Chapter 187: Hermione: You're Not Going to Class Anymore?
After returning from Dumbledore's office, Dylan felt he had gained quite a bit.
Upon returning to the dormitory, he immediately went into his briefcase space. —However, before that, he borrowed Neville's Remembrall.
The Remembrall was also an alchemical creation, but it wasn't particularly technologically advanced. Dylan studied it for a while and quickly figured out its working principle.
He held the Remembrall before his eyes, observing the gas inside through its transparent casing. The Remembrall's working principle wasn't complex—in fact, it was surprisingly simple.
It merely utilized a special magical gas that reacted to the wielder's mental fluctuations. When something unexpected occurred, leading to abnormal mental fluctuations, the gas contained within the Remembrall would naturally be activated and turn red.
Dylan began to apply some of the ancient runes he had just learned from Dumbledore, with Dumbledore's direct guidance, and even the insights of previous Headmasters—the ancient runes on the Pensieve.
Dylan fiddled with Neville's Remembrall for a while. His fingertips glowed a faint gold as he carved runes onto the Remembrall. He slowly infused magic into the transparent sphere. Alchemy, of course, also required other materials.
Dylan took out a few small bottles. Moonpetal powder shimmered with a pearly luster in one bottle, while Stardust looked like solidified fragments of the Milky Way in another. These materials weren't overly common, but Dylan didn't feel any regret about using them up. Materials were meant to be consumed.
If he ran out, he would just go ask his good believer, Mr. Borgin, for more. It wasn't a troublesome matter.
As Dylan infused magic into the Remembrall, he used a quill to dab a small amount of the adhesive he had concocted. He drew a very thin alchemical array foundation on the sphere's surface.
This was a fairly basic alchemical array. In fact, the Remembrall itself already had engravings; Dylan was simply adding more on top.
"The Memory Anchoring Matrix described in Nicolas Flamel's Basic Transmutation Principles, hmm, drawn quite perfectly." Dylan enthusiastically worked on the Remembrall. First, he needed to make these chaotic gases learn to "understand."
Dylan pondered, then ground three Memory-Enhancing Potions into a mist using a silver mortar, heating and merging them with the Stardust in a cauldron. Dylan placed the Remembrall above it. A faint golden vapor drifted from the cauldron, like a living thing, flowing towards the sphere.
"An ordinary Remembrall only triggers based on mental fluctuations—like throwing a match into a powder keg. But both Dumbledore and the books say that alchemy emphasizes layered construction—" Dylan gently traced spiral patterns on the sphere's array with a quill. Each pattern precisely corresponded to the mental pathways of the human hippocampus.
"The first layer is a classification filter. I can use Moonstone powder as a medium to allow the Remembrall to identify keywords like 'homework,' 'pet,' 'class,' 'supplies,' etc."
"The second layer is a memory hook." This required Neville's hair. This way, it would know what truly mattered to the Remembrall's owner.
"Good thing I usually collect other people's hair too." Dylan opened a small box on a nearby shelf. Inside was a transparent glass container, with a few strands of hair scattered within. Dylan took one out and dropped it into the cauldron.
Boom!
A burst of gas exploded. The mist again surged onto the Remembrall. Dylan used a test tube to draw out the solution brewed in the cauldron. He dripped the liquid, mixed with Neville's wisps of hair, onto the surface of the Remembrall. The Remembrall's transparent casing suddenly glowed with wave-like ripples.
Dylan narrowed his eyes, adjusting the angle of the prism suspended in mid-air. He allowed the light from above to split into a seven-color spectrum through the prism, refracting a miniature rainbow bridge inside the sphere.
This was a crucial step in alchemy for imbuing an object with sentience. For an alchemical creation to be less rigid, this step was vital.
Dylan carefully adjusted the prism, allowing the magical gas, under the influence of alchemy, to gain basic information processing capabilities. The smoke, which originally would only blindly turn red, could now, as Dylan said "Potions class," condense into the shape of a cauldron, then reveal Professor Snape's stern expression.
