Chapter 11: The Hogwarts Express
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was September first. The day for new students to arrive and for old students to return.
Ryan had finished the renovations on the Adventurers' Guild—ahem, the Adventurers' Club. During that time, Hogwarts' secret millionaire, Hagrid, had paid him a visit, bringing a variety of unique materials from the Forbidden Forest. These were for Ryan's next big magical experiment. He still couldn't bring himself to use the cores of magical creatures as his primary materials, but he was determined to use other creature-derived ingredients to replicate the external power source.
Having been humbled by the sheer mastery of the professors, his mindset had stabilized. Failure was an option, but success was, of course, better.
Noon.
Ryan made his way to the Headmaster's office to consult Dumbledore on some finer points of alchemy. Ever since Dumbledore had included him in the plan to protect the Philosopher's Stone, Ryan felt a new sense of clarity. He had grown bolder, frequently seeking out the various Heads of House and the Headmaster himself to discuss more... advanced topics.
"Headmaster," Ryan began, "do you think my initial idea—to first craft a magical container using mundane materials—is the correct approach?"
"Ryan, this is uncharted territory," Dumbledore said. He had already finished reading the alchemical manuscript Ryan had donated and had even given him some notes on it. "In the long course of history, this particular branch of alchemy was but a fleeting shadow. My own past experiences in the field can offer you little guidance here."
He steepled his fingers, his tone gentle but firm. "To be honest, I would not recommend this path. It is an unnecessary expenditure of your energy."
"Think about it, Ryan. The entire purpose of this alchemical philosophy is to artificially expand one's magical capacity—to create an external reservoir of power. The original creator did so at the cost of countless lives…"
"I have faith you would not do such a thing. But to alter the formula, to use harmless materials in its place… that is, without a doubt, a monumental task."
"And consider this," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Is this device not, in essence, a simplified Philosopher's Stone? A stone that can only provide raw power?"
Ryan understood Dumbledore's point perfectly. As the ultimate achievement in alchemy, the Philosopher's Stone could provide its wielder with immense, clean, and harmless power, with no bloodshed required. What Dumbledore was saying was that if Ryan simply focused on orthodox alchemy, he could one day create his own Philosopher's Stone, making this "heretical path" entirely redundant.
Ryan offered a wry smile. "Headmaster, you and Mr. Nicolas Flamel are arguably the two greatest living alchemists in the world. Surely you aren't trying to crush a student's ambition?"
He and Dumbledore shared a look, and a moment later, they both burst into quiet laughter, the unspoken understanding hanging in the air between them.
"Ah, Ryan," Dumbledore said after his chuckles subsided. "That was your real goal all along, wasn't it?"
"Very well. I shall write to Nicolas. And, for your current project, I suggest you try to build a stable alchemical system using materials that are mutually reinforcing."
.....
"Oh, it's Dumbledore."
A red-haired boy with a face full of freckles named Ron was sharing Chocolate Frogs with his destined best friend, Harry. More accurately, Harry was sharing them with him. It was a rare treat for Harry to have a friend his own age with whom he could discuss the magical world.
They had been talking for hours, from Muggle-born anxieties about falling behind in class to the thrilling sport of Quidditch. Along the way, they had also met a nervous boy named Neville Longbottom and a very bright, if slightly bossy, girl named Hermione Granger. Their introductions, however, hadn't been entirely pleasant.
"I can't believe you've never read the books that have you in them. It's extraordinary," Hermione had said, a note of shock in her voice. Having gotten over her surprise at Harry's literary ignorance, she now asked, "Do you two know what house you'll be in?"
"Anywhere is fine, so long as it's not Slytherin," Ron said, prodding his lazy rat, Scabbers, with a morose look on his face.
"I… I won't be in Slytherin," Harry said with absolute certainty.
"How can you be so sure?" Hermione pressed.
"I met a senior student, Ryan, in Diagon Alley," Harry explained. "He made a prophecy. He said I am destined to walk with courage. I don't know what it means, though."
"Merlin's beard!" Ron's jaw dropped. "Ryan Welles gave you a prophecy? And he said you're destined for courage?!"
Hermione's brow furrowed. "Ryan Welles… He's mentioned in the supplementary appendixes of Great Magical Events of the Twentieth Century and Modern Magical History. He's a Seer, but less famous than Harry Potter. He's a student at Hogwarts?" She rattled off the book titles as if they were old friends.
"Less famous?!" Ron cried, aghast. "Hermione, right now, every wizard in the world would give their right arm for a prophecy from Ryan Welles! Dozens of famous people owe their success to his predictions! There are new shops in Diagon Alley that only got famous because of him!"
"He only gives prophecies when the mood strikes him, or if he thinks the person's future will benefit the whole wizarding world!" Ron was on a roll now, his voice filled with awe. "At the start of this year, the Ministry offered him one thousand Galleons just for a single prophecy about their new Muggle Protection Act!"
"A thousand Galleons!"
Ron repeated the figure for emphasis. Hermione and Neville both looked suitably impressed. Even for Harry, who owned the entire Potter family vault, a thousand Galleons was no small sum. The memory of the gentle, mysterious older boy and his confident declaration in Ollivander's shop returned to him.
"Ron, what does it mean to 'walk with courage'?" Harry asked, a warmth spreading through his chest. The last time he had felt this way was when Hagrid had given him his very first birthday present.
"I should have guessed it when you said You-Know-Who's name," Ron said, snapping his fingers. "With courage like that, you've got to be a Gryffindor."
"No, Ron, I just didn't know you weren't supposed to say the name," Harry corrected him honestly. "A lot of Muggle-borns probably say it when they first find out." He looked down at his hands. "Real courage is being like Ryan, who's been in the wizarding world for years and still dares to say it."
"Courage is Gryffindor?" Hermione asked, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Yes," Neville chimed in quietly. "That's what my Gran always said. The symbol of Gryffindor is a lion. A fearless lion."
"But isn't Ryan Welles a Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked, frowning as she tried to recall the appendix she'd read.
"He's a Ravenclaw?" Harry was surprised. Hagrid had only said that Ryan was the bravest and most talented wizard he knew; he had never mentioned his House.
"I heard Fred and George talking about him," Ron recalled. "He's definitely a Ravenclaw. They said he's the only person they truly trust and admire." A moment later, he added, "Percy can't stand him. Well, it's not that he dislikes him, exactly. It's more that Percy is desperately trying to beat him at something, but he never succeeds."
In their small train compartment, the conversation among the four young wizards drifted away from their own sorting and turned to the question of who, exactly, was the most brilliant student at Hogwarts.
This eventually led to a discussion about the school's prefect system.
Just then, Harry spoke up. "Ron, you said your brother Percy was made a Gryffindor prefect. What about Ryan? Is he a Ravenclaw prefect?"