Chapter 240: Avada Your Kid-abra
This spell was incredibly over-the-top. It allowed Dylan to slip into other people's dreams and act as a god of creation! As long as his imagination was great enough, he could conjure any scene he wanted.
And, with his magic-powered modifications, Dylan could easily implant any command or idea into the other person's mind.
The most important thing was that, unlike the Imperius Curse, this spell wouldn't cause any severe or traumatic effects on the person it was used on. This subtle, silent method was clearly able to bring Dylan countless benefits and advantages!
"And with this spell, all the other incantations I've been researching, whether it's the Dream Gate or the Mnemosyne's Veil, seem to have more room for improvement!"
This new max-level spell had brought Dylan a wealth of new knowledge. This knowledge was extremely valuable; perhaps not even Dumbledore could have taught him in such detail. Dylan felt as if a door to a new world had been pushed open right in front of him. With this spell, he had a new objective to work toward and research for a long time to come.
He let out a pleased tsk.
[Message]: Congratulations, you have obtained the max-level spell—Fabrica Sogni Maxima (Construct a Grand Dream)!
Dylan nodded inwardly, feeling very satisfied.
He then looked at the next reward.
Ravenclaw's Portrait?
It should be similar to the portraits in the Headmaster's Office, right?
Dylan didn't pull the portrait out right then and there. Taking Ravenclaw's portrait out here might just scare Neville and the others into a state of shock. He simply looked at the system's introduction.
[Item]: Ravenclaw's Portrait [Description]: A portrait left by a wise woman, and her true image. [Effect]: Can use a variety of spells. Not only can you communicate with it, but you can also enter the portrait to practice dueling. Additionally, placing it in a separate world may trigger a new effect.
"Huh?"
Reading the system's description, Dylan subtly raised his eyebrows. In his imagination, a wizard's portrait being able to duel would already be an amazing feat, just like the portraits in the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office. But this portrait of Ravenclaw wasn't just labeled as the real one—the system also hinted that placing it in a separate world might trigger a new effect.
What kind of effect could that be?
Dylan's heart felt like it was being constantly clawed by a cat. He was incredibly curious.
But after all these years of reading, he had developed a certain calm demeanor. Even in the face of a new reward's temptation, Dylan remained composed, quietly holding the Curiosities of Magical History in his hands. Although his fingers were a little tense.
Dylan shifted his attention to the last reward.
"A treasure map for Ravenclaw's treasure?"
He looked at the system's introduction for this item.
[Item]: Treasure Map (Ravenclaw's Treasure Edition) [Description]: A map recording the treasure of a powerful wizard. Find the treasure, and you may find the riches that wizard left behind. [Effect]: Look up.
"..."
Dylan's mouth twitched slightly at the system's introduction. This system was really something else.
After a moment's thought, he slowly set his book down. Then, he silently retrieved the treasure map from his system panel.
Neville and the others glanced at Dylan, assuming he was just writing something down, and didn't pay him any mind, returning to their own activities.
Dylan leaned into the corner of the leather seat. He placed the parchment on his lap and unfurled it. The treasure map wasn't small, but it wasn't overly large either. Sunlight streamed in through the window, giving the edges of the paper a golden glow.
At this moment, Neville was looking at his book. Seamus and Dean were playing Wizarding Chess across from him.
Dylan rubbed the treasure map in his hands. The map was older than he had imagined. Its edges were brittle and dark brown, either from dried blood or something else. It gave off a faint rustling sound as Dylan spread it out.
He looked down. Faded ink lines outlined the entire British Isles, but abruptly stopped somewhere off the coast. In its place was an area covered in deep purple ink. The ink looked alive and seemed to be subtly wriggling under the sunlight. Dylan narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to get a better look. He noticed tiny, silver patterns hidden within the smudges. They formed a vortex, and in the center was a string of Old English.
"Fatum Insula?"
What was this?
Dylan raised an eyebrow. He lightly touched his fingertip to the words. Instantly, a faint golden light exploded from the center of the vortex.
An outline of an island that had never appeared on any Muggle map materialized in the sea off the coast of Cornwall. The island was crescent-shaped, its center filled with black ink. Only along the edges was a symbol, looking like an eagle's eye, marked in vermillion. The Old English phrase was automatically translated into a language Dylan could understand:
"Only he who knows the truth can break through the mist."
Dylan's eyes narrowed. He ran his finger over the outline of the island. Just then, he felt a cold, wet sensation on his palm. Dylan's heart skipped a beat. A key suddenly appeared in his palm as the cold seawater made contact.
Dylan inconspicuously opened his hand to get a look. The key was made of fish bones and was shaped like an eagle.
Dylan casually put it into his system storage.
"Looks like this Christmas break is going to be busy again."
But that was fine. One thing at a time. No rush.
Just then, as Neville turned a page, his peripheral vision caught sight of Dylan. He saw that Dylan wasn't reading anymore, but was instead staring blankly at a piece of parchment, not writing anything at all.
Neville blinked, feeling a little curious. He leaned in slightly to get a better look and saw that the parchment Dylan was holding seemed to be a map.
"Dylan, are you going on a trip for Christmas break?" Neville asked curiously.
Dylan snapped out of his trance and gently folded the map. He gave Neville a casual smile. "Yeah, I thought it would be nice to get out and wander around for a bit."
