Chapter 137: Master Alchemist Kahn

Not long after, Ministry of Magic Aurors appeared on the battlefield. Seeing the Death Eaters lying on the ground and the only ones standing nearby—Kahn and Hermione—seven or eight Aurors instinctively cast several Stunning Spells.

However, when their spells hit Kahn's Shield Charm, they only stirred up an insignificant ripple. To break it would require at least hundreds of spells of the same magnitude.

"What are you planning to do? Mr. Barty Crouch, are you planning to make a move against me now that the Death Eaters have been defeated?"

Kahn waved his hand, and the ground beside these Aurors instantly transformed into several mud and stone statues holding up massive greatswords, ready to swing down at any moment. This was not an attack, but a deterrent; if Kahn intended to strike them, these Aurors could be knocked down instantly.

"Stop, Barty! This person is a friend from the International Magical Trading Association!"

Luwin Amotto ran over from afar, hurriedly stepping in front of Barty Crouch to explain Kahn's identity to him.

Upon hearing that Kahn was a Hogwarts professor and the owner of that potion ingredient shop, Barty Crouch lowered his wand. At the same time, he secretly sighed in relief that it wasn't a Death Eater; otherwise, he truly would have felt a lingering fear had he fought such a powerful wizard.

Crouch put away his wand and spoke to Kahn in a much softer tone: "Apologies, it was too dark to recognize you, Professor Pent."

"It doesn't matter. The people on the ground are the Death Eaters who attacked the Quidditch World Cup match tonight. You can take them back, Mr. Crouch."

Kahn gave a wave of one hand, instantly dismissing all the mud and stone statues behind the Aurors. This brought a sigh of relief to the Aurors as well, as having a stone statue brandishing a greatsword aimed at their necks was quite an uncomfortable experience.

Introduced by Luwin, Crouch approached with a friendly attitude and asked, "Professor Pent, are all of them here?"

"Except for a few that couldn't be pieced back together, I suppose..."

"Gentlemen, could you let me take a picture of you?"

Someone suddenly barged in holding a camera. Although framing it as a request, the camera had already captured the scene by the time the question was asked.

Angered, Barty Crouch said to the person, "Stop that! Photography is not permitted here right now..."

"Just a small matter, no need to stop him, Mr. Crouch. These people managed to ruin even the Quidditch World Cup match, and I believe all wizards have the right to know who destroyed one of their few remaining joys."

Kahn smiled and put in a good word for the photographer. He recognized the man as Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father and the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler—though called editor-in-chief, he had practically founded the magazine himself.

Kahn greeted Lovegood, saying, "Mr. Lovegood, make sure to get clear pictures of these criminals' faces as well. Mr. Crouch spent a great deal of effort organizing this event, only for it to be ruined by these Death Eaters. It is a heinous crime, and in my view, they should all be sent straight to Azkaban."

Upon hearing Kahn's words, although somewhat reluctant, Crouch inwardly agreed. Those Death Eaters were truly repulsive, choosing such an important occasion to wreak havoc.

However, Crouch also understood why Kahn had let Lovegood take photographs: he intended to use these Death Eaters to undermine Minister Fudge's position.

He had cast a quick glance moments earlier, and many of the fallen Death Eaters hailed from pure-blood families, some of whom were even Fudge's supporters.

*Minister of Magic Colludes with Death Eaters to Sabotage the Quidditch World Cup?*

Crouch could already picture the headlines of tomorrow's wizarding newspapers, which would likely send a massive shockwave through the Ministry.

Once Lovegood finished taking pictures, Crouch had no desire to linger any longer. He hurriedly said to Kahn and Luwin, "Professor Pent, Luwin, I have matters to attend to, so I will head back first."

With that, Crouch ordered the Aurors to escort the captured Death Eaters away. Because of the large number of prisoners, he even left two men behind to guard the site while he returned to fetch reinforcements.

"We'll be heading back too, Mr. Lovegood, Luwin."

Kahn exchanged pleasantries with the two, then walked back toward the campsite with Hermione. When he had set out earlier, he had happened to run into the Weasley family rushing to leave; by now, their camp should be the only one remaining.

Upon their return, Phil and Isaac saw Hermione walking in from outside and immediately assumed their negligence had allowed their young master to wander off. However, since Kahn forbade them from self-harm, the two house-elves could only weep continuously, taking the blame entirely upon themselves.

Hermione tried unsuccessfully to comfort them, until Kahn finally told them to pack their things and prepare for departure. Only then did Phil and Isaac stop blaming themselves and set about packing to return home.

With Death Eaters creating chaos at the match venue, it was doubtful whether the remaining matches would even take place, and there was no telling how many people had been injured. If the Ministry stubbornly insisted on continuing the Quidditch tournament, they would first have to produce tangible results.

For instance, throwing all the rioting Death Eaters of tonight straight into Azkaban, and declaring their absolute resolve to capture anyone else who caused trouble. Only such a tough stance could recover a shred of public trust in the Ministry; otherwise, under Kahn's influence, the Ministry's approval rating would plummet to an all-time low.

