prevoiusly in chapter 10
[ Name: Arcane Elixir ]
[ Grade: Medium ]
[ Description: This potion, created with a level 3 Potion-Creation skill, temporarily enhances the magical potency of the drinker. The elixir increases the power of spells and magical abilities by 200% for up to 2 hours. Crafted using powdered griffin claw, essence of mandrake root, and thestrals hair, this potion boosts the drinker's magical aura, allowing for stronger and more effective spellcasting. No permanent effects. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 0%, the freshness of the potion ]
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Chapter 11
That's right, an arcane potion that increased his magic potency by two times. Unfortunately, he couldn't find most of the materials again, as they were quite rare, but luckily, he secured a permanent version of it. This meant his magic was now two times as potent as before, which left him with a single-use potion that further increased his magic potency by two times. Given the permanent potion he consumed, that would result in a fourfold increase in his magical potency. He accomplished all of this from December up until May, at the end of the year. That was all it took for Grey, who was completely focused on potion-making, to reach level 4 in the Potion-Creation skill.
[ Name: Grey ]
[ Mana: 400/400 ]
[ Skill:
Potion-Creation: You can create a potion using two or more materials as long as they can harmoniously blend together. Any potion created using the Potion-Creation skill has a 5% chance of granting permanent effects. There is a 35% chance of failure when this skill is used. Cost: 1 MPM Lv. 4 (1%) ]
Despite the increase in his chances of creating a potion with permanent effects, now up to 5%, Grey wasn't able to make another permanent version of it. So he had to try harder. Today, he was in the Great Hall, where students were eating under green and silver Slytherin banners, clearly indicating the house in the lead. To be honest, Grey didn't care for it. In fact, he had been awarded several points by Snape, of all people, as well as Professor McGonagall and other professors, not only for doing well in his spell practice but also for his knowledge.
That's when a student looked at him and asked, "How did you get here before?" Gray was confused as he replied, "By walking?" Still puzzled, the student said, "But how? Didn't you and that purple-haired girl just pass me?" This earned a chuckle from the student next to him, who said, "Come on, Gray and a girl? Did you forget to take your sleepless potions?" His friends burst into laughter while the student said, "Shut up, Jamal," which only made the others laugh even more as Jamal looked at Gray with a sly smirk.
Professor McGonagall clinked her spoon against her glass, and the hall fell silent as Dumbledore stood up. His voice, magically magnified, echoed through the room as he announced the standings. "In fourth place, Hufflepuff with 352 points." There was polite applause. "Third place, Gryffindor with 382 points." The applause grew slightly louder. To be honest, nearly 60 points were from Grey, who wasn't even trying to earn points, and most of the students in his house knew it. "Second place, Ravenclaw with 426 points." A few cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table. "And in first place, with 472 points, Slytherin house." The Slytherins roared in triumph, with Draco sneering at Ron, "Nice one, mate."
Dumbledore continued, "However, recent events must be taken into account, and I have a few last-minute points to award." The Gryffindors sat up in hope. "To Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of intellect while others were in grave peril, 50 points." Hermione looked stunned as Gryffindor erupted in applause. Harry patted her back, saying, "Good job." Dumbledore went on, "Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen in years, 50 points." Ron's surprise was clear as the Gryffindors cheered even louder.
"And third," Dumbledore added, "to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house 60 points." The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers, their voices drowning out the hall. Hermione quickly did the math and whispered excitedly. Dumbledore wasn't finished. "And finally, for showing great bravery in standing up to his friends, I award 10 points to Neville Longbottom." The Gryffindors erupted again, while Neville sat in disbelief, and Malfoy's face twisted with uncertainty.
"Assuming my calculations are correct," Dumbledore said, "a change of decoration is in order." With a clap of his hands, the Slytherin banners flapped and transformed into red and gold Gryffindor ones. "Gryffindor wins the House Cup!" The hall exploded with applause from Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs alike. Hats flew into the air as Hagrid cheered. Grey was watching them, confused, thinking, "What the hell did they do now?" But in all honesty, he just smiled pervertly for a brief moment as he counted the amount of money in his pouch. "After leaving Hogwarts, I'm going on a shopping spree," he muttered to himself while the houses cheered.
"I'm going to buy that suitcase. Although it would take half of my money, I'm still buying it. I will finally not have to sneak into that room again." Just the thought alone made him excited, and the reason was that the suitcase he planned to buy was a bewitched suitcase with an entire room inside. There were others with multiple rooms and even mansions inside, but he couldn't afford those for now, so he had to settle for one with a single room. That meant he would have an entire room for potion-making. "I can just imagine the experiments I can carry out inside," he thought, smiling even more. Grey, now sporting fashionable dark circles under his eyes, creeped out some of the students as they scooted away, "but to think that the first year has already come to an end" gray sighted as he looked at Hogwarts
[ Some time later, outside of Hogwarts ]
Gray stood tall at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, dressed in normal clothes he had purchased from the Muggle world. At twelve years old, he already towered at 5 foot 11 inches and, with his buff physique, looked more like someone who spent his days lifting weights rather than attending a magical school. The entrance to Diagon Alley was bustling, and Gray adjusted his jacket as he stepped through the magical archway, revealing the vibrant heart of the wizarding world.
"So this is Diagon Alley, huh?" Gray thought as his eyes scanned the scene before him. He had vague memories of this place from before Hogwarts that belonged to his preddesasor, but now, after his first year at the magical school, seeing Diagon Alley again felt different. The streets were alive with noise. Vendors shouted, advertising their enchanted wares, and witches and wizards moved between shops, cloaks fluttering in the warm breeze.
"Get your self-writing quills here! Freshly enchanted!" one vendor called, waving a quill that scribbled in the air on its own. A small girl giggled as a broomstick hovered above her head while her father haggled with the shopkeeper, trying to lower the price. Gray's eyes darted to a shop selling telescopes with shimmering lenses, promising to show stars from distant galaxies.
He continued walking, his gaze lingering on the wonders around him. A display of enchanted instruments caught his eye—an entire set of bagpipes that played on their own, causing a few nearby shoppers to laugh as the lively tune filled the air. Passing by an apothecary, Gray stopped briefly to purchase a few rare ingredients—dried horned slugs, a handful of fairy wings, and powdered bicorn horn. As he handed the galleons over to the shopkeeper, he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye.
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A/N: Like I said in the previous chapter, I will not include parts of the original story if they don't serve my narrative purpose, whether big or small. In this case, if some of you are wondering why I didn't have him get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, just know that Gray wants to use it. However, unless he is strong enough to overcome Dumbledore's enchantments (which he will be), he won't be able to acquire the stone. Speaking of stones... HONEY, WHERE ARE THE STONES?
ps: look forward to the next chapter, its quite important to the plot.