[Note: Read up to Chapter - 108 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
.
.
.
.
"Aris, you're alive!"
"Brilliant! I knew you'd be alright!"
"Told you he'd make it out in one piece!"
"Bit odd, though... how'd Professor Snape let you off the hook so easy?"
The moment Aris stepped into the Ravenclaw common room, he was immediately swarmed by a bunch of curious first-years.
He raised an eyebrow. On the surface, they looked thrilled to see him—but something about their expressions made him feel like they'd already planned his memorial.
"Cheers for the concern. I'm perfectly fine," Aris said with a stiff smile, trying not to look too bothered.
"Aris, didn't Professor Snape come after you?" Terry finally pushed to the front of the crowd, giving him a once-over like he was expecting to find him missing a few limbs.
"Nope. Didn't see him," Aris replied, feigning ignorance like a cheeky schoolboy.
"That can't be right!" Anthony piped up from the side. "He found out you bunked Potions! Even though we told him Dumbledore had called you to the Headmaster's office, he should've come looking!"
"You told him Dumbledore called me?" Aris stared at the pair in disbelief.
He couldn't believe it—they'd actually taken the excuse he'd made up on the fly in Defence class and repeated it straight to Snape!
Even more ridiculous, Snape hadn't cornered him yet.
Now that he thought about it, something didn't add up. If Snape was really that furious, shouldn't he have hunted Aris down first before marching off to Dumbledore?
What Aris didn't realise was that Snape had been searching for him. But while Snape was stalking corridors and knocking on doors, Aris had been holed up in the Room of Requirement, and then stuffing his face in the kitchens. The two had missed each other entirely.
All Aris could say was—it must've been blind luck!
"Aris, even the upper years were gobsmacked when they heard you skipped Snape's class!" Cho Chang looked at him with a mix of concern and barely concealed excitement.
"You've no idea—there's probably not a single soul in the school who hasn't heard your name by now!"
"That's hardly a good thing," Aris replied with a weary shake of the head.
"Oh, come on—it's brilliant, innit?" shouted a young Ravenclaw from the crowd.
"Yeah! No one's ever had the guts to ditch Professor Snape's class!"
"Don't forget—he bailed on Quirrell's too!"
"Aris, you're proper wicked! You've done what the rest of us dream of but wouldn't dare try!"
The common room was buzzing with chatter, the young Ravenclaws practically hailing Aris as some sort of rebellious icon.
Watching them, Aris felt utterly exasperated.
He raised his hand, sighing in earnest. "Alright, alright, I get it—you're all excited. But could you maybe tone it down for a minute?"
"I need to remind you that skipping class is a terrible habit. Especially if you haven't learned the stuff that's being taught—it's just letting yourself down!"
"The only reason I skipped is because I've already finished all the first-year coursework. If you can do the same, I reckon the professors won't make you sit through it again either."
He paused, scanning their puzzled faces.
"So… anyone figure out what's the key to being allowed to skip class without getting into trouble?"
They all looked at each other, clearly stumped.
Then a small hand popped up from the back, and a timid voice offered, "Is it... finishing all the year's courses early?"
"Bang on!" Aris grinned, giving the hand a high-five. "You lot are quick on the uptake!"
"As long as you get through all your coursework ahead of time, you can skive off class now and then—just like I did—and the professors won't have a leg to stand on!"
"Don't go saying you can't do it! If I can manage it, why on earth can't you lot?"
"So what are you waiting for?"
"Get a move on—go study!"
Aris's words seemed to set the room ablaze. The young Ravenclaws lit up with excitement, their eyes wide with a sudden burst of determination.
Terry and Anthony were the first to crack—they turned and bolted straight for the dorms.
"I've made up my mind! I'm staying up all night with my nose in the books. I'll finish every subject ahead of time like Aris—and then I'll skip class without a shred of guilt!"
"I'm getting on with it too. Even if I can't complete the whole curriculum early, if I'm just ahead of tomorrow's lessons, I can tell the professor and maybe they'll let me read extra stuff during class!"
"If you want to dazzle in front of others, you've got to graft behind the scenes! Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Aris has got some ancient Eastern blood in him..."
"Just once—I want to skip class like Aris before the year's out!"
One by one, the fired-up first years dashed out of the lounge like they'd been hit with a jolt of magic.
Ravenclaw—normally the domain of reason and intellect—was suddenly acting more like a houseful of impulsive Gryffindors. The power of having an idol, clearly.
