The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

Ron tugged at Harry in alarm, "Please, don't say that name!"

Harry ignored Ron and looked at Hagrid instead: "Hagrid, as you told me, many people think he's dead, but Headmaster Dumbledore believes he's only temporarily lost his magic, which is why he's hiding."

"But the Philosopher's Stone has unimaginable magic, so it's not surprising that the other party would be tempted by it."

He then pointed to himself and his forehead: "And besides him, who else would want me dead so badly? Regardless of whether Snape was behind it, the person who attacked me was definitely him or one of his men!"

He made this inference by mentioning that his scars had caused a burning sensation at the start of the school year and during Quidditch matches.

Harry is indeed very perceptive in this regard.

Ryze only gave a simple hint, and he already guessed the answer himself.

Rizz did not deny it, staring at the famous scar on Harry's forehead: "There is some truth to that. I can indeed vaguely sense the life force within you, Harry, a life force that I cannot see clearly."

"Perhaps Dumbledore is wary of that person whose name cannot be mentioned and his henchmen who want him to make a comeback."

He pointed to Harry's forehead: "Now that you've guessed this, Harry, you should understand that this is not something we can interfere with right now. Although you fought them off, no one knows what happened that night. Such a miracle is not easy to replicate."

"However, your scars seem to serve as a warning, which is a crucial ability. Perhaps it can allow you to anticipate that person's actions."

Rizz suggested that Harry maintain correspondence with Dumbledore and also inform him about the reactions to his scars, which might allow Dumbledore to make arrangements more easily.

Touching his scars, Harry felt a strange sense of responsibility because of Rhett's words.

After all, these Gryffindor lion cubs certainly won't wait patiently forever. Giving them some tasks they can do will at least give them an outlet for their pent-up enthusiasm.

Of course, Rhett also assigned Ron and Hermione some tasks, namely, to help them remember the people around Harry and what was happening the next time Harry talked about his scar.

"Alright, let's leave the matter of the principal's reply for now. Everyone, please enjoy your meal. I'm starving," Rizz said, ending the conversation after assigning tasks to the three young wizards, allowing them to focus on enjoying their barbecue.

Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the three little ones had finally calmed down and seemed to be no longer bothered by the Philosopher's Stone.

As expected, Rhett Butler had a solution; now he no longer had to worry about Harry and the others being in danger.

However, none of the people present seemed to notice that there was one more thing about Dumbledore's reply that Rizzi hadn't mentioned.

That is the last thing Dumbledore mentioned about him in his letter.

The statement, "Hoping to see the dessert after dinner tomorrow," seems like Dumbledore is expressing his sense of humor, but upon closer inspection, it seems that Dumbledore is hinting at something.

Could this be Dumbledore giving him a hint about the password to the principal's office?

What's this?

Should he use this password to find Dumbledore and become his apprentice tomorrow night?

Rizz could actually guess Dumbledore's thoughts.

I simply sensed a familiar air about him from him, so I wanted to see him in person to see what kind of person he really was and whether he would go astray.

Actually, Ryze wouldn't mind letting Dumbledore take a good look at himself.

Because from beginning to end, Ryze never thought about becoming the Dark Lord. Come to think of it, he hasn't even been to the Forbidden Library or the Forbidden Forest yet.

After all, he already possesses a rune system. As long as he absorbs curse energy step by step and accumulates runes, he can become stronger at a speed far exceeding that of his peers.

To be honest, the title of "Dark Lord" was rather low-class in his eyes.

Chapter 85: The Test of Improving the Pleasure Drug

Harry and his two friends temporarily shifted their suspicions about Snape from the open to the covert, and at the same time became more well-behaved.

The group enjoyed a pleasant barbecue feast at Hagrid's cabin.

Rizzi also demonstrated his superb juicing skills, using household magic to squeeze a large glass of mixed juice from the fruit in Hagrid's cabin. This juice temporarily boosted the Haste effect of his skills, and Rizzi and Harry exclaimed that it was the best juice they had ever tasted in their lives.

The next day, on this cold morning, Rizzi once again found himself in the gloomy underground classroom, facing Snape's sour face.

This week, Percy still arrived at the underground classroom early as usual, and he seemed quite determined.

It seems that after a week of mental adjustment, he is ready to come back and try again.

Today they are going to brew a potion that has effects somewhat similar to those of aphrodisiacs.

Both drugs can induce false emotions, but the aphrodisiac only makes people madly infatuated with one person. After the effects wear off, the user will only suffer because of their madness.

Euphoria, on the other hand, is much more restrained. It brings a false sense of happiness, but this emotion can be controlled. It does not force people to do things they do against their will. It is used as an adjunct to boost mood during gatherings and can also be used to alleviate the low mood people experience after encountering Dementors.

Aside from that, if we're talking about side effects, it's that euphoria makes people want to sing loudly and makes them more prone to blowing their noses while the drug is in effect.

