Chapter 28
"Protego," displeasing the charm much to the shock of everyone present, except for the trouble trio, who had an idea of what Gray was capable of. "Rictusempra!" Gray then cast, and before Draco could react, he was sent flying backward, landing right at Snape's feet. Some students laughed, while Draco looked up at Snape in frustration.
Snape then pulled Draco to his feet and pushed him forward as Lockhart said, "I said disarm only!" Draco raised his wand before casting "Serpensortia," which summoned a snake, only for Gray to levitate the snake and kill it in a small explosion by casting Bombarda, again, much to the shock of everyone, before he turned towards Draco, which he immediately immobilized by casting Immobulus on him. Gray then looked at Snape, "I don't think there is any point to this duel," before he stepped down.
the atmosphere buzzed with excitement and whispers after the duel. Professor Lockhart stepped forward, brushing off his cape and positioning himself center stage with a confident smile plastered across his face. "Well, wasn't that just extraordinary?" he exclaimed, his voice booming to capture everyone's attention. "A round of applause for our brave contestants! Bravo, bravo!" The students hesitated at first but soon began to clap, some more enthusiastically than others. Lockhart beamed, basking in the moment before continuing.
"Now, let's talk about excellence!" He gestured dramatically toward Gray, who stood off to the side, arms crossed and expression unimpressed. "Our very own Gray Knight has shown us all just what it means to be a true wizard today! Did you see that remarkable defensive spell? A Protego that not only blocked the attack but left Draco utterly flabbergasted! Quite the show of skill, wouldn't you say?"
Lockhart, completely oblivious, continued, "And that final spell—Immobulus! My word! A masterstroke! You've raised the bar for all students here at Hogwarts." As Lockhart rambled on, Snape stood at the edge of the stage, his gaze fixed on Draco, who remained frozen in place. The corners of Snape's mouth twitched in a semblance of a smile, though his eyes remained as cold as ever.
With a flick of his wand, Snape released the spell binding Draco, who immediately crumpled to the floor, groaning. "You should consider yourself fortunate, Malfoy," Snape said, his tone laced with disdain. "Next time, be better." Draco glared up at Snape, still recovering from the shock of defeat, but the Potions Master paid him no mind. With that, Snape turned sharply on his heel and strode away from the stage, leaving Lockhart to continue his self-promotion, unaware of the eye-rolling and whispers of discontent among the students.
Meanwhile, Gray arrived outside of Hogwarts and stepped into the green grass. "It's good to touch some grass once in a while," he said as he took in a deep breath, smelling the freshly cut grass. "Maybe I should have the suitcase modified and upgraded to include some scenery." He then walked around the castle, literally. He had felt cramped from being hauled up in his suitcase, so he walked around the castle as he looked around. "I should probably explore the Forbidden Forest through the upcoming months, find some rare ingredients." With a plan and a goal ahead, time slowly passed for Gray and the rest at Hogwarts. Gray spent the upcoming months either brewing potions, going through the Forbidden Forest—sneakily, of course—or watching the rest of Hogwarts wait for the next attack from the Slytherin heir, which never came, so eventually, everyone forgot about the attacks, except for ginny weasly who was acting weird around him, until she managed the courage to say thank you to him.
He also mastered several spells, such as Accio, which summoned objects to him, Incendio, and Baubillious, which was a charm that produced a bright yellow light on top of the caster's wand. He also heavily researched apparition, and although he could perform it, barely, he didn't actually execute the spell. However, that was not the most notable event of the second year at Hogwarts. The most remarkable thing Gray did in his second year was reaching level 6, which was the hardest thing he had done, as the difficulty of leveling up had skyrocketed. He also managed to discover that not only was Tom Riddle Voldemort, but the book, which was a diary, was actually a Horcrux—an artifact that contained a piece of a wizard's soul, a way to achieve immortality. As long as these items remained, the wizard was technically alive.
This discovery led to Gray becoming greatly interested in Horcruxes, which branched out into Gray studying enchantment. After months of hard work, he was finally able to enchant a necklace he made with the Protego charm on it. And why was he doing such a task? Simple—enchanted items don't set off the Trace on underaged wizards. So, he wanted to create or order custom-made armor and weapons for his exploration in the coming summer. Yes, Gray was thinking of going on another journey, and he was going to commission the armor and the sword.
Currently, Gray was leaving Hogwarts, carrying his suitcase as he smiled, but his smile faded when he remembered what he had to perform once he left Hogwarts grounds and the task he had to do. "Time to perform that Animagus ritual. Why does it have to be so complicated?" he groaned as he boarded the train, unaware that Dumbledore, along with McGonagall, was observing him. "Do you believe Mr. Knight to be the one to take down the basilisk?" she asked, to which Dumbledore replied.
"He is the only student that fits the description. Not only does he rank the highest in Potions class as well as spell practice, but Gray is also physically superior to even the fourth years, not to mention his spell-casting. You've seen Snape's report—Gray outmatches some of the 6th-year students, even some 7th years." Dumbledore paused and sighed. "Let's hope he brings peace instead of misfortune," he said, remembering another young and promising student who turned to the dark side.
[ 1 month and half later later ]
It was the middle of June, and Gray, who had just picked up his custom-made armor, including a gauntlet, shoulder guards, chest armor, trousers, shoes, and a separate mask, could be seen looking as tired as ever, and for a good reason too. Gray had spent his time from May to the middle of June trying to perform the Animagus ritual, which began with him placing a mandrake leaf in his mouth from one full moon to the next. At the next visible full moon, Gray spat the saliva-filled leaf into a small crystal phial that received the moon's pure rays, which he had prepared.
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A/N Yes, gray is going to have a Horcrux. also what do you think grays animagus form would be?(hint, think of what the sorting said and the house he was sorted into.)