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Chapter 24: Master Dragon And Green Grass
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2 November, 1991 - Saturday
Jonathan Grey
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I had finally done it. I had spent most of the previous day and this morning in the Room of Requirement, utilising my photographic memory and telekinesis to read through the remaining books that contained spells, rituals, or runes I hadn't yet tackled. By levitating multiple books around me and scanning their pages simultaneously, I managed to absorb vast amounts of information in a fraction of the time it would normally take. There were still hundreds of books in there that were more theoretical or focused more on history, law, or the magical economy that I chose to ignore outright. But I had finally done it, so I knew what not to ask for from House Greengrass.
As I approached the room where I had agreed to meet Daphne for her tutoring session, I had no idea what other books there were that I could ask for as payment. So far, from what I read in the ROR, rituals could only really double the users' capabilities on average, and that was after doing the seven sets of three rituals, which was currently the highest number of rituals a wizard could do without destroying themselves in some way. If a person was really good, though, and had really good magical control and had the best possible ingredients and such, then maybe they could push it to three times the base instead.
Some of the rituals even required sacrifices in return for improvements, like destroying a person's nerve endings in exchange for an increase in strength or an increase in magic control for a decrease in emotional self-control. Most books just stated that some drawbacks could be overlooked by using [Occlumency] as a counter, but that was still a problem. Not that any of them worried me, but I still planned on doing them for myself, knowing they would not negatively affect me because of the [Tamper Proof] ability. But I would still need a lot of time to improve on the rituals or other books with better rituals before I would ever be comfortable doing rituals for other people.
"You're late," was the first thing I heard from Tracey, voicing what was clearly on both her and Daphne's minds, as they waited at the door, looking slightly impatient.
Already being fully aware of how late I was, I still whipped out my wand to cast a quick [Tempus] charme to glance at the time. "Sorry about that, I got caught up with some last-minute reading. Wouldn't want to ask for a book that I already had access to, now would I?" I replied, Knowing full well that it would be taken to mean that someone else had approached me with a similar deal and that Daphne could be replaced by someone else with access to books I need. Which, in a way, was true. I could always use the system to get more information about magic, it would just cost me points, I didn't actually need to be here.
Daphne's eyes showed a glint of contemplation, indicating my words had the effect I hoped for. She gave a slightly exasperated look but seemed to roll with it, holding back the questions I could tell were at the tip of her tongue. "It's alright. Let's just get started," she said, unlocking the door with a flick of her wand, while Tracey huffed to herself.
The room we entered was quiet and cosy. It had several circular tables and comfortable chairs arranged around them. Empty shelves lined the walls, a fireplace off to the side kept the temperature just where it needed to be, and large windows let in just the right amount of light we would need for the session. God bless house elves, or as Wizards and Witches would say, 'Merlin bless house elves'.
I watched as they set their bags down and pulled out their notes. "Alright, what would you like to focus on, and which books can you get your hands on?"
Daphne exchanged a look with Tracey before answering. "We can start with improving where we currently are and bring us to the number one spot. And if you have time, maybe some insights into other things we haven't been taught yet."
I nodded, already organising my thoughts. "Okay, we can start with homework, all the spells you have learned so far and whatever specific areas you are struggling with. But first, the books you mentioned. Do you have the list?" There would have been no point moving on if she couldn't come through, so we needed to get this over with before anything else.
"Yes, I have it right here." Daphne nodded, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of parchment and handed it to me.
Unfolding the parchment, I began scanning the list. As I read through the titles, I instantly realised that I had already read through at least 70% of them in the Room of Requirement, and a few others on there were primarily theory-based. I'm hoping the ones on there that I haven't read already aren't just theoretical. After making a mental note of the books I still needed, I looked back up at Daphne.
"I have access to most of these books already. If you don't mind, I can mark down the ones I haven't read yet, and hopefully, you'll be able to find those for me to buy."
"Of course, go ahead." Daphne nodded with a frown, clearly not expecting the response I gave, which only further fed into the possibility that I had another source of information or magical books.
As I was ticking off the books that I would have no use for, Tracey chose that moment to try and satisfy her suspicion and curiosity. "How could you have gotten your hands on those books?" she asked. "Are you sure you're even a Muggle-born? You've been in the magical world for like two months."
I chose to ignore the implied accusation and instead focused on the task at hand. I could see the good-cop, bad-cop routine from a mile away. Tracey clearly wanted to play the part of the more invasive one to make Daphne seem more professional and likeable. But that only really works if you can actually get into a person's head in the first place. Once I finished marking the list, I handed it back to Daphne. "Here are the ones I still need. Will you need payment upfront, or should I pay once I receive the books?"
