"I was about to contact you," said Tiara as soon as she appeared in the mirror.
"What's wrong?"
"McGonagall sent me a letter saying you've been distracted and under a lot of pressure; she asked me to talk to you."
Christian's mouth immediately twitched as soon as he heard these words. He couldn't believe that the professor told on him.
"You told me you were not stressing out over the artifact?"
"I'm not," he rebutted.
"Really? Then, what are you stressed about?"
"I'm taking two extra classes, finals are coming, and I've been learning a lot and stretching myself too thin. I just needed a break, which I've taken," he explained. Tiara squinted at him, looking him up and down.
"If you're worried I'm too stressed, why don't you send me your artifact translation?"
"This will only add to your burden," said Tiara, trying to hide her embarrassment. "So, what happened?"
"The disk is completed," said Christian immediately.
"The disk? Oh, your project."
"That's right. The final product was completed a few hours ago."
"That's excellent news. Send me one to try."
"I'll send Sango with a package," nodded Christian.
"When do you plan to announce?"
"Well, I want the final volume of the comic to be released after school, so that's in the middle of June," said Christian. Many beloved characters will die in the final war, and Christian does not want to deal with the backlash while in school.
"How about late June?"
"That's fine. How do you want to announce it? Another book signing? I don't think I've heard of a book signing for a comic."
Christian immediately thought of an announcement similar to Steve Jobs's revelation of the iPhone, which was not new to the wizard world. As far back as the 16th century, a wizard named Jarleth Hobart invited many wizards, including the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, to witness the new creation of the Levitation Charm.
However, Christian worried his actions would be detrimental to his resolution, not to be engulfed by fame and glory, turning him into another Lockhart.
"What's wrong?" Christian shared his ideas and worries with her.
"It's all about balance. One event will not turn you into an attention-seeker as long as you can control yourself," said Tiara. "So, I think you should do it. You haven't appeared in public for a while, but now is the best time."
"You have a point," nodded Christian. Now, all he has to do is announce the date of the reveal in the last volume while his mother prepares everything else for the date.
"By the way, how do we mass-produce the disks? I doubt many people could create them due to the skill required. Is there a way to mass-produce them?" Christian feared he would have to create each disk by hand, which would become a problem.
"You'll use a Doubleweaver," said Tiara.
"What's that?"
"It's basically a machine bewitched with the Doubling Charm. That's how newspapers, books, and many things are printed."
"Aren't items made with Geminio slowly dissipating over time?"
"Yes, but the machine is made with special materials to ensure it lasts."
"In other words, this machine can double all magical artifacts?" Christian asked with wide eyes.
"No, it's not that powerful," explained Tiara. "Certain materials and enchantments cannot be replicated, and some materials will disintegrate faster after being copied. For artifacts as complex as your disk, the Doubleweaver will require many attempts before successfully copying it."
Tiara did not mention how it would take a lot of money to calibrate the Doubleweaver to mass produce an artifact with as many enchantments as this Dueling Disk. Their family was blessed and had the money to invest in Christian's future. Otherwise, he could only dream of making this disk mainstream to build his soft power.
'The Doubleweave is another instance where machines are more equipped to wield a spell than humans,' thought Christian.
"How do you know so much about such a niche topic?" he suddenly asked.
"One of my colleagues discovered the tomb of the person who created the Geminio Charm and the Doubleweaver. We communicated a lot, and I learned a few things."
"Sometimes I forget you have an entire life outside our family's bubble," chuckled Christian.
"That's right. You should show me more awe and reverence," Tiara jokes. The light mood alleviated much of Christian's worries and his pain. So, he chatted for a while with her before ending the conversation.
Christian woke up early the following day to meditate with Hermione and Neville before rushing to his secret toilet for his hygiene. If there is one thing he is thankful for about his mother's map, it is this bathroom.
He used the dental kit Hermione gave him for Christmas to brush and floss before changing the bandages on his shoulder.
"It should be healed in another week," said Christian as he glanced at it; the pain seemed even more severe as the healing was nearing its end. He's beginning to think, no —he knows that Voldemort used this spell with such intense healing pain to teach him a lesson.
After applying a paste he brewed on his shoulder, Christian muttered an incantation that untwisted his locks, turning his hair into a giant afro. He showered and watched them before adding a few products. Then, with another incantation, they braided or twisted themselves. He was never glad he found this spell in a book his mother bought in the African Magical World.
After dressing up, Christian started school, acting like he was back to his old self. He bore the pain and put on a joyous smile. He even used Human Transfiguration to adjust his face to look less pale and fatigued.
After class, Professor McGonagall asked him to stay.
"Do you need something, Professor?"
"Look."
Christian took the journal and immediately understood after seeing it was from Transfiguration Weekly. Their experiment on using Conjuration to create or summon naturally occurring elements from the Periodic Table of Elements was published as expected. He read the article with a smile, and personally, he felt that the professor had given him too much credit. He primarily provided the idea, and she did most of the work while he spent most of the time learning from her research and experiments.
Christian suddenly sighed deeply.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, I was just thinking how revolutionary this research would be to Muggle Society if not for the International Statute of Secrecy."
"How so?" asked McGonagall, somewhat intrigued.
"Wizards could conjure the elements needed for Muggle Technology."
"Conjure items cannot exist long in the world," said Professor McGonagall.
"I'm aware, but even so, they could be used for experiments and drastically reduce the materials used in the Research and Development Stage, which also means less drilling for natural resources and destroying the planet.
"And if Alchemy can be used to create real elements that will not disappear, all aspects of Muggle society would drastically increase. Without worrying about resources, science and technology would develop so fast in just a few decades," said Christian, shaking his head; it was unfortunate, but there was nothing his current self could do. The worst part is that those examples are merely the ones he could think of on the spot.
"Maybe you're right, but the International Statute of Secrecy exists for a reason."
Christian did not comment on this subject. While this did save wizards from Muggle persecution, it also caused their slow development and stagnation.
Christian frowned, "I suddenly had an idea."
"Oh, what's on your mind?"
"Do you remember the global warming and environmental damage I discussed in my book?"
"I do. You said the muggles were destroying the planet, and we should do something about it since we will also suffer from their actions."
"I think I have a solution," said Christian. "What if we organize many wizards to use the Vanishing Spells on the carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, cleaning the excess amount? And this is not its only use. Plastics cause many environmental problems because they are not biodegradable and release harmful chemicals. But with the Vanishing Spells, they will just cease to exist. We can organize wizards to use Accio on plastics in the ocean before vanishing them."
"Hmm, that is an interesting idea, but logistically speaking, only the ocean cleaning might be possible."
"Logistic? Yes, it's not possible to reach the Earth's atmosphere. The only thing I could think of was enchanting a flying balloon to upgrade its flying ability, heat resistance, protection against cosmic rays/radiations, and provide a breathable atmosphere," said Christian, deep in thought.
"We would also need a way to detect the greenhouse gases, which might require an artifact or a new Revelio Charm. What else am I missing?"
"The organizational part," said Professor McGonagall. "Such an effort would require the International Federation of Wizards to participate. They would need to discuss how to mobilize wizards from different countries and how to do so without alerting Muggle society."
"Oh, I forgot the bureaucrats," grunted Christian. In Jim's future, all global leaders ignored the warning of climate activists and scientists until it was too late, and Christian had a feeling it might be the same for these people in the Wizarding World. He was suddenly no longer as excited about this idea.
"How about I ask Dumbledore about your idea? His input might be more valuable than mine," said McGonagall after seeing his change in demeanor.
"Oh, thank you," Christian nodded. He thanked her for all her help before saying goodbye and walking out of the room.