Without a second thought, Allen meticulously prepared all the necessary auxiliary materials, organizing them in the precise sequence of their required addition. He placed them in the six corresponding grooves atop the marble columns, forming a perfect six-pointed star array around the central furnace.
Flanking the immense furnace were two luminous, sculpted figures: a giant Eagle on the left and a menacing Raven on the right. The Eagle emitted a soft, silvery-white light, while the Raven constantly exuded clouds of pure, energy-absorbing black mist. Their beaks were positioned directly above the mouth of the central crucible.
The surface of the crucible itself was embossed with a spectacular relief sculpture of a mighty dragon with five different-colored heads. The scales beneath its neck seemed to shimmer and change hue depending on the viewing angle.
The central, red-scaled dragon head was most prominent, its jaws agape, staring upwards at the crucible's interior, much like the eagle and the raven. Through the gaps in its teeth, Allen could glimpse the crucial, central raw material for the Philosopher's Stone—a raw, unrefined stone whose method of creation was the mystery Rowena had deliberately withheld.
Following the instructions in the Ravenclaw manuscript, Allen initiated the process. The other four dragon heads—blue, black, green, and white—activated sequentially as Allen directed his magic toward them. They spewed forth breaths of what looked like genuine dragon fire, which swirled and gathered around the furnace, quickly raising its temperature to a scorching degree.
On the wall overlooking the furnace, a mesmerizing mural depicted a stark gray world beneath a sky containing both a Sun and a Moon, each bearing a recognizable human face, appearing simultaneously. Their slow, asynchronous movement suggested they were sophisticated timekeeping devices, marking the precise, agonizingly long duration of the alchemical process.
Allen began meticulously adding the ingredients one by one, constantly adjusting the temperature of the intricate Five-Headed Dragon Furnace according to the critical, high-heat methods detailed in Jeber's Notes.
As the temperature rose steadily, the beaks of the Eagle and Raven statues slowly opened wider.
Working from the prepared components Rowena had left behind, Allen placed the raw materials she had specifically prepared into the beaks of the two birds, which then mixed them and sealed their jaws again.
As the heat intensified, the giant Eagle, the Raven, and even the central Dragon head began to open their mouths once more, seemingly chewing the cud.
Three distinct substances flowed out into the crucible: a faintly glowing, silvery substance that was somewhere between a liquid and a gas; a dense, pure black, gelatinous mass that appeared to absorb all light and energy; and a vivid blood-red liquid that had been liquefied from the central primordial stone.
Though there were minor technical discrepancies between the Ravenclaw manuscript and Jeber's Notes, the final products flowing from the spouts were nearly identical in description. The silvery substance represented Mercury, used to induce physical transformation and make the act of alchemy possible.
The pure black substance represented the extraction of matter and energy from various materials during the alchemical process. The blood-red liquid, rich in life force, was the ingredient necessary for the Elixir of Life. The missing key in both manuscripts was the creation method for this blood-red stone.
Judging by fragmented notes on other pages, the process for creating this vital gem appeared somewhat sinister, suggesting the utilization of the life force of others. Allen concluded that this dark secret might be the reason those pages were missing from Rowena's manuscript.
Like potions, alchemy was a tedious, complex process, demanding the precise addition of the right ingredients at specific times to guide the unfinished product in the crucible through its necessary stages.
Allen completely lost track of the hours he spent working here, though he was thankful this wasn't the creation of Felix Felicis, which could take half a year. However, just like any complex potion, a single misstep or a wrong ingredient added at the wrong time would ruin the entire effort, or worse, unleash unforeseen magical dangers.
In the final, critical moments of the alchemical process, Allen was ready to add the last, most precious ingredient to the seething crucible: the feathers of the bird of Hermes.
He dropped the feathers into the furnace. They instantly merged with the multicoloured liquids, encasing them and forming an irregular, dark green, mud-like globular mass—the exact failed form recorded in the Ravenclaw manuscript.
Remembering Jeber's high-temperature experience, Allen gritted his teeth and cast a final, forceful spell, raising the furnace's temperature beyond any safe, previously recorded limit. Flames erupted from the mouths of the dragon carvings on the crucible's surface, swirling and dancing wildly within the furnace core.
