"What kind of date is this in the middle of the night? Gone to practice magic," Ethan said helplessly. Truthfully, in the middle of the night, it wasn't a date—it was more of a hookup.
At Hogwarts, the only little witch Ethan could pursue without breaking school rules was Penelope.
"Practice magic in the middle of the night?" Penelope eyed him with suspicion.
Hogwarts didn't provide a dedicated space for practicing magic. Spellcasting in corridors was prohibited, and while the grounds outside the castle were technically an option, most spells weren't disruptive enough to require that. Usually, they were practiced in the dormitories.
"Well, if you're interested, I can take you to the Room of Requirement tonight at ten."
There was no need to hide the Room of Requirement—at least not unless it became public knowledge. Ethan only used it for magic practice, and besides, it could take many forms beyond just one room.
"Okay, ten o'clock tonight. Your senior will be waiting, junior!" Penelope said with a sweet smile before heading back to the girls' dormitory. She needed to catch up on her sleep.
Back in his own dorm, Ethan sighed. That senior seemed like a typical "green tea" girl—cunningly sweet. But maybe there was nothing wrong with a little "green tea."
Sleep. He had plans with the Weasley twins to visit Hogsmeade in the afternoon.
… …
Afternoon, two thirty!
In the dark, narrow secret passage, Ethan and his companions had been walking for nearly an hour. The stone walls had given way to packed earth, and water seeped down from above in some places.
This was the secret passage beneath the statue of the one-eyed witch, which exited into the basement of Honeydukes Sweetshop.
"It's just ahead!" Fred, leading with a lit wand using a Lumos charm, turned to inform Ethan.
Soon, Fred pushed open a hatch, and Ethan and George followed him into a storage room.
After cleaning off the dirt with a Scouring Charm, Ethan followed the twins into the main shop of Honeydukes. The moment they entered, they were hit with the sweet aroma of creamy candy.
The scent was tempting, but Ethan wasn't in the mood for sweets. Most of Honeydukes' products were overly sweet for his taste. The only thing he genuinely liked was the ice cream from Diagon Alley.
Once inside the retail area, Ethan and the twins didn't rush to leave. Fred and George still had shopping to do.
In addition to the usual sweets—like toffee, nougat, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and Chocolate Frogs—they also picked up Jelly Slugs, Cockroach Clusters, Ice Mice, toad-shaped peppermint creams, acid pops that could burn a hole in your tongue, and exploding bonbons.
They weren't buying these treats for themselves. The goal was resale. Even third-year students needed parental consent and school permission to visit Hogsmeade, and visits were rare. Honeydukes' sweets were extremely popular with the younger students and easy to sell—provided the prices weren't excessive.
As the twins explained, they couldn't make a fortune from it, but they could definitely earn a bit of pocket money.
Ethan finally understood how the Weasley twins, from a modest family, had enough cash to bet on the Quidditch World Cup. It turned out they were actually earning it.
Next, they visited Albert's Joke Shop.
This time, the twins didn't buy much—just five Dungbombs. Four were for their own use. If Slytherin pulled any tricks in the next Quidditch match, they planned to toss two onto their table and two at their common room entrance.
The fifth Dungbomb was promised to Peeves the Poltergeist, who had been petrified by Ethan the last time. Peeves had remained petrified for nearly three days before being released. Since Ethan had been under a Disillusionment Charm, Peeves couldn't see who attacked and blamed the twins instead.
To make peace, the twins had promised Peeves a Dungbomb.
Afterward, they visited the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. It didn't taste alcoholic—more like a regular beverage—but it was enjoyable. Ethan even bought a few bottles.
The Three Broomsticks was run by a charming widow in her forties, and the pub was lively. Many middle-aged and older wizards frequented the place, and Ethan felt it had a welcoming vibe.
Their final stop was the Magical Menagerie.
The twins knew the owner, and through their introduction, Ethan bought all the frogs in stock used for live feed—spending fifteen Galleons. He didn't count them one by one, but there were probably over a thousand.
He packed them all into a massive fish tank he had prepared ahead of time, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Unlike his previous box, this one wasn't from Dennis or his friends. Ethan had created it himself. Although smaller than his four-person dorm, it was still spacious enough for the frogs.
The fish tank itself was conjured using Transfiguration and strengthened with an Augmentation Charm to keep it functioning for at least half a month without issues.
Lastly, they bought potion-specific oil from the general store.
Chapter 43: Potion Making (Seeking Flowers and Monthly Tickets)
Ravenclaw Dormitory!
Ethan looked affectionately at his three "sons" and said slowly:
"I'll give you a chance to earn some money. Are you interested?"
