Your Kissing skill has levelled up! Child Bonus x2 XP!

You have successfully arranged for your fiance to win a rigged bet. Reward: 2,000 XP

Fiance? Harry asked, completely surprised after he and Padma ended his very first lengthy kiss.

A fiance is someone you intend to marry. Padma Patil asked you and you non-verbally agreed with a kiss. A ring should be presented as soon as possible and a courtship is shared with the engaged party until the marriage is formalized, usually when both parties are of age or have parental permission.

Harry wasn't sure why his system was offering him so much information.

Focusing on specific words will provide you with their meaning within the context of your intentions. This perk was unlocked when Gamer Mind reached Level 90.

When did that happen? Harry asked and a popup appeared with a timestamp. It had happened while he was in the Great Hall and he had tried to dismiss the sea of blue boxes without looking at it. Thanks.

“Harry, that was... um... yeah.” Padma said with a red face. “We have to go meet up with Parvati in the Entrance Hall.”

Harry nodded and took her hand. He waved to Professor Flitwick as they left the classroom and the short man waved back enthusiastically and gave them a thumbs-up gesture. Neither Padma nor Harry asked Flitwick what had happened with Quirrell, because they didn't want to associate Harry with Quirrell's disappearance. The thumbs-up was confirmation enough.

Parvati was hopping up and down with a bright smile on her face and a brown cloth bag in her hands. “We actually won! I can't believe it!”

Padma couldn't stop herself and hugged her sister and the both of them jumped around.

“How much did you win?” Harry asked and dismissed the popups that kept appearing.

“Twenty galleons!” Parvati said, happily. “I don't know how so much could have been gathered in so sort a time.”

“You'd be surprised how quickly knuts and sickles collect and change into galleons.” Harry said, because he had already changed most of his small change into gold coins and it gained him another 1,600 galleons. When he looked at his total, he wasn't shocked to see a whopping 1,375,948 galleons, 16 sickles, and 24 knuts. His muggle money was right up there as well at 55,148,480 British pounds.

Harry's eyes caught the edge of a rolled up newspaper in Parvati's pocket that was quite amusing when he read the popup. It was about a bank robbery at Gringotts. The public were just now discovering the thefts in both the muggle and magical worlds.

It seemed that both banks had tried to hide it for as long as possible while they investigated to see what could have happened, then someone had leaked the information. The goblin had been killed for the breach of trust and it was being blamed on him, so Harry was in the clear, even if no one knew he had been responsible.

The best part was that the victims were all prominent figures in society and were also former Death Eaters. That just made Harry's insides all warm and fuzzy, because he had inadvertently made them all pay reparations for his horrible home life.

“We need to celebrate.” Harry said to the pair of dancing sisters. “Let's have a picnic out by the lake.”

“That's a great idea!” Parvati exclaimed. “I'll go get Lavender and you guys grab a blanket for us!”

A suddenly alone Padma looked surprised as her sister ran up the main staircase. “Hey!”

“I'll share the money when I get back!” Parvati said and disappeared around a corner.

“I guess we're having an extra mouth to feed.” Harry said with a smile.

Padma huffed. “She's always been so brash and rushed everywhere.”

“I'm sorry that you couldn't get her to buckle down and be in the same House as you.”

“Me, too.” Padma said and took Harry's hand again. “Where can we get a blanket for a picnic?”

“I just so happen to have a very nice blanket tucked into my trunk. Would you care to join me on a short trip to my dormitory?” Harry said a bit formally.

Padma straightened her back slightly and nodded regally. “I would be honored to be escorted.”

Harry transferred her hand to his forearm and the pair walked up the main steps as if they were walking the red carpet to a gala event.

When they were out of sight, everyone that had seen them started talking animatedly.

*

The first class the next day was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Most of it was a lecture about transfiguration and how important it was, how dangerous it was, and that no horsing around would be acceptable in her class... after she had changed herself from a cat and then changed her desk into a pig. Yes, no carrying on was allowed by anyone but her.

“The first spell we will be learning is beetle into a button.” Minerva said. “The incantation is Mutare Conjunctionem and the wand movement is like so.” She said and moved her wand in a simple sway and then did a quick jab.

