December 12th, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 8:30 AM
It was such a cold day, despite the golden sun hanging in the air and the lack of clouds looming across the blue sky. There was no rain yet, but one could shiver at the sound of chilling winds howling on the outside.
Most Londoners prefer to stay inside during this kind of weather, sitting comfortably by the cosy fireplace or snugged up in their comfy, warm bed, savouring every minute they get to sleep just a little bit more.
It was such a great time to be lazy!
The same went for Harry, as the boy was sitting comfortably in an armchair by the fireplace at Ethan's study.
He wore a thick red sweater with a white stripe aligned at the centre. On it sewed a pattern of a row of stag. He was in a full set for winter.
He nudged his black, round-framed glasses lightly as he watched the crackling fireplace. Harry's face burned with determination; he focused all his mental strength on the blank space between the two of his palms as he chanted the incantation softly.
"Lumos…" A small orb of light took shape within Harry's grasp; its light was blueish-white. Those lights weren't blinding but rather soft, as they permeated a small area of the study, illuminating Harry's sparkling emerald-green irises as the boy breathed out warm air, his cheeks reddening. The boy was smiling proudly.
Ever since Harry's success in casting Accio Wandlessly, attempting to cast the other two spells has also progressed positively. Just a week later, Lumos was cast perfectly, although he couldn't hold it longer than 10 seconds at a time due to magic exhaustion, so every day afterwards, the boy always practiced holding the spell longer and longer, from 10 seconds up to 10 minutes now.
Whereas for Reparo, it was much harder than the other two, as Ethan specifically supervised every time Harry attempted to cast the spell. Ethan would then point out his mistakes and how to tackle each of them. After three weeks of countless efforts, the boy was finally able to at least repair a broken cup.
Despite the arduousness, the boy was exceptionally happy with the result borne out of his effort; besides, he always got Ethan's praise and support along the way, which amplified the boy's determination by large.
It was also at this time that Ethan stopped teaching Harry more advanced knowledge, such as second-year subjects; rather, he focused on solidifying as well as prying deeper into the basics and the nature of spellcasting.
Harry's mind drifted back to those in-depth lessons at the park on weekends.
"Remember, Harry, Magic is versatile and sentimental; therefore, when it comes to Charms, Jinxes, Hexes or even Curses, the basic requirements to cast a spell successfully are that you must exercise the correct sensation, movement, and intent."
Whilst conveying the theory, Ethan raised his 'formal'wand'—Hazel as the wood and Dragon Heartstring as the core. The man went on to perform the hand movement that needed to cast Lumos swiftly, yet slowly enough for the boy to observe every movement as the tip of the wand lit up gradually.
This light was fairly warm and risked igniting flammable things, including the caster's wand, if they were careless enough.
"As you can see, this is the basic Lumos; based on this foundation, Wizardkind continues to further the spell capabilities.
"If you rid of years of theory development and numerous tests that came along, you've got yourselves advanced versions of this spell, such as Lumos Maxima, Lumos Solem, and Lumos Duo..." Ethan demonstrated each spell whilst adhering to the basic steps under the watchful eyes of Harry.
Ethan stopped casting. "But at its core, it is still Lumos... The only difference here is what they added to those basic requirements aforementioned." He began casting Lumos silently.
"And that is Knowledge and Imagination." Ethan's mouth curled up as the light coming from the tip of his wand began to enlarge. It popped out into a small orb of light floating in front of the tip.
"Knowledge can get you from point A to point B. It served as the foundation, the base..." Ethan smoothly directed the orb to move around the room; his wand just then acted as a controller.
Harry watched all these with awe as he found out that some of what Ethan conveyed wasn't included in the book.
The boy quickly noted that downed while his gaze still fixed upon Ethan's movement and words, as he had longed to develop the ability to quick note without looking; this was also taught by Ethan.
"With knowledge as the fuel, imagination can get you everywhere." Ethan waved with a wand with one hand while the other hand also performed the same movements.
The orb of light burst with flashes of brilliance as it turned into various colours, and then it even took the shape of some animal, running around Harry.
Then it multiplied into a dozen different animals. All were running across the room, passing through every object as ethereal spirits. Everywhere they went, that place was lit up briefly.
Harry watched all this with his eyes wide and full of adoration; all of those light animals were under the command of Ethan, and with his wand in one hand, he now looked like a conductor amid his light concerts.
Noticing the boy's sparkling eyes, Ethan let out a satisfied smile.
Back to the present, Harry's eyes were burned with yearnings as he imagined what he could perform once he got his wand. He really wanted to look as cool as Ethan.
Taking a sip of hot chocolate, Ethan brewed it for him before the man went out to fetch his business. Harry's attention turned back to practising Lumos.
In terms of his other subjects, Harry could now be counted as a peak first-year at Hogwarts.
He could now brew Wiggenweld Potion, Essence of Dittany, and other potions learned in the first year perfectly.
