The small room in front of Eisen, just ten square meters in size, was where he now lived. Near the bed stood an old table, with a candle lit at each corner, casting a soft glow throughout the room. Despite its worn-out appearance, the room was surprisingly clean and comfortable, exceeding Eisen's expectations. Judging by the chaotic state of the Leaky Cauldron's lobby, he hadn't expected the rooms upstairs to be quite this nice.
After setting everything on the table, Eisen picked up his wand once more. Instantly, the character panel before him shifted, and the familiar message reappeared:
"Supernatural characteristic discovered—Excellent-level spellcasting characteristic. Would you like to use a miraculous characteristic to reproduce it?"
Eisen took a deep breath and mentally clicked "yes." There was no noticeable change in the wand or the environment, but the pop-up window vanished. Instead, his character panel updated slightly:
**Character**: Eisen Turner
**Extraordinary Talent**: Magic (Activated)
**Magic value**: 10 (Regenerates 10 magic points per day)
**Extraordinary Characteristic**: 1 copy of Excellent-level spellcasting characteristic (Unfused)
*(Note: Fusion will increase compatibility by 20)*
**Miracle traits**: None (Automatically earns 1 per year)
Eisen observed the new details on the character panel in surprise. One of his miracle traits had been used to replicate the wand's spellcasting trait, making it a supernatural characteristic. But the trait was still listed as "unfused." Eisen figured the "improved compatibility" must refer to the compatibility between a wizard and their wand. The higher the compatibility, the better the wand could channel the wizard's magic.
Given how smoothly the wand had worked when he first tried it, Eisen assumed his compatibility with the wand was already quite high. Ollivander's recommendation seemed spot on. However, the note about gaining an additional 20 points of compatibility after fusion puzzled him. Would merging the spellcasting characteristic enhance his connection with the wand even further?
Regardless, improved compatibility seemed like a good thing. It would likely make his spellcasting smoother and his magic more potent.
But how exactly did fusion work?
Eisen turned his attention to the "unfused spellcasting characteristic" listed on his character panel. As soon as he focused on it, a new panel popped up, asking him to select a body part for the fusion:
**"Please select the part to fuse with the spellcasting characteristic."**
The options were: Arm, Finger, Leg, Toe. Each option had a number next to it, with fingers showing 95, arms 70, toes 80, and legs 60.
What could this mean? Eisen furrowed his brow, thinking. After some consideration, a realization dawned on him. The numbers likely indicated the degree of compatibility between each body part and the spellcasting characteristic. Rather than simply improving his connection with the wand, fusing this trait might allow Eisen to cast spells directly from the chosen body part—without needing a wand at all. The enhanced compatibility could just be a bonus granted by Gold Finger.
The prospect excited him. In the world of Harry Potter, wizards were far too dependent on their wands. If disarmed, even a powerful wizard like Dumbledore or Voldemort was at a severe disadvantage. While they could cast spells without a wand, in a battle between two wizards, the one with a wand would almost always have the upper hand. This dependence showed just how crucial wands were.
If Gold Finger worked the way Eisen thought, it would free him from this limitation.
After calming his excitement, Eisen selected his fingers for fusion. Judging by the numbers, they seemed to have the highest compatibility with spellcasting. Once he made his choice, a tingling sensation spread through his fingers, lasting for about two minutes before fading.
When the feeling subsided, Eisen felt as if his fingers had taken on the properties of a wand. He could sense that his fingers could now channel magic directly. Sure enough, his character panel reflected the change:
**Extraordinary Characteristics**: Excellent-level spellcasting characteristic (Fusion complete: 115 compatibility)
But what did "excellent" mean exactly? Eisen didn't have a clear answer yet.
For now, what mattered was that he could cast spells without a wand. Still, he decided to keep this ability secret, using it only as a hidden advantage. In day-to-day life, he would continue to use his wand as a cover.
At present, Eisen couldn't discern the difference between casting spells with his wand and using his fingers, mainly because he still had only 10 points of magic power and didn't know any spells yet. His next step would be to teach himself a few spells—enough to at least resemble a proper wizard. Otherwise, if he wandered around Diagon Alley or the Leaky Cauldron too much without casting any magic, he'd risk exposing his secret.
He also had another concern: How strong was his magic power, exactly? How did his 10 points compare to young wizards like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger when they first entered Hogwarts? This question nagged at him.
In the original series, magic power was a vague concept, never clearly quantified. It was only stated that a wizard's magic power grew with age and peaked in adulthood. But Gold Finger had quantified Eisen's magic power, and even though he was already an adult, his magic had only just awakened. His power likely wasn't even on par with young wizards.
As for determining his magic's strength, Eisen didn't have a good method yet. Based on the original story, the difficulty of casting certain spells seemed to be a loose measure. Take the Shield Charm, for instance—a spell for protection. Although Harry Potter learned it in his fourth year, it was noted that even some adult wizards working for the Ministry of Magic struggled with it. Someone like Gilderoy Lockhart, though a fraud, was still a Hogwarts graduate yet couldn't manage the charm.
From this, Eisen could infer his level of magic power.
It was already July 1990, and the new Hogwarts term was approaching. However, Harry, Hermione, and Ron wouldn't start until the following year. This meant Eisen had over a year to study before the "main plot" kicked in.
In theory, Eisen had already missed the chance to enroll at Hogwarts. He could choose to stay far from the action, avoid getting entangled with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and quietly improve his skills.
But there was one problem: Many advanced spells, like the Untraceable Extension Charm and Apparition, weren't available at Flourish and Blotts. Eisen suspected these spells could only be learned at Hogwarts. The school's library also held a certain allure.
Thus, Eisen's best option might be to apply for a teaching position at Hogwarts before Voldemort returned. This would give him access to the school's resources while allowing him to learn more magic.
If, when the time came, he could safely leave, he'd do so. If not, he hoped to grow powerful enough to face any threat. With Gold Finger, Eisen was confident he could reach that point.
But first, he needed to improve. His current abilities were nowhere near good enough to apply for a teaching job at Hogwarts. Eisen planned to dedicate the next year to intense study. By then, he was sure he'd be stronger—certainly more competent than someone like Lockhart. If a fraud like him could become a professor, surely Eisen could too.
He just needed to decide what subject to teach.