Aris watched the chaos unfold with a look of helpless amusement.
"Aris… are you sure you should be telling them all this?" one of the older students asked cautiously. "I mean, what if tomorrow they really do all go begging the professors to skip class or read other books? We'll be losing house points left and right!"
"And honestly—those things you said… it did come off a bit like you were showing off."
Seeing a few upper-year students still lingering in the common room, Aris turned, smiling slyly as he pressed a finger to his lips.
"Keep it down, yeah? Those first-years are still buzzing. Once they settle, they'll start thinking straight again."
"If I hadn't booted them off just now, I'd never get any kip tonight."
He yawned mid-sentence and shuffled off toward the dorms, clearly knackered.
Behind him, the older students stared, stunned.
"So... he got them all worked up just so he could sleep in peace?"
"Told you—he's not some golden boy. Skips lessons, backchats professors... there's nothing he won't pull. And now he's got half the house worshipping him? The world's gone daft."
"For Ravenclaws to fall for such daft, flashy talk… embarrassing, really. They don't deserve the name."
"Oh, you poor, foolish mortals…"
The last line floated faintly up the stairwell, just loud enough for Aris to catch.
He didn't stop. Just gave a quiet chuckle to himself.
Ronald wasn't entirely wrong. Ravenclaw did have its fair share of pompous, eccentric types who fancied themselves above the rest.
But honestly—what house didn't?
You start drawing attention, and envy follows right behind. That's just how it goes.
He let the snide comments slide. If he went around addressing every jealous whisper, he'd drop dead from exhaustion.
…
Back in the dorm, Aris sat down and penned a letter, jotting down all the day's little escapades.
Once done, he gave Iris a firm prod—making the little red dragon do the late-night delivery to Luna.
He'd promised her he'd write often.
And a promise is a promise.
With that out of the way, Aris turned inward, calling up the system panel in his mind.
He'd been stockpiling academic ability points since before term even started.
Now, the number had passed twenty thousand.
But most of those points had already been spent.
Now, Aris's stats had changed quite a bit.
>V<
Name: Aris Shafiq
Title: Sole Heir of the Shafiq Family, First-Year Student at Hogwarts
Magical Level: B-Rank (210/500)
Pet: Dark Red Dragon (Iris)
Overall Talent: SSS-Level
Common Talents: Photographic Memory, Super Thinking, Speed Reading
Special Talents: All-Round Shapeshifter, Prophetic Astrologer, Wandless Casting, Language of Nature
Special Skills: Meditation
Main Subjects:
Charms (Advanced) Potions (Intermediate) Defence Against the Dark Arts (Advanced) Transfiguration (Advanced) History of Magic (Intermediate) Herbology (Intermediate) Astronomy (Intermediate)
Electives:
Flying Lessons (Not Yet Started) Divination (Intermediate) Ancient Magic Research (Intermediate) Ancient Magic (Advanced) Alchemy (Intermediate) Speed Chanting...
Academic Ability Points: 4,590
>V<
First off, Aris's magical level had reached B-Rank—on par with a full-grown wizard.
Next, most of his core subjects were already at the intermediate level. A few—like Charms, Defence, and Transfiguration—had progressed all the way to advanced, indicating he'd not only passed the standard wizarding exams but excelled far beyond them.
In fact, his grasp on spell work, DADA, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes wasn't just advanced—it already rivalled, if not surpassed, the average certified wizard's.
After closing the stat panel, Aris opened the system shop again.
His steady accumulation over the past month had unlocked a broader selection of rewards.
Beyond the usual gold galleons and standard potions, there were now several tempting new entries:
General Subject Experience Pack: 500 points Charms Experience Pack: 300 points Potions Experience Pack: 300 points Epiphany Potion: Grants heightened sensitivity to magical energy and a chance to enter a state of magical epiphany. Costs 1,000 points to redeem. Magic Crystal: Stores magical energy and allows users to draw power from it at will. Can also serve as a core component in magical arrays. Costs 1,000 points to redeem.
Aris ran a few quick tests on the two new items and was thoroughly impressed by both.
The Epiphany Potion, as expected, offered a chance to enter a rare state of magical insight. Even if that didn't happen, it still noticeably sharpened one's perception of magical flow—making it a brilliant boost for anyone practising meditation.
As for the magic crystal, Aris handled it with care. Given its high exchange cost, he didn't dare waste it.
