West Tower, Owlery
Because Rob wasn't around, Sean borrowed one of the school's owls.
As usual, he wrapped up the paper and tied it to the owl's leg. Watching the owl disappear into the night, Sean knew his first phase of research was officially complete. After a short rest, he could begin the second phase.
Unlike the first three substitute ingredients, which were the most expensive parts of the Wolfsbane Potion, combining them for substitution had already reduced the cost by about thirty percent — and made the brewing process much easier.
The second phase would target half of the remaining ingredients — the next most costly and precious ones — and there was still value in replacing those. As for the final half, the materials left were neither rare nor pricey, so they weren't worth replacing. Of course, there might be some ingredients in this second phase that simply couldn't be substituted, but that was something to figure out during the research itself.
Having sent the paper, Sean finally felt a wave of relief.
At that moment, he remembered the three Dementors he'd defeated earlier. Logically, that meant he should have new abilities to extract.
Thinking of this, Sean didn't leave the Owlery immediately. He opened the panel on the spot. Seeing the prompt pop up, the corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile — As expected.
[Duel Victory: Based on opponent strength, randomly extract one ability.]
[Extracting…]
[Extraction Complete: Obtained Dementor's Kiss]
[Target is a non-human species, unable to fully inherit ability. Screening solutions…]
[Screening…]
[Based on host's personality, solution selected.]
[Ability modified to match host's species and physical condition.]
[Obtained: Pain Extraction LV2]
This ability, granted by the first Dementor, had been adapted by the system into a spell called Pain Extraction. Sean thought names like "Joy Extraction" or "Happiness Absorption" might fit better, but the system's choice was final. Still, the name made sense: by draining joy, peace, and happy memories, it left only pain, fitting the spell's effect.
[Duel Victory: Randomly extract one ability.]
[Extracting…]
[Extraction Complete: Obtained Pain Extraction LV1]
The second Dementor's ability was another Dementor's Kiss, modified into Pain Extraction, but only at level one. It couldn't stack with the LV2 version, making it a wasted draw. Sean was mildly annoyed but shrugged it off.
[Duel Victory: Randomly extract one ability.]
[Extracting…]
[Extraction Complete: Obtained Frost Domain LV2]
The third Dementor's ability surprised Sean. He'd assumed the freezing effect around Dementors came from their Kiss, absorbing positive energy and lowering temperatures. But it made sense: Pain Extraction took the memory-draining aspect, while Frost Domain captured the chilling effect. Logical enough.
The Boggart had given him Shadow of the Boggart, and now the Dementors gave Pain Extraction and Frost Domain.
Two months since the start of term, Sean had already obtained three very useful spells, all from non-human creatures. It sparked an idea: if he had the time, he could hunt down more magical beasts with special traits to farm new abilities. Compared to dueling dangerous wizards, this seemed much safer — and more worthwhile.
Of course, in theory, dueling powerful wizards was still better. The magic drawn from skilled wizards tended to be higher-level. So far, all of Sean's strongest spells had come from wizards. Magical beasts and non-human creatures gave him unique tricks, but the power level usually wasn't as high.
Leaving the Owlery, Sean went down the tower stairs.
The three Dementors had given him decent abilities, and he was curious about the swarm that had attacked Harry. If he could farm them, he might level up Pain Extraction and Frost Domain.
Back in the common room, Sean spotted Andy heading his way.
The two of them sat down in a quiet corner. Still, Sean could feel plenty of eyes sneaking glances at him. When school had started, Sean had made it clear he disliked people staring or gossiping — they'd backed off for a while, but now they were back to their old habits.
Sean didn't have to wonder long. The moment Andy opened his mouth, he understood why.
"Sean, your new Wit-Recovery potion has already started selling," Andy said, lowering his voice a bit. "I've got the first shipment, and it's good — quality's up, price is down, and demand's huge. Right now, there's no one at Hogwarts who can move potions privately better than me. This afternoon alone, a bunch of people came asking to cut deals."
Andy grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "You know how some students from other Houses don't like buying directly from me? Well, I agreed to work with a few middlemen. The price they pay is higher than mine, but still cheaper than the old spirit potions, so they jumped at it. According to our deal, I've already got your share of the gold ready — I'll hand you the note tomorrow."
"I'm in no rush," Sean said. "Whenever it's convenient."
"Tomorrow it is, then," Andy said easily. He glanced at his watch, then stood up. "Alright, I've got a few more things to take care of tonight. Let's have lunch together tomorrow, yeah?"
"Sure. Go on, handle your business."
There was no need for pretenses between them anymore — they both liked it that way.
After watching Andy head off, Sean got up and made for his room to check on Kulkan. But when he reached the dormitory corridor, he spotted Jennifer Fawley — seventh year, and very much out of place here.
"This is the boys' dormitory," Sean pointed out calmly. "The girls' dorm is the other way."
Jennifer gave him a look, her arms crossed. "The Slytherin boys' dorm doesn't exactly forbid girls. And I'm not here for a visit. I'm here for you. Talk to me, Sean."