"A teacher candidate?" Sean was stunned for a moment, then asked somewhat tentatively: "Madam Pince, is this professor at Hogwarts? If they're outside, could I visit them every weekend?"
Madam Pince looked at Sean, her expression somewhat strange, as if she regretted speaking up. But having already spoken, after hearing Sean's words, she could only reply: "He is within Hogwarts, but his condition is different from others. He is not human, but a...
Um...
Ghost!"
A ghost?
Sean looked at Madam Pince with some surprise and couldn't help but stand up, wanting to inquire further.
But just then, seeing Sean stand up, Madam Pince actually took two steps back, distancing herself from Sean. She looked somewhat impatient, or frankly, somewhat socially anxious, as she said: "That's right, he's a ghost, but he doesn't have complete self-will like the four house ghosts. He has deep obsessions and relatively weak reactions to external stimuli. If you want him to take notice of you and teach you some alchemy-related knowledge, you must attract his attention."
"Thank you, Madam Pince. I wonder where that ghost is and what he's called?"
"You can call him Antonius. Everyone calls him that, and he calls himself Antonius too. Every week on Saturday and Sunday evenings at seven o'clock, he appears in the innermost classroom of that row of vacant classrooms on the right side of the third floor, performing actions similar to conducting experiments or alchemy. He continues until nine o'clock. If you can attract his attention, he will definitely teach you relevant knowledge about alchemy."
Hearing Madam Pince's words, Sean was very curious about how she knew this, but he didn't pry. Madam Pince had always disliked getting close to students. Originally, Sean thought she was like Filch, detesting students, but now it seemed she was more like someone with social anxiety.
"Thank you, Madam Pince. You've been a great help to me."
"It's nothing, I just... I just spoke up unnecessarily."
Having said this, Madam Pince seemed to have completed a task and immediately turned to leave Sean's side, continuing to organize books elsewhere where there were no people.
Sean looked from afar and saw that Madam Pince, back in a solitary state, had obviously breathed a sigh of relief and become much more comfortable. She was undoubtedly socially anxious.
As for why someone with social anxiety who usually disliked contact with students would suddenly approach him and actively help...
Sean felt that this world always had some people who were particularly likeable. Obviously, he was such a person. Naturally likeable, making people feel the urge to help him. This was also something Sean couldn't control.
As night fell, Sean checked the time, ate dinner early, and then at 6:50 was already sitting at a desk in the innermost vacant classroom on the third floor. He even had time to use a Scouring Charm to remove all the dust and debris from the classroom.
Seven o'clock sharp.
A middle-aged male ghost who looked very thin and haggard suddenly appeared at the classroom door, stood near the podium, and began performing without props. Sean could tell he was conducting experiments or using alchemy. He tried to strike up conversation several times but to no avail.
After trying repeatedly, Sean helplessly sat in his chair.
After thinking it over, he simply took out his alchemy books and began reading.
While reading, Sean drew something on scratch paper. What appeared to be alchemical circles. One sheet, two sheets. Sean drew quite a few alchemical circles. Just as he was about to continue, a gentle yet slightly hoarse voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Your alchemical circles are drawn too crudely. Alchemy is a very precise discipline. It can even exist independently of magic, not belonging within magic. It's almost another system entirely. So it's different from the trajectories you make when waving your wand to cast magic. 'Roughly correct' in alchemy means wrong. In alchemy, there is only 'completely correct.' I hope you understand this principle."
Sean looked up at the ghost Antonius, who had somehow appeared beside him. Knowing that his act of drawing alchemical circles had attracted the other's attention, he immediately said: "Hello, Mr. Antonius. I'm a Hogwarts student named Sean Bulstrode. I'd like to learn alchemy from you. Would that be possible?"
Hearing Sean's words, Antonius looked at the notes in Sean's hands, reached out and lightly touched the notes, and they immediately opened. Just like that, Antonius quietly read while Sean waited without saying a word.
Only after Antonius had finished reading all of Sean's notes did he slowly nod, his voice hoarse yet very gentle: "You are a very talented child, but you lack the guidance of a master teacher, so your notes are filled with some very simple yet very common errors. I will start from the beginning, correcting some of the mistakes and bad habits from your self-study. I hope you can study seriously with me."
He agreed just like that?!
Sean looked at Antonius, his face lighting up with joy, about to say something.
But just then, he heard Antonius speak again: "I can teach you alchemy, but at the same time, I need you to do some things for me."
I knew it wouldn't be that easy!
Ghosts in this world always had unresolved wishes.
Obviously, Antonius was no exception, and from his daily fixed-time appearances here to perform experimental research without props, it was clear that Antonius's lingering wish, or rather obsession, was definitely much stronger than other ghosts!
Thinking of this, Sean asked tentatively: "Mr. Antonius, could you tell me what you'd like me to do?"
Looking at Sean, Antonius smiled and nodded, speaking in the same gentle and soft manner as before: "This is my fault. I should have explained these things to you in advance so you could weigh whether you really want to learn alchemy from me.
The truth is both simple and complex, depending on how you view it. I was in the middle of important research when I died. My thesis had already been partially published, but circumstances led to my death before I could finish the work. Though I returned as a ghost and retained my existence, spirits are limited to the knowledge they possessed in life. I have all my memories, but I cannot learn new things or advance my research further. Everything simply stopped, leaving my published work incomplete.
My request is that I want you to continue my research and complete it!
Do you agree?"