Compared with spells, Ted never really clicked with Transfiguration.
It just wasn't his thing.
He never expected to make up for it like this—through a different kind of magic entirely!
"Well, that saves me a bunch of skill points!" he muttered to himself, grinning.
The only downside?
His new potion, Acne Relief, was still too basic. It didn't have enough complexity to push his Potions skill to the next level.
That was a shame.
Leveling up was getting harder now. He hadn't even hit 10,000 experience points yet.
The Druid shapeshifting spells were incredibly different from traditional wizard magic.
Ted wasn't about to risk anything by jumping in too fast. One wrong move could have permanent effects.
Better to increase his Transfiguration level first and play it safe.
Still, discovering powerful knowledge and creating a successful potion?
That called for a bit of celebration.
"I've been grinding potions for over two weeks straight. I deserve a break," he told himself.
Ted couldn't keep the excitement to himself. He shared the good news with his friends.
When they heard he'd created a brand-new potion that was actually going to be sold in the market, everyone was thrilled.
Even Ron finally snapped out of his moody slump and returned to his usual food-devouring self.
Their little group felt light again, like the good old days.
Ted handed out a few Galleons to each of them.
"This is for helping me gather ingredients those few days. Go on, don't be shy—this potion's going to earn loads!"
Hermione gave him a knowing look, then smiled and took the coins. "Alright, I'll accept. But only because you insisted."
The others followed her lead.
Ron hesitated at first, pride getting in the way, but the thought of a new wand made him cave.
"Well... if you're sure. Thanks, Ted!"
A few days later, a letter arrived from Mr. Jiggers.
Acne Relief was flying off the shelves. Madam Primpernelle's salon couldn't keep up with demand.
There were lines out the door. Diagon Alley hadn't seen this kind of buzz in years.
It was historic.
First the enchanted net Ted built during summer break, and now this—he was starting to shape the wizarding world in his own way.
One afternoon during Potions class, Snape glided in with his usual dark expression, eyes locked on Ted.
Apparently, someone had sent him a clipping from the Daily Prophet: "New Potion Sells Out in Diagon Alley—Acne Vanished Overnight!"
The sender, a friend from the black market, had written: Can you reverse-engineer this?
Snape looked into it and found out that the potion had been invented by none other than a Hogwarts student.
Ted Epifani.
The look he gave was cold enough to freeze a cauldron.
"Some people think brewing a few potions gives them the right to experiment wildly. One day, they'll make a mistake and end up as a cautionary tale in a textbook. A hundred years from now, students will laugh at them."
Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm, but interestingly, he had already written back to his friend, declining the request.
Snape: What do you take me for? I don't copy others' work.
Friend: Oh please, I know you, remember?
Snape: Say that again and I'll hex you. Don't test me.
So Ted got mocked in class, and Snape lost a nice side hustle.
Afterwards, Hermione and Harley tried to cheer him up.
"Ignore him," Hermione said. "Snape's always been that way."
Ted shrugged. "I'm not really bothered."
He grinned. "Say what you want, I'm the one making Galleons."
Ron looked on with a mix of admiration and envy.
He knew the feeling of never having enough growing up.
Clothes, books, even wands—he always had the hand-me-downs.
To someone like Harley, who had inherited both the Potter and Black family fortunes, that kind of struggle was hard to understand.
Harley noticed Ron's quiet mood and tried to help.
"Don't worry, Ron. Maybe you've got loads of hidden talents just waiting to be discovered!"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
Harley thought hard. "Er… um… I don't know. They're hidden, right?"
Ron groaned. "Thanks. That really helps."
...
Later, in Defense Against the Dark Arts class:
"Wow! That was brilliant!" Lockhart beamed like a proud uncle.
"Honestly, I don't think I performed that well when I actually lived through the event! Ted, that was just perfect!"
Looking like a crazed game show host, Professor Lockhart raised his right hand high and announced in a dramatically drawn-out voice, "Ravenclaw, add ~10 points~~~!"
Lockhart's feelings about Ted had become... complicated. Really complicated.
It was as if Ted had brought to life every fantasy Lockhart once had as a student—except for being born noble.
Ted was, in many ways, the dream version of himself. Even when acting out scenes from books Lockhart had written, Ted made them more thrilling, more alive, more believable.
The performance? Better than Lockhart ever imagined.
It stirred a mess of emotions in him.
