"Oh... shit," I said as I watched the bronze cauldron bubble and hiss angrily. Tapping my wand to my new ring and bringing out a shield made of fire between myself and the cauldron. I was able to prevent the mixture from splashing me using my improved Shield Spell, though the boards did not seem as lucky as me, as the mixture seemed to eat away at the wood.

Potions were weird like that... every property of the materials I used was amplified through the base enchantment, including the acidity of certain plant materials... which made things... complicated.

It had been nearly four months since the night I dueled the Alchemist and I was no closer to understanding potions as I had been when I first started. The main problem was that half the information in the books I got from the Alchemist, was just plain wrong or did not work for me, while the other issue seem to be that Fire Magic liked to explode for fun if I lost my focus. The fact that I was limited in my knowledge of chemistry... and I was not really that good at it in the first place, as I preferred Physics.

I had however improved my spell collection with an actual Shield Charm... sort of. Alright, fine, it only stopped liquids but that was better than being only able to stop powders or gas. Granted, I needed to tap my wand to the most recent edition of my toolset, a ring that had a decently sized dragonglass as a jewel.

The secrets of Magic I unlocked through the recipe of Wildfire sounded impressive... drawing fire from dragonglass, only at first look. I had barely scratched the surface with it and modifying my wand before I was sure would lead to disaster, leading to the current setup I had until I could understand.

For all I knew, dragonglass acted like a battery, hence my exclusive use of a single piece of dragonglass in the ring as the source of fire. I was pretty sure after four months that it was not the case at least.

The fire from the dragonglass provided me was that one missing thing. The fire when I used the dragon bone core wand as a focus produced a magical fire... the Dragon's Fire... or rather, as it stood, Spellfire. It was a unique fire that I could use to enchant with a bit of Shadowbinding, or rather Charming the object, as I was pretty sure the definition I recalled worked. A Charm changed the properties of an object and the enchantments I could layer on objects simply were derivations of that concept. With fire, came a versatility I was lacking... if I could gain control over the flames, which was tricky at best as I was as likely to cast a temporary Charm on an object as I was likely to end up scorching the target with the current setup.

The true treasure was the Base Potion I came up with. A mix of Blood and Ground Obsidian extracted from the recipe of Wildfire was almost intuitive. The mixture somehow caused the dragonglass to dissolve into the liquid when held under a magical flame and I had access to the magical flames now with almost ease.

Using blood as an anchor for a soul also was not unknown to me. I had done the same trick in Shadowbinding and the recipe of Wildfire involved sacrificing animals to `draw upon their life-fire`... whatever that meant. My theory was that the mixture acted as a good medium to bind the soul of the animal whose blood was used to create the material. Dragonglass in this case, sort of acted like a Soul Gem from Skyrim, storing the soul within the liquid that was now a single material instead of two.

The resulting black liquid gained the ability to almost amplify the properties of other liquids it was mixed with... or at least that is what I was able to understand from Wildfire's uncontrollable combustion and my own experiments that involved so... so many cauldrons.

While the base for a potion was expensive, as I did not actually have consistent access to Obsidian and the animal sacrifice required for each batch limited its use, the sheer versatility it could provide was... mind-blowing. Now if only it did work as expected.

As was the smart thing to do, the first thing I crafted was a potion for healing, based on the poultice that the Surgeon had given me. The problem was that while the cuts healed rather fast, the mixture left some rather nasty acid burns on the poor rats that I had sacrificed. Who knew that mustard was acidic... or that the Potion Base I created amplified every property of the mixture to cartoon-ish levels.

Since the mixture's acidity was amplified, I needed to check if that was the case for all forms of acids. The simplest experiment had been to add a bit of lemon juice, which had led the mixture to not only eat away at the first cauldron I had but through the floor as well, reaching the bedrock of the island we were located in before it stopped. The good news was that I now had a neat little storage space in case I needed it, along with an understanding that I really should not experiment with potions where people were living in close proximity.

I tested the same approach with a glass vial to check if the effect would increase over time. While the vial survived, I was sort of expecting that the mixture would get more potent with time, based on what I knew from Wildfire.

"Four months and all I have to account for is Magic Super-Acid and a Healing Potion that leaves more scars than if you let it heal on its own," I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair.

