A Web Of Magic - Volume 1 Chapter 92 The Flying Board
A month passed away in the blink of an eye. Magnus had been busy during this time pouring over Slytherins notes. His research finally made some progress. He stood in Slytherin’s laboratory while he gazed at the potion stand on the table in front of him. On it was the first product of his research so far. It was a red potion that looked very eye-catching. Magnus named it the Blood-Suppressant potion.
He finally confirmed its effect using a combination of his knowledge, [Identify] and Divination. This potion would suppress any of the curses on the body, specifically those based on blood as a medium. Of course, it’s not quite effective on higher level curses like the blood curse, but it is a step in the right direction. It still has its side effects though. It slows down the blood flow in the body for hours after its consumption. Now that he had something to work with, he can further improve it while decreasing or even completely removing its side effects.
[Impact points+30]
”Hmm, I wonder if it can suppress the likes of vampirism? Is vampirism a curse in the first place?’ Magnus mused. He stored the thought away for another day. ‘Alright, this will act as a prevention but it will not cure anything. Now I need something that could possibly cure such afflictions. Specifically, I need something that can potentially reverse or even stop transformations like petrification. The effect of the blood curse is to cause petrification on the inside by absorbing the magic in the body after all.’ Magnus continued his experimentations.
It was a week before Christmas. The castle took on a festive atmosphere as the students were getting ready for the vacation. Magnus couldn’t sleep today for some reason so he planned on scouring the castle for any missed secrets. His handy pocket watch map and the disillusionment charm made it a breeze to roam the castle at night. He just wanted to explore till he felt drowsy.
His focus crystal led him to the first floor closer to the library. Just when he thought it was going to lead him into the library, it took him to one of the disused classrooms nearby. ‘Strange, I’ve passed through this area once before. There was nothing interesting here back then,’ Magnus thought doubtfully. He unlocked the door and entered noiselessly.
The classroom was lit a silvery blue by the moonlight coming through its large windows. The benches and the desks were stored in one corner of the room while the rest of the room was empty except for one veiled object in the corner. Magnus went forward and pulled off the veil. An old antique mirror which was quite ornate was revealed. It had clawed feet and a golden frame. There was a phrase inscribed on the frame which confused Magnus for a moment. It took a few more moments for him to understand what it was.
“I show not your face but your heart’s desire? Interesting,” Magnus thought. Only then did he look into the mirror. At first it just showed him his reflection but then it slowly changed to show his parents standing behind him along with his Aunt Viola. Magnus looked behind himself just to make sure there was no such thing. The image now changed to one where the hags who attacked him lay burning. It then changed again to show an older version of Magnus. He was much taller and muscular. He looked powerful dressed in robes of blue and silver with gold trimmings. His exposed arms showed arcane symbols that he knew not what they did. He seemed to radiate power just by standing.
Magnus shook his head with a smile. ‘So, it shows the heart’s desires huh? Such a useless mirror. It might have affected me if it was two years ago. But to a practitioner of the mind arts, they are nothing but images unless I let them affect me deliberately. Still, it’s an interesting enchantment. I wonder who made it?’ Magnus thought with interest as he observed the mirror closely from top to bottom. He got bored later as he couldn’t make out any more details about the enchantment. Whoever made the mirror took great care not to leave any clues on the outside. He might have to dismantle the mirror if he needs to make further progress. Magnus didn’t feel like it was worth it. it wasn’t like the enchantment was of any use to him. He replaced the veil and left it as it is. He then went back to his dorm to sleep.
Christmas vacation started soon. Magnus didn’t go home this year for the vacation, at least officially. He could always go home whenever he wanted via the vanishing cabinet, so it wasn’t much of a deal for him. Besides, he would have to cook by himself if he went home. He preferred the house elf cooking to his own. His roommates Roger and Noah went home for the vacation as did Hermione. The Weasleys stayed in the castle this year.
Magnus put aside his potion experiments for now and shifted to making his own surf board that would replace a flying broom. He finally finished the prototype after working on it for a few months. He took an old broom from the Room of Requirement and studied it earnestly to recreate some of the enchantments. Well, the broom got destroyed in the process, but it was all worth it. It wasn’t seeing any use and was just lying in the dusty room anyway, so he wasn’t sorry. While it didn’t have as many features as some of the newer brooms did, it was still very good. It may not reach as high speeds as the Nimbus or offer similar level of control, but it wasn’t meant to be a racing broom. As a tool for transportation, it was more than enough. It was also more comfortable than a broom wedged between your legs.
‘Alright, now to test this,’ Magnus thought as he came out of Slytherin’s lab into the outer chamber. It was spacious enough here for some flying experimentation. He laid the dark brown oval board which was seven feet in length on the ground. It slowly floated off the ground as he raised his hand over it. It stopped when it was one foot above the ground. Magnus stepped onto the board and it remained stable without wobbling. ‘Good, it’s very stable.’
He stood with his right leg forward and tapped with his left leg. The board started gaining altitude as well as increased in speed. Soon he was gliding through the air noiselessly at a comfortable speed. The speed of the surfboard increased when he leaned forward and decreased when he leaned backwards. Just when he started doing some of the maneuvers he had seen the quidditch players do, he lost control and smacked into the head of the Slytherin statue. He controlled himself from falling onto the ground with his magic but the surfboard wasn’t so lucky. It hit the ground with a loud sound and bounced off a few times before it became still. ‘At least the enchantments held well and it didn’t get destroyed,’ he consoled himself.
He got down on to the ground and went to pick the board but he froze immediately. He heard a loud sound all of a sudden. ‘What was that? It almost sounded like a roar but I don’t recognize which creature it belongs to.’ He pulled out his wand and got on his board as it floated forward slowly. He didn’t want to make any sounds with his movements. He moved towards the wall of the chamber adjacent to the entrance to Slytherin’s lab.
‘The sound came through here,’ Magnus touched the wall carefully. When he didn’t notice anything different, he cast the X-ray spell on the wall in front of him. As the wall slowly became transparent, he saw another chamber through the wall. Well, it was a half chamber to be exact. The other half of the chamber was a large cavern. Under the dim light, Magnus saw a great coiled figure that seemed to be breathing slowly.
