Of course, Phineas also gave out gifts. To Professor McGonagall, he sent the latest Quidditch robes. As a devoted Quidditch fan, she would value that far more than anything related to Transfiguration.
For Snape, it was a vial of Re'em blood—a rare magical creature native to the Far East. Due to political and magical restrictions in that region, its blood was scarcely traded. However, the Selwyn family owned a Re'em breeding estate in America, and Phineas had used family connections to obtain it.
To Professor Flitwick, he gave a new wand maintenance kit and the latest edition of the Barnabus Finkley Excellent Spellcasting Competition manual. This contained cutting-edge spellcasting techniques compiled from recent competitors—an ideal gift for a former dueling champion like Flitwick.
Professor Sprout received a magical plant known for its scent-tracking properties. Ever since Zygmunt Budge developed the Potential Potion, the plant had become nearly extinct in the wild. Only the most exclusive magical greenhouses still cultivated it, and Phineas had used the Black family's influence to acquire one.
But the exchange of Christmas gifts was not the most important matter for Phineas today.
The Ravenclaw ring he had commissioned was finally complete.
"Kreacher!"
With a snap of his fingers, Phineas summoned the house-elf who had served the Black family for generations.
"Master!" Kreacher responded, looking far healthier than he had in the days after Walburga Black's passing. Dressed in a suit bearing the Black family crest, he appeared more like a Gringotts goblin than a house-elf.
"Here is the ring you requested—and the instructions."
Kreacher handed him a small box and a folded parchment. Phineas opened the box and laid eyes on the Ravenclaw Ring for the first time.
Though he had seen the designs, the actual ring was far more striking in person. It was meant to be worn on the little finger, and its craftsmanship was intricate. Set at its center was an oval gemstone, cut into seven facets. The material was unspecified in the blueprint, but given the ring's intended functions, it must be a rare magical stone.
Even Phineas, who wasn't trained in alchemy, understood some basics: normal spells only worked temporarily on objects, whereas alchemy permanently affixed magical effects through the use of materials and rituals.
Within the gemstone was a faint letter "R", floating inside the core—neither carved on the surface nor behind it. No matter the angle, it always appeared suspended in the middle.
The band itself was forged from a shimmering silver-white metal—not silver, though. While silver conducts magic well, it couldn't support complex magical runes. Instead, the ring was made of goblin-wrought metal, the same type used to craft the legendary Sword of Gryffindor. This material could absorb and strengthen itself with any magic it came into contact with.
Around the gemstone and band were eagle-shaped engravings representing Ravenclaw, and etched runes that gave the entire ring a mysterious air.
Satisfied, Phineas slid the ring onto his finger.
He had taken every precaution: the ring was crafted by trusted Black family members and delivered by Kreacher himself. Dumbledore's fate with cursed rings was a clear lesson in the dangers of enchanted artifacts. But in this case, he had no reason to doubt the ring's safety—at least not from those who made it. The Smith branch of the Blacks, despite being nearly destitute, relied entirely on Phineas's support for their alchemical pursuits. They were natural allies.
As the ring settled on his hand, a sharp tingle ran through his finger. The ring suddenly glowed with brilliant light, filling the entire Slytherin common room.
Moments later, the glow faded. Phineas felt something new—a sense that the ring was like a second wand. Not literally, of course, but its ability to channel magic was unmistakable.
Inside the box was a handwritten note:
---
"Mr. Phineas Black,
While creating the ring, we discovered that the original blueprints did not list every function. For example, though the required material was not named outright, the necessary properties were implied through the runes to be used.
The ring contains a unique internal space—though small, it is sufficient to hold a wand. Thanks to a particular set of enchantments, the wand can be summoned and used, but cannot be separated from the ring.
We also treated the ring's structure to ensure it can only have one true owner.
In total, the production cost came to approximately two thousand Galleons."
---
Phineas chuckled.
He knew the real reason for the note—more than providing technical details, it was a polite invoice. That sum likely covered the entire research and living expenses for the crafting team over the past year.
The magical economy truly was odd. Ministry officials earned just a few dozen Galleons a month. Even Hogwarts professors barely earned over a hundred. In Muggle terms, that translated to 800 to 4,000 yuan a month. For a world where progress had stalled for a millennium, the wizarding wage system remained oddly stagnant.
But none of that mattered. The Ravenclaw Ring was finished. And it was far more than a trinket—it was a tool, a symbol, and perhaps, a weapon.