"Neville will be so surprised when he sees this," Dylan chuckled.
"Next, this is the most crucial part." Dylan lightly tapped the top of the sphere with his wand tip. A Big Dipper array, composed of twenty-eight Stardust particles, quietly formed. "Hmm, I added a Tidal Charm to the Remembrall's reminder function and adjusted its priority automatically based on the Hogwarts clock tower's chimes. Now it's pretty much complete." Dylan stroked his chin.
Now, Neville's Remembrall had far more functions than before. For example, after dinner, if Neville forgot, it would intensify homework reminders.
If Neville's pet, Trevor, who loved to run away, quietly disappeared again, and Neville had forgotten about his pet, the Remembrall would flash blue to remind him—instead of just continuously getting hot.
Once the array cooled, Dylan looked at the Remembrall before him, a satisfied expression in his eyes. He also threw some food to his pets and the Basilisk, then exited the briefcase space.
Neville noticed Dylan's presence immediately. When Dylan borrowed his Remembrall, he had said he would modify it for him. Neville was curious to see what his Remembrall was like now.
Looking over, he saw that the Remembrall in Dylan's hand was no longer just a simple glass object. On the surface of the sphere, faint, intricate alchemical patterns were subtly visible. They looked somewhat like a spiderweb soaked in moonlight.
"Wow, Dylan, what did you do to it? It looks so different from before."
Dylan handed the Remembrall to him. Neville quickly took it, cradling it in his hands and examining it. The originally unremarkable Remembrall now looked much more advanced. The gas inside presented a layered, flowing state.
The upper layer was a silvery-white mist responsible for identification, while the lower layer was an amber light band for storing keywords. In the middle, a pea-sized golden gear hovered, slowly rotating, performing the work of layering the two air currents.
Seamus and Harry crowded around. Ron stared blankly at this clearly "expensive" Remembrall. "Dylan, did you put the entire Memory Department of the Ministry of Magic in there?"
"Try it. Say to it, 'What did I forget?'" Dylan ignored Ron and smiled at Neville. "This time, it won't just stupidly release red gas, or be silly enough to burn your hand."
Neville blinked. "What did I forget? But I don't think I've forgotten anyth—" Before Neville could finish speaking, the amber light band in the Remembrall suddenly moved.
The silvery-white mist responsible for identification transformed into the shape of a notebook. This notebook kept changing, looking as if it were transfiguring.
Neville's eyes widened. "Wait! I think I forgot to do tomorrow's Transfiguration homework!"
Dylan was also taken aback. Because the professors always treated him differently from other students, he actually didn't have much homework pressing down on him.
So, at this moment, he couldn't quite comprehend the despair Neville was feeling. He merely pursed his lips, suppressing a laugh. "Well then... while you still have time, hurry up and catch up, otherwise Professor McGonagall will know you didn't do your homework—I think you know the consequences."
Neville clattered through his backpack, pulling out a notebook. Dylan, after casting a Scourgify on himself, lay on his bed. Next was still reading time. However, the book Dylan was reading was his notebook.
On it were the ancient runes he had just recorded. Reviewing the old allows one to learn the new. Dylan still needed to study them thoroughly.
"Now that I have a basic grasp of alchemy, and I've even dabbled in the principles of the Time-Turner."
Next, Dylan considered whether to return the Time-Turner to Professor McGonagall. However, with his current skill level, it was still too early for him to create a Time-Turner himself.
Moreover, the Time-Turner Professor McGonagall lent him could barely be used for anything else. It could only be used for attending classes. This limitation made Dylan feel that it would be better to return the thing early.
Before these Time-Turners were destroyed, Dylan could easily make a trip to the Ministry of Magic. At that time, with the Ministry in chaos, it would be effortless for him to snatch all those Time-Turners. So Dylan felt he didn't need to have his subsequent time filled with various unnecessary classes just for one Time-Turner.
