prevoiusly in chapter 4
"Guess 50% wasn't just a number," he sighed, looking at the ingredients he had left, which was enough for one more potion. "Good thing that I still get exp for failing, otherwise this would have been disastrous." So despite the failure, Grey tried again, and this time he didn't fail, but something much more magical happened.
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Chapter 5
[Ding!]
[Congrats to the host for creating a low-grade Wiggenweld potion (permanent)]
[ Name: Wiggenweld Potion ]
[ Grade: Low ]
[ Description: This rare variant of the Wiggenweld Potion, madewith the level 1 Potion-Creation skill, uses salamander blood, lionfish spines, Flobberworm Mucus, Honeywater, and boom berry juice. Through an unusual stroke of luck, this potion grants a permanent minor regenerative ability, allowing the drinker's body to heal 30% of small cuts and injuries continuously over time without needing further treatment, permanently. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 100%, the freshness of the potion ]
"Well, I'll be damned," Grey chuckled loudly enough for his voice to echo through the empty rooms at Hogwarts, which freaked out a female student not far away from where he was. His laughter traveled through the long hallways of Hogwarts, which would continue to spawn many legends of a malevolent spirit haunting the hallways. "I can now permanently heal 30% of small cuts and injuries without needing treatment." To prove that, Grey drank the potion before taking a small knife he used to cut ingredients and opened a small wound on his palm, which healed not in an instant but quickly. "Hm, I wonder what happens when I consume four more of these?" he asked himself, and the reason he asked himself before sighing, "Right, like I'm that lucky," he thought to himself as he got back to work.
[days later]
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the Gryffindor table was buzzing with excitement. The students, dressed in their signature scarlet and gold, were eagerly talking and laughing as they enjoyed their lunch. Plates clattered and the smell of roasted chicken and pumpkin juice filled the air. At the center of the table, the hot topic of the day was Harry Potter, the new Gryffindor Seeker.
"I can't believe he was selected as a seeker" one student exclaimed, their voice carrying over the chatter. "It's gotta be something to do with being 'The Boy Who Lived.' Maybe it's magic in his blood," another chimed in, clearly excited about the idea, but once of them was reading a new paper, and among the pages was one page dedicated to a missing girl with dark purple hair and a red gemstone stuck on her forehead, apparently her mother who was a witch was desperation looking her.
While the others were immersed in the conversation, Grey sat near the edge of the table, detached from the lively discussion. His eyes were even duller, underscored by the ever-darkening circles beneath them, a testament to his ongoing battle with sleeplessness.
His fingers were stained with ink, and he was busy scribbling away in his notebook with a quill. Each line of writing was crossed out with a frustrated groan, only for him to start again, the header of the notes ominously titled "Sleepless." The student next to Grey, oblivious to his isolated focus, turned toward him, nudging him gently.
"Oi, Grey," the student asked with a grin, "What do you think about Harry becoming the new Seeker? Pretty wild, right?"
Grey's quill stopped mid-scribble. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes dull and lifeless, barely able to muster any energy to engage. His dark circles made him look like a ghost. Seeing Grey's haunting expression, the student recoiled slightly before another Gryffindor sitting across the table whispered, "Leave the Deadboy alone."
"Deadboy" — a nickname that had stuck over the past few days, not out of malice, but out of sheer observation. Grey was always in a state of exhaustion, always quiet, and when he wasn't working on his potions or notes, he was detached, as if part of him wasn't really present. Grey had become something of an odd figure in the house, the one people noticed but rarely interacted with. His disheveled appearance and unyielding focus made it seem as though he was living in his own world.
Grey, unfazed by the nickname or the conversation around him, gave a brief glance to the student and then simply returned to his scribbling. The ink from his quill soaked into the paper as he crossed out another failed idea. The rest of lunch passed in much the same way—students laughing and talking about Quidditch and classes while Grey remained hunched over his notes, drifting further into his thoughts.
-scene change-
After lunch, Grey retreated from the Great Hall and made his way to his usual spot. Not to the potion room where he spent so many sleepless nights concocting brews, trying to reach level 2, which he was just a couple of exp shorts, but instead to a quiet outfield spot on the grounds of Hogwarts. From where he sat, he could see the Forbidden Forest looming in the distance, its shadows dark and inviting. The wind rustled the trees, and the smell of damp earth filled the air. It was a peaceful place, away from the noise of the castle.
Grey sat on the grass, his back against a sturdy tree trunk, and opened his copy of The Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk. His wand was at his side, its weight familiar in his hand, though something about it never felt quite right. The wand responded purely to his body, sure, but not to his soul. There was a disconnect—a strange sensation that he couldn't shake, which made sense given his situation. "I should probably visit Ollivander," he muttered to himself, running a thumb over the wand's smooth surface. "But before that, I need to make money for potion ingredients. And I have an idea for that."
He chuckled softly, but the laugh turned into a cough, his exhaustion evident in every part of him. He shook his head and returned to the task at hand. Flipping through the book, he found what he was looking for—the Levitation Charm.Wingardium Leviosa. He smiled to himself and looked around for something to practice on. A small leaf lay on the ground nearby, perfect for his first attempt. Raising his wand, he took a breath and focused. "Wingardium Leviosa," he chanted, his voice steady but quiet.
The leaf trembled slightly, just a faint movement, but it quickly settled back down to the ground. Grey frowned, but didn't let the failure dissuade him. He tried again, this time with more concentration. The leaf wobbled once more, then lifted a few inches into the air before falling back down. "Guess I really need to make a potion that increases my magic potency," he groaned, rubbing his eyes in frustration. Still, he wasn't one to give up easily. With no classes scheduled for a couple of hours, Grey set his mind to practicing the spell. He continued to focus on the leaf, repeating the incantation over and over.
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A/N:So, another chapter. Hopefully, you guys like it. I just want to make it clear that Gray is by no means a genius, whether in spell casting or potion creation. The only reason he is (or will be) ahead of other students is purely because of hard work and the fact that the system gives a real time description on his potion and their affect which would allow anybody to solve the issue with the potions or invent potions, but nothing that can't be solved through hugging potions. And trust me, there will be a lot of that going around, and of course he isn't going to stay dump or average when it comes to magic, like i said, nothing potions cant solve.