Potions and Incantations

[Mr. Malpeper's Apothecary]

This was an unassuming little shop, with an old wooden sign hanging above the door. Gold lettering spelled out "Mr. Malpeper's Potions," the characters slightly faded but still exuding an air of mystery.

The atmosphere inside was completely different from the outside.

The air was thick with a blend of herbs and spices. Shelves lining every wall were packed with bottles and jars of all shapes and sizes. Several magical lamps floated in midair, casting a soft glow that illuminated the bizarre potions and oddities on display.

The moment Damon stepped into the shop, a low voice rang out:

"Welcome, customer. How may I help you?"

An old wizard with silver hair and sharp eyes peered out from behind the counter, a long quill pinched between his fingers as if he had been recording something.

"Of course." Damon nodded. "I need a few potions—something to safely control Muggles, and another to cure Muggle ailments."

Mr. Malpeper gave Damon a careful once-over. Intimidated by the noble air about him, the old wizard didn't press further. He turned, took two bottles from the shelf, and set them before Damon.

One was a deep purple, faintly shimmering.

The other had a tightly sealed stopper and displayed a strange golden hue.

"Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion. Once consumed, the Muggle will fall into a hypnotic state and obey the first person they see. It lasts four hours. One bottle works five times on Muggles—just six drops per use."

"Phoenix Feather Essence. It restores a Muggle's physical vitality, rejuvenating even the bedridden severely ill. The cost is that the Muggle will feel extreme exhaustion."

"Together, forty Galleons."

Damon raised an eyebrow and continued:

"I'll take both. Also, give me three bottles of Invisibility Potion for Muggles."

Thump.

Three bottles, clear and glowing with a faint blue light, were placed before Damon.

"That'll be fifty Galleons total. Thank you for your patronage."

Damon paid promptly and stowed the potions into the complimentary pouch the shopkeeper provided.

Leaving the apothecary, Damon hurried straight to Flourish and Blotts.

Knowledge is power. As a man from Tianchao, he had always believed this—and now that he was a wizard, it was even more true.

The bookstore offered delivery services. Damon ordered over a dozen common books, including Emeric Switch's A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Miranda Goshawk's Book of Spells, Adalbert Waffling's Magical Theory, and more.

Most of these he paid for upfront, arranging for owls to deliver them to school after he enrolled. Until he got a bag enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, he couldn't carry that much.

Leaving Flourish and Blotts, there was nothing left worth browsing. As a fledgling wizard, Damon had no peace of mind for leisure.

Back at the orphanage, Damon immediately dove into the Book of Spells and Miranda Goshawk's other work, Standard Book of Spells: Level 1.

The Book of Spells was Goshawk's first textbook on magical theory; Standard Book of Spells was her revised version.

Damon wanted to see the differences between the two, and whether he could learn some magic through self-study.

He decided to start with the simplest, safest spell, following three criteria:

Pronunciation, Movement, Intention.

When casting, a wizard must ensure correct pronunciation, smooth gestures, and clear intent.

Intention was the most subtle yet crucial factor in spellcasting—and the root of the mysterious power scaling in Harry Potter's world.

Damon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Then he opened his eyes, followed the casting motion in the book, and pointed his wand at a stain on the wooden table.

"Scourgify!"

The wand vibrated slightly. The stubborn stain that had lingered on the table for who knows how long quietly vanished.

"Good. Success on the first try."

Damon's eyes lit up, a surge of accomplishment rising in his chest—something no amount of Pounds Sterling could buy.

"Practice a few more times to lock it in!"

He aimed his wand at some spilled ink on the floor that hadn't been cleaned up, ready to cast again.

[Ding! Detected host's first successful spellcasting. Unlocking branch—Charms Mastery]

[Charms Mastery—LV1 (Beginner)] 36/100

[You can grasp the most basic spells and understand their pronunciation and gestures. While you can perform fundamental spellcasting, the effects and duration are short, and errors are prone to occur.]

"Another branch activated?"

Damon's eyes gleamed as he studied the LV1 Charms Mastery, pondering.

"Starting with 36 points—is that tied to my own understanding?"

After a moment's thought, he poured 64 Magic Points into it.

[Charms Mastery—LV2] 1/1000 (Apprentice)

[You become more familiar with and proficient in spell usage. The success rate and effectiveness of your spellcasting noticeably improve.]

As the points were allocated, memories of his earlier Scourgify cast surfaced in Damon's mind, along with new insights. But this wouldn't immediately skyrocket his skill with the Cleaning Charm.

Damon understood instantly: the Charms Mastery level on the system essentially enhanced his ability to learn spells—it boosted his comprehension and aptitude.

Perhaps because his body housed an adult soul, he couldn't help but deconstruct magic with rational thinking, which was why his initial understanding of spells was so low.

Yes, that had to be it!

The scorching July slowly transitioned into the rainy August.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Damon locked himself in his room, practicing simple spells day after day, tirelessly.

During this time, his system level had been raised to seven, and Charms Mastery had been boosted to four. Not only had his magic power grown to an astonishing degree, but he had also fully mastered the spells of the first and second years.

Damon suspected that even a senior Auror's magic level might only be on par with his.

But he knew his own situation well—having raw power without control was no different from water-injected pork. If he actually dueled someone, he'd be a free kill.

Next, Damon decided to slow down and focus his future Magic Points on Charms Mastery and Transfiguration.

He wasn't sure if it was because he had turned a feather into a Fountain Pen without chanting a spell, but he had recently triggered this talent.

Transfiguration—LV1 (Beginner) 58/100

You can perform simple object transformations. Transfiguration only involves basic changes in form, not complex functions or properties.

Like before, it started at level one, meaning his talent in Transfiguration wasn't great either. But Damon didn't care—he'd just spend time boosting it.

Hogwarts' first year was quite safe; he had plenty of time to develop slowly.

In the final seven days, Damon used the potions he had purchased earlier to find the largest local hospital. Using the Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion, he convinced a nurse to hand over the patient list and led him to the terminally ill Duke Westminster.

After subtly altering the Duke's perception with the Transfiguration Hypnosis Potion and boosting his trust, Damon spent a bit of effort explaining himself. He used the Phoenix Feather Essence to cure the Duke's severe illness, successfully gaining ownership of twenty factories and a Black Card from Barclays Bank.

From now on, he would have a steady stream of Pounds Sterling coming in, so he no longer needed to worry about Galleons.

Damon walked out of the hospital, watching the iron-gray clouds rolling on the horizon, in an excellent mood.

"Next, all that's left is to enroll at Hogwarts and focus on learning magic."