11

The next day, I was still in bed till noon.

Waking up, the first thing that I noticed was the increased presence that I felt around my body.

It felt as if I was swimming in a pool of something, and that something was constantly being sucked into my body.

"Ughh. What is this?" I groan as I wake up and look around.

A few seconds go by as I register my surroundings and that's when it hits me.

"Holy shit. Is this ambient mana?" I exclaim as I try to feel for my core.

Sure enough, the core inside my body was acting like a ravenous beast, sucking mana from the air through the dragon veins, like a whale swallowing water.

The previous core was flimsy and small. The quantity that it held couldn't even compare to what my current core was able to handle.

At present, the core was three quarters of the way full, and looking at the rate at which it was filling up, I would say that the rest would be filled by evening.

Calming myself down, I organised my thoughts and got out of bed. Getting myself cleaned up, I headed to the great hall to get myself some lunch.

"Hey Hermione, whatcha reading there?" I ask the curly haired girl as I sit next to her and grab some food platters.

"Hey Harry. Where were you this morning? Didn't see you at breakfast." She says while looking up from her book.

"I just woke up. Starving now, actually." I casually reply and start stuffing my face.

"I'm planning of going to the library, do you want to join me today? We don't have any classes today, so…" she asked.

"How about I meet you in the library in the evening today. Say around 6. I have some things I have to get sorted out." I say as I remember about the potions I have to brew.

"oh. Ok then, see you then." I could feel a hint of disappointment in her tone, but she quickly covered it up.

"Yes. I'll see you then." I say as she gets up from the table and heads out.

Soon, I stuff myself with the delicious feast known as the Hogwarts lunch and stealthily make my way to the RoR.

A few minutes pass by and I was standing back in the room where I performed last night's ritual.

Cleaning up the ritual pattern on the floor, I drag a huge cauldron out from a mokeskin bag and place it over a huge burner.

From the same mokeskin pouch, I drag out a few bottles of 'virgin' water, water that hasn't yet touched the ground and become contaminated, a few packets of a red liquid, a few plants and leaves as well as a few bones from a black rhino.

Turning on the stove under the cauldron, I start adding the ingredients methodically and watch as the orangish red liquid starts to bubble.

Stirring often, I start drawing a rune structure on the cauldron using chalk from last night. Soon, the runes start lighting up in a blue hue and the contents of the cauldron turn into an orange liquid with no traces of the previous materials seen.

"Seems the brew is ready. Now just the final piece is missing." I say as I drop all my clothes and pick up a small sapling cleaned with the purified virgin water.

With purposeful steps, I walk towards the cauldron, step on a stool placed by the side and jump into the liquid.

With a splash, my body submerges inside the liquid. Strangely, the liquid doesn't scald my skin, instead it gives me a warm feel, as if I was back in my mother's womb.

Holding my breath, I try to control my mana and emit it outwards into the liquid and the sapling held in my hands.

Immediately, the liquid churns and a vortex forms, with me as the centre.

The leaves of the sapling tremble slightly as the liquid gets sucked inside it, while the roots dig into my skin and wrap around me.

Trying my best, I prevent a scream from escaping and endure the pain of the roots digging deep into my body.

Slowly, they cover my whole body, forming a small cocoon of sorts, breaking down my injured body part by part, and replacing it with the nutrients absorbed by the sapling.

Seconds turn into minutes and minutes turn into hours. Soon, I lose track of time and I just focus solely on the soothing sensation of my body being healed.

A long time later, my eyes snap open and the previous orange liquid has reduced by half and turned into a murky yellow.

The cocoon made of roots disappeared and intense pain spreads through my body when I try to move it.

"FUUUUCKK" I scream in a futile attempt to suppress the pain, but nothing works.

Sitting naked in the cauldron, I slowly try to move my newly made body. The bones creak, the tendons snap, and the muscles tighten.

Slowly, but painfully, I crawl out of the cauldron and make it to the mokeskin bag placed by the side.

"Pain Nullification Potion" I say through a hoarse voice. The next instant, a vial of a red liquid pops out of the bag into my hands.

With great willpower, I try to break of the neck of the sealed glass bottle and down the liquid inside.

Instantly, the pain in my body subsides enough for me to move without having the risk of passing out.

Carefully, I inspect my body by feeling around and check the conditions of the bones and joints.

"Hahaha. It worked, it worked. My body is properly healed." I cheer as I pull out a standing mirror from the huge internal space of the mokeskin pouch. Placing it on the ground, I appreciate the body reflected in the mirror.

"Looks good. Body proportions seem to be normal. All scar tissue has been removed. Just this horrible scar on my head remained still. Wait, what's that?" I question as I turn my body to take a look at my back.

"What the hell? Why's there a tattoo on my back?" I freak out and I try to reach it and rub it off.

"The book didn't say anything about the skin being tattooed after the ritual." I panic as the pain in my body rises.

'FLAWS', I scream loudly as I place my hand on the tattoo, hoping to understand what I am dealing with.

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