Draco's eyes remained fixed on the golden revolver in Leo's hand.
At first, he tried pretending he wasn't interested.
That lasted roughly three seconds.
"Leo," Draco said finally, attempting to sound casual and failing completely, "that golden Equalizer in your hand... does it do something different?"
His silver-gray eyes gleamed eagerly.
"Let me test it too."
Then he quickly added,
"You called Potter and me here for a reason, didn't you?"
More importantly, Draco had already noticed Ron staring greedily at the golden revolver as well.
Absolutely not.
There was no universe in which Weasley got to test it before him.
Besides, Leo had originally invited Harry and Draco specifically. Since Harry had already tested the silver version, then logically—
The gold one obviously belonged to Draco.
Leo nodded.
Honestly, this was exactly why he had invited Draco.
Partly because Draco was one of the first friends he had made at Hogwarts.
But also because Leo specifically wanted the heir of the Malfoy family to experience modern weaponry firsthand.
If Draco carried stories about these weapons back to Lucius Malfoy, perhaps that overly proud pure-blood family might finally realize that blindly worshipping tradition wasn't necessarily the future.
Without hesitation, Leo handed over the golden revolver alongside another bullet.
"You watched carefully while I explained everything to Harry, right?"
Draco immediately nodded.
"Of course."
He held the golden Colt almost reverently.
"I was paying far more attention than Potter."
Harry rolled his eyes.
Leo sighed quietly.
"Same rules. Don't point it at people."
Draco nodded absentmindedly while admiring the weapon.
The gold-plated revolver felt noticeably heavier than the silver version. Strange runes shimmered faintly across the barrel as Draco carefully fed magic into it.
The patterns immediately began glowing brighter than before.
Nearby, Ron looked deeply suspicious.
He still refused to fully believe all this nonsense about Muggle weapons.
Draco noticed immediately.
For one dangerous moment, he seriously considered aiming beside Ron just to scare him.
Then he remembered Leo's tone.
And Hermione's warning.
Reluctantly, he abandoned the idea.
Still—
Just before pulling the trigger, he glanced sideways at Ron with obvious disdain.
Then—
BANG!
The explosion echoed across the Hogwarts grounds like thunder.
Everyone physically flinched.
The golden Equalizer sounded several times louder than Harry's silver version.
A blazing streak of magical force erupted forward before smashing violently into another tree near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
This time—
The impact exploded.
Wood burst outward instantly while a crater nearly the size of a human head appeared in the trunk.
Flames erupted from the impact point.
At the same time, Draco's eyes widened in shock.
The recoil slammed backward into him like a charging troll.
"WHOA—!"
Completely unprepared, Draco instantly lost his balance and crashed onto the ground.
Leo's eyes twitched.
Thank Merlin they had tested it outdoors.
If that shot had happened inside a room, everyone's ears might have ruptured.
Still...
Looking at the damage carved into the tree, Leo felt far more satisfied with the gold version's offensive capability.
The recoil reduction clearly still needed work.
Immediately, Leo extinguished the flames with a Water-Making Spell before walking over and helping Draco back to his feet.
"You alright?"
Draco looked slightly dazed.
Then slowly nodded.
"I'm fine..."
Though honestly, his arm felt completely numb.
"Leo..." Draco started to say something else—
Then space distorted nearby.
A ripple spread through the air.
And suddenly—
Dumbledore appeared.
Fawkes perched calmly on his shoulder while silver flames faded around them.
Every student immediately froze.
Professor McGonagall arrived only moments later, emerald robes billowing dramatically behind her.
Her expression looked terrifying.
Uh oh.
Leo instantly understood the situation.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and offered the golden Colt directly toward Dumbledore with both hands.
"Headmaster," he said honestly, "this is an alchemical item I've been developing."
Then he glanced awkwardly toward the damaged tree.
"We may have underestimated the noise."
Dumbledore accepted the revolver carefully.
The old wizard examined it with obvious fascination hidden beneath his calm expression.
McGonagall, meanwhile, looked deeply unimpressed.
"Mr. Nicholas," she said sharply, "conducting dangerous magical experiments on school grounds is completely unacceptable."
Her eyes swept across the crater in the tree.
"And you are first-years."
Leo lowered his head immediately.
"We understand, Professor."
McGonagall crossed her arms.
