Chapter 67 - Time Turns - Chapter 68 The DA (Patreon)

It is upon my first day in Hogwarts - the night of the Feast, I am given the Time Turner I was promised by Dumbledore for my classes. Flitwick explains the rules of the Turner.

“This object is incredibly powerful, and I don’t know what Dumbledore told them to get one with so much sand, but with your responsibilities, schedule and other activities, it will be needed. There is enough time stored in this for you to take 12 extra hours every day for the next year - when your 7th year will begin. You can use it, theoretically, seven times per day, but using it for more than 12 hours per day will use time you are going to have to take from other days. Also, if you allow a past version of yourself to see a future version of yourself, you will be in trouble. Thus, I recommend having no more than three of yourself at any given time. You can go back as far as Six hours at a time with this. It is designed so you can live your morning until lunch, eat lunch, go back in time, do your morning again, and then live your next morning and then your evening, then use it and then do your evening again. This should take 8 of the allocated 12 hours per day. An additional 4 hours was allowed so that you can have time for studying, extra sleep, and work which you may need to do aside from schoolwork, which is related to your house. However, as you have an extra summers-worth of time - 60 days of 12 hours per day - I think that you can afford, on busy days, to indulge a bit.” he concludes, and I nod, understanding.

I have 720 hours of ‘free, untrackable time’. This is before I count in Winter Holidays, the fact I never need to do my homework, or even write my notes now due to spells which do it all for me, and indeed, all scholarly functions fall into place.

School takes 12 hours per-day, roughly. I plan to use the Turner between classes to keep the time I use as tight as possible, shave off 15 minutes with every passing period, 30 minutes on break, and however long it takes me to eat.

“Thank you, I guess I’ll go now. I need to schedule out how to keep up with everything I need to do. Mondays, at least, will be very… unpleasant.” I grumble, and get a nod, and look of laughter as I leave.

Monday I still need to attend Wizengamot meetings. I can’t delegate, due to the need to appear strong, and no one holding the strength of personality I do. The force of presence.

I’ll just ask the Elves to pack me sandwiches to eat when I use the Turner. Pack full meals for the Wizengamot meetings. I hate to be a burden, but some things must be done to make myself respected and known in the political circle. To put the people at their ease with me.

Someone who likes to be treated as an equal, but who doesn’t understand how things work. This is how I want to appear. It will be condescending, how people will ‘treat me like an equal’ while talking down to me. Well, the people not in my alliances will do that, but the deception is not for them.

Then I have classes.

Most of my classes, the main ones at any rate, are covered by 2 hour blocks. Most mornings I have 2 of them, then 1 more in the afternoon. I have 2 electives - just before lunch each day - and 2 more just after lunch each day. Some electives are 2 hour blocks, some are 1 hour blocks. 7 Classes per day, I have 14 classes - Muggle Studies and Astronomy were the classes Dumbledore had left out - which was all very well, considering both had no actual magic, and lots of theory and memorization, which I had already done. Extra work from them would be a pile of essays.

So I have Alchemy, Healing, Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Enchanting, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Magical Theory, History, Warding.

12 hour schedules. Very tightly scheduled. On Monday there will have to be three of me running around. On any other day, there is likely to be only two. Taking a nap after classes, then doing training over the night before sleeping for the required amount before the next day using the turner will be required. I need to wring the maximum out of the device while I have it.

There’s no time to waste.

The classes rotate, as is normal, so any given day I may have any given classes, but I’m confident I could take the NEWT - or even the Mastery - in most of the classes I’m attending. I’m only attending to force the classes to recognize me and teach me tricks I did not teach myself, find myself in books, or otherwise wring out of the teachers already.

The only issue with my taking of Defence - Dumbledore had not needed to remove it from my schedule after all - had been the new teacher.

Dolores Jane Umbridge.

She has no masteries in any magical - or indeed Hogwarts recognized - subjects. She hasn’t even gotten her NEWTs in Transfiguration or Defence. Her NEWT isn’t recorded for Charms - meaning she didn’t get an O even. According to the records I can find, she probably didn’t get an Exceeds Expectations in the subject, and she has never gone for a greater level of mastery.

In short - she is not qualified to teach the class of Defence Against the Dark Arts. She isn’t qualified to be a teacher of any subject, and her placement here has been confirmed - of her own words - to be the Ministry’s agent on the ground for watching Dumbledore, who has been proclaiming the return of Voldemort since the end of the Tri-Wizard. Harry has been subtly supporting this, as have the Longbottom house, and a few others.

Publicly, this has been done. Every major house has, behind closed doors, acknowledged this, to my knowledge from my alliances and other sources of information. Indeed, the French government has already asked our minister if he would like a full squadron - 7 squads of 10 - French Aurors to come over and help to maintain the peace.

That had come out two Wizengamot meetings ago, and he had burned the letter, not even deigning to respond.

The Wizengamot makes the laws, but the Minister is the face - and final decider - for any international correspondence. He makes the choices. So while the Wizengamot may be very angry about this, no one can do anything about it. No one can change his decrees.

He also has been forcing through laws and things the Wizengamot shoots down as Minstrel Decrees. Like the Educational Act, which is what landed us with Umbridge.

The Wizengamot had declined it, thrice, over the summer. It was instated the day after the third as a Decree, and no one in the Wizengamot could overturn it until he was given a vote of no-confidence.

Which requires an ‘overwhelming majority’ vote. Three Fourths of the Wizengamot.

Voldemort - the Dark Side - controls at least one-third of the votes. Everyone knows this, so it hasn’t even been raised. Fudge was useful. Declining to do anything about Voldemort coming back. He would not go, until the houses supporting him saw the light, died, or were forced somehow.

I can only see this being done through violence. They will never see the light.

This means we have the least valuable teacher Hogwarts has ever seen, who assigned a book worth almost nothing in terms of defensive knowledge. It’s more propaganda than actual effective teaching material, and according to the author, almost every duelling circuit should be illegal.

This isn’t stated outright, but the declaration and defamation of most counterspells, jinxes and hexes which, if used on people who don’t have the spell they counter cast upon them, cause damage.

I’m impressed he didn’t condemn levitation charms, transfiguration of inanimate to animate, and other forms of combat. Every elemental spell - or spells which require more than the average mana to cast - were labelled as ‘... potential gateways to the Dark Arts. To be banned the world over in the next twenty years.’

The book was a joke, in short.

The final straw, which I thought was rather funny, was her Stats.

None over 50, her level is 22. She has less mana than the average fifth year. She doesn’t have enough mana to conjure a shield-charm for more than 30 seconds.

She’s a politician. She’s utterly useless, and her flaws are numerous. Her biography reads as though she hates people under the age of 25, she certainly dislikes me - considers me an upstart.

My relationship - before I’ve met her in person - is -3/10.

The good news, I guess, is that she has to teach all of the Defence Classes herself. She must have a Time Turner for that, and she won’t be able to remember every student's name, most likely. She will be grading for at least every hour she spends teaching - which will be no less than 14 hours a day.

She doesn’t have enough mana, after all, to auto-grade every essay with magic like I could.

So, if she is to attend meals, gather information, and make a nuisance of herself by assigning detentions and hosting those, she must have a Time Turner. She’ll be pulling - I expect - 48 hours for every 24 a normal person pulls.

Maybe more. It depends on how good of a Turner she has. They cap-out at 18 hours back. Honestly, she’ll be teaching three classes at the same time, some days.

Which will make her miserable, unless she takes whole days off at a time. 18 hours back, then again, and again for her day off.

I can’t do that, of course, but I can make her life subtly very hard. I can beat her into the floor with magical theory, Defensive applications and so forth for everything she may teach.

Counter-curses are bad? I hope you don’t need the counter to Petrificus Totalus, which when cast on someone not under that exact spell causes you to feel like someone rubbed your whole body with sandpaper.

I snort in derision. There are over 20 body bind curses, and Petrificus Totalus is only the most effective. Hence why it is used. The others are either more mana-hungry, require constant mana flow to hold, or only lock up certain regions, like an improperly cast body-binder.

I’ll silently and wandlessly hit her with a few of those and see how much she likes puzzling out how to take off the one which binds only the right side of a person, or only the left, or only the head, legs and fingers on her left hand.

That one had been an arithmetic mistake which hadn’t blown up, and was considered useless. I only know about it from the creators notes. The creator had been a student - and was someone who I read the notes of for Arithmancy levels.

Tom Marilan was a good - perhaps skilled is a better word - Wizard. He liked jokes, and figured leaving your arms and legs bound would be funny, because you would have to use your body to wriggle around like a snake.

He was a Slytherin who hated people saying they all slithered around like snakes. Not a nice wizard - not a Light wizard, but very good at Arithmancy.

The records show he got an O in every wanded bit of testing, and graduated maybe thirty years ago.

Either way it ends up, though, making her life very hard will be my personal mission. I may not be able to drive her from the castle with the force of the Wizengamot, or through force of political weight, or even through other means, but I can make her want with all of her heart to leave, and never return.

