บท 24: Experiments Into Gravity

(Seras POV)

The night after discovering the gravity rune was near impossible to sleep. Here I was, at the precipice of a breakthrough, and yet I was stuck trying to rest an overworked mind. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, so I gathered some basic materials and set up an experiment in the corner of my room. Using a piece of parchment, I carefully drew the gravity rune, infusing it with a controlled amount of my magical energy. All of this practice with runes had finally allowed me to consistently release small amounts of mana from my body. If this continues, maybe trying to figure out some form of wandless casting of spells based on the way I see mana once they interact with runes could be possible.

As the rune began to glow faintly, I placed another gemstone I had pried off of the vanity below the parchment. I promised myself that I would order a bunch of uniform objects for experiments in the morning. I took the piece of paper and placed it upside down with the rune facing towards the stone. The stone instantly shot in towards the rune, being pulled by the gravity emitted. I then adjusted the flow of magic, and the stone responded by rising higher or lowering, depending on the intensity of the energy. My eyes took in the magic given off by the rune as it slowly increased and waned in strength. I was going to figure out how to at least somewhat control gravity.

Encouraged by this initial success, I decided to expand my experiments. However, I would need to sleep first. I would eventually have to find a way to limit the amount of sleep I need. I'm clearly losing precious time I could spend experimenting.

The next morning, I started by trying to find out what happens when I change the various variables. I inscribed the gravity rune on various objects—a quill, a book, and a metal weight. Adjusting the rune's parameters, I made the objects lighter or heavier. The quill, which usually floated delicately in the air, now hovered with a solidity that defied its usual lightness. The book, a tome on advanced potion-making, felt as light as a feather when I lifted it. The metal weight, which should have been a struggle to lift, felt like a mere pebble in my hands. Each change was precise and consistent, indicating that I had a reliable way to control weight. I really hate the lack of a consistent program to add data to, so I instead jotted down my notes onto sheets upon sheets of pages, trying to do manual calculations. I would have to eventually invent some form of magical calculator—there is just always something I need to create for this backwards world.

My next experiment was more ambitious. I created a small platform with the gravity rune inscribed on its underside. After a few adjustments, the platform began to levitate. I added control runes for directional movement and tested the platform's stability by placing small objects on it. The platform responded smoothly to my commands, moving up, down, and side to side with ease. I even managed to sit on it, hovering a few feet above the ground. It was exhilarating and offered a glimpse of what personal flight could feel like. I wonder what runes broomsmiths use to create their floating devices—if it's the same gravity rune I have and all they have done for a hundred years is use it for sports and a wacky form of transportation, I was going to go all dark lord on them.

The next experiment was to use gravity to strengthen myself. Until I gained more personal control of gravity, I would have to rely on weights. So I started doing weight exercises. Usually, weights stunt the growth of a child, but with the magic of potions and money, I could add this into my schedule without much harm. The added gravity made my muscles work much harder, and I could already tell this would accelerate my strength training. It truly was a brilliant application—I just stayed winning. I made notes to refine this setup further. With this much training, I would need to change the nutrition and health potion plans.

Finally, I decided to explore the concept of gravity wells and attraction forces. I used the gravity rune to create localized gravity wells on a flat surface. Placing small objects near these wells, I observed their movement. The objects were drawn towards the wells, spiraling inwards as if caught in a miniature orbit. By adjusting the rune, I could vary the strength of the gravitational pull, either increasing the attraction or reducing it to almost nothing. I was simply on a roll—nothing could stop me.

I then decided to try and move my mana around me in a way similar to the way I saw the rune do so. I had so many wins in a row that I thought myself infallible. I proceeded to eat the floor in my room due to accidentally increasing just the gravity on myself by 10x. I realized I was getting full of myself. Here I was, unable to cast even Lumos, and I believed myself the lord of gravity. I had at least done something with gravity here—I had used mana to influence outside forces, and if all it took was headbutting the ground 100,000 more times for me to be able to start being able to increase the gravity on those around me, I was completely willing.

