*6 years later*
/note just so you don't get confused, this is in Tony's house in Malibu. Also timelines will not coincide with earth-155,616,666,689,S,776,1610,...,199999, but you will see the hits of similarities of last chapter(2010) and this chapter(2012) but the year will be (1987)/
*December 13*
After 6 and 1/2 long years of studying (and listening to Tony while reading books in the library in my spare time) I finally finished my primary and secondary studies (most of it I hated and found utterly useless like how to find a book using the card catalog system or memorizing the periodic table of elements. I could just search it online). Pepper is intent on making us celebrate with a proper graduation ceremony and party. Complete with graduation robes, an academic to shake my hand and hand me a piece of paper, and cake.
There have been a few calls from a couple of Universities wishing to recruit me but I would rather get sorted into gryffindor than waste my time earning a muggle degree I would never use!
Now that I can read anything I want, there is no way I would waste this opportunity. I will learn anything useful to me these muggles have to offer.
Over the past 6 years, I noticed a new problem. I cant call on my magic like when I was older. I've found that the problem is not that I have too little magic, but that I have little access to it. I came upon this discovery incidentally out of pure boredom.
Wizards know not to exhaust their magic reserve as it could lead to irreversible damage. I of course knew this and planned to stop as soon as I felt the slightest bit tired. I felt that though my control over magic had increased tremendously due to my perfect practices, and the pool of my magic ever increasing with age, the amount I could use at a time had barely increased since I was 2.
It was in November when I finally had an idea why. I was practicing occulumency and got bored of the same routine I have done for several years. After reinforcing my shield over and over again, I decided to look at my magic core. At first, of course, there were no peculiarities, however, slightly impatient after receiving no results from my continuous effort to strengthen my magic core, I probed it (which is not usually a smart idea as anything could go wrong.)
(To strengthen my magic, I used to go to the bathroom where I know there are no cameras nor Jarvis, and shut the windows, turn off the lights, and wear several layers of shades and x-ray films. I then practice the most basic magic that is relatively harmless and can easily show how much magic is being used. Lumos.
At first it started off as a dim candle light, but I kept adding magic to it. Slowly it turned as bright as a 60W lightbulb. I tried excerting more magic into it but couldn't. I knew that wasn't my limit as I didn't feel a ounce of becoming tired. I had more magic, but could only let out so much at a time.)
I found absolutely nothing wrong with it, in fact I would bet that it is larger than the magic cores found in the average 7 yr old wizard. So I traced it out and discovered that the pathway out was narrow and thin. There were also signs of a large crack sometime in the past, but it was completely healed. I also noticed that where there were signs of scarring, the pathway was wider and had thicker/sturdier walls.
Could this be the result of the magic backlash when I was 1?
So it turns out my magic core was strong but it was by body that was week. But I was not about to start destroying my body to build a stronger one, only a barmy old fool would do that! No, I need an object to channel more of my magic. I need a wand.
In the meantime, I will practice running my magic throughout my body everyday to slowly train it. This should allow me to use stronger wandless magic in the future.
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I was sitting down at the dining area after finishing my lunch. Once again I am alone with Jarvis. Pepper was busy doing Tony's work in LA with Tony most likely going out, being a gryffindor without actually being a gryffindor, and seeking death.
I quickly got bored and walked around the house. There is only one room I haven't visited yet. His tool room.
I exited the room to the carport before entering the tool room. The only reason why I've never been here before is that I still hold my suspicions around technology. Getting closer to muggle technology could harm my magic but there is no harm if I just don't use it right?
I enter the room and stare amazed at the amount of technology one could fit in a room. This could be my chance at learning everything he hides in here.
"Jarvis, show me Tony's projects starting from 7 years ago"
I looked around the room before holograms appeared in a circle at the center of the room.
[Here are the available projects]
I walked over and viewed the child-safe projects, not finding any intriguing ones, I decided to ask for something that interested me ever since I first took note of it.
"Show me Tony's arc reactor."
[Access denied]
"Show me pictures of Tony with his shirt off."
I felt heat rise up my cheeks as I realized something. . . God, that sounds wrong. Thank Merlin no one heard that or they may have thought wrong of me. But how else am I supposed to get Jarvis to do what I want?
