"Teacher?" Sean was caught off guard for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Madam Pince, is this professor here at Hogwarts? If he's outside, could I visit him every weekend?"
Madam Pince looked at Sean. For a second, her expression turned a little awkward, as if she regretted bringing it up — but since the words were already out, she could only continue. "He's here at Hogwarts, but his situation is… different. He's not alive. He's a…"She hesitated, searching for the right word."…a ghost."
Ghost?
Sean stared at Madam Pince in surprise and stood up, wanting to ask more.
But as soon as he did, Madam Pince actually stepped back, putting distance between them. Her voice turned brisk — or maybe just shy. "Yes, he's a ghost. But he's not like the House ghosts — he doesn't have a clear, stable will. He's bound here by deep obsessions and is very sensitive to disturbance. If you want him to even look at you, let alone teach you alchemy, you'll have to catch his attention first."
"Thank you, Madam Pince. Where can I find him? And what's his name?"
"You can call him Antonius. That's what everyone calls him — and that's what he calls himself. He appears in the innermost classroom down the row of unused classrooms on the right side of the third floor, every Saturday and Sunday night at seven. He works on experiments and alchemy until nine. If you manage to interest him, he'll teach you."
Hearing all this, Sean wondered how Madam Pince knew such a thing — but he didn't pry. He'd always thought Madam Pince disliked students, like Filch did, but now it seemed more like she simply dreaded social contact.
"Thank you, Madam Pince. You've helped me a lot."
"It's nothing, I just… I just talked more than usual."
With that, it was as if her job was done. Madam Pince turned on her heel and slipped away, disappearing behind a shelf to sort books far from anyone else.
Watching her from a distance, Sean could see she seemed visibly relieved to be back in her quiet corner. It was clear enough: she was definitely socially anxious.
As for why someone like her, who avoided students whenever possible, would come over and offer him help out of the blue…
Sean figured there were simply some people in this world who others liked without knowing why. He happened to be one of them — naturally likable, drawing people in and making them want to help him. There was nothing he could do about it.
That night, Sean checked the time, ate dinner early, and by 6:50 he was already seated at the desk farthest inside the empty classroom on the third floor. He'd even taken the time to cast a Cleaning Charm to clear away all the dust and debris.
At exactly seven o'clock, a thin, hollow-eyed middle-aged male ghost drifted in through the classroom door. He hovered near the podium and began what looked like a half-real performance — Sean could tell he was doing some kind of experiment or alchemical work. A few times, Sean tried to speak to him, but the ghost didn't respond at all.
After several failed attempts, Sean gave up for the moment and sat back down with a sigh.
Thinking it over, he pulled out one of his alchemy books and started reading. As he read, he began sketching rough alchemical arrays on scrap paper — one after another. By the time he was about to draw another, a soft, slightly hoarse voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"These alchemical arrays you've drawn are far too crude. Alchemy is a delicate craft — so precise that it can stand apart from magic entirely. It's almost its own system. Unlike casting spells with a wand, where 'roughly correct' might be good enough, in alchemy, 'roughly correct' is wrong. There is only completely correct, or nothing at all. I hope you understand that."
Sean looked up and saw Antonius — the ghost — standing beside him, watching his drawings. He realized it was his sketching that had caught Antonius's attention. Seizing the moment, Sean said quickly, "Hello, Mr. Antonius. I'm a student at Hogwarts — my name is Sean Bulstrode. I'd like to learn alchemy from you, if that's possible."
Antonius glanced at the notes in Sean's hands. He reached out and tapped them — the pages flipped open on their own. Antonius began to read silently while Sean waited, holding his breath.
When Antonius finished, he nodded slowly. His voice stayed hoarse but gentle. "You have talent, child. But without a proper teacher, your notes are filled with basic, common errors. I'll start at the beginning — I'll correct your mistakes and break your bad self-study habits. But you must promise to study seriously with me."
He agreed?!
Sean's face lit up. He opened his mouth to thank him — but Antonius spoke again first.
"I can teach you alchemy. But in return, I'll need you to do something for me."
I knew it wouldn't be that easy.Ghosts always have unfinished business.
And judging by how Antonius came here every night to repeat his work, Sean could tell his obsession must be far deeper than that of an ordinary ghost.
Carefully, Sean asked, "Mr. Antonius… may I ask what you want me to do?"
Antonius looked at him, smiled faintly, and nodded. His voice remained soft and calm. "You're right. I should have explained this first — so you can decide whether you truly want to learn alchemy from me.
It's simple, and yet not simple. When I died, I was in the middle of my research. Part of my paper was published — but for certain reasons, I died before I could finish it. As a ghost, I retained the knowledge and memories I had when I was alive — but I cannot continue researching or creating new knowledge. My work froze where I left it, my published paper left incomplete.
What I want is for you to finish that research — complete it for me.
Do you agree?"