prevoiuly in chapter 5
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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Chapter 6
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the leaf floated steadily into the air. It hovered there for a few moments, stable and smooth. A smile tugged at the corner of Grey's lips. He didn't stop there. He moved on to a small rock, repeating the spell until it, too, floated before gently lowering it back down. Then he moved to a larger rock, then his own shoe. Each object required more concentration and more mana, but he persisted.
An hour later, he had managed to levitate several increasingly heavy objects. His body was exhausted, but his mind was buzzing. The thrill of seeing the progress drove him to continue, despite the strain. Next, he moved on to another spell he had been studying, the Freezing Charm. "Immobulus!" he chanted, directing his wand at a rock that had been hovering in the air.
But instead of stopping mid-air, the rock fell unceremoniously to the ground, hitting with a dull thud. "I Expected that," Grey muttered to himself, though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Nevertheless, he wasn't discouraged. He tried again and again, determined to master the spell. With each attempt, his excitement grew, and though he didn't quite succeed, the challenge invigorated him.
It was nearing dusk when Grey finally stopped, his arms heavy, and his mind worn from the mental exertion. Still, despite his fatigue, there was a sense of accomplishment hanging in the air. He looked out toward the Forbidden Forest, its dark canopy shrouded in mystery, and smiled to himself, "i might have to go into that forbidden forest if the amount of ingredient that is said to be found there is even remotely true" gray had plans and most of those plans had issue, issue he had to solve with either
[some time later]
In Professor Flitwick's class, the tiny professor stood on a pile of books to address his students. "One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation, or the ability to make objects fly. Uh, do you have your feathers?" he asked as Gray, who had practiced the spell and could actually perform well, looked at the feather in front of him. His eyes still had dark circles, so he hadn't gotten enough sleep.
"Good. Now, uh, don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing. Hmm? The swish and flick. Everyone." The class followed along, repeating after him, "The swish and flick." Flitwick reminded them, "Good. Oh, and enunciate. Wingardium Leviosa. Off you go, then."
As the students tried the spell, Gray, being the first to perform it, pronounced the spell perfectly, causing Flitwick to exclaim, "Oh, well done! See here, everyone!" He caused the feather to float, earning surprised looks from Hermione and Ron, who was sitting further away.
"Show off," Ron muttered, while Draco exaggerated, saying, "Wingardium Levio-saaa," which, of course, didn't make his feather float. The others focused on their own attempts. Ron struggled, trying, "Wingardrium Leviosar!" He waved his wand wildly, prompting Hermione to stop him quickly.
"No, stop, stop, stop! You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Levi-o-sa, not Leviosar."
Irritated, Ron challenged her, "You do it, then, if you're so clever. Go on, go on, unless your name is 'deadboy.'" To which Hermione straightened up, flicked her wand with perfect form, and said clearly, "Wingardium Leviosa, and his name is Gray, by the way." The feather glowed and floated up.
Ron, feeling defeated, slumped onto his books while Seamus took his turn. "Wingard Leviosa. Wingar—" Seamus began, swishing his wand, but before he could finish, an explosion rang out, startling the class. Flitwick gasped, "Whooaaa! Ooh," as the students turned to see Seamus, once again charred, with his feather reduced to smoldering ashes.
Harry, looking amused, remarked, "I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor." The lesson continued, but the chaos left Seamus a little worse for wear.
Later, Ron, Harry, Neville, and Seamus walked through the courtyard with other students. Ron, still annoyed by Hermione, mimicked her in a high-pitched voice, "His name is Gray, not deadboooy." In his normal voice, he grumbled, "She's a nightmare, honestly! No wonder she hasn't got any friends!" Just then, Hermione rushed past, clutching her books tightly, tears in her eyes.
Harry, realizing the situation, said quietly, "I think she heard you." Hermione, hurt and upset, disappeared into the crowd, clearly wounded by Ron's harsh words, only to bump into Gray, who didn't even seem to notice her.
[2 weeks have passed]
Two weeks had passed. During those hours, Gray had accomplished two major things. The first was that he had managed to reach level 2 in his potion creation skill, which, although not impressive to others, was a milestone for him since there were only 20 levels for the skill. Given that he had only been able to start brewing potions about a month after the year began, it was still a significant achievement.
[Name: Gray]
[Mana: 200/200]
[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 2% chance of granting permanent effects. There is a 45% chance of failure when this skill is used. Cost: 1 MPM lv.2 (13%)]
The second big accomplishment was Gray's success in inventing his own potion. In just two months, he had not only reached level 2, but he had also created a potion that alleviated the symptoms caused by sleep deprivation. This potion didn't just reduce tiredness; it also provided extra energy, sharpened focus, and reduced mental fatigue, as well as improved mental clarity for the next two hours. Most importantly, it was the first medium-grade potion he had made, which filled him with pride.
[Name: Sleepless Potion]
[Grade: Medium]
[Description: This potion, crafted with the level 2 Potion-Creation skill, is designed to alleviate the negative effects of sleep deprivation. It grants the drinker temporary energy and mental clarity, reducing fatigue and sharpening focus for up to 2 hours. Created using powdered moonstone, essence of bat spleen, and drops of gurdyroot juice, it provides a 200% boost to physical and mental alertness. No permanent effects.]
[Deterioration-Rate: 100%]
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A/N: Alright, let's make this clear. The reason Gray could invent a potion is because he's getting real-time feedback on what his potion can do, what the side effects are, and what the issues are from the potion's descriptions. This means he doesn't have to do tests and can simply tweak the potion's recipe to get the desired effect.