At the same time, her blood traveled through the rubber tube, flowing into a small pen-like tool in Alex’s hand. This custom-designed tool allowed Alex to apply the blood precisely while minimizing waste.
With steady hands, Alex painted the ritual sigil onto the mask’s surface, ensuring that each stroke was thin yet even. From his previous experiments, he had determined that as long as the blood fully covered the sigil, the thickness didn’t matter, so rather than pouring a large amount of blood, he opted for multiple thin applications. He coated the mask three times, ensuring full coverage while conserving blood.
The moment the final layer sank into the sigil, the runes faded, a sign that the blood magic had successfully bonded with the artifact. Alex immediately withdrew the instrument and stopped Tonks' bleeding before she lost too much blood. "Huh? That’s it?" Tonks blinked in surprise. "I thought this would take forever!"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Every second I waste means more blood from you. Did you really want me to take my time?"
Tonks shuddered. "Nope. I like keeping my blood, thanks." Her gaze fell on the mask, now fully soaked in red. "So… is it done?" she asked, leaning in closer. "Did it work? Try it on!"
Alex picked up the still-warm mask, feeling an odd energy pulsing through it. He nodded. "Yeah. Let’s see if this thing actually works."
The moment Alex placed the mask on his face, he felt a cool, smooth sensation against his skin. It wasn’t just sitting on his face, it was adhering to it, molding to his features like a second skin. From Tonks' perspective, the sight was equal parts impressive and horrifying. Since the blood hadn’t dried yet, the thin mask blended eerily with his face, making it look like he was some kind of ghostly figure covered in red veins.
Then, Alex activated the mask by channeling magic into it. The change was instantaneous. The blood was absorbed into the mask’s material, and within seconds, its red surface faded, turning into the exact same tone as Alex’s skin.
A moment later, the mask was completely invisible. It was seamlessly fused to his face, with no visible edges, no breaks, no sign that he was even wearing a mask. "It actually worked," Alex thought.
As soon as the connection was established, he instinctively understood how to use the mask. His face began shifting, almost like melting wax. At first, the process was slow, as though the magic was still calibrating to his features. His face distorted and stretched, as if sculpted from soft clay. Then, the pace quickened. Within ten seconds, his face had restructured itself, smooth, natural, and perfectly formed.
Tonks' jaw dropped. Staring back at her was a woman, a more mature version of herself. Her features were nearly identical, but slightly older, with flawless skin and a sharper jawline. "…WHAT THE HELL, Alex?!" Tonks shrieked.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You turned into a woman! And you’re prettier than me!" Tonks grabbed at his, her, face in mock outrage.
Alex sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You were the only available reference, so I used you as an example."
"Hehe," Tonks snickered. "But you’re missing something, your hair didn’t change, and you don’t have my curves!" To emphasize her point, she patted her chest smugly.
Alex groaned. "You’re eleven. You barely have anything to compare to."
Tonks rolled her eyes playfully. "Details, details." Then, as if struck by a mischievous idea, her grin widened. Her face began to shift, and within moments, she had transformed into Alex. But not just any Alex, a younger version. She even added baby fat to his face, making him look like a chubby-cheeked first-year.
Alex stared at her in silent disapproval. Tonks giggled uncontrollably. "Wow! You were so adorable as a kid!"
"Undo it." Alex deadpanned.
"Hmmm… nah. I think I’ll stay like this all day." Tonks crossed her arms, smirking. "What if I go to class like this? Imagine the rumors!" Tonks teased, bouncing over to the mirror. She grinned wickedly, rubbing her borrowed face as if it were actually Alex’s.
Seeing this, Alex’s expression darkened. He stepped forward and flicked Tonks sharply on the forehead. "Had enough fun yet?" he asked, watching with satisfaction as she yelped in pain, clutching her head.
“Alright, let’s focus. Help me test this mask. The second bottle in the cupboard, it’s the Visibility Potion Spray. Grab it and see if this thing holds up.” Without giving her a chance to argue, Alex grabbed Tonks by the back of her collar and dragged her toward the cabinet, pointing at the shelf with his chin.
Tonks pouted, rubbing her forehead dramatically. “You really don’t know how to joke, Alex,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him before reluctantly fetching the potion.
Without hesitation, she began spraying the revealing potion all over Alex’s face as if it were free. This potion was designed to break disguises created by Polyjuice Potion or Transfiguration. It was commonly used in the wizarding world, including in places like Gringotts, where the infamous Anti-Thief Waterfall was essentially a never-ending stream of the stuff. Yet, even as the potion coated Alex’s face, nothing changed. He felt no tingling, no discomfort, just the cool sensation of the liquid drying on his skin. More importantly, his reflection in the mirror remained the same, and Tonks’ eyes confirmed it.
“Well, that’s a success,” Alex nodded, satisfied. A disguise mask that could withstand a revealing potion was practically an artifact of deception.
Tonks crossed her arms. “Too bad it can’t change your height or hair. Otherwise, you could pretend to be Snape and give first-years a lesson they’d never forget.”
Alex smirked. “Not a fan of Professor Snape, are you? He’s not as bad as you think.”
Tonks scoffed. “Yeah, right. You just like him ‘cause he’s your Head of House.” Shaking his head, Alex didn’t bother arguing further. Instead, he returned to his natural face, noting how comfortable the mask was. It felt like a second skin, so natural that he didn’t even bother taking it off.
Tonks suddenly brightened. “Oh, right! Alex, you’ve gotta get me a monocle too. Imagine us both walking around with them, we’d look so stylish!”
Alex glanced at her, unimpressed. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. Maybe after you learn the Echo Charm.” He pulled out his glasses and polished them with a cloth before slipping them back on.
Tonks groaned dramatically. “Ugh, you always say my spellwork is bad…”
“Because it is.” Tonks had made great strides in Transfiguration under Alex’s guidance, but her general spellcasting skills were still at the level of an average Hogwarts student. The Echo Charm, a rare non-verbal spell that required precise magical control, was far beyond her current capabilities. At best, she might be able to pull it off in her fifth year. The two of them spent a little more time experimenting with the disguise mask before heading back to Hogwarts. They chose not to stay for dinner at the Forbidden Forest Lodge tonight, exams were approaching, and Slytherin House was in full study mode.