A Quick-Quotes Quill scribbled down Sean's guesses about the "Bowtruckle Ritual" in his notebook while he wandered the castle grounds under the cover of night.
He'd just finished the practical part and needed to jot down all those weird little hunches while they were still fresh.
So, high above the dungeons, a pair of deep, calm green eyes flashed in the darkness.
Sean's notebook was crammed with plans for Transfiguration, Charms, and even some dark magic practice. Lately, the Hogwarts he'd seen in the Mirror of Erised kept popping into his head.
In that vision, Headmaster Dumbledore was still kind and twinkly, and Professor Snape was still gloomy as ever.
…
Saturday.
Hogwarts was buzzing with weekend cheer again.
Inside the Hope Cabin, Sean gave Tila's tentacle-like hand a little pat, then dove straight into developing a brand-new alchemical ritual.
Tila wasn't hiding in Sean's pocket anymore; Sean had whipped up a proper home for it in under an hour.
A little wooden house engraved with Engorgement and Reduction Charms—super portable. When he didn't need it, it stayed pocket-sized; when he did, it expanded into a cozy mini-house.
Tila was poking around inside, clearly fascinated. Since Sean had no idea what kind of wood Bowtruckles actually liked, he'd just grabbed samples of pretty much every tree from the Forbidden Forest.
He'd even gotten chased and whacked by an angry Bowtruckle after accidentally ripping the front door off its house.
The mysterious parts of potion-making rituals turned out to be a huge help in alchemy.
By borrowing ideas from potion ceremonies, Sean finally found the path to success.
[You practiced making Bowtruckle Cookies at the Apprentice level. Proficiency +1]
It worked!
After nearly a whole month, he'd finally finished the next transformation cookie.
He called Justin over to watch, then took a small bite of the cookie.
Less than a second later, Tila bounced out of the wooden house, clung to the elm-wood wall, and cautiously reached out with one twiggy arm to touch its new "buddy."
It was still early, so the only people in the Hope Cabin were Sean and Justin.
After about a minute, Justin handed Sean a slip of paper with the exact timing written down.
The Magical Creature Transformation Cookie series had a new member, and Sean was one step closer to a Master-level Alchemy title.
That's right—Master level. Six Expert-tier mid-level alchemical creations and twelve Adept-tier ones would unlock the Expert title in the Alchemy field.
Master level, though? That probably required high-tier creations.
Even now, Sean still had no idea what a Master title actually gave you.
He hadn't maxed out a single branch of magic yet. Transfiguration was the closest, and it was still miles away.
A Master was on a whole different level from an Expert—basically professor-tier, the top wizards in their field.
Over the next few days, Sean kept studying Justin in Bowtruckle form. No matter how many times he saw it, the magic still blew his mind.
Look at that tall, skinny body made of bark and twigs—no one would ever guess it was Justin. He blended in perfectly, just like a random branch. In a dangerous situation, that could straight-up save a wizard's life.
One funny thing: even though Justin didn't keep any of his consciousness, some habits stuck around.
Like how he didn't mind hanging off Sean's arm, or how he'd instantly perk up at the smell of food.
Sean was already thinking about how to use that for extra effects.
Obviously, transformation cookies weren't limited to magical creatures—regular animals worked too.
Which meant if Sean ever figured out a dragon cookie, he could have a short-lived dragon army.
…Though good luck getting them to listen.
"You doing okay?" Sean asked the freshly transformed Justin.
"This is wild! Sean, I actually turned into a Bowtruckle—"
Justin was practically vibrating with excitement. He knew exactly how big this was.
"No exaggeration—even Dumbledore probably wouldn't look twice at a random Bowtruckle if he wasn't expecting it."
"Sean, I don't think we should tell anyone about this."
Early morning, snow melting softly outside. Justin's voice mixed with the drip-drip of water from the roof.
Sean nodded. They were deep in a discussion about "101 Uses for a Bowtruckle" when a paper airplane shot straight through the wall.
"See you tonight."
Sean read the note and bolted to the Alchemy office.
…
Professor Tela looked up when Sean walked in, raised an arm, and the floor rippled like a wave, carrying Sean right to her side.
"The International Alchemical Conference is in two and a half months. When it comes to magical-creature transfiguration, I don't know much more than those mediocre alchemists out there.
My student, this is a path you carved, you're walking, and you'll be the one crowned for it.
The only thing I can tell you is this: you need at least three magical-creature transformation cookies. Show those wizards that the age of alchemy's decline is over."
Professor Tela's eyes practically glowed with pride.
Starting today, nobody could say Hogwarts students weren't what they used to be.
"I know it's tough. Genius inspiration comes and goes in a flash.
Even those half-dead old alchemists wouldn't dare promise anything when it comes to creating brand-new magical rituals… It's intoxicating."
Professor Tela sounded almost wistful.
"How far along are you?"
"Finished, Professor."
Sean answered.
"You need patien—wait, you're saying—"
Professor Tela crooked a finger, and a cookie sprouting tiny twigs flew into her hand.
Under that stern face, a storm of emotions surged.
In the end, it settled into deep, aching regret.
"You'll surpass Nicolas Flamel, Sean. When he meets you, you'll both understand… Magic's greatness lies in how it welcomes every wizard equally."
Professor Tela said it slowly, word by word, with an expression Sean had never seen on her before.
Before he left the room, she asked one more thing:
"Have you named it yet?"
Sean went quiet.
He… had totally forgotten.
"Learn to enjoy your glory, my student. Those other guys can't wait to name their creations after the most powerful artifacts in the wizarding world. And you—"
Professor Tela actually chuckled.
Some wizards exhaust themselves and barely make a ripple. Others have one random thought and flip the entire alchemy world upside down.
On his way to the Forbidden Forest, Sean thought hard about the naming thing.
He glanced at the copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Monster Book of Monsters floating beside him, and a few ideas popped up.
You've gotta admit, alchemists usually nail the names—Vanishing Cabinets really vanish, Portkeys really port, even the Weasley twins' Headless Hat actually hides your head.
So… something with magical power that turns you into an animal…
Fairy-Tale Cookies it is.