--------Arjun's pov--------
Hogwarts felt eerily silent for me.
Perhaps it is because most students left for their homes, leaving the massive castle without its usual buzz.
Especially the vast quidditch grounds left alone for me to raise a dragon in pure comfort.
GNAW GNAW
Looking at Norberta, who has already started eating meat at the tender age of 2 weeks, "It really is something else. Makes me wonder how wizards and humans of ancient times survived against them."
No matter how much I cast the levitating charm on her , Norberta broke through it within a minute. My attempts at checking Norberta's magic resistance have more or less become a game that entertained her.
However, it made me think about the times before wands and the establishment of Hogwarts.
Both events are significant milestone to wizard kind, the same way the start of scientific thinking has been a significant milestone for the muggle kind.So, the crude use of magic without a wand is an insane reality to imagine when creatures like Norberta can kill dozens of modern wizards who have been trained to fight her.
"They didn't survive, little Arjun. Rather, many died and were even wiped out from the phase of history."
Looking at Dumbledore who has been visiting the cave for the last few days to check up on the class XXXXX familiar, I sighed.
It was already a miracle that Hagrid was silent about the fact that I bonded with Norberta for this long. For the life of him, Hagrid can't hide things from people he respects and loves.
TRILLL
Fawkes started singing to entertain the little she-dragon, while Dumbledore continued with his impromptu lesson.
He took a drop of water in his hand, which soon elongated into a long pole of ice that sealed Norberta from jumping to her death from a long rock outgrowing.
"Geniuses can move the times forward with their talents. But, most of them don't realize that their own time is limited. Even I am the same. No matter how much I try to push the field of transfiguration, the progress I make is nothing compared to the combined weight of people working together. Even my master, Nicholas, acknowledges that longer life span can't make a genius truly outpace the advancements of time."
The ice pole that barred her way was melted into steam by Norberta.
But.
Rows of plants rose to bind her legs. Earth turned into a swamp that sucked Norbeta's body into it. As soon as she was trapped, the swamp immediately become solid to trap her.
This magic used by Dumbledore was something I can also achieve, but the true insanity was turning a drop of water into a 10 foot ice pole.
However, the pole could not stop Norberta while the clever use of the mundane magics trapped her.
I get he wants to show that no matter how much of a genius [ice pole] I believe I am, the power of fighting together is much greater.
I took out my wand and blew a Ventus charm, making a whirlwind of air that literally torn through Norberta's binding and even gave an updraft of sorts to Norberta that gave rise to her first flight.
CLAP CLAP
"Good Job Norberta. Yeah HOOOO,"
Looking at Hagrid jumping around happily like a child because of Norberta's first flight, I smiled towards Dumbledore.
"You are right, Headmaster. The power of people working together is much greater than a single genius's hard work. But have you ever wondered just how incredible the results coming from the same group of people headed by the same genius will be?"
Headmaster started playing with his beard in response to my direct statement of wanting to pursue power.
In fact, I wanted to avoid being this blunt. But it is tough to escape his eyes in Hogwarts. So, the faster I get this through to him, the better.
Besides, my actions have been showing that much since the start of the year. However, I am lucky because Hagrid and a fucking unicorn more or less vouched for me.
Of course, the second one has a lot of weight in the magical world.
I mean it literally. A unicorn blessing a dark wizard or dark lord will burn them rather than benefiting them.
It is the dark magics they use that fills their very body with dark intent like lust, murder and so on. These clash very much with the magic of unicorns.
I am confident that Dumbledore doesn't believe that I am pursuing power to the point of insanity, like the Dark Lord. But, the problem is that not being a potential dark lord now doesn't mean that I will not become one in the future.
To Headmaster's wind magic that helped lift Norberta into the air, I added the feather weight charm and a helped Norberta gain speed using a rare motion charm.
WHOOOSH
I saw with a smile Norberta's flying with enough speed that Fawkes had to do her best to catch up. I wanted her to enjoy this as much as she can now. Because it will be impossible for me to help her after she grows to titanic proportions, like the rest of her species.
CLAP CLAP CLAP
"Impressive use of Motion charm. However, it makes me wonder. Are you perhaps interested in broom crafting? After all the motion charm itself was created for making the first broom."
I thought for a while and said, "Well, I am interested in it. After all, who isn't interested in flight magic?"
"Hmm, you are right. Very well then, little Arjun, I must get back to my work."
I gave a nod as he disappeared into flames the moment Fawkes landed on his hands.
Muffiltio [100/100],
Silencio [100/100]
-
-
-
Anosme [ 100/100] : Absence of smell
All these are spells taught to the students of Hogwarts targeting the senses of the surrounding people. Because of my AI, I mastered them easily.
So, I believe it is time to bring them together to perform a single spell that erases all traces of myself, allowing me to hide myself perfectly.
SMACK.
My face smack was well deserved when I remembered that the absence of any senses is itself a red alert to most dark creatures and magical animals.
So, I brought up spells like the disillusion charm and light illusion which I mastered.
Illusiont [100/100]
Lumos Illusio [100/100]
These spells allow the user to blend into the surroundings. So, I need three components for the new spell.
AI, create project : Illusio.
[Ting.]
Set the parameters needed to make a perfect illusion spell.
Also, ensure that the spell model allows incorporation of new intent [newer spells] to upgrade the illusion spell in the future.
[Parameters set.
Project : Illusio [##$/1000]
Processing data.........….
Estimated time : 45 days 36 hrs 39 minutes 5 seconds]
Fuck, if it takes this long to make a useful spell like this, then it will take years to make spells on the level of Patronus or Fiendfyre.
I need the knowledge of these spells. The more advanced they are, the better. Unlike the other wizards, my growth explodes as long as my knowledge of reserves of magic increases.
