For days, Ted had been experimenting with crafting magical items, but the results were... underwhelming.
Creating magic-infused objects wasn't the same as simply enchanting something for temporary use.
A real magical item retained its power indefinitely.
Like that Nose-Biting Teacup from Hogwarts—leave it alone for years, and it would still chomp down on your nose the moment you picked it up.
Or that cursed opal necklace Draco Malfoy once tried to use.
Decades, even centuries could pass, and the curse would remain as deadly as ever.
The problem was, Ted's creations were more like short-term enchantments.
A few hours, maybe a day or two, and the magic would fade completely.
What he needed was something permanent.
That required a deeper understanding of alchemy.
His self-taught alchemy had reached level 2, but that was barely scratching the surface.
Alchemy was one of the oldest magical disciplines, evolving over centuries into a vast and intricate field.
Even with a proper mentor, most wizards only mastered a specific branch, and Ted?
He was fumbling his way through trial and error.
Still, he had managed to create a few minor trinkets—glowing glass beads, a rope that could tie itself around someone, little magical oddities.
But nothing groundbreaking.
He had even attempted something from his other world knowledge—spiritual summon, like the [Rotten Stray Ashes (Green)] from the world of Elden Ring.
But that was a complete failure.
The knowledge was in his head, but his technique wasn't refined enough.
He knew that with enough attempts—ten, twenty, maybe a hundred—he'd eventually succeed.
That was just how things worked.
Ted also tried copying magic scrolls, but that turned out to be harder than expected.
After days of effort, he only managed to successfully create a basic Lumos spell scroll.
In the Dungeons & Dragons world, spellcasters relied on scrolls because their daily magic use was limited.
Scrolls acted as backups for emergencies.
But wizards in the Harry Potter world didn't have those restrictions.
Their magic was fluid, continuous, and easier to use, making scrolls largely redundant.
Why tear open a scroll when you could just flick your wand and cast the spell normally?
There were still niche uses, though.
Scrolls could be handy if your wand was taken away, and Ted realized another interesting quirk—anyone with magical energy could use them.
Even Anzu, his raven, could activate a scroll if he tore it open.
That meant magical creatures and even Squibs could use them.
While experimenting with scrolls, Ted discovered a new magical material—deep-sea squid ink.
It was used in magical contracts and spellbooks, a powerful medium that held magic far longer than regular ink.
That explained why high-level magical books couldn't just be printed; they had to be written by hand to properly retain their enchantments.
August 10th arrived, bringing with it a letter from Hogwarts.
Ted tore it open to find his second-year booklist.
Besides "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2" by Miranda Goshawk, every single other book was written by Gilderoy Lockhart—a full set of seven.
Ted had spent enough time in bookstores to know Lockhart's books had been bestsellers lately.
This year's newest release was especially hyped, and there was even going to be a book signing event.
"This guy is making a fortune," Ted muttered, shaking his head.
He could already imagine how the Weasley family felt about buying five sets—thirty-five books in total.
They were probably losing their minds.
Lockhart had been writing for years, though adventure novels were a more recent development.
Ted had even seen an old copy of "Gilderoy Teaches You to Handle Household Pests," which was supposedly quite effective.
Of course, knowing Lockhart, he probably stole the content from someone else.
A letter from Ron soon confirmed his suspicions:
"We have to buy thirty-five copies?! Ginny also needs new robes, a wand, and other supplies..."
Ron's frustration was obvious.
The financial strain was hitting hard.
Even the twins had pooled their savings to help cover expenses.
It was shaping up to be a stressful summer for the Weasleys.
Hermione also wrote, saying she'd be going to Diagon Alley on the 26th to get her school supplies.
Time flew by, and soon it was the 26th.
Ted met up with Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron.
She was practically bouncing with excitement.
The two of them, along with Jerry, made their way into Diagon Alley, where the Weasleys were also doing their shopping.
Arthur Weasley had clearly been through a rough couple of weeks—he looked like he'd lost hair over the financial stress, but he had managed to scrape together enough money.
Lockhart's full set of seven books wasn't cheap, and Hogwarts required students to also purchase "Magical Me," another one of his titles.
The total came to around twenty Galleons per set—one hundred for the Weasleys.
Ted had no doubt Mr. Weasley had to borrow money to make it work.
As they wandered through Diagon Alley, Ted and Hermione ran into Neville and eventually spotted the Weasley family, their red hair easy to pick out in a crowd.
The Weasley couple headed to Gringotts to withdraw money, leaving Ron and Ginny behind.
"Ted, don't you need to go to Gringotts?" Ron asked.
Ted shook his head. "I don't trust goblins with my money. I'd rather keep it on me."
Ron made a face. "Honestly, our family probably won't need a vault for a long time."
