《Harry Potter: A Real Tale(AU, SI)》


 Chapter-1 Levi or Leon

    At last, he held the world in his palms. His power was so monstrous it made him truly free- free from bowing his head to anyone he didn''t like, free from hunger, disease, and even the ravages of time. Free from every human frailty, even from the chains of fate.


    A young man on a plane was reading a novel on his phone.


    The young man, Levi, sighed and pocketed his mobile.


    The novel''s MC resonated with him on a deep level as stupid as it was, some of the events that shaped Mc''s character happened to him in real life.


    Reading the novel''s ending made him remember again.


    A little kid clawed at the door, crying as the summer sun beat down on. Slowly the cries were replaced by muffled sobs as he laid down on the terrace, hungry and dehydrated, left alone to battle the elements for three whole days.


    He shook his head, coming out of the memory, and stood up as the alarm blared, signaling the skydivers to jump.


    Reading and extreme sports were his favorite hobbies, he picked up reading first and became addicted to exploring new worlds- sometimes quite different and sometimes the same as Earth.


    As he became older the rush of extreme sports captivated him, making it his favorite hobby, successfully edging out reading from its position.


    Levi looked out of the plane he had ridden multiple times before. This time he was going solo instead of with his friend group.


    The plane soared through the sky carrying half a dozen divers like him.


    It was sunny, the perfect weather for a dive.


    He jumped without any hesitation as the plane became empty. Reducing the area of contact with air, he picked up speed and left his co-passengers behind.


    He didn''t want other people in his view to disturb his moment.


    Extreme Sports spoke to Levi. Only with his life in danger, he could leave the world behind, forgetting the weary eyes of his grandfather, filled with regret as he lay on his bed unable to move, or the cold detachment he sees in his absentee mother''s eyes whenever she comes to check up on her bed-ridden father.


    His mother didn''t care much for him or her father. His grandfather was the one who raised him though Levi can''t say he knew the man well as the definition of love was different in his grandfather''s time.


    And him being nearly bedridden for the last decade didn''t help him much in knowing the guy well.


    But Levi''s life wasn''t all bad. At a very young age, he had a job that paid loads of money compared to the small amount he started with, thanks to his meticulous plans and efforts.


    But the fact that his mother''s name helped him get his foot in the door for the job always soured the happiness he felt for his job.


    And the people he met doing extreme sports became his tight friends. Only in front of death will a person''s true, core, personality comes to light, and the comradery of sharing an adrenaline-pumping experience made people thick friends in the blink of an eye.


    And thick friends they are.


    Levi grinned as he approached the ground with blurring speed. He was going to exceed the safe deployment altitude for the parachute in a couple of minutes.


    Normal Skydivers would have already deployed their chutes, but not Levi.


    He instead, enjoyed the blood pumping in his body, the air tousling his hair and just as he was about to go out of the safe range, he pulled the deployment handle.


    But, nothing happened, the parachute didn''t deploy, so he pulled on it again.


    Nothing.


    As his heart thumped in his chest, he pulled on his reserve parachute.


    Again nothing.


    Again, and again, and again he pulled the handles with no result.


    Both of his parachutes weren''t working.


    As the ground approached a mad grin nearly split Levi''s face as his life flashed before his eyes.


    And then darkness took over.


    ...


    A black-haired boy leaned against a tree; his deep black eyes were filled with tiredness.


    Leon as the matrons called him, was reading a book as the other children of the orphanage were playing, fully taking advantage of the perfect Sunday unlike him.


    The book was about applied mathematics. He always had the feeling of familiarity when doing certain tasks. The feeling let him advance explosively in those tasks, math was just a part of it.


    From time to time, he cast a forlorn look at the children happily playing with each other, giggling and shouting in joy.


    However, the said shouts of joy didn''t quite reach him as he chose a remote corner on purpose.


    He winced as two children came near him, chasing and shouting at each other.


    Rubbing his forehead, he ran into the orphanage''s kitchen.


    "Need any help?" He asked the matron who was supervising the cooking.


    He, Leon or Leo, was a good-looking child with sharp features and a hint of baby fat on his face, though the ever-present grimace on his face and his tired eyes made people think he was sick.


    "The usual, Leo," The matron said gesturing towards vegetables and a knife, giving him a look full of pity as he turned.


    Leo took some vegetables and went to a corner of the kitchen before starting to cut them.


    The night fell, Leon ate his food before the other children and locked himself in his room- a converted broom closet- away from the rambunctious noise of the tweens and teens.


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    He furiously massaged his forehead, thinking of the weird dreams he was having lately. He dreamt of a pocket-sized computer that lets you call people, watch people for a couple of seconds, and many more weird things.


    Leon doesn''t remember everything that he dreams but some odd things stuck out like the small computer.


    After silence and darkness swallowed the orphanage for a time, dawn broke.


    Sunrays shone on the Cottonwell orphanage. Its young inhabitants slept peacefully, except for one boy, while the matrons bustled around, preparing for the day.


    The boy, Leo, was trembling and moaning in pain. His bed was in total disarray, his pillow was on the floor, along with a majority of his blanket.


    The room, as expected from a broom closet, lacked any windows, and was dark and congested, with a table and a bed taking up most of its space.


    Suddenly, an ethereal pulse originated from the deep underground of a huge white building somewhere in Central London, a long distance from the orphanage, undetectable even to the building''s special inhabitants.


    Leon suddenly opened his eyes, taking deep breaths he tried to look around, only to be greeted by darkness.


    ''Need a torch,'' he thought, and he began searching for something at the top of his bed, running his hands on the bed''s frame. Something cold and cylindrical touched his hands, hanging from his bed''s frame.


    ''Got it.'' He thought and switched on the torch, illuminating walls with faded paint.


    Suddenly a feeling of dissonance assaulted him.


    ''Where am I? How did I know there was a torch there?'' he wondered, feeling confused.


    The mystery didn''t last long as he got felt an additional decade''s worth of memories.


    The memories belonged to an Orphan boy who always suffered from a headache.


    Pain was the boy''s constant companion, present even in his earliest memory.


    The matrons of the orphanage had him checked, multiple times, but the doctors couldn''t find the root of his problem.


    The headache became more severe as he approached his 14th birthday.


    It became severe enough that he started crying out in pain while he slept.


    After his roommates informed him about his outbursts, he convinced the matrons and converted a closet into his room.


    The matrons easily agreed as he was a quiet but helpful child.


    ''Am I Levi or Leon?'' he wondered absent-mindedly rubbing his forehead.


    ''I am Levi. No that feels wrong, I am Leon too.''


    He sat on his bed as memories that were both familiar and unfamiliar ran through his head, blurring the lines between the new and old memories. Finally, he concluded that Leon somehow awoke memories of Levi.


    Leon''s constant headaches and dreams of Levi''s life supported his theory.


    And now he was a mix of both Leon and Levi, with the psyche of Levi influencing his active thoughts more but he was still Leon.


    ''Hrgh! Whatever let''s be Leon for now,'' he thought, nodding to himself.


    ''Wait! My headache is gone,'' he exclaimed noticing the absence of the ever-present throbbing pain in his head.


    He sat on his bed, for some time, confused at how he was happy to lose the headache he never experienced before.


    The boy didn''t panic at the thought of transmigration(reincarnation?) as he was as much Leon from the orphanage as he was Levi from the future Earth. And Levi had some screws loose in his brain being pragmatic sort helped too.


    As Leon sat on his bed playing with his torch, his door cracked open, startling him.


    "Come out now, Leo. You got a letter." A matron informed him with a concerned look.


    Leon assured the matron that he was fine as he followed her towards a window.


    As he generally woke up early and helped in the kitchen instead of playing with his torch alone in the darkness, the matron was rightfully worried.


    They walked away from his room which was situated in a corner far from the windows or any proper light source. A perfect place for him, away from the lively sounds of the orphanage.


    He leaned against a window and looked at the letter the matron gave him.


    It was addressed to Leon Cottonwell(Astraeus), The Closet in the Corner, Cottonwell Orphanage, London.


    Leon opened the letter with shaking hands, ignoring the last name in brackets. The way the letter addressed his room, coupled with him knowing he was in the late 1900s rang some warning bells in his head.


    ....


    HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY


    Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore


    (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., CHF. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)


    Dear Mr. Astraeus,


    ...


    ...¡­..


    ...¡­


    A professor will meet you to explain everything to you and your guardians. Please expect the professor at your address tomorrow.


    Well, wishes,


    Deputy Headmistress McGonagall


    ¡­..


    A high-pitched scream rang through the orphanage, though it stopped abruptly¡­.. and no Leon didn''t scream.


    He was too mature to scream like a little girl, even when the childhood wishes of millions, including him, were suddenly fulfilled.


    ''God Damn! I am in Harry Potter world. I mean I did see Leon.. my previous self-displaying accidental bouts of magic whenever the headache became too much, but the pain made those memories blurry at best and I am 14 years old, not 11. I can''t fault the previous me on not following up on his magic accidents as most of the time they happened when he was on the verge of passing out due to his headache.''


    "Cool! Cool!" he murmured, brimming with excitement he ran back to his room.


    And he was not going to back to his room to play with his torch, he was going to do some experiments.


    Leon assumed a lotus position in his room, eager to do some magic.


    He was trying to feel the magic, hoping the lack of magic in his previous life would help him spot any new addition to his body or the air, just like the MCs of various manga and fanfic he read.


    Various thoughts ran in his head, distracting him, though the one about the suspicious nature of his death made him contemplate a bit, distracting him.


    ''I don''t have anyone who wants me dead enough to sabotage my skydiving equipment,'' he thought, if someone wanted him dead, they had many opportunities to mess with him that would make his death look like an accident due to his penchant for extreme sports.


    The sabotaging of the parachute was too on the nose as any sabotage to the chutes was liable to get caught.


    ''It doesn''t matter now. I think I was just unlucky.'' He shook his head and tried to act as a Xinxia mc for more than 1 hour by properly sitting on his butt.


    It yielded no results.


    Sighing, he tried a different method.


    He tried to imitate the emotions he felt as both of his parachutes malfunctioned. And willed the torch to move.


    But nothing happened, it was like there was a little disconnection to his past life experiences- emotion-wise. ''Maybe the psyche mixing is the reason.'' Sighing, he moved on to other methods.


    He tried everything from glaring at the torch like he was constipated, to praying and even begging it to move.


    He repeated the same things after replacing the torch with a paper but was met with failure. No matter how much angry or irritated he got there were no results.


    As Leon hung his head, dejected, the paper fluttered in the wind as if mocking his earlier attempts.


    Leon glared at the paper before shaking his head. After messing with the water glass in his room, he ran into the orphanage''s playground and started running like crazy.


    Just when he was feeling like he was on the verge of fainting, he trudged back to his room and sprawled on the floor, his hand extended towards the glass of water that had threads hanging off it.


    He decorated the glass like that to not miss even a little vibration.


    Leon willed the glass to move, channeling his thirst and his need for water. Stray thoughts didn''t even enter his mind owing to the exhaustion he felt.


    It was a good plan.


    But nothing happened and as if the world was mocking him again soft wind entered his room from the door, making the threads sway.


    He let his head hit the floor and waited to recover his energy before crawling towards the glass and gulping the water down.


    He spent the whole day trying different methods to do some accidental magic, well in his case controlled magical outbursts.


    But nothing he did was working.


    Exhaustion from the day finally caught up to him, lulling him into deep sleep.


    The next morning, he woke up and opened the door to his room. The paper he willed to move yesterday fluttered like it was mocking him again, reminding him of his fruitless attempts.


    "I didn''t want to try it, but I have no other option left," Leon murmured before walking towards the stairs, leaving behind the arrogant fluttering paper.


    He stared at the bottom floor standing on the top step. His heart slowly began to race as he gauged the distance to the bottom step.


    As he was hesitating, a memory flashed in his mind. He remembered the pain caused by his dried tongue and burning stomach as he lay near the door, helpless.


    The memory ruthlessly crushed his hesitation.


    ''This is my chance not to feel powerless ever again.''


    Leon firmed his will and jumped.

 Chapter-2 Diagon Alley

    He jumped from the top of the staircase and curled onto himself in a specific way to protect his neck from snapping like a twig - something he learned in his skydiving training - while in mid-air.


    His heartbeats reached a new crescendo as he plummeted down the stairs.


    Just when he was expecting the hard floor of the orphanage to greet him, he felt like he had fallen on a trampoline that was submerged in water.


    It was a weird feeling, something that couldn''t be described properly in mundane terms.


    He was tossed back into the air with less momentum than his fall indicated and safely landed on the floor of the orphanage, which was somehow soft like a cushion.


    "Awesome," he exclaimed getting on his feet, his hands and legs shaking at his stunt.


    He felt like a missing piece of his soul snapped into position making him feel complete.


    Leon tapped the floor, it was hard. Whatever magic he did already disappeared.


    Channeling the feeling he felt when he hit the orphanage''s floor he stared at some dust and willed it to move.


    And move it did, though it took some staring like he was stopping himself from sneezing.


    "Excellent," he beamed.


    Leon knew jumping off stairs was a drastic measure.


    Humans are averse to self-harm, especially when it''s an uncertain solution to a problem that doesn''t negatively and immediately affect them.


    He was able to jump only because his mind was already conditioned to such stunts due to his love of extreme sports.


    ''But what choice do I have, when little Voldy and Lily can do impressive things even before Hogwarts?''


    Granted this looked like an alternate universe, but being ahead of others is an instinctive desire of every human, more so for him.


    After all, he believes that the famous slogan ''Magic is Might'' has some truth to it.


    Although moving some dust doesn''t come under his list of impressive things, he must start somewhere.


    And Flitwick would have fixed any broken bones in an instant. So, Leon had to try as he didn''t see any downsides of trying.


    Happy he got the feel of magic, he ran back to his room.


    It was the time for the MC to face-slap the nay-sayers, the mockers.


    As he opened his room''s door, the naysayer, the paper fluttered, mocking him again.


    Leon decided to tear the paper into tiny bits, ending its life for mocking a protagonist.


    He aimed his palm at the paper and willed it to get shredded.


    As his eyes bulged in effort, the paper got crumpled. No tears appeared on the paper.


    After once again trying to tear it with no success, he sprawled on his bed.


    *Flutter* Flutter*


    He got up and shoved the paper into his pockets before stomping down to freshen up and eat.


    ....


    Leon sat in his spot in the playground after informing the head matron that a professor would visit the orphanage for him.


    Seeing it was still early in the morning for any visitors, he decided to practice his magic again. He played with the dust near him, holding a book to stop people from seeing the constipated look on his face.


    A diminutive figure entered the playground, wearing a suit, catching his eye. Round glasses adorned his face, and along with his long mustache, he gave off a mischievous and unruly vibe.


    Leon observed Professor Flitwick walk towards him with a grin and spring in his step.


    "Hello, Mr. Astraeus. I am Professor Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The Charms professor introduced himself.


    "Astraeus?" Leon prompted him. It was a last name worthy of a Transmigrated MC, so Leon was hoping he would have a nest egg to let him buy some books and, of course, some cool magical things.


    Things like an Auto dictation quill or a fire-breathing quill¡­ it spews fire what more a boy(man) can wish for?


    "I will fill you in about your last name as we get your supplies. Let''s go!" he said, catching Leon off guard.


    "What? Aren''t you going to convince me that magic is real?" Leon asked, looking at the professor who went off script.


    ''Wasn''t he supposed to wow students by making kettle talk or something.''


    "No need! No need! I could sense you using magic as I stepped into your wonderful home."


    "Really! How?"


    "Don''t worry about it! When you reach my age, you learn a trick or two," he said and walked away.


    Leon hurriedly followed him.


    "Did you inform the head matron?"


    "Yes! Yes! Delightful woman. And I should congratulate you, Mr. Astraeus, for that was some fine wandless magic you did. You will make a great wizard," The professor praised him before giving him his hand.


    Leon looked at him before gripping the professor''s hand.


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    "Do we fly?" Leon asked, playing his part as a newbie wizard.


    "No! I have something faster in mind. You would want to close your eyes for this," the professor said before the world twisted in front of Leon.


    He experienced great suction that forced him into a small hole in the space before ejecting him, quite harshly at that.


    Leon gasped and looked at the Professor who had a mischievous smile.


    "You didn''t even give me time to close my eyes," he accused. Though he wouldn''t have closed his eyes even if you gave him money. After all, when would he get to experience Apparition again?


    The professor just snickered at that and started walking.


    "Mr. Astraeus, you are the last member of your house. The wizarding war took your house members as causalities. While House Astraeus had deep pockets- you don''t, I checked. So, you will have to use Hogwarts'' special fund for your school supplies. It seems there are some conditions you have to fulfill if you want access to your family vault, the conditions were set by your house''s late head," Flitwick explained as he greeted the members of Leaky Cauldron, waving at what felt like everyone he came across.


    "Just remember that you are not alone, Hogwarts will be home and your new family." He said seriously and paused.


    "Observe this and remember it." Flitwick tapped the brick wall in a certain order, making the wall split open in the middle.


    A bustling street came into view.


    Leon''s gaze was instantly attracted to two gigantic brooms- each the size of a bus- that were maneuvering in an invisible boundary with great speed.


    The said brooms suddenly crashed into each other, splintering into 7 brooms each. These brooms then performed multiple flying maneuvers before joining together to make two gigantic brooms again.


    They only flew above a building that looked like a hoop ¨C an honest-to-good circular hoop.


    And the building wasn''t unique.


    Most of the building''s architecture was so messed up it left Leon disoriented by the chaos incarnate the Diagon Alley is.


    Leon followed the professor like a lost duckling marveling at the wonders the wizards created.


    A building changed in color with live drawings across it, the drawings depicted a witch and wizard drinking different colored potions that made them breathe fire, become young, and many more magical effects.


    The building they were beelining towards was even more eye-catching. It changed shapes as if it were no one''s business.


    One minute it was a house-sized square before it contracted and became a bus-sized rectangular trunk before popping back to its original size as a sphere-shaped building.


    "Come on, now," Professor Flitwick giggled at the gobsmacked Leon before entering the shop.


    The sphere cracked and little pieces that looked like trunks fell as Professor Flitwick darted towards the sphere and vanished.


    Leon quickly followed him and ran through something that felt like a smoke film before finding himself in a cozy shop.


    The shop had a generic counter and sofa with tiny trunks- the size of fists- displayed on racks that were attached to the walls.


    ''A crazy but awesome Illusion for advertisement.'' Leon thought, still reeling from the magical experience.


    ''It felt so real.''


    "Ah! Flitwick how are you?" A man got up from behind the counter.


    "Marvelous and It seems you weathered through the surge in one piece," Flitwick teased and continued speaking.


    "And we won''t impose on you too long. Just need a Hogwarts special trunk."


    Pity flashed across the man''s face. Before a tiny truck floated towards the Professor.


    Professor Flitwick quickly paid for the trunk.


    "It is a nice trunk, Mr Leon, though standard. It has increased space for storage and featherweight charm for ease of movement." Flitwick said, noticing Leon''s gaze linger on the shining little trucks that were displayed as he ushered him out.


    They ran through some shops, like potions, and stationery, before deciding it was time to buy uniforms.


    "A Hogwarts special set coming right up," a woman dressed in all mauve said after she saw him entering with the tiny professor.


    "Just standard Hogwarts robes, Madam Malkin. The special set isn''t needed."


    "If you say so Filius." Madam Malkin waved her wand making a set of robes to pack themselves before they shrunk down and floated towards the professor.


    He kept it in the trunk with the rest of Leon''s things before shrinking the trunk, again.


    "A little welcome gift from me," he said winking an eye at me.


    "Thank you, professor."


    Though Leon would have preferred a book, at least the professor didn''t bring a haughty but loyal owl and expected him to be her human.


    Leon wouldn''t have any problems if the professor gets him Hedwig though. But it''s about the principle, what if he wanted a cat or something?


    Like the protagonist, he was, what if some Raven or mutated Basilisk was waiting for him to bond with?


    ''Jokes aside. Selecting what will be a major part of someone''s life without their input rarely ends well. Speaking of Hedwig, I wonder what time I am in with respect to canon if there is a canon at all.''


    "Now is the time for you to get your wand, Mr. Astraeus. And by the time you select your wand, I will be back with your books." The little professor said and hurried away.


    ''Why do I feel like, he doesn''t want to take me to a bookstore?'' Leon wondered, before entering the slightly run-down wand shop.


    All shops in Diagon Alley were entrenched in magic in one way or another, except the Ollivander''s Wands.


    It looked like a normal shop but ancient with cracks running through the walls, and the sign crooked and lifeless.


    Leon pushed the door, watching out for the wand maker. The bells attached to the door rang, announcing his presence.


    He quickly entered the shop not deterred by the creeping shadows and dust accumulated on the corners, keeping an eye out.


    "Hello, little wizard." A soft voice emanated from behind Leon.


    Leon jumped and turned back, nearly snapping his neck in the process.


    Ollivander creepily grinned at Leon before going behind the counter.


    ''Here comes the creepy man who intimately knows the details of every Britain wizard''s wand.'' Leon snickered.


    "Dominant hand?" The wand maker asked ignoring his snickering.


    "Right!"


    "This wand is made of a Phoenix feather, the symbol of rebirth, and a branch from a Birch tree, symbolizing new beginnings. Give it a whirl," Ollivander explained, before taking it back, not even letting Leon touch it.


    As Ollivander searched his shop, muttering things like Yew, Oak, Rowan. Leon spoke.


    "Why a wand, Mr. Ollivander, why not a ring, a staff?"


    "Excellent question, little wizard. But¡­. sometimes the journey is the answer. I can give you a hint if you prefer," Ollivander said selecting two more boxes.


    Leon nodded.


    "Look into Roman wizards, young wizard. Even though we live in a magical world, everything has a reason for being what it is," Ollivander said before gesturing to Leon to take a wand.


    After taking away three more wands before Leon could even touch them, Ollivander peered at him.


    "Curious! Curious! Something''s telling me you are going to be treat to deal with. What''s your last name little wizard?"


    "Astraeus it seems," Leon replied, thinking about his supposed wizarding house.


    ''Damn! Now I think about it. Professor Flitwick timed our entrance to Diagon Alley so that I would be distracted from the ''sad'' news he delivered about my family and me being poor. Sneaky!''


    While Leon gained a new appreciation for his charm''s professor. Ollivander looked like Christmas came early as he giggled and squealed before running to the back of his shop.


    Just when Leon was getting impatient, Ollivander came running back with a box clutched in his hands.


    "A member of house Astraeus commissioned this before my grandfather''s time."


    "Though the wand''s components are weird, just like any proud wandmaker, the Ollivander of that time took up the challenge and created this beauty here."


    He removed its lid revealing a transparent wand with a stream of black mist flowing through it.


    ''Woah!'' The wand gave off an otherworldly feeling like it was not from this reality.


    "Try it, Mr. Astraeus. In all of my years, no wizard''s magic resonated enough for me to even take it out," Ollivander whispered, eagerly.


    Leon clutched the wand in his hand and raised it.


    The clam black mist in the wand roiled, tainting the whole wand black.


    Leon could instantly feel the connection with the wand like it was a lost part of his soul.


    Ethereal pulses unnoticed by even the eccentric wand maker emanated from Leon along with a soul-chilling cold that fogged the windows of the shop.


    "Marvelous, Marvelous! Crystallised essence of a Vaelix- freely given-and a Dementor''s remains make up this wand, Mr Astraeus," he whispered, his eyes lighting up in wonder.


    "I will owe you a favor if you update me on the properties of this wand, things like which branch of magic the wand leans toward, even irrelevant minute details like which charm it likes," Ollivander said eyeing the wand.


    Leon just nodded lost in the lingering feeling the wand made him experience.

 Chapter 3 - No Cheats

    Leon nodded still distracted by the wand in his hand.


    He took out the seven galleons Flitwick gave him and motioned for Ollivander to take them.


    "Your wand is already paid for young Astraeus; Didn''t I say your house commissioned it," Ollivander said, shaking his head.


    ''Did they know that the wand will only choose their heir?'' Leon wondered.


    "Is my family famous for seers?"


    "No, young Astraeus. The reason why your House commissioned the wand was quite a mystery, though. Even though my grandfather''s father objected to creating a wand that wouldn''t choose any wizards, your house waved away his objections by saying that the wand would choose someone from their bloodline. The chance of making a wand with never-before-seen components enthralled my great-grandfather, making him forget his weak objections. Though, he thought that your house was trying to prove that a Vaelix was a real magical beast and the wand was going to serve as symbol and proof of Vaelixes."


    "Vaelix? What''s a Vaelix?" Leon doesn''t remember whether the extended canon mentioned a magical beast with that name.


    ''But Ollivander is saying, no one here knows what a Vaelix is.''


    "According to your house, Vaelixes are supposed to be fog-like ethereal creatures that hunt Dementors and reside outside of our reality. And it seems your ancestors didn''t lie, the wand did choose their heir. But, I knew my ancestor was wrong as your house didn''t use the wand to prove the existence of Vaelixes, they just let House Ollivander safeguard it."


    "Only house Astraeus and Ollivander know about the wand, and the Vaelixes are said to be very rarely spotted even by your house members."


    Leon went into deep thought wondering whether his transmigration was predicted.


    His transmigration into a house connected with otherworldly spirits that hunt malicious otherworldly spirits was too on the nose.


    Ollivander gave him some time to digest the information and changed the subject.


    "Are you interested in buying a wand maintenance kit? It''s only 7 Sickles! But for 1 galleon you even get an enchanted wand sheath." Said items flew towards him as the wandmaker waved his wand.


    Leon just nodded and passed him a galleon.


    The sheath snugly fitted to his forearm.


    "All you have to do is twist your wrist to sheath or eject your wand, Mr Astraeus." Olivander helpfully pointed out as Leon was trying to take out his wand from the sheath after he slotted his wand in it.


    ''I should think twice before keeping important things in weird holes,'' Leon thought bemused and with a twist of his wrist, a wand appeared in his palm making him reflexively close his hand, catching the wand.


    And again, with a twist of his wrist, the wand disappeared. The wand somehow suddenly disappeared even as he was touching it.


    "How? How did it disappear?"


    "Magic only cares for intent and will, Mr Astraeus. If you have a sufficient amount of those anything is possible."


    With that, Ollivander bid his goodbye and retreated to the back of his shop.


    Leon gave the shop one last look before exiting it and met with Professor Flitwick who was waiting for him outside.


    "What do you know about House Astraeus, professor?"


    Professor Flitwick looked taken aback at his question.


    "I think it is better if you read your house records instead of asking others, Mr Astraeus. But let me give you a tidbit of general information about your house."


    Professor Flitwick gestured to follow him and spoke.


    "House Astraeus looked after the wild Dementor- dreadful magical creatures, they are- population in Britain, even before the formation of the Ministry of Magic."


    "And after the Ministries formation and employment of the Dementors in Azkaban, a wizard prison, they were the ones to run the prison smoothly, keeping the dreadful creatures in control."


    The Professor paused to let Leon digest the information.


    "As the last Astraeus you are supposed to access at least a trust fund account. Sadly, when I inquired about your vaults the official response was the bank was following your house''s last head will, and access to house Astraeus Vaults was barred even for the heir until some conditions were met, they didn''t elaborate on the conditions, though."


    "A friend said an owl will reach you, the last Astraeus, after Halloween."


    Leon nodded, taking in the information.


    ''I should trust Professor Flitwick, right? I mean if the professors of Hogwarts are after orphan vaults like some in fanfics, there isn''t much I can do to make a difference. Or maybe I will just send a letter to Gring-''


    Leon''s monologue was interrupted as Flitwick stopped in front of a huge white building.


    "Go on! Get your vault records, I will be waiting in the ice cream parlor," Flitwick said and walked off not giving him any time to ask any questions.


    ''Damn, Maybe I should not take some fanfic seriously I mean this is a real-life with real consequences. After all, cheating someone who can teleport and live nearly two centuries for money is not wise, and other families wouldn''t let such things happen because if that can of worms gets opened, their family can also be next line of getting their assets seized.''


    Leon reached a Gringotts teller while thinking how easy and predictable the world would have been if it was not an AU.


    He waited a minute before clearing his throat as the goblin continued writing without looking at him.


    His designation plate indicated that he was the gob for general queries.


    ''What part of his job needs him to write non-stop, and why not use a dictation quill?'' Leon wondered and waited for two more minutes. Just when he was about to peek at what the goblin was writing, the goblin looked up.


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    "Yes?"


    "What''s the procedure to get records of my house''s vault?"


    "Third line to my left. Any more queries?" the goblin asked as he resumed his writing.


    "Yes! Is there any book with services Gringotts provide and also a book on goblin culture authored by a goblin?"


    "Both are available for our long-standing customers, please come back with your heir or head''s ring." The goblin replied in a boring tone while continuing to write.


    ''Damn! I thought I would at least get the Gringotts services book. I also wanted to know more about the goblins, after all, they are a magical race. It would have been interesting to see how they use their magic and how their society works. Goblins even have a different language and maybe a magical language like runes too.''


    He stood before another goblin, cursing the Gringotts for the unnecessary information barrier. The goblin in front of him was old compared to the gob that was assigned to answer general queries.


    "Can I get vault records of House Astraeus?"


    The old goblin squinted at him.


    "Yes! Hold this bar. If you are a member of house Astraeus, you will get the records." The goblin motioned towards a golden handle on his desk.


    "Of course, you will have to pay a fine of 500 galleons if you are not a member of House Astraeus on the account of level-1 impersonating," The goblin said with a grin that showed his sharp teeth.


    ''Man, Flitwick will bail me if Gringotts doesn''t recognize me, right? I mean Hogwarts itself said I was an Astraeus and Ollivander too.''


    Leon gripped the handle ignoring the part of his mind that was seeing scams and conspiracies everywhere influenced by some fanfics he read.


    The goblin nodded and gestured for Leon to take off his hand.


    The magical banker stared at the handle for quite some time making Leon wonder if Dumbledore would come and pay his fine if he gets booked for level 1 impersonating.


    The goblin gave the handle one last look and took an envelope from his desk drawer.


    "Here, Mr Astraeus. This envelope contains everything you need to know about your house vault''s current situation," The goblin said.


    "Thanks."


    Exiting the Gringotts, Leon opened the envelope.


    It read- "Artifacts- 99, Active commercial Assets- 0, Liquid Assets- *********, Residences- Unspecified. Will under implementation (Classified)."


    A paragraph was also present in the document that essentially said that the Gringotts were executing the House Astraeus''s last head''s will. Any heir will be contacted before three months into their Hogwarts first year as specified by the will.


    Confused at the lack of any useful information, Leon looked at the back of the document.


    "Artifact- 1 ¨C [redacted]


    Artifact -2 - [redacted]


    ¡­..


    Artifact ¨C99 - [redacted]"


    ''Damn, Gringotts is just wasting paper and ink at this point. And why the hell are these things redacted? At least let me know the amount of money I have. Did the House Astraeus head remove the money and artefacts from the document or did Gringotts do that?'' Leon wondered.


    Leon met Professor Flitwick in the ice cream shop thinking whether Gringotts could steal his money. There is nothing, that Leon knows, stopping the Gringotts from doing just that.


    ''The fanfics made me paranoid or is it cautious?'' As Leon grumbled at the lack of information, Flitwick spotted him.


    "Order something for yourself and come join me, Mr Astraeus. It''s my treat." The professor enthusiastically waved at Leon as he entered the parlor.


    Swallowing at the delicious-looking ice creams, Leon ordered an ice cream that looked most magical and joined the professor.


    ''It''s too delicious,'' Leon thought after a spoon.


    The ice cream in addition to being magically delish, somehow bubbled and popped in his mouth. The green sprinkles it had were magical too. Some were crispy, and some melted as soon as they touched his tongue but somehow it always felt right. It was like the sprinkles and the ice cream were changing their properties according to his taste.


    ''Well! It is a magical ice cream.''


    Finishing the ice cream with speed that could cause a normal plebeian brain freeze, he asked.


    "Is Gringotts trustworthy, professor?"


    The professor looked taken back for a second.


    "It is! The goblin''s magic and culture make them trustworthy and fierce protectors of wealth. You don''t have to worry."


    "Really! How is their magic different from wizards?" Leon asked excitedly.


    ''Ha! Suck it! Gobs. I have my professor here to fill me in about your magic.''


    "It is not important right now, Mr Astraeus. You should concentrate on how wizards you their magic, you are one after all." Flitwick said and got down from his seat.


    Money floated away from his jacket to the parlor owner as the diminutive professor walked out, expecting him to follow.


    ''Damn, I got excited for nothing,'' Leon grumbled before he took out the remaining galleons from his pocket.


    "I want to browse the bookstore, professor. My wand didn''t cost anything as my family had a deal with house Ollivander''s it seems." Leon decided to not draw attention to the peculiar components of his wand, otherwise, he would have already asked the professor about the terms ''outside of our reality'' and Vaelix.


    "Sure, but you won''t be finding any new books that are not in Hogwarts library. So better save your money for another occasion."


    "I still like to browse, Professor."


    Flitwick eyed the young man for a second before relenting as he marched out of the parlor. "Off we go then!"


    The main reason Leon wanted to visit the bookstore was to see how much of an AU was he in compared to canon and of course to get an idea of the timeline.


    The bookstore was nearly deserted with few customers milling around. The building itself looked like a bookshelf, but this time it wasn''t an illusion.


    Leon browsed around for some time after gawking at the bookstore.


    It didn''t take long for him to get his hands on that day''s daily prophet.


    ''Stricter Dark Artifact regulations''


    ''Bulgarian''s new seeker makes waves.''


    ''Goblins Demands.''


    The paper was filled with numerous but unhelpful titles.


    Ignoring the Daily Prophet, Leon began to browse magazines.


    ''House Black''s head gets his fourth Witch Weekly''s Most Charming Smile award''.


    ''What the hell?'' He quickly grabbed the magazine and started reading the article.


    ''As we all know, Sirius Black, the Godfather of the girl who lived, is trying to turn around the grisly reputation of House black after the fall of Dark lord. He took yet another step in making people forget about his House''s dark past by giving out seats in the top box for the winners of the girl-who-lived favorite Quidditch team''s trivia contest.


    The picture was captured as Lord Black escorted his goddaughter, the girl who lived- Roselyn Potter, and his daughter to a Quidditch match.


    The content smile as he watched over his goddaughter and daughter made the Witch Weekly award him with the Most Charming Smile award, making it his fourth. ''


    "I didn''t think you would be interested in Gossip magazine, Mr Astraeus." Flitwick appeared behind Leon, startling him.


    "What with this ''Dark lord'' and ''Girl who lived'', professor?" Leon asked as he mourned the loss of his cheat - future knowledge.


    With the loss of his future knowledge, he was not that different from any other 1st year Hogwarts student if you take away his couple years of life experience and the unique, bizarre, outlook he has due to being born in the media age¡­ okay maybe he has some advantages, but they don''t qualify as cheats.


    He did try various catchphrases such as status, system, etc after the high of being able to do magic went down. He even tried to kill some poor ants to boot up the gamer system before feeling guilty and started searching around the orphanage for mosquitoes.


    While he had some questionable moral code, Leon didn''t have any cheats.


    The danger of this volatile magical world suddenly became more real to Leon as Flitwick made him remember the wizarding world was not just full of magic and grandpas with candy addiction.


    "A bad wizard tried to take over Britain but he mysteriously disappeared after he went to attack 1-year-old Roselyn Potter, making her the girl who lived, " Flitwick explained, his cheery tone vanishing.


    "Does she live with her Godfather?" Leon asked.


    Flitwick eyed the picture with Sirius and his daughter.


    "No, she lives with her father in Potter Manor. She will also be at Hogwarts this year."


    Leon digested that information, just thinking about the minimum number of events James Potter being alive was going to change gave him a migraine.


    "Our supply trip has come to an end, Young Astraeus. Let me drop you off."


    With a pop, he was back at the orphanage. Professor Flitwick left after having another conversation with the head matron.


    ...


    Leon sat on his bed, exhausted from the busy day.


    He eyed his trunk which contained the ticket for tomorrow''s train.


    His departure date also caught him off guard as he was hoping to try some spells before he went to the Troll-roaming, Cerberus sniffing yet lovely castle.


    Though it is not meant to be. All, because Hogwarts wanted to make sure whether he needed the special funds.


    ''I did though, stupid ancestors!'' he cursed and took out his wand.


    He fell asleep admiring it, playing with it.

 Chapter 4 - New spells and the Giant Squid

    Leon was late.


    The Head matron''s na?ve belief that there would be no traffic and her insistence to leave with a caretaker, made him reach the train station late.


    Feeding a dozen toddlers breakfast and cleaning up after them generally takes every matron and a couple of older children. So, he had to wait until the caretakers were free from the breakfast chores, making him late.


    Leon eyed the youngest caretaker of the orphanage who was accompanying him. She couldn''t be over 20, the woman''s head swiveled around taking in the bustling city, wonder apparent in her eyes, as the taxi driver helped with his luggage.


    "I will have to run, Ms Eliza. You can take it slow, after all, it is not every day you visit the heart of London."


    He quickly pushed his trolley away without giving the woman time to respond.


    "Wait a minute, Leo. Leo!" The young woman quickly paid the taxi driver and turned around, only for him to disappear.


    "This kid!" She muttered, eyeing the crowd of people entering the station and spotting a couple of children, the same age as Leon, pushing trolleys.


    After the abrupt goodbye at the train station''s entrance, Leon hurriedly weaved around people, wondering if the feather-light feature of his trunk was a lie.


    After double-checking the instructions on his ticket that specified which pillar he had to run into, Leon ran through the pillar between the 9th and 10th platforms, headfirst with no hesitation, sporting an excited grin.


    After feeling like he had broken through a waterfall, he stood in front of the majestic train- The Hogwarts Express.


    Smoke billowed from its engine as parents stood on the platform watching their children mingle with others in their compartments.


    Leon quickly chose a compartment near to him and got on, pushing the trolley aside.


    ''Huh! Now the trunk weighs as much as a feather. It was heavy when I bought it down from my room until I boarded the train. Can it only activate near magical places? Are the wizards cautious?... Maybe the store owner is the cautious one. I don''t think cautiousness and wizards go into a single sentence, at least not the canon wizards.''


    Most of the cabins were already filled with children that looked around his age.


    As shouts and laughs filled the air, Leon slowly walked along the train''s compartment which looked like it only hosted the first-year Hogwarts students.


    ''Coincidence or Magic?'' Leon wondered before shrugging and continuing his search for a cabin.


    He dragged his trunk along and chose a cabin with two girls who were speaking softly with each other.


    "Hey! Can I join you guys?" He asked opening the cabin after knocking.


    A black-haired girl with some baby fat on her cheeks nodded as the other occupant of the cabin evaluated Leon with her green eyes.


    "I am Leon Astraeus." He introduced himself.


    "Why here? There are many other cabins on this train," The strawberry-blond-haired girl inquired.


    "Daphne.." The black-haired girl reprimanded, but she sneakily looked towards Leon, waiting for his answer, her hand searching for something in her purse beside her.


    The question took him back, making him think.


    He went for this cabin because of their robes, he wanted to ask someone about his house and what being an heir entails, though he subconsciously eliminated every noisy cabin and cabin with boys.


    In the orphanage, Leon generally shadowed some quiet, soft-spoken girls when he had to mingle with other children due to his condition, and it seems the habit carried over.


    "Well, I wanted to ask about my house and your robes made me think you could help me," Leon said gesturing toward the wizarding robes the girls were wearing.


    Unnoticed by him the black-haired girl peeked into a bag beside her and gave an imperceptible nod to her friend.


    Seeing that they were satisfied with his answer he stuffed his trunk below the seat and turned towards the black-haired girl.


    "I am Susan Bones; you can call me Susan." The girl with baby fat, Susan, introduced herself with a smile.


    "I am Daphne Greengrass, Mr Astraeus." The blonde girl followed her friend''s lead.


    Leon was pleased with his fellow passengers, as someone who worked in the media industry he knew the value of connections.


    ''Though I can''t quite call being in the same compartment for a train ride as connections. After all, we could end up in different houses.''


    Shaking his head, Leon got to the point.


    "What do you guys know about House Astraeus? I recently got to know that I am an Astraeus and magic is real."


    The two girls looked at each other.


    "House Astraeus was the keeper of the Azkaban before the Dementors joined the Dark Lord as his followers," Daphne spoke, playing with her necklace as she looked at him questioningly.


    He nodded, indicating he was following her.


    "And it is rumored that a member of the House Astraeus invented the Patronus spell. My Aunt also said that the arch, the veil of death, in the ministry was also found by a member of House Astraeus." Susan joined in. "It''s a mysterious door no one knows where it opens." She added, helpfully.


    ''Ok! Cool house, it would have been cooler if we were known to be rich and loaned Hogwarts to the founders,'' he thought cracking a grin before banishing the silly thoughts.


    Getting to the crux of the matter, he asked. "As the last living member of my house, how am I supposed to access the house vaults."


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    Susan got silent before shaking her head apologetically making Daphne take up the question.


    "After verifying your identity, you will be given your heir ring. Your assigned professor must have taken you to Gringotts, right?" Daphne inquired, looking dubious.


    "I went to Gringotts and received my vault records, though I didn''t receive any heir ring, it was said that the Gringotts is executing the last head''s will."


    "Hmm! Maybe you have to prove yourself or be older-"


    The cabin door opened revealing a twin-tailed girl, she looked taken back on seeing Leon before she sat down and introduced herself.


    "Hannah Abbot, you can call me Hannah," she said watching Daphne from the corner of her eye.


    "Leon Astraeus, Call me Leo. Do you guys know each other before?" he asked, knowing the answer, but he was curious about how the fanfiction favorite Daphne''s friendship with Susan Bones came about.


    The cabin''s door opened again revealing two redheads, who can be passed as brother and sister at first glance, and another boy who nervously searched their cabin.


    "Neville lost his toad; did you see it?" the female redhead asked.


    Daphne and Susan shook their heads.


    "Don''t guys have a spell to find it?" Leon asked, wanting to check if these guys knew any non-canon spells. After all, unlike him, they would have gotten their wands right after they turned 14 or maybe even earlier, and this being his new reality, he was eager to see various spells.


    ''And where is Hermoine?'' he wondered, upon not seeing the buck-toothed, bushy-haired girl helping Neville.


    "There are spells for that, but they are too complex to be used by first-year Hogwarts students." The red-headed girl shook her head.


    "Let''s ask a seventh year then." Leon eagerly stood up.


    He was interested to know which spell was going to be used.


    Accio, the summoning charm, was only used to summon objects. And even if a variant of the Accio spell is used to summon a living thing it doesn''t take out of risk of the toad being squished to death if it is in a closed bathroom or a cabin.


    ''Maybe a detection spell.''


    "Hrgh! Now we have to search the whole train for Tonks," the other redhead muttered.


    The boy was tall with a freckled face and robes that didn''t fit him properly.


    ''Is that Ron Weasley?''


    The redheaded girl sat beside Susan, taking Leon''s place.


    "Don''t worry, I know a spell that will let Tonks find us herself."


    "Really?" Daphne narrowed her eyes.


    "Yes! Observe."


    The red-headed girl waved her hand, whispering an incantation, and quietly mouthed some words.


    "Done," she said beaming, a mischievous twinkle glinting in her eyes.


    "What did you do?"


    "The spell amplifies your voice to a very high level but only the recipient of your spell can hear you if they are near."


    " It is a basic version of the spell Aurors use to communicate on the field. And unlike the Auror version of the spell - which transfers the sound to the target- this spell doesn''t offer much security as it is just shouting. Thus, could be easily overheard by anyone with little skill." The redheaded girl explained animatedly, unconsciously puffing her chest.


    "Did your father teach you this?" Daphne asked.


    The girl shook her head.


    "Uncle Sirius! As you know, Susan, he doesn''t like Kreacher, his house elf. He made this spell, dismantling the author''s spell, so that he could call for us when we were in his house instead of asking Kreacher to call us or us him."


    "He doesn''t like seeing the house-elf," the redheaded girl giggled.


    ''So, I met Roselyn Potter, the girl who lived.'' Leon thought searching for the infamous lightning scar.


    Stealthily, of course.


    He didn''t find the said scar on her forehead.


    Another redheaded girl suddenly opened the cabin''s door.


    ''Why are there so many redheads, should I prepare for an invasion?'' Leon thought sarcastically, as the cabin grew congested.


    The new girl''s hair deepened in color as she spotted Rose Potter before settling on pink hair, smacking the sarcasm out of Leon as he eyed the Metamorphmagus, very interested.


    "Little brat, you knocked the soul out of me with your shout. Are you becoming like Uncle Siri? Should I let my mother know that you are picking up his habits?" she threatened.


    Leon quietly sat beside the window and observed the witches and wizards.


    "Tonks, I didn''t do that to prank you. We just need your help to find Neville''s Toad," she explained with an unrepentant smile, pointing at Neville who was still standing.


    "Hmm! Make space," She-who-must-not-named ordered and closed the cabin''s door.


    The Cabin magically expanded, giving plenty of space for Tonks to sit down.


    The magical phenomenon crashed Leon-exe. The word ''Awesome'' got stuck, looping over and over in his mind.


    The way the space expanded just blew his mind away, he quickly checked the cabin and it didn''t encroach into the hallway of the train, the space in the cabin got expanded to let the witch sit.


    "Give me a small object, you brat," Tonks huffed, not noticing Leon''s amazement.


    The Potter searched for something before shrugging and taking Neville''s Hankey, ignoring his objections.


    "Don''t worry, Neville. You will get it back in proper shape." Tonks promised and waved her wand, whispering something.


    The hankey suddenly levitated into the air.


    "Follow this, it will take you to the toad. And next time you use that spell to call me don''t expect to be jinx-free after I get to you." Tonks warned the Potter before exiting the cabin.


    The trio walked away from the cabin following the cloth, leaving Leon and the other three girls.


    "You are not going to follow them, Mr Astraeus," Daphne questioned.


    "Nope, I stood up before because I was interested in seeing a spell and I did see it. By the way, Do you guys also know some spells?" He asked.


    The girls just nodded refusing to elaborate.


    ''Fine. No more cool spells today,'' Leon grumbled.


    "Is that senior''s name Tonks?" Leon asked Daphne, to check if even she knew the metamorphmagus.


    "Her name is Nymphodora Tonks but don''t call her Nymphodora if you don''t want to be hexed," Daphne replied.


    Hannah and Susan emphatically nodded to that.


    ''Man! It seems they all know each other.'' He concluded and started enquiring about an heir''s responsibility- how to find lost houses and other such things.


    He didn''t forget that his family was supposed to have a house somewhere as the document mentioned unspecified not 0 for residences.


    They talked about the houses they wanted to end up in and some magical world gossip as Leon asked his doubts, sparingly, as they came into his mind.


    Daphne suddenly informed them that it was time to change into uniforms.


    After taking turns to change into their uniform, the time to leave the train finally came.


    Leon left the cabin, eager to see Hogwarts.


    Daphne took off her necklace and threw it in the purse Susan was holding when Leon entered the cabin.


    The girls left the cabin after seeing the purse disappear, unlike the rest of their and Leon''s language.


    Leon exited the train and was met with roars of a giant.


    "First years! Gather here! First Years!"


    Hagrid stood beside the train, towering over it. He was built like two polar bears were stacked on each other.


    A giant lamp illuminated his bushy beard and beady eyes as the first years crowded near him.


    After the train left, Hagrid motioned the students to follow him and started to walk away.


    Even though he looked like he was trying to walk slowly, to not outpace the wizards who just hit puberty, many students had to jog to keep up with him.


    The students quickly arrived near a lake with boats moored.


    With a prompt from Hagrid, students climbed into the boats.


    Leon too quickly jumped into the boat and began observing the boat for magical runes or formations.


    He didn''t find any, the boat looked normal.


    Hannah, Daphne, and Susan boarded his boat.


    "What are you searching for?" Hannah asked, tilting her head.


    "Nothing," Leon just shook his head and sat down.


    The boats magically started to move after Hagrid made sure everyone was present.


    After turning around a bend and ducking from an arch that can only hit a giant, the students feasted upon the magical sight of Hogwarts Castle.


    Hogwarts stood out in the darkness like an eternal beacon of wonder and magic.


    Stars twinkled in the sky and on the Lake''s surface as the castle stole the moon''s brilliance creating a breathtaking scene.


    The realization that he was going to call that magical castle home and learn to bend reality to his whims using magic hit Leon like a world-ending earthquake.


    Happiness surged through him like never before in either of his two lives.


    "Don''t shout, I will be back," Leon spoke as he hastily stood up and jumped into the lake with an excited grin.


    As he sunk deeper, the happiness and adrenaline coursing through him made him feel like breathing wasn''t even necessary.


    Even being unable to see more than three feet in front of him- due to darkness- didn''t affect his mood.


    As he waited for the Giant squid to make itself known, Leon decided to commemorate the happiest moment of his life.


    The gloominess of his past life and the pain of his present life somehow multiplied the happiness he felt now.


    Taking his wand from its sheath, he pointed it forward and shouted EXPECTO PATRONUM in his mind.


    A wave of dizziness hit him, making him close his eyes.

 Chapter 5- Sorting

    An ethereal white fog surged from his wand, trying and failing to take a form.


    When Leon opened his eyes again, he was being carried away by a tentacle.


    The Giant Squid dropped him on his boat and disappeared after waving at him, the lake was as calm as it was before.


    Due to his sudden departure from the lake, he couldn''t see the result of his spell, but he didn''t care, he felt that something had happened, and that was enough for him now.


    The girls on the boat stared at him in shock, Hannah was even gaping at him with her mouth wide open.


    Due to the cover of darkness, only the students on the boats adjacent to his were able to see his dive and re-entrance.


    The magical high left him after he used the Patronus charm.


    ''Stupid! I got carried away,'' Leon admonished himself, but he didn''t regret it one bit. He peered over the boat to watch the squid but was greeted with darkness.


    Deciding to try something, Leon pointed his wand towards the lake and quietly whispered, "Expecto Patronum." Just like he expected nothing happened.


    ''I knew that was a one-time thing,'' He grumbled, but the grin on his never wavered, he knew he could learn the charm and that was enough, for now.


    He turned around and stared at the dumbstruck students before clearing his throat.


    "Do you guys know any spells to dry my clothes?"


    His words broke them out of their shock. Still dumbfounded at his stunt, Susan pointed her finger at him.


    "Why did you do that?"


    He just shrugged and acted like it was a perfectly normal thing to do.


    Though he wasn''t able to observe the full size of the squid due to darkness he at least saw its tentacle- it was huge!


    ''It was awesome!''


    "So, any spells to help me," he asked again as the cold set in.


    Hannah and Susan shook their heads whereas Daphne just huffed, looking away.


    They reached Hogwarts and disembarked from the boats.


    Hagrid stopped them before walking towards the giant door in front of them and knocked on it.


    "That was so cool, I should have thought of it. I wanted to see Squidy too." Roselyn Potter walked towards him.


    "I am Roselyn Potter, call me Rose," she introduced herself with a handshake.


    The other redhead, Ron, glared at Leon as Rose left their group behind to greet him.


    "I am Leon Astraeus, call me Leo," Leon replied with his teeth chattering, but he firmly shook her warm hand.


    The girl was a different type of daredevil, even seeing him shaking in the cold didn''t deter her from thinking that the stunt was stupid.


    "Daphne, enough. Help him," Susan said, making Leon turn towards them.


    Daphne huffed and waved her wand, muttering something.


    Suddenly, the water particles fell out of his clothes like pebbles.


    "You owe me one, Mr Astraeus." She stated and before Leon could decide whether to give her a thumbs up or roast for her not helping him before, Rose interjected.


    "Hey! I also know the basic drying spell used in potion making, I would have helped him. You shouldn''t make people owe you favors for little things, Daph," Rose admonished her, though Daphne just huffed.


    The first year''s byplay was finished by the time McGonagall finished talking with Hagrid.


    "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.


    The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor.


    I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."


    After her speech about houses, points, and families, she herded the first years inside.


    "My brothers said we have to face a Boggart, if you faint you will be sent home, they said. Or sorted into Hufflepuff." Ron muttered, appearing beside Rose.


    Rose just shook her head at him, like she was disappointed, and walked away.


    The first years entered the great hall buzzing with students'' murmurs.


    Leon looked towards the roof and was not disappointed.


    The enchantment on the roof made it look like there was no roof, just like he read.


    A sea of stars graced the great hall with their presence as thousands of candles floated in the air.


    Everyone turned towards the first years making silence pervade the great hall. Murmurs started anew after the students got a good look at the first years.


    The deputy headmistress placed a stool and hat at the center of the great hall, ignoring the chattering.


    A tear formed near the brim of the hat and it began singing.


    "Oh, you may not think I''m pretty,


    But don''t judge on what you see,


    ...."


    The hat bowed after finishing its song filling the great hall with hearty applause.


    The cat animagus opened a parchment and started reading out names.


    "Abbot, Hannah."


    A nervous energy enveloped the group of firsties as the sorting started.


    Hannah shook with fear, her legs and hands started shivering as the whole Hogwarts turned towards her.


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    Leon turned towards Hannah just as a nonchalant expression replaced her earlier full-blown panic which Leon missed as he was busy salivating at the magical school.


    She walked towards the stool, her twin tails swaying, and sat down, cool as a cucumber.


    Leon glanced at her before going back to observe the assembly of students and professors- the people who have literal power at their fingertips.


    And he was going to be one of them, whether he would be at the bottom or top of the hierarchy wasn''t still certain. The jury was out on his talent.


    ''In the worst case, me being an amalgam of two lives doesn''t translate into any advantage with magic. The best case will be Levi''s, different life me''s experiences like studying for exams and listening to long lectures, help me in magic. After all concentration- will- is a huge component in spells, maybe.'' Leon hoped for the best case, but wouldn''t begrudge if it didn''t happen.


    "Hufflepuff." The hat announced as it touched Hannah''s head.


    "Astraeus, Leon."


    Leon cleared his mind and walked towards the stool.


    The Deputy headmistress sternly stared at Leon before his head got swallowed by the old hat.


    ''Wanna talk, wanna talk, wanna talk,'' Leon muttered in his mind.


    ''Okay, little wizard. We shall talk, you can stop.'' Leon heard the hat''s voice in his head.


    ''You know my name, Mr Hat. What is yours?'' Leon asked happily as he half expected the hat to just sort him as its name implied, not have conversations with children who aren''t Harry Potter.


    ''Names are for humans to identify themselves from others, little wizards. I am unique, I am the one and only sorting hat. So, you can call me Sorting Hat.''


    Leon did a double-take at that answer and shrugged.


    ''Do you mind if I burrow you sometime in the future?''


    ''Hmm! Sure. Making the old Dumbledore part with me is a challenge enough. The reward being my esteemed company is maybe a little much, but alright you can,'' The hat replied.


    Leon didn''t know whether it was joking or not, but he continued.


    ''Do you read memories to sort children?'' he asked, curious as to whether the hat is master Legilimens and Occlumens, like in the fanfics.


    ''Yes! Yes! After all, I am the solution to Salazar''s distrust of muggle-born wizards. I can read minds as easily as opening my mouth. But not in the way wizard kind does, my method is vastly superior,'' the hat proudly answered.


    ''Hmm! Well, won''t you be able to know the secrets of every house then?''


    ''I am created by the four greatest wizards to ever exist, even Rowena herself wouldn''t be able to open my mouth if I didn''t wish for it. And I don''t see your every memory, I can feel if a student''s secrets'' can cause harm to either Hogwarts or its students.''


    ''I found many brainwashed muggle-borns that way and we were able to rehabilitate them.'' The hat replied and wiggled on his head like it was very pleased with itself.


    ''My magic is very ironclad, Mr Astraeus. Because of its narrow focus, I gain the capability of sensing the secrets of even the most talented Occlumens, natural or not. Not very versatile like your kind, but I am a master at finding memories and reading minds. Do you think anyone can have a telepathic conversation with an untrained mind like yours, Mr Leon?''


    Leon digested the information and projected the scene of the hat catching fire on Neville''s head along with some more future events.


    ''Hmm! You became quiet all of a sudden. Don''t worry, Mr Astraeus your mind is great for a young Hogwarts student. Kids these days are too soft,'' the hat grumbled.


    ''Huh!''


    Leon didn''t see much of a risk in thinking about the memories of his previous life. After all, he needed to know if the mind peepers in the Hogwarts could see his other life memories.


    Now he doesn''t need to worry about the mind peepers present in the Hogwarts.


    ''An unexpected outcome but a welcome one. I shiver to think if Snape finds my extra memories and gets obsessed with me or something.'' Leon shivered, tossing that particular fanfic to the back of his mind.


    ''Your mind is clear again, though some of part of your thoughts are blurred. I didn''t know you had a mutated Occlumency talent. Though you can''t blame me, young wizard, as I said it is a mutated talent. Mutated talents are very rare and finicky things. You shouldn''t let your talent go to waste young wizard, nurture it,'' the hat advised.


    McGonagall cleared her throat, making the hat wiggle again.


    ''Huh! It seems some people are impatient, any particular house you are aiming for young wizard,'' The hat asked.


    Leon wanted to shrug, but he remembered about the room of requirements. So, he hurriedly asked.


    ''I want to be in a house that has special magical facilities or knowledge that can''t be accessed by other house members.''


    ''Good, Good. The house HUFFLEPUFF will help you.''


    The Hufflepuff part was shouted.


    ''Hey! Any clues-''


    "You have to wait. It will find-'' The hat''s answer was cut short as McGonagall took the hat off Leon, huffing.


    Leon walked towards the cheering table, his clothes magically resembling the other people on the table.


    ''It makes sense, I guess.'' Leon thought.


    ''Slytherin has his chamber. Ravenclaw has Room Of Requirements, I don''t think Godric Gryffindor is the building type so that automatically leaves Hufflepuff and also my previous self-craved friends; to be normal and to play with others without his headache bothering him.''


    Leon slowly walked towards the table and sat beside Hannah, happy that his memories were somehow hidden and even worked as an ad hoc defense for his mind.


    ''Will have to look into that too!''


    "Why did the hat dance on your head, firstie?" A pink-haired woman asked, interrupting his thoughts.


    "Hufflepuff"


    The table cheered with the same enthusiasm, as Susan sat beside Leon, giving him a questioning look.


    "I asked the hat who is the most beautiful woman in Hogwarts," Leon spoke with a smile.


    The pink-haired witch raised her eyebrow at him.


    "Well, You are not her. Your name is Tonks, right? The hat mentioned someone named Nymphodora," Leon said his eyes twinkling with mischief.


    Tonk''s hair turned into a color roulette as she couldn''t decide whether to curse Leon or not as he acted like he didn''t know who Nymphodora was.


    Susan and Hannah fell silent and watched the seventh-year''s reaction before staring at him in shock, after all, they were present when Leon asked about Tonks.


    "I remember you were in the carriage when I helped Rose, you better answer my question if you don''t want to get hexed." The witch threateningly waved her hand.


    "Okay, okay. I asked the hat its name and just chatted with it, nothing serious." Leon said.


    "Potter, Rose." The deputy headmistress called, stopping Tonks from further grilling him.


    "Gryffindor."


    The Gryffindor loudly celebrated as Rose joined the twins.


    "I thought you would be in Gryffindor, Leo. Especially after the stunt you pulled." Susan poked him with her finger.


    Hannah frantically nodded her head showing case her thoughts.


    "What did the brat do?" Tonks questioned.


    Susan looked at Leon, asking for permission, to which he just shrugged.


    "He jumped into the lake," Hannah blurted out.


    "And the Giant squid dropped him back onto the boat."


    His surroundings fell silent.


    "Why did you do that? Astraeus." A guy sitting near Tonks spoke making Leon look at him.


    ''Strong jaw, high cheekbones, kind eyes- the whole stereotypical handsomeness package. Did I find the sparkling vampire?'' Leon wondered.


    "I just wanted the fact that I left behind my boring world to strongly register in my mind, I guess. I still can''t believe I am in a magical castle," Leon answered thinking back on his actions, before shaking his head.


    ''Whether this guy is Cedric or not, he looks kind and even remembered my name, unlike me who didn''t bother remembering my fellow firstie''s name, even my housemates.''


    As the two seniors and classmates digested his answer, Leon observed the professor''s table.


    Complicated emotions rose in Leon as he saw a professor with a turban sitting at the high table.


    Leon wanted to walk up to Dumbledore and inform him about the baldhead tagging along with the other baldy- Quirrrel and have him prepare a vessel to catch the spectre voldy.


    After all, due to Voldy a unicorn dies in the first book, and a woman and her child die in the fourth.


    Unlike all the fan fiction he read which just ignores the issue as MC wants the plot to be predictable, Leon doesn''t have that excuse as he was in a massive AU- with James Potter alive, Sirius not in prison.


    Leon was stuck in a conundrum, even if he believed that the woman and children may not die, due to the massive AU. The presence of Professor Quirrel with a turban means an unicorn is going to die and Leon wants to prevent that if he can without endangering himself....too much.


    But he didn''t want to jump into the game without any protections, even not accounting for how shitty a Horcrux would be if all it has are cons- soul breakage, insanity, creation of a weak spot, and no protection against capture on top of these.


    If a wizard with a single Horcrux, as is the norm, dies the Horcrux won''t be of much use if you can just capture the spirit that leaves the body.


    He would have to question the Horcrux creator''s and Voldy''s intelligence if that was the case.


    And Leon didn''t feel safe blurting out secrets to a wizard who could make him disappear without any effort. And when push comes to shove, he likes his agency- and life- more than any magical pony.


    ''There is no way, Dumbledore doesn''t know that there is something wrong with Quirrel, he must be trying to catch him in the act or something,'' Leon thought and decided to think about Dumbles and his seemingly dumb decisions some other time. He didn''t want to haphazardly guess what was going on in a century-old wizard''s head.


    ''I still have some time, I can decide what I will do before Voldy goes hunting for ponies.'' Shaking off the burden of knowing the future, Leon decided to enjoy the present.


    After a quick search of first years, he found Daphne talking with a cheery girl and a strutting blonde guy.


    ''I wonder if any other canon characters are gender-bent. Maybe a male Hermione for the female Harry, though the Weaselys'' and the professor''s gender didn''t change.''


    "Granger, Hermoine." The deputy headmistress called snapping Leon out of his ridiculous thoughts.


    A girl with long straight hair hurriedly walked towards the sorting hat and flashed a nervous smile towards Professor Kitty, revealing her metallic braces, and let the hat swallow her head.

 Chapter 6-Symbolism is a thing, right?

    "Gryffindor." The hat was announced after some time.


    ''Wow! Hermione is different compared to her book counterpart. Now I think about it, every character looks like a mix of their movie and book counterparts.'' Leon noted. ''And I guess it makes sense a teen Hermoine would straighten her bushy hair.''


    He didn''t encounter any more surprises in the sorting. Dumbledore, the maybe secret dark lord, confused his subjects with his ramblings and teleported a variety of dishes to shut them up.


    Leon felt full after tasting every dish present on the table, though Tonks stole some dishes he wanted to try, making him walk to the other end of the Hufflepuff table to get some.


    Cedric, the popular guy he was, just levitated the food towards Leon after seeing him standing up for the second time.


    Leon nodded at Cedric and sent a challenging glare toward Tonks who just huffed.


    The headmaster ended the feast after helpfully pointing out that something exciting was happening on the third floor and to stay away from the excitement.


    Shaking his head at the antics of the headmaster who had decades of experience with children, Leon followed his housemates to their common room.


    The Hufflepuff''s common room entrance was concealed by some potted plants. You had to tap the plants in a certain order to reveal the entrance.


    Wines sprouted from the pots, forming a large hole in the wall through which they entered the common room after some nudging by the prefects.


    Hufflepuff''s common room was massive with a huge part of it being occupied by plants.


    Moonlight entered the common room through skylights and ventilators that were placed near the roof of the common room.


    Some first-years eyed the different assortments of snacks lying on the tables even though they just finished their dinner.


    "This will be your home for the coming seven years and we the older Hufflepuffs are going to be your family. So, don''t be shy about for asking any kind of help." The male prefect kindly smiled at the gaggle of first years.


    "Helga Hufflepuff, our house''s founder, believes everyone needs a cozy home. A warm hearth, delicious dishes, and a dash of individuality make the best home. So, you can choose the type of dormitory you need- a separate room for yourself or get a roommate or three."


    "Hogwarts was built to house a greater population of students. So, there are plenty of spare rooms even when we don''t add magic into the mix." The female prefect informed the first years.


    Leon looked at his housemates, only four boys and three girls made up the Hufflepuff''s first year.


    "You will be woken up at 6:45 am. Breakfast starts at 7:30 am, so at 730 we will guide you to the great hall, make sure you are in the common room at 730 without fail." The male prefect spoke and gestured for boys to follow him.


    Leon waved Hannah and Susan goodbye and entered the boy''s dormitories following the prefect.


