13 9/3 Quarters
After returning to Birmingham from London, Artel's focus shifted entirely to the study of magic. He refrained from joining his cousins in their activities or participating in horsemanship, shooting, and combat training. Instead, he immersed himself in magical research.
Within the manor, he established an underground laboratory, a place off-limits to anyone except Michael and Jimmy, who occasionally visited.
Saruman's notes contained a recipe for an orc potion capable of transforming animals into orcs. However, Artel lacked the necessary ingredients for the potion.
On the third day of being back in Birmingham, Artel made his way to London. Donning the Ring of Power, he followed a wizard into Diagon Alley.
From there, he entered Knockturn Alley, pillaging the dark wizard shops for materials necessary for dark magic experiments, as well as valuable potion ingredients. Artel stashed everything away within his system space, an act even Dumbledore couldn't detect. Once back in Birmingham, Artel embarked on his own experimental venture.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Artel finally succeeded in crafting the orc potion. The initial trial was conducted on a mouse captured from the castle's basement.
To the astonishment of Michael and Jimmy, the mouse transformed into a rat-headed orc about half the height of a human, shrouded in black mist.
Its eyes emitted a sinister red gleam, its fangs were razor-sharp, and its claws shimmered with an icy light, emanating a fierce and terrifying aura.
This rat-man resembled a creature from a video game, quite distinct from the repugnant orcs of The Lord of the Rings.
Artel couldn't recall encountering a similar potion in The Lord of the Rings, suggesting it might be a product of the system transformation rather than a half-orc as depicted in the source material.
In any case, the experiment yielded remarkably successful results.
Artel's motivation for attempting the orc potion was driven by the fact that the potent orcs needed for exchange with Saruman could only be created from the souls of half-orcs.
Under the watchful eyes of Michael and Jimmy, Artel extended his wand toward the rat-headed creature.
Despite being created by Artel, the creature instinctively bared its teeth in response to the threat of death. It dared not make any aggressive moves against Artel.
"Soul extraction!"
This necromancer's signature spell extracted the souls of others. Originally meant for gathering the souls of the deceased, this spell was transformed into a menacing form of dark magic that absorbed the magic of the living after being corrupted by malevolent necromancers.
With a whimper, the rat-headed being succumbed. Its soul transformed into a glowing bead, drawn into Artel's wand, and its lifeless body was incinerated by Artel's flames.
Following this incident, both Michael and Jimmy shied away from Artel's laboratory, their apprehension of wizards deepening.
In addition to the orc potion, Artel experimented with animal potions, ironskin potions, and invisibility potions.
The animal potion transformed the drinker into a corresponding animal. The ironskin potion granted copper-like skin and iron-like bones, making the person immune to pain and certain magics. The invisibility potion, as the name suggested, rendered the drinker invisible for half an hour.
These potions didn't exist in the Harry Potter universe. Introducing them would undoubtedly cause a stir within the wizarding world.
Artel's intention for these potions was to determine their potential use in his future plans.
On August 30th, the system's twice-monthly free summons occurred again. Unfortunately, Artel's luck this time wasn't as favorable as before. He obtained a cave troll and a roll of parchment containing weather data—items that held no relevance to his connection with the Lord of the Rings.
The cave troll was a repulsive creature emanating a foul odor. Its massive size, tough skin, and limited intelligence made Artel deposit it deep within the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, allowing it to thrive on its own.
....
A full month later, Artel found himself at King's Cross Station in Jimmy's car.
By 10:40 AM, Artel had disembarked at King's Cross.
He carried only a single suitcase containing changed clothes, textbooks, and necessary school supplies. His more valuable items remained stored within his system space.
"Platform nine and three-quarters."
Artel positioned himself between platforms nine and ten, surveying the scene. Numerous young wizards, guided by their parents, were traversing platform nine and three-quarters.
Familiar faces caught Artel's eye—Seamus Finnigan, the demolition expert; Dean, the young boy; and several other senior wizards he recognized.
"Artel!"
Just as Artel was contemplating his next move, Hermione's excited voice reached his ears.
Turning around, he spotted Hermione waving at him. The Grangers stood behind her, smiling warmly at him.
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