The main issue was the fact that the mixture was extremely dependent on the simplest of chemical concepts. I needed to ensure that the mixture was not too acidic or basic while accounting for how each ingredient would affect the potion. While I was proficient enough, I was not a professional chemist and I could not produce most of the materials on my own. I knew that it was possible to measure the acidity using easy-to-make products, but for the life of me, I could not remember how. I made a note to track down Qyburn... if anyone on this forsaken planet knew rudimentary Chemistry, it would be that creep.

"No wonder Harry sucked at this... this shit is more complicated than pointing your wand and yelling `expelliarmus`" I muttered mostly in frustration, knowing that I was being unfair to the main character of one of my favorite books. Leaving the latest lab I had for myself, I considered whether or not I could still use the small cabin with a workbench inside it, a fire source and a roof over it and nothing else. The potions research had reached a point were doing it in Braavos was just asking for some disaster, so I was spending most of my time in the Horse Ranch, overseeing the experiments in horse breeding and experimenting with the potions on the side.

The makeshift cabin was shielded from the elements and ensured that I did not need to have the entire house evacuated when I accidentally did the wrong thing. I looked to my left, seeing the four other similar cabins that were either burned, partially melted and for one single instance, still smoldering.

"I should probably look into a way to fix that," I muttered to myself, considering the validity of mixing the potion base with concrete to cover that particular experiment. Who knew that combining snapdragons and dragonpeppers with magic could have such an effect? Just because both materials had `dragon` in their names did not mean the result would be some weird fiery concoction... right? Granted, I was thinking exactly the same thing, trying to figure out a substitute for dragon bone which I had limited access to.

Now, I could buy dragon bone, I was not exactly poor and the wood trade had given us some decent source of income, especially as I had figured out how to enchant the entire depot to be fireproof using the rats that were nesting in the place.

The only obvious good news with my potions was that I pretty much perfected a Bubblehead Charm out of necessity because of all the failures. Fine... it was a rather simple modification of my initial Shield Spell, the one that was able to protect me from powders that the Alchemist had sent me. It ensured that I could survive the experiments I have been conducting at the least and it may come in handy if I can figure out how to apply it while in water... which was firmly stuck in work-in-progress.

The dog resting by the tree opened his eyes, becoming alert as I walked out of the latest failure. Without a word, Huan the Wolfhound, jumped across the distance between us, ending right in front of me. From a biological standpoint, he was still a puppy. From a physical standpoint, he was the size of his parents... because I apparently was really good at magic... or a clueless idiot who was messing with what he did not understand.

While the experiments with the Horses were all well and good, the kennels provided me with a much faster alternative and added size of dogs made for a greater intimidation factor. Was I jealous of Starks for having super-sized puppies... I was... so I made my own version... on accident.

The effect of fleshcrafting... or rather soulcrafting was peculiar, and I was testing it on the parents. Using myself as a channel to experiment with sacrificial properties of Second Lives was something I always wanted to try out. It made sense as a way for Blood Magic to work and using the souls of the sheep we would slaughter, pouring the souls into the bodies of living dogs seemed to work... to a degree. The two dogs had grown more robust, had a slightly larger build than average and definitely showed a greater intelligence overall. I was not sure how it worked but binding additional souls to the parents had a unique side effect with Huan specifically. While the two parents did not show any overt physical improvements with increased `soul-stuff`, it was Huan who proved that I was on the right track.

The results of the experiment were similar to how Drogon had grown faster than his siblings in the books. I was almost certain that it was Khal Drogo's soul that was bound to the black dragon egg and the larger soul had led to a larger body in the end. Along with the possible theory I held regarding the evolution of Direwolves from Wolves acting as the second lives for Wargs and I could almost understand how Huan would become larger.

The problem however was that it was not on purpose and I had a small freakout as a result. The fact that I did not account for Huan while working showed me why this branch of magic was dangerous. The two having puppies showed why experimenting with Fleshcrafting may have led to a disaster in places like Goggossos. A single mistake and I would have a super-disease on my hands.

After he was born, the puppy grew at a rather fast rate, getting to the size of its parents by two months, hence the name Huan, as a reference to the dog in Silmarillion with a similar large size. He was young but made for a good guard dog against wild animals through sheer size and the warg-bond between us was deep enough for me to communicate with him without a word, which made training him so much easier.

