Last time Harry, Ron and Hermione learned from a dieing Marietta Edgecomb how she and Cho Chang tried to bring Cedric Diggory back from the dead. The ritual involved cost more than Cho was willing to pay. She thought only a few drops of her blood was needed, she was wrong. Cho had her hands taken away from her, while Marietta lost her life. It's now up to our three heroes to find out what it was that Cho and Marietta created and stop it before it hurts someone. On with the show!
Chapter 3: Research and Reunions
It didn't take Hermione long to find answers, or at least some answers. "I knew I had heard about Alchemy somewhere," she said, "Remember the Sorcerer's Stone?"
"How could I forget?" said Harry, "We spent half our first year at Hogwarts trying to figure out what it was and stopping Voldemort from getting it."
"I especially remember Fluffy," said Ron, "Whatever happened to that dog? I'll have to ask Hagrid about it."
"Well putting Fluffy aside," said Hermione, "The Sorcerer's Stone that was kept at Hogwarts was made by Nicolas Flamel. Flamel was into Alchemy. He used his Stone not only to make The Elixir of Life, but also to make a fortune in gold, most of which he donated to the poor and charities of his time."
"There's more to the Stone," said Harry, "Isn't there. Voldemort wanted it more than just to get his body back at the time."
"True," said Hermione, "With a Sorcerer's Stone one could increase their powers to new levels, especially in terms of Alchemic abilities."
"I don't seem to remember anyone teaching us about Alchemy at Hogwarts," said Ron.
"There are times when I'm surprised that you remember anything from Hogwarts," sad Hermione, "But that's beside the point. Alchemy was taught at Hogwarts, but was banned in the early 1600's due to the high number of accidents."
"What kind of accidents?" asked Harry.
"I'm getting to that," said Hermione, "The thing about Alchemy is that once a transmutation has begun, it has to finish. Transmutation is like transfiguration, you change something into something else. What makes transmutation different is that instead of normal magic, you use Alchemic energy to change an object.
"First one figures out what the object you wish to transmute is made of. Second, said object is broken down to its most basic structure. Finally the object is reassembled into something different. Nearly just about anything can be transmuted into something else. Yet Alchemy is guided by one basic principal; Equivalent Exchange. 'To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.'"
"And that something is energy," said Harry.
"True," said Hermione, "The more complex the transmutation, the more energy is required to complete the Alchemic ritual."
"Let me guess," said Ron, "Some Alchemic rituals done at Hogwarts were so complicated, the energy drain was dangerously high for the students, and that's why Alchemy was banned."
"That's only one reason," said Hermione, "There were reports of transmutations done on live animals. Two different animals were combined to create a new one, a Chimera. But what really banned Alchemy from Hogwarts was human Transmutation. Some students were caught using Alchemy to improve themselves physically. Most human transmutations resulted in horrible disfigurements or worse."
"Like what happened to Cho and Marietta," said Harry.
"Sometimes energy isn't enough," said Hermione, "Sometimes the sacrifice of flesh is needed to complete an Alchemic ritual."
"Bloody hell!" said Ron, "No wonder they don't teach that stuff at Hogwarts. Imagine if Voldemort and the Death Eaters could use Alchemy."
"If Alchemy is so dangerous," said Harry, "Why does The Ministry still have books on the subject?"
"The subject is no longer taught at Hogwarts," said Hermione, "But the written material is of high historical value, so it's kept here in the archives."
"So what about what Cho and Marietta tried to do?" asked Ron, "What does it say about using Alchemy to bring the dead back to life?"
"Well in theory," said Hermione, "If one were to assemble the correct chemical components required, one could make a human body. All that is needed is to fill that body with a soul and the body will live. The cost of energy to bring live to where there was none before must be incredible. Cho was lucky she lost only her hands."
"But what about the thing they created," said Ron, "What do the books say about that?"
"I haven't gotten to that part yet," said Hermione, "I'll need more time."
It was then that one of the archive attendants told Harry that someone was here to see him. It turned out to be none other than Neville Longbottom.
"Where've you been, Neville?" asked Ron, "You just up and disappeared two years ago."
"I was with Luna," said Neville, "We were traveling the world in search of weird and exotic herbs and plants."
"That's sounds just up Lula Lovegood's alley," said Ron, "Who would have thought the two of you would wind up together. How is old Loony Lovegood anyway?"
"That's what I'm here to talk to you about," said Neville, "About a week ago Luna began having strange dreams, I mean even stranger dreams than usual."
"No offense, Neville," said Ron, "But anything Loony Lovegood dreams is going to be strange."
"I would greatly appreciate it, Ron," said Neville, "If you would stop calling Luna that. This is serious, I'm really worried about her."
"What makes these dreams even stranger than normal?" asked Harry.
"It's the fact that she keeps dreaming the same thing," said Neville, "The same symbol over and over again." He handed Harry a scrap if parchment. On it was a circle with symbols that looked similar to the ones Cho and Marietta used, only this one was much more complicated.
"This can't be a coincidence," said Hermione as she looked at the drawing, "These are Alchemic symbols. Whatever Alchemic ritual this circle is used for, it must be an extremely powerful one."
"But why is Loony, excuse me," said Ron, "Luna, dreaming about Alchemy?"
"I don't know," said Neville, "Ever since we got back from Africa she keeps drawing that picture, over and over again. She says that she can't get it quite right as the way she saw it in her dream. Luna told me that when it's perfect she'd have her answers."
"What do you think, mate?" asked Ron.
"I think this should be looked at," said Harry, "If Luna's dreams are connected to whatever Cho and Marietta made, then this situation just got a whole lot bigger."
"It's already bigger," said Hermione, "I just figured out what Cho and Marietta made. They did make something alive where there was no life before, but the creature they made is far from human. I'm afraid that Cho's lust, jeaiousy and greed created a Homunculus; a false human created whenever someone uses Alchemy to try to bring the dead back to life."
"So we know what to call the thing," said Ron, "Anything else we should know?"
"Oh yes, Ron," said Hermione, "Homunculi are extremely dangerous creatures, almost on the same level as dragons. Because they look human on the outside they're highly difficult to find. But what makes them so dangerous is their super-human abilities, combined with an urge to kill for pleasure, not to mention a total disregard for innocent life."
"Then there's only one course of action," said Harry, "We need to find this Homunculus before it starts killing people."
The end of chapter 3. Next chapter the hunt is on for the Homunculus. Rewards will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!