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Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: What is Alchemy?

Chapter 87: What is Alchemy?

Dumbledore was already waiting at the entrance to Hogwarts Castle. Ryan assumed that one of the influential wizards Dumbledore had written to on his behalf wanted a personal demonstration of his magical abilities before recommending him for the Order of Merlin. He simply asked Dumbledore where they were going.

"Alright, alright, I know you've already mastered Apparition," Dumbledore said, handing him a small slip of paper. "Memorize this."

Ryan took the note and saw an address written on it. It meant nothing to him at first, but as he committed it to memory, a strange sensation washed over him, as if a barrier in his mind had suddenly dissolved.

"This is a Fidelius Charm!" he exclaimed. What kind of person puts their own house under a Fidelius Charm? Do they have no friends? No neighborhood kids to run around with? He concluded they were about to visit an extreme social recluse, someone with so few friends that the number of wizards who knew their address could be counted on one hand.

"Memorized? Then let's be off," Dumbledore said, and vanished on the spot. Ryan followed suit.

He reappeared a moment later in front of a bizarrely shaped house that seemed to exist on a patch of empty land. It was clear that no one else could see it. As they approached, a passerby on the street caught sight of them and began muttering to himself. Before Dumbledore ushered him inside, Ryan glanced back and could just make out the man's words. He seemed to be talking about having hallucinations again and vowing never to give up working overtime. Who on earth refuses to give up working overtime? Ryan thought. He must be an idiot.

With that thought, he stepped into the house and saw Dumbledore standing beside a man so old and pale he was almost translucent. The old man walked towards him, extending a hand as if to shake his. "A pleasure to meet you, Ryan," he said. "My name is Nicolas Flamel. You may have heard of me."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flamel—" Ryan's eyes went wide. The man standing before him was the most brilliant alchemist in the history of the wizarding world, a legend for centuries. Nicolas Flamel!

So, Dumbledore's letter of recommendation worked, Ryan thought, a genuine thrill running through him. He had never met someone who was over 600 years old, not in this life or the last.

"It is an honor, Master Flamel," Ryan said, his tone becoming deeply respectful. A man like Nicolas Flamel was a true master of his craft.

"Please, sit," Flamel said, gesturing for them to take a seat.

Once they were settled, he began. "Albus has written to me several times. He said you were in need of some guidance in your alchemical studies." He paused. "I haven't paid much attention to the wizarding world for some time, so after receiving his letter, I made some inquiries about you."

A note of curiosity entered his voice. "'The greatest prophet of the century,' Mr. Ryan Welles. As this is our first meeting, I have a question for you. What, in your opinion, is alchemy?"

Straight to the point, then, Ryan thought wryly. Are all these old masters cut from the same cloth? Dumbledore asked me what magic is, and now he asks me what alchemy is. How am I supposed to answer a question like that? If I knew the fundamental nature of alchemy, I wouldn't be here seeking instruction.

But the great master had asked, and he had to answer. He chose his words carefully. "As I see it, alchemy is the art of using existing materials to synthesize or extract something that does not yet exist. Or, it is the transformation of existing things into a creation desired by the alchemist." He added, "In a way, you could say that alchemy is, to a certain extent, the principle of equivalent exchange."

Flamel's tone became that of a novice, questioning his master for the first time. "To a certain extent?"

Ryan glanced at Dumbledore, whose face was a mask of placid neutrality. No help was forthcoming from that quarter. He had to face Flamel's question on his own.

"Yes, Mr. Flamel," he said, steeling himself. "Before I saw your Philosopher's Stone, I also believed alchemy was a strict equivalent exchange. Perhaps that is due to my own limited understanding."

"But after seeing the Stone, I cannot comprehend how the magic within it is generated. What could possibly be exchanged to create such a vast and potent source of magical energy?"

Nicolas Flamel turned to Dumbledore. "The boy knows about the Stone."

"He has earned the right, has he not?" Dumbledore said, idly fiddling with a small, whirring device on the table.

"He has indeed." Flamel turned back to Ryan, his gaze shifting between the silver bracelet on Ryan's wrist and the Adventurers' Club cufflink on his sleeve. "Many alchemists have seen the Stone. But you are the first whose immediate reaction was to recognize that it defies the principle of equivalent exchange."

"To hear, understand, and apply the principle of equivalent exchange is, in itself, a remarkable achievement," Flamel continued. "In the current wizarding world, your level of alchemical skill already surpasses that of most."

"You flatter me, Master Flamel," Ryan said humbly. "I didn't begin to seriously study alchemy until my fifth year, with the guidance of my professors and the knowledge I've gathered on my adventures."

"Ordinary alchemy is not so mysterious," Flamel said. He produced a piece of gold from nowhere, and with a flame that sprung from his fingertip, he melted and reshaped it into a tiny, lifelike golden bird that took flight and fluttered around the room. "Look at this bird. What does it make you think of?"

"Transfiguration?" Ryan guessed.

"You have a true gift," Flamel said, his eyes twinkling. "You are correct, Ryan. Alchemy and Transfiguration are similar in that they both involve the permanent alteration of an object's properties. That is why I say that ordinary alchemy is not so miraculous. It is simply a more permanent form of Transfiguration, a long-lasting equivalent exchange. All you need are the right materials and the right ritual, and anyone can become an alchemist."

He went on to say that he had known nothing of alchemy in his youth until he stumbled upon an old book on the subject and found he had an instinctive, intuitive grasp of the concepts. From that day on, he had a natural feel for the materials, the arrays, and the timing of every alchemical process, which eventually led to him becoming a grand master of the art.

Here we go again, Ryan thought. The humble-bragging of the masters. These legendary figures always seemed to assume he was as naturally gifted as they were. He had never once experienced the kind of intuitive "feel" for alchemy that Flamel was describing.

"Alchemy requires talent, but not to an extreme degree," Flamel said, his tone becoming more serious. "Any wizard who can wield magic can become an alchemist. However, Ryan, neither I nor Albus expects you to become an ordinary alchemist. That is why you are here. To learn."

Wait, what?

~~~

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