Neville smiled back. "That's good! When I was at home, I always went out with my family to travel, but now I don't have a lot of time anymore."
Dylan waved his hand. "Don't even get me started. My parents are either making money or traveling—mostly traveling."
With Dylan's help, the Huberts' business was no longer as difficult as it had been at first. The foundations had been laid. Earning money from a stable business was much easier and faster than building the business while trying to make a profit. This gave them more time for romantic getaways. Dylan himself had never had a proper trip abroad. Before Hogwarts, they didn't have the money. After Hogwarts, he simply didn't have the time.
"Oh?" Neville blinked.
He knew a little about Dylan's parents. Hearing this, he just awkwardly scratched his head and gave a small chuckle. "Well, either way, you should enjoy your trip."
Dylan didn't feel the need to correct Neville's misunderstanding. He'd just let him assume he was going on a trip. After all, when it came to Ravenclaw's treasure, the fewer people who knew, the better. It would also make it easier for him to decide whether to claim the treasure as Dylan or as Karsus.
On the train ride, Dylan had the urge to take out his suitcase and crawl inside to throw the Ravenclaw portrait in and see what would happen. But he stopped himself. He didn't want anyone else to know he had a Ravenclaw portrait. Who knew what kind of unexpected changes would occur when the portrait entered his world?
"Come to think of it, the system says my Ravenclaw portrait is the 'real' one. So what about the Ravenclaw portrait hanging in Dumbledore's office? Is it just a normal portrait that was infused with some of Ravenclaw's magic?"
"And if I find Ravenclaw's treasure, I wonder what's inside. I always thought the four founders would keep their treasures at Hogwarts, but apparently, they left it somewhere else?"
"Was this to guard against someone?"
Of course, this was just Dylan's guess. He didn't make a definitive conclusion.
He picked up Curiosities of Magical History again, continuing where he had left off.
"Returning to the Great Lake, during the founders' time, wizards married young and didn't know how to exercise restraint. Godric had no choice but to establish a school rule prohibiting students from consummating their love on school grounds after bathing, or having children within the castle."
"It is said that at the time, potions for contraception were especially popular and almost always in short supply."
"Later, Salazar, who was so annoyed with brewing all those potions, stayed up for a whole night, driving away various wild couples, and then cast a contraceptive spell over the entire castle."
"Of course, to avoid offending those wealthy patrons who were eager to have heirs, this task was kept strictly confidential and was known to no one else."
"So, Helga Hufflepuff never knew, up until her death, why she never had a sister."
Dylan blinked.
This unofficial history was really wild. But if he thought about it carefully, it seemed to make a little bit of sense. After all, if someone hadn't done something or put something in place, then why did so many people fall in love at Hogwarts every year but no one ever got pregnant? It couldn't be that Professor Snape was handing out birth control pills every year, right?
Of course, there were no seedy little inns near Hogwarts. Hogsmeade only had two pubs and a tearoom. Whether those wizards were actually getting intimate inside the castle, or just kissing, was something Dylan didn't know.
But just as Dylan had thought before, with the Room of Requirement existing for so many years, it was impossible that no one had ever found it. So, with this magical room, whether it had an option for couples, was another matter entirely...
"Wait a minute, I remember when I was holding the Marauder's Map a while back, I saw two names layered on top of each other. Sometimes it would be one person's name on top, sometimes it would be another person's name on top. Sometimes, the two names would be one after the other. And sometimes, those two names would be trembling..."
Dylan scratched his head, not daring to think any further. But then, a scene he'd seen during a divination session a year ago, when he was bored, suddenly popped into his mind.
He had seen some things from the past. Ron's parents were secretly going out for a walk late at night while they were students. Then Mr. Weasley was caught by the caretaker at the time and was whipped. The scars from the whipping were still visible when Dylan visited Ron's house recently. Even after more than twenty years, the scars hadn't disappeared...
Why would a simple walk warrant such a beating?
Hmm...
It was truly something that couldn't be thought about in too much detail.
"Speaking of which, the way Muggles handle abortion is quite scientific, but in the wizarding world... surely they don't just shove a wand in there and cast the Avada Kedavra curse?"
What would that become?
Would it still be called "Avada Kedavra"?
It should be renamed something like "Avada Your Kid-abra"...
And wouldn't the self-mastication instantly create the ultimate Horcrux?
A shiver ran down Dylan's spine.
Merlin's mother, what kind of hellish joke was this...
"Compared to all this, I think Snape having a hidden occupation is the most reasonable explanation."
Dylan clicked his tongue.
"However, Salazar getting tired of brewing abortion potions and casting a contraceptive spell over the whole castle seems pretty reasonable, especially since I've been going to Professor Snape's for private lessons every day, and I've never seen him research any contraceptive potions."
Of course.
If Professor Snape really did have a hidden profession, he wouldn't let a kid like him see those things.
"Come to think of it, if the Hogwarts Castle was really covered by a contraceptive spell from Salazar, given Salazar Slytherin's personality, it's a good thing he was a man. Otherwise, he might have left behind an even more permanent spell to solve the problem."
But if it got to that point, the men in the castle probably wouldn't like it.
Dylan shook his head, no longer wanting to think about these wild things. He wondered if Rita Skeeter had ever read this book. If she knew about this unofficial history, her first reaction would probably be—
Huh? Why is my quill running away on its own?
............
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