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Do you know the feeling when you wake up and just feel new? Refreshed? Like a million bucks? You don't? Well, too bad for you! If you do, then you can imagine exactly how I feel right now.
I just finished my daily morning rituals—some exercise, a shower, pancakes and coffee for breakfast—and now I feel complete and ready to deal with the headache that's coming my way…
Oh, who am I kidding? This is going to be just me testing how patient I can be before I start a massacre.
The first test subjects of the day are the masked and cloaked individuals who have been trying to get into Hogwarts for hours. I'll just have Hogwarts send them to the Forbidden Forest to clean the Acromantula nest there—that's exactly what I did—though I also told her to bring them to the medical wing in case of injuries. Now all I have to do is go and tell Madam Pomfrey about it, just to spare myself the lecture, and that's it.
"Madam Pomfrey, good morning," I greeted the Hogwarts nurse as soon as I arrived in the medical wing…
"Came here for that checkup, have you? I thought you would hide from me for a while, hoping I would forget," she gave a suspicious look while looking me up and down.
To tell the truth, I kind of forgot about that, even though I can't forget. It seems that my mind was protecting me from the judgmental looks and scolding.
"Uh, yeah, that, and also to give you a heads-up about some possibly injured people coming in…" I fumbled a little. Good job, me—ugh, anyway, this is not the time to scold myself for my irrational fear of the school nurse.
"What do you mean, possibly injured people incoming? Who is injured? How did they get injured? Mr. Potter, what did you do?" she started asking while looking at me with that gaze that adults give children when they are expecting bad news. I am not thrilled with the treatment I am receiving right now, but for the life of me, I can't bring myself to bite back at her…
"Uh, I don't know who they are. They have been here for hours trying to enter Hogwarts, but I sent them to the Forbidden Forest to clear the Acromantula nest that has been disturbing the balance there. You know, before they start getting stronger," I tried to keep an even voice and maintain direct eye contact with her when I replied.
She just stood there for a second, staring at me, before she sighed and began gathering things around the room—thankfully, she did, because not even one minute later, two people were delivered to the infirmary with blood all over themselves—I just moved them onto the beds and stayed quiet near the door.
Three more arrived not a minute later, with only one of them looking haggard while the rest were injured.
"Where?" he started looking around while pointing his wand everywhere. I just snapped my fingers, and his wand flew from his hand into mine.
This immediately got his attention locked onto me, and thus began the stare-down until he did something reckless and tried to look into my mind.
Now, usually, this kind of stupidity would cost one's life, but I let him in there for a second before kicking him out.
He immediately lost consciousness and dropped onto the ground—using Legilimency on me is a stupid move—first, because my mind is protected, and I'm constantly upgrading that protection. And second, because my mindscape is shaped after the void I was in before coming here... The only reason I myself know how to navigate being there, tell time, as well as actually endure being there is because it's my own mindscape—this also means insanity might be a very mild consequence of using Legilimency on me.
Anyway, I just dropped him on a nearby bed and went out, not before changing their status in Hogwarts to "prisoners," though.
An Auror squad was waiting outside the doors of Hogwarts. That was the notification that prompted me to leave the infirmary without checking the people that arrived first…
It just dawned on me that this upgrade might have cost Hagrid his job. Eh, I'll just find a new one for him.
Anyway, with Hogwarts' help, I was transported to the front door, which caused the Aurors to assume defensive postures, but I didn't mind that. I just looked at the woman in the center, surrounded by six Aurors: Amelia Bones. Hmmm, this might be interesting after all.
"What can I do for you ladies and gentlemen?" I asked in a calm voice.
"Mr. Potter, we are here to investigate what happened at Hogwarts and to make sure the children are okay." Although her voice was calm, I could still feel the worry emanating from her. Why? Oh right! She did have a niece staying here.
"Well, I thought I already told Ms. Tonks everything, but sure, come on in," I replied dramatically, "Just make sure your Aurors don't do anything stupid." I added as I started heading back—I think my cold tone got the message across.
As we walked in awkward silence, I decided that starting a conversation would be better, so I did just that.
"Amelia, you don't mind me calling you that, do you? I'm sure you don't," I began, without giving her a chance to reply—the small, almost unnoticeable eye twitch told me that she did in fact mind...