***

Back home, Hermione continued to express her disgust toward the Death Eaters, noting that the only decent thing they had done was terminate the Quidditch match, otherwise the Irish team would have lost several more times. Throughout her words, she dropped numerous hints that she had taken down a Death Eater, fishing for Kahn's praise.

Yet praise to Hermione served as encouragement, and she was still far too young; encouraging her to duel Death Eaters was out of the question.

With not much time left before the start of term, Kahn intended to try his hand at alchemy. Hermione also put aside her playful mindset; she had spent her summer in Romania and even knocked down a Death Eater at the Quidditch World Cup—that was already thrilling enough.

Hermione planned to continue brewing potions; her potion-making had always been a strong suit, and according to Kettel, she stood a very high chance of passing her NEWT potion examinations right now. Kettel could no longer teach Hermione much more; only renowned Potions Masters would be capable of continuing her education.

Yet such individuals were difficult to retain. Wizards proficient in potioneering no longer cared much for Galleons; if they wished, a single vial of advanced potion could trade for vast fortunes.

Kahn could not offer much assistance for now, unless he completely monopolized the European market for potion ingredients, at which point ninety percent of potion-makers would have to dance to his tune.

After reviewing alchemy notes for over a month, Kahn finally resolved to try it himself. He had purchased numerous magical materials, ultimately selecting three to craft a necklace.

Defensive alchemical items were best kept on one's person, making accessories the primary choice of form.

..................

While using magical flames to reshape the materials, one also had to carefully ensure that the magic within did not bleed away. Afterward, the various magical components were placed together, and Runes were used to weave the magic of all the materials into an organic whole—thus completing the prototype.

Finally, Runes were inscribed to imbue the alchemical item with its corresponding function, and the process was complete. Nicholas Flamel had summarized the wizarding world's alchemy over several centuries, effectively serving as a master aggregator of the craft.

"I didn't expect Runes to be so difficult to construct on alchemical items. Even with my level of magical control, it's a bit of a stretch..."

Kahn tried twice without success. Using ancient runes to sustain several different magical materials simultaneously was exceedingly difficult, requiring immense multitasking.

"Right, shadow clones!"

Kahn suddenly remembered how Naruto Uzumaki had used shadow clones to multitask when developing the Rasenshuriken, ultimately completing the new jutsu.

Viewed in that light, he could borrow this method: have one shadow clone maintain the magic within the materials to prevent it from leaking, another shadow clone construct the Runes to connect the whole, while the main body imbued the alchemical item with its functions.

Even with the division of labor, constructing the runes took a considerable amount of time. Condensing dozens of runes entirely into a small necklace was quite a challenge, even for Kahn.

In his youth, Nicholas Flamel had crafted several such alchemical items, but the side effects of prolonged life had eventually caught up with him. When crafting this type of alchemical item, he often lacked the stamina; his memory and energy were far inferior to before, and his failure rate was high, leading Nicholas to rarely forge them anymore.

"Success..."

The moment the final rune was imbued into the necklace, the previously glowing trinket instantly took on an ordinary appearance. This kind of alchemical item was truly miraculous, capable of shielding the user from all external harm, provided the attack fell within the defensive range of the runes.

"I'll call Hermione to test it."

Having made his decision, Kahn went to fetch Hermione. Her potion was just then being tended to by an automatic stirring cauldron, allowing her to step away briefly.

When Hermione saw the necklace Kahn handed her, she asked curiously, "Godfather, what is this necklace?" It didn't look like a gift, and the style was rather unusual.

Kahn said, "My first alchemical creation. Put it on and test the effect."

Once Hermione put the necklace on, Kahn suddenly cast a Stunning Spell at her. However, with a flash of red light, the spell was blocked by a transparent shield that suddenly materialized around Hermione.

"Goodness, what was that just now..." Hermione was startled by the sudden spell. After patting her chest, she began examining the alchemical necklace. "Is that a Shield Charm? Godfather, you're simply amazing! I've heard that protective alchemical items are exceptionally expensive. An alchemical item with a Shield Charm must be worth at least a few hundred Galleons—perhaps even a thousand..."

Hermione's estimate was still somewhat conservative. A necklace featuring an auto-defensive Shield Charm rarely circulated on the open market; the moment one appeared, it would invariably be snatched up by others. Aside from the Unforgivable Curses, a Shield Charm could even slightly deflect Fiendfyre.

They almost always started at a thousand Galleons, and could easily reach four or five thousand if the materials were costly.

"The materials used for this alchemical necklace are fairly ordinary; it's just a practice piece. At most, a thousand or two Galleons."

Seeing the longing in Hermione's eyes, Kahn smiled and said, "Once I forge a better defensive alchemical accessory for you using expensive magical materials, you can have that. This necklace already has a crack on it."

