Chapter 8 Potion Spirit (Red)!
Chapter 8 Potion Spirit (Red)!
One month later.
Knockturn Alley welcomed a rare visitor—Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.
Everyone knew that Knockturn Alley was one of the darkest and most dangerous places in the wizarding world. The witches and wizards here were usually outlaws or shady characters, always highly wary of strangers.
The moment Tom appeared at the end of the alley, the usually noisy Knockturn Alley fell silent. All eyes turned to him. Some wizards paused their dealings, while others discreetly reached for their wands. A tense and eerie atmosphere filled the air.
Soon, whispers spread through the crowd.
"Isn't that Tom from the Leaky Cauldron?"
"What's he doing here?"
"He doesn't seem quite right today."
"Does he have some kind of agenda?"
A scarred wizard with a fierce glare stepped forward, sneering, "Hey, Tom, what are you doing here? Looking for some fun?"
Tom ignored the provocation, gripping his wand tightly, his face practically screaming, "Don't mess with me." He knew that in a place like this, any unnecessary conflict could spell trouble. Though he wasn't afraid of these outlaws, he didn't want to stir up trouble for no reason.
Of course, no one was eager to provoke him either. After all, Tom was the owner of the Leaky Cauldron and held considerable influence in Diagon Alley. Better to figure out his intentions before making a move.
Several cloaked wizards began quietly tailing Tom, trying to uncover his true purpose. They watched from the shadows, waiting for his next move.
Tom walked slowly through Knockturn Alley, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He passed a shop selling dark artifacts, where a wrinkled old wizard eyed him suspiciously. For some reason, Tom flashed a smug expression but didn't linger, continuing onward.
Next, he passed a store selling banned books and illegal potions. The door was half-open, and a pungent smell wafted out. Tom glanced inside, noting its location, thinking it might come in handy later.
Suddenly, a few dark wizards emerged from a side alley, blocking his path. They wore malicious grins. One of them spoke, "Tom, what's your real purpose for being here?"
Tom stared at them coldly, his voice icy. "I'm just passing through. No other purpose."
The dark wizards clearly didn't buy it, but they didn't dare act rashly. Tom's status in Diagon Alley wasn't something to take lightly. They exchanged glances and reluctantly stepped aside.
Tom continued, weaving through narrow alleys and past dilapidated houses. He didn't seem to have a specific destination, just wandering aimlessly. After a while, he found a hidden exit and quickly left Knockturn Alley.
The outlaws were left baffled by Tom's odd behavior. They huddled together, whispering about what his visit could mean.
---
"Woo-hoo!"
Back in a room at the Leaky Cauldron, Tom—no, Devero—raised his arms in triumph.
That's right. The "Tom" who had appeared in Knockturn Alley was Devero, transformed by Polyjuice Potion he'd painstakingly brewed over the past month!
With this, he'd finally filled in the remaining 2% of his Diagon Alley exploration progress, pushing it to 70%. The system had pinged him with completion as he passed the first shop in Knockturn Alley. Greedy, he'd tried to see if he could boost it further, hoping to max it out in one go. But he hadn't expected two wizards to actually confront him midway. After barely bluffing their way past them, he'd bolted out in a hurry.
"No more reckless stunts like that," he muttered. He'd chosen early morning, figuring dark wizards wouldn't be up yet, but the alley was still packed. These people didn't early risers—they just didn't sleep!
Still, he'd managed to max out his exploration progress. With a wave, Devero opened his attribute panel.
...
[Name]: Devero Alexander
[Age]: 11
[Status]: Hogwarts Pre-Freshman, Potion Apprentice
[Spell Library]: Levitation Charm (Mastery/Silent+Voiced), Summoning Charm (Proficient/Voiced), Unlocking Charm (Proficient/Voiced), Apparition (Beginner/Voiced), ..., Full-Body Bind Curse (Proficient/Voiced), Stunning Spell (Proficient/Voiced), Disarming Charm (Proficient/Voiced)
[Traits]: Transmigrator (Unique), Magical Prodigy (Unique), Potion Genius (Gold), Magical Cooking Expert (Purple), ...
[Trait Library]: Unique (2), Gold (2), Purple (2), Blue (55), Green (451), White (8232)*
[Pet]: Eld (Purse Toad)
[Items]: Spell Proficiency Card x1, Trait Upgrade Card x1, Wand (Rosewood)
[Magical Realm Explorations]: 1
[Diagon Alley Realm]: Exploration Progress 70.1%
...
Over the past month, Devero had mastered several curses and the Disarming Charm, giving him some self-defense capability against dark wizards. Apparition, however, was too risky—he didn't dare practice it, fearing a splinching disaster.
Oh, and the Trace. He'd thought of that the moment he got his wand. As someone familiar with the original story, he wasn't about to get expelled before even starting at Hogwarts. With his innate Wandmaker trait, he'd spent a few days studying wand-making books and easily blocked the Trace's signal without alerting the Ministry. Instead of removing it (which would've raised alarms), he used a special structure to seal the Trace's signal. Outside Hogwarts, he'd activate it; at Hogwarts, he'd keep it on. No one would notice.
This time, transforming into Tom to infiltrate Knockturn Alley was thanks to his Potion Genius (Gold) trait. He hadn't originally had access to the Polyjuice Potion recipe or ingredients, but using clues from the original story, his accumulated potion knowledge, and some non-illegal herbs from a shop, Devero had crafted a simplified version. It had a shorter duration and wasn't perfect—he'd ended up shorter than the real Tom by at least ten centimeters, with unchanged eye color and a quicker brewing time. Still, the Knockturn Alley crowd hadn't noticed any flaws. The experiment was a complete success, with no side effects so far.
"Alright, time to upgrade that trait!" Devero exclaimed, eagerly using his Trait Upgrade Card on Potion Genius. As Snape's potion apprentice, boosting this skill would serve him well, whether he stuck with Snape or struck out on his own.
[Ding!]
[Trait Upgrade Card used successfully!]
A strange sensation surged through Devero, similar to when he'd first gained the Potion Genius trait but far more intense. Suddenly, he felt his body change, as if the Polyjuice Potion had kicked in again. He glanced at the mirror and noticed he'd grown taller!
"Huh? Did it optimize the potion's effects?" he wondered, pulling up his updated trait.
[Potion Spirit (Red)]: You have an innate talent for brewing any potion. By merely glancing at a potion, you can discern its composition and crafting process. Any potion you consume has its effects doubled.