I didn't care about her feelings though, so I continued: "Right now, we have a five-person squad cloaked in black and wearing masks being treated in the infirmary. You don't know anything about that, do you?" She furrowed her eyebrows slightly but didn't answer, so I continued, "They arrived here hours ago and tried everything to enter Hogwarts before I just threw them into the Forbidden Forest, into an Acromantula nest that needed clearing. You don't happen to know anything about these individuals, right? Because believe it or not, I'll be getting the information I want one way or the other, but it's better for everyone that we go about this in a more civil way." My voice had turned cold by the end of my statement as I leaked a small amount of malice…
This prompted one of the Aurors to raise his wand and cast the Killing Curse at me—I didn't even flinch.
We were inside Hogwarts, and any curse cast at me by a person of his level wouldn't affect me while in here—Hogwarts' protection and all that.
There are many other reasons, but I'm not sharing all my secrets now... Plus, I wanted to see the looks on their faces while also flexing a little to spread false information. I want them to believe I was immortal as long as Voldemort is alive and this is the perfect chance…
There it was—the look of horror and haunting fear that spread across their faces after witnessing one of them casting the *Avada Kedavra* curse on me while I shrugged it off like it was a Tickling Charm—of course, now that I had a reason to take action, I did. I transported the man into one of the unused classrooms with a snap of my fingers, and the wands of the rest flew towards me with another snap.
"Amelia, and here I thought we were getting along well, and then one of your men tries to kill me. Is that what you're here for?" I asked with a mock cheerful voice and cheeky smile on my face. "Or is it so hard for you to understand that only Voldemort can kill me, and I him?" My last line landed with the needed impact, cracking Madam Bones' stoic mask, which was now replaced by a somber expression. The fear in the faces of the other Aurors brought me happiness. I have not forgotten that these sheep put me in Azkaban…
'I'm really good at playing villain, huh? Maybe it's a gift,' a wasteful thought popped into my head, which I just ignored…
We arrived in the Great Hall after walking the rest of the journey in silence. As we walked in, I saw Susan Bones rushing past me into the embrace of Amelia while shouting, "Auntie!"…
I just smiled and made my way towards the headmaster's seat and sat down—this Looks like it's going to be a long day…
xxx
I had been sitting in the headmaster's chair in the Great Hall for ten minutes now, waiting for the talks and murmurs to stop or for a brave—stupid—person to start questioning why I am sitting here.
I'm sure it won't take long.
I also received a notification on my Grimoire that the new level of the so-called 'Defense/Dark Arts' is already compiled and analyzed. So, while waiting for the commotion to cease, I started browsing and reading what the master's level is about.
It's a contradictory subject to study. What they label as 'Dark' is actually magic heavily based on the desire aspect of wizardry. Sure, it's a dangerous area of study, especially for the young, but I don't get what all the fuss is about…
To give you an example, there's a spell named "*umburam siphonare*"—a spell invented by a seriously ill wizard who used shadows as a medium to siphon a bit of magic and life energy from the surroundings, be it people or objects, to keep himself going while trying to invent a cure for himself.
This spell, when cast, feeds on desperation, fear, and envy, along with magic, to kick-start it into reality. The sensation of the spell's feedback—in my opinion—is what drives most people into this branch of magic, because it provides a feeling of hope, contentment, and liberation, alongside the thrill of the power that the caster siphons.
These feedbacks are intense and rarely negative, and, as you know, humans are seldom content with what they have; thus, they often indulge in the false feedback that this desire-based branch of magic—or dark magic, if you prefer—provides.
There are multiple ways to lessen or even eliminate these drawbacks, ranging from consistent Occlumency practices to periodic purification rituals, but these dimwits either hoarded the knowledge, lost it, or banned it.
Ugh, the more I read, the more reasons I find to hate them. It seems I'm going to have to start enforced periodic purification rituals here at school.
Another problem to address later.
My reading time was disturbed by the voice of a man entering the Great Hall while shouting. I lifted my head to see who it was and discovered that it was the one who had tried to invade my mind.
Should I congratulate him for not going crazy, or should I beat the hell out of him for disturbing me? I still haven't decided.
'And how did he even get out of the medical ward?' I thought, but the answer came in the form of a gleeful feeling through my bond with Hogwarts…
'Ah, it seems Hogwarts is feeling mischievous.'
