From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

“He’s a 144-year-old wizard, so it’s not surprising that he has such abilities.” Hermione started walking forward again.

“Yeah, he’s still raising dragons in the castle. None of us have ever made such a big mistake.” Ron glanced at Hermione, hoping she would, as usual, say a few words criticizing others for breaking school rules.

“Hmph, yeah.” Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted. “Ivy is different from you guys. He has the ability to control his decisions so that they don’t endanger others, even if it’s keeping dragons in the castle. Not to mention he’s a Slytherin! I have no right to criticize his risky actions.”

Harry admitted that he was momentarily tempted by the prospect of being spared Hermione's lectures by joining Slytherin, but the thought of spending every day with someone like Malfoy immediately banished the idea from his mind.

"'A risky move'?" Ron could hardly believe his ears. "That's how you describe him keeping dragons in the castle? How fair of you!"

"Don't be angry, Ron. You fed that little dragon, didn't you?" Harry looked up ahead. Hagrid's cabin wasn't far away. The dim light shone through the wooden windows, spilling onto the lawn in the summer twilight and blending with the sunlight.

"Hagrid! We're here!" Harry knocked on the door, and then heard a clanging sound from inside, as if a bottle had been knocked over.

"Alright, Hagrid, sit down. I'll go open the door." Harry recognized Ivy's voice; he hadn't expected Ivy to be inside.

Then came a few more muttered words from Hagrid, perhaps meaning he agreed.

The cabin door was opened immediately, but neither Ivy nor Hagrid stood in front of it. A ghostly arm invited them inside; it was the same arm that had opened the door earlier.

As soon as the three entered, they saw a mess on the floor, the air filled with the pungent smell of alcohol, and bottles lying all over the place. All three recognized the labels on the bottles; they were Nobeta's food.

"Thank goodness, Ivy brought the little dragon back from the castle?" Ron asked first. Knowing whether there was a dragon in the castle when he slept was very important to him, because ever since he found out that the little dragon was in the castle, he had been going to sleep five minutes later every day, just in case a fire suddenly broke out and he would have nowhere to run.

"Waaaaaah!" Hagrid suddenly roared, then wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

The three then noticed Hagrid sitting at the table. His wooden wine glass, which looked like a small bucket, was filled with amber-colored liquor, undoubtedly the brandy that Xiaolong had left over earlier.

The three hesitated for a moment, and finally sat down at the table amidst Hagrid's sobs.

Once Hagrid's crying subsided, Harry, encouraged by his two friends, asked, "What's wrong with Hagrid? Did the Ministry of Magic's review go wrong? But we've all heard about them setting up some kind of magical creature base at Hogwarts, haven't we?"

Harry's question only reopened Hagrid's wounds, causing him to cry even louder.

“Sigh…” Ivy sighed, “The Ministry of Magic forbids him from contacting magical creatures.”

"What?" The trio was taken aback. They all knew how much Hagrid loved magical creatures, especially those that looked particularly dangerous.

However, on the other hand, perhaps preventing Hagrid from coming into contact with dangerous magical creatures is a good thing for the teachers and students of Hogwarts, at least it would greatly reduce their chances of accidentally dying at the hands of magical creatures.

"What about the little dragon? Is Ivy going to keep it in the castle forever?" Ron skillfully used his ability to bring up the most awkward topics.

"Noberta!" Hagrid cried out in agony, burying his head heavily in the glass. With a few gurgling sounds, the barrel-like glass was emptied.

“But… how can the Ministry of Magic know if you’ve been near any magical creatures?” Harry asked tentatively.

Ivy answered the question for Hagrid: "They will send someone to supervise." But what he didn't say was that this was also an investigation, an investigation into the Chamber of Secrets. However, the Ministry of Magic's progress in reopening the Chamber of Secrets investigation seemed to be going poorly. More than a week had passed, and apart from an owl bringing a strongly worded letter, Ivy hadn't seen a single Ministry of Magic employee at Hogwarts.

"Ivy! Promise me..." Hagrid murmured through his drunken eyes, "Promise me you'll take good care of Nobita! You'll give her a happy childhood! I'll never see her again in this lifetime..."

“It’s not that bad yet,” Ivy comforted her. “I’ll find a way to get the Ministry of Magic to rescind the order. Besides, as long as you’re out of sight, you can still be with your beloved magical creatures.”

