Wayne stayed up until 2:00 AM that night, finishing the entire first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, before going to sleep.
From 5:30 PM to 2:00 AM, a full eight and a half hours had passed—more than three times the original film's runtime of 2 hours and 26 minutes (including credits).
Even so, Wayne felt he hadn't experienced enough, despite choosing to fast-forward through certain parts. He skipped the Potions class because Snape's lecturing was too tedious.
That night, he joined the Harry trio in the third-floor corridor to face the three-headed dog. To his surprise, the drooling beast was actually larger than a Diablos from Monster Hunter, giving Wayne quite a shock.
However, he did not skip the Charms class the next day. Under Professor Flitwick's instruction and Hermione's corrections, Wayne waved a virtual wand and chanted the "Wingardium Leviosa" spell, successfully casting a Levitation Charm that made a feather float before his eyes.
Having watched the Harry Potter movies before his crossing, he already knew the incantation, but back then, it was just a word on a screen. In the movie world, the professor explained in detail how to concentrate one's mental energy, how to flick the wand, and how to focus mana on the target.
In other words, the incantation was merely the basic first step of casting magic; otherwise, non-magical Muggles wouldn't exist. Although this was the most basic entry-level magic, it kept Wayne excited for quite a while.
The subsequent plot where Ron belittled Hermione, making her cry, led Wayne to comment inwardly that Ron had no idea how difficult it would be to appease his future wife later on.
Wayne didn't necessarily want to become a master sorcerer—after all, these things were only supposed to work within the movie world—but as a net cafe owner, he had to have a deep understanding of the products he sold.
Initially, he was worried that because the combat in Harry Potter wasn't as intense as in Monster Hunter or the recent battle in Goldshire, it might lack appeal. However, after this trial, he found that the experience was not only a different genre but also far richer in detail.
Not everyone was as enthusiastic about combat techniques as Verdan, Raymond, or Lyria. Personalities like Jyssetta and Zaldimar preferred quieter projects; letting them research and explore the vastness of Hogwarts was a perfect fit for their tastes.
Not to mention the other wonders besides magic and flying: the Golden Snitch, Quidditch matches, Wizard's Chess where pieces actually fought, and the unique creatures in the Forbidden Forest like unicorns and centaurs. As long as a scene appeared in the movie, one could re-watch and explore it repeatedly.
Of course, the most attractive part was the story itself. By the end of the day, Wayne's "game level" had risen to LV17.
Wayne was confident about the upgraded net cafe, but a practical problem soon arose. While the warming cabinet was manageable, he couldn't move the refrigerator full of Coke at all. It wasn't the fridge that was heavy, but the liquid inside.
He considered taking the Coke out first, but the vending machine informed him that anyone taking a bottle had to pay, and during the night, the fridge would automatically restock itself regardless of how many were removed. Essentially, as long as one paid, it was an inexhaustible supply.
After thinking it over, he saw two options: get help to push and pull it up together, or have his old friend Andrew make a set of pulleys the next day to hoist it up through the ceiling.
After sweating profusely while carrying the warming cabinet up on his back, he returned to the cellar and checked the vending machine interface again.
Under the "Items for Sale" section, a new [Clearance Reward] had appeared. Clicking in, Monster Hunter G remained locked, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was lit up.
He clicked it and was stunned. The price column showed 0 Gold! It was free!
Wayne immediately hit [Claim]. Since the wand was small, he heard a rolling sound from the dispensing slot following a flash of light. He bent down to retrieve it—it was indeed the phoenix feather core wand that had chosen Harry at Ollivanders!
The question was: what was it for? Was it just a souvenir toy or a cosplay prop? Like the figurines Wayne had bought before his crossing, which served no purpose other than looking and touching.
Suddenly, a familiar, emotionless electronic voice spoke:
[Special Equipment Obtained: Phoenix Feather Wand]
Special equipment? From "Rough" to "Artifact," World of Warcraft didn't have a "Special" gear tier...
But since the vending machine labeled it as equipment, it meant it was actually functional. Under the bright lights of the cellar, Wayne looked at the wand and then at the immovable fridge. He gripped the wand in his right hand, concentrated his mind, and pointed it at the fridge, chanting the only spell he knew:
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Clunk. The refrigerator actually wobbled! Wayne was shocked. He had actually brought the magic from the Harry Potter movie world into the World of Warcraft!
He shook his head and hands to calm himself, then refocused his mental energy on the wand, chanting the Levitation Charm again.
"Wingardium Leviosa!!!"
As if shouting the spell would strengthen its effect, Wayne maintained his focus while watching the shaking fridge. Though the fridge slowly lifted and he was using magic to move the object, Wayne felt as if he were exerting his maximum physical strength. By the time the bottom of the fridge reached his neck height, he felt strained and his body began to tremble involuntarily.
While more efficient than brute force, the trade-off for reduced physical labor was a high consumption of mental energy—perhaps what was known as mana.
Initially holding it with just his right hand, once the fridge floated through the cellar door and was nearly on the floor of the room above, he raised his left hand to grip his right. In that short time, the massive exertion caused sweat to pour down his forehead.
Thump.
With a dull sound, Wayne's concentration broke. The Levitation Charm deactivated, and the fridge landed gently on the floor above. Feeling exhausted, he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
It felt as though he had finished a marathon and couldn't move another inch. If he were asked to shout the incantation again, he wouldn't be able to focus for a single second.
Despite this, it meant his mana had transitioned from "nothing" to "something"—a massive change! He rested on the floor for a long while before climbing up the stairs, grabbing the water jug in the room and gulping it down.
In the World of Warcraft, most drinks—from plain water to milk—and foods—from biscuits to delicacies made from rare beasts—could have a restorative effect. The higher the quality of the ingredients and the stronger the cooking technique, the better the recovery.
For a "rank-five weakling" like Wayne who had just gained a sliver of mana, a few cups of plain water weren't enough to fully restore him, but they were sufficient to pull him out of the state of mana depletion.