I snapped my fingers, and he was silenced by a quick spell that he almost evaded. Hmm, maybe he's not that bad after all.
"Now then, Mr. Mysterious, you came to my school with God knows what intentions. You started trying to force your way in; I dealt with you lightly, but you didn't seem to get the message. Then you tried to invade my mind, and the first thing you do after waking up is cause a commotion in the Great Hall. My question to you is: were you born this stupid, or did you acquire this talent with age?" My sarcastic questioning voice seemed to agitate him further, but it drew a few giggles from the students and the Aurors around…
I snapped my fingers again, and the silencing charm on him was lifted. He started talking.
"Mr. Potter, you are hereby informed that you will be arrested for your transgressions against the Unspeakables and the Department of Mysteries. Your list of crimes will be compiled when we take you with us…" He was sadly interrupted by a swift petrification curse cast by yours truly, leaving him standing there like a stone statue with his mouth open.
'Officials and their egos, I bet he's more mad about the beat down they got than what they actually came here for' I sarcastically thought…
I then directed my attention to Amelia, who had been sitting at the Hufflepuff table with her niece.
"Is it a special requirement in the Ministry to hire only stupid and incompetent people? Or is it just the inbreeding in the land that has made it so hard to come across a smart person? Is it a hopeless endeavor for me to try to elevate and improve the wizarding society of the British Isles? Because if it is, tell me now, so I can leave and let you all either die or become slaves to Voldemort. I don't have time to waste on foolish people who can't seem to grasp the message that the old Harry Potter is dead. The new me is going to either transform this wizarding society into something great or let it burn out and build something remarkable from the ashes of the old. Now, this has spoiled the mood for me, so start asking what you want before taking this garbage and his friends with you when you leave." My tone was steady until it turned cold at the end. I saw her grimace slightly before composing herself.
"Mr. Potter, we want to know the details of the ritual that occurred at Hogwarts, and we also want to know where the Headmaster is," she said.
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen. The ritual details will not be shared with anyone. As for the Headmaster, he was cursed by a ring and is now on sabbatical," I replied with a straight face.
"Mr. Potter, this is not a negotiation. We need the ritual details to assure the concerned guardians of the children that everything is okay, and to make sure that it is," she insisted with a forced tone.
"Exactly, this is not a negotiation. The ritual details are and will always be a Hogwarts secret. You can't and will not be getting it from anywhere. As for the guardians of the students, they can come and see for themselves that their kids are okay," I said with a smile. I think she understood the meaning behind my words, judging by the forced smile and the annoyance radiating off of her.
I had essentially told her I didn't trust them with the knowledge, chalking it up as a Hogwarts secret for convenience's sake.
"Mr. Potter, there's also the issue of legacy books vanishing from libraries around the world. That wouldn't be your doing, would it?" she asked seemingly giving up on the issue for now…
"Oh, and which family is bold enough to claim that they stole Hogwarts' books and is now crying to have them returned? You see, Madam Bones, any book that has ever been given to Hogwarts, directly or indirectly, is imprinted with its magic. It's a fascinating feature created by Ravenclaw when they founded Hogwarts. Now, all the books that have been missing from the library have returned and are here. Tell those who claim their legacy is stolen to take it up with Ravenclaw or with their thieving ancestors." My blunt words caused her to recoil slightly, but she tried another approach.
"Mr. Potter, some books contain dark magic…"
"Amelia, dear" I cut in and said in a smooth tone "why don't you go to the library and broaden your horizons about magic before you say something foolish and embarrass yourself? My recommendation is to start with the theory of magic written by the founders. This will be the only thing taught in school for the upcoming days," I said with a smile, and she looked as if she had just tasted something sour. You would be too if you had been indirectly called ignorant by someone half your age…
"Now, I'm not in the mood for any more conversation, so do your own thing at your own risk—Hogwarts is watching. Classes are canceled for the next three days. Take my advice: start reading the magical theory books written by the founders. If you ask Hogwarts nicely, she'll provide you with a copy, no matter where you are, as long as you don't leave the school premises."
After I finished talking, I began heading toward the Room of Requirement to start studying and training in my new level of magic.
Hahahah, in a few days to weeks—depending on how much time I have—you'll be looking at Master Harry Potter, Master of "the dark arts," and maybe more if my Grimoire finishes doing its job in time…
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