"Heart of steel… crimson sunset… and a full moon, is that it?"
Antoine rubbed his chin with his fingers. "What exactly do these images represent? Some kind of alchemical creation? This should be your specialty!"
"I have some ideas, but I'm not certain yet." Wade leaned back in the carved wooden chair, and the warm glow of the setting sun streamed through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows across his face.
After leaving the Room of Requirement, Wade received a message from Antoine, and the two arranged to meet in an empty classroom on the third floor.
"Well, then think it through carefully. There are still three months, after all!"
Antoine chuckled.
"As for the places where the items are hidden, those clues are pretty clear… hmm, except for that first line about the shadowy place. But the other two—you already have some idea, don't you?"
Wade nodded slightly. "The giant squid in the Black Lake is an obvious clue. No one knows exactly where its lair is, but with a creature that size…"
His gaze shifted toward the window. In the distance, the waters of the lake loomed dark and deep, with Durmstrang's 'ghost ship' moored at the shore.
"…once it's active, it won't be hard to find."
"As for the ancient stone door, that should be tied to the merfolk. Michael once told me that some Slytherin students occasionally catch sight of merfolk shadows swimming swiftly past from their dormitory windows."
Antoine nodded with satisfaction. "Then that only leaves the heart of steel."
"The heart of steel… it might be hidden somewhere near the other two," Wade speculated.
"The squid can release ink—can there be any place in the Black Lake darker than that? And merfolk usually live in the deepest parts of the water, where light is scarce."
"Good point!" Antoine agreed. "The vague phrasing in the lyrics may be suggesting we should connect that line with the two that follow… Yes, that makes sense."
Wade nodded again. He still had other thoughts stirring in his mind, but those scattered inspirations had yet to take shape, so there was no need to voice them.
"Anyway, since you've already cleared the first task—and did so in such a spectacular, overwhelming way—I can start putting one of my own plans into motion." Antoine's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Wade raised his brows in surprise. "Plans?"
"Of course." Antoine smiled slyly. "You must remember what's written on Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card—'discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood'?"
"Of course…" Wade frowned slightly, hesitating. "And what does that have to do with your plan?"
"You see, Wade, even for a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore, his achievements had to be recorded and circulated in writing before they gained widespread recognition."
Antoine leaned forward, his voice carrying a subtle note of persuasion:
"Ivor Dillonsby has always claimed that he had already discovered eight uses for dragon's blood when Dumbledore 'borrowed' his paper. But who believes him? Everyone just sees him as a shameless thief trying to steal Dumbledore's glory."
"And why is that?"
"Because before then, he had no noteworthy accomplishments to his name, nor had he published any valuable papers."
"If he had previously published two or three research papers on dragons in journals, wouldn't that lie have been much more convincing?"
"Now think of our illustrious leader—sorry, Mr. Grindelwald, no offense meant—he once nearly ruled the entire wizarding world of Europe. And what about now?"
"If he hadn't broken out of prison again, kids your age might not even know who Gellert Grindelwald is."
Wade said speechlessly: "You'd better hope Mr. Grindelwald never finds out you're talking about him like that behind his back."
After a pause, he added: "So? What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Don't you see yet?"
Antoine waved his wand, and in the air a crown appeared, shimmering brilliantly with golden light.
He said: "Right now the whole world is watching the Inter School Magic Tournament. The champion will become world-famous."
"But when the second, third… the twentieth or thirtieth tournaments come around? Decades from now, who will still remember the names of the champions of this one?"
The crown suddenly shattered in the air, breaking into countless specks of starlight that vanished into nothing before ever touching the ground.
"Just like the old Triwizard Tournament—the champions will surely be forgotten. But knowledge never will."
"In the same way, years from now, great and all-powerful Dark wizards will also be treated as storybook villains, names for exam questions that nobody actually cares about."
"But people will always respect Bathilda Bagshot—because she's the author of A History of Magic. Even though Mr. Grindelwald could have beaten that woman with a single finger!"
Wade: "…"
This guy Antoine really is getting bolder by the day…
But did he even know Bathilda Bagshot was actually Grindelwald's great-aunt?
Wade muttered to himself inwardly, though by now he already understood Antoine's point.
Sure enough, Antoine went on:
"I've asked around a lot about your teaching at that spell study group. At first I thought you were just playing the role of a second Charms professor in your spare time.
But later I realized—you've actually worked out a whole system for learning spells that's incredibly effective!"
"You break down those tricky spells that stump so many students into a few basic components. Each part is simple and easy to grasp—even the dullest student can master them step by step!"
His voice trembled faintly with excitement.
"So I plan to, in the name of some Hogwarts students, edit and compile these improved methods into a book. You'll be listed as the first author, and we'll just add a few other students' names as assistants in the publication."
"You may not yet realize the true significance of what you've created…"
Antoine spread his arms wide as his voice rose passionately:
"Wade, once it spreads, your system will quickly replace the current haphazard teaching methods of wizarding schools everywhere, which rely on students' wit and natural talent to determine if they can learn spells!"
"But you've made spell-learning more standardized, more concrete, more straightforward! This isn't just a new way to teach a few charms—it's a systematic methodology that can be applied across every subject!"
"Of course, it sacrifices some artistry and creativity. But with this method, struggling students can finally pass, and good students can more easily achieve 'Outstanding.' Do you realize how revolutionary that is?"
Antoine's eyes shone brightly.
"Think of it—riding the wave of the Inter School Magic Tournament, when this book hits the shelves, everyone will be talking about these groundbreaking spellcasting techniques—and about Wade Grey, the one who discovered them and selflessly shared them!"
"Respect, admiration, trust, fame, status… everything will flow toward you! This won't just be a book, Wade—it will be proof of your very existence."
"This is different from the inventions you've made with alchemy—people eat an egg, but they don't ask which hen laid it. Sorry, I know that metaphor's a bit crude."
"But this book will make its way into every school, becoming a textbook for children. Fifty years from now, five hundred years from now… when new students step into their classrooms, they'll still be able to touch the thoughts you've left behind across time."
"Wade, you'll leave an indelible ripple in the river of wizarding history."
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