"Legendary Wizard... I think that could work."
"Magical Legends... I could try submitting to that..."
"Fashionable Wizard? It sells well, but it's not a good fit... Why would a second-hand bookshop even carry this kind of magazine?"
"Wizarding Monthly... worth a try..."
"The Quibbler? Sales aren't great... But judging by the content, I could submit something. I'll try it too..."
"Magical Reader?... That's some undiluted feel-good drivel... I could write a little of that myself. I think I could..."
In his room at the Leaky Cauldron, Andrew leafed through the day's purchases while he and his owl picked out where it would fly. The poor little worker had no idea that every nod meant another trip. For now, it kept hooting along in blissful agreement.
"I've got an idea. I'll test the waters with Magical Reader first." Inspired, Andrew spread out a sheet of parchment and began writing furiously with a quill he still wasn't quite used to. Before long, he had a fresh manuscript.
"The grammar still needs work, but it's close enough..."
After quickly inventing a new pen name, Andrew tied the letter to his owl and sent it off with the manuscript.
"By the time I get back to the orphanage tomorrow, I should have a reply. Getting accepted shouldn't be a problem."
He patted his owl on the head and secured the hastily written piece. Writing about the present-day wizarding world might invite attacks, so he had changed it to praise the wizarding world of old and reflect on the one that existed now.
To his surprise, his owl returned that evening just as he was getting ready for bed, carrying eight Sickles and an enthusiastic reply. His piece would appear in the next issue of Magical Reader. The letter also hinted that if he wrote another article of equal quality on the education of pure-blood and Muggle-born wizards, they would pay him twice as much per word.
"Forget it. I don't want someone tracking me down and hurling a curse at my head..."
He had earned enough in one go to cover a day's room and board, but Andrew had no intention of submitting there again. Curses were real here. If he made his views too obvious, he could be in serious trouble...
He even severed the connection between himself and his temporary pen name. It was a beginner-level spell that helped owls locate people, and magazines even printed instructions for it alongside their submission guidelines. (It was so simple that no class taught it; after escaping, Sirius had even severed the connection between himself and his name without a wand.)
"Well, that's not an easy way to make money. But at least we've made a good start."
Andrew picked up his owl and rubbed its head with both thumbs. "Next, we'll use Lockhart's books about his legendary exploits to break into the market."
They were expensive, so Andrew had bought only the two best-selling books in the series. Even those had nearly blown his budget.
"I feel like I'm neglecting what I should really be doing," he said, opening a book. "But I don't have a choice. If what's in Hogwarts Legacy is real, I have to try to master Ancient Magic. The setting says you need the right bloodline, but there's a way to steal it, too. And even if that fails, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration experiments, Alchemy experiments—every kind of magical research needs starting capital. You get it, buddy?"
"Earning a few Galleons now means I'll be better prepared later. Once I have the money to get started, I'll find something that can help me sort through my memories. Then I won't have to keep splitting my attention like this, buddy." He tapped the owl's forehead and began reading Lockhart's story.
It was an excellent story. Unfortunately, Andrew had no time to savor it. He rushed through it, barely doing it justice.
"A convincing backdrop, an excellent presentation, a compelling protagonist, and strong prose," he said admiringly. "If the story itself were more original, I wouldn't dare try writing something like it."
+++++
"Levitation Charm, third tier."
Gryffindor watched the magic-testing stone rise, his face expressionless save for a trace of self-mockery at the corner of his mouth. He gripped his wand so hard that his nails pierced his palm, sending a sharp pain through it.
Pure-blood families tested wizards under eleven differently from everyone else. They had them use the Levitation Charm with all their strength to lift a specially made piece of anti-magic stone. The higher it rose, the stronger their magic—and the greater their potential for growth.
"My magic has finally grown, but this wand I chose at Ollivander's swallows it all... Is it really right for me?"
"Haarpo family, fortunes change with time! Don't look down on a young man just because he's poor!"
"So this is the Elder Wand from the legends of old?"
Ravenclaw frowned and retreated behind the crowd. (Cut scene. Andrew had thought it over... As he'd said before, it was better not to write it unless the portrayal was flattering. Besides, a single protagonist worked better than an ensemble.)
A week after Andrew returned to the orphanage, copies of this manuscript landed on the desks of the editors-in-chief at the publishing houses he had selected.
It was only a first draft of the opening. He had removed some fairly classic scenes and characters who would not fit, worked in the Elder Wand, Ancient Potion Recipes, Ancient Spells, and a host of other elements, then cut and revised large portions to shorten it. The result had strayed from the original, but given the times, it was still enticing enough.
Andrew soon received replies.
The only rejection came from The Quibbler. The manuscript was too serious, it said. If he added plausible speculation about the Goblin Rebellion and the mustering of armies, it would make a fine submission...
The others offered different rates. After weighing his options, Andrew chose Magical Legends. Its editors said they would need to polish only parts of the manuscript, promised not to reveal the author's name, and offered the second-highest fee.
There was one catch: the editor would take a co-author credit. That was a necessary condition for making some of the revisions and concealing the author's identity.
The terms seemed fair enough. After a little thought, Andrew agreed to sign the contract.
--
"There. Done!"
"The writing and market research could use work, but the story's legendary enough!"
"Editor-in-Chief, are we really going to do that?"
"Why not? We have interview authorization. And compared with that idiot Rita, our changes are harmless."
"True. Rita got away with saying all that, and we've even done an exclusive interview."
At the Magical Legends editorial office, something Andrew had never expected took place. Thanks to someone in the industry who had already sunk the standards so low, his editor took up a pen and began making sweeping changes to the story, all to make it more believable and the magazine more marketable.
"Gryffindor's story is too distant. What's the appeal? How can it compete with Lockhart?"
"Make Dumbledore the protagonist! We'll call it a lawful adaptation of our interview!!!"
"And the story's title will be Dumbledore: A Legend!"
Before you continue