Three weeks into term, Eliot had settled into a routine that would have impressed his old project managers back in Hyderabad.
5:30 AM - Wake up, review notes from previous day6:00 AM - Physical exercise (running around the castle grounds)7:00 AM - Breakfast and social time8:00 AM - Regular classes4:00 PM - Library research and runic studies5:00 PM - Homework and additional reading7:00 PM - Dinner8:00 PM - Study group with Terry, Anthony, and Michael10:00 PM - Personal projects
It was during his personal project time that Eliot began work on what would become his first major magical invention at Hogwarts.
---
The idea came to him during a particularly dark evening in the dungeons. Professor Snape had assigned them to identify potion ingredients by touch alone, working in near-darkness to "develop their other senses."
Most students fumbled around with their wands, casting *Lumos* every few seconds. But the charm was temporary, required constant magical energy, and provided harsh, directional light that created confusing shadows.
*There has to be a better way,* Eliot thought, carefully feeling the texture of what he hoped was dried billywig stings and not something more unpleasant.
That night, he pulled out his notebook and began sketching.
The basic concept was simple: a portable light source that provided steady, adjustable illumination without requiring constant magical input. But the execution would require combining several magical principles he'd been studying.
---
"You want to build a what?" Susan asked the next day in the library.
"A magical torchlight," Eliot explained, showing her his designs. "Look—here's the power source." He pointed to a small runic matrix. "These runes create a magical battery that slowly absorbs ambient magical energy. Here's the light generation array—much more efficient than *Lumos*. And this sequence controls brightness and beam width."
Susan studied the diagrams with growing excitement. "This is incredible! It's like... like a magical flashlight!"
"Exactly. And since it's powered by ambient magic rather than the user's personal energy, it could run for weeks without recharging."
"Have you tested any of this?"
Eliot grinned. "That's tonight's project. Want to help?"
---
They met in an unused classroom on the third floor after dinner. Eliot had gathered his materials: a small piece of crystal from the Potions supply closet (with permission), silver wire from the Transfiguration practice kit, and parchment for runic inscription.
"First, we need to create the power matrix," Eliot explained, carefully drawing runes on a small piece of parchment with a special ink made from powdered moonstone. "These symbols will absorb magical energy from the environment and store it."
Susan watched intently as he worked. "How do you know these runes will work together?"
"I've been studying runic harmonics in Professor Babbling's class. Different runes have different magical frequencies—like musical notes. If you combine them correctly, they amplify each other. If you get it wrong..." He shrugged. "Best case, nothing happens. Worst case, small explosion."
"Small explosion?" Susan looked alarmed.
"Very small. Probably."
---
The power matrix took two hours to complete. Each rune had to be perfectly drawn, with precise spacing and orientation. One mistake would ruin the entire sequence.
"Now for the light generation array," Eliot said, moving to a second piece of parchment. "This is trickier because we need to convert stored magical energy into visible light."
He drew a complex pattern of interlocking symbols, occasionally consulting his notes from his runic studies.
"These runes here control the spectrum of light produced," he explained. "We can adjust from warm yellow to bright white to even colored light if needed."
"And this controls brightness?" Susan pointed to a series of smaller runes around the edge.
"Exactly. It's like a magical dimmer switch."
---
The final step was assembly. Eliot carefully attached the runic parchments to the crystal using the silver wire, creating a small device about the size of a large marble.
"Moment of truth," he said, holding the device in his palm.
He touched his wand to the activation rune and whispered, "*Illumina stabilitas*."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the crystal began to glow with a soft, steady light.
"It works!" Susan gasped.
Eliot grinned and touched another rune. The light brightened. Another touch, and it dimmed. A third rune changed the color from white to warm yellow.
"Brilliant!" Susan said. "How long will it last?"
"Theoretically? About three weeks of continuous use, or several months of normal use. The power matrix should recharge itself whenever it's in a magically active environment."
They spent the next hour testing the device. It provided excellent illumination for reading, could be adjusted for different tasks, and showed no signs of magical drain on the user.
"Eliot," Susan said finally, "this is going to revolutionize how students study. No more constantly recasting *Lumos*, no more harsh wand-light, no more magical fatigue from extended illumination."
"That's the idea," Eliot replied, carefully wrapping the prototype in soft cloth. "But this is just the beginning. I want to refine the design, make it more durable, maybe add some additional features."
---
Word of Eliot's torchlight spread quickly through Ravenclaw Tower.
"You actually built a working magical device?" Anthony Goldstein asked in amazement. "As a first-year?"
"It's not that complicated," Eliot said modestly. "Just applied runic theory."
"Can you make more?" Terry Boot asked hopefully. "I'd love to have one for late-night studying."
"I'm working on it," Eliot replied. "But I want to improve the design first."
Over the next week, he refined the torchlight based on feedback from his housemates. Version 2.0 was smaller, brighter, and included a focusing lens that could create either a wide area light or a narrow beam for detailed work.
Professor Flitwick was fascinated when Eliot showed him the device during office hours.
"Remarkable work, Mr. Clarke," the tiny professor said, examining the runic matrices with a magnifying glass. "The power regulation is particularly elegant. Have you considered submitting this to the Young Inventors' Competition?"
"There's a competition?"
"Oh yes! The Department of Magical Inventions sponsors it annually. The winner receives a small prize and the opportunity to have their invention evaluated for commercial production."
Eliot's eyes lit up. "When is the deadline?"
"Not until spring term. Plenty of time to refine your design."
---
That evening, Eliot sat in the common room working on torchlight version 3.0. He'd added weatherproofing runes, an emergency strobe function, and a low-power mode that could run for months.
"You know," said Padma Patil, looking over his shoulder, "you could probably sell these to other students. I know loads of people who'd pay good money for reliable magical lighting."
Eliot paused in his work. He hadn't really thought about the commercial potential of his inventions. Back home, his grandfather had handled all the business aspects of DHD Inventions.
But here at Hogwarts, he was on his own.
"That's... actually not a bad idea," he said slowly. "I could start small, maybe make a few for friends, see how it goes."
"I'll take the first one," Padma said immediately. "How much?"
Eliot thought quickly. Materials cost about 2 Sickles per unit, plus his time for construction...
"Five Sickles?" he suggested.
"Deal."
As word spread, orders began coming in. By the end of the week, Eliot had a waiting list of fifteen students wanting their own magical torchlights.
He was going to need help.
"Susan," he said the next morning at breakfast, "how would you feel about going into business with me?"
She nearly choked on her pumpkin juice. "Business?"
"Partner. Co-inventor. We split the profits fifty-fifty, and you help me with production and quality control."
Susan's eyes sparkled with interest. "What exactly are you proposing?"
"A small magical devices company. We start with the torchlights, but expand into other useful inventions. Think of it as... applied magical research with commercial applications."
"I... yes," Susan said decisively. "Yes, I'd love to be part of this."
And just like that, Clarke & Granger Magical Innovations was born.
Though they'd need to work on the name.