Pitter-patter~
Anton raced downstairs and jumped onto a stool in front of the bar. He stared sternly at the owner, old Tom. "How do I get to St Mungo's Hospital?"
Old Tom shook his head and leaned closer, speaking quietly. "St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries only treats wizards who've been injured by Werewolves. It doesn't treat Werewolves."
"Unbelievable." Anton couldn't understand. "Werewolves are wizards who've been hurt too. Why don't they count as people?"
Old Tom scoffed, his tone tinged with mockery. "If all they did was turn into Werewolves, people wouldn't hate them so much. The main reason is that they can turn other people into Werewolves too."
"Into beasts with no sense of reason whenever the full moon rises!"
"People aren't just afraid of being bitten and turning into Werewolves. They're even afraid that a Werewolf's saliva or shed fur might turn them into one."
Old Tom leaned closer again and spoke in a very low voice. "If anyone finds out my pub takes in Werewolves, no one will come here again. Understand?"
Anton fell silent, thinking of ordinary people unlucky enough to contract certain diseases.
"I'll put him in my suitcase and leave soon." Anton looked at Old Tom earnestly.
Old Tom nodded, clearly relieved. "I like Young Wizards because you represent the future of the Wizarding World. But that's as far as it goes. This is the most kindness I can offer."
"Lupin was hit by the Cruciatus Curse. I didn't realize it would hurt him so badly!" Anton pressed his lips together and gazed at Old Tom. "Where can I get him treated?"
"The Cruciatus Curse?!" Old Tom was clearly surprised too. "Then you can't take him to any legitimate hospital, unless you can explain to the Aurors who attacked him."
This...
Anton didn't dare get the Aurors involved. There was a Dark Wizard's corpse in his suitcase, along with a large number of Dark Magic research materials and Potion Ingredients.
The Ministry of Magic might let him walk away unscathed, but they'd probably confiscate all that stuff.
He'd risked his life to get those things. Why should he hand them over to the Ministry of Magic?
Anton's expression shifted. "So there are hospitals that aren't exactly legitimate?"
Old Tom nodded, took a scrap of paper from the counter, and wrote down an address. "Once you're out of the pub, raise your Wand. The Knight Bus will take you straight there. The doctor's a Goblin named Pedro. He likes gold."
"Thank you so much!" Anton took the note with both hands, only to find Old Tom holding on to it.
He stared at Anton. "Wizards and intelligent beings who roam places of chaos are extremely dangerous, kid. You'd better be prepared."
Anton nodded, carefully tucked the note into his pocket, and looked at Old Tom earnestly. "I owe you one!"
Old Tom cackled. "I like the sound of that."
Anton hurried back to his room.
He opened his suitcase and carried Lupin inside. After thinking it over, he also took out a few clean Cauldrons and put Lupin's share of the food in them.
Since he was often hungry, he decided that the next chance he got, he'd find himself a small bag enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm and carry enough food for a whole year!
Of course, that wasn't the point.
He didn't leave right away. Instead, he climbed into the suitcase and entered its inner space.
The space wasn't very large, just a hall of around twenty square meters. It couldn't compare to the suitcase Newt had in the movie.
The left side was lined with bookshelves and jars of various Potion Ingredients. On the right stood a bed and a few bags of wheat flour, while jars and water tanks filled the corner.
Anton quickly searched through the various materials.
He had to learn an attacking spell right away!
Otherwise, he'd be powerless whenever he faced danger. But Lupin was unconscious, so there was no way to ask him to teach Anton.
All he had were the books and notes the Old Wizard had left behind.
The only spell he could count on learning on his own—and learning quickly—was the Imperius Curse, one of the Three Unforgivable Curses. The Old Wizard had said it was extremely similar to the Soul-Transferring Charm he'd taught Anton.
Learning the Imperius Curse was dangerous.
But he had no choice.
First, these Dark Magic spells were said to erode a wizard's soul, twisting them and making them evil, cruel, and cold-blooded.
Second, if anyone caught him casting an Unforgivable Curse, the most likely outcome was that he'd spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.
Anton shook his fist at the unconscious Lupin. "I'm risking my neck for you here. You'd better be my teacher and bodyguard from now on, got it?"
It wasn't just that he felt fond of one of his favorite characters from the Harry Potter series. Lupin was kind and tolerant, and he was powerful.
He was someone Anton could truly trust and rely on.
Anton could even entrust him with his suitcase without worrying that he'd open it behind his back.
And in the entire Harry Potter story, Anton couldn't think of anyone else like him.
In this world, which seemed familiar but was actually so strange, Anton needed Lupin.
He was worth taking this risk for!
The Old Wizard's bookshelves were divided into two main sections, with a bookcase for each.
The left-hand bookcase held nothing but books on brewing Potions and experiment notes. Research on the Wizard's Eye Potion alone took up half the bookcase.
The right-hand bookcase was devoted to Charms.
Most of its contents, however, were observations of various Charms seen through the Wizard's Eye Potion.
Half the bookcase was crammed with all sorts of bizarre illustrated records.
At last, in the very bottom corner, he found a Notebook. On its cover were the words: "The Apprenticeship of the Great Alex Fiennes."
"Tsk." Anton grinned. "The old guy sure is full of himself."
He opened it.
July 22, late at night, heavy rain.
My teacher's stinginess with knowledge is simply outrageous! Even as his apprentice, I have to make significant contributions before he'll teach me a single spell.
The learning process is so arduous that I've decided to master only the most basic offensive and defensive abilities and save every remaining opportunity for my favorite subject, Potions.
For offense, I choose the Cruciatus Curse. For defense, the Shield Charm.
The rest can be replaced with magical items. For rapid travel, for example, I can choose a Flying Broomstick that suits my needs.
December 3, late at night, blizzard.
I'm in love. Olaro is a clever girl, and she's chosen the same approach I did.
Her specialty is Charms. Clearly, she has an exceptional talent for them.
Being together has let us make up for each other's weaknesses.
My deep understanding of the Cruciatus Curse often leaves her astonished, and I'm very proud of that.
She also has many ingenious ideas about the Imperius Curse, the Soul-Transferring Charm, and a whole range of other spells that alter the soul on a deeper level.
"Found it!"
Anton's eyes lit up.
According to the book, the Imperius Curse, one of the Three Unforgivable Curses, wasn't a simple, fixed spell.
Unlike the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse, which damaged the soul,
the Imperius Curse was more suited to precisely and subtly manipulating it.
There were dozens of spells in the same family as the Soul Curse.
The spell most similar to the Soul-Transferring Charm Anton had learned wasn't the Imperius Curse, but the Displacement Soul Curse.
The witch Olaro had vividly compared the spell to turning a turtle onto its back.
The Displacement Soul Curse had an interesting effect: it twisted a person's soul into another dimension so it could no longer fit with their body. The end result was similar to the state of Sleeping Beauty.
Anton quickly memorized the various notes in the book.
He planned to study them on the way.
It wasn't very safe, but Lupin, lying beside him, had grown extremely pale. He might not have time to learn the spell at his own pace.
"Too risky." Anton sighed. "At least the two spells are similar. I should be fine!"
He casually flipped through the rest of the pages, then suddenly stared at one of them, dumbfounded.
May 29, noon, ~.
Olaro's gone mad!
She killed our teacher, and she killed everyone else. She even tried to kill me!
Luckily, she wanted to kill herself even more. She cast dozens of Jinxes on herself, blowing herself to pieces.
I swear, I'll stay away from those terrifying soul-related spells for the rest of my life.
Anton swallowed. Suddenly, he wanted to forget everything he'd just memorized.
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