Potion Spirit (Red)!

A month later.

Knockturn Alley welcomed an unexpected guest—Tom, the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron.

Everyone knew it.

Knockturn Alley was one of the darkest and most dangerous places in the wizarding world.

The wizards here were typically outlaws or fringe figures.

They maintained a high level of vigilance toward any stranger.

The moment Tom appeared at the end of the alley.

The usually noisy Knockturn Alley fell silent.

Every gaze was fixed upon Tom.

Some wizards ceased their ongoing transactions.

Others quietly reached for their wands.

A tense and eerie atmosphere permeated the air.

Soon.

Whispers began to spread through the crowd.

"Isn't that Tom from the Leaky Cauldron?"

"What is he doing here?"

"He doesn't seem like himself today."

"Does he have some sort of agenda?"

A wizard with a scarred face and fierce eyes stepped forward.

He sneered.

"Hey, Tom, what are you doing here? Looking for some fun?"

Tom ignored his provocation entirely.

His hand gripped his wand tightly.

His face seemed to broadcast the words, "Don't bother me."

He knew that in a place like this.

Any unnecessary conflict could lead to trouble.

Although he did not fear these outlaws.

He did not want to invite trouble without cause.

Of course.

No one wanted to provoke him lightly.

After all.

Tom was the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron.

He held considerable influence in Diagon Alley.

It was better not to move against him if it could be avoided.

It was wiser to first figure out his purpose.

Several cloaked wizards began to quietly tail Tom.

They attempted to discern his true intentions.

They observed from the shadows.

Waiting for Tom's next move.

Tom walked slowly through Knockturn Alley.

His eyes scanned his surroundings.

He passed a small shop selling dark artifacts.

The shopkeeper, a wrinkled old wizard.

Stared at him with suspicious eyes.

For some reason.

Tom wore a smug expression.

But he did not stop.

He continued walking forward.

Then.

He passed a shop specializing in forbidden books and illegal potions.

The shop door was half-open.

A pungent odor wafted from within.

Tom cast a glance inside the shop.

He memorized the location.

Perhaps this will be useful in the future, he thought.

Suddenly, several dark wizards emerged from a side alley.

They blocked Tom's path.

Their faces wore malicious grins.

One of them spoke up.

"Tom, what exactly is your purpose for coming here?"

Tom looked at them coldly.

His tone was frigid as he replied.

"I am merely strolling about; I have no other purpose."

The dark wizards clearly did not believe him.

Yet, they dared not act rashly.

After all, Tom's status in Diagon Alley was not to be underestimated.

They exchanged glances with one another.

Ultimately, they decided to step aside and let Tom pass.

Tom continued walking forward.

He traversed the narrow alleyway.

He skirted around several dilapidated houses.

He did not seem to have a specific destination.

He was simply wandering through the alleys at random.

A few minutes later, he found a concealed exit.

He quickly departed from Knockturn Alley.

The outlaws were left baffled by Tom's strange behavior.

They gathered together, whispering among themselves about what Tom's arrival could possibly have been for.

"Woo-hoo!"

Inside a room at the Leaky Cauldron, Tom—or rather, Devero—threw his arms up in a cheer.

That's right. The Tom who had appeared in Knockturn Alley as the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron was actually Devero, transformed by Polyjuice Potion!

This Polyjuice Potion had taken him an entire month of painstaking effort to brew!

Now, he had finally completed the remaining 2% of his exploration progress for Diagon Alley, and even gained a little extra.

It had now reached 70%.

The moment he passed the first storefront in Knockturn Alley, the system had notified him of the completion.

He had been a bit greedy, wanting to see if he could push the exploration progress even higher.

He had decided to try and max out the exploration progress all at once today.

He hadn't expected that two people would actually come out to intercept him halfway through.

It hadn't been easy to bluff them into backing down, and only then had he scrambled to find his way out.

He must never be so reckless again.

However, he could adjust his schedule to the morning.

He figured that dark wizards probably wouldn't be early risers.

He hadn't expected there to be so many people.

Devero felt that they weren't waking up early.

They simply weren't sleeping at all!

