Hermes Isn't Finished

Walking back to his Dormitory, Regulus took stock of what he had accomplished in the past two months of the academic year.

In terms of Transfiguration, although it hasn't broken through the hurdle of elemental transformation, the precision and breadth of Transfiguration have been significantly improved. It can give Diamond the layered structure of Graphite, while keeping the hardness unchanged.

The effect of incorporating Starry Sky Imagery into the incantation exceeded expectations.

After incorporating the Starry Sky Imagery into the Shield Charm, its defense increases by approximately 50%, while its Magic Power consumption increases by 15%, making it a reasonable value.

The Reducto incorporates the Supernova Explosion Imagery, doubling its power but also doubling its energy consumption, making it suitable for crucial moments.

More importantly, he discovered that different images could alter the nature of a spell.

While both involve Incendio, adding the Stellar Combustion Imagery will maintain the high temperature, while adding the Meteor Fall Imagery will create a more impactful effect.

The Chicken-Run Tactics has become ingrained in their muscle memory.

The cooldown of the Sidestep Charm has been reduced to 1.5 seconds, and there is almost no delay in switching between the Swift Charm and the Sprint Charm.

Although it still primarily relies on ground mobility, its survivability in complex environments has indeed improved.

The study of Magical Plant advanced the theory of attributes.

The healing tendency of Dittany, the paralyzing tendency of the Poison Tentacle, the predatory tendency of the Devil's Snare, and the physical tendency of the Whomping Willow.

These tendencies are inherent properties of plant Magic Power; understanding this allows for more efficient guidance and utilization of plant Magic Power.

The biggest achievement was completing the Spatial Warp Charm.

From nothing to something, from personal ability to the ability to teach Magic, this proves his method is effective.

Observe the phenomena, analyze the principles, build models, and develop applications.

Add a little more Magic.

But none of these are as important as another gain.

The confirmation of the Magic path, and Dumbledore's additions.

Regulus now understands the path he must take: balancing reason and emotion, control and detachment, doing what needs to be done, and letting Magic finish the rest.

There has been no breakthrough in Natural Magic for the time being; one can only practice repeatedly and wait for quantitative changes to lead to qualitative changes.

Or perhaps we can take our understanding of nature a step further, but that requires a catalyst.

Fortunately, the Star Orbit Meditation is progressing steadily, with Bellatrix already half lit up and mental strength continuing to increase.

As for Professor Sprout's Sunlight Ebony Shrub, even if the professor allowed it, he wouldn't touch it now.

That requires a pure inclination towards light, and he wasn't ready for that yet.

Or to be more precise, he couldn't understand that kind of light, and he couldn't become that kind of light.

To make contact and establish a Magic Power connection, we may need to find another way.

But he hasn't found that shortcut yet.

The Fiendfyre Curse needs to be put on the agenda.

He can't yet achieve the natural advantage that Dumbledore mentioned at the attribute level.

However, Fiendfyre's approach of burning everything can be considered as an alternative, but it cannot be practiced at school; it must be done when he goes home for the holidays.

When he pushed open the door to his Slytherin Dormitory, Avery and Alex were playing Wizard's Chess. They both looked up when they saw him enter.

"Hermes be discharged tomorrow," Avery said, clutching a knight piece in his hand. "Shall we go pick him up?"

Regulus nodded. "Go."

Alex added in a low voice, "Madam Pomfrey said he's recovered, the curse has been completely removed, but he's still a little weak and needs to rest for a few more days."

"That's good." Regulus took off his robe and hung it up.

He genuinely hoped that Hermes would join the group.

Avery and Alex each have their value. Avery is a key figure in the future Pure-blood Circle. Although his spellcasting ability is somewhat lacking, he is the perfect spokesperson.

Alex is meticulous and cautious, well-suited for handling specific tasks, and can also unite Gentle Pureblood.

But wizards ultimately rely on Magic, Hermes had that potential.

His obsession with Dark Arts is a problem, but it can be guided, controlled, and even taught.

The key lies in Hermes ' own choice.

The Astronomy Tower Incident was a turning point; the Mulciber family's attitude was now clear, and it remained to be seen whether Hermes was willing to follow suit.

The next morning, the three of them went to the Hospital Wing.

Hermes sat by the bedside, now dressed in a clean robe. His face was still pale, but much better than before.

Seeing them come in, he raised his head, said nothing, and simply nodded.

