Seeing Arthur nod, Snape briefly explained the effects of the Source Crystal Blade, as well as the conversion ritual he had just undergone.
"A remarkable magical artifact," Dumbledore said in awe, looking at Arthur. "May I take a look?"
Arthur handed the Source Crystal Blade to him.
Dumbledore accepted it and examined it carefully, but quickly realized that he couldn't make heads or tails of how it actually worked.
With a trace of regret, he returned the blade to Arthur.
Turning to Snape, Dumbledore asked, "So you brought Lady Lia to Hogwarts because you intended to convert her into a witch as well?"
Snape hadn't said so outright, but Dumbledore had already inferred his intentions—along with Lia's identity as a Muggle.
Snape nodded. There was nothing to hide, including Lia's background.
Since he had chosen to bring her into Hogwarts for the ritual, he had already resolved to let her step into the wizarding world.
Otherwise, he could have performed the ritual somewhere outside the school.
"In that case," Dumbledore said, "please continue. I'll observe from the side."
He intended to watch the entire ritual process and see whether he might glean anything from it.
Snape turned to Lia. "Are you ready?"
Lia took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready."
"Relax," Snape said gently. "It'll be over soon."
Encouraged by his words, Lia gathered her courage and stepped into the magic circle.
She looked at Arthur. "Go ahead."
Arthur didn't act immediately.
Instead, he flicked his hand and cast Stupefy, knocking Lia unconscious.
Then he used a levitation spell to lower her gently to the ground.
Snape frowned. "What are you doing?"
He didn't remember this step from earlier.
Arthur replied, "Can't you tell? If she's unconscious first, she won't have to endure so much pain afterward."
That explanation only made Snape's expression darken.
He fixed Arthur with an icy stare and asked in a low voice, "Then why didn't you do this to me just now?"
"Well," Arthur said casually, waving a hand, "I didn't think of it at the time. Besides, you're a grown man—enduring a bit of pain isn't exactly a problem."
Arthur freely admitted that he'd done it on purpose.
Before Snape could respond, Arthur continued, "Enough talk. I'm starting the ritual."
Seeing Arthur begin, Snape dropped the subject.
The person lying there was his wife—if anything went wrong because he distracted Arthur, he'd never forgive himself.
Arthur moved to Lia's side and plunged the Source Crystal Blade into her heart, then repeated the same process as before.
Deep in the Forbidden Forest, "Moody" watched the spectacle and snorted coldly.
So it really was some sort of artificial phenomenon—most likely a trap meant to lure him over.
How naïve.
He hadn't fallen for it the first time. Why would he fall for it now?
Paranoid to the extreme, Barty Crouch Jr. chose to remain hidden.
The scene shifted back to Arthur.
It was worth noting that Lia's Source Crystal was much smaller than Snape's—likely because a Muggle's soul was inherently weaker than a wizard's.
However, the color at its core was quite similar to Snape's, probably due to his influence.
Just as Snape had been influenced by Lily, resulting in a Patronus that took the form of a doe.
By the end of the ritual, Dumbledore realized he still hadn't understood a single thing.
In short, he'd gained nothing.
The principles behind source crystal magic were fundamentally different from wizarding magic. Without the relevant foundations, there was no way for him to comprehend it.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't insist.
Instead, his attention shifted to Arthur's spell—Heal, Restore as Before.
He'd already noticed that this spell could completely heal even such grievous wounds.
The wizarding world did have Episkey, but that spell only worked on minor to moderate injuries.
A fatal wound like a pierced heart was far beyond its scope.
Dumbledore was deeply intrigued.
After Arthur finished converting Lia, Dumbledore asked, "Arthur, could you teach me that Heal, Restore as Before spell?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And what do I get in return?"
Dumbledore nearly forgot—this young man never did anything without benefit.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Arthur thought for a moment. "How about lending me the Elder Wand for a few days?"
Dumbledore hadn't expected such a request.
The Elder Wand possessed immense power, and he would never casually hand it over—especially not to Arthur.
Not because he was reluctant, but because the Elder Wand had a particular trait.
It was loyal only to strength.
The Elder Wand was utterly indifferent to emotion—cold, ruthless, and cruel.
When it encountered someone stronger, it would abandon its current master without hesitation and swear allegiance to the new one.
Dumbledore couldn't discern Arthur's true strength, which in itself meant that Arthur was at least his equal.
Arthur claimed he only wanted to borrow it for a few days.
But Dumbledore was certain that if he lent it to Arthur, then when the wand was returned, he would most likely be unable to use it anymore.
Because by then, the Elder Wand would almost certainly have chosen Arthur as its master.
Dumbledore didn't believe that someone with Arthur's knowledge would be unaware of this trait.
Which meant Arthur was clearly declining him.
"Cough, cough," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to sleep. You should all rest early as well—staying up late isn't good for one's health."
With that, he turned and walked back toward his office.
As if he hadn't just been the one asking to learn the spell.
Watching Dumbledore leave, Arthur knew the old man had understood his meaning.
Heal, Restore as Before was a spell Arthur had created by combining several healing prayers from the Lands Between.
Though it still required an incantation, that was mostly ceremonial—its underlying system was entirely different from wizarding magic.
If Arthur were to teach Dumbledore, he'd likely have to start from the very foundations of Lands Between magic theory.
With that amount of time, he'd much rather teach Hermione—the adorable little witch—than waste it on Dumbledore.
So Arthur had politely refused.
By now, Lia had awakened, and Snape stepped forward to help her up.
"How do you feel?" he asked with concern.
Lia's face was still pale, mostly due to blood loss.
She carefully sensed her body and discovered that her control over it had greatly improved.
At her chest, warm currents continuously flowed outward, spreading through her limbs.
As they did, it felt as though some long-blocked pathways within her had been opened, leaving her with an overwhelming sense of relief.
This was the Source Crystal opening her magical channels.
"I feel wonderful," Lia said with a smile. "Better than I ever have. From today on, I'm a mage just like you."
This had been her wish ever since the day she met Snape.
She didn't yearn for the wonders of the wizarding world—she simply wanted to be closer to him, to share more common ground.
Now, her wish had finally come true.
Lia's smile was radiant.
For once, Snape also smiled.
"Congratulations," he said.
Lia threw herself straight into his arms.
Seeing the two of them holding each other for far too long, Arthur couldn't help but cough.
"Just one correction," he said. "You're mages now—not wizards."
Snape released Lia and asked, "What's the difference?"
"In short," Arthur explained, "you've broken free from the shackles of wizarding bloodlines. The limits on your strength are no longer dictated by talent or lineage, but purely by your mastery of magic."
Snape immediately understood.
That was excellent news.
A wizard's power increased with age—but the growth slowed dramatically over time.
Before meeting Arthur, Snape's strength had stagnated for years.
His most recent improvement had come only when Arthur helped him inscribe runes.
Now, although he'd lost his wizarding bloodline, he'd also lost its limitations.
If he worked hard, reaching Dumbledore's level in a relatively short time was no longer impossible.
Thinking of time, Snape suddenly recalled a property of Arthur's Zen Garden.
Although Lia was now a mage, her knowledge of magic was almost nonexistent.
As an adult, she couldn't enroll at Hogwarts—Snape would have to teach her personally.
But raising her to a meaningful level would take considerable time.
Snape still had classes to teach and couldn't spare much of it.
Which was why he thought of the Zen Garden's ability to alter the flow of time.
By taking advantage of the time difference between the inside and outside of the Zen Garden, he would have more than enough time to teach Lia properly.
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