From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

Different spellcasting professions can learn different spells. Some special spells only exist in the spell list of a specific profession. Therefore, when a spellcaster masters a spell that does not belong to the spell list of their own profession, it is called an expanded spell list.

Ivy's wizarding ability, Philosopher's Stone, can be considered a means of expanding the spell list. By consuming Philosopher's Stone, Ivy can cast a Greater Restoration or a Resurrect the Dead. These two 5th-circle spells are not on the wizard's spell list, but belong to the spells of priests, bards, mechanics, or druids.

Cassandra's zero-ring spell, Arcane Blast, cast through Ivy's dark magic mark, is a spell found only in the spellbook of sorcerers. As almost the only means of damage output for sorcerers, Arcane Blast deals noble force field damage, maximizing its power against physical entities in the real world. This is why Cassandra was able to easily destroy the training dummy and the wall behind it with a single Arcane Blast.

A so-called "contract spellcaster" is a spellcaster who establishes a contractual relationship with a supernatural entity from another world and obtains the sect leader's secret magical energy through the contract, using it as a source of magical power.

The relationship between a sorcerer and a sovereign is similar to that between a priest and the god they serve. However, these sovereigns are usually not true gods, but rather demon lords, great demons, Great Old Ones, or powerful entities from other outer planes. They need sorcerers as their representatives in the material world to accomplish their purposes or spread their faith, while in return, they bestow their power upon the sorcerers as a reward.

The dark magic mark Ivy left on Cassandra's shoulder inadvertently fulfilled the contractual requirements between a sorcerer and a sect leader. However, Ivy was merely a visitor from another world, not truly an otherworldly being who needed a sorcerer to interfere with the world. Furthermore, while Ivy possessed extremely powerful magical abilities, he wasn't truly capable of contending with a true god. Therefore, Ivy couldn't really be considered a qualified sect leader, just as Cassandra couldn't be considered a qualified sorcerer.

In the end, Ivy could only attribute the cause of this anomaly to his own cheat ability, namely the Grimoire of Destruction, which provided him with a great deal of knowledge about other worlds. Although the Grimoire of Destruction compatible Ivy's wizarding abilities with the rules of D&D, the two are still actually very different.

Through the dark magic mark on Cassandra's shoulder, Ivy's magic flowed into Cassandra's body. Besides the wizard's power, something from another world was also transmitted through the passage between them.

Because of the differences in their worldviews and rules, the Grimoire of Destruction determined that Cassandra and Ivy did not exist in the same plane. This led it to categorize the dark magic mark linking the two as a contract between a sorcerer and a sovereign. Consequently, Cassandra gained the ability to cast the 0-ring Trick Burst, a unique ability for sorcerers in the D&D universe.

In the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Ivy pondered for a long time before finally turning her gaze back to Cassandra: "Your previous magic was cast using my magic, pure and disordered magic, and it also contained the emotional power that I once extracted using ancient magic. Whether you want it or not, by that contract, I will become your overlord, and your fate will be inextricably linked to mine from now on, whether in life or in death."

“That is exactly what I have been hoping for…” Cassandra bowed her head respectfully, “Lord Doom.”

“I understand your desire completely now, to kill Voldemort, don’t you?” Ivy saw Cassandra nod quietly, the flames of revenge burning fiercely in her eyes.

“The events of that night haunt me constantly; they are so vivid, as if they happened yesterday,” Cassandra stated seemingly calmly. The past of her family's destruction had etched her hatred for Voldemort deep into her soul. “I would give anything to achieve this goal.”

“You’ve given everything,” Ivy said. “Although I hate to admit it, my impulsive act has had far greater consequences, and you won’t be able to rest in peace even after you die.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Voldemort is now just a shadow, a puff of steam. He has temporarily eliminated the possibility of death with dark magic, but this has also brought the threat of death truly to his side. All that is needed is to destroy his Horcruxes, and Voldemort will be forever trapped between life and death, until everything he has vanishes into the wind."

"A Horcrux?" Cassandra looked up, her emerald eyes seeming to burst with light.