"The most important thing is the alchemical runes on the Time-Turner and its manufacturing principle, which I've already largely grasped. I'll just return this Time-Turner." Flipping through his notes, Dylan finally made this decision.
Before going to sleep, Neville finally finished his homework. Dylan closed his notebook. Then he took out his class schedule. "These classes can finally be crossed off."
A large portion of the elective courses Dylan had been taking recently, he had actually already mastered. Continuing to take them, in fact, the elective course professors couldn't offer him much more help.
For example, Arithmancy. He did keep Divination. His progress in Divination had been a bit slow recently. Dylan could take this opportunity to hone his skills. However, regarding ordinary divination and prophecies—truthfully, Professor Trelawney wasn't even as good as him.
The next day at noon, before the afternoon electives began, Dylan, after finishing his morning Transfiguration class, found Professor McGonagall. He asked to speak with her in her office. After Professor McGonagall agreed, they walked all the way to the Deputy Headmistress's office.
"What is it, Dylan? Something so important it has to be discussed in my office?"
Dylan smiled. "Of course, it's about the oath I made." Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, waiting for Dylan to continue.
Dylan didn't waste words and took out the Time-Turner. "Professor, after studying for a while, I've realized that I've pretty much mastered the content of these elective courses."
"Such as Divination?"
"Yes... such as Divination."
Seeing Dylan nod, Professor McGonagall, far from scolding him for changing his mind so easily, acting on impulse, and deciding not to attend classes, instead showed a relieved smile. "I've always said some classes aren't necessary, and that's especially true for you."
Professor McGonagall looked at Dylan. "Even in core required courses like Transfiguration and Charms, you are effortlessly proficient, even exceptionally skilled. I don't believe you would gain much from elective courses."
Professor McGonagall extended a hand, her fingertips brushing the starry markings on the Time-Turner's surface. "In that case, I'll take it back." After taking the Time-Turner, Professor McGonagall put it into a small pouch.
She didn't put it in her desk drawer, but chose to keep it close to her. She lightly patted her pocket. Professor McGonagall smiled and nodded. "True scholars need not more time, but deeper focus—so this is a wise choice."
"Professor, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. Let's go to the Great Hall together." Watching Professor McGonagall safely put away the Time-Turner, Dylan nodded secretly. If Hermione were to cause any more trouble with the Time-Turner after this, it would have nothing to do with him.
"Of course, let's go." Professor McGonagall nodded gently, turned, and walked towards the door, the hem of her robes rustling softly against the stone floor.
They walked all the way to the entrance of the Great Hall. The doors were wide open. The aroma of roasted beef mixed with the scent of various desserts wafted out. Various fragrances filled their nostrils.
Professor McGonagall walked towards the teachers' table. Dylan also came to the Gryffindor long table. After dinner, it was another afternoon of classes. Since he no longer needed to attend elective courses, he only attended one class before joining Neville and the others for dinner in the Great Hall.
Hermione also appeared at this time. When there was no one near Dylan, Hermione walked over. She looked at Dylan with a strange expression, hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and whispered, "Where were you this afternoon?"
Dylan blinked at her. "I was in class, of course."
"What? But I didn't see you in any of the electives."
"Oh—that. I returned that thing to Professor McGonagall."
"What?!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, drawing the attention of Neville and Harry. Hermione stopped, gave an embarrassed smile, and quickly lowered her voice again. "You actually returned it? Don't you want to take those classes anymore?"
Dylan nodded. "Yeah, I felt like these studies weren't things I absolutely had to master." He continued, "Or rather, they weren't particularly difficult subjects. I could understand them just by reading books."
"So I didn't really want to go to class anymore, and every class meant I had to do an extra set of homework." He added,
"The elective professors wouldn't excuse my homework just because I was good in Transfiguration. Besides, the exams would still proceed as normal, and I really didn't want to dedicate so much time, so I dropped those unnecessary courses."
Hermione: "O() So... what about me?"
"Huh? What about you?" This time, it was Dylan's turn to be surprised. Hermione's lips moved.
....
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