Hearing this, Hermione took it off to inspect it and indeed discovered a hairline fracture on one of the beads. Kahn's innate magical power meant the spells he cast possessed terrifying force, yet for this necklace to withstand it at all was already acceptable.

***

Kahn had now found the trick to increasing his success rate, and from here on out, it was simply a matter of continued practice. Moreover, those expensive materials meant little to him; as the controller of Europe's largest supplier of potion ingredients, acquiring such items was a breeze—even goblin-forged mithril and adamantine were well within his reach.

With still some time left before the start of term, Kahn forged all of his slightly more ordinary magical materials into alchemical items, then had Kettel purchase some rather costly magical components, among which were mithril and adamantine, totaling thirty thousand Galleons.

Kettel had returned a few days prior. She had caught the Delacour family red-handed in the act of breaching a magical contract, and cut off their next batch of potion ingredient shipments. The Delacour family was required to pay the contract breach penalties within a strict deadline, or face sanctions from the ministries of magic of both nations.

Furthermore, having offended Europe's largest supplier of potion ingredients, their future business prospects were effectively ruined, forcing them to consider a change of profession.

.................

On the eve of the start of term at Hogwarts, Kahn looked at the faintly glowing gemstone necklace in his palm, a deep sense of accomplishment welling up within him.

"Finally finished. If this had failed, it genuinely would have pained me..."

The chains were forged from mithril and adamantine, threaded together with a braid of unicorn tail hair and phoenix feather, centered around a green gemstone imbued with magic. Embedded upon it were not only the Shield Charm, but also the Mending Charm and the Rejuvenation Charm.

If put up for auction, thinking of getting it for anything under ten thousand Galleons was out of the question. Once an Auror wore it, they could essentially disregard the Killing Curse and stand their ground trading blows with three dark wizards simultaneously without coming out behind.

Bestowing multiple spells seemed to be a unique alchemical technique of Nicholas Flamel. Kahn had tried it several times with similarly low success rates, but having successfully crafted a few pieces, he had moved on to researching other branches of alchemy.

Now inherited and carried forward by Kahn—whose shadow clones shared his identical memories and magical power—forging alchemical items together not only avoided hindering the process, but yielded an effect where one plus one was far greater than two.

A day later, the day to return to Hogwarts arrived. Hermione had changed into youthful, vibrant attire and said to Kahn, "Godfather, it's about time to set off."

"You look quite nice today, Hermione, though you're missing a little decoration." With that, Kahn produced the alchemical accessory he had successfully forged the day before and handed it to her, saying, "This is a gift from your godfather—consider it my first truly successful piece."

"This is for me... Thank you so much, Godfather, I love it." The moment Hermione laid eyes on the necklace, her gaze locked onto it, and she fell deeply, instinctively in love with it at first sight.

Kahn then explained the necklace's functions to her. The magical materials used were top-tier; although Kahn hadn't tested it extensively, the protective capacity of its Shield Charm was at least ten times that of the first alchemical necklace. It could comfortably withstand a full-powered Blasting Curse from Kahn himself—though whether it would shatter afterward remained to be seen.

Given that it wasn't cheap, he could only hazard a guess.

Once Hermione put the necklace on, Kahn escorted her to the Hogwarts Express, and subsequently had Phil transport him directly to the school. He had no desire to take a slow train ride back, and if not for the heavy anti-Apparition wards surrounding Hogwarts, Kahn would have simply Apparated straight in.

Upon arriving at the school, Kahn first sought out Albus Dumbledore to exchange pleasantries: "Professor Dumbledore, thank you very much for lending me Nicholas Flamel's alchemy texts. They were of immense help to me."

"It's nothing at all; Nicholas would certainly wish for someone to carry on and propagate the art of alchemy." Dumbledore slid a dish of honey-dukes sweets toward Kahn, though the offer was politely declined. Instead, Dumbledore contentedly popped a piece into his own mouth and continued, "Professor Pent, your office has remained unoccupied; during his teaching, Lupin has been using the office behind the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom."

"I am aware. But is something troubling you?"

Kahn noticed Dumbledore's expression—he wore the look of someone wanting to speak of something yet unsure how to phrase it.

"Because of the Death Eaters. So many of them were captured, yet not a single one is willing to reveal their motives. Furthermore, to gather so many Death Eaters in one place... aside from Tom, no one else seemingly possesses that capability."

"Why not use Veritaserum?"

"Cornelius won't allow it, nor will the other pure-blood families..."

Kahn chuckled softly. "A puppet minister indeed, Professor Dumbledore. There is no need to concern yourself with such people; rats remain in the sewers precisely because they lack the strength and courage to survive in the open. I exercised restraint during the Quidditch match, but next time, they won't be nearly so fortunate."

"On that point, I certainly believe you, Professor Pent. In my view, your magical talent surpasses even Tom's."

Dumbledore then added with a wry smile, "If you were to take up the post of Headmaster, Hogwarts might well be a great deal safer..."