    "Browse the rooms, you can finalize your choice by tapping your wand on the bed. Your luggage will appear after you tap the bed." The prefect carefully observed every first year and bid them goodbye after making sure they understood everything.


    A kid with an ''I am superior, worship me peasants'' smirk clapped his hands.


    "I am going to choose a single room for myself, see you fellows in the morning."


    "Me too, I am Leon, you can call me Leo." Leon introduced himself to his yearmates after the smirky boy disappeared.


    "I am Ernie and this is Justin, we are going to choose a room for four, don''t be shy to drop by."


    Leon nodded and entered a room on his right.


    Magical lamps sprung to life with fire dancing in the glass lamps illuminating the room for the young wizard.


    Vines crawled across the walls with a window showing a garden.


    Leon opened the window, only for the garden to be replaced by a wall.


    ''Maybe seventh years got rooms with windows to real garden.''


    The remaining rooms were also similar, with enchanted windows that showed different types of gardens.


    Leon browsed the rooms hoping to find a room with a view that was to his liking and boy did he find one.


    A colossal tree swallowed the sky, moonlight slipped through its branches, illuminating its trunk, and touching the delicate flowers that took protection under the giant tree''s canopy, flourishing under its shade.


    Untamed jungle spun around the tree, leaving a huge gap around it like they were paying respect and not intruding on the tree''s territory.


    He tapped the bed in the room making his luggage magically appear along with a fluffy bed and soft blankets.


    Just when he was about to thank the house elf in his heart, his luggage magically unpacked itself.


    Clothes zoomed into the cupboards whereas his books got piled on a study table.


    Everything from his potion supplies to stationery was organized in a jiffy.


    Surprised at the efficient service, Leon barely stopped himself from calling out to the house elf to thank them and ask their name.


    He didn''t want to get into the habit of speaking about things he shouldn''t have any idea about, especially when there are no advantages to doing that.


    It may be a long shot that someone will notice the orphan half-blood was too knowledgeable. But he did impulsively jump into the lake, blurting out that he knew about the squid. He didn''t want to form a habit of doing things he couldn''t explain without relying on his future(?) knowledge.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    So, Leon just noted to do something for the elves of Hogwarts and sat at his study table to read.


    Light gently shone from multiple lamps on the walls of Leon''s room, matching his mood.


    Leon yawned as he finished reading the safety rules in the first year''s charms textbook.


    More yawns interrupted him before he could even read a paragraph of introduction making him sprawl on the bed and continue reading the book.


    Leon struggled to read, fighting against the encroaching tiredness. After reading the same line multiple times to understand it he knew he was fighting a losing battle.


    Unnoticed by him, the lights too dimmed as he fought against the sleep.


    ''Damn my previous self, he is way past his bedtime,'' Leon bleakly thought before he gave in to the sweet embrace of Morpheus.


    The lights magically got snuffed out casting the room in darkness.


    ...¡­.


    Leon opened his eyes and was greeted with the view of his room in dim light.


    He sat up on his bed, making the lamps jump to life.


    ''Cool! Wonder how they do that?'' Leon looked at the lamps that seemed to respond to movement or something magical before shaking his head.


    ''What time is it?''


    Not finding any clocks in his room, he turned towards his enchanted window.


    It still showed a garden covered in darkness.


    ''But I feel well rested.'' Leon left his bed and stretched wondering how many hours he had slept. Though, nature''s call interrupted his musings making him run to the common bathroom.


    After freshening up he went to the common room to see it occupied by some students who looked like 6 or 7 th years.


    "What time is it?" he asked, after greeting them.


    "5:30 am. You still have two more hours until breakfast firstie," the guy replied with a quick Tempus charm before going back to leafing his book.


    ''At least having the habit of sleeping early has some positive sides, now I can do some magic with a clear mind,'' He thought with an excited grin before running back to his room.


    He quickly opened the index page of his charm''s textbook.


    After the mandatory first-year charms spells many additional spells were listed at the end of the book, classified into types like grooming, crafting, movement, etc.


    Leon stopped himself from passing out with happiness after he saw the additional number of spells the first-year charms book had.


    ''Ok! Ok! Maybe I should try the iconic charms like Leviosa or Lumos. Or maybe I should start with tempus spell,'' He thought as his gaze wandered across his room, his mind jumping around with frantic excitement.


    The scene outside the window caught his gaze. The sun was slowly rising, casting a warm glow on the illusionary forest around the giant tree.


    A rabbit came into his view and started nibbling on a purplish green plant only for the said plant to rise from the earth, a face made of wood came out of the soil and started to scream, making the rabbit that was already 10ft away wobble in its flight.


    The scene jostled the kid in Leon who just wanted to learn cool spells.


    ''Right! I am in a magical school where guardians of hell''s Gate are locked in abandoned rooms and Trolls roam the halls, maybe I should learn some spells that will get me out of a pinch,'' Leon grimaced and started to seriously go through the subheadings the spells were divided into.


    ''Let''s take away spells I will learn in class like Lumos and I can manually groom myself for some more time.''


    ''I don''t think bullies are a problem for now. So no attack or defensive spells.. at least for today,'' Leon reluctantly tore his eyes away from the spells. After all, Cerberus, Troll, and Voldy weren''t something a first-year spells can harm.


    ''Utility spells¡­. Yes, let''s go with them. I think the Spongify spell is a good place to start with, its effect being the same as my first not-so-accidental magic makes it a great choice. After all, Harry Potter world''s magic supports symbolism.. I think. And my first flying lesson is near, with this spell I can rest easy.''


    It was still his first day, he did have time to learn other cool spells.


    Leon took his wand from its sheath.


    Black mist lazily swirled in the wand, the crystallized essence of Vaelix, being transparent, coupled with the otherworldly black mist gave the wand an ethereal feeling.


    Leon shook his wand for a second making the black mist cover every inch of his wand, making it look like a refined piece of black wood.


    ''Maybe I should look into camouflage spells for my wand. Bah! I can just say I charmed the wand if its special appearance draws eyes.''


    He shook his head and read more about the Spongify spell.


    After double-checking the wand movement and pronunciation, he softly moved his wand in a s-shape and incantated the spell, pointing his wand at a beaker cork, willing the cork to turn rubbery.


    After staring at the cork to do something, he took it in his hands.


    ''Well, the spell took effect,'' Leon thought, poking the cork with his finger.


    He smashed the cork on the floor expecting it to bounce back, but it just lay stuck to the floor.


    ''Hmm!''


    Leon cast the spell again on the wooden table and started touching it.


    ''Nope, the whole table didn''t change,'' he noted and poked the place where his wand was pointed.


    ''Yes! Here it is.''


    A fist-sized area where his wand pointed became soft, different from the rest of the table''s surface.


    He punched the affected area.


    It felt like the table surface was soft like a pillow, it gently absorbed his fist''s energy.


    ''Hmm!''


    Leon cast the spell again, this time on the rocky floor of his room.


    This time the spell only affected an area less than a baby''s fist.


    ''So, different materials different resistances and¡­ I should note this down.. an experiment journal for future use.''


    After noting the area decrease between the wood and rocky surface, he cast the spell on his bed.


    His bed became even more soft and even propelled the cork he threw at it back unlike the table which just became fluffy.


    ''Spongify is a trampoline spell, right? Or am I confusing it with something?'' Leon wondered and searched the book for more details. But the book just repeated the sentence ''Softens a target area or object, making it rubbery and soft''.


    As he pressed on the spell-affected area on the table Leon got an idea.


    ''Can I adjust the ratio of cushiony and rubbery..ness?'' he wondered.


    After half an hour of writing S in the air, it seems that yes, he could.


    The cork can become as soft as foam and as rubbery as a bouncing ball.


    ''Still, isn''t it supposed to be a trampoline spell? A block of rubber won''t let you bounce off of it,'' Leon wondered playing with the cork.


    ''I know I can make a trampoline if I use this spell- maximizing the rubbery..ness- on a carpet or drapes and tie it above ground, but I want to turn the ground itself into a trampoline.''


    Suddenly, an idea struck Leon making him grin.


    ''That''s it.''


    ''The person who created this spell knew what they were doing.'' He cast the spell again, but this time he imagined the surface layer of the table turning rubbery, and the wood below the surface as soft and mouldable like foam.


    After two tries he nailed it. A normal cork bounced off the table like it was a trampoline.


    "Awesome," Leon muttered eyeing the three-finger width trampoline, the customizing of two concepts- soft and rubbery somehow reduced the affected area.


    ''Damn! When can I invent spells like this? By giving control over the ratio between softness and bounciness, the spell essentially gives different outputs- to stop a fall, to jump higher, and by combining the foam and rubber-like nature, the drop height from which you will be unharmed will also increase exponentially.''


    ''After all, no matter how soft a foam is it still has limits, no wonder it is called softening charm.''


    Leon mentally gushed over the spell, though it would take more time and practice for the spell to be useful, he wasn''t disappointed.


    After all, he did bend reality to his whims, he was a wizard!


    Seeing that no one came to call him, he quickly started reading about the Tempus spell.


    And boy was the spell easy, it was as easy as flipping a switch. He just did the wand movement and incanted the spell, wanting to know the time.


    Roman Numerals made of white fog appeared above his wand.


    Leon changed their colors with just a thought. As the numerals swirled in colors, he even tried to turn the Roman numerals into Arabic numerals though it didn''t work.


    Leon frowned and willed the numbers to change size and change size they did.


    Suppressing his giddiness at the magic he was doing he willed to turn the Roman numerals to Arabic, trying again.


    The numerals flickered but didn''t change. He tried again and again.


    Nothing happened.

 Chapter 7- Charms

    ''Why am I facing such difficulty? It feels even tougher than customizing the Spongify spell.'' Leon wondered as the Roman numerals refused to turn into Arabic numerals.


    Seeing as the time was 7:20 am already, Leon headed towards the common room.


    The first years and the two prefects were already present.


    ''Damn, they are waiting for me.''


    Leon greeted everyone and apologized for making them wait.


    The prefects just smiled at him and gestured for the firsties to follow them.


    "No one came to wake me up, didn''t the prefects say we would be woken up?" Leon whispered to Susan.


    "Why will people wake you up? The bed is charmed to rouse you from sleep at 6:45 am gently." Susan replied, frowning.


    "Oh! I woke up early and the room didn''t have a clock. So, I was waiting for someone to check on me to know the time."


    "You should have waited in the common room then. What were you doing in your room?"


    Hannah asked, her pigtails shaking as we followed the prefects.


    "Learning spells," Leon replied, memorizing the route to the great hall.


    After a hearty meal, the Hufflepuff entered the dungeons for their first potions class.


    Hannah and Leon shared a seat as Susan was accosted by the ''I am superior'' boy Hufflepuff.


    Unlike the silent Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuffs chatted with each other and even with the odd Ravenclaw.


    Professor Snape entered the classroom, extinguishing the warm murmurs of the puffs.


    After the roll call, Snape dived right into the lesson. He explained about the potion ingredients, where they grow, and how to identify them.


    Leon belatedly followed his yearmates as they started jotting down every word that left the professor''s mouth.


    Snape ended the class by giving the last half an hour of the class as free time to digest today''s class.


    "An oral quiz will be taken in the next class on the first 100 ingredients in your textbook, prepare well. You wouldn''t want to be the first student who lost points for their house." Snape''s soft voice echoed in the class as he left the class with his cloak billowing behind him.


    ''Just when I thought the potions class wasn''t bad, there he goes assigning work on the first day. Though the homework could mighty interesting.''


    Leon''s eyes shined as he remembered the unique properties of magical herbs and how they interact with each other.


    He silently followed the first years who were quiet, even the puffs, as they left the potions, each lost in thought.


    ''Snape left quite an impression on the young minds it seems.''


    "It wasn''t so bad," Hannah murmured.


    Leon looked questioningly at Susan as Hannah was in a daze with her head down.


    "Tonks told some scary stories about how Professor Snape treats his students. Hannah was scared because of that," Susan replied.


    "I wasn''t scared," Hannah retorted.


    "Of course, you are not scared," she said, giving Hannah a small hug.


    "Hmph!" Hannah huffed but returned the hug.


    After a delicious lunch, the first-year students were herded into the charms class.


    The classroom was rowdy even before the Hufflepuffs entered.


    The Gryffindors were making a racket, arguing about the best quidditch team as one of their fellow housemates dumbly looked at them.


    The loudest one was none other than the girl who lived.


    Hermoine sat in the first row and was reading the Charms textbook, unlike her other housemates, who occupied the back and middle benches on one side of the class.


    The Hufflepuff students occupied the other half of the class, it wasn''t long before the Charms professor entered the class.


    After a roll call, the professor started the class with Charm''s history and things that must be kept in mind while performing charms.


    Everything he said can be summed up to believe in yourself, don''t get frustrated if the spell doesn''t work, and take your time and some history.


    "Ok, Students read about the Lumos spell in your textbook and start casting it." Professor Flitwick stepped down from the pile of books he was standing on to reach the teacher''s table and smiled at the students.


    ''Ok, it''s time to see if I am a protag or not. If I can do Lumos in a single try then there are good chances I am a protagonist,'' Leon jokingly thought, ignoring the whole transmigrating into a fantasy world, and opened the page the Lumos spell was in.


    ''Lumos- Create light at the tip of the wand. Useful for exploring in the dark....''


    Shaking his head at the unhelpful description of the spell in the book. Leon memorized the wand movement and pronunciation and took out his wand.


    Clearing random thoughts from his mind, he concentrated on the glow of the fireflies he saw near the orphanage.


    "Lumos," He incantated.


    The tip of his wand lit up with a yellow and white glow before the yellow glow disappeared.


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    ''Did I see a yellow glow?'' Leon rubbed his eyes.


    "Well done, Mr Astraeus. 5 points to Hufflepuff. Why don''t you try Nox?"


    Leon nodded and looked up at the wand movement before using the spell.


    "Nox." Like a switch has been flipped the light disappeared.


    "3 more points for Hufflepuff. Now Mr. Astraeus repeat the wand lighting and extinguishing charm a couple of more times, try to reduce the casting time, and get creative with the spell." With a wink, the professor walked away.


    Leon nodded. He didn''t need a reminder, as he wasn''t going to leave the class without finding the limits of the spell.


    Seeing that Susan and Hannah were only a little behind him with their wands flickering with light, volatilely, he cast the spell again.


    The tip of his wand sprung to life.


    Leon could feel the light at the back of his mind, the sensation wasn''t much but he could feel it. The light was connected to him.


    It was like the weight of his clothes, nearly unnoticeable but present.


    Remembering how easy it was to change the color numerals in the tempus spell, he decided to change the color of the Lumos spell.


    Grasping the feeling at the back of his mind, he sent out of his will to change, through it.


    The white light at the tip of his wand flickered with shades of yellow.


    "Awesome," Leon muttered. He didn''t know how he pushed his will through the feeling(link), it just felt right.


    After two more tries his wand tip lit up with yellow light.


    With a big grin on his face, he turned towards his housemates.


    Only. No one noticed a 20-year-old man perfectly doing a spell meant for a 14-year-old kid.


    "Good work, Mr. Astraeus. 5 more points for Hufflepuff for good thinking."


    That did it.


    Everyone turned to see Leon grinning like a loon with his wand glowing yellow.


    Leon nodded and went back to experimenting.


    After 15 minutes of practice, he could turn the light to any color he wanted, he even tried disco lights.


    As he played with the spell, a thought hit him. ''The spell directly translates to light, why not a laser light instead of a standard torchlight,'' Leon wondered.


    Deciding to put it to the test, he again yanked the connection he felt to the light and willed it to change shape.


    He was successful after wrestling with the spell- willing it to change.


    With a smirk, he began changing the color of the laser.


    "15 more points to Hufflepuff. Mr Astraeus, you are full of surprises, are you not? And you have to forgive me, I cast a charm on you to not let your light show disturb your classmates." Professor Flitwick appeared before Leon, his eyes twinkling with happiness.


    Leon sheepishly rubbed his head at the mention of the light show and turned to see that even Hannah, who was beside him, didn''t seem to notice him, fully concentrating on her spell work.


    He even shook his hand in front of her, but she was mumbling the incantation of Nox spell.


    ''Notice me not charm?'' Leon wondered.


    "I will lift the spell, later. But bear with me for this class, Mr Astraeus. I want your classmates to associate their first charms class with wonder and fondness, not frustration." The professor''s smile dimmed a little.


    "I won''t be suppressing your talent in my next class, you don''t have to worry," Flitwick said, smiling.


    "What is that charm professor?" Leon asked, not bothered about the charm he was under. He can understand where Flitwick was coming from. He has literal magic to play with, so he decided to not stress on little things.


    "Don''t rush now, Mr Astraeus, everything will be revealed in time," Flitwick said with a mischievous smirk and continued helping the students.


    ''Damn, why does he like to knowledge block me?'' Leon wondered, looking at the charms professor.


    Time passed and eventually, the class came to an end.


    Professor Flitwick climbed on top of his pile of books and cleared his throat, catching the students'' attention.


    "Everyone has learned the Lumos spell, and I expect the ones who didn''t master the Nox spell to master it in their spare time. In our next class, which is on the day after tomorrow, we will see how adding prefixes and suffixes to charms will change them. We will start with experimenting with how adding affixes will change the Lumos spell, so don''t forget to master the Nox spell," Flitwick announced and ended the class.


    As students were organizing their books, Leon poked at Susan and Hannah.


    "Do you want to see something cool?"


    Hannah quickly nodded.


    Not waiting for Susan''s reply, Leon swirled his wand in a loop and cast the Lumos spell.


    A green laser light extended from his wand tip.


    He quickly pointed at Potter who was talking to Weasley.


    "What is that?"


    "A laser light ¨C Of course, the spell didn''t especially indicate any form of light¡­" Someone exclaimed behind the Hufflepuff trio, before continuing to murmur in a low voice.


    They turned back to see a girl, a Gryffindor, murmuring to herself.


    Hermione blushed at their stares and introduced herself, prompting a round of introductions.


    "Why don''t you explain what laser light is to my friends, Ms Granger," Leon said before going back to his task of messing with the Gryffindors.


    ''Friends huh? The headache-ridden squirt would have been trembling with happiness.'' Leon shrugged and started to turn the light off and on, messing with Weasley, who was rubbing his eyes, noticing the green dot on Rose.


    The Weasley didn''t believe his eyes at first and he even tried to catch it while the laser point was on the Potter, only for her to dart back and smack him.


    He started to search the classroom to look for the light with no success as Leon turned off the laser with a flick of his wand and a whisper.


    He turned around to see that Hermione was explaining the dual nature of light to the wizards, so he cut in.


    "It is just a concentrated form of light, that muggles invented. Now watch."


    Leon performed the spell again and pointed at the Potter.


    The laser light''s body was colorless mixing with the sunlight whereas the light dot on Potter''s head was green.


    Leon didn''t know how that worked but it happened as he played with the laser earlier, so he was going to take advantage of the magic.


    Weasley rubbed his head and started to argue with Rose. He even roped in another Gryffindor.


    The fun didn''t last long as Rose believed them after a couple of Gryffindors supported Weasley. The Muggleborn, the guy who stayed silent during the Quidditch team discussion, most likely pointed out that it was a laser light, making the Gryffindors fan out.


    Rose and the muggle-born started to look at the Hufflepuff students instead of the roof and windows to catch the ''bug'' like Weasely whenever Leon dispelled it.


    Deciding it was enough fun for now, Leon walked away with a grin.


    Susan and Hannah followed him making the lone Gryffindor stand there, flipping her charms textbook and muttering to herself.


    After they walked out of the classroom, Rose called out to them to stop.


    "Hey! You guys wouldn''t have any idea about the ''laser light'' right? It is a muggle toy, it seems," she asked, suspiciously eyeing the Hufflepuff trio.


    Leon and Hannah quickly shook their heads, though Susan let out an apologetic smile at Rose.


    "Please, I was just being polite. The Cogniti spell pointed towards you and seeing you are the only one with a muggle background here, I know it is you, Leon." Rose huffed.


    Seeing the Weasely and the Gryffindor gang coming towards them, Leon admitted, not wanting to tangle with the loud Gryffs.


    "Ok! It''s me."


    Rose held out her hand.


    "What?"


    "Let me see the toy," She beckoned.


    "It''s not a toy, I just used Lumos differently. After all the charm was meant to create light and there are different types of light," Leon replied with a shrug.


    Rose raised her eyebrow before walking away, thoughtful.


    "What is that spell, she talked about?" Leon asked the purebloods beside him.


    "It''s a charm that points towards the thing you want," Susan replied.


    "Wow, isn''t that charm too powerful?" Leon asked after he let the information sink in.


    ''I can use this spell and pass any test with MCQs,'' he thought thinking back on the full nighters he pulled to prepare for some exams.


    "Of course not, it''s a basic ward-breaking spell and has many restrictions. It doesn''t work for complicated, abstract queries or queries not related to the caster. Any stealth or shield charm will block it, it won''t be able to overcome even a basic ward- anchored protection spells- of a house." Susan patiently explained.


    "Still awesome," Leon muttered as he digested the spell''s limits.


    After they reached the Hufflepuff common room, Susan and Hannah opened their charms textbook and started to practice the Lumos spell.


    "Didn''t we just come from the Charms class why are you guys practicing again?" he asked as he joined the duo in the corner of the common room.


    "I want to change the color of light and turn it into laser light too," Susan said making Hannah.


    Leon gave them a thumbs-up and sat down.


    "Cushioning charm, here I come," he muttered and started to terrorize the Hogwarts floor.

 Chapter 8- Rules of Magic

    "Awesome," Leon yelled as he bounced off the floor, ignoring the looks he was getting.


    "So, you learned a new spell in the same amount of time we took to learn the Lumos spell variation," Susan asked, pointing her wand at Leon which was emitting a rainbow-colored light.


    "No, I started practicing this spell in the morning. And the affected area is still not bigger than two feet."


    Susan pouted at Leo, before continuing her practice.


    The girls practiced relentlessly showing why the hat sorted them into Hufflepuff.


    By dinner time, they both were successful in their endeavor. The common room corner, which the trio occupied, became a mini concert hall as various colorful lasers that spit physics in its face danced around, bringing smiles to the three Hufflepuffs.


    ...¡­


    Stars in the night sky boldly peeked at the bustling great hall, merrily winking at the Hogwarts students.


    The Hufflepuff table buzzed with warm murmurs as the students ate their scrumptious meal.


    Leon was there too, dining with his friends.


    ''I don''t think I can live without a house elf anymore,'' he thought eyeing the wide spread of dishes on his table, hesitating on which one to try next.


    As he was busy stuffing himself, Susan, who was sitting in front of him, suddenly giggled.


    Leon looked at her, frowning. She giggled even harder and nudged Hannah, gesturing towards him.


    Hannah followed her friend''s gesture before she started giggling at him.


    Leon noticed they were looking at his mouth and wiped it with a hanky.


    ''No way, I am a messy eater.'' He thought and the clean hanky supported him.


    As he looked on at his friends confused, he suddenly noticed a translucent ray of light, pointing at his face, totally unnoticeable if you don''t concentrate enough.


    "You have pink whiskers on your face," Hannah said, giggling.


    Leon shook his head and looked towards the Gryffindor table.


    Rose was sniggering, with her wand pointed at him.


    He waved at her and went back to the holy mission of filling his tummy.


    Rose quickly got bored, and just like that the light disappeared after a couple of seconds, making Susan and Hannah crane their necks to see Rose''s next target.


    The girl who lived didn''t disappoint, a red-colored screaming face appeared on Tonk''s forehead, who was minding her own business, seated at a little distance from Leon.


    Tonks didn''t notice anything at first, but her friends pointed at her forehead, making the face disappear whenever Tonks tried to check her face in the utensils.


    As Rose played with the seventh year, turning the angry face off and on, Leon who finished his meal, decided to enjoy the byplay.


    ''Hmm! I wonder how to do that. Changing the shape of light is one thing, but that much detail isn''t possible.'' Leon was sure of that because he tried to create a free-floating orb of light with Lumos spell, instead of turning his wand into a cheap torch light.


    And it didn''t work, curving the laser light was also difficult, at least not as easy as changing the colors of the light.


    ''Maybe the spell affixes, Professor Flitwick talked about, will help.''


    As he was lost in thought, Tonks caught onto the prank. A threatening wave of her wand in Gryffindor''s table direction made Rose stop her mischief.


    ...¡­


    The next day, after waking up at his standard time, well before the sun rose, Leon entered his first defense class in a good mood.


    However, the satisfaction of turning the floor''s surface into a 6 ft diameter trampoline didn''t last long as he was hit with a strong garlic smell.


    Professor Quirrel sat at the front of the classroom, muttering, observing the shadows with nervous looks.


    ''I remember his cover for his personality change is something about him escaping from a nest of vampires or something.''


    Leon quickly occupied a seat and took out his DADA textbook, ignoring the pretender.


    ''Offensive spells, here I come.'' He cheered as Quirrel started the class.


    His enthusiasm soon got doused as he couldn''t understand a thing coming out of Quirrel''s mouth.


    ''Vampires, I wonder how powerful they are,'' Leon''s mind got slowly distracted as the turban-wearing Quirrel stuttered on about jinxes.


    Shaking his head and ignoring the stuttering professor, Leon started reading the chapter.


    Even after Leon reread the chapter two times, Quirrel was still stuttering- reading- the same chapter.


    Just when Leon was considering headbutting Voldy in the face to ask him to take the class, Quirrel closed his textbook with a snap, mercifully.


    With a flick of his wand, every table and chair in the room became alive and started to skitter around, their wooden legs springing to life.


    Leon''s chair too started moving, making him reflexively leap out of it.


    At least he tried to, but he was somehow stuck to it, just like every other student in the class.


    After the class calmed down from the sudden rebellion of chairs and tables, Quirrel got their attention with a loud bang.


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    "Aim your wand above your head and start casting the spell we talked about- the Vermillious spell," he instructed, still stuttering.


    ''Damn! That was some impressive magic!'' Leon looked around the class to see students sitting far away from each other.


    ''He could have just asked us to maintain some distance from each other for safety,'' Leon grumbled, opening the Vermillious spell in his textbook.


    Memorizing the wand movement and pronunciation, he flexed his arm, making his wand appear in his palm.


    ''Ho! I am a magician.'' Leon snickered patting the enchanted sheath he bought before concentrating on the spell.


    He recalled the night sky lighting up with fireworks and decided to use it as the base for the spell.


    Picturing a firecracker soaring into the sky before bursting into multiple lights, he incanted the spell.


    ''Hmm! Nothing¡­''


    2 meters away from him, Susan''s wand glittered. Small red sparks burst at the end of her wand, catching the class''s attention.


    ''A partial success.''


    Giving her a thumbs up, Leon redoubled his efforts.


    ''Damn! I will let down every transmigrator of HP world if I let another student in my class perform a spell before me,'' he lamented.


    He tossed away the big picture and concentrated on just producing the bright red sparks.


    And Leon was met with success.


    His wand''s tip chittered with red sparks bursting into life.


    "Now I just have to turn these little sparks into a raging inferno¡­literally," Leon mumbled.


    The Vermillious spell doesn''t have any attack power and is supposed to be used as flares. And a flare that even a person 10 feet away can''t see isn''t much of a use. So, Leon continued to practice the spell.


    After he lost count of the number of attempts, a red line of fire snaked across the air before bursting into fiery red sparks near the roof of the classroom.


    And he wasn''t alone in his success, a second red line of fire burst into sparks at the same time.


    Susan was smiling proudly, her eyes twinkling as both of their spells covered the roof of the class.


    Most of their remaining classmates'' wands just started to spark, they still had a long way to go before using the spell as a beacon it meant to be.


    ''A tie. At least it isn''t a loss. However, it is safe to assume that my previous life experience balances the scales of talent when it comes to talented witches.''


    ''That coupled with me being talented in charms- the connection I feel with charms- exponentially increases my prowess in charms¡­ I just hope my talent doesn''t lie only in charms.'' He thought ignoring Quirrel as he rewarded some points.


    ''DADA is overrated anyways, who wants to throw magical bombs and turn things into ash anyway.'' Leon scoffed, holding back his anguish at having average talent in DADA.


    If his talent in transfiguration is as high as charms he was going to dedicate more of his time to them, to get quicker results. ''No hexes, jinxes, curses for me anymore.''


    "Transfiguration.. Don''t disappoint me," Leon murmured as the professor dismissed the class. He ignored the thought of him being average in Transfiguration just like how people ignore their credit card debt.


    The Hufflepuffs surrounded Susan as Leon and Hannah made their way towards her.


    "Of course, I will help.."


    After Susan finished talking with everyone, she made a beeline towards Leon and Hannah and gave them a proud look, raising her chin.


    Hannah immediately hugged her and gushed about how awesome Susan was.


    ''Damn! what''s with this difference in treatment, I also got that Vermillious spell, and Lumos charm on my first try too¡­ why is no one congratulating me.'' Leon grumbled, sarcastically.


    Shaking his head, Leon gave Susan a thumbs up and a smile when she escaped from Hannah''s hug.


    ''I shouldn''t just totally ignore the DADA spells, though. They are handy,'' he thought as they walked towards the great hall.


    ...¡­..


    The Hogwarts students, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, were sitting in the Transfiguration classroom, waiting for the professor. Many didn''t know the said professor was on the desk, imitating a cat''s statue.


    Leon nudged Hannah and Susan and pointed at Rose as she rose from her seat.


    They watched as Rose Potter walked up to the cat on the professor''s desk and pointed her wand at it.


    After she mumbled a spell, her wand lit up and projected a rat-shaped light on the desk.


    The Cat shivered looking ready to pounce on the light but suddenly stiffened before giving Rose a stern glare.


    Rose just giggled and went back to her seat.


    "Why did you do that for?" Ron Weasely loudly questioned before Rose shushed him.


    The bell rang, followed by the closing of the classroom''s door.


    A cat''s cry reverberated in the classroom catching the first year''s attention.


    Murmurs erupted as the students wondered about how a non-magical cat could be so loud.


    "Silence." A stern voice emanated from the professor''s desk again.


    The students could only see a stiff cat, sitting on the desk.


    "Did the cat talk?" someone murmured.


    Under the puzzled eyes of the first-year students, the cat transformed into the deputy headmistress.


    "The study of Transfiguration is never-ending. It is as extensive and branched as magic itself. I am an Animagus, some of you know what an Animagus is," after directing a glare at Rose, she continued.


    "For those who don''t, an animagus can change into a non-magical creature that best represents their inner self. It is a small branch of Transfiguration and as you have evidenced it doesn''t end with a witch or wizard gaining the ability to transform at will."


    "If you want to become a decent wizard or witch in transfiguration, it requires, discipline, patience, and hard work."


    The Transfiguration professor let it digest for some time and broke the silence.


    "Now, who will tell me what Transfiguration is?"


    A hand shot into the air quicker than others, making the professor nod at the student.


    ''Did that hand just break through the sound barrier?'' Leon smiled looking at the student the hand belonged to.


    "Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, animal or a person."


    Hermoine Granger answered, her voice crisp and clear.


    "5 points to Gryffindor for taking the initiative to read the textbook before class."


    ''Hey! I was busy learning new spells, so I didn''t have time to open the textbook.'' Leon lamented as the professor gave everyone stinky eyes like they were lazy kittens.


    After giving Hermoine a nod, which made the braces girl beam, the professor continued explaining the theory behind the transfiguration.


    "Any object a first year like you transfigure will return to its original state before the end of the day, even if it isn''t disturbed. But an adult wizard can transfigure objects that won''t return to their previous state even after hundreds of years if left isolated. The difference in time lies in firmness of the intent and practice." She paused.


    "Any proper wizard can transfigure an object which remains transfigured when it is ideally isolated."


    "Can anyone tell me how you can revert a transfigured object to their original form without spells?"


    Hermione''s soared into the air again.


    "Any physical damage to a transfigured object can make it revert to its original form carrying the damage."


    Professor McGonagall nodded her head.


    "Unlike other branches of magic, transfiguration is essentially masking the reality with magic. So transfigured objects can be dispelled in three different ways. We divide them into three levels of Scrutiny: Intent, Force, and Fundamental."


    "Intent scrutiny will be covered in your charms class as most transfigured objects easily pass intent scrutiny. Only under very rare conditions does it affect transfiguration. So, we focus on Force and Fundamental scrutiny in transfiguration."


    "Let''s take a matchstick." A matchstick appeared in front of her before ballooning to 2 ft long.


    "Pay attention, you will be performing this spell at the end of the class," she said and waved her wand in a certain pattern and incanted a spell, turning the giant matchstick into a slender needle.


    She silenced the murmurs with a stern glare.


    "Yes, you will be turning a matchstick into a needle at the end of this class, but they won''t be this big," She pointedly looked at a group of Gryffindors before reverting the needle and transfiguring it again.


    With a wave of her wand, she soundlessly broke the needle into two pieces.


    "Now, if any object you transfigured is broken into two like this, it will revert to its original form. In this case, the needle will turn into two broken pieces of the matchstick."


    "Again, it takes practice to stop your transfigured object from reverting after taking damage. Enough practice will make your transfigured objects inert to force scrutiny."


    With a wave of her hand, McGonagall summoned a cube-shaped jelly. And transfigured it into a cube of ice.


    "Now, observe it," she said.


    After a couple of seconds, the cube of ice reverted to jelly.


    "Can anyone tell me, why the transfigured ice went back to its original state?"


    Hermione and a couple of muggle-born students raised their hands.


    ''That hand is going to pop out of its socket someday,'' Leon snickered, amused at the undiminished enthusiasm of the Gryffindor.


    "Why don''t you answer us, Mr Astraeus." McGonagall looked at Leon with a raised eyebrow.

 Chapter 9- A Song and Dance

    ¡®Can¡¯t I smile in the classroom?¡¯ Leon grumbled, wondering if she retained her animagus form¡¯s sharp eyes.


    ¡°The ice went under Fundamental scrutiny, i.e., due to the room temperature a very small portion of it melted- it got changed at a fundamental level- no matter how small, making it revert.¡± Leon was just winging it, the explanation just made sense, so he stuck with it not buckling under the stern glare of the professor.


    ¡°Good, 5 points to Hufflepuff. This will be the result if anyone other than an experienced wizard transfigures things into ice or similar volatile substances.¡±


    ¡°Now focus,¡± she said.


    The professor waved her hand turning the existing floating jelly cube into a giant ice cube.


    With another wave of her hand, a huge water droplet dripped onto the ground before turning into jelly.


    Multiple water droplets slid down the ice cube and reverted to their original form by the time they touched the ground.


    ¡°Can anyone tell me why eating or drinking transfigured objects is harmful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Thomas.¡± A Gryffindor who looked uncertain answered.


    ¡°Because when they get digested, they will revert to their original form.¡±


    ¡°Correct, good. As you guys are in your first year any object you transfigured will revert into your mouth as you chew.¡±


    ¡°But in your coming years, if one of you is stupid enough to eat to transfigured object which will revert to its original form as your stomach tries to digest it, you will spend a full day in the Hospital wing, vomiting your guts out.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be turning anything into volatile substances like ice cubes any time soon as it is an advanced branch of transfiguration. This demonstration is meant to show you what happens when solids break down in your stomach when you foolishly eat transfigured objects.¡±


    ¡°So, no practicing transfiguration without a professor to supervise, anyone who breaks this rule will not be allowed to attend my classes.¡±


    The professor made eye contact with every student to stick it into their brains.


    ¡°Any questions before we proceed to spell practice?¡±


    Leon raised his hand, making her nod at him.


    ¡°Can no one transfigure objects permanently, on a fundamental level, like transfiguring a rock to pudding? With the transfigured pudding having the same amount of nutrients as a real pudding?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°As a wizard grows older, they learn to transfigure objects closer to the real thing. But only wizards like our headmaster Dumbledore can alter things at a fundamental level. But those less accomplished can turn to the path of alchemy if they want to turn a rock into pudding,¡± she said some amusement dancing in her eyes.


    ¡°But alchemy isn¡¯t taught nowadays, and its books are restricted as most alchemy processes are volatile. You can ask me or your house head in your sixth year if you want to learn alchemy.¡±


    ¡®Damn! There goes my hope of becoming a rich oil tycoon by using water. It seems only Dumbledore can become one and he already has a great beard¡­how is that fair?¡¯ Leon shook his head, chuckling.


    ¡®And Alchemy goes onto the back burner for now.¡¯


    ¡°Now it''s time to practice, turn these match sticks into a needle. You have two classes to perfect it, so if you don¡¯t want to fail your exams, I suggest giving it your all.¡±


    As the first-time students were suddenly introduced to the concept of being held down for a year, pairs of matchsticks and needles appeared in front of them, making them jump right into practice.


    ¡°Professor? Does a transfigured apple taste the same as a real one? If it passes, force scrutiny, of course. And can you be healed if you inhale a transfigured solid?¡± Leon asked as McGonagall started supervising the practice.


    ¡°You can think about it in your free time, but it depends upon the skill of the Witch. You can be healed, but matter-state transfiguration is not easy or important enough for you to learn in your seven years of education. Many charms replace the need of that branch, so you better concentrate on turning the match into a needle now, Mr Leon.¡± The professor replied, gently.


    He nodded and flexed his hand, making his wand appear in his hand while keeping another topic on the back burner, for now.


    Holding back a sigh at the number of topics out of his reach, he started to touch the needle to get a feel for it.


    After fondling the needle for a couple of seconds he incanted the spell, performing precise wand movements.


    He imagined silver color covering the matchstick, from one end to another, wood becoming compact and slender, slowly turning into a needle.


    And boy was he surprised.


    A silver layer slowly moved from the bottom of the matchstick turning the wood into metal.


    ¡®The shape is wonky, but I didn¡¯t expect the match to be so responsive.¡¯ He grinned and incanted the spell again.


    This time the matchstick turned into a perfect needle- shape, size, texture, everything.


    As he admired his handiwork, he started to feel a connection to the transfigured needle, the same feeling he experienced in charms class.


    ¡®So cool,¡¯ Leon''s eyes twinkled as elegant designs appeared on the needle as he performed the spell again, tugging at the connection, sending his intent through it.


    He took the original needle, which was given to the first years to feel how their transfigured object should be, and scratched his transfigured needle.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    A little scratch converted the needle into its original form ¨C a matchstick.


    And unlike the slow transformation of turning into a needle, it reverted very fast, like reality snapped back into its original state.


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    He performed the spell again.


    This time the match transfigured quicker than before.


    He scratched it again with the needle, and it reverted.


    As Leon was lost in perfecting the transfiguration, his needle caught the attention of Professor McGonagall.


    ¡°10 points to Hufflepuff,¡± she announced standing beside him, snapping him out of his focus.


    ¡°Good work, Mr Leon. Continue what you are doing. At the end of the class, if your needle can retain its transfiguration even when snapped in half, you will earn 10 more points.¡±


    Leon just nodded before tuning out the class, concentrating on the matchstick.


    Susan pouted at him comparing her matchstick, which gained a hue of silver to his perfect needle before continuing her practice as Hannah shook her head in exasperation.


    Leon¡¯s progress was visible as he kept damaging and transfiguring the matchstick, each time it took a little more damage for the needle to revert.


    30 minutes after McGonagall praised him, the transfigured needle didn¡¯t turn back to its original form even when snapped in half.


    By the end of the class, he was able to transfigure multiple matchsticks at the same time with the transfiguration difficulty increasing if the matchsticks were far apart.


    As the students murmured how unfair life was, McGonagall sent them off with an unsympathetic glare not caring about the existential crises the students were experiencing due to Leon.


    The Hufflepuff students made their way toward the library as they were informed in the morning that Tuesdays were study meetings for the puffs.


    Leon caught some snippets from Susan¡¯s and Hannah¡¯s conversation as they were talking about how the study meet came to be.


    ¡®It seems, the meeting started with the prefects helping the first years but slowly more students attended to clarify their doubts which made the prefects call for help. And now the whole Hufflepuff will be in the library every Tuesday.¡¯


    Leon, lost in thought about how Puffs looked like the best house, didn¡¯t notice the buzzing behind him as his yearmates whispered about his talent.


    Susan was also listening to their murmurs looking at Leon¡¯s back with a complicated face.


    The castle hallway made its way to an extremely detailed giant door.


    ¡®Damn, Full attendance. I thought older students wouldn¡¯t care much about such gatherings, but then again I am in Hufflepuff.. peer pressure must be huge as we are supposed to be the house that embodies loyalty,¡¯ he thought peeking into the library.


    ¡°Hey! How did you do that?¡± A voice made him stop as he was about to enter the library.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, turning around.


    The Hufflepuff boy, his batchmate, glared at Leon.


    ¡°How were you able to transfigure so many needles?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Once you learn to transfigure one matchstick, its number matters less as long as they are bunched together. Weird, I know, but I think it beca-¡±


    The Hufflepuff interrupted Leon.


    ¡°Did you practice the transfiguration before, in your home?¡±


    ¡°Huh! No..¡± Leon answered taken back.


    ¡°You are lying,¡± the Hufflepuff accused.


    Leon¡¯s eyes turned sharp as he took in the little boy¡¯s appearance, finally focusing on him.


    ¡®Neatly combed hair, groomed eyebrows.. arrogant expression, punchable face. Hufflepuff¡¯s Malfoy..?¡¯ A weird expression appeared on Leon¡¯s face as he observed the huffing Hufflepuff.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Smith, Zacharias Smith. Direct Descendant-¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Leon asked, cutting him off.


    He only vaguely remembered the character named Zacharias Smith. As he let the boy fume in anger, he noticed that his remaining batchmates who were supposed to be behind him vanished.


    ¡°There is no way that you did the matchstick transfiguration for the first time today, admit it.¡± He spoke, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°What? Why do you think that? I heard that turning a matchstick into a needle is supposed to be very easy.¡±


    He mock-gasped, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t able to complete a beginner exercise in transfiguration?¡± Leon asked with a smirk, donning his douchebag expression.


    As Leon looked at the gobsmacked expression on Smith¡¯s face, a hand ruffled his head.


    ¡°Hey! Firstie I heard you got 30 points in a single transfiguration class.¡± Tonks ran her arm around his shoulder and glanced at Smith before staring at Leon as he tried to escape from her shoulder hug.


    Smith gritted his teeth and walked away glaring at Leon.


    ¡®Yeah, I can feel it he is going to be a problem.¡¯ Leon thought as he nearly broke through Tonk''s hug before her arm bulged with muscles, tightening her grip around his shoulders.


    ¡°Cool!¡± he exclaimed and poked her muscled hand, making Tonks blush and release him.


    ¡®So, Easy!¡¯ He smirked, while his target wasn¡¯t to make her leave his shoulder when he poked, the results were all that mattered.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s nothing, I earned nearly 40 points in yesterday¡¯s charms class.¡± He answered her, noticing Susan and Hannah standing behind her.


    ¡°Really? Why don¡¯t I remember?¡± Hannah asked.


    ¡°Well, Professor Flitwick said he cast a spell to not let my spell practice disturb others. I was experimenting with maximum brightness and different colors of light.¡±


    ¡°Oh! It seems we got a talented badger this year. Good! Good! I was afraid people would forget about Hufflepuff after I graduated from Hogwarts,¡± Tonks mockingly patted his shoulders, her hair suddenly turning yellow.


    ¡°I pass on my torch to you, you have to take care of our house in the future,¡± she said, waving her wand.


    Susan and Hannah started giggling looking at him.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Leon questioned, unbothered, but still touching his face.


    ¡°I just passed on the torch, look my hair is losing its color and yours is turning yellow,¡± she said pointing at her and Leon¡¯s heads as her yellow hair slowly gave rise to a black color.


    ¡°Ha! Funny,¡± Leon scoffed making Tonks hit his shoulder before walking away.


    ¡°Thanks, you didn¡¯t need to bother her, I could have handled him.¡± Leon naturally wasn¡¯t afraid of a rude 14-year-old, but the said 14-year-old being a wizard did increase his threat level.


    ¡®Well, a single bright Lumos will take care of any first year. Though I should practice reducing, or outright eliminate the wand movement.¡¯


    ¡°But how did you know he was looking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°We know him from a young age, our families attend the same gatherings. So, we know how your talk was going to end,¡± Susan said, sighing.


    ¡°Forget about him,¡± Hannah mumbled and entered the library before beelining towards a shelf.


    Susan and Leon made themselves comfortable on a table as they watched Hannah browse what looked like a magazine and story section.


    Shaking his head, Leon opened his charms book and started to search for his second spell.


    Hannah skipped towards them and handed a magazine to Susan.


    The black-haired Hufflepuff eyed the magazine and Leon¡¯s charms textbook, before taking out her DADA textbook.


    Hannah whined quietly but she too followed her friend and took out her Herbology textbook.


    Leon didn¡¯t notice the byplay but if he did, he would have patted their shoulders and continued reading with a smile.


    ¡®Ok! I still need a spell that will help me in a pinch, so a movement or a stealth spell. There aren¡¯t many threats in Hogwarts that a first-year¡¯s spell can hurt if you don¡¯t have the power of plot armor.¡¯


    As he searched the textbook multiple spells caught his eye, but somehow he was reluctant to get on with casting.


    ¡®Fine, I can¡¯t delude myself anymore. I didn¡¯t want to put myself in dangerous situations while exploring this magical world until I accumulated at least a moderate amount of power. But I sooo want to see the Troll and the Cerberus Hogwarts Houses. Especially the Cerberus, they are supposed to be very rare.¡¯ His enthusiasm smothered in the name of safety rose, breaking through his weak objections.


    ¡®Instead of deluding myself that I won¡¯t stalk the troll or visit the Cerberus and learn subpar spells, I should learn customized spells to evade the senses of these magical creatures. If my spells can deceive a magical beast, I don¡¯t think I have to worry about first years.¡± He decided and left to find the famous ¡®Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them¡¯ book to learn more about the magical beasts.


    ¡®Cerberus¡­Cerberus.. Here it is.¡¯


    ¡®Cerberus is a three-headed dog that grows in size as it ages. They are very territorial and are at the top of the wizard killer list. Wizards are encouraged to Apparate away when they suspect they have trespassed into Cerberus territory.


    Cerberi are very rare. According to F.B.W, Fantastic Beasts Welfare, there are only a couple dozen Cerberi on the planet prowling the active volcanoes near Greece.


    To compensate for their abysmal reproduction rate, Cerberi are nearly immune to physical damage and highly resistant to magical damage.


    And don¡¯t believe in the myth that a Cerberus falls asleep to music- it doesn¡¯t. Only Cerberi bred in captivity are conditioned to fall asleep if they listen to a certain tune. Otherwise, any music just makes the Cerberus drowsy, and in turn, makes it want to eliminate the threat before taking a nap.


    So, don¡¯t do a song and dance when you come face to face with a slobbering three-headed giant dog. Even if they are bred in captivity, you can¡¯t know the particular music they fall asleep to if you aren¡¯t the one who raised it.¡¯

 Chapter 10- Perfect

    Leon continued reading.


    ''Subjugating a Cerberus requires a lot of preparations and dozens of experienced beast handlers along with multiple teams of hit wizards, even then you can expect a high casualty rate.


    The Greek ministry just lures the 7-X classified beasts back to their lairs, the volcanoes, with food whenever they leave their territory.''


    ''Now, I understand why they have Fluffy guard the room. I guess, it makes sense that something with that horrible reproduction rate has such power.''


    ''The 7-X is the highest threat level that can be assigned, and that beast is a couple hundred meters away from me.''


    Leon suddenly got the impulse to run to the third floor to see the mighty beast with his own eyes, but he quickly smothered it and began searching for trolls.


    ''Cave Trolls, Mountain Trolls, Forest Trolls. Damn, so many types..''


    ''What was that Troll that nearly kills Hermoine....A Hogwarts Troll?'' Snickering at the image of Ron Weasley stuffing his mouth with both hands, Leon tried to recall what type of troll that got done in by its club- the troll which other trolls call dumb but he couldn''t remember. So, he decided to read up on every type of troll native to Britain.


    ''Hmm! From what I read, Trolls are vitality incarnates with the forest trolls having absurd regeneration rate, followed by mountain trolls.''


    ''They are individually XXX-classified beasts but as they move in groups and are resistant to the spells of an average wizard, they are classified as 5-X when spotted in groups.


    The average wizard talked about here is an average active auror.


    Magic, like everything, requires practice not to let your skills rust. And an average paper pusher doesn''t need much magic in their life. Thus, the ministry assigns danger ratings according to the skills of the people who face the beasts.


    There is only one solution for civilian wizards when they face any beast classified above XXX, nicknamed wizard killers, which is to Apparate away.''


    Leon continued reading the book, thumbing the pictures of the Trolls as they dumbly looked at him.


    ''It seems Trolls have the same amount of regeneration as the Trolls in the games of my previous life. A Forest troll can regrow its hand in a second, at first, or reattach it even quicker, the mountain Troll sacrifices some amount of its regeneration for strength where whereas the Cave Troll sacrifices some amount of its regeneration for better eyesight in dark and rough skin.''


    ''Expect Cave Troll the other two has shit perception..cool.''


    ''The best way to kill a troll is via mind spells or enchanted objects, though cursed objects work too.''


    ''Damn, Enchanted objects? Cursed Objects? How to ''enchant'' or ''curse'' them? So many questions..'' He shook his head and continued reading.


    ''Damage done by enchanted or even charmed objects hinders the Trolls'' regeneration. But when you face a Troll, mind spells should be your go-to solution.


    They are easily distracted, so you don''t need to risk your life when you see one, just distract or confound them with a spell. Now, the spell will only work if it is overcharged, so don''t hold back when you face one. The above instruction is for auror or auror trainees, I will once again mention this. If you are a civilian wizard that came face to face with a Troll, your only solution is to Apparate away and stop your excursions into magical forests if you don''t want to be used as a toothpick.''


    ''Yeah, I was not looking to fight one before and now it is confirmed¡­.. I will just follow it around for some time to satisfy my curiosity and of course, to make sure Hermoine doesn''t get killed. Yep, that''s the main reason.''


    Clearing his throat, he wrote down the weaknesses, and signs to identify the type of trolls before returning the book.


    A little danger isn''t new to him, as always he will make preparations so there won''t be any danger, just like sky diving.


    ''Ah! Wrong example!'' Leon grimly chuckled and continued searching his charms textbook and some other books for new spells before deciding on his next spell- a camouflage spell.


    ''Perfectly invisible if the target is at a distance more than 7 meters. Hiding in a shadow exponentially increases the power of this spell, making the caster perfectly invisible even at a distance of less than three meters. The caster is advised to be stationary in both cases and should be hugging a wall or floor. The spell power will be less effective if the caster stands on a floor away from everything.''


    ''Hmm! It will do! Maybe I will get the chance to say, ''I am the shadow''.'' Leon grinned.


    ''If I find a way to move quickly and stealthily then I am reading for some troll stalking, and Hogwarts will witness the birth of the Batwiz,'' Leon sniggered and noted down the spell.


    An invisibility spell is multiple orders more complex and difficult than the camouflage spell, making Leon choose the lite version.


    He can always go for the invisibility spell if the camouflage spell doesn''t work as advertised, but he doubts he needs the invisibility spell. The trolls are supposed to have poor senses.


    After memorizing the spell, he took out his wand and started to practice the spell on a quill he tossed below his table.


    As Leon was grinning at the near-invisible quill after his third attempt, Susan harshly whispered.


    "What are you doing, spells aren''t allowed in the library. You can damage the books." Susan nervously glanced at Madam Pince, the caretaker of the library.


    "Don''t worry, I am not practicing an elemental or offensive charm." He said, before lowering his textbook onto the floor, below the table.


    Just as he was about to cast the spell again, Susan caught his hand.


    "Come on, some of the Hufflepuffs left to our common room, we can go there," she said.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Leon shrugged and packed his books; Hannah too mimicked him and clutched the magazine she tossed aside earlier like it was going to escape.


    The Hufflepuff trio left for their common room with Hannah humming and browsing the magazine, and Leon admiring the millennial-old castle with a grumpy Susan tailing them.


    However, the grumpiness didn''t last long.


    Susan and Hannah were giggling away by the time they reached their common room, thumbing the pages of the magazine.


    Leon tried to take a peek into the magazine but was shushed away. He had to settle with admiring Hogwarts, so he couldn''t complain.


    Hannah led Susan to the girls'' rooms leaving Leon in the common room.


    He quickly occupied a corner and started using the spell on a book and kept on increasing the size after each success.


    He kept on practicing even after dinner in his room.


    As the night deepened, he was able to turn a 1-meter stack of books invisible.


    The next morning, Leon woke up and continued practicing the spell with more enthusiasm as he was very near to becoming an invisible man, a lite version of the invisible man, to be exact.


    After a stack of books of the same height as him perfectly disappeared, melding into the wall he eagerly cast the spell on himself, eyeing the mirror in his room.


    Sadly, the result wasn''t a success, he could see his outline in the mirror.


    ''Hmm! Maybe, the reason for this partial success is because a humanoid outline is more complex than a cuboid.''


    A little disappointed he freshened up and left for breakfast.


    The herbology class was interesting. The Professor just let the students ooh and ahh over rare magical plants.


    And Leon''s voice was the loudest in the oohs and ahhs let out by the students.


    He was simply mesmerized by the magical plants.


    Some plants were on fire, some were ethereal and see-through.


    They were literally magical. So, one can''t find fault with him.


    Hufflepuffs entered their first flying class in high spirits, at least it was the first class for muggle-borns like Leon and Justin, a Hufflepuff muggle-born.


    "Are you nervous, Leon?" Justin asked.


    "No, you?"


    "Nope, Ernie let me use his broom after he finished practicing for the team tryouts."


    ''Woah! Too much information. So, first-year students are allowed to bring their brooms and even participate in the tryouts for Quidditch. Hmm! I wonder if Rose will still become a seeker.''


    "Cool! Is that why you were always quickly running away from the classes and lunch," Leon asked as Madam Hooch entered the field.


    "Yeah, I wanted to invite you. But you always seemed busy, so I didn''t," Ernie answered, with some guilt lacing his voice.


    "No worries," Leon waved his hand. With the prospect of flying before him, he couldn''t bother with the whys and maybes of not getting invited like an insecure teen.


    "All right, say up," Madam Hooch instructed after she informed the class about proper safety protocols and rules.


    "Up!" Leon commanded with a grin, which nearly split his face as the broom rose to meet his palm.


    ''Damn! I am becoming a magical joker.'' The sarcastic thought flashed through his mind as Madam Hooch instructed the next step.


    The rest of the flying class went smoothly.


    Leon was able to feel a connection forming between him and the broom, just like how it did in the charms and transfiguration class after he spent some time in the air.


    Once he felt the connection, flying became even easier for him.


    ''Damn, So I have talent in any subject that requires a constant connection with the target. I am average in DADA because the spells and their effects are permanent- can''t be manipulated again after they leave the wand- quite different from most of the charms and transfiguration.''


    ''And predicting with this data, I won''t be talented in potions as just as most of the DADA spells, potions can''t be manipulated... Bah! Who needs potions anyway.''


    Leon ignored the disappointment that he was not an Uber OP MC and concentrated on the air that ruffled his hair and the joyful shouts of his classmates as Madam Hooch extended her class until nightfall after some requests.


    The little irrational disappointment that clung to his mind, that he wasn''t some god-given gift to the magical world, melted away as he flew in the air with the ease of a bird, enjoying the beautiful sunset that turned Hogwarts into a fort made of gold.


    Leon slowly glided in the air; his eyes stuck to the beautiful sight in front of him.


    The castle walls rose to embrace the sky, defying the ravages of time, and exuding a profound and primeval aura that contained mystery, wonder, and warmth.


    The lake shined with a warm glow as the sea of greenery stretched onto the horizon, slowly swallowing the sun.


    ''Hmm! It seems the psyche merge tamed the daredevil in me more than I thought. Otherwise, how would I have missed the chance to do a dangerous, adrenaline-pumping stunt.'' Leon thought as he walked towards his room and quickly holed himself.


    Riding the high of flying, he continued his practice and with a little after 30 minutes, he couldn''t see himself in the mirror anymore.


    With an excited grin, he slowly entered the common room, hugging the walls.


    Nobody noticed him as he slowly moved towards the corner where Susan and Hannah sat, engrossed in something.


    Seeing even they didn''t notice him even when he was a meter away from them, courtesy of the shadows that were cast by the lamps. He dispelled himself and loudly cleared his throat.


    They jumped in fright before glaring at him.


    "What are you guys doing?" he asked with an unrepentant smirk.


    "Spell Cards, join us," Hannah replied merrily before remembering they were supposed to be glaring at him.


    Susan just sighed at the innocent girl before explaining the rules to Leon.


    Ernie too joined the game while Justin was content with watching.


    Leon sucked at the game causing Susan and Hannah to giggle whenever his card exploded in glitter, dust, or water.


    The spell cards game was a little similar to UNO. In the game, you have to play a card that either supports the previous spell card, enhancing the card effect on the next player or counter it or take the cards if you can''t do anything mentioned above.


    There are many different spells-shields, shield breakers, counters and such. The problem was the spells were too niche and the purebloods looked like they grew up with this game, so Leon more often than not got outplayed.


    But being the Puffs they were, his housemates didn''t bully the new guy too much, making it a very enjoyable game.


    That night Leon slept with a smile on his face. Even though he didn''t spend more than three days at Hogwarts, he loved every second.


    The next morning rolled around.


    Leon started the hunt for his next spell that would help him move silently and quickly.


    ''I can safely follow the Troll with the camouflage spell and its stinky smell will lead me right to it. But moving quickly will nullify my stealth. I need a spell for movement, and it should combine with the camouflage spell to let me move unseen.'' This was the best case he was hoping for.


    ''The easiest way to move unseen and fast is with a broom and Rose''s invisibility cloak which I don''t even know if she has with her.''


    He spent his whole morning searching for a proper solution, but he couldn''t find any.


    Checking the time with quick tempus, he left for breakfast.


    "We don''t have classes this afternoon what are you going to do?" Susan asked between her bites.


    "I don''t know, but I am excited about the spell affixes we will learn in today''s charms class though," Leon replied, hoping the charms class would shed light on his problem.


    The charms class was splendid with Flitwick explaining the theory behind charms affixes and letting them practice Lumos Solem. The spell produces an orb of light that floats in the air- like the sun- different from the wand lighting of Lumos.


    Leon got it on his first try and the professor seemingly expecting it made him practice Lumos maxima, a spell to increase the intensity of light.


    It wasn''t long before bright flashes emerged from the tip of the wand with enough intensity to blind a person.


    Maybe Leon''s classmates got inspired by him, but they too quickly nailed the Lumos Solem spell causing Flitwick to vibrate in happiness as he directed them to try Lumos Maxima.


    The class quickly ended with a mixed group of students practicing Lumos Solem and Lumos Maxima.


    Leon was doing both. He used Lumos Solem to produce three orbs of light while using Lumos Maxima to let the orbs of light flare up instead of the tip of his wand.


    However, without the slight modification to the spell Flitwick provided at the end of the class, it would have been tough for him to properly orient the orbs of light and use them to burn the retinas of anyone watching.


    ''I wonder if the professor knows that he helped me perfect an attack spell.''


    Flitwick gave out another 15 points to Hufflepuff for his ingenuity and his talent for charms, making Leon mock strut off the class with his chest puffed up making his friends laugh at him.


    .........................................


    A/N: Last chap this week!

 Chapter 11- House Hufflepuff

    The great hall was permeated with various aromas and murmurs.


    "The elves outdid themselves as always," Leon muttered savoring his soup.


    ''Hmm! So many spices!'' he thought, gulping it down.


    ''What''s this?'' A well-dressed dish that looked like it was made of fish caught his eyes, beckoning him to taste it.


    ''Who cares, it looks delicious.'' With a shrug filled with confidence in Hogwarts elf''s nature, he helped himself to the dish.


    After tasting most of the delicious items on the table, Leon decided to do a tour of Hogwarts.


    He couldn''t quite get an idea of how to traverse it, swift and unseen, so he thought observing the corridors might help.


    Tonks dragged Susan and Hannah away in the middle of his meal, the time he was most vulnerable.


    Hannah looked resigned and Susan reminded him about Hufflepuff''s picnic at 4 pm near the lake before getting dragged away by the older Hufflepuff.


    "Picnic, right? I would have totally forgotten if not for Susan! I wonder how many people will be there." The prefects intimated them about the Hufflepuff picnic- the house has them weekly.


    Leon started roaming the hallways admiring the portraits and odd armors.


    He even tried to catch the eye of the people in paintings after he camouflaged himself, experimenting with the parameters of the spell.


    It seems they can''t see him; how their visual perception works he didn''t know but it seems to replicate humans.


    He used the spell and tested many different portraits.


    From magical beasts and mad wizards to drunk poets, no one seemed to notice him in his camouflaged form.


    Just like that he reached the abandoned wing, the area filled with abandoned classrooms.


    As he was admiring an armor near the corner of a hallway, he heard hurried footsteps and voices coming from behind him.


    Leon quickly crouched behind the armor and cast the camouflage spell on himself.


    ''Is it time for me to eavesdrop on professors who will unwittingly provide me with clues regarding the current mystery of Hogwarts?'' Leon wondered; his eyes boring into the roof as he focused on the footsteps as they drew near.


    Hogwarts Castle, owing to its large size and hallways that even dwarf a half-giant like Hagrid, has its hallway''s roof always obscured by shadows. The only light sources are the lamps attached to the walls at six-foot height, especially at night without the sunlight streaming through the windows.


    ''Eavesdropping attached to the roof is better no one will look above.'' The thought struck him as he noticed something the size of a rat move on the roof, hidden under the cover of shadows. ''And I can do that too!'' A spell came to his mind that would let him roam the Hogwarts with the rat-sized spiders and make his moving problems disappear.


    Leon eagerly waited for the professors to gossip and move away. So, he could try out his new idea.


    ''I wonder if Rose is near me in her invisible cloak, ready for the info dump.''


    However, the reality was disappointing.


    Two fat kids trailed behind a slender blond-haired boy, huffing and puffing.


    "Damn! How does this stupid, smug, Hufflepuff halfblood keep disappearing?" The blonde muttered, peeking into the hallway Leon was hiding in.


    "I will cover his face with pus-filled blisters when I catch him, then we will see if he can be so smug." The slender blonde cursed and stopped to let his friends catch their breath.


    "Our prefects said not to mess with anyone, Draco. We have to be sneaky and not let him see us." A female joined the Slytherin trio walking into Leon''s sight from around the corner. "Do you think he will cry after you are done with him, Draco?" The one who wanted to be sneaky asked.


    ''Damn! It''s a wild Malfoy encounter. And it''s the generic chase in the hallway too,'' Leon exclaimed, feeling dubious.


    ''But how bad is Malfoy and his gang''s luck? I didn''t think they would try to bully me on the day I mastered a spell that burns retinas. If they had met me yesterday, I would have used an overpowered Lumos and snuck away leaving them with temporary blindness and a little disoriented, but now¡­.'' Leon smothered his laugh.


    ''Now the question is should I let them unharmed leave or not,'' he wondered for a second before deciding.


    ''Well! They followed me to make me cry. I would be a bad sport if I didn''t even sting their eyes¡­. Right? What is that saying about letting a child touch fire to stop them touching it?.... Anyways, now they are going to get burnt, let''s see if they are intelligent enough to learn the lesson that roaming hallways to bully people is a bad idea.''


    Leon waited as they turned around the corner and used Lumos Solem after dispelling his camouflage.


    Three orbs of light floated in front of him, ready to burn some eyes.


    He peeked around the corner and saw them walking away with the female Slytherin holding onto Malfoy''s arm.


    He waited to make sure they were at a good distance from him.


    "Hey! Losers!" Leon shouted, deepening his voice.


    The said losers turned just in time to miss the head full of unruly black hair peeking from the corner.


    "Who is that? Catch him!" Malfoy screeched as he and his entourage turned back and started running towards Leon.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Don''t let a Gryffindor like me catch you snakes slithering around in the corridors again," Leon shouted and waved his wand, leaning against the corner, hidden.


    The three orbs of light turned around the corner, vanishing from his sight before 4 high-pitched screams echoed down the corridor after a bright flash.


    Leon didn''t use the third orb of light. It served as a backup in case he missed a Slytherin, flaring one orb was easier and faster than multiple as the difficulty scaled exponentially. Due to Professor Flitwick''s help manipulating the orbs became easier but the said orbs disappear if they are flared intensely and the Slytherins needed some intense lessons.


    ''That''s four screams!'' Dispelling the combo, Leon quickly cast the camouflage spell and slowly retreated as the ruckus attracted every painting in the corridor.


    "Oh! Dear! The Slytherins are slithering on the floor.... The Slytherins are slithering on the floor~." A portrait exclaimed before adding a tune to his second sentence.


    "Do they not have bones? Look at them go!" Another portrait yelled as Leon turned around a corner, leaving the chaos behind with a smug grin.


