Unexpected Visitor

Ten minutes later, he looked at the already cold corpse under the tree.

Before Basil could even process the news he had received, he heard a ding in his mind.

[Killed Death Eater Fenrir Greyback, obtained one Fallen Quality Soul. Do you wish to craft an Echo?]

An Echo?

That was a product of the temporal disturbance in the game, caused by a Time-Thief (a wizard who stole a bunch of Time-Turners) who, before being captured in the Forbidden Forest, destroyed a Time-Turner, combining the Reverse Hour Charm with Time Sand.

Players, because they had traversed worlds, could obtain something from the Forbidden Forest that was identical to their own essence—Wizard's Time Echo.

But it seemed different after being materialized?

Basil didn't think too much about it.

"Yes."

The sound effect of a Time-Turner spinning played.

[Ding! Obtained Fallen Quality Echo: Fenrir Wolf]

"Check."

The Grimoire opened, and the Echo column on the left was no longer blank.

Fenrir Greyback's portrait appeared.

Upon clicking it.

Below the portrait, a passage of text was engraved:

[You can convert 10% of the true damage dealt by your normal attacks and spells into health.]

[Once the converted health reaches 1000, it cannot increase further.]

[Any overflow will be treated as False Life and will deduct damage.]

[Simultaneously, you will be able to transform into a wolf/werewolf.]

[Normal attacks in Wolf Form State will apply the Werewolf Curse.]

Below that were 8 card slots for +3 bonuses.

At the same time, another message flooded Basil's mind.

Basil began to analyze it.

"Hmm, different from the game. The card bonus slots are no longer random. They are the eight most proficient spells of the Resonating Wizard."

"But the two displayed units in the card bonus slots are also gone. They are all empty now."

"They will only appear after being washed with magic power or filled with Soul Dust."

"Once they appear, the corresponding bonus slot card is automatically obtained."

"There are more Holy/Fallen Quality Echoes now."

"For echoes of this quality, the bonus slots are all +3."

"Echoes no longer need to be upgraded, but they also don't have attribute bonuses."

"The method of obtaining echoes has also changed."

"They are acquired through making friends and killing to seize souls."

"What the heck is making friends?"

"Killing to seize souls, based on the wizard's fame and strength, allows one to obtain corresponding Gold or Holy/Fallen Quality Echoes."

"If decomposed, one can obtain Soul Dust, the spells that wizard knew, and cards formed from their talents."

After an unknown amount of time.

With a boom, the flames in the fireplace suddenly surged.

Turning green.

Interrupting Basil's thoughts.

A gloomy man walked out, shaking his cloak. "Granger brat, I hope you haven't wasted my time. Speak, where did you find Greyback's trace."

Basil stared, dumbfounded.

In his plan, the one who should have arrived was Catgirl Professor McGonagall, pursing her lips and asking with a trembling voice, "Child, are you alright."

At the very least, it should have been Dumbledore in the Goblet of Fire movie, showing the same fiery concern for Harry, "Granger! Basil Granger! Are you alright! Where is Greyback?"

Followed by him tightly gripping Basil's arm.

But what greeted him was this man, all in black, looking like a Big Bat.

Even if the world Basil transmigrated to had deviations from the movie and game, the Big Bat could only be Snape.

But was this really Snape?

Unlike Alan Rickman's stern teacher with a hint of gentleness beneath the coldness, he looked more like he had just returned from Azkaban.

His hair was greasy, his skin sallow, and his entire demeanor was sinister and terrifying, a typical Dark Wizard.

Even more outrageous was that this Snape completely blocked Basil's glare attack.

Basil was very confident in his own appearance.

In the Leaky Cauldron, even the most eccentric and stubborn old man would be defeated after seeing him blink his Sparkling big eyes.

But Snape was different.

After not receiving a verbal response, the muscles in his face twitched, as if he had seen something dirty.

Then he began to observe the hut.

And his attention was immediately drawn to the sculpture of the book that Basil was holding down.

"Oh, a Door Key, a decent Alchemy Tool, reusable and with a better user experience. You're so vigilant, it seems. Good, good, you might not be lying."

He raised an eyebrow and continued, "So you were just scared stiff. Humph, Hufflepuff."

"No, sir." Basil's face drooped.

"I think you should get used to it. Please call me Professor Snape."

"Professor."

"Alright, let me see, where would that lowly werewolf be?"

Snape paid no mind to Basil's verbal offense.

He seemed to treat Basil like a difficult Horned Frog, dissecting it with icy words before boiling it down as part of a potion.

"Ahem," Basil cleared his throat, "Professor, if you look out the window, you won't--"

Basil revealed a smug smile, playing coy.

"Outside?" Snape turned his body and approached the window, "Hiss--"

In the Bushes, a corpse lay.

It was Fenrir Greyback's.

The body was covered in wounds, especially the lower half, which was a mess.

He quickly drew his wand and looked at Basil, "What trick are you playing!"

"Professor," Basil deliberately sniffled, looking pitiful and acting coy, "That. I. Don't know either. He seemed to have activated the Protection Method left by my grandmother. The Big Tree and the Little Grass have come alive!"

"Come alive?" Snape narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Cheating Granger."

He suddenly realized where the Granger family's extraordinary talent in potions came from: their peculiar affinity with plants.

This was also why the founder of the Extraordinary Apothecary Association was Hertok Dagworth Granger.

Not his equally gifted ancestor, Judea Prince.

The Princes all thought it was cheating. Even his good-natured mother, who didn't care about family matters, had written "Cheating Granger" in her Potions textbook.

"Alright, I think I understand."

Snape, who had been using the Enhanced Senses Charm while thinking and saw and smelled traces of blood on the branches of the Redwood Tree that were identical to the corpse, suddenly said.

"Understand what?" Seeing Snape about to leave, Basil quickly said, "Wait, I have a Poverty Student Subsidy to apply for. I'm an orphan!"

"Hogwarts does have a fund specifically for those who need financial assistance to purchase textbooks and robes. But I'm afraid." Snape sized up Basil, forcing out an ugly smile, "For such a prominent and wealthy family like the Grangers, especially one that lavishly uses gold for its Door Key, I don't think a subsidy is necessary."

Snape flicked his cloak and disappeared into the rising, shifting flames of the fireplace like a gliding Big Bat.

"Damn it!" Basil was furious.

"This bastard not only has a disgusting appearance: he looks greasy, and his hair seems like it was washed with Bacon Oil."

"He's not a good person either!"

"And he loves flicking that cloak of his. After verbally insulting Hufflepuff and my family, he flicked it again."

"It's disgusting. He's an adult!"

"I'm still a child!"

"After insulting a child and his family, he left the room like a model on a Chanel Catwalk."

Basil thought unhappily.

"Most importantly, my subsidy! Am I going to be the first transmigrator in history to have to use my parents' old textbooks and old wand at Hogwarts, and not go to Ollivander's?"

Fortunately, Hogwarts textbooks hadn't changed in almost a century.