November 4th, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 9:00 AM
Harry was feeling frustrated; he had been staring at his round glasses placed on the table in front of him as the boy was sitting cross-legged on his platform bed.
He had been trying to cast Accio wandleesly just like Ethan had assigned him to, yet after a month or so, ever since he grasped the whole theory revolved around the Summoning spell as well as the most basic mechanic of Wandless magic comprised exclusively by Ethan.
Harry had already memorised all of those words long ago. He had also tried to cast the spells almost every day, yet nothing ever happened.
"Oculus Accio!...". Only the illusory sounds of crickets resounded in the attic as Harry focused all his mental strength on the glasses, even reaching out his hand, yet there was no response. The boy couldn't even feel the slightest sign of Magic's mobilisation in any form.
After countless shouts at various octaves as well as performing the waving hand moments at different to even ridiculous postures, but to no avail, the boy received only a sore throat and felt deadbeat as he slumped on his bed, breathing heavily.
Like Ethan had advised, "Don't bite off more than you can chew". When the solution didn't come even after rigorous tries, it was best to take your mind off it, go do something else, and let the subconscious part slowly handle the problem.
So, Harry decided to do some Cogitation before skipping down to the basement to tend to those magical herbs he and Ethan had planted. Soon, his mind was at ease as the picture of the Blue Moon slowly took shape, casting it gently.
It's worth mentioning that today was the opening day of the company Atid Stella, so Harry was alone in the house by himself, as Ethan wouldn't be back until the afternoon.
The house still bore its cosy atmosphere, only now added with serenity. The basement had been transformed into a somewhat underground laboratory with magical elements.
Two rows of potted plants were placed in the middle of the room. In front of them was a study board used mostly by Ethan; on it were lessons from the other day. There was also a set of sets and tables for Harry nearby.
Aligned along the wall nearby was a complete set for Potion's making, whereas at the end of the room were rows of cauldrons. Ethan used them mainly for experiments, with many of them empty and only one filled with a beautiful silvery liquid. One could smell an exaggerated, calming aroma stemming from the liquid.
The basement was being illuminated by a golden floating orb, which looked like a mini-sun, attached to the ceiling. It was bright, yet not that piercing. But when the evening came, the ceiling turned into a starry sky with little to no clouds. The star there shines abnormally brighter than the actual, which was understandable.
Harry was always fascinated by the starry ceiling and the magic behind it. The boy had to learn how to do that from Ethan.
His guardian promised that he'd teach Harry that charm only when the boy got his first wand, which was sooner than he thought.
...
November 4th, 1989, London, 12 Diagon Alley, 8:00 AM
Just an hour earlier, right here on this alley, a never-before-event happened: the company Atid Stella was officially opened. Large crowds of witches and wizards came to see the excitement and to see who's got such money to establish something like this.
The company headquarters was a big building, designed in Reformed Gothic architecture with a navy blue and goldish brown theme.
The interior was grand and exquisite, looking like the manor of a duke from the last century. The main hall was for the exhibition of new products as well as where the reception desk was situated.
The building had a total of four levels.
The third or top floor contained the boss and secretary's offices; it was also where Lupin resided since he had moved out of that dilapidated flat. Besides, Remus was a workaholic, especially in this kind of decent job, so it's no surprise that he chose to reside within the company's building.
Plus, with him here, the company would be under surveillance 24/7.
Sam had even mobilised the Department's top-notch resources to build up the defence system. This was reasonable since what the company held was of so much value that it could shake the Wizarding World's viewpoint.
The second floor was where the employees worked; there was even a specific room for breaks with limited entertainment.
The basement was where they held the manufacturing and experimenting of new products. Some might find it strange when they come to see this many 'giant' machines fueled by magic to mass-produce magically suitable components seamlessly.
It took a lot of effort for Sam and Remus when they first stumbled upon this idea of learning from the muggle's contraption. How do they operate a factory, and what's the purpose of mass production? However, this process did not incorporate the core mechanics behind those machines into learning all those 'sciences' but merely understanding the true mechanics hidden behind all those perplexing equations and seeing if they could replace them with magic while still achieving the desired goal.