As Ted took a bow, waving his wand to vanish the elaborate costumes and props with a practiced flourish, the Great Hall erupted in applause.
To be honest, for most students, the only reason Defense Against the Dark Arts class was still enjoyable was because of the little plays Ted and his friends put together.
As for Lockhart himself? Most students had long since given up on him.
Before the school year began, they'd been thrilled to have such a famed adventurer and best-selling author as their professor.
But idols, once you see them up close, lose some of their shine. Even witches in fancy portraits have to use the loo sometimes. And Lockhart... well, let's just say the sparkle wore off quickly.
Still, Ted had flattered him relentlessly for over a month to earn his favor—and his points.
----------------------------
Ding! Task complete: [Easy Points Jackpot!], Reward: 300 Experience, Random Cards.
----------------------------
If the other professors hadn't grumbled about how generous Lockhart was with his points, Ted could've wrapped that task up in a week.
Back at his desk, Ted kept a serious face as he flipped through a book, though in reality, he was checking out the three new cards that just appeared in his mind.
All three had green borders.
The first card showed a massive willow tree with a thick, gnarled trunk.
It looked familiar—wasn't this the Whomping Willow?
No wait, this version had the outline of a magical flying car tangled in its branches.
Ah, that Whomping Willow.
----------------------------
[Whipping Willow Branches (Green)]
Material Card
Branches from the Whomping Willow, infused with three centuries of magic. A high-grade magical crafting material.
----------------------------
Definitely older than the one at Hogwarts, which was only about twenty years old.
The second card was an image of Lockhart himself, flashing his signature grin straight at Ted. His pearly whites sparkled—literally—with a cartoonish "ding~!"
----------------------------
[Lockhart's Charming Smile Photo (Green)]
Prop Card
Tossing this photo at a female ghost may charm her into submission... or provoke her into shrieking rage.
Note: Sell it to one of Lockhart's fans for 30 Galleons. Worth it?
----------------------------
The third card was the simplest: bold text reading "+200 EXP."
----------------------------
[Experience Card (Green)]
Use to instantly gain 200 experience points.
Single use only.
----------------------------
Yeah, absolutely not carrying around that photo.
If anyone saw it, they'd think Ted was some kind of starstruck fanboy.
Which he most certainly was not. He was tired of that grinning mug.
He'd flattered Lockhart in class, played along with his nonsense, just to rack up the points and get special access to restricted areas.
That Whomping Willow branch?
He couldn't think of any immediate use.
What was he going to do, weave it into a basket?
Experience card it is, then.
200 EXP was no joke—without a quest, it'd take him three or four days to earn that much.
...
At dinner, chaos resumed.
Ron was already in a whirlwind, slicing left and right like a rogue in a raid, devouring two chicken legs before anyone else had touched their fork.
Jerry, calm as always, started by placing a small dish of cheese neatly on his plate.
Neville? He didn't hold back either. He was growing fast—already half a head taller than most of their year—and filling out too.
In a bare-knuckle brawl, he might still struggle against all three of the Malfoy gang at once, but two? No problem.
His appetite was legendary. Two steaks and three meatloaves were just the warm-up.
Harley was basically Hogwarts' own version of a street rogue.
Averaging 20,000 steps a day on her enchanted pedometer charm?
Girl could eat.
And Hermione—let's be honest—mental work burns energy too.
All that spell theory, rune decoding, and book lugging?
As for Ted, he could eat enough for three and still look composed.
It was all meat, too.
The salad was just a palate cleanser.
Two plates max.
They ate in silence for over ten minutes.
Then, Jerry, now satisfied and patting his round belly, discreetly opened his enchanted pouch and started packing away cheese slices.
Old habits die hard.
Growing up poor had taught him to prepare for everything.
What if he wanted a midnight snack?
While tucking in the last wedge of brie, he decided to entertain the table:
"You lot won't believe it—Ron's been studying. In secret."
The entire table froze.
Studying? Ron? Was Jerry joking?
Even Ron looked confused. "Stealing? What—me?"
Jerry grinned. "He's been talking in his sleep. Stuff like 'I can't do this question!' and 'This spell's too hard!'"
He leaned in theatrically. "Remember when his sleep-talk used to be all: 'Pass the chicken legs,' 'Another lamb chop,' and 'More apple pie'?"
The group burst into laughter.
Even Ron chuckled, though he looked like he was seriously questioning his dreams now.
"Why don't I ever get good dreams?" he muttered.
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Word count: 1627
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