"In terms of difficulty of brewing, the Joy Potion and the Love Potion are not much different, but I will have higher requirements for the Joy Potion you brew. If you want to participate in the Potions Competition, you must first..."

Snape paused, then gave the thirteen students present a sinister look.

Half of the students barely managed to brew a passable potion last week, so they're all a bit afraid to look Snape in the eye now.

"Your task for the next month is to brew an excellent euphoric drug while also finding ways to reduce its side effects."

Snape's voice suddenly rose: "However, if I see anyone carelessly wasting materials, I'll kick them out of my classroom!"

After saying that, he looked at Riz standing next to Penelope and said meaningfully, "At the same time, don't let me see that someone's potion is just a simple copy of someone else's work. I need to see your own understanding of potions."

After saying this, Snape wrote down the usual method and ingredients for making the Joy Potion on the blackboard, without demonstrating it. After doing all this, he let everyone get started.

Percy, standing not far away, had a tense expression. This time, he didn't think about using those risky methods again, but instead tried to use conventional methods to ensure that he could prepare a good quality potion on his first attempt.

Penelope gave Rizzi a helpless look.

"It seems Professor Snape is warning us not to help you anymore. In any case, you should first follow our method to brew the normal euphoria, and then you can study it slowly later."

That morning, Ryze was not affected by Snape's words. She continued to watch Penelope and Gemma Farley brew the potion. However, because of Snape's warning, they did not explain the key points of the potion to Ryze during the brewing process.

Fortunately, Ryze transformed into the King of Scrolls this week, using his extraordinary concentration and the help of divination to catch up on a lot of advanced potion theory from fifth and sixth grade, and then using this advanced theory to specifically learn the related basic theories.

Although this leapfrog learning made his potion knowledge system seem like a foundational building, he had also studied the relevant theories of euphoria while researching the theory of aphrodisiacs, and it was enough for him to brew regular euphoria today.

Moreover, if Ryze is given another two or three months to thoroughly solidify his foundation in potions theory, he will be able to fulfill Snape's requirements on his own.

Jemma Farley was once again the first to complete a high-quality potion, and after the potion was finished, she began to study the direction of potion improvement in her notes using potion laws and arithmetic divination.

Rizzi had also prepared the ingredients and began his cooking process.

His medication was still finished around noon, slightly better than last week, but still only at a normal, passable level.

Ranking second to last out of thirteen doses, the other students clearly didn't waste their time this week either; they naturally learned from last week's experience and performed even better this week.

Only one Hufflepuff student seemed out of sorts today, and the potion he brewed was of very poor quality.

This naturally led Snape to give the unfortunate Hufflepuff student an extremely harsh scolding: "What are you doing? You can't even beat a first-year student! If you hadn't told me it was euphoria, I would have thought it was slug juice squeezed from a bunch of crushed slugs! Do you think someone with this level of skill is qualified to participate in the Potions Challenge?"

This reprimand was far more severe than the one given to Percy last week. The student blushed, then scrambled to clean the crucible and left the classroom.

Of course, other students whose medications were of poor quality were also subject to his criticism.

Ryze saw an older girl who seemed to have been scolded by Snape and was crying, but she gritted her teeth and did not leave the classroom.

Percy, standing to the side, looked rather proud, because the quality of his potion this time ranked in the upper-middle range overall, firmly reaching a good level.

"By this time next week, I need to see your ideas for improving potions. Dismissed."

After Snape finally finished spewing his poison and disappeared from the office, the rest of the crew breathed a sigh of relief and began tidying up their respective crucibles.

However, no one's expression relaxed much just because they had safely made it through the day.

According to Penelope, this was the first time the fifth-graders had received a request from Snape for the "improvement potion," so they weren't very confident.

It's fair to say that, apart from Jemma Farley, even Penelope can't say for sure when she'll be able to come up with a reliable idea for improvement.

As Percy came over to invite Penelope to the library to work out their ideas, Penelope waved to Rez.

"Just do your best. If we can find a good way to improve, I'll contact you again."

Ritz nodded his thanks, and after parting ways with the two, his gaze fell upon his juicer talent.

His theoretical level is indeed far from sufficient, and it is almost impossible for him to improve the potion using conventional methods.

But perhaps he could find a way to improve his proficiency with the euphoria drug within a month, so as to trigger its special effects.

I believe that the euphoric drug with its extra effects should give Snape a little bit of a juicer-like shock.

Chapter 86: The Most Unpopular Principal

Before dinner, Ritz wrote a letter to Andromeda, asking her to purchase as many raw materials for the euphoric drug as possible.

After all, he needed to improve his proficiency with euphoria drugs as much as possible within this month.

Although he could guarantee the success rate of his potions, Ryze knew very well that if he simply mechanically repeated the brewing process to improve his proficiency without demonstrating any idea of ​​improving the potions, Snape would certainly not allow him to consume those herbs indefinitely.

Fortunately, as a sixth-grade potion, the Joy Potion wasn't as ubiquitous as the potions from previous years.

