Flying Lesson

Snape's pupils suddenly contracted. The suppressed fury in his chest erupted like a volcano, only to be forcibly crushed down and transformed into a cold killing intent that could almost freeze the air.

Leoqi... wanted to kill him.

The thought pierced through his mind like the coldest venom.

A first-year student actually dared to use such vicious means against a Hogwarts professor, against Severus Snape himself!

Using a flower as a medium—how sinister!

How... characteristic of a Dark Wizard!

[Emotion Points +80] (from Snape's extreme shock, fury, sense of threat, and cold killing intent)

[Emotion Points: 775/100]

Snape clenched the flower tightly, his knuckles making faint cracking sounds from the force. The petals were crushed in his palm, their juice staining his pale fingers.

The muscles in his face twitched slightly, and his gaze turned terrifyingly sinister.

He did not immediately destroy the flower.

Destroying the medium could indeed interrupt most curses, but it would also alert the enemy.

Besides, he needed evidence. He needed to determine the curse's exact effects, and more importantly... make that ignorant little troll pay the price!

He slowly loosened his hand and looked at the crushed petals and satin remnants in his palm, both tainted with an eerie magical aura.

He took out a crystal vial meant for storing dangerous potion ingredients and, with extreme care, used magic to draw every remnant into it, including any magical dust that might have clung to the air. Then he sealed it tightly.

Then he picked up a quill, spread out a sheet of parchment, and began recording every detail he had detected with the rigor of a Potions Master and Defense Against the Dark Arts expert.

The curse's residual magical signature, attachment points, possible attribute tendencies...

After finishing all that, he locked the sealed crystal vial and the written records into the lowest drawer of his desk, which was protected by layers of spells.

He stood and walked to the window, staring out at the eternal darkness of the Black Lake.

Cold fury burned in his chest, but even more than that, he felt the hunter's calm that had been thoroughly awakened.

Leoqi...

You have successfully earned my... "special attention."

From tomorrow onward, every move you make will be under the strictest surveillance.

No matter who stands behind you, no matter what secrets you are hiding, I will personally... dig them out.

The corner of Snape's mouth curled into a cold, cruel arc.

Tonight, he might still be unable to sleep, but at least he had found a clear target.

A silent hunt had begun.

And the prey was still ignorant and unaware—or perhaps merely pretending to be—immersed in his own little "success."

The next morning, Skofot woke up and habitually summoned the system panel to check the Shop first.

[Today's Items: [Legilimency -200 Emotion Points] (Permanently master Legilimency)]

Seeing this, Skofot's expression turned serious. Legilimency...

At Hogwarts, especially in front of the headmaster skilled in Legilimency and the deeply calculating Potion Professor, it was practically an essential survival skill.

Although the price was steep, it was absolutely worth it.

He barely hesitated.

"Purchase [Legilimency]."

[Emotion Points -200]

[Emotion Points: 575/100]

A cool stream of information instantly poured into his mind.

How to construct mental barriers, how to block outside intrusion,

How to conceal his true thoughts and memories—all those techniques became completely familiar to him, as though he had been born knowing them.

He tried building an invisible barrier in his mind and felt his thoughts become more restrained and concealed.

Satisfied, he closed the panel, got up, and prepared for class.

With this, he could feel a little more secure when facing Snape and Dumbledore.

The morning lessons passed uneventfully.

By the afternoon, it was time for the Flying Lesson that all first-year students had been looking forward to.

The weather was clear, and a light breeze swept over the lawn.

Madam Hooch stood before a neat row of flying brooms, loudly explaining the essentials.

Skofot stood among the Slytherin students, listening for the command to rise.

"Up!" Like everyone else, he spoke to the old-looking broom at his feet.

The broom lazily rolled over on the ground and did not move.

Skofot frowned, focused his mind, and gave the command again. "Up!"

This time, the broom reluctantly and unsteadily lifted off the ground, hovering at waist height.

But it was still swaying slightly, as if it might fall at any moment.

He could feel some kind of sluggishness brought by the Scavenger Card, something that conflicted with "lightness" and "flight," affecting him.

He tried to control it and awkwardly mounted the broom.

The broom immediately bounced up and down in displeasure. He could only grip the handle tightly to keep from being thrown off, looking as though he might fall at any moment as he flew crookedly through the air.

Just then, Neville Longbottom, far too nervous, kicked off from the ground. His broom shot upward like an arrow released from a bow, then began rolling out of control.

—He screamed as he fell from the broom, his wrist bending at an unnatural angle. The pain made him burst into loud tears.

Madam Hooch's expression turned stern. She immediately picked up Neville and shouted sharply at the others.

"No one is to move! Before I return, anyone who dares to get on a broom will be expelled immediately!"

With that, she hurried toward the Hospital Wing with the crying Neville.

As soon as Madam Hooch left, the students immediately relaxed. They gathered in small groups to chat or curiously fiddle with their brooms.

Skofot also climbed off that disobedient broom, tossed it aside, and walked alone to the edge of the lawn, staring blankly at the distant castle.

He suddenly realized something.

The Card Draw cooldown... seemed to have passed seven days ago, hadn't it?

Why had the system not given him any notification at all?

"System, what's going on with you?" he asked inwardly.

[Rule correction: The acquisition condition for the next card will be unlocked after evaluation based on the "concentration level" and "quality" of the Emotion Points accumulated by the host. It will no longer be based on a fixed time. Reminder: A card worn for seven full days may now be removed or replaced at any time.]

Skofot: "..."

He wanted to curse.

This meant he could no longer reliably obtain new cards at fixed intervals as before. The uncertainty had increased greatly.

And he had completely forgotten about it before. The Scavenger Card's "wrongness" debuff had been affecting him this entire time!

Thinking of that made him even more irritated, and for a moment, he forgot to rein in the uncomfortable aura around him.

The classmates who had already been keeping their distance from him felt that invisible pressure grow even heavier. Without a word, they all shuffled several more steps away, leaving an even larger empty space around him.

Just then, Malfoy, showing off, deliberately flew low over the Gryffindor side, snatched up Neville's dropped Remembrall, and proudly circled the field while mocking Harry and Ron.

Perhaps he was too pleased with himself, perhaps the broom itself was poorly behaved, or perhaps... he had inadvertently flown through Skofot's area and his mind had been disturbed by the suddenly intensified "wrongness" debuff—

"Ah!"

Malfoy let out a short cry. The broom abruptly tipped, and he instantly lost his balance, plunging headfirst from less than two meters in the air!

And the direction of his fall was, without deviation, exactly where Skofot stood!

It happened too quickly. Skofot instinctively stretched out his hands—

Bang!

Malfoy crashed solidly into his arms!

The tremendous impact was more than the already frail Skofot could withstand. The two of them staggered backward together before finally collapsing in a heap onto the soft lawn.

Skofot was pinned underneath, serving as a human cushion. He let out a muffled groan.

Everything had happened too suddenly.