Chapter 10: I Meant to Refuse

A good story is impactful, especially when there's a push behind it.

Magical Legends was already a well-selling magazine. After an internal discussion, the editorial team decided to heavily promote the new serialized story—licensing, adaptation, and statements were all handled. There was nothing left to consider, so the promotional campaign began!

Rival magazines didn't matter; the promotions had to go big. The editorial team purchased front-page ads from all the major newspapers, slots on the Wizarding Radio Network and The Voice of Magic, and even paid the Weird Sisters for a mid-concert ad plug.

While Andrew was working hard on practicing Transfiguration, Flourish and Blotts had a new banner hanging at the entrance.

"Dumbledore: A Legend," serialized in Magical Legends!

Without a doubt, the magazine was a huge success.

Dumbledore's name was the best advertising slogan, and the story itself was interesting enough. The inconsistencies that Andrew had introduced were fixed by the editors, making everything fit seamlessly into the magical world, and the fairy-tale elements made the wizarding readers believe every word.

A legendary figure getting their hands on legendary items made perfect sense.

Dumbledore bathed in the Fountain of Fair Fortune, wielded the Elder Wand, obtained an ancient potion recipe and brewed it, entered Hogwarts as a genius of half-blood origins, and publicly embarrassed the Gaunt family that had broken off an engagement (the editor had more nerve than Andrew when it came to curses). He also acquired Gryffindor's treasure buried under the castle during his Hogwarts years (Andrew had originally written that he gained the recognition of Hogwarts' spirit, but the editor changed it).

Any issues with this story?

Absolutely not!

The biggest issue was that many exciting adventures were only mentioned in the preview, while the content actually published focused solely on Dumbledore obtaining the ancient potion recipe!

When was the next issue of Magical Legends coming out?!

Couldn't they learn from Lockhart and just release a complete adventure book at once?

Amidst the discussions and complaints from readers, Magical Legends printed two additional editions—in three days.

Even the Lockhart Adventure series was overshadowed. There was no helping it—Magical Legends hadn't raised their price, and as a highly popular magazine, it was an incredible value.

Unfortunately, Andrew, the mastermind behind all of this, had no clue about the buzz. Though an increased payment and a letter from the editorial team were already on their way to him, at the moment, he had just woken up, washed his face, tidied up a bit, and gone for a morning run.

It was a good habit he had developed since coming here—being able to run fast could solve a lot of problems.

If Apparition weren't so challenging, he would've learned that first.

Running, eating, then going back to edit some more manuscripts—after that, he could dive into studying.

Now that he had finally solved the problem of Galleons—the answer to most issues in the wizarding world—he could focus on practicing Charms and Transfiguration.

As for Potions—his residual memories of lab safety rules kept him from comfortably brewing potions in the orphanage. He merely familiarized himself with the recipes and common herbs and then set the books aside.

Although he hadn't received any official notice prohibiting magic, he estimated that his time for freely practicing magic might be limited. Even in the fast-paced movie recaps, the strict prohibition on spell use during the summer holidays was emphasized, so he figured he wouldn't have this freedom after school started.

"Alohomora..."

Andrew carefully read the description of the spell, which claimed it could open most locks, and wondered how wizards might use it today (in the 1600s, Eldritch learned the spell from an elderly African wizard and began a spree of burglary across Muggle and wizard homes in London). He then took an old lock from the drawer.

Though the lock was so rusty it was almost unusable, a bit of pencil lead might still be enough to turn it.

Andrew assessed it while gently tapping the lock with his wand, "Alohomora!"

The lowly spoken incantation caused the lock to emit a grating, rattling sound, before the magic finally clicked it open. Clearly, this spell—used by wizards to unlock things automatically in the Muggle world—had been successfully cast by Andrew.

Whether he could truly master it would depend on his diligence in subsequent practice.

"Another great start to the day..."

Andrew smiled, though he couldn't shake a sense that something was a bit off.

His current Transfiguration prowess allowed him to transform an item into a solid needle, his first spell could make small objects float, then he had Lumos for lighting dark places, and now he was practicing unlocking spells—all while pushing himself to become a better runner.

From any angle, this seemed like a quick route to Azkaban.

"Right, Azkaban..."

Suddenly struck by inspiration, he jotted down a note: (The plot to destroy the original site of Azkaban wasn't entirely thwarted, which led to Dementors occupying the dark place.)

"Now that's worth the payment—everything connected!"

Andrew put the note aside and continued reading about the unlocking charm. To truly master a spell, it had to be perfectly executed under any conditions. Today, he would make sure he could open this lock effortlessly, and after ensuring he could handle multiple types of locks, his self-study of this spell could be considered complete.

"Knock, knock!"

There was a sound from the window, followed by another series of knocks. Andrew turned to find a snow-white owl tapping on his window.

"Hmm?"

Confused, he walked over quickly and let it in.

"What?"

Just two glances at the letter, and Andrew's mouth dropped open.

No way, were they actually fearless?

Don't drag me into this, you maniacs!

Who was Dumbledore? Did they really dare mess with him?

The number one wizard in Britain, who defended Hogwarts, defeated Grindelwald, eliminated Voldemort, basically the undisputed leader of the magical world. He wasn't just powerful; his former students weren't just widespread—they were everywhere. At least 98% of Britain's wizards had studied under him. Stay away from me, I don't want to get caught in the crossfire!

These Galleons, though...

Andrew blinked, looking at the amount on the Gringotts cheque, then rubbed his eyes.

"Editors have their reasons when they make guarantees."

"To be fair, the best student from Gryffindor was Dumbledore. Rewriting it that way isn't all that bad, as long as there's no defamation, the editorial team should be able to withstand it."

"What I need to remember is: absolutely no tabloid rumors, absolutely no negative portrayals."

"Exactly."

Andrew safely stashed away the cheque, which was more than enough to cover a year's worth of random purchases, expenses, and donations to the orphanage—this was just his payment for a single month.