Adrian stared at the blank bloodline magic section in frustration. Where were the powerful abilities? Had he somehow screwed up the fusion process?
Suddenly, he remembered getting a system notification while collecting the unicorn's blood, before Professor McGonagall showed up and interrupted everything. He'd never checked it.
Opening his task log, Adrian's expression changed from confusion to anger.
[Task: Promise of Vengeance]
[Objective: Kill Quirrell]
[Description: Cecilia was an adult female unicorn, a free and sacred creature roaming the depths of the Forbidden Forest, until she was murdered by an evil wizard. In Cecilia's suffering and despair, you comforted her and solemnly promised future vengeance.
[Note: You must fulfill your promise to gain Cecilia's approval. Until then, she chooses to wait and see rather than aid you.]
Adrian stared in disbelief. When had he ever promised revenge for Cecilia?
He remembered his exact words clearly: "Your enemy probably won't live much longer anyway... Rest in peace."
That was just stating a fact, not making any promise! How had the system twisted his meaning so completely?
System, get out here and explain this! Adrian raged internally.
But his system kept its typical unhelpful silence.
"Norbert, maybe I shouldn't complain about your blood magic being too weak," Adrian sighed helplessly. It was too late for regrets now.
Maybe having no bloodline magic wasn't so bad. Who knew if the abilities described in The Origins of Blood were actually as powerful as claimed? Maybe they were genuinely weak.
Adrian tried to focus on the positive, his magical power had increased dramatically, and his spell skills had surged. More importantly, system tasks had no penalties for failure. He could just ignore it. Maybe Quirrell would die from his injuries in a few days, completing the task automatically.
Technically, that would still count as indirectly killing him.
After pulling himself together, Adrian left the potion room and entered the training chamber through the Room of Requirement. He needed time to master his enhanced abilities before risking catastrophic mistakes in actual combat.
When Adrian returned to the dorm, dawn was already breaking. After practicing all night, he barely had time to get dressed before classes began.
Dragging his exhausted body to breakfast in the Great Hall, Adrian noticed people staring at him wherever he went. At first, he assumed yesterday's events were still causing gossip, but something seemed different. Even Harry and Ron looked at him strangely.
"Why do you keep staring at me?" Adrian finally asked, unable to bear the attention.
"You seem... different from yesterday," Ron said hesitantly, while Harry nodded in agreement.
They couldn't understand how Adrian had changed so dramatically overnight in the same dorm.
Panic hit Adrian. Had he transformed into some half-human, half-unicorn monster? He quickly tapped an empty plate with his wand, turning it into a mirror.
Looking at his reflection, Adrian let out a breath of relief.
The blonde hair and green eyes stayed the same, but his skin looked paler and smoother. Faint blue magical energy flickered in his eyes, and his whole presence gave off an unconscious charm. He looked almost otherworldly, even he felt drawn to his own reflection.
"Adrian, your Transfiguration skills are impressive," Hermione said, sitting down beside them with her books. She studied the mirror approvingly before adding playfully, "You're also more handsome, and a bit taller."
"I'd be happier if you hadn't used 'handsome' to describe me," Adrian replied, turning the mirror back into a plate with an eye roll.
Adrian suspected this was the unicorn's natural charm showing up, though he couldn't understand why it wasn't reflected in his system display. Logically, this should be a powerful ability, but the overnight transformation was too sudden and obvious. He worried Dumbledore might notice.
"How did you manage it? What potion did you use? Amortentia?" Ron asked curiously.
"Who uses love potions on themselves? Besides, Amortentia can't do this," Hermione dismissed Ron's theory, though she looked equally eager for answers.
"I don't know," Adrian said vaguely. "Probably just hit a growth spurt overnight. You know how development works at our age."
Ron and the others stayed skeptical, they were all the same age, so why wasn't anyone else developing like this?
Adrian offered no more explanation. He had no intention of revealing the bloodline potion. The ingredient collection methods were questionable at best, and if Snape discovered the theft, Adrian would face serious trouble.
Furthermore, the potion success rate is unstable. Adrian couldn't guarantee the system's formula worked reliably, making it too dangerous for others to attempt.
As they chatted, a smug voice carried over from the Slytherin table.
"I don't think Dumbledore will stay headmaster much longer. I wrote to my father yesterday about the dragon at Hogwarts. He was absolutely terrified and contacted the Minister of Magic immediately. They're sending investigators tonight!"
Adrian turned to see Malfoy waving a letter around, showing off to anyone who would listen.
"Malfoy!" Harry slammed his hand on the table, looking ready to punch the kid.
Malfoy noticed Harry and smirked nastily. "Well, if it isn't Potter? Once Dumbledore's gone, no one will be left to protect you."
"I didn't realize your father was such a coward, Malfoy," Adrian said calmly. "Getting terrified over a dragon at Hogwarts. According to Seamus, I rode the thing twice."
Malfoy's face turned red, and he opened his mouth to snap back, but something weird happened. Looking at Adrian's face, Malfoy found his anger melting away into an unexplainable urge to be agreeable instead.
"My father was just worried about me!" Malfoy managed through his internal struggle before hurrying away, convinced Adrian had used some kind of charm magic on him.