    ''At least something good came off meeting with Malfoy. I know how to move in Hogwarts unseen and have an idea about the swift part too.''


    Leon ran to the library and started searching for a spell that would make his idea come true.


    "Yep! This is it."


    He memorized two spells- a standard spell and its variation- before walking towards Hogwarts Lake for the Hufflepuff picnic.


    Blankets and baskets were spread under the shade of the trees. The Hufflepuffs milled about playing games, laughing, and generally enjoying the nice evening.


    He quickly joined his friends who were watching a wizard chess match between Justin and an older student.


    As the sun disappeared, the Hufflepuffs ended the picnic and left for their common room.


    Leon was tired but happy. He liked spending time with his friends, the lonely headache-ridden 14-year-old boy part of him made sure of it.


    But he was tired because Susan took it as a challenge to introduce him to every Hufflepuff when he mentioned that he didn''t know any older students and they- Susan, Hannah, and Ernie- looked like knew everyone.


    That night the Hufflepuff table was buzzing with rumors about Malfoy and his gang''s screaming visit to the hospital wing.


    One rumor was that Malfoy was practicing a dark spell that went wrong, another said that he was smuggling a Gorg snake while another said that a cockatrice ghost was haunting the castle.


    Each rumor was more ridiculous than the last.


    As Hannah was explaining to him what a Gorg snake is and how it''s linked with Medusa the witch of Greece, Tonks bonked her.


    "Aw!" Hannah pouted, clutching her head as she looked at Tonks with tearful eyes.


    The seventh-year just waved her hand at her.


    "The little Slytherins just had their eyes burnt a little, it seems there wasn''t a magical component involved so Madam Promfrey swiftly healed them with a potion."


    "I heard the blonde, my cousin Draco, muttering about a black-haired Gryffindor and how his father will make him pay." Tonks shook her head. "When I asked for a name, his grunts let it slip that they didn''t see the said Gryffindor."


    ''Damn! They saw my hair; I thought I hid quickly. I should practice casting when camouflaged to avoid repeating this.'' As it was an active spell that changed with surroundings, he couldn''t cast other spells complex spells like his Solem and Maxima combo without the first spell flickering out.


    "Well, some first-year Gryffindors did master the Lumos Maxima spell today. But it''s most likely the work of an older student as the culprit wasn''t seen even before he used Lumos Maxima. Maybe the Gryffindor was under an invisibility spell," Susan reasoned, making Hannah nod, rapidly.


    Susan poked Hannah''s cheeks as she looked like a chipmunk with her cheeks still puffed up as she pouted.


    "I doubt it. An older student has many spells in their bag, they would have used some funny curse to teach the brat a lesson." Tonks too poked Hannah''s cheeks, making her hide behind Leon.


    "So, a first- or second-year student did this with a Lumos spell variant. No one goes to the effort of using an invisibility spell which even the seventh-years wrestle with to teach a firstie a lesson." Tonks continued, ignoring the byplay.


    "Gryffindors aren''t the bunch to experiment with spells, we are excluding the redheads of course, so it''s not a second-year Gryffindor, and it is also not a second-year Slytherin. If they planned this attack, they would make it more humiliating for Draco."


    "So, a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. I don''t think the second-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had the luck to meet Draco. And as stupid as Draco is he isn''t stupid enough to poke a second year."


    "And first-year Ravenclaw''s didn''t have their second charms class yet. So, it is someone from Hufflepuff or Rose. We can eliminate Rose too; she would have confronted him instead of changing her hair color to hide."


    "So, it is a clever Hufflepuff first-year talented in charms and has good manners, seeing he did not interrupt my brilliant deduction."


    "Why did you burn his eyes, squirt?" Tonks asked with a grin and draped her hand around Leon''s shoulder.


    "What? Why can''t it be Dean Thomas or Seamus Finnegan, they could have blasted the Slytherin''s eyes with light, ambushing them around a corner, and ran without getting seen."


    With most of the students practicing Lumos Maxima, Flitwick had to use a spell to not let the students'' casting attempts disturb each other.


    ''So, Susan and Hannah didn''t know about the Maxima spell and Solem combo. And I now I think about it, maybe the professor gave this spell to someone in Gryffindor too. I can see him, asking people to practice my(?) variant if they had mastered Maxima and Solem.''


    Professor Flitwick was floating murmuring how lucky he was to have two brilliant students. So, while Leon was pulling things out of thin air, there was a chance that could have happened.


    ''Either Rose or maybe Hermoine?''


    "Please! The shortest tunnel is the always tunnel that leads to the Niffler''s nest." Tonks slammed her hands on the table and snapped him out of his thoughts.


    Leon ignored the magic world''s occam razor and stared at Tonks.


    "Man, you would make a great auror. Are you trying to become one?" Leon inquired, using the opportunity to score some brownie points and trying to divert the topic.


    "Yes! Now tell me, enough dilly-dallying."


    Sadly, he was not successful.


    "Well! I noticed Malfoy following me and overheard him talking about a smug half-blood Hufflepuff and how he was going to make him cry in pain. So, I thought why not let him cry in pain but without tears." Leon nonchalantly explained, filling his plate.


    "That little.., I warned him Hufflepuff students aren''t someone you can bully, and now he has to face the consequences." Tonks muttered.


    "What consequences? Didn''t I deal with him?" Leon asked.


    "In Hufflepuff, we have a tradition. If one of us is bullied, there must be consequences."


    "A spell was developed in the time of the second wizarding war for this purpose. The Hufflepuffs were tired of the skirmishes in Hogwarts, unlike Gryffindors and Slytherin''s who relished in the fight while the Ravenclaws holed up in their tower. So, the Hufflepuffs crafted a spell that made the Slytherins leave us alone."


    "And it became a tradition to use the spell if any members of Hufflepuff are bullied."


    "Really? But he didn''t do anything yet," Leon pointed out.


    "Fine! He will know it was you who fooled them sooner or later, depending on when he asks for help. Then you have to inform me, even if he is only being annoying by blocking your way or something."


    "It''s about making a stand, we can''t let them think Hufflepuff has become soft," Tonks said, patting Leon''s shoulder.


    ''Is she disappointed? Oi! Why do I feel like she is disappointed?''


    "By the way, what is that spell?"


    "You will know when you see it," she answered with a smirk.


    "Do you guys know about the spell?" he asked looking at Susan and Hannah.


    They shook their heads.


    "How about Draco, do you guys know him?"


    "We run in different circles," Susan answered.


    .................


    A/N: I didn''t think of much of Hufflepuff when I first read the books like every other young potter head. But while writing this fic, the Hufflepuff House being tight-knit made sense. After all, Strength in numbers is a concept as old as time and one of the main reasons why humans didn''t become extinct.


    And I did think burning eyes is some next level response, but the mc living and breathing pain in his both lives made me think it is in character for him to discount pain.


    What do you guys think?


    Your thoughts lets me know that you are invested or like the fic. So don''t be shy.

 Chapter 12- Creepy Crawler

    Leon draped himself over a comfy chair, half-listening to his friend''s chat as he practiced a spell. The spell that would make stealthy movement in Hogwarts possible..hopefully.


    The whole common room was abuzz with murmurs. The puffs were excited as tomorrow was a Sunday. The whole day was going to be spent relaxing and playing as most of the students had completed their assignments in the weekly library meet-up.


    As Leon was staring into the air, murmuring and moving his wand, prefects and a couple of older students suddenly accosted him.


    "Can you tell us what exactly happened with Malfoy, Leon?" The female prefect asked, smiling kindly.


    ''Damn, how does she know?'' Noticing the pink head behind her and sending a glare at the stoic-faced Tonks, he explained everything that had happened.


    While some thought he was too harsh with his retaliation; everyone showed him support and made sure he wasn''t afraid to ask for help.


    Especially Diggory, he only left Leon alone after Tonks threatened to hex him.


    The prefects even offered to escort him to classes, which he firmly rejected.


    "Come on, Tonks. Why did you tell so many people?" Leon dragged the metamorph magus from the group of older students and glared at her.


    "Hey! I didn''t make the rules. Prefects and the seventh year are supposed to know if bullying happens. Do you think I can use the house spell willy-nilly? Don''t worry, only people who can keep secrets know about this."


    Leon just sighed and waved her away. It was not like he was afraid of Malfoy''s retaliation; he wasn''t just in the mood to play with the Slytherins when there was magic to learn.


    ''We''ll see what happens.''


    Sunday came around, pouring new life into Hogwarts.


    Leon spent the whole day mingling with his housemates and alternating between practicing his old spells- to reduce wand movement- and his new spell.


    His second week in Hogwarts moved like clockwork.


    New classes and new professors were introduced.


    The excitement of getting taught by a ghost didn''t even survive the first five minutes into Binn''s class. Leon decided to use the class time to complete his assignments as the ghost droned on, reading everything from the textbook.


    Other than the boring History of Magic and late-night Astronomy with Professor Sinistra, there weren''t many changes except Susan nailing the DADA spells a little earlier than him and Snape letting them brew potions.


    And boy was he bad at potions, even with the mental leg-up his previous life provided him, Leon was average when it came to potions, unlike Hannah who looked like she was in her element.


    And just like that the time to test the device that would help him traverse the treacherous teenager-infected Hogwarts Castle arrived.


    Leon struggled to wear the makeshift gadget in an abandoned classroom.


    Three thick ropes hung lazily from Leon''s back, emerging from his hand-made harness.


    Each rope is attached to a brick-shaped metal on the free end, with a 1-meter length.


    Leon cast the Spongify spell with exaggerated wand movement and a loud voice, and he repeated that two more times.


    More than half of the old classroom floor turned into a trampoline- ready for his use.


    "Testing of phase- 1 prototype named Creepy Crawler *cough* Unseen Streak commences in 3. 2," Leon counted down, solemnly.


    And he was serious if you ignore the fact that there are no more phases, and the supposed prototype is his final model.


    The Spongify spell he cast on the floor lasts for more than 30 minutes. The spell''s duration and power saw a great increase when cast with huge wand movement and in a loud voice. In the same way, whispering and cutting corners in the wand movement reduced the spell''s power.


    Practice is the only way to go if a wizard wants to whisper the incantation and reduce the wand movements to bare bones while maintaining the power.


    Learning most of the charms was very easy for Leon but reducing the wand movement and using a whisper to cast the spell was exponentially more difficult, making him dedicate most of his time to practice.


    After all, spells that can''t be used when in a pinch are as useful as Ron in the Harry Potter novel.


    The Spongify spell which now he can cast in 1.5 seconds, whispering the incantation lasts only about 10 seconds if he wants to affect more than a 1-meter diameter area.


    Leon can silently cast some spells with standard output power if he exaggerates the wand movements.


    He is quite some time away from casting a spell silently with normal wand movements and standard output power not to mention silent casting spells with bare-bone wand movements.


    So, he practiced optimal wand movements coupled with whisper incantation to be battle-ready.


    After all, he was going after a troll and a solid foundation never hurts anyone.


    "1!" As he finished the countdown, he jumped on the charmed floor and was propelled towards the roof.


    He quickly grabbed the middle rope and tossed it to the roof after he reached the peak of his jump.


    The metal brick at the end of the rope stuck to the roof''s surface and bore his weight canceling his downward momentum.


    "Uff! The harness is not comfortable," he muttered rubbing his waist. The harness was already charmed with a cushioning spell, there was nothing more he could do but increase its size.


    He quickly used a spell and tossed the rope- rope A- in front of him.


    The middle rope- which he named the stand-by rope- got detached from the roof as rope A got attached to the roof at some distance in front of him.


    As the rope was attached to his harness, he swung like a pendulum. And at the extreme position of the swing, he tossed the other rope- rope B- making it stick to the roof.


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    Without a delay, rope A detached from the roof making him swing again.


    After swinging across the room for some time he stopped testing the device and took a break, gasping on the floor.


    Leon charmed the metal alloy bricks at the end of the ropes with a sticking charm.


    The middle rope with standard sticking charm and ropes A and B with a variation of the sticking charm.


    He found the spell in a book, a slight change of wand movement, and adding ''Temflux'' to the Spongify spell made the charmed object lose its stickiness when he wished.


    But there was one problem.


    "Damn! My hands are tired." Leon muttered as he evaluated the unseen streaker''s performance.


    And unlike the device''s name, he won''t be unseen if someone looks at the roof.


    Once he uses the middle rope- standby rope- to take rest he has to cast finite to resume movement and cast the stickiness charm again if he wants to stop for some time.


    He also had many near misses where he thought the movements ropes- Rope A, B- were going to miss the roof.


    The above reasons made the unseen streaker a high-maintenance and error-prone device.


    ''Resounding failure! I overestimated my fitness and the device''s comfort level. At least, I didn''t waste too much time creating this device.''


    This makeshift contraption was created by the Hogwarts elves after he gave them a rough diagram of what he needed, he just had to charm the alloy bricks at the end of the ropes.


    The variation of the stickiness spell will only charm an object for 15 minutes when the said object bears his weight; the less force scrutiny it undergoes more time the spell works.


    He also read that these scrutiny problems vanish as he ages aka grows in power.


    If he doesn''t do something like using a sticky charm on a train''s wheels to stop it, he won''t come across the scrutinies undoing his magic.


    ''I should do something nice for the elves,'' he noted again and started to brainstorm. ''I don''t have money to buy a broom. I can borrow one on the day of the troll-watching, though.''


    Borrowing was the last resort, if it had anything to do with Leon, he knew he was going to be on many late-night strolls. So, he was making something for the long term.


    Time didn''t wait for Leon to stop banging his head against the wall for an idea, it kept on moving.


    Just like in the first week, he spent time with his friends while simultaneously practicing charms.


    And on the day of the second week''s picnic, he sat near the lake, leaning against a tree and watching Hufflepuffs play and mingle.


    His male batchmates were arguing about the quidditch teams whereas some older girls dragged Susan and Hannah away.


    "Of course, you shouldn''t miss a single Harpies match-" Justin''s voice grew heated.


    Leon didn''t know whether Justin''s sudden fanatism of quidditch rose because he wanted to mix with his half-blood and pureblood friends or the beautiful women the harpies'' team had; it didn''t matter anyway.


    If flying over Hogwarts grounds except on the quidditch field wasn''t permitted, Leon knows his batchmates would have been flying over the lake, not arguing about quidditch under shade, and to be honest it was on Leon''s bucket list of Hogwarts too- flying over the lake at night.


    Maybe Leon would have joined their argument if was not frustrated with his lack of progress regarding Unseen Streaker 2.0.


    Even if he included the Leviosa spell to control the ropes which is supposed to be learned in Halloween''s week, the physical strain is just converted to mental or magical in this case.


    ''There must be a better alternative.'' He racked his brain. ''With magic, only my imagination is my limit.''


    With a sigh, Leon observed his housemates as some played chess, some cards, and some walked on water.


    ''Wait a minute, are they walking on water?'' Leon did a double take as he watched some Hufflepuff''s walking on water, laughing.


    ''No! They are skating!''


    Two students stood on the water, well into the middle of the lake while a dozen students raced towards them.


    The two students were waving their wands in big circles, generating multiple waves the size of a big dog.


    The other students tried to balance themselves as the waves crashed into them, the water underneath their feet buckling them. Most failed, falling on the lake like it was solid before sinking.


    Tossing his problems aside for a minute he watched the magical game.


    "Can''t you guys just jump over the waves?" Leon shouted as people formed the starting line.


    A Hufflepuff glanced back to see Leon before concentrating on the game.


    "The spell doesn''t facilitate taking your legs off the water, Firstie, you can only glide on the water. You can''t move up or down only sideways-"


    "Concentrate on the game, David. The Firstie took off."


    One of the Hufflepuff who was standing deeper into the lake shouted, halting the race countdown.


    "Damn!" David shook his head before forgetting about the firstie.


    ''That''s it! That''s it,'' Leon ran towards Hogwarts excitedly.


    His approach to the problem was wrong, he was treating magic like it was an advanced form of science that still follows most of the fundamental rules, but it is not.


    He was unconsciously limiting the application of magic.


    Leon quickly checked out some necessary books from the library and occupied his corner in the empty common room.


    He kept on reading the books and writing something before crossing them out after waving his wand in certain patterns.


    The Hufflepuffs slowly trickled in as the night fell, Susan and Hannah too joined him in the corner each reading a book, though Hannah was pouting as she read her textbook.


    "Finally!" Leon grinned eyeing the quill that was stuck under the table he was using.


    He stood up and noticed Susan and Hannah beside him.


    "See you tomorrow," Leon said with a happy smile and ran towards his room.


    As his friends looked confused at his sudden mood change, he ran to the bathroom and returned to his room carrying a small wooden stool.


    "My first original spell, here I come," Leon muttered and started stacking his trunk and pillows on his study table.


    After that, he pointed his wand at the small wooden stool he bought and incanted.


    "Ver Lepidus Nolimovens."


    Grinning he climbed onto his study table and carefully balanced himself on the pillows before jumping towards the roof of his room, holding the stool above his head.


    The Stool''s sitting area touched the roof and skidded across it due to Leon''s momentum.


    After a couple of seconds, Leon came to a stop and hung from the roof, clutching onto the legs of the stool which was magically stuck to the roof.


    With a laugh, he swung his body making the stool move forward, still stuck to the roof.


    Just like that, his unseen streaker plan''s blueprint is complete.


    He will just have to ask the elves for a harness with a steel plate on his back and two more little plates near his feet.


    With that, he will stick to the floor face down, and coupled with the camouflage charm working better in shadows he will be an unseen streak across the Hogwarts.


    ''This will be leagues better than my first failure.''


    As he was imagining stalking the Troll, the Slytherins, he suddenly fell.


    He braced himself and walked off with some pain in his legs. A layer of wood was shaved off from the stool, still stuck to the roof.


    This was the reason his final attire would have steel plates that would stick to the roof.


    Leon slept that night with a satisfied smile.


    Just like that, weeks went by in a blur. Leon spent his free time with his friends and practiced spells to reduce their casting time while learning new spells that caught his eye.


    Doing assignments in Binn''s class made him save quite some time and he wasn''t giving his hundred percent in assignments.


    Leon just met the minimum length requirement for all of his assignments and his handwriting was quite wanting.


    It''s not like he had experience writing with quill and he didn''t buy any pens in Diagon Alley, though he doubted whether they even sold pens.


    "As you all learned every important variation of Lumos charm, we will start learning Levitation charm today," Professor Flitwick said.


    "Unlike Lumos charm the Levitation requires more concentration(intent), and magic(will), to use. Thus, to reduce these requirements we add suffixes to the spell, customizing it to each object."


    "You are going to practice this charm on a feather in today''s class," he said and waved his wand, making a single feather float toward each student.


    ''Canon event alert!'' Leon thought as he remembered that today was the day a troll graced the Hogwarts corridors and quickly checked the classroom for Hermoine.


    He found her sitting with Rose, and Ron was sitting behind them.


    ''Hmm! I wonder how this changes things.''


    Shrugging, Leon cleared his mind and memorized the wand movements for the Levitation charm.


    Just like every other charm, Leon got it on his first try.


    The feather slowly levitated in the air, wobbling.


    And after 10 minutes of practice, he was able to send the feather smoothly zipping across the classroom.


    "10 points to Hufflepuff, Mr Astraues. I am excited to see how far you will go in this class."


    Professor Flitwick smiled, standing beside him before continuing his rounds of the class to help students, leaving behind multiple feathers in front of Leon.


    Leon eyed the feathers and decided to take the hint.


    "Let''s start with levitating two feathers," he muttered and willed two feathers to float.


    Just like every time the connection he feels with charmed or transfigured objects kicks in.


    He could feel faint threads connecting the feathers to his mind.


    Manipulating two threads individually was a lot tougher but after a while, he got the hang of it.


    As two feathers soared in the air like planes, Leon eyed the dozens of feathers lying on his table.


    ''Isn''t Professor Flitwick expecting too much from me? I can feel that controlling a third feather is going to be my limit.'' Leon wondered keeping the feathers magically in their place, ignoring the soft wind blowing in the classroom.

 Chapter 13- Feast

    "Let''s try lifting three feathers." Leon decided and waved his wand, letting a third feather join its brethren in the sky.


    He could feel the third feather taking a toll on his mind. Not because of the weight though, Leon felt that he didn''t even touch 1 percent of his limit- weight-wise.


    He had to concentrate on the three feathers at the same time if he wanted to move them independently. As much as he wanted to manipulate them as freely as he manipulated his hands, he was only connected to them with a wispy, imaginary thread not anything physical like flesh and blood.


    A fourth feather wobbly rose into the air before Leon lost concentration causing every feather to fall.


    Leon noticed Flitwick merrily smiling at him, standing on the teacher''s podium, with a mischievous smirk.


    After sending a little glare toward the professor, Leon started brainstorming ideas to see if he was missing something.


    If levitating multiple objects absolutely requires adding a new suffix to the spell or pure practice, then Flitwick wouldn''t have given him dozens of feathers.


    ''Maybe he is just messing with me? I don''t think Professor Flitwick wastes his student''s time.''


    Leon glanced at the charms professor before deciding.


    ''Let''s just assume he wants me to find a solution. It''s better than assuming he is messing with me and just giving up.''


    As Leon was brainstorming ideas, a small effort-filled ''hmph'' made him turn his head.


    A feather floated 1 foot above the desk making Susan strain herself before it dropped back.


    Hermione and Rose were playing some type of game, one feather was chasing the other in the air.


    ''I think Rose is trying to knock Hermione''s feather out of the air,'' Leon thought as he watched Rose''s feather follow Hermione''s closely.


    Rose''s feather is just an inch behind her Friends.


    They gave off a feeling like they were connected, like different compartments of a train.


    ''Connected! That''s it!'' A Lumos charm went off in his mind.


    "Hope this works!" Leon muttered and cast the spell.


    Three feathers rose smoothly rose into the sky forming a circle.


    ''Awesome! It''s working.''


    One more feather rose into the air joining the three, turning the circle into a square.


    As the feathers imitated an air troop moving like they were one unit, more feathers joined them.


    Instead of controlling every feather individually, Leon mixed the threads that connected him to the feathers, letting them form a full circle before controlling a single thread originating from the said circle.


    He didn''t think of them as three feathers and instead imagined them as a single hoop. He did the same with four feathers.


    He arranged the feathers as vertices of a square, and he just moved the square instead of moving every feather.


    This method gives up individual control but it more than makes it up by allowing a caster, Leon, to control dozens of objects.


    As more feathers joined in the air, the square quickly turned into a cuboid before a bigger cuboid swallowed the smaller one.


    As nearly two dozen feathers soared above the professor''s desk, Leon suddenly remembered he could comfortably control two feathers individually.


    This led to another eight feathers joining the sky, taking the shape of a cuboid.


    Time quickly flew as Leon got immersed in creating various formations using the feathers.


    UFOs, Rocket''s, he even tried making a Chinese dragon. If you ask him, he vehemently denies the accusation that it looked more like a worm than a dragon.


    Some may say he is gaining too much attention by showing off his talent, if so, they forgot what he was doing when he died.


    Leon is so careless *cough* daring that after he decided to not let his wand gain attention, he forgot to shake it ¨C so that the black mist covers the wand making it look like a normal wand- more than a couple of times.


    Especially when he was in class practicing that day''s charms.


    The wonder of magic made him forget all the paranoid fanfics he read.


    The bell rang, indicating the end of the class and snapping him out of his magical reverie.


    "Mr. Astraeus, please remain in your seat. It will take just a minute." Professor Flitwick called out.


    Susan and Hannah looked at Leon, surprised before walking out of the classroom.


    "I am sorry, I couldn''t remain true to my word, Leon. Can I call you that?" Flitwick spoke with a rare serious tone.


    "Of course, professor. And what is this about not remaining true to your word, professor?"


    "I left the feathers in front of you thinking that you would ignore them or maybe control seven feathers, at most." Flitwick shook his head.


    "But it seems I underestimated you, you are more talented than I thought."


    "I don''t think so, professor. I just-"


    Professor Flitwick kindly smiled and cut him off.


    "I know how you did that, Leon. Just wanting to imagine the feathers as one object doesn''t work for everyone. The magic and intent it requires.." Professor Flitwick trailed off.


    "It doesn''t matter. I was saying, I cast a spell again to not let your air show disturb others. I don''t want my students to leave my class downtrodden after comparing their results with yours." He stared into Leon''s eyes as he spoke.


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    "No sorry necessary, professor. I don''t mind." Leon waved his hands as he really didn''t mind and also because he somewhat agreed with Flitwick''s opinion.


    ''I noticed Susan''s glances at the Tom and Jerry chase, Rose and Hermoine were having and disappointed looks at her feather.''


    "No, I want to make it up to you. I noticed you like charms spells, so how about a rare book from my private library."


    "Awesome! And I was thinking of asking you about the best book for enchanting."


    Conflict warred on the professor''s face before he waved his wand, making two books appear.


    "A signed first edition of Rise and Fall of Enchanters and this other book ''Breathing Life into Paintings'' introduces to you the wonderful charms of 2d illusions and animation for beginners."


    "Please, professor. A copy is enough, I don''t need a signed first edition."


    "Are you sure, Leon? I won''t offer it again." Flitwick asked with a little hesitation.


    Leon just nodded his head eyeing the books.


    "Ok! Then, I will send the books to your room later," he said, his eyes regaining his mischievous twinkle.


    "What! Why?"


    "I have to break some legal rules and copy these books, Leon. The books are enchanted by a charms master, like me, to not let people mass produce them."


    "So, I need some time. After all, I don''t want to ruin the books." Flitwick explained.


    ''Man, he is a great teacher even though he likes these books enough to break laws he was ready to offer them. I wonder how big of a crime copying books is, I mean he said only a charms master can do it without damaging the book. Something tells me charm masters aren''t abundant.''


    After bidding the charms professor farewell, Leon remembered that he was supposed to be on the lookout for Hermione crying- the premise for the Troll canon event.


    ''Nah! I think she is friends with Rose and it''s not like I can do anything now.'' Leon just shrugged and jogged up to his friends who were waiting for him. After all, he was going to go troll-watching with or without her crying in the bathroom.


    "What did the professor want?" Susan asked.


    ''Oh! Damn, now how I should answer this. White lie or honesty?''


    "Well, the professor put me under a spell again. So, that my practice won''t disturb others as I was playing around with multiple feathers." Without giving time for his friends to properly come to terms with his words, he continued. "Doesn''t the professors have too much power in their hands? Nobody will notice if a professor goes bad!"


    "Of course not, every adult in Hogwarts is under strict magical contracts," Susan replied like he just said the most bizarre thing she ever heard.


    "Contracts that won''t let your magic affect children or freeze you if you have bad thoughts?"


    "No! If the terms are breached, an alert will be sent to every professor, and some department heads in the Ministry. Why would anyone ever sign something that twists their own magic?" The bizarre look on her face grew more prominent. "That''s not normal! Don''t sign anything that gives anyone control of your magic. Any contract or artifacts that can do that is super powerful and rare, anyways." Susan trailed off.


    "Don''t tell me you signed something for some money!" Susan suddenly gasped.


    "Is that why you have new clothes? I should owl my aunt, who could have done that?" She started murmuring in a frenzy.


    "No, of course, I didn''t." Leon stopped her and held her shoulder, trying to reassure her.


    Susan quickly gathered herself and shot him a worried look.


    "Don''t worry, our magic is still in flux. The Ministry can break any type of-"


    "No, Susan. The clothes are a gift from Professor Flitwick. I didn''t sign anything."


    That made her pause.


    "Then, what gave you those horrible ideas."


    "Active imagination, I guess! By the way what''s with our magic being in flux?"


    "It is what it means, until we become adults our magic is in a very moldable state. While that means magical contracts or oaths are not permanent if we undertake them, it also has disadvantages. Do you know about Obscurials? When a child''s magic gets so twisted by external factors-" Susan frowned and shook her head.


    "Anyway, are you excited for Halloween, Hannah here is used to be afraid of the dark. Still is, I guess." Susan nudged her friend who was following them silently.


    "Of course not, I know Lumos Maxima now. Darkness runs away from me," Hannah waved her wand around, puffing her chest.


    Leon smiled at her.


    "So, without a wand is Hannah a big baby who is afraid of darkness?" He teased her without much heat behind his words.


    "Hey!" Hannah protested and pouted.


    Susan gave her one arm hug and mockingly patted her back.


    "Go away!" She pushed Susan and started running, making her friend chase her, giggling.


    ''Man, a simple distraction drudged so many things up. I am guessing Susan''s Aunt won''t like the goblet of fire then,'' He thought watching Susan catch her friend and tickle her.


    ............


    The time for the Halloween feast arrived.


    The first year Hufflepuffs were herded to the great hall by the prefects. The remaining students were conspicuously occupying the badger''s common room watching their youngest leave.


    A curtain of black smoke obstructed the great hall''s entrance, which was always open. The smoke slowly drifted around making sizzling sounds whenever it touched the floor or the walls.


    The Hufflepuff firsties warily stared at the smoke curtain, stopping in front of it.


    "Go on! It harmless." The Female prefect of the Hufflepuff house nudged the group of firsties.


    Gently shaking his hand from Hannah''s tight grip, Leon walked into the smoke.


    ''When did she grab my hand?'' Leon wondered as he walked in before the sight of the great hall blew his mind away.


    Instead of a night sky, the great hall''s roof now housed countless bats. Thousands of red eyes stared at the entrance like they were waiting for their next meal.


    No one was present in the great hall except for the professors who occupied their seats at their table.


    Two seven-foot-tall humanoid scarecrows with pumpkin heads stood at each side of the professor''s table, glaring at Leon, flames burning in their hollowed eyes.


    The great hall''s corners were filled with carved pumpkins watching the entrance with frenzied expressions on their carved faces. They looked ready to pounce on the little wizards and sink their serrated teeth in.


    The remaining Hufflepuffs quickly joined Leon in gaping at the great hall.


    Hannah clutched Susan''s hand like her life depended on it and timidly surveyed the great hall.


    A head-sized pumpkin fell in front of Hufflepuff''s making them jump back in fright.


    The pumpkin grinned at the puffs, showing off its sharp, carved, teeth that glinted like they were made of metal.


    The black fire that acted as its eyes flickered as it surveyed the firsties with a cruel grin.


    It suddenly pounced towards the firsties morphing into a giant pumpkin, baring its gleaming teeth, trying to swallow them all in one gulp.


    Amid the screams of the badgers, it went through them like it was made of smoke, dropping some of them onto their knees in fright.


    Susan and Hannah hid behind Leon as he instinctively flexed his arm to retrieve his wand from its sheath without success.


    Only his fellow muggle-born was faring better.


    Smith was on his knees; his legs had given out. Justin supported Ernie as the latter''s legs faltered.


    The pumpkin head quickly resumed its normal size and departed to join its kin near the walls after smirking at the firsties.


    ''So cool!'' Leon looked away from the departing pumpkin and observed the great hall.


    Professor Flitwick and their house head waved at the firsties with a smile.


    Ignoring the chittering and predatory eyes of the bats, the first-year Hufflepuffs walked toward their table under the ghostly light cast by the hovering candles.


    Their table too had a theme, sinister-looking vines with thorns covered every inch of their table. The vines slowly slithered around the table like a python choking its prey, making their table and benches creak.


    "Take your seats, don''t worry. The thorns won''t hurt you." Professor Sprout arrived before them and nudged the students.


    Smith walked forward and touched the vine that was on the sitting bench. It parted, and he glanced at Leon like he was challenging him before sitting down.


    The Hufflepuffs quickly settled down after that. The vine parted around the students and started slithering over them after they sat down.


    ''Fluffy and very light,'' Leon noted poking the vines and thorns, they both got indented like he was poking a pillow.


    Their house head departed from the Hufflepuff''s table after instructing them to watch the great hall''s entrance.


    A group of Ravenclaw firsties entered the great hall and were greeted by the same pumpkin.


    Some collapsed on the ground in fright and some stumbled, trying to dodge the pumpkin head.


    After collecting themselves, they sat at their everyday table making Flitwick get up from his seat and walk towards his seat.


    As the Ravenclaws compared their normal table to Hufflepuff''s, which was buried under vines, a conspiracy of ravens magically shot up from their table, eliciting more than one scream of surprise.


    Professor Flitwick greeted them with his mischievous smile.


    The professor left them after making sure they were okay, leaving a conspiracy circling above their heads.

 Chapter 14- Troll

    As the Puffs and Ravens waited for the next house, Slytherins entered the great hall and slowly marched towards their seats.


    Their table was made of various bubbling colorful liquids, but the Slytherins didn''t even hesitate for a second before they sat down.


    "It isn''t fair, how come the pumpkin didn''t scare them," Hannah muttered, shaking her twin tails.


    Then it was Gryffindors turn, Rose entered the hall followed by Hermoine and Ron.


    The remaining Gryffindors trickled after the trio and gaped at the great hall.


    The pumpkin greeted them with its jumpscare.


    Ron rolled on the ground to dodge, and Rose tried to punch it while Hermione and Neville shrieked.


    "Bloody Hell! Fred and George could have given us a heads up." The Gryffindors gathered themselves and slowly moved towards their table, their eyes swiveling in their sockets, taking in the magical great hall.


    The Gryffindor''s table was normal and stood out from the magical tables of other houses.


    "Why isn''t our table enchanted?" Hermoine muttered, staring at the other three tables with interest.


    Just when Rose looked like she was going to walk towards the badger''s table, smoke clouds puffed into existence around the heads and waists of the lions.


    The smoke quickly dissipated, leaving behind orange-colored ears and tails of a cat on each Gryffindor.


    The cat parts were littered with scars, and some had missing pieces like they were in fights.


    As Gryffindors marveled at their new body parts, older students slowly trickled into the great hall.


    "Enjoying your first Halloween feast, firsties" Tonks grinned, looking at the girls and Leon.


    "It''s awesome."


    Leon was still admiring the details that went into the decorations.


    They showed off their fangs and shuffled their wings, their posture screaming that they would jump down for blood any second.


    The pumpkins grew closer to the students when no one was looking at them, an eerie smile plastered across their faces.


    The Ravens dived now and then, scaring the Ravenclaws, they burst into smoke after hitting a student if Ravenclaws didn''t dodge.


    ''I wonder how much time it took for the professors to do all this.''


    "I bet Mr. Talented here screamed like a baby," Tonks said jostling Leon out of his thoughts.


    He just scoffed at her.


    "I need more than these to be afraid. After seeing the smoke curtain at the entrance, I knew we were in for a treat, and it''s not like professors tried hard to scare people, they just created an awesome spooky environment. If they really wanted to scare someone, I think you would also scream like a baby, Tonks."


    Hannah sniffled at the thought of personalized scaring tactics while Tonks reached out her hand to ruffle Leon''s head.


    "You little!"


    Leon tried to duck, but the metamorph magus''s hand elongated and reached its destination.


    His humiliation was postponed as Dumbledore rose from his seat, tapping his drink.


    "Ah! It always brings me joy to see the wonder and joy on the faces of the first years after they enter the great hall." He smiled mischievously, his glasses glinting. "Let''s give a round of applause for your professors, they took time out of their busy schedule to make it a memorable Halloween for everyone, just like always."


    The Gryffindor table hooted and hollered the loudest followed by Hufflepuff where Leon too was shouting his best to show his appreciation while clapping.


    Dumbledore let the students tire out before he tapped his glass again.


    "Your thanks reached your professors, and some of you were very enthusiastic, keep it up." He smiled at the Gryffindors and Hufflepuff tables.


    "Now without further ado. Let''s start the Halloween feast," Dumbledore announced and waved his hand.


    Lighting crackled in the windows as the two pumpkin giants somehow got their hands on a bell and rang them.


    Like the bells were summoning calls, giant spectral visages of each house crashed into the students, appearing from nowhere.


    The mascots were made of pure white bones, each the size of a double-decker bus.


    Flames burned in their eyes, illuminating their sockets in their house colors.


    Leon swooned so hard he nearly fell out of his seat as his eyes tracked the giant skeletal badger circling his table.


    An applause rose without anyone prompting at the appearance of the house mascots. With ghostly cries, the mascots disappeared.


    Various mouth-watering dishes appeared on the tables, tantalizing students and professors alike with their smells.


    Leon hurriedly enjoyed the feast but even though he was not full, he excused himself lying that he was going to his room to try out a new spell idea, patting his stomach.


    Susan looked suspicious but nodded.


    ''Man, I feel guilty lying to them,'' Leon thought remembering Hannah wishing him luck.


    ''Anyway, I don''t need luck, for I am prepared,'' Leon snorted at the red flag before wearing the modified unseen streaker he stashed in an abandoned classroom.


    With a quick swish of his hand, the floor turned into a trampoline.


    And with a jump, Leon was stuck to the roof like a spider.


    Camouflaged under a charm, he was ready to stalk the hell out of the troll.


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    ''The Troll better be a pretty memorable sight. I am leaving behind magical food to see it.''


    Taking a small stick attached to his device, he started to row himself forward, like one would row a boat.


    Leon quickly zipped across Hogwarts, invisible and quick.


    ''Man, I am awesome.'' However, the feeling didn''t last long when he entered the abandoned wing of Hogwarts, as rat-sized spiders greeted him.


    ''Where are these spiders even coming from? I didn''t see a single cobweb,'' he wondered flicking away another spider from his path.


    As he reached the nearest girls'' bathroom from the Charms class, he quickly stopped and listened to see if anyone was in.


    A quick peek let him know the washroom was empty. So, Leon made some distance and waited for the Troll to show up.


    ''I wonder how friction works in the case of my device, the unseen streaker,'' he quickly discarded the thought, deciding it was not the time, and patted himself on the back for his awesome naming sense.


    Then he waited, straining his ears to listen for any sound a Troll would make.


    And he waited.


    ''Am I at the wrong bathroom?''


    ''This is the girl''s bathroom on the same floor as the charms class. This supposed to be it.'' Leon frowned. ''It would have been easier to confirm if Hermoine was in there crying, instead of sitting beside Rose in the great hall, getting her transfigured tail plucked by the Potter.''


    As Leon was considering touring other bathrooms, he heard it¡­.no, no he felt it.


    Followed by loud thumping- like someone was battering a log on a rocky wall- a 12ft troll lumbered into the corridor Leon was in.


    Heavy intent-ridden magic rolled off the Troll.


    It was so heavy that Leon felt it even before he saw it.


    The Troll exuded unbridled strength and primal savagery. Its surroundings bristled with the raw power the multiple-ton muscled monster packed.


    It examined the corridor before lumbering towards the bathroom.


    The Troll didn''t even look up, let alone examine the roof for stalkers- rookie mistake. It seems the troll only recently gained its celeb status and wasn''t on the lookout for stalkers like him.


    After examining the bathroom, the troll beelined towards Leon.


    Thump! Thump!


    His heartbeat slowly sped up as the Troll neared him.


    ''Damn! It''s 1000 times better than shark cage diving,'' Leon thought as his heart pulsed erratically.


    The Troll reached Leon and passed him without even stopping.


    After it gained some distance, Leon slowly started to follow it, always maintaining a 30-foot distance.


    The awe of seeing a 12-foot monster dragging a log twice the size of his waist quickly got replaced by exasperation.


    Simply put, the Troll was dumb.


    It acted like a toddler. It would have been cute, if not for its size, smell, and filthiness, i.e., it would have been cute if the troll was not a¡­ troll.


    It took three minutes for it to cover a hundred feet as it stopped to dumbly stare at the portraits. It even bellows at its reflection in the armors that littered Hogwarts corridor.


    Sometimes it deeply stares at the armors for a couple of seconds like it is waiting for them to move while other times it won''t even look at them.


    ''Enough for now, I guess. I should leave,'' Leon thought as he watched the Troll poke at an armor in the middle of the corridor.


    It was still in the girl''s bathroom hallway.


    As he was about to leave the Troll to its antics, his curiosity satisfied and interest waned, he heard a shriek.


    ''What now?'' He thought and quickly located the source.


    ''Hermoine and Rose.''


    Rose quickly covered Hermoine''s mouth and tried to drag her into another corridor, but it was too late, the Troll saw them.


    For a second, both sides dumbly looked at each other.


    To not let the Troll think about what it wants to do with the squishy-looking humans, Leon quickly waved his wand. A large orb of light moved towards the Troll and hovered in front of its face, filling its sight with light.


    Hermoine''s legs gave away as the gaze of the slobbering muscular monstrosity vanished off her.


    ''At least, Rose isn''t on the floor with her friend,'' Leon consoled himself watching Rose literally drag her friend away.


    The troll dropped its club, letting it crash onto the ground with a heavy thud, and began clawing at its face.


    ''What do you think you are Rock Lee or something? You are still dumb even if you toss the weight aside,'' Leon snickered.


    He had done his research. Only a little part of the orb was magical, and the remaining part of its body was just light. So, unless the Troll suddenly grows a brain and clutches the orb tightly in its magically resistant fists, the orb is going nowhere.


    ''Very good for my first Hogwarts adventure, following a Troll, saving two damsels in distress. I am awesome.'' Leon nodded and was about to turn around when a spell zipped towards the Troll.


    ''Oh! Come on,'' Leon exclaimed as the Gryffindors started to pepper the Troll with spells.


    And to add fuel to the fire, the Troll suddenly grew a brain, or it was just pure luck, as it used both hands and clapped in front of its face.


    The orb of light nearly dissipated as the log like arms of the troll grazed the magical core of the orb.


    Leon produced another orb as the first one flickered dangerously and zipped toward the stupid girls, leaving the second orb near the Troll.


    "What are you doing, run?" He yelled.


    "What, who is that?" Hermoine stuttered out. The girls wildly swung their heads, trying to spot him and failing as he was camouflaged.


    "Your father! Run! Run right now!" Leon yelled.


    The duo gave one last glance at the ceiling where Leon was obscured by the darkness and booked it.


    ''Thank god, I was going to curse their seven generations if they asked one more question.''


    But Leon really couldn''t fault them. They were brave for coming to help someone who cast that spell. After all, they didn''t know that someone was safely tucked away at great distance from the Troll.


    Brave but stupid.


    Leon turned around just in time to see his first orb of light disappear, making him quickly stick the second one onto its face.


    Ignoring the surprised grunt of the Troll, Leon wondered about the ways he could defeat it.


    ''I am not overpowered like some of fanfic mc''s where I can stupefy the magic-resistant troll that can shrug off multiple Stupefy''s from adult wizards.''


    Leon wasn''t arrogant enough to think his less than 1 month''s experience in using magic trumps an average auror or even a seventh-year student. So, direct confrontation was a no-go.


    Leon''s gaze drifted towards the club that nearly cracked the Hogwarts floor when it was dropped.


    ''I don''t know if I can lift that like Ron who supposedly learned Parseltongue because Harry hisses in his sleep.'' Leon didn''t want to know how he cross-checked the hisses to English words.


    But one of his past life''s friends'' running, sarcastic, theory was that Harry was attracted to snakes and always sweetly hisses at them to ''open'' in his dreams, using both Parseltongue and English.


    Leon decided to try and cast a spell at the club, shaking off the thoughts that said that either Harry liked snakes a little too much or Ron was hiding a big secret.


    The club easily rose into the air.


    ''What? how? It did produce a loud noise when it crashed onto the floor¡­.. Is that a rune?''


    It makes sense that a captured Troll''s club is enchanted to be weightless to wizards.


    Makes defending or stopping the club easy.


    ''But isn''t it supposed to guard against Voldy?''


    Slowly dropping the club back onto the ground, he readied more orbs to halt the Troll for some more time.


    CLAP!


    ''Damn! It learned.''


    Leon hovered multiple orbs over the Troll''s head, just in case.


    CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!


    ''That''s fast! Is it top percentage Troll or something?''


    Leon started to retreat, deciding it was more than enough head start for the Gryffindors.


    He tossed the club away from the Troll for good measure.


    Leon doubled down and turned around a corner, hoping the Troll would stay confused a little longer.


    ''And professors will be here any minute now, they will take care of the Troll.''


    With some hurried rows he reached the magical staircases.


    Leon shot a Spongify spell onto the floor and undid the sticky charms which took a couple of seconds.


    He stood on the floor, waiting for the moving staircase with the unseen streaker still strapped onto his back.


    The enchanted staircases were one of the reasons Leon thought learning Spongify spells was the right choice.


    A giant hole in the Hogwarts castle- that was how you describe the moving staircases.


    There were 3 such holes in the magical school, situated in the middle and two opposite corners for ease of travel. The staircase points resembled a hive, you can see a part of each floor while on a staircase.


    With Hogwarts'' single-floor height nearly equal to that of two standard storeys buildings, the ingenious design of the moving staircases makes travel throughout the castle effortless.


    But somehow the ingenious design was messing with Leon today.


    ''Come on! Come on! Where are you?'' The staircases were quick, they were supposed not to take longer than a couple of seconds to arrive.


    ''Wait, are they overworked because every student is returning to their towers and dungeons.''


    As he waited impatiently, Leon suddenly heard a grunt behind him.


    The Troll was dumbly staring at him.


    ''Oh! Come on. I thought I wouldn''t have to use any of my escape plans.''


    The Troll bellowed, rattling the portraits and armor in the hallway with the sheer force of its roar.


    Then it started to bulldoze its way toward him, sending armors flying like they were made of paper.

 Chapter 15- The Ring

    Leon''s heart sped up as the Troll barrelled towards him like a truck without breaks, obliterating everything in its path.


    Thinking in stressful situations is tough for some people, especially when a 12 ft tall bulky magical monster wants to crush you like a bug.


    But facing a life-threatening situation wasn''t new for him, he felt so alive, like switching from 360p to 1080p in those few moments- in his past life at least.


    But he wasn''t only Levi now.


    Leon calmly went through his list of escape plans and discarded those with high-risk and high-failure factors.


    ''The orbs of light will trap me with a 12-foot monster in a dead end. And the Troll isn''t shy to flail its arms around.''


    He was standing at the staircase point near the great hall- not the middle one. So, the only available path had an angry Troll in it.


    The Troll didn''t stop to let him think, it quickly covered the distance, reaching 10 ft from him.


    ''I never guessed I would use the escape plan Levi would have loved the most,'' he thought, jumping from the second floor, his wand waving around even before he jumped.


    Leon quickly used the Levitation charm on the device strapped to his back and dragged himself onto the first floor.


    His wand''s movements were exaggerated to give the spell more power. While it seems the Leviosa spell works on others he couldn''t find the correct prefix like ''Wingardium'' to use it on people or even the clothes.


    So, he had to use the Leviosa spell without a prefix with exaggerated wand movement to move himself, otherwise the spell wouldn''t have worked.


    The giant holes the moving staircase points were, made it easy to fall onto the next floor with a little push.


    And a quick casting of a Spongify charm followed to cushion his fall.


    With its unstoppable momentum, the Troll plummeted under his watchful eyes.


    It fell from what amounts to a 4-story building and landed on its four limbs with an earth-shaking crash.


    The Troll''s joints cracked, and its palms and feet got mangled and bled, causing it to roar in pain. But not even two seconds passed before the joints healed and the Troll stood up on its mangled feet.


    A couple of more seconds passed, and it was fresh as new.


    The Troll began to search its surroundings like it was searching for something before it started walking.


    ''Bullshit! I know mountain trolls are supposed to have traded regeneration for strength which partially translates to durability. But escaping unscathed after a fall from this height. I call bullshit!''


    The Troll lumbered away under the troubled gaze of Leon, not paying attention to his complaints.


    The first year propelled himself to the roof and camouflaged himself before charting a path to his dorm.


    ''What are the chances that it took a right turn on the far side of the corridor and walked towards me without stopping to gape at the armors?... Damn! I am as dumb as the Troll. It was searching for someone who hurt its eyes and tossed away its favorite(?) club.'' He sighed as he skidded across the roof, rowing himself.


    ''Here I thought it would quickly forget about it like a fish.''


    The book he read didn''t go into the intelligence of a Troll other than that they are dumb and can form groups.


    While things went out of hand a little, he did plan for these exact situations- Trapped in the bathroom with Troll and the trio, trapped in a Hallway, dead ends- he went through an imaginary scenario for everything and was prepared just like olden days.


    ''If an XXX creature is this powerful, I should reevaluate meeting Fluffy. And if it requires 7-X''s creature to make a weakened Voldemort use his wit I wonder what it says about his power,'' Leon thought remembering that Fluffy was there to stop Lord No-nose.


    Stashing his device near the common room, Leon opened its entrance sticking close to the wall, his eyes suddenly shining with excitement, replacing the uneasiness at the thought of uber powerful racist.


    Hufflepuffs sat under the main skylight of the common room discussing something when a 2-meter hole opened up. Everyone in the common room turned towards the entrance which sprouted a hole as Leon entered the room.


    He could feel his camouflage spell getting burdened by the gazes of the wizards and snap, just a stretched rubber.


    Gasps rang out in the common room as Leon became visible to everyone.


    ''Damned Intent scrutiny, I was this close to sneaking in.''


    Intent scrutiny is one of the three ways McGonagall said that can undo a transfiguration.


    Transfigured objects are very resistant to intent scrutiny, if people don''t know that an object is transfigured then they don''t have a reason to doubt it. But this is not the case for charms.


    The professor left it for Flitwick to explain as most perception-altering charms are weak to it.


    When someone sees something and tries to understand it, they exert their will upon it.


    Muggles don''t have tangible wills whereas wizards have, and they use this will to perform magic, to manipulate reality.


    The words will and magic are used interchangeably. Only when muggles are involved the word ''will'' comes out, as they don''t have magic.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    So, when dozens of wizards stronger than Leon checked the entrance for any oddity when it opened up, his charm failed under the scrutiny of their magic and subconscious intent.


    The professor even said that some first-year charms, done by first years, can be undone by the gaze of dozens of muggles and assured the students that won''t be the case for long.


    "Hello!" Leon sheepishly waved his hands.


    Just then, Susan and Hannah stormed into the common room from the boys'' dormitory with worried gazes.


    "Tonks-" Susan stopped as she saw Leon standing at the entrance.


    "Leon! Where were you? Why aren''t you in your room like you said." Susan quickly ran up to him and hit his shoulder. Hannah followed her lead and punched him with all her strength, unlike her friend.


    "Ow!" Leon rubbed his shoulder, but he couldn''t say anything back to the girls as both looked like they were on the verge of crying.


    ''Damn! I can''t believe it; I didn''t plan the returning part of my troll-watching adventure.''


    "I just went to the kitchen to grab a bite and went on a walk, why are you guys huddled in the common room?" Lies smoothly flowed from his mouth, surprising even himself.


    "You are lucky to be alive, squirt," Tonks walked up to him and ruffled his hair.


    "Tonks!" Many voices rose from the Hufflepuff crowd.


    "Sheesh! I am just telling the truth. Don''t get your panties in a bunch," She grumbled.


    "It seems, a Troll broke into the Hogwarts," Cedric answered his question. "We are waiting for the status of the Troll. It''s good that you didn''t come across it." Cedric patted his shoulder.


    "Well! I did see it." Leon''s grinned, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he recalled the Troll falling two stories and then walking away like nothing happened.


    Leon was looking forward to how powerful he would be when even an XXX creature was nearly unkillable. The thoughts of how powerful Voldy were quickly overrun by the personal power-craving part of Leon(Levi).


    Now, he couldn''t wait to become a powerhouse himself.


    Murmurs rose as Leon grinned.


    "Where?" Tonks asked, clutching his shoulders.


    "While I was on the first floor, I saw it plummet from the second floor and continue walking towards the great hall," Leon answered, truthfully.


    He didn''t like lying.


    Both Leon and Levi don''t lie. One didn''t use to talk much, other didn''t believe it was necessary. But, the previous life memories tossed a monkey wrench into that.


    But the important thing was the Troll did move towards the great hall. Still, he didn''t take any risk and used his unseen streaker until he was in front of the common room.


    After asking him some more questions the students left Leon alone.


    "You wouldn''t believe how powerful the Troll was," Leon exclaimed after dragging Susan and Hannah to the side and fanboyed over the stinky muscled brute.


    He didn''t know that the Hufflepuffs didn''t find out that he was missing sooner because Susan said Leon was in his room when the prefects noticed a first-year missing after they did a counting in the common room.


    The prefects taking some time to calm the crowd before having them write letters to their parents about the Troll situation helped too. They thought it was better to let the parents know before the daily prophet featured the story, worrying them about their children''s safety.


    So, only after writing a letter did Susan and Hannah get to check on their orphan friend.


    Otherwise, the Hufflepuff''s prefects would have gone to inform the professors or at least owled them about the missing firstie.


    Planning to meet a magical creature that could kill him and safely return, occupied most of his mind. The next part, sneaking into his room, didn''t seem so significant when compared to stalking a wizard killer, at least at that time.


    Levi didn''t ever answer to anyone in his previous life and the matrons trusted Leon in this one, leaving him alone most of the time. So, he forgot he was answerable to his friends and his house now.


    Just as Leon finished fanboying, their House head entered the common room and announced that the troll was contained and gave a stupid story of how a professor was using the Troll for some spell tests and left.


    The students weren''t convinced, though mainly because Professor Sprout looked like she didn''t believe what she was saying and was going through the motions.


    It didn''t matter anyway, even if they didn''t believe it what could they do?


    As no student was injured most parents won''t even bother to ask Dumbledore what was wrong, they just blindly believe that he knows what he''s doing.


    ''Fighting against two dark lords and coming out as winner does that to people, I guess.''


    As the darkness of the night deepened, Susan and Hannah bid him goodbye and departed to their rooms, punching him once again for good measure.


    ''Awesome day!'' Leon thought as he entered his room.


    As he was about to sleep, an envelope caught his eye.


    "Someone sent me a letter?"


    Leon gave the envelope a look over, it was from Gringotts. He was expecting a letter from them regarding his house''s vaults.


    This letter was going to decide whether Leon will be poor or rich in this life, at least until he learns some more magic. Then, the letter will decide if he is going to be old money or new money.


    He quickly opened the envelope, and a ring fell out of it, along with a letter.


    "According to the last wishes of late Orin Astraeus, an heir ring will be provided to the last direct blood descendant in case Artifact no 77- ***** finds and acknowledges a young wizard or witch as the heir to the mighty Astraeus line.


    The advice left behind by Orin Astraeus is transcribed below:


    "Make sure to wear the ring when you are alone and at night, young Astraeus. I expect great things from you, but don''t let us dead people come in your way of magic and fun, especially magic"


    ''Cool!'' he thought and observed the ring after rereading the supposed advice.


    The ring looked like it was made of magical glass, transparent and nearly unnoticeable if not for the ripples that emerged from the dark gem embedded in its center.


    The gem was volatile like it was made of drifting smoke, its edges undulating.


    ''It''s a magical ring alright,'' Leon looked at the letter''s seal and confirmed it was from Gringotts before wearing it.


    ''It''s not like you can smuggle dark artifacts or cursed objects into Hogwarts unless Dumble''s want it of course. And copying Gringotts seal is even unlikely.'' It came up when he was asking about his house and its redacted artifacts on the Hogwarts Express.


    Daphne and Susan were well-versed in the life of magical Britain. The seal was enchanted to only work in goblins'' hands and even basic wards only allow letters from recognised seals.


    His house was a pretty big mystery always at the edge of his mind. So, Leon sat on his bed and wore the ring, his curiosity overwhelming him.


    He could feel the ring''s magic press against his own, it felt ..otherworldly for the lack of a better term.. unknown and eluding.


    Leon dropped on his bed as soon as the ring''s magic settled on his.


    The will or magic of the ring rose in power and quickly engulfed him.


    As he lay on his bed, and fainted, someone in Hogwarts noticed that something abnormal had happened.


    On the forbidden floor- the third floor- a snoozing Cerberus rested its giant paw on a trapdoor.


    The trapdoor barred a path that housed various magical challenges and ended in a spacious and grand chamber.


    Normally serene, the said chamber was now rumbling with untold power.


    A figure with his eyes closed stood in the center of the chamber. A shiny, flowing robe littered with stars fluttered behind him as he waved his hands like he was conducting a symphony.


    One would think there were no musicians, or audience to be swayed by his masterpiece and unearthly grace.


    But they couldn''t be more wrong, with his will as an orchestra of the world''s finest musicians and the whole reality as his audience, Dumbledore was gently swaying reality to his tune.


    A mirror was the target of Dumbledore''s colossal magic, the space around it rippled as the reality bowed down to his will.


    Just as the magic of Leon''s ring rose, Dumbledore''s eyes snapped open, his piercing blue eyes shown with rage before understanding took over them.


    With a smile, he gently closed his eyes and continued bending the reality with his magic.


    ¡­..


    Leon slowly stirred awake and was greeted with a dilapidated room and an unfamiliar roof.


    ''Unfamiliar roof? Did I get Isekai''d again, did the ring kill me?'' The faces of his matrons and friends flashed before his eyes but he quickly suppressed his thoughts.


    Leon hurriedly eyed his surroundings under the light of a flickering lamp attached to the wall.


    Ignoring the wooden crates and holes in the walls his eyes quickly zoomed onto the three corpses that shared the room with him.


    ''What?''

 Chapter 16 - Trapped

    ''Damn! Damn! Where am I?'' Leon''s panic started anew at the sight of the corpses.


    The room was covered in sawdust; once neatly arranged numerous wooden crates were damaged and were carelessly thrown on the ground.


    Multiple lamps were affixed to the walls, some were broken, some were not and one such broken light flickered with light, dimly lighting the room.


    ''An old fort and an armory,'' Leon concluded from the rocky walls, beams that supported the roof, and bullets that littered the ground.


    Shaking his head, he observed the corpses, deciding he was forcefully apparated instead of getting isekai''d as he felt his wand sheath strapped to his arm and his magic reacting to his emotions as he analyzed his surroundings.


    The three corpses wore military attire- bulletproof vests, and basic helmets(ECH) that didn''t cover their eyes and pads along with other myriad things.


    Two corpses had similar attire, different from the remaining dead body.


    The two similar corpses, likely allies, were at the end of the room whereas the other corpse was near the entrance.


    Multiple bullet wounds littered their bodies, and blood pooled around them, staining their rifles, comm devices, and the floor.


    As he moved towards them, he was assaulted with a putrid smell, courtesy of something called rigor mortis.


    Every muscle in a corpse loosens, even the sphincter, after people die, so sadly battlefields like these were filled with horrid stench, not valor or bravery.


    Thankfully, the smell wasn''t strong if you stand away from the corpses.


    He stared at the corpses for some time before snapping his wrist, making his wand appear in his palm.


    The familiar presence did wonders to calm his roiling mind.


    ''I will tear Dumbles a new one, maybe involve Skeeter, the bug. I only wore the ring because Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the world- magical-wise- and no one should be able to duplicate a Gringott seal. And the goblins themselves can''t harm wizards using the bank name.''


    Both Greengrass and Susan explained some of the checks and balances the wizarding world and the goblins, who held their finances, had.


    It seems some intricacies of Goblin''s magic, hidden from younger wizards and witches, made them trustworthy and it was one of the reasons wizards still used the bank even after multiple rebellions, during which the bank still worked like normal.


    Leon played with his wand, making it disappear and appear again with a twist of his wrist.


    He regretted believing in the white beard, he dearly regrets his carelessness.


    ''I should at least have Flitwick monitor me with a spell if not directly.''


    But as they say, hindsight is 20/20 and regret has no medicine, Leon gritted his teeth and tried to think of his options.


    After he got memories of his past life, this was the first time his stress and anxiety levels were at their peak.


    Even when he faced the troll he wasn''t stressed, and anxiety was the last emotion he felt.


    Firming his will, he decided to wear the military vests and helmets on top of his PJs.


    After all, extra protection won''t hurt.


    But before that, he levitated a small piece of lamp shard that was lying on the ground and leaned against the door''s entrance.


    He quickly positioned the shard to observe the hallway. A small orb of light drifted from his wand and illuminated the corridor.


    A dead end, the room he was in was at the end of the hallway.


    The said hallway was covered in darkness as it lacked proper ventilation.


    ''Am I underground?'' Leon wondered, the absence of windows, even ventilators, in his room and the hallway hinted that he was underground.


    Suddenly, lights were switched on in the hallway and a single pair of footsteps rapidly approached his room.


    With a practiced ease, he moved his wand in a pattern before whispering a spell.


    Leon flickered before disappearing under the cover of shadows in the dimly lit room.


    As the footsteps neared him, the lamps came alive, lighting up the room he was in.


    Adrenaline filled Leon''s veins, slowing the time.


    ''Too many lamps for Nox to work, assuming it works as intended. No objects for me to hide behind or under..'' he concluded- his thoughts as quick as lightning.


    He picked up a knife strewn at his feet, ignoring the heavy AK-47 resting beside the corpse, and waved his wand along with a whisper.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The floor beside him turned into a trampoline.


    His wand didn''t rest as he jumped on the magical trampoline; he whispered another spell just as he was tossed into the air.


    With a thump, he stuck to the roof.


    The perfect maneuvers Leon performed may look elaborate, but they took less than three seconds.


    He repeatedly practiced this in the Hogwarts abandoned classrooms.


    In some of his escape scenarios, he had to reach the roof quicker and ¡­ because it was cool.


    But the Hogwarts classrooms have higher roofs than this cramped room he was in, so it wasn''t one of his best.


    And because of the small size of this room, both width and height, and the bright light, he had to resort to sticking to the roof in his PJs which now he thinks about it, won''t bear his weight for long.


    The room wasn''t even 2.5 meters in height, if someone enters the room right now and looks up, they will see a large uneven surface, poking outwards on the roof.


    With a quick wave of his wand and a mutter something around Leon changed.


    It''s like his presence was erased.


    A notice me not spell.


    With Leon casting the spell, no one would notice him.


    At least, he hopes so.


    The notice me not spell long disappointed Leon with its capabilities.


    It seemed to work better on objects and only gave satisfying results when used on a person if they weren''t too out of their element.


    Like with his spell, you are invisible in a crowd even when an inch away from your target.


    But not so invisible when someone is actively searching for you or keeping an eye out for anything odd.


    The book especially mentions that a wizard can''t go into public without wearing pants because others will notice.


    Ignoring why people needed that reminder the book was explicit about the limitations of the spell.


    You can hide 9 oranges in 10 apples and convince people that they are looking at 19 apples as long as they don''t touch them.


    But you can''t even become less noticeable among a crowd of four while wearing bright or ridiculous clothes.


    It seems this discrimination between humans and objects occurs only when another wizard is searching for you.


    When it comes to muggles the author just glossed over them.


    Leon thought that the author was either elitist or just plain lazy, he didn''t mention muggles in more than one line.


    But it makes sense, with muggle repelling charm and even better charms present, no one bothers with little old notice me not charm. He did some research but there was no wizard-repelling charm.


    And as much as Leon re-read the book and its funny do''s and don''ts, he was still in the middle of experimenting with this spell''s limits. So, he didn''t know whether the alert soldier whose mind is more disciplined and stronger compared to civilians could see how bad a chameleon Leon makes.


    The door creaked open and there wasn''t movement from the outside for a couple of seconds before a soldier came in, following his gun''s muzzle and examined the room.


    ''Same dress.'' It was the first thing Leon noticed, the soldier was wearing the same attire as the corpse near the door, different from the two corpses deeper in the room.


    The soldier checked the room before kneeling near the corpse wearing the same uniform as him.


    With his rifle on the floor, he started to search the corpse, looking for something.


    He was directly below Leon.


    ''Go away! Go away!'' Leon prayed in his mind.


    He didn''t want to know what the soldier who was fresh from the battle, would do to a child who looked like he was from a different country.


    Leon couldn''t exit the room even if he wanted to as the door''s arch blocked him. His device can''t scale vertical walls, only horizontal ones.


    As he was anxious about whether he should fight the man or start a conversation with him so that he could know where he was, the man took a cigarette pack and exited the room with a grin.


    The footsteps faded away making Leon relax.


    He quickly used Nox to shut down the lamps.


    Whether the lamps were short-circuited or the bulb''s filament lost the ability to shine, the lamps stopped working, casting the room into darkness.


    If he hadn''t somehow been kidnapped from Hogwarts, Leon would have thought deeper about the interaction between the Nox spell and electric lamps. But sadly, other things were on his mind.


    ''Is assuming that Hogwarts have anti-portkey wards too much?'' Leon shook his head ignoring the temptation to jabber about irresponsible goblins and his one with too many jobs headmaster.


    While he knew this was most likely the work of his house, a heads-up from his all-powerful headmaster or the keepers of his house vault would have been nice.


    Leon detached himself from the roof and slowly descended onto the floor.


    The levitation spell came in handy for that, but it took an immense amount of concentration to lift his weight via the spell after the first three seconds.


    So, he wouldn''t be flying with the levitation spell soon.


    Even then he would at most be moving in the air slowly, like a dandelion.


    After waiting for another couple of minutes, Leon peeked from the room after recasting the notice me not and camouflage spell.


    He quickly stripped the corpses of their military outfit.


    Vest, knee guards, elbow guards, and helmet, he took everything that could protect him.