Harry knew this was different from the previous edition of the first year book, because it had a half circle movement and a gentle poke with the same incantation. He waited until the professor told them all to start practising before he raised a hand and she walked over to his desk.

“Yes, Mister Bones? You have a question?” Minerva asked him.

“I have an older version of the class book and wondered why your wand motion is slightly different.”

Minerva's eyes squinted slightly. “Are you telling me that you didn't buy this year's books?”

“No, professor.” Harry said and showed her that the one he had was the right one. “I bought older editions of the books for comparison for exactly this reason.”

Minerva's eyes went back to normal. “It sometimes takes subtle refinement of a spell's movements and pronunciation to improve a person's magic as it affects the target of said magic.”

Harry knew this wasn't true, because in sixth and seventh year, you were taught to cast silently and with less movements, sometimes with no movements at all. The only real requirement is intent and your magic. Sometimes you weren't even required to use a wand, like with apparition.

I need to go to the library to look up that spell, too. Harry thought.

Minerva saw something on his face, because she frowned slightly. “Do you doubt my explanation?”

Harry really should say no. He really should. He couldn't though. “I have to. I read the sixth an seventh year's books and they teach you to cast silently and with almost no wand movements.”

The rest of the class fell silent at his words and everyone stopped trying to cast the spell.

Minerva's eye twitched. “Mister Bones, you are a first year. You need years of using magic to get to that point and...”

Harry made an almost lazy swish with his wand towards the petrified beetle and it changed into a perfect button that matched the one on his robes. It even had an imprint of a raven on it.

Padma beside him gasped and soon everyone was whispering about it.

Minerva was shocked. No one had ever done it on their first try in her class and never silently and with almost no wand movement. “How many times have you cast that spell?”

Harry asked in his head and was surprised by the number. He didn't let his face show it. “333 times.”

Everyone in the class gasped this time.

“H-how?” Minerva asked, shocked once more.

Harry waved his wand at it and cast the general counter-spell to make it a beetle again and then did the lazy swish to make it a button with an R emblazoned on it, then he did it again and again as his wand barely moved and the beetle became a series of different buttons.

“Stop.” Minerva said.

Harry did so as he made the button look like it was made of bone.

Minerva picked it up and it even felt like bone. “Cast the Avifors spell, please.”

Harry knew what she wanted, for him to make an animate object from an inanimate one. “Why not the sixth year spell, Avis.” He said and pointed off to the side. With the sound of a gun shot, six yellow birds shot out of his wand and flew around the classroom.

Everyone stared at the birds, even Minerva, and Harry waved his wand at them. They were suddenly pulled back to him and he immobilized them before he placed each one in a neat row on the desk in front of him.

“This one is my favorite.” Harry said and slashed his wand at the first immobilized bird. “Draconifors.”

A fiery orange light hit the bird and it transformed into a tiny dragon, about the size of Harry's fist, then it tried to roast the other immobilized birds with it's tiny flame breath.

“Oops! Sorry about that, professor.” Harry said and froze the flame, the dragon, and then he swished his wand over them all and vanished them. “I keep forgetting how aggressive dragons are when they have targets of opportunity nearby.”

Not a single person moved or spoke.

Minerva stared at the empty space where all of those unbelievable things had just been. “Mister Bones.” She said in a soft voice. “Create a chair for me. Plush bottom, rigid back, oak wood and velvet cloth.”

Harry quickly went through his memory and saw an old chair almost exactly like she described. It had been in the back storage room of the local library and Maisie had regretted that it was the last one of a set of four. It was a beautiful and ornately carved chair, even covered in dust like it was.

Harry brought the image into the forefront of his mind and made the changes Minerva requested, removed the dust, then swished his wand at the space beside his desk and poured his magic into the spell. He guessed that she was going to want to keep it for a while, so he chose to spend the extra MP to make it permanent.

The entire class erupted in shouts and yells of surprise.

Now that I know I can do it permanently, I should make three more for Maisie and bring them to her for Christmas. Harry thought.

New Quest! Give an old lady some well deserved happiness during the holiday season. Create three chairs and an appropriate table for her dining room. Rug creation optional.
Rewards: Increased reputation with Maisie, 5,000 XP.
Failure: None. What she doesn't know won't hurt her.

Accept quest?