Ethan didn't plan to brew Baruffio's Brain Elixir himself. Though the process wasn't complicated, it was time-consuming—and Ethan wasn't willing to devote that much time to it. He wasn't like Snape, the greasy, middle-aged man who decided to dedicate his life to potions after Lily's death.
"A chance to earn money?" Terry took a cautious step back, eyes filled with doubt.
He didn't understand Ethan's expression, but the moment "earn money" was mentioned, his thoughts went to the worst places. Though this country was open-minded, he wasn't that open-minded—and he was only eleven!
"What about you two?" Ethan ignored Terry and turned to Michael and Gene.
Among the three, Michael was the most gifted at potions. Gene and Terry were just average.
"A chance to earn money? Of course we want it!" Gene said with a grin, putting his arm around Michael's shoulder.
Despite coming from a wizarding family, Gene's allowance was limited. If there was an opportunity to earn extra Galleons, why not?
Michael nodded eagerly. Although he received about a hundred Galleons a year—more than enough for school—it wouldn't hurt to earn more, especially if he hoped to make a future for himself in the wizarding world.
"Then follow me," Ethan said, walking into his smaller suitcase.
There was no need to go to the Room of Requirement for basic potion-making.
Inside, there were four cauldrons and various auxiliary tools—more than enough for their needs. Potions didn't require much space. If it weren't for the mess and odor, brewing in the dormitory might have been possible.
"This is the Undetectable Extension Charm. My family has stuff like this too—suitcases, tents. They look small but hold a lot inside," Gene explained to the others.
But Gene clearly remembered—Ethan was Muggle-born. So how did he have this box? Even Gene didn't have one.
Something wasn't adding up.
"See these frogs and this oil? Use them to make potions. One Galleon per batch," Ethan announced as the three boys descended into the space.
The offer wasn't bad. If they used evenings and spare time, their monthly income could exceed Arthur Weasley's salary at the Ministry's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.
Of course, earnings depended on sales. Also, one cauldron could produce several bottles.
"I'll do it!" Michael declared immediately. He didn't know the method yet, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Even if Ethan offered a Sickle instead of a Galleon, he'd still take it.
They were both Muggle-born. From the moment Michael arrived at Hogwarts, he knew Ethan was different. Excellent grades, friendships with upperclassmen, and connections to The Boy Who Lived—Ethan was far beyond average.
It wasn't shameful to hitch a ride on his coattails.
Gene and Terry soon followed suit, nodding in agreement.
"I'll do it once first—watch closely. Bring in your cauldrons later and start brewing here."
"Remember—this recipe must not be leaked."
At that, Ethan's tone turned serious.
The wizarding world had its own version of intellectual property rights. For instance, the Potters' ancestral shampoo recipe was eventually sold off.
But for Muggle-borns, it was a joke to expect fairness. Ethan was sure that if he submitted the recipe for registration, a pure-blood wizard would be credited as the inventor by lunchtime.
"We understand," the three boys said, exchanging determined looks.
Even if they had the intention to leak it, offending Ethan—a Hatstall and a rising talent—wasn't worth it.
Ethan demonstrated. He picked a frog from the tank, stabbed the back of its head with a small knife, twisted slightly to cut the skull open, and carefully extracted the brain.
It was a bit disgusting—but potion-making often was.
Brain-Boosting Potions used armadillo bile and crushed scarabs; Shrinking Solutions needed caterpillars, rat gall, and leech juice. Compared to that, this was nothing. Yesterday they used slugs.
After preparing sixteen frog brains, Ethan heated the oil using an alcohol lamp. Once at the right temperature, he added the brains.
Thankfully, this wasn't cooking oil—otherwise, it'd be fried frog brains.
After ten minutes, the liquid turned green. Ethan extinguished the flame and stirred again.
Four small bottles were filled from that batch.
Holding one up, Ethan pushed the rest toward the others.
"Want to try it? Fresh potion—boosts brain power."
"Ethan, are you sure we won't die?" Terry asked, eyeing the bottle warily.
"Won't die."
With that, Ethan drank his in one gulp. The others followed.
It tasted strange—oily and unappetizing—but tolerable.
Back in the dormitory, they tested the effects. Ethan felt little change, but Michael and the others noticed improved memory and comprehension—though the effect lasted only twenty minutes.
After some thought, they priced it at five Galleons per bottle. Potions weren't cheap in Diagon Alley, and Ethan didn't want to undercut the market.
Besides, this was the only potion that enhanced brainpower. Take it or leave it.
Most of their clients would be purebloods or half-bloods. Muggle-borns didn't make up much of the Hogwarts