Under Ethan's meticulous guidance, Harry had long memorised every step taken to brew any first-year potion and comprehended the meaning behind them while exercising every caution along those steps reflexively.
Harry was also proficient in using Mind Palace to store and retrieve any information much quicker than when he first came into contact with this method.
As for other subjects, whether Muggle or Magical, Harry had also improved significantly. The boy seemed to fancy things such as Music, Arts and PE; he liked to practice them as a way to relax…
Meanwhile, in Knockturn Alley, a shopping area off Diagon Alley in London, It was filled with numerous shops devoted to the Dark Arts, including Borgin and Burkes, which specialised in objects that had curious and strong magical properties. Unusual, sinister, and sometimes dangerous individuals walked around and shopped in the area.
The Alley was a shady side of the Magical World, a perfect hub for executing rather unorthodox businesses.
A man seemed to be in his late thirties, with unkempt beards and short, dirty chestnut hair. His pale facial complexion and dark eyebags were rather intimidating, even if they were mostly hidden underneath the old brown wizard robe.
His pacing was quick and concise despite carrying a heavy-looking bag. He seemed to be one of those mysterious travelling merchants—the ones that travel all around the world, looking for all kinds of goods to sell to all kinds of people.
He stopped at an old bar around the corner of the Alley. Pushing the wooden door open, one could see the rather not-so-friendly atmosphere permeating around all those customers.
Every one of them would either hide their face under the shadow of the hood or simply wear a mask. Folks here bore an eye filled with tempting intentions as they observed the merchant briefly before returning to their whatever business here.
Ignoring those eyes, the merchant hurriedly darted his eyes, looking for that peculiar customer. Soon he noticed the man; he was quite the odd one out, waiting patiently by the window, playing with the shiny golden pocket watch in his hand, leaving his drink untouched.
The man wore a rather simple, loose black robe; like every other guest here, his face was hidden under the hood. Yet one could still see his exquisite suit, accompanied by his nonchalant action of waving his hands and smiling coldly at the merchant.
The merchant was slightly taken aback as he saw the man. His years of dealing with all kinds of buyers told him clearly that his customer was anything but simple.
However, soon his business instinct kicked in, telling him that this could be a fruitful deal as a smirk bloomed slowly on his face.
Unhurriedly, the merchant sat down opposite the man; he was smiling widely, exposing those yellow teeth. "You must be the ones that heard from my friend. Let us get straight to business.
"You must have heard of my specialty; I mainly do business related to Magical Creatures, they are always held high at all times Hehe.
"So, what such a… gentleman like you here needed. I believe you already have something in mind."
Ethan observed the shady merchant in front of him as he speculated on the validity of everything the man just said. It is worth mentioning that Ethan had long done this kind of transaction before, to the point where he was able to establish a few connections with the underworld of the Magical side.
After all, exotic materials for personal purposes aren't always easy to acquire in an official way, for they would be too troublesome or even forbidden.
He found this kind of transaction more convenient, but of course, it was by no means any less dangerous or less expensive, and the result is wasn't always as expected.
It took Ethan quite some time to find a wandering merchant who specialised in matters related to Magical Creature or, in other words, the field of poaching.
Despite the Ministry's efforts to prevent those poaching activities, they still resurfaced after a while, and as long as the need for such goods was still present, so would they.
The main reason for Ethan's being here was to get information regarding Re'em's location, a magical beast native to the wilds of North America and the Far East. The Re'em was extremely rare, resembling a giant Ox with a golden hide. Re'em's blood gave immense strength to the drinker for a limited time.
The creature Re'em was often described as a form of unicorn or giant horse whose blood was rare. The beast and its blood were mentioned in the Bible.
However, since demand far exceeded supply and obtaining the blood in the first place was extremely difficult, it could rarely be found in the open market.
They were classified as XXXX due to their being hunted to near extinction; therefore, Re'em itself was a rare commodity even in the black market.
However, relying on the art of divination, Ethan was able to tell they were still alive somewhere on Earth, despite the lack of related possessions and the large scope of divination forbidding him from locating its exact location.
So, he first turned to official records and the open market to see if he could get any information to narrow down the location, but only to no avail.
Therefore, the black market was a go-to option, though he held little hope of getting any solid information regarding the creature's whereabouts. Even the spirit pendulum method only gave a vague positive possibility of gaining Re'em's whereabouts.
"Yes, have you ever heard of Re'em?" Ethan's voice was hoarse and much deeper than usual. He did add a little bit of alteration to his voice for the sake of protecting one's identity.
The merchant gulped silently at the simple movement of Ethan waving his hand. He could see little disturbances in the surrounding air; it was as if a hazy transparent curtain draped over the area the two occupied, like a transparent wall cleansing anything inside from dirtiness while also providing a secluded area away from prying eyes and ears.
'Protego Totalum, silently and WANDLESSLY!?' The merchant tried not to lose his confidence in the face of such a young powerhouse. Keeping up his trembling smile, the pale man prepared his voice as he contemplated such an extraordinary request.
