Chapter Two: Essence 101
Caelum Morrigan did not believe in slow starts.
The moment the classroom doors sealed shut — which they did on their own, with a soft hum of golden light — the fifth-years barely had time to sit down before he began.
"Right," Caelum said, striding between their desks. "Essence. That's where we begin. If you're here for wand-waving and cauldron-stirring, the door is that way. If you're here to learn how to make broom cores out of beetle chitin and sell them to the Department of Magical Transportation for absurd markups—" he paused, grin sharp, "—then you're in the right place."
Cedric Diggory leaned forward. Percy Weasley sat bolt upright, quill ready. Silas Mulciber rested his chin on a gloved hand, watching carefully. Rina Burke tapped her parchment with mechanical focus. Rell Thorne slouched comfortably in the back row, chewing sugar quills like they were cigars.
Caelum flicked his wand — not for show, but like a craftsman flipping a tool in hand. Twelve trays materialized, hovering down before each student. Each tray held three objects: a small stone, a pale root, and what looked like a fragment of scorched glass.
"Observation first," Caelum said. "You're not to touch anything yet. Your task is simple: tell me what each object is in terms of Essence, Form, and Function."
"Form is physical," said Percy confidently. "Function is magical output. Essence is theoretical."
Caelum gave him a look of theatrical pity. "That was such a Ravenclaw answer it made my teeth ache."
He turned, snapped his fingers, and the blackboard lit up with glowing script:
Form: What it looks like.
Function: What it does.
Essence: What it means.
He sipped from a flask of lemon-honey tea. "Essence is what's true about an object. Not its shape. Not its use. Its nature. That's the part you don't learn from books."
Moira Nettlewick raised her hand timidly. "Can we cast detection spells?"
Caelum smiled. "You can. But I'll be more impressed if you don't."
The Work Begins
The room shifted into quiet motion.
Rina conjured a lens charm to magnify the edge of her root sample. Cedric scribbled a neat three-column table. Percy mumbled quiet analysis. Lucien Shore stared at his tray like it owed him money. Rell examined her objects, popped a sugar quill into her mouth, and didn't write a word.
Caelum drifted between desks.
He stopped beside Silas Mulciber, who had his root pinned down with a silver compass.
"That's not from the Forbidden Forest," Silas murmured. "It's too pale. Northern. Alpine?"
Caelum gave him a quick nod. "Good instincts. Trace of phoenix-ash in the roots. Dead magic. Dangerous if misused. Also excellent for preserving bread."
He moved on.
Yvette Claremont bit her lip while eyeing the scorched glass. "It's humming."
"Ah," Caelum said approvingly. "That's a resonance shard. Still remembers the last spell cast around it. Don't ask what it was. It's embarrassed."
Laughter from the room.
Unexpected Tension
Rell raised her hand lazily. "What if something's Essence is violence?"
Caelum turned toward her, one brow raised. "Then you find a better use for it."
She tilted her head. "You sound like you're avoiding the truth."
"Or I'm waiting to hear yours."
Their eyes locked for just a moment — something quiet passed between them. Not challenge. Not suspicion. Just the kind of silence people have when they both understand the hustle.
Caelum moved on without another word.
Results & Homework
Time melted fast.
When the clock chimed, Caelum clapped once. The trays lifted and vanished midair.
"You all did better than I expected," he said. "Cedric, you almost nailed the classification. Rina, your root notes were... terrifyingly detailed. Percy, excellent effort — though if you quote Alchemical Theory by Hobart Slink again, I may assign you mandatory sarcasm training."
Percy flushed. "He's a Ministry-certified expert."
"So is Gilderoy Lockhart," Caelum said. "And I'm not trusting a man who thought unicorn hair was a vegetable."
More laughter. Even Silas cracked a reluctant smile.
Caelum turned to the board, writing in bold script:
HOMEWORK:
Bring me three mundane objects from your dorm, your trunk, or the grounds.
No spells. No potions. No enchantments.
One must have hidden Essence.
You won't know which. But I will.
"Extra credit if you bring me something useless that turns out not to be."
He snapped his fingers again — a small pouch flew from behind his desk and landed in Cedric's hands.
"What's this?" Cedric asked.
"A starter kit. Chalk, a focus thread, and an extraction ring. You'll share it. Don't lose it. It cost me a prototype broom to get the alloy mix right."
Cedric blinked. "Wait… is this from—?"
"Trade secret," Caelum said with a wink.
After Class
As the students filed out — chatting more than before — Caelum leaned back in his chair, swirling the last of his tea. The moment the door shut, he glanced toward the back wall, where a single floating orb pulsed faintly with blue light.
"Note to self," he murmured. "Rina's analysis speed is excellent. Cedric's stable. Percy's too tense. Rell… sees more than she says."
The orb hummed.
"No, I didn't tell them about you," he said to no one. "You're still classified. Be quiet."
The lights dimmed.
Caelum closed his eyes for a moment, letting the quiet settle.
Tomorrow, they'd try their first real extraction.
But today?
Today they'd learned to look deeper.
And that, he thought, was a good start.