Chapter 26 - Arcane Solutions: Shop-Chapter 26

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"You'd better have an excellent reason for this ungodly hour, or I'll demonstrate exactly what it means to cross a woman—even if she's technically still a girl!" Gemini snarled through the phone, her hair resembling a bird's nest after a particularly violent storm.

Tony glanced at the pale dawn light creeping through his windows and offered a sheepish grin that she couldn't see. "Come on, sweetheart, you know I'm absolutely mad about magic now. I love learning, I love discovering—I literally cannot wait another moment!"

The line went dead with a sharp click. Gemini hurled her phone onto the bed with enough force to make the mattress bounce, then dragged herself toward the washroom while muttering increasingly creative threats in three languages.

Coby opened the shop door wearing an expression that could have curdled milk, glaring balefully at the streetlamps that had the audacity to still be burning. His muttered complaints about "inconsiderate Americans" and "uncivilized morning hours" followed Tony into the basement, where he grudgingly produced what could generously be called breakfast.

By the time Gemini descended, properly dressed but still radiating murderous intent, Tony had already buried himself in a fortress of textbooks. His designated corner overflowed with first and second-year materials, parchment covered in meticulous notes, and reference guides that must have cost a small fortune. She noticed with approval that despite his obvious eagerness, he hadn't touched his wand—it lay within reach but untouched, like a sword awaiting its master's command.

"I'm genuinely impressed," Gemini admitted, her anger cooling into grudging respect. "You haven't been flailing about like an overexcited baboon. Most people can't resist the temptation—they see a wand and immediately start waving it around like it's a No-Maj conductor's baton."

"Please, I may be enthusiastic, but I'm not suicidal," Tony replied, casually lifting a thick tome to display its ominous title: Magical Mishaps and Their Permanent Consequences. "I've read enough horror stories to know that magical experimentation without proper guidance tends to end with either hospitalization or creative new forms of existence. Neither appeals to me."

"Definitely a Ravenclaw," Gemini declared with satisfaction. "We should arrange for you to meet the Sorting Hat someday—purely for academic curiosity, of course." Her relief was palpable. Tony's personality suggested someone who'd charge ahead regardless of consequences, but apparently his scientific training had instilled proper respect for unknown variables.

"I've always suspected as much," Tony agreed, brandishing a copy of Hogwarts: A History with obvious pride. "Brilliant minds think alike, after all. Which House claimed you? Slytherin, I'm guessing, based on your... shall we say, strategic approach to problem-solving?"

Gemini nodded, approaching his makeshift desk with the air of a professor preparing to evaluate her student's progress. "How far have you progressed? Any burning questions before we begin practical application?"

Tony's eyes lit up with the fervor of a child on Christmas morning. "Only about a thousand. But primarily, I'm desperate to test these theoretical concepts with actual spellwork."

"Then let's see what you've absorbed," Gemini said, raising her wand with practiced elegance. The scattered books immediately began organizing themselves with cheerful efficiency, hopping and dancing into neat stacks on the desk's built-in shelves. Within moments, the workspace had cleared to reveal only essential first-year materials and practice objects—a pristine white feather and several ordinary matches.

"Two basic challenges," she announced, settling into a chair positioned for optimal observation. "Levitate the feather with proper control, then transfigure a match into a sewing needle. Standard first-year curriculum."

Tony drew his wand with the reverence of a knight unsheathing Excalibur. His hands trembled slightly—whether from excitement or nerves remained unclear—as he wiped his palms on his trousers. After a moment of intense concentration, recalling every detail from his expensive study materials, he raised his wand toward the waiting feather.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The incantation emerged with careful pronunciation, accompanied by the precise swish-and-flick motion described in his texts.

The feather responded immediately, rising with graceful obedience. Under Tony's increasingly confident guidance, it performed a complete circuit of the basement before settling gently back onto the desk like a trained bird returning to its perch.

"Excellent!" Gemini couldn't hide her impressed smile. "First-attempt success is remarkably rare, even among naturally gifted students."

Emboldened by this victory, Tony turned his attention to the match. Transfiguration represented a more complex challenge—not merely moving objects, but fundamentally altering their essential nature. His mind buzzed with theoretical knowledge as he aimed his wand at the innocent piece of wood.