She is a vile bit of scum, and I intend to make her show off exactly how vile she is, and make her either repent her ways, and become worthy of her position, or make her quit.

The Curse of Voldemort hasn’t been in the DADA position for a long time, and I’m very interested in getting a good, long term teacher for the post. I will remove, via force if needed, every poor DADA teacher who ambles along before then.

Someone I can either take-over for, or work alongside when I’m done Curse-Breaking. My last year here will have a good teacher, and if not, I’ll teach half of the damned class myself. Or see they get taught by people who can teach.

I only tend to work with my friends, but having them mime the lessons to their houses and ‘leave the Raven Queen out of it to see how she figures it out on her own’ ought to buy them a few good points in the school's books.

Everyone wants me to fail, after all. Top student in every subject, by a wide margin, and setting new records every year. They want me to slow down, stop making them look bad, and just do some academic things.

It’ll never happen. But, getting my allies positioned in power over my potential enemies will give me information, far and wide.

As long as my friends don’t decide to side with them, over me, eventually.

It probably won’t happen, because when I need to be, I can be very charming.

I’ll be tutoring Jasmine, and her friends, at least. My friends in all likelihood, and maybe some others who swallow their pride and ask for help, instead of making me offer it to them, like they’re my equal, or better.

As the head of my house, I can’t afford to let people think they have power over me.

My friends know this, as does my sister. I would teach Adam, and his friends, but I think half of them may try to kill me, so he can take over the family.

A bit sad, the next in line is Jasmine.

Sad for him and his friends, maybe.

So, for my first night back, I plot. How to make this year the most profitable for me. Politically, financially, academically, and perhaps most importantly, how can I make this year the most profitable for my skill with my Shadow-Magics.

I need to make them impregnable, after all. Attain true mastery of the art.

I have one year - until early May - to get that done. Then, I can begin my attack on the forces of Lord Voldemort.

Quietly. Subtly. Quickly.

Druidic families, first.

.*****.

All of my classes were going as expected. The fact Rickie was teaching two of them was interesting, but she handled them like her independent lectures, and gave me a slightly mocking look, like I was wasting my time, and held me back to give me extra work - to my actual level - before kicking me out.

Things I would actually have to do, research.

“This is the entire point of school. I’m not going to have you stagnate and waste your potential. I intend to force you to read at least 25 new magical grimoires on every subject I teach, and you’ll be grateful when you’re the best at any of the Warding and Alchemical fields anyone has seen in the last thousand years. Now go! Gaelin won’t tolerate tardiness in his first Transfiguration lesson.”

Gaelin’s lessons, however, were much more laid back. He casually set everyone to learning to turn matches to needles - without the incantation and extra points if you do it without moving your wand.

I did it on my first try, so he moved me, alone, up and up through every major spell in Transfiguration, before sighing and handing me a very small potion bottle.

“It will take your classmates a month or so to learn non-verbal casting.” His quiet rumble was heard by none other than me, it seems, even though it should have carried. I could sense ambient magic in the room, was he manipulating it to affect the sound? I don’t detect an actual spell… A useful skill. Maybe affecting the air-density using some manipulation he hasn’t taught me, yet. “This will show you the first step to Animagus. Drink it alone, and then focus on slowly manifesting the form. I suspect you will be some kind of predator. A bird of prey, a fox, wolf, bear, something which can hunt. Likely, you will lean towards avian or more elegant land-based critters. Birds take longest, due to being antithetical in their body to us, mammals are easiest to learn to transform into. When you finish, come to me and show me, and I will give you your next task.” He instructs, and I nod.

I’ll try to have this done in two weeks. Having perfect control of my memories in the Mind-scape and being able to meditate for long periods - in place of sleep - helps. I doubt I will truly sleep at all this year. Just meditate in place of it. Having this to meditate on is going to be good. I’ll see if anything I have will help me learn this faster than the obvious.

I don’t want to waste time, after all.

Defence, though? Well, the classroom itself is different. Most teachers put up things they’ll teach about. Creatures, in tanks, posters depicting spells, warding items - like Garlic - to keep creatures away - and so forth.

Umbridge had made the room look almost like a tea-shop. This could be useful, to show you may need Defence anywhere. I suspect she has this room for higher-level students, as I know, at least, she has two other classrooms for other years.

She’s probably in all three, right now.

Umbridge herself looks pristine, sitting on the comfy chair behind a desk which sits on the far side of the room. She is quietly watching us enter - no grading as I would be in her position. Wasting time.

Useless woman.

She is wearing a bright pink ensemble, with the stupid black bow which was very well made, but contrasts sharply with her outfit so as to seem out of place. She should have gone with another bright colour. As it is, it looks like someone dumped ink on her head, or some kind of black thing is sitting in her hair.

The little bow almost looks like a fly.

And she, of course, looks like a fat pink toad. Observe had her title of “Toad” marked first - what people call her most often.

I internally giggle at her misfortune.

None in the class had failed to put together her message last night - everyone had listened. She is here to watch Hogwarts. Here to interfere.

We pretended to not listen to any start-of-year announcements, as all older students did, but we’d all heard.

My suspicion is she will be quick to punish, harsh in her punishment and exceedingly irritating. Opposing her must be done in ways she cannot detect or deal with easily.

I took my seat, somewhere in the middle at a cosy, small table with Sarah and Muirin. The rest of the class followed suit. I carefully placed a few traps around, then set them to go off thirty minutes after we left. Well, if Umbridge walks over them in the next 24 hours, after we’ve been gone 30 minutes. She may connect this class to those traps, but she’ll be unable to prove anything.

“Good afternoon, class!” She says, her voice too sugary sweet, almost childish and unbecoming of a woman. It makes me feel ill, hearing her speak.

I get what she is going for at once, and grin. “Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.” I play along, speaking loudly enough that everyone can hear my response. I allow my face to show a bit of excitement, though not for the reason she will think up - not any of them.

Everyone else’s mumbled “Afternoon” and other such are overridden by my calm declaration - very formal. She gives me a curious - almost weary look. Then she turns to the rest of the class with dismay in her tone now. Like rotten sugar.

“That won’t do! You must reply to me, when entering my class, as Miss Hawthorne has. “Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge”. Everyone, please, once more.” She pauses for effect. “Good afternoon, class!” She chirps triumphantly, and everyone follows her command.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad. This year, we’ll be going over the theory of what you should know so far. No wands will ever be drawn in my class, and, indeed, no spells will be cast. If I find any of you breaking this rule, then you will serve detention with me for a week. We will cover the theory basics which you should know over the next few months. I have five years of poor teaching, fragmented and disrupted classes and almost never ministry approved teachings. Even in your first year-” She continues, and I ignore her, for stamping out my anger at her slander of Allsbrook, surely the best teacher this place has had in many years.

She moves on after a moment, recounting how each teacher failed in some way - except for Quirrel - who ironically was the host to the spirit of Lord Voldemort.

I don’t say so, of course. It would be a bit foolhardy to do so, now.

“We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please.”

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message - saying her name and how this was a ‘return to the basics’ vanished and was replaced by the 'Course Aims'.

1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.

3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

I pretended to write it down - but in reality tapped my paper and the words wrote themselves for me. After about twenty-five seconds I put my quill down and looked up, then raised my hand.

We may not be casting spells in this class, however…

“Yes, Miss Hawthorne?” She asks, and I grin.

“Lady Hawthorne, if you please. Formalities must be maintained. But yes, my question. Could you elaborate on the third point? Placing the use of defensive magic in context for practical use? I do, of course, know that sometimes you need to use defensive magic for things, disarming charms and the like, of course, but I was curious how the use being put in context could be different from when you are allowed to use it legally. It seems like a variation. One which is unneeded. You should only use defensive magic when you are legally allowed to do so - or even expected to. The context should come from the law, so it logically follows that the second and third points are almost the same.” I explain in detail my question, and she narrows her eyes.

“Why, that is obvious if you simply read the course aims, dear.” She responds, as though reading from a script. Ignoring my question destroys the point of her course aims. “The use of defensive magic in context for practical use is to help you be in the correct frame of mind for using the spells, so not to use a spell unwarranted for a situation, whereas the laws can be a bit, well, ambiguous.” She says offhandedly. I keep my hand up, as I respond.

“Again, I must insist if you are to refer to me, it be Lady Hawthorne, or High Druid Hawthorne. While I suppose this is true. The laws, as they stand today, state that if any Magical person or persons are attacked with any of the three unforgivable curses, they may respond with any defensive action which itself is not the unforgivable curses. This is rather ambiguous, as what is or is not a defensive action may be taken different ways by different people. Would the Reductor be defensive? Or is that an offensive measure? It is listed officially as a defence spell, but it is well known to be a curse, technically, and is often viewed poorly in use by the Aurors. This does cause mild confusion with some, but if you read deeper into the laws, you will see that it states - and I quote ‘Lethal force may be met with lethal force. Spells meant to cause pain but not kill may be met with like, and so forth.’ Therefore, the unforgivables, all of which could kill someone if used in such a way, warrant the use of a Reductor curse, however, the Cruciatis and the Imperious should be defended in other ways, if you can do it, first. Disarming and stunning, primarily.” I say, and everyone looks stunned. They know this is not my opinion, considering I duel and fight fire with fire, literally.