Daphne took a moment to scan the page before responding. "I expect it will take about a week or two to fulfil each order. It would be best if you paid half upfront and the other half upon receipt."
I nodded, pulling out the small pouch of Galleons from my pocket I had just summoned from the hoard. I counted out half the cost of the first book and handed it to Daphne. "Here's half for the first book. Let me know when it arrives."
There was no way I would pay for all of them, just in case they ended up being lacklustre. The fact that I even had such a large amount of money, as a muggle-born, and was willing to give it to people I had only talked to twice, wouldn't have been a smart move on my part. But I wasn't worried. I knew who they were and who their families were, getting payback for someone trying to cheat me out of the deal wouldn't be difficult. There was also the fact that I had access to basically unlimited gold as long as I had the [Transmute], which also helped.
Once she broke out of her contemplation, Daphne took the Galleons and slipped them into her bag. "Thank you, John. I'll have the letter sent out right away."
Tracey, still looking slightly doubtful, said nothing more, but it was clear she was intrigued by the whole situation. A quick [Observe] let me know she just really wanted this to work out for Daphne's sister, Asturia's sake. She wasn't going to risk getting on my nerves too much and have me go to whoever else may be able to supply me with what I need. Respect where it's due.
"Alright, Let's get to work."
Soon enough, Daphne and Tracey explained their difficulties and areas they wanted to improve on. They weren't dumb. I had no doubt they already received tutoring before coming to Hogwarts, but they wanted to make it to the top three and stay there. I began the session by demonstrating some of the more complex transfiguration techniques, breaking down each step and explaining the theory behind the magic. Daphne and Tracey watched intently, following his instructions and practising the spells under my guidance. They weren't the most magically powerful, but they made up for it with higher levels of control for their age, so it wasn't too difficult for them.
After an hour of focused transfiguration practice, we moved on to charms. I showed them how to cast some basic charms of higher-level charms they would have learned in their second year and then gradually introduced some others I had picked up from the library. The primary focus was ensuring they understood the principles and could perform the spells accurately, though. They would just need the repetition to get to the point that they won't need to cast it more than once to get the correct result.
Finally, we touched on Healing magic, a topic that Daphne and Tracey 'subtly' kept hinting at. I shared some of the knowledge I had gained from the books I had already read, even going as far as mentioning that I planned to create a healing spell of my own. Though, they didn't need to know that the spell I wanted to 'create' was [Healing Hands].
Throughout the session, Daphne and Tracey asked numerous questions, and I was patient and thorough in my explanations. The better the session, the more points I would get from the system. I had no reason to hold anything back. By the end of our time together, both girls had completed their homework and seemed more confident. Whether the confidence was from seeing me as a good investment didn't really matter to me in the end.
"Thank you, Grey-" Daphne started, only for me to interrupt.
"John."
"...John, this has been helpful," she added.
"Yeah, thanks," Tracey said with a smile, contrasting her previous behaviour. "You really know your stuff."
"Glad to help," I smiled back, before turning my attention to Daphne. "Same time next week?"
After receiving a nod from them both, I immediately cast stealth combo, [Invisibility] and [Muffle], on myself and made my way out of the room, not even taking a moment to savour the surprised look they sent in the direction I was standing.
There was a rat to catch, and a dawg to save.
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[Animagus Transformation]
[Description - This ability allows a magic user to turn into an animal linked to their very being without having to complete the Animagus Ritual.]
[ - Will not take effect if the user is unable to use magic.
[ - User is unable to choose their Animal form.]
[Purchased] [- 40 SP]
It was cheap, so I didn't feel like going through the whole process of waiting for a lightning storm and keeping a single Mandrake leaf in my mouth for so long. With this purchase, I automatically complete the ritual with no time wasted. It's a shame copying McGonagall wasn't enough to have a transformation of my own, that would have been much simpler.
I was already capable of transforming into many of the non-magical creatures on the planet, courtesy of Poppy apparating them into one of the briefcases for me to analyse. But the problem of not being able to turn into a magical creature was still a problem for some reason. At first, I thought it was because the Animagus Ritual was never designed to allow people to turn into magical creatures in the first place, then I remembered, people tend to have the same animagus form as their Patronus. If that were the case, then the fact that Dumbledore's Patronus is a phoenix implies his Animagus form would have been a phoenix as well.
If my assumption is correct, then my animal form will be some kind of dragon. I couldn't think of any other reason house elves would call me 'Master Dragon' otherwise. There was another ability in the system to allow for a magical transformation, but if I were right, I wouldn't need it. Being able to turn into a phoenix was all well and good, but I already have a way to teleport, already have a way to heal people… and I could always just get a phoenix from the system if I ever needed one, or any other animal for that matter.