Although Ivy had gained custody of the dragon from Hagrid, she was far from happy, especially when she had to deal with a 3.5-meter-tall, crying giant friend.

There was another knock on the door of the cabin. This time it was Professor Celticburn, who was holding a bottle of wine in his only intact hand.

Ivy recognized the brand: Cannon Whisky.

Chapter 117 The Art of Dream Intervention

Hagrid has many troubles, but the students have even more.

Because Hogwarts is about to have its annual final exams!

This also means that Ivy will soon be freed from the abyss of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

However, before Professor Victor resigns from Hogwarts, he still has some minor revenge to take.

Using the Grimoire of Destruction, Ivy spent 2500 experience points to exchange for a 5th-circle illusion spell, Dream Spell.

This spell can create a creature's dream. As long as the target and the caster are in the same plane and the caster is aware of the target, the spell can be successfully cast.

The term "knowing the target of the spell" is actually a rather rudimentary way of saying it. It means that the spellcaster does not even need to have actually seen the target's appearance, as long as they have heard of him.

After a dream-spreading spell is successfully cast, the caster will enter a state of mental communication. While in this state, the caster can still be aware of changes in the surrounding environment, but cannot take any action unless they voluntarily end the dream-spreading spell.

If the target creature is asleep, the caster will appear in the target's dream and can speak with it during the spell's duration. The caster can also shape the dream environment, creating various landscapes, objects, and other images. Therefore, this spell is also a cross-range communication spell, offering a more convenient effect than a 3rd-level Short Message spell.

Furthermore, after the dream-spreading spell ends, the target being can perfectly recall the contents of the dream upon waking. If the target is awake when the caster casts the dream-spreading spell, the caster will be aware of this and can choose to end the telepathic state (and the dream-spreading spell), or wait for the target to fall asleep and then appear in the target's dream.

The ability to transmit information through dreams and to arbitrarily shape the dream environment alone makes the power of dream transmission incredibly strong. In this magical world where magic isn't particularly advanced, almost no one can resist the fifth-circle spells cast by Ivy.

Moreover, many people regard dreams as revelations or omens. Being able to manipulate other people's dreams means that Ivy could remotely implant an idea into that person's brain or strengthen a certain idea through dreams.

If wizards in the Harry Potter world can use Occlumency to block Legilimency while awake, then spells that directly affect dreams would be the ultimate weapon. With this spell, Ivy could freely feign supernatural abilities without fear of being exposed.

Besides transmitting information through dreams, dream-spreading magic can also transform the caster into a hideous monster in the target's dream, causing the target to have nightmares all night long. This completely negates the target's rest, essentially making them stay up all night. Furthermore, when the target wakes up from the nightmare, they will suffer some psychological damage.

This tactic is perfect for dealing with Voldemort when he's only in his soul form. Although Voldemort won't die from damage to his soul, such damage will still cause him pain. As long as he can torment Voldemort, Ivy's 5th-circle spell slot won't be wasted.

So he did it immediately. The casting materials required for the Dream Spell were a handful of sand, ink, and a quill pen made from a feather plucked from a sleeping bird, the total value of which would not exceed one silver coin, so Ivy's casting material-free feat worked perfectly.

The state of "transcendental thought" was very mysterious, somewhat like the legendary astral projection. Although her body remained in the same place and she could perceive everything around her, Ivy felt that her consciousness had left her body.

Following the spell model of the dream-spreading technique, Ivy's thoughts drifted thousands of kilometers away.

It was a gloomy jungle, and Voldemort was moving among the fallen leaves and branches. Even though it was already night, he showed no sign of stopping. In fact, the moonless night was perfect for a rat like him, a scoundrel in the gutter.

Yes, Voldemort is now possessing a rat. For the past 11 years, he has been surviving in the Black Forest of Albania by transferring between various small animals.

Ivy discovered a new use for the dream-spreading spell: even if the person he wanted to send a dream to wasn't asleep, he could still use this spell to monitor his target to some extent.

The enormous rat that Voldemort had been crouching on had been crawling tirelessly all day; perhaps it was time for it to rest.

Ivy saw "Voldemort" hide in a pile of fallen leaves, resting his chin on his two short paws; he was going to rest.