The dark green, muddy mass could not withstand the savage heat. It dissolved from its coagulated state back into a liquid, and Allen watched, mesmerized, as the dark green colour slowly deepened, finally transitioning into a pure, radiant blood red.
"Completed!" Allen shouted, pure, unadulterated joy surging through him. Throughout the painstaking alchemical process, he had completely forgotten that he was trapped within the statue with a task to complete; he had been utterly absorbed in the profound art of alchemy.
The resulting Philosopher's Stone sat silently in the center of the furnace. Allen immediately extinguished the fire and gazed in delight at the irregular, luminous red crystal, which pulsed with a soft, internal light.
"Dean, you stated earlier that this was the final test, correct?" Allen reminded the room, turning toward the center of the chamber.
Rowena Ravenclaw reappeared as swiftly as she had vanished, her spectral form shimmering. To Allen's surprise, she showed no visible reaction to the successful creation of the Stone.
"Allen Harris, you have successfully completed all the tests… You are worthy of my treasure." Rowena then placed a shining Diadem upon the obsidian table. Its appearance was identical to the crown Allen had used to unlock the statue, yet Allen instantly sensed that the magical power contained within this one was of a completely different order of magnitude.
"The crown you used to unlock the statue was merely one of my first experiments. While it possesses historical significance, it does not truly bestow wisdom upon its wearer. If it did, Helena would not have been blinded by her own greed and betrayed the House. But this," Rowena gestured toward the newly presented Diadem with deep satisfaction,
"This crown was forged just before my physical death. It will not only ensure your mind remains sharp and clear but will also prevent you from deceiving yourself about your true motives, preventing you from ever straying. It bestows true wisdom. It is yours now."
Ravenclaw then produced the miniature tower model Allen had used earlier. "This mobile tower functions similarly to the Mansion Charm, invented by an ancient wizard named Maddencan. Some of its internal rooms have functions that will prove immensely useful to you. This model serves as a separate, portable key. The tower's actual location is unreachable by physical means, providing you with an absolute, safe sanctuary."
She paused, her translucent eyes gleaming. "Most importantly, it houses the vast collection of books I amassed throughout my lifetime. Crucially, its library has been continually updated and enriched over the centuries through the network I left connected to the library in the Ravenclaw common room. Whenever professors or students add a new manuscript to our House library, a matching copy appears on the tower's library shelves."
"While it is not yet advisable for you to dive headfirst into immediate study and research—my personal magical secrets are often too obscure and dangerous for a wizard of your current development, and the books collected from the common room library are of varying quality, including many theories proven false by later scholars—it is currently impossible for you to distinguish and choose wisely. However, if you apply yourself diligently over the coming years, this knowledge will build you the ladder to the pinnacle of magic. It is the most precious treasure I leave you."
Allen couldn't help but feel a growing sense of manipulation. Like the preceding tests, they had appeared nearly impossible, yet he was given just enough information and resources to complete them by following instructions.
It mirrored the carefully controlled developmental challenges Dumbledore had set up for Harry this year. Allen had a growing suspicion he was merely the instrument of a thousand-year-old plan.
But as Rowena Ravenclaw finished speaking, an expression of profound relief softened her features, and her spectral body began to slowly dissolve, as if her magical cohesion were failing.
"Allen, you may also take the Philosopher's Stone. After all, it is useless to me now, but it is of incalculable value to you. As a fragment of my soul, I will now go to find my original soul and achieve final reintegration. After I am gone, this statue will cease to be a test. Without the support of my magic, its interior will vanish with my departure. Finally, may we meet again on our life's journey. Please take care of Helena for me; it is the final responsibility of inheriting my treasure."
Allen accepted the treasures, bowing deeply in respect to the powerful founder. Though he didn't know how one exactly takes care of a ghost, and while the Philosopher's Stone was far too advanced for him now, he possessed the foundation for eternal life.
It was clear that unless he met an unfortunate accident, the day he would encounter Rowena Ravenclaw again would be centuries away.
When he looked up, a bright flash of light erupted beneath his feet. The intense light forced Allen to clamp his eyes shut, and he felt the sickening hook sensation in his stomach once more. When he finally opened his eyes, he was back in the Ravenclaw common room.
The room was empty, but judging by the noise filtering in from the distance and the position of the sun outside the window, contrary to Allen's perception of endless hours, remarkably little time had actually passed in the real world.