“A wicked yet foolish form of dark magic,” Ivy said, pulling the Tome of Domination from the Grimoire of Destruction. Its predecessor was Tom Riddle’s diary, Voldemort’s first Horcrux. “Through dark magic, a part of one’s soul is separated from the body and sealed within a magically protected object. As long as the Horcrux isn’t destroyed, Voldemort has countless chances to start over. This was his first Horcrux, a diary, but I’ve now repurposed it into a magical artifact. I used that piece of his soul as ink to write down forbidden knowledge.”

"Voldemort did not have only one Horcrux, but all of them had one thing in common: they were of great significance to him. This diary is proof of the first time he used dark magic to kill someone."

"So, as long as we destroy his Horcruxes, we can truly eliminate him?" Cassandra saw hope for the first time. Since meeting Voldemort's destined rival at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, who was no different from a Muggle, she saw hope for the first time in a complete end to the Dark Lord.

“It wasn’t us, it was just me.” Ivy transformed back into the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and said in a deep voice, “Killing Voldemort was part of our pact, and you have already paid with your soul and your future.”

As Ivy finished speaking, the chaotic magic transformed into golden chains, binding Cassandra's arm tightly, the other end fastened to Ivy's finger. This was a variation of the unbreakable magical oath between wizards; the vow requiring witnesses was twisted by Ivy into an incantation of an unequal contract, further strengthening the bond between patriarch and servant.

As Ivy said, after Cassandra's death, her soul still belonged to Ivy, just as the devil tricks mortals into giving away their souls through a contractual deception.

Chapter 107 Sealing Memories

“No…please at least let me do something!” Cassandra pleaded. “Soul or future, take it all, but I can’t just stand by and watch. At least…let me do something for you…Horde weapons…let me help find Voldemort’s Horcruxes!”

Ivy remembered that Voldemort had seven Horcruxes in total.

The destroyed diary was obtained from Malfoy.

The Ravenclaw crown is also hidden in the House of Requests and Responses.

The Gaunt family ring in the Riddle mansion is inlaid with the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows. Over a hundred years ago, Ivy had a connection with Orminus of the Gaunt family, who nearly broke with his family publicly. At the time, Ivy planned to collect all the Deathly Hallows after dealing with Lanlock. Unfortunately, he was sealed in a crystal and never had the chance to complete this task.

Slytherin's locket, a memento of Voldemort's mother, was switched by Sirius Black's brother and is now in the hands of the house-elves at Black's old house.

Hufflepuff's golden cup is hidden in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, who is now imprisoned in Azkaban, waiting to serve Voldemort once again.

Nagini, the blood-cursed orc Voldemort encountered in the Black Forest of Albania, is one of only two living Horcruxes.

And finally, there's Harry Potter himself; Voldemort's soul fragment is hidden in the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

Ivy knew the location of all the Horcruxes by heart, so why would she need the help of a first-year witch?

"I have my own plans for Voldemort's Horcruxes, so you don't need to worry about it. What you need to do now is to grow up and have a healthy body to cooperate with my magical research. That is your only mission now."

"Cooperate with magical research"—this requirement sounds simple, but it's actually extremely dangerous. After all, this is Ivy's first time being someone else's sect leader, and it's not uncommon for her to lose a limb or even a life.

How to transfer his magic, which was too dangerous for ordinary people, into Cassandra's body, and find a perfect balance between efficiency and safety, was something Ivy needed to test.

If Cassandra is likened to a container, then the dark magic mark on her shoulder is the water inlet valve. When she unintentionally used the magic burst before, the valve was in her own hands, and she could borrow as much magic as she needed from Ivy.

However, after their vow, the control over the magic flow now rests with Ivy, and how much magic Cassandra receives depends entirely on Ivy's mood. Furthermore, the difference in their strength is too great; if Ivy isn't careful, the amount of magic he transfers could exceed Cassandra's capacity, potentially causing her to explode. Therefore, mastering the amount of magic transferred is what Cassandra needs to cooperate with from now on.

When the inlet valve was in Cassandra's hands, it was as if Ivy had unintentionally created a weakness for herself.

