From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

“Unfortunately, house-elves are only found in old manors and castles; we can’t find them in our home,” Ron sighed regretfully.

“No. Actually, the Weasleys used to have house-elves.” Ivy looked at Ron’s surprised face and continued, “More than a hundred years ago when I was studying at Hogwarts, I was helped by Professor Matilda Weasley many times. She was the head of Gryffindor at the time, as well as the vice-headmaster and transfiguration professor.”

"To help me integrate into the school quickly, she assigned her house-elf Dick to assist me. Even now, I am grateful to Professor Weasley for his help."

“Impossible!” Ron looked extremely surprised. “We have a Gryffindor headmaster in our family? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Chapter 73 Art Elements

"Earth, wind, water, fire, and spirit—the five elements coexist in harmony. I will succeed this time."

After returning from Hagrid's cabin, Ivy immediately began preparing his Art Element Garden sculpture. His design was not complicated, but very harmonious, at least that's what he thought.

Pure water and earth elements are mixed together, and metal powder is added in a certain proportion to create a large, fine lump of clay. Ivy is already very familiar with shaping it using telekinesis and the hands of a mage.

Whether it was the previous ceramic dragon (the one Malfoy named "Teben") or the later Hagrid and Buckbeak made of fudge, every detail of them was exquisite, without a single flaw or burr. Ivy's technique was so perfect that no one could find fault with it.

Ivy went through the design of the statues in the Art Garden many times. There was a majestic and imposing fire dragon, a magnificent Pegasus, a raven with gorgeous feathers, and even an intricately crafted ceramic maid...

But in the end, Ivy, almost against her will, chose a giant cat as the design element for her artwork. It was the Maine Coon, the pet Ivy had most wanted before coming to the magical world.

The Maine Coon is the largest of all pet cats, excluding its Panthera genus relatives, of course. Ivy knew that some turban-wearing guys kept even fiercer, more untamed big cats as pets, and now that he was a mage with extraordinary powers, taming these big cats might be a piece of cake. However, he was still just a 144-year-old magic school student, and it was necessary to consider the feelings of his professors and classmates.

So, within the limits permitted by Hogwarts, Ivy planned to keep the largest cat imaginable. Maine Coons have thick fur, and their triangular heads appear relatively small compared to their enormous bodies, though this doesn't detract from their large eyes and long eyelashes. Maine Coons also have large, erect ears topped with lynx-like black tufts of fur, though these tufts are usually shorter.

In addition, they have a majestic mane like a lion, and a thick, long, fluffy tail. When they sit still, they easily remind people of their fierce and imposing relatives.

However, contrary to their majestic appearance, Maine Coons are usually very gentle and affectionate towards humans. Most wonderfully, they have a very sweet meow.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like a burly man with a thick beard and the face of Ao Bai using Lin Chi-ling's voice to act coquettishly towards you.

If it were a human, this scene would be incredibly cringe-worthy, but those are cats! They're cats!

Of course, Maine Coons are not without their flaws.

First, their dense coat and collar fur cause them to shed a lot, and their downy fur can be found in every corner of the house, and even in the food served on the table.

Secondly, their enormous size was matched by their enormous appetite, which in turn resulted in enormous feces—stinky and large feces.

Some self-proclaimed cat lovers find pleasure in scooping litter, but Ivy clearly couldn't understand that. So after much deliberation, he decided against getting a Maine Coon.

However, now he has the opportunity to transform his artistic elements into Maine Coon cats, offering two benefits in one choice. Not only can it enhance the combat attributes of his mage pet, but it also fulfills a dream from his past life—why wouldn't he do it?

As for the time that might be taken up by cats when researching magic... well, Hogwarts has the Philosopher's Stone, right? We can just get our hands on it, then we won't have to worry about not having time to pet cats... wait, not time to research magic!

Moreover, the mage's ninth-circle spell, Prayer, can make almost any wish come true. Wouldn't it be easy for Ivy, a mere mage, to become a few years younger?

In conclusion, Ivy ultimately decided to create an Art Element cat by hand that wouldn't shed or poop huge poop.

To recreate the cat's soft fur, he used wind element to poke countless tiny holes in the clay, almost invisible to the naked eye, allowing wind and fire elements to mix and seep out, forming tiny flames as fine as hair. The subtle wind element ensured that they did not merge together, thus creating the incredibly detailed fur.

The clay preparation was complete; the next step was to use magical flames to shape it. The glaze formed from the metal powder would display exquisite colors under the high temperature, but Ivy knew perfectly well that this was far from enough. At best, it could only create a ceramic statue devoid of any magical features.

More importantly, it is imbued with the colors of natural elements and ignited with the artistic brilliance from within Ivy, allowing a new consciousness to be born through Ivy's spirit. This consciousness is then introduced into a new body, harmonizing the five elements and ultimately completing the creation of the artistic element.

This magic that transforms a mass of inorganic elements into life comes from the wondrous knowledge of Strelheim. The Scribes of Ivy are only level 8 mages, and the Sorcerers are only level 1, yet they are able to perfectly create life with this miraculous ritual magic. At least for this moment, magic, knowledge, and truth are equated.