But at least he had managed to max out the exploration progress.

Devero waved his hand to open his attribute panel.

[Name: Devero Alexander]

[Age: 11]

[Identity: Unenrolled Hogwarts Freshman, Potion Apprentice]

[Spell Library: Levitation Charm (Mastery/Non-verbal+Verbal), Summoning Charm (Proficient/Verbal), Unlocking Charm (Proficient/Verbal), Apparition (Novice/Verbal), ..., Full Body-Bind Curse (Proficient/Verbal), Stunning Spell (Proficient/Verbal), Disarming Charm (Proficient/Verbal)]

[Traits: Transmigrator (Unique), Magic Prodigy (Unique), Potion Prodigy (Gold), Skilled Magical Cook (Purple)...]

[Trait Library: Unique (2), Gold (2), Purple (2), Blue (55), Green (451), White (8232)]

[Pet: Eld (Magic Pouch Toad)]

[Items: Spell Proficiency Card x1, Trait Upgrade Card x1, Wand (Rosewood)]

[Magical Realm Exploration Count: 1]

[Realm Diagon Alley: Exploration Progress 70.1%]

After a month of study, Devero had mastered several jinxes and the Disarming Charm.

When facing dark wizards, he could now be considered to have some ability to protect himself.

As for Apparition, the risk was a bit too high.

He didn't dare to practice it much; if he were to suffer splinching mid-transit, he would be done for.

Right.

There was also the issue of the Trace.

Actually, he had thought about this the very first time he received his wand.

After all, he was someone who had read the original work.

He didn't want to be expelled before he had even started school.

That would truly make his first day of school his last.

Don't forget that Devero possessed the Natural Wandmaker trait.

He simply spent a few days consulting several books on wand-making.

Easily, and without alerting the Ministry of Magic, he masked the signal of the Trace.

Of course, he didn't remove it directly.

That would certainly have alerted the Ministry of Magic.

Instead, he used a special structure to seal off the information of the Trace.

Outside of Hogwarts, he would keep it active.

And while at Hogwarts, he would keep it active.

This way, no one would be able to detect it.

Naturally, if it were any other eleven-year-old young wizard, it would be impossible to achieve this level of skill.

But this gold-tier trait was truly too powerful.

Moreover, the wand in his hand was also extremely cooperative.

He didn't bother with any tricks.

This time, he transformed into Tom and entered Knockturn Alley.

The Potion Prodigy (Gold) trait had played a major role.

In truth, he wouldn't have been able to find the recipe or ingredients for Polyjuice Potion on his own.

But after all, he had read the original work.

Based on the snippets of information from the book.

Combined with the potion knowledge he had already accumulated.

And supplemented by some legal herbs bought at an apothecary.

Devero had brewed a simplified version of Polyjuice Potion.

Although the duration was short and it might not have been perfectly accurate.

For instance, the Tom he had just transformed into was significantly shorter than the original.

At least ten centimeters shorter.

The eye color hadn't changed either.

And the brewing time had been shorter as well.

Yet, the people in Knockturn Alley didn't seem to notice any flaws.

Regardless, the experiment was a great success.

So far, no side effects had manifested.

"Alright, time to upgrade the trait!"

Devero used the Trait Upgrade Card with an excited expression.

He chose Potion Prodigy.

After all, he was currently Snape's potion apprentice.

Improving his abilities in this area.

Whether he stayed with Snape or struck out on his own later.

It wouldn't be a problem.

[Ding!]

[Trait Upgrade Card used successfully!]

Devero suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over his entire body.

It was very similar to when he first acquired the Potion Prodigy trait.

But this time, it was far more intense!

Suddenly, he felt as if his body was changing again.

It was as if the Polyjuice Potion was taking effect once more.

Devero turned to look at himself in the mirror.

It was clearly visible—he had grown taller!

"Huh? Could it be that it restored the potion's effect to its optimal state?"

Devero pulled up his new trait to take a look.

[Potion Spirit (Red): You possess the talent to brew any potion. With a single glance at any potion, you can discern its composition and brewing process. Any potion consumed by you will have its effects doubled.]