Without hesitation, he grabbed two fresh parchments and penned letters to Arthur Weasley and Alastor Moody. He intended to invite them both for a private discussion. Once finished, he stretched with a satisfied sigh. At that moment, he sensed a familiar presence entering the house. Wimzy’s back.
When he descended to the second floor, he found the living room in absolute chaos. Tables and chairs had been overturned, cabinets knocked sideways, and an entire pile of furniture had been stacked into what could only be described as a makeshift wooden fortress.
Standing near the door was Wimzy, clutching a paper bag of groceries, her expression frozen in stunned disbelief. When she spotted Alex, her ears twitched nervously. “M-Master,” she stammered, pointing at the mess. “I swear, I just got back. I didn’t do this.”
Alex sighed. “I know.” He closed his eyes for a moment, sensing for movement. Then, with an exasperated expression, he turned toward the pile of furniture. “…Fang!” The wooden fortress shuddered. Then, with a loud clatter, part of the structure collapsed, and a gray-furred, soot-covered dog’s head popped out from between the wooden beams.
Fang, now back to his normal size, wagged his tail furiously. “Master! Look! I built a fortress for you!” he declared proudly, flashing what he thought was an innocent smile.
Alex’s brow twitched. Fang, seeing no immediate punishment, pressed on. “Not bad craftsmanship, right? Solid structure, great defensive positioning, and, ” Alex took a deep breath. “Fang.”
Fang’s tail froze mid-wag. “Yes, Master?”
Alex’s eyes gleamed dangerously. “Should I be thanking you, then? What’s gotten into you? You’ve never messed around this badly before.”
Fang grinned sheepishly. “Well… I just wanted to test the effects of the collar for you. And, uh, when I transformed… I might have forgotten that the furniture was still on top of me.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “But don’t worry!” Fang quickly added. “The collar is great quality! No damage at all!”
“Heh. If I believed that, I must’ve been kicked in the head by a Tebo Warthog.” Without another word, Alex reached forward, grabbed the tiny dog by the scruff of his neck, and yanked him out of the wreckage. The moment Fang was free, Alex muttered a quick incantation under his breath. The collar shimmered faintly before a new layer of magic sealed over it. “There. The shrink’s effect is now locked.” Alex tossed Fang unceremoniously to the floor. “Enjoy being tiny for the next week.”
“What?!” Ignoring his protests, Alex flicked his wand to restore the mess in the room.
Fang, sensing he had lost the argument, slumped into a sulking heap. A moment later, he glanced up at Wimzy, who was still standing nearby with the bag of groceries. “Hey, Wimzy. Welcome home. So, uh… what’s for dinner?”
Wimzy blinked at him in surprise. “Wait, Mr. Fang? Why are you suddenly so small?”
Fang sighed dramatically. “It’s a long story. Master has changed… He used to be much more forgiving. Back in school, he pampered that cat-raccoon thing of his, even when it knocked over his cauldron! And me? Now I’m treated far worse.”
Wimzy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ‘Oh, so that’s your excuse for causing trouble now? Just because you look cute?' But she said nothing, choosing instead to ignore Fang’s theatrics.
Once everything was tidied up, the three of them sat down for a hearty meal. The following week, Fang, now stuck as a tiny pup, found himself unexpectedly popular.
Other shopkeepers in Diagon Alley, who had previously barred him from entering due to his reckless nature, now welcomed him with open arms. To them, he was just an adorable little puppy, not the same troublemaking beast he had once been.
Some shop owners even doted on him, feeding him scraps and giving him extra attention. Fang, of course, milked this situation for all it was worth. Alex, however, paid him no mind. He had far more important things to focus on.
William had been making excellent progress. Within the week, all the necessary permits had been secured, and the basement of the Muggle shop had been fully outfitted with a high-frequency transformer. The underground electrical transfer station was now operational.
Now, all that remained was the tunnel. Since this passageway was meant to serve as a permanent installation, Alex approached the excavation with extreme precision. Before digging, he thoroughly studied the surrounding infrastructure, ensuring he wouldn’t accidentally breach a subway system or a sewer line. He carefully mapped out a safe route before proceeding.
For structural integrity, he imported stone bricks and support columns from the Muggle world. Every two meters, a support pillar was installed, reinforcing the passageway. Before laying the bricks, he used magic to stabilize the surrounding soil, preventing collapses.
The end result was not just a simple tunnel, it was a fortified underground passageway. The electrical cables were carefully hidden beneath the floor tiles, shielded from detection.
Finally, for security, Alex installed concealed doors on both ends of the tunnel. They were magically sealed, accessible only through a specific key and a personalized unlocking charm. By the time everything was completed, the power supply issue for the magic Arcana shaper had been solved. Now, it was time to put the machine to the test.
Back in his underground workshop, Alex carefully installed the prototype Arcana shaper he had originally built at Hogwarts. The machine, resembling a smaller version of an industrial drilling and milling unit, stretched over ten meters in length.
It consisted of a core processing unit, a control panel, a material feeder, a pressing chamber, a drill bit, a cutting knife, and a specialized micro-engraver designed for inscribing runes. A separate washing grinder was attached for finishing touches.
Once activated, the Arcana shaper could automatically process raw materials, engrave runes, and polish finished alchemical products, all without manual input. After securing the electrical cables, Alex flicked his wand toward the machine.
The moment his spell connected, an intricate network of magical lines illuminated across the Arcana shaper’s surface. The Thundris Tempest Rune embedded in its core pulsed violently, crackling with electricity.
For a brief moment, sparks jumped from the machine, followed by a loud, jarring clank! Alex tensed. Had something malfunctioned? But after a few seconds, the noise died down, and the Arcana shaper’s vibrations gradually stabilized.
The rune core’s glow softened, transitioning from a harsh electric flare to a steady, controlled hum. A small green indicator light on the console blinked to life. Alex exhaled. ‘It’s working.’
The prototype Arcana shaper was fully operational. Though this was only the first version, its success meant he could begin mass production. Future upgrades could be made based on this foundation, he wouldn’t have to start from scratch again. Grinning, Alex clenched his fist in satisfaction. “The core is stable. Pressure is holding. Now, let’s see if it can actually make something.” He grabbed a block of Paracelsus Brass and tossed it into the material feeder.