Madam Pomfrey was changing another patient's dressing when she saw them. She waved and said, "Take him away. Remember to avoid strenuous exercise, eat a light diet, and come back for a follow-up appointment in three days."

Avery walked over and patted Hermes on the shoulder. "Come on, there's a huge collection of fantasy works to satisfy your tastes. Your bed in the Dormitory is practically overflowing with Alex's stuff."

Alex blushed. "I'm just putting it off for now..."

Hermes stood up, albeit slowly.

He picked up a small cloth bag from the bedside table, which probably contained a change of clothes and personal belongings, and followed them out of the Hospital Wing.

As Regulus passed another hospital bed, he caught a glimpse of Darren Macnair out of the corner of his eye.

He lay on the bed, the blanket covering his chin, his eyes closed, but his eyelids were trembling slightly.

He's pretending to be asleep, or rather, he's running away.

Regulus knew that Darren had woken up, that Madam Pomfrey's treatment was very effective, and that it was only a matter of time before his body recovered after the curse was removed.

But Darren lay motionless, eyes closed, and didn't communicate with anyone, like a breathing corpse.

He was terrified; the mission had failed; his family had lost a vital item; the Plague Wand was now in Dumbledore's hands; and he himself was seriously injured and hospitalized.

He knew perfectly well what he would encounter if he went back to Macnair's house.

Regulus glanced at him and looked away. Darren was a fool; he acted rashly without proper preparation and would only run away after failing.

As long as Darren is still at Hogwarts, his life will not be in danger; Dumbledore will not allow anything to happen to a student while he is at school.

But what happens outside of school?

How the Macnair family deals with failed members is their business; Regulus doesn't care.

Everyone must take responsibility for their choices. Darren chose that path, so he has to bear the consequences.

The four of them left the Hospital Wing and walked back along the underground Corridor.

Avery was talking about the recent Quidditch Match, Alex occasionally chimed in, Hermes listened in silence, and Regulus walked in front.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the high windows, cutting bright bands of light across the stone floor.

The sounds of students laughing and joking drifted from afar, the smell of Potions ingredients boiling wafted from a classroom, and the woman in the Portrait was humming an ancient song.

Back in my Slytherin Dormitory, the door closed behind me.

Avery threw his backpack onto his bed, turned around, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Alex walked to the window and looked at the view of Black Lake outside. Several Giant Squid were swimming slowly, their tentacles brushing against the glass.

Hermes stood in the center of the Dormitory, still clutching the small cloth bag containing his change of clothes.

He didn't go to his bed immediately, nor did he say anything; he just stood there.

Regulus hung up his robe and turned to look at him.

After a few seconds of silence, Hermes spoke.

"Dumbledore told me," his voice was hoarseer than before his hospitalization, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "About the Astronomy Tower."

Regulus gestured for him to continue.

"He said that the three of you went to investigate because of me, and you stumbled upon Darren Macnair breaking the final Protective Charm, which triggered the curse and almost caused you to die."

Hermes' gaze swept across Regulus, Avery, and Alex, then he said to Regulus, "He said that if you hadn't stayed behind to cover their retreat, the two of them might not have made it out."

Regulus simply nodded. "It's good that you've recovered."

"I just wanted to say," Hermes looked down at the cloth bundle in his hand, "That you should know what happened."

He walked to his bedside, sat down, threw his cloth bag on the bed, and looked around.

"My family wants me to work with Macnair to break the Protective Charm beneath the Astronomy Tower and retrieve what's inside. They didn't say what it is, only that it's very important and related to the family's future."

Hermes spoke with his eyes fixed on the ground, "We spent two months, Macnair brought over the hacking tools from home, and things were actually going quite smoothly. Just when the Protective Charm was about to be broken..."

He paused here, his brow furrowed, and his nose twitched rapidly, as if recalling painful memories.

"I thought we were going to succeed, but at the last moment, Macnair used that Crystal, you may have seen it, the one sealed in Grey Mist Crystal, and released what was inside me."

I was caught off guard; we were too close to dodge.

Regulus listened, and it was largely in line with his guess: the two sides were cooperating, but one side betrayed him at the last minute, intending to take everything for themselves.

"And then I knew nothing more." Hermes raised his head.

"When I woke up, I was in the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore was beside me and told me that everything was over, the thing had been sealed away, and Darren was also injured."

He looked at Regulus: "Have you found the truth?"

"Found it," Regulus said. "But I can't go into the details now. Just know that it's resolved, Dumbledore has taken care of it."

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