“Exactly!” Umbridge beams, and I internally smirk at the shocked gasps which ripple through the room. No one likes what they just discovered. They aren’t supposed to use even a tripping jinx on the stairs against such people, as it may be lethal. Just stun them instead.

When you could be controlled into killing yourself, your family and even babies, you should disarm instead of trying to kill the person who would use you for evil.

“Now, everyone, do you have a copy of ‘Defensive Magical Theory’ by Wilbert Slinkhard?” She asks, all too kindly. I repress a shudder. I can see I’ll need to play very close to her desires while showing everyone I don’t approve. How obnoxious.

.*****.

After the abysmal session with Umbridge - which consisted of reading a book I’ve already read and finishing the chapter assigned in 15 minutes, and then answering questions on it, and moving on to chapter 2, then chapter 3, then chapter 4, well, I wasn’t very impressed with her teaching style. I hope, when I’ve finished every chapter in class and completed all of her questions, she gives me something else.

Her homework is laughable, too. A 12 inch parchment on the first chapter, summarising its important parts and how it was correct, over what we’d learned in previous years.

I had my essay done in 10 minutes, and it read very well, but it was filled with all the same holes as the book - basically covering nothing with fact and everything with easily countered arguments.

After that, I had my formal healing class, which was much better.

It started with an assessment, 10 pages, which go over what we know about ‘basic healing practices’. I aced that, and took the practical, which was healing minor wounds, something any nurse could do. After that, I was out of time for the class, and was given the advanced test for more serious wounds as homework, which I completed in under an hour.

So I went to see my sister.

Jasmine gasped as I sat with her friends out on the lawns, under a nice shady oak tree.

“Aub! Why’re you hanging out with us already? Don’t you have studying, or homework, or something? I know this year is really busy for you…” She trails, and I nod.

“I have an hour or two for my sister, even so. I was wondering if you, and a couple of your friends may like to have me teach you a little? I’m not very confident in our teacher for this year, for Defence, and would like to give you the edge.” I say, grinning as I pull a brush from my bag to work out some tangles she’s acquired during her day about.

Her friends gape as I get to work on her hair.

“No one’s ever been allowed to touch her hair!” Dane bursts out, and I give him a calm smile as I gently work on her hair.

“It’s not what I expected…” Talia murmurs, as she watches me work, a glint of surprise in her eyes. Jasmine sighs in contentment, before springing into conversation with her friends. Having taken her moment of relaxation.

“Do you think we should? Aub never offers anyone things like this, from what I know, so she must be very concerned.” She puts it to her friends, and I know she’ll take the offer even if they don’t.

I pull out another tangle, pretending to be focused wholly on her hair, while they go through a few different emotions - caution, slight fear and, for course, confusion.

“If she has time, I’d like to.” Talia eventually puts in. I nod, happily, and Dane makes a noise of agreement after a moment.

“Then I suppose we’ll do it! What days do you think you can work with us?” Jasmine asks, and I carefully run my fingers through her too-soft hair.

“Well, we can do it on Mondays, around this time. Maybe half an hour to an hour of work should do it. I just need to make sure you’re all on the right path and learning whatever you need to know, before the year is out. If you do well, I could even teach you more advanced things, too.” I murmur so only they hear. There’s a few students wandering about the courtyard, a few looking like they’ve been poleaxed when they see me in such a pastoral scene.

Most of the school hasn’t seen me truly happy and genuinely enjoying myself, after all.

I get three nods of agreement, and then Jasmine perks up as I finish the first part of her hair, moving on to the next section to be brushed.

“Do you think we can invite other friends?” She asks, and I let out a chuckle, murmuring an agreement while her friends look alarmed she’s asking such a favour when I’m already offering as much as I am.

“Try to keep it small. No more than ten, please. I do best with smaller groups.” I tell her, and get a nod in return. The nod jerks the brush a little, so I restart my stroke from the top of her head.

“Did you have any other questions? About what I’ll teach, or anything like that? I do have a basic lesson plan laid out for you, after all.” I explain, while I carefully caress the side of hair already done, getting it ready to be put into a more complex braid.

The group all shake their heads, and I give them a smile, and move onto how they’re enjoying their first days back at Hogwarts.

.*****.

After my talks with my sister, I eat a quick dinner with my Sarah, before going off to do my workout. The Room of Requirement knows what I need, and provides.

It’s a magical, uphill treadmill, which moves almost as fast as I can run. I stay on this while I work on Shadow Magics, mostly creating things from shadow, attacking targets the room conjures at random with them, then dispelling them, all the while I continue running. After a good twenty minutes of this, I move onto doing other leg exercises. Squats (with added weight, of course). After that I do Prowler pushes, and use the shadows of the targets to create weapons and hit the targets with them. This is much harder, due to the fact I have nothing but my mind to control the Shadow weapons. Then I move on to Leg Extensions, and I use a similar method to before, except I make the shadows of the targets into needle-thin tendrils which are highly flexible to pierce, wrap and otherwise disable the targets.

Non-lethal methods need to be developed along with those which are lethal.

Finally, I go to an obstacle course which I only use my legs on, which I increase in difficulty slightly every time I do it. Jumps, lunges, and more are needed to get through. All the while, there are moving targets in the course, which move realistically and attack me at random.

Duelling dummies, level 10, of course.

I disable all combatants using Shadow Magic.

This is how I must train my Shadow magic for it to become powerful enough for my needs. It’s not exactly the best method, of course. Things grow fastest when I’m in real danger, but at my skill level, I’d need to leave the land around the school and find a very high-level dungeon to do that, so I must make do.

After finishing my leg-training, I move onto the Shadow-Magic which requires my active thought to use, including summoning shadow creatures to remove things, spy on things, and so forth. These include a bird made of shadow, a long draconic creature of shadow and, if the target is already ‘dead’ just making a pocket of Shadow and dropping them in.

The draconic creature, if it’s not detected, goes for the kill and drags the enemy into the pool of shadow I made for them to rise from. This takes me three seconds to make.

It needs to be instant.

The birds, which are all Ravens, mark things of importance for me, and tell me where I need to go, if I know what I’m looking for. A good short to medium range scout, who is fairly stealthy. I can keep three of these active at a time, and masters of the art can keep upwards of ten active.

None of these - except for the Dragon - are very consuming of my shadow-magic, and I can recover the pool of shadow-magic very quickly with a short break for a snack and a bit of meditation.

I assume it’ll be a month or so before I have mastered these arts, and then another to master the arts following them.

The advanced versions of the Shadow-Step and Shield, both of which harm things you want harmed when you pass by them or in their shadow - for the step, and the Shield whips out the shadows essence which is broken off by an attack and uses it to harass the attacker. I could probably pull them off as I am, but I desire to master them in the correct order.

After those are mastered, I should have the Animagus transformation down, and can move on to the form of the Empress.

I clean myself up, and eat my second dinner of the night, a small meal to keep me going for the final hour and change of training, before moving onto my final exercise. Swimming - which I do, of course - while practising Shadow magic of all kinds. Weapons, sea-monsters of shadow, and more. They are much easier to make and control due to the way water interacts with shadow - casting so much shadow naturally, along with the denizens of water being more naturally attuned to shadow than light.

Finally, I step from the pool, and dry off. I drain a protein shake, and eat a pile of third dinner - though this is larger than the previous dinner. Then I travel to my bedroom to sleep.

Only needing a handful of hours to sleep each night - meditate really - is very nice. I can work on the theory and control of Shadow Magic in that time, using the shadows in and around the grounds to my whims, and increase my mastery.

I feel Alyss - my familiar - giving off a feeling of deep satisfaction at my progress, as she monitors from where she lay, in the grounds.

As I rise for my second day of Hogwarts, I make a decision. ‘Find powerful monsters in the isles. We’re going hunting.’ I send, and get a feeling of acceptance, as she leaves.

Acceptance, not happiness or excitement. She knows I desire to remove the threats to my home country, and while she may like a nice quiet life, she knows some day, these may become threats to her peace. She accepts my path may be for the better, even if she thinks her idea of waiting for the enemy to come to her is better.

That’s what’s behind the acceptance.

We don’t have to like the others' ideas to agree they can - and maybe should - be done.

- chapter break: Chapter 68, The Devil is in the Details. - 

It’s a few weeks later that I’m getting ready for the Equinox ritual, thinking over the things which have happened. First, Delores getting a position equal to Dumbledore - almost - as High Inquisitor left me aghast and amused at the same time. Making her suffer sith annoying spells and traps had become a very fun pastime - more because she couldn’t figure out who was doing it. She had been almost interrogating all of her sixth and seventh year classes, sure it must be one of us.

