Chapter 60: Ingraved
"Arthur, I'm here!"
Hermione's voice came from the door, and Arthur reached out his hand to open the door.
Hermione walked in wearing a traditional British sailor uniform, with white socks wrapped around her slender legs.
After changing out of her Hogwarts uniform, Hermione had gained a bit more energy in her demeanor. Coupled with her well-groomed hair, she looked beautiful like a little princess.
"Come, Hermione, it's so hot outside. Have some orange juice."
At that moment, Arthur was sitting in the main seat of the living room, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and holding a book in his hand.
This added a touch of elegance to his appearance.
Seeing Arthur like this, Hermione's cheeks turned slightly red. She thought Arthur looked handsome wearing glasses.
"What book are you reading today? Fantastic Beasts Defense Guide or Alternative Applications of Transfiguration?"
During this period of time, since Hermione discovered that Arthur had bought many books, she often came to Arthur's house to study.
After all, there were limitations on how many Galleons could be exchanged with pounds, and she couldn't buy all the books she wanted to read.
So Arthur's house became Hermione's heaven, and whenever she had free time, she would come there to study.
"Let's go with Alternative Applications of Transfiguration." She glanced at the book in Arthur's hand.
She couldn't even recognize the font on the cover; it seemed to be an ancient language.
"Alright, once you finish reading the book, I have a gift for you."
Hermione curiously looked at Arthur, but she wasn't in a hurry. She took the book that Arthur handed to her and started reading.
...
Soon, it was lunchtime, and the two of them went out casually to grab a bite to eat before returning home.
Although Arthur had been living alone for a long time, he had no clue how to cook, and Hermione also didn't know how to cook, so they ended up eating out every time.
Back at home, Arthur led Hermione to a study on the second floor. It was filled with a furnace, beakers, and two cabinets.
One cabinet was filled with medicinal herbs, while the other contained different metals and materials.
It was Hermione's first time in this room, so she looked around curiously.
She hadn't encountered alchemy before, so she didn't recognize many of the materials, except for some potion ingredients she could barely identify.
Arthur placed a chair next to the table and sat on the opposite side.
He gestured for Hermione to sit down and began manipulating a furnace with a substance inside that looked like flowing silver.
"What are you making?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Although you have a protective necklace, your offensive abilities are somewhat lacking. Today, I'll help you fill that gap."
Stirring the ingredients of the furnace and waving his wand to sense the magic, Arthur nodded in satisfaction.
He took out a glass similar to the one muggles used to repair watches, and he held a feather quill in his hand.
"Give me your hand."
"Okay." Hermione obediently nodded and gave her hand.
This was the first time Arthur had carefully looked at Hermione's hand like this.
He noticed that Hermione's skin was completely different from the rough texture of typical Europeans.
It was smooth, like a piece of silk.
Being stared at and played with by Arthur in this way made Hermione feel a bit shy, and she instinctively tightened her grip.
"Please don't move around." Arthur noticed her reaction and warned her.
He spread out Hermione's hand, palm facing down. And then, Arthur continuously drew something on Hermione's fingernails using the quill.
A tingling sensation spread throughout Hermione's body, making her feel weird.
Although Hermione was curious, she didn't dare to disturb Arthur, who was deeply focused. She could only endure the slight itchiness on her nails.
After ten minutes, Arthur let out a sigh of relief. He had finally completed the first magical pattern on her fingernail.
His technique gradually became more proficient as he continued.
After over an hour, the magical patterns on all ten fingers were finished.
"Phew!" Arthur took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, relieving the fatigue from his long concentration.
At this point, Hermione couldn't hold her curiosity any longer and asked, "Arthur, what is all this?"
Arthur smirked, proud to show his achievements in alchemy and magical patterns this semester.
"In the future, when you encounter danger, gather your magical power in your right-hand fingers to activate the enchantments on the magical patterns. Once activated, each enchantment will automatically replenish the magic, but it requires a 12-hour cooldown."
"I've engraved the Disarming Charm on all five fingers of your right hand, and they can be at once triggered, which I call the Lightning Five Whip!"
Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise. She never expected Arthur to have such a talent.
Imagine this scenario: when Hermione is dueling with someone, an opponent casts a Disarming Charm, sending her wand flying. The opponent feels victorious, ready to finish Hermione off completely.
Then Hermione extends her right hand, instantly unleashing five Disarming Charm. The opponent might react in time to block the first one with a Shield Charm, but what about the remaining spells?
Thinking of this, Hermione couldn't help but shiver, feeling a moment of pity for her future enemies.
"What about the spells on my left hand?" Hermione continued to ask.
"That's the Summons Charm. It allows you to instantly summon your wand. It can also be used to recover a disarmed wand if an opponent has knocked it away."
Hermione quickly understood Arthur's strategy.
Seeing her devoted boyfriend putting so much effort into preparing defensive measures for her, Hermione beamed with a radiant smile and rewarded him with a sweet kiss.
Arthur calmly accepted it. Over this period, his relationship with Hermione had grown increasingly close, and such small temptations couldn't shake his focus.
"This spell is so amazing. Can I learn it?" Hermione, being an academic achiever, displayed her strong desire for knowledge.
"That may not be possible for now. You'll need to learn Ancient Runes first and then study Magical Patterns and some aspects of Alchemy," Arthur replied.
When hearing this, Hermione felt a bit disappointed.
However, in an instant, her fighting spirit returned, and she decided to go to the library next semester and start researching Ancient Runes.
Observing Hermione's determination, Arthur shook his head. He naturally understood her thoughts, but this couldn't be accomplished overnight.
Arthur was confident that in the magical world, only a few wizards could achieve such complicated manipulation as he did.
It required a deep understanding of runes and the ability to simplify them to be carved onto fingernails.
This alone presented a challenge for most wizards.
In the current magical world, few people are willing to study ancient magic. After all, for most wizards, knowing a few common spells was good.
Furthermore, crafting this special metal was extremely difficult for Arthur.
The liquid metal not only needed to possess strong magical efficiency but also had to attach to the nails for a long time without coming off.
Hermione wanted to achieve the same level as he would require three to five years of study and research.
However, Arthur would not stop Hermione from pursuing it. After all, studying these fields would greatly enhance Hermione's abilities.
...
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