    Satisfied with his haul and consciously suppressing the thought that he was wearing a deadman''s items he methodologically scoured his surroundings.


    The ethical and eww feelings of wearing things with a dead man''s blood and more can be thought of when he is somewhere safe.


    When he can afford those thoughts.


    Leon slowly entered the hallway and surveyed it, clutching the walls.


    He found ten rooms similar to the one he woke up in, all filled with wooden crates of rifles, ammo, and grenades.


    Cursing himself for not learning some type of shrinking spell he longing glanced at the rooms filled with rifles as he stood below a cellar door.


    Two rifles that looked the coolest were strapped to his back charmed with feather-light spell.


    And of course, even though he chose rifles based on their looks. He accounted for their personality compatibility.


    He took what looked like a shotgun- and a rifle that looked like an AK-47.


    He planned to slip away from here unnoticed but grabbed the rifles and grenades just in case.


    He knew he wouldn''t forgive himself if he needed them down the line and didn''t have them.


    ''Let''s hope, it won''t come to that. Gunshots and grenades tend to be noticeable.'' He cracked a wry grin.


    If anything, Leon was more liable to use the knife as he didn''t know any spells to immobilize or knock out someone silently.


    As his knife glowed sinisterly under the lamp''s illumination, Leon took a shaky breath and pushed aside the ideas of how to effectively use the knife to remain unnoticed.


    Just like that a 14-year-old wizard, the age when a half-giant is supposed to burst into his room to tell him that he is a lizard(in this AU) and present him a cake only the T-rex, the alpha lizards, can chew, was standing below the trapdoor that will lead him out of this basement, decked with weapons like he was in some mobile game.


    Shaking his head, he cast the unlocking charm, Alohomora, after pasting himself across a wall.


    A metallic thud followed.


    Leon let out a sigh and tried to push the trapdoor up.


    It didn''t budge.


    Not believing his spell didn''t work. He took a deep breath and pushed the hell out of the trapdoor.


    It rose an inch before he couldn''t bear the weight anymore.


    ''Something heavy is blocking the trap door from opening.'' Leon swore and tried to lift the door one more time, and the same thing happened again.


    Suppressing the irrational urge to try again, he hugged the basement wall, disappearing from the world.


    ''Now! What?'' he thought, calming down as he was safe, at least for now.


    .......


    I wasn''t able to allocate much time to edit this and the prev chap. Hope, they aren''t too bad.

 Chapter 17- Ethrex

    ''I have the patience of a saint; I will wait for a day if not a week.'' Leon thought resting his face against the cold surface of the basement''s wall, remembering the jerkies he found in the dead soldier''s vest.


    He even saw dripping taps in some rooms. So, he wasn''t going to starve or die of thirst any time soon.


    5 seconds went by before his saint-level patience wore off.


    ''They will come for ammo or at least to patrol¡­ right?''


    ''Let''s not be a dumb saint, I should think of a way to make them come down.'' Leon decided.


    Sadly, he didn''t know any sound spells that would let him amplify his voice.


    So, his cool idea of creating baby cries and creepy giggles to lure people into the basement, won''t grace the reality.


    ''It''s a sad state of affairs that. People generally go into darkness to see where the creepy giggles are coming from.'' He cracked a wry grin.


    Lost in thought, he didn''t notice a spider climbing onto his nape.


    "Oh! Screw off!" Leon muttered, throwing the crawling thing off his neck, not even bothering to check which insect decided that he made a good wall.


    Leon moved away from the trapdoor and started to pat himself, trying to shake off any more crawlies that joined in his task of cleaning the dusty walls of this fort.


    As he checked every nook and cranny of his ''burrowed'' military attire, he suddenly remembered the blood-soaked walkie-talkies he discarded.


    With a hazy outline of a plan forming in his mind, Leon bolted towards the room he woke up in.


    Ignoring the corpses, he took the walky-talky from the soldier''s dead body whose cigarettes were looted.


    Leon scoured the basement and found two rods the size of cigars before making his way into a room far away from the trapdoor.


    He switched on the walky-talky and started to beat the hell out of a metal container with iron rods he found lying around.


    His plan was simple: As these walky-talkies use bandwidth to communicate, the military definitely uses some secure frequency.


    He was hoping that the soldiers would check where the noise was coming from instead of jumping to another secure frequency as simply jumping bandwidths is a waste even if they have multiple secure ones.


    After 10 seconds of using his hands, he opened the lid of a small metal container and tossed the iron rods into it but not before charming them with a Leviosa spell.


    He quickly snuck out of the room, leaving the walky-talky in the metal container, and vanished from the world.


    The metal clanging sounds didn''t disappear, Leon was controlling the rods to continue making noise.


    The problem with the Leviosa spell was it wasn''t made to move objects at high speed. So, controlling the rod to hit the walls of the metal container felt more exhausting than hitting the container with his hands which didn''t see any exercises other than helping in the kitchen or washing dishes.


    Just when he was thinking about taking a break and trying a different approach, something heavy moved above the trapdoor.


    With a mighty creak, the trapdoor swung open before two soldiers jumped into the basement, ignoring the ladder, and scanning their surroundings with their rifles aimed.


    Leon watched them from a distance, sticking to the roof like an overgrown lizard.


    After the first two cleared the surroundings two more dropped onto the basement before they began to move towards the sound, with surgical precision.


    After they disappeared from his sight, Leon quickly zipped across the roof and reached the trapdoor.


    A glass shard charmed with notice me not spell levitated in front of him as he cut off the spell on the metal rods.


    He didn''t know the exact relationship between the distance and difficulty of the Leviosa spell, but controlling the rods felt more difficult if he didn''t have their eyes on the objects.


    So, it was a relief to finally end the spell on the rods.


    Leon slowly let the shard peek out from the trapdoor.


    The floor was brightly lit and empty. At least that was the case from the unclear reflection on the shard.


    Using the ladder as support, he slowly crawled out of the trapdoor, hugging the floor so that his camouflage spell could do its work.


    After some tense couple of seconds, Leon was safely stuck to the roof.


    With a wave of his hand, he used Nox to cover his surroundings in darkness further increasing his chances of not being seen.


    He didn''t care about the soldiers not finding the source of the sound.


    He had stopped making the noise after the soldiers left the trapdoor, and with him hiding the walky-talky to the best of his ability. He most likely would have left the military outpost before they made sense of the sounds.


    Just like that, Leon moved into the ground floor of the fort, escaping from its basement.


    The fort was large, and judging from the number of soldiers he encountered their numbers were small.


    Like an encroaching void, Leon left the darkness in his wake as he searched for a way out. Thankfully, there were no cameras for him to worry about people tracking the darkness and him.


    It didn''t take him long to find the exit.


    A huge stone arch opened into terrain covered with bushes and trees. Stars twinkled in the night sky, trying to disperse the darkness that swallowed the fort without any success.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    With the moon hiding in the clouds, only vague outlines were visible. But he could see a dirt path snaking away from the fort.


    As Leon squinted his eyes to get a better look, the moon shyly peeked at the world from the clouds illuminating the path.


    The mud road curved down after a dozen meters from the stone arch.


    ''Is this fort present on top of a hill?'' he furrowed his eyebrows.


    Four soldiers stood guard inside the arch with a barricade covering its entrance.


    The ground was covered with scorch marks and debris, it looked like it had seen some explosions.


    Thanking the God? Merlin? for the night sky, Leon zipped across the roof. With a Leviosa spell, he planned to slowly lift himself along the wall of the fort after exiting through the arch, before letting himself fall on the ground, away from the soldiers.


    The entrance was huge unlike the rooms in the basement, so he was sure the soldiers weren''t going to notice him.


    Alas, just as he crossed the unsuspecting guards on the floor. The world stood still before losing all of its color.


    ''Bloody hell! What is it now?'' Leon cursed as he suddenly found himself in the middle of absolute darkness.


    He tapped the ground with his feet, it was there, hidden in darkness.


    ''Who bought me here? Is it really my ring''s doing?'' he wondered, rubbing his finger where his heir ring was supposed to be.


    Like it was reacting to his thoughts a parchment appeared in front of Leon.


    It circled him like a curious bird before words started to appear on the parchment.


    Evaluation: pending¡­


    Detected a pure and two complimentary paths.


    Completed two paths(2/7)


    Do you want to proceed with your final evaluation?


    "What? Evaluation? Where am I?" Leon asked, taken back at the magical parchment.


    Question detected.


    Answer: Huh! Orin said that his heir would be clever. Did some troll bloodline get mixed with the Astraeus line?


    "That''s not an answer. Where am I? Did you kidnap me? How will I reach Hogwarts?" Leon asked, dubiously, after reading the supposed answer on the parchment.


    Question detected.


    Answer: You are in your room, drooling on your bed. Looking at the amount of drool, maybe you had a swamp Troll as an ancestor.


    ''I don''t even wanna know if that is possible.''


    As Hagrid flashed in his mind, he shivered. Leon always wondered whether love drives people crazy or wizards were just kinky in the Harry Potter world.


    "So, I am in an illusion. What are you? What are the paths? What is this evaluation?" He asked ignoring the snide remarks and mental images of naked Trolls flashing in his mind.


    ''Getting an idea about my situation is more important than arguing with a piece of paper.'' He said to himself.


    Question detected.


    Answer: What? Did Sphinx''s bloodline get mixed with ours? What are the Astraeus descendants doing? It''s okay, I guess. They should compensate for how prudish Orin was.


    "How the hell is that an answer to any of my questions?" Leon really wanted to punch the parchment even though it was giving out information about his house.


    ''Information about my house comes later. It isn''t useful now.''


    Question detected.


    Answer: What''s with the patience level of a Gryffindor? Yes, this is an illusion. I, Ethrex, am the overseer and creator of Astreaus''s heir trials.


    The parchment shook and became ethereal like it was melding with reality before continuing with the answer.


    Hmm! There aren''t any more heirs just like Orin predicted¡­. He changed me to create trails that will help the growth of the last sole heir. In my hay days, I was used to creating trails whose winner would become the House''s head. Yes! I used to be a big deal, little Astraeus used to run around cursing me. He he!


    The parchment fluttered erratically before going still.


    "You still didn''t answer some of my questions," he muttered as he digested that information.


    ''Becoming a house head isn''t much of a reward is it? I can only think of responsibilities that don''t match the privileges.''


    Unlike what some purebloods like to portray, it isn''t easy to gain a seat or maintain it in Wizengamot.


    With anti-muggle sentiments all-time high during the founding of the ministry, the founders made tight-knit rules.


    ''Daphne did look like she agreed with the rules before she cut herself off and gave him just basics, on the train.'' Shaking his head, he stared at the parchment waiting for more answers.


    The parchment remained stationary in front of him, lazily fluttering in unseen wind.


    Gritting his teeth, Leon asked again. He didn''t know whether the parchment was messing with him or if it needed a question to reply.


    "What are paths? Why should I take part in this evaluation?"


    Question Detected.


    Answer: Good, you didn''t inherit too much from your Troll ancestor. There are seven paths- ways- that cover every way you can complete this evaluation. Your approach to escape was perfectly aligned with one pure and one complementary path. There are three pure paths and 4 complementary paths. I suggest you go back and try to complete more complimentary paths in this trial, your future trails will be shaped by the number of paths you complete. While pure paths are more of a talent thing, complementary paths aren''t¡­. I can only let you know more about the paths after you are evaluated.


    Words stopped appearing on the parchment like it was done with its answer but Leon jumped towards it to catch it, making the parchment weave out of his way and mockingly flutter at him, out of his reach.


    "Why should I even participate in these so-called trials created by a parchment with a bloodline fetish?" Leon barked, the sudden kidnapping and tasks about his future were not making him charitable, especially when he was getting ignored while his future was getting decided.


    Question detected.


    Answer: Sheesh! I was wrong you inherited too much from your troll ancestor- No patience at all. I will answer your last question, no need to be a brute and try to destroy a millennia-old artifact because it made you repeat yourself.


    You should participate in this evaluation because, even if you don''t think that undergoing trials designed to help you grow- created by an ancient artifact like me- is more valuable than the entire Astraeus vault, the rating you receive at the end of each trial, including this one, will give you access to House vaults and properties.


    That tempted the hell out of Leon, even if he could earn money himself. The 99 artifacts mentioned in the vault summary he received from the goblins intrigued him.


    Artefact 77 supposedly identified him as the heir of Astraeus and only because of that the goblins sent him his heir ring- all according to Orin Astraeus''s wishes.


    "As it is an illusion, I won''t get hurt right?" Leon asked tossing the thoughts about this ''Orin'', weighing the pros and cons of participating in this evaluation.


    Question detected.


    Answer: Conditions not met. The question will not be answered.


    Leon bit his lips at that.


    ''Does that mean my soul will get hurt or something,'' he wondered before the words continued appearing on the parchment.


    Just kidding. You will feel pain just like in the real world. You will even feel a paper cut. But you won''t spoil Hogwarts beds with your blood or die here. Now, next time you come here, your performance will evaluated, and there are no more chances for you.


    "Fine! Let''s go." Leon muttered trying to hype himself.


    The darkness receded. Leon was at the same place before the parchment appeared, hanging on the roof of the arch entrance, inches away from the outside.


    ''I tried to exit the fort and was teleported to level clear-level screen, just like a game.''


    ''Just like a game.'' Leon repeated the sentence in his mind. Trying to come to terms with what he was going to do.


    With a soft whisper and wave of his hand, four charred wooden pieces- the remains of the wooden gate of the arch- slowly darted towards the soldiers, invisible under the cover of moonless sky.


    ''As the parchment, Ethrex, said his stealthy approach made him complete two paths, one pure and one complimentary. Pure paths are supposed to be dependent on talent. If we assume pure paths are charms, transfiguration, and spells(DADA), I only used charms in my escape and my talent in it most likely made me complete the pure path and the complementary path is most likely related to my stealth approach.''


    ''And in games when there is a stealth approach there is a killing everything in their path approach too.''


    The four wooden pieces turned into four sharp needles, hidden in the darkness. Leon''s breath hitched as he observed the four men below him, the reality of what he was going to do pressed down on his very being.


    He even forgot to breathe as he observed the soldiers vigilantly guarding the entrance to the fort, unaware that they were going to get murdered.


    ''No! It''s not murder. This is just a game¡­ Or is it, really?'' His hand shivered at that treacherous thought. ''Am I really in an illusion?''


    ....................................


    A/N: Next chap, same time tomorrow.

 Chapter 18- Gamer

    ''No! It''s not murder. This is just a game¡­ Or is it?'' A paranoid idea wormed into his head.


    ''Is the scroll lying? Am I really in an illusion?''


    The soldiers'' rising chests and swiveling heads pointed to the opposite.


    ''The Scroll has no reason to lie to me. In no way killing soldiers somewhere on the planet will help a magical scroll. It''s not like they are blocking the scroll from building a factory to create more baby scrolls.'' With a sarcastic smile, Leon tried to think of any angle the scroll benefits from murder but couldn''t come up with any.


    He eyed the exit again, thinking of asking Ethrex, the magical scroll, to show some proof that he was in an illusion before tossing that idea.


    ''It doesn''t matter. I can''t even verify if the proof is legitimate even if the scroll shows it to me.'' He thought feeling the weight of the rifles on his chest.


    Everything felt real in the fort, even in the dark void where he met the scroll.


    ''It''s a game! It''s a game.'' He repeated the same sentence for the nth time as he observed the soldiers.


    Four sharp 7-inch needles lay quietly on the ground behind them, ready to take their life.


    A soldier murmured something causing another to laugh and jostle him.


    Taking deep breaths Leon suppressed every errant thought and emotion as he focused on eliminating the soldiers below.


    As he thought about the best ways to do it silently and quickly. An errant but important thought hit him.


    ''What I am doing? If this is a game, just killing soldiers I face is sub-optimal. I need a layout of this fort or at least make sure my kills don''t alert the others for a long time so that the soldiers won''t flee or bunker down.'' The line of thought appealed to Loen as he didn''t know how the soldiers would react after finding that someone was killing them.


    ''I think my stealth approach, ''completed a complimentary path'' because no one saw me as I escaped. So, I have to kill everyone if I have to complete another path.'' Sadly, he doesn''t have spells to knock people out as it could also be a complimentary path.


    Even as part of his mind screamed he was just running away from getting things done, Leon retreated from the entrance.


    He zipped across the fort searching for other entrances.


    After he got an idea about the outer corridors of the fort, he came across a dining room.


    A dozen soldiers were eating in the closed room, with some more serving the food.


    Leon''s gamer sense pinged like crazy at the chance of eliminating so many soldiers at the same time.


    Two soldiers, decked in full military attire, guarded a door some meters away from the dining room.


    ''A pantry, maybe.''


    Leon took a deep breath.


    ''This is it. I can''t run anymore. I can''t lose this chance.''


    Firming his will and only focusing on the task in front of him, Leon waved his wand.


    Four needles slowly climbed the wall behind the soldiers and stopped, just behind their necks.


    With another exaggerated wave of his wand, the needles swung around and pierced the unguarded throats of the soldiers.


    Two knockback jinxes flared to life, above the soldier''s head and hit their throats, pushing the needles deeper just as they pierced the skin.


    The soldiers weren''t prepared for spells to hit them at point-blank range.


    Leon''s camouflage spell flickered out along with his notice-me-not charm, the consecutive use of so many spells taxed his magic. But the glowing bodies of the dead soldiers made him forget his fatigue.


    The soldier''s bodies turned into colorful lights before disappearing, silently dropping the gear they were wearing.


    ''GOOD! The Scroll didn''t lie, I am in an illusion.''


    Leon levitated the dropped rifles and excitedly slunk back to the dining room''s entrance after quickly casting his stealth combo- camouflage and notice me not.


    With a wave of his wand, he gently deposited four rifles- two his and the other two from his latest kills- beside the entrance of the dining room along with the frag grenades he was carrying.


    Leon made some distance from the dining room, but still kept the door in sight.


    Pins fell off the grenades before a knockback jinx tossed them into the room.


    With another wave of his wand, the four rifles levitated in the air, forming a rectangle.


    Leon''s stealth combo was snapped again.


    Not caring or waiting to see the results, Leon hid behind a beam, still levitating the rifles.


    Unlike DADA spells(jinxes, hexes, curses) and transfiguration, most charms need to be constantly maintained. And Leon can''t maintain many at the same time especially when four featherlight charms were bearing the weight of the rifles- a single rifle weighing 3 kilos(6 pounds) on average. But, it was still better than trying to lift the heavy rifles without the spells.


    Multiple explosions rocked the fort and the silence that followed was filled with gunshots.


    The rifle formation burst into the room and spun around in the air, shooting at every inch of the room. After a couple of seconds of intense firing, they plopped down on the ground, their magazines spent.


    Following a wave of his hand and two soft whispers, the reality failed to perceive Leon again. With notice me not and camouflage spell at full force, he patiently waited for the other soldiers to check on the mayhem.


    And just like he thought, a group of four soldiers hurried towards the dining room, talking into their walky-talkies as they entered the room.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    After a wave of his wand, two pins of the grenades, strapped to the soldiers, fell.


    Not waiting for the resulting explosion Leon zipped away towards the entrance.


    ''I hope the soldiers guarding the entrance didn''t flee.'' He thought ignoring the explosions he left in his wake.


    And they didn''t.


    Two soldiers trained their rifles towards the fort while the other two watched the entrance.


    Pins fell off.


    Leon took shelter as explosions rocked the fort again.


    ''Maybe I should have taken the walky-talky. What language were the soldiers speaking in again?''


    Leon waited near the entrance to see if more soldiers would come to check up on the entrance.


    He waited and waited.


    He didn''t have anything else to do. The only way to exit the fort was through here. You can''t even jump down from the first floor or from the windows as the fort was constructed on the edge of the hill.


    The only way to enter or exit was through the stone arch.


    ''I think that''s a clue that I am in an illusion. No way a fort will constructed without multiple entrances..right?'' He wasn''t an expert in architecture or history so he shrugged and waited.


    ............¡­


    "Always maintain your connection, over." A heavy and grizzled man talked into his com.


    The moon shined through the window, illuminating the room filled with nervous energy.


    The man hovered above the blueprints of the castle, his eyes darting around and eyebrows furrowed.


    "I still think it is a single enemy, Captain. Maybe he is posing as one of our own and causing this mayhem." A young soldier sitting on the right side of the man spoke.


    "Real life isn''t like one of your spy movies, Liteunant. A single man can''t cause this much damage unless he is a demi-god or can use magic." The captain snorted, breaking the tension in the room.


    "Please, I can do-"


    "I have reached the entrance, sir." The com device on his bench rose.


    "Good, go slow, and steady. Over"


    "The more details we can give the HQ about the enemies the better," the captain muttered, writing off his and his soldiers'' lives.


    ''We are most likely surrounded, but I am at least hurting them before we go down.''


    ...¡­..


    As Leon patiently waited, he saw someone slowly move towards him.


    ''Only one soldier this time? Then, using the grenades will be wasteful.''


    A knife slowly detached from his waist and started to move towards the soldier, sticking to the roof.


    ''I don''t need stray shots of a last hurrah give me new holes, thank you.'' Leon thought as the knife stealthily reached above the soldier who was 10 meters away.


    It slowly leviated down to the neck level of the soldier, hovering behind his back.


    As the soldier muttered something into his walkie-talkie, Leon made the knife tap the soldier''s neck.


    He whipped his head back before the knife embedded itself into his Adam''s apple.


    Even though the feedback of controlling the knife was very different from physically wielding it, Leon still shivered at what he did.


    As he took deep breaths, the soldier''s corpse disappeared dropping his gear.


    "Just a detailed VR, A detailed VR game," Leon whispered and tried his best to suppress the pangs of feelings his empathy was sending.


    While Leon was an adrenaline junkie- nah- an addict in his last life, it doesn''t mean he was a psychopath who can murder people at the drop of a hat and smile like nothing happened.


    But, he believed the most useful aspect of humans was adapting.


    Life partner dead- you bounce back before a year.


    Government collapsed, mafia gangs roam the street- life goes on.


    Humans adapt, whether it is to the highs or lows of life or to just survive, and some even thrive in situations they never would have imagined.


    Though, it takes time, even trained soldiers need time to adapt to the battlefield where ethics take a back seat. And even more time is needed to adapt to normal life when they go back to their everyday lives.


    Leon believes he can adapt to anything and he isn''t averse to change.


    ''But the question is do I want to become a human who can laugh after killing another guy and what-''


    The walky-talky on the ground blazed to life interrupting his line of thought.


    ''Right! I still have time to set my boundaries and draw lines. Now, let''s win this stupid game.''


    "&^*@$^"


    ''I don''t think that''s a human language.''


    The sound coming off the walkie-talkie was like someone had added tone inflections to the revving of a car engine.


    ''Damn! That''s another clue that says I am in an illusion. I could have heard the soldiers speak if I didn''t maintain so much distance from them.''


    Leon fiddled with the grenades and nylon straps of the soldier''s bag.


    The soldier carried four frags, 2 flashbangs, and 2 smokes, which he looted. They were going to help him set some traps.


    The first year doesn''t know much about traps. So, he just tied the pins of the grenades with the nylon before sticking the grenades to the sides of the wall so that if someone tripped on the thread the pins come off.


    And of course, a notice me not charm along with darkness cast by the broken lamps made sure people didn''t see the rope.


    He waved his wand near the corridor, setting up an ''alarm'' that would let him know if someone reached the entrance.


    ..........


    "Come in, Alpha. Alpha respond." The captain repeated himself for a couple of minutes before tossing the walkie on the table.


    The Lieutenant gazed out of the window and looked down, staring at the yawning darkness that looked eager to swallow him.


    No one can jump from here, it would be nothing but suicide.


    "That''s it. We are retreating. Send the code out for the retreat. We are going to huddle up in this corner of the fort, we will make our last stand here. " The captain spoke, pacing around the room.


    "I don''t think even 10 per cent of our men are left, captain. We only had a dozen patrolling and guarding the fort, the remaining were on break, so were in the dining room." He held back a sigh.


    "We didn''t think anyone could penetrate this far into our territory incognito and attack a useless outpost like ours." The lieutenant shrugged, his shaking hands as he took out his walkie-talkie.


    He followed his captain''s orders, repeating instructions every minute as they both trained their rifles at the door, waiting.


    "No one is responding, captain. I think we are done."


    The door suddenly creaked open before pins fell off the grenades that lay around the room.


    Quickly snapping out of his shock, the lieutenant yelled and started firing into the hallway.


    "Code red, 852w, Code red-"


    An explosion of heat and pain rocked his world and he knew no more.


    .........


    After he set up his traps, Leon started to go deeper into the fort, searching for any rooms that stood out.


    Thus, he encountered a lit room with engine sounds coming out of it in intervals.


    He hid behind a supporting beam on the roof and pushed the door open with a Leviosa spell.


    Just as his mind registered the grenades in the room, he cast the spell again, popping the pins of grenades.


    Gunfire rang out, hitting the walls and floor well in front of his hiding place.


    ''I am smart and wise. Smarter than Dumbles for sure.'' Leon thought as he waited for the explosions, safely tucked away.


    ''I wonder how many more explosions will this fort take¡­ I better use guns from now on. I don''t think I will miss if I aim from the top of their heads.''


    Nodding, he zipped back to the lone soldier he killed with a knife- at the entrance- and took his handgun, a black pistol.


    Leon played around with it, familiarising himself with its weight and safety just like he did for the rifles- with his Leviosa spell, of course, he wasn''t going to be anywhere near the guns or the soldiers.


    He was going to clear this game, perfectly.


    A smile graced his face as he was his alarm.


    The alarm is some rubble spread in the entrance of a corridor that leads to the arch.


    As he feels a connection with whatever objects he charms, he charmed the rubble with the Leviosa spell.


    If they are disturbed he will get to know with the help of his connection. Of course, he won''t know the second they move. He has to keep a metaphorical eye on their position to know if he wants that.


    He could ''feel'' every object he charms, but he can feel movement only from the Leviosa charmed objects. Movement being a big part of the Leviosa spell helped with this.


    ''Maybe when I am more experienced I can feel other objects'' positions too.''


    Leon practiced every spell thoroughly, unlike the MCs of the fanfic he read who just go to the next spell after successfully casting the spell once. He loves stretching and finding the limits of the charms and boy wasn''t it paying off.


    This type of alarm has a distance limit though. Susan''s charm was dispelled when she closed her eyes and tried to control the feather, imitating Leon.


    But she was able to control the feather, with her eyes closed when Leon was trying to see if he could levitate objects in another room just by knowing their position.


    Sadly, he couldn''t.


    Stashing the gun, Leon started his patrol for stragglers, leaving behind his trustee alarm.


    Detecting movement was the rubble''s only purpose, unlike the other traps that came after it.


    They have more zing to them.


    ......................................


    A/n: The scroll''s illusions are real world for the people in them. Think muggle magical portraits but they don''t know they died and now were just shades, unlike the wizards.

 Chapter 19- The Devil

    Like an invisible spider of death, Leon stalked the corridors, slowly moving into the fort''s depths.


    Zipping around the corridors started to take a toll on his hands. After all, he was using his hands to push himself forward.


    ¡®Man, Why am I feeling muscle pain in an illusion.¡¯ Leon cursed and kept on moving.


    He searched every corridor and didn¡¯t come across any soldiers.


    Keeping a metaphorical eye on the rubble for movement while moving under multiple spells was taxing his mind.


    Cursing, he took some rest near the entrance before starting to search again. This time he decided to do a very thorough search to find anyone who hid themselves.


    Using a combination of Leviosa and notice-me-not spells on objects like mirrors or steel shards, he even checked under beds and in cupboards.


    Suddenly, he felt the rubble move.


    Leon quickly zipped towards the entrance only to see a soldier rolling on the ground, clutching his head.


    Two flashbangs exploding in your vision will do that to a person.


    ¡®Hmm! He set off the very first trap after the alarm.¡¯


    These grenades- along with harsh light produce sound that disorients the target.


    He didn¡¯t stop after taking a glance at the soldier.


    As he moved towards the entrance, a pistol detached itself from him and hovered over the soldier before opening fire.


    He turned his head to see if he missed after multiple shots rang out.


    The gear sprawled on the ground indicated he didn¡¯t.


    He quickly reached the stone arch and sighed in relief.


    It seems that the soldier didn¡¯t have any companions.


    Leon started his search again, from the start.


    This time no one interrupted him.


    ¡®Hmm! I guess I eliminated every target.¡¯ He shook his head at that thought. ¡®I didn¡¯t search the basement.¡¯ He still vividly remembered the dusty basement filled with ammo crates.


    After taking a break for some time he moved towards the trapdoor that led to the basement.


    He got stuck in the basement because some barrels were placed upon the trapdoor.


    He didn¡¯t notice it when he was running away but the trapdoor was cleverly concealed with the help of the barrels.


    They were neatly stacked horizontally against the wall on top of each other like in pirate movies, while some littered the floor, and placed on their heads.


    It seemed that whoever was stacking these barrels got bored and left them on the ground.


    And two such barrels were on the trapdoor.


    Heightening his guard and still attached to the roof some dozens of meters away from the trapdoor, Leon tried to move the barrels using the Leviosa spell.


    They didn¡¯t move.


    He fired a knockback jinx towards the barrels.


    With a flash of light, the jinx materialized.


    ¡®Squeak.¡¯


    ¡®What was that?¡¯


    The jinx hit the sealed barrels and they wobbled, just a little.


    ¡®Damn, what are these barrels filled with. And what was that noise?¡¯ he wondered, changing his position on the roof.


    Leon carefully examined the surroundings of the trap door.


    Which didn¡¯t mean much because the floor and barrels were covered in darkness.


    And he was the one who switched off the lamps near the trapdoor with Nox.


    Cursing he used Lumos, willing the lamps to light up.


    ¡­They didn¡¯t.


    He slowly crept away from the trapdoor.


    Leon so wished he didn¡¯t ignore the ¡®Solus Lumos¡¯ spell.


    The spell created orbs of light only the caster could see.


    He chose tagging orbs of light to a person or place over that spell. After all, Hogwarts is always illuminated and he needed that spell to blind the Troll.


    Leon turned around a bend, releasing three specks of light, and sent them toward the trapdoor.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He peeked around the corner after a couple of seconds and slowly crept forward before increasing the intensity of the orbs to examine the room.


    Just as the orbs became brighter, a soldier leaped from behind the barrels and opened fire toward the source of light with a mad howl filled with fear.


    Rapid gunfire filled the room, illuminating it.


    Leon grimaced and sent a handgun creeping along the roof before firing at the soldier.


    The soldier disappeared.


    He increased the intensity of light again and under the increased light, Leon could see blood marks, like someone limped here.


    The blood marks too turned into lights as the soldier¡¯s body disappeared.


    ¡®He was injured.¡¯


    The soldier¡¯s scream was filled with pain, fear, and resignation. It was too real.


    Leon took deep breaths and emptied his mind. Pushing away questions about whether these illusionary people feel pain or not.


    ¡®Damn! Stupid parchment! I will draw a pig¡¯s butt on it, next time. Why did it have to make the illusion so real?¡¯


    After examining the barrels under the light of the orbs and even making sure no soldiers were hiding in them- by checking the dust on their lids and their surroundings, he descended onto the floor.


    Only after he placed some charmed rubble in the corridor that led to the trapdoor.


    Checking his surroundings again, Leon pushed against the barrels.


    It didn¡¯t move.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    After eyeing the two barrels that stood on top of the trapdoor, Leon fired a knockback jinx at one barrel.


    And as it wobbled he tackled it. The barrel fell on the ground and it was easy to roll it away.


    ¡®Now one more remains.¡¯


    ¡®Wait a minute. What if someone is under the trapdoor and uses a grenade just as I move this barrel.¡¯


    ¡®Better not to take any chances,¡¯ he decided.


    3 small orbs of light sneaked into the basement through the gaps in the trapdoor.


    He flared the three of them, hoping to fry the eyes of anyone who was watching the trapdoor.


    After not hearing any sounds in the basement he tackled the last barrel and rolled it away before running back, just in case.


    No one came out of the trapdoor, screaming bloody murder.  So after sending some mirror shards to accompany the orbs, Leon descended into the basement.


    Just as he touched the ground, he quickly turned on his stalker mode and attached himself to the roof, disappearing again.


    ¡®Now, only the basement remains.¡¯


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡®No please, please¡­.¡¯ A man hugged himself, hiding under a bed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to lose my soul to the devil, please help me, God. Help me.¡¯ He prayed and prayed, his body shivering as the devil slowly opened each room¡¯s door like it was mocking him.


    It all started when he was in the dining room.


    Warren was leaning against the wall beside the door, waiting for his friend to finish washing his plate.


    Just when he was about to call the slowpoke to hurry up, four grenades soared into the dining room.


    He reacted on instinct and jumped through the door, passing above four rifles that were levitating, aiming towards his comrades.


    ¡°What was that? What was that?¡± he muttered as he ran away, without even looking back.


    And that saved him as Leon was seeking shelter at that time to weather the explosions.


    The soldier knew he wasn¡¯t as brave as his squad mates but bravery didn¡¯t and won¡¯t stop grenades from exploding. So he ran and ran.


    He quickly hid behind the barrels that were placed to hide the trapdoor, clutching the cross around his neck.


    ¡®Impossible, Impossible. How can guns fly?¡¯ he thought replaying everything in his head.


    As Warren huddled behind the barrels, he heard explosions rock the fort, in sparse intervals.


    He wanted to run away, he didn¡¯t want to die under rubble after the devil collapses the fort on their heads.


    But he couldn¡¯t. For the life of him, he couldn¡¯t run.


    His legs weren¡¯t listening to him.


    He knew he could die when he signed up to be a soldier.


    ¡®But I didn¡¯t sign up for my soul to get swallowed by the devil. No sir!¡¯ He wanted his soul to reach his lord on his death, but he was too much of a coward to kill himself, so he waited and waited hoping for the devil to go away.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°We are here!¡±


    He heard the voices of his platoon members.


    ¡®No! I won¡¯t be fooled. The devil can¡¯t deceive me.¡¯


    ¡°Leave me here! You escape, you did enough.¡± A soldier whispered, his voice pained.


    ¡°At least, let me carry you to the basement.¡± The other voice replied.


    ¡®Yes! The basement, I will be saved in the basement. I don¡¯t have to brave these devil-roaming corridors.¡¯


    With the fear running through his veins deciding for him, he quickly yelled and stumbled towards the others.


    One guy¡¯s leg was mangled and his body was partially charred while the other looked healthy and whole.


    With the help of the healthy soldier, they quickly opened the trapdoor.


    Warren quickly turned around to help the injured person descend into the basement.


    ¡°My blood is leaving tracks, close the trapdoor. I will hide behind these barrels. If the enemies find the map of the fort and try to open the trapdoor I can at least take someone with me.¡± The injured soldier spoke, grim determination in his eyes.


    ¡®No! The enemies aren¡¯t human. A devil is stalking these corridors.¡¯ He wanted to yell out the truth.


    But he didn¡¯t, he knew how people look at someone who talks about the devil.


    After all, he was one of them. His mother was extremely religious and his father left them after one too many quarrels concerning his mother¡¯s zealotness.


    But, it doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t believe in God, he was his mother¡¯s son after all. He just didn¡¯t share her.. passion.


    The healthy soldier took a last look at Warren before closing the trapdoor, his look filled with judgment.


    Warren stood below the trapdoor ashamed of himself.


    He was hiding, hoping it would blow over, unlike the healthy soldier who was braving the corridors or the injured one who was ready to face the devil.


    He didn¡¯t know how much time passed before he heard gunshots above him.


    He quickly ran into a room and hid under a bed, hoping the devil didn¡¯t know about the basement.


    But it was for naught. Warren heard the trapdoor open, followed by the creaking of the doors in the basement.


    The devil was mocking him, it knew where he was, it had to.


    It was mocking his cowardice and how useless it was.


    The various verses of the bible flashed through his mind as curled on himself afraid.


    ¡®No! I won¡¯t die shivering under the bed. I will face the devil and at least wound him.¡¯


    ¡®I may be a coward, but I refuse to die as one.¡¯ He thought as he remembered the bravery of the injured soldier refusing to hide in the secret basement to not implicate him, a healthy coward.


    Warren rose from his hiding position and took a box of grenades stored in the room.


    Taking the pins out of a clutch of grenades, he kicked open the door and searched for the devil.


    He wasn¡¯t going to hell on his knees.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Leon knew he was making too much sound, but unlike the well-maintained door of the above floors, the basement doors creaked like there was no tomorrow.


    Just when there were a couple of more rooms left, a soldier walked out of the unchecked room carrying two clutches of grenades.


    ¡®You got to be kidding me.¡¯ The red-eyed soldier threw the grenades near the room Leon just opened before and even went on to remove the pins of the second clutch.


    Leon instantly climbed into the trapdoor after he noticed the clutch of grenades in the soldier¡¯s hand.


    He was opening the doors sticking to the roof, an inch away from the trapdoor.


    He employed Leviosa spell as he didn''t dare go into each room to check the hiding places as unlike the above floors, the basement was cramped.


    And his forethought saved him.


    He was going to search each room individually only ¡®if¡¯ opening the door and making some noise didn¡¯t flush out any soldiers.


    And flush out it did.


    Leon darted out of the trap door and kicked it close. The floor shook and he was back in front of the scroll again.

 Chapter 20- Rewards

    The parchment fluttered before him as words started to appear on it.


    Two more pure paths were detected.


    2 more complimentary paths were detected.


    Proceeding with the final evaluation.


    Charms detected. Path acquired.


    Remark: We are talking about the spells, not your charm. You are as charming as your wide-eyed Troll ancestor.


    Transgifured objects detected. Path acquired.


    Remark: Talented in two pure paths- that must have used all your luck. That explains your character and face.


    Jinx detected. Path rejected.


    Remark: Ha! Just like your Troll ancestor, he can¡¯t curse at anyone even if his life depends on it and your Curses are average.


    ¡®Duh! Trolls can¡¯t even speak, how can they curse.¡¯ The parchment didn¡¯t care for Leon¡¯s thought and continued.


    Complimentary paths:


    Unseen path detected. Path completed and acquired.


    Remark: You will make a good stalker, you creep.


    Domination(Havoc) path detected. Path incomplete..rejected.


    Remark: I knew you liked to be whipped after I saw you. Don¡¯t worry Orin was a sub too¡­ I think.


    Tranquil path detected. Overwritten.


    Remark: Ha! You are a devil! How can you kill all those poor soldiers? If you don¡¯t control your impulses then you aren¡¯t better than your troll ancestor. At least, your ancestor had the looks to bed an Astreaus what do you have?


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t even make sense.¡¯ Leon was confused. ¡®Doesn¡¯t every troll look the same?¡¯


    Artificer path detected. Path incomplete¡­age is taken into consideration.


    Path acquired.


    Remark: At least you know your puny body is useless.


    Paths(4/7).


    Synergy detected.


    Trails are created.


    Final Performance Evaluation- O1


    Grade Chart:


    O ¨C Outstanding->[O1<O2<O3]


    E - Exceeds Expectations


    A - Acceptable


    P - Poor


    D - Dreadful


    T - Troll


    ¡°Hmm! That¡¯s it, why didn¡¯t I get-¡± Leon muttered.


    Question detected.


    Answer: Yes! Before we go into why you are stupid and how your stupidity made you lose the highest grade, check out the trails you can take part in the future.


    Mundane          Magical(locked)           Moral(locked)


    Unseen(3)              Unseen(3)                           Power


    Mixed(A&U)(?)       Artifacts(2)                   ???


    Mixed(A&U)(?)


    The trials have everything required to mold you into a mighty Wizard.


    I am great, aren¡¯t I?


    The last sentence shone in different colors.


    ¡°Ah! Sure.¡±


    The trails did look awesome.


    It seemed like finally his dream of becoming an unseen rogue and acting cool would come true.


    ¡®If you have a reason for acting like a ninja, you aren¡¯t childish or chunnibyou.. right?¡¯ Smiling at the image of him in tights and crawling on walls, Leon shook his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the number in the brackets?¡±


    Question detected.


    Answer: Those are the subcategories. The Unseen(Mundane) has combat, infiltration, and thievery. Mixed has missions that are about both stealth and artifacts.


    ¡°So, these missions, trials, can be in the real world or illusionary world? And why didn¡¯t I get the highest grade?¡±


    Answer: Yes! You will have to check whether you are in an illusionary world or not, I won¡¯t be spoonfeeding the answer like I did before.


    The words on the scroll stopped appearing.


    Leon sensed that the Scroll had grown serious, shedding its earlier frivolity as it continued.


    The first thing little wizards learn is uncertainty is the monster, the big bad dark lord. If you are uncertain about the artifact''s origin, don¡¯t touch it. If you are uncertain about the effects of the spell you found, don¡¯t touch(use) it.


    And what you did exceeded uncertainty and bordered on recklessness.


    Why did you think tossing 4 grenades into a closed room of an old fort was a good idea?


    Don¡¯t answer me, I know it''s because you are stupid.


    ¡®Hey! I was treating it as a game- an illusion- to not let the soldier''s death affect me. Pray tell me, In which game do grenades cause houses to collapse? And it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t rectify my mistake later.¡¯


    Leon kept his monologue in his mind and just accepted his mistake, he knew he messed up. But the soldiers looked too real, clouding his mind with doubt and anxiety no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. And it wasn¡¯t like he knew how powerful a grenade was in real life.


    The fort wouldn¡¯t have collapsed from that but it was a gamble, so you lose half of a grade there.


    And the last soldier, his suicide charge would have killed you if not for me ¨C the basement is full of boom-boom things. And that guy ran from the dining room. If you weren¡¯t so averse to watching people die due to your actions, he would have died there- that¡¯s a whole grade.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡®Sue me for being a normal human. Not a murderhobo who shrugs off murders. And how would I know he would be lucky enough to escape a surprise attack.¡¯


    ¡°OK! Is that it?¡± I sigh. ¡®I will do better next time, no more repeating the same mistakes.¡¯


    Question detected.


    Answer: Of course not, you also exploded the room where the fort¡¯s map was present. If you didn¡¯t wake up in the basement do you think you would have known there was a basement- another half-grade for that?


    As most of these scenarios are what-ifs, you get an O. The O grade is for geniuses, so mistakes aren¡¯t allowed.


    But E would have been your lowest grade. You did exceed my expectations for a wizard your age, at least. I thought you would have gone after new spells without even properly mastering the spells like other brats who think magic is a chore.


    The spell variations are very practical, a very nice touch. So, your E3 would have been your lowest grade as long as you got out of the basement scot-free.


    Leon nodded.


    ¡°Where are my rewards?¡± He asked, ready to end his encounter with the nagging parchment with some new toys.


    Grade: O1


    Rewards:[Choose one]


    Worldly:


    Money(1000 galleons).


    Route to the Guest house of Astraeus(Villa).


    Access to materials(Potion, Rituals)


    Items:


    Artifact-98: Will of Ancestors(RECOMMENDED)


    Intro Mind magic Kit(Affinity Artifact and guide)


    Wand enhancements(melee or long)


    Books:


    Mastering(Deceiving) Senses(RECOMMENDED)


    Rituals(basic- beauty, body, brain)


    House Astraeus¡¯s custom books:


    Search spells            - Be a Niffler(Basic)


    Hunting spells          - Hunt like a Fenrir(Basic)


    Recon spells             - Be like wind(Basic)


    Crafting spells          - Craft Away(Basic)


    Construction spells - Build Away(Basic)


    Leon¡¯s eyes twinkled like they hid two stars as he read the rewards.


    ¡°What do you mean, choose one? I get to one from each category?¡± Leon asked, rereading each and every reward on the parchment.


    Question Detected.


    Answer: Do we have Goblin blood mixed in too? Don¡¯t be greedy, you can only choose one from the listed options.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Leon wrung his hands and started to analyze the rewards, forcing himself to prioritize.


    His heart hurt but he dismissed the worldly section. Not having money and living in an orphanage has to do for now.


    ¡®I don¡¯t see the need for rituals now. I don¡¯t have the confidence to mess with them yet and I like my beauty, body, and mind as it is. So, they have to go to.¡¯


    He would love to take the Be a Niffler book as he couldn¡¯t find the special room Hufflepuff built.


    The hat did indirectly hint that only a Hufflepuff can access it and boy did he search every inch of the common room like a puppy on energy drink. But it wasn¡¯t a priority as there was no guarantee that the book would help.


    With a heavy heart, Leon dismissed the wand enhancements too. He still hadn¡¯t properly explored the versatility the wand offers, silent casting, and such, so he would the range enhancements are a thing of the future.


    ¡®Construction, Crafting, and Hunting aren¡¯t important right now,¡¯ he continued going through the list, ignoring the part of his mind that screamed range enhancements are the coolest and he should take them.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the recommendation, Ethrex? And who recommended them?¡±


    Question detected.


    Answer: Me! I recommended those. I chose the book- Mastering Senses- after I observed the way you use your spells. You would love it.


    The scroll wiggled around before continuing.


    Artifact 98: Will of the ancestors will help you shield your mind from ¡®anyone¡¯. Hogwarts does protect its students¡¯ minds even when they are away from the castle, on holidays. But the said protection will only come after some harm is done when they are away.


    While the artifact has to be approved by your headmaster, no one can slip into your mind with this on you.


    The parchment wiggled for a second before continuing.


    Well! It can¡¯t stop a persistent or powerful Grand Sorcerer, of course. But they are rare and you wouldn¡¯t come to face one in your lifetime. Even in the long history of the House Astreaus, only Orin was a Grand Sorcerer.


    ¡°What do you mean by a grand sorcerer? My headmaster has that title.¡±


    The parchment became still like it was staring at him to see if he was joking before words started to appear hurriedly like it was ranting.


    Question de-


    Answer: You got to be kidding me. Maybe it¡¯s just a title, no of course not, people are stupid but not that stupid. That isn¡¯t a title that¡¯s given away willy-nilly. It seems I have to meet with our House members. Yes! A visit to the last house head¡¯s portrait will do. Forget about the Artifact for now. Your heir ring will alert you and everyone near you even when a great legilimence stealthily invades your mind. It should be enough for now, just don¡¯t go traipsing into dark alleys.


    Mastering senses will also help you create a rudimentary protection for your will(brain) and it has the most versatile spells. Choose it or don¡¯t, I am leaving. After you have chosen, you will wake up on your bed. Your next trial is three months from now. So, be prepared for it.


    ¡°But what¡¯s a grand sorcer-¡±


    The scroll disappeared leaving a normal parchment behind with a copy of the rewards section.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Leon really wants to tear the parchment to pieces.


    ¡®Grand Sorcerer? Isn¡¯t it just a merit title or something?¡¯


    Shaking his head, he concentrated on the rewards again.


    ¡° Intro Mind Magic Kit, Mastering(Deceiving) the Senses, Search and Recon books.¡±


    ¡°I love to know more about the recon spells but I don¡¯t need them now.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes hovered between the Intro Mind Magic Kit and the Senses Book.


    Sighing, he chose the Mastering the Senses book as his heir ring would protect his mind along with his ¡®mutated¡¯ occlumency talent.


    The void squirmed before he woke up on his bed.


    He quickly searched his room for his reward but didn¡¯t find it.


    ¡®Maybe it will come in the mail?¡¯


    Disappointed; a quick Tempus spell let him know it was midnight.


    Exhaustion bore down his mind as he saw the time.


    ¡®No, Hyperbolic chamber training for me, I guess.¡¯ Yawning, he fell asleep before his head even touched the pillow.


    Leon was hoping time in illusions ran differently, but it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Rise and Fall of the Artifacts¡±


    He woke up the next day and decided to read the book Flitwick gave him instead of practicing spells.


    Yesterday was surreal- the troll, the trial¡­.


    So much happened in one day that he needs some time to digest it and consider how the trials and rewards will influence his life.


    So after waking up in the Harry Potter world, for the first time, Leon procrastinated and decided to read a book in his bed.


    And what better book than the one that talks about magical gadgets?


    Artifacts were part of wizards'' and witches'' lives even before the wand was invented.


    However, their numbers boomed later owing to the birth of wands which made their creation easier.


    From a magical broom to a self-cleaning clock anything magical can be called an artifact.


    With the rise of proper schools for wizardry and witchcraft, artifacts were intensely researched.


    An Artifact can assume any combat role, it can attack, defend, and support, in addition to helping with one¡¯s daily tasks.


    With wands easing their creation, Artifacts became even more popular as even a second of reprieve in battle is important, not to mention the extra life some artifacts provide.


    Artifacts reached their peak. In the age of Artifacts, most lazy wizards stopped using their wands and instead depended on artifacts to save them, battle for them and even cook for them.


    When Artefacts were popular and Artificers were highly regarded, the invention of the **** spell heralded the downfall of the Age of Artifacts.


    [You will know about the spell in the future, Mr Leon. It¡¯s a horrible spell, ignore it for now, and don¡¯t let me catch you researching about it. If I do, I will take these books back and you will be in detention as long as you are in Hogwarts.]


    ¡®Hmm!¡¯ Leon continued reading with a raised eyebrow, shrugging at the professor¡¯s warning.


    The spell ignores magical protections and even eats away the enchantments weaved into solid artifacts making people remember about their wands.


    It became popular enough that if the opponents used any artifacts in a battle they would have to face the spell in all of its sickly glory.


    After all, a battle unlike dueling ends only when one is injured or dead.


    The threat of the spell made people afraid to bring any artifacts into battle.


    Once the **** spell bathes the battle in its glow, it only ends with a death.


    Death is the least price demanded by the spell.


    For every successful cast, it became easier to cast the next. It twisted one¡¯s mind to accommodate it, leaving their sanity in tatters.


    One too many normal quarrels escalated and bathed the world in green, especially if an artifact was involved.


    An artifact¡¯s presence naturally called for the green death, owing to the potential versatility and unpredictability of an artifact.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Artifacts reminded people of the ghastly spell and the state it left the user and its recipient.


    Some believe a swift death is a mercy compared to living with one¡¯s mind and magic twisted to accommodate the spell.


    People slowly stopped using Artefacts and instead, started to depend on their wands.


    The artifacts and Artificers were slowly forgotten and became a taboo that reminded people of the days when green death and madness were rampant.


    And then the book went on to mention the basics necessary to build a proper artifact.


    ¡®Awesome story(History?) But, do they have to dance around Avada Kedavra so much?¡¯ he thought. ¡®Well, now I know dark magic does affect you, at least the unforgivable does.¡¯


    Leon closed the book after looking at the methods to make enchanted items and left for breakfast.


    ¡®I will start testing them tomorrow.¡¯ He decided, his mind wasn¡¯t at its peak as yesterday¡¯s events were still fresh on his mind.


    ¡®I would have smacked anyone if they told me I would postpone building magical artifacts when I get the chance to.¡¯ Shaking his head, Leon greeted his friends.

 Chapter 21- Friends and Herbology

    ''Where is my reward?'' Leon wanted to curse someone as the professor took roll call to dismiss the class.


    He had eagerly waited for it after finishing his breakfast, but even as breakfast time ended, no owl came for him. As the book didn''t teleport to his room, he thought he was going to get it via owl for sure.


    Susan had to drag him to class as he wanted to wait some more time for his mail.


    After the professor, Snape Don''t-even-think-loud-in-my-class dismissed them, Susan and Hannah cornered him.


    "Why were you so stubborn this morning Leon? What were you waiting for?" Susan asked her hand on his shoulder.


    ''Well! Why not?'' Seeing he didn''t have any reason to lie, he showed her his hand -literally.


    The Heir ring turned invisible after he left his room, giving him quite a fright as he thought he lost it when he checked on it while eating.


    But touching his finger let him know it was there.


    Leon waited for the ring to appear while the duo examined his hand.


    The trio stared at the hand for a couple of seconds before Susan looked at him narrowing her eyes, wondering if he was pranking her.


    After an awkward cough, Leon willed the ring to appear, and appear it did.


    The exquisite appearance of the ring elicited a squeal from Hannah. She latched onto his hand, bringing it closer to her eyes.


    "You got your heir ring. I thought it was weird you already didn''t have one. What were you waiting for then?"


    Under the reluctant gaze of the twin-tailed girl, the pristine, fragile-looking ring vanished.


    "A book. I was supposed to receive a book from my house Vault."


    While he didn''t exactly lie, he didn''t go into detail about the child abuse his house subjected him to. After all, it wasn''t necessary.


    It may come off cold, but they weren''t that close.


    The original Leon part of him loved his friends, and he did like spending time with them. But they weren''t close enough to reveal ''house secrets''.


    "Don''t worry, sometimes the goblins take time," Susan said, looking not too sure herself.


    ''But they are the closest people in the world.. not that it means much as I didn''t have any friends due to that headache.''


    As Leon was coming to terms with his social life, a pleasant breeze caressed the trio as they walked in the corridor, Leon looked outside to see a perfect sky.


    The sun shone warmly in the clear sky as the gentle breeze caressed the flowers and trees.


    "Susan, Shall we fly around for some time?"


    With a glance at the outside, she answered.


    "Good idea, I was also waiting for a good time. Let''s borrow Tonk''s broom for you."


    They quickly reached their common room with Hannah humming and Susan lost in thought.


    The girls hurriedly entered their dorm and came out with three broomsticks.


    It didn''t take long for the trio to reach Hogwarts grounds.


    With a kick, Leon soared into the sky.


    As the wind buffeted him, a smile wormed onto his face.


    After some warm-up rounds, Susan suddenly plucked Hannah''s hair band and darted away from her.


    "Hey!" Hannah shouted and gave chase.


    Even with the headstart Hannah quickly gained on her friend.


    The Bones heir threw the hair band to the right making Hannah take a 90 turn and chase it.


    Hannah easily caught the hair band with a dive before turning towards Susan to glare at her - Only to see Susan dangling another hair band.


    She reflexively touched her head and noticed that both of her twin tails were free.


    Hannah once again dashed towards her friend who was flying away after showing off her prize.


    The shy Hufflepuff easily caught up to Susan who tossed the hair band again.


    The twin-tailed girl looped in the air, and with a fluid maneuver, she caught the band in a few seconds.


    Leon was dumbstruck at the ferocity and confidence the timid girl moved in the air.


    "She is talented is she not?" Susan asked, startling him.


    "Yes," he nodded.


    While Leon has more fine control over the broom, due to his talent at perceiving magical connections, he can''t move like Hannah without hours of practice, at least.


    "Help me convince her to join the quidditch tryouts."


    "What? She isn''t interested in playing for our house?"


    Susan grimaced.


    "She''d love to but she is too shy."


    "Leave it to me, I think I got an idea," Leon muttered eyeing Hannah who was darting towards them like a cute meteor.


    "Hey! Susan that was mean." She pouted, stopping abruptly, just as he thought she was going to crash into them.


    "I just wanted to see if you lost your touch with the broom. After all, instead of flying in your free time, you are studying with us now - after coming to Hogwarts."


    Susan signaled Hannah to show her back and took the bands from her.


    The trusting girl didn''t hesitate for a second and turned around.


    Susan sent a glance at him before helping Hannah tie her hair.


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    "You are good in the air, Hannah. But I don''t think you can catch me."


    Leon proclaimed confidently.


    "I can!"


    "You can''t!"


    "I can too!" The girl whined as Leon dashed towards the goalposts.


    "Catch me, then!"


    Leon dashed away, hugging the broom, hoping to reduce drag.


    The magical broom reacting in equal parts to his touch and will, he knew he was near the top when it came to pure talent.


    "You can''t run away from me!" Hannah''s voice snapped him back as he was feeling good about it himself.


    ''Damn! here I thought I was fast.'' The girl was right on his tail.


    It didn''t take long for them to reach the goalposts.


    Leon abruptly canceled his momentum as he dove into the goalpost- a huge ring- and changed his direction using his hands to swing around.


    Hannah soared through the goalpost, inches behind him.


    She answered his abrupt turn by climbing into the sky, without losing any momentum, before she dived towards him like a bird of prey.


    While it wasn''t as successful as he hoped he did increase the distance between them.


    He performed sudden turns a couple of more times- zooming into the audience podium, diving and slowing down to let her momentum carry her, and much more.


    But Hannah wasn''t discouraged, the Hufflepuff circled him with the surety of a hunter.


    Quickly he ran out of his tricks, making Hannah catch up with him.


    He was greeted with a side tackle.


    Clutching the broom to not send it spiraling, Leon shot a glance towards Hannah to see her smiling mischievously.


    "You did it! That was very good, Hannah."


    Visibly perking up under Susan''s praise, Hannah shyly smiled at him as he neared them.


    "It seems I was wrong. But can you take this from us?"


    Leon showed off her hair band, making her touch her head again.


    As Hannah shot towards him he tossed the band towards Susan.


    She played along too.


    Whenever Hannah reached her, Susan would toss her hair band towards me and try her best to obstruct Hannah.


    But Hannah easily bypassed her friend, ramming into her, looping around her.


    While she took a little longer to corner Leon, she did eventually always corner him.


    He too always passed it to Susan, bracing against Hannah''s tackles and rams, who he aptly dubbed as the Hufflepuff harpy.


    Leon for the life of him couldn''t imagine that the timid, shy girl was the same one in front of him.


    He lost count of the times he was sent spiraling or spinning out of control because of her.


    She wasn''t shy about putting her weight behind her tackles and rams.


    And finally, like shark-smelling weakness, she tackled Susan and caught her hair band before she could pass it.


    "See! I can take both of you! Maybe you should find help if you want to bully me in the air." The Hufflepuff''s Harpy beamed in pride as Susan rubbed her ribs.


    Leon let out an incredulous laugh before going after her, this time he was the chaser.


    The trio retired to their dorms in high spirits as the sunset.


    As Hannah ran to her room to freshen up, Susan caught Leon''s arm, stopping him.


    "You should also join the tryouts, you look very natural on the broom."


    "Nah! I am not interested."


    While he loved flying around on a broom, he didn''t want to spend hours practicing for a match he didn''t care about.


    Susan still didn''t leave his arm as he tried to turn around.


    "You know that any Hufflepuff will give you their broom for your matches if you get selected right?"


    "Hmm! I know."


    Susan unhanded him while peering at his face like she was searching for something.


    "It''s not like I don''t want to keep you company. But you know you stink, right?" Leon teased the overly concerned girl.


    Suddenly shy, she slapped his arm before running away.


    ''Well! I don''t mind having these guys as the closest people in this life!''


    With plenty of time before the tryouts, he and Susan decided to take their time convincing her.


    ''It will be a shame if she missed the chance to play for her house due to stage fright.''


    .........


    The next day''s herbology class had some zing to it- literally.


    A plant danced in its pot as its sole luminescent flower, at the top, sparked with electricity. Two branches extended from its stem, like hands, their ends sparkling.


    After the professor explained everything about the plant, it was time for them to replant it.


    "Anyone who doesn''t wear the hand protection and successfully plants them will get 10 points."


    The professor announced as students were about to wear the gloves.


    Leon didn''t mind the challenge, so quietly crept upon the plant that was happily dancing in the wind.


    He placed the other pot beside the plant and touched its stem only for the plant to use its branches to shock him.


    "Ouch!"


    "Of course! I forgot to mention that the plants are very shy and they use lightning to make their displeasure known."


    The explanation was followed by the giggles of the professor as she watched her students take a step back from the baby Listom plants.


    Leon danced around the baby Listom as it flailed its branches around, for quite some time.


    The magical plant didn''t want him to touch it.


    Tired of its antics, he took a break and decided to see how others were faring.


    Hannah was happily repotting the plant as the baby Listom merrily danced to her humming.


    Neville was slowly making his way towards the plant like it was going to swallow him if he took a single misstep.


    But he too started replanting the Listom without gloves. The remaining students, just like Leon watched them before some decided to use the gloves.


    Susan finished her work and joined him in staring at his plant, rubbing her hands where the Listom plant shocked her. The baby plant decided it didn''t like Susan at the very last step.


    "You can do it, Leon." Susan encouraged.


    Hannah too joined them.


    Leon looked at the plant which was waving its branches at him in a ''come hither'' motion and moved towards it. He knew it wasn''t intelligent enough to mock him but it still felt like it.


    He successfully repotted it, ignoring the plant which was giving electrified kisses to his hands.


    "I didn''t think anyone would brute force their way, Mr Leon. But you did it. And that makes three people from Hufflepuf. 30 points to Hufflepuff."


    A cream levitated toward Leon and Susan as the professor went toward the Gryffindors.


    He tossed it to Hannah, so she could apply it to Susan who was only burned once.


    Knowing her friend would protest to receive the cream first, Hannah quickly uncorked it and started rubbing it on her hands.


    The burnt spot magically recovered in a few seconds.


    "Wow! That''s awesome!"


    Susan and Hannah hurried to apply the cream to his hands.


    Black spots covered every inch of his forearms, making it a two-person job.


    "All that for ten points, Leon? I know you earn nearly twice that in Charms and Transfiguration every other week in the least."


    "It wasn''t about points, I guess¡­ And these are just small wounds, they may look painful. But they aren''t."


    Suddenly, Susan punches him on his shoulder. "They are painful, don''t do this again. Any number of points isn''t worth this."


    Leon just nods his head, shrugging.


    ''I guess, I did it because I was frustrated with Herbology¡­ and Potions too.''


    They had potions class right after this. And in both of the subjects, practice didn''t mean anything.


    Magical plants liked some people more than others. And just like how his charms are better than others even if they follow the same steps, his potions are of lower quality than Susan or Hannah''s even if he follows the same steps.


    Leon did research into reasons, it was all about the type of a person''s magic. He got the sense it wasn''t as easy as saying people have different types of talent, but more about the attributes and property of their magic i.e., you can''t say that if one is talented in transfiguration then they would be talented in Alchemy. It was more personal, the books were vague about it.


    With his previous life bolstering his magic, his positions were average, unlike Herbology in which he totally sucks.


    It seemed magical plants didn''t care how awesome or powerful his magic was.


    The Hufflepuffs went towards the dungeon, the dominion of the bat for potions, after lunch.


    From the half-remembered canon events, Leon knows Snape didn''t feel sympathy for Harry even when he saw how awful his childhood was.


    Leon didn''t know what to think of a man who acted like he was the only victim and didn''t care that Harry was a kid at the end of the day.


    But he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he knew what was going on in the mind of a master of occlumency. So it could all have been a long con to be a double spy.


    ''But again, he doesn''t treat Neville - It doesn''t matter anyway. This is an AU, here maybe Snape likes James Potter or Sirius Black.'' He let out a sarcastic laugh.


    The class went on as usual, with the professor making them brew a potion and submit it at the end of the class.


    Leon watched the potion professor as students submitted their potions under his withering gaze.


    His potion was just acceptable- like it was always- and can be said to be above average in quality this time, luckily.


    Leon took in the fresh air and shook his head, dispelling the heavy mood the dark dungeon and its bat master created in students.


    After bidding goodbye to Susan and Hannah who were going to play with the brooms again, Leon used the time to search for Helga''s secret room.


    ......


    One more day went by as Leon waited for his reward to be delivered and brainstormed ideas on how to make Hannah join the tryouts.


    "Mr. Astraeus, please meet the headmaster after your meal. The password is sour candy." The Hufflepuff''s head approached Leon as he was devouring the food with his normal gusto, startling him.


    ''Damn, what did I do?''


    "Don''t worry dear, you are not in trouble." With that Pomona left leaving behind a paranoid boy who still didn''t stop eating even as his mind swirled with conspiracies.

 Chapter 22- He is a Hufflepuff

    "It should be regarding the book you were supposed to get. Maybe he enchanted the book not to get stolen and wants to have a word with you about it." Susan tried to assuage his worries as he finished his lunch.


    Nodding at her, Leon left for the headmaster''s office after getting directions from an older Hufflepuff.


    ''I am meeting my headmaster first time in both of my lives,'' he thought as he traversed the magical maze of a school. He was a quiet kid until he was introduced to extreme sports. So, he never got into any kind of trouble.


    Excitement and trepidation warred in Leon as he walked toward the office of the most powerful wizard in the world.


    He was going to stand in front of a man whose hands were deep in the magical Britain and even the whole magical world.


    A small flex of Dumbledore''s influence can upend his life.


    ''So, just like a billionaire of my previous life then.'' Shaking his head at the thought of the ditsy girl he worked for, Leon thought about the positives of having contact with such a person.


    ''I will have a little leeway to influence the peak power of this world. And people like him are very less unlike the hundreds of billionaires in my previous life... But here, there is a possibility of semi-immortals like Nicholas Flamel hiding in the world¡­.. let''s not go into that rabbit hole.''


    Leon cleared his mind and stood in front of the gargoyle that hid the staircase to the headmaster''s office.


    "Sour Candy," he muttered.


    The gargoyle slid away revealing a helix staircase.


    ''It''s not a real gargoyle, right?''


    Leon climbed the staircase eyeing the mythical stone monster.


    "Come in, Come in, Mr Leon." A calm elderly voice tinged with youthful energy called out just as he was about to knock on the door.


