Chapter 135
Severus Snape, the youngest head of Slytherin House in history, a master in potion-making, has various accolades that often overshadow his other strengths.
He is an exceptionally talented spell inventor, and he has invented more than one spell.
Lavender Monksdanley is remembered for inventing a single Lumos spell.
In his past life, Soren already knew that Snape had immense talent in spells, especially in the dark arts. The spells he invented include the Toenail Growth Spell, the Tongue-Tying Curse, the Earplug Curse, the Non-Disappearing Spell, and the Hanging Bell Spell.
After reading "Snape's Magical Research Notes," Soren realized he had underestimated Snape's talent.
No wonder he gained Voldemort's recognition at such a young age and joined the innermost circle of Death Eaters; no wonder a half-blood wizard earned the respect and recruitment of pure-blood Death Eaters; no wonder Voldemort was willing to spare the life of that Muggle witch three times for him...
Soren's knowledge of spells is already considerable. He once doubted if anyone in this world, apart from a few great wizards, knew more spells than he did.
But even with his perspective, he couldn't help but be amazed when he saw "Snape's Magical Research Notes."
Many spells were developed by Snape for new purposes, and he even deconstructed and restored them to more primitive, powerful forms.
For example, the Bombarda spell was improved by Snape into the "Chain Explosion Spell"—a spell that can produce a series of explosions with no upper limit on the number of explosions, as long as the caster's magical power keeps up. Just based on this spell, Soren could conclude that in the original work, the reason he was beaten to the point of fleeing in one round by Professors McGonagall and Flitwick was that he showed mercy because he didn't want to hurt his colleagues.
For instance, the Bat-Bogey Hex, originally invented by Miranda Goshawk to turn the victim's snot into bats that bite the opponent's nose and face, was improved by him into the "Leech-Bogey Hex"—where the snot transforms into leeches that not only bite the opponent's nose and face but may even burrow into their nostrils and mouth, trying to bite from the inside (like the throat or stomach).
Of course, the most covetous spell for Soren is the "Unsupported Flight" he learned from Voldemort.
Unsupported Flight, as the name suggests, is a type of magic that allows independent flight without the need for incantations or auxiliary tools like a broomstick or flying carpet.
In the original work, only three wizards demonstrated this ability: the infamous Voldemort, Quirrell possessed by Voldemort, and finally Snape, whose ability, according to Professor McGonagall's deduction, was learned from Voldemort.
Soren's broomstick flying skills can only be described as average; he can fly, but if he had to control the broom with one hand while casting spells with the other, he would likely find it challenging.
Unsupported Flight is very suitable for him.
First, Soren possesses active magical power, allowing him to easily manipulate magic throughout his body—he can silently cast an anti-gravity spell on himself to coordinate the distribution of magic through various parts of his body, allowing him to perform any posture or movement in mid-air.
Second, Soren knows how to multitask and cast spells with both hands. Once he frees his hand from controlling the broom, his aerial combat ability will greatly increase.
That being said, aside from the Transfiguration spell, he now has "Unsupported Flight" added to his top priority tasks.
A week quickly passed. Soon it was November 21, Saturday.
There were 4 days left until the first event of the competition.
This day was Hogsmeade visiting day.
Soren took all the third-year members of the Dragon Club to the Three Broomsticks for a gathering. Although he had the ability to use his suitcase space to bring along second-year members, he chose not to, as being seen could lead to a report that would put Professor Snape in a difficult position.
They chose the largest table, and although there were a total of nine people, there were still a few empty seats.
Madam Rosmerta greeted them with a warm smile, "Oh, look, our brave ones have arrived!"
Customers at other tables turned their attention to Soren. Most of them smiled at him.
The famous proprietress swayed her hips and walked over to the table of Soren and his group with a charming demeanor. "What would you like to order? I can bring it directly to you."
In a bar, one typically orders at the counter and then picks up the food themselves. Mrs. Rosmerta clearly offered special treatment because of Soren's status as a warrior.
"Alright, madam," Soren said grandly, "I'll have six deluxe seafood platters, six dozen fresh North Sea oysters, a mug of butterbeer for each person, and a glass of fizzy pumpkin juice. Today, it's on me!"
Seeing a big business opportunity, Mrs. Rosmerta's smile grew even warmer. "Okay, I'll be right back."
Everyone was excited because Soren seemed very confident about the competition.
Most importantly, all expenses were to be covered by Soren!
Not all Slytherin students came from wealthy pure-blood families; many were from lesser mixed-blood families, whose pocket money barely covered candies and stationery. In a bar, they could only afford the cheapest butterbeer for a little indulgence. When had they ever ordered food or eaten anything?
You might wonder, where could they find such a friendly, polite, helpful, high-achieving, strong, and good-looking senior who was also generous and wealthy? They all felt secretly proud of their decision to join the Sleeping Dragon Society, which significantly boosted Soren's popularity.
The Three Broomsticks was packed with people, mainly Hogwarts students, enjoying their afternoon of freedom. However, there were also various magical folks rarely seen elsewhere, such as hag and ogre, since Hogsmeade was the only all-wizarding village in Britain, a safe haven for them where they didn't have to worry about being seen by Muggles and violating international secrecy laws.
