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The translucent, air-dried Transformation Lizard had been stored in a box. When Robert took it out, it appeared exactly as it had that night—unchanged in the slightest.
When exposed to sunlight, faint rune-like patterns could still be seen shimmering across its back.
If used as a wand core, it would certainly produce an exceptional Transformation wand. Although it might not be as dazzling as the silver mane, it would be no less effective than Professor McGonagall's hair. Robert had no doubts about that.
But he had no intention of using it as a wand core—not yet. To Robert, this Transformation Lizard had a more practical and urgent purpose.
He sat by the window, retrieved the mandrake sap he had purchased at a high price from the neighboring shop, and delicately dripped it into the lizard's mouth.
Like ink dissolving in water, the grayish-brown sap spread rapidly across the creature, staining the translucent skin in seconds.
At the same time, the shriveled body began to puff up. Moments later, it floated gently into Robert's palm, having transformed completely. Its surface was now a wrinkled, grayish-brown texture, devoid of sheen—looking no different from an ordinary candy wrapper.
And it had a similarly practical use.
A Transformation Lizard Skin Pouch, even in its roughly processed form, was a highly useful magical item. Though it looked like a small pouch from the outside, it could store an astonishing number of items thanks to its powerful internal capacity.
Later, wizards would develop the Undetectable Extension Charm inspired by this very feature.
This was only the basic preparation—it allowed for item storage, nothing more. But if Robert could find a skilled Alchemy Master, one capable of drawing out the lizard's magical sensing talent, the pouch could be further enhanced.
At that stage, only the owner would be able to retrieve the contents, offering security second only to a Gringotts vault—a portable vault, in essence.
However, just as Gringotts could be robbed, this pouch wasn't invulnerable. If someone had the power to forcibly destroy it, they could still access what was inside.
That would depend entirely on the Alchemy Master's skill.
But Robert didn't know any reliable alchemists yet—and besides, he didn't need that level of protection for now. The pouch only needed to hold things. That alone would suffice.
He already carried numerous wands on him, and there would likely be more in the future. He couldn't just stuff them all into his pockets, right?
It wasn't only inconvenient to find what he needed; the clinking and jingling made walking around uncomfortable. The Transformation Lizard Skin Pouch would be the perfect solution.
Robert attached the newly crafted pouch to his waist, then picked up the long Troll wand from his desk and dropped it in.
There was no resistance—the two-foot wand easily fit inside the fist-sized pouch. He tested moving around and found the weight had significantly decreased.
Excellent.
He then proceeded to empty his pockets, stuffing all his spare wands into the pouch. Only his main wand, the one with the silver mane core, remained outside. While the overall weight hadn't changed much, he still felt lighter.
Retrieving items was also easy; when he reached into the pouch, his hand would shrink to accommodate the space. As long as he remembered where each wand was stored, he could retrieve them in an instant.
After practicing throughout the morning, Robert had become proficient at it. With just a quick swipe, he could switch wands seamlessly.
The only downside was the pouch's shape—it wasn't ideal for quick-draw scenarios. It would've been even better if he could wear it directly on his hand.
As that thought crossed his mind, Robert's gaze shifted to the round bamboo hoop resting beside the table.
It was the bamboo staff body he had prepared earlier for the Transformation Lizard. His grandfather Garrick had always believed this type of wand body was best suited for Transformation spells.
If the Transformation Lizard's core could retain its sensing trait, he might have been able to wear it like a wrist-wand.
Robert had hesitated over that idea for an entire night. But ultimately, he decided not to pursue it—at least, not yet.
Wand characteristics were notoriously unpredictable. Without absolute certainty, he didn't want to risk wasting a valuable core.
That was another reason he didn't seek an Alchemy Master.
Natural mandrake sap wouldn't interfere with the lizard being turned into a wand later. But alchemically treated materials? That was a different story entirely.
The next day, Robert went out and purchased a roll of magical tape. Under Garrick's bewildered gaze, he carefully adhered the pouch to the inside of his wide robe's cuff.
"Is that really necessary?" Garrick asked, clearly confused. "You're about to start school. Are you expecting to run into danger there?"
"You never know," Robert replied, testing the fit. The pouch was firmly secured inside his sleeve.
"But you don't even use your other wands regularly."
"I don't use them now. Doesn't mean I won't in the future."
"I've been meaning to ask you something," Garrick said, raising an eyebrow. "Did you really just pick up that Transformation Lizard?"
"Of course I did," Robert said with a straight face. "You think someone would just hand it to me for free?"
Garrick was still skeptical.
He had lived in Diagon Alley for decades, yet never once had he stumbled across a Transformation Lizard—he hadn't even found a stray silver sickle.
"Don't worry," Robert said casually. "I really picked it up in Knockturn Alley. The Ministry's been cracking down on dark magic items lately. A lot of pure-blood families are selling off their stash. Someone probably dropped it by accident."
"What if they come looking for it?"
"No one's coming," Robert said confidently.
Unless those six people also made Horcruxes, he added silently.
Garrick misunderstood the implication, assuming Robert meant those pure-bloods wouldn't want it known they had been skulking around Knockturn Alley.
"Well, alright," Garrick sighed. "In any case, you're starting school soon. This is what you asked for—it was delivered an hour ago."
He set a brown paper-wrapped package on the table.
Robert eagerly tore it open. Inside were more than a dozen pieces of dragon blood wood in various sizes.
"What did you want these for?"
"To make wands, of course. I'm not burning them in the fireplace," Robert replied. He picked up a piece and examined the grain. From the cross-section, it looked to be over fifty years old. The rest were of similar quality—no cheap stock here.
"But dragon blood wood isn't good for wand bodies," Garrick pointed out. "It's too volatile. In combat, it often channels magic that directly opposes the caster's intention. That's a serious flaw."
"That can also be an advantage," Robert said, pulling out a book titled Magical Pairings of Potions and Wands. He flipped it open to a specific page.
"See? It says the wand body, under specific conditions, can guide the flow of the core's magic."
"You're misreading it—it's supposed to suppress it," Garrick interjected.
"Not entirely," Robert countered. "Just like unicorn tail hair works best for healing spells, and dragon heartstring excels at fire spells—these traits aren't something the wand body can fully suppress."
"But in that case, a wand with dragon heartstring could only cast fire spells?" Garrick asked. "Isn't a wand that's limited to a single type of magic a failure?"
"Yes… and no," Robert replied with a grin. "Not for me, at least."
He glanced down at the pouch tightly strapped inside his sleeve.
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