    Shrugging, Leon opened the door and was hit with a feeling of dissonance.


    Spindly knick-knacks and the murmurs of the previous headmasters filled the room with little noises; the headmaster''s office had a magical weight to it.


    Leon didn''t get to admire Dumbledore''s unique taste in organizing as his gaze pivoted toward the corner of the room.


    The majestic bird of fire, a Phoenix, perched in the corner.


    The concepts of life and death danced around the magical bird in perfect harmony as its feathers shimmered like they were made of flames.


    Leon doesn''t know why he felt that, but something about the Phoenix catapulted these feelings to the forefront of his mind.


    Like the warmth of a hearth in a cold winter, the Phoenix''s presence melted away Leon''s paranoia and anxiety.


    "Beautiful creatures, Phoenixes. You are lucky to see Fawkes in his prime, Mr Astraeus. While the beauty of a Phoenix never depends on its body, the majestic and vibrant glow of a phoenix in its prime, dare I say, is unmatched by any creature."


    Leon wrestled his eyes from the fire incarnate and saw Albus Dumbledore in his eye twinkling glory.


    While the phoenix gave of feeling of warmth, Dumbledore''s presence was a paradox just like his voice.


    Kindness, ruthlessness, passion, apathy, pride, and arrogance intermingled, forming a magical paradox that strained Leon''s mind as he tried to understand it.


    The feeling swiftly vanished as Dumbledore''s eyes gained his famous twinkle.


    ''Isn''t he too young to feel the magic of others?'' Dumbledore wondered, gesturing for the young wizard to take a seat.


    "Candy, Mr Astraeus?"


    Leon nearly blurted out ''Stranger Danger'' at the old man giving out questionable candies to kids but just shook his head.


    "Did you know why I called you here, Mr Astraeus?"


    "No, Headmaster Dumbledore."


    Dumbledore just watched Leon without asking any more questions, so the Hufflepuff went back to observing the various knick-knacks arrayed in the headmaster''s office.


    With Leon''s ''mutated occlumency'' talent he didn''t have to fear Dumble''s foraging his memories and he doesn''t think the headmaster reads the minds of everyone he encounters.


    Dumbledore broke the silence.


    "As a headmaster, I take my student''s safety seriously, Mr Astraeus. I try to make Hogwarts a safe place, away from the influence of their families, away from the expectations their family name brings.... No one can make you do something in Hogwarts if you wish otherwise, Mr Astraeus."


    Dumbledore rubbed his hand and his inquisitive gaze which would make some students confess turned kind as he continued to talk.


    "If you allow me to be a tad boastful, there isn''t a problem I can''t solve, especially when it comes to magic." The Headmaster folded his hands and waited to let it sink in. "Remember that Hogwarts always keeps its students'' safety and interest at the forefront, Mr. Astraeus. Here is your mail."


    "Why do you have it, Headmaster?"


    "Everything that comes into Hogwarts is subjected to general scrutiny. We can''t have kids bringing their family heirlooms or artifacts they know nothing about, after all. And when I saw your mail, I thought why not use this opportunity to meet Professor Flitwick''s favorite student?"


    "It is a pleasure to study under Hogwarts professor, Headmaster. Maybe not under, Professor Bins or Professor Snape. Anyways, Professor Flitwick is my favorite professor too." He muttered, his mind fully focused on the parcel in his hands.


    "I think he will be happy to hear it, Mr Astraeus. Remember help is always given at Hogwarts for those who ask for it." The headmaster graciously ignored his remarks about Snape and Binn and reiterated.


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    Leon just nodded and waved at the phoenix who trilled at him as he left.


    The phoenix cry, as the bird''s name suggests, was magical.


    ''God damn it! Its voice is too perfect!'' He was feeling strangely rejuvenated. ''Should I ask Dumbledore how he met Fawkes? I want a magical companion too.''


    With a last glance at the headmaster savoring the candy, he descended the staircase.


    ''I still have time for a magical companion; I will ask him later.'' Leon knew the headmaster would expertly dance around the subject if he didn''t want to open up, so he left for now.


    Once again standing before the gargoyle, he poked it with his finger.


    ''I think it''s just a statue, unlike the rock soldiers that defended Hogwarts.''


    Tossing away the thought that Hogwarts was filled with these rock monsters and soldiers, Leon quickly ran towards his charm''s classroom.


    Flitwick jovially and expertly completed the theory part of the class, leaving students to practice the Leviosa variant.


    The spell variant was for finer, delicate, control of levitating objects.


    As usual, Leon''s performance was outstanding.


    ''Ha! Take that Potions! I don''t need you.'' He cheered as a dozen paper men danced to a silent tune in the air, their limbs twisting and turning fluidly creating a magical scene.


    But just like always Leon was under a spell, so the students missed witnessing his marvelous (average) choreography skills.


    The class ended too quickly like every other charms class, at least he felt like it did.


    Just as he was leaving, Rose bumped into him and stuffed a paper into his pocket.


    Leon covertly read the paper Rose gave him following his friends.


    ''Damn! I totally forgot about them! If Rose or Hermione talks, I can''t give a proper answer to the question of what I was doing on the second floor.''


    The paper asked him to meet them in an abandoned classroom and had directions written.


    ''At least they are being candid about it. I wonder what they were doing on the 2nd floor. I guess hoping that they won''t recognize my voice is just wishful thinking.''


    Slipping away from the gaggle of Hufflepuffs, he reached the classroom early.


    He leaned on a wall and used the camouflage spell on himself, keeping an eye on the meeting spot Rose gave him.


    As much as Leon ached to read the Senses book, he decided to see what the damsels wanted first.


    Rose and Hermoine marched right into the abandoned classroom, murmuring at each other.


    Leon waited for a minute before walking into the classroom, sticking to the wall.


    "Hello!" he suddenly called out after dispelling his camouflage, startling the Gryffindors.


    "Hey! Was that necessary?" Hermoine called out.


    Leon just sent an unrepentant grin at the not-bushy-haired bookworm and observed the girl, metallic braces glinted as she spoke, coupled with her straight hair she didn''t have the canon Hermione look.


    ''Does she use some spell to tame her hair or is this world Hermione doesn''t have bushy hair?'' He remembered her bushy hair was supposed to be her negative trait, so she just could have straightened them. After all, she is a teenager.


    Hermione slinked back under my evaluating gaze, swiftly closing her mouth, halting whatever she wanted to say next.


    ''Great! She is conscious about her braces.''


    "What were you guys doing on the second floor?"


    "We like to know the same, you go first." Rose sent him a challenging gaze as she stood in front of Hermione.


    He shrugged at her protectiveness and spoke.


    "I wanted to see what a troll looks like, coincidentally I had the necessary spells so I stalked it for some time until someone walked in front of it and foolishly came back slinging spells, ignoring their common sense that a first-year''s spells won''t even tickle a Troll."


    The girls looked shocked before blushing at his words.


    ''Simple and semi-truthful lies are the way to go. I hope they don''t pursue the troll incident anymore. Hmm! I can just say a House elf informed me that a Troll was in Hogwarts even in the unlikely case Rose talks with Susan.'' He wasn''t in the great hall when Flitwick tried for Oscar, so covering his bases never goes wrong.


    "You are mad! You could have died or worse expelled if the professor caught you trailing the Troll instead of running away from it." Granger fumed and looked like she was ready to go on a rant about how getting expelled is worse than death when Rose cut in.


    "I like it! You got balls, Uncle Sirius would love you!" Rose winked at him.


    "Now it''s your turn." Leon nodded at Rose, motioning for the girls to get on with it already.


    "As we were making our way towards our tower-"


    "So, Gryffindors live in a tower." Leon smiled mischievously, making Granger stutter.


    "It isn''t much of a secret, don''t tease her too much," Rose grumbled, prompting Hermione to continue.


    "As I was saying, Rose wanted to use the time, when professors were distracted, to check what was on the third floor. She didn''t listen to me and ran off, so I followed her."


    "Come on! The troll was supposed to be in the dungeons. There was supposed to be no danger. But, you know how that turned out though don''t you Leon." Rose patted Leon''s shoulder as Hermione gritted her teeth at her friend''s tone, before continuing.


    "We ran from the corner staircase point, leaving behind our housemates, hoping to use the middle one. As you know the three staircase points in Hogwarts- one near to Great Hall, one away from the Great Hall, and one in the middle- were always supposed to work, but the moving staircases in the middle point weren''t moving that day. Even when I begged her to turn back, Rose wanted to use the last staircase point, bringing us face to face with the Troll."


    Rose looked bashful for a second before her carefree, mischievous look returned.


    "We did come out of the encounter without any injuries and got an awesome story to tell. It''s a win in my opinion." Rose waved her hands, clearly believing her words, and stared at Hermione.


    They both entered a staring contest where one looked unbothered while the other frowned at her disapprovingly.


    "Just don''t mention my name when you share your story."


    Leon''s words broke their staring contest.


    "We do owe you a big one, you can ask for my help anytime."


    "Thank you for saving us."


    "So did you guys find out what is on the third floor?"


    "Nah! The moving staircases do not stop on the third floor, we checked. So we don''t know yet."


    Leon eyed the rambunctious red-haired girl before bidding them goodbye.


    They expressed their thanks again as Leon left the room.


    ''Now for the time to reap my rewards has come.''


    Leon left towards his dorm with a spring in his step, excited to see the type of spells the books had.


    ''As it is an alternative to the Will of ancestors reward it should be awesome right?''


    As he walked, his head in clouds, imagining spells that would function as sonar or that would have great synergy to his stealth combo- Camouflage spell + Notice me not- the sight of a large boy in Slytherin robes fumbling his wand stunned him.


    With a twist of his wrist, Leon''s wand appeared in his palm.


    A sticky spell aimed at the mouth of the Slytherin turned the efforts of the boy to cast a spell useless.


    ''Good thing, I practiced to reduce the casting time.''


    Patting himself for his marvelous forethought, Leon observed the boy who was touching his mouth with a shocked expression, his wand forgotten on the ground.


    "Don''t force it too much otherwise your skin and flesh will be torn apart, and then you really won''t be able to speak."


    The boy whimpered at that before deciding it was wise to charge at the guy with a wand in his hand.


    A simple back jump to create distance and another sticky spell toward his shoes sent the Slytherin sprawling on the ground.


    As he slithered on the ground trying to get up, another sticky spell made sure he would continue to hug the ground with his body like their house mascot.


    "Crabbe, is it? Maybe Goyle?"


    Leon did feel that he was a little cruel to burn the retinas of Malfoy''s minions just because they followed his orders. But somehow not recognising whose retinas he burned felt worse.


    ''Maybe next time I will use another spell combo if they want to bully me.''


    Malfoy''s scream was a little funny. They felt like he was surprised that he was getting hurt instead of screams of pain. Leon thought a strong reminder in the form of pain would stop them from coming after him, but they proved him wrong.


    He doesn''t even know why Malfoy was ticked off at him. Leon didn''t even have a conversation with that guy.


    ''I don''t want to deal with these fools, right now.'' With a sigh, Leon played with his wand, unsure of how to proceed.


    "Where is Malfoy?" He asked.


    The Slytherin''s eyes quickly darted to the side before he caught himself.


    ''They are each guarding a corridor that leads to Hufflepuff dorms. Like one of them can take me, solo.'' He quickly caught on as he remembered every path that led to his dorm.


    Enemies this dumb aren''t enemies but nuisance.


    ''Tonks did ask me to tell her if they bothered me again. Something about Hufflepuffs tradition.''


    Shaking his head, he left for his dorm under his stealth spell combo.


    ''I will let her deal with them, I have too many things to read and do,'' he decided, remembering the half-read ''Rise and Fall of Artefacts'' and the fresh ''Mastering the Senses'' books.


    He was a Hufflepuff why not take advantage of that to deal with some nuisances?

 Chapter 23 - New spell

    Leon didn¡¯t see more Slytherins on his way to his dorm. So, tossing the matter to the back of his mind, for now, he excitedly opened the book- Mastering the Senses.


    Wizards, even magical creatures for that matter, depend on their senses to perceive their surroundings.


    The irony that we, the wizards, the benders of the world, the children of magic, use organic senses to perceive the world that we shape with a thought is lost on most, but not on me. And if you are reading this, you too can be saved, it''s not too late.


    Without further ado, let''s see how we can master our senses and toy with the senses of our wayward brethren.


    Now, what are senses?


    They are just endpoints of the brain, the mind.


    Control your opponent''s senses, you control their minds.


    And the first step to control others is mastering our senses so we can master our brain.


    Below are the exercises you must do to efficiently use your brain.


    While my boring master left me alone and expected me to practice them for three years, you as part of the Astraeus line are lucky to have me as your ancestor.


    I wrote down my spells which will temporarily augment your mind to a high level, I created them, and many more awesome things, after I toiled away for three years practicing the exercises.


    They will give you a taste of what you can naturally achieve if you complete the exercises.


    While I am giving you such precious knowledge it doesn¡¯t mean you get to skip the boring parts, start doing these exercises from today. Suffering Hard work will always be a constant companion, nonetheless a boring one.


    The spells are divided into three sections: Remembrance, Understanding, and Boosting.


    Each section had a couple of spells under it, and Leon vaguely understood what each section meant by their names.


    ¡®Awesome spells!¡¯ Giddy, he excitedly turned the page.


    Except, the next page was white, and the next too.


    Nothing was written on them. However, words quickly started to appear.


    ¡®HA HA! You must at least master a spell before proceeding any further. The experience the spells provide is invaluable to speed up your exercises. Believe in me, I never steer anyone or anything wrong.¡¯


    The Hufflepuff hurriedly read more about the spells, starting with the memory boost charm from the Remembrance section.


    Explanation appeared under the spell as he focused on it.


    The spell was supposed to improve his ability to remember minute details in any of his memories.


    Curbing his excitement, Leon focused on other spells.


    The remembrance section contained spells related to memory power. Memory boosting spells, retaining new memories, recalling dreams, recalling forgotten memories, and many more.


    Understanding, or Noticing as Leon dubbed it, section contained spells that can improve the sensitivity of senses and notice things the brain generally dismisses or can¡¯t notice.


    ¡®It essentially turns every sense into 4k HD from 240p.¡¯


    The boosting section contained spells that improved the brain¡¯s overall performance, but most spells gravitated towards improving the brain¡¯s processing speed.


    ¡°Bullet time here I come.¡¯


    The shine in Leon¡¯s eyes slowly diminished as he read the warnings related to the mind spells.


    No more than one mind charm at the same time, at least a seven-day gap must be maintained before casting the spell of the same section ¨C were the main ones.


    ¡®Damn! With these restrictions, the use of these spells isn¡¯t much. But I guess they still are cool and versatile.¡¯


    Shaking his head, Leon chose a spell from Understanding that would augment his sight.


    Just as he whispered the spell, his world changed.


    He was able to see beautiful patterns on the stone walls of his room and his wooden table.


    ¡®My skin isn¡¯t as beautiful though,¡¯ Leon grumbled.


    He could feel the spell straining his eyes and brain. So, he quickly dispelled it when he started to feel pain.


    With some breaks, he was able to cast(master) the spell, perfectly.


    The page turned on its own.


    That was quick. As a reward for nearly being as talented as me, I will bestow upon you a spell worthy of my name. It is very versatile - who cares if it can¡¯t work on sorcerers and people who learned Occlumency and have a little bit of talent in it?


    Vis Quod Cupio


    Leon literally shivered in his seat with excitement as he read what the spell could do.


    While most people think three-word spells are useless, I beg to differ.


    While they are certainly useless in duels or battles and are hard to silent cast, secrecy is a great part of deceiving your opponent''s mind. So, I don¡¯t see why my master grumbles that the spell is a waste of magic.


    ¡®But ¡®Sorcerer?¡¯ Is this a title? What¡¯s with this classification?¡¯


    A knock on his door interrupted him as he was about to cast the spell.


    He hurriedly opened the door to see Susan and Hannah standing outside.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! It''s time for dinner. What were you doing? Why aren¡¯t you in our corner, practicing spells? And what did the headmaster want?¡±


    Susan barraged him with questions and dragged him from his room with never-seen urgency.


    Casting a longing glance at the book, Leon let himself be dragged.


    ¡°He just wanted to personally give me the book I talked about. And I lost track of time reading the book. It¡¯s awesome.¡± He answered and silence fell as Susan concentrated on navigating the Hogwarts corridors.


    ¡°Why the hurry?¡± Leon asked as Susan still didn¡¯t leave his arm.


    ¡°While we flew around our house team- the remaining members- started their routine practice. I couldn¡¯t look at Hannah imitating an abandoned Kneazle as she watched them practice. So, we joined them and missed our snacks. Now, we are hungry!¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not true!¡± Hannah retorted.


    ¡°How is it not true! If you had just sniffed and meowed, I bet people would have picked you up to pet you.¡±


    ¡°But the practice was fun,¡± the na?ve Hufflepuff muttered.


    Susan flicked her friend¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel my legs because of that practice, do you think I like to run around the grounds? I won¡¯t be joining you guys tomorrow; I like my legs as they are, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a fairy,¡± Hannah pouted.


    That did it.


    Susan didn¡¯t show any mercy and started to tickle her friend.


    ¡°You.. are.. weak.¡± Hannah squeaked out between her laughs, trying to brave through tickles before changing her mind and running away to join Tonks but not before showing her tongue to Susan.


    Susan smiled at her friend before nudging Leon.


    ¡°Any bright ideas on how to change her mind- regarding the tryouts?¡±


    ¡°Her problem is playing in front of a crowd, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°And she is joining our senior team members'' practice tomorrow, without you.¡±


    ¡°Yes! She just needs a nudge. Hannah lets her imagination run wild and is shy and afraid to be the focus of a crowd. Maybe you should join the tryouts if she sees a familiar face I can convince her to join.¡±


    ¡°That was my first idea too when you asked me to help on the day before yesterday. But what happens If she gets selected? Hmm! I think I have a better solution that will work long term.¡± Leon whispered his plan to Susan, while she looked a little reluctant at the start, she quickly gave in.


    ¡°I think it will work! We shall try,¡± she reluctantly said as they reached the great hall.


    A hopeful Susan sat beside her friend who showed her tongue again making Susan boop her nose.


    ¡°Tonks! You said I should tell you if Malfoy bothers me again, right?¡± Ignoring their byplay, Leon focused on the metamorph magus.


    The seventh-year raised an eyebrow at Leon.


    ¡°Hmm! Cousin Draco bent to public pressure again and wants revenge? If his and his gang¡¯s screams didn¡¯t let everyone know he got beaten I don¡¯t think he would have come after you. What did you do to them this time?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! I caught Goyle or Crabbe loitering in a corridor near our dorm and he tried to attack me. It seems Draco spread his net a little too wide and missed me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm! Leave it to me! If you taught him a lesson, I would have to consult my other seventh years before using the spell. But I don¡¯t need to now.¡± Her hair started to change colors rapidly as she got excited. ¡°I so wanted to use this spell from so long ago. A seventh-year used it on a Slytherin who bullied me in my first year, I can¡¯t wait to see the spell in action again.¡± She let out a little laugh and dismissed his further inquiries about the spell.


    ¡°Patience, little firstie you will see!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°You were supposed to shout after you see him, Crabbe. How hard is it to remember to shout? We were keeping an eye on the corridors beside yours; a little shout and that smug bastard would have been toast.¡± Malfoy grumbled for the nth time as the first-year Slytherins gathered for dinner.


    ¡°I told you that you and your minions aren¡¯t enough to deal with him, Malfoy. Instead of listening to me, you ran towards him the first time he let his guard down, and that too without a plan. Our seniors won¡¯t be pleased to know you have messed with a Hufflepuff twice with no results other than the display of your inadequacy.¡±


    Daphne tutted.


    ¡°And you weren¡¯t exactly silent about your second failure, you have many eyes on your Draco.¡±


    The Malfoy huffed and got up to leave the great hall.


    She watched him away and remarked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the favor you owe me for telling you the corridors that lead to the badger¡¯s dorm.¡±


    Draco glared at her, before nodding.


    ¡®The little fool!¡¯ Daphne thought, ignoring Pansy¡¯s glares. ¡®If he acted like this without his father¡¯s name, he would have been chewed up and spitted out in the Slytherin.¡¯ Her grip tightened on her spoon.


    ¡®How did the sorting hat even think he was Slytherin material?¡¯ Daphne just couldn¡¯t bear to see how the blonde was wasting his family¡¯s influence.


    ¡®Lucius dropped the egg with this one.¡¯ She thought, remembering the way Draco¡¯s grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy, controlled everyone in a Greengrass party with his words alone.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡®Damn! Bastards! Every one of them! I will show them, I will show them you won¡¯t get to live unscathed if you mess with a Malfoy.¡¯


    Draco fumed and walked towards his dorm, not noticing his wayward cousin standing in the shadows, looking at him with pity in her eyes,


    Nor did he notice a small light, the size of a finger hitting his legs.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Done! Now we get to watch the show, just keep an eye on Draco in class and in the great hall.¡± The seventh-year crashed into her seat in the great hall.


    The Hufflepuff Trio nodded their heads as Tonk''s eyes shined with anticipation.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Squirrel finished the theory part of the class, not going out of character even once.


    ¡®At least he gets an A for effort. I can¡¯t see myself stuttering for one and a half hours in each class every day.¡¯


    The class fell silent as Quirrel waved his wand around, clearing space for spell practice.


    It was the only time in his class when the teens'' eyes showed something other than boredom and frustration.


    ¡®Power commands respect.¡¯ Leon too admired the professor¡¯s wandwork when a loud fart disrupted the silence.


    Heads instantly swiveled towards the source.


    Malfoy¡¯s pale face flushed as everyone looked at him in disgust and displeasure.


    Another long farting sound echoed in the class, originating from him, making him stand up.


    Laughter erupted as he ran away from the class.


    ¡®Was that the result of the spell? It makes people fart? That¡¯s it?¡¯ The way Tonks hyped up the spell, he didn¡¯t believe that was it.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Leon was struggling to remove a magical root from its pot in the herbology class when he heard a high-pitched scream.


    He turned around, only to see Draco wearing a corset and tight leggings.


    ¡®Damn! That¡¯s gonna haunt me for the rest of my life.¡¯


    Draco ran away again under the giggles of the female students while the boys just averted their eyes, uncomfortable.


    The leggings were too tight and displayed everything.


    ¡®How does this spell work?¡¯


    Leon asked around and found out that Draco¡¯s dress change happened when he was bending to take a small shovel.


    So, many people got to see him, bending over in tight leggings.


    ¡®Does the spell only activate at the perfect time? And how does it choose what to do with its target?¡¯


    ¡®The curses we learn in DADA aren¡¯t this versatile. Hmm!¡¯


    Leon eyed Tonks as she laughed at Draco¡¯s predicament as Susan narrated the events with enthusiasm.


    ¡®Hmm! Even Susan doesn¡¯t like him.¡¯


    Suddenly the Gryffindor table started laughing very hard pointing at the Slytherin table.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Leon wondered.


    There was nothing unusual going on near the Slytherin table, even the Slytherins were confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s the spell, Leon. The spell is our house¡¯s inheritance. It has many layers. I wonder what they are seeing,¡± Tonks glanced at the professor''s table before watching the Slytherin table with interest.


    Suddenly the Hufflepuff table started to laugh too.


    Something like a hologram appeared above Malfoy. You may say that¡¯s not too bad until you see that Malfoy was in the corset again and was being pursued by a drooling muscular troll that had hearts in its eyes.


    The Hologram Malfoy was too eye-catching, a little too much lipstick, and mascara along with long eyelids and bald spots made the hologram Malfoy look like a circus reject.


    He was dancing out of the Troll¡¯s arms by dancing around them.


    The two tangoed in the air, as most of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables were confused at the other house table¡¯s mad howls.


    The Troll caught the Hologram Malfoy before its eyes shined looking at the original one.


    Malfoy too suddenly got to know why everyone was laughing at him as a huge figure suddenly appeared in his sight and tried to hug him.


    He reflexively dodged making him fall off from his table.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Snape¡¯s voice echoed, followed by a bright flash of a spell that hit Malfoy. The holograms dissolved like watercolors as a red-faced Malfoy took his seat under the combined glares of the Slytherin table.


    ¡®I guess this was humor before the internet came around and the era changed.¡¯


    ¡°Who created this spell? It¡¯s too awesome.¡± Leon didn¡¯t sweat much on the pranks pulled by the spell, the content of which can offend many people online in his previous life.


    He was more concerned with the complexity of the spell and the way it took decisions in real-time.


    ¡°It was a joint project. Some students of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw got together to create it, to opt out of the corridor wars of ¡®that¡¯ period.¡±


    Tonks answered while smothering her laughter.


    ¡®Cool! I wonder when and how can I create a spell with such complexity?¡¯

 Chapter 24- Helping a friend and Bruises

    The next day Leon even early than normal. He was very eager to make some progress in the exercises given by the book and try out the new spell.


    After all, the author dangled other spells like Vis Quod cupio will only be given to him after he completes the first phase of the exercises.


    The first phase was over when the reader could feel the connection with his mind. For that, the exercise was just to sit and empty his mind and feel his body.


    Leon didn''t know how one would feel connection to their mind, seeing a body is just a organic mecha controlled by the brain, but started doing the exercises.


    And as the M.T.S author said, it was boring.


    But he was able see his progress. He vaguely felt his mind, it was like he was peering at the world through two eyes and suddenly he was able to look at his other eye.


    It was quite magical if not little disorienting.


    Leon felt like the connection he was supposed to feel can''t be different to the connection he feels to the objects under his magic.


    With those objects, they and his mind have the connection, and now he and his mind will have to get the same connection.


    After trying and feeling to connect to his mind for an hour, he started practising the three-word spell of the M.T.S book.


    Sitting on his butt for long time was never his style.


    The spell practice was a little difficult, and boring too. The spell was the type where you can only see the result if aimed at a target. So, there were no magical effects or visible improvement that hit him with dopamine.


    ''Practice makes perfect, I don''t believe this charm will be any different from the others.''


    After he was sure he got a grip on the spell, he entered the common room and started searching for a target for his spell.


    "Meow!" A cat sat on a high shelf, looking down at him.


    It was a half Kneazle, a semi magical cat. With it''s sharp ears and fluffy well-groomed orange coat, the cat looked cute as hell, making him hesitate.


    ''The spell is supposed to be harmless, it won''t do anything if it fails, I double-checked it.''


    As he was going to play with someone''s mind, he was extra cautious. Thus, he even practiced the spell before trying it on something.


    ''Welp! Here goes nothing, Susan did say the book wouldn''t have problematic spells if it has Dumbledore''s tacit approval.''


    Leon waved his wand and incanted.


    "Vis Quod Cupi"


    Reality battering his magic, his spell, testing his magic''s strength before it bent accommodating itself around his magic.


    The cat left out a high-pitched yelp and booked it.


    ''Awesome! It worked.''


    With a big grin, Leon started to scare the shit out of his housemates'' pets, all in the name of testing the spell''s parameters.


    ......


    "If everything is ready, let''s go to the Hospital wing right after our class ends. And if the spell is harmless, we will go to the field." Susan nudged him.


    Instead of just watching her friend who was getting more depressed and filled with anxiety as the day for the tryouts approached, she decided to follow his plan which hinged on his new spell.


    The classes ended with no surprises.


    After sending Hannah away to fetch brooms, Susan and Leon stood beside the Hospital wing''s entrance.


    "We don''t have to do this. There must be other ways to help Hannah, maybe a potion." Leon fiddled with his wand, eyeing the distance to the Hospital wing''s door.


    "Doping isn''t allowed especially for tryouts, and it isn''t a long-term solution. Don''t worry! It''s quite safe, I have my heir ring- which will block magic with harmful intention- and the book was examined by the headmaster, and the spell is supposed to be harmless AND you tried it on a cat. I think my mind is a little more resistant and stronger than a cat''s," Susan laughed a little, looking at her nervous friend.


    "You were the one who suggested it, get on with it already." Susan hurried to him as he stood thinking through the plan of action, for the seventh time that day, if something went wrong.


    He nodded and got ready.


    With a wave of his wand, reality rippled.


    "Hmm! It''s working. It''s a good spell. It mimics what most new legimens can do." Susan said, eyeing something invisible in the air.


    ''I wonder if this is why the author''s master said the spell was a waste of magic.''


    "But it''s definitely better, it''s a very good spell." Susan continued, her eyes tracking something invisible.


    "Why do you think so?"


    "A common legilimens will have to maintain eye contact to imitate this spell and unlike occlumency, legilimence is tougher and fewer people are talented in it. The affinity barrier in legilimency is no joke, so it''s a good spell. Come now, let''s hurry!"


    "No, wait. Tell me about their realness of the illusion." He stopped his friend.


    Susan flinched looking at him.


    "It looks very real, Leon. But couldn''t you think of anything better filling the corridor with people with no eyes and big, creepy, smile? Hurry up, now." Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him towards the quidditch field.


    They quickly reached the Quidditch field to see Hannah twiddling her thumbs in a corner as their classmates flew around.


    She perked up when she saw Susan.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Where did you guys go?"


    "Doesn''t matter right now! Let''s go!"


    Susan took her broom and took off.


    As Hannah followed her, she didn''t notice a semi-transparent ball of light hitting her back.


    "Are you guys ready to lose?" Leon yelled as he faced his classmates.


    He didn''t know what Susan told Zachary Smith- the arrogant boy- to make him participate in a quidditch match. But the other two guys looked like they didn''t take much convincing as they vibrated on their brooms.


    The six of them divided into two groups with Susan, Leon, and Hannah as one team and the remaining making up the other.


    There weren''t any fixed positions like keeper or beaters, and they played the game without any bludgers and the golden snitch.


    The game revolved around the Quaffle and the team with the most goals would be the winner.


    A few minutes into the Quidditch lite game, Justin''s inexperience showed through while Ernie played like he knew what he was doing.


    Leon''s performance wasn''t also eye-catching as he had to maintain the spell while controlling the broom. So, he just hung back and watched Susan and Hannah play. With Justin not able to do much, there wasn''t a need for him to interfere.


    The twin-tailed girl slowly shed her shell, getting more proactive in the air.


    With a slam that surprised everyone she sent Smith spiralling and scored after doing a perfect corkscrew dive.


    Everyone except Smith clapped for the girl, impressed by her maneuver.


    Smith too started to play aggressively. Slamming, crashing into Leon''s friends with abandon.


    Smith aggressively checked Leon''s shoulder as he tried to slow him down and trailed Hannah as she barreled towards the goalpost.


    Smith pulled up before Hannah, trying to catch the Quaffle.


    They both rammed into each other so hard, that Leon thought he heard bones breaking.


    She then dived and kicked the ball towards Susan who passed it back to her as Ernie dogged her.


    Smith and Hannah played a game of cat and mouse with Hannah always being one step ahead of him.


    The Hufflepuff harpy passed the Quaffle to Leon before ramming into Smith which sent both of them spiralling.


    With everyone occupied and Justin slowly trudging towards Leon, he quickly scored.


    The game continued with both team''s scores always very near to each other.


    While Leon didn''t like Smith, he had to admit he was a talented player.


    "Don''t use the spell now. We need a better score to let Hannah adjust after the spell makes her lose her cool, losing the game wouldn''t help with her confidence." Susan hovered beside Leon as both watched Hannah and Smith trying to kill each other.


    "You should have chosen someone from other houses or a second year who isn''t good at Quidditch," he let out a sigh.


    "I didn''t know he could play so well, I thought he was just boasting he like normally does."'' Susan bit her lip, distraught.


    "Haa! I will try to pick up some slack." He promised.


    Leon could feel the spell connecting his mind to Hannah''s, he was just waiting for a perfect time.


    The Hufflepuff could be called talented in flying not because he had amazing reflexes like Harry or conditioned reflexes and maneuvers like Hannah.


    He was talented because the broom responded to his mind. The connection he felt with the objects under his magic was the core of his ''talent''. And with the said mind occupied by the spell, he had to stress his mind, exhausting it, to play well.


    Ignoring the burden the spell made him feel, Leon actively clashed with Smith who didn''t hold back, showing him who was better in the air.


    Leon didn''t have the experience or practice on how to reduce impact and how to perfectly obstruct or ram into the opponent. So, he wasn''t as smooth as Smith.


    "You aren''t much of a man in the air, are you Astraeus?" Smith taunted, after ramming into him as he passed the Quaffle to Hannah.


    Leon just snickered.


    Something about a 14-year-old talking about being a man tickled him wrong.


    Smith looked like he wanted to ram his broom into Leon''s stomach as he laughed but hurriedly flew away with a scoff as Ernie failed to stop Hannah.


    But Leon wasn''t letting him go that easily.


    Just like that, slowly, Leon''s team gained lead at the cost of bruises on Leon''s body and his hands.


    When Hannah saw Smith trying to ram his broom onto Leon''s fingers taking advantage of the latter''s inexperience, she flew off handle and nearly sent the guy flying from his broom.


    Smith didn''t kiss the ground only because of his quick reflexes, he hooked his leg around his broom at the last second taking it with him before he quickly stabilizing himself as he fell.


    But Smith achieved what he wanted, Leon was further slowed down due to his injuries, making him less active in the game.


    The spotlight went to Hannah and Smith again.


    Taking the Quaffle from Ernie, Hannah started soaring towards the opponent''s goalpost.


    A small bump to Justin''s broom changed its angle, sending him crashing towards Smith while Susan dogged Ernie.


    With Smith and Ernie hot on her tail, Hannah scored a perfect goal with her Quaffle curving into the middle goalpost.


    As a smile graced her face at her perfect run, she suddenly heard cheers echo from the stands.


    "Hannah! Hannah!" People in yellow, scarlet and silver robes cheered her, wiping the smile off her face.


    ''What! What?'' Sadly, Smith didn''t care for her surprise.


    He quickly left towards the goalpost with the quaffle.


    Hannah let him, still reeling from the sudden appearance of the audience.


    The Hufflepuff started staring at her broom after a quick look at the audience stand which was suddenly filled with people.


    "Hannah! Get back in the game!" Susan cried out as her friend stopped flying and hovered in the same spot.


    While her friend''s voice snapped her out, the shy girl reverted back to her on-ground personality and became very passive in the game.


    With Hannah off her game, Leon had to pick up the slack to not let Smith close the gap in the score.


    The pressure on the Hufflepuff increased as he had to maintain the illusion, but he continued clashing against Smith. While he was partially successful, he started accumulating even more injuries.


    Susan tried to help but with Ernie blocking her, she couldn''t do much.


    .....


    Smith barreled past Leon with ease. With their scores nearly catching up, the arrogant puff concentrated on scoring instead of trying to clash with Leon.


    Leon was so exhausted that even thinking became a chore, but he continued playing the game, mechanically.


    "A little help would be nice, Hannah," Leon called out with an exhausted smile as she trailed Smith with none of her former vigor.


    Hannah''s eyes were teary, likely due to her anxiety about playing in front of the audience.


    Smith once again barreled past Leon, but this time Susan tricked Ernie and tried to stop him, only to get hurt as Smith tackled her and continued moving.


    Generally, the Quidditch attire prevents bruises but as it was not an official game, they weren''t wearing any.


    Susan getting hurt shook Hannah. The Hufflepuff slowly started to gain back her vigor, ignoring the audience who were shouting, cheering and sometimes booing.


    Time slowly passed, and the scores were evenly matched when Hannah regained her boisterous laugh.


    She once again became a harpy that was in the sky, making Smith sweat to score and take bruises in exchange for the Quaffle.


    While the game turned from friendly to hardcore because of Smith, it was good practice for Hannah.


    With Leon''s team win guaranteed after one more goal, Smith turned even more aggressive.


    Justin and Leon just watched their teammates become blurs in the air, twisting, turning and ramming into each other.


    As the inexperienced one and the exhausted one watched the match, Smith and Hannah were flying neck to neck with the Quaffle safely tucked in Hannah''s left hand.


    Hannah just kept changing the Quaffle from one hand to another as Smith circled her trying to take the Quaffle. That meant taking her hands off the broom while flying at breakneck speed.


    ''When did she become ambidextrous? Is this the power of friendship?''


    Smith finally relented and decided to slow her down and obstruct her.


    But Hannah didn''t slow down, they kept dodging and ramming into each other and finally, Hannah crashed her broom into Smith and jumped from broom, scoring a goal.


    She hung from the metal goalpost, laughing, kicking her legs in the air.


    "We won!" "Argh!" Susan''s yell of joy and Smith''s yell of frustration echoed at the same time.


    The crowd roared in approval, chanting Hannah''s name.


    Susan flew to fetch her friend as Leon slowly landed and sprawled on the ground.


    "You! If you didn''t know how to play you should have watched from the sidelines. Not imitate duck in the air." Smith yelled at Justin who stood beside Leon, looking at him in concern.


    "Oh! Buzz off, Smith, it was just a game." Leon propped himself and looked at the joy sucker.


    "Yeah! It''s a game. Apologise to Justin, Smith," Ernie joined the boys, glaring at Smith.


    Smith just huffed and walked away with his broom.


    "What happened to you, Leon? Why are you so exhausted?"


    "Nothing! Just didn''t get much sleep yesterday."


    Susan and Hannah quickly huddled around him, looking at him in concern.


    Leon stood up and waved at the two boys.


    "Nice game! See you guys later!"


    Under Susan''s guilty and Hannah''s doubtful gaze, he walked away.


    "Did you cast the illusion? Why didn''t you dispel it yet?" Hannah asked.


    "Why are you still maintaining it?" Susan clasped his shoulders and pulled him up like he would faint any minute.

 Chapter 25- 49

    "Wait a minute! How did you know that the audience is just an illusion, Hannah?"


    "Well! They are unnatural."


    "Dispel the spell already, Leon," Susan interjected and insisted.


    "Just let me know the parameters of the spell. Please continue, Hannah."


    "The sounds, their cheers, are real enough. At first, as I didn''t look at them properly so I thought they were real. But after I won and looked at the stands, most of the audience faces were hazy and their movements unnatural."


    ''Hmm! What did I expect with just 1 hour of practice? Maybe, the issue isn''t with practice..''


    The spell partially translates to ''you feel what I desire''. It lets the target see, and hear things the caster wants them to.


    Leon scared the cat with an image of a large dog jumping towards it and he projected an image of butterflies to Susan while they tested.


    ''Maybe the spell can''t fill a large number of smaller details itself and no way I can project a very detailed mental picture.. wait a second.''


    Leon quickly dispelled the spell and took a breath. The spell was really bearing down on him.


    "Susan, what did you see when I cast the spell on you?"


    "Normal butterflies, they were beautiful." Susan got his arm around her shoulder and answered. "And the creepy people looked real too. But I guess the guys at the edge of the corridor looked smoky."


    "Smoky? Smoky how?"


    "Like they were made of smoke? They didn''t feel real."


    Leon grimaced at that.


    ''The author''s master was right; the spell is useless.'' Exhaustion didn''t leave Leon in a charitable mood.


    Susan and Hannah dropped him in front of his room.


    "Thanks! But you didn''t need to drop me here, I am not that fragile." Leon smiled at the worrywarts.


    "Thank you for helping me, Leon." Hannah gave him a light hug and ran away, with her head down and face flushed.


    ''So shy!'' Leon shook his head.


    "Thank you, Leon. You went above and beyond what I asked for."


    Susan gave him a guilty look and hugged him.


    "Don''t sweat it! I wouldn''t ever say no to practicing a new spell," Leon said after she released him.


    "Thank you again! I will get you food later or do you want to come to the great hall with us."


    "Food in my room would be nice, thank you. Don''t forget to get some of every dish."


    Susan smiled at him, ruefully, before walking away.


    "Hey! I am serious," Leon called out.


    He didn''t receive an answer, so he just entered his room and sprawled on his bed.


    "Stupid spell!" he muttered and quickly fell asleep.


    "Wake.. Wake up!"


    Leon blinked the sleep out of his eyes and was met with a wide array of dishes spread on his table.


    Susan patted his face softly as Leon looked around half asleep.


    "Thankss!"


    Eyes filled with exhaustion, Leon finished the dishes and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the bed.


    "What was that spell? He is so exhausted." Hannah whispered, poking Leon''s shoulder.


    "A stupid spell for a stubborn guy," Susan replied sprinkling a potion on his body, the bruises from the game melted away as the magical potion touched his skin.


    ...............


    He woke up feeling very refreshed.


    "Tempus"


    Leon stretched with a yawn and took the MTS book.


    Oh oh, it seems someone found limits of the spell or should I say the limits of their mind. The spell isn''t much if the caster isn''t in the Un stage. And if you really want to explore the full potential of the spell, hurry up and connect with your mind already.


    In the Un stage, while enhancement to your mind isn''t noticeable, you can create one perfect illusion of size 13m x 13m.


    In the Duo stage, the mind enhancement will be noticeable while you can create illusions as detailed and as big as you want.


    And get this! The illusions will be no different than real things to the target, they can even touch them.


    In the last stage, the trinity stage, the enhancement of your mind and your prowess will be off the charts.


    You can create a fake world for your target, and he won''t even know the difference.


    If you want him to think he was in the illusion for a second when he was in it for a day, he will. One second, one day, one month- it doesn''t matter you are the master of the illusionary world.


    And when you are at the peak of the Trinity stage you can even alter or rewrite the feedback his spells give him.


    You can even deceive their magic! The number won''t even matter, any Witch or Wizard will be your puppet.


    HA HA HA!


    ''Damn! I take it back; the spell is awesome.'' Leon thought ignoring the evil laughter of his ancestor on the page.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    After reading it again to make sure he missed nothing, he hurriedly turned the page.


    Of course, the spell won''t work on masters of Occlumency or a grand Sorcerer. Anyone else is fair game, it will be a battle between your mastery of the spell, your mind stage, and the target''s Occlumency level.


    Hmm! Don''t worry, unlike my master. Most don''t bother with Occlumency after a certain stage even if they have talent in it.


    He is always nagging me to concentrate on learning Occlumency.


    While I am very talented in it- like once in a millennia genius- I don''t see its use.


    I expect my reader to at least know about one of the popular mind magic, but if you don''t, Occlumency is the art of protecting your magic.


    While novices and upped nobles talk about memories being the core part of Occlumency, it''s only for those nobles who want to tout their horns about being talented while having a talent of a mind mushroom at best. Memories are just the first step.


    Mastering Occlumency is essentially turning your magic impregnable and shapeless - invasive in the case of Legilimency.


    While I see the appeal of casting powered-up spells- shields and curses, respectively- I don''t see why I should practice like a golem for the said power.


    After all, the thing I love about magic is that there are always alternatives. While with Occlumency you can certainly put up a fight when someone tries to edit your memories, extensively enough to change your personality. This can only happen if you are captured.


    And if you are captured, unless you are Master of Occlumency, the one who kidnapped you will get what he wants. After all, magic is filled with alternatives.


    I don''t see myself getting captured in the future, so why I should practice this Occlumency so thoroughly? No one can obliviate me. Isn''t that enough?


    Argh! Sometimes I think my master tortures me for fun.


    My descendant while I look down on the popular mind magics, it''s because I possess the right to do so.


    If you look a Legilimence in the eyes, even a novice, while battling, you better have some prowess in defending your mind or you are dead leaving our future bloodline free of your stupidity.


    ....I digress, you should step into the Un stage as quickly as possible. Because it will loosen the restrictions on the usage of the mind spells I created.


    Now, chop, chop. Meet me when you can connect with your mind. While me being me, I have done it in 3 days, I think you will take more time.


    And don''t get discouraged by the gap between us when you get to know the time I took to reach the third stage, all the while completing all the additional chores and exercises my master assigned me.


    No, I won''t tell you. Unless you are a genius in matters of mind like me, you better venerate me as your genius ancestor.


    And I left a very good surprise for you if you reach the Un stage. While the mind stages are something my master conceived and paved the path to, I developed them- adding something that immensely dwarfs the contribution of my master as a pioneer.


    While he says something about planting roots and others gaining the fruits, I ignore him. He is jealous, just like everyone.


    I bet you can''t invent anything that will overshadow my contributions to magic(mind)...Maybe you do have talent in other areas of magic, we are of the same magic and blood, but I doubt it.


    While imitation is the best form of praise, we progeny of Astraeus are torchbearers of magic.


    So go forth and prove me wrong.


    The way is built by will.


    .......


    ''God damn, whiner. You don''t show people mighty power and leave them with your narcissistic rants.''


    Even though Leon was cursing his ancestor, he was analyzing every word his ancestor wrote.


    ''I wonder what this narcist meant by surprise.''


    Leon shook his head and got ready for the day.


    "So, tryouts are in 2 days, Are you ready, Hannah?" Leon asked as the Hufflepuffs walked toward their morning class.


    "Hmm! I think so."


    The timid girl looked down and nodded her head.


    ''As long as she participates.'' Leon shrugged.


    After they took their seats and were waiting for the class to start, Leon remembered about the sorcerer and Grand sorcerer titles.


    He took a look at Susan who was highlighting the last''s classes core concepts in her notes.


    "Do you know why someone is called a sorcerer or grand sorcerer, Susan?"


    The girl flinched before looking at him in surprise.


    "Well! It''s something people won''t talk about near children." Susan hesitated, looking at Hannah who was doodling in her notes.


    "So.. Do you know?" Leon nudged her.


    "Yes. Just don''t go spreading it around."


    Leon eagerly nodded.


    "Strictly speaking, students who are still in Hogwarts can''t be called Witches or Wizards. We only become one when we don''t need chants to warp the world to our wishes. Wizards or Witches are those who wave their wands remaking the world to their wishes as naturally as they breathe."


    Susan eyed Hannah and seeing her immersed in her doodling, she continued.


    "I don''t know what Sorcerers are capable of, but I know there are only 49 of them in the whole of Europe, America, and Australia. My aunt said she would let me know what it meant to be a Sorcerer when I became a Witch. She is a Sorcerer, by the way, and our house heads are too."


    "Is that number high or low?"


    "My aunt says, that with rigorous discipline, hard work, and a hint of talent, anyone becomes a Sorcerer. It may take a century, but they can. Most Wizards are satisfied with magic rushing to fulfill their wishes, reality at their beck and call. They don''t strive to become a Sorcerer." Susan shook her head like she was disappointed in those people.


    ''Damn! A Century?''


    "Hmm! There are quasi sorcerers too. If you didn''t become lazy and didn''t let your magic slip after the age of 120, Wizards become quasi-sorcerers."


    Leon raised an eyebrow at that.


    "Again, I don''t what it means. But they are said to be very weak when compared to Sorcerers."


    Susan shook her head, forlornly.


    "I badgered my aunt for more information, but she didn''t budge. Eyes in the present, she said."


    "What about Grand Sorcerers?"


    "Well! She said Grand Sorcerers aren''t made but born. There are only 2 Grand Sorcerers alive, one in jail and one is our headmaster."


    The professor arrived cutting off any further questions.


    .........


    Leon finished his homework and ruminated about what he learned that day as the trio sat in the library.


    The power levels of this AU were weighing on his mind.


    ''I wonder if a Sorcerer can defeat a Dragon or a Cerberus on their own. Hmm! A three-headed dog from hell versus a fire-breathing lizard from yore.''


    Leon suddenly remembered the fact that luring Cerberi to their dens should be done in the presence of the magical wild department head and a team of wild patrollers.


    He read that in the Fantastic Beasts and where to find them.


    It was the Greek Ministries protocol when a Cerberus was spotted away from its territory.


    Leon stood up and searched for books regarding the Greek ministry, he wanted to find the magical wild''s department head''s name and see if he was a Sorcerer.


    He sat back down with multiple books, making Susan look at him, questioningly.


    "What are you doing?"


    Leon eyed Hannah before leaning toward the black-haired girl.


    "I want to see if the magical wild department head of Greece is a Sorcerer."


    "She is, why do you want to know about her?"


    "How do you know?"


    "I know the names of every Sorcerer of Europe. After all, I do go to the parties my aunt is invited to. And Sorcerers always occupy very high positions in their country. Now, Answer my question."


    "Ha ha! Just curious, I will meet you guys tomorrow." Leon turned around and cast a quick Tempus.


    Hannah just nodded as she read the potions textbook, clutching her head, while Susan suspiciously looked at him as left the library.


    ''I wonder what makes the so-called Sorcerers afraid of a single Cerberus.''


    Leon wanted to see the Cerberus now, he wanted to feel the difference between their power.


    He always wanted to see the mythical guardian of hell, but the revelation that even one of the 49 power magicals can''t face them alone, just pushed the date forward.


    After all, who wouldn''t want to see a giant three-headed magical dog?


    The risks that come with his wish are minimal as long as he doesn''t open the door and barges in like an idiot.


    ''It is chained to the room, so a little peek won''t do any harm. But first, let''s check out the great hall.''


    The dinner would be served in 5 minutes and the great hall would be open until half an hour before the start of curfew. The professors generally finish their dinner in the first half hour after the dinner is served unless of course they are occupied with something else.


    ''There he is.'' Leon eyed the Hufflepuff table like he was searching for his housemates while glancing at the professor''s table.


    Quirrel started his dinner, serving himself some food.


    ''Good, let''s not waste time.'' Leon quickly walked out of the great hall and ran towards an abandoned classroom. He took out his creepy crawler unseen crawler prototype and untied the ropes.


    ''No time like present, let''s go.''

 Chapter 26- Fear

    With a long rope hanging from his shoulder, Leon left the abandoned classroom under the cover of his stealth combo.


    He chose the staircase point, one of the three Hogwarts has, which is further from the great hall, and climbed it.


    The third floor drew near as the moving staircase, well, moved.


    ¡®Damn it! Why isn¡¯t it stopping?¡¯


    Unlike in the canon, it seems Dumbles didn¡¯t want students entering the third floor.


    ¡®Or is it Hogwarts¡­ nah, I think I read too many fanfics.¡¯


    He descended again; the rope was back up for a situation like this. After all, he does remember, Rose and Hermoine saying the staircase didn¡¯t stop on the third floor.


    Leon quickly knotted the rope and made a foothold.


    As the third floor grew near, the rope became alive and snaked towards the third floor¡¯s roof, like it was swimming in the air.


    A sticky spell on the end of the rope made sure it stayed attached to the roof.


    Leon jumped from the staircase, his feet on the rope¡¯s footholds and hands clutching the rope.


    Without a hitch in his breath, Leon began searching the third floor.


    ¡®The extreme sports did come in handy; Amelia can suck it. Hmm! She did say I will die because of my love for them. Meh! She can still suck it.¡¯


    After a quick tempus, Leon got to work.


    Excitement thrummed his Leon¡¯s veins as he quickly eliminated the abandoned classrooms before moving towards a cupboard door.


    Just as he reached within 3 meters of the door, he got his breath knocked out of him.


    His legs became weak, he collapsed onto his knees as sweat poured down his face.


    A wild, brutal presence smothered him, Leon felt like he was tossed into an abyss and an ancient, dreadful, beast was watching him.


    His lizard brain took control.


    ¡®Stay still, stay still, the predator will lose interest if you stay still¡¯ it said.


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    Leon argued and commanded his body to move but it didn¡¯t, slowly his thoughts became sluggish as he fought to control his body.


    ¡®No¡­ way..¡¯


    He collapsed on the floor, face first, and laid still. His heaving chest was the only thing that differentiated between him and a dead body.


    He didn¡¯t know how much time he lay there imitating a corpse, but a low growl snapped him out of his artificial stupor.


    The untamed presence was still bearing down on him, but it had no focus. Like the beast was sleeping.


    Leon crawled away from the door and leaned against the wall, his body trembling in fright.


    ¡°Tempus,¡± he muttered.


    7 minutes, seven whole minutes, that was the time he spent like a vegetable, unable to think about anything, only with a fleeting impression that he was alive.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    Leon remembered the first time; he tried tightrope walking.


    His legs gave off just as he looked down. He tied so high, humans were even smaller than ants.


    Of course, he tried again. While he liked the adrenaline the extreme sports gave him. It didn¡¯t mean he would climb on top of a rope in the sky without any safety equipment¡­ at least the first couple of times.


    But the fear he felt back then can¡¯t even be called fear when compared to what he experienced just now.


    ¡°A ward, a ward must be the reason. A fear ward to teach a lesson to the troublemakers.¡± He tried to convince himself, but deep down he knew what he felt was the raw presence of a magical creature far above him in the food chain.


    Leon wanted to curl up in a corner and not think about it.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about the creature, staying in the Hogwarts, that could kill him with its intent alone.


    And curled up he did.


    He stared at the door as he slowly calmed down, the mind doing its work, making him forget the extreme terror he felt, slowly making space for indignation.


    Anger at how powerless he was, resentment at Dumbledore for allowing a creature like this to stay in Hogwarts- irrational emotions coursed through his body.


    And he let them. He let his emotions run wild, letting them spend themselves before getting them under control.


    He cracked a smile as he remembered the traps laid out by the professor further in.


    There wasn¡¯t much difference between the Cerberus and the professors, both could kill him with their gaze or intent alone.


    Not to mention the magical and political nuke that Dumbledore was.


    Did that mean he hated them?


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    No.


    He revered them on a certain level of his mind. No, he revered the power they wielded.


    The power that made them impervious to getting chained, either by human needs, family, or society.


    He loved that magic made him free- independent from others in almost every way possible.


    He loved that he could stretch reality to its limits.


    He loved the way magic worked and loved to see every form it took and find its rules.


    And he would be stupider than a rock if he let a little fear douse his curiosity and love of magic.


    Even if the fear is caused by a creature with canines longer than his head and a presence powerful enough to kill him.


    He will be back.


    Leon stood up and dusted himself.


    After casting his stealth combo he left the third floor, vowing to return.


    Leon spent some time near the lake eating the food he took from the kitchen.


    And 10 minutes before curfew Leon stood in front of his house entrance, his mind still full of thoughts regarding the Cerberus.


    ¡®I felt Fawkes''s presence too, maybe in the canon, Dumbles used a ward to restrict Fluffy¡¯s presence. After all, he built the traps, to get Voldy and Harry in the same room and see what happens. Or to get Harry in the room and see if Voldy reveals himself.¡¯


    Seeing a Troll and feeling Fluffy''s presence supported his theory.


    One was a 7-X beast and another a 3-X. It didn¡¯t make sense to just have a single Troll guard the philosophers stone when multiple can do a better job.


    Leon believed there were two sets of traps designed for the *stupid* brave first years and another for the dark lord.


    Even Hermione, the brightest witch of their age, didn¡¯t notice the trial answers were already spoon-fed to them in their classes and looked like they were designed for a good flyer, chess player, and a bookworm.


    ¡®Maybe it was because she was young.¡¯


    Leon just ignored it as a novel being a novel in his previous life, but it was his reality now.


    The Hufflepuff entrance opened after Leon dispelled his spells.


    The common hall had some people lounging around but they ignored him, so he took off to his room not noticing Susan frowning at him.


    The Bones Heir sat in a corner of the common hall, alone, with a book in her lap.


    ¡®How can I see the Cerberus?¡¯


    Leon sprawled on his bed, trying to think of a plan.


    ¡®It needs food, so Hagrid will have to do some trips. If I were him, these food trips would be done in the middle of the night, a significant amount of time after curfew.¡¯


    Leon read that most of the magical creatures didn¡¯t require much sustenance.


    A Cerberus will get an itch to hunt after 3 days of not eating anything, and the itch isn¡¯t strong either.


    There were already books on why and how magical creatures like Giants and such can sustain themselves. And one such book was already in his read-later pile.


    So, he ignored the dietary wonders of the magical creatures and concentrated on his problem.


    ¡®Hmm! I can¡¯t an keep eye on Hagrid every second of the night. An alarm or trespassing spell that can notify me when Hagrid leaves his hut will do the trick. Hmm! I will have to search the library.¡¯


    Slowly, Morpheus embraced him as he went through backup plans in case the plan with Hagrid didn¡¯t pan out.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Days went by as he scoured the library for the alarm spell, but he was not met with much success.


    But Leon was progressing nicely in the mind exercises, at least.


    He could feel the Un stage just out of his reach, a single step would let him reach it.


    ¡®Soon.¡¯


    After the classes, just like the previous days, he went to the library and started to browse through the racks.


    Every version of the general spell book and household charms didn¡¯t have it. So, he has only one option left.


    Grimacing, he turned towards the librarian, Madam Pince.


    She was eyeing him as didn¡¯t settle down even after 15 minutes.


    ¡°Can I ask where the trespassing spells are? I need something that will alert me if someone goes through my bag.¡±


    Madam Pince looked at him like she didn¡¯t believe him.


    ¡°Spells like those come under privacy hazard classification. You will need a professor¡¯s signature to read any book that falls under that section.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Leon left, leaving the snorting librarian behind.


    ¡®Yeah! I don¡¯t think of a good reason that will make a professor sign, without causing further issues.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t need my protective puffs thinking someone is messing with me. Or professors keeping a closer eye on me to look after me to ¡®save¡¯ me.¡¯


    Leon slowly walked towards his dorm, lost in thought, and entered his room.


    The lamps flared to life, halting him in his steps.


    ¡®That¡¯s it! I think it''s possible.¡¯


    Leon ran back to the library and started browsing the Lumos section.


    He quickly found the household spell that looked promising.


    ¡®Orbs of light will warmly welcome you, dispelling the darkness in your house.¡¯


    It was the intro of the spell.


    Assd


    Leon let out a long sigh after he read the spell¡¯s description.


    He wanted to enchant the staircase point or the path outside Hagrid''s house. So that orbs of light will be created in his room, letting him know that Hagrid is on the move.


    With his assumption that Hagrid carries tons of meat, it was a perfect plan. But while this reality was quite magical, it still cruelly snuffed his ¡®brilliant plan¡¯.


    The household spell didn¡¯t have that much range. The range and maximum intensity of the spell were clearly mentioned.


    He quickly searched for any other spells that could turn his plan into reality.


    Alas, there were no such spells.


    ¡®I have to create a variation myself.¡¯ Leon''s eyes brightened at the chance of creating a new spell.


    He certainly couldn¡¯t create a trespassing spell.


    He wouldn¡¯t know where to start even with the spell incantation, not to mention more abstract things like wand movements.


    His first original spell was variant too. Creating spells wasn¡¯t as easy as knowing words in Latin.


    Spell creation was a separate and highly complex profession.


    Not every Latin word works in a spell, he was only able to create his variant with the help of a guide for spell variants.


    He combed through the book and after countless trials and errors, his first original spell was born.


    The trials and errors were huge as he had to match wand movements with the incantation. Again, some movements don¡¯t mesh well with some words.


    Without a strong base and predictable variables, he couldn¡¯t create a new spell.


    ¡®Someday.¡¯ Leon muttered as he began reading every Lumos variant ever recorded.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Days passed as the Un stage evaded Leon, similar to his original Lumos variant.


    The Lumos spell wasn¡¯t created to be used as an alarm, so he was having little difficulty.


    Time passed and it had Leon standing in front of the quidditch field as Susan dragged him, quoting he was burying his head in books a little too much these days.


    He and Susan sat, ready to cheer for Hannah.


    The stand was full. Every Hufflepuff member was present to witness the tryouts.


    Susan made Hannah reach the field early and stand in the field, wanting her to accommodate to, questioning, stares of others.


    An intense look from the Bones Heiress stopped Hannah¡¯s whining, turning them into pitiful whimpers.


    Leon couldn¡¯t do anything but pat her shoulder and send her off.


    So, when Leon and Susan reached the field, Hannah was making conversation with a guy, with Diggory hovering around them, standing at the edge of the field.


    A Bulky guy walked into the field followed by four other Hufflepuffs. While his arms didn¡¯t bulge with muscles, they got solid definition like he put in some work.


    The Hufflepuff captain stood in front of his potential teammates and let out a kind smile before starting to bark orders like a military sergeant, his earlier smile absent.


    ¡°Form a line. First years at the start of the line. You will go first. Chaser and Beater. The tests will be conducted for those positions in that order. We only have two openings, keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°And this will be your team if you get selected.¡± He gestured towards the Hufflepuffs standing beside him.


    ¡°Seeker, Keeper, Beater, Chaser, Chaser.¡±


    He pointed at himself and moved his finger along the line, not taking his eyes off the examinees.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t being bulky for a seeker is detrimental?¡± Leon poked Susan whose eyes were glued to Hannah after they sat.


    ¡°No, it depends on the chosen terrain.¡±


    ¡°What? Chosen Terrain?¡±


    Susan explained still not taking her eyes off her friend.


    ¡°Terrains like Weightless rocks, Forceful winds, and such are chosen at the start of a quidditch match. Bulky seekers have their advantages.¡±


    Leon looked at Susan, gobsmacked.


    ¡®What¡¯s she talking about?¡¯

 Chapter 27 - Talent

    Leon suppressed his questions as Susan was more worried about her friend than explaining how Quidditch was the next best invention after sliced bread to a newb.


    He searched the stands to bother his classmates but found none.


    ¡°Up!¡± The captain shouted after a whistle.


    ¡°You got to be kidding me.¡±


    Leon''s eyes followed the first years as they gained altitude.


    Every first-year Hufflepuff participated in the tryouts except Leon and Susan.


    The first years followed an older Hufflepuff lead, warming up.


    With a nod from the captain, an old student raised her wand to the sky.


    It was the metamorphagus.


    Multiple rings made of light appeared in the field.


    ¡°Follow the Chaser, we will be evaluating your maneuvers.¡± The instructions from the captain made the Chaser take off, leaving behind a surprised group of first-years.


    Justin, the muggle-born, shot after the chaser, snapping the remaining out of their surprise.


    Hannah quickly gained the lead as Justin couldn¡¯t follow the Chaser who performed a vertical C maneuver, perfectly.


    Hannah too fluidly changed her direction by climbing up in the sky, imitating the chaser. But there was a difference in skill between the senior and the junior.


    The chaser was always darting into the center of the rings even as she performed multiple maneuvers that required perfect control of one¡¯s broom.


    The first years were a little less elegant.


    Justin was hailed down after he veered off the path, missing a ring.


    Hannah, Ernie, and Smith were fighting with their brooms not to hit the ring as they followed the chaser.


    ¡®Man, I didn¡¯t know the difference would be this big.¡¯ He thought, watching the professionally trained chaser and the amateurs.


    ¡®I guess, Madam Hooch really knows her stuff.¡¯


    Ernie was called down next, leaving Hannah and Smith to tail the Chaser.


    Smith became Hannah¡¯s shadow as she was always a little ahead of him. He couldn¡¯t overtake her, and he was getting vexed by that.


    As they were following the chaser who was flying in a pattern that looked like someone drew a corkscrew path in a moving car that applied an unhealthy number of brakes, Smith nudged Hannah¡¯s Broom.


    She caught herself quickly only for him to tail-end Hannah¡¯s broom, sending her spinning.


    Hannah hit Smith¡¯s broom with her legs exactly on his palms as she lost control, proving her nickname wasn¡¯t without truth.


    The result was two participants missed the next ring as the crowd failed to follow what had just happened.


    The captain sent a disappointed look at Smith before starting the next trail.


    Ernie Macmillan and Smith fought for the keeper position, but Hannah didn¡¯t participate.


    Smith eked out a win with a fracture to show for it as he did a risky save.


    Madam Pomfrey, appearing from nowhere, quickly rounded up on him and he was ready to fracture his shoulder again in no time.


    Smith didn¡¯t try for the beater position, leaving Ernie to tousle with his older housemates for it.


    The outcome was bleak as he couldn¡¯t compare to people who finished their growth spurts while he was still undergoing his.


    Still, the boy didn¡¯t look even a smidge disappointed. He looked just as happy as he first stepped into the field as he exited it.


    The older students underwent the trials for Chaser and Keeper too.


    They also couldn¡¯t fly as elegantly as the chaser.


    ¡®I guess, consistent practice for a whole year would make a difference no matter how talented you think you are in your leisure rides.¡¯


    The tryouts quickly came to an end.


    The captain thanked everyone for their support with a kind smile and announced the results after a quick discussion with his teammates.


    Hannah was in for the chaser and Smith was a reserve keeper.


    An older student got the beater position.


    Ernie and another older student were selected as reserve members.


    As Leon tried to, quite unsuccessfully, remember the Quidditch players'' names a high-pitched squeal disturbed him.


    Susan hugged the heck out of the shy girl whose face was so red that it looked like steam would be coming out of her face any second.


    Leon didn¡¯t know if she was shy to be hugged in front of so many people or excited to get selected or the most likely scenario, Susan was suffocating her.


    Saving Hannah from bursting her veins, he congratulated her.


    The Hufflepuff¡¯s table was very lively that day with every member recounting the tryouts with most casting Hannah a curious glance, making the girl hide behind Susan.


    Leon woke up the next day with a ¡®nothing can stop me¡¯ attitude.