It was obvious he was still fuming about the cost of Lockhart's books.
Jerry looked just as annoyed.
"A hundred Galleons! Damn it!" Ron muttered under his breath.
Ted clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "I'm not letting Lockhart get a single Galleon from me. There's a duplication spell in one of his books—I'll just copy everything with a Quick-Quotes Quill and rebind them."
Ron and Jerry's eyes lit up like they had just been given them a Philosopher's Stone.
They turned to Ted, their expressions full of admiration. "Ted... you're a genius!"
Ted smirked. "I know."
However, Hermione was not convinced.
"How can you even consider this? This is—this is piracy! It's wrong!"
Ted gave her a reassuring smile.
"Hermione, think about it. Forcing students to buy all of Lockhart's books just because he's a professor? That's not ethical at all."
"It still doesn't make it right," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms.
"Maybe," Ted admitted, "but he was the one who started being unfair first. Besides, this is a lot of money. Not everyone can afford it."
Neville shifted uncomfortably, looking between his friends.
If he refused to use a copied book, would he be the only one left out?
Hermione bit her lip.
She wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew Ted had a point.
The idea of spending over a hundred Galleons on textbooks was ridiculous.
Ted patted Ron on the back and added, "Of course, since we're doing this, we have to keep a low profile. It'd be pretty messy to get caught flaunting pirated books in front of others. We should at least pretend to be grateful, right?"
Ron caught on immediately.
"Oh! Uh—right! We should thank Lockhart for that, for forcing me to use pirated books! All eight of them!" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Jerry smirked. "Yeah! And thank you for making sure my whole family's broke! Truly, you're a great man."
Hermione's cheeks puffed in frustration.
"You guys are impossible!"
Ted chuckled, raising his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright, let's just make sure others doesn't catch on, yeah?"
Ron quickly spread the word to his siblings, and the Weasley twins were instantly on board.
They convinced their parents to buy only Ginny a new set while they got second-hand ones—though in reality, Ted was making sure everyone had their own 'special editions.'
On the day of Lockhart's book signing, Diagon Alley was packed.
The moment Ted and his friends arrived, they saw that Flourish and Blotts was swarming with people.
The entire front entrance was covered with witches—mostly middle-aged—clutching copies of Lockhart's books and swooning over him.
Ted sighed. "Why did I come here again?"
Ron groaned. "Dunno. Maybe you wanted to see a fraud up close?"
Lockhart was standing at the bookstore entrance, flashing his dazzling smile at every witch who glanced his way.
His golden curls gleamed unnaturally, as though he had cast a polishing charm on them.
Every time someone pointed at him, he seemed to think it was admiration and responded with a hearty laugh.
"Blimey, he's worse in person," Jerry muttered.
Hermione, however, was struggling with her own thoughts.
From what she'd read in Lockhart's book, the man is worthy of respect, but now, seeing him in person, and from all the valid points that Ted made about his overpriced books...
She shut her mouth.
Meanwhile, Harley had arrived with Sirius and his wife.
The moment she spotted Lockhart, her face twisted in disgust.
"Who's the golden-haired clown with the fake grin?"
Ron snorted. "A book salesman."
Jerry and Neville nodded in agreement, while Hermione simply sighed in frustration.
Then came the moment of disaster.
Lockhart had been signing books for over an hour when his eyes suddenly locked onto Neville.
His expression lit up like Christmas at Hogwarts.
"Ah-ha! Look who's here! Our very own famous savior, The Boy Who Lived! Neville Longbottom himself!"
Neville, who had been trying to slip away unnoticed, froze in horror.
Before he could react, Lockhart seized his wrist and dragged him forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen! What a wonderful moment! Not only is young Mr. Longbottom here to buy my books, but he'll also be learning directly from me!
Yes, that's right! Headmaster Dumbledore himself invited me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year!" Lockhart puffed out his chest, his smile widening as the crowd gasped.
"To celebrate this occasion, I'm personally gifting Neville a full set of my books! Here you go, my boy!" Lockhart shoved an entire stack into Neville's arms.
The books nearly toppled over, but Neville barely managed to keep them steady.
Dozens of people were now staring at him, and he could feel the sweat trickling down his back.
Worse still, Lockhart's grip on his shoulder was like an iron vice. Neville desperately wanted to escape.
"Now then! A photo to commemorate this grand moment!" Lockhart beamed, pulling Neville in close for a picture.
A photographer—who looked suspiciously like a jumping chimpanzee—was already snapping shots from different angles.
Neville gulped.
He would rather fight a troll with his bare hands than stand next to this man any longer.
Ted and the others, meanwhile, were fuming.
"Let go of Neville!" Ron hissed.
"This should be illegal!" Jerry added.
"Is he forcing a student to take a picture with him?" Hermione muttered."