The logic is simple: if Ivy could activate the Dark Mark on Lucius's arm with a simple touch, there's no reason why other magic masters couldn't do the same, especially since the Dark Mark on Cassandra's shoulder originated from it. If a knowledgeable magic master were to capture Cassandra, they could potentially drain her magic power through Ivy's mark, though the possibility is incredibly small, Ivy can't dismiss it as nonexistent.

Any mage aspiring to reach the pinnacle of magic should possess the quality of caution, otherwise any magical experiment could bring them utter destruction. Over a hundred years ago, Ivy did just that; studying dark magic was like dancing on ice that could crack at any moment. One wrong step and he would fall into a cold, icy abyss, ending up like Voldemort.

Even though Ivy was already a master of dark magic, he still fell victim to the ancient magical vault beneath Hogwarts more than a hundred years ago, and was sealed in crystal for a century.

Lessons learned from the past should guide future actions. Especially since this happened to Ivy herself.

Therefore, he would never leave any openings for the enemy to exploit. The mark left on Cassandra's shoulder was indeed a crisis, but danger always comes with opportunity. Ivy was able to glimpse the most fundamental relationship between the sorcerer and the patriarch, and to further understand the truth behind his cheat ability—the Grimoire of Destruction.

“Alright, Cassandra, I shouldn’t have revealed so much about the Horcruxes to you. Now that Voldemort is lurking in the shadows, we have to be extremely careful in everything we do. So, just to be on the safe side, I will try to protect this part of your memory with magic, in case anyone tries to spy on your mind.” Ivy took out her wand and pressed the tip against Cassandra’s temple.

“I understand…” Cassandra lowered her eyes and nodded. “Then will I still retain my impressions of Horcruxes?”

"Of course not. Every time you recall this memory, your brain will tell you it's a secret about Voldemort, carefully preserved by magic. You won't know the details of this memory unless you get my permission." The method of sealing memories, ostensibly to prevent Voldemort's spying, is more accurately described as a defense against Dumbledore and Snape. After all, they're the only two in this school who constantly use Legilimency to read other people's minds.

Snape was somewhat better; at least he only used it on Harry. Dumbledore, however, was different. He practically used this method as the only way to distinguish between good and evil. And Cassandra was a Slytherin to be wary of; who knew when he might use Legilimency on this young witch?

Ivy's wand emitted a few strands of silver thread that floated lightly into Cassandra's brain. In just a few seconds, the magic used to protect her memories was completed.

“Miss Vore, the spell you used in class is called Magic Burst, a rather dangerous spell, both for you and for your classmates.” Ivy regained Professor Victor’s composure, and while dispelling the magic that sealed the classroom, she said in a calm tone, “Three times a day is the maximum your body can withstand. Unless there is an emergency, I hope you will not use it even once.”

“I understand…Professor Victor.” After a brief moment of confusion, Cassandra’s eyes regained their clarity.

Chapter 108 A Sorrowful Gaze

"Are you serious, Harry? Even if I almost got my arm bitten off by that dragon, it won't stop you from feeding it?" Walking along the path outside Hogwarts Castle, Ron was still trying to persuade his good friend to give up the idea of ​​feeding the dragon.

"We finally managed to get rid of Hermione, and now we have to face that dragon!" Ron's voice was filled with despair. "I should have just drowned in the ocean of knowledge!"

“Don’t do that, Ron.” Harry stepped forward and said softly, “Hagrid is our friend. You don’t want to wake up one day and find Hagrid’s cabin just a pile of ashes, do you?”

“Even if the little cabin really gets set on fire by that dragon, I don’t think Hagrid will be sad. He’ll probably just praise him for doing a great job!” Ron rolled his eyes and followed Harry.

Although the weather was getting hotter, the nights in the Scottish Highlands were still freezing, so the Hogwarts students were still wearing long sleeves, Harry and Ron included.

The two wiped the sweat from their foreheads, which had been dripping from the scorching sun, and turned past the small hill in front of Hagrid's house to reach the front of the cabin.

Yaya, who was always the first to greet them, was now tied up at the door, listlessly wagging its tail at them. It seemed that even its enthusiasm couldn't withstand the scorching sun.

Hagrid's cabin was no different from when they last visited; it was still completely darkened, with no light penetrating at all.