Unsatisfied with my progress, I decided that I needed to understand the force of gravity more like a physicist and less like an engineer. I needed books, but my father would never allow a muggle text to be something I used. I initially planned to write to Snape, but that man also seemed to have problems with muggle-born wizards, so as my last resort, I penned a letter to Dumbledore. I explained to Dumbledore that I had hit a bit of a wall in my understanding of natural laws. I needed muggle books, and he was the only one I could turn to. A transfer of galleons from the vault of Nyx to his own should hopefully cover any problems he might have with the transaction.

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Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Recently, I realized that my understanding of the natural world is limited to magical interpretations. Muggles have been able to create incredible technology without the use of magic, and this is all apparently due to something known as "Physics."

As someone who teaches those that come from the muggle world, I would like your opinion on my idea of this sort of research. I lack the current ability to get these texts, as a fully functioning 2-year-old is a sight even in our magical world. My father and godfather are a bit old-fashioned in their viewpoints on subjects like this, so you are my only hope.

I would greatly appreciate any muggle texts on the subject that could provide further insight and broaden my ideas, particularly those that cover fundamental principles as well as advanced theories. Please send me a receipt for the texts so I can move funds from the Nyx vault to that of your own.

Thank you for your guidance and support.

Warm regards, Seras Malfoy

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A few days later, a large package arrived for me, bearing the unmistakable seal of Dumbledore. Inside, I found a collection of physics books and a small bag of candy that the headmaster sends with every letter. I wonder if the old wizard owns some form of white van as they are the only people I could think of that offer this much candy to children.

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Dear Miss Malfoy,

I am delighted to hear about your viewpoint. It is our mission as creators of artifacts to constantly try and approach things in new directions.

Enclosed are several books on physics, ranging from elementary principles to more advanced concepts. These should provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject.

I look forward to hearing about your continued experiments and discoveries.

I also enclosed a few of my favorite candies as a late birthday present.

There is no bill for the books as I am more than willing to pay a bit to see a child find what they are interested in. I hope that this new perspective also brings about new thoughts about muggles and their role in this world.

Warmest regards, Albus Dumbledore

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I eagerly delved into the books. I had given the old man free reign on what to purchase, so I was unsure of what to expect. The first book out of the box was "Physics Elementary." It was a book for young children and was far below the level I currently needed. The illustrations and easy explanations would make it an enjoyable read for Draco, however. Although getting my brother to read a book made by muggles would be a different task.

The next book I pulled out was called "Physical Therapy in the Modern Age." I don't know if the old wizard was dyslexic or playing a funny prank, but making sure that I was following proper physical therapy techniques to deal with the self-inflicted daily muscle injuries was for the best. If the books stay too basic, this might have been the most useful book in the collection.

Next, I tackled "Physics and Fundamentals of Classical Mechanics." This was a late-high school, early college-level textbook on the subject. If my memories before I died hadn't been so crisp, this book would have been a lot more useful. This was a good review of concepts all over physics but had very little to do with what I specifically needed. It did most likely have information for stuff that was deemed not important enough by my professors and teachers and could be interesting in the future.

The most challenging was "General Relativity and Gravitation: The Building Block of Physics," a dense text meant for advanced students. It covered Einstein's theory of relativity and the curvature of spacetime. The concepts were going to be hard to put into practice for magical development, but if I could figure out a way to, I would become a master at manipulating gravity.

I eventually pulled out two more books from the package. "The Physics of Coffee Brewing," which reminded me of the coffee addiction I used to have and had switched out for a tea one since birth. The other was "The Physics of Baseball," which spoke on the sport and how physics were used. I believe that Dumbledore was trying to convince me of the benefits of muggle culture and how what I see as alien now may be something useful for me in the future.

With these new insights, I returned to my experiments, ready to explore the gravity rune with a deeper understanding of both magical and muggle principles. The possibilities were endless, but by the end of it, I should be able to bring most people to their knees—due to me showing off how gravity works and for no ulterior reasons.