#7

Ted took a deep breath before asking, "Can you tell me about Neville Longbottom, the Boy Who Lived? I grew up in a Muggle orphanage, so I only recently heard about him."

Old Tom raised an eyebrow, then let out a knowing chuckle. "Ah, Neville Longbottom! The Savior, the boy who survived the Dark Lord's wrath. Thanks to him, we're not all cowering in fear right now."

He leaned on the counter, lowering his voice slightly. "They say he somehow defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a year old. No one knows exactly how. Some think it was just dumb luck."

Tom shook his head. "He's not the most impressive wizard, you know. Clumsy, forgetful—some say he was never cut out for greatness. But regardless, the Dark Lord fell because of him, and we're here, safe and sound. That's something to be thankful for."

That night, back in his small room, Ted set aside his spell practice and picked up his second-hand copy of A History of Magic. He had never really paid it much attention before, but now, curiosity got the better of him.

The book had clearly been through several owners—some of the illustrations were defaced with doodles of beards and glasses. Still, it served its purpose.

Ted flipped straight to the 1970s, the era when Voldemort rose to power, leading the Death Eaters against the Ministry of Magic.

By 1981, the records took a drastic turn.

According to the book, Voldemort had stormed a hidden safe house belonging to the Auror elite, Frank and Alice Longbottom. They had the chance to escape but chose to stay and fight to protect their son, Neville. In the end, they fell, but not before dealing some damage. Then came the strange part—the moment Voldemort tried to kill Neville, something went wrong. Instead of dying, the boy was left with an "S"-shaped scar, and Voldemort... disappeared.

And shortly after his fall, something even stranger happened—the second Conjunction of the Spheres.

The first Conjunction had already shaken the world, altering astrological patterns, climates, and even bringing in magical creatures from other realms. But the second one? It brought entire intelligent races—elves, dwarves, and demihumans—all now acknowledged as part of the magical world.

Meanwhile, creatures like merfolk, kobolds, and goblins were classified as humanoid monsters—dangerous and hostile despite having their own primitive civilizations.

Ted let out a sigh, closing the book. "This world should really be called Neville Longbottom at this point."

Voldemort had chosen Neville as his target, which had changed everything. And with the Convergences, this world had become vastly different from the one Ted thought he knew.

So much for his advantage of knowing the original story.

"Well, whatever!" Ted tossed the frayed book aside. "Neville, Harry—it doesn't matter. I still need to learn magic and get stronger."

After all, he had his own tricks up his sleeve. Nothing to be afraid of.

He reopened The Theory of Magic.

The book's author, Adalbert Waffling, was a renowned wizarding scholar credited with writing the foundational texts on magical theory. His works were considered essential reading for any serious wizard. Wafflin's Theory of Magic laid out the core principles—what magic was, how spells functioned, and the relationship between willpower and magical outcomes.

Ted had only started reading it after learning a few basic spells, but he was beginning to understand why it was so important.

To truly excel in magic, he needed to go beyond simply casting spells. He had to grasp the fundamental principles.

According to Waffling, magic was the act of channeling raw magical energy through focused intent. Spells and wands were merely tools to refine that process.

After all, young witches and wizards displayed uncontrolled magical abilities before ever holding a wand—magic riots, accidental levitations, spontaneous transformations. The structured use of spells and wands was a way to regulate and harness that power.

That was why, two thousand years ago, wizards developed spells and wands—to standardize magic, make it more accessible, and allow for greater versatility.

Before that, magical abilities were purely dependent on natural talent. Some witches could only heal, while others specialized in potions or curses. Combat magic was rare, which explained why the witch hunts of old were so effective.

Ted set the book down, reaching for another: Control Your Magic—A Guide for Young Wizards.

It was a simple text, meant to help young wizards manage their magical outbursts. Basic, but useful.

Alongside it was The Power of Will, another book he had borrowed from the bookstore.

That was the advantage of working at Flourish and Blotts—free access to books!

Deep in the store's storage room, he had found old, forgotten books that had been gathering dust for years. Some had never even been bought.

He had even stumbled upon a copy of The Invisible Book of Invisibility—a book so rare that Flourish and Blotts had once stocked several copies but lost track of them because... well, they were invisible...

Treasure troves of knowledge, all at his fingertips.

Ted smiled to himself, flipping open his notebook to jot down more study notes.

No matter how much this world changed, one thing remained the same—power came to those who sought it.

And he was more than ready to seize it.

...

The next day, Ted returned to the apothecary to continue processing herbs.

By now, he could handle more than a dozen different kinds, progressing at an impressive pace. It was a skill that relied more on patience and precision than innate talent. Ted meticulously recorded every detail about potion ingredients that Mr. Jiggers mentioned, filling the pages of his notebook and reviewing them late into the night. Because of this, Jiggers rarely had to repeat himself.

Jiggers, for his part, had quickly come to appreciate the benefits of having a dedicated assistant. Ted's work drastically cut down on the tedious, repetitive labor of preparing low-level ingredients, freeing the old apothecary to focus on more complex and valuable tasks.

That afternoon, Jiggers returned from a supply run, a heavily worn backpack slung over his shoulder. Judging by how he effortlessly pulled out jars and bundles of herbs far larger than the bag itself, there was clearly a Traceless Extension Charm at work inside.

"What are these?" Ted asked, peering at the unfamiliar plants and materials Jiggers was unpacking.

"Ah-ha! Now these are special." Jiggers grinned, clearly relishing the moment. "All of them are new specimens that appeared after the Convergence of the Stars. We've been testing them for ages, and we finally have proof that they've got legitimate medicinal properties."

He lifted an unassuming white flower. "This here is called Tranquil Bloom. Works wonders in healing potions."

Ted blinked. That name sounded oddly familiar.

"Unlike Dittany," Jiggers continued, "which mainly helps with external wounds, Tranquil Bloom can also treat internal injuries. It's a game-changer, let me tell you."

He moved on, gesturing to other herbs. "Then we've got Silverleaf, Earthroot, and—ah, here's an interesting one—Briarthorn. All of these started showing up after the Conjunction."

Ted's mind was racing. Silverleaf? Earthroot? Briarthorn? Those were all herbs from World of Warcraft! Was Azeroth somehow connected to this world?

Before he could dwell on it, Jiggers pulled out a large glass jar filled with liquid. Suspended inside was a grotesque, brain-like mass, its fleshy folds pulsing slightly in the fluid. Ted instinctively took a step back.

"This," Jiggers said with a smirk, tapping the jar, "is a Drowner Brain. Nasty piece of work. Drowners started showing up after the Conjunction too. If you're ever near a lake or river, keep your wits about you—these things will drag you under before you can even scream."

Drowners? Ted's first thought was that he was dealing with some kind of aquatic ghoul, maybe even the legendary water monkey. But as soon as he got a closer look at the preserved specimen, another possibility struck him. The grotesque features, the eerie pulsating tissue… wasn't this something straight out of The Witcher?

First World of Warcraft herbs, now The Witcher monsters? What exactly happened during the Conjunction of the Spheres?

Ted had learned a lot that day—new herbs, new potion ingredients, and more about the strange creatures lurking in the shadows of the wizarding world. But instead of feeling accomplished, he felt a chill creeping up his spine.

If Azeroth and the Continent were both bleeding into this reality, what else had made its way through?

He swallowed hard, a troubling thought forming in the back of his mind.

There was no Well of Eternity in this world… so the Burning Legion wouldn't care about it, right?

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Word count: 1434

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