"Clearly, you do not."
Hermione stepped forward suddenly.
"Professor," she began carefully, "technically there isn't a school rule specifically forbidding—"
"Hermione."
McGonagall's tone stopped her instantly.
"Do not attempt to loophole your way around common sense."
Hermione immediately fell silent.
Though she still looked unconvinced.
McGonagall pointed sharply toward the damaged tree.
"Regardless of whether the rules specifically mention this absurdity, first-year students should absolutely not conduct explosive weapons testing without supervision."
Then came the punishment.
"Ten points from each of your Houses."
Everyone winced.
Even Draco looked genuinely pained.
Dumbledore finally spoke while still studying the golden Equalizer thoughtfully.
"It is certainly... innovative."
His blue eyes twinkled faintly.
"But until its safety is fully understood, further testing will not happen without supervision."
Leo nodded immediately.
Honestly, he agreed completely.
The recoil alone had nearly dislocated Draco's shoulder.
McGonagall then delivered the second punishment.
"You will all clean the trophy room."
She paused.
"Without magic."
Collective despair immediately filled the group.
Ron looked as though his soul had left his body entirely.
On the walk toward the trophy room, Draco rubbed his sore shoulder while whispering to Leo,
"That golden Equalizer is incredible."
Leo sighed helplessly.
"Next time we test it somewhere quieter."
Honestly, he had never expected the sound to attract Dumbledore himself.
Though now that he thought about it...
There actually was a perfect hidden location inside Hogwarts for dangerous experiments.
A room where students could secretly do almost anything.
Interesting.
Harry walked beside them, still visibly excited.
"The golden version is much stronger than mine."
His expression remained slightly shocked.
"That crater was enormous."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully.
"Professor McGonagall was right about one thing."
Everyone looked toward her nervously, expecting a lecture.
Instead, Hermione continued,
"If we test these again, we should definitely have a professor supervising."
Then she added immediately,
"And probably choose a better location first."
Ron groaned dramatically.
"Honestly, losing points was worth seeing that."
Neville quietly followed behind the group while repeatedly glancing toward the Equalizer hidden beneath Dumbledore's robes.
Something about the weapon fascinated him deeply.
When they finally arrived inside the trophy room, everyone reluctantly began cleaning the dusty displays by hand.
Naturally, the conversation immediately returned to the Equalizer.
Then suddenly—
"Wait!"
Ron's voice echoed loudly through the room.
Everyone turned.
Ron pointed accusingly at Harry and Draco.
His eyes had widened dramatically.
"Hold on. If Harry tested the silver one and Draco tested the gold one..."
A look of horror slowly spread across his face.
"Does that mean there weren't any left for me?!"
Silence.
Harry blinked.
Draco stared.
Hermione slowly covered her face.
Rose nearly fell over laughing.
Neville looked completely baffled.
Leo stood frozen for several seconds before sighing.
Of all the important things Ron could have focused on...
That was what bothered him?
Meanwhile, elsewhere within Hogwarts, Dumbledore and McGonagall sat inside the Headmaster's office.
The golden Equalizer rested upon Dumbledore's desk.
The old wizard turned it over carefully in his hands while examining the intricate runes engraved across its surface.
McGonagall watched from across the room.
"I assume you're not seriously considering allowing students to continue developing weapons."
Dumbledore smiled faintly.
"No."
Then he paused.
"Although I must admit, Minerva, this is rather extraordinary."
He tapped one finger gently against the barrel.
"The magical integration is surprisingly elegant."
McGonagall frowned.
"He's eleven."
"Indeed."
Dumbledore's expression grew thoughtful.
"Which is precisely why it concerns me."
His eyes lingered on the revolver.
A first-year student creating something like this would have been remarkable.
A first-year student creating it under the guidance of Nicolas Flamel was something else entirely.
The Equalizer represented far more than a weapon.
It represented a way of thinking.
A willingness to merge magical traditions with entirely new ideas.
To challenge assumptions.
To ignore boundaries.
The same qualities that had once changed the wizarding world for better...
And sometimes for worse.
Dumbledore leaned back slowly in his chair.
For several moments, he simply stared at the golden revolver resting on his desk.
Then Fawkes let out a soft, thoughtful trill.
And Dumbledore found himself wondering just how far Leo Nicholas might go in the years ahead.
....
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