On the trek back to the Manor, I pulled my cloak closer to me, the chill in the air starting to get more and more noticeable as Winter approached and I had a feeling that my time in Braavos would end shortly after that, given what I could recall from the Greyjoy Rebellion. Before the Iron Islands decided to rebel, Robert's position was not as secure as it was after the Rebellion was quelled. Baelon's foolishness had only acted as proof that Robert's Reign had support and it would not be easily disrupted. I had a feeling that the relationship I built with the Iron Bank would not be as warm once the entire set of events came to pass... not that I had any permanent plans to stick around in Braavos. I had nearly a dozen places around the world that I wanted to visit, seeking answers to questions that I could not answer on my own.

Lanna was sitting still in a chair, in the middle of a circle made from rope soaked in salt-water with a small amulet attached to it. The amulet was one of the three I had made from the combination of Weirwood and Nightwood, the combination somehow acting as a magical barrier that came in handy with ritualistic experiments that I simply called Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location. Ser Willem and Ser Richard had the other two, just in case. While I knew that I should be cautious with an item that I had no way to work around, the two knights were both vulnerable to magic and their protection would be much more reliable. For now, I would have to trust them with it.

Lanna was looking at a pitch-black candle that was burning red with a rather thick black smoke, though she seemed to be in a trance, just as I had expected.

After the lessons with Huan on the benefits of soul-crafting, I had come up with a Ritual of sorts to help Lanna. It also worked as a way for me to grow in spiritual weight, in a manner of speaking, but it was still very much experimental and work-in-progress. While I would not try to use the ritual on a child in normal circumstances, the way Huan's growth depended on the amount of soul-stuff he held made me rush to ensure no negative effects on the girl whom I had accidentally taken in as a ward.

The mixture of obsidian, blood and beeswax to make a candle was a rather simple idea once I figured out how to make the Potion Base. I had taken some inspiration from the Glass Candles of Valyria, though I had no access to those special items and had to make my own version, which I called a Blood-Candle. I figured combining beeswax with the Potion Base would make do as a Magical Candle... because of course, you could use candles when it came to Magic. Luckily, Nessa knew how to make normal candles, so it did not take long to learn from her.

The best advantage it provided me was a way to offset the sacrifice and the enchantment process, using the candle as a battery to store the soul of the sacrifice, which was one of the properties of dragonglass. Multiple candles allowed me to combine multiple sacrifices, which in turn allowed me to patch up my tunic and build other versions for Dany and Ser Richard as well. Next would be Ser Willem, though we all knew that in a fight, Ser Richard and I would be the ones who would be taking the brunt of any damage, with the older knight being a last line of defense... though convincing the old man had not been easy.

The Blood Candle also led me to develop the Ritual Lanna was using. Using the soul of the blood sacrifice to recover the soul-stuff was a straightforward logic. Fire allowed for skinchanging if you had proficiency... or if you glared at fire long enough. Magical Fire of the Candle was unique enough that the soul bond formed instantly. The problem was that the entire ritual was still dangerous and I was sure that there were ethical concerns when it came to experimenting on other people but I had already checked that the method was not deadly... for animals or for myself.

Did the potential for the subject to develop animalistic behaviors exist? Sure... not unlike a normal skinchanger might gain the habits of their animal companions. Could they develop the physical traits of animals? I would not discount the possibility, given how boar like Borroq was described and how Starks had long wolf-like faces and Targaryens all had obviously magical hair and eye color. Did I specifically use a cat as a sacrifice for the candles Lanna used?... I mean... the sweet irony of the Lannister Cat-Girl was a temptation I was not going to pass up on and I was sure Future-Viserys could probably fix whatever I messed up.

Ser Richard was in the yard, running one of the horses through the tilt-yard in practice while trying his best to replicate the way I used Skinchanging to control the Horse, though it was a work in progress. The trick was useful for me, sure, but it was not something I could keep as a secret. Given the potential for war, I needed people who were loyal to me with some abilities when it came to Magic, especially with Winter coming. It also doubled as a way for me to test some of my theories before I could try my hand at teaching Dany, who was the only person I could think of as a proper Apprentice, given the foreknowledge I held about her magical potential.

Ser Willem was sitting in the corner, occasionally providing feedback the other knight while also teaching Dany her lessons in knowledge about Westeros. While I was teaching her most of the history lessons in a way to develop her critical thinking, the customs and details were ones that I often disliked and getting the old knight to teach those lessons gave me some time to experiment.

