The Materials List

Will's pupils contracted. The system didn't lie. His guess was actually right.

That meant that once he was strong enough, he could use magic to make all these things real.

But why was all this knowledge distorted? Distorted didn't mean wrong; something was just slightly off. So what exactly was the problem? Or did it have something to do with the fundamental rules of this world?

Perhaps it was because the world of Harry Potter was unusual.

At that thought, Will looked at his status panel. Magic was its most mysterious attribute.

[Magic LV?] (Temporarily unavailable due to the unusual nature of this world.)

No. I don't know enough yet. If I keep guessing, I'll just stumble around blindly. For now, I should improve myself while digging deeper.

"Mr. Behrens, many professors have called you a clever wizard. Why have you been acting like a troll lately?" Snape mocked Will, but he gave him an answer. "Whatever the subject, if it involves magic, the key is magical power. That is what separates wizards from Muggles."

"If you have any more foolish questions, go back and read your textbooks. Stop waving around rubbish from the Restricted Section."

Will watched Snape spit venom but didn't back down. He forced a smile. "Thank you, Professor. I'm not here to ask about the Spell-Potion Transmutation School today. I just wanted to ask what I should buy. I hope to begin studying second-year Potions after Christmas."

"First, master your first-year Potions..." Snape was about to tell Will to practice brewing every first-year potion, but then he remembered that the boy had been making them under his guidance all along. Will had mastered them long ago.

His eyelid twitched. He sat back down, picked up a quill, and began writing. A moment later, Snape handed Will a parchment covered in notes.

Now it was Will's turn to feel his eyelid twitch. The list held well over a hundred ingredients, many of them expensive. Potions made money easily, but they burned through it even faster. Every Potions Master had been made with piles of Galleons.

Except...

"Professor, isn't Shrinking Solution a third-year potion?"

Snape raised his eyes, a flicker of surprise in them. "How did you know you'd be brewing Shrinking Solution?"

"Your list says I need two pints of Hemlock Essence. It's mainly used to make Shrinking Solution and Doxy Repellent. Of the potions taught in second- and third-year Potions Class, only Shrinking Solution is on that list."

Will's answer stirred something in Snape. Even Lily hadn't known Potions this well in her first year. Will had deduced the potion he was meant to brew from the ingredients alone.

"You have some talent for Potions. You could try studying those courses early. As long as you don't waste your time and energy on those nonsensical theories, you could accomplish quite a bit." Snape's tone remained flat, but Will caught the appreciation behind his words.

Talent, huh...

Will muttered to himself. The problem was that he didn't have the money. Hemlock Essence wasn't cheap: one Galleon bought only ten ounces (about 29 milliliters per ounce), while two pints came to nearly 1,140 milliliters. That ingredient alone would cost almost forty Galleons.

And it was just one of more than a hundred ingredients on the list. When Will spotted costly items like Dragon Liver, he knew the whole lot would run to several hundred Galleons.

At five pounds sterling to a Galleon, he might end up spending two or three thousand pounds.

It was 1991. One pound could buy five loaves of plain bread and was worth roughly fifteen yuan at the exchange rate of the time.

It looked like he really would have to meet his nominal father. A duke's family ought to have plenty of money he could squeeze out of them. If necessary, he would resort to other means.

Will didn't linger with Snape. He had originally come to ask about Potion Transfiguration. After all, he had gained plenty of experience from Flitwick, the Charms Master, and could probably get plenty from Snape too. But what had happened tonight had killed his desire to keep asking. Snape had made his Potions-first stance clear, and the system had confirmed Will's theory. His heart was still racing.

He had found a path forward in Potions. He couldn't wait to see what benefit mastering it would bring.

And he had begun to see a way forward in Charms, too.

As Will walked through the Castle, his steps grew lighter. Even Anco the house-elf noticed that he seemed particularly cheerful today.

Will leisurely cut the beef on his plate. Mealtimes were about the only time he displayed the "elegance" the Slytherins were always chasing. Sylvia said her family would be delighted with his personality.

Will had his doubts. Sylvia also said quite a few Slytherin girls were curious about him, but he suspected that was down to his LV4 Charisma.

On one side of the Kitchens sat Will, "dining elegantly." On the other...

"Two more roast chickens, and plenty of chips!"

"Pumpkin Juice, orange juice, blueberry juice—bring all of it! We still need more drinks!"

"Wibby, pack me some more Pumpkin Pasties."

A pair of fiery-haired twin brothers were having the house-elves pack food as though they were looting the place. Each held a huge bag for the house-elves to stuff with every kind of treat.

It was the Weasley Brothers.

They had been regulars in the Kitchens long before Will arrived at school, and they knew the house-elves well. The two often came for extra meals and sometimes carried heaps of food back to the Gryffindor Common Room for parties. It was one reason so many people still liked them despite all the points they had cost Gryffindor.

Judging by the look of them, Gryffindor was in for another grand party tonight.

"Will, want to join us in Gryffindor for an all-nighter before the holiday?" George gulped down some orange juice and called out the invitation.

"Yeah, Harry and Neville would love to see you. Little Ronnie too," Fred added.

"No, thanks. I'm going to bed early tonight. Another time, maybe. We could talk pranks."

"Oh? We never knew the 'walking point machine' liked pranks."

"Fred, wouldn't that make a great prank?"

The two laughed heartily, but their laughter didn't last.

"Seeing you two so full of life makes this old man feel younger." Dumbledore entered the Kitchens in white pajamas, holding a cup. He passed it to a house-elf. "The usual, Nobby."

The Weasley Brothers tried to hide their food-filled bags behind their backs, but the bags were far too big for that.

"No need to be nervous. I used to sneak into the Kitchens for a bite when I was a student at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said gently. "But you must promise not to stay up too late. Young wizards your age need plenty of rest."

The Weasley Twins looked relieved. They picked up their huge bags of food and left the Kitchens. At this age, they still had a healthy fear of their teachers, especially the Headmaster.

Watching them go, Dumbledore suddenly sensed something. He turned and found a pair of bright, silver-gray eyes fixed on him, full of curiosity.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have some questions."