Magic Idol: ¡Nico Ravenheart!

During the afternoon in Diagon Alley and while Ingta and Ann debated what might look best on her, Soisen was updated by Nagini on the extent of Pomona's research, the store's accounting and the production of Muggle butterbeer, which she intended to start selling this summer not only to Muggles, but also to wizards during an event that needed to go through a little-known department of the Ministry.

The Department of Magical Entertainment Events, known as MME.

The same department that is in charge of the Quidditch Cup, and that no one else seems to remember when it doesn't happen, is also in charge of other events like handling parties, circuses, and so on.

Basically, you go to them if you want to use magic to perform a show and get paid for it. They check if it is justifiable to charge for what you do and they are pretty strict, because once they give the go-ahead, they can't cancel it as it becomes a kind of protected magic culture to call it that way.

Well, we already know that magic laws are a tremendous mess. I mean, they don't even ask for a minimum age. As long as it's a new kind of show, it can be considered.

Hours later, when their hands were full of bags of clothes, their mothers reluctantly decided that it must be enough for the time being. And neither Soisen nor Nagini mentioned the extended space they had with them, they wanted to go home once and for all.

Fortunately, Nagini was able to distract them long enough for Soisen to slip away to acquire a fresh mandrake leaf. So fresh, that he plucked and cleaned it himself before placing it in his mouth in the same spot, beginning to recite the modified spell against his heart.

It was so bitter...

And the leaf was not small, so it had quite an aftertaste. He just needed to be careful when eating or sleeping not to swallow it by accident. Besides, it would delay the visit to Gringotts until he became a Senior Animagus.

Can you imagine going with the subway carriages at full speed and the leaf in your mouth?

If I ever got the food out due to motion sickness, I'd need to start all over again!

Oh, of course any in-person meetings with her friends were also vetoed until then. If Hermione found out that he became an Animagus and didn't register with the Ministry, he knew she wouldn't rat him out to anyone, but it would be a needle she could constantly poke him with.

A week later, he met Professor Snape at an agreed location and they discussed Lupin.

Snape confirmed that the werewolf was selected for the vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position by Dumbledore, so he would have to spend the next school year preparing the potion that mangy dog needed. Also, because of the headmaster's presence, he couldn't poison or weaken the potion to avoid putting the students at risk. He was really frustrated.

It was then that Soisen explained the idea he thought of to get back at Lupin.

Snape listened carefully and his eyes widened, surprised at his favorite student's flexibility of thought. Not that he said it out loud, of course.

Soisen's idea was brilliant and simultaneously simple. He still had to alter the potion, but what he had to do was to find a completely different effect. He had to deliver the potion long enough for a certain substance to be generated in the werewolf's body, neither too strong nor too mild, so that when Lupin left, the components that had been accumulated and suppressed by the potion would burst all at once without warning or symptoms and he would die without time to react or call for help.

The most surprising part? The components of the potion that would cause death would disappear shortly after death naturally, giving the impression that Lupin died from a sneaky curse or a strange disease.

The thought of having Remus take a sip of his death each time he gave him the potion made Snape's mood much improved and he asked how Soisen was handling the Animagus process, since as a potions master, he caught the smell of the mandrake leaf in his mouth.

Soisen didn't explain anything about following a different method and merely commented that he was trying out of pure interest, if he didn't succeed, he wasn't going to obsess over it either.

Snape reminded him of some important points to remember when creating the animagus potion, which he had no doubt he had the ability to make. Grateful for his advice, Soisen invited him to the event he was planning to hold, but after hearing what it consisted of, Snape shook his head.

It wasn't the kind of event he liked to attend, preferring to spend that time researching potions. He didn't turn down the few bottles of his new butterbeer, though.

A week later, while Soisen was practicing his Patronus, Nagini approached him with a letter from the Ministry, approving his form of entertainment and enclosing a license to prove it.

Satisfied that the bureaucratic process wasn't too slow, he planned to start publicizing his event and use the rumors to let everyone know it was going to happen. He even wrote to all his friends (as someone else who heard the rumors) and told them he got some tickets for them.

He sent tickets to Luna, Silvia, Hermione, Ginny, the Weasley twins, etc. and all they had to do was make it known and attend if they wanted to. Also, the tickets had their names magically engraved on them, so there was no such thing as reselling or giving their ticket to others if they couldn't go.

Five days later, at exactly six o'clock in the evening, an appealing music began to play and caught the attention of everyone in the streets. Following the melody, they came to an open square where some plays were usually held, but which today was dazzling with a stage and several striking and interesting posters.

By the time people gathered and wondered what was going on, the particles of light gathered on the stage forming a figure and the event Soisen prepared without time for anyone to get ready began: the magical idol!

Taking advantage of his illusion magic, the music tips he asked Professor Flitwick for earlier and drawing inspiration from K-pop groups along with the idea behind Hatsune Miku, he created a magical idol for wizards and witches, whether young or teenagers, called Nico Ravenheart.

Her form was that of a beautiful, somewhat curvy and perky teenage witch who had raven wings coming out of her waist. For songs and visual effects, she replicated and modified songs like Paripi Koumei Dance, Gokuraku Jodo, Strawberry Monster, Phut Hon and many more.

But one of the ones that drove those who attended the event the most crazy was Uta's New Genesis, the rhythmic movements and illusions of different colored water fish flying above the people was simply spectacular.

More so considering that if they stretched out their hand, they could feel the water on their fingers!

Forty minutes later, the show ended as mysteriously as it began, the stage disappeared in a burst of lights and in its place appeared several stands with Nico Ravenheart merchandise. The wizards and witches, stupefied for a few seconds, rushed to buy as soon as their minds processed what happened. It was predictable that within hours, everyone would know what had just happened in Diagon Alley.

And while Soisen's onlookers and friends were in such high spirits, Soisen was on his knees on the floor, breathing heavily as Nagini gave him a potion meant to speed up the recovery of magical power. The illusion on this scale already drained him of a good portion of his magic reserves, but he had to get greedy and try to also alter the organoleptic sensations of those who touched the flying fish illusions. But seeing how successful he was, he didn't regret it one bit, it was good training to improve his control.

What he didn't expect was that the next morning The Prophet would also mention his performance!