Chapter 50: The Fires of Hogwarts

Gandalf saw Kael's actions, his blue eyes twinkling. "Kael, are you certain? You want to make this your domain?" Thorin, standing nearby, also looked up at Kael. In Middle-earth, it was common for powerful individuals to establish their own strongholds or territories. It was surprising to him that powerful Wizards like Gandalf and Kael still lacked their own spheres of influence. Kael shook his head. "It's not truly a domain, but rather a base where I can always return to rest." "Then you must be prepared," Gandalf warned gravely. "Once the news of the Tower of Amon Sûl's reappearance spreads across the plains, many factions will turn their attention to you, some with good intentions, others with malice. You will also find many seeking your protection. These are challenges you will inevitably face." Hearing Gandalf's words, Kael frowned. He hadn't anticipated that merely establishing a base would bring such complications, making him somewhat regret his hasty decision. However, he was unwilling to abandon the place. Therefore, he decided to proceed cautiously and see how things unfolded. Bilbo and the Dwarves, who had been exploring the tower, finally returned. The Dwarves, panting heavily, slumped onto a sofa, complaining, "Sixty floors, a full sixty floors! I'm utterly exhausted!" "Indeed," another added, "climbing these stairs is more tiring than slaying sixty Orcs!" "Honestly," a third grumbled, "there should be a lift here. Scaling all these floors is simply too much!" The Dwarves continued to voice their opinions. Bilbo, though also out of breath, appeared excited. He approached Kael and enthusiastically shared, "Kael, we climbed all the way to the top. It's so high, it feels like you could reach out and touch the clouds! You can see the main road below and even further beyond!" "Oh, and at the top, we saw a massive stone platform with a depression in its center. Balin said it was meant for placing the Palantír..." Kael was astonished by the Dwarves' and Bilbo's remarks. The tower indeed had sixty floors, and climbing all those stone stairs would be incredibly exhausting. If he truly intended to reside there, he would need to consider installing a lift. With this in mind, Kael sought advice from the Dwarves. He had previously witnessed their intricate lifts and pulley systems in the Blue Mountains, which could reach thousands of feet underground and were comparable to modern elevators. The Dwarves did not disappoint, assuring him that it was a minor issue and that after the quest to the Lonely Mountain, they could assist in designing and constructing an automatic lift for the tower. Kael also had an alternative plan. He intended to install a fireplace on each floor and connect them all to form a localized Floo Network. This would allow him to travel directly to any desired floor via a fireplace. The only drawback would be the considerable amount of Floo Powder required. Late at night, under the bright glow of the full moon, Kael ascended to the thousand-foot-high tower top for the first time. It featured a semi-enclosed lookout platform. From this vantage point, to the east stretched the vast Lone-lands, to the south lay the Midgewater Marshes and the east-west main road, to the west the Chetwood Forest and Bree, and to the north, rolling hills. The wind howled around him, and clouds drifted at the tower's level. Looking up at the sky, the stars and moon seemed within reach. In the center of the lookout was a massive stone platform with a central depression, where a Palantír had once been housed. The Palantír was a treasure crafted by Elven artisans, allowing its user to perceive distant objects regardless of terrain or structures, and even to view past events. After the downfall of the Númenórean Empire, Elendil brought seven Palantíri to Middle-earth. He placed three in the kingdom of Arnor and gave four to his sons, who ruled in the south, to facilitate communication and strengthen their connections. One of the three Palantíri of Arnor was located in the Tower of Amon Sûl atop Weathertop. After the fall of Arnor, these Palantíri were scattered and lost. One fell into the possession of the Dark Lord Sauron, and another into the hands of the White Wizard Saruman. They utilized these Palantíri to observe the state of Middle-earth, gaining a significant strategic advantage from afar. "If the opportunity arises, I would very much like to study a Palantír," Kael mused, gazing at the empty depression on the stone table, intrigued by the Seeing Stone. After admiring the tower top, Kael commenced his primary task. He took out a bag of Moonstones and arranged them on the stone platform to absorb the moonlight. Here, the moonlight seemed to intensify, shining upon the Moonstones and refracting a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the entire tower top. The Moonstones absorbed the moonlight, growing brighter and emitting a soft, blue-silver glow, as if condensed from moonlight itself. At midnight, when the moon was at its fullest, Kael took out snake fangs, spider silk, and Moonstones, mixing them in specific proportions within a crucible. He then used his wand to inscribe runes symbolizing power and creation on the crucible's base. Next, he ignited the mixture with magical flames, continuously burning it. Under the intense heat, the snake fangs and spider silk turned to ash, and the brilliant Moonstones fractured into countless minuscule particles, losing their radiant luster. Once the burning was complete, Kael extinguished the flames and used a mortar to grind the mixture of snake fangs, spider silk, and Moonstone particles into a fine powder. All that remained in the mortar was a shimmering, silver-grey powder—this was Floo Powder. Having successfully created Floo Powder, Kael wished to test its properties. Conveniently, there was a beacon tower at the top, resembling a fireplace. Kael cast a spell to link it with the fireplace downstairs. Waving his hand to ignite the beacon, Kael grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and sprinkled it into the flames. The fire instantly turned green. Observing the emerald flames, Kael cautiously extended his hand towards them. He felt no burning sensation; instead, there was a slight coolness. Seeing this, Kael hesitated no longer and stepped directly into the flames. In the next instant, a dizzying sensation overcame him, and Kael found himself inside the first-floor fireplace. "Cough, cough..." Kael choked, his eyes squinting from the soot. The Floo Powder worked remarkably well; its only drawback was the excessive smoke, which left him covered in ash after the teleportation. "It appears you've successfully produced Floo Powder," Gandalf remarked, his blue eyes twinkling as he sat by the fireplace on the sofa, calmly smoking his pipe. He seemed to have anticipated Kael's success that night and had been waiting for him. Kael pulled out a bottle of Floo Powder from his pocket and, with a smile, invited, "Gandalf, would you be interested in a little excursion?" Gandalf's eyes lit up, and he eagerly rose to his feet, exclaiming, "I can't wait!" "To The Prancing Pony!" "To The Prancing Pony!" Two flashes of green fire quickly followed, and the first-floor living room fell silent and empty. (End of Chapter) *** [Check Out My Patreon For More Chapters On All Of My Fanfics!!] [www. [email protected]/meowthtl] [+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]