She may be right, but her suffering will not stop so simply.

As I consider what else to do, finishing the preparation for the ritual, I buy the 3rd tier of Archmage, since I see no reason not to do so.

Archmagus (III) (4 Perk Points)

Fully immersing yourself in the Source of Arcane Magic, your connection to Devilkind is nearly complete. This means, as before, you gain greater connection and control over the energies which they gift, however you also take on additional physical aspects associated with Devilkind - specifically Succubi - as you selected the Sin of Lust. This means you would gain the following benefits and alterations -

+100 to all Stat Caps.

+20 Arcane Magical Control

+300 Arcane Affinity

+Affinity - Social or Infiltration. (+50% growth to all related skills)

Physical Augmentation - Nails - Retractable Claws, Loss of Body Hair.

+30 Luck

Race Change - Half-Devil (Human/Dragon Hybrid)

Perk Unlocked - Archmagus (IV)

I confirm the perk, and sigh as I feel the effects hit me. I quickly test the claws, find they’re exactly as I was warned. Having tested them, I cast a charm to clean all of my clothes, and my skin, to remove what little hair I had left on my clothes, which didn’t belong on my head.

Then I get a notification from the system.

Notably, you have taken the 3rd perk in the Archmagus tree! This would normally grant you near immortality, which is wonderful for you!

Due to the Game, however, and what we need you to do in the universe, we will create a duplicate of you to live out the rest of this life, while your True Soul is taken on to either your afterlife, or your next task. This will happen sometime around your 100th birthday in this life, when you would normally die if not for bodily immortality.

We apologise for any inconveniences this may cause, however, a number of our Beta and Alpha testers have died. As death before they’ve completed a certain number of years or objectives is final in the Game, and we need to make sure the worlds are all ready in time, we need you, who has survived and flourished in what are two of the most deadly worlds we have.

As an example, none other than you have survived beyond their first few adventures, usually seven to eight years of activity as a major player. This metric is collected from your first world. It never matters what boons we gave them. If they could access the systems as you could, if they were born into exceedingly good bodies for their purposes, or even if they were given extra from birth, such as items of power.

Idly, I consider how easily it could be that an adventurer could die. You can feel almighty, defeating whole clans of goblins, defeating dragons, and so forth.

The real powers of the world are entire nations. Ancient mages who can kill you, toss you into the depths of the Abyss, or rip your soul from your body.

There are warlords who can defeat whole cities by themselves. Lesser warriors dying from coming near, fleeing their presence and unable to stand close.

If you think you’re special in that world for having killed a dragon, you’re nowhere near the top. Rip a flying city from the sky, shatter the greatest wards in the world and slay an aspect of a god, then you’ll be notable. Maybe you’ll be strong enough for the gods to send you on missions, and earn their favour. Maybe.

Honestly, in that world, being strong enough to defend against a dragon or two is where you should stop. Go make a village and watch it grow, defend it from outland invasion. Train the best who come to defend it when you die.

Poking the highest levels of power, you’ll either go mad or die. Usually both.

Bringing down the blessed child of a god, who was thought to be about equal to some of the lesser gods in the world, had taken a large team of people who had defeated demigods, aspects of gods and so forth. Removing a fully realized power to prove you are strong in that world, it’s a good way to die.

People should wait until they’ve been going for at least 30 years before trying, and even then, I’d taken over 400 years to make my first attempt.

A few demigods had been defeated by me - though not killed. Just banished back to the planes they belong in.

Much easier than killing them.

So the system saying people are dying because they’re trying to do too much is entirely believable. This world is deadly, because if you get hit by almost any war magic, you’re going to die. My past world was deadly because while you had a more interactive form of combat - with shields and wards and so forth, you had to be careful not to ruffle any feathers. The commoner can’t offend their lord, who can’t offend their king, who can’t offend the very powerful adventurers who keep the realm safe. So on, until you reach the greater gods, who can’t afford to upset the aspects of reality.

This Magical World I’m in, is similar, but much less structured. It’s all about who has the most magical power, or perhaps whoever has the most energy, I should say. Ki, after all, can apparently absorb magic, if what I’d been told in Rome is correct. This means it’s just a brawl for clearly shown power.

Dumbledore is a clear example of this, he won a World War, put an end to one, really, and he was basically the ruler of the magical world for a time.

He’s been since cast down, but that does not matter. He has power, so people either respect him so much that they give him the world, or they fear him and try to make him do something so they can kill him and never have to deal with his control again. I’d bet in such a situation whoever disposed of ‘Dark Lord Dumbledore’ would take his place.

This world's politics among equals is interesting, but when you’re more powerful in raw magical power… everything crumbles around you.

I basically got a free-pass to the top with Prodigy, but then again, Harry has it too, and while I’m probably better than him in single combat, I can tell he knows more about actual combat magic. He’s been training with Dumbledore, who is also a Prodigy, while I’ve had to do self study. If your teacher is any good, you’d be able to improve at least twice as fast as you could without. Up to however much your teacher knows, of course.

Dumbledore knows a lot. This much is clear.

My teachers are also good, but they focus on a lot of methods, aren’t as old as Dumbledore and are not Prodigies. Even if Prodigy is only a, say, five times multiplier, none of those who tutor me are fifty. If they started getting good at magic, and found their specialties around, say, fifteen, then I have to catch up on about twenty or so years of work on average.

Divide twenty by five and you get four years of hard work for me. Of course, I have more free time than they did, as I have almost nothing to do which would hinder my learning those skills they teach. If they had a job of 8 hours a day, spent 2 hours a day on self care or things other than magic, they probably spent at most 5 hours a day on magical study.

I have been able to spend, in the last year, 32 hours on magical study, either in classes working on advanced theories and practicing advanced magic which used nothing to show I did the magic, and the hours out of class were spent working on the magic I need foci for. Even then, I took some days off, of course. Once per week or so. I spent a couple hours every day with friends, too. I can get away with a lot as a result of my needing less sleep, and so, I’ve caught up to most of them in knowledge, if not practical experience.

I turn the page to read the rest of the notification.

Of note, we can’t recover souls killed before they’ve turned 26, when the soul finishes assimilating to the body. It’s only the afterlife for those who die before their 26th birthday. We also cannot acquire mutilated souls - which would be the result of those killed by Soul Magic.

We tell you this now, due to the fact that this isn’t what the original agreement was, and also, that we’re going to give you a gift - as a result.

You may keep any one perk from this life and your past life going forward. We will give you a list of such, when you are moving on. This will continue for each life you live from here on. Your knowledge for how to train your skills won’t be taken away (as it was partially in this life) and you will be started at the age of 11 from here on, when most children begin to have autonomy.

Finally, you will only have very rudimentary access to the Game beyond this life. We will inform you, such as this, if things change, but in your next life, you will not be able to see anyone elses stats, skills or so forth. We will allow you to see your physical stats, if you wish. We can also provide a list of averages so you know what you’re facing. Any more information has been deemed inadvisable to be given to mortals, as you passively abuse the information, even if you don’t intend to.

With this restriction, you will also not see what perks you have after you are born, of course. This too has been deemed too much information going forward, but it is nice that you don’t get upset at your limitations.

We sincerely hope this can make up for the inconveniences!

Also, turning down Lady Death’s personal quest has put her in quite the mood. Please see that her artefacts are put together soon!

-The System Moderators.

Well, I didn’t expect much else. Partial revoking of system privileges after this life is acceptable. I must remember to thank the game for giving me the chance with full access. It’s been very enlightening, and the knowledge of how the system works will be useful in future lives, if nothing else.

Around the age of one-hundred, I’ll be moved along, due to the culling of the population of the people picked out to help them with this. I have to wonder if they adjust the worlds we’re in subtly as time goes on, or in response to people who have been through the world previously? Making it easier, harder, or similar? Aspects of reality could surely do that, if they wished. It makes me wonder if they’d Keep the world at a lower power level, for a little while longer. It’s pretty obvious I’ve broken most bounds of normality, and am beyond what most could hope to compare to.

Either way, I’m pleased with the life I’ve been living. A copy of me is still me. This world will be in good hands. I assume this is what Nicholas Flamel did? How he got immortality.

Philosopher's stone indeed! You could make one, but true immortality with one of those would be…. Less than pleasant. Paper bones after a few decades beyond your natural life span, if my knowledge of magical theory is what I think it is.

There’s not enough mana in the atmosphere to form a true stone for true immortality. Maybe in the other dimensions? Hmph, I’m distracted.

I need to make sure whichever copy of me takes over so my true soul can handle the extra work I’m being given by the higher powers…

They’re going to give me the dangerous worlds, for surviving. I’m sure of it. I suppose it only makes sense, but still. Annoying.

I toss the thoughts out of my head, and go to begin the Autumnal ritual. This is the one where I sacrifice items, other ritual-given boons, or other things, and in return I am given raw XP.

