"Me? The Heir of Slytherin?" Harry asked, his voice full of disbelief. "How could that be?"
"That's just the way it is," Aiden said, patting him on the shoulder. "Anyway, good luck to you, young man." And with that, he turned and walked out of the Gryffindor common room.
He was walking down the corridor, preparing to return to his own dormitory to rest, when a large hand gripped his shoulder, attempting to slam him against the wall. The hand struggled for a long moment, unable to move him an inch.
"Alright, Professor Snape," Aiden said without turning around. "Just say what you want to say. Surely you don't need to pin someone against a wall to have a conversation, do you?"
"Him," Professor Snape's voice was a low, desperate rasp, his eyes bloodshot. "What exactly is going on with him?"
"Didn't you already know?" Aiden replied calmly. "Lockhart is just a piece of—"
"Enough!" Snape roared. "You know who I'm talking about." He glared into Aiden's eyes, but the sharp, draconic light in them seemed to pierce his very mind, and the guilty man quickly averted his gaze.
"Did you sense something?" Aiden asked, his eyes narrowing.
"That person," Snape whispered, "he's also a Parselmouth." He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the faint but still-present Dark Mark on his arm. "You told me before about the secret to his immortality. I'm asking you now... that boy... is he one of them?!" His tone took a sharp turn, his voice filled with a desperate pleading, a hope for a negative answer.
"Yes," Aiden said, ruthlessly shattering that hope. "He is."
All the strength seemed to drain from Snape's body. "I... in the end," he murmured, his voice hollow, "I didn't protect anything." He turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped in dejection.
Harry's nightmare began. In the days that followed, everywhere he went, students would point and whisper. Ernie Macmillan even started spreading rumors in Hufflepuff that Harry was the next Dark Lord—which, in a sense, wasn't entirely wrong.
However, Aiden didn't have time to concern himself with Harry's minor troubles, because the second meeting of the Dueling Association was about to begin.
On Thursday evening, Aiden went to bed early, and his mind traveled to the dueling room in the Distorted Illusion, following the anchor's call.
"Welcome, everyone!" Professor Flitwick's cheerful voice echoed through the vast, white space. "Today, we have even more new faces!" The crowd was massive, far larger than the first meeting. Aiden looked around and saw the Weasley twins, Percy, Cho Chang, Cedric Diggory... 'All the famous wizards from the original story,' he thought with a smirk.
"So," Professor Flitwick gossiped, sidling up to Aiden, "how effective was the dueling club that Lockhart held?" It was clear he knew Aiden had been "observing" on behalf of a certain headmaster.
"Terrible," Aiden complained. "The only thing he did was show the students his unparalleled ability to fly backward. Oh, and he even tried to teach them hand-to-hand combat."
"Aiden, didn't you participate?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "How do you know so much?"
"Hmph," Aiden said, raising his head proudly. "A well-kept secret."
"Alright, children!" Professor Flitwick clapped his hands, calling for attention. "In order to deal with the potential dangers in the castle, I must teach you some defensive charms." He divided the students into groups, having the older students lead the younger ones in practicing basic spells like Lumos and the Stinging Jinx.
Afterward, under Aiden's guidance, the new members began constructing the Nauthiz (ᚾ) rune in their minds. Arsesi completed the task almost instantly, a glittering ᚾ floating around her as she shot Aiden a boastful look.
'Perhaps it's related to her having already stepped onto a Sequence,' Aiden thought, stroking his chin.
[Ding. It's innate. The level of control over one's own mental power is more related to raw talent. The amplification brought by a Sequence still requires a foundation to build upon.]
'So, it's like a base of 5 amplified by 200% versus a base of 1 amplified by 200%, right?' Aiden raised an eyebrow. 'Doesn't that mean I'm a genius in the way of the mind?'
[Ding. Tsk.]
Next, Aiden gathered the students who had successfully constructed the rune. Professor Flitwick conjured a blackboard. Having studied them for a week, the Charms Master had thoroughly understood Aiden's three basic magics and was ready to teach.
"Now then, everyone," he began, "you see, ᚾ is the foundation for constructing these magical arrays. You need to fill this rune with a penetrating and destructive mental power. Follow me and do it once. Aiden, please keep an eye on things."
Professor Flitwick began to guide the members through the first transformation of their mental power.
"Penetration, huh..." Arsesi looked at the rune in her hand and completed the magic in an instant. However, her control was not yet up to par. The moment the magic gathered, it shot out from her hand in a wild beam of energy.
Aiden, ever watchful, took out his long staff. A beam of his own shot out, catching up with Arsesi's and colliding with it in mid-air, canceling both out.
"Oh, Miss Greengrass, do not be so impatient," Professor Flitwick advised gently.
"Yes, Professor," Arsesi said, lowering her head and admitting her mistake.
Professor Flitwick's teaching level was, as expected, extremely high. By the end of his lesson, most of the young wizards had successfully completed the transformation of their mental power.
"Alright," he continued, "next is the second step: the convergence of magical power." He took out his wand and waved it in a graceful flower pattern. "You see, magical power flows through the body, just as it does when we release it into the world. But you need to clearly feel how it passes through you. First, relax. Imagine yourself floating in a river, and carefully sense the direction of its flow." His gentle voice, combined with a subtle use of magic, had a powerful suggestive effect.
'Impressive, Professor,' Aiden thought, chatting with the System. 'I've only used that trick in front of him a few times, and he's already reverse-engineered the principle.'
[Ding. Individual named Filius Flitwick. Race: Half-Goblin. Possesses powerful magic and extremely strong mind control abilities.]
Watching the Head of Ravenclaw teach from a distance, a certain dragon began his journey of slacking off. Because the Distorted Illusion existed within the mind, it was far easier for Aiden to hide there.
Professor Flitwick taught with all his heart. Finally, before the end of the meeting, the other young wizards were able to fire initial, tentative beams of light. However, there was still a long way to go before they could control them freely.
As the event was about to come to a close, Aiden stood up and made an announcement. "Everyone, the magic the Association has shared with you cannot be leaked. There is a contract, so I hope you all remember that. At the same time, if you wish to use this magic in the real world, you will still need to go to Mr. Ollivander to have a special wand customized."
A chorus of groans went through the crowd.
"Ah, we can't use it directly?"
"That's so troublesome."
"I don't want to spend the money..."
Aiden just stared. "..."
'It seems,' he thought with a sigh, 'that worrying about them misusing this magic was completely unnecessary.'
And so, the second Dueling Association event for the new school year came to a close.
(End of Chapter)
***
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