    The success of his friend lit a fire under him, he wasn¡¯t going to beat himself up over his lack of progress in reaching the Un stage.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Will of the Magic or World¡¯s will. It is an amalgam of sapient beings'' will- consciousness. At least it is the most popular theory regarding the omnipresent but ever-elusive semi-sentient will that permeates the world.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    While the other fields such as Charms or DADA aren¡¯t much concerned with the Magic¡¯s will, the transfiguration branch heavily relies on it.


    Today you will be turning these snuff boxes into rabbits.¡± Professor McGonagall started her class like always, her stern eyes observed everyone like she was trying to find the students who weren¡¯t listening.


    ¡°Remembering everything about an animal you want to transfigure the object into is nearly impossible and time-consuming.¡±


    ¡°You would have to know how many organs it has and how they interact with each other, what makes up its blood, and how its brain works. Even a small gap in your knowledge could leave you with a dead animal If we didn¡¯t have the will of magic assisting us.¡± She rapped her knuckles on her table and sent a stern glare at a Gryffindor as she continued her lecture.


    ¡°But with its assistance, you don¡¯t even need to know what color the animal''s blood is, because the Will of magic takes care of the details for you.¡±


    ¡°While brute forcing with your will may work with charms and most inanimate transfiguration, the delicate and complex structure of an organism makes it impossible to just will an animal to exist.


    Our objective is to make the transfigured animals independent. We don¡¯t want to create meat suits that need real-time instructions from us to know not to fall off stairs.¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s will makes this possible while letting us tweak with the animal¡¯s free will- to make it docile or even make it lazy is easy enough, you do it subconsciously. But there is more to how we can tweak the personality of at transfigured animal- You are very far from learning how to influence a transfigured animal, Miss Potter. Hands down.¡±


    McGonagall glared at the unrepentant potter for a second before resuming her lecture.


    ¡°Masters of transfiguration tried isolating the world¡¯s will and transfiguring objects into animals away from it, the results were not animals but flesh abominations of no use.


    While we don¡¯t know how it was formed or how to influence it. The magic¡¯s will while helps us in transfiguration, it also restricts us.


    The major example is how no wizard can fly without external help or body change. And a minor one is that transfiguring anything into Chimera is impossible.¡±


    ¡®Wow! There goes my horned rabbits.¡¯ Leon wanted to engineer a deadly mundane beast; it was on his mind after McGonagall used a lion¡¯s roar- a lion transfigured from a table ¨C to silence a class once. But it seems his dream of mixing animals won¡¯t come to be.


    ¡°While we don¡¯t know why the magic¡¯s will is actively preventing us from taking to the skies, it does make runes and spells possible. And no whatever results you get in today¡¯s class can¡¯t be called chimeras.


    Refer to Will of the World vs Will of the Wizard for more information on the magic¡¯s will.¡±


    The details about the book appeared on the board.


    ¡®I guess the World¡¯s will already have well-formed nodes(impressions), the animals that exist, and push our magic towards these nodes when we try to transfigure things. No well-formed nodes no help.¡¯


    Leon¡¯s eyes twinkled with stars as he theory crafted.


    The practice session started as many of Leon¡¯s questions were answered- things like why gold was the toughest metal to transfigure.


    The existence of magic¡¯s will even sprouted some theories of how spells came to be in his head.


    As he was lost in thought, imagining staff-wielding wizards laughing at the wizard''s small wands before getting surprised by the little stick holders, McGonagall¡¯s impassive voice snapped him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Daydream later, Mr. Astraeus.¡±


    The practice session began with everyone enthusiastically trying to give birth to a life.


    While some grunts of the students may let an observer doubt the process of birthing, Leon ignored those noises and concentrated on his task.


    ¡®Life! I am going to create life.¡¯


    His inability to grasp the meaning behind a transfigured life didn¡¯t diminish his excitement in the slightest.


    Time passed quickly and Leon¡¯s heart suddenly burst with excitement.


    An adorable fluffy rabbit appeared on his desk, wiggling its ears, innocently looking at its creator.


    Leon stroked its soft fur as the rabbit contently closed its eyes, enjoying his caresses.


    ¡®Fluffy..no.. Hagrid took it. Whitey.. No, it''s even lazier than naming a white-furred Japanese dog Shiro.¡¯


    ¡°No names, Mr Astraeus.¡± McGonagall ordered. She was standing behind him from Merlin knows when.


    With a wave of her wand, the yet-to-be-named adorable rabbit turned into a snuff box before the snuffbox turned into two snuffboxes.


    ¡°Try transfiguring both at the same time.¡±


    The professor left after instructing him like she just didn¡¯t make an adorable rabbit disappear.


    Leon gaped at the professor before shaking himself of the fluffy rabbit¡¯s charm magic.


    ¡®That¡¯s why horned rabbits are awesome. Nobody expects cute things to gore them to death.¡¯


    Mourning at the loss of the apex chimera that was going to grace the world, Leon continued his practice.


    Turning two snuffboxes into rabbits wasn¡¯t that difficult, he partially succeeded.


    As he was going to try again a giggle, and multiple gasps rang out followed by the professor¡¯s voice.


    ¡°5 points from Gryffindor, Ms Potter. Class isn¡¯t the place for your jokes.¡±


    Even Leon, who didn¡¯t know the professor for long could tell there wasn¡¯t much heat in her voice.


    He craned his neck trying to see the joke of the girl who lived, but the professor obstructed his view.


    McGonagall walked away from her table letting him see a rabbit struggling in Potter¡¯s arm as she shielded it with her body.


    ¡®No horn. But what¡¯s that?¡¯


    A black pawprint was visible on the forehead of the cat.


    Rose dropped the rabbit on her table, warily eyeing the professor¡¯s back.


    Every inch of the rabbit was covered in paw prints and two life-like drawings of a cat with glasses outlined near its eyes, on either side of the rabbit.


    ¡®Is that McGonagall¡¯s cat form?¡¯


    A smile graced his face as he examined the rabbit.


    Leon quickly turned around and started waving his wand around the snuffbox.


    A rabbit with a claw mark on its forehead appeared on the table.


    With an excited grin, Leon observed the rabbit.


    ¡®Wait a minute, I wanted a badger drawing on the rabbit. Where is it?¡¯


    Leon dispelled the transfiguration and tried again.


    After 5 minutes of transfiguring and dispelling the snuffbox, the transfigured rabbit got a faint outline of badger on it.


    ¡®God Damn! How did she do it?¡¯


    Leon closed his eyes and felt the connection to the snuffbox.


    The link always felt like his mind was connected to the objects under his magic via a tiny ethereal thread.


    As his problem was details, he tried to increase the size of the thread.


    It didn¡¯t budge.


    He tried to wrap the thread around the snuffbox.


    There was movement but nothing groundbreaking.


    Cursing, Leon transfigured the snuffbox into a rabbit and wrapped the thread on its side.


    A detailed badger drawing appeared on the rabbit.


    He repeated it on the other side of the rabbit.


    The whole process took more than 5 minutes as the immaterial thread wasn¡¯t easy to control.


    As he admired his rabbit, ignoring the coos of Susan and Hannah, a thought ruined his mood.


    ¡®I am less talented in transfiguration than Rose. No way, right? She must have practiced before.¡¯


    Leon shook his head at that excuse. As he knows it was just an excuse. If she wanted to practice something she would have practiced some combat spells due to her unique fame, not customizing rabbit¡¯s skin.


    Leon turned around to see Rose struggling to turn two snuffboxes into rabbits.


    A hopeful thought sprouted in his mind making him turn around and continue his practice.


    A minute passed before two rabbits eyed the world, tilting their heads, prompting Susan and Hannah to snatch them into their arms.


    Leon turned to see Rose again.


    She was still trying to transfigure two snuffboxes at the same time with little success.


    ¡®Never again,¡¯ Leon grimaced as memories of his past life flashed through his mind.


    An eleven-year-old excitedly ran to his mother¡¯s office, holding his prize for getting a national rank in an exam.


    This was the first time his mother called him to her office, and he was excited to see her reaction. Even his teachers were very surprised and praised him for getting the rank.


    But his medal lay forgotten after she demanded him to do better next time, and he did work harder but it was never enough for her.


    Leon clearly remembered every pattern of his mother¡¯s floor. After all, he spent countless hours staring at the floor as his mother¡¯s cold voice disparaged his efforts.


    The CEO of her company always had better achievements when he was younger, and Leon couldn¡¯t measure up to him.


    Slowly he lost the passion he had for learning and stopped meeting his mother.


    While Leon knew the bitter truth of how crossing a 1% talent is nearly impossible, it didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t learn anything from his efforts after he stopped vying for his mother¡¯s love.


    He learned that no one is talentless, and everyone has an area in which they are talented.


    The image of a ditsy girl entered his mind, making him smile. And a part of his job was leveraging these various talented people for that ditsy girl.


    He reminisced in his happy memories before he concentrated on the present.


    ¡®I think, Rose can help me meet the guardian of hell.¡¯ Leon decided, watching the Potter girl practice.


    ¡®Cerberus, here we come!¡¯

 Chapter 28- Domain

    After the class ended, the students clustered around talking with each other.


    Susan and Hannah were giggling with the Gryffindor girls.


    It was weird to see Susan giggling. Normally, she gives off a strict but kind vibe, while some of her laughs can be called giggles, they cannot compare to the giggling fit she is under now.


    He was a little curious about what they were talking about, but he just shook his head and walked towards the loudest group.


    Weasley was talking something about Chudley cannons under the disdainful gaze of Rose and the disbelief of another Gryffindor.


    Rose saw him walking towards them, so Leon signaled her to come near him.


    Rose slinked away from their group ignoring Hermoine¡¯s protests.


    She followed Leon into a corner under the watchful gaze of Hermoine.


    ¡°Do you know what is on the third floor?¡±


    ¡°No! Do you?¡± Rose asked him with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Were you able to reach the third floor?¡± He asked, ignoring her question.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try after the troll fiasco. What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to? I reached the third floor, and I know a way you can too.¡±


    ¡°Hell, yeah!¡± Rose''s gaze drifted from him, prompting him to turn back.


    It seems Weasely noticed the missing member of their group prompting him to beeline toward them.


    ¡°How about a half an hour from now? Meet me near the staircase point.¡± Leon murmured.


    Rose eagerly nodded her head and left to meet her group.


    ¡°Make sure your bladder and bowels are clear.¡± Rose looked at him with a strange glint in her eyes before nodding.


    Rose ignored the rapid questions from the Weasley and Hermoine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a nag, Ron. I know what I am doing.¡±


    The trio left the classroom whispering at each other.


    ¡®Hmm! I wonder if Ron likes Rose like in every female Harry fic. Or did Hermione¡¯s changes make him notice her early?¡¯


    While Leon agreed with those fanfics- a female Harry was someone who ticks every box of an immature, young Ron- he just shrugged and eyed the more immediate problem.


    His friends were still gigging and talking about something.


    Looking at Hannah¡¯s red face, he didn¡¯t know whether interrupting them was a good idea.


    ¡®Yeah! I will take this time to plan.¡¯


    Leon quickly left the classroom and hurried towards the abandoned classroom in which he hid the rope.


    Tying it around his body he left for a washroom.


    ¡®I was lucky I didn¡¯t spoil my underwear last time.¡¯


    A little luck and his daily habit of waking up early were the reason his pants were fine that day. Otherwise, with him losing the capacity to even generate thoughts there isn¡¯t any doubt about what would happen to his involuntary muscle control.


    Thanking his lucky stars again, Leon leaned against a wall, waiting for Rose.


    His stealth spell combo made him disappear from the world, letting him relax.


    Slowly his thoughts drifted towards his failure in reaching the Unstage and creating a Lumos variant to detect Hagrid.


    He was stuck with the mental exercises, unlike the Lumos variant spell which just needed more time.


    Leon looked above him, gazing in the direction of the Cerberus.


    ¡®Maybe today will be the day I will reach the Un stage.¡¯ He had more than one reason for going to the third floor today.


    While he wasn¡¯t sure if the results would be as he desired, he had to try.


    Two girls in Gryffindor¡¯s robes stopped before the stairs.


    ¡®Rose and Hermoine.¡¯


    Shaking his head, Leon dispelled his spells and clapped his hands, making them jump in fright.


    They turned around and spotted him leaning against the wall with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Hermoine glared at him, her eyes searching for something.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Hermione. Let¡¯s go.¡± Rose beckoned him, eyeing the rope around his shoulder.


    The trio quickly got on the moving staircase.


    As the staircase moved towards the third floor, Leon made the footholds, this time even more elaborate to help the newbies.


    With a wave and whisper the rope became alive and swiftly attached its end to the third floor¡¯s roof.


    ¡°Quick we don¡¯t want anyone seeing us.¡±


    Rose didn¡¯t need further prompting, she caught the rope with a grin and swung towards the third floor.


    Rolling on the ground to stop her momentum, she safely landed and grinned at them.


    The rope flew back.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Granger, be quick.¡±


    ¡°But but.¡±


    Seeing the panic in her eyes, Leon knew she wasn¡¯t going to be quick.


    ¡°Climb on my back and close your eyes.¡±


    Hermione didn¡¯t react, froze with indecision.


    ¡°NOW!¡± He shouted, making her follow his instructions.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Leon struggled to speak as the girl was choking the life out of him.


    He ignored her iron grip for now and Tarzan¡¯ed towards the third floor.


    Generally, he would have left the rope and rolled on the ground to spend his momentum.


    But with a koala crushing him to death, he had to improvise.


    Like a pendulum, he let the rope¡¯s momentum carry them across the third-floor hallway and reach its peak.


    And when they were going to swing back, with a wave of his wand, the lower end of the rope got itself attached to the floor, halting them after a couple of seconds.


    Rose hurried towards them and glared at Leon.


    ¡®What did I do now?¡¯ he wondered.


    ¡°You thought I couldn¡¯t take Hermoine with me? I was hoping she would turn back after seeing that she had to swing over a five-story height and risk a deathly fall.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a ¡®deathly¡¯ fall by any means. He knew after the practice he put into it, that the Spongify spell could safely stop the fall from this height.


    Even if Hermione slipped, he could have caught her with a Leviosa spell, he didn¡¯t freeze any situations.


    Something that came naturally to him after a few tousles with some extreme sports.


    But Leon knew that wasn¡¯t the point she was making so he stayed silent.


    As the silence became awkward, Hermoine shakily stood up with heavy breathing and glared at Rose, making her wilt.


    ¡®Payback!¡¯ he yelled in his mind.


    ¡°Anyways, I hope you guys followed my instructions, if not we can find a washroom here.¡± He clapped, gathering their attention.


    ¡°What?¡± Hermoine snapped at him.


    ¡°Your bladd-¡± Rose hit him before taking her friend away.


    ¡°We will be back.¡± The two left and came back after a dozen minutes.


    ¡°You better have a good reason, Astraeus.¡± Hermione gave him a heated look, blushing.


    Leon just shrugged and gestured towards an inconspicuous door.


    ¡°You will thank me after you move towards that door. And I am warning you, I became paralyzed and felt the presence of something that scared my soul out of me.¡±


    ¡®I wonder if Dumbles gave Rose and co a special exemption from suffering under the gaze of a mythical predator.¡¯


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Rose yelled before running towards the door.


    Casting a skeptical glance at him, Hermoine followed her friend.


    Just as they reached three meters away from the door, both collapsed on the floor.


    Followed by a wave of his wand and a whisper, they were dragged across the floor, away from the guardian of hell.


    ¡®Well! Well! This does change things.¡¯


    ¡°What was that?¡± Rose was first to gather her thoughts.


    Hermoine too took some deep breaths and stood up.


    Unlike Leon who was subjected to the interest of the Cerberus for seven whole minutes, Rose and Hermoine were quickly pulled away, so they regained their bearing quickly.


    ¡°I think a magical creature is in there.¡±


    Rose waved her wand and a spell hit the floor.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Was something supposed to happen?¡± He asked, curious.


    ¡°No! Well, yes. Argh! Whatever creature in there is friendly.¡± Rose still looked disturbed from her earlier experience, but she braved on.


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Hermione and Leon questioned at the same time.


    Smirking at the pair, Rose replied.


    ¡°Weak spells fizzle away in the presence of a creature that powerful. You were able to drag us away and my spell was able to touch the door, only because the creature didn¡¯t think of us as an enemy or a threat.¡±


    Rose explained, twirling her wand, and eyeing the door.


    ¡°Where did you read that?¡± Hermione eyed Rose, looking impressed.


    ¡°Uncle Sirius told us when we went to a dragon sanctuary. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get to feel the presence of the dragon, they had wards against it. He did say that he soiled himself when he first faced a dragon guarding their vau-. Doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    She glared at the duo, daring them to continue the line of questioning.


    ¡°So, we can open the door, and the creature won¡¯t attack us.¡± Leon was excited, he didn¡¯t want to wrestle with Cerberus like a Greek hero, he just wanted to see it.


    ¡®Wait! Now I think about it, wrestling with a guardian of hell sounds awesome- Play wrestling though.¡¯


    ¡°Probably, but the door is enchanted. We can¡¯t open it.¡±


    Just like that, his excitement was gone.


    ¡°Ok! Then let¡¯s go back.¡± Hermione turned around.


    ¡°Wait! I want to try something, just drag me away from there after 3 minutes.¡±


    Not waiting for their reply, he quickly walked towards the door.


    Leon had three reasons for coming to the third floor today- To see if Potter is somehow protected from Cerberus''s presence or has some method to resist it, to use her connection with Hagrid if Dumbles didn¡¯t specifically key the trio into wards to let them see the Cerberus, and to feel the presence of the guardian of hell¡¯s gate again.


    Like a puppet cut off from its string, he fell onto the floor after reaching three meters from the door.


    Leon could feel three different emotions emanating from the presence behind the door- Indifference, Excitement, and Curiosity- unlike the overwhelming curiosity of the last time.


    His mind was slowly becoming tired under the weight of Cerberus''s presence. Just like last time, his thoughts were slowing down.


    There wasn¡¯t even a need to talk about his body, he couldn¡¯t even twitch.


    Ignoring everything, Leon tried to feel his mind, as said by the book.


    Only after he could feel his mind, he can be said to have reached Un-stage. While it wasn¡¯t even 11 days since he learned the mental exercises, he wasn¡¯t making progress. And he thought why not use the mythical monster of hell in the children¡¯s school to train his mind?


    As his mind strained not to become undone under the weight of Cerberus¡¯s interest, he tried and tried to feel his mind, but he couldn¡¯t.


    He couldn¡¯t.


    There was an ethereal step missing in the staircase that led to his mind.


    Just like that, he was dragged back.


    Leon wasn¡¯t shaken much this time. After all, he knew what he was doing, and he came to terms with his position in the food chain last time.


    Thoughts ran wild in his mind as he looked at the door.


    The two Gryffindors were silent as the trio walked towards the staircase, catching onto his somber mood.


    ¡°Do you need a piggyback ride again, Granger?¡± Leon joked, trying to break the silence.


    Rose cracked a grin before a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh! You are still calling her Granger even after she left you breathless and tried to meld your bodies together?¡±


    Hermoine blushed at that.


    ¡°Yes, I can still feel her love suffocating me. What do you say, Granger? As you are the first girl who took my breath away, I should be allowed to call you Hermoine, right?¡±


    Rose snickered as her friend blushed.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Hermione muttered through, gritted teeth, glaring at Leon and Rose, with the blush still prominent on her face.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get to touch this fair lady without slaying a dragon, Noble Astraeus.¡± Rose smiled at him as Hermoine climbed on her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave the rope even after you land. I will use the Spongify spell to drain your momentum.¡± He said before handing them the rope.


    The duo swung towards a moving staircase after Leon¡¯s spell turned it into a magical cushion.


    ¡°Keek!¡±


    The high-pitched scream made Leon grimace.


    Before someone could come to check, Leon too jumped.


    They ran across the second-floor corridor and entered an abandoned classroom.


    ¡°I am sorry!¡± Hermoine said, looking away guilty.


    Her scream could have attracted attention, but it didn¡¯t. So, Leon just waved his hand at her.


    ¡°No worries, No one saw us. It was a nice trip, see you guys later.¡±


    As curfew was nearly upon them, the trio quickly departed towards their houses.


    Both of Leon¡¯s aims weren¡¯t completed today. But he knows that Rose will be the key to his Cerberus obsession.


    ¡®Hagrid.¡¯


    Shaking his head, Leon thought back on how spells fizzle away in the presence of magical beasts.


    Hearing that magical beasts like Cerberus have some type of domain that blocks spells, was a little shocking.


    But it wasn¡¯t much of a shock when you consider you will be dead before you know it if you meet a wild Cerberus.


    After all, they are predators. Sneaking up on people is their thing.


    ¡®I wonder what type of beasts have domain, I bet only 7-X beasts have that. I guess the domain ensures a magical beast can¡¯t be defeated with numbers. Other than that, I don¡¯t see much of a use.¡¯


    Leon tossed the thought of defeating or surviving a Cerberus to the back of his mind after he felt its presence.


    He will certainly be able to defeat Cerberus, but not yet.


    For now, he wants to see it and take advantage of its overbearing presence- domain- to reach the Un stage.


    ¡®Trying to connect to my mind under pressure, while difficult, wasn¡¯t a success. Maybe performing the mental exercises under pressure will help.¡¯


    Lost in thought, he opened the Hufflepuff¡¯s entrance and entered his house¡¯s spacious common room.


    ¡°Where were you?¡±


    The curious looks of Susan and Hannah stopped him in his tracks.

 Chapter 29- Lab

    A brief war occurred in his mind as Leon was met with innocent curiosity of Hannah and a suspicious glint in Susan¡¯s eyes.


    Lying or changing the topic would be easy but they were going to be his friends for at least the next seven years.


    So, the question was, does he want to continue lying to his friends?


    ¡®Nah! Even if they go to Professor Sprout, I will just get detentions or something.¡¯


    Decided, Leon beckoned the duo to a corner of the common room.


    Ignoring the plants which were merrily dancing even in the absence of the wind, Leon explained where he went.


    ¡°I and someone else went to check out the third floor. You won¡¯t believe what¡¯s up there. The other student said there is a 7-X creature there.¡±


    Leon felt little guilt at directing their minds towards the existence of the Cerberus as he didn¡¯t want them to think about his apparent lack of concern for rules or painful death as Dumbles said. But it needed to be done.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± ¡°Squeak!¡±


    Leon cracked a smile at Hannah¡¯s scream as Susan eyed him looking for telltale signs of a prank.


    ¡°Really! I didn¡¯t know that the spells fizzle away near the 7 X magical creatures. But the other student pointed it out.¡±


    Hannah shrunk behind Susan as her childhood friend narrowed her eyes at him.


    Leon took a seat, smiling at the different reactions of the best friends.


    ¡°Is it trained? Is that why it didn¡¯t hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Dunno! We didn¡¯t see it. It was behind an enchanted door.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell Auntie, Susie?¡± Hannah softly whispered.


    ¡®Damn! I forgot about that¡­ Meh! I think Dumbles can explain himself to Susan¡¯s aunt. Which department head she is again?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, maybe! I don¡¯t know. But that¡¯s not important now.¡±


    Susan invaded his private space and stared down at him.


    ¡°How can you be so reckless you broke school rules on top of going into an area where the headmaster, the most powerful wizard, himself said death awaits you?¡±


    Words started to flow from Susan¡¯s mouth battering Leon.


    The smile on his face slowly became stiff under Susan¡¯s colorful description of how he was a reckless bumbling idiot with the intelligence of a Troll.


    While Leon could understand where she was coming from, he was a little awkward with things like this.


    With his mother not caring about him and his grandfather in bed, he essentially grew up doing what he thought was right.


    And later on, most of his friends were reckless idiots too as they met due to their likeness of extreme sports. So safety, even though paramount, was the last thing on the adrenaline junkies¡¯ mind.


    For most of his friends, a dashing escapade comes first and then they will hash out safety details.


    Thus, Leon wasn¡¯t sure how to react to Susan¡¯s rant.


    Hannah dragged her friend away breaking her rant and both came back again a little time later.


    He could see Susan suppressing her urge to rant again as she looked at him.


    Leon gets her.


    She didn¡¯t know that he knew what was up on the third floor.


    Even he would curse someone to hell if they just waltzed into an apparent death zone, especially a first year. But he couldn¡¯t exactly tell her that he knew what the danger was. Thus, Leon was in a dilemma.


    ¡®Damn! Here I thought I successfully skipped over any dilemmas¡­. I decided to come with them.. and I don¡¯t regret it.¡¯


    It was nice to see someone worked up over his safety, though it was a little less nice to think he didn¡¯t know what he was doing.


    ¡°Susan! I knew what I was doing. Aren¡¯t I here safe and sound?¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Susan shook her head and continued.


    ¡°Rules are there for a reason, Leon. You can¡¯t flout them for meager curiosity, especially in the wizarding world.¡±


    Tears started to form in her eyes as she looked at him.


    ¡®Damn! What should I do?¡¯


    ¡°You were bad, Leo,¡± Hannah added her bit and started to sniffle like she was in sync with Susan¡¯s emotions.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Ok! I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± Susan rubbed her eyes on her sleeves and asked in a strict tone, prodding him.


    ¡®Girl!¡¯


    ¡°I won¡¯t recklessly go into apparent death zones anymore.¡±


    ¡®It feels stupid now I say it out loud, but their extenuating circumstances I say.¡¯


    The stupid look on his face as he said that cracked up Susan making her smile.


    ¡°It''s just that consequences are severe if you try to involve yourself in things above your power, Leon. I am sorry for badgering you.¡±


    Susan softly spoke and sat down in front of him.


    A peaceful silence enveloped the trio as they ruminated in their thoughts.


    ¡®Damn! I should think more before I get myself into these social situations.¡¯


    ¡°So, what magical being is locked up on the third floor?¡± Hannah asked, with a thoughtful look.


    Only for Susan to glare at her.


    ¡°What! I was just curious.¡± Ignoring the petulant response, Leon moved forward.


    ¡°What¡¯s this domain the 7-X creatures have?¡± he asked.


    Susan turned her glare towards him but relented under two innocent gazes which shown with curiosity.


    ¡°While a witch¡¯s magic is formless and flexible, depending upon the witch¡¯s intent, the magical creatures'' magic is set in stone for their whole species. Their magic takes form as a type of ability- Hyppogriff¡¯s strength, Niffler¡¯s nose, Unicorn¡¯s unbound speed, and such.¡±


    She collected her thoughts for a second.


    ¡°The 7-X classified beasts are so powerful their magic externalizes and forms a very weak imitation of a wizard¡¯s magic¡¯s flexibility. This domain helps them in various tasks and makes them more powerful. For example, a dragon¡¯s domain is mainly oriented towards burning things and can also help it in its flight.¡±


    ¡®So, a Cerberus domain can act as a shield as it depends on its nigh invulnerability to both magic and physical attacks. And its bites are tough to heal like a dragon has its magical breath.¡¯


    ¡°I know that creatures classified above 4-X are called magical beings instead of magical beasts. It¡¯s because they are said to embody their magic on such a high level that they break chains of flesh. I don¡¯t know what that means but a three-month-old dragon is 3-X and a 111-year-old one is 7-X classified beast. Their average lifespan is around 200.¡±


    Susan went silent to let them digest the information.


    ¡°Hannah, can you get me those puddings?¡± She asked pointing at the trays present in the centre of the common room.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Hannah smacked her lips and skipped towards the snacks.


    ¡°111 is around the same age when people become quasi-sorcerers as long as they use magic, any kind of magic, for at least three hours a day. Of course, the difference between a natural sorcerer and a quasi sorcerer is said to be huge but I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    Hannah returned with a wide- very wide- variety of snacks, the house elves filled the common room with.


    She kept them down with a shy smile at their gobsmacked face and started munching away.


    The trio departed to their rooms after demolishing the snacks.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± The next day Leon accosted Rose away from her group as students moved towards their classroom.


    ¡°Do you have an idea which beast is in there?¡± He asked, ignoring the glances he was getting from both his friends and hers.


    ¡°No! Do you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna see it?¡± Leon asked with bated breath.


    ¡°I do, but how can we?¡± Rose questioned looking thoughtful.


    ¡®Oh! Come on, Isn¡¯t Hagrid your family friend or something? Chicken buddies at least?¡¯


    ¡°Do you think your house head will make an exception for you I believe you guys are close, no?¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Of course not! Auntie is too strict for that. But wait a minute..¡±


    ¡®Yes, Yes, please tell me you will ask Hagrid.¡¯


    A mischievous smile graced Rose¡¯s face as she looked at him with a glint in her eyes.


    ¡°I have a way, but you should do something for me if you want to join me.¡±


    ¡®What is this? Is this any time for a side quest?¡¯


    Holding back a sigh, he asked.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing right now. Let¡¯s say a favor in the future.¡±


    ¡°Fine! When will we go.¡± A smile threatened to split his face as he readily agreed.


    ¡®I mean she can¡¯t ask for crazier things than I generally do, right?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry. I will need time, but we will see the beastie hiding on the third floor soon.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± The two quickly entered the classroom and took their seats.


    Leon¡¯s mind flew into clouds as thought about seeing the mighty doggy, so he didn¡¯t notice the whispers or Susan holding Hannah back when she tried to ask him something.


    The class quickly ended, unlike the DADA class which is so long that sometimes Leon thinks Voldy was torturing them by slowing the time down with some spell.


    ¡®Really! If Quirrel wanted to show off his talent for acting he should have joined a drama or something.¡¯


    With Rose taking care of Cerberus, he didn¡¯t have to pour over books to create the original Lumos spell, freeing his time for something else.


    ¡®It¡¯s finally time to meet Professor Flitwick regarding the ingredients I need for enchantment.¡¯ Leon didn¡¯t think Professor would give him a book on how to make artifacts if he couldn¡¯t do that in Hogwarts.


    ¡®Maybe I can create something that can lead me to the Mirror of Erised.¡¯


    But with Christmas just a month away, he does not even know if the mirror is in Hogwarts.


    He vaguely remembers Harry visiting the mirror daily after and before Christmas.


    Leon wasn¡¯t positive about finding the mirror of Erised because Dumble''s approach towards Rose is different from Canon''s.


    So, there may be no mirror of Erised in an abandoned classroom with no protections whatsoever so that a firstie can stumble across it.


    And of course, the vastness of Hogwarts will make bumbling around foolish instead of doing something useful like creating a spell.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Ah! Mr Leon, I was waiting for you to reach me. A little late than I thought but go on.¡±


    Professor Flitwick looked amused as Leon waited until the other students left before walking towards the professor.


    ¡°How can I practice enchanting, professor? The book implied a rope needs to be soaked in various potions just to animate it permanently.¡±


    ¡°You can use my lab, of course.¡± Professor Flitwick spoke like it was just common sense.


    ¡°Really?¡± Leon couldn¡¯t believe what he heard.


    ¡®Maybe, he meant some lab of a club he supervises.¡¯


    That was more likely than inviting a first-year wizard to his own personal lab where he keeps his projects.


    ¡®And Professor Flitwick is the type to have some really volatile projects.¡¯ Leon thought, looking at the books the professor used to stand and the clutter on his desk.


    ¡°Seeing that I am still afraid your brilliance will burn others and masking it, isn¡¯t fair you get some compensation for it?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It is only fair.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t mind it, not a bit. But he wouldn¡¯t say no to more magic, especially enchanting.


    ¡®Maybe I can create my own flying car. No, I am thinking too small. A car that flies, swims, dives, and drives? Hmm! A car that can turn into a spaceship while doing everything above?¡¯


    ¡°Follow me, Mr Leon. You can daydream after you see the lab.¡± Professor Flitwick hopped from his makeshift stand and left the classroom.


    After some twists and turns, they reached a classroom at a dead end.


    Flitwick tapped the door, turning the old standard wooden door into sleek purple steel.


    ¡®I think it is enchanted.¡¯ Like it was listening to his inner monologue, multiple runes lit up on the door and shifted around before it swung open.


    ¡°Here we are! This is where my enchantment club meets. How is it?¡± Professor walked right in like he had done it thousands of times.


    The room was not how Leon imagined it to be.

 Chapter 30- Disappointment

    Multiple, purple-coloured desks were neatly arranged in the middle of the room, maintaining equal distance from each other.


    A single desk, again purple, snaked around the room touching the four walls, various beakers with colorful liquids were placed on the edges of the room.


    ¡°Marvellous, isn¡¯t it? Now, let¡¯s check how well you read the book. Tell me what the three types of enchantment are?¡± Professor Flitwick wasn¡¯t even looking at Leon, he was twirling his wand changing something invisible about the table.


    ¡®A Viva! The first Viva I like.¡¯


    ¡°Animation, Imbuement, Artificing.¡±


    ¡°Go on!¡± The professor prodded.


    ¡°Animation is endowing motion, any type of motion, to an object. Imbuement is of three types- natural, magical, and hybrid. I don¡¯t read about artificing though, professor.¡±


    ¡°More than enough for now. You will start with animation and move to natural imbuement.  I will judge whether you are ready for magical imbuement after you create an enchanted object that is both animated and naturally imbued. You can start making artifacts in your third year, let¡¯s not talk about artificing now.¡±


    The desk he was tapping bubbled before multiple ropes and beakers full of liquid rose from inside the table.


    ¡°Your potions professor will teach you how to make these potions. You don¡¯t have to worry. Now, tell me what natural imbuement is.¡±


    The professor started to arrange the things on the desk, waiting for my answer.


    Leon collected his thoughts for a moment.


    ¡°Hardness, sensitivity, elasticity- natural properties of objects like these can be enhanced by adding the essence of other objects. A rope can be enhanced by adding an essence of another rope to it.¡±


    Leon took a deep breath.


    ¡°However, adding divergent properties is considered wasteful as enhancing produces better results. A wizard can add the hardness of a diamond to a rope but even IF he can wrangle the essence of a diamond the, rope will lose its elasticity. To make a rope stronger the optimal method is to imbue the essence of platinum to each strand of the rope. The resultant rope will be much better than adding the essence of two normal ropes.¡±


    Flitwick nodded and questioned.


    ¡°Why not we make a rope with platinum itself, Leon?¡±


    ¡°Say its essence is its luster, color or ductility, etc. When we add platinum¡¯s essence to the rope, we add every property of the metal, which goes on top of the target¡¯s properties. Canceling or enhancing each other. Platinum being ductile won¡¯t affect the other properties of the rope like flexibility and other things.¡± He narrowed his eyes at the professor and continued.


    ¡°Even Master enchanters can¡¯t pick and choose properties to imbue. Like in diamond, its inflexibility and hardness are a big part of its essence. So even master enchanters can¡¯t eliminate the presence of inflexibility when they extract the essence of diamond for its durability.¡±


    Leon looked at Flitwick wanting him to say he could do it but the professor just keenly observed his student.


    ¡°My rope imbued with platinum essence will be stronger than a platinum wire of the same thickness and cheaper too as the platinum essence won¡¯t be depleted that easily.¡±


    ¡°Why not copper, Leon? Doesn¡¯t it have more tensile strength compared to platinum?¡± Flitwick asked like he was expecting the beginner¡¯s mistake.


    ¡°Argh! That..¡± Leon tried to remember the properties and compared them to platinum, the enchanting book suggested reading up on metals but took platinum as an example.


    ¡°Pricier things aren¡¯t always valuable, Leon. I want you to read ¡®The Mundane Metals and their Magic¡¯ by Erik Eisenhardt and choose the 3 metals you will use for essence. As you would have read. Generally, an enchanter chooses 3 objects and tries to grasp their essence, they can be anything but metals offer more versatility so most choose metals. And platinum is used for its nature of remaining inert to outward influence not for its strength.¡±


    Professor Flitwick gestured to the desk he arranged first.


    ¡°You can practice animation for now and can carefully pick your three metals later. Trying to manipulate the essence of more than three metals isn¡¯t optimal when we take into account the time it requires to even get in touch with their essence.¡±


    Leon nodded and eyed his table, deciding to research the heck out of the metals the world has to offer in his free time.


    ¡®Hmm! Why not objects like nylon or fibers instead of metal?... I guess I can enchant a nylon rope, giving it some properties of metal for a stronger rope. The Astraeus vault has abundant precious metals; the rarity of metals shouldn¡¯t hold me back in my choice. And I will have to buy a book on fibers and synthetic materials. If even alloys have the essence, I don¡¯t see why the synthetic materials won¡¯t.¡¯


    When used, the essence of metal depletes, and it takes time to gather again. If you extract too much, the metals will get destroyed. After all, you took what made it. So, money becomes an obstacle for most enchanters.


    The professor hurried to another desk and with a wave of his wand multiple objects appeared out of nowhere like a veil was lifted.


    ¡°Professor, are some metals innately more resistant to essence manipulation than others?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yes, inert metals are harder to manipulate and more prone to damage. But it¡¯s more about your affinity and talent. Every type of metal has its advantages. Even living metals, though they aren¡¯t useful for most cases we need.¡±


    ¡®Living metals? Is he talking about radioactive metals? The book he suggested must be good then, maybe I should order some muggle textbook for metals too.¡¯


    ¡®Damn! Here I am, not even two months into Hogwarts and already using muggle to describe my old world.¡¯


    Leon shook his head and concentrated on the rope in front of him.


    ¡®What type of animation is useful for me right now?  A rope that slithers, or always tries to curl on itself? Ah! I got it.¡¯


    Leon took the rope dipped that was in the potion and got to work.


    ¡®Feel it, command it!¡¯


    ¡®Feel it, command it!¡¯


    Leon fully concentrated on his task, cracking a wide smile now and then as the rope obeyed him, twitching on his desk.


    Lost in the visible progress he didn¡¯t notice the sun bidding farewell as the world invited darkness.


    ¡°Times up! Leon.¡±


    ¡®What already?¡¯


    ¡°You have to follow three rules to use this lab in the future. No friends- you won¡¯t bring anyone here. Follow the curfew -you won¡¯t use the room after the curfew. Clean up after yourself- the room should be in the same state as it was when you came in after your use.¡±


    ¡°Now! Chop chop, get going.¡± A scroll floated towards him as Flitwick went back to his project.


    Leon followed the instructions in the scroll and sorted out the ropes and potions.


    ¡°And other students will be using the lab too, so don¡¯t be surprised when you see them here.¡±


    With that, the lab door closed leaving Leon alone in the corridor.


    ¡°Tempus.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s time for dinner already.¡¯ His stomach grumbled in sync with his realization.


    ¡°Delicious food here I come!¡±


    ¡°Where were you, Leon?¡± Susan asked right after she noticed him.


    ¡°With Professor Flitwick, make some space, please.¡±


    The Hufflepuff table magically made more space for him as he sat beside his friends.


    Leon was used to it already but the way magic played with space still left him in shock.


    ¡°I am learning about enchantment.¡± Leon grabbed a soup and started his dinner.


    ¡°Why? You can only make artifacts in the third year, after all, they need runes.¡±


    ¡°Not artificing, I am learning animation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm! But a single rune makes learning animation obsolete. Aren¡¯t you wasting your time?¡± Susan asked, worried.


    ¡°Basics are always useful, Susan. And If I learn animation I can use another rune instead of letting a rune take up a place for animating the artifact.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, but you aren¡¯t becoming a rune carver or ward maker anytime soon why-¡± Susan mumbled about the second part under her breath before returning to her dinner, deciding to trust in their professors.


    Days passed quickly and a quiet buzz enveloped Hogwarts as the first quidditch match of the season neared heralding the start of quidditch season.


    Susan and Hannah were busy as Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor, the second match this season was approaching. It was just 14 days after the first match.


    Well, Hannah was busy, and Susan just followed her around like a lost duckling, their general roles reversed.


    Most of the students, including Leon, were excited about the first Quidditch match. But Leon was excited for a different reason.


    ¡®Large-scale magic, here I come.¡¯ It would be his first time- other muggle-born students first time too- witnessing the magical terrains that are part of Quidditch.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Roars and cheers greeted the Ravenclaw players as they entered the Quidditch field, in a line.


    Ravenclaws didn¡¯t pull any stops to support their team as multiple small ethereal blue eagles circled the sky before merging into a giant ethereal eagle glaring at the Slytherins in the stands while welcoming its players with a mighty cry.


    Leon was jumping in his seat admiring the regal eagle that dispersed after greeting its players.


    ¡®But compared to Ravenclaw, the Slytherins are a little lackluster,¡¯ he thought.


    A couple of Slytherin guys just waved a 2-metre animated flag that showed a snake choking an eagle.


    The remaining weren¡¯t even holding a card.


    Leon was puzzled at their lukewarm enthusiasm, and he was even more surprised when only a single player flew into the field.


    But the surprise didn¡¯t last long as rhythmic claps greeted him and the Slytherins parted giving way to an ethereal orchestra band that was swallowed in green smoke. Vague outlines of band players and flying snakes were visible as the Slytherins played to tune to accompany their captain onto the field.


    ¡®Damn! They are going to get their own bgms.¡¯


    Three more players entered the field making the music smoothly switch to a different rhythm.


    Then two more and two more.


    The Slytherins ended their performance with a big bang, leaving the Slytherins and Ravenclaws to face each other in the air along with the referee.


    The referee, Madam Hooch, made the players shake their hands before she tossed something, that looked like a pocketwatch, into the air.


    The pocketwatch grew in size and started hovering in the air.


    ¡®A roulette. It¡¯s a roulette.¡¯


    Madam Hooch flew towards it and spun the arrow.


    The roulette was divided into 3 equal sections.


    The word ¡®Standard¡¯ was boldly embossed on one section with multiple small sections encompassing the other two sections named World¡¯s Wrath and Fae¡¯s help.


    Leon was very excited to see his very first magical terrain and it was not lost on his housemates as he literally vibrated in his seat eyeing the tens of magical options on the roulette.


    ¡°You know the game can be just a standard one, right? What if there is no magical terrain for you to drool over.¡± Susan teased him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Terrains have a 66.6% chance of being selected. It¡¯s more than half.¡± He was positive because Hogwarts didn¡¯t disappoint him yet.


    And it was going to, he just didn¡¯t know.


    The whole Quidditch field quietened as the arrow on the roulette slowed down.


    Leon stood up and cursed as the arrow came to rest on standard, dashing his hopes of watching large-scale magic.


    The images of floating rocks, firefalls, and tornados just remained that- images.


    Suppressing the urge to kick the seats, Leon sat down and lightly elbowed Susan, who struggled to suppress her laughs.


    Rubbing his hand as his skin turned red due to the pinch he got in retaliation, Leon asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between World¡¯s wrath and Fae¡¯s help?¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to rehash the argument of his past life, with his female friends, that pinching causes more pain than his nudges.


    Of course, Amelia, the talented woman he worked for, took that as an invitation to elbow the life out of him quoting size difference and she didn¡¯t know how much strength to apply.


    ¡°Worlds Wrath section contains the terrains that actively and passively make flying difficult for players. Like sticky flames, a magical fire will be raining down in the field. while the flames won¡¯t burn you on touch, you will be weighed down on top of sweating like crazy if you keep on collecting the flames. And of course, if a flame sticks to your face, you won¡¯t be able to see the field.¡±


    ¡°Fae¡¯s help will be terrains like bouncy clouds that move around the field. While they can obstruct you, you can also use them to increase your speed or change directions.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡±


    Seeing the magical yet mundane game start, Leon got bored after a couple of minutes.


    He doesn¡¯t know anyone playing, he doesn¡¯t care who wins the match or the cup for that matter so after a while watching people fly around got repetitive.


    ¡°Do you want any snacks? I am going to get them,¡± he asked, wondering whether he wouldn¡¯t be bored if he had stakes in the game.


    After taking orders from nearly every Hufflepuff who heard him asking, Leon walked out of the stadium.


    Multiple tables were left unattended with different types of snacks on them just outside the field.


    Leon left after collecting everything he wanted.


    ¡®I really should think about a gift to the elves. They are too awesome.¡¯


    As he returned to his seat and passed along the snacks, a thought struck him.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the castle empty right now?¡¯

 Chapter 31 - E item

    Leon was more interested in finishing his snacks than watching the Quidditch match. While he would love to get lost in the fervor of Quidditch, he liked it more when he was the one speeding recklessly- in the air or on the ground.


    Hannah was explaining the maneuvers the chasers were doing and how she practiced them to an interested Susan.


    ¡®She looks more interested in listening to Hannah talk than watching the match,¡¯ he thought slurping some hot chocolate.


    The match being the first of the season, it won¡¯t matter much to Hufflepuff regardless of who wins. It takes completing the qualifier round, where every team plays against the other team once, to know where their team stands and how the other house¡¯s teams are this year, performance-wise.


    Leon sighed after finishing his snacks when a thought suddenly struck him.


    ¡®The castle is empty right now, and the boogeyman himself is under the supervision of every professor and headmaster himself.¡¯ Leon eyed the professor''s stand to see Quirrel eyeing every shadow like something was about to pop out of it.


    ¡®If only he was as dedicated to being a good teacher as he is dedicated to his act.¡¯  Leon sighed before getting his thoughts back on track.


    He wanted to use his mental exercises under the mythical creature¡¯s presence to mix it up and hope it would make a difference, after all the Un stage was still eluding him.


    But with the dark lord enjoying himself inside Quirrel he couldn¡¯t daily walk up- swing- to the third floor and lay in front of the door, defencelessly.


    The first time he braved going to the third floor was only because he saw that Quirrel was in the great hall, eating. And it had risks too, after all, other professors could stumble upon him as it wasn¡¯t mandatory to eat with fellow professors on normal days.


    While Leon didn¡¯t mind the loss of points and detentions, he would curse himself to death if the professors or headmaster decided to take more measures to keep away people.


    ¡®The moving staircase not stopping on the third floor will discourage many students, if not the presence of Fluffy emitting from the door would satisfy anyone¡¯s curiosity just like that.¡¯


    Leon was waiting for Rose to contact him. He wanted to take Hagrid¡¯s help to meet the Cerberus.


    ¡®At worst Hagrid only visits the Cerberus once in three days and I don¡¯t mind if my training sessions are three days apart.¡¯


    At least that was his plan, he was sick of not making any progress, so he got a little desperate, not to mention that he would be getting a chance to see a murder machine who was a good boy.


    Now with every professor and student watching the match, Leon was free to be a (masochist) dedicated wizard.


    So, he did just that.


    He stealthily slipped away from the stands and entered the castle.


    ¡®Let¡¯s make a pit stop.¡¯


    Getting the enchanted rope from Flitwick¡¯s lab and the ropes he used to swing last time; Leon made his way towards the third floor.


    Standing at a distance from the door that led to Cerberus, Leon waved his wand at the enchanted rope he was carrying, the rope that he practiced animating on.


    ¡®That should do it. The rope will drag me away from the door after three minutes.¡¯


    He animated the rope to move every three minutes and if it happened to drag a stubborn little wizard away from a 7-X creature, even better.


    With the rope knotted around his shoulder Leon lay on the ground and slowly crawled towards the door.


    After all, being at the very edge of the Cerberus''s presence will make the rope¡¯s job easy.


    And just like clockwork, a powerful presence emanating curiosity, smothered him, taking away the control of his body.


    Settling under Cerberus''s presence, Leon started to perform the mental exercises.


    One cycle¡­second cycle.. third cycle¡­seventh cycle.


    The rope pulled him away, letting him control his body again.


    ¡®The cycles are a little more difficult to complete and¡­. I don¡¯t know if training like this is helping.¡¯


    Leon looked at the door and sprawled on the ground again.


    ¡®Well! I can¡¯t expect to see results this quickly. Let¡¯s just use the time I have now.¡¯


    While it was boring, Leon wanted to reach the Un stage as quickly as possible, he wanted to see what surprise his narcissistic ancestor left behind.


    After he felt that the match was nearing its end, he left the third floor feeling frustrated and a bit relieved.


    Frustrated that he was not seeing any results, and relieved that he could stop the mind-numbing exercise.


    He would generally get into a rhythm when doing these exercises but the hard, cold, floor and a predatory presence trying to smother your ability to think made him feel like the time was moving in very slowly.


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    Leon entered the grounds and was again greeted by the murmurs of the crowd as he stood outside the quidditch field.


    ¡®Well! The snitch hasn¡¯t been caught yet. Should I go back?¡¯ Leon grimaced at his thoughts.


    ¡®I will wait for 5 minutes if not I will go back for more practice.¡¯ While he decided that and was going to follow it, that didn¡¯t stop him from wishing the match to be over.


    Repeating the mental exercises over and over isn¡¯t his kind of definition of fun and as much as he knows what is good for his life and has the discipline to do it, it doesn¡¯t mean he enjoys everything he does.


    After all, repeating the same thing again and again gets boring quickly.


    Remembering a couple of hours in a day he dedicated to mastering spells like Spongify and Lumos maxima etc to remove all wand movement and incantation, he grimaced again.


    Even when his ¡®discipline¡¯ failed, the rewards he would get when he cleared his second trial were enough to keep him practicing those spells.


    But those were flashy spells, the mental exercises weren¡¯t as flashy.


    He munched on the snacks arrayed outside the stadium, praying that someone would catch the snitch.


    ¡°Tempus.¡±


    ¡®Time¡¯s up.¡¯


    Listening to the sound of students, Leon walked back towards the castle his head down, sighing.


    Just as he entered the castle entrance the students erupted in cheers, igniting hope in his heart.


    After a minute, students slowly started to exit the stands making Leon grin.


    ¡®Awesome! Now instead of feeling bad for not utilizing my time properly; I can practice enchanting.¡¯


    Utilizing his time to the full extent was the habit that his grandfather instilled in him before he got bedridden.


    His grandfather was a military man which coupled with life on a farm made Leon very disciplined though he quickly lost touch with that part of his life after his grandfather became ill. But it still left marks on his personality.


    With the limited time of a day, and many branches of magic he was curious about, coupled with the tangible power they gave, utilizing time to its full extent became a core part of Leon.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go! I am very near to creating my first enchanted item¡­. An e-item.¡¯ Leon snickered and ran towards Flitwick¡¯s lab.


    Sadly, as a firstie, he could only use the lab when someone else was using it, Flitwick didn¡¯t bother to mention it because it didn¡¯t cross his mind that people would want to skip Quidditch matches.


    An older Hufflepuff gave him a scroll filled with rules for the new member. It seemed having a firstie in the club wasn¡¯t something new.


    Leon spent the remaining day stuffed in the lab, he even forgot about dinner as he could feel that he was just a step away from natural imbuement, the next stage in enchantment.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Mr Leon. The curfew started 10 minutes back.¡±


    Professor Flitwick¡¯s squeaky voice echoed in the empty lab, snapping Leon out of his enchantment fever.


    ¡°What really?¡± He mumbled looking around.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Take this slip and quickly go to your dorm, Mr Leon. We will meet tomorrow.¡±


    A slip floated towards Leon as Flitwick finished talking.


    ¡®Where is he?¡¯ Leon swivelled his head searching for the diminutive professor, but he didn¡¯t find him.


    The lights flickered like Leon was suddenly in a horror movie.


    ¡°You can show that if someone stops you.¡± Flitwick¡¯s voice was heard again.


    ¡°Where are you, professor?¡± Leon asked and was met with no response.


    ¡®Hmm! Is it a recorded message or is the professor snickering, looking at me? I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised if the answer is both considering Rose¡¯s selective shouting spell on the train and her uncle¡¯s upgraded version.¡¯


    Ignoring the flickering lights, Leon packed away his things and exited the lab.


    The door swung and closed behind him like the room wanted him gone.


    Leon didn¡¯t think about it much as his mind was occupied by thoughts about transferring sounds like a mobile phone.


    He stopped in the kitchen and collected some food before entering his dorm.


    ¡°Where were you, Leon? You shouldn¡¯t be out past curfew.¡±


    As he watched Susan walk towards him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    ¡°In Professor Flitwick¡¯s lab, I got a slip for it too.¡± He showed off the slip.


    Susan narrowed her eyes at the slip, looking upset, and hesitated for a second.


    ¡°Ok! But remember rules are there for us.¡±  She stomped towards the girls'' dorm, looking irate and frowning.


    ¡®It feels like I am missing something. What¡¯s her obsession with the curfew?¡¯ Leon noticed Susan waiting for him in the common hall whenever he stayed outside up until the last minute of the curfew.


    And with him planning his day, he always reached his dorm at the last minute.


    Leon could see Susan was getting more upset by his behavior.


    ¡®I wonder if she would have blown up if I didn¡¯t show her the slip.¡¯


    As soon as he entered and sat down, the delicious food occupied his thoughts.


    After he finished the food, he sprawled on the bed burying his face in a pillow.


    ¡®I think I know what my first e-item will be.¡¯


    Sleep swallowed Leon as he carefully planned his first e-item.


    The next day Leon followed his normal schedule, the first hour practicing the new spell of the week followed by his speed casting practice.


    The new spell he learned that day would play a crucial role in building his first e-item. While he had a list of spells in order of priority for him to learn, he ignored the list for today and practiced the new charm.


    After his classes were finished, he ran towards the enchanting lab without any delay.


    Professor Flitwick and some students were working in the lab as he entered it.


    The students resumed their work after looking at him while the professor gestured him towards a desk, continuing his work.


    Leon took out the items and spread them on the table.


    Time flew as Leon took a firm step into imbuing. And he made sure he was ready for his e-item creation and took out paper cups from his pocket.


    Enchanting the cups and a thread with sensitivity he quickly made a string telephone.


    If it was all, he just made a sensitive string telephone, nothing interesting.


    ¡®It¡¯s not finished yet.¡¯ With a grin, he looked over towards Professor Flitwick.


    Only Leon and the professor were present in the room.


    ¡°Tempus.¡±


    ¡®Damn! Time runs too fast in this lab.¡¯


    Leon quickly stood at a distance beside the professor, not wanting to disturb whatever he was doing.


    ¡°Thank you for waiting, Mr Leon.¡± The professor turned towards him after a couple of minutes.


    Leon nodded. ¡°Professor, do you know want this is?¡± He showed off the string telephone, two cups connected at their bottoms with a string.


    ¡°What is it, Mr Leon.¡±


    With a grin, he gave the professor a cup and created some distance between them.


    Gesturing the professor to hold the cup over his ear, he whispered into the cup.


    Professor Flitwick followed his instructions with a dubious look before he incredulously looked at Leon, hearing his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a muggle toy, professor. The best part is yet to come, and I need your help for it.¡±


    The professor eyed the toy.


    ¡°Marvellous people these muggles. The string is carrying the vibrations and when those vibrations reach the other cup, the cup¡¯s bottom vibrates in the same way the first cup vibrates when subjected to sound, thus transferring the voice.¡±


    ¡®Damn! He is intelligent or¡­ is it wisdom.¡¯


    Leon shrugged before cutting the thread.


    Now the cups had a little thread trailing behind them. With a touch of Leon¡¯s wand, the loose threads became stiff.


    A little animation made that possible, the threads try to move away from the cup with little force, making them stiff.


    ¡°I need you to charm these string ends to imitate each other.¡±


    And he did it. Leon hurried to the other end of the room and spoke into the cup. It was a success.


    ¡®Wireless communication is up. But I am still not done.¡¯ Leon¡¯s eyes twinkled as Professor Flitwick hurried towards him.


    ¡°Marvellous, your idea is very good, Mr. Leon. While the charm I cast can even let the other thread imitate subtle vibrations it is not the case for a spell cast by a.. let¡¯s a seventh year.¡±


    But the excited grin never left Leon¡¯s face.

 Chapter 32- Drooling

    "Not if the thread and cups are hyper-sensitive, I did imbue them with sensitivity. I can do natural imbuement now. So, seventh year''s charm will work, professor."


    "It seems you thought of everything, Mr Leon. I believe playing around with the principle behind this enchanted item can take you to at least Owl''s enchanting or artificing my boy, simply marvelous. Yes, this has the potential to be your topic for at least your fourth year." Professor Flitwick muttered excitedly, wringing his hands.


    "I do have cool ideas for my third-year professor, but I am not done yet."


    Leon took out another prototype.


    The prototype was four small cups the size of a fingernail, two red and two blue with string hanging from them.


    "Professor, please enchant this red cup''s thread to this blue cup and vice versa."


    "Smart! Now you can both talk and hear at the same time, the vibrations from your talking cup will go to the other set''s listening cup and vice versa."


    "Isn''t it awesome professor? Now I can talk with anyone from literally anywhere."


    "Yes, Yes, with my spell you can talk with anyone in the world if they have this opposite set, but a seventh-year''s spell isn''t that powerful, Mr Leon, I am sure you know."


    Leon wasn''t sure what to do with his idea, he wasn''t lacking money. But more money is good, especially because ''his'' money is in the vault out of his reach if he doesn''t dance to the tunes of his House''s old parchment.


    "What do you think of this item, professor? Are their artifacts similar to this?"


    "Yes, yes, there are artifacts that carry sound. But yours works on the simplest principle I know and can imitate the results of those artifacts with more magical principles. Don''t lose your innovative and curious mind, my boy. It will help you more than you believe."


    The duo fell into silence, Flitwick analyzing his e-item while Leon thought about its uses.


    ''It will make for a good spy item too I guess.''


    "Now, as exciting as this is, we should go for dinner. Dinner started 10 minutes ago."


    Leon waved his wand at the first set of prototypes and used the spell he learned this morning. He miniaturized the cups before stuffing them into his pockets.


    And then the duo left for the great hall.


    "If you were going to sell this as a trinket, I would have asked you to check things like your animation duration, and the protean charms duration and such, but I believe you are not selling this as a trinket, right?"


    Leon had to walk fast to keep up with his diminutive professor, as the charms master moved like the main character in an energy drink ad.


    "I am not sure yet! But why only as a trinket, professor? Isn''t this useful for civilians or aurors?" he asked, shifting between jogging and fast walking.


    The professor furrowed his eyebrows before he remembered about Leon''s background.


    "For one thing, the cups are too unwieldy for civilian use and aurors have their own artifacts to communicate which are more secure and powerful."


    ''I guess, the auror artifacts have things similar to fingerprint or access codes to use them and you can hijack the lines of my e-item though I don''t know how. Hmm! Should I sell this as a specialty item- a trinket, or not? I guess we will see if I need the money urgently.''


    Selling something that has principles of science for pocket change didn''t appeal to Leon. If he wants money, he will aim for a large amount, not pocket change.


    After all, he already has a vault full of gold and is shameless enough to not even bother looking up the real inventor of the string telephone.


    "Even if you make them convenient to use. The wards around the houses will most likely interfere with your enchanted item. And I don''t think you know enough about wards and such to make it a household item like floo. So, you better wait if you don''t want to sell it as a trinket or you should dedicate most of your time to catching up on your lack of knowledge."


    The professor stopped and turned towards Leon, fixing him with his eyes.


    "You will be underestimating the owls- Which are magical in nature, in addition to being bred for centuries to work as messengers- if you think your instant message delivery with paper cups will give you an edge in the market."


    With that Flitwick ran off to the professor''s table, leaving Leon standing near the entrance.


    ''What does he mean by that?... I should read up on owls.''


    The Hufflepuff walked towards his table, cursing the number of hours in a day.


    "Look who is here? The lost badger, where were you firstie? We are not seeing you much these days, did you change houses?"


    Tonks started ribbing him just as he sat beside Hannah who was trying to transform into a chipmunk from a badger.


    "I was in the enchanters'' clubroom. And Hannah, slow down, no one is going to eat your pudding."


    Hannah ignored him and continued stuffing herself.


    "Somehow, I doubt no one is going to steal her pudding, firstie. With you here, aren''t you going to give her competition? I saw you finishing a whole bowl of pudding by yourself."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "It''s not like the elves can''t make more," he said, ignoring the limit mentioned in Gamp''s law.


    While food can be multiplied in quantity, the limit is 3 times the amount of the original amount you have. And as much as House-elves are magical, they can''t create pudding out of thin air.


    Leon started serving himself and started to demolish the food.


    The puffs concentrated on filling their stomachs with the delicious food and silence descended on them.


    "Awesome as always," He patted his stomach after eating his fill before turning towards his friends.


    "Want to see what I made today?"


    Hannah, who looked like she was going into a food-induced coma, nodded her head, shaking her twin tails while Susan raised just her eyebrow.


    ''Damn! She looks cool, should I learn how to raise a single eyebrow too?''


    Getting rid of stupid thoughts in his head, Leon took out the first set of prototypes, the one with two cups.


    He gave one to Susan and another to Hannah.


    "Hold it near your ear, Susan. And Hannah, turn around and whisper into it, please."


    The duo followed his instructions, one looking dubious and one just happily playing along.


    "What! how?" Susan looked taken aback.


    "Magic!" Leon snickered.


    ''Ah! I always wanted to say that.''


    "Now! You talk and let Hannah listen."


    Hannah excitedly hovered the cup near her ear and nudged Susan, who was still staring at him, to speak.


    "Amazing!" Hannah muttered.


    "Susan, why don''t you toss the cup to our form-changing eavesdropper?"


    Tonks didn''t even look embarrassed as she caught the paper cup.


    "Looks like you have some talent, firstie. I can''t even imagine the first step on how to create this interesting Knick knack."


    Leon covered up the threads by increasing the cup size and attaching a fake bottom.


    Unlike Flitwick who suddenly became a diminutive Sherlock for someone who doesn''t know much about physics, Tonk''s response was more along the line of his expectations.


    ''Maybe she can guess it if she sees the thread vibrating?'' He didn''t know how she could. ''I guess even if she sees the thread her thoughts will lean towards a new spell instead of sound traveling through the thread.''


    "What is its range?" Tonks observed the cup, turning it up and down.


    "Well! According to Flitwick anywhere in the world."


    "Good! Now, let me show you your senior''s talent. Take the cup from Hannah and keep it near your ear."


    Leon curiously looked at her before shrugging and did just that.


    Tonks took out her wand and waved it around the cup, muttering some spell.


    She kept at it for a couple of seconds before he started to hear entirely new sounds.


    "While the food is good, don''t think I forgot about you guys'' meeting Hagrid every day without me." A muffled voice rang out like someone was talking with their mouth full.


    ''Is that the Hogwarts troll, Weasley?'' Leon wondered. ''We would have made great food buddies in another world.''


    Suddenly the sound of drinking drowned down all the other noise and the conversations snapped back to his table.


    "How?" he asked, thoroughly impressed.


    "I like that look on you, firstie. It''s a shifting charm, the charm temporarily shifts the magical properties of one object to another." Tonks gave him a smug look and exaggeratedly preened under his gaze.


    "What did you hear?" Hannah poked Leon, snapping him of this amazement.


    "Weasley, I heard Weasley. I think Tonks charmed a cup near Weasley to act as the other end of my e-item."


    "Oh! Then, Tonks let''s hear what Daphne is talking about."


    The Slytherin''s table looked like they were dining in a fancy restaurant at a formal meeting.


    Some bites were followed with napkin dabs which were spread on their laps.


    Everyone was only speaking with the person in front or beside them, and their conversations were short like they didn''t know each other.


    ''I wonder if they don''t get bored if all their lunches and dinners are so tedious.''


    "Please!" Hannah pleaded seeing the seventh year not responding.


    Tonks eyed the Slytherin table before relenting under the puppy eyes of the badger.


    Hannah poked him again, prompting him to give her the cup.


    Leon observed the Slytherins as Hannah excitedly placed the cup near her ear.


    "I can hear her!" She giggled.


    Her words were followed by Daphne suddenly turning towards their table making eye contact with Tonks and sending her a smile.


    Tonks harrumphed.


    "She is sharp as always."


    "How did she do that?" Leon was equally tired and excited about the number of times he was amazed today.


    "A simple surveillance charm. Your e-item broadcasts its intent to transfer sound to even the simplest of spells."


    ''Right, Spells work on intent. Does magic pick up intent from mass-made machines made in factories too? Argh! Why can''t there be more time in a day.''


    While Leon did think of Time Turner, he didn''t think valuable artifacts that are supposed to be banned by the ministry would be in the room of requirements.


    After all, as the elves call it, it is only a lost and found room.


    ''I should still check it out or maybe my vault has one.''


    "Hey! Susan," Leon whispered as they walked back towards their dorms after dinner.


    "Why did Tonks learn that spell with that long incantation? After she becomes 21 and thus a Witch, she won''t need the spell anymore, right?"


    "Oh! I didn''t mean that you become a Witch after you turn 21, some people take longer and some shorter. My aunt became a Witch at 19 and many of her friends too. She said War was a great incentive to become powerful." She ruefully shook her head and continued.


    "21 is the age the founders let their students out into the world. That''s why we became legal adults after 21. Rumor is that Slytherin wanted students to study until they become 27 but was rejected."


    ''I guess it is logical for a long-lived race to have become adult much later when compared to their counterparts.''


    Susan stopped for a second as Hannah turned towards them before going back to her conversation with Tonks.


    "For a Witch, who gets results like a seventh year performed the spell by just wishing for it, the spell forms make their magic more refined and concentrated. So, Spells are packed with more power than just letting magic react to your wishes, it''s a qualitative leap in power but even my aunt still uses spells."


    ''Cool!''


    The trio parted ways and went to their rooms.


    Leon laid down on his bed, face down, ruminating about the things he learned that day.