This is the one ritual where you can drop the negatives of a ritual, drop the things you don’t need and things you would like to destroy so others can’t use them against you.

I have a lot of these things, and the ritual isn’t hard.

So I sacrifice a lot of things, redundant perks, deficiencies from rituals and minor boons from other seasonal rituals which I don’t need. Heltana doesn’t even make any interesting comments about anything this time, just seems mildly pleased at how much I have to offer, and takes it all away.

The flood of XP I get in return is a bit more impressive than I thought it would be. It’s just over 600,000 xp, which is enough for two levels, falling short of three by a decent margin.

I get two perk points for the two levels, too. I wonder if I get those for the fact I got the levels via a ritual, as a side-effect, or if I got them by the random 10% chance of gaining one for every level.

Either way, I have two more perk points, ten more stat points. This, annoyingly, means I have 5 perk points to spend. I don’t like sitting on a wealth of points, and the whole reason behind buying a 4 cost perk was to reduce the number I had been sitting on. That’d just been largely undone. So, I’m going to spend all of my points now.

So it is, after the ritual, I begin to put my points down, looking for the most useful things I can find.

Con and Dex each get raised to 450, and I toss the last 5 points into luck with a negligent wave of my hand. Then, I look at my massive pile of Skill Points without confirming the changes as of yet.

These aren’t common, and so I decided to boost my physical skills, since I know the body mastery perks lie in those, and they’re usually unlocked around level 100 or level 250, which is variable. So I boost the skills I think hold what I want to the level I need them, and then I toss the rest - all 62 of the remaining points - into Shadow Magic. This brings Shadow Magic over level 500, the first skill to reach that level. With my intense study, practice and testing of the skill over the last year and change, though, I’m only a little interested at the changes when I confirm the placement of all of the skill points.

First, I get a cascade of Perks, and feel the Shadow Mana pool shift and change itself a bit.

Second, I note that the skill I have with Kenpo turns into ‘Martial Arts’ in general, after the perks settle and the skill hits 275.

Martial Arts, as a skill, is level 200, which while lower than Kenpo, is still very high for a general skill. I assume this is because the style of Kenpo goes well with other Martial arts, and is because it’s flexible.

At least, how I’d been taught it is. Maybe that’s more of the fact I had a master teaching me, and he may well have been teaching me non-Kenpo things which he called Kenpo. I wouldn’t know as someone who hadn’t rigidly studied the forms for years, like a normal novice would as they went up the ranks.

Secondly, getting all of these perks at once means there was an order to them. I had to hit a certain level of skill in hand-to-hand before I could get the other perks, which I blatantly had the level of skill for beforehand. Or it outright would not give me the perks.

That’s annoying.

I read the perks

The Skill of a Master

+50% Movement Efficiency

+25 to ALL Unarmed Combat skills.

Ability to detect masters of this level.

The Power of a Master

+50% Movement Efficiency

+25 to Melee Weapon Skills

Ability to detect masters of this level.

The Master.

+100% Movement Efficiency.

+25 to all stats.

“The Body of the Master” perk.

Ability to detect other Masters.

The Body of the Master.

You possess the body of a master. You are very near tireless, capable of fighting for days without sleep and only limited food. You never run out of breath, and will still be able to engage in vigorous physical activity even after extreme exercise. You now have access to a limitless logarithmic growth of your physical strength, speed and agility, however you will need time to adjust to the levels of power your body can handle, lest you harm yourself by progressing too quickly.

The Shadow Queen

Everything in the Shadow is yours to command. Your power over the shadow, unmatched, and the well of usable shadow-magic is nigh limitless.

+100% Shadow Mana

+100% Shadow Mana regeneration.

+3 Relationship with all creatures of Shadow

Then, I feel the suddenly unnaturally perfect control of my body. I can literally tell exactly how much I need to move to complete any action. I can even stop myself - and find myself unconsciously doing so - things which I don’t need to do while standing still.

A subtle creasing of my facial features is smoothed away as I notice it, almost before I do. I wonder if I have that expression when looking upon this absurdity normally. I’d never thought to check, or if I had, it’d been hard to figure out I was doing anything.

My muscles un-tense, and move into a liquid state of readiness and general laxness, which I know to be the feel of a perfect spring, ready to react to anything. My previous tension had been as close to ready as I could be, but surely my stiff posture had been read as being a bit of a hardass. My own skill with body language can tell me how others would see how I hold myself, so I make myself more calm and lax.

Taking a step, I realize that I’m also infinitely more graceful. I almost seem to glide like a liquid along the stone. The fluidity of my movement is unnaturally smooth.

There’s no way mastering any skills got me this far, so I look at the stat-breakpoint perks I’ve acquired.

For Reaching 450 Dexterity you’ve been awarded a Perk!

Dance of the 9 Winds

When it comes to fine motor control - you’re what people aspire to be. You can control every aspect of movement in your body. You’ll never involuntarily misstep or twitch. You won’t shake in fear or pain, you are 100% in control.

Even magical means of forced movement are much harder to use on you - though they can still have an effect if they are powerful enough. (The Cruciatus Curse is a good example of this)

+90% resistance to Magical Forced movement.

+100% resistance to Mundane Forced Movement

+500% bodily control

For Reaching 400 Strength you’ve been awarded a Perk!

Clear!

You can clear most hazards which block you path with raw muscle. A tree in your path? Throw it out of the way. Is there a crumbling wall you need to get through? Break it down.

Your path will remain clear, and nothing will ever stop you from going on.

For Reaching 600 Wisdom, you’ve been awarded with a Perk!

Demonic Well

You have a fiendishly large well of mana. Even by the standards of supernatural people, it is large, and your skill at handling it is very high. If there’s anything dangerous to any well, though, it’s the well going dry.

That will hardly ever be a problem for you, though. Aside from massively bolstered mana regeneration, once per month, when you run out of mana, you will be given half of your total mana back. However, when you stop casting for more than 5 minutes, you will fall into a deep sleep for 12 hours, and be unable to wake up from this sleep while your mana refills.

This should be enough for you to make your escape from anything which may require usage of all of your mana. Or to finish it off.

+250% Mana regeneration

For Reaching 600 Luck, you’ve been awarded with a Perk!

Dark One’s Luck

While you don’t have a connection to the Dark One, you are supernaturally lucky to the point that you can cause luck manipulating magical items with some trouble. This works best with random chance, for example, you’d have more success just wandering to a couple taverns while looking for someone then you would trying to search the city in a logical way.

You can also ‘feel’ when things are up to chance, at least to an extent. If the world hangs in the balance, it’s a heavier ‘louder’ feeling. If it’s only your life, it’s much quieter. With enough time, you could learn how to manipulate the chance to fall in your favour, though it’ll be much harder to feel smaller things than larger things.

Changing smaller things isn’t much needed, since most small things will just fall in your lap either way. Examples include games of chance - like dice, cards or similar. Even battles you command can be affected by this, as there is always chance in battles on a larger scale, but the effects are minor, unless you can control the power.

Changing anything larger than what is automatic will be harder than feeling smaller things, though, and could see you lose your good luck for a while, while the ‘luck’ recharges itself. It could be gone for weeks!

Relying on luck. Well, it’s a good way to wind up dead. When planning and skill and power fail, luck might see you prevail, though.

Now, all I have left to do is buy actual perks, which I almost don’t want to do, considering what I’ve just got.

I intentionally lick my lips to break my flawless expression, and realize my teeth are a lot sharper than before.

And my incisors are longer. Almost, the feeling isn’t noticeable, but I do notice. I intentionally lick my lips like this to have a noticeable tick, which I can suppress when I need to so people will not know when I need to hide my annoyance.

450.

I broke the stat-caps on the bodily modifications. For two stats.

I pull those notifications out of the pile to see what I've foisted upon myself this time.

Due to breaking the Stat Cap on Dex and Con your body has gained the Bones of a Devil, and an enhanced level of perceived beauty, which is subtle, but will increase over the course of a year. This is so the increase does not rouse too much suspicion. When complete, your eyes will reflect your mood, either making you a radiant beauty or a cold knife, as needed.

The eyes can be suppressed, and the fangs can be retracted to appear as normal human teeth, however, the beauty is irreversible.

I grumble in annoyance. It was going to be hard enough trying to be sneaky and gather information with my abnormal assets - which I did not ask for, mind you. Being ‘blessed’ with good curves is a bit of a curse, in reality. For me, anyway. They make spying hard. Without magic to cheat, I’m pretty sure my back would hurt and this is before I have to go to the difficulty to buy normal, muggle clothes. There’s a number of other things that my body has issues with, aside! Now my ‘pretty’ face, which I had designed in character creation to draw appreciative looks but not enough to be overtly memorable, is going to be ‘beautiful’ which WILL make it memorable.

The last thing I wanted. Now I have to discard all my ideas about sneaking into places, pretending to be something I’m not to get info. My beauty will be known and remarked upon.