Alas, the two then had to pass all this on to the selected employees for future operations. Although Ethan did aid them a lot every time the two went to the Muggle to study these, it was still so frustrating that Sam cursed Ethan to suffer from diarrhoea for a whole month while Remus smiled helplessly at the boss, but deep down he also realized how ignorant he was in accepting Ethan's 'words' without consideration.
The gentleman was such an eloquent speaker!
Right now, the main hall, yet to open for visitors, was where Ethan had his first meetings with employees of all kinds. The men dressed up elegantly and menacingly, truly befitting that of a boss. His friendly smile only made all the employees more in awe of him.
Standing on a small podium conjured up at the centre of the hall, Ethan began exchanging pleasantries with the small crowds of employees with all kinds of identities. Ethan scanned the whole crowd, taking in everyone presented.
"Greeting everyone! To Atid Stella, I'm Ethan Leonard Esther. As you may know, I am currently one of your bosses and the co-founder of the company with Mr. Faramundo.
"Although this is our first official meeting, I do acknowledge all of your efforts in building this company from the ground up. Allow me to congratulate you on your countless efforts as well as your belief in this company over the past months."
A sound of applause came from the crowds below as Ethan bowed slightly.
In an inconspicuous corner, Remus was watching everybody's expression closely. Most wizards, witches, and wild ones were excited about what would happen next; only some were still sceptical, including those infected with lycanthropy and goblins.
Remus made sure to keep track of these oddities as the meeting progressed.
Ethan's mouth curled into an indiscernible smirk as he watched the crowd's reaction. Ethan once again stressed the company criteria for employees, which earned him more positive responses from the crowd.
"As the name of our company suggests, it means 'The bright star of the future' because what our company hopes to achieve here is dedication and innovation, yet most importantly, it has to bring genuine happiness.
"We do not hope to firmly achieve greatness, but to be the first sparks to light up a better future for you, for me, for the Magical World."
Another series of applause echoed in the exquisite hall, lighting up the ambience of the whole floor.
Finally, Ethan demonstrated the wonders of Muggle's technologies as well as the present and future of what would happen if magic were to take inspiration from that.
Right now, everyone was amazed at how knowledgeable this boss of theirs was and how crazy it sounded about the future. Everyone who appeared in this room was considered to be somewhat knowledgeable about their field while having a very open mind when they first saw the company's advertisements and promises. So, shock as well as scepticism were inevitable, yet those were soon suppressed with excitement and awe.
Remus watched all of this with amusement, especially the part where Ethan deliberately used the starry night sky to demonstrate his speech. The man had come to respect as well as have more faith in this peculiar boss of his.
Having finished the meetings, everyone was off to work as the gears were set in motion. Visitors from the outside began pouring into the main hall; they carried curiosity as well as various expectations that were soon to be met.
…
At noon, Remus and Ethan were having a small talk in the office on the top floor. Both agreed to employ House-Elf for the cleaning part of the building; maybe even let them take part in the mass production process in the near future.
The employment was to be done by the Elf Legislation, which was brazenly neglected for years.
The two were having chamomile tea, which produces excellent effects on improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety. It also contained sedative effects.
"Since the company has officially opened, I also want to give you this as a reward for all your hard work," Ethan said with a beaming smile. He did not hide his excitement.
In turn, Remus raised an eyebrow at such a rare scene. "Well, thank you, boss; it was very kind of you. I appreciated your compliment." Remus let out a slight chuckle as he put away the small gift box only to be stopped by Ethan.
"Please, I hope you can open it here, for I believe this would undoubtedly blow your minds."
Remus's curiosity grew as he darted a meaningful gaze at Ethan. He then slowly unwrapped the box, only to find a rather well-crafted slivery vile of an unknown potion.
"Like I had promised to solve your 'peculiar situation'…"
*Gulp* Remus stammered, "Don't tell me this is..."
