Ten minutes later, Basil stared at the corpse beneath the tree, already cold.
Before he could even be surprised by the information he had received,
a chime sounded in his mind.
Killing Death Eater Fenrir Greyback has granted one Fallen Quality Soul. Create an Echo?
An Echo?
In the game, it had been a product of temporal chaos caused when a Time-Thief—a thief wizard who had stolen a whole pile of Time-Turners—destroyed the Time-Turner before being captured in the Forbidden Forest. The Reverse Hour Charm merged with Time Sand, throwing space and time into disorder.
Because players had crossed over from another world, they could obtain beings from the Forbidden Forest that shared the same essence as themselves—Wizard's Time Echoes.
But things seemed to be different after becoming reality?
Basil did not dwell on it.
"Yes."
The sound effect of a Time-Turner turning rang out.
Ding! Obtained Fallen Quality Echo: Fenrir Wolf.
"Inspect."
The Grimoire opened, and the Echo section on the left was no longer blank.
A portrait of Fenrir Greyback appeared.
After opening it,
a passage of text was inscribed beneath the portrait:
You may convert 10% of the true damage dealt by your normal attacks and spells into health.
Once the converted health reaches 1,000, it can no longer increase.
Any excess will become False Life, offsetting damage.
At the same time, you will be able to transform into a wolf/werewolf.
Normal attacks in Wolf Form State will inflict the Werewolf Curse.
Below that were eight +3 card enhancement slots.
At the same time, another wave of information flooded into Basil's mind.
Basil began analyzing it.
"Hmm, it's different from the game. The card enhancement slots are no longer random. They're the eight spells this Echo wizard was most proficient in."
"But the card enhancement slots no longer reveal two units either. They're all void."
"They will only appear after being scoured with magic power or filled with Soul Dust."
"Once they appear, the corresponding enhancement-slot cards are automatically obtained."
"There are now Sacred/Fallen Quality Echoes."
"Echoes of this quality have all their enhancement slots at +3."
"Echoes no longer need to be leveled up, but they no longer provide attribute bonuses either."
"The way to obtain Echoes has changed as well."
"There are friendship and killing people to seize their souls."
"What the hell is friendship?"
"For killing people and seizing their souls, golden or Sacred/Fallen Quality Echoes can be obtained based on the wizard's fame and strength."
"If dismantled, they yield Soul Dust, along with cards formed from the wizard's spells and talents."
Who knew how long passed.
With a boom, the flames in the fireplace suddenly surged up.
They turned green.
Interrupting Basil's thoughts.
A gloomy man stepped out of the flames. He shook his cloak. "You little brat of the Granger family, I hope you haven't wasted my time. Speak. Where did you find Greyback's trail?"
Basil stared at him in stunned silence.
In his plans, the one arriving should have been Catgirl Professor McGonagall, biting her lower lip as she asked with trembling concern, "Child, are you all right?"
At the very least, it should have been Dumbledore, with the blazing concern he had shown Harry in the Goblet of Fire film. "Granger! Basil Granger! Are you all right? Where is Greyback?"
Then he would tightly grip Basil's arm.
But instead, he had been greeted by a man dressed entirely in black, who looked like a Big Bat.
Even if the world Basil had crossed into differed from the films and games, the Big Bat could only be Snape.
But was this really Snape?
Unlike Alan Rickman's stern teacher, cold yet faintly gentle, this man looked more like he had just returned from Azkaban.
His hair was greasy, his skin waxy yellow, and his entire presence was gloomy and terrifying—the very image of a dark wizard.
Even more absurdly, this Snape completely blocked Basil's gaze attack.
Basil had always been very confident in his appearance.
At the Leaky Cauldron, even the strangest, most stubborn old men would surrender after seeing him blink those sparkling big eyes.
But Snape was different.
When he received no verbal response, the muscles on his face twitched, as though he had seen something filthy.
Then he began examining the little wooden cabin.
His attention immediately settled on the sculpture of a book that Basil was hovering his hand over.
"Oh, a Door Key. A fine Alchemy Tool—reusable, and much more pleasant to use. You're this cautious, it seems. Very good, very good. Perhaps you weren't lying."
He raised an eyebrow and continued, "So you were merely scared stupid. Hmph. Hufflepuff."
"No, sir." Basil's face fell.
"I think you should get used to it in advance. Address me as Professor Snape."
"Professor."
"Fine. Let me see where that lowly werewolf might be."
Snape paid no attention to Basil's verbal offense.
He seemed to regard Basil as a troublesome Horned Frog. With cold words, he dissected its innards, then began brewing them as part of a potion.
"Ahem." Basil cleared his throat. "Professor, if you look outside the window, then you won't—"
Basil wore a smug smile, deliberately keeping him in suspense.
"Outside?" Snape turned and approached the window. "Hiss—"
A corpse lay among the bushes.
Fenrir Greyback's.
The body was covered in wounds, especially its lower half, which was a complete mess.
Snape immediately drew his wand and looked at Basil. "What trick are you playing!"
"Professor." Basil deliberately sniffled, speaking in a pitiful, affected tone. "Um... I... don't know either. He seemed to have activated the protection method my grandmother left behind. Big Tree and Little Grass came alive!"
"Came alive?" Snape narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Granger. Cheating Granger."
He immediately understood where the Granger family's extraordinary talent in potions came from: their magic's bizarre affinity with plants.
That was also why the founder of the Extraordinary Apothecary Association had been Hartog Dagworth Granger.
Rather than his equally gifted ancestor, Joudar Prince.
The Princes all considered it cheating. Even his good-tempered mother, who cared nothing for family status, had written Cheating Granger in the Potions textbook.
"All right, I think I understand."
While thinking, Snape had used the Enhanced Senses Charm and spotted, smelled, traces of blood identical to that on the corpse along the branches of the redwood tree. He suddenly spoke.
"What do you understand?" Seeing that Snape seemed about to leave, Basil hurriedly said, "Wait, I need to apply for the Poverty Student Subsidy. I'm an orphan!"
"Hogwarts does indeed have a fund specifically for those who need assistance purchasing textbooks and school robes. But unfortunately..." Snape looked Basil over and barely forced out an ugly smile. "For a family as illustrious and wealthy as the Granger family, especially one extravagant enough to make Door Keys out of gold, I don't believe any subsidy is necessary."
Snape flicked his cloak and vanished into the fireplace flames, which rose again and changed color, like a gliding black Big Bat.
"Damn it!" Basil fumed.
"That bastard not only looks disgusting—he looks all greasy and sticky, like he washes his hair with Bacon Oil."
"He isn't a good person either!"
"And he loves flinging that cloak around. After verbally insulting Hufflepuff and my family, he flicked it again."
"How disgusting. He's an adult!"
"I'm still just a kid!"
"After insulting a child and his family, he left the room like a model strutting down the Chanel Catwalk."
Basil thought unhappily.
"Most importantly, my subsidy! Am I going to become the first transmigrator ever to attend Hogwarts using my parents' old textbooks and old wand, without going to Ollivander?"
Fortunately, Hogwarts textbooks had barely changed in nearly a century.
Before you continue