I’m famous, and it’ll be a damned landmark. Adding to my fame and making a very easy to spot feature. ‘Just look for the prettiest lady you’ve ever seen’.

I don't really want to mess with self transfiguration on the level which may be required to change my face and such enough to allow for spying, and illusions are easy to see through if you know what you’re doing.

So now it’s down to Polyjuice, which is foul, or no spying for me, I guess.

Annoying perks. I should have chosen Wrath.

Well, I know that it wouldn’t have been any better with Wrath, but I can hold the wish it might have been.

Perks, though. Looking over them, there appear to be a lot of new ones for me to choose from.

There are now 12 point perks - which give impossibly large increases to skill, and boosts to knowledge. The only new perk which operates similarly in scope to those perks is one called ‘True Heroics’. I can afford that, even if it would make me much too specialised in ‘direct combat’ for my liking.

True Heroics (4 points. Halved for ‘Blessing of Olympus’)

You are a valiant guardian to those in need, and an exemplar of everything that it means to be virtuous and faithful to what is right. Your altruistic nobility is such that you have become able to channel the very concept of Heroism to bless both yourself and your allies, and to bring your righteous wrath down upon your foes. This ability passively surrounds you and those you’ve given a verbal blessing with an imperceptible aura of divinity, save to those sensitive to Divine Magics. It passively increases your luck (+1 / Level, retroactively inclusive) and it makes everyone included far less likely to be injured. This works by forcing away things which would harm you. Both physical strikes and magical attacks impact you with only a fraction of their power, as the blessing redirects the force of the assault away from you, reducing them in potency. (0.25% per level).

This aura of defence even works on your own attacks, which become charged with a fragment of your inherent divine power, imbuing them with a divine force that easily penetrates defences to smite at any foe, effectively making them pierce any defences which don’t include divine energy, along with the natural energy of the attack.

In times of dire need your divine aura fully activates, and you gain a visibly incandescent might, bestowing you with incredibly potent regeneration for 30 seconds. The full length of which can heal any physical injury, or curse which may kill you, short of instant death. This light also damages any foes that stand too close. Weaker foes may be vanquished in seconds - and it will slowly eat away at more powerful foes over time. During such moments of strife, all other aspects of this perk are amplified immensely. The benefits of this blessing will always work at full potency for you, but they are diminished for others the more people you spread the blessing to. After three blessings, the power is halved for each additional group of three you protect.

• Divine Magic (Olympian)
• Holy Aura (Olympian)
• Drawback - “True Hero”

The Drawback, in short, makes me take action if someone commits one of the major sins in my presence. Killing, stealing, or similar requires I confront the sinner in question.

Considering I am one such sinner, the Drawback is too potent for me to take the perk. I’m not really good at fighting people up-front.

The other option which I can afford costs all five of my points, but it is much more palatable.

Expert Authority (5 Points)

You have a specific skill or area in which you are an uncontestable authority. In a single profession that you choose, you are now the most extreme example of what that profession is capable of. You might be an actual general, able to lead armies across multiple campaigns against entrenched foes with superior numbers and equipment and still, through pure tactical and strategic skill, achieve victory. You might be a spy, able to perform high-level espionage in hostile conditions while beguiling the counterspy sent to oppose you and use only your suave personality to convince her to switch sides, just so she can be with you. You might be an accountant, able to audit the finances of an entire nation and produce a massively larger budget from seemingly nowhere, while still ensuring that the entire bureaucracy runs smoothly. You might be a mercenary, able to wield any weapon you come across with precision and finesse to kill your enemies with brutal efficiency, the perfect fighter in any battle. Regardless of your choice, no one will ever challenge your expertise in that area again.

Any Skill +150 points

+30 to all subskills or supporting skills.

+Drawback - “Contenders”

Contenders

You are known to people who are experts of a certain skill, and they all measure themselves to you. Whatever skill you are so blessed in, you will find people challenging your expertise of the skill constantly, either by trying to catch you in non-lethal traps to impress upon you that you are not the best, or by outright trying to kill you. Either way, people who are likewise masters of the skill - or even mere experts in it - will come, and they will try to dethrone you as the best in your field.

Aside from people pestering you with attempts at de-throning you in the skill, if you fail to defeat one of the contestants, be it from falling for the trap, being defeated in a duel, or likewise, you will lose 100 skill points in the skill in question, until you can retake your throne.

This, of course, is a much more palatable thing for me. While Shadow-Magic is a dangerous choice to take for this, I know the two main groups I’ll have to watch out for - Egyptian and Chinese families who also have the magic. There’s a good handful of each who use the magic, and I’m pretty sure I’m the best of the lot of them already.

Them coming to contest me in my home field in something I am probably already the best in the world at, well, I think I can handle it.

The downside is if I don’t know someone who has Shadow Magic, some immortal or similar, then I could be destroyed in a single combat, and that would reduce the effectiveness of this perk a lot, and also make it so it’s about the level of a 3 point perk.

The other option, of course, is to take duelling with this. It would make duelling over level 600, and probably boost all of my magic skills by 30, each. The main issue with that purchase is the same as Shadow Magic.

What I don’t know could kill me. A duel at that level would be very deadly, if they were more powerful, had more skill with magic or were actually a better duelist.

Insofar as I know, though, no normal, mortal duelists are at that level. I would be the best in the Human Duelling circuits, almost certainly.

Shadow Magic is more dangerous, I think, because hiding is one of its primary aspects, so an immortal master of the skill would be someone I couldn’t find.

So I accept the perk, and choose Duelling.

The shifting of my knowledge is so immense, that I’m instantly afflicted with a headache, as I can suddenly understand not only insanely complex duelling manoeuvres, but also comprehend various bits of magical minutiae that I’d thought I’d understood before.

Transfiguration relies on willpower, knowledge and mana to work, this is a core concept. Transfiguration in particular nails it, while others lean on it only slightly.

The most important is thought to be knowledge, of what you have and what you want that thing to become. I’d thought this since my first lesson, with the matches and the needles. I was wrong.

Willpower is the most important thing. You don’t need to know exactly how things work, or what they look like, or anything. You just need to know, exactly, what you want. You need to be certain it will work. You need to tell the world that it cannot fail for it to work. If your will is sharp enough, and you have only a shred of knowledge of how that works, then the magic will fix it up for you.

When you know exactly how things work, it’s easy to believe the Transfiguration will work, as you know, so you will it to be so. If you have enough will, you can skip knowledge. You can even skip most of the mana requirements. Magic makes a shell of what you want out of what you had. It doesn’t need to make all of the little things which everyone gets caught up in how it must be made.

Transmutation is the thing which requires knowledge. The changes are permanent, and if you make a mistake in something which won’t revert, then the thing won’t operate as it should. This is what causes the biggest issue for masters of Transfiguration who try to Transmute things. They don’t have enough knowledge.

I get such insights into almost every magical skill I have, as something fills in my knowledge gaps for me.

Why is this so different from the other perks I’ve ever taken? I gripe internally, and impressively, I am given an answer.

Due to your recent changes into an immortal, and the fact that you are very closely tied to the source of Arcane Magic with your Devils blood, you were given a piece of the understanding which is in the magic you use. Any being who is closely tied to magic might get these revelations, but most mortals never do, as a result of missing the critical connections you have forged. Devils, those born to such a state, have this knowledge inherently. Due to the fact that you are closely tied with Arcane magic, and have a devilish biology (mostly) the easiest answer was to directly give you the knowledge any other predominantly devilish person would have.

For any mortal lacking Devilish biology as you have would be given over the course of a few years, in dreams.

Still, as you did buy the perk, and you were given the knowledge of an advanced mortal or an average Devil on the Magic, there will be other perks which will be opened up as a result, should you wish to continue down this path of knowledge. Each ‘greater’ race has similar ‘racial knowledge’ which is natural to each and every member.

Be very careful, the more expensive the perk, the more knowledge you draw, and the more potent the Aura of Devil-kind you give off. When it reaches a certain threshold, you will certainly draw other ascended humans, or even fully blooded members of the Greater races.

Almost none of them will be friendly.

You have been warned.

So, as I gain knowledge and power, things will become more deadly for me?

Why not? Sure. This is also how it worked in my last life. People could become powerful enough that tribes of Orcs would come to kill the threat, and when that failed, a Dragon would come, and when that failed, a Demigod. Eventually, the threats were things on the level of the gods themselves. It makes intuitive sense that unless you’re a threat to some power, they won’t bother with you. Why crush ants when there are wolves in your house?

This is the thoughts of most of the more powerful people - myself included.

Why should I try to cut off the first years who may become a threat to me down the line, when I have the Death Eaters growing in power, and Voldemort returned?

Aside from that, I’m sure that Voldemort’s not the top of the food-chain. He’s just not a big enough threat to draw the things above him, which is good for him.

