"System, draw talent!"
As soon as Ted spoke, three cards appeared in his mind, neatly lined up.
The first card depicted a figure bathed in light, effortlessly deflecting swords and spells.
[Psionic Skin (Blue)]
Talent Card
Your skin adapts to psionic energy, evolving to provide a protective barrier. As long as your psionic energy isn't depleted, your skin can absorb normal damage and even resist some magical attacks.
The second card showed a person with a glowing crystal eye embedded in their forehead, radiating energy.
[Embedded Crystal Eye (Blue)]
Talent Card
Due to prolonged psychic focus, a crystallized third eye has formed on your forehead, significantly enhancing perception and amplifying spiritual abilities.
The third card depicted a figure speaking or singing, with musical notes floating around them. People and animals alike were drawn in, captivated.
[Voice of the Heartbeat (Red)]
Talent Card
Your voice carries a supernatural allure. Whether speaking, singing, or even uttering meaningless sounds, you can evoke emotions and sway others. Your psionic abilities related to sound and language will be greatly enhanced, making persuasion and influence nearly effortless.
Was there even a question here?
Take the highest-ranked one!
The first talent was useful, almost like a permanent Stone Skin spell—it could block blades and even weak spells. But in the wizarding world, getting hit at all was already a problem. If someone threw an Avada Kedavra his way, no amount of thick skin would save him.
The second talent?
Not a chance.
A glowing crystal on his forehead?
How was he supposed to blend in with that?!
This wasn't the kind of world where one lone powerhouse could dominate everything.
Standing out too much wasn't always a good thing.
The third talent, though—now that had potential.
It might not offer as much direct combat power, but the underlying benefits were massive.
As a psion, Ted was already skilled at "persuading" people.
With his Favorability spell and naturally unthreatening look, he had managed to build his second-hand trading network in Diagon Alley.
But with [Voice of the Heartbeat]?
He'd be unstoppable.
Who would be the top salesman in the wizarding world? Him, obviously!
Right now, it took him a few minutes of conversation to win someone over, to leave a good impression.
With this talent? Minister of Magic by thirty, easy.
And if he wasn't elected by then? That would be his biggest failure.
The horse is in the stable, and the world is at his fingertips, my friends!
For the next two days, Ted stayed locked in his basement, training his control over his psychic abilities.
Finally, he reached a point where he wouldn't accidentally shatter glasses just by picking them up, or cause water to levitate—or worse, instantly evaporate.
Psychic power was like an extra limb—one he couldn't see.
If it suddenly became too strong, he'd struggle to control it.
But now, he was finally getting the hang of it.
A letter from a friend was what finally pulled him back to reality.
On the last day of July, his friends planned to meet in Diagon Alley.
Hermione practically jumped out of the car, waved to her father, and rushed into the Leaky Cauldron.
Mr. Granger watched as his daughter ran straight toward a brick wall and vanished.
He sighed, shaking his head as he drove off.
Already, he was worrying about whether he had locked the front door.
He knew it wasn't forgetfulness—it was the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Magic had a way of pushing ordinary people like him away, making them overlook what was right in front of them.
As for Hermione, she was already part of a world he would never fully understand.
He just hoped she'd be happy.
Right now, Hermione was too excited to dwell on such thoughts.
She was about to see her friends again!
For over a month, she hadn't been able to use magic at home.
No spells, no Daily Prophet—just letters from friends to keep her informed.
She was practically bursting with pent-up energy.
Now that she was finally in Diagon Alley, she was going to enjoy every second of it.
And Ted—how was he doing?
She'd heard rumors.
Apparently, he and Jerry had set up a stall, started a second-hand trading network…
She had to see it for herself.
Not seeing Ted for so long had drained her motivation to study.
She needed a Ted boost!
Pushing open the door to the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione glanced around cautiously before stepping up to the bar.
She took a deep breath and faced the somewhat gruff-looking Tom.
"Hello, I'm looking for Ted—Ted Epifani. Does he live here?"
Tom's serious face broke into a grin. "Hahahaha, oh yes, he's here. We only have one Ted around."
He turned to the other patrons and called out, "Ain't that right?"
"That's right! Appraisal expert Ted!"
"Little Ted, the Arcane Exchange Prince!"
"I'd call him the strongest appraiser wizard in the business!"
The drinkers erupted in laughter, raising their mugs in cheers.
During this time, Ted's Arcane Exchange had brought endless entertainment—not just for him, but for the entire wizarding community.
After all, wizards were a strange bunch, and that meant strange people bringing in even stranger objects to be identified.
Some were rare magical artifacts, some were family heirlooms, and some… well, some defied explanation.
Just two days ago, a rather eccentric wizard had brought in an item shaped like a wand, claiming it was a self-stirring cauldron rod infused with powerful magic.
The materials alone—unknown beast horn, rare ores, and goblin-forged silver—were worth at least thirty to forty Galleons.
The problem? It didn't look like a stirring rod. At all.
Ted had struggled to keep a straight face as he examined it.
Was it practical?
Questionable.
Was it expensive?
Absolutely.
And the wizard had even insisted Ted provide a certificate proving its authenticity and… effectiveness.
The bar regulars had nearly keeled over with laughter.
It was, without a doubt, the funniest thing they had witnessed in years—likely to remain a legendary tale well into next year.
—
At that moment, a familiar voice interrupted the chatter.
"Hermione, it's Hermione! Caw!—come with me, Caw!" Anzu, Ted's ever-present raven companion, flapped over excitedly, landing near Hermione's shoulder.
Old Tom, still chuckling, wiped a tear from his eye and gestured to Hermione, who stood slightly bewildered by the raucous laughter around her. "Go on, follow Anzu. It'll take you to Ted."
Hermione nodded and hurried after the bird, her heart pounding in anticipation.
She hadn't seen Ted in over a month, and despite exchanging letters, it wasn't the same as talking face-to-face.
Pushing open the basement door, she found Ted sitting at a cluttered desk, surrounded by notes, trinkets, and what looked suspiciously like a half-disassembled Poké Ball replica.
He looked up and grinned.
"Hermione!"
"Ted… have you been keeping up with your studies? Have you at least reviewed the textbooks?"
Ted hesitated for half a second before scratching the back of his head. "Uh, why don't we talk about something else first?"
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You haven't reviewed them, have you?" Her hands went to her hips. "In that case, first place in class is mine this year!"
Ted laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "Yep, you got me. I've been busy with… other things this summer. My grades are definitely going to suffer. No doubt you'll surpass me this time."
Hermione blinked.
Something about the way Ted said that felt oddly smooth, almost practiced.
…Wait. Was he flattering her?
Her confidence surged, and she lifted her chin proudly. "That's right! This year, I'll be number one for sure!"
Ted grinned wider. "If you say so, Hermione. If you can talk like that, say a few more words—I can take it."
Hermione: That's right, that's exactly right. This year, I will be number one! If you can keep talking like that, go on—I can take it!
_______________________________
Word count: 1417
Comment below on what you think so far.
Also, if you're interested in reading some advanced chapters, you can support me on my patreon.
patreon.com/Rai_jin
Thanks for reading guys.