Harry grinned. He was not above accepting the praise for his accomplishment. It was nice to actually be praised for something. At school, he kept most of his talent hidden since he didn't want too many people getting jealous of him. That happened enough as it with what he was already showing. He shuddered to think about what would happen if people learned of his true talent.
"Thank you," Harry bowed his head in acknowledgment.
"Now, let me take a look at the blade."
Harry handed the sword over to his teacher, allowing him to inspect the blade carefully.
"This is pretty fine craftsmanship. A traditional roman era gladius. Hmm... this blade is made up of separate segments."
"It's meant to be used as a whip," Harry elucidated the man. "By channeling magic through the blade, you can elongate it through a string attached to each segment, allowing for longer reach."
"I see," Flamel pulled his out his wand and gave it a quick wave. A few feet away, a large block of wood appeared out of thin air.
The ancient alchemist quickly thrust the sword forward as if he were about to impale some unseen enemy through the chest. The segmented parts quickly separated and a long 'string' of mercury could be seen between each segment. The blade soon reached it's target, stabbing straight through the piece of wood with impunity as several of the segments passed through it. The end then proceeded to curl, wrapping around the piece of wood like some kind of snake.
A quick yank on the hilt and the segmented blade contracted, slicing the wood into several pieces that fell to the ground with a series of clanks.
"I see what you did here. You used mercury because it's the most malleable metal. Unlike steel or iron, mercury, even in a solid state like this, is much more easy to manipulate. By channeling your magic through the blade you can change the density and hardness of the metal without affecting how sharp it is."
"Exactly."
"A ridiculously complicated transmutation for your second time," Flamel chuckled. "You're a pretty ambitious student, aren't you?"
Harry shrugged.
"There's no point in learning something if you're not willing to push yourself as far as you can go. I would rather fail at something, knowing I gave it my all, then succeed at something because I wasn't willing to take a risk and try pushing my knowledge to it's limits."
"You... you are quite possible the strangest eleven year old I have ever met," Nicholas chuckled, grinning broadly when he saw Harry bristle at being called out on his age. He knew Harry hated it when he did that, which was probably why he did it.
"In any case, I will keep this here for you, since it is very unlikely that you have anywhere to put it right now. Tomorrow, we will begin working on combining the Four Classical Elements with the Three Essential Principles in order to create more complex transmutations with multiple elements in them."
Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, Harry gave a small bow of acknowledgment before leaving the room.
He quickly ascended the stairs, headed down the hall after reaching the third floor, and soon found himself in front of an unmarked door. Opening the door, Harry stepped inside to find himself standing in one of the many guest rooms the Flamel Manor possessed.
He honestly didn't know why they had so many fully furnished guest rooms, as neither Nicholas nor Perennelle enjoyed much company. He supposed it was just in their nature, being people who had grown up several hundred years ago and were simply used to keeping with specific traditions and customs when it came to home building.
The room was nicely furnished, if a little bare. Cream colored walls and soft carpeting made up the basic structure of the room. There was a bed, a dresser and a nightstand, all made up of the same rich mahogany and built with the kind of elegance often found in renaissance décor. On one side of the room was a window. Normally, it would be open to allow the sunlight through, as well as to offer a grand view of the well maintained gardens surrounding the small manor and the large amount of forest beyond that. Right now it was closed. To the left were two doors, one leading to a restroom and the other a walk in closet.
Harry was not the only occupant in the room. There were two other people.
Sitting on a chair next to the bed was Perennelle, reading the morning newspaper. She looked the same as always, beautiful and regal. You would never be able to tell that she had been up practically all night last night.
As always, she was wearing ridiculously expensive clothing. This time she looked to be wearing a black robe gown made from expensive silk that seemed to shimmer and glisten whenever she moved.
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