Soon, another group entered through the door.
It was Cho Chang and her large group of Ravenclaw friends.
Upon seeing Soren, her eyes lit up, and she smiled as she led her friends over. "Soren, it's so lively here! My friends and I can't find a seat; can we sit with you?"
As lunchtime approached, there were indeed no empty tables in the Three Broomsticks, but Soren looked around...
There were plenty of vacant seats at tables other than his!
For instance, Ron, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had many empty spots at their table...
And Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott also had a table with space...
Not to mention Cedric Diggory was trying hard to squeeze past his tablemates Stebbins and Summers to create some space...
Soren sighed inwardly, realizing Cho Chang's hint. She was indeed very pretty, but the timing for them to meet was off, and his heart had already been filled.
Whether it was Daphne, Meredith, Moray, or Astoria, they had all invested their genuine feelings in him. The girls had been quietly supporting him from behind, taking care of his trivial matters so he could focus on pursuing knowledge and power without worries.
Such feelings and intentions were hard to repay in this life; he could not let them down.
However, he had promised his senior Chang He to look after Cho Cang, and if he were to refuse outright, it would seem rather unkind.
As he struggled with how to respond, Daphne spoke up on behalf of Soren. "Cho, we are discussing an interesting plan—"
How could the graceful Daphne not see that Cho Chang was interested in Soren? Her eyes sparkled with wisdom. "If you want to sit here, you must join this plan!"
Cho Chang's gaze was unwavering as she looked directly at Daphne and smiled. "Oh, what plan?"
"Support the Warrior Soren Fan Club!"
In the end, Cho sat down.
Not just her; her friends Marietta Edgecombe, Marcus Belby, and Eddie Carmichael also joined them.
The four of them agreed to join the so-called "Support the Warrior Soren Fan Club," although Soren had never known of its existence before.
Of course, he fully guessed Daphne's intention—this was to test Ravenclaw's attitude towards him. If possible, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's little wizards were also part of the Sleeping Dragon Society's recruitment plan.
Marietta is quite an unpopular character in the original work because she betrayed Dumbledore's Army, but no one considers that she chose to betray them because her family was threatened; her mother, Mrs. Ekermoff, would lose her job because of her.
In Soren's case, there are no such issues; the Ministry of Magic has already been infiltrated by him—Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Office, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Pest Advisory Board, etc., he has connections everywhere.
Marietta has no reason to stab her friends in the back, and Mrs. Ekermoff works at the Floo Network Administration, holding the power to monitor the Floo Network. This position may not be high-ranking, but it is crucial and has value for bribery.
As for the other two boys? They are purely there as bystanders.
Well, Belby is just an ordinary boy; the only noteworthy thing about him is that his uncle, Damocles, recently invented a wolf's bane potion. However, his relationship with his uncle is not good, and they hardly interact.
Carmichael also comes from an ordinary background, but compared to Belby, he has more value for bribery. He is an academic powerhouse who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Hermione; in the original work, he scored outstanding in 9 subjects on his OWLs, just as Hermione did. Unfortunately, this talented individual does not know how to utilise his skills properly and instead uses his good grades as a facade to deceive younger students, trying to sell them fake "Buffy Brain Boosters" at just 12 Galleons per pint. Sacrificing a great reputation for such small profits is, in Soren's view, quite foolish.
Moray, being from Ravenclaw, has worked deliberately with Cho Chang to help the little wizards from Ravenclaw gradually open up from their initial politeness and start chatting freely. Laughter echoed from their table, attracting the attention of many little wizards at other tables.
The gathering ended amidst laughter.
The so-called "Support Warrior Soren Fan Club" is not just a joke. Daphne has already discussed with Cho; they need to find time to create posters to put up in various noticeboards, as well as sew a large banner to hold up during the competition. In addition, they need to recruit more little fans for the club and find time to rehearse slogans to cheer for Soren.
Hogsmeade Village, the underground chamber of the Miracle Alchemy Shop.
Soren frowned at Daphne, "What exactly are you guys up to?"
Daphne reached out and touched Soren's handsome face, "Soren, are you really saying you don't have any feelings for Cho?"
"No!" Soren replied firmly, "I only take care of her because I owe her great-uncle some guidance. There is no other ambiguity between us."
Daphne sighed, wrapped her arms around his, and leaned into him softly, "But you need her, right? Cho has told me that her great-uncle agreed to teach you their family's secret Transfiguration spells, and with Cho's looks and popularity, it would also help your plans in Ravenclaw, wouldn't it?"
"Daphne, what are you thinking!" Soren held the girl tightly, "Don't overthink these things; let me handle it! Remember, I absolutely will not—never—"
"Whether it's for the Transfiguration spells of the Chang family or for the family's dominance—"
"I won't allow you to be harmed!"
Daphne lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears, "Thank you, Soren, just having your concern is enough for me..." she said softly, "You don't have to be like this. Really."
Her gaze held an unprecedented determination, "Because—"
"I believe in you."
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