Chapter 9: A Study in Potion

September 20th, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 10:30 PM

The living room was rearranged for Ethan to conjure a reclined bed beside the fireplace that fitted Remus perfectly, as he was now lying on it comfortably, contemplating what happened today.

He was able to take a decent bath and even had all his clothes renewed by some of those exclusive daily spells said to be close to completion by the Department of Mystery.

Ethan even confirmed that he'd look into the Wolfsbane potion to figure out a way to provide sustainable supply!

The man had even just watered it down and considered it a way for him to express his gratitude for Remus's taking up the job!?

"Ethan Esther…the gloomy genius..." Remus mumbled the information, as it took him quite some time to recall those dusty memories back in the day while he was still a Prefect at Hogwarts. He had heard an ongoing rumour about a particular elusive Ravenclaw; they said the boy had taken the traits of that house to another level, both good and bad.

Some said he was possessed by some knowledge-hungry ghost or cursed to read books nonstop, or else he'd die a horrible death. They said you could mostly spot him in some corner of the library. He was even considered a master of disguise, as his presence could rival that of a Demiguise, indiscernible.

He was believed to have always carried with him an old blue satchel as he buried his head in one book after another, yet he could travel around, albeit sparingly, looking up.

Every time he was spotted, he was said to always be clad in full Hogwarts uniform despite the weather, with Ravenclaw's signature scarf covering half of his visage, and it was further hidden away beyond his silverish square-framed glasses and refined dark chestnut hair.

People mostly just regard him as some exaggerated, odd bookworm. Until the O.W.L. that year, a result of a student shocked the entire school; it was even a burning topic among the students and professors for quite a time. All twelve O.W.L.s, not even a dispensable letter, while the boy was just in his fourth year!

FOURTH YEAR!

Remus remembered that some reporters got wind of this and spent days around the school sniffing for the boy's traces, to no avail.

The professor said that they only spotted the submitted papers left in the dust in one of the corners of the library; only through the handwriting did they identify the owner of those papers. Thus, he had been granted the title ever since. Another rumour began to circulate: should you encounter the gloomy genius, ask him as many academic questions as possible, for the answers he gave might be your saving grace. Of course, there were rumours questioning the authenticity of the story, but soon they all fell into oblivion as the years went by.

'What have you been doing all this time—researching innovative spells? Did he take part in the war? ...'

Putting all those questions in the back of his mind, Remus was exhausted from all these astonishments that happened today. What he needed right now was a good rest, for he'd be having an important meeting tomorrow morning at Rosa Lee Teabag.

The man fell asleep in no time; it's been the longest time since he had a comfortable, peaceful, dreamless night.

Harry had been floating around the ceiling with his toy broom, which would be another of his treasures. The boy then proceeded to immerse himself in those storybooks as he carefully turned the page, afraid that it might be damaged. One could see the radiant happiness exuding from the boy's visage. Today he learned a great deal about his parents and about their dear friend, despite his demise coming along with the war. He was thrilled to know how much he was loved, and now he had Ethan.

With that, he knew it was enough to get him through the day and for years to come.

By the time Ethan checked on the boy, Harry was already asleep, those small hands still holding onto the book—The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Ethan wore a gentle smile as he quietly closed the book and placed it to the side as he pulled the quilt over Harry and kissed the boy's forehead for goodnight.

After turning off all the unnecessary runic lamps, Ethan turns to his study. He adjusted the light coming from the nearby runic lamp with a wave of his as he summoned up all the information he had on Wolfsbane potion, from potion books on his shelves to newspapers regarding the subject, which he stored in a trunk that was one of his attempts at practising Capacious Extremis: The Extension Charm.

Ethan then went on to retrieve other tidbits regarding the Wolfsbane position characteristic, its brewing process, reactions, and ingredients from his Mind Palace, the first branch of Mind Magic that he had perfected since his second year at Hogwarts.

