Sword is equal to Wand, Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Friday's lessons went fairly normally already, and likewise I kept closer to my friend group in Ron, Rosaria, and Ginny with Neville Longbottom and a couple of other guy friends I had picked up in Devon and others hanging out with me.

But with the first week's lessons done. I made sure to get the weekend's homework down Friday night, so I would have all of the weekend off to run around the castle and explore.

So bright and early Saturday morning at the crack of fucking dawn. I was out of my houses Tower, and looking for trouble as I explored the stupidly massive castle that was far bigger than it looked from the outside due to spatial expansion nonsense.

Not the castle looked small from the outside either.

"Hmm, I should head up to the Room of Requirement to do my cultivation before everyone else is up and moving about maybe." I muttered thoughtfully as I was roaming the upper floors.

And after a moment of thought. I shrugged and just went ahead to go do that. Going back and forth in front of the 'Come and go room.' To bring up the perfect astral-themed simulated environment to cultivate within to enhance my magical core.

And as I was sitting in the simulated zone to heavily increase my cultivation speed. I let my mind wander.

 Firstly, that came to mind was Cho Chang, obviously, as she was my 'enemy'. Not actually, at least to me anyway. She may be able to make my life more difficult outside of Hogwarts with her mortal servants bound to her family...

If those mortal servants were actually remotely a fucking threat to me. Which they weren't in the slightest.

As it turns out. When you give inventive wizards who are actually motivated to slaughter constantly growing monster populations. Normal human weapons like guns were quickly countered by simple shield charms that could be worn on bracelets or the like, which negated tiny, fast-moving projectiles.

And for normal 'muggles' who trained in powerful martial arts and techniques to actually make them into wizards and such after years of training... They woudn't be moved against me by some haughty heiress who got told to sod off.

Lastly, for why I wasn't worried about Cho in any way was the simple fact that I was already fairly well connected to some other nobles in Hogwarts. Rosaria, Ginny, and Ron Weasley, and even Neville Longbottom, had powerful families behind them.

To say nothing of Susan Bones and her own family.

After a good series of cultivation that made my magical core feel stuffed to the limit and my own body rather drained from the stress of the session. I headed straight down to the main hall for an early breakfast.

Though as I came in, I was still clearly very early with few of my housemates seated at the Gryffindor table, and only Professor Flitwick and Hagrid were eating at the staff table.

With Hagrid 'Proudly' showing off his giant heritage as the giant of a man was eating an entire roasted duck with his bare hands as though it was just a hapless chicken wing in his giant hands.

But as I walked in. A soft "Jake over here!" Rang out, and I looked over to the side, only to see that Susan Bones and her close friend Hannah Abbot waving me over at the Hufflepuff table.

And knowing that sitting at house tables was only an 'enforced' thing during the feasts and such. I happily went over and said hello and to grab a bite to eat.

"I am surprised you two are up so early. Whatcha two up to this morning?" I asked curiously.

Hannah rolled her eyes and said flatly. "More like 'why are we still awake?' Is the real question. And ask that question to Susie here... She is the one who woke me up at three AM!"

Susan's face became a bit pinched before she said helplessly. "Aha, sorry, Hannah. Anyway... I needed her help for some family magic that could only be done before there is even a suggestion of sunlight to taint the magic."

I raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering what 'foul and evil' magic she was up to, before I shrugged, as it wasn't any of my business, though I asked curiously. "Speaking of training and family magic. Are either of you two joining the tournament in the next couple of weeks?" 

Susan hurriedly shook her head as she said helplessly. "Oh dear hells no! I am not a front-line martial arts fighter! My auntie can tear entire cities apart with armies of the undead, but put her in front of Hagrid, and thirty of her couldn't handle him! I am just the same hehe." 

My lips twitched as Hannah shook her head as well and said in amusement. "Same here. I already get hurt plenty in combat class. My family is rich, and I get plenty of materials and stuff for my cultivation sent every week in the mail."

Then both girls paused as they refocused on my wry expression, as they likewise realized I was a Newblood orphan with no such rich family. But with a cough, I cleared that topic as I asked Susan quietly.

"So Susan... In the event of me robbing a museum or something to save cultural artifacts outside of Britain? You could reanimate a T-Rex skeleton for me to have it as a mount when I go out on adventures?" 

It was such a guy question that Hannah snorted with the beautiful blond looking at me in disdain as she just rolled her eyes, muttering 'boys' under her breath all to clearly.

But Susan on the other end... She just giggled, and with a bright smile, she said proudly. "Of course! So long as you don't ask for it all the time. I would be happy to animate some dinosaur skeletons for you! Though they aren't that useful due to them not innately having magic, but it also makes it easy to animate them to begin with." 

I exhaled and said with a solemn tone. "Susan... It's always a boy's dream to ride a dinosaur into battle. And all men are boys at heart!"

What could be more heart pounding then riding a T-Rex into battle. With one hand, I cut flying monsters out of the sky, and in the other hand, I use my wand to send explosions to clear ground-based monsters.

Fighting with my T-Rex partner against an unending tide of monsters until my very death was a man's romance. It was right up there in saving a loved one from a bullet and slowly crawling through the snow, leaving a red ribbon of fate and blood behind, as you climbed onto a bench to die peacefully as snow gently fell around you.

And seeing my earnest expression, Susan giggled and said thoughtfully. "Well Jake, if you find some corpses of spirit beasts in the King's Forest next time we go out. If you seal them up in some spatial storage. Maybe I can help you make a mount without you needing to go 'liberate' a museum or something." 

Her words however, reminded me of that slaughterhouse of torn apart drider's and other spirit beasts I had to crawl over to get out of the drider pit. And with a heavier voice I said quietly. "Yeah Susan, if I can do something like that, I will." 

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Hannah then spoke up with a gossipy tone. "Soo speaking of training. Aren't you going to be training Daphne today or something? I heard something about her and that bitch Malfoy getting into it due to Daphne trying to win that tournament in a couple of weeks as well with Malfoy trying as well."

My eyebrows raised at the thought of Dorea Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass fighting it out to see who would be 'Queen' of the Slytherin first years.

Still, I nodded as I said casually. "Yup. Supposed to take place later this afternoon. Though if she brings her friend again, I am going to charge her double as I don't do free lessons haha." I ended with a joking chuckle.