Before Ethan Jones could even begin his plan to bribe Snape, Hermione dragged him away to study Alchemy.
Ethan Jones asked in bewilderment, "Why did you suddenly decide to study this?"
"I want to test what I'm talented at, so I'm doing all sorts of experiments. Since you don't have anything good to study right now, why don't you study Alchemy with me? What if you also have a talent for it?"
Hermione's explanation sounded nice, but in reality, she found studying Alchemy alone a bit boring, so she brought someone along to alleviate her loneliness.
Ethan Jones couldn't openly discuss the Dark Magic he was researching with Hermione, so in Hermione's eyes, wasn't that just a waste of time?
"Alright, alright." Ethan Jones was also curious about the amazing Alchemy, but he had been studying spells in depth and hadn't had the time. He figured it would be good to take this opportunity to learn about Alchemy.
He had always wanted to make a piece of clothing that could float so he could use it for nighttime travel after learning the Disillusionment Charm.
He had asked Professor Flitwick; the ability for clothes to float and thus for people to float is something the Levitation Charm can do, but for various reasons, nobody uses it.
So he planned to get an alchemical suit to maximize the efficiency of the Levitation Charm. Then, with the Disillusionment Charm making him invisible and the Levitation suit making him float in the air, he could silently and invisibly drift from the corridor to the Restricted Section to learn some forbidden magic.
However, Alchemy is a very complex discipline. Before the various disciplines in the wizarding world were so clearly divided, it was a broad category that encompassed many modern disciplines.
Modern Alchemy is inextricably linked to Ancient Runes, spellcasting, and potion-making. It is even related to Defense Against the Dark Arts. In addition, to learn Alchemy, one must also understand various alchemical materials.
Therefore, at Hogwarts, this course can only be taken after the sixth year, and the academic requirements for the subjects involved are very high.
During his summer vacation, Ethan Jones bought several books related to runes, including Magic Phonetic Chart, Runes Dictionary and Advanced Rune Translation, and at the time he was thinking about whether he could develop in the direction of Alchemy.
However, for the novice wizard who had absolutely no background knowledge, these books were like incomprehensible gibberish. At the time, he couldn't find any practical application for them, so he simply flipped through them once and then put them aside.
Now that he's about to get involved in Alchemy, he has no choice but to dig out those books that were gathering dust under his bed.
Of course, what they need to do now is to finish reading the basic introductory books on Alchemy in the library.
Books like The Origins of Alchemy and An Introduction to Alchemy are what they should be reading.
The two of them each held a thick book, their brows furrowed as they read.
This is just a book of knowledge that doesn't actually involve the steps of Alchemy, and it already contains a lot of technical terms that they can't understand. If you were to take out a slightly more profound book on Alchemy, they would probably cry.
After finally managing to skip over all the obscure and incomprehensible sentences, he finished reading The Origin of Alchemy. Putting the book down, he tried to recall its contents.
"Actually, there wasn't anything particularly important. It just explained the origin, development, and branches of Alchemy. Some of the terminology seemed very profound, but it's outdated. Unless you're studying ancient alchemical texts, no one would mention it."
After summarizing it in his mind, he had a clear understanding. He glanced at Hermione, who was still frowning as she read. He didn't disturb her and began to write diligently on the parchment, learning the knowledge system that Alchemy required.
"What is this?" Hermione finally finished flipping through the book and asked curiously, looking at the circles and drawings on the parchment.
He carefully explained to Hermione: "Some basic knowledge required for Alchemy, such as this is runes, this is spells, which are further divided into categories like defense and offense..."
By the time he had finished organizing all the content, he had already mentally given up on this complex and fascinating subject.
"The required knowledge is too much. Just the magic runes alone require a long period of study to reach the stage where they can be used. However, if there are specific steps for a certain alchemical item that do not involve other knowledge, then it is worth a try."
He was prepared to give up, but he wanted Hermione to persevere and master Alchemy so that she could help him if he needed it in the future.
Hermione frowned as she looked at the vast array of knowledge.
"Can I really learn this?" Even as a top student, she still had this question in her mind.
Seeing her expression, Ethan Jones was afraid she would give up, so he quickly encouraged her, "Don't be fooled by how complicated these things are; you don't have to learn them all at the beginning."
When you first start, you can imitate other people's alchemical items, analyzing the spells, runes, materials, etc. they used. Later, when you start creating your own, you can fill in the gaps and address your weaknesses.
This is based on experience. Just like when you were doing design in your past life, you definitely won't do well at first. So what do you do?
Learn from others. The more you learn from others, the better you'll know what's good and what's bad. Then, based on your own aesthetic sense, browse through similar works, supplement your theoretical knowledge, and so on, to create your own works.
Of course, simply copying is not a viable approach; you are merely a replicator, not a designer.
"Really? Then you can come with me." Hermione thought his words made some sense, but she still didn't quite believe him.
He quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, you do it. I plan to study spells and potions, which are very large and profound subjects. I really can't find the time."
Whether it was because he waved his hand too wide or his voice was too loud in refusal, Mrs. Pince was drawn over by him.
"No noise allowed in the library! If this happens again, all of you get out!"
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Pince," Ethan Jones quickly apologized in a low voice, and Hermione also whispered her apology.
The two switched from verbal communication to written communication, but writing was never as convenient or quick as speaking, so they didn't exchange many useful words until the library closed.
"It's not too late yet. Come on, tell me properly why you don't study Alchemy. Are you planning to study Dark Magic?" Hermione cornered him in an abandoned classroom.
"No, I just feel that I'm more suited to spells and potions." Ethan Jones felt a little guilty after his thoughts were seen through.
Hermione thought he was lying: "Really? You really shouldn't learn Dark Magic anymore. You know, people who learn Dark Magic never end up well. Most of them end up in Azkaban."
"Don't worry, I just want to become a master of spells."
Even though he thumped his chest loudly, Hermione didn't really believe him.
But she couldn't find any evidence, so all she could do was warn, "I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Back in his dorm, Ethan Jones was in a bind. He wondered if he should distance himself from Hermione a little; she was being a bit too controlling.