Chapter 52 - Chapter 51

Andromeda had a suggestion for that. "In that case, should you wish it, we could field all questions by predicting what people will be asking and coming up with prewritten answers before then?"

Thinking over the offer for a second, Harry nodded his head. "Good idea. That would save me a lot of trouble in the long run." Not to mention a lot of time, which Harry would be having very little of once he started Hogwarts again.

Gods he was going to miss that time turner. Such a useful device it was.

"In that case, I believe that concludes our business for now." Andromeda smiled as Harry stood up. Now that there was no more business to be done, her demeanor went from a professional barrister to that of a mother whose child happened to be someone as wily, excitable and accident prone as Nymphadora Tonks. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Thank you for the offer," Harry inclined his head politely. "But I have to decline. I've made other dinner arrangements today."

Andromeda giggled, a little as a teasing grin crossed her face, both at his word choice and what it meant.

"Having dinner at your girlfriends house today?"

Harry groaned as he rubbed a hand over his face. Why did every older women he knew think that he and Lisa were dating? They weren't dating! He was too young to think of something as inconsequential as romance, especially when there were more important things to be done!

Besides, Lisa was like his sister. Dating her would just be wrong.

"You... ugh, why is it that every woman I meet say things like this?"

"Maybe it's because you act like an old whipped husband responding to his wives every beck and call," Andromeda teased him some more. Great, first Katrina, then Perennelle and now Andromeda. Did all older women enjoy teasing him?

And he was not whipped! He wasn't!

Was he?

XoX

"Blood Runes, also known as Blood Seals to some, are used to bind someone's soul to an inanimate object. The iron in the blood will interact with the metal it's on, causing the metal and the Blood Rune to form a symbiosis, thereby ensuring that the soul is tied to the object rather than the body."

Nicolas Flamel paced back and forth in front of his student as he lectured Harry on yet another aspect of Alchemy that the young Potter heir had never heard of.

He had to admit, it was a fascinating subject. Kind of sick and twisted, but fascinating nonetheless.

"There are a few positive effects for those who have had their soul bound. A person whose soul is bound to an inanimate object feels no pain, hunger, or fatigue, thus enabling them to perform immense physical feats. Also, as the person has no body, he or she can sustain more damage than normal humans, placing the person in a state of nigh invulnerability."

Now that Harry understood the basics of alchemy and could create his own transmutation circles, Nicolas Flamel had decided it was time to give him more knowledge on the subject of alchemy. Advanced knowledge. Forbidden knowledge.

"Of course, there are also negative effects as well. He or she has a weak point, the rune itself. If the rune is damaged in some way, the person's soul will start to fade from the object. This makes the protection of the blood rune the most important task of the bound soul. Sometimes, the person inside the object can start to question his or her own existence. This can be very dangerous to the person's mental health."

Harry felt a shiver course down his spine. While this subject was beyond interesting, he would not deny that the idea of having his soul bound to an inanimate object was frightening. The idea of never feeling pain or hunger or fatigue, while pleasant also came with an equal amount of negatives. He would not be able to feel, he would never be able to taste, he would never get to enjoy the act of sleeping for relaxations sake.

The worst part, Harry would admit, is that he would never be able to feel. The other two didn't sound as bad.

He would deny this to anyone who asked, but Harry had grown to like Lisa's hugs. It was an (un?)fortunate side effect of getting so many of them throughout the number of years he had known her.

"There is also an even greater danger to those who have had their souls bound; if one's soul is bound to an inanimate object for too long, the soul and object will eventually start to repel each other. The person will start to experience moments of exhaustion, which causes that person's soul to disappear from the object. This can lead to the complete destruction of the soul as it slips away. This makes the blood rune only a temporarily effective technique."

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