Stepped into the large grassy expanse within one of the enchanted briefcases, I looked off to the side at Poppy, who had insisted on being here to assist in any way she could. She now wore her new uniform, an enchanted tailored suit adorned with the dragon emblem from Elder Scrolls on the breast pocket and on the back of the jacket. "Poppy, wait until I've fully transformed before coming over to check on me, alright?"
"Yes, Master Dragon, sir,"
Giving her a nod, I then walked further into the centre of the expanse. Once I was far enough, I closed my eyes, focusing inward, channelling the magic that would trigger the transformation and while making sure it didn't turn me into the other animals I could turn into. Soon enough, I felt the familiar surge of magic course through me. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the ground seemingly getting further away as my body expanded, muscles bulking up, and my senses sharpening.
Conjuring a large mirror, something I was glad I could still do even in my Animagus form, I looked at my full form, and what I saw took my breath away. I had basically transformed into an Alduin look-alike but the size of Smaug from the Hobbit movie. My dark and imposing scales shimmered in the light. Unlike Alduin and Smaug, though, I had arms separate from my wings. Powerful, clawed, muscular arms. With the wings extending from my back rather than being attached to my arms like those wyverns that call themselves dragons. My massive wings were folded neatly against my back, but I could easily manoeuvre them like I would my normal limbs in human form.
"Wyverns," I scoffed, my deep, intimidating voice rumbling out of my mouth as I did so. It was another blessing that my voice wasn't serpent-like, that would have just been too embarrassing. I flexed my claws and spread my wings, feeling the immense power and potential in every movement. If I wasn't careful, I could accidentally destroy towns.
"Master Dragon…be dragon, sir!" Poppy exclaimed, having apparated close by when I first spoke. Seeing that my Animagus form is a magical creature, I wondered if this would now let me turn into other magical creatures or if this transformation was an anomaly due to me being Dragon-born in the first place.
"Indeed." As much as I wanted to try the Thu'um, especially now, I would have to hold off until later. "Step away now, time to take flight." As she did so, I fully stretched out my wings and launched myself upward and around the expanded trunk to my heart's content. It may not be the actual sky, but flying around multiple fields worth of space was incredibly freeing. Without even realising it, I ended up spending an hour just examining my new form, testing my strength and agility, and just gliding around.
With the successful transformation behind me, I transformed back to my human form, told Poppy she could continue with her regular duties and left the enchanted trunk, casting [Invisibility] and [Muffle] as I did so. Making my way through the corridors undetected, when I arrived at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, I waited patiently for one of the lions to open it. Soon enough, a group of Gryffindor second-year students approached, providing the required password while laughing and talking among themselves.
It really shouldn't be that easy to enter another house's common room, it would make more sense to link it to a person's magic when they start school. That way someone couldn't just listen to the password, make their way in and cause havoc…like the twins for example. Now that I think about it, how have they not made their way into Slytherin to do just that?
When the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, I seized the opportunity, slipping in behind them without a sound. Once inside the bustling common room, I carefully navigated my way towards the boys' dormitories. The room itself was just as spacious as Ravenclaw's but with a lot of lion portraits and an unnecessary amount of red and gold colouring.
Climbing the stairs, I made my way towards the room where I sensed Pettigrew in. The same one he was in the other times I had checked on his status to make sure the timeline hadn't changed too much. There was always a possibility Moldy Shorts might make contact and have him do his bidding, but clearly, that wasn't the case. Peering inside, I spotted Scabbers sitting on the bedside table. From there, it was as easy as casting a quick [Stupefy] on the rat before picking it up, casting [Invisibility] on it and making my way back out of the common room just as quietly as I had entered.
Soon enough, I reached Professor McGonagall's office, cancelling the spells as I did so. I then knocked on the door, and waited. I knew it was outside of her available hours on a Saturday, but she tends to spend more time in her office than other teachers. It may be due to her role as Deputy Headmaster, but something tells me it's a personality thing.
A moment later, the door opened to reveal Professor McGonagall, her stern expression softening slightly when she saw who it was. "Mr. Grey, how may I help you?" she asked, as she glanced at the rat I was holding.
"Well..."
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"Oh, well. What's life without a few dragons?"
— Ron Weasley
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Author Here
John starts tutoring Daphne and gets his personal Animagus transformation. It's not surprising to see what the animal is, but I never really liked the fact that some dragons had arm-wings, so I separated them. He's dragonborn, not wyvernborn. Say it with me, "Arms!!!"
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