[Note: Read up to Chapter - 85 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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There was still a month left before term began on the 1st of September.
Originally, Aris had planned to head back to Luna's after collecting his wand from Ollivander, but he had a change of heart.
Over the next few weeks, he intended to dive headfirst into the mountain of magical books Henry had gathered for him. His goal was to absorb as much magical knowledge as possible, especially in areas like potions, alchemy, and the magical circles mentioned in Merlin's Manual.
Thanks to the three miraculous talents granted by the system, photographic memory, super thinking, and speed reading, Aris had no trouble devouring the contents of those books on his own. The only thing he lacked was hands-on practice.
And for that, he had other plans.
"Brother, you've practically turned this place into a full-blown potion brewing laboratory!"
Since Aris had chosen to remain at the Leaky Cauldron, Luna had naturally refused to go home.
Her father, Xenophilius, was always caught up in his own work.
If she went back, she'd be left all on her own, and she wasn't keen on that.
So, without a second thought, she decided to stay with Aris.
"It's fine," Aris replied, carefully adding a drop of wormwood infusion into the cauldron.
"If you want to verify the accuracy of certain theories, you've got to test them properly."
As the drop landed, the potion began to bubble with a clear fizz, a promising sign that the Water of Life and Death he was brewing had turned out just right.
In terms of convenience, the Leaky Cauldron was ideal.
Whatever magical ingredients or tools Aris needed could be found in Diagon Alley.
And if something was particularly rare or dodgy, like certain dark magic components, he could always try his luck down Knockturn Alley.
At this point, the entire living room had indeed become Aris' personal lab, just as Luna had said.
Cauldrons, alchemical gear, wand-crafting tools, you name it, it was all there.
Most of the equipment was brand new, but Aris reckoned he'd get proper use out of it over the next month.
He'd even shifted the original sofa to the corner of the living room, leaving space in the centre where he'd set up a small raised platform. Upon it, he had drawn a magic circle, ornate at first glance, but a closer look revealed its complexity and depth.
It was the spell-storage array he'd come across in Merlin's manual.
At the moment, it was only a prototype. On its own, it wouldn't do much, simply carving it onto an object was pointless. A proper magic circle needed to be powered and shaped by magic energy.
Unfortunately, the manual didn't provide a detailed guide for that bit.
Which is precisely why Aris needed time to experiment.
He had a gut feeling: if he could fully understand this array and find a suitable material to hold it, he might just be able to create a wand capable of casting spells on its own.
"Brother, I've found the answer to your question!" Luna called out suddenly, just as Aris was pouring the completed Water of Life and Death into a vial.
"The head of a Thunderbird's similar to a hawk's, and it's got several powerful wings. When it flaps them, it can summon lightning and heavy rain. Thunderbirds can also sense danger in advance, and they come from the dry regions of Arizona!"
[Congratulations to the host for completing the daily task. You've earned 300 academic points.]
Aris, hearing the system's prompt, put on a thoughtful face. "Ahh, so that's it!"
He looked over at Luna with a smile. "Our Luna's knowledge is getting deeper by the day, isn't it?"
With two system rewards in a row, he'd earned 500 points total, and his mood had lifted considerably.
Opening the system panel for a quick glance, Aris saw that he'd already racked up nearly two thousand points in just three days.
Aside from a few contributions from Ollivander, the rest of Aris' progress had come directly from Luna, and of course, from his own daily reading.
To Aris, Luna was nothing short of a little angel.
Time ticked on as the pair threw themselves into study and experimentation day after day. A month isn't particularly long, but it's not exactly short either.
During this time, Aris made the occasional visit to Ollivander's wand shop to discuss his ideas around automatically casting wands. Outside of that, he frequented various magical supply shops, those were practically his second home now.
He stocked up on heaps of magical materials, stuffing them into bags enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. He figured they might come in handy once he was at Hogwarts.
In her free moments, Luna would sometimes share bits and bobs about the wider wizarding world, especially the Ministry of Magic.
"Brother, the current Minister of Magic is a bit of a coward, really," she remarked one day. "He keeps talking about doing something grand to make a name for himself, but he's always dithering. That's why people in The Quibbler keep poking fun at him."
With her father being the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, Luna had read her fair share of issues and heard plenty of gossip from behind the scenes at the Ministry.
Thanks to her quick wit and keen insight, her take on things was sometimes sharper than even Xenophilius'.
And so, in just a few short weeks, Aris's grasp of the wizarding world had deepened quite a bit.
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Finally, after what felt like ages, the day Aris had been waiting for arrived.
September 1st.
King's Cross Station.
Henry had carefully packed all of Aris's belongings, every gift, every book, and even the various bits of experimental gear he'd used during his time at the Leaky Cauldron.
Before leaving for Hogwarts, Aris had also prepared a new laboratory, this time inside the Room of Requirement, with far better equipment and a layout.
"Luna, chin up, will you? I'm going to school, not being carted off to Azkaban..." Aris muttered with a wry smile, glancing at Luna, who looked noticeably downcast.
She hadn't been her usual self for the past few days, smiling less, speaking softer.
Of course, he knew why.
She wasn't old enough to attend Hogwarts yet.
And naturally, there was no way he could bring her along without permission.
"It's only a year," he said, gently reassuring her, "Next year, we'll be at Hogwarts together. I promise."
"I'll write often, and I'll send Iris with the letters. You can even keep her around to play for a while, alright?"
At that, Luna's face brightened just a little.
"Mum always said we should be honest," she murmured in that dreamy tone of hers, her eyes flickering as if drifting between worlds again.
"Of course," Aris replied softly, brushing her golden hair with affection.
Nearby, Henry stood watching as Aris prepared to pass through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. He looked hesitant for a moment, then gathered his nerve and spoke.
"Master… can you tell me now, when do you plan on returning to the old house?"
"There's a lot of people waiting for you."
Aris paused, glanced back at him, and after a brief moment of thought, gave a small smile.
"Christmas," he said. "Let's give them a proper surprise then."
Henry's eyes lit up, and immediately welled with tears.
"Aye… Christmas it is!" he sniffed, nodding fiercely. "I'll put together a right grand welcome for your return, young master!"
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 85 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]