"Ah yes, this is the improved version of the Wolfsbane potion; I dare to guarantee its effects with no repercussion. Although I could create one that could cure lycanthropy, improving on what was already there was much more viable." Ethan was taking sips of tea as he spoke nonchalantly as if he were just stating the facts.
"I already cut down on the lengthy requirement for Mr. Belby's Wolfsbane to work. Whereas mine would take effect after just 1 hour, so all you needed was to take it directly 1 hour prior to the transformation.
"Oh, here is the recipe for this concoction. I made some corresponding alterations to the original and left out some unnecessary steps, as well as the ingredient, so I'm sure you can brew this perfectly, and don't worry about the taste, which is just like cold tea."
Remus's mouth gaped at Ethan's monotonous words. He did dream of this possibility when Ethan said he could handle his situation, but still, the gentleman could pull something off within such a short amount of time, which was beyond Remus.
Remus swore he could burst into tears right now if it were not for Ethan's nonchalant attitude. Clearing his throat, Remus thanked the man with the utmost genuineness.
"You're welcome, Remus; after all, you're the one who will be handling most of the work from now on." Ethan's mouth curled up into a sly smirk as he took another sip.
Remus could only smile helplessly, yet his eyes were beaming with hopes for a brighter future.
"With these, I suggest you contact Mr. Belby; I assure you that he would be delighted to know and maybe even decide to work with us from now on." Ethan gave Remus a meaningful look, and the man also did the same shortly.
"Of course, boss!" the two men clinked teacups as they wore insidious smiles on their faces.
November 4th, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 2:10 PM
Harry now slumped on his bed once more, his glasses still on the table, unmoving, as the boy had been casting the charms endlessly for hours.
At least, there had been some significant improvement, mainly now that Harry could feel the magic reside within him, but he couldn't somehow mobilise them, for all his magic just responded weakly to his desire.
At times, they even reacted chaotically like Accidental Magic, so instead of summoning Harry's glasses, all the pieces of his clothes flew out of the closet. Drowning the little boy.
Letting out a sign, Harry began to Cogitate as he recalled Ethan's words.
"The most important is the intent; focus on what you want, and cite the incarnation as you pour that intent into each of every word and leave the rest to magic. However, it is you who must act as the anchor for those magic responses.
Should you find it too difficult, you can try to imagine your innate magic as a threaded coil. As you activate that magic, the coil begins spinning as those threads reaching out connect to the magical threads outside, and through the incantation, those threads will perform what you want."
With that said Ethan demonstrated by slowly lending out his hands and summoning a bunch of leaves from a nearby tree as Harry watched with adoration.
After a while of reviewing all the necessaries, Harry slowly closed his eyes and cleared his mind to voice his intent loud and clear as he mimicked Ethan's movements as well as his tone. "Oculus… Accio".
Slowly but steadily, Harry could feel the magic within him surface coursing through his veins as it followed out of his fingertips and landed perfectly on the glasses, imbuing it with Harry's magic, although some did leak out during the process and lingered briefly before dissolving into oblivion.
As the boy fully opened his eyes, he could feel a slight tuck. What lay perfectly with his palm were the glasses.
He burst out with joy as he let out a relieving smile, despite now sweating more than the time he spent shouting at the glasses. "I FINALLY DID IT!"
It was also then that the boy heard Ethan's voice. "I'm home, Harry."
The boy immediately turned red from his reaction. But the feeling was fleeting as Harry put the glasses back on, bolted downstairs, and clashed into Ethan's warm embrace. His joy was contagious at the time.
Ethan let out an affectionate chuckle at the boy's action. "So... want to tell me what happened while I'm away?"
Harry nodded approvingly. "I did it, Da… Uncle Ethan, look!" The boy eagerly steadied his mind once more; now he had the feelings and hands-on experience. It was long before the glasses flew down and landed right in Harry's palm after the incantation was sounded.
Ethan was slightly taken aback; he ruffled the boy's hair as he was grinning genuinely. "Well done, Harry; I know you can do it." Which earned him a blushed face, Harry smiled happily.
"So how about we go out for some afternoon tea? It's worth celebrating."
Harry nodded vigorously as the two went to talk about their day on the way.