Harry and Ron looked around to make sure no one was following them before knocking on the door: "Hagrid! We're here!"

However, no one responded, only Ya Ya hummed softly a few times.

“Looks like nobody’s around,” Ron said to Harry happily. “Hagrid must have remembered his duties as the game’s guard! In that case, let’s head back! If we have time, we can even play a couple of games of wizard chess!”

Harry looked closely and saw a huge brass padlock hanging on the wooden door. Perhaps Hagrid hadn't left in a hurry; at least he remembered to lock the cabin.

“I was thinking…” Harry felt a little uneasy, “He wouldn’t have left Nobeta, the dragon, alone in the cabin, would he?”

“Maybe he took it into the Forbidden Forest,” Ron speculated. “Even if he is Hagrid, you can’t think so badly of him. Don’t worry about him, let’s go back to the castle!”

But Harry suddenly pulled him aside, dragging him to the side of the hut: "Someone's here!"

"Who?" Ron staggered before regaining his balance, then immediately peered out. "Where?"

"The Forbidden Forest!" Harry stared nervously in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. As the game keeper of Hogwarts, Hagrid's cabin was only a few steps away from the Forbidden Forest. "It's Dumbledore! And Professor McGonagall!"

The man in the bright blue robe with a long white beard was clearly Dumbledore, and standing next to him was Professor McGonagall, Harry and Ron's headmistress.

Even though it was break time, Harry and Ron hid because of the natural fear students have of professors.

The two professors walked ahead, followed by Hagrid, who was beaming and looked extremely happy. In contrast to Hagrid's radiant smile, Professor McGonagall's expression was very serious, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips tightly pursed.

The three emerged from the Forbidden Forest and headed towards Hagrid's cabin.

"Quick, hide!" Harry pulled Ron to the side of the cabin, making themselves out of the three people's sight.

"Are you sure, buddy?" Ron had hidden himself with him, but he didn't stop talking. "Eavesdropping on three adults talking? And two of them are professors?"

"Shh..." Harry felt a little embarrassed. He was reluctant to admit that he could never suppress his curiosity. Fortunately, the three adults soon approached the cabin. Ron didn't seem to want to face Professor McGonagall either, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I still can’t believe it,” Professor McGonagall said, her voice full of skepticism. “How could they possibly have such good intentions? To allocate funds for no reason, just for the ‘well-rounded development of students’? And I didn’t see a single word about discrimination against Muggle-born wizards in the letter.”

The three paused in front of Hagrid's cabin, continuing their unfinished conversation.

“Calm down, Minerva,” Dumbledore said gently. “Not all Hogwarts board members are ‘that’ kind of pure-blood wizards.”

“Albus, you actually believe them?” Professor McGonagall’s face was full of surprise. “The more harmless they seem, the more terrified I become.”

"I don't believe them, but as things stand, building a 'Fantastic Beasts' museum at Hogwarts..."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, and Hagrid quickly added, "'Specialized training base for breeding and propagation'."

“Yes, ‘Special Training Ground for the Breeding and Raising of Magical Creatures’—that’s such a mouthful,” Dumbledore continued. “...It’s completely harmless to Hogwarts for the time being; on the contrary, it provides students with many things they can’t learn in the classroom.”

“Yes, I see that too,” Professor McGonagall said listlessly. “That’s why I didn’t object vehemently. Although I can’t imagine the original intentions of those who call themselves pure-blood nobles, this base is indeed a foreseeable good thing.”

"So this is settled?" Hagrid rubbed his hands together, his mouth practically stretched to his ears in a grin.

“Not at all, Hagrid!” Professor McGonagall looked up at Hagrid’s smiling face and said seriously, “I must warn you again, you are only allowed to show the review panel the magical creatures mentioned today! No chimeras, and no dragons!”

"Of course, of course! I understand!" Hagrid spread his arms to show his innocence, then paused before asking with a hint of reluctance, "Not even Lucas?"

“Cerberus won’t do either!” Harry and Ron, hiding behind the cabin, could both imagine Professor McGonagall’s expression. “It has to guard ‘that thing’!”