The night after their first Transfiguration lesson, Orion didn't go back to the Gryffindor common room. Instead, he marched straight to the Headmaster's office, his mind buzzing with a revolutionary idea. He found Dumbledore dozing at his desk.
"Headmaster," Orion said, waking him with a gentle shake. "We need to talk about my new research project."
Dumbledore listened, his expression growing steadily more horrified as Orion laid out his plans to combine alchemy and transfiguration, using souls as a binding and animating agent.
"The theory is sound," Dumbledore said finally, his voice strained. "But Orion… the souls. Where do you propose to acquire them?"
"That's the easy part," Orion replied with a shrug. "The Forbidden Forest is full of Acromantulas, isn't it? I'm sure I can borrow a few souls from them."
"Borrow," Dumbledore repeated faintly.
"Of course. I'll give them back when I'm done," Orion said, as if this were the most reasonable thing in the world.
Dumbledore slumped in his chair, looking exhausted. "Alright, child," he sighed. "I will… supervise. And I will ask Professor Snape to accompany you when the time comes. For now, if you need a container for this… experiment, I suggest you procure one."
This led to another confrontation with Snape. It began with Orion "borrowing" the most expensive crystal phial from Snape's private stores and ended, as most of their interactions did, in a chaotic duel in an empty classroom. Thirty minutes later, Orion emerged victorious, his robes slightly torn but his prize held high.
He spent the rest of the night in Dumbledore's office, working feverishly on the alchemical preparations for his "soul container." Dumbledore stayed with him, offering quiet, cryptic advice that was somehow both helpful and deeply unnerving. As dawn approached, the Headmaster conjured a plush cot for him.
"It is nearly morning, child. You should rest."
The next thing Orion knew, Dumbledore was waking him again. "Wake up, child! If you don't hurry, you'll miss breakfast!"
Orion sat up, grabbing the now-glowing phial from the desk. He felt a strange energy from the Headmaster. For a man who should have been horrified, Dumbledore seemed almost… excited.
"You're awfully cheerful, Headmaster," Orion said suspiciously. "You're not getting any funny ideas about my soul alchemy, are you?" He grinned. "Since we're doing experiments in your office now, can we work on my Avada Kedavra chain-lightning spell next?"
"I am too old and too tired for this conversation," Dumbledore said, steering him towards the door. "Now go. Go to class."
Orion arrived at the Great Hall just as breakfast was ending.
"There you are!" said Harry as Orion slid onto the bench. "Where were you last night?"
"Yes, you missed the dorm," Ron added. "Didn't come back at all."
Hermione's ears perked up from across the table.
"I was busy," Orion said, grabbing a piece of toast. "I was working on a private alchemy project with the Headmaster."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard in Britain. What kind of alchemy could he possibly be studying with a first-year? He's lying, she thought. I have to keep an eye on him. For the sake of our House points.
After breakfast, they all headed out to the greenhouses for their first Herbology class. Professor Sprout, a stout, kind-faced witch with dirt under her fingernails, met Orion at the door.
"Child, you look exhausted! Didn't you eat?" she fretted, before leading him into Greenhouse Three.
Inside, the Gryffindors were sharing tables with the Slytherins.
"Well, well, if it isn't Potty and the Weasel," Draco Malfoy sneered from the next table. "Finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Orion ignored him and took the empty seat between Ron and Hermione. He began munching on a meat pie.
"Where did you get that?" Ron asked, his eyes wide.
"Professor Sprout gave it to me," Orion said. He produced another pie from his pocket and offered it to Hermione. "Want one?"
She sniffed and turned her head away, refusing to be bribed.
"Professor's about to start," Orion said, nudging Ron. He then turned to Hermione. "So, what's today's lesson about?"
"Hmph," she said coldly. "You should have been listening."
"Fine," Orion said, turning to the opposite table. "Oi, Malfoy. Little cousin. What's the task for today?"
Draco sneered. "Why don't you ask the Mudblood next to you, Black?"
Ron went scarlet with rage. "You!"
"Easy, Ron," Orion said, placing a calm hand on his arm. "Don't worry. After class, we'll wait for him by the door."
Professor Sprout called for their attention. "Today, class, we will be re-potting Bouncing Bulbs!" she announced cheerfully.
As the other students struggled, their bulbs leaping from their pots and smacking them in the face, Orion observed for a moment before deciding on a more direct approach. He reached into a nearby flowerpot, pulled out the iron support rod, and bent it into a makeshift claw. With a swift, practiced motion, he used the claw to pin a bouncing bulb, yanked it from its pot, and roughly shoved it into a larger one, patting the soil down with his dragon-hide gloves.
"What was that?" Draco exclaimed, staring.
"The Unfeeling Iron Hand technique," Orion announced to no one in particular.
Hermione looked scandalized. "You're supposed to soothe it with your wand! Not… manhandle it!"
"Still," Orion said, holding up his perfectly re-potted plant, "it works."
"Mr. Black is the first to finish!" Professor Sprout called out. "Three points to Gryffindor!"
Orion gave Hermione a triumphant smirk. She huffed and turned back to her own bulb, carefully subduing it with her wand. A few minutes later, she succeeded.
"Excellent work, Miss Granger! A perfect technique! Two more points for Gryffindor!"
Orion, meanwhile, was leaning back in his chair, sipping from a flask of barley juice and watching the chaos around him. It's so lonely at the top, he thought with a sigh.
Hermione noticed his flask. "You can't drink that in class!" she hissed. "Students aren't allowed alcohol! You'll be suspended!"
"Thank you for your concern, Granger," Orion said with a deeply appreciative smile. "But rest assured, even if I get points deducted, I'll still earn more than you."
The class ended. As students filed out, Draco was flanked by two different lackeys today: a pug-faced girl and a blonde with calculating eyes.
"I'm Pansy Parkinson," the first girl said.
"Daphne Greengrass," said the blonde, offering a cool hand to Orion. "Are you a pure-blood?"
"Does it matter when a girl is as pretty as you?" Orion replied smoothly.
Daphne blushed. Draco, seeing Orion was distracted, took the opportunity to flee, clearly having no desire to be "waited for by the door."
Later that evening, the trio sat in the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were hunched over a wizard's chess board while Orion sat by the fire, examining the glowing phial that was to be his soul container. Not far away, Hermione was buried in a book, occasionally shooting suspicious glances at him.
"Checkmate," Harry said. It was the fourth time he had beaten Ron.
"Right," Ron sighed, slumping in his chair. "Harry, where's that bottle of Bertie Bott's Beans?"
The word 'bottle' sparked an idea in Orion's mind. He leaped to his feet.
"That's it!" he exclaimed, and sprinted from the room, leaving a trail of confused silence in his wake.
THROW SOME POWER STONES .