I once again considered how to improve my sister's education. Normally, in a Westerosi Castle, she would get a Septa to educate her, maybe a Maester as well if the lord of the castle was open-minded enough. I distrusted any organized religion that would describe me as a demon to my little sister and Maesters all deserved to die in a ditch as far as I could consider. I had an unorthodox idea about how to teach her courtly etiquette but I would need some contacts to get that.

Lost in my thoughts as I was, I had no control when Huan broke ranks, as he still had the temperament of a two-month-old puppy, bounding across the distance and standing next to Dany, who yelped in joy before starting to play with the dog.

Ser Willem gave me a stern look that I responded with a cheeky grin.

"Your grace" greeted Ser Willem with a look.

"Ser Willem, have I interrupted something important?" I asked, looking

"The Princess has been practicing the Houses of the Reach," said Ser Willem with annoyance.

"We were discussing the House Tarly," said Dany scratching Huan's ear.

"Well, go ahead then," I stated, letting Dany revise what she learned.

"House Tarly of Horn Hill, Red Huntsmen on a Green Field, words, First to Battle," she stated. For a four-year-old, her mind was impressive, but I had no baselines to compare and Dany was a curious one who liked to read ever since I thought her to read after she bugged me one too many times about the books I was reading.

"First in Battle... easy mistake but rest is correct, good job," I corrected, patting her on the head "They take pride in being the vanguard of the Reach, as they are Marcher Lords on the border with Dorne. They are also a claimant to the Reach through their familial descent from Gardners."

"Current Lord is Randyll Tarly." said Dany "Is he significant?"

"He was the only person to actually defeat Robert on the field, though fools would credit Mace Tyrell for the deed," I explained, having spent enough time considering how I would approach any significantly powerful lord. While my future knowledge was as reliable as a wet tissue, I was betting on my understanding of the players of the game more than events that I was certain would happen, I had literally read the mind of the major players in my old life.

"I never met the man, but he is strict, single minded and a good battle commander... and that is all the good things I could say about him," I added. Randyll Tarly was a singularly unique character that I considered more than once. His treatment of his own son and his toxic masculinity were a good reflection of his ideas of society. It was imperative for Dany to understand who could be relied upon and Randyll Tarly was a wildcard that had to be handled with caution. A part of me considered somehow intercepting Samwell on the way to Night's Watch and somehow subverting him as an alternative for the title of Lord of Hornhill but the Samwell Tarly who stabbed a White Walker became as such through his experiences North of the Wall. Then again, it would have been so easy to just dangle the fruit of Magic over the head of the boy who wanted to become a Wizard but getting access to anyone in Westeros would be... a risk I could not take now.

As for Randyll, his views and ambitions would make him a good tool for me so long as he was not aware of the more Magical things, but less so for Dany and she needed to understand the differences as my heir. The main problem was, how do you explain a-four-year old that the world was not fair, that this shit-hole was filled with sexists, racists and every type of `ists` in existence because humans were idiots? Sometimes, I felt for Aerys... fire was a good way to keep said idiots in line.

"How did your... experiment progress?" asked Ser Willem with a look that showed disgust at the word `experiment`. While he was not on pars with the Lord of Hornill, he still had his own ideas on how a person should do, even if he was too loyal to keep me from experimenting with Potions and Alchemy. He was a great Master-At-Arms... that much, none could deny, but he was not really supportive of intellectual pursuits. He tolerated what I was doing when I showed that said experiments had the potential to melt rock without fire and I was able to frame everything as a way to help my future invasion... which I was still not certain about, as Essos may yield a better location to settle in the long term.

"I am going to need a new cabin," I sighed, causing the old man to sigh. "I am missing something and it is not going to be handled as I am stuck at the same spot," I tried to explain, using concepts the old man would understand

"Then change to a different position and find a gap in the armor." countered Ser Willem, understanding the gist of my problem. "An hour against Ser Richard before lunch would do you good, lad... get to work."

"Can I watch?" asked Dany with excitement, causing Ser Willem to chuckle and nod.

An hour of getting my arse handed by a man twice my age and size... without relying on Magic because that would be cheating... that was never going to become fun, even if I knew it was necessary. Ser Richard had taken to wearing the amulet I made him once I explained how it blocked Magic, a bit of trust that I regretted especially when he would decide to face me in a spar and I could not leverage my Magic to end the bouts quickly.

The point of my Wand rested on the desk, as I spun it, my finger resting on the back of the wand to keep it upright. I was thinking about its nature... mostly to ignore the newest set of bruises I had gotten from the yard.