    ''The wizarding world is more complex than I thought. But that''s logical. The muggle world is also complex with so many subjects and lines of thought, the inclusion of magic should make things more hectic, I guess.''


    The lamps dimmed reacting to his drowsiness. As darkness covered the room, some words appeared on the roof and glowed.


    They looked like they were made up of sunlight and glowed for dozens of minutes before they disappeared.


    Leon drooled on his bed missing everything as he had his face stuffed in his pillow.


    Another day passed; Leon was still waiting for Rose to contact him but at least listening to Ron talk about how they were meeting Hagrid let him know she was working on it.


    The Hufflepuff trio were sitting in the library to get their homework done when Daphne and two other Slytherins sat at a table beside theirs.


    Leon ignored them, concentrating on finishing his assignments so that he could get to other things.


    He didn''t resent the assignments much, as they helped him summarise his thoughts by writing them down.


    But he didn''t care if people other than him couldn''t understand his writing.


    He exhaled and tossed his Quill aside.


    ''It''s legible enough, I think¡­ Meh! The professors are experts in magic, they can manage.''


    While he made efforts at the start of the term to keep his handwriting neat, as the term progressed and the number of things he wanted to do increased, his handwriting gradually became more like scratches than actual writing.


    "Why are you sitting near the yellow losers?" A high-pitched voice broke the silence in the library. "Do you think Greengrass wants to befriend those losers, Goyle?" The obnoxious noise continued making Leon''s relief at completing his assignments evaporate.

 Chapter 33- Mind

    Malfoy sat in front of Greengrass, sending her a questioning look.


    ¡®Well! He at least knew not to raise his voice in the library.¡¯


    Leon pitied Malfoy. While he agrees Malfoy is a product of his environment, it doesn¡¯t mean he feels sorry for him, especially with other Slytherin students who were raised in worse situations and didn¡¯t feel the need to boast about their perceived superiority.


    The three unforgivables were at the top of dark arts for the right reason. They let a wizard sacrifice everything for power above their own, especially their sanity.


    And Leon didn¡¯t want to think how people who experienced a drug that gave power and ate away their sanity raised their kids. Unlike the kids of the top lieutenants of Voldemort, one can identify the children of the grunts- they are more withdrawn but¡­ cautiously optimistic.


    ¡®I guess, Snape was doing something right.¡¯ He thought, the visages of some Slytherin students flashing in his mind.


    The guy sitting with Greengrass, her friend, barely concealed his loathing of Malfoy which the smug Slytherin didn''t notice as he was busy looking down at Greengrass with his nose in the air.


    ¡°It-¡±


    Malfoy cut off Greengrass with a grin.


    ¡°And look at that fat girl, she is gorging on her better¡¯s food and it¡¯s showing. My father always says Dumbledore doesn¡¯t know how to treat someone of low station.¡±


    Hannah sniffled and Susan turned to glare at the smug Slytherin.


    ¡®Haa! He certainly isn¡¯t helping me to feel sorry for him. Is it the stupidity I dislike or his smug face?¡¯ Leon sighed.


    ¡°Squeak!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± A high-pitched scream and a surprised grunt echoed in the silent library as two dim balls of light followed Leon¡¯s sigh and crashed into Malfoy and one of his tagalongs, unnoticed by the Slytherins.


    ¡°You and you, out!¡± A hiss filled with fury rang out.


    ¡°And you too! Out!¡± The librarian pointed at Leon too.


    ¡®Come on, how does she know I used a spell?¡¯ he grumbled.


    As Leon was stuffing his assignments into his bag, Malfoy and his goons quickly disappeared as Madam Pince glowered at them.


    Leon left under the confused gaze of his friends; even they didn¡¯t notice him using the spell.


    ¡®I did finish my assignments quickly. So, I have some time to learn a new spell and then I can start the boring mental exercises.¡¯


    The Hufflepuff hurriedly walked away from the library hoping to find an interesting spell in his charm¡¯s textbook.


    As Leon¡¯s eyes shined at the thought of a new spell, he didn¡¯t notice a Slytherin sneaking up on him.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± The figure chided, standing behind him.


    A light orb appeared behind Leon before a bright light flashed in the hallway. He turned around with his wand in hand to see Daphne Greengrass looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a wand pointed at him.


    ¡®How the hell she isn¡¯t blinded?¡¯


    While the brightness wasn¡¯t enough to burn a retina- this time- it was enough to blind people for a couple of seconds.


    ¡®Damn! Why do I want her blinded? She is innocent.¡¯ Leon admonished himself, looking at the unimpressed stare of the Slytherin.


    The thought of learning a new spell didn¡¯t leave much space in his mind to think of Malfoy and his ilk ambushing him outside the library. Thus, the sudden voice made him react instinctively, his dumb mind suddenly remembering the weasel.


    ¡®Well! It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t blind her.. right?¡¯ He thought as he took in the Slytherin¡¯s appearance.


    A braided ponytail accentuated her sapphire earrings, matching her ocean-blue eyes. The Slytherin had an air of confidence and surety around her like everything was under her control.


    ¡°Silent casting! That too two spells, three if we count the spell you used in the library. It seems you embody the hard work part of Hufflepuff very well.¡± Greengrass spoke softly like they weren¡¯t in a tense standoff.


    Common sense dictated that Leon should sheath his wand and apologize as he was the one who started it. But he was reluctant to subject himself to the mercy of someone whom he just attacked.


    ¡®And I don¡¯t know how she countered my spell too.¡¯


    ¡°I do try to make my house name shine,¡± Leon responded.


    It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know the girl, he did spend a train ride with her. So, he took a deep breath and sheathed his wand.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t make me regret this,¡¯ he thought and apologized.


    ¡°I am sorry for suddenly attacking you, Greengrass. You surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted.¡± The Slytherin also sheathed her wand and calmly stared at him.


    ¡°Do you want something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, A moment of your time. Walk with me.¡± The girl started to move, turning her back against Leon, fully expecting him to follow.


    The Hufflepuff shrugged and jogged up to her.


    ¡°I am not saying I am not glad you didn¡¯t get blinded. But how did you.. you know not get blinded.¡±


    ¡°Ask your housemates. We aren¡¯t here to discuss me.¡±


    The duo moved a little distance away from the library before Greengrass stopped.


    The Slytherin slipped into an abandoned classroom and turned around, fixing her gaze on him.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Hmm! Are you as na?ve as other Hufflepuffs too? You followed me alone, aren¡¯t you afraid my friends are waiting to ambush you.¡±


    ¡°I know Susan and Hannah are your friends, not the Malfoy gang. And you did say I was hardworking; wouldn¡¯t it be a waste if I didn¡¯t get to test the spells I practiced?¡±


    Leon believed that she wouldn¡¯t stoop low enough to be bait, but he also didn¡¯t mind testing the results of his training if she was a bait.


    ¡°While I won¡¯t quibble about what Malfoy deserves, using a mind spell on Goyle is too much,¡± Greengrass spoke unconsciously touching her bracelet.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? It¡¯s just a spell.¡±


    They stared at each other as Greengrass¡¯s expression slowly shifted to one of incredulity.


    ¡°Oh my god! You don¡¯t really know.¡± Her mask slipped for a second, letting surprise color her face as she looked at Leon¡¯s confused stare.


    ¡°Did you skip reading the rules regarding the mind spells?¡± she asked in a low voice like he had committed some taboo.


    ¡°Well! There were no rules mentioned.¡±


    She stared at him for some time to see if he was joking before realizing he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°But! How? I mean any house books will mention the rules you have to follow regarding the mind spells before they mention the spell. How can someone be so irresponsible?¡± She muttered the last sentence in a low voice like she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡®Yeah! A narcissistic guy who doesn¡¯t think rules apply to him comes to mind,¡¯ Leon grimaced, remembering the inane ramblings of the Mastering the Senses author.


    ¡°Instead of explaining, it is better if I show you,¡± Greengrass took out her wand, making him take his out.


    ¡°Hey! Aren¡¯t you asking for too much? I only know you for a couple of hours and now you want me to subject myself to a spell in a corner of Hogwarts.¡±


    His words caused the Slytherin to smile, her eyes radiating curiosity like she was watching something interesting.


    ¡°You will have to trust me. Because it¡¯s very important and I don¡¯t think you will find books about mind magics lying around in Hogwarts,¡± she said, her eyes reminding him of the way a predator evaluated its prey.


    ¡®Well! That¡¯s true! Mind magics aren¡¯t even alluded to in the books I had access to in the library. And I think I trust her. Susan and Hannah won¡¯t be friends with someone cruel.¡¯ Leon eyed the blonde Slytherin as he came to a decision.


    ¡°Walk with me.¡± He walked towards another corridor, openly looking for others before walking into an abandoned classroom.


    Greengrass followed him with an amused smile.


    Leon waved him towards the door after closing it.


    ¡°Be quick.¡±


    ¡®A notice me not and locking charm don¡¯t provide much of a protection but they will have to do.¡¯ He was absolutely sure that Greengrass wasn¡¯t looking to hurt him, for one he was a friend of her friends and she didn¡¯t seem like the type to do her dirty work.


    Still, he went through some security motions for his peace of mind.


    With a wave of her wand, Leon felt some weight in his mind.


    And he suddenly started to heave.


    ¡®So gross.¡¯


    He felt like someone forcefully fed him a rotten roadkill that was sprinkled with maggots.


    If the example was taken literally, it wasn¡¯t the smell or gore that was causing him to heave but an instinctual sense of revulsion at his (mouth) mind being violated.


    ¡®No! Go away!¡¯ Leon tried to grasp the presence in his mind. But it was like an unseen barrier stopped him, he clawed at the barrier with vengeance and rammed into it, breaking it apart.


    With a flex of his will the presence was ejected from his mind.


    Leon slowly opened his eyes, not even remembering when closed them.


    Greengrass was down on her butt looking at him with incredulous eyes which narrowed as she was him take his wand into his hand.


    Leon ignored her and closed his eyes again.


    He can ¡®feel¡¯ his mind.


    Before his mind was like a fishbowl and he was someone who could make changes to the bowl by shaking it or control his thoughts- the fish- with some food.


    Now he felt like he was master of the water in the bowl. Of course, his control of the water isn¡¯t advanced enough to easily control the fish, but it was way better than before.


    ¡®I think I reached the Un stage.¡¯ Excitement thrummed through Leon¡¯s body before he remembered that he took half a dozen more days than the author and that the author¡¯s time to move to the next stage only decreased after the first stage.


    The Hufflepuff didn¡¯t think that would be the case with him though. His weird talent for being good at anything that has a connection between him and the target helped him reach the first stage quickly.


    After he reached the Un stage, his mind became a part of him, not something that was out of his reach. But at the same time, he would need to maintain a connection to it for better control.


    So, while he doesn¡¯t have much hope of reaching the future stages when the author himself said the difficulty increases exponentially for chumps, he will be at least faster than normal chumps.


    ¡®Maybe I can subject myself to Daphne again?¡¯ He squashed the thought lighting quickly as even the memory of the sensation made him want to puke.


    ¡®Ha! I should have gotten Susan from the library even if Pince could have given me a detention for loitering around after getting kicked out, I was impatient.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t expect Daphne to straight up peer into his mind and for it to be this intense.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Greengrass cleared her throat, trying to get his attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s how the target generally feels when you invade their mind. A good legilimens can obscure their presence but it doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t polluting the target¡¯s mind. While Hogwarts doesn¡¯t care if there is no irreversible or serious harm, it isn¡¯t the same with the parents. Your spell has left its marks in their minds that their parents can find.¡¯


    Leon sighed at the thought of sitting in court and getting questioned by wizards.


    ¡®I will have to talk to Suan about this. But first, let me satisfy my curiosity.¡¯


    ¡°How did you find out that I used a mind spell in the library? Maybe I used a spell that makes people scream.¡± Greengrass gave him an amused smile.


    ¡°Ask your friends. But aren¡¯t you afraid of Malfoy¡¯s Father finding out?¡± She asked with a tone that implied isn¡¯t it getting caught supposed to be your first thought.


    ¡°What can I do about it, now? I will ask Susan and see what my options are.¡± Leon thought, suppressing his active imagination which showed dementors and him having a snog session. He knew he was looking at year-long detection at most, but nobody let his imagination know.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. As your spell was harmless and didn¡¯t touch any memories, I can make Malfoy drink some potions which will erase your marks. But as slipping potion into someone¡¯s food isn¡¯t easy due to the enchanted cutlery, you will owe me two favors.¡±


    At his dubious look, she added. ¡°I will have to make the potion too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say, I tentatively agree, but let me ask Susan if you are lying or something.¡± He didn¡¯t think she was lying but better safe than sorry.


    She nodded. ¡°I will see you later, farewell.¡±


    Leon watched the Slytherin girl walk out of the room, her long blond hair sashaying as she walked.


    ¡®Hmm! I don¡¯t know her properly, but I think she isn¡¯t the type to point out my mistake just for the sake of it. She got two favors from me and I did feel like she was probing to get a better measure of me the whole time I talked with her.¡¯ Leon didn¡¯t care much about the favors.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t afraid of boring work and had higher limits than others for what constitutes risky business.


    ¡®Hmm! Now, I want to know what she will cash in the favors for. As long it isn¡¯t against law or something, I don¡¯t see why I will refuse.¡¯


    ¡­..


    The Hufflepuff sat in his room ruminating about the conversation he had with Susan.


    She just waved her hand, assuring me that her aunt would listen to her when he asked about the traces he left in her mind and gave him a lecture on proper mind etiquette after he said that he didn¡¯t know anything about mind spells.


    ¡®Man! I thought she was fiercely loyal before, but knowing she still subjected her to my spell even when she knew it would leave traces in her mind makes me appreciate her resolve in a whole new light.¡¯


    And of course, Leon wasn¡¯t simply sitting. He was waiting for the clock to strike 10 with the Mastering the Senses on his lap.


    ¡¯45 more minutes, I have some time to check on my reward, promised by the author, for reaching the Un stage,¡¯ he thought eyeing the numerals floating in the air.


    On the way from dinner, a small paper plane floated into his hand. Rose contacted him, they were going to see the Cerberus today at 12. Thus, Leon was eagerly waiting for the clock to strike 12.


    ¡®Today is a very good day if you don¡¯t consider Malfoy spoiling it. I reached the Un stage, and I am going to see Fluffy. And of course, we can¡¯t forget the surprise my narcissistic ancestor promised.¡¯


    Leon shook his head and opened the book.


    ¡°Ha! You reached the Un stage, good. Of course, you couldn¡¯t have beaten my record. Even my master was jealous of my talent- In case you forgot I took 3 days to reach the Un stage.¡±


    ¡®Ah! What wouldn¡¯t I give to smack this guy''s head?¡¯ Leon bristled at the author but continued reading.

 Chapter 34- Emotions

    ¡°Now! Don¡¯t get disappointed by your useless talent, not everyone can be me.


    While my master thinks he invented a new branch of mind arts- Ha! Imagine me beating my master at something he created.


    The old man¡¯s face was hilarious as I¡­ ¨C anyway not important, let¡¯s return to the topic at hand.


    I don¡¯t agree that my master created a new branch as he just found a balance between Occlumency and Legilimency. It doesn¡¯t matter if the balance birthed new effects that are a mix of both the prime mental magics.¡±


    And then the narcissist who doesn¡¯t think there are people better than him monologues on how his master didn¡¯t invent a new branch of mind magic.


    If you think of your mind as a fishbowl- the water and bowl being your mind, the fish your thoughts. Occlumency helps you in controlling the fish, while in the later stages, it gives you little power over the water and bowl, Occlumency is always about the fish.


    Legilimency concerns itself with peeking at another¡¯s bowl and shaking it to let pebbles and dust- memories- that lay at the bottom of the bowl rise.


    The new branch of mind magic is about controlling one¡¯s water, and fish in the other bowls.


    ¡°While my master luckily stumbled upon the idea to start a new branch, it is I who made it into a new branch.


    Now, don¡¯t be jealous my descendant. Not everyone can be as great as me, creating new fields of magic out of nowhere. While my master was content on letting me just blaze through the stages of Cogilumens- the art of bending Senses. I took it upon myself to create a spell to upgrade my branch from the other prime mental magics, a spell that can only be used by our branch users due to the strain it causes to one¡¯s mind.


    Yes, the spell is going to be your reward. Choose wisely.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Leon¡¯s breath hitched as he read about the new, secret, branch of mind magic. As he was about to turn the page and see the spell, the tempus spell hovering on his side caught his eye.


    ¡®11:40! Let¡¯s go!¡¯ Eyeing the book for one last time, Leon grabbed a bag that contained his second e-item and ran out.


    The Hufflepuffs having retired for the day, the common room was deserted and covered in dim light. Leon wore his bag on his back and stepped towards the common room exit.


    ¡°Where are you going, Leon?¡±


    Susan¡¯s anguished voice broke the silence in the common room as she watched her friend trying to break the curfew. The Hufflepuff was sitting in a corner near the boy¡¯s dorm, a table hid her from the gaze of anyone who left the boy''s dorm.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    (Susan POV)


    Looking at the back of the boy who had somehow wormed his way into her and Hannah¡¯s hearts with his relentless, often self-destructive determination, and with eyes that turned to stars at the sight of anything magical, Susan felt her heart tighten with a mix of anxiety and worry.


    Susan was just here to catch him in his act and maybe give him an earful before going back to her bed. But looking at the way he walked, the confidence and purpose in his steps, as he ventured into dark corridors, evoked something in her.


    ¡®I can¡¯t lose my friend, I just can¡¯t.¡¯


    Flashes of painful memories she didn¡¯t remember flashed through her mind as the scene in front of her overlapped with one from her past.


    ¡°Susie! You will spend tonight with your aunt, be a good girl, alright.¡± Her mother kneeled in front of her, her voice filled with love and warmth just like always.


    There wasn¡¯t any indication of the tragedy that was going to tear the young girl¡¯s life apart.


    The memories rolled in Susan¡¯s mind, unstoppable but incoherent.


    As Susan was playing hide and seek with her aunt¡¯s house elf, her parents and aunt barged into the room she was hiding in.


    ¡°This is madness Greg, why do you want to throw your and your wife¡¯s life away? You have a daughter for Merlin¡¯s sake, think about her.¡± Her aunt pleaded with her father.


    Susan was taken aback; her aunt didn¡¯t sound like that. Her aunt was warm, protective, and strict. Susan couldn¡¯t believe how her aunt¡¯s voice could be so .. des..per..ate.


    As the two struggled to understand them, the adults continued talking.


    ¡°We are doing this for our daughter too. I don¡¯t want her to grow up in a world with death eaters roaming free.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t presume I am just following your brother¡¯s idea. I think this is right too.¡± Her mother chided her aunt.


    ¡°You! There are better ways! Breaking rules, and vigilantism will lead to no good. Rules are there to protect the innocent and wea-¡±


    ¡°Sister, I know we aren¡¯t Sorcerers like you. But I think we can still make a difference.¡±


    ¡°Yes! You can make a great difference by being alive and being a parent to your daughter. It¡¯s 100 times more impactful than whatever you can do roaming the streets bare, not even wearing a single escape artifact.¡±


    ¡°Amelia! You know artifacts would make us targets. If we are not welcome here, we can take our daughter somewhere else.¡± Her mother''s voice was cold, absent of warmth Susan was familiar with.


    ¡°Then wait 2 more months, you guys can break the curfew, start battling in the streets, anything, after two months. I will get you artifacts that can¡¯t be perceived by a Sorcerer. Just, wait for two more months.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I am sorry, my little sister. We are late to the game already. I think your big brother can weather through any surprises they throw.¡± Her father ruefully smiled.


    ¡°We will collect Susan tomorrow, spend some time with your niece, and trust your big brother, he can take care of himself.¡±


    Susan climbed out of the closet after the adults left the room, her young brain not grasping the byplay.


    The next morning, somberness filled her aunt¡¯s mansion. Her aunt¡¯s auror friends were dropping by and hugging her aunt.


    She could hear the murmurs from her aunt¡¯s friends who huddled in the corners.


    ¡°They broke rules and weren¡¯t powerful enough to bear the consequences.¡±


    ¡°They should have listened to Madam Bones.¡±


    The adults patted her head as she passed them and walked towards her aunt.


    ¡°Auntie! When will Mom and Dad be back?¡±


    Her aunt hugged her.


    ¡°They were bad. They broke curfew, so they are grounded for some time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a curfew?¡± Susan asked innocently.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rule to not roam outside at night. They broke that rule.¡± Her aunt hiccuped.


    Susan was confused, why was her aunt crying? She didn¡¯t think her aunt could cry. It was not like her aunt.


    ¡®Mom and Dad shouldn¡¯t have broken the rules. They made aunt cry.¡¯


    When Susan became older and realized her parents were never coming back something in her broke. It didn¡¯t matter to her that her parents were defending an orphanage in London.


    An orphanage which they made their battleground as they brought their battle near it thinking it was abandoned- a rookie mistake.


    Her parents breaking a single curfew for the first time changed her life.


    Susan wasn¡¯t dumb she noticed Rose contacting Leon and the last time they met, they visited a 7-X creature, not caring about the warnings of the headmaster.


    ¡°Where are you going, Leon?¡± she asked, her past emotions coursing through her mind shattering her rationality.


    The memories she had forgotten resonated with the present, making her irrational.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®Damn! What is she doing here?¡¯ Leon checked the common room before turning towards her.


    ¡®She looks worried¡­. I should have tried to know more about her worrying degree of aversion rule breaking and risks.¡¯ While Leon did notice her weird fixation with rules, he just thought it had something to do with having an aunt in law enforcement.


    ¡°Just going for a late-night walk. What are you doing here?¡±


    Susan ignored his question as her breathing picked up.


    ¡°It¡¯s curfew outside. You can¡¯t break a curfew.¡± Her voice was loud and shaky as she confronted him.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± Leon gestured to Susan and ran deep inside the first year¡¯s dorm, not wanting prefects or older students to stumble across them to check on the commotion.


    He led his friend away from the stairs that led to dorms of older students, bringing her near to his room.


    ¡°Susan, what were you doing in the common room? Were you waiting for me?¡± Leon didn¡¯t know how to talk to her, she looked so fragile with her body shivering and tearful eyes.


    ¡°Answer me! Why are you breaking the curfew, Leon? What¡¯s so important?¡±


    ¡°Susan, we can talk tomorrow. Let me escort you to your dorm. Or wait here I will get Hannah, you are not looking good.¡± Worry started to creep into his mind.


    ¡°Answer me! Where are you going?¡± Susan yelled.


    ¡°Kitchen, Kitchen! I was hungry.¡± Leon felt bad about lying but he didn¡¯t think she was going to take the news that he was going to meet Fluffy well, he still remembers her nearly crying last time.


    ¡°Lies! Lies!¡± She took deep breaths.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Suddenly her demeanor changed, her body stopped shaking as she took out her wand.


    ¡°Su-¡±


    Leon jumped away from a red bolt of magic.


    ¡®Damn! No complex wand movements or a whisper. It seems I am not only the one practicing my butt off.¡¯


    ¡°Susan-¡±


    Leon ducked from another spell and rolled on the ground. She was picking up speed, getting her emotions and mind under control.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t look so fragile anymore.¡¯ Leon wrestled with his thoughts before quickly deciding.


    With a twirl of his wand, two large orbs of light covered the hallway in light.


    Instead of burning his friend¡¯s retina, Leon went with a simpler method. With his spell, he essentially pointed a floodlight towards her.


    She can¡¯t see him anymore, just like how people on stage can¡¯t see the audience due to light.


    Two spells sailed towards the starting position of the orbs, missing the orbs by inches.


    ¡®Damn! She wants to cancel my spell by clashing it with another spell. She is clever but that is still a rookie tactic.¡¯


    Whatever spells Leon practices for battles, he made sure to fully explore them and prepare for every scenario, it was fun and didn¡¯t make his practice boring.


    So, he prepared for every scenario he could think of. So, unfortunately for Susan, he pushed the orbs away from their previous position as soon as they appeared. After all, it was the spells only weakness a first-year could use against him.


    ¡°Nox! Nox!¡± He could hear her whisper; she changed her strategy. Or one could be a stubborn git and try to wrestle control of the spell from him.


    ¡°Susan, enough! Stop trying to control my spells.¡±


    Sadly, his friend wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk.


    Leon ignored the external tug on the connection he had with the spell as the sound of doors opening filled the hallway.


    ¡®Shit! I forgot about the students.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s with this light?¡± A voice whined before a spell followed.


    ¡°Numra!¡±


    The light in the hallway suddenly got sucked into three floating orbs of darkness.


    Leon could see Smith, Justin, and Ernie looking at the scene, dumbfounded.


    ¡°Smith, Ernie, support me, help me catch him,¡± Susan ordered, her earlier emotions fully absent, now she talked like a captain ordering her squad.


    Smith quickly took out his wand and Ernie belatedly followed. Justin, the lone muggle-born and Ernie¡¯s friend, too took out his after he got nudged by Ernie.


    ¡°Leon go back to your room, we will talk tomorrow. You can¡¯t defeat us all.¡± Susan commanded her eyes boring holes into his face.


    ¡°Guys! Do you really want to do this?¡± Leon asked his year mates one last time, things were getting out of hand and he didn¡¯t like being pushed around and ignored even by the ones he would consider his friends.


    Ernie and Justin shrugged as Smith smirked at him.


    ¡°Well! It''s incomplete, but I guess I can test it on a couple of first years.¡± Leon mumbled.


    ¡°Leon, NOW!¡±


    ¡°Jeez! What makes you think I can¡¯t take all of you?¡± Leon asked with a smile, deciding to enjoy the situation a little. Grudgingly accepting that he couldn¡¯t de-escalate the situation without bowing down.


    Before anyone could react, Smith fired a red bolt of light.


    ¡®Silent casting and same spell, are all purebloods required to master this spell? For safety?¡¯


    Leon didn¡¯t even look at the bolt of red light as he incanted a spell.


    Just when the bolt was going to hit him, a whip cracked before the spell fizzled out.


    A thick rope emerged from his backpack and protectively snaked around Leon.


    Platinum streaks darted the rope like a magical tattoo. It swirled around Leon like a dragon protecting its hoard from flies, uncaring and arrogant.


    The first years snapped out of shock and peppered Leon with more spells, this time everyone participated.


    Once again, the sound of whips cracking rang out before the hallway was devoid of the spells.


    A total of four ropes were hovering from either side of Leon like they were his arms, surprising the first years again. They lazily swirled around him but unlike the first rope, they looked normal.


    The three pure bloods incanted a spell before firing, each targeting a rope.


    The area where the spells impacted sizzled, the rope melting like butter.


    ¡®This is why it is incomplete. I only enchanted a single rope with the nobleness (inertness) of platinum. And that took the finger-sized bar Flitwick gave as an initiation gift, and this e-item is supposed to be an auxiliary item, not a defensive one.¡¯ Leon sighed but continued waving his wand.


    While students get three bars of their chosen metal, they can¡¯t be platinum or gold. Leon exchanged the extra three large metals for a smaller piece of platinum. Professor Flitwick approved too, as he knows House Astraeus is wealthy.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    (Smith¡¯s POV)


    The four rope arms blurred around the upstart, batting away spells even as they got damaged.


    After a couple of seconds, all his ropes were on the floor- cut down and melted.


    Smith didn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of it.


    ¡°You are going down, Leon,¡± Smith whispered as his spell impacted the boy.


    Leon crumpled like a bag of potatoes making Smith let out an arrogant smirk and walk towards him.

 Chapter 35 - Fluffy

    (Smith¡¯s POV)


    The orbs of darkness- the spell he perfected after knowing Leon used light to teach Malfoy a lesson- swallowed the light, dimming the surroundings, submersing the hallway, like a giant shadow was cast on the corridor.


    Smith crouched near Leon to get a better look at him.


    ¡®Something¡¯s not right,¡¯ he thought.


    He shook away the thought as he gleefully looked towards the talented, hardworking boy¡¯s face, expecting to see regret and fear.


    But he was greeted with pus, bones, and wriggling raw flesh.


    Leon¡¯s face looked like someone cast a melting spell on him. Half-melted eyeballs stirred and stared at Smith before a grin split the deformed face.


    ¡°AAH!¡± Smith screamed before darkness took over his vision.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    (Susan POV)


    Susan flinched as the three boys beside her crumpled onto the floor.


    Under her disbelieving gaze, Leon walked towards her with his rope arms dancing on unseen winds like they were preening at defeating the pests.


    ¡®They look elegant.¡¯ The thought rose in her mind, unbidden. Susan shook her head and watched the excited smile on Leon''s face slowly get replaced by a serious frown.


    ¡°Susan, I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t want me to break curfew. But I can take care of myself.¡± He twirled her wand, indirectly indicating her defeat. And she didn¡¯t even know how he did it.


    One moment he collapsed after Smith¡¯s spell hit him and when she blinked her wand was taken from her hand before the other Hufflepuffs collapsed.


    Susan¡¯s mind was still reeling from the events of the night.


    Today has been too much for her to handle, she transitioned from emotional wreck to battle-ready- as her aunt trained her to be - to utter shock.


    She even employed Occlumency to focus on the duel, to stop Leon from committing a mistake.


    But he somehow defeated three of her classmates. Classmates who took their studies seriously and practiced, maybe a little less than Leon but still.. he didn¡¯t even look like he broke a sweat.


    ¡°I know Hogwarts is dangerous. I am going to hide and assess whenever I get surprised-¡±


    Her dad¡¯s voice overlapped with Leon¡¯s.


    ¡°I can weather through any surprises we have Dum-¡±


    ¡°I am trying to satisfy my curiosity I don¡¯t have any death wish.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our duty, Amelia. Maybe it sounds like a death wish to you.¡±


    ¡°As you can see, I can overpower some problems if not I can always flee.¡±


    ¡°I may be weaker than you or any other Sorcerers, Amy.¡± Her father¡¯s hurt voice echoed. ¡°But I won¡¯t be a coward.¡±


    ¡°I want you to be a coward.¡± Her aunt screeched.


    ¡°Susan, are you listening to me?¡± Leon grabbed her shoulders and shook her.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®They are so different and similar at the same time.¡¯ Susan used the mental exercises her aunt taught her as she navigated through her resurfaced memories. ¡®I didn¡¯t know I associated those memories with such terror and helplessness.¡¯


    She still remembered bits and pieces of that night, but the way they resurfaced now gave her a pause. It¡¯s like someone tried to make her forget them.


    Feeling Leon¡¯s grip tightening on her shoulder, she quickly decided.


    ¡°You can go! But I am coming with you.¡±


    Ignoring the dumbstruck Leo, she walked towards the common room.


    ¡®I should talk with the aunt about this.¡¯ She thought.


    ¡°Hey! At least let¡¯s toss them on their beds. Aren¡¯t they your friends?¡± Leon called out.


    Susan turned around and gave a sheepish smile before starting to drag Ernie to his room.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    (Leon¡¯s POV)


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± Leon checked the time and started running.


    ¡°Did you really have to leave Smith on the floor?¡± Susan was jogging beside him, the signs of her earlier emotional breakdown completely absent.


    ¡®Was it trauma rearing its head? I wonder how I helped it resurface.¡¯


    Susan nudged him by the ribs as he stared at her, lost in thought.


    ¡°I was asking about Smith,¡± she prompted.


    ¡°Yeah! I understand you guys know each other longer and they will support you, but Smith showed too much enthusiasm. So, I let him cool down on the floor. Maybe some joint pain will let him tone it down.¡±


    ¡®I should do something about him.¡¯


    The Hufflepuffs quickly reached the staircase point on the ground floor where two girls and a bushy giant were waiting for them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rose. You said only one more will join us.¡± Hagrid mumbled as the duo reached them.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Hagrid. We won¡¯t come in your way. We will be as silent as Unicorns. Speaking of Unicorns doesn¡¯t Hogwarts house some, are they as noble as people say, Mr. Hagrid?¡± he asked climbing the stairs.


    While his attempt to change the topic was blatant, it worked. Maybe because Hagird likes Unicorns, or he is kind enough to play along with the first-year or he simply just didn¡¯t care.


    After all, if recklessness has another name, it''s Hagrid.


    ¡°Yes! Professor Kettleburn brings some to his class now and then. And Unicorns aren¡¯t necessarily silent, you will only be able to see them when they want you to.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why is that?¡± Hermoine chimed in.


    ¡°They can feel the purity of your thoughts and intent and are masters of speed. Some say they can sniff out future evil wizards. I say bogus.. but-¡±


    Leon let the girl and giant talk, slipping back towards Rose.


    ¡°Hermoine, huh!¡±


    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking, I needed her to convince, Hagrid. So, she was always part of the plan, but why is Susan tagging along.¡±


    ¡°You know your aunt will hate Leon if something happens to you.¡± Rose stared at his friend.


    ¡°Hey! What did I do?¡± he protested.


    ¡°What did you do? You corrupted her sweet Susie, that¡¯s what you did.¡±


    ¡°Rose stop! She doesn¡¯t need to know.¡±


    Rose looked surprised at her response.


    ¡°I was just joking before but you did really corrupt the niece of Magical law enforcement¡¯s head. You should let me pick your mind sometime.¡± Rose spoke with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°No one¡¯s corrupted. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    Leon quickly caught up to the giant, leaving Susan and Rose behind.


    The moving staircase stopped on the third floor.


    ¡®Is it keyed to Hagrid''s presence or something?¡¯


    ¡°By the way, Mr Hagrid. How will they weather the Cer- creatures presence?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, little wizard. I bought Fluffy¡¯s collar, it''s enchanted.¡±


    ¡°I noticed you said ¡®they¡¯, what makes you think you can?¡± Rose elbowed him.


    ¡°Oh! Not sure, but I probably can. Let¡¯s just say Family magic.¡± Leon was eager to see if reaching the Un stage would make any difference in front of the Cerberus. He already noticed that he could make more realistic illusions, the itty gritty details had become easy to project, and he didn¡¯t feel strained when he used the spell on multiple targets.


    His mind¡¯s output increased i.e., the water in the fishbowl became attuned to the fish¡¯s whims, making projecting illusions- whatever his thoughts wanted to conjure- easy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think family magic is fair,¡± Hermione grumbled under her breath.


    ¡°What was that, Ms Granger?¡± Susan probed.


    ¡°Hermione!¡± Rose sent her friend a look filled with warning.


    ¡°I just think it¡¯s not fair that wizard houses hoard knowledge. It should be available to everyone.¡± The Gryffindor wasn¡¯t deterred and spoke her mind.


    Silence reigned on the staircase as Hermione¡¯s words sank in.


    ¡°That!¡± Susan was gobsmacked.


    Susan was generally reserved in front of strangers but would not hesitate to defend her friends, that¡¯s why she prompted Hermoine to elaborate, thinking the Gryffindor was saying something about Leon.


    But Hermione¡¯s question challenged a fundamental fact that was widely regarded as common sense.


    After all, knowledge is the prime currency in the wizarding world.


    Believing poor Susan had enough mental burden for the day, Leon answered in her stead.


    ¡°Think of magical knowledge like gems, you don¡¯t show them off to any random stranger, especially if that gem can used against you and yours.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t care much for the hoarding of knowledge, it¡¯s not like the wizarding world took away the building blocks to higher knowledge. After all, Hogwarts stands tall even today.


    ¡°That¡¯s not an accurate comparison,¡± Hermione mumbled.


    ¡°Ok! How about this? Are you familiar with state and company secrets? Think of it as the same. Simply put, the researcher decides if he should publish his work. It applies in both the mundane and the magical worlds.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°We arrived. That is the door, Susan.¡± Rose interjected and changed the subject.


    ¡°It is safe, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hagrid will protect us. He knows the beast.¡± Rose patted Hagrid¡¯s hand, making Susan eye the giant.


    ¡°I will! But it won¡¯t be necessary. Fluffy is a good boy. Now where is that collar.¡±


    As Hagrid searched his numerous pockets, Leon walked near the door.


    ¡®Here I am.¡¯


    He entered the three-meter range and just like before a presence slammed into his mind. His knees buckled but he caught himself in the end.


    ¡®Awesome!¡¯


    Leon was able to weather the beast¡¯s presence. Just when he was about to shout in joy, the curious presence pressing on his mind increased twofold, bringing him to his knees.


    ¡°I am fine! I am fine!¡± He waved away Susan and Rose and slowly stood up.


    ¡®Yeah! I have a long way to go. If Fluffy was malicious I don¡¯t think I would be standing.¡¯


    ¡°Good kid! You will make a strong wizard one day.¡± Hagrid¡¯s pat nearly sent him to his knees again, but he preserved.


    ¡°You could share that spell with us.¡± Hermoine stood a foot behind Leon, staring at him, knowing that coming near him would be a bad idea.


    ¡°Hermoine! Enough! Don¡¯t mind her, Leon.¡± Rose gritted her teeth and glared at her friend.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. But what will you give me in exchange? If you have something as valuable, I don¡¯t mind sharing.¡±


    ¡°Why? It''s not like you would forget the knowledge.¡± The fourteen-year-old looked petulant.


    ¡®Now, who is the one forgetting common sense.¡¯


    Rose had enough and started to drag her friend away.


    ¡°You guys go inside, let me talk with her.¡±


    ¡°You know she isn¡¯t completely wrong,¡± Susan spoke, as Hagrid entered the room, making them wait outside.


    ¡°Maybe not! But you can¡¯t give away your aunt¡¯s work, it¡¯s not yours for one thing and people trade or buy spells, giving them away for free is stupid.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I didn¡¯t say she is completely right.¡±


    ¡°Come on! Kids! You will love Fluffy.¡± Hagrid let out a booming laugh and opened the door, just in time.


    Leon eagerly walked in with Susan a step behind.


    ¡®Holy!!¡¯


    It took Leon a full second to take in the magnificent creature in front of him.


    Standing nearly 7 feet tall, with jaws big enough to swallow him in two bites, the Cerberus towered over them like a mountain of muscle.


    Fur as dark as the void enveloped its entire body, while eyes the color of molten lava narrowed, and its ears were stiff, alert.


    The Cerberus¡¯s three heads were staring at him with a curious glint in their eyes.


    Two rapid breath intakes from behind him let him know the Gryffindors too were seeing the beast in all of its glory.


    ¡®I did it! I am in front of the Cerberus.¡¯ Leon let his mind drift, trying to feel its presence as he had felt with Dumbledore and Fawkes. But he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®Maybe it has something to do with the bright red collar on the middle head.¡¯


    ¡°Come forward, Fluffy is a good boy, touch him.¡± Hagrid nudged them, smiling like a proud parent showing off how cute his kid is.


    The height of Hogwarts corridor makes Hagrid''s height less noticeable, but he even towered over the Cerberus.


    It looked like a normal Great Dane in front of him.


    Leon walked forward, his hand in the air.


    ¡°Good! Let him smell you, you can pet him after.¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡± Susan squeaked from behind. But strangely Leon wasn¡¯t afraid that the Cerberus was going to bite his arm off.


    The credit doesn¡¯t go to him however, the Cerberus genuinely looked like a golden retriever meeting a new human.


    Its eyes were curious and pure, the kind only dogs have.


    As the two heads started to vigorously sniff the air, the Cerberus bent down with its middle head touching his hand.


    With a woof that made him jump, the middle head started to sniff his head, leaving the other two heads to start sniffing his body.


    ¡°Okay! Enough, Fluffy.¡± Hagrid called out, making the muscled beast whine before retreating from him.


    ¡°Now! Go on! Pet them, start with the middle head.¡± Hagrid nudged his back, sending him into the Cerberus''s embrace.


    The Hufflepuff froze.


    Two screams of horror echoed in the room, making the Cerberus snap its heads towards the sound.


    Taking a deep breath, Leon started to scratch the middle head¡¯s chin.


    With a resounding woof, the Cerberus plopped down unceremoniously and leaned into his touch.


    While the Cerberus didn¡¯t look scary, it took Leon some time to freely treat it as he treats his friend''s dogs. The size difference took him a little time to adapt to.


    Rose was the next one to greet the Cerberus. After letting a corner head sniff her hand, she jumped towards the head hugging it.


    Surprising everyone, including the Cerberus itself.


    As Leon wrestled with the middle head, making sure the other head wasn¡¯t feeling left out, Susan and Hermione took turns petting the big guy.


    ¡°Is this his maximum height, Mr. Hagrid?¡± Leon asked running his hands through the soft fur on its neck.


    ¡®Hagrid isn¡¯t wrong, Fluffy is a good name for this good boy.¡¯


    ¡°Fluffy is just a puppy. He just hit his growth spurt; he will grow into a massive Cerberus later. Won¡¯t you, you little bugger? Won¡¯t you?¡± Hagrid rubbed Fluffy¡¯s head, with a content smile.

 Chapter 36- Reward

    ¡®Bigger than this? Damn!¡¯ he thought looking at the seven-foot.. puppy.


    As the first years were petting the Cerberus, Rose jumped onto its back. Once again surprising everyone.


    With a loud bark, the Cerberus turned around and licked Rose¡¯s face.


    ¡°Come on, Rose. That¡¯s dangerous¡­ and late. We have to go. You guys have classes tomorrow.¡± Hagrid grabbed the Gryffindor like a toy and dropped her on the ground.


    ¡°We always have classes,¡± Rose grumbled and hugged the Cerberus, petting its fluffy fur.


    The Cerberus looked very happy at the attention he was getting; his thumping leg shaking the windowsills.


    Leon glared at the giant before returning to petting the adorable Cerberus who was trying to slather his head in saliva, ignoring Hagrid.


    As he traced his hand in the fur of the Cerberus moving towards his hind legs, Hagrid suddenly caught him.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, Fluffy doesn¡¯t know how to control the strength of his tail. The naughty boy broke nearly sprained my fingers while I was scrubbing him.¡±


    ¡®A sprain to Hagrid¡¯s fingers means, it will just pulverize my whole arm, right?¡¯ he wondered looking at the 13-foot jolly gatekeeper who was also wider than any man has the right to be.


    While Leon thought dying because the giant dog was happy to see you was funny, Susan thought differently and retreated from the muscled guardian.


    ¡°Rose, enough! Let¡¯s go!¡± Hermione pleaded, backing up with Susan.


    The girl who lived grumbled a little, but she too backed away from the Cerberus.


    The odd group left the room under the sad whines of the giant puppy.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the place too small for Fluffy, Hagrid?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t worry about that. Headmaster Dumbledore personally enchanted the room to be as big as his home when Fluffy is alone. Great man, Dumbledore. He is good to everyone.¡±


    ¡®So, opening the door returns the room to its original size?¡¯


    ¡°I heard Cerberuses live in volcanoes why is that?¡± Susan asked. ¡°Won¡¯t he get homesick?¡±


    ¡°Ah! They like to swim in the lava, the buggers love the heat. And love to keep themselves clean.¡±


    ¡®So awesome!¡¯ Leon wanted to squeal; he was just in the presence of a creature that uses lava to bathe.


    ¡®Control yourself, Leon. While the magical world is awesome, I am not a simp! Not even for a giant slobbering puppy.¡¯ The image of the happy Cerberus, its eyes squinting in happiness flashed in his mind. ¡®Maybe I am for the giant slobbering puppy.¡¯ He nodded his head, sometimes you can¡¯t win against cuteness.


    Susan let out a nervous laugh at that before hitting his shoulder like he did something wrong.


    The group split up in the middle, leaving Susan and Leon to reach their dorms.


    ¡°So, Susan, I just can¡¯t ignore your earlier outburst, I am ready to talk whenever you are,¡± Leon spoke, feeling a little guilty that he was caught up with the Cerberus and ignored his friend.


    ¡°Tomorrow, please.¡±


    Susan gave him a quick hug before she ran into her dorm.


    Shrugging, he too went to his room.


    The Hufflepuff sprawled on his bed, tired, brainstorming ideas on how he could own a Cerberus.


    But before he further delved into the silly thoughts, golden words appeared on his roof, catching his eye.


    ¡°Oh! Dear, oh you Hufflepuff


    You proved your worth, you''ve shown enough.


    But are you the vision of my ideals?


    Let''s see if you can find what nature conceals.


    Seek the noble of plants, through forest and glen,


    Guarded by the dauntless, striped like a wren.


    With courage and heart, venture forth and roam,


    Bring back your prize and return to your home.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Remember, loyalty is not ascertained until tested under fear.


    ¡®CAN THIS DAY BE ANY BETTER?¡¯ Leon nearly danced, jumping from his bed, but he quickly wrote down the lines that appeared on the roof of his room.


    The poem slowly disappeared, making Leon return to his bed.


    He fell asleep, rereading the sudden quest he got.


    With yesterday¡¯s impromptu duel perfectly showcasing the results of his hard work, Leon completed his morning routine with more enthusiasm.


    While he took the help of his artifact for the first two exchanges to push his year mates into illusion, it didn¡¯t matter to him as he made that artifact and he could have done the same without it, it would have just been a little more time-consuming.


    After all, once the author¡¯s spell hits anyone then they are under the mercy of Leon. With him reaching the Un stage, the spell limits ballooned exponentially.


    While he couldn¡¯t mess with the proprioception and time sense even when in illusion, he could have easily used Smith as a shield yesterday, by manipulating what he sees and hears.


    ¡®I should practice making the Viscupi spell, the illusion, form smaller.¡¯Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    While, unlike other spells that shine like they are on fire the original spell of his ancestor, Viscupi, is partially see-through. And unlike other spells, practice can make it transparent and also decrease its size.


    Leon observed size decrease was easier when compared to taking away the spell¡¯s shine. So, he wanted to get it out of the way first as the spell is only eye-catching in darkness.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    The Hufflepuff left for the great hall with his friends.


    While Susan was shying away from his gaze, the oblivious Hannah was humming as they traversed the empty hallways, just like always.


    Leon and Susan were accosted by Ernie and Justin as they sat at the breakfast table.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream, right? Justin too remembers the last night, our ¡®dreams¡¯ match.¡± Ernie murmured urgently, holding Leon¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Yes! It was not a dream! I hit you guys with a sleeping charm. It''s my version of disarming, unlike you guys who learned stupefy in their first year.¡± Leon served himself some food as he answered.


    ¡°Yeah! I guess. Everyone has a list of general spells from their parents. I have been learning the stupefy spell from the day I got my wand, but I am still nowhere as fast as Susan.¡± Ernie said, looking at the Hufflepuff girl who was explaining the events of last night to Hannah.


    ¡°Yeah! It''s tough! Maybe we should learn the charm Leon uses, Ernie.¡± Justin spoke, mixing his soup. ¡°Joining your stupefy practice didn¡¯t help me or you much, did it?¡±


    ¡°Nah! Man, we spent so much time already, let¡¯s not change to something new now.¡±


    ¡°Just saying. By the way, why did Susan draw her wand on you.¡±


    ¡°A small disagreement.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t look small.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Ernie. You got to ask her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! He is gonna do that.¡± Something in Justin¡¯s tone made Leon stop demolishing his food and turn towards them.


    ¡°Ernie is afraid of Susan.¡± Justin mocked whispered after a quick glance to make sure the girls were still talking in a corner.


    ¡°No! I am not¡­ Okay! A little.¡± Ernie quickly broke down under the unimpressive stare of his friend.


    ¡°But why? She is so sweet and supportive.¡± Leon asked, remembering Susan patiently helping her fellow puffs with their assignments.


    ¡°Yeah! She is sweet until she is not. I still remember her pressuring me to come clean to the adults after I sneezed on the food table at a party. She becomes very passionate and stubborn regarding some things.¡±


    ¡°Please you are just jealous that your father thinks she has better discipline than you.¡± Justin elbowed him.


    The duo continued bickering while having their breakfast.


    While Leon returned to his breakfast, Smith stomped towards the Hufflepuff table and sat before him.


    ¡°You were able to beat me only because of that artifact,¡± he spoke through gritted teeth.


    Leon just shrugged and ate his last bite.


    ¡°Using an artifact doesn¡¯t make you better than me.¡± He slammed his fists onto the table, making Leon look up.


    ¡®What¡¯s this guy''s problem with me again?¡¯ He thought back to their interactions, cursing himself for not taking note of this guy even after deciding to.


    ¡®Yeah! I remember.. he doesn¡¯t think anyone can be more talented than him. Isn¡¯t it easy to solve then?¡¯


    ¡°How about a duel, Smith? The duel can decide who is better between us. And the loser has to promise they won¡¯t disturb the winner. Our house members will decide the punishment if the loser breaks their word.¡± Leon proposed, unhurriedly, ruminating over the pros and cons.


    ¡°I agree! Good! Seven days and Wands only.¡± After Leon nodded his head, Smith stood up and walked away.


    ¡®Is he skipping breakfast?¡¯ he wondered as he watched Smith go.


    Leon decided it was better to give Smith a chance to blow up instead of getting surprised when the guy eventually loses his shit. And looking at him, he was very near to losing it.


    ¡®Yeah, I did the right thing. It¡¯s better to be in control.¡¯


    As they finished their classes and walked towards the great hall for lunch, Susan grabbed him and gestured towards a corner.


    The steel in her eyes hinted at what was going to happen.


    ¡°You know, I can wait for more time. Take your time and properly come to terms with what happened.¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°You have the right to know. And I am fine now.¡±


    ¡°I am really sorry, Leon. I shouldn¡¯t have drawn my wand on you and shouldn¡¯t have asked our friends to gang up on you.¡± She took deep breaths and continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that Rose slipped that you were stalking the troll on Halloween. That coupled with Daphne mentioning how you didn¡¯t know the basic tenets of mind magic made me feel like a lousy friend¡­. I am not giving you excuses but my mind wasn¡¯t in the right place, and I think a mind healer mildly suppressed some memories that resurfaced and made me blow up.¡±


    She explained how she lost her parents on the first day they broke curfew and how his breaking the curfew overlapped, turning her normal concern for him into an emotional breakdown.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I can understand if you want me to stay away from you.¡± Susan hung her head, wringing her hands.


    Leon smiled, ignoring Hannah who was trying hard not to look in the duo¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Do you think I would have taken you with me last night if I wanted you to stay away from me? Or do you think you could have harmed or even touched me? Even after I easily took down three of our classmates. Arrogant much, Susan.¡± Leon teased the girl, making her let out a teary smile.


    He doesn¡¯t mind that she drew her wand on him, he respects that she has some strong opinions.


    While getting ganged upon by his supposed loyal friends did make him feel a little sad, he enjoyed the battle yesterday a little too much to hate Susan for it.


    Ernie was her friend from childhood and with Justin being his best friend, Leon didn¡¯t know them like he did Susan and Hannah. So, he wasn¡¯t that upset at the end of the day.


    ¡°Yes! I do think I can harm you, disarming you would be an easy task.¡± Susan retorted.


    The eavesdropping Hannah quickly ran up to them and hugged Susan before patting Leon on his shoulder.


    ¡°What do you think Hannah? Do you think Susan can beat me in a duel?¡±


    The Hufflepuff glanced at Susan.


    ¡°I dunno, she practices hard and has her aunt¡¯s set of spells for duels. But you practice hard also.¡± She shook her head and shrugged.


    ¡°Well! How about a friendly duel after the one with Smith?¡±


    ¡°What Smith?¡± Susan asked.


    ¡°Oh! Right, you didn¡¯t know. We decided on a duel seven days from now on.¡±


    Susan took a long look at him and spoke.


    ¡°If you are sure, we can ask an older student to referee the duel.¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    As the classes ended, Leon hurried to his room. The three-headed mythical monster made him forget about the reward promised by his ancestor for reaching the Un stage.


    The gift the author, his ancestor, mentioned was supposed to be out of the world, just like his Viscupi spell- the illusion one.


    While it wasn¡¯t that great before, reaching the Un stage changed things.


    Leon could now use the illusion spell without leaving any traces in the target¡¯s mind, along with the litany of other advantages he has an inkling of, but he has to explore to be sure.


    As he opened the book, words started to appear. The gift was, of course, spells.


    They were neatly divided into categories.


    Vision: Eyes of the Sphinx, Arcane Gaze, Fenrir¡¯s Sight


    Smell: Breath of Nundu, Arcane Scent, Fenrir¡¯s Snout


    Sound: Unicorn¡¯s Hearing, Arcane Hearing, Fenrir¡¯s Ear


    Taste: Banshees scream, Arcane tongue, Chimera¡¯s tongue


    Presence: Stealth of Demiguise, Arcane weight, Presence of Fenrir


    After he saw his options, he cursed his ancestor¡¯s ancestors for giving birth to the narcissist.


    How was he supposed to choose from the above spells without any explanations and even then, he had to choose only one spell?


    Leon didn¡¯t remember what a Nundu or Fenrir was, though he remembered hearing them somewhere. So, after a quick search in the library, he got some idea of what the spells offered.


    The author offered three spells for each sense where the first spell replicates a magical property of the mentioned magical being.


    The second spell is about feeling magic via eyes, nose, and such. At least he guessed as much.


    Like every protagonist, he can get a spell that will make him see magic; unlike every other protagonist, he can even choose to smell, taste, feel, or hear it.


    The last of the three columns amplifies his physical senses. This was a guess as there wasn¡¯t a magical creature named Fenrir in the bestiary.


    Now coming to the magical beasts.


    Sphinxs are said to be beings of mind and intent, the word karma popped up whenever the books mentioned a Sphinx.


    So, his guess was he could see karma and use it somehow


    The breath of Nundu was straightforward, simply put his breath would stink. With the addition of magic, his breath will stink enough to kill people.


    The spells, Stealth of Demiguise, and Banshee¡¯s screams are also straightforward.


    And just like Sphinx and karma, the words purity aka goodness detection popped up for Unicorn. So, his best guess was that the Unicorn perceives a person¡¯s goodness through its hearing.


    While he easily dismissed the mundane sense-enhancing spells and spells like Nundu¡¯s breath, and Banshee¡¯s scream as they were not his type- after all, he doesn¡¯t have any need for lethality right now- he still has seven spells to choose from.


    ¡®What to do?¡¯ he wondered, sprawled in his room.

 Chapter 37- Rabbicorn

    He eliminated the second category spells, the spells that sense magic as he didn¡¯t see a use for them in the near future. So, Leon had to decide between the Stealth of Demiguise, the Eyes of Sphinx, and the Unicorn¡¯s hearing.


    Demiguises are precogs and avoid danger by turning invisible, invisibility cloaks are made from Demiguises'' fur.


    After a quick debate, Leon decided to choose Eyes of Sphinx. If it was Eyes of Demiguise, he would have chosen that spell in a heartbeat, but it seems peering into the future is a tough task even for the supposed genius ancestor.


    A wizard/witch is known for their versatility, so Leon knows that most of the spells offered to him have effects similar to those of the more well-known ones.


    Invisibility charm for Stealth of Demiguise, a dark curse for a breath of Nundu, and such.


    While he does not doubt that his narcissistic ancestor¡¯s spells are more powerful, or versatile than the commonly known spells, choosing a rare spell was the best choice even if he didn¡¯t consider his upcoming jaunt into the forbidden forest for the Hufflepuff quest.


    With some luck, the Eyes of Sphinx spell would allow him to see camouflaged and lurking creatures in the forest.


    And unlike Unicorns which are said to be as fast as light- an exaggeration of course- Leon isn¡¯t that quick, so he had eliminated the Unicorn¡¯s hearing spell.


    He didn¡¯t know how hearing could relate to the concepts of purity or kindness. But If the spell was Eyes of the Unicorn or if he didn¡¯t think the Eyes of Sphinx had better potential and immediate use, he would have hesitated more. After all, knowing about anything that is associated with purity is a good thing, especially considering the evil theme, Voldemort and his death eaters have going on.


    ¡®Yeah! Let¡¯s go with Eyes of the Sphinx, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t choose other spells in the future.¡¯


    Just as he finalized his thoughts, words started to appear, replacing the list of spells.


    Ha! So, you chose the Eyes of Sphinx spell, I guess with my blood flowing through you, you will have at least a little bit of my intelligence if not talent.


    The narcissist started prattling.


    ¡®Calm down, Leon. No need to be angry at a dead man¡­. Is he dead?¡¯ Shaking the disturbing images of this narcissist in a suit, sitting in a skyscraper, writing about his greatness for this book¡¯s next volume sent chills down Leon¡¯s spine.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know how many secrets of my newly created branch of mind magic I had to trade just to get a chance to observe a Sphinx¡¯s eyes as they use them.


    While they certainly knew my work¡¯s worth they didn¡¯t show any respect to its creator. Hmph! But that didn¡¯t stop me.


    Do you know how tough it is to peer into abstract concepts such as karma without depending on rituals? Still, I converted the innate magic of Sphinxs into a spell. If it wasn¡¯t for my new branch of magic, the spell would have been only used by Sorcerers or masters of Occlumency, the burden on the mind is that huge.


    Even with my new and better branch of mind magic, only someone in the second stage can use this spell.


    But you don¡¯t need to worry, because your ancestor is my awesome self. I made an extra-long spell chant to let an Un stage newbie use it. You can¡¯t use it for more than a second, don¡¯t even try to use it for longer than that. Just blink quickly.


    This is the chant:


    Oculi Sphingis Vincula Karmica Videte


    It becomes Oculi Karvidete when you reach the second stage. Now try to reach the third stage quickly, which I believe is quite far away from you unless, of course, you are talented like me¡­ which is impossible. So, get to practice.


    Shaking his head, Leon looked up the wand movements and pronunciations.


    ¡°Oculi Sphingis Vincula Karmica Videte.¡± He cast the spell and blinked.


    The Hufflepuff didn¡¯t notice any change.


    ¡®More practice.¡¯


    Nodding his head, he spent some time on the spell.


    ¡°Oculi Sphingis, Vincula Karmica Videte.¡± Just like every time, he quickly blinked his eyes. But this time, after 30 minutes of practice, he succeeded.


    Leon saw multiple ethereal threads wafting off him towards the Hufflepuff common room.


    To get a better look, he cast the spell again and quickly blinked.


    Some type of repulsive force made it difficult for him to identify the threads.


    He knew they were different from each other but somehow, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the difference between the threads that originated from him.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see how much use this spell will be in the Forbidden Forest.¡¯ He hurried towards the common room, and cast the spell, selecting a corner to stare at.


    And boy was he surprised.


    His vision was covered with threads, even insects and plants have small threads wafting off them, not to mention the Hufflepuffs.


    The threads of his fellow witches and wizards were thicker and more attention-grabbing even though he couldn¡¯t pick details about them. While he couldn¡¯t see the threads of someone not in his vision i.e., he couldn¡¯t peer through a wall, the spell was enough to see if any creatures were lurking in the bushes and shadows of the forbidden forest.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Satisfied with himself and the spell, he cast the spell again to get a better look at his fellow Hufflepuffs.


    Leon played around with the spell multiple times, trying to see if he could push through the repulsive force and see how each thread was unique.


    He wasn''t successful and he got a light pain in his eyes and head for his efforts.


    ¡°Got something in your eyes, Astraeus?¡± Cedric asked him, surrounded by a group of students who were playing spell cards.


    ¡°Nothing! My eyes are fine!¡± Leon waved his hands at the older boy.


    The older Hufflepuff hummed at that.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us for a game of spell cards,¡± he invited him.


    The students surrounding him nodded, looking way too excited to have a firstie in their midst.


    As he struggled to think of a reason, Cedric quickly ended the ongoing game and started to shuffle the cards.


    Sighing Leon joined the older students.


    ¡°Now! What is this about a duel I hear?¡± Cedric slowly asked after everyone got their cards.


    ¡®Oh! That¡¯s why!¡¯


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Days went by as Leon searched for the supposed noble of plants that was guarded by a badger. It was clear from the clue that he had to go into the forbidden forest and search for a badger den, the words ¡®dauntless striped¡¯ easily gave that away.


    He started with mundane plants as he was not in a hurry.


    Venturing into a magical forest riddled with man-eating giant spiders requires caution, especially if you want to make it out alive.


    He wanted to accumulate more spells and artifacts, so he stuck to his schedule, mainly preparing for the upcoming duel.


    The Hufflepuffs'' fervor continued to increase as the day duel neared.


    Many older students- sixth years- sought out Leon, telling him that they could sort out whatever problem he and Smith had by talking.


    He didn¡¯t know what Smith said to these students, but Leon assured them the duel was friendly and a good way to avoid escalating the problem between him and Smith.


    Some stubborn seniors became less stubborn after Susan got Tonks to talk with them.


    ¡°Ha! Good! There is nothing wrong with duels to establish a pecking order, firstie. Good job!¡±


    That was Tonk''s response after Susan asked her to be the referee.


    While Leon wanted to spout gibberish that the duel wasn¡¯t about pecking order and such, he didn¡¯t. Because he knew that Tonks wouldn¡¯t buy it.


    While it was not about pecking order, the duel was about showing Smith the difference between them, so Smith could forget his need to prove that he was better than Leon and leave him alone.


    After all, rivalry- in Smith¡¯s case, toxic rivalry- could only be between two equals.


    Not between a pet dog and a Cerberus.


    Leon didn¡¯t just want to win; he wanted to crush whatever notions of superiority Smith had in mind.


    All to nip future problems in the bud.. and maybe also to see how far he come along.


    After all, seeing the results of one¡¯s hard work is never a bad thing.


    Finally, the day of the duel was upon him.


    The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were sitting in the Transfiguration class.


    Leon didn¡¯t know who spread the news about the duel to the students outside of his house, but it looked like every Hogwarts student knew about it. He thought only Tonk''s friends or in the worst case the whole Hufflepuff would know.


    But now, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised even if professors knew.


    As McGonagall entered the class, Leon ignored Weasley and his friend whispering about his upcoming duel while sitting on a bench beside him, like he couldn¡¯t hear them.


    ¡®Damn! These people are bored enough to gossip about a first year¡¯s duel in a world of magic.¡¯


    As Leon¡¯s mind went on a tangent from social media to its good and bad to some shows he watched, the professor''s voice brought him back to the present.


    ¡°Does anyone know what a Rabicorn is?¡±


    Unlike in every class Hermione''s hand wasn¡¯t in the air, no one¡¯s was.


    As silence enveloped the classroom, Lavender Brown slowly raised her hand, prompting the professor to nod at her.


    ¡°I heard that Rabicorns are not real. They were ever only sighted by kids and were described as fluffy rabbits with horns of Unicorns. The kid, Mathby Macree, was the first to report it, and the magazine, Creature Furor, published a drawing of his description rendering the reports of subsequent sightings baseless.¡± The whole class was looking at the giggly, gossipy girl in shock as she continued.


    ¡°Many thought the Rabbicorn was just someone¡¯s charmed pet rabbit. The drawing of the first Rabbicorn supported this theory as the Rabbicorn was depicted with squishy cheeks, golden eyes with soft golden fur, and a squishy horn that rose out its forehead.¡±


    ¡°Good! 5 points to Gryffindor. The magazine as promised found the Rabbicorns and is opening a conservatory for them.¡±


    Everyone ignored the Lavender¡¯s squeal of ¡®Now, I¡¯d love to see my dad wiggle his way out of buying it for me.¡¯ and listened to the professor.


    ¡°Until now, you got to transfigure small items and recently living mice. Do you think you can transfigure a Rabbicorn to a snuffbox?¡±


    With a wave of her hand, a rabbit with golden fur buffeting in the unseen wind became visible on the professor¡¯s desk.


    ¡°It¡¯s a baby Rabbicorn, the same size as the mice you practiced on. Now, you students will come one by one and try to transfigure this creature.¡±


    Professor McGonagall''s voice cut through the excited chatter and loud squeals of the students, especially Parvati and Lavender.


    ¡°They are supposed to only appear in places untouched by humans and only to innocent kids, they vanish if they come across any adults,¡± Lavender explained to her friend eyeing the baby Rabbicorn with unconcealed desire.


    The Rabbicorn, even as a baby had droopy squishy cheeks, and looked harmless with its little silver horn, no more than a nub, on its head complimenting its golden eyes.


    ¡°Mr Leon, why don¡¯t you give it a try? They are generally more sensitive to us, but I took care of it, so our class won¡¯t be inconvenienced. I heard that they can even sniff out magic done way back in the past.¡± The stern professor¡¯s eyes softened the little magical rabbit on her desk before they vanished as she looked at him.


    He shrugged and made his way toward the adorable creature which was lazily sniffing on the table.


    7 meters in the baby ball of fluff zeroed in on Leon, its ears and tail erect, its body stiff.


    3 meters in, the rabbit continued to switch between looking confused and twitching its body.


    Leon ignored it and took out his wand before trying to transfigure the Rabbicorn.


    Nothing happened.


    The little ball of fur stopped twitching and ran away from him.


    But whatever magic the professor cast, had it running in circles.


    The rabbit always ends up in its starting position before it notices him and starts to run away again.


    ¡°Next!¡± The professor sent him away after the rabbit completed its second lap.


    The Rabbicorn ignored most of the students while it jumped into Hannah¡¯s bosom in her turn.


