Chapter 163: Sample Copy, The Third Magical Sensation
On Wednesday, a package arrived from the publisher. Along with the latest issue of Challenges in Charming magazine, the parcel contained a letter and a small bag printed with the publisher's logo.
Ethan set aside the other two items, choosing to open the magazine first to see where his article appeared.
He flipped open the new copy and scanned the table of contents, spotting the title of his piece immediately.
*The first page too. Not bad.* Ethan felt a surge of satisfaction. He certainly hadn't been outdone by the twins.
He skimmed the titles of the other articles in the table of contents before turning to the main section. He read his own article first, paying close attention to the publisher's commentary and introduction.
By the time he finished reading, Ethan's satisfaction had only grown.
The publishers had highly praised his contribution, believing this spell could set a new trend and even spawn entirely new industries.
Ethan was well aware of the revolution in entertainment that projection spells could spark.
Live-action magical movies and television shows could evolve thanks to this magic, transforming the wizarding entertainment industry. Perhaps in the future, they could watch a live-action film of Dumbledore battling Grindelwald right at Hogwarts.
Imagining the scene, Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
*But let others handle that. I have no interest in it right now.*
Even though he knew the potential benefits could be enormous, Ethan still didn't want to waste energy on this.
*The Wizarding Cards business is enough. Why take on so many other things? I couldn't spend all that money anyway.*
Remembering the two family vaults and the pile of coins and gems stored underground, Ethan lost the desire to make money.
After savoring the editor's comments on the article, Ethan opened the letter.
The content of the letter was simple: "Dear Mr. Ethan Jones, on behalf of the publisher of Challenges in Charming, thank you for your submission. Your article has now been published in the magazine, and a complimentary copy has been sent to you."
Additionally, ten Galleons are enclosed as your payment. Thank you for your interest in our publication. We welcome any future submissions.
"Henry Batista."
At the end of the letter were the sender's name and the date it was written.
Ten Galleons wasn't really a lot, at least not for a worldwide magazine like Challenges in Charming.
However, as an academic journal, even though it was published worldwide, its subscription base wasn't very large.
According to Professor Flitwick, aside from magical schools that subscribed to provide supplementary reading for interested students, the only other subscribers were people interested in Charms. Ordinary wizards wouldn't subscribe to this kind of academic journal.
So, after factoring in circulation and costs, the profit the publisher could make wasn't very high. Often they had to rely on donations just to survive. Many of the editors were Charms masters who reviewed manuscripts part-time without pay.
So, although these ten Galleons obviously couldn't compare to the value of the spell Ethan had provided, it was the best the publisher could offer.
This amount of money was nothing to Ethan, but it held great commemorative value. He opened the pouch just to take a look, then tied it shut and slipped it into his bag, planning to keep it in his dorm as a display piece.
Their first class today was Charms at ten o'clock. Before class started, Ethan skimmed through the contents of the journal. Just as Professor Flitwick had said, the publisher was missing an article.
Aside from Ethan's, the other articles in this issue didn't have much value.
"This is a sample copy, right? The official journal should be mailed to the school before the weekend." After class, Professor Flitwick flipped through the journal Ethan had handed him.
"Yes, the letter said it was a sample copy. I don't know if the official issue will be released this week."
"It will. Generally, official sales start a few days after they mail out the sample copies." Standing on a stack of books so he was at eye level with Ethan, the professor stroked his beard and returned the magazine to him with a smile.
"Thank you, Professor, for helping me revise the manuscript."
"I only helped with a few minor things. It was your own spell invention that won them over. Otherwise, they wouldn't have accepted your manuscript." Despite his words, the professor was clearly quite pleased.
"Right. I'll head out, Professor. I have Herbology next." Ethan tucked the magazine into his bag and nodded to the professor.
"Go on, then." Flitwick waved his hand.
Leaving later than the others, Ethan hurried along, managing to catch up with the rest of the students just before they entered the greenhouse.
Time flew, and soon it was the weekend.
Ethan wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. When he saw Snape in his office this week, the man seemed gloomier and spoke less than usual.
He also seemed less invested in guiding Ethan's Potions studies than he had been before.
Just today, for instance, he offered only a brief explanation before letting Ethan brew on his own, skipping their usual lessons on medicinal history and improvement processes.
Ethan also noticed that during Potions class this week, Snape was stricter with Harry. Over a minor issue, he had not only reprimanded him twice but also deducted fifteen points from Gryffindor.
Worried that his spell might be to blame, Ethan couldn't help but ask, "Professor, you..."
"Hm?"
Catching sight of Snape's dour expression, Ethan swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
"Nothing."
"Continue brewing your potion." With that, Snape turned his attention away, remaining hunched over his desk as he scribbled something down.
Ethan could only continue brewing the potion he had just learned, working through the various issues himself so as not to disturb Snape's work.
Even though he felt somewhat stifled in Snape's presence, Ethan considered himself lucky this week. On Sunday alone, he had successfully brewed two trial batches.
*Still five short of my target. Got a lot of work ahead of me.* After labeling the finished potions and storing them away, Ethan returned to his brewing.
Thursday, February 25th, marked the anniversary of Ethan's two previous magic surges.
That night, Ethan said goodbye to the twins at the entrance of the Room of Requirement.
"Don't look at me like that. I've got things to take care of, so I'm staying here tonight." The two hoisted their bags, glancing back at him repeatedly and leaving him speechless.
"Are you sure?" Although the twins often wandered the corridors at night, they had never actually considered avoiding the dormitory to spend the night in the Room of Requirement.
For Ethan, however, this was nothing.
Last semester, he had slept in the Room of Requirement for a night while copying books. This time he had even more of a reason, so it was no problem at all.