Weirwood and Dragon Bone, it was supposed to be a functional wand but it felt... off. Even after nearly a year and a half of working on developing spells it was limited... incomplete.

The spells I could use with the Wand were good at specific branches of magic. Mind Arts and anything based around Skinchanging animals and humans worked almost with ease. This included subtle Enchantment Spells to control others and even a few that provided me avoid detection. It made sense in a way, as that was actually what I could do without a wand after some trial and error and the wand itself had Weirwood which was designed to amplify that specific ability from what I could gather.

The problem was that my wand could not create fire on its own. While I had worked around it with the dragonglass ring, the fact that I needed two objects was mostly an annoyance for me.

I had gone through multiple iterations of my theory. Weirwood amplified Skinchanging but it did not explain the warm air that I could create and control to such a degree that I could make objects defy gravity and make blades sharp enough to cut flesh.

That left only the Core of my Wand as the suspect for the way the magic worked. Of course, hot air was self-explanatory with how Dragons were `Fire-made-Flesh`, but the proclivity of my wand to cut things but fail at acting as a shield was... perplexing.

As I had no other point of reference, I started mulling over the nature of Wand Cores in Harry Potter itself.

Phoenix Tail Feather provided wands that were explosive in power. They, like the Phoenix that the feather came from, were aloof and independent, but it was the fact that their nature was less sustained and more instantaneous, a property that made me associate it with how Phoenix had the ability to burn and be reborn from those flames in bursts of Phoenix Fire.

Unicorn Tail Hair was one of the hardest to explain. Unicorns were obviously Magical Creatures at least in the world where their Tail Hair could be used as Wand Cores. The other use of Unicorn Tail Hairs were in healing and absorbing curses, a passive ability that would also make the Unicorn Tail Hair cores share similar properties. In effect, Unicorns purified the environment and the wands that were made from the Tail Hairs had the properties associated with the Magical Creature.

Even Thestral Tail Hair held properties similar to the animal they originated from. First was the matter of Mastery. The Elder Wand had a single master, and it was a rather binary option, either you were, or you were not. It reminded me of their extreme sense of direction that ensured that they knew their master along with how Thestrals could only be seen by those who had seen and accepted death. This property also affected the way Spells cast by the wand worked as well. Either the spells failed or they succeeded, there was no middle ground... which was the case when Harry had used the Elder Wand to repair his Holly Wand. As Harry was the Master of the Wand at that time, the spell succeeded, even if lesser wands would have failed to cast the same spell. At least that was what I thought made the Elder Wand so effective as a wand.

While other Magical Creatures were used for Wand Cores, they were not as explored or strictly defined. I could extrapolate the concepts, tying the lighting of the Thunderbird to its proclivity to transformation as lightning itself represented the concept of change in a state of nature from one form to the next in an instant.

The Basilisk Horn was less clearly defined in properties, only one Wand existing that was recorded, but Basilisk had a killer sight and it was a product of Dark Arts with a deadly venom, so it stood to reason that its horn held its own magical properties. I also idly wondered if Basilisk Eye Stalk would make a wand particularly good at casting the Killing Curse, before dismissing the idea for later tests... when I had a Valyrian Steel sword and had enough precautions to try my hand in breeding a Basilisk.

And finally, the one closest to my Wand.

Dragon Heart String came from the heart of the dragon. It made for powerful wands that could easily turn to violence but were easy to change loyalty to those who won their allegiance. Dragons themselves represented strength and their fire was the most powerful representation of that strength even beyond their size. By that logic, it was likely that the Wand Core itself produced a form of dragon fire that the Wizard could manipulate through the bond they formed with the wand. The Heart String was so closely tied to the life force of the dragon that it could channel the fire of the mighty beast.

Dragon's Heart was a significantly important Concept of Magic. There was the Volsunga Saga, where Sigurd had consumed a Dragon Heart and he had gained the ability to speak to birds and more abilities.

The conclusion was that wands themselves were alive in a sense, so it made sense that this life held properties of the materials that made up the wand.

The connection to fire was less defined with my use of Dragon Bone. I could admit that a Dragon Horn would probably be a better material to use, as there was an actual example of a Magical Item made from Dragon Horn in the form of the Dragon Binder... but dragon bone was not a horrible material... it just lacked power and versatility that I would expect from an actual Magic Wand.

What I had was a single piece of Dragon Bone, however. One that had the ability to make things fly, and control fire but not create it and cut things. That pretty much matched the properties I knew from dragon bone.

