That afternoon, Luke and his classmates finally attended their first lesson.
As they walked into the History of Magic classroom, the first thing they saw was their semi-transparent teacher, Professor Binns.
He stood quietly at the lectern, a ghost silently lost in thought.
Luke arrived early and chose a seat in the middle of the room.
Shortly after, Taylor, the descendant of a Seer, entered.
She kept her head down as she walked directly over to Luke and quietly sat beside him.
Luke raised an eyebrow but didn't ask why. At least she didn't seem to harbor any ill will toward him.
Soon, more and more students began filling the classroom. The class was shared with Ravenclaw, and the eagles had a natural affinity for History of Magic, as it was one of the subjects where their wisdom could shine.
However, Professor Binns' lectures always left students disappointed.
"From Merlin..."
The moment Professor Binns began speaking in his breathy, slow-paced voice, it felt like every student had been hit with a wave of drowsiness.
Nearly everyone looked ready to fall asleep.
For Luke, who hadn't slept well the night before, it was even worse. He had already been feeling sleepy before class, and the moment Binns opened his mouth, he immediately wanted to yawn.
Out of respect for the professor, though, Luke managed to stifle it, taking a deep breath instead and closing his eyes for a moment.
Behind him, Malfoy was much less restrained. He had already dozed off, with Crabbe and Goyle beside him falling asleep even faster.
When Luke turned around to check, he saw that the three were already "down for the count," and he couldn't help but press his lips together in amusement.
Professor Binns' lectures were notoriously dull, and he never focused on key points. He merely read from the textbook. If it had been a class like Luke's from his previous life, Binns would be the type of teacher who only knew how to read off PowerPoint slides…
With no phones or distractions to pass the time, Luke felt a sense of mild despair creeping in.
"... And when we speak of ancient magic, we often associate it with terms like secretive, unique, and unstable," Professor Binns droned on.
"Of course, there's one adjective that cannot be ignored—powerful."
"All instability brings power. Ancient rune-based magic is just one of the most widely known examples. Although it seems difficult to master, at its core, it's one of the ancient fundamental types of magic. More powerful magic was created by exceptional wizards who combined runic magic with their own talents to forge unique spells..."
At these words, Luke's attention snapped into focus. This kind of unique magic was something he had come across before in his family's secret records.
However, he had never been able to find any method to study or practice it.
There was barely any information available. Even in the Gaunt family's secret manuscripts, it was only mentioned that Slytherin had developed his own unique magic, but no further details, not even a name, let alone instructions for learning it.
"... It was a time when magic grew wildly, and once spellcasting techniques became more standardized, the risks of using magic decreased significantly. With the help of wands, the requirements for casting spells became lower and lower."
"Overall, the wizarding world has seen progress in both population and continuity of magical knowledge. However, many of those unique magics have gradually been lost. But as long as the desire to innovate remains, we believe that powerful, unique spells can still be created. Even if they may lack widespread applicability, they still show that the path of magic has not been fully closed..."
It was hard to believe that such an interesting and exciting topic—one that could easily stir up the curiosity and enthusiasm of all the young wizards—was being delivered by Professor Binns in such a dull, lifeless manner.
In fact, most of the young wizards didn't even hear this part of the lecture. Some were whispering among themselves, while others had already dozed off.
Wait—were some students "holding hands" under the desk?
Luke's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
How could they be doing that? They were only eleven years old! Isn't this a bit too early for a relationship?
He stared at the unknown pair of Ravenclaws across the room, unsure of what to think.
Just then, Luke felt a light poke on his arm.
Turning, he saw that Taylor, who had been sitting quietly beside him, had finally raised her head.
Under the dim, green candlelight the previous night, Luke hadn't gotten a good look at her, but now her face was clear.
Her soft features were striking, with vivid red lips and deep blue eyes.
For a brief moment, Luke found himself a bit mesmerized, but he quickly snapped out of it.
"What is it?"
He asked, his tone unintentionally softer than usual.
It couldn't be helped. For some people, exceptional beauty seemed to grant them certain privileges in life.
Taylor didn't respond with words. Instead, she began softly humming a melody while her fingers traced patterns in the air, as if conducting invisible notes.
The moment her song reached Luke's ears, the drowsiness clouding his mind vanished instantly.
A flash of surprise crossed his face.
If Professor Binns' voice had a sleep-inducing magic quality, then Taylor's song was the real deal—it was magic that could instantly clear the fog of sleep.
And it wasn't any magic Luke had ever heard of.
The song didn't last long, but even after Taylor stopped, Luke remained wide awake. Part of it was the lingering effect of the magic, but the other part was simply the impact Taylor herself had made on him. He wondered how long the spell would last.
"What are you doing?"
Luke asked quietly, still a little confused.
"You seemed really interested in Innate magic"
Taylor replied, blinking innocently.
Luke, however, wasn't in the mood to play along. "This isn't something you should just casually show to others," he said seriously.
Without her needing to explain, Luke already understood why Voldemort had targeted her family. This so-called "Innate magic" couldn't have escaped his notice. If it was something that could be passed down through a stable inheritance or taught to others, Voldemort would definitely want it.
It could give him a new advantage—either by attracting more followers or by recruiting magical scholars obsessed with pushing the limits of their craft.
Even though Taylor's magic didn't seem to have strong combat applications, Luke could easily imagine how its potential might lure those with darker ambitions.
Taylor held Luke's gaze for a long time before finally speaking.
"Even though you don't believe in my grandmother's prophecy, I still have to tell you this: if Harry Potter is the Savior in Trelawney's prophecy, then the Savior in my grandmother's prophecy is you."
"Luke Gaunt."
*****
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