Chapter 34
"Devero? Devero? Wake up! Why are you sleeping here?"
A voice broke through.
Feeling his body being nudged, Devero struggled to open his eyes. He saw a tall, burly boy looking at him with concern—Marcus, the Slytherin prefect.
"Sorry, Marcus. I studied too late last night... What time is it?" Devero rubbed his face, exhausted, and stood up from the sofa.
"Eight-thirty. If you head to the Great Hall now, you might still catch breakfast before class," Marcus said, relieved to see Devero up. "You'd better rest more. Being top of the class doesn't come from burning yourself out. If you catch a cold, your grades will suffer even more."
As a senior, Marcus offered sincere advice before leaving the common room for class.
The common room was nearly empty, with most students already at the Great Hall as class time approached. Devero felt utterly drained. What he'd done last night was far more intense than studying textbooks.
"Ravenclaw's relic..." Devero recalled the information he'd seen before falling into a dream, a guess forming in his mind. Voldemort's Horcrux had likely been influenced by the Founders' relics after being in close proximity for so long, perhaps even capable of using some of their magic.
Devero touched the scarf at his chest, and a spell and a message flashed in his mind:
[Spell Library: Disillusionment Charm (Proficient)]
"Little one, to make things easier for you, I'm teaching you this spell for free. If you want to learn more in the future, come to me. I know everything. But a word of advice: wisdom cannot be granted—it comes from your own practice."
Devero picked up his wand, hesitated briefly, then waved it over his head. Instantly, it felt as if an egg had cracked above him, and a thick, transparent liquid flowed over his body. Looking into the common room's dressing mirror, he was practically invisible unless scrutinized closely. After prolonged observation, a slight sense of something off could be detected, but since Devero planned to use the charm at night, it wouldn't matter much.
"To think it can implant spells directly into my mind... Is this the effect of the [Wilderness of Knowledge]? Teaching anything and everything..." Devero frowned, pondering.
Honestly, even Dumbledore didn't strike him as omniscient. Yet this younger version of Voldemort had instantly recognized the source of his meditation technique! Devero couldn't help but believe this figure had real power. Combined with his attitude and the circumstances, it was unclear whether this Voldemort was still an enemy.
And with free spell lessons on offer, Devero decided not to tell Dumbledore just yet. He'd hold off on visiting Voldemort, too, and focus on building his own strength. Even if his mind couldn't be read, a Killing Curse would end him just the same—he didn't have Harry's protective magic of love.
Wait!
He had copied Harry's [Love's Protection] entry!
Devero quickly opened his entry library:
[Love's Protection (Gold/Disabled)]
Sigh. If he could find his blood relatives, he'd have some confidence facing this Voldemort. Devero figured he must have living relatives—his parents were from different countries, so they couldn't all be gone, right? To find them, the only lead was... Snape!
Devero wanted to slap his forehead. Why did that guy have to hold the key to such vital information?
Pacing by the fireplace, Devero outlined his plan: extract clues about his relatives from Snape, find them, activate [Love's Protection], and then return to Hogwarts to "borrow" more from this Voldemort. Plan set!
With that settled, Devero shifted his focus. Last night's efforts had significantly boosted his castle exploration progress:
[Current Wizarding Secret: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]
[Exploration Progress: 9.81%]
Still, the progress made his teeth ache. All that effort for less than 10%? Compared to Diagon Alley, it was painfully slow, and even worse compared to the station. The cooldown for loading a purple entry had ended, but no one's purple entry seemed urgently needed. He'd copy whoever he ran into during class.
With that in mind, Devero mustered his energy, headed to the common room's bathroom to freshen up, and prepared for class, skipping breakfast. After a quick tidy-up, he walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom just as the bell rang.
Though he'd only been at Hogwarts for two days, Devero had already mapped out the castle's main layout to prepare for deeper exploration. He hadn't been late once, unlike Harry and Ron, who'd racked up two tardies already.
But this time, Devero regretted his punctuality. Quirrell's classroom reeked unbearably of garlic, making it hard to breathe. He had a sinking feeling this class would rival Potions as his least favorite.
Hoping for a back seat where the smell was less intense, Devero realized he'd arrived too late—only front-row seats remained. Resigned, he sat in the first row, eyes watering.
Quirrell entered with two books, speaking in a soft, thin voice. "Good morning, everyone. I'm your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirinus Quirrell. You can just call me Professor Quirrell. Now, please take out..."
Devero immediately checked his panel:
[Name: Quirinus Quirrell]
[Age: 33]
[Spell Library: Finite Incantatem (Mastered), Banishing Charm (Mastered)...]
[Entries: Magical Talent (Purple), Exam Prodigy (Purple), Chameleon (Green)]
[Magical Talent (Purple): Possesses magical aptitude beyond the average wizard, learns spells faster than most, and has some creative potential.]
[Exam Prodigy (Purple): Highly skilled at studying textbooks, with exceptional memory, and adept at acing exams.]
[Chameleon (Green): Cowardly, greedy, and weak-willed, easily swayed by those stronger than him.]
***
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