Before the cat's dense ceramic shell had even cooled down, Ivy immediately began the next task.

He poured all the mercury he had prepared onto the ground, and with the help of magic, quickly outlined a complex magic circle. The most conspicuous part of the circular magic circle was a pentagram.

The pentagram's tips were inscribed with magical runes representing elements, and four elemental orbs emerged one after another from the pages of the Grimoire of Destruction, each floating above its corresponding elemental tip.

The Fire Element Orb corresponds to fire, the Lightning Element Orb to wind and atmosphere, the Ice Element Orb to water and ocean, and the Rock Element Orb, which was recently completed, to earth and mountains. Ivy herself stands atop the last sharp point, corresponding to spirit and creation.

The cat-shaped body, glowing red like charcoal fire, suddenly rose into the air and quickly arrived at the very center of the pentagram magic circle. Ivy had to complete the creation of the artistic element before it completely cooled down and revealed its glaze.

As the magic gradually connected with the four elemental orbs, Ivy's consciousness expanded throughout the room, giving him a completely new perspective, though limited to this moment and this place.

"I see, that's the magic of the Room of Requirement."

From this new perspective, Ivy clearly saw why the Room of Requirement could always meet people's needs—there were many rooms waiting, and all the classrooms and items in Hogwarts that were temporarily unused would be gathered together, waiting for the wizards' needs.

That's why wizards can grant any request in this undisturbed secret chamber.

Ivy smiled slightly, focusing her curious thoughts entirely on the Art Element body in the center of the magic circle. Her spirit, amplified many times over by the magic circle, was fully concentrated. Once the artistic spark in her mind was ignited, the final step of the Art Element Garden Statue would be completed!

“It went very smoothly,” Ivy thought. “My wish to have a cat that doesn’t shed or poop huge stinky poop will definitely be fulfilled here.”

However, someone broke in, broke into the "room suitable for studying magic".

PS: Many readers have reported that the next chapter is extremely toxic, which is due to the author's lack of experience and insufficient control over the outline. This issue will no longer occur in paid chapters; those who have read them all say they are great! You can skip these chapters; they will not affect the continuity of the plot.

Chapter 74 The Intruder

The intruder was Cassandra.

Cassandra has been captivated by the Room of Requirement ever since she glimpsed how it was used correctly during the Christmas holidays.

She could enjoy afternoon tea in an elegant, lush courtyard, accompanied by the melodious sound of a piano; she could quietly read a spellbook that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere amidst piles of comfortable cushions; or she could concoct potions surrounded by a misty cauldron.

In short, there's nothing this magical house can't do, only things she hasn't thought of.

So, naturally, she found traces of Ivy's past in the "room suitable for studying magic".

After another secret follow, Cassandra successfully opened the door to the Room of Requirement.

As a young witch with a strong desire for power, Cassandra did not hold the same deep reverence for Ivy as other Slytherins. Or rather, her thirst for power overwhelmed her inner awe.

But who was Ivy? She was the Dark Lord from a hundred years ago. If Voldemort was someone who killed indiscriminately when he was unhappy, then Ivy was someone who was unhappy unless she killed indiscriminately. When she was in a bad mood, she would go to the Forbidden Forest to play with the small animals, and if she encountered any poachers from the Ash Serpent Gang, she would casually kill them.

How could a Dark Lord who is proficient in black magic, ancient magic, and a more powerful version of Legilimency not notice his unusual classmate?

Therefore, when Cassandra broke into the Room of Requirement and into the scene of Ivy's creation of the Elemental Arts, she was immediately met with a setback.

It was a rune lying on the floor, crookedly drawn on a tattered and crumpled piece of parchment, like the homework that a mediocre little wizard had torn and crumpled up.

When Cassandra pushed open the door of the Room of Requirement and stepped into the trap, countless thick vines shot out from the parchment like madmen, hanging the little witch from the rafters in a very short time. Throughout the entire process, Cassandra didn't even make a sound; only her small leather shoes, landing on the floor, made a slight noise.

Ivy no longer focused on the little witch struggling like a caterpillar, but instead devoted herself entirely to creating artistic elements.

A vibrant, colorful magic reverberated throughout the room. The dazzling colors from the four elements transformed into various magnificent sounds. The howling wind swirled up ice sand, which was then suddenly blasted into a thick fog by rising flames, and finally turned into a light drizzle under the echo of thunder.

Ivy's spiritual power sits at the center, striving to reconcile the conflicts among the four elements.

If people's thoughts are like the sea, then the emotions arising from those thoughts are like unpredictable winds. Even the slightest change in the external world can unleash a boundless tsunami in the ocean of thought. And the ritual magic that Ivy is currently performing requires him to be completely focused, allowing no room for error.

For a moment, Ivy regretted not casting the second-circle spell Mechanized Mind on herself earlier, but then she thought that artistic brilliance could not come from an absolutely calm emotion. The works of those great artists were either a rebellion against a hopeless life or a resistance to a boring reality; in short, they were a form of self-expression.