His initial research revealed it wasn't just an energy reservoir. It could also act as a focal point in a magical array—either as the core or a major node. Because it retained power so well, the array could continue to function even without a constant stream of magical input.
What truly intrigued him, however, was a theory:
Could spells themselves be stored within these crystals?
That idea alone sparked a dozen experiments in his mind. But to test the theory properly, he'd need far more crystals.
So, he'd been holding off on spending his remaining points—saving up carefully.
Now, with nearly 5,000 academic points in the bank, it was time to move the magic crystal research forward.
He took out a bottle of Epiphany Potion that he'd tucked away for a moment like this, downed it in one go, and quietly closed the system interface.
Entering a meditative state, that strange, elusive sensation returned once again.
It was a marvellous feeling—like everything around him had transformed into raw, vibrant energy. Hues of magic swirled through the air, and Aris found himself drifting effortlessly through it all. These swirling energies, ever-present, seemed to recognise him and quietly merged into his body at just the right moment.
This wasn't a true state of epiphany, just the natural effect of the potion working its magic.
Still, the enhancement to his magical perception was immense.
Without the Epiphany Potion, even if he did enter a meditative state, forming any real connection with these bizarre energies would've been slow and unreliable. That's precisely why the natural growth of magical reserves was typically sluggish.
The reason Aris had managed to elevate his magic level to a solid B within a single month was largely thanks to this very potion. Once, he'd even managed to reach a full state of enlightenment—during which his magical growth had soared at a pace nearly ten times faster than usual.
With regular use of the potion, Aris had found he could boost his magical reserves by roughly two points with just a night's meditation.
And when you consider that moving from Level B to Level A only required 500 points, it was no small gain.
Time slipped by as he remained immersed in his meditation, until finally a pale light crept through the window.
Morning had arrived—and with it, the second class of the day.
In nearly every subject, Aris had made tremendous strides. But there was one glaring exception:
Flying.
It wasn't that Aris was afraid to give it a go—he simply hadn't found the time.
That, and he had no particular interest in it.
Zooming through the air on a broomstick had never appealed to him. The cold wind biting at his neck, rain stinging his cheeks—it was miserable, really.
Frankly, Aris had decided from the very start that broomsticks were not going to be his mode of transport.
It's all well and good if you're just out to enjoy yourself—feel the wind in your hair, get a thrill from flying about on a broom. But using it as a regular means of travel? Absolute nightmare.
He'd much rather get around the Muggle way.
Or better yet, use the Floo Network or something a bit more civilised.
And in the future, once he learns to Apparate, short-distance travel will be sorted.
As for broomsticks—well, anyone keen to muck about on one is welcome to it.
Aris had already made up his mind: if he ever needed a proper method of transport, it'd have to be something like the Weasleys' flying car.
Now that was cool.
Still, he was stuck in broomstick class.
Why? Because when Professor Flitwick asked if he'd ever flown on one before, Aris—without thinking—said "no."
That was it. The tiny professor had insisted he attend flying lessons, no arguments.
"Everyone get ready! Stand to the left of your broom and say 'Up!' after me!"
Madam Hooch, the Hogwarts flying instructor, barked the usual commands as she paced in front of the students.
This time, Aris had the dubious honour of sharing the lesson with the Boy Who Lived and the rest of the Gryffindor lot.
Technically speaking, Gryffindor had already finished ten flying lessons.
But thanks to poor Neville's mishap—and the little 'friendly duel' between Harry Potter and young Master Malfoy—things had got a bit out of hand in their last session. So...
Madam Hooch rejigged the schedule and ordered a makeup class.
Professor McGonagall, surprisingly, agreed to it.
Honestly, it felt like the flying instructor was robbing time from more important subjects—like some PE teacher barging in on a maths lesson and claiming it was urgent.
If that happened in the Muggle world, the bloke would be out of a job by the next morning.
It's already a miracle when the theory teachers don't nick time from PE class, let alone the other way round!
"Harry, I heard Professor McGonagall picked you to be Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" Aris asked, more out of boredom than curiosity.
He'd tried summoning the broom a few times now—no luck. The thing just lay there stubborn as ever.
Truth be told, he didn't want anything to do with this knackered old broom anyway. So instead, he turned to making idle chatter with the other students.
But Madam Hooch wasn't having any of it.
Just as Harry opened his mouth to say "Yeah," her sharp voice cut through the air.
"Mr Shafiq, do you believe you've got proper control over your broom?"
.
.
.
.
Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 108 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]