Melisandre would one day say that "bones remember" and if that was the case, the affinities I had that could not be explained by the other aspects of the Wand or myself came from the Dragon Bone Core.

The bone also had a unique relationship with the air itself, a closer relationship than even fire ironically enough. That made sense if you considered that dragons flew. Given their size and weight, dragons must have had some form of Aeromancy to manipulate air itself, an ability that was tied to their bones. Spells I could pull off were strangely... one-dimensional in the way they manipulated air. Floating things was possible because the bone remembered flying, lifting large masses into the air. Making things fly was in the nature of the dragon bone and it excelled at that task.

Controlling Fire was mostly a combination of Skinchanging and the affinity of the dragons to fire. A few months of trial and error ensured that I was immune to fire even if I did not have my wand at hand. While I did not enjoy casting Wandless Magic before getting a greater understanding of how Magic worked, Flame Freezing Charm, as I called it, made for a good emergency skill to have. It boiled down to pouring my soul into the fire and willing it not to burn me. It still involved Skinchanging into the fire, however, so I had a feeling that a better Mage with greater skill or affinity to fire would be able to overpower my spell... a theory that would explain how Daenerys in the books could burn Mirri Maz Duur and came out unburnt from the Funeral Fire. While Mirri had cast the spell to protect herself from the fire, Daenerys had a greater affinity or because she had recently had her son burnt, gaining the allegiance of the fire in some way, I was still not sure.

The Hot Air the wand was generating was also easy to explain. Dragons radiated heat and that heat transferred to the air. It created a path for my soul to take, giving me control over air enough that I could create a thin blade of air to cut with. As the Wand Core had properties not dissimilar to the fangs and claws of a dragon, it made cutting-based spells much easier. My current theory was the fact that Dragons had claws and fangs they could use for attack that made the wand great with piercing and cutting spells. Either the Dragon Bone Pin I had was made from a fang or a claw of a Dragon, which I was not sure about as it was something Viserys had owned as a Prince even in King's Landing, or it was because the pin was made from the same material as the fang and claws of the dragon, in this case, dragon bone, which itself held the viciousness of a dragon that made such spells so potent. That explained why my wand was severely limited in versatility yet achieved the Cutting Curse almost with ease, while it was less successful in the protection spell, even if the dragon bones were extremely tough to protect against other dragons, that was more the purpose of the scales.

With all that, my goal was clear.

What I needed was a wand core that could produce fire.

I knew something that I could use to draw fire from.

Dragonglass...

Obsidian.

It was the third obviously Magical Material that I knew from this world, right next to Dragon Bone and Weirwood. I had despaired that I had not recalled that detail and I had enough experience with the material that I had some ideas on what I wanted to do with it.

I had spent the last four months casting spells by drawing fire from a single piece of dragonglass on my ring on purpose. It was all meant to see if dragonglass actually lost its fire. I had to make sure that the material did not lose its properties and I was... bored with testing it anymore. I was certain that it would have run out by now if its principles were based on a battery. For all I knew, I was drawing the memories of the dragonglass, the impression of fire that always came when I tapped my wand onto the dragonglass imposing itself onto the magical air that the wand created. If I wanted to build up more complex spells, I needed to figure out a way to stop splitting my focus to creating fire and giving it intent and that required combining the dragonglass with the wand.

The problem was how to bind it with the wand, because that was what I needed to do, somehow combine the obsidian into the wand core, and make it part of the whole. I could not attack it to the Weirwood, mostly because I needed it to touch dragon bone to draw out the fire. I lacked enough dragon bone to create another wand, not because I was broke, but rather to avoid the attention of a certain Merchant who dealt with dragon bone and I also did not want to damage the one wand that I had. In the end, the pin was not thick enough to embed solid chunks of dragon glass by an amateur like me and I was not going to hire someone to do it for me with something so vital as my wand.

That left the obvious answer, using the Potion Base and figure out the magic to combine it into the core.

Sacrificing a raven would resonate with the Blackwood side of my bloodline and specifically enchanting the mix of blood and obsidian to bind with dragon bone and retain the properties of dragonglass was almost easy with all the experience I had with shadowbinding and potions.

In an instant, I was beset by a familiar feeling... like a compulsion to do something in a specific way. It was some sort of instinct, something guiding me to do things a specific way... like a good feeling that it would work. I noticed that, ironically, I held all the knowledge needed before that feeling had to shown up and even considered the idea before being beset with the feeling to see it through.