If you want a work of art to come to life, it's not enough to just pour in emotions; you also need a series of coincidences.

Cassandra's intrusion, though an expected surprise, also brought Ivy new inspiration.

As Ivy's thoughts fluctuated, the elemental power surrounding the elemental element at the center of the pentagram magic circle began to rise and fall, and the colorful elemental magic circulation became unstable, as if it would completely break down at any moment.

But Ivy was, after all, a seasoned master of black magic. He used his unwavering confidence in his inevitable success to clear away all distractions and continued his work with focused determination.

Thus, amidst Ivy's wavering emotions of hesitation and unwavering confidence, a contradictory yet curious and self-assured consciousness was born. Ivy, who had been maintaining the ritual, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He understood that the magical ritual for creating the Elemental Garden statue had entered its final step—giving it a name.

"Howling Flame." Accompanied by Ivy's clear and bright voice, the Art Element Garden of Cui Li Academy, like Howling Flame, was officially born.

The four elemental orbs, which were part of the ritual magic, instantly lost all their magical light and vanished into thin air as dust. Meanwhile, the large cat, its fur glowing like fire, nimbly leaped from the magic circle and pounced into Ivy's arms with a muffled purr.

"Hmm. Good cat." Ivy was delighted, weighing the large cat in her arms. Unsurprisingly, Howling Flame was much lighter than it looked. This was because the ceramic that made up his body was hollow, and hidden inside was an elemental core composed of wind and fire elements. These two elemental forces allowed this magnificent cat to move freely in the low air in a levitation posture.

Of course, the abilities of the elemental creatures that Ivy created after expending a lot of materials and experience points are far more than this, but right now there is still a little classmate being suspended in the air by Ivy, so before detailing the various wonders of Howling Flame, let's take a look at Cassandra's situation first.

The magical plant that trapped Cassandra was a devil's web specially cultivated by Ivy. It was not afraid of fire or light, but its lifespan was too short. After being activated by magic, it could only exist for a short time and was difficult to reproduce on a large scale.

In fact, a hundred years ago, Ivy's Room of Requirement was filled with all sorts of powerful magical plants, the most ferocious of which were even capable of taking down an adult fire dragon.

In the struggle, the hair ornament Cassandra used to restrain her golden hair fell to the ground, and her smooth, shiny hair was now scattered messily over her shoulders, with many strands over her forehead obscuring her beautiful face.

One by one, the silver buttons on the Hogwarts robes were undone, and the pristine white shirt underneath was no longer neat, but covered with crooked and creased wrinkles.

Ivy's gaze continued downwards, and at the very bottom of the plain cotton dress, a pair of small feet wearing white socks were trembling incessantly. Only one shiny black leather shoe was still on the foot; the other had long since disappeared in the struggle.

Ivy moved her fingers, and Cassandra was immediately released from the Devil's Net and fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry…” Cassandra coughed, pulling a devil web seed from her hair as she did so. “I didn’t know you were performing such an important magical ritual…”

“I thought you were just here studying magic…reading books, chanting spells or something…” Cassandra’s voice was much clearer this time, and she said breathlessly, “I can foresee the consequences of trespassing—of course you’ll be angry, because nobody likes their private space being invaded. But this classroom belongs to Hogwarts, not just you. So…”

Ivy had anticipated this scenario. He remembered that even in the original books, the Room of Requirement had been hacked during its use. That must have happened in the last of the seven books, when the Ravenclaw tiara was destroyed. Some fool had cast a Fiendfyre spell in the Room of Requirement, which not only caused everything inside to be burned to the ground, but also prevented him from escaping.

"So, how do you plan to make it up to me?" Ivy interrupted Cassandra's hesitation.

“I am willing to serve you…” Cassandra knelt on one knee, glancing cautiously at Ivy, “In whatever form… as long as it grants me the power of revenge…”

“Having power is better than having none, that’s not an extreme reason. But power only expects a worthy master, so how are you going to prove yourself?” Ivy scratched Xiaoyan’s chin as she sized up the little witch.

“I can do anything!” Cassandra’s bright emerald eyes shone with determination, a determination mixed with a strange emotion.

"So we'll see? Get up, the ground's cold. But remember, I'm not some soft-hearted guy..." Ivy said softly, "I might use you for some magical experiments or something..."

PS: This chapter has been modified due to a highly toxic content, and Chapter 75 has also been deleted, but this does not affect reading. In the original plot, Cassandra's intrusion disrupted Ivy's magical experiments, and Ivy later angrily cast the Cruciatus Curse on Cassandra, leaving a dark magic mark on her shoulder.

Chapter 76 The Demon Duncan's Private Chamber

"I never imagined that the Room of Requirement would be breached by a first-year student." Ivy sighed sadly as she stood in front of the giant stick-beating Barnabas tapestry on the eighth floor of the castle.

Cassandra had already left, and as a gift and a means of surveillance, Ivy had placed a dark magic mark on her shoulder. Inspired by Voldemort's Dark Mark, only the mark Ivy left on Cassandra was more subtle and aesthetically pleasing.