“This is amazing,” Alex murmured, scrolling through the lower box like a display screen. “Every page has everything you need to learn or use the spell. And if someone can’t learn it, they can just use the book itself to cast it. What a brilliant design.”
As he flipped through more pages, his excitement grew. The book contained records of powerful dark magic and curses, including the Unforgivable Curses, Legilimency, Occlumency, and even the complete Slytherin protection charm. “It’s a treasure trove,” Alex said with a grin.
But then, he stumbled upon a page unlike the others. It had no title, just a strange, pulsing rune etched across the top. Alex’s curiosity spiked, and he leaned closer.
"What is this?" Alex’s eyes widened as he stared at the empty spell and record columns. In their place was a single rune—a special one—formed by intricate, intertwining silver and blue lines glowing faintly in the middle of the page. This... this was an ancient magic rune!
Alex had only ever heard of such runes in passing, from Lily and Professor Bone. They had described them as extraordinary symbols that appeared on the bones of ancient magical creatures, within ruins of bygone eras, or in places naturally imbued with magic. Ancient runes were the rawest, purest form of magical expression—unrefined, unaltered, and bursting with latent power.
Many modern runes, Alex recalled, had been derived from these ancient symbols. They’d been optimized, parsed, and broken down over centuries to make them easier for everyday wizards to use. But that simplification didn’t diminish the potency of the originals. Quite the opposite. Ancient runes carried an overwhelming strength that made them notoriously difficult to control. Only the most talented wizards dared attempt their usage, often spending years—sometimes decades—studying a single rune to unlock its secrets.
Some of the most gifted wizards in history had wielded these ancient runes without needing to deconstruct them. For Alex, standing face-to-face with such a symbol was like finding a lost piece of history. "Could this be the rune Lucius gave to Julia?" The thought suddenly struck Alex like lightning. He vividly remembered the memory he’d glimpsed through Temple Travers: Lucius had entrusted Julia with safeguarding a mysterious rune.
Alex leaned closer, scrutinizing the symbol. Its flickering magical aura danced like restless lightning. "This looks like an elemental rune," he murmured. "Could it be... a lightning rune?"
Alex’s mind raced as he compared it to what he knew of elemental magic. He’d encountered lightning runes before while studying spells. Bu he never go deep.
The reason was simple: ordinary lightning spells felt inefficient to him. They demanded immense magical power but produced underwhelming results—like trying to boil an ocean with a candle. Boosting their effectiveness required either relentless practice or exorbitant magical expenditure, neither of which appealed to Alex, who preferred efficiency in his pursuits.
But this rune... this was something entirely different. Ancient runes didn’t follow the same rules. They were like the difference between ordinary fire and Flamma Antiqua —an ancient flame spell derived directly from an unaltered rune. The raw, chaotic power of Flamma was infamous for its destructiveness and the difficulty wizards faced in controlling it. "Could this lightning rune be just as powerful?" Alex’s heart raced with excitement as he imagined the possibilities. However, he quickly reined himself in. Testing this rune would require careful preparation. It wasn’t something to rush into blindly.
After taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Alex forced himself to set aside his eagerness and continue examining the rest of the magic book. The more he explored its pages, the more he realized something chilling.
The book’s greatest danger wasn’t the spells it contained. No, many of these spells could be found elsewhere. The real threat lay in the usage records meticulously inscribed within its pages. “The Curse of Dragon Pox,” Alex muttered as he read aloud the name of a spell. His gaze shifted to Yulia, who immediately stiffened. A spark of recognition flickered in her eyes, followed by a flash of panic.
“You seem nervous, Lady Travers,” Alex said, his voice light but his words sharp as blades. “The last recorded use of this curse was in 1968, the same year Nobby Leach—the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic—died of dragon pox. Quite the coincidence, don’t you think?”
Yulia flinched as though struck. “What are you insinuating? That has nothing to do with me!” she snapped, her voice unsteady.
Alex arched an eyebrow, his suspicions deepening. “Interesting reaction,” he said, his tone casual but his eyes piercing. “Let’s think about this. Your father, Abraxas Malfoy, also died from dragon pox. And if I recall correctly, you were married into the Travers family by then. In fact, Sampur Travers was born in 1969, which means you were living with the Traverses during the time this curse was last used.”
Yulia swallowed hard, her expression faltering. She seemed trapped in memories she didn’t want to revisit. “Let’s hypothesize,” Alex continued, his voice turning colder. “You lent this magic book to your father. He used the curse to eliminate a political rival, but in doing so, he accidentally infected himself. In other words, Lady Travers, you indirectly killed your own father. Does Lucius know?”
“Shut up!” Yulia’s composure shattered. Her face twisted with rage as she glared at Alex, her usual noble grace giving way to raw fury.
Alex smirked, unfazed. “Why so defensive? I haven’t even said I’d expose you. I’m just fascinated by stories involving crime, conspiracies, and tangled family drama.”
“Have you mocked me enough?! Anyway, you can’t copy this magic book! So, if you’re done making fun of me, just take whatever books you managed to copy and get out of here!” Yulia’s furious voice echoed in the dim room, her clenched fists trembling with frustration.
Why did every moment with this boy, Alex, feel like an eternity? They had only interacted twice, but each encounter left her exasperated and on edge. Could he be her nemesis, destined to test her patience?
Alex, unfazed by her outburst, smirked. “Oh? And you’re so sure I can’t copy this magic book? That’s cute,” he teased, his tone dripping with mockery.
Yulia gritted her teeth, the veins on her temples pulsing. “Alex, I’ll admit you’re skilled—you managed to find this treasure and even break the seal on it. I didn’t expect that. It’s my fault for letting you get this far. But don’t even think for a second that you can copy it.”
She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. “This isn’t just any ordinary book—it’s an alchemical masterpiece. Its value isn’t in its spells but in its unique construction. So stop wasting your time and leave before you embarrass yourself further!” But Alex wasn’t listening to her warnings. He wasn’t here to debate. He was here to crack the book’s secrets, and nothing she said would change his mind.