A national threat, but not an international one, yet. Like the Dragon Dumbledore and I killed. It could, probably, have conquered a good portion of England, but it would be halted by a coalition of powerful mages from the country, eventually. Above that dragon are the progenitors of the line. The Original Welsh Red, who was worshipped as a god. There’s a food chain, and in that food chain, I’m currently akin to a dog, where there are still bears, then werewolves, then dragons above each of us in turn. A lot of dogs can kill a bear, if enough dogs try, and enough bears can kill a Werewolf, which can kill a dragon, but individually, we’re just not threats to the upper levels of the food chain.

There are all kinds of things in this food chain which I’m sure would love to kill all kinds of devilkin, or the mortals who are slowly turning more and more into them. First? The Christian church. Probably other devils, fey and probably all the other spirits of the earth.

With a shudder, I wrap myself in a shadow cloak, so I don’t give off any kind of aura. This is probably the best thing I can do, from now on. Hopefully momentary blips of devil-auras when I have to submit to medical checkups and such won’t bring the world down on me.

Thank the gods for shadow-magic.

In the weeks following my first classes, very little changed, in reality. Umbridge was obviously getting progressively more frustrated, not being able to figure who, or what, was messing with her. Every day I made sure to lay magical traps of extreme complexity to befuddle her. This served the purpose of making her both irritable, and have almost no time to do any real investigation, considering how little time she has to even handle her detentions, which she hands out liberally.

Even I - who have been perfectly proper, if a bit direct, have had to serve two detentions with her. She had me write lines - which wasn’t so bad - but I’ve seen other students - Harry primary among them - who have clearly been abused in their detentions.

How else could you describe someone who has a ‘minor blood loss’ tag in the information when you observe them, along with bandages on the hands, and perhaps up their arms? I can’t tell how far the wounding has gone, but it’s certainly a very mild form of cursed magic, as anything less would heal very quickly, and I’ve been asked by Madame Pomfrey, when I go up to ask for tips on various magical cures, to help with blood replenishers, and that’s not a good sign.

If she needs more of those, then there must be at least a few dozen students who are getting such punishment. Two or three every day, and there’s no way any regular potions stock could keep up with that.

Using cursed magic - or objects - to punish anyone, even criminals, is forbidden. You either give them some form of community service, like cleaning, helping with menial labour, or similar. Above that, expulsion or moderate jail time, and beyond that either a very large amount of jail time or outright execution. There is no law which allows for flogging or other corporal punishment anymore. Those were done away with as they don’t fix the issue at all, and the administration finds that it actually increases crime in certain areas.

When you can fix wounds with a few minutes and spells, and joke about it soon after, well. No one really gives a damn about them.

Cursed items have never been allowed, except two cases.

Blood Quills are allowed for extremely important magical documents which need you to be bound very, very hard to them. Literally binding you and everyone of your blood to a document. The other exception is even rarer, Oath Knives.

The knife is something which has been used exactly three times, and you use it to seal pacts. When you break an oath on the knife, it breaks, and the person who breaks the oath dies, as the spirit of the knife, in the curse, cuts their soul from their body with its magic.

The spell which people use to do the same effect, without the knife is an unforgivable. One guess as to which spell that is.

So either she is using curses on people in her detention to make them bleed as they work, or they’re writing lines - like I have done - with a Blood Quill. Sadly, there’s no proof which I can attain. I have written two letters to Harry asking for memories of his detentions, but he has stubbornly resisted. He claims this is his fight, and he needs to show that no matter what adversity he must face, he will continue in his path.

After all, what if the next person is worse than Umbridge?

I allow him that point. There are many people who could be worse - more damaging - than Umbridge. Voldemort possessed people, or one of his direct followers, for one. She may be a repugnant person, but she isn’t actively trying to kill anyone. Still, I’m going to collect as much evidence as I can to see her securely and firmly punished as soon as I can. Jail for life, or execution if I can swing it.

Is this a bit strong?

Not by wizarding law.

Using curses or other magical torture on U17 children is a way to corrupt their magcial core, and turn them into Obscurus’. It’s rare that it happens after they start an education, but the two times it has happened - once in France and once in Spain - destroyed the school which it happened in, and also killed half of the staff and students in the rampage. Spain never really recovered, and France moved the school and replaced any staff who didn’t meet a very strict code, which is how we get the modern Beauxbaton. Well, in part.

The collapse of Magical Spain and the near-collapse of Magical France has a vast number of things which caused them. These are just two of the more important bits.

There are other issues, though, aside from all of that stuff.

In the month and some change, though, I’ve made a lot of progress. Mostly in my Animagus transformation, and my Shadow Magic. Working on both at the same time is very effective, considering both are animal forms, though my Animagus form is something which surprises even me.

I’d managed a full transformation only yesterday, and my form was impressive.

I look something like a very large fox, almost. A fox and grey wolf, if you can imagine. I’m almost 2 metres long, and my physical stats are slightly higher. My jaw is clearly my main weapon.

I figured that out after I crushed a very dense training post in my jaws with almost no effort, after I’d been practising swipes and jumps in this form.

What it is not is a stealth form. It’s almost like a Lion sized dog. I can hide - sure. I’m pretty well colored for hiding too, a dark blackish brown, which will fit with hiding in shadows and on the ground - but I’m huge! Not very good at hiding.

I am very good at destroying things with my jaws, however. If I latch onto something, then whatever I’m attached to is going to break. The room of Requirement tells me my bite pressure is a bit over a Jaguars bite - 1550 PSI - and that’s before I really put any training into it.

Mental note to look into k9 training, and attack dog training, along with studying how the great cats hunt, so I can look into how to use this form best.

My form, other than being very large, is also very extinct, I think. Or very nearly. It’s not magical, but it is powerful. An apex predator who is designed to pounce on and crush prey, with a mild ability to run them down. My Shadow Form, on the other hand?

I’m pretty sure it’s just an actual fox. I know these can be very large - perhaps twenty metres tall and forty metres long. For now I’m only able to partially transform, manifesting claws, tails and getting a massive increase to my senses of smell and hearing.

I have three tails, right now. I don’t know how many I’ll have when I finish my transformation. I do know that the most powerful users were nine-tailed shadow creatures. The Wolf, Tiger and the Hawk. The hawk was called ‘The Lord of the 9 Winds’ and depictions have 7 long tail feathers, and the tips of his wings have extra long feathers, too. His ‘9 tails’.

The Hawk was Egypt, the Wolf was China and the Tiger was Japan. There are no records of their deaths, but they all have disappeared. I’m planning to look into them, as while they may appear to be dead, no one really knows.

I plan to know.

As I ponder this, sitting in my Animagus form, planning my next practice session, the room begins to shift. First, I look at the door, which has also changed. The door is highly polished, the brass handle is turning in the flickering torch light of the room. Every wall has loads of books on tall book-cases wherever its safe to have one away from a torch. There are no proper chairs, either, I find as I turn to wheel into a corner to hide. Just large cushions. A set of shelves off to my right has a large pile of various objects I know to be secrecy sensors and Dark detectors.

Unsurprisingly I leap to my left, for the corner and room-given alcove, there.

I don’t have time to change back to human form - which the first time can be rather slow and loud. This is the first time, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Though I doubt anyone will recognize me…

I’d not been focusing on keeping the room, and I had been pondering finding things, which may have opened it. That must be the case. While annoying, I’m fairly certain only people who I know had known about this room, with the exception of some of the staff. So, as the door opens, and I note an illusionary wall going over my alcove as the door finishes opening, I watch who comes in.

Staff? Or Student?

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom stroll into the room. I give each a weary look.

Harry smells like he’s reluctantly accepting of whatever is happening, Hermionie is astonished and ecstatic, and Neville is calm, but ready. Determined to see whatever must happen, will happen.

“These will be useful, for when we’re practising various spells. Soft landings.” Neville murmurs, tapping the cushions around the room with his foot, slowly working off to the bookshelves on the back of the room. Harry nods.

“And all of these books! I’ve never seen so many defence books! I know a number of these aren’t even in the library!” Hermione gasps, and begins reading off book names. Harry goes over to the shelves closer to my end of the room, and looks over a few as well.

“Looks like the room even gave us the personal notes of various people, Aubrey is included in that.” He says, pulling an identical copy of my notes from last year - which contained NEWT into Mastery level Defensive magical notes. He opens it, and then blinks in surprise, before he flips through a few more pages, and then sets it down on a table to the side. “I had no idea…” He murmurs, and then grabs what appears to be my third year notes, then flips through that, and nods.

“Why are you looking at her notes?” Hermione asks, a scrunched up look of concentration on her face. “Surely it can’t be better than the source material?”

Neville shakes his head. “You’re the only person who hasn’t been in a one-on-one teaching session with her. When she makes notes, she quotes the passages which are most valuable, summarises the rest, then breaks down exactly what each means and how to use it most effectively. Then she goes on to explain how she figured all of that out, and what process she did. She refers to all of her previous sets of notes. You’d probably need all of her notes from every year to actually understand what her personal notes are.” He concludes, and Harry gives him a bewildered but agreeing nod.

