Chapter 100: The Weasley Family Grimoire, Malfoy's Letter
Inside the Room of Requirement.
The Weasley twins examined the unusual classroom setup with curiosity. Looking here and there, Fred suddenly pointed at the banners hanging around the walls.
"Leonardo, your classroom redesign is quite interesting, but aren't these slogans a bit premature?"
George read one aloud with a laugh: "Work hard now, and O.W.L. exam top marks await you! We won't even be taking that exam for another two years."
Fred picked up the thread. "Haha, exactly! This is something Percy should be worried about, not you lot. Don't you know he's been reading a book lately besides his usual studying? Something called..."
Fred scratched his head, unable to remember the title.
George finished for him. "How to Get Ahead as a Prefect, or something equally dreadful like that. Imagine, a sixteen-year-old worrying about books like that!"
Hearing the twins' story, Ron and Harry couldn't help laughing. Children simply couldn't relate to an older brother who was too mature and uptight.
Leonardo found himself smiling as well. He didn't know Percy well, just remembered him as someone very proper, genuinely rule-abiding, and someone who liked to curry favor with authority figures while always seeking advancement in his career.
After chatting for a while, the twins seemed to remember their purpose. One of them handed Leonardo a book while the other gave Ron an envelope.
"This is from Mum. She wanted to thank you for helping Ron with his studies recently."
"Mum was so pleased when she heard how well Ron's been doing! And Leonardo, Mum invited you. You absolutely must come visit us during the holidays. I promise it's fun!"
Leonardo accepted the book with a polite smile. "It would be my honor. I'll definitely visit."
Ron's tutoring fees had finally been officially paid. Leonardo wondered what sort of magical knowledge the Weasley family grimoire would contain. Visiting the Weasleys during the holidays, at the Burrow, should be quite interesting. A purely wizarding household would certainly be different from a Muggle one.
Leonardo didn't rush to open the book. Instead, he glanced at Ron and noticed he'd already opened the letter. As Ron read, his eyes grew red and his nose began to twitch.
"Why are you crying now? Let me see. What did your mother say?"
Before Ron could respond, his brother snatched the letter from his hands. Without hesitation, George began reading it aloud, even pinching his nose and imitating a woman's voice.
"Dear Ronnie, I'm so happy to hear you've started studying magic seriously. And knowing you've made good friends makes me even happier. Remember to treat your friends well."
After reading a few lines, George dodged around Ron while laughing. "See? I told you 'little baby Ronnie' was fine. Your Mum calls you that too!"
"George!"
Ron's face flushed as red as his hair, and he charged at his brother like a wild animal, lunging for the letter. But Ron was two years younger than George and couldn't catch him.
"Haha, Leonardo, see? Our family's pretty fun, right?" Fred winked at Leonardo. "We're nothing like those stuffy pure-bloods like Malfoy! Anyway, better get reading that grimoire. Honestly, every time Mum and Dad make us read these books, it's incredibly boring. Only Bill and Percy actually enjoy them."
Leonardo opened the Weasley family grimoire. The binding appeared to be plain parchment with protective enchantments to prevent damage. The cover simply had "Weasley" written casually on it, not at all what you'd expect from an ancient family grimoire.
But after turning only a few pages, Leonardo understood. Despite the modest presentation, the Weasley family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, clearly didn't skimp on knowledge.
Curses and Magical Pathways.
So this was their family specialty. Leonardo recalled that Bill Weasley, the eldest son, worked as a Curse-Breaker at Gringotts. The family's expertise clearly ran deep. Curse-breaking involved numerous disciplines: Arithmancy, Divination, Charms, and even fluency in ancient Runic languages.
But what captured Leonardo's interest most was the section on magical pathways.
Magical pathways were the routes through which magical energy flowed in wizards and magical creatures. Different species had different pathways. The greatest obstacle to transfiguring magical creatures was constructing the corresponding magical pathways. External transformation alone was possible, but without the proper pathways, you couldn't replicate the creature's innate magical abilities.
Leonardo pored over the grimoire with growing fascination. It primarily focused on studying the wizard's own magical pathways to increase casting speed and power. It included a comparative analysis of magical creatures' pathways to contrast with wizarding physiology.
This provided excellent foundational theory. His practice with animate-to-inanimate Transfiguration was essentially complete. The real challenge ahead was becoming an Animagus. So he should begin preparing for magical creature Transfiguration. Magical pathways were the key hurdle to overcome. The Weasley grimoire was invaluable reference material.
Once he mastered this, he could teach it to Ron. Alchemy was useful, but a wizard's magical foundation was paramount.
Leonardo glanced at Ron, who'd finally recovered his letter and was clutching it. Ron had progressed well in alchemical mechanics. They could intensify his training. But to study magical pathways properly, he needed better observation methods.
Leonardo spoke silently to the system: "System, show me available loans."
[Host, did you miss me? ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ]
[Here are loans that might suit your needs...]
Ignoring the increasingly cheerful system, Leonardo quickly scanned the options. Two stood out.