Just as Ivy was preparing to wait for "Voldemort" to fall asleep so he could present him with a big gift, a sudden change occurred.

A dark shadow darted out from among the withered branches and fallen leaves—a snake!

Judging from its markings, it should be a venomous snake. After all, in Ivy's memory, non-venomous snakes rarely have such brightly colored patterns.

The groundhog only let out a brief squeak before the venomous snake gripped it tightly with its body. As the venom was injected, the tiny mouse quickly lost its ability to resist.

But Voldemort won't disappear just because a rat dies, just as he won't die because Ivy killed Quirrell.

Ivy witnessed firsthand how Voldemort possessed a life. From the moment the pathetic hunter swallowed its prey, his tragic fate was sealed.

Black mist seeped from the rat's carcass, slowly but steadily infiltrating every hole in the snake's body. Even with the breeze blowing through the forest, the black mist did not dissipate in the slightest.

In a matter of moments, the snake released its grip on the rat and rolled on the ground in agony. No matter how hard it tried, no matter how much it twisted and writhed, there was not a single chance it could escape Voldemort's clutches.

Finally, a few specks of crimson light shot from the snake's eyes, and Ivy understood that Voldemort had succeeded; he had found a new vessel.

The venomous snake lingered in the forest, as if deep in thought, but in the end, it did not abandon its prey and swallowed the rat whole.

As a reptile, snakes quickly enter a dormant state after feeding, and Ivy knew her chance was about to come.

Sure enough, the venomous snake, having finished swallowing, quickly climbed up a tree and dozed off among the branches.

……

Tom felt as if he were back at Hogwarts, the place he once considered home. He saw himself leading the Death Eaters in their black robes, launching a fierce attack on the ancient castle. The white-bearded old wizard at the head was none other than Dumbledore, who had repelled him many times before, but Tom knew that this time victory would be his.

As expected, the aged Dumbledore was no match for the reborn Tom. Within three moves, the greatest white wizard of the century knelt on the ground, panting weakly and begging for his forgiveness.

Tom heard a roar. It came from a boy wearing round glasses, whose forehead bore the scar of his own humiliating defeat.

Avada Kedavra!

But Tom knew he wouldn't fail a second time; the lucky boy couldn't possibly survive his spell.

"Finally..." Tom closed his eyes, savoring his victory and the cheers of his Death Eaters. This was a victory for the Dark Lord, a victory for Voldemort!

When all was quiet, Tom opened his eyes again and gazed at his spoils—Hogwarts Castle.

A tall figure wearing a tattered cloak walked out of the castle gate, stepped over the Hogwarts teachers and students lying on the ground, and came to Tom.

"Who dares to stop the Dark Lord?" Voldemort heard his subordinates ask.

"Tom." A hoarse voice came from beneath the black cloak, sending a chill down Tom's spine. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Who are you!" Tom demanded.

“Ah…you always want to escape me, don’t you?” The black cloak turned to Tom, beneath which there was no face, only darkness. “But I will always find you…you can’t get rid of me, Tom.”

"Death!" Tom heard his teeth chattering, and almost instinctively he uttered a ghastly green curse.

The invincible Killing Curse struck the black-cloaked figure, only to be met with a burst of laughter: "You know! You know! Tom! You'll never get rid of me!"

"No! I did it! I did it! I conquered you!" Tom shouted hoarsely, only to be horrified as the black cloak lunged at him.

No pain...

Only darkness...

Chapter 118: Preparation for the Final Exam

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Professor Victor." Professor McGonagall said this because Ivy was comfortably reclining in an armchair, enjoying ice cream in the bright sunshine.

“Of course, because finals are coming up.” Ivy happily popped another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. As the weather got hotter, the house-elves started offering various flavors of ice cream for lunch and dinner. As a member of the faculty, Ivy had the right to enjoy their special treat alone during the morning break. Moreover, with just one 3rd-circle spell slot or two 2nd-circle spell slots, Ivy could order food using a teleportation spell.

House-elves never wondered how his magic transmitted the sound into their heads, and since elves' unique ability to apparite allowed them to move freely within Hogwarts Castle, Ivy always got the best satisfaction.

If he were to leave Hogwarts in the future, he would at least pack up a few house-elves to take with him. These magical little creatures that can use magic are just too easy to fuel the wizards' desire for enjoyment.