"Vera Verto!"

The match remained stubbornly unchanged, its appearance identical to before. Tony frowned, reviewing his technique with scientific precision. His pronunciation had been perfect, his wand movement textbook-accurate, his focus complete...

Gemini approached and lifted the match for closer examination. Her expression shifted from curiosity to barely contained amusement.

"Tell me," she said carefully, "what exactly were you thinking about during the transfiguration attempt?"

"Well, I was visualizing the needle's structure—its molecular composition, the metallurgical properties required for proper flexibility and strength, the precise carbon content needed to achieve optimal hardness..." Tony trailed off as understanding dawned. "I was thinking too much, wasn't I?"

Gemini placed the match in his palm with exaggerated patience. "Feel that."

The match's weight had increased dramatically. When Tony squeezed it experimentally, the wood refused to compress—it had acquired the density and hardness of steel while retaining its original appearance.

"Magic responds to intent, not intellect," Gemini explained, returning the transformed match to its original state with a casual flick of her wand. "Your brilliant mind is actually a handicap here. When normal people think 'needle,' they visualize something sharp and metallic. When you think 'needle,' you immediately dive into atomic structures and manufacturing processes."

She settled back into her chair, watching him with the patience of someone accustomed to teaching overachievers. "Magic, in Muggle terms, operates through the power of belief and visualization. You need to suppress your scientist's instincts—stop analyzing and start feeling. Think like an artist, not an engineer."

Tony closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths to center himself. When he reopened them, his gaze focused on the match with deliberate simplicity. Sharp. Metallic. Useful for sewing. Nothing more complex than surface impressions.

"Vera Verto."

This time, the transformation was flawless. The match twisted and elongated, its wooden texture shifting to gleaming metal as it assumed the perfect form of a sewing needle—sharp point, threading eye, elegant proportions.

"Now I understand!" Tony laughed with genuine delight, then immediately demonstrated his newfound comprehension by transfiguring the simple needle into an ornate golden version complete with decorative engravings. "It's about perception, not precision!"

"Precisely," Gemini confirmed with satisfaction. "Now for your real challenge." She tapped the wall behind her, causing a complex transparent tube system to materialize—twisting, turning, with narrow passages and sharp corners that would test even experienced wizards. "Use the Levitation Charm to guide this metal block through the entire course without touching the walls."

Tony studied the obstacle course with the calculating gaze of an engineer facing a particularly intriguing puzzle. "I've mastered the basics—shouldn't we progress to more advanced spells? And couldn't I practice this at home?"

Gemini's smile carried a hint of steel beneath its sweetness. "You're an adult, Mr. Stark. I trust you understand the concept of incremental skill development. Rome wasn't built in a day, and magical mastery isn't achieved in a morning."

Recognizing the futility of argument, Tony raised his wand toward the metal block with resigned determination.

What happened next left Gemini genuinely speechless. In less than thirty minutes, Tony had successfully navigated the block through every twist and turn of the complex course with surgical precision. This exercise, borrowed from Auror training protocols, typically challenged even experienced adult wizards for hours or days.

"Magnificent!" Tony declared, twirling his wand with theatrical flair. "I really am a natural at this! Magic isn't nearly as difficult as everyone claims!"

Gemini's expression shifted into something that might have been a smile if observed from a safe distance. "Indeed, you're clearly a prodigy. Which means today's lesson is complete. You may go."

Tony blinked in confusion. "Wait, what? We're stopping? The day has barely begun!"

"You're such a genius," Gemini replied with saccharine sweetness, "surely you can teach yourself from here." She turned toward the door with regal dignity, leaving Tony to scramble after her with increasingly desperate pleas for continued instruction.

The first floor had undergone subtle renovations since Ethan's arrival. The street-facing wall now featured an elegant display window showcasing an array of exquisite dolls—each one a masterpiece of craftsmanship that occasionally moved when observed closely, offering shy waves or curious tilts of their heads to passing pedestrians.

The transformation reflected Gemini's growing confidence in her role as proprietor of something truly special—a bridge between worlds that grew more remarkable with each passing day.

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