All of that onto the notebook he prepared as he began to cross-reference the information. 'The Wolfsbane Potion was an innovative and complex potion that relieved but did not cure the symptoms of lycanthropy, or werewolfery. It was invented by Damocles Belby.

'The main ingredient was wolfsbane, also referred to as aconite or monkshood. The way one must imbibe it was unique among potions in that a goblet full of wolfsbane potion must have been taken each day for a week preceding the full moon; missing one dose alone during such a night was enough to invalidate all those that preceded it. This potion was extremely difficult to make. It had a "disgusting" taste that was very difficult to get used to, and adding sugar to remedy this was impossible as that substance would render it ineffective.

'The potion did not cure lycanthropy but rather eased the condition's psychological symptoms, allowing one to hold on to their mental faculties after transformation, which would otherwise not be possible, and thus retain their human consciousness whilst in animalistic physical form, rendering the otherwise dangerous beast into an ordinary, sleepy wolf.'

Ethan furrowed as he assessed the first impression of this potion.

'Too complicated, too expensive. It is clear that after the invention, Mr. Belby spared no intention of improving the potion further, for after so many years have passed, no mention of his continued research on the potion appeared in any article. Huh, must be drowning in his Order of Merlin.' Ethan's lips pursed at this thought.

That said, improving this overnight wasn't an easy feat. Ethan speculated that it would take him quite some time to perfect this potion, roughly a few days.

Starting with the ingredients first, the aim was to enhance their effects whilst making them easier to process for later brewing sessions. A few supplement ingredients and alterations in the preparation process would suffice…

Those creative cogs within that brilliant mind started working tirelessly, sparkling hundreds of ideals, processing thousands of pieces of information as well, and stimulating numerous trials and errors. It had indeed taken a heavy toll on one's mind, yet Ethan's visage at that time exuded unrivalled enthusiasm and mere raging excitement whenever he tackled a true challenge, which could easily make some feel intimidated.

Accompanying him throughout the whole ordeal was none other than a jug filled with an overly sweet latte.

…

Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was looking through the school student records regarding Ethan Leonard Esther.

The more he read about him, the more intriguing it was. As the old Headmaster tried to recall any events related to that gentleman, he realised how little he knew about him. Through his connection, Albus gained some insight about him after he graduated from the school.

The youngest Senior Unspeakable, marvellous contributions to the Department; despite being introverted, he came along as a professional colleague. There were only two people he considered to be his friends; one was Aelia Silvie Evolett, an ex-Auror, who unfortunately died towards the end of the war. The other's name brought a surprise to him, for he was Samantheus Faramundo, arch enemy of the Pure-blood supremacy and Head of the Department of Mystery.

'Very intriguing' Dumbledore pinned his nose bridge, assessing the information and what to do with Ethan from now on as Harry was still under the man's supervision. 'First, let's try to have another conversation with him. Maybe we would come to a better agreement.

Just then, an owl carrying a conspicuous letter flew across the night sky, through the office's automatic open window, and landed in front of the old man.

It was a letter coming from Gerrik informing him of the events that happened to the Potters' will, Ethan's becoming Harry's official guardian both in the Muggle world and Magical world which earned a long sign from Dumbledore.

"With this, I believe my debt to you has been paid off.

Sincerely Gerrik."

The old man put down the not-so-welcoming letter, but he did expect things would unfold this way after having met that gentleman. Dumbledore stroked his bear in contemplation.

'Remus...' With a wave of his hand, the old Headmaster summoned Fawks, asking his little old friend a favour as the phoenix burst into red flames, vanishing from Hogwarts.

September 21st, 1989, London, 221B Baker Street, 7:24 AM

Having pulled an all-nighter, Ethan's visage turned back to the time when he first woke up to Harry's accidental magic. He was resting those bloodshot eyes until the soft Autumn sunlight loomed through the window, reflecting the droplets from last night's drizzling rain.

Ethan let out a long yawn as he stretched his body, embracing the warm sunlight.

"Well, that's considered done for the hypothesis part. Now, for the testing phase."