Yes. Harry thought and opened his eyes. He almost laughed at Professor McGonagall's enraptured face as she lightly rubbed a hand over the plush seat, the back, the dark oak wood, and the ornate carvings of vines and flowers over the entire wood surface.

After several minutes, Minerva sat down on the chair and let out a soft sigh. She would never admit that the chair was nearly identical to the ones she had lost in the Second World War. She could compliment her student for making such an exquisite conjuration, however.

“Mister Bones, this is the best chair I've ever seen anyone create. Well done.” Minerva said.

You have received praise from a Mistress of Transfiguration! Reward: 10,000 XP, increased reputation with Minerva McGonagall. Child Bonus x2 XP!

“Thank you, professor.” Harry said.

Minerva smiled slightly and stood up. “It's a shame it won't last much longer.”

“What do you mean, professor?” Harry asked.

“Conjurations only last for as long as the amount of magic used to create it.” Minerva said. “As soon as it runs out, the item created returns to non-being.”

“I know. I was wondering why you think it's going to disappear.”

“Mister Bones, I just explained...”

“How can you tell how much magic I used?” Harry asked instead.

“The transformation formula, which is that the intended transformation is directly influenced by body weight (a), viciousness (v), wand power (w), concentration (c), and a fifth unknown variable (Z).” Minerva said. “Z usually refers to the amount of magic a person pours into the spell.”

“I understood that, professor. I was wondering why you think I didn't put enough power into it for it to stay around.” Harry said, hoping the woman would get it if he said it a different way.

“You are only a first year. I fully expect to see it fade...” Minerva looked at the still solid chair. “It should have faded already. The calculations show that...”

“Again, you are assuming you know how much magic I used. How can you complete that formula without that unknown variable?” Harry asked.

Minerva's face showed several different emotions before it settled on stoic. “Then we will observe this chair for as long as possible until it fades.”

“Shouldn't the other students do the class spell?” Padma asked.

“Yes, go ahead. I will help when necessary.” Minerva said and stayed standing right there beside Harry's desk and stared at the still solid chair. She only blinked once every five seconds, in case she might miss it fading away.

Harry ignored her and turned to Padma. “Would you like my help?”

“Yes, please.” Padma said and the pair worked together for the entire class until Padma could also make the button look like the one on her robes. “You're right, Harry. It is much easier to copy something you can see.”

“If you do the spell enough, you can use a mental image and see it there instead.” Harry said as the bell rang.

The students filed out of the classroom and left their frustrated professor behind as she stared at the still solid chair. They had Charms next where they learned the wand lighting charm, Lumos. Lunchtime was a funny affair, especially because the seventh years had left two spots free at the end of the table. Neither Harry nor Padma tried to sit there. They had their chance and they blew it.

After lunch was History of Magic and that was a complete disappointment. At least, it was until Harry took Flitwick's advice and used Depulso on the ghost and took over the class. Not a single student from either of the houses sharing the class reacted until Harry started to lecture about the amazingly bloody and gory Goblin Rebellion of 1536.

They all sat up at attention and listened as if he was an actual professor. By the end of the second hour, all of the students knew who Elrik The Bloody was and why the goblin was named that way. He definitely deserved the name, especially with the way Harry had described it.

When the bell rang, a few of the Ravenclaws make sad sounds and Harry dismissed all of the popups about levelling up his teaching skill and gaining a bunch of XP for teaching so many students.

“We have History of Magic again Thursday afternoon.” Harry reminded them and they looked happy. He also accepted the quest to repeat his performance.

“We're off for an hour and a half until flying lessons at 3:30.” Padma said and she gave Harry a bright smile and took his hand. “Let's go tease Parvati about having to listen to Binns.”

Harry chuckled and nodded. He was surprisingly okay with having Padma drag him around and started going through his inventory to look at the jewellery he had gathered. He just needed to find the right ring for his fiance.

The problem was, Harry didn't have any practical skill in Ancient Runes, despite reading several books and memorizing the various runic alphabets. They didn't teach engraving until fifth year and the books he had wouldn't allow him to level the skill until he could learn how to use the equipment that the store wouldn't sell him.

Harry almost laughed when a quest popped up for him to find out who the Ancient Runes teacher was and to convince her to let him sit in on her classes. He accepted, because even if she said no, people would see him there and he might be able to hire an older student to tutor him.