"Re'em!? Mister… I assumed you must know that such a rare creature is practically close to myth nowadays, even in our market… I'm assuming you were after its blood, then.
"Yes, such a creature's blood poses a significant effect on boosting one's'strength'. Though I currently possess none, I do have something else here that could work perfectly for such… youthful gentleman like you, Hehe" The merchant hurriedly reached into his bags to pull out a stack of violet-looking potions with an enticing aroma.
Ethan just rolled his eyes as he tilted his head slightly. He tossed a pouch full of shiny golden Galleons onto the table, which rendered the merchant temporarily speechless as his eyes reflected those Galleons.
It took the merchant quite a few seconds before snapping back to reality, moments of fear drawn on his pale complexion briefly as he turned to look back at the other guests in the bar.
None of them seemed to even notice the presence of the two.
Ethan observed the merchant's reaction with a condescending smirk as he stated his needs.
"What I'm after is Re'em's whereabouts. A living one." The merchant's happy moment was shortly after the moment he heard the demand.
"Mister, with all due respect, you are chasing a myth; in Merlin's name, those wild Re'em are technically nigh impossible to exist; even if there were any of their kind left, they would be under the strictest supervision of that rigid MACUSA."
Ethan let out a long sigh as a few Galleon coins flew back into his hands. This action alarmed the merchant menacingly, as he quickly added.
"That would be what other incapable wandering merchants said to you, not for the soon-renown Magizoologist Galeroy here." His voice was rather boastful.
"Oh…" Ethan raised an eyebrow as he almost scoffed at the merchant's self-proclaimed titles.
Clasping his rough hands together, the Merchant began telling his story.
"It was a blessing in disguise for me. As Mister here must be aware of how we, wandering merchants, work, to strike a great deal to embrace risks and sacrifices.
"But... have you ever heard of the name Altxorra Braconier?"
One could argue that poaching gangs have significantly decreased over time, especially with the policies of the International Confederation of Wizards regarding this problem over the past decades.
However, if you delve deeper into the problem, one may find the name Altxorra Braconier wasn't that unfamiliar. They could be said to be one of the most renowned gangs of poachers that still exist today.
They first made their name in some of their doing that happened in South America and North Asia, which, to Ethan's memories, did cause quite a ruckus a few years back.
Some hypotheses began circulating at that time, mostly about why they still hadn't been captured.
Others even speculated they were backed up by political interests.
Another said that they were a part of a much larger and more profound group of powerful Darks wizards raising an army of Magical Creature to riot against the current state of the Wizarding World.
You would find most of this information reported specifically in the older issues of the Quibbler.
Ethan gave the merchant a slight nod to indicate his acknowledgement.
"I had had a rather not-so-pleasant exchange with them once, about a few months ago; it also cost me my life!" The pale merchant exclaimed in horror as he vividly recalled that life-and-death situation.
"Anyway, I did get what I wanted in the end, plus... I fortunately did catch some information about their recent discovery." The merchant let out a smirk as he swiftly collected those shiny Galleons on the table, only to be stopped midway by Ethan's piercing gaze.
Clearing his throat, the merchant continued where he left off. "Yes, Merlin knows how they got wind of there having been witnesses to Re'em, a wild one hidden among the regular creatures somewhere in North America. They have been frantically searching for it ever since, but it only seems to be of no avail."
The merchant carefully caressed the pouch worth at least 100 Galleons, however, the pouch immediately flew back to Ethan's playful hand under the bitter expression of Galeroy.
"So, how can I be certain that any of what you just said wasn't utter bollocks?" Ethan gave the frightening merchant a cold smile as he made sure the already pale man in front of him could feel the pressing aura permeating the secluded area.
Galeroy trembled at such sheer pressure, but still, he kept his determined posture as he briskly turned up the sleeve of his robe, revealing a dark scar resembling a deep cut that ran along his forearm.
Though there was a sign of it healing slowly, It was legit caused by profound dark magic and quite deadly.
"This piece of information almost cost me my life! I can even tell you about one of their hideouts in Switzerland; that was where I found out about the target of their recent pursuit."
Ethan's eyes flashed with star-like brilliance before he let out an approving sigh and tossed the pouch back to Galeroy.
"Hehe, I say if you are interested in any more of those kinds of Magical Creature, I do have some more intriguing information right here-
The pale merchant turned to look for the powerful young gentleman's seat, only to find illusory stardust lingered in the air, as the person had long gone without a warning sign.
"Such prowess!" Galeroy shivered slightly at such a sight as he cursed inwardly. 'That son of a bloody grunt, Richie, you had better not let me see your face again!'
Coming out of a rather inconspicuous alley in London, Ethan was beaming with amusement at the information he got from prying into Galeroy at that moment.
"Switzerland… Well, they said the winter's views there were spectacular. Let's hope so."