Ethan proceeded to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth. Looking at his rather unkempt appearance now, Ethan's mouth curls up into a smirk. "I am a Mad Scientist" as he let out a sinister laugh and then finished tiding himself.

Ethan ventured downstairs in a playful manner as he planned what to do for today. Then, an adorable scene unfolded before his eyes: Harry was collecting the newspaper, watering the plants, and feeding biscuits to those delivery owls, copying everything Ethan would normally do daily, even making a latte.

"Morning, Harry!" Ethan's vigorous greeting jolted the petite boy, though Harry quickly composed himself.

"Morning, Uncle Ethan…I-I was just…I thought I could maybe help you-" Once again, the overthinking state enveloped the boy.

"Thank you, Harry; you did a great job. Oh, and by the way, would you mind putting 4 cubs of sugar in it for me?" Ethan, with his usual calmness, wore a soft smile. Harry nodded happily and gave Ethan his newspaper before running off to add more sugar to his latte.

Ethan soon followed the boy into the living room, where Remus was still in deep sleep. The poor man hadn't had a decent rest for a long time, only to be awoken when he heard Ethan's bickering footsteps along with his enthusiastic greeting.

"Morning, Remus! It was such a relief to see that you had quite a comfortable night. Well, you don't need to be in a hurry; the meeting starts near noon, so you'll have lunch with him no doubt."

Waking up like this did make Remus feel deeply embarrassed, but the feeling was fleeting as he focused on preparing for today.

"Ah yes, morning Ethan, morning Harry." The boy returned with a nod and a smile from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Ethan; I had never been this comfortable for quite some time."

"It's nothing. So, will you join us for breakfast? I and Harry will be preparing; it will not take too long. You can get yourself cleaned up in the meantime."

"Righto." Remus quickly made his way for a refreshing shower and came out to join the two for breakfast. He and Ethan talked a little about what they were going to do for the day.

Afterwards, Remus bid goodbye as he still had to settle his job back at the Port. The falling rain of the Wet season couldn't dampen Remus's joyful mood.

Having cleaned up the dishes, Ethen gestured for Harry to follow him up to his study. The boy was sitting quietly and as dignifiedly as possible.

He was wearing a charcoal woollen T-shirt with a checkered unbutton down shirt and trousers of the same kind. His unruly jet black was roughly sorted into a side part 7/3 style, with the bang mostly conveniently covering his lightning-shaped scar.

Harry had been meaning to do so as he tried to comb his hair every day ever since he learned of his unwanted fame. Getting recognised by strangers and being hunted each time he ventured into the magical world would be the last thing a socially anxious little boy needed.

Harry played with his thoughts silently as he waited for Ethan to clear any of the messy research papers from last night.

Then, Ethan said it in a rather upright and hopeful tone, which startled the boy briefly. "I think it is high time you resume your study, and for the sake of your being a student at Hogwarts once you turn 11. I'll be homeschooling until then…" Harry's face bloomed in excitement and relief.

"With that said, I'll be teaching all the primary subjects, starting with Math and Literature from Monday to Wednesday, Chemistry and Physic on Thursday and Friday. You will be learning them in the morning whilst Art, Music, and PE for the weekend. Thus, at noon, we'll be studying Magic…" Harry's eyes sparkled like stars, longing for what Ethan was about to say.

"Starting with Arithmancy and Ancient Rune as well as Potion and Herbology respectively. Therefore, we'll be tackling Charms at the weekend." Ethan slowly took a sip from his latte mug as he read the part about Re'em in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander. While Harry digested the information.

With a clasp, Ethen rose to his feet and summoned the necessary books for the boy. "Now go get a pen and a notebook; we'll be having Chemistry in about…10 minutes. Meet me downstairs after you are done preparing, as we'll be learning it down in the basement. Off you go then."

Harry nodded like a chicken before jolting back up to his room and sorting out those books. Harry's complexion was filled with determination and eagerness as he, the boy, was deemed to show Dad his capability.