The last time I got the feeling, I had crafted my Wand which in turn had unlocked Magic for me. Deciding to follow the feeling once more, I dragged the tip of my wand over the pad of my finger. Nine drops of my blood were mixed with the raven blood and dragonglass. Adding my blood forged a connection that was far more effective than using my wand, a simple principle of Blood Magic and how blood could be used to connect the soul to the medium. It had taken me a while to realize that Blood Magic was essentially a way to create a link for the Souls to cast magic. Sacrificing blood to flame gave you a link to the fire to control it using your soul, to ice and you could control ice or to Weirwood and you had access to Weirwood again gaining Greensight of some sort. The amount of sacrifice was the tricky part but the amount I gave up just felt... enough to gain a greater connection with the brew.

A flick of my wand had the flames beneath the cauldron reach out to engulf the body of the raven and burned it into ash in a flare, leaving nothing behind but smoke. Without a body, the soul of the sacrifice would bind with the blood, with the potion I was making, further supplementing my will. Reaching out, I was able feel the small bit of soul still connected to the flesh before grasping it with unseen hands.

Once the soul of the bird was bound to the smoke, I could better see what I was doing, as I guided the shadow-smoke into the blood itself, watching it darken to a pure black color from the red it initially was.

The next step was to add a piece of dragonglass. I did my best to grind the volcanic rock into a fine powder between two pieces of leather, pouring my magic and intent into every strike of the hammer. The act was less precise in terms of Magic than using a wand and I was still able to pour my soul through my strikes, an act that amplified the physical act or so I had theorized.

The dragonglass entered the boiling blood, as I waved my wand over the mixture, reaching out and pouring my intent through the wand and into the mixture of blood and volcanic glass. Slowly, the red blood darkened, turning pitch black in color. I held my wand over the cauldron before dipping the tip of my wand, only letting the dragon bone touch the liquid. I watched as the mixture seemed to drain from the bronze cauldron as the red veins on the white wood of my wand took on the color of the potion I had created, darkening to black.

The tip of the wand had also changed. Where the tip once was black from the bone, now it shone in a way unlike anything else I had seen before whenever I pushed my... self through the wand. As I held the artifact, I felt the connection to the wand, the feeling of completeness that was not there before. A closer look made me realize that the mixture of obsidian and blood had not only changed the core to contain the properties of dragonglass, but it also acted as a binding between the core and the wood in a way that was not there before.

A small flame appeared at the tip of my wand, giving off a soft warmth, before the fire slowly took the shape of a small dragon, giving a soundless cry.

AN:

Four months is a long time for MC to come up with new stuff, so this chapter is a bit more exposition heavy than I would like.

Potions will become more and more prevalent, now that there is a base potion that would work. Dragonglass has special magical properties that are going to be more completely explored later. Since I needed to search online to remind myself that cabbage juice is a good Ph indicator, Wizerys does not get that so his plans for future experiments are on hold. Of course, it does not mean he does not have emergency healing potions, even if they leave chemical burns... they will prevent a person from bleeding out. He might just let Qyburn live longer if he knows the tricks to help him though.

In other news, Magic Boy invents Magic Batteries, Will it explode in his face?

Some considerations of politics and Dany's education, some not-so-ethical experimentation on animals and people. Wizerys, being a Tolkien fanboy names his dog after the best boy. That brings to question, does the name of an animal affect their fate, like the case with Stark Direwolves?

To those who were complaining about the wand being too simple, you were always right but I did not want to spoil that the original wand was always incomplete, though I heavily hinted that it was limited. It lacked the source of fire to actually provide the power in a way and some of you correctly guessed the need to integrate obsidian to the wand. This version, containing dragonglass was always what I planned for, but the starting point had to be somewhere... which is the case for most innovation. You keep building on top of your previous work, and that is exactly what Wizerys is doing. It also makes Wandlore a bit different from Harry Potter for all we know, making it closer to Wicca practices and other works that had Magical Foci with magic stones... like Star Wars.

In terms of using Divination while creating/upgrading the wand, I had added hints that there was something mystical happening, which fits with the canon-verse. Dany hatching the dragon eggs seemed to have some form of a force guiding her through it and it made sense for Wizerys to be guided as well. The point is, Wizerys has also noticed his 'instincts' and he will definitely develop it over time... thought that is for the next chapter.