The images changed and showed me pictures of Tony with his arc reactor exposed. I selected several images that each give a different angle. One from the front and Six diagonal ones (left/right - center/top/down)
"focus to the center of his chest"
The images grew larger, giving me a better view on it's outer structure and a glimpse of it's inner mechanism. From what I hear I suspect that his arc reactor may be some kind of fusion reactor that has the ability to generate an electromagnetic field, provide clean energy, and blast repulsor beams.
. . .I should do some research.
"Jarvis, print it out for me. One picture per page."
At the far left I could hear the sound of the printer running. Rushing over I wait to collect all the pictures before rushing to the library. But along the way I passed by the kitchen, and a though occurred to me that has been bothering me for quite a while.
It's been a few year since I've had some firewhisky, there's no one in the house so why not? It's the least the Universe could do for me after everything I've gone trough. I cast a light disillusionment charm on myself before sneaking into the kitchen and getting one of Tony's liquor bottles called Winston (it won't do to have video evidence of my actions). I pour myself a glass before restoring the bottle to it's original state (with a decreased amount of liquor) "repairo" .
I take a sip and felt the burn as the liquid goes down my throat. Coughing, I forgot how strong drinks could get, but the familiar burning calms me down. I head to the library and pick out the books I can recall mentioning fusion reactors, I spread them out on the table along with the pictures.
"Comparing what I know to the images, I could remove the possibility of it using hot fusion as Plasma containment is the single biggest challenge for hot fusion, but the arc reactor makes it look effortless. From this we can conclude that a key technology in the full-scale arc reactor is a way to contain the reaction in a self-sustaining ring.
That would explain it's circular shape, it might be a donut inside. Charged particles must be moving in a circle, contained by a magnetic field as magnetic fields can curve the motion of charged particles. Curving the particles' motion into a circle keeps them in one place long enough to get them to collide.
it does not appear to have any cooling loops or turbines as would a thermal reactor. So it must generate electricity directly without first generating heat. If it cannot be a hot-fusion reactor, or a traditional thermal-fission reactor, then maybe cold fusion? If so then Palladium which has been proposed as a substrate for "cold" fusion may be used (I should ask Tony).
Palladium... Palladium. Right it was mentioned here!"
I open the book entitled Modern Scientific Discoveries, to chapter 31- ITER fusion reactor, and flip a few more pages. Taking a few more sips from my glass before continuing.
"Here! Palladium isotope Pd-103 produces Rh-103 (rhodium) via electron capture. This means an inner electron is absorbed by the nucleus, merging with a proton to produce a neutron and an energetic photon — a gamma ray.
Another isotope, Pd-107, produces Ag-107 (silver) via beta decay, releasing an electron when a neutron turns into a proton.
. . .He found a way to utilize the beta decay of Pd-107 ions as an electron source for the electron capture of Pd-103, thereby producing an electric circuit between two different radioactive isotopes.
A Multi-Isotope Radio-Decay Cell, how brilliant!
But if this is it, then he should be dead from radiation poisoning or cancer. What idiot would put a large chunk of any kind of radioactive isotope in their chest?"
I take one more sip before realizing that there was little left in the glass. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips as I realized I finished it, my head feels so light but the ground is so far.
"wha! The ground, it's so far! I'm falling! ahhhh!"
I heard a loud crash before the door burst open to reveal one Tony..
"Are you- . . . drunk?"
"Bwahahahahaha."
"Hahahahahaha."
My stomach is hurting, I- I can't breathe! But I can't stop laughing.
"You . . ."
"Hahahahaha."
"Hahahahahaha. Pepper's gonna kill us."
"No, jus' yu'."
"Ah?! Hahahahahahaha."
After that I blanked out. I remember bits and pieces of laughing about something with Tony but I can't remember what. That morning I woke up next to Tony sprawled out on the couch with the TV on. My head hurts. I don't know what happened but even with this blaring headache I feel like I could trust Tony more.
"Episkey. Episkey"
There, my head feels better and so should his, but I still feel a little tired. I lean my back against the couch and fall asleep once more.