Chapter 253: A Half-Day Round Trip
An alchemy room at Beauxbatons.
"Merlin's boots! That fast?! Blistering speed!"
Reiman was at his workbench, fine-tuning a half-finished alchemical array diagram, running through a rehearsal for the final free-crafting stage of the competition, when Leonardo knocked and came in, handing him a case that looked rather weighty.
Opening it, Reiman saw the rare materials he'd written home to urgently request, all neatly packed inside.
He'd already braced himself mentally. Sending letters by owl across borders, even with the help of both countries' Ministry mail routes, would take at least three or four days round-trip.
Reiman had expected he'd only get his hands on the materials shortly before the competition, leaving him with time for little more than a hurried attempt.
But Leonardo... hadn't even half a day passed?
He'd made a round trip between Beauxbatons and Hogwarts in that time?
Reiman stared at the materials inside the case. Their preservation charms were still perfectly intact, and his eyes widened in astonishment.
He had no idea how Leonardo had managed it, but the sheer efficiency was genuinely staggering.
"Thank you so much, Leonardo!" Reiman said sincerely as he closed the case.
Getting the materials ahead of schedule meant he'd have plenty of time to experiment and make adjustments, giving him a real advantage in the competition.
"Don't mention it. It was no trouble."
Leonardo's reply was as casual as ever. This impromptu trip back to Hogwarts had mainly been to take care of his own business. Bringing these materials along for a senior student had genuinely been no trouble at all, just something he could do on the way.
Tactfully, Reiman didn't ask how Leonardo had managed it.
In the wizarding world, everyone had methods they preferred to keep to themselves, especially when it came to magic involving long-distance travel.
Even so, the incident undeniably added another layer of mystery to Leonardo, at least in Reiman's eyes.
In truth, beyond the magical talent that still lay far beyond his reach, what astonished Reiman even more—as someone born into the Selwyn family—was the sheer breadth of Leonardo's knowledge and his endless stream of unconventional methods.
Talent might well be a gift from Merlin, but where had such astonishing breadth of knowledge, and the bewildering method of travel he'd just witnessed, actually come from?
Reiman knew perfectly well that Leonardo came from a Muggle family, which only made it all the more baffling.
As for making a round trip between two countries in less than half a day, Reiman's first thought was some extraordinarily advanced form of Apparition. But that placed an immense and dangerous strain on the wizard performing it. The Floo Network? Cross-border travel was complicated and required precise authorisation. A Portkey? Those had to be prepared and registered in advance...
For a brief moment, Reiman even thought of Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix, the legendary creature capable of travelling vast distances in an instant.
He couldn't help casting Leonardo a suspicious glance. Surely this junior wasn't secretly keeping a phoenix as a pet?
The idea was simply too absurd, and Reiman gave his head a small shake.
"Good thing the materials are all sorted. I've got somewhere to be, so I'll be off."
Leonardo's words pulled Reiman out of his thoughts.
A knowing smile immediately spread across Reiman's face. So he really does move fast...
He'd happened to catch sight of Leonardo once before, strolling through the castle gardens with that Beauxbatons star student, Fleur Delacour.
"Need your older brother here to lend a hand? Offer a bit of advice, perhaps?" Reiman asked with a grin.
To his surprise, Leonardo actually reached into his pocket, pulled out a neatly folded sheet of parchment, and handed it over.
"Actually, yes. Here, help me fill this out, would you?"
Reiman accepted it and unfolded the parchment. The title staring back at him made the corner of his mouth twitch.
Hogwarts Valentine's Day Event Interest Survey (Special Edition)
His expression settled somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Leonardo really is the academic type. Even when he's going on a date with a girl, he has to conduct a survey first...
Then again, remembering that the other boy was a Ravenclaw, Reiman decided it wasn't worth dwelling on. Eagles could be rather... unconventional sometimes.