotten that Fawkes had just been reborn and wouldn't be able to fly out to accompany him with the Disapparition spell.
With no other choice, Kyle walked a little further to an area outside the protective enchantments and used the Disapparition spell himself.
Although there was a risk of being detected by the Ministry of Magic, he had no other option and couldn't walk back.
Kyle chose Hogsmeade, specifically the second floor of the Three Broomsticks, as his destination.
This place saw wizards apparating in and out every day, making it the safest choice he could think of.
"Kid, I'm not a fireplace. If you want to use the room, you have to pay," a disdainful voice rang in his ear. "Fifty galleons in total. How do you plan to pay?"
The speaker was Aberforth... or more accurately, his portrait on the second floor.
"Dumbledore will pay later," Kyle blurted out.
Charging fifty galleons just for a temporary stay... This was faster than robbery, and he wasn't about to pay that amount.
"This pub does not offer credit," Aberforth said, feeding the goat in the portrait some grass. "Hurry up, or I'll call someone."
"Wait, how about five times that amount?" Kyle suggested.
Aberforth: "..."
"Ten times!"
"Scram, you're blocking my business. Also, a reminder that there are more people downstairs than usual these days, and many of them have become regulars."
"Noted, thanks," Kyle said.
It wasn't the weekend, so it couldn't be Hogsmeade Visiting Day. Those in the Three Broomsticks must have come for another reason, and becoming regulars meant they had been there for several days.
Unless they loved the drinks, they must have had other intentions.
Aberforth was reminding him to be cautious and keep a low profile.
Indeed, the service was worth the money when he received a tenfold reminder.
However, Kyle hadn't planned on leaving through the downstairs area anyway.
He went to the window on the second floor, held his wand to his forehead, and quietly chanted the spell.
His body began to shrink and transform, his robe twisting and contorting as if being cut and trimmed with scissors, eventually turning into brown feathers.
Before long, Kyle had disappeared from his original spot, and in his place on the windowsill sat a very common owl.
Human Transfiguration, the main content of Hogwarts' Transfiguration class for fifth year and above, involved transforming oneself into an animal, a table, or a stone.
Although this transformation spell wasn't as perfect as an Animagus transformation and had time limits, it lacked the restrictions of Animagus forms, allowing one to transform into anything.
During the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum had turned himself into a shark for the Second Task in the Black Lake.
However, he had only transformed his upper body.
But this time, Kyle had fully transformed.
In fact, it was his first time doing so, and the process was a bit simpler than he had imagined.
Kyle examined his new body; the feeling was wonderful, light, and almost weightless. He tried flapping his wings, nearly falling the first time, bumping into the upper window frame the second time, and finally succeeding on the third attempt.
...
(End of Chapter)
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