I have a simple cycle.
Increase knowledge.
Master that knowledge.
Use the increases power and status to increase the knowledge again.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
I felt Hagrid's humongous footsteps resounding as he came back to the cave carrying the exhausted Norberta.
"Haha! She slept like a little princess."
Sure, Norberta is my familiar, but even I can recognise teeth and claws that tear through metal will not even come close to a term called 'princess'.
GRRRRR
Looking at her snoring that comes out as if it is a growl of a tiger, I am fucking sure that a dragon can't be called a princess.
Shaking my head, I got up to continue Hagrid's lessons. "Let's continue from where we left off. You shouldn't use magic like normal wizards. If you do, the results end up being explosive or too overpowered, making you unable to progress, just like in the last few decades."
Hagrid solemnly got up while caressing the broken twigs of his wand hanging on the pendant on his neck.
I sighed and said, "However, you have trained something no wizard or witch ever truly managed to. Something that they couldn't just because of the sheer wastage of time we humans are prone to do. In a way, your loneliness and the magical blood of giants helped you."
I endlessly loved the stones on the ground and showed various patterns in the surprise. From the simple line sketch of Hogwarts to Norberta.
The next scene might have shocked the entire world, including Dumbledore.
Hagrid mirrored me the same and made the same patterns in the air. Of course, instead of stones, he used a dozen boulders. However, I can see that there is not even a hint of difficulty for Hagrid.
"Hagrid, you have something that most of the wizarding kind don't possess because of their complex nature. Your simple nature is your blessing. It is the purest of intent. Hence, you mastered the control of magic. The very power that mankind has called 'a miracle imagined'. You, my friend, can control it till the last drop."
I took a deep breath and said, "Let's begin."
-----------------------------First year end, post credit scene---------
"You!" gasped Harry.
Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.
"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter. Though, it was a pity that Mr Prasad didn't come here. It was him that I was sure of meeting."
"But I thought – Snape –"
"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering Professor Quirrell?"
Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.
"But Snape tried to kill me! And he even set the trap in the forest by poisoning the unicorn."
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you."
"Snape was trying to save me?"
"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."
Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.
"But in the forest, I saw him trying to kill us that night. I overhead the seniors speaking that only potioneer of Snape's level can posion and capture a unicorn."
"Hmm, he can posion and capture one if he wants. But, he doesn't need a useless creature like Unicorn. As for you believing you saw Severus in the forest, I can only say that you have good imagination to fill up his face considering the similarity of robes we had that night. Though, it's a pity you and your pesky friends were the only ones who believed my framing. Mr Prasad and Mr Malfoy to my surprise managed to stay wary of me. Though they managed to hide it quite well."
Harry kept groaning as the ropes tightened around him.
"You're too noisy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."
"You let the troll in?"
"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls – you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight up to the third floor to head me off – and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.
"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."
It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.
"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…."
All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.
"I saw you and Snape in the forest –" he blurted out.
"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me – as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…."
Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.
"I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?"
Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.
"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."
"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."
"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing – I thought Snape was threatening you…."
For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.
"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions – he is a great wizard and I am weak –"
"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.
"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…. Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…."
Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley – how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.
Quirrell cursed under his breath.
"I don't understand…is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"
Harry's mind was racing.
What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it – which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?"
He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.
"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"
And to Harry's horror, a voice answered and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.
"Use the boy…Use the boy…"
Quirrell rounded on Harry.
"Yes- Potter – come here."
He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.
"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."
Harry walked toward him.
I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.
Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.
He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket – and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow – incredibly – he'd gotten the Stone.
"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"
Harry screwed up his courage.
"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I – I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."
Quirrell cursed again.
"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?
But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.
"He lies…He lies…"
"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"
The high voice spoke again.
"Let me speak to him…face-to-face…."
"Master, you are not strong enough!"
"I have strength enough…for this…."
Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.
Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
"Harry Potter…" it whispered.
Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.
"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…. Unicorn blood has strengthened me, though it got stopped by that pesky mudblood brat…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…. Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"
So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.
"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…. They died begging me for mercy…."
"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.
Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.
"How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery…. Yes, boy, your parents were brave…. I killed your father first, and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you…. Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."
"NEVER!"
Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened – he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers – they were blistering before his eyes.
"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet, landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck – Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.
"Master, I cannot hold him – my hands – my hands!"
And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms – Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.
"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.
Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face –
"AAAARGH!"
Quirrell rolled off him, his face, blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain – his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.
Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off – the pain in Harry's head was building – he couldn't see – he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!"
He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down…down…down…
CLICK CLICK
I tried my best to keep clicking in his ears to see if he woke up.
Illusio [234/1000]
I think I made an overpowered spell. No, it could be considered a newer branch of magic like mind magics. The branch of illusion magic.
Afterall, I fucking hid from the Dark lord himself. My current illusion can bend the senses including the Homonculus spell that locates the soul.
Seeing that Harry has truly lost conscious, I happily took out the miracle made reality, philosopher's stone from the unconscious Harry.
Unbelievable, an artifact that can break or at least make a work around the law of equivalent exchange. The governing rule in all modern studies, even magic itself works under the same law. One consumes magic power to do magic. However, this stone can work around it.
I was contemplating all the ways I can use it. Of course, the fucking elixir of life is the greatest mystery of them all.
However, my thoughts ended before they can be made reality by the touch of the hand on my shoulder and the voice of the man behind me, "Impressive magic, Mr Prasad. I must say that I am seriously impressed."
I sighed feeling helpless it was this fan made theory that happens to be true.
I looked behind to see the second spectator who also happened to be the orcheastrator of this entire show tonight. He scary fact was he didn't seem that troubled when he looked through the magic I made with all my effort.
"Good night, right? Headmaster."