Besides, Hogwarts wasn't a Muggle boarding school that conducted dorm checks. Even if you weren't in your dormitory, as long as you didn't get caught, there was no punishment, right?
And even if he were caught, so what?
Snape and Dumbledore both knew about his magical outbursts. Ethan had chosen to spend the night in the Room of Requirement this time to avoid making noise like last time and drawing attention.
After sending them both away, Ethan entered the Room of Requirement again. It had already transformed into a bedroom, just as he had envisioned.
"This bedroom is slightly different from the last one." Ethan examined the room, noting that while it looked similar to where he had stayed before, it wasn't quite identical.
Although the decorations still featured Ravenclaw blue, the layout and furniture had changed since his previous visit.
Ethan toyed with the eagle-shaped bronze ornament for a moment before packing his fresh clothes, wand, and other essentials into his bag. He cast a protective spell and stashed the bag in the corner.
Still uneasy, he gathered a few sturdy metal objects, like heavy lamp fixtures, to shield the bag. He cast spell after spell, layering defenses to ensure his belongings wouldn't be destroyed by the Fiendfyre unleashed during his magical outburst.
Dressed in his pajamas, Ethan lay in bed, tossing and turning as sleep refused to come.
He opened his eyes every so often to check on the pile of items in the corner.
Just after midnight, Ethan woke again and glanced toward the corner.
Before he could drift back to sleep, hovering in that hazy state between waking and dreaming, he felt a wave of magical power surge through his body.
*It's happening!*
He didn't dare sleep any longer. He scrambled out of bed and sat on the floor, keeping his distance from anything flammable and his belongings while he waited for the third magical surge to arrive.
The magic surging within him intensified. Soon, Ethan could no longer control his body.
Just like during his last outburst, the air currents around him began to swirl, lifting him involuntarily into the air.
However, since he was conscious this time, he could still exert some control over his movements. This was unlike the last time, when he had been completely unconscious and caused damage throughout the dormitory.
The sensation of flying without magic felt entirely new to Ethan. Being buoyed by the wind was nothing like casting a spell, making the experience truly unique.
He had first heard of this floating phenomenon when Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore spoke in the Headmaster's office. Later, he had asked Draco and the others for a more detailed description of the scene.
Ethan willed his body to move up and down, but his range of motion was severely limited. He found that he could not land.
*I was in this state the last time, wasn't I? The Fiendfyre should be next.*
As if on cue, specks of black flame appeared in mid-air, emerging from his breath. The air currents surrounding him carried the sparks to every corner of the wind vortex.
*Hmm? The Fiendfyre emerged from inside my body? Then why don't I feel anything?* Ethan was baffled. The flames had appeared from his breath, yet he felt nothing.
He had assumed it would manifest from the surrounding air, just as it did when he cast Fiendfyre.
Ethan dispelled the scattered flames, watching carefully. Whenever fire appeared, he extinguished it, ensuring he wouldn't burn down the room like he had during the previous two awakenings. He had no desire to sleep in ashes again.
An hour later, the magical surge began to subside, and the swirling air currents around his body started to weaken. Ethan slowly descended to the ground.
"Not bad. I didn't destroy anything this time, except for the curtains." Ethan scanned the furniture around him, finally settling on the curtain fragments scattered across the floor. They'd been shredded by air currents from being too close to him. He withdrew his wand from his bag.
"Reparo!"
The curtain fragments flew up from every corner of the room, reassembling in midair. Then they flew back to their original position, blocking out the night outside the window.
Through this spell, Ethan confirmed that after his magic rioted once again, the same problem as last time had resurfaced.
"After a large surge in magical power, it always becomes somewhat uncontrollable. I need to practice a few times."
*I wonder if my other abilities have changed.*
He couldn't see any immediate changes. He needed to test if his power had shifted. Ethan extended his hand, and a burst of Fiendfyre appeared in his palm. This bloodline ability remained as easy to control as ever.
The Horcruxes hadn't changed. He still couldn't identify the owner through the soul fragments. He wasn't sure if his soul abilities had changed, either. After all, aside from himself, there was only one Horcrux available for testing.
"I think the most obvious change should be the Patronus Charm, right?" Some abilities couldn't be tested, but this spell had the most visible manifestation. Ethan felt certain a change had occurred.
It had indeed turned into a three-headed dragon. Its size had increased as well. Watching the Patronus soar through the air, already a dozen meters long, with three heads, Ethan smiled with satisfaction.
Fortunately, he had made it through the phase of magical volatility before the full moon. If he were to add his hair, saliva, blood, or other personal materials to the phial now, the process would likely fail. His magical form for the Animagus ritual could still shift. Of course, whether it would work at all was another story entirely.
Ethan ran the tip of his tongue over the Mandrake leaf tucked beneath it.
Soon. Just ten more days, and he could take it out.
Adjusting the leaf to a more comfortable position, Ethan decided to get some sleep.
He was eager to finish testing his abilities right away. The problem was that the Room of Requirement couldn't conjure living creatures, making that impossible.
Besides, it was already late. With no classes the next morning, he planned to visit Hagrid after leaving the Room of Requirement to find some creatures from the Forbidden Forest for the remaining tests.
Lying back comfortably on the bed, Ethan closed his eyes and prepared to drift off.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
*No, he had forgotten something.*
Ethan scrambled out of bed and pulled the magic crystal ball that the twins had refined from his bag.
He had borrowed it from them specifically for this moment.
He had intended to test his magic level one last time before entering the Room of Requirement tonight.
Six and a half stars lit up on the crystal ball, indicating he had already surpassed the average sixth-year student and reached seventh-year standards.
Five minutes later, he looked down at the fully lit purple star. He let out a small chuckle and went to sleep, thoroughly satisfied.
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