The whole thing at the Daily Prophet thankfully didn’t take long. Within an hour, I was the proud owner of every single issue printed in the last six years — pretty much since the movies ended.

  On my way back to the Golden Cauldron, I passed two other alchemy shops. Though calling them shops wasn’t quite right — each was a collective of ten to twenty alchemists working mostly on commissions. More like guilds than storefronts.

  I’d decided to ask around, just to see if I’d gotten a good deal for my storage item. The answers I got, however, were… unexpected.

  As it turned out, the most common storage item was a deep pocket sewn inside a robe — a spatially expanded compartment lined with weight-reduction charms. If I wanted one, I’d need a tailor.

  The best item available however, was a dimensional suitcase, but I couldn’t buy it without a license. Not that it mattered; I’d already memorized its magical signature.

  I didn’t show them my own item—not wanting anyone to know or think I had my whole fortune with me— but when I described how it worked, they assured me that even if it were possible, the material cost alone would exceed a noble family’s monthly profit.

  As for dynamic volume? Most hadn’t even heard of it, and those who had dismissed it as theory.

  Unfortunately, when I arrived, the shop was closed — and even the space inside felt different. Based on what I’d sensed before, it wasn’t just a warehouse but a pocket dimension tethered to this storefront. Apparently, it didn’t have to stay connected all the time.

  I thought, a little disappointed.

  As I headed back toward the Golden Cauldron, I began watching the crowd more closely — every motion, every aura — while recalling others I’d seen before.

  The first time I’d ever seen an aura was when I awakened my ability to sense mana. A wizard’s aura behaves like a planet bending space around it.

  The surprising part was realizing that humans have auras too — faint, like asteroids compared to planets.

  Here, I noticed a third group as well, people with auras larger than a human’s but smaller than a wizard’s. Squibs, probably.

  Of course, that’s only one side of the coin. Just as spells and charms have two observable states depending on focus, so do auras.

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  There weren’t many children under eleven out today, but those I saw had chaotic, unshaped auras — much like mine had been when I first began to observe it.

  Squibs’ auras, on the other hand, felt like still water — not dead, not alive, just… stagnant. , if you will.

  For adult wizards, it was more strait forward. Most people had a uniformly ordered aura, which was basically the "mass" that created the gravity like well in the Mana-field. No two auras were exactly the same though, and I saw exactly three people with vastly different auras from the norm but I don't yet know what that would mean.

  My own aura is also very different from any other person I had seen, and...

  With that realization, I found myself back at the brick wall. A flick of my fake wand, and it opened again, leading me into the back garden of the Golden Cauldron.

  I decided to take the regular bus home. I wasn't in a rush — and it gave me time to practice refining my perception filter as I walked.

  After about five minutes, I was certain the two wizards I’d been sensing were still following me.

  I muttered inwardly, turning into an alley. Annoying or not, this could get dangerous — or would have, if I hadn’t already spent too long planning exactly what I’d do in this situation back when I dealt with that trafficking ring.

  Greed and a faint malice bled from their minds as they trailed behind me. I expected an attack the moment I stepped into the alley, but they held back. Maybe they knew it was a dead end — I certainly did.

  I kept walking, calm and steady, half-focused on them, half on my plan.

  Perfect memory comes with its perks — an endless pool of trivia, sure, but also data. Even without looking for signs, I knew that no one I’d passed today could sense magic like I could, or even pinpoint charms as they were cast.

  That and also, considering I’d spent all day flaunting a fake wand for everyone to see, I decided to use that to my advantage.

  They stayed about ten meters behind, both wearing invisibility cloaks. I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t struck yet, but that worked in my favor.

  I began using transfiguration. I can’t affect gases or large solid objects, so changing the entire street was out of the question. But thanks to the recent rain, there was still water around for me to work with.

  As I walked, the water on the pavement began disappear subtly in small amounts, and the temperature dropped just slightly. Subtle enough not to draw suspicion.

  Bit by bit, I transformed the water in my field of influence into powdered dry ice, which vaporized almost instantly. It was delicate work — difficult, even — but with a touch of telekinesis, I stirred faint air currents, guiding the CO? into their path.

  At first, nothing changed. Their minds remained steady.

  I thought.

  Then, just as doubt began to creep in, both figures wavered — and collapsed.

  I exhaled in relief, dragging their invisible forms into the shadows. Kneeling beside one, I placed my hand against his forehead. Making sure to use their invisibility to my favor.

  I thought, excitement flaring.