This kind of potion, which can make people feel happy and ward off depression, will have a good market both on and off campus around Christmas, and it certainly won't lose money.

At dinner time, after finishing a plate of mashed potatoes, Reese looked at the dessert in front of her. First was a Yorkshire pudding covered in syrup, and then there was a small dish of hard candy that smelled of lemon.

“Oh, this is Lemon Olaf, my favorite candy when I was little. But now I’m not used to the sour taste when it first enters my mouth,” Terry said, taking a candy and popping it into his mouth. He was first given a shiver by the sour taste, and then he heard a slight crackling sound in his mouth, the sound of the carbonated powder inside the candy exploding in his mouth.

Ritz also tried it, and the sweetness and carbonation that slowly emerged after that strong sour taste was indeed quite good.

So this is the password for Dumbledore's office tonight?

After dinner, Reese said goodbye to her roommates, saying she wanted to take a walk in the castle. She then slowly walked from the first floor of the castle all the way to the eighth floor and arrived at the principal's office.

A huge and ugly stone beast with a dripping spout blocked his way.

"Password."

"Lemon Olaf, or Yorkshire Pudding?"

The dripping stone beast didn't reveal which was the real password; it simply jumped aside obediently, revealing the spiral staircase behind it.

After walking up the stairs, knocking on the wooden door, receiving permission, and pushing the door open, Rizzi didn't see a stern principal.

At this moment, Dumbledore was bent over, holding a small pair of silver tweezers, trying to adjust a silver instrument on his table.

He turned his head and, upon seeing Ryze, his deep blue eyes immediately brightened.

“Oh, Mr. White, you’ve come at just the right time!” Dumbledore straightened up and beckoned to Raz. “Come do me a favor. This warning device seems a little crooked. I always feel that the smoke it emits when it rotates is a bit skewed. Perhaps a young person can see it more clearly.”

Rizzi stepped forward and, as Dumbledore had requested, observed the unique warning device, then helped Dumbledore fine-tune the instrument's status.

“It seems there are no problems for now,” Dumbledore said, clapping his hands in satisfaction as he looked at the instrument that was now spinning normally again. He then gestured for Rez to sit down in the chair at the table. “Please sit down, Mr. White. I knew you would understand what I wrote in the letter. I hope you will like the taste of Lemon Olaf; after all, it’s one of my favorite candies.”

As he said this, Dumbledore took a small dish of lemon sorbets from his drawer and placed it on the table. He then happily popped a lemon into his mouth, gesturing for Rez to have a few as well.

“Thank you, Principal. I really like the taste.” After Reese did as he said, both of them squinted slightly at the tangy lemon flavor.

After the sour taste subsided, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and spoke gently, "So, where shall we begin... let's start with your father."

“Although a long time has passed, I do have a deep impression of your father, Alfald. After all, he was the first member of the Black family to stand up and publicly oppose Voldemort and the Death Eaters in that era, and later he influenced many of the younger generations of the Black family…”

But as soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, a portrait hanging on the office wall suddenly began to shake violently.

"Hmph, Alfard, that guy who willingly gave up Black's honor, is a cancer!"

"He first influenced Andromeda, and then he sent that idiot Sirius to Gryffindor."

"And now, his son is still wearing Ravenclaw's wizard robes, appearing before me like a Muggle with the mediocre surname 'White,' utterly disgracing the Black family!"

Rizz looked in the direction of the sound.

He was a wizard dressed in silver-green clothes, with a goatee, and who looked very shrewd.

At this moment, the wizard was scrutinizing Ryze with an extremely complex gaze.

“Excuse me, Mr. White,” Dumbledore said to Ritz, then introduced the wizard on the wall to him.

“This is Phineas Nigelles Black. By blood, he should be your great-great-grandfather, and he is also one of the former headmasters of Hogwarts.”

“I’ve seen his portrait in Hogwarts’ history,” Raz nodded, then looked at the ancestor on the wall. “He’s the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts’ history, and quite famous nonetheless.”

Finias's cheek twitched suddenly on the wall.

He was certainly aware of this title himself.

But he never imagined that one day his descendants would also make such an evaluation of him.

“The least popular?” Finias’s voice shrieked. “That’s jealousy of my iron-fisted rule. Do you know how many outstanding wizards I’ve taught during my tenure? Among them is the great wizard in front of you, who is known as the greatest wizard of the 20th century!”

"You little brat, with noble blood flowing through your veins yet willingly degenerating, how dare you use those shallow, brainless values ​​from the outside world to humiliate your ancestors?"

Ryze looked at his ancestor, who was clinging to the frame of the painting as if he wanted to jump out of the picture and teach him a lesson, his expression unchanged: "So where is the noble Black family now?"

"The grave, or Azkaban?"

Upon hearing Ryze's rebuttal, Phineas should have been furious, berating Ryze for his disrespectful behavior as an unworthy descendant, but a subtle struggle appeared on his face.

After all, Ryze was telling the truth.