    The students got to see the Rabbicorn panic when Smith walked towards it glaring at Leon.


    The Rabbicorn stumbled on itself, its back towards Smith before it tried to dig into the table, its soft paws continuing to scratch at the table until Smith left the seven-meter radius.


    After he left, the bunny looked around confused and started to bounce on the table, likely trying to get a better look at its surroundings, making people laugh.


    ¡°The little rabbit decided the people¡¯s chosen for the upcoming duel,¡± Lavender commented in a not-so-loud voice.


    The Rabbicorn ignored Lavender too, an invisible shield stopped the girl from trying to smother the ball of fluff.


    ¡®I guess it detects bad emotions?¡¯ Leon thought eyeing Smith. ¡®Or can it sense people who are likely to hurt it? No way, it senses people¡¯s personality, right?¡¯


    ¡°Now, why was no one successful in transfiguring the Rabbicorn, Mr Weasley?¡±


    ¡°Uh! Because it''s magical?¡±


    ¡°Correct! While transfiguration is very useful in large-scale battles, transfiguring your enemies is nearly impossible if they are wizards/witches and are of the same age as the caster. Any transformation hexes aren¡¯t used in any duels, for a competent wizard/witch can revert instantly.¡±


    ¡°Now I need a 7-inch parchment on why you think magicals can¡¯t be transfigured while Muggles and mundane animals can be.¡±


    With that, the professor dismissed the class.


    ¡°Wait up!¡± Rose called.

 Chapter 38- Duel

    ¡°Wait up, Leon!¡± Rose called out and jogged up to him, a gaggle of Gryffindors tailing her.


    He stopped and turned around to look at the red-haired Potter, her eyes were glinting with excitement.


    ¡°How confident are you about winning the duel?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Weasley wrung his hands nervously, guilt written all over his face. Rose leaned forward, drawing his eyes to her.


    ¡°You have some neat odds, against you. Nothing great, but I thought I would win some coins from the twins, the Weasleys.¡± Rose whispered before she greeted Susan and Hannah.


    ¡°Why do the twins think he is going to lose?¡± Hannah asked the Potter as Leon hesitated whether he should give her a piece of his mind regarding her slip up - leaking his encounter with the Troll to Susan.


    ¡°Well! They didn¡¯t see Leon in class, and they think Charms isn¡¯t suited for duels compared to House Smith¡¯s duel sheet. His uncle is an international dueler, so they think Smith has optimized spellwork for duels along with more practical experience.¡±


    ¡®Wow! That¡¯s a solid argument. After all, spell chains-complementary wand movements that enable a caster to seamlessly transition into another spell- are crucial in duels. The fluidity they provide along with the increased casting rate can save minutes when even a second can be a game changer.¡¯


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t Professor Flitwick, a charms master, a dueling champion?¡± Hannah tilted her head like she couldn¡¯t believe the twins, frowning.


    ¡°Well! Flitwick is an exception they say. He cinches the duel with his charms, and they say that requires experience.¡±


    ¡®They would be right. Charms at their core are about manipulating objects'' properties, which isn¡¯t possible in the case of wizards as they are more complex than any object and a simple finite spell will undo any charm on oneself.¡¯


    Dispelling magic on oneself is exponentially easier than trying to dispel a charmed object which wasn¡¯t that tough in the first place. But of course, a stunning charm was created to use on wizards, and it has a spell form (glowing light body), unlike other charms like Leviosa which don¡¯t have spell forms, increasing its potency.


    But it didn¡¯t mean charms don¡¯t have some neat spells, it¡¯s just they were rare. Rare enough that people can recognize what charm it is just by looking at the spell form.


    ¡°I am going to win!¡± Leon cut in as Rose regaled Flitwick¡¯s championship duel to Hannah.


    ¡°Not even a little doubt? Even when you consider the spell chains of House Smith? Even if he had been practicing the stupefy spell since the day he held his wand, just like every other student with a magical parent?¡± Rose asked, looking amused at his response.


    ¡°Yes. My answer doesn¡¯t change even if Smith is a second-year student.¡± A loud snort rang out behind Rose, making Susan and Hannah glare at the boy Weasley.


    ¡°Ignore him! Well then, I look forward to taking money from the twins, for a change.¡± Rose murmured the last part, with a vindictive grin.


    The Hufflepuff quickly rummaged through his bag and took out the remaining galleons he had. He got his wand for free, after all, courtesy of his house.


    ¡°Sure! I will bet those too.¡± Rose quickly grabbed the coins from his hand and disappeared around the corridor.


    Susan giggled as Leon looked taken back at the speed Rose ran off with his whole savings.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask her what the odds are.¡± She nudged the dumbstruck Hufflepuff.


    ¡°She ran off quickly, what am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Leave it! Focus on the duel for now.¡± Susan said, still giggling.


    The trio reached the decided place right on time.


    Dozens of students were milling around the area. First-year and second-year students formed groups like they bought tickets to the event while the older students were much more discreet, standing a little away from the spot in little groups.


    It was a perfect day; the sky was clear and cloudless. A breeze caused gentle ripples on the lake, taking offense at the lake¡¯s attempt to mirror the sky.


    The excited murmurs of the students and the sound of water crashing against the shore made the lakeside brim with vibrant beauty.


    Sadly, the visage of a Hufflepuff standing next to the lake spoiled the beautiful scene.


    As Leon walked towards Smith everyone backed up, forming a loose circle around Tonks and the two first years.


    With a wave of her wand, the seventh-year finished the boundaries of the dueling area before greeting him.


    ¡°Ready to be shown your place, Astraeus,¡± Smith asked, stretching his hands with a smug smile.


    He wore a sleek black leather coat that hung up to the back of his knees, a yellow outline snaked across the coat¡¯s full sleeves, forming a chalice on either side of his neck.


    Black trousers with a winding yellow path beelined towards his shaded yellow tunic, complimenting his knee-high dragon leather boots.


    But unlike him, Leon was in Hogwarts uniform.


    ¡®Is that leather coat and dragon boots magic resistant or something?¡¯ Leon wondered and decided to Tonks.


    ¡°It is a standard dueling outfit of his house, while aren¡¯t enchanted they do provide some resistance, especially to a first-year like you. Want to raise an appeal to the referee?¡± Tonks asked pointing a finger toward herself. ¡°I can make him lose those.¡±


    That wiped out the smug look on Smith¡¯s face as Tonks essentially declared the side she was on, which was not something a referee should do, but Tonks looked like she didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you are po-¡±


    Leon cut off his opponent mid-sentence.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! It won¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    Smith looked like he wanted to retort but he gritted his teeth and assumed his position.


    The students buzzed around them as Leon too assumed his position as Tonks started the countdown.


    A loud bang signaled the start of the duel.


    Thick smoke covered Smith¡¯s body as the air around him turned into smoke.


    The smoke covered his half of the field, taking away his sight.


    The duel fell into a brief lull just as it started.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this was enough to confuse him.¡¯


    As Leon was starting to feel ridiculous, he heard a loud snort from Smith¡¯s side before the smoke vanished like it was never there.


    ¡°You think too highly of yourself, Astraeus. Paltry tricks like this only confound people who aren¡¯t magical. I bet you felt clever thinking of transfiguring air to smoke.¡±


    Smith continued his monologue, his wand in hand.


    ¡°So many hours of your practice down the drain by my use of a simple, common, transfiguration reverting spell.¡±


    ¡°Please, learning that didn¡¯t even take me one hour. And I don¡¯t think I am better than everyone, I just know I am better than you¡­ far better,¡± Leon spread his hands and smiled.


    With a shout, Smith jumped into motion.


    Multiple red flashes of light soared towards Leon who stood still, uncaring, his arms spread to the sides.


    Just when Smith thought that the duel would end with his opponent crumpling to the ground, just like he did last time, Leon started moving.


    With precise maneuvers, he dodged the spells.


    Loud murmurs rippled through the audience before the cacophony died down with a wave of Tonk''s wand.


    Leon nodded at her, grateful for her interference.


    Smith became enraged at the casual disregard he was shown, and his hand became a blur.


    At least twice the number of spells soared towards Leon, they weren¡¯t as useful as the stupefy spell, but their quantity more than made up for it.


    This time even Smith gasped as Leon dodged everything with Kneazle-like agility and a Sphinx¡¯s Foresight. It was like the Hufflepuff didn¡¯t have bones in his body and weighed nothing.


    Leon snaked around the spells, jumping into the air, spinning, dodging the spells like he knew where they were without even seeing them.


    ¡°Impossible! Impossible!¡± Smith cast the barrage again.


    And again.


    But Leon was like an ethereal specter, not a single spell touched him.


    ¡°Impossible! Impossible!¡± he muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It truly isn¡¯t possible!¡± he yelled with a laugh. A serene mask covered his face, and the ferocity in his eyes vanished, replaced by pure indifference.


    The world shuddered before righting itself, at least that was the case with Smith.


    He could now see Leon slowly walking towards him from a corner of the arena with a lazy gait.


    Just like that, Smith¡¯s indifference vanished.


    ¡°You had me there, Astraeus. But I won¡¯t fall for your tricks, for I am Heir of the House Smith, Descendant of the living forest, Helga Hufflepuff herself,¡± he subconsciously puffed his chest, and a self-assured smile appeared on his face.


    ¡®Hmm! It seems even reaching the Un stage doesn¡¯t eliminate the Viscupi spell¡¯s weakness- Occlumency.¡¯


    The spell essentially manipulates the water, herding the fish(thoughts) in the fishbowl(mind).


    If you got a grip on the fish- on your thoughts- then the spell couldn¡¯t herd it, breaking the control of the target¡¯s senses.


    ¡°You should have defeated me when you got the chance, I won¡¯t fall for the same trick again and now you will pay for your arrogance.¡±


    The smoke was a distraction to hit Smith with the Viscupi, nothing more, and it succeeded.


    But Leon wasn¡¯t being arrogant when he didn¡¯t take the chance to finish him off.


    Smith continued his barrage after getting the monologue off his chest.


    The Hufflepuff stood ramrod straight with his hands behind his back like he couldn¡¯t see anything that could pose a threat to him like he was walking in a park.


    Three spells soared towards him, two cutting him off from dodging while the middle one raced towards him.


    With a flick of his wand, Leon diverted the spell as the other two flashed past him, ruffling his hair.


    As his coat buffeted in the wind, a wave of cheers smashed into the dueling field as Tonks mischievously waved her wand, canceling her spell.


    Even Smith was shocked at the ease Leon flicked away his spell before he doubled down.


    The result was the same as before, not a single spell touched him.


    He tried again, including some prank spells to bolster the numbers even more.


    But Leon flicked away every spell that darted towards him with magical grace and ease.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    (POV- Smith)


    He gritted his teeth before a serene expression appeared on his face. It broke as quickly as it appeared.


    ¡®Not an illusion. He¡­he is playing with me, he is not even trying to attack.¡¯


    Smith remembered the look in Astraeus¡¯s eyes when he specified that the duel would happen near the lake. He saw the knowing look in his eyes like he saw through his plan.


    But Astraeus didn¡¯t bother to see through his hunch, like it didn¡¯t matter what Smith did or what his plans were.


    ¡®He continues to look down on me- ON ME!¡¯


    Gnashing his teeth, Smith went for his ace. He wouldn¡¯t be humiliated and toyed with anymore.


    He waved his wand, his eyes shined as he glanced at the lake, a couple of meters away from him, before jabbing his wand at it, ignoring his arrogant opponent who didn¡¯t even deign to exploit the opening he gave.


    Under the astonished gaze of the spectators¡¯ globs of water rose into the sky from the lake, three for each jab of Smith¡¯s wand.


    ¡°Oh! Leon is screwed.¡± He heard an older student mutter.


    ¡°Shield spells are tough, no first or even most second years has enough skill to cast a shield spell- their magic taking form literally. The globs of water are numerous enough that Leon can¡¯t dodge them and he, as a firstie, even a talented one, doesn¡¯t know any shield spell that can take the brunt of that barrage. So, he is screwed.¡± The older explained to the first years around him.


    A victorious grin graced Smith¡¯s face as he listened to the older Hufflepuff.


    9 orbs floated above Smith as he smirked looking at his opponent who was frowning.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see how you will counter this, your arrogance will be your downfall. And unlike last time, I am prepared for your tricks,¡¯ Smith thought as a spell covered his eyes.


    Suddenly, the world brightened blinding everyone but Smith like it was reacting to his thoughts.


    ¡®Please, I saw this trick before.¡¯ He thought, his eyes narrowing and staring right at Leon.


    But before he could even aim the spell, he screamed.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡®He is really on another level compared to Smith,¡¯ Tonks thought, watching a beam of light burn Smith¡¯s hand.


    The water balls harmlessly splashed down and his eyes lost their shine as the sudden pain made Smith lose control of his spells.


    Tonks thought that the Smith kid at least deserved a pat on his back as he quickly suppressed his pain and conjured two orbs of darkness to counter the two orbs of light floating above Leon, acting like two suns.


    ¡®But bad luck, kid. It seems you challenged someone well above your level.¡¯ She thought looking at Smith with pity in her eyes.


    Tonks really felt bad for the kid, he wasn¡¯t being taken seriously right from the start of the duel. Leon had many chances to put his opponent on the back step if not directly defeating him, but he didn¡¯t take them.


    ¡®The tales of Susan and Hannah really don¡¯t do justice. I guess, talent when coupled with hard work will create a genius like him. But how did he train to get those mad reflexes? His hand moved in a perfectly optimized pattern to flick the spells away and there is this super-fast light beam spell too, not groundbreaking but not something a firstie can counter.¡¯


    As she was wondering how long Leon was going to extend the duel to make his point, the world paused. Every other color lost its luster as a battle between light and darkness commenced.


    The Smith kid¡¯s spell was devouring the light like no one¡¯s business as Leon¡¯s spell pulsed with power, fighting against the counterspell.


    A stalemate formed as the miniature suns fought against the darkness, but it didn¡¯t last long.


    The world resumed as the stalemate ended with the counter spell doing its work.


    ¡®Of course, there is a reason I called the Smith¡¯s spell a counterspell, he learned that spell to deal with Leon¡¯s penchant for light. So it can do its job even when it encounters some resistance in the form of humongously talented starry-eyed kid.¡¯


    While Tonks was impressed at Leon¡¯s spell integrity, that didn¡¯t mean she endorsed what he was doing. After all, even geniuses can- did -fall and he was passing up too many opportunities.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to be on offensive isn¡¯t it, Smith?¡± Leon¡¯s voice was even, not colored with pride or arrogance of besting his classmate, quite clearly at that.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t care¡­or does he think Smith isn¡¯t much of an opponent.¡¯


    ¡°You have had your chances and as everyone can see, there was no result.¡±


    ¡°Now, I will end the duel.¡± There was unquestionable certainty in his voice. It was as if he was just stating that the sun rises in the east.

 Chapter 39- Victor

    ¡°Now, I will end the duel.¡± He declared, his coat fluttering in the wind.


    Silence pervaded the lakeside, only disturbed by the waves, the result of the giant squid¡¯s tentacles peeking at the sky, and the rustling of clothes.


    Before Smith could retort to Leon¡¯s statement, dust moved in front of Leon, taking the form of a mighty sea serpent. With the thickness of a wrist, it glided gracefully towards Smith, like it was swimming across the land.


    With a snort, Smith sent a spell sailing towards the serpent made of earth.


    The serpent didn¡¯t even slow down as the spell slammed down, it maintained its pace and continued to move towards the upset Hufflepuff.


    Smith barraged the serpent with spells. Sadly, the beast made of the earth didn¡¯t even flinch at the spells. They vanished as soon as they touched its mighty scales.


    He went through his repertoire of spells and wasn¡¯t met with success, so he changed his target, only for Leon to flick away spells aimed at him.


    Unlike what Smith thought, Leon wasn¡¯t standing still from the start of the duel, he was enchanting.


    As the use of potions is forbidden, his final product is temporary and less powerful, but not something Smith can counter - he made sure of that.


    Like an unstoppable juggernaut, the serpent slowly but surely reached Smith with an assured, lazy gait.


    Smith jumped away from the serpent and jabbed his wand at the lake again. Before the orbs of water could even float, the serpent swiftly latched onto his leg with the speed of ¡­. a serpent biting onto its prey, making him shift his focus again.


    The serpent was moving slowly because Leon wanted it to, not because it couldn¡¯t move faster, and Smith witnessed its speed firsthand for a second.


    The Hufflepuff gritted his teeth and renewed his assault on the serpent, but it shrugged off the spells like they were water drops.


    The serpent slowly twisted around his ankle, moving with the leisurely pace of a hunter who knew its prey wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    Smith tried his hardest to stop the inevitable, but the mighty serpent didn¡¯t even budge from its path.


    He even switched back to peppering Leon with spells, which the other Hufflepuff effortlessly flicked away.


    And when he tried to use the spell that floats the water again, the serpent yanked him off his feet, sending him crashing onto the ground.


    Smith struggled on the ground before he went for the spell again.


    Only for the enchanted dust to pull on his legs again, flipping him to the ground.


    Getting the silent warning, Smith ignored the spell and continued to target the serpent.


    The silence grew harsh as everyone watched Smith flail around to escape from the serpent or hurt Leon.


    ¡°Yield, Smith. There is no shame in giving in when the odds are insurmountable.¡± Leon spoke, his voice neutral.


    ¡°No,¡± Smith¡¯s voice cracked as he answered. He continued his struggle but before long the serpent reached his arm and slowly twisted his wand arm behind him, taking his wand from him as he struggled on his knees.


    ¡°The Winner is Leon!¡± Tonks announced and with a flick of her wand, the serpent dissolved into dust.


    Smith grabbed his wand before running away, his head lowered.


    The crowd was silent before cheers resounded, deafening Leon and making the Squid peek out from the lake.


    ¡®Damn! I know I am doing this not to let him become a problem for me at unexpected times, but why do I feel like I bullied him?¡¯


    The Hufflepuff basked in the cheers with a bittersweet aftertaste and made his way towards his friends.


    ¡°Was I too hard on him?¡± he asked Susan.


    ¡°No way, Champ. If anything, you were too soft on him, knowing Smith he would have done more to you if he was in your position.¡± Tonks draped her arm around his shoulder and spoke.


    ¡°Champ, Huh! I am not a squirt, anymore?¡± he asked with a smirk.


    ¡°It¡¯s a one-time thing, you are still a squirt to me, firstie, don¡¯t let it get to your head. If you think your spells give you a leg up on me, you are dead wrong, you couldn¡¯t even defeat Cedric who is two years older than you,¡± she said gesturing towards Cedric who was walking towards them with a frown on his face.


    A group of Hufflepuffs shuffled in the back as they watched Cedric make his way towards Leon.


    ¡°Was it necessary, Leon?¡± Cedric questioned with a deep frown on his face.


    ¡°He is your housemate and-¡±


    ¡°Oh! Come off it, Ced. Leon showed too much restraint if you ask me.¡± Tonks interrupted him.


    ¡°I think you also know Smith would have done much worse, Cedric.¡± Susan too chimed in, making Hannah bob her head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean, you should needlessly humiliate him in front of everyone, that¡¯s not right.¡± Cedric looked conflicted as he spoke.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t talk about the duel to anyone nor did my friends,¡± Leon gestured towards the girls who supported his claim by nodding their heads. ¡°And there was a reason why drawn out the match, I believe if I show him the crippling distance between us, either he will train madly to cover the distance or will mind his own business from now. Both choices make sure he won¡¯t disturb my life at least for some time.¡± Leon explained.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    While Cedric is a little na?ve in Leon¡¯s opinion, he still tries to do what¡¯s best for the house, that nature at least gets the older student an explanation from him.


    Cedric took a deep breath, his eyes glazing over as he thought things through.


    ¡°By the way, Leon. How did you practice the dueler¡¯s flick?¡± Susan asked.


    ¡°I helped him.. well help is a big word, he just asked me to fire a spell at him, which he flicked away, easily,¡± Ernie replied, walking up to him with Justin.


    ¡°You were so awesome out there, man. The way you just flicked the spells away was just so.. anyway, I thought he practiced the flicks with you.¡± Ernie shook his head and narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Leon shrugged, gesturing for Susan to stay silent.


    That was the only time Leon used the dueler¡¯s flick before today¡¯s match. He didn¡¯t want to disturb Susan and Hannah as they were busy with the upcoming quidditch match and frankly, he didn¡¯t see the need.


    Reaching the Un stage made his movements very efficient- no lightning-fast reflexes or increase in his thought speed though.


    As long as he was battle-ready, i.e., he had the thought of deflecting every spell that came his way before the barrage of spells began, he was golden.


    It was as if the hardware of his mind was upgraded, as long as the software -thought- entered input, the output would be out very quickly.


    In the duel, his mind gave him the real-time pattern he should move his hand in, it didn¡¯t give him the dexterity to follow through the pattern though.


    If before he could visualize the chess board for the next three turns in an instant- all possible outcomes of his and his opponents taken into account- Now he can visualize, the next seven turns.


    While the increase in number is small, the qualitative upgrade required for his brain is not.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean he could listen, understand, and respond to six different conversations though, maybe he could follow three fast conversations as his brain has to work in real-time, unlike chess or the spells which have obvious patterns they follow.


    Leon didn¡¯t know how his ancestors picked and chose to enhance different aspects of the brain, but he knew what the answer was going to be if he asked anyway.


    After a long-winded self-praise, the word magic will be the answer given by his narcissistic ancestor or it will be because he¡¯s a genius.


    ¡°Here is your money,¡± Rose broke into the Hufflepuff group and haned him a bag.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Leon stuffed it into his pocket after checking it¡¯s weight.


    ¡°Cool match, dude.¡± Ron Weasley gave him a half-hearted thump up, looking vexed before he went away with the other Gryffindor boys.


    ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± Cedric asked.


    ¡°He just lost some money; he thought his brothers wouldn¡¯t mistake when giving out odds and betted against Leo. He should have listened to me,¡± Rose answered in a smug tone.


    ¡°I still think you shouldn¡¯t gamble,¡± Hermoine muttered behind Rose, making the Potter throw her hands up.


    ¡°Why do you think so, Ms Granger?¡± The popular boy asked, his eyes narrowing on the muggle-born Gryffindor.


    ¡°Well! It¡¯s gambling, it''s wrong.¡± The straight-haired Gryff stuttered out like it was obvious.


    ¡°You know you could get addicted..¡±


    Leon gestured to his friends to follow him. Tonks smirked towards Cedric before walking away, mumbling about collecting her earnings.


    Rose hesitated, torn between waiting for her friend- who was deep in conversation with Cedric about the severe consequences of being a weak-willed wizard -or joining us. After a moment''s deliberation, she sighed and decided to wait for Hermione.


    Hannah giggled, as Susan waved, at the irritated Potter before hiding behind her friend as she was subjected to a death glare by the girl who lived.


    ¡°So, Susan, ready for our duel?¡±


    She responded by hitting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Not now, let me learn some spells to counter the dueler¡¯s flick. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be a duel,¡± she said, leveling a mild glare at Leon.


    ¡°I thought at least you if not Smith would have a spell that counters flicking, with you know, you guys learning, stunning charm and all.¡±


    ¡°Flicking is outdated and mostly used as a last resort in duels of today as it disturbs spell chains and has famous counter spells that look no different than a standard stupefy,¡± Susan explained, her voice taking a deeper tone and her back stiff like she was emulating someone.


    ¡°And before you ask, the counter spells explode when they near you- physical explosions, magical explosions and some spells even divide or pick up speed, so flicking isn¡¯t used anymore, thus my aunt didn¡¯t think I would face a guy like you who dominates a duel without spell chains, especially as a student.¡±


    ¡®Maybe I should create some spell chains of my own. On second thought, I had already done it with me using the orbs to create that heat ray. After all, I perfectly melded the wand movements of three different Lumos variations together.¡¯ Leon let out a smile at the thought of the heat ray he created.


    ¡®Man, I love magic.¡¯


    ¡°The odds the twins gave out are correct, you are the abnormal one, dueling is not about flinging spells. It is about footwork, quick thinking, and optimized spell repertoire. You even have to mesh your footwork with spell chains, it¡¯s an art. You just.. I don¡¯t what to call it.¡± Susan pouted.


    ¡°Looks like someone loves dueling.¡± Leon looked at the pouting girl with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°She loves it, you should have seen her. She practiced the three basic footwork more than any dance steps.¡± Hannah chimed in, poking at Susan¡¯s cheek.


    Leon stopped near a tree and started searching the ground as Hannah started to annoy Susan by poking her face.


    ¡°Yep! Let¡¯s go to our common room,¡± he said wearing the platinum ring that he hid near the tree roots.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Hannah asked, eyeing his hand, her game with Susan quickly forgotten.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ring made of platinum, my enchanting aid number one. Generally, every enchanting club member gets gifted with three different types of metal(aids)- not gold or platinum. But I asked for one aid, platinum, instead of three.¡± Leon explained thumbing the ring.


    ¡°We know that! You were always mumbling about how unfair that platinum has so little essence compared to other metals. Hannah,¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°We are wondering whether you used it in the duel.¡± Susan caught his arm and dragged him away from other students as she whispered.


    ¡°Nah! It was my backup plan. If Smith knew a spell that could stop or destroy the serpent made of soil, I would have used platinum essence to make it more inert to his spells. And why are you whispering, I don¡¯t think it can be called cheating even if I did use the platinum essence, I checked the rules.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because people don¡¯t have time to enchant things in a duel, they generally don¡¯t stand around like you did.¡± Susan shook her head like she couldn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Do you want Smith hopes to raise again, thinking you only won because of the platinum?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You are right. And you guys didn¡¯t reply earlier, what did you guys think of the duel?¡±


    ¡°You were so cool! You didn¡¯t even move a single inch in the entire duel, and .. and you looked so in control the whole time like you were entertaining your aunt¡¯s kid.¡± Hannah started talking slowly at first before gushing about how the wind tousled his uniform at the right time, how his hair ruffled as the spells went soaring past him etc.


    As Hannah caught, Susan spoke.


    ¡°You were very good.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°But I thought you were taking too many chances, I knew what you were trying to do, but Smith could have surprised you,¡± she continued her smile turning into a slight frown.


    ¡°Even I was worried he was going to turn the tables, so I had many backup plans, but luckily nothing like that happened,¡± Leon confessed.


    His mind was running at full steam during the whole duel, always on the lookout for things outside of his prediction.


    It was a little stressful, Leon preferred to surprise his opponents and wrap the battle up quickly. Just like he did with the Slytherins.


    ¡°Really? You looked so composed in the field like even a giant couldn¡¯t make you move a step.¡± Hannah tilted her head.


    ¡°Ha! Obviously, I didn¡¯t want Smith to know I was worried. But you are right about the giant though. I wouldn¡¯t take a step back when confronted by a hulking brute of 30 ft¡­ I would have laid down, hoping the giant didn¡¯t notice me.¡± He laughed.


    ¡°I think other than Dumbledore, everyone will take more than one step when they face a giant,¡± Susan muttered.

 Chapter 40- Ready

    Christmas rolled around as the buzz of the duel slowly diminished.


    Leon stuck to his schedule, switching to interesting spells now and then not letting his practice become a chore. At the same time, he was also researching the so-called noble of the plants along with the dangerous flora and fauna of the forbidden forest.


    The day before everyone was leaving for their houses, Leon decided to ask Susan about the plant while they were finishing the holiday assignments in the library.


    ¡°No idea. But I bet Daphne knows, I can ask her if you want,¡± Susan gestured towards the Slytherin occupying the table beside them.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Leon was fed up with the search, he had already gone through half a dozen books and there were always more books in the Hogwarts library. With no end in sight, he didn¡¯t want to waste his time anymore.


    ¡°Then wait just a minute,¡± she smiled at him before she stared at the Slytherin for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, Daphne turned towards her and made eye contact.


    ¡®No way that¡¯s a coincidence.¡¯


    After a couple seconds of staring, Daphne stood up and disappeared behind a bookshelf.


    Susan followed her.


    ¡®I totally forgot about Daphne,¡¯ Leon blinked.


    Now that he observed Susan looking towards Daphne like she expected her to feel her gaze, which the Slytherin did. The questions he had regarding Daphne returned with vengeance.


    ¡®How did she notice Susan¡¯s gaze? Or me using the mind spell on Draco and his grunts, or Tonks eavesdropping using my e-item?¡¯


    ¡°Psst! Hannah, what¡¯s up with Daphne? How did Susan know she would notice her looking at her so quickly?¡± He asked his friend; he remembers Daphne saying to ask his fellow Hufflepuffs about her methods. So, he did just that.


    Hannah tossed a nervous look toward Madam Pince before whispering back.


    ¡°Daphne is a genius in potions. She always uses various potions to keep track of her surroundings. Because her mother always says that a Slytherin can become rich just from the information their peers drop in their school years or something like that.¡± Hannah crunched her eyebrows, trying to remember the exact words before shrugging.


    ¡°How does she use potions to keep track of her surroundings?¡± he asked, curious.


    ¡°She has various ornaments that change color, temperature, etc depending on the type of potions she dipped them into,¡± Hannah replied.


    ¡®Crazy, we still are very far from studying potions and their effects on mundane metals. But she is already using them, that too to spy on people and make sure no one is spying on her.¡¯


    ¡®This isn¡¯t a fanfic. Not every Slytherin is a master spy always looking for leverage over their classmates, maybe she is just paranoid.¡¯


    As Leon was assuring himself that, Daphne returned to her seat with a book in her arm, her glistening blue eyes staring at him like she was peering into his mind.


    One look at her made Leon rethink his position on Slytherin''s spying and power struggle.


    Daphne sent him a little smile before joining her table.


    Shaking his head, Leon wrote his next question and forwarded his scroll to Hannah.


    It read, ¡®What type of potions?¡¯


    Hannah furrowed her eyebrows upon reading that.


    ¡®She creates new ones all the time, she has her own version of the cat¡¯s eye potion and even the Sleekeazy¡¯s hair potion. Like, Shrivelfig, a plant which wilts when watched, is most likely the main ingredient in her potion that lets her know if anyone is watching her.¡¯


    ¡®Damn! That requires remembering countless potion ingredients and how they react to each other. Just like chemistry but unlike chemistry, you have to keep track of the time ingredients first bloomed or ripened along with how variables like heat, stirrings, and even the shape of the vessel influence the properties of the magical mix.¡¯


    While chemistry follows certain patterns and laws, potion-making too follows some rules. But the rules have deeper nuance and are quite illogical or magical most of the time.


    The effects of even a minute older ingredient will be different than others even under the same conditions if it is harvested at certain times. These effects are again different depending on the stars, wind, etc.


    The first years were still making the most basic potions that weren¡¯t delicate like most potions are.


    ¡®The memory requirements are huge, maybe that¡¯s why she is learning Occlumency,¡¯ he thought, remembering about Daphne Greengrass¡¯s fanfic trope.


    Susan returned to their table a little later than Daphne and read the scroll Leon scribbled in.


    ¡®While she only started making potions recently, Daphne always liked to read potions books a long back. So don¡¯t feel bad, she is just on a different level than you.¡¯ Susan''s eyes twinkled with amusement as Leon rolled his eyes at her.


    ¡®Here is all the information she knows about the different types of plants that meet your description. And in return, she wants to know which plant you are searching for if you find it.¡¯


    ¡®Hmm! I thought anyone would ask why I was searching for that plant. Whatever!¡¯


    Leon shrugged and took the scroll from Susan.


    His exact question to her was ¡®Plants that grow around badgers and can be called a noble among plants.¡¯


    And boy did she deliver.


    In the three plants she described, she highlighted one named Aedelwyrt which translates to noble plant in Old English, and it grows in the lairs of Bondugs.


    Bondugs were one of the many magical creatures bred by Helga Hufflepuff herself and resemble mundane badgers.


    Many of Helga¡¯s bred magical creatures have some similarity to badgers so they weren¡¯t unique in that aspect.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡®I think this is it.¡¯ He smiled, parsing through everything written on the scroll. Daphne has written down the uses of the plant even its naming history.


    With some more preparations, Leon would be ready to venture into the forbidden forest and the coming Christmas holidays is a nice time for a little sightseeing.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not get ahead of myself, maybe Professor Sprout has one on hand. But if she doesn¡¯t,¡¯ Leon cracked a smile as his eyes lit up in excitement.


    ¡°I will have to see these creatures'' favored habitat and convince Hagrid, or somehow take a peek at his map- I''m sure he has one- to avoid the big spiders, then we are ready to go. The auxiliary arms, aux arms, his second e-item, was ready to be used.¡¯ Leon nodded; he was proud of how well the aux arms turned out.


    He created it as terrain aid, like climbing walls, trees, etc. The extra touches he gave the e-item in anticipation of his trip into the forbidden forest, stole the limelight, though.


    The e-item was leaps above the item which melted under Firstie¡¯s spells.


    ¡®Dear founder, the rewards for your quest better be awesome.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see my aunt again,¡± Susan murmured as they shelved the gardening tools used in that day¡¯s class.


    ¡°What about you Leon? Excited for holidays?¡± Susan nudged him as he stared at their house head conversing with Neville.


    ¡°Yes! I have a project going on, I am hoping to complete it in the holidays.¡±


    A knowing look flashed in Susan¡¯s eyes along with frustration unnoticed by Leon who was watching Professor Sprout laugh as Neville sheepishly rubbed his head.


    ¡°What project?¡± Hannah chimed in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you guys later; I don¡¯t know if I am supposed to talk about it.¡± Leon waved away Hannah¡¯s curious look; he didn¡¯t want them to join him on his trip to the forbidden forest.


    ¡®Knowing Susan, she would want to accompany me. Even my safety mostly depends on my e-item and a broom, it¡¯s better they don¡¯t know about it.¡¯


    Before they could ask him more questions, Leon walked toward the professor.


    ¡°Professor, do you grow Aedelwyrts?¡± Leon asked, acting like a curious student.


    ¡°Where did you come across that plant, Astraeus?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I came across it when I was reading Helga¡¯s bestiary.¡±


    Leon checked, Bondugs and Aedelwyrts were mentioned in the fourth volume of that particular series. Helga had a long life and not everything she bred had survival instincts, but the book series was painfully detailed and long.. very long.


    Amusement flickered in Sprout¡¯s eyes and went unseen as the Professor expertly managed her expression as she turned around and sent Neville away.


    ¡°You will learn about it in your next year, but Aedelwyrt is one of the fae plants.¡± She held her hand, predicting his query. ¡°Magical herbs and plants which only grow in a land untouched by a witch¡¯s magic are called Fae plants.¡±


    ¡°Fae? ¡­And are they used in potions?¡± Leon asked wondering if they were real fae hiding in the forest.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a name derived from ancient faeries. And of course, there are potions that use Adelwryt,¡± The head of his house warmly explained.


    ¡®I was asking about whether faes are used in potions but never mind now.¡¯ Tossing the matter of faeries to the back of his mind, Leon quickly asked.


    ¡°So, I can buy them?¡±


    ¡°Alas! Most don¡¯t reach the market, but you can buy one if they are surplus¡­. Potions stores replenish their supplies at the start of every new Hogwarts year. So, you have to wait for the start of next term.¡±


    The professor waved her wand before nodding to herself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you would need an Aedelwyrt, you shouldn¡¯t spend money on things you don¡¯t need, Mr. Astraeus.¡±


    Lost in deep thought, staring at a table beside him, Leon didn¡¯t notice the amusement in the professor¡¯s gaze. So, he just nodded and bid the professor goodbye.


    Leon walked out of the greenhouse, brainstorming for ideas where he could get an Aedelwyrt. As he slowly ran out of ideas a grin slowly crept up on his face.


    ¡®It depends on Hagrid, then!¡¯


    Leon roamed the Hogwarts grounds before meeting his friends as they departed for the railway station.


    Hannah was whispering to Susan about how her mom was going to rub her aunt¡¯s face on her daughter playing for the house¡¯s quidditch team and how her cousins were going to make a big deal out of it.


    Leon simply listened, happy to keep their minds away from his ¡®project¡¯.


    ¡°You should come with me, Leon. My aunt wouldn¡¯t have minded one addition to the dining table,¡± Susan invited him again.


    ¡°Her Aunt really wants to meet you, you know? After all, you are her little Susie¡¯s close friend.¡± Hannah squished her friend¡¯s cheeks.


    Leon let out a laugh. ¡°Next time, maybe. Let me see how holidays transform Hogwarts for now.¡± He replied and watched his friend climb the train.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s quite happy they are going home,¡± Susan remarked, pushing away Hannah¡¯s hands.


    Hannah replied to her by showing her tongue.


    The Hogwarts Express departed from the station; Leon watched until it disappeared from his sight before sprinting towards Hagrid¡¯s hut.


    He saw the big guy going back to his hut after the Hogwarts Express moved.


    ¡°Hagrid, are you there?¡±


    His knocks were answered by loud barks before something heavy moved towards the door on the inside.


    The humongous door swung open, and a bushy giant looked down to see Leon smiling back at him, standing on the giant¡¯s oversized doorstep.


    The movies just didn¡¯t do justice to Hagrid, the man was really a half-giant, not just an overly tall guy.


    And while his ¡®hut¡¯ has only one room, it was big enough to be mistaken as a small two-story building.


    ¡°Ah! Leon, what are you doing here? Come in, come in,¡± The groundskeeper made way only for a dog to jump at the Hufflepuff. But Hagrid was quick and caught its shoulder.


    ¡°Quiet, Fang. He is a friend.¡± He said before tossing something into the corner.


    The dog tilted his head at the half-giant and the Hufflepuff before chasing after the thrown object.


    ¡°I always wanted to know what type of creatures are present in the Forbidden Forest. With holidays upon us and my friends gone, I thought this was a good opportunity to talk with you.¡±


    Leon took in Hagrid¡¯s house as he spoke.


    Various magical creature parts and tools were placed on gigantic furniture. Weird, colorful pelts decorated its walls along with their mundane counterparts.


    ¡°Are you busy right now, Hagrid?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Take a seat and try these cookies, baked them yesterday.¡±


    Leon took one, curious about the half-giant cooking, the cookies were bigger than his palm.


    Hagrid sat on a wooden chair which impressively didn¡¯t let a squeak and bit into a cookie before answering.


    ¡°So, what type of magical creatures are there in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Unicorns, Hippogryffs, Nifflers and I even saw a Gryphon once, deeper in the forest. Now, it could have been a rogue Hippogryff, with it flying high in the sky, I couldn¡¯t see it properly.¡± He mumbled. ¡°And of course, mundane boars, and deers are dime a dozen.¡± Hagrid took another bite of the cookie and continued.


    ¡°You should take Professor Kettleburn¡¯s class in your third year, I bet you would love it.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where Bondugs reside in the forbidden forest, Hagrid?¡± Leon asked, looking down to see Fang nibbling at the cookie in his hand, soundlessly snuck upon him.


    He let go of the cookie, making Fang return to its corner before he could pet him.


    ¡°Straight from Whomping Willow,¡± Hagrid nodded. ¡°They all live in the forest section near the Whomping Willow,¡± Hagrid answered, handing Leon another cookie.


    ¡®Well! That was easy! But it still is a big area for me to scour. And I still don¡¯t know where the Acromantulas live.¡¯


    ¡°Do they have any predators, Hagrid? The Bondugs?¡±


    ¡°No! They are tough bastards even an adult Hippogriff can¡¯t hurt them easily.¡±


    Leon was eyeing the things in the room from the moment Hagrid invited him in, but he didn¡¯t see anything that looked like a map.


    ¡®I guess it was too much to ask for a map highlighted with magical creature lairs or ..is it?¡¯


    ¡°I bet you mapped every inch of the Forbidden Forest and met every kind of creature present,¡± Leon asked his eyes gleaming hopefully.


    Sadly, Hagrid shook his head.


    ¡°I rarely go deep into the forest, except to meet Ara-¡± Hagrid catches himself and continues ignoring his misstep.


    ¡°I only go into the forest with Professor Kettleburn, great guy¡­ he knows how to handle even a raunchy manticore.¡±


    ¡°You know once, we were..¡±


    As much as Leon was interested in Hagrid and Forbidden Forest Chronicles, his mind was analyzing Hagrid¡¯s slip-up.


    ¡®Hmm! From the movie and the books, the Acromantulas can¡¯t be that deep in.¡¯


    Tossing the thoughts regarding his upcoming adventure to the back of his mind, Leon listened to Hagrid¡¯s story, chiming in now and then to pose some questions.


    He left Hagrid¡¯s home holding giant cookies and mesmerized by his stories.


    ¡®Man, I can¡¯t believe there is a manticore and chimera couple in the forest. I wonder where they came from.¡¯


    Leon nudged Hagrid at some parts of his stories, so he was somewhat sure that the Bondugs and Acromantulas were in different parts of the forest.


    But sadly, a Manticore was also present in the sections of the forest he was going to.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough to postpone my plan.¡¯


    Hagrid did say, that the Manticore was a shut-in, never leaving his lair. So, Leon most likely won¡¯t meet it.


    Manticores look different depending on the place of their birth. The ones born in Britain ail don¡¯t have wings, unlike their Greek counterparts. So, he wasn¡¯t afraid.


    ¡­..


    The next day morning Leon standing in front of the forbidden forest, meters away from the whomping willow.


    Five rope tentacles lazily swirled in the air beside him, with one fastening a broom to his back.

 Chapter 41- Forest

    The next morning the sun chased away darkness, filling the forbidden forest with warmth.


    Leon stood at the edge of Hogwarts grounds staring at the thick foliage.


    The leaves fluttered in the wind, beckoning him. ¡°Here we go!¡± He muttered and twisted his arm.


    One tentacle of his e-item handed him the broom. With a last look at the castle, he climbed it and slowly gained altitude.


    Stopping just above the treeline he waved his wand.


    ¡°Oculi Sphingis, Vincula Karmica Videte.¡±


    His vision blurred, and the material world took a backseat as the attention-grabbing threads occupied the world.


    He blinked.


    ¡®Nice! No magical creatures well into the forest.¡¯ Little pleased, he started to cast the spell again.


    Leon used his sight on a purebred Kneazle, the threads- karmic links- of insects are less noticeable than plants. And magical plants links are more eye-catching with the creatures coming next and a witch or wizard having the most eye-catching links.


    After casting the spell two more times, Leon descended onto the ground and hovered above it.


    He hugged the broom, trying to reduce his surface area. Then he cast his stealth combo.


    Even in the daylight, Leon disappeared to anyone who was watching him from more than 7 feet away. The notice-me not-spell coupled with the camouflage spell exponentially increased his stealth.


    Of course, that is only the case if people weren¡¯t actively searching for him. He believed that as long as he stalked the trees, he would be safe If not he had plenty of escape plans ready.


    And he wasn¡¯t going to fly into the forbidden forest above the treetops, away from all the magical flora and fauna in the forest because he read that Hippogriffs are territorial fliers.


    Not surprising considering they are part-lion.


    He cast the karma spell once again and started to fly into the forest, his broom nearly hugging the ground.


    He cast the spell every 100 meters into the forest, being extra vigilant.


    Flying on the broom made avoiding bushes and fallen leaves very easy. So, he wasn¡¯t making any noise as he moved from tree to tree.


    Fifteen minutes into the forest, he got bored at his slow pace. There wasn¡¯t even an inkling of a magical beast, and he was beginning to think he was being too cautious.


    ¡®Now, this may be a bad choice, but I will be very vigilant and retreat at the first sign of trouble.¡¯ After 15 more minutes, he rose above the treetops and used the karma spell once again.


    ¡®No magical creatures as far as I can see.¡¯ While he couldn¡¯t see as far as the horizon because of the karmic links of trees blotting every inch of his vision, there weren¡¯t any magical creatures near him.


    ¡®It¡¯s early in the morning, maybe the part lions are sleeping?¡¯ Shaking his head at the stupid thought, he picked up speed and zoomed across the treetops.


    While Leon knew Hippogriffs didn¡¯t like intruders into their domain - every inch of the sky was in their territory- he didn¡¯t know how strict they were.


    ¡®I am just above the treetops, so they won¡¯t bother me, right?¡¯ And he was even under some stealth spells.


    7 seconds into his journey, he used the karma spell again.


    Nothing changed.


    Again at 15 seconds, the result didn¡¯t change.


    23, and again at 30 seconds.


    This time, a new link originating from him curled around his body and shot towards the sky through his blind spot, pulsing erratically.


    Without a second thought, Leon dived into the treetops and hid behind a tree, hovering above some bushes.


    With a wave of his wand, he made sure his stealth combo was still up and waited with bated breath.


    Just as he exhaled, multiple bodies broke through the thick treetops and landed on the forest floor with heavy thumps.


    An angry eagle cry pierced through the forest freezing its inhabitants.


    The sounds of leaves rustling and insects buzzing disappeared as the forest itself stood still.


    More cries erupted as Leon plastered himself against a tree and waited, not even taking a breath.


    With a disdainful snort followed by a loud beat of wings, the creature tore through the treetops, crashing through branches and leaves.


    Leon reached into his bag and carefully levitated a small handheld mirror.


    With a quick glance at the mirror to confirm the creatures were truly gone, he rose to his feet and looked at the gaping holes they had left in the canopy.


    He saw the backs of three departing Hippogriffs.


    Each Hippogriff was the size of a full-grown horse, towering over the Hippogriffs shown in the movies.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡®Damn! These guys are huge and fast,¡¯ Leon shook his head, wiping the grin off his face, and shoved the mirror back into the bag.


    ¡®I guess it makes sense. Hippogriffs were used as mounts in the olden days, so obviously they are big enough for an adult to ride comfortably.¡¯


    Deciding to stick to the floor, Leon started moving again, patting himself for exploring the Karma spell and cursing the Hippogriffs for being so stubborn.


    With the faster way of travel denied, he resumed his journey, carefully and stealthily moving through the dense forest.


    The threads- karma links- also show movement, the faster the other end is moving the faster the link contracts on itself.


    It was a side effect of visualizing the karmic links, one which he readily took advantage of.


    If not for his extensive testing, Leon wouldn¡¯t have known what contracting links meant and would have reacted late.


    But his preparation paid off, just like always.


    Smothering the junkie who wanted a repeat, Leon used the spell again, 300 meters away from where he nearly became lunch to eagle-lion hybrids.


    Again, he noticed some new karma links on him.


    On top of being able to notice the difference between plants, beasts, and wizards, the threads felt different if the people at the other end were at a large distance, the links between them are a little less attention-grabbing or a little dim in muggle speak.


    So, he was very surprised when a link showed that a wizard linked to him was deeper into the forest.


    He could see the links to the Hippogriffs too.


    Ignoring the Hippogriffs for now, Leon started to move towards the mystery wizard.


    He knew it wasn¡¯t Voldy waiting for him at the end because the link that connected him to Quirrel was twisted, it looked and felt ugly as hell.


    And whoever it was, they were at a quite distance from him, so he picked some speed flying just some distance below the treetops.


    It was a lot less fast than flying above the treetops, but the part lions have too keen of an eyesight.


    After 30 minutes into his journey, he slowed down a little as the wizard went in even deeper.


    Still following the mystery wizard, he also kept an eye out for the reason he ventured into the forest- the Bondugs.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of missing them, the Bondugs were the size of a golden retriever with a honey-colored coat, white stripes, and two spiky tails.


    Leon was prepared to spend all of his holidays scouring the forest for them. If he couldn¡¯t find them in that time, he planned to bother Hagrid again.


    It wasn¡¯t like venturing into a magical forest wasn¡¯t a holiday on its own. The sights of magical flora were more than worth the trip.


    The Hufflepuff started to encounter more and more magical creatures as he moved deeper into the forest.


    He saw a stag with glowing antlers leading a deer herd, along with colorful birds, some magical.


    Most of the avians were interested in the flying camouflaged blob while the land creatures ignored him.


    Leon thought that¡¯s how he would have looked, at least. He knew he was stretching the notice me not and camouflage spell soaring across the forest but stalking from tree to tree got boring even before the Hippogriff wanted to teach him a lesson.


    His e-item stopped any birds from getting too close to him, some did land on the outstretched tentacles before getting bored of him.


    Of course, Leon only let the magical birds he recognized come near him- which was nearly every bird as he studied every type of creature he could encounter in the forest.


    He did have to use his magical flash grenade spell to escape from a curious vulture-looking magical bird he didn¡¯t recognize.


    Leon continued scouring the forest for the Bondug lair while avoiding lairs of big magical creatures.


    While he likes to dance with death, he doesn¡¯t dance without hell out of preparations so that death doesn¡¯t take him as a permanent partner.


    So, he didn¡¯t go into a 3-meter cave that had big footprints in front of it nor did he peek into valleys that had melted rocks.


    He was going to find a Bondug roaming around the forest and follow it to its lair, not poke his head into anything that could house a magical creature.


    After all, trespassing into a manticore¡¯s lair rarely ends well, even if you can fly away from it.


    Leon didn¡¯t think he would have ventured into the forest as readily as he did today if he hadn¡¯t borrowed the broom from Susan.


    Slowly, but surely, he came very near to the mystery wizard who was still.


    But shockingly more karmic threads linked him as he got near, every link ending beside the first mystery wizard.


    ¡®Are all Hogwarts professors here or something?¡¯


    Leon slowed down and began stalking his way forward, exponentially increasing his stealth.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he was greeted by the scene of seven Centaurs standing in his way.


    Cringing, he slowly ducked behind a tree.


    ¡®Do they lift or something?¡¯ Leon wondered looking at the sculpted torso of the Centaurs.


    He used the spell again and was confused upon finding that the new karmic links tied him to three of the Centaur''s presents, the link he was following was also connected to the Centaur standing on the right.


    ¡®So, the spell can¡¯t differentiate between a Centaur and a wizard, good to know.¡¯ Noting it for later, Leon continued eyeing the Centaurs.


    ¡°Come out, child! It¡¯s rude to sneak into another¡¯s home.¡± The Centaur standing in the middle sighed and quietly called out, his hands rubbing his wizened beard as he stared at Leon¡¯s hiding spot with his milky white eyes.


    ¡®Got caught!¡¯ Shaking his mind which was finding the answer to how a Centaur can bench press, Leon floated out into the open and canceled his spells.


    But he didn¡¯t climb down from the broom, opting for a quick escape if needed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t how much help it will be though,¡¯ Leon thought looking at the bows hanging on the Centaurs¡¯ back.


    ¡®Most probably a Centaur came to check on the errant behavior of Hippogriff and stumbled across me. So, just peeping at a person creates a karmic link, huh!¡¯ Leon quickly connected the dots and gave his best innocent smile to the Centaurs.


    ¡°How did you find our home?¡± A middle-aged Centaur asked, clearly agitated, judging by his rapidly moving tail.


    ¡°I have a spell that lets me track anyone who interacts with me in some way. The spell showed a new wizard deeper into the forest, so I got curious. I thought I was following a wizard, not a Centaur.¡± Leon replied, shrugging at the end before a curious gleam occupied his eyes.


    ¡°How are you guys so fast? I had to travel on the broom for hours and it looks like the Centaur who peeked at me was here way before me.¡±


    ¡°As much as you wizards like to think you are only the children of magic, it doesn¡¯t mean you are. Tell me, foal, do you think wizards are superior to every other magical race?¡± The same Centaur questioned Leon with a cold stare.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have Hogwarts,¡± Leon instantly regretted his answer.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to fanboy about an ancient castle even if it¡¯s magical.¡¯ But something wasn¡¯t right, he wasn¡¯t the type to blurt out things on his mind but before he could analyze that feeling the Centaur spoke.


    ¡°Typical wizard arrogance, assuming time only looks kindly upon your kind.¡± The middle-aged Centaur stomped his leg, crushing overgrown roots under his feet.


    ¡°Well! We are of the same kind, no? We all are magical creatures, are we not?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know whether it was a good save, but it was something as the Centaur just huffed.


    ¡°Seeing as I answered your questions? Can you answer one of mine?¡±


    If the Centaurs know the heart of Bondugs then he can relax in his holidays. He really missed sleeping in late and being lazy the whole day.


    So, he could take a day or two if completes his goals for the holidays early.


    ¡°Why should we answer you, child?¡± The same Centaur huffed.


    ¡°Because I answered yours?¡±


    ¡°You trespassed into our turf.¡± The Centaur snorted, folding his hands.


    ¡°You stalked me, near my home.¡± Leon didn¡¯t care that he sounded childish, the Centaur¡¯s voice was getting on his nerves.


    A frown appeared on his face as Leon suddenly noted that the centaur looked a minute away from galloping back .. or towards Leon.


    ¡®Oh oh!¡¯


    ¡°E-¡±


    Two things happened when Leon was going to diffuse the tense situation when an arrow embedded itself in front of him.


    Leon barely managed from frying the eyes of the Centaurs and herded the orbs that were peeking from his sleeves back in.


    ¡®Something is very wrong, I am acting more impulsive and aggressive,¡¯ he thought watching the arrow vibrate in front of him.

 Chapter 42- Lair

    ¡°You! Treat my father with respect.¡± A boy, no a foal darted from behind the stoic Centaur.


    ¡®Was he there from the start?¡¯ Leon wondered as he responded with a shrug.


    ¡°Chief, what are you doing? Tell the wizardling to go away.¡± The foal turned towards the wizened Centaur who was staring behind Leon with his cloudy eyes.


    ¡°Van?t, you want him to go away. And you child, want to know something about the forest, so why don¡¯t we settle this in a duel?¡±


    ¡®Hmm! That¡¯s an acceptable guess, I do need something in the forest.¡¯


    Leon looked at the foal, instead of letting his brain run in tangents. The foal, for his part, looked shocked before nodding his head with determination.


    ¡°You will apologize to my father and leave after I defeat you.¡± The young centaur stated, catching a wooden bastard sword thrown by the oldest of the Centaurs.


    "Wait, that was just a branch a moment ago," he thought, staring at the intricately crafted broadsword. Vines coiled around its hilt, twisting and stretching all the way to the blade''s end, darker than the rest of its wooden body.


    After tossing a look at the old Centaur, Leon turned towards the foal.


    ¡°I want to know about the Bondug¡¯s lair is located.¡± He stated. ¡°Do you even know the answer yourself to use it as a wager?¡±


    He would have jumped into the duel even without any reward, after all, he wouldn¡¯t want to miss a duel with a Centaur as he was very curious about different types of magic but jumping in without making sure he would get his reward would be plain stupid.


    ¡®And what magic that was. Are Centaurs the druids of this world?¡¯ he thought staring at the branch turned broadsword.


    ¡°He knows!¡± The foal¡¯s father answered in his place as the Centaurs spread out, giving space for the young to duel.


    Standing on a ground covered with overgrown roots and sandwiched by overgrown trees, Leon didn¡¯t see how a Centaur could even move without tripping not to mention battle.


    ¡®Horses are supposed to be in plains.¡¯ He thought.


    ¡°Let the duel begin!¡± The Elder Centaur¡¯s voice rang out before the young Centaur, Van?t, disappeared from his view, causing Leon to reflexively use Lumos Maxima on the orbs hiding in his sleeves.


    The orbs orbited around his hand before a bright light invaded the forest and the shade covered ground.


    A groan made Leon turn back to see the Centaur clutching his eyes, shielding his face with the bastard sword.


    His wand shined before smoke obscured him, giving Leon time to process what has happened.


    ¡®Damn! Centaurs can apparate better than wizards? I didn¡¯t hear any sound.¡¯


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    (Vanat POV)


    He ignored the pain in his eyes and honed his hearing. Drawing upon his connection with spirit of forest, he readied himself to dodge the magical spells of the arrogant wizard.


    After all, Van?t wasn¡¯t going to ignore the wisdom his mother imparted. The wizarding spells that aren¡¯t stopped by any material is to be dodged by any foal, he wasn¡¯t an exception as talented he was.


    So, he listened to the whispers of the trees and waited.


    The first spell of the wizard was quick and took away his vision. That little wizard was likely arrogant because he knew one such spell.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he doing anything? Doesn¡¯t he know another one?¡¯


    Van?t quickly blinked the spots from his eyes and flexed his sword, calling upon the wind spirit to disperse the smoke as he felt it upon his skin.


    He dabbled in every craft available to a young Centaur, but the moon spirit didn¡¯t attract him like it did with many of his friends.


    After the Stellarcraft, Stormcraft and Earthcraft were the callings of many of his brothers. But he found his calling in wood craft just like the chief, and Van?t wasn¡¯t going to disgrace himself in front of his master with a sword crafted by the multi-eyed himself in his hand.


    A touch of azure shined on his sword and the smoke dispersed under the weight of his mighty swing.


    The little wizard stood in front of him, smiling at him.


    ¡®Such arrogance!¡¯ Van?t jumped towards the wizardling, vanishing mid-air before he appeared behind the arrogant fool and swung his sword.


    The roots dispersed the mighty roars of his hoofs, after all, stalking the prey was the first thing his master taught him.


    And fighting a Jade-eyed Centaur in a forest is a foolish mistake only an arrogant wizard can commit.


    Only.


    The wizard easily sidestepped his swing and turned towards him with a taunting smirk.


    Enraged, he continued to swing at the wizard only for him to dart around his attacks like a little Gryphon playing between hurricanes.


    Vanat could feel something was wrong, so he stopped and took a deep breath, letting the taunts slide off him.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Getting his emotions under control before a star could even twinkle, Vanat jumped towards the wizard again.


    The feeling of wrongness increased.


    ¡®The trees, the whispers of the trees don¡¯t match what I am seeing.¡¯


    Feeling the comforting presence of wood beneath his hoofs, he closed his eyes and conveyed with the forest spirit.


    He remembered his grandfather dispelling insidious curses that wormed into him, boasting that most wizards would have succumbed to death.


    But not a Centaur, a Centaur¡¯s body isn¡¯t weak like those wizards.


    Like crushing bug under his hoof, he crushed a spell that clung to him like a leech.


    The world shifted and he could see the wizard standing on a branch far away from him, waving his little wand.


    With a bellow, he sliced a log made of earth that tried to ensnare him and jumped, filling his hoofs with the wood¡¯s embrace.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡®Does being a part beast make him magic-resistant?¡¯ Leon wondered as he felt his spell break.


    Hoping to stall him for a couple of more seconds, Leon tossed a big hollow transfigured log onto the centaur''s face which was cleaved through like it was made of butter.


    ¡®Damn, if he can slice like that with a wooden one why isn¡¯t he using an iron sword?¡¯ Leon thought and jumped from the branch.


    Ropes unfurled around him, and he swung himself across the trees like a magical Tarzan.


    The Centaur somehow appeared on branches, even delicate ones, before vanishing without breaking them and plummeting towards the ground.


    ¡®A Centaur isn¡¯t supposed to stand on an inch-thick branch, that¡¯s just cheating.¡¯ Leon really wanted to ask whether the Centaur had goat blood in him but thought better of it.


    Not even ten seconds into the duel, Leon was running away from the Centaur.


    Cursing, he swung around and sent two stunners sailing towards some empty branches.


    Just like he predicted the Centaur appeared on a branch and was greeted by the spell. And just like he predicted, the Centaur didn¡¯t even budge from the stunner.


    Leon flung himself back where the duel started and obscured it with smoke again.


    Gales announced the presence of the Centaur dispersing the dark smoke as he appeared on the ground.


    The ground became alive as multiple roots and ropes made of dust latched onto the unsuspecting Centaur¡¯s hoofs and arms.


    Leon pressed with an onslaught of stunners.


    After getting hit by nearly three stunners, the sword slipped from the centaur''s hand.


    ¡°Vanat lost the duel! Very well done, little wizard. Here is your prize, I crafted a map for you.¡± The Centaur chief appeared beside Leon and handed him a scroll.


    ¡°Great match, Vanat!¡± Leon yelled, dispelling his constraints, and turned towards the Centaur Chief.


    ¡°Why did you help me? I know I wasn¡¯t being a graceful guest or intruder- whatever you call it.¡± Leon asked, curious as he watched the young Centaur and his father¡¯s heated conversation.


    ¡°Jupiter drenched Vanat in his light; Mars path is bright,¡± The Centaur murmured and disappeared.


    ¡®Okay! Jupiter is Roman Zeus.. so Vanat has too much pride? And is the talk about mars hinting at the Battle of Hogwarts?... problems for future me.¡¯ Leon shook his head.


    ¡°I would have won if I had my bow,¡± Vanat crept on him and grumbled.


    Leon raised an eye at the Centaur and gestured towards the rope tentacles swirling around him.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t just for swinging, you know. They act as my last line of defense and are magical, I don¡¯t think your arrows would have touched me.¡±


    ¡°You wish!¡± The Centaur snorted, making him smile.


    Leon could have stunned him when he was lost in the illusion, but he was interested in seeing the teleporting magic of the Centaur and wanted to leave a better impression.


    After all, anyone would get angry if they were defeated very quickly, and that too because someone was messing with their mind.


    ¡°And why didn¡¯t you use the broom in the duel?¡± The Centaur asked eyeing the broom strapped to his back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make it, so I thought it would be rude to use it.¡±


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t make my sword.¡±


    ¡°Just like I didn¡¯t make my wand,¡± Leon answered with a grin.


    ¡°I am Leon, you can call me Leo. By the way, how can you disappear and appear so silently?¡±


    ¡­.


    Leon pestered the Centaur with questions about his magic until the Centaur got tired and bid him goodbye.


    ¡®Damn! Centaurs are powerful, I guess Vanat¡¯s father was right. Wizards aren¡¯t the only children of magic. Maybe, not even the favorite child, I guess,¡¯ Leon thought observing the forest devoid of Centaurs.


    ¡®I don¡¯t believe that the Centaur''s method of the apparition isn¡¯t in Hogwarts or only Centaurs can do it because they can communicate with spirits, like Vanat says.¡¯


    Noting to research more about it, Leon opened the scroll.


    ¡®Hmm!¡¯


    The map was based on the sun¡¯s position in the sky, it was a little unique but ultimately usable.


    He climbed the broom and flew towards the Bondug lair, back towards the Hogwarts.


    Surprisingly, the lair- a large cave- was the one he ignored thinking it housed the manticore.


    ¡®I guess, I should have thought that Dumbledore wouldn¡¯t allow a Manticore to make home this near to Hogwarts.¡¯


    Hindsight was 20/20. So, Leon tucked away the broom and stuck himself to the cave¡¯s roof with his modified sticking charm.


    He was going in with maximum stealth, he didn¡¯t want to mess up his chance.


    The tentacles slowly dragged him forward, grabbing the roof.


    An orb of light was floating meters away from Leon, lighting the dark cave.


    He found the spell in a book for beginner rune breakers- it only generates light only the caster can see.


    As Leon slowly made his way into the cave, he came across his target- he saw the Aedelwryt or Aedelwryts to be clear.


    The cave opened up from the narrow pathway to a beautiful cavern.


    Multiple flowers, a beautiful mix of mundane rose and lotus glowed with the warmth and purity of a magical sanctuary in the center of the cavern.


    Multiple Bondugs slept around the flowers guarding them.


    Leon ignored the dog-sized magical badgers and observed the flowers.


    Each flower resembled a crown, with thorns protruding near the base of their petals. Despite their sharp thorns, the petals exuded a sense of safety, as if embodying the duality of true nobility¡ªwarm and protective toward their own yet armed with hidden thorns to defend when needed.


    He gazed at the plants with admiration before he quietly approached them. Locking onto the largest flower at the center of the cluster, he made up his mind to claim it.


    He slowly let a tentacle move toward the flower. After it reached its maximum length, the tentacle started to stretch like it was made of rubber and reached the flower, swirling around the base of the plant.


    Another tentacle joined it and dug into the soil underneath the flower.


    Leon waited as the second tentacle slowly broke the roots seven inches into the ground. Instead of just plucking it, he wanted to replant it.


    The flower came free from the soil with barely a sound. Still, Leon froze and after making sure the Bondugs didn¡¯t wake up, he slowly recalled the tentacle and stashed away the flower safely into his bag.


    He quietly moved towards the exit of the cavern- the same way he came in.


    Tossing one last look at the cavern and sleeping Bondugs, Leon let out a victory grin.


    Only, a loud bellow resounded in the cave, stirring the Bondugs awake.


    A pair of red eyes watched Leon from deeper into the cavern.


    The Bondugs squealed in confusion before simultaneously turning towards the spot Leon was quietly slithering forward, praying they didn¡¯t find him. But his prayers weren¡¯t answered.


    ¡®Bullshit! How did they find me?¡¯


    The Bondugs were simply badgers juiced up on magic. Just like how even a lion can¡¯t bite through a badger, the Bondugs are pure tanks with bigger claws to answer anyone that annoys them.


    And they are very easy to annoy. Leon read that sometimes even a look would send them into a frenzy. So, he didn¡¯t want to think what they would do to someone who entered their home and even stole their treasure.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    A/N: Sorry for disappearing, but life happened. I still have a big backlog, but I didn¡¯t have time to edit a chapter. Hence, last week happened.


    And I am releasing this somewhat sleep-deprived, so hope you enjoyed the read.