The days grew shorter as October marched on, the air turning biting and cold.
Having completed Zone 1: The Velocity Rings, Alister moved his operations to the Astronomy Tower, the highest point of the castle. This was Zone 2: The Clockwork Tower.
The engineering challenge here was significantly higher. He wasn't working with clouds anymore; he was working with solid matter and perpetual motion.
He spent his evenings suspended on his broomstick hundreds of feet in the air, buffeted by the autumn winds, his wand moving in complex, rhythmic patterns.
He started with the Pendulums. He used Inanimatus Conjurus—a spell well beyond the first-year curriculum—to conjure massive, granite-like blocks shaped like axes. He then anchored them to the side of the tower using Sticking Charms so powerful they merged the stone at a molecular level.
Finally, he wove the Kinetic Animation Loops.
"Mobiliarbus... Perpetua..."
The axes began to swing. Whoosh... whoosh... They crossed the flight path with terrifying regularity. Alister had layered them with the Softening Charm, so if a flyer hit them, they would bounce off a rubbery surface rather than shatter their bones, but visually, they looked like death traps.
Next came the Shifting Wall. He transfigured a section of the tower's outer masonry (with McGonagall's reluctant permission) to constantly rearrange itself, bricks sliding in and out to create temporary gaps that a flyer had to shoot through. This required a Runic Array embedded in the mortar to randomize the pattern, forcing the flyer to rely on reaction time rather than memorization.
It was grueling work. But the results were tangible.
By the morning of October 31st, Halloween, Alister hovered on his broomstick, looking down at his creation.
Below him, the Velocity Rings pulsed in the sky. Around him, the Clockwork Tower was a symphony of moving stone and swinging axes.
Zone 1 and Zone 2 were online.
He landed on the Astronomy Tower balcony.
He looked out over the grounds. The Great Hall was being decorated with floating pumpkins and live bats for the Halloween feast. The castle was buzzing with anticipation for the food and the celebration.
Now, he could rest until the Halloween feast began.
The Great Hall was a spectacle of orange and black. Thousands of live bats fluttered in the enchanted ceiling, swooping over the tables laden with a feast that smelled of roasted pumpkin, spiced cider, and treacle tart. The chatter was deafening, a happy roar of students enjoying the most anticipated night of the autumn term.
Alister sat at the Slytherin table, picking at a plate of roast chicken. He had completed Zone 2. His body ached with a satisfying fatigue, the kind that came from draining one's magical core and building it back up stronger.
A shadow fell over his plate. He didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"We heard a rumor," Fred Weasley said, sliding into the seat to Alister's left, ignoring the glares of the nearby Slytherins.
"A scandalous rumor," George added, taking the seat on the right and snagging a bread roll.
"About you," Fred finished. "And Professor Sinistra."
Alister paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. "The Astronomy Professor?"
"The very same," George grinned. "Word in the staff room is that she's absolutely livid. Apparently, your 'Clockwork Tower' contraptions are swinging right in front of her telescopes."
"She had to cancel third-year Star Charting last night," Fred laughed. "Because every time she tried to find Mars, a giant stone axe swung past the lens."
"They say you've started a feud, Potter," George said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Disrupting classes in the name of... whatever it is you're building. We're proud of you."
Alister allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. He hadn't intended to disrupt the Astronomy curriculum, but the Astronomy Tower was simply the most viable structural anchor for the vertical obstacles. "It was a necessary trade-off."
"Spoken like a true villain," Fred wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "Keep it up. If you manage to annoy Snape next, we'll name a firework after you."
The twins stuck around for a few more minutes, stealing food from the Slytherin platters and cracking jokes about the terrified first-years dodging the bats, before drifting back to the Gryffindor table.
Alister finished his meal as the feast wound down. While the other students prepared to head back to their common rooms for post-feast parties, Alister slipped away from the crowd. He had a different destination.
He navigated the shifting staircases, climbing higher and higher until the noise of the Great Hall faded into a distant hum. He reached the seventh floor. The corridor was empty, the torchlight flickering against the stone walls.
He walked past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and stopped in front of the ugly stone gargoyle. It stood motionless, guarding the entrance to the tower.
Alister straightened his robes.
