My necromancer career begins at Hogwarts

Morris admitted that he was taken aback by that statement.

He composed himself and pressed, "What do you mean by 'kill you'?"

If he wasn't mistaken, Professor Binns was a genuine ghost.

Logically speaking, since a ghost is already dead, how can it die again?

He needs a clearer explanation.

Professor Binns seemed to have anticipated Morris's reaction, stroked his beard, and spoke in a steady voice.

"I think you should know that not all the dead become ghosts. Ghosts are the result of people choosing to remain in the world after death."

"To explain in detail, we need to go back to the very beginning of Hogwarts' founding. Simply put, I was cursed into becoming a ghost, but I myself... didn't actually have any desire to become a ghost."

"What's worse is that a ghost like me can't end its own life."

Morris nodded slowly, understanding what Professor Binns meant.

Cursed and turned into a ghost?

That's truly a tragic thing.

Even suicide is impossible.

He tried to touch Professor Binns with his hand, but it was obvious that his hand went straight through Professor Binns' body.

As we all know, ordinary people can't encounter ghosts, so they naturally can't "kill" them.

But Maurice was a necromancer, and he believed he would be able to do it someday.

“If it doesn’t require me to pay any price,” he said, “I’d be happy to help you, Professor Binns.”

He has always been a helpful person.

Having received an affirmative reply, Professor Binns smiled and narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you," he said. "Of course, that will have to wait until you're able to do it. Maybe a few years, maybe decades, or maybe a lifetime."

"I will try my best," Morris said earnestly.

Professor Binns patted Morris on the shoulder with satisfaction—though his hand went right through him.

"If you really do it, Maurice," he said mysteriously, "when you successfully lift the curse from me and allow me to rest in peace... I will give you a surprise as your reward."

"A surprise?" Morris was taken aback. "What is it?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." A sly glint flashed in Professor Binns' eyes, making him seem a little more lively. "Stay tuned."

Morris wanted to press for more information, but Professor Binns waved his hand.

"Okay, after talking to you for so long, my head is starting to hurt. I can't stay in this state for long."

Goodbye, Maurice.

As soon as he finished speaking, the lively expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the empty and indifferent look he usually wore during class.

"Professor Binns?" Morris waved his hand in front of Professor Binns's eyes.

But the ghost professor merely nodded slightly, then his body disappeared into the blackboard.

Morris was somewhat helpless.

He could vaguely sense it as well.

Professor Binns has two faces.

One face is like when he's in class, with little emotional fluctuation, like a serious teaching machine operating according to a program; the other face is like when he's chatting with him, with richer emotions, a gentle tone, giving him the feeling of a kind old grandfather next door.

What a peculiar ghost.

......

The agreement with Professor Binns did not affect Morris's daily life.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye, and Morris has already experienced all the courses.

In the first year at Hogwarts, students take eight courses: Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbalism, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Flying.

The Charms professor was Felius Frivi, whom Maurice had met before, and he was indeed highly skilled in magic.

Morris's pet cat, Canned Food, tried to scratch his beard (not at Morris's behest), but before it could even touch him, it was stunned by a stun spell. The spell was so fast that its trajectory was barely visible.

There's not much to say about Astronomy and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The former is simply stargazing, while the latter is just a professor named Quirrell stammering through the textbook, utterly meaningless and even more boring than History of Magic.

Of course, no one dozed off, because the strange garlic smell emanating from Quirrell kept everyone awake.

What Maurice was most interested in was Potions class.

Potion preparation is a precise art.

Morris became very interested in it after just one try.

Various materials are processed, mixed, and stirred in a strict manner to ultimately lead to a definite result.

This process, full of logic and a sense of control, fascinated him.

And then there's the course's professor, Severus Snape, who seems to be a stern man who doesn't mince words when criticizing or mocking anyone's mistakes.

But Morris didn't dislike this kind of professor.

Moreover, Snape gave off a "terrifyingly strong" feeling, especially his sharp eyes.

However, for some reason, he seemed to pay special attention to Harry Potter.

Or rather—hatred?

It was as if the child was his enemy's.

September 7th, Saturday.

This is Morris's first weekend at Hogwarts.

Students are not allowed to leave the school freely on weekends; only senior students are allowed to go to the neighboring Hogsmeade Village for activities at specific times.

Fortunately, thanks to the existence of magic, students have plenty of extracurricular activities.

Morris took a leisurely stroll inside the castle, something he hadn't done in a long time.

Of course, he didn't waste any time.

While strolling around, he kept thinking about one thing.

That is the new content that appeared in the Book of Mages before – the Gate to Two Realms.

Morris's intuition told him that this magic circle was extraordinary and a magic he absolutely had to master.

However, the requirements for using this magic circle are far too demanding.

It needs to be used while the user is dead.

Morris has no intention of dying, so the only way to use this magic is through other methods.

For example—faking death.

Yes, Morris thought faking his death would be a good option.

Magic is called magic because it has the power to make anything possible.

Since even ghosts exist, simulating death doesn't seem entirely unimaginable.

With that in mind, Maurice decided to first find someone who might be able to help.

In fact, he didn't have many friends to turn to.

So he went to the trophy room—where there were two poor fellows being punished by Professor Flitwick.

As soon as he entered, he saw two red-haired figures squatting on the ground, idly scrubbing the trophies with rags.

George (or Fred?) was trying to smear a blob of foam onto Fred's (or George's?) nose, but the other man deftly dodged it.

"Hey, look who's here!" one of them looked up, his eyes lighting up. "You actually came to help us, that's really kind of you, Morris."

As a result, Morris also joined the ranks of those chasing trophies (forced into it).