[Loan: Analyzing Lenses (Weekly Loan)]
[Contents: A clever alchemical device. When worn, allows the user to see the magical pathways within wizards or magical creatures. Maximum usage: three hours. Cooldown: one hour.]
[Loan Task: Observe a magical creature's magical pathways]
And:
[Loan: Peeking Fiend's Eye (Monthly Loan)]
[Contents: A magical technique combining potions, alchemy, and Transfiguration. Alters the eye's structure to directly perceive magical pathways.]
[Loan Task: Find an Animagus in animal form and discover and record their hidden magical pathway.]
The lenses would be simple enough. He had a Bowtruckle and an Acromantula in his collection. He could observe either one.
But the Peeking Fiend's Eye wasn't difficult either. Normally, finding an Animagus was rare. Few were registered with the Ministry. But he knew Professor McGonagall. Though having her transform so he could observe her seemed awkward.
Still, Leonardo thought, glancing at Ron's pocket.
Scabbers was right there. An unregistered Animagus.
He'd already planned to study that rat, to understand what made Animagi special, to prepare for his own eventual transformation. The Peeking Fiend's Eye would help considerably. Beyond research, direct magical pathway perception could prove useful in duels.
The lenses were more troublesome. They required removing them mid-battle to use them, and with cooldown time, they were impractical.
Altering his eyes did carry risks, though.
"System, what's the risk level for the Peeking Fiend's Eye?"
[Host, have you forgotten? Back then, you swore an oath:]
[System goods are always...]
"Enough. I'm taking the Peeking Fiend's Eye loan."
[Ding, loan approved]
[Loan: Peeking Fiend's Eye (Monthly Loan)]
[Repayment Deadline: 30 days]
[Evaluation: When activating the Peeking Fiend's Eye, remember to chant the incantation...]
Leonardo's face nearly went dark. This was absurdly melodramatic. Had he walked into the wrong genre?
Wait, this was the magical world. Incantations were required.
[That was just a joke.]
In that moment, Leonardo genuinely wondered if the system would eventually reveal itself as some higher-dimensional consciousness. Then they could have a proper confrontation.
Deciding to ignore the system, Leonardo severed the connection after receiving the loan. After a few more minutes of conversation, the twins left, muttering something about pranks and lessons.
Days later, in the Great Hall.
Malfoy was fidgeting with thick, sticky snot-slime covering his hair.
"Blast! Who left a bomb by the door? These stupid pranks are getting annoying!"
"Young master, let me help clean that off," Crabbe said, stepping forward.
"No, clean yourself up first," Malfoy said, waving him off, unusually gentle in tone.
Since his quick surrender to Leonardo, a group of Slytherin idiots had actually isolated him, muttering about how he'd disgraced pure-blood honor. It was the first time Malfoy had faced this kind of mockery and discrimination. He was beginning to understand, just a little, how Muggle-borns and half-bloods felt when looked down upon by pure-bloods.
Just a little, though.
Malfoy noticed Crabbe and Goyle still following him loyally, as they always had. He decided he'd buy them Christmas presents: nothing too elaborate, but befitting their station.
A rustling of wings. A gray-black owl landed on the table and dropped a package before flying away.
Malfoy tried to feed it a biscuit from the table, but the owl simply looked him over and departed.
"Stupid bird," he muttered, tossing the biscuit after it. The owl caught it easily.
He opened the package and found a thick bundle wrapped with a letter. The envelope bore the Malfoy family seal.
His face went even paler.
He'd been dreading this. His father must have found out. As a school governor, knowing his son's daily activities would be easy.
Wiping his hands on his trousers nervously, Malfoy opened the letter with a trembling hand:
"Dear Draco,
My proud son, you have done well!
Reading the first line, Malfoy almost rubbed his eyes in disbelief. His immediate thought was that Father didn't know about the duel, about his quick surrender, about the shame he'd brought upon the family.
But as he read further, his mouth fell open, his eyes going vacant.
"I have learned of your interaction with Leonardo Grafton. I've also looked into this student and his recent activities. Draco, your choice was correct.
A Malfoy is always the friend of the strong. It seems you understand this principle. I am pleased.
I spoke with your House Head. He speaks well of Leonardo. You know how difficult it is to earn Snape's praise. Moreover, I've learned something even more interesting through certain channels: how Leonardo defeated a troll on Halloween.
I remember when I was young, I had the foresight to befriend Severus. Draco, you are my son. You're just like me. Go apologize to Leonardo. Never worry about saving face. That's merely leverage for future gains.
Friendship with the strong, with those of potential, is the Malfoy family's foundation. Understand this well.
(The package contains a gift for you. You'll find a use for it soon.)"
Malfoy held the letter, completely taken aback. This was nothing like what he'd expected. He carefully examined the seal and held it to the light, confirming it was authentic.
Malfoy had been on edge lately. These pranks had become relentless, though none had seriously hurt him. Still, they wore him down.
After a moment, he opened the package.
"Well, what excuse can I use to approach Leonardo?" he wondered.