The incubation of the Phoenix Egg is finally making some progress.
That's definitely good news for Ian.
But what he doesn't like is how slowly the Phoenix Egg is sucking up life force from the Dragon Egg and those other eggs—it's got a massive appetite, but somehow it can't gulp down as much "life force" in one go as you'd expect.
"If you don't hatch tonight, I'll cook you up and eat you!" Ian decided to put some pressure on the little one inside the Phoenix Egg, though, of course, he'd never actually splurge on Phoenix Egg soup.
Not even Fantastic Beasts in the Pot dares to imagine a recipe like that—maybe the Phoenix Egg overheard Ian because it really did start absorbing life force a bit faster.
It's mostly drawing life force from the Dragon Egg; the eggs of other fantastic creatures don't really have strong life force—most creatures aren't exactly lively while still stuck in their own eggs.
A Half-blood Dragon is still a Dragon after all.
While keeping an eye on the Phoenix Egg, Ian pulled out his books and compared them with Teacher Morgan's knowledge to study; his [Magic Potion] skill is about to hit Level 5 and awaken Extraordinary Traits.
"This homework hidden in the Amortentia recipe looks like it involves some kind of ultimate question," Ian thought, the deeper he studied, the more he sensed Morgan was hiding something tricky.
Sometimes, he really couldn't wrap his head around these old folks, like the longer you live, the more you love being a Riddler—Dumbledore and Grindelwald are definitely up-and-coming stars among Riddlers.
Take that time loop from before, for example.
Now, when Ian thinks back and chews things over, he feels more and more that those two were up to something secret—like some sixth sense that says they did all sorts of things behind his back.
"The mystery around Professor Roni Ehrich hasn't even been solved yet…" Ian kept wondering about the runes on Professor Roni Ehrich, and just how the two Old Dengs handled Professor Roni Ehrich.
What kind of magic can erase a neither-living-nor-dead state? Is it like some revision of All Curses End? Ian knew that all his big questions got buried along with the fading loops, lost in the dust.
Right here, right now.
He's the only one who remembers every little thing that happened during the loops; there's no way to chase answers anymore, and everything about Professor Roni Ehrich is sinking back down into abandoned fate.
[Your diligent study increased your Master's Proficiency in Magic Potions +3]
[Your diligent study increased your Master's Proficiency in Magic Potions +2]
[Your diligent study increased your Master's Proficiency in Magic Potions +3]
...
Time ticked by, second by second.
Ian's body was sagging against the wall next to his desk; this pose made him feel totally relaxed—besides not looking classy and being a bit of a couch potato, it's honestly pretty comfy.
Anyway, he's the only one in the dorm right now, so who cares about appearances?
The next two weeks of Christmas break will be exactly like this, and even if he does some shady stuff inside his room, his two roommates won't notice a thing when they get back.
"Guess I'll get hands-on and give it a try—the formula for awakening desire, why do I feel like I can use it to awaken dormant magic power? Maybe Filch the Squib could be saved?"
"Even if it did work, Filch is out of luck. He's a Squib, but I bet he doesn't have the cash to buy my masterpiece." Ian showed the speed of a true action-taker.
He stuffed the Phoenix Egg, still draining life force from dragon and other eggs, into a box he'd hit with an Enlargement Charm earlier, grabbed the box, and left Ravenclaw's common room.
"If I wasn't scared of tossing you in the Money Bag—worried it might mess up your hatching—I wouldn't be working so hard." Ian waved his Magic Wand, using Wingardium Leviosa to float the box.
He dashed down the corridor, heading straight to the Room of Requirement downstairs.
"Help me process materials!"
Ian summoned his trusty Paru, and had the Dementor work the night shift. His Money Bag was like Doraemon's pocket—after a few digs, he pulled out a mountain of Magic Potion Materials.
After raiding Snape's office over and over in the loops, Ian now had the most extravagant material stash in Hogwarts, definitely enough to support tons of Magic Potion experiments.
Experiments, well, they never succeed on the first try.
"Glug glug glug~"
Soon.
The Crucible he set up started swirling with cloudy mist.
Honestly, Ian was already prepared for failure, but he ended up flopping dozens of batches right at the very start—way more than he expected.
He not only failed, but even his Magic Potion skill was barely rising.
"My technique's fine, but the color and smell are really off… Is it the potency of the materials?"
Ian frowned, gazing over his few rare ingredients—the handful he had left from the loops were already running out, plus the more loops passed, the worse the potencies got.
If he wanted to test whether his magic awakening potion really worked, he definitely couldn't use those last-round materials—sometimes a tiny difference makes it worthless.
The low-quality materials are only good for pawning off in Knockturn Alley.
"If I take these to Knockturn Alley, I'll win Best Honest Seller of the Year for sure." Ian packed away the bad materials, then, full of energy, dashed out of the Room of Requirement.