"Lemon Drop," Alister stated clearly.
The gargoyle sprang to life instantly, leaping aside with a grinding sound of heavy stone. The wall behind it split open, revealing the moving spiral staircase. Alister stepped onto the bottom step, and the stairs began to rotate, carrying him upward in smooth, silent circles toward the office of the Headmaster.
The spiral staircase carried Alister upward to the gleaming oak door. He knocked once, and Dumbledore's calm voice invited him in.
The Headmaster was seated behind his desk, Fawkes the phoenix slumbering on his perch. Dumbledore looked content, perhaps enjoying the quiet after the noise of the feast.
"Ah, Alister," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "To what do I owe the pleasure? A status report on the Gauntlet, I presume? Professor Sinistra was just telling me how... enlightening it is to have giant swinging axes interrupting her view of Venus."
"The Gauntlet is progressing on schedule, Headmaster," Alister said, stepping forward. "But that is not why I am here."
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a rectangular box wrapped in simple silver paper. He placed it on the desk.
"Happy Halloween, Professor."
Dumbledore looked at the box, genuinely surprised. "A gift? For me?"
"I noticed during our last meeting that your taste in confectionery tends towards the... adventurous," Alister said smoothly. "I thought you might appreciate something reliable."
Dumbledore unwrapped the box with the eagerness of a child. Inside was a selection of high-quality Muggle pralines. No frogs that jumped, no beans that tasted like earwax, and certainly no cockroaches.
Dumbledore picked one up, inspected it, and popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes, humming in appreciation. "Hazelnut. Smooth, stationary, and utterly delicious. You have a kind heart, my boy. A truly delightful surprise."
Alister waited for the Headmaster to swallow, a mischievous, calculating smile slowly spreading across his face.
"I am glad you liked it, Headmaster," Alister said. "Now... about my return gift."
Dumbledore paused, his hand hovering over a second praline. He looked at Alister, blinking. Then, he let out a short, startled laugh. He tried to summon a stern expression, to look affronted at being tricked into a transactional exchange, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him. He was thoroughly amused.
"A Slytherin through and through," Dumbledore chuckled, shaking his head. "You lure an old man in with hazelnut pralines only to spring a trap. Very well, Alister. You have caught me in a charitable mood. What is it you desire? House points? A pass to the Restricted Section?"
"I want to learn Alchemy," Alister stated, his expression turning serious.
Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. "Alchemy? A complex and often esoteric branch of magic. Not many have the patience for it in this age."
"I do," Alister replied. "And I know that to learn from the best, one must study under the best. I have read that you are close friends with Nicolas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. I assume you have exchanged correspondence on the subject?"
Dumbledore studied Alister for a long moment. The request was specific, ambitious, and incredibly astute. Most students only cared about Defense Against the Dark Arts or Charms. To ask for Alchemy—the science of transformation and essence—showed a depth of intent that went far beyond schoolwork.
"We have indeed," Dumbledore said softly. "Nicolas and I have spent many long nights debating the nature of matter and spirit."
He stood up and walked to a cabinet behind his desk. He tapped it with his wand, muttering a quiet password. The doors swung open, revealing rows of shimmering, silver-bound notebooks.
Dumbledore selected a stack of three worn, leather journals and a thick sheaf of loose parchment covered in complex geometric diagrams. He carried them back to the desk and placed them in front of Alister.
"These," Dumbledore said, his voice reverent, "are my personal notes from my studies with Nicolas. They contain theories on equivalent exchange, material resonance, and the purification of base metals. They are not textbooks, Alister. They are the ramblings of two old men trying to understand the world."
He pushed the stack toward the boy.
"If you can understand them, they are yours to borrow. But be warned: Alchemy is not just about changing lead into gold. It is about understanding the value of what you have, and what you must give up to change it."
Alister placed his hand on the books.
"Equivalent exchange," Alister repeated, looking up at Dumbledore. "I think the chocolates were a good investment."
Dumbledore laughed heartily, popping another praline into his mouth. "Indeed, Alister. Indeed. Now, off to bed with you. You have a lot of reading to do."
Alister gathered the priceless notes, bowed respectfully, and left the office.
(END OF CHAPTER)
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