A cool summer morning in Devon.
A crisp dawn breeze swept across the countryside outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole, passing over Stoatshead Hill and setting the lush, sprawling bed of reeds behind it swaying like cresting waves.
The Muggle residents of Ottery St Catchpole had always believed there was nothing beyond those hills except wild reeds and desolate moorland.
The wind, however, knew better.
Hidden deep within that sea of reeds lived a family of wizards.
The residence possessed a fair-sized garden, its pond rippling gently in sync with the swaying reeds.
The main structure was a towering, top-heavy house that looked as though it might tumble over at any moment.
Only the ground floor appeared sturdy and conventional; though its paint was faded, it was well maintained, and next to the front door hung a wooden sign carved with the words “The Burrow.”
It stood as a silent testament to a time more than twenty years ago, when a young married couple had chosen to settle here, pouring all their passion for life and hopes for a cozy home into that single ground-floor cottage.
Clearly, life’s surprises had far exceeded their expectations.
As child after child came into the world, new rooms were tacked on higher and higher, until the building assumed its current, delightfully bizarre shape.
At the very top of The Burrow, the attic—once occupied by a ghoul until a few years ago—had been thoroughly repurposed.
Rows of herb racks lined the walls, stacked high with wooden crates, glass jars, and ceramic vials.
It looked cluttered and cramped, leaving only a small cleared space right in the center.
A simple workstation stood there, arranged neatly with various tools required for brewing potions.
A burner flickered with fire, and the liquid inside a cauldron bubbled away.
In front of the cauldron stood a red-haired boy, Vaughn Weasley.
With a focused expression, he finished processing his ingredients and checked the heat beneath the potion once more.
“Lady’s mantle, Boomslang skin…
Mmm, and just a touch of fairy wings…”
Vaughn turned down the flame, waited for the liquid to cool slightly, and tossed the final ingredient into the cauldron.
“Lastly, the Fluxweed, to give the Beautifying Potion its malleability…”
Muttering under his breath, he watched the potion’s reaction intently.
As the Fluxweed dissolved, the temperature dropped steadily until the final bubble burst, sparking a marvelous reaction inside the cauldron.
The dark, viscous liquid cleared rapidly, transforming from a murky brew into a crystalline liquid that resembled freshly melted sugar syrup, wafting a light, sweet scent through the air.
“Success!”
Vaughn quickly pulled a crate of empty bottles from the seemingly chaotic herb racks.
Waving his old wand, he floated the potion into the air and funneled it smoothly into each small vial.
Finally, he meticulously affixed his handwritten labels:
[Vaughn’s Beautifying Potion (Anti-Wrinkle Formulation)] [For external application.
Apply with gentle massage to smooth away wrinkles and restore healthy, firm skin.]
Having finished his work, Vaughn stretched deeply, his spine popping satisfyingly.
He looked out the attic window at the reeds swaying like green waves in the morning breeze and the sky gradually brightening on the horizon, feeling a momentary sense of detachment.
It had been eleven years since he transcribed his soul into this world.
Ever since he was born, knowing his surname was Weasley and that he had five older brothers named Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George…
Not to mention the twin brother he had kicked in the womb, causing him to be born five minutes later—Ronald Bilius Weasley, better known as Ron…
How could Vaughn fail to realize where he was?
The world of Harry Potter…
Even after eleven years, his memories of his past life remained fairly distinct because he recalled them often.
Yet, having lived in this world for so long, the past was inevitably beginning to fade.
Vaughn shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and whispered in his mind, *System!*
At his thought, a semi-transparent panel visible only to him floated into view:
[Host: Vaughn Weasley] [Magic Power Scale: 370 (Average adult wizard: 500)] [Talents: Charms 7, Dark Arts 6, Transfiguration 7, Potions 10, Herbology 6, Divination 2 (Max: 10)] [Spells: Occlumency Lv 5 (MAX), Shield Charm Lv 3 (2/8), Disarming Charm Lv 2 (2/4), Levitation Charm Lv 2 (0/4), Body-Bind Curse Lv 2 (0/4), Fire-Making Spell Lv 2 (1/4), Lumos Lv 2 (0/2)…] [Potions: Elixir to Induce Euphoria, Pepperup Potion, Blood-Replenishing Potion, Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion, Hair-Raising Potion, Beautifying Potion (Mastery, includes multiple formulas)…] [Fame Points: 12]
This system had awakened the moment Vaughn was born.
Having read the novels and watched the movies, Vaughn knew full well how dangerous his future living environment would become.
He hadn’t given up or laid low the moment he was born, and he had to admit that the system’s presence had given him immense courage.
Glancing at the talent section on his panel, Vaughn’s eyes rested on [Potions 10].
Even after seeing it countless times, it still gave him a sense of profound satisfaction.
His other talent levels were innate, but “Potions” had come from the starter gift bag granted when the system awakened—it had maxed out his Occlumency and randomly elevated one talent to maximum.
Over the past eleven years, as he experimented, Vaughn had gradually figured out the functions of this so-called “Fame System.” So far, it had issued no quests, opened no store, and offered no gacha draws.
Its core function, true to its name, was to calculate and award Fame Points at the end of every month based on how widely his name was known!
Fame Points could be used to raise spell levels.
The numbers in parentheses in the spell column represented the Fame Points required to advance a spell to the next level.
Depending on the difficulty of the magic, the required points varied.
Of course, spells could also be leveled up through manual practice, though that required extensive training and natural talent.
After understanding how the system worked, Vaughn felt extremely fortunate that his starter gift bag’s random maxed talent had landed on Potions.
There was no denying that Potions was a vast and profound branch of magic, but its barrier to entry was surprisingly low.
As long as one had ingredients, a recipe, and a cauldron, any wizard could get started.
Some simple formulas didn’t even require a wand wave.
Among all the disciplines of magic, none suited a young wizard without a proper wand better than Potions.
Vaughn had a cautious personality.
He knew that both his identity as a transmigrator and the existence of his system were massive secrets.
When he was tiny, he had never tried to show off anything abnormal.
It wasn’t until he turned four that he began carefully constructing his image as a “genius,” completely outclassing Ron in basic skills like reading, writing, and drawing.
Then, at age seven, he gradually steered his “genius” persona toward his faithful discipline: Potions!
Starting with the simplest brews, four years passed.
From humbly asking Bill and Charlie for guidance at first to eventually refining recipes himself, Vaughn had become a mildly famous potioneer.
In the realm of Beautifying Potions in particular, several papers he published and his various improved formulations had turned him into something of a “Beauty Master” and a “Friend to Women” in the wizarding world.
As for why he specialized in beauty products…
It was simple: it was the easiest way to make a name for himself, and sales were phenomenal!