Mr. Malpeper's Apothecary
This was an inconspicuous little shop, with an old wooden sign hanging above the door. Written on it in golden letters were the words "Mr. Malpeper's Potions." The writing had faded somewhat, yet it still carried an air of mystery.
The atmosphere inside was completely different from outside.
The air was filled with a blend of herbs and spices. Every wall in the shop was lined with shelves packed with bottles and jars of all kinds. Several magical lamps floated in midair, casting a soft glow over the strange-looking potions and objects.
The moment Damon entered the shop, a low voice rang out.
"Welcome, customer. How may I help you?"
An old wizard with a head of silver hair and sharp eyes poked his head out from behind the counter. He held a long, slender quill in his hand, seemingly recording something.
"Of course." Damon nodded. "I need several potions that can harmlessly control Muggles, as well as one that can treat Muggle illnesses."
Mr. Malpeper carefully sized Damon up. Intimidated by the air of nobility around him, he did not suspect anything. He turned around, took two bottles from the shelf, and placed them before Damon.
One was deep purple and faintly lustrous.
The other was tightly sealed at the mouth and glimmered with a strange golden hue.
"Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion. After drinking it, a Muggle will fall into a hypnotic state and obey the first person they see without question. It lasts for four hours. One bottle can be used five times on Muggles, and each use only requires six drops."
"Phoenix Feather Essence. It can restore a Muggle's vitality and make a severely bedridden Muggle seem completely renewed. The price is that the Muggle will feel extreme exhaustion."
"The two together come to forty Galleons."
Damon raised an eyebrow and continued.
"I'll take them all. Give me three bottles of Invisibility Potion for Muggles as well."
Thud.
Three crystal-clear bottles of potion, each radiating a faint blue glow, were handed to Damon.
"Fifty Galleons in total, please."
Damon paid without hesitation, then packed the potions into the potion bag the owner had given him.
After leaving the apothecary, Damon hurried straight to Flourish and Blotts.
Knowledge was power. As someone from China, he had always believed in that. Now that he had become a wizard, even more so.
The bookstore offered delivery services, so Damon ordered more than a dozen commonly used books. Among them were Emeric Switch's A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Miranda Goshawk's Book of Spells, Adalbert Waffling's Magical Theory, and many more.
However, he only paid for most of them in advance and planned to have an Owl deliver them to the school after he enrolled. Before obtaining a backpack with an Undetectable Extension Charm, he could not carry so many things.
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, there was nothing else worth browsing. As a newly awakened wizard, Damon had no leisure to spare for entertainment.
After returning to the Orphanage, Damon immediately began flipping through Book of Spells and Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1, which had also been written by Miranda Goshawk.
Of the two, Book of Spells was the first magical theory textbook written by Miranda Goshawk, while Standard Book of Spells was her revised version.
Damon wanted to see how they differed and whether he could master some magic through self-study.
He decided to begin with the simplest and safest spells, following three standards.
Pronunciation, movement, intention.
When casting a spell, a wizard had to ensure not only correct pronunciation and fluid gestures, but also clear intention.
Intention was the most subtle yet crucial factor in casting magic, and it was also the fundamental reason behind Harry Potter's baffling combat strength.
Damon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
Then he opened his eyes and, following the casting movements and descriptions in the book, waved his wand at a stain on the wooden table.
"Scourgify!"
The wand trembled slightly, and the stubborn stain that had been on the table for who knew how long quietly faded away.
"Good. Success on the first try."
Damon's eyes lit up, and an immense sense of accomplishment rose within him. No amount of Pounds Sterling could buy that.
"Practice a few more times and thoroughly consolidate it!"
Damon raised his wand again toward the ink on the floor that had not been fully cleaned earlier.
**Ding!** Detected that the host had successfully cast a spell for the first time. Branch unlocked—Charms Mastery. Charms Mastery—LV1 (Beginner) 36/100 You can master the most basic Charms and understand spell pronunciation and gestures. Although you can cast basic Charms, their effects and duration are relatively short, and mistakes are easily made during casting.
"Another branch has been activated?"
Damon's eyes brightened as he studied Charms Mastery at LV1.
"It starts with thirty-six progress points. Is that combined with my own understanding?"
After thinking it over, Damon directly invested sixty-four Magic Points into it.
Charms Mastery—LV2 1/1000 (Apprentice) You can become more familiar with and better master the use of spells. The success rate and effects of your Charms are noticeably improved.
As soon as he finished allocating the points, memories of his earlier use of Scourgify surfaced in Damon's mind. He gained a few new insights, but they could not immediately and drastically improve his casting of Scourgify.
Damon understood at once. The Charms Mastery level in the system was equivalent to improving his ability to learn spells; what it enhanced were his comprehension and talent.
Perhaps because his body contained the soul of an adult, he could not help using rational thought to deconstruct magic. That was probably why his initial ability to understand Charms had been so low.
Mm, that had to be it!
The scorching July gradually gave way to rainy August.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Damon locked himself in his room, practicing simple spells day after day without ever growing tired of it.
During that time, his system level had risen to seven, while Charms Mastery had been raised to level four. Not only had his magical power become astonishingly vast, but he had also completely mastered the Charms taught in first and second year.
Damon suspected that even a veteran Auror might only possess magical power on par with his.
However, he knew his own limits. Having magical power without the ability to control it was no different from watered-down meat. If he truly dueled another wizard, he would simply be handing them an easy victory.
Next, Damon decided to slow down and focus his future Magic Points on Charms Mastery and Transfiguration.
Perhaps because he had transformed the feather into a fountain pen without chanting a spell before, he had only recently triggered this talent.
Transfiguration—LV1 (Beginner) 58/100 You can perform simple object transformations. The transformations only involve basic changes in form and do not include complex functions or properties.
It also began at only level one, which meant his talent for Transfiguration was not particularly good either. Damon did not care, though. He only needed to spend some time allocating points.
The first year at Hogwarts was fairly safe. He had plenty of time to develop slowly.
During the final seven days, Damon used the potions he had bought earlier to find the largest local hospital. Using the Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion, he persuaded a nurse to hand over the patient list and led him to Duke Westminster, who was suffering from a severe illness.
After quietly altering the man's perception with the Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion and increasing his trust in himself, Damon spent some time persuading him. He then used Phoenix Feather Essence to cure his serious illness, successfully gaining ownership of twenty factories and a Barclays Bank Black Card.
From then on, Pounds Sterling would flow into his accounts without end. As a result, he no longer needed to worry about Galleons.
Damon walked out of the hospital and looked at the iron-gray waves of clouds rolling across the distant horizon, in an excellent mood.
"Next, all that remains is enrolling at Hogwarts and focusing on learning magic."
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