Charles felt utterly drained. He had never exhausted his magic reserves before, and now his whole body felt limp. Even lifting his wand seemed impossible.

  "Now focus on how your body feels," Alex instructed. "I'll grab you something to eat. After using up all yic, your body starts refilling both your energy and magic reserves, gradually boosting your capacity."

  Nodding, Charles trated on his body. He felt defted, as if all his energy had vanished. Yet, slowly, he sensed a strange warmth from within, like his body was beginning to replenish his magic bit by bit.

  It reminded him of a water pipe slowly filling up. At first, whey, he could feel each drop, but as it filled, he could barely notice the individual flows. This sensation, he realized, was his magic returning. He could feel his sensitivity to it growing.

  If Alex could help him trol and enhahis perception, the Charm Club might gain valuable insights into magical sensitivity. Professor Flitwick had hihat expl this sensitivity could open new pathways in spellcasting.

  Alex returned with a blueberry pie from Hagrid’s kit and ha to Charles. "How do you feel?" he asked.

  Charles dug into the pie, famished. Between bites, he said, "I feel the magiing back slowly. It’s like... it’s filling bit by bit."

  "Good. That’s a feeling you’ll get familiar with," Alex chuckled.

  Thinking about the exhaustion he had felt, Charles asked, “Do you do this kind of training too?”

  "I started when I was seven," Alex replied casually. "Even now, I still do it before bed. The effects are most noticeable at first. Over time, you get used to it and start reizing your limits."

  "Seven?!" Charles stared at him in disbelief. "How did you mao keep going through this kind of pain?"

  Alex gave a small shrug. "You just learn to live with it, you know? It bees... normal."

  After resting a bit, Alex and Charles joined Hagrid for dinner. Hagrid enjoyed having them over, especially since Charles was a friend of Alex’s. Later, Alex walked Charles back to the castle, then headed off for a spell lesson with Professor Bones. “Today, I’ll introduce you to some alchemy materials,” Bones said, gesturing to a table filled with different types of wood, metal, aher.

  As Alex touched each material, he noticed a familiar one—a bronze-like metal that reminded him of the amulet Lily had given him. Bones saw his curiosity and smiled. “That’s ‘Ur bronze,’ created by the goblins. It’s a popur choice finners due to its stability and magic-st properties. It’s quite affordable too pared to other options.”

  Alex realized that Lily’s amulet had been crafted from this material. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she said it was something she’d made casually.

  "Ied?" Alex asked, intrigued.

  "Yes," Bones expined. "In both the wizard and Muggle worlds, the metals we know aren’t naturally magical. These alloys are created by bining regur metals with magiagical creature ingredients. Each alloy has unique properties based on the formu used, which makes the formu itself highly valuable."

  Bones picked up a silver dle holder . Alex was captivated by the rare dle holder in Professor Bones’s hand. Its silvery surface gleamed with a brightness beyond ordinary metal, tiny star-like flecks sparkling across it as if it held its own night sky.

  “This,” Professor Bones began, holding the silver piece carefully, “is made from a special metal called Goblin Silver. Goblins have mastered its creation, making it incredibly valuable. It’s as prized as a Galleon, but you won’t find it in regur shops. If you’re lucky, you might spot some on the bck market, where the prices are sky-high. Some alchemists eve down goblin-made silverware like this to create powerful magical items. This dle holder is the only piece of goblin silverware I own.”

  Alex turhe dle holder in his hands, amazed by the way light reflected off its surface. The metal felt almost alive, shining brighter than anything he’d seen. Professor Bones tinued, “There’s also a rarer one called mithril, even strohan goblin silver. Legend has it that Rowena Ravencw used a piece of refined mithril to make her famous diadem.”

  , Professor Bones introduced Alex to anoblial. “This is Ulim Steel,” he said, dispying a small, dull-looking brooch. “Also called goblin steel oblin iron, it’s one of the hardest and most stable materials in the wizarding world. While it cks exceptional magical properties, it’s top-notch for creating spatial items. When you apply aension Charm on Ulim Steel, it create a vast, stable space that, as long as it’s regurly charged, will st indefinitely.”

  Alex’s curiosity peaked as he watched Professor Bones el some magito the brooch. Instantly, a ly folded robe appeared in his hand, then vanished bato the brooch with another pulse of magic.

  “Besides space-type items, Ulim Steel’s strength makes it perfect for things like boxes, doors, and even vaults. Gringotts, for example, uses Ulim Steel in its vault doors. Anwarts treasure, the Sword of Gryffindor, is rumored to be made of a unique mix of Ulim Steel, Goblin Silver, and Mithril.”

  Alex nodded, admiration clear in his eyes. “The goblins really do have a way with metalwork,” he remarked. “It’s incredible that they’ve created so many exceptional alloys.”

  Professor Bones agreed. “Yes, goblins have excelled in magical metallurgy, whice fueled their sense of pride as a race. Sadly, that iion also led to flicts, which we now call the Goblin Rebellions. Some even say that certain alchemists started those wars, driven by their greed foblin-made metals.”

  Alex’s eyes widened. “But didn’t wizards eventually win those wars? And did they get the goblins’ formus in the end?”

  Professor Bones sighed. “The wizards cimed victory, yes, but it was far from a win. Goblins fought fiercely, and an ht win would have meant severe wizard casualties. To plicate things, it’s said that a famous alchemist stepped in to deescate the situation.”

  “Really? Who was it?” Alex asked, captivated.

  “Nick Fmel,” Professor Bones replied with a hint of reverence.

  Alex’s jaw dropped. “The same Nick Fmel who created the Philosopher’s Stone?”

  Professor Bones nodded, his tone serious. “Yes. And the reasoes to a ual he ied. Here, take a look.” He pulled out a piece of part, its surface covered iches and notes.

  Alex studied the part, notig a picture of an unusual metal. It looked like titanium—a little lighter than silver. He gnced up at Professor Bones.

  “This is Lemay Alloy,” Professor Bones expined. “Fmel crafted it with the strength of Ulim Steel and the magical stability of Isser Mithril. It’s one of the fi metals wizards ever had access to.”

  Uanding dawned on Alex. “So Fmel’s alloy meant wizards didn’t need goblials?”