“That’s exactly the case. Her notes from last year were well into mastery-level Defensive magic. Dumbledore and I went over the same material last year, but her knowledge of counters, general magical effects in relation to those spells, well, she knows way more than I do. Her control must also be much better than mine, because she mentions controlling no less than four constructs while also maintaining a blizzard effect to absorb spells aimed at her. Even with that, there was a mention of using magic to attack them, wandless magic, due to her requiring her wand to hold the Blizzard, which she noted ‘isn’t good enough and needs to be mastered truly.’” he says, sounding exasperated. I grin at the expression. Hermione smells of wonder and slight jealousy, and Neville smells like he’s rock hard in his determination.

“So, why don’t we ask her to help teach us, here?” Neville asks. Hermione - surprisingly - nods. She doesn’t like me, but is agreeing?

“Firstly, because I’m pretty sure I know more than her in defensive magic. Dumbledore and I did go over what was in her notebook last year - but it was at the beginning of the year. By the end of it, we were covering how to use alchemical spells to counter black magic.” He explains, and I nod my massive head in agreement, he would know more than me, then. That’s not advanced alchemy, but the practical application is beyond me. You transmute the magical energy, which requires a grasp of defence a bit beyond where I am. You have to master wandlessly gripping spells before they hit you, then surrounding them with your magic.

It takes a lot of power, and isn’t something you’d do for almost any spell, but the true Black Magics need it, sometimes. Plagues, blood-curses, land destroying spells, etc. You can’t just let those spells go through, or connect with, anything.

Alchemical counters, then.

“Secondly?” Neville asks.

“She would probably say no. She’s extremely introverted. This year, she has been seen talking to her sister, her best friend - Sarah - Adrian Pucey, Angelina and Alicia, Muirin Mathuana and Daphne Greengrass. Anyone else is ignored as though they don’t exist, and outside of her sister, Adrian and Muirin, they only talk when they happen to run into each other, which is strange. I doubt she’ll actually want to teach a bunch of people she does not know.” He says with a sigh, then holds up a third finger.

“This third thing is most important. She’s someone who likes to have everyone else respect or fear her. She is like a deterrent to people doing a lot of dumb things. No one bullies anyone in Ravenclaw because she is that scary. No one dares to cause any problems in her year for anyone else because she might hear of it, and teaching would ruin that image. She might work with us, give us pointers, but she will not teach them. We could probably ask her for Magical Theory and Control lessons, along with non-defensive methods of countering common attacking spells, but she won’t teach herself.” He finishes, and I tilt my head.

I might have taught if asked, but it is true I have a reputation, and I need to make it wider than it is. I might be a household name in most of Europe when it comes to duelling, and in some academic circles, I’m sure, but I need to broaden my control. I need to gain a foothold in more areas. The next generation, who it seems Harry is going to teach, getting my help will do that. I’ll just make sure any advice they get from me is phrased just so, they all know I know more and dangerous things aside.

This will see them respect and fear my ability, and word will spread along more lines. I’m not just good at duelling, my actual knowledge of magic is very high. Students whispering this in letters home will result in much, much more fame or infamy than otherwise.

It was then there was a knock on the door. I settled onto my haunches to watch, as a gaggle of gaping Gryffindors walked in.

I’ll need to assess which skills each student has first, and carefully observe them and read every scrap of information I can out of what I see.

28 kids? No problem. By the end of the week, they’ll have a detailed lesson plan for the next three months worked out. If they stick to it - well - they’ll end up being much more effective than they otherwise would be.

If not, then it’s not my problem, is it?

I realised - a day later and with some amusement - that the school rule about students not gathering in groups larger than three was almost certainly aimed at the defence group I’m going to be aiding.

If it gives Umbridge more grey hairs - then all the better.

The basic plan is to have them learn and practice basic, but unobtrusive, magical control spells between DA lessons, right now. Along with that, most of them are things which aren’t taught, but were tested in OWLs and NEWTs as little as twenty years ago.

Magic advancing is great, but cutting important lessons to cover more new, advanced magic, is certainly hurting some of the less skilled students.

This should help to bridge those gaps - for the people who listen.

I quietly finish the last line of the general lesson plan, and then sigh as the bell rings, and History is let out for the day.

Only Rickie’s classes left. Both of them, which is nice for me, not having to move.

I quietly step into a side passage, slip into a secret passageway behind a nondescript portrait of a field of wildflowers, and shadow-step into the closet near her classroom. Within a few moments, I’m settling into my chair, right next door to the convenient closet.

Umbridge files in not a minute before class, and Rickie gives her a nod - and gestures to a chair when Umbridge opens her mouth. After a pause, Umbridge speaks, anyways.

“I hope you got the message, about my attending your classes to review your methods?” She asks, primly sitting in the chair set aside for her.

Rickie nods. “Yes, I did. I am glad to have you. As a rule, you must not speak when I am, or interrupt me when I’m taking questions. Don’t interrupt the students, either. This class is very difficult. If you have questions, you may ask me when I am not otherwise engaged, and, of course -” the bell rings, and Rickie seals the door. “- you may ask any questions of the students if they are not reading, or are awaiting help, while I am occupied.” She tells Umbridge, who nods - looking a smidge upset at Rickie’s tone, and makes a few notes, as Rickie opens the lesson.

“Today, we are going to review defensive warding. I have decided to pop-quiz you all. Jenkins - what is the first way to detect a ward?” She snipes off, and the glazed look snaps off his face, as he goes to answer. Umbridge, meanwhile is writing vigorously.

The pop-quiz takes five minutes, everyone asked a question - except for me - and then she nods, and waves a hand, summoning, then banishing warded pebbles at us.

“Inspect these wards and tell me what they have on them. You have ten minutes, if you get stuck, raise your hand. Should you fail to make a proper assessment, then you will likely be unable to speak for the rest of the class, as these wards are touchy.” She instructs, and we set to work.

My pebble has a seven layered ward on it, everyone else has a simple tongue-tying ward, if they try to cast a spell on the ward, it will activate. It is very obvious to anyone who knows anything about wards.

I carefully deconstruct my warding sequence, then reconstruct it and nod, thirty seconds later.

Umbridge, meanwhile, is vigorously questioning Rickie. I’m sure I hear ‘unapproved material’ and ‘will need minstrel approval’ at least three times. Rickie, however, is very carefully explaining exactly why the course is very ministry approved. This is the gentlest way of teaching wards and anti-wards, which is the purpose of the class.

The other methods involve tossing students at complex wards and then showing them, link by link, how to dismantle the ward, then resetting them and having them repeat what you did, then quizzing them on why it worked how it did.

Not kind, because the wards usually end up putting a curse on whoever tries the first few times as they fail, and this results in them spending a day or two in the hospital wing.

The best way to learn how to ward something, is to break them and then figure out how you did it, and how to make sure it can’t be done in the future.

Umbridge clearly doesn’t understand this - or that if you can make a ward, you can break it just as easily.

“The Minister will not be happy with you teaching children how to breach the defences placed on important places or objects!” She trills happily, her voice sounding like sugared honey. There is an underlying bitterness - though.

Umbridge is jealous of how religiously the students are working while her classes barely read when she asks them to - usually falling into chaos within minutes, as students who already read the assigned material banter with friends.

“How would you teach them instead?” Rickie asks, and Umbridge puffs up. Like she knows better than a recognized archmage.

“By following ministry guidelines!” Umbridge says triumphantly. “There is no need for them to use their magic to deconstruct wards! They can learn from books, as is proper at their age and skill level!” She chirps happily.

“They have already read, and been tested on, four entire books on warding theory. I assign one per week. One of their classes - each week - is on those tests and discussion of the books. The other days - like this - are for practicing what they’ve read so they can know the gems in the books from the trash.” Rickie cooly responds, and Umbrige reacts as though slapped.

Four books in four weeks? Impossible!

The reaction clearly flashes on her face. I stifle a smile, and survey the room.

Four of the other seven have sour looks on their faces, indicating they tried to cast a spell on the ward and got their tongues tied. Two others look happy with their findings, and one looks utterly confused. I write out my list of wards - and what they do along with how they interact - for her review.

Rickie and Umbridge keep sniping back and forth for another five minutes, before Umbridge inspects the class - and then harrumphs and sits.

Rickie asks for everyone to report what the first ward they found was - and what it did - verbally.

Five fail to respond, and are sent off with a two-foot parchment on what they did wrong due next class. The rest of us are lectured for thirty minutes on the complexities of wards, and how to overcome wards like these, which stop people from casting anything but the counter on them, without a proper shield on the dispeller first.

Then she lectures for the last ten minutes on the homework, and assigns this weeks book for reading, and dismisses the class. By the end, Umbridge looks furious, and I gleefully leave. 

I have a lesson plan to give to Harry, listing the best ways to train the students in his club. 

The fact all of my methods will make Umbridge want to tear her hair out, is only a small, small bonus...

One which fills me with childish vindication and glee.