The boy's words seemed to open Pandora's box.
"Let's all start with Impediment Jinxes. Even a dragon would be under control if all of us attacked at once."
"After that, everyone can improvise."
"Bole, be ready with the Reviving Spell and Healing Charm."
"Derrick, prepare Obliviate, and have some false memories ready in advance."
Marcus, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, rose to his feet and gestured grandly with his back to the compartment door.
He was incredibly excited. He felt as if he'd become the Dark Lord in his school days, with a brilliant life beckoning to him!
BANG—!
The compartment shook. The door flew inward and crushed Marcus to the floor. A pair of white sneakers stepped onto it. Their owner was a tall, black-haired boy, smiling with an elegant, gentle air.
"Excuse me... Where can I find Marcus Flint? Hm... What's this under my foot?"
"Impedimenta!" x N
Marcus hadn't died in vain. The moment Harry lowered his head to look, every Slytherin in the compartment drew their wands in unison.
Invisible, identical spell forces converged as they flew.
The air seemed to harden into amber, trapping Harry's body inside.
Hermione and the others behind Harry felt their scalps prickle. For a moment, they could barely breathe.
Harry merely brushed his palm as if by chance.
BANG—!
The spells were knocked aside. After a dull thud like a fist slamming into a wall, a huge hole appeared in the ceiling.
The howling north wind poured through the opening, as if it would sweep everything in the compartment away.
Harry stood steadily on the door panel. Facing the stunned crowd, he widened his smile a little. "I should return the favor. So... Reparo, Healing Fist!"
A boom rang out as the air was forcibly shoved aside, followed by the dull thumps of fists hitting punching bags and a string of screams.
Harry had vanished from the compartment. Only the Slytherin students remained, flung up and down as though hundreds of invisible fists were pummeling them. Some lucky ones were even knocked into the air.
At the same time, the hole in the ceiling and the shattered door panel were both repaired.
Gemma Farley, the Slytherin Prefect who had hurried over at the noise, bit her teeth lightly, a trace of hesitation crossing her lovely face.
Just as she was about to charge in...
"Arresto Momentum!"
"Arresto Momentum, a spell used to stop objects falling at high speed. It's often used in Quidditch Matches to catch students who fall." With a sharp pop, Harry appeared. The Slytherins suspended in midair dropped to the floor. "Impressive idea, but the spell's too weak."
He looked at the sallow-faced man with a hooked nose. "May I ask who you are?"
—Thank goodness. It wasn't Snape.
"Professor Snape!" Draco gasped as if in a dream.
"The Head of Slytherin!" Neville let go, and Trevor finally wriggled free of his crowded embrace and hopped away.
"They challenged Harry! A bunch of older students!" Hermione hurried to think of an explanation, but accidentally blurted out what was on her mind. "Harry shouldn't be expelled!"
"I'll snap your wand and send you back to the Muggle world." Snape narrowed his eyes, trying to find traces of James's frivolous manner in Harry's warm, Dumbledore-like smile.
"But you can't, can you? You're so weak," Harry said calmly.
"You—" Snape was about to cast a spell when he saw a Slytherin staggering to his feet and pointing his wand at Harry. "Watch out!"
"Cruciatus Curse!" The gloomy boy's face twisted. Greenish-black lightning burst from his blackthorn wand, darting at Harry like a viper.
A broad but perfectly proportioned right hand seized the viper by the neck, passing through the silent protective charm Snape had cast.
"Still... weak. Is this what they call an Unforgivable Curse?" Harry sighed.
"You're mistaken, Harry. A truly skilled Cruciatus Curse is invisible. The victim writhes and twists in midair like someone drowning, flailing and screaming in agony." Dumbledore had appeared again without a sound. "Catching a spell with your hand is a bad habit, even if it is..."
A flicker of surprise crossed Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Very, very powerful."
"Contact the Ministry of Magic. Mr. Hank Borgin has earned himself a place in Azkaban," Snape interjected. "And... Potter should be expelled—"
"Harry won't be expelled, Severus," Dumbledore said. "The compartment and the students inside are unharmed. Besides..."
He turned to Harry, his eyes full of entreaty. "I hope you'll forgive Mr. Borgin. He acted on impulse. Hogwarts will expel him, but that will be the extent of it."
"A private room. And..." Harry glanced at Snape. "When a professor deliberately targets a student and punishes him unfairly, that student has the right to refuse."
"I agree," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Severus, take Mr. Borgin back. Remember, immediately. He can still make it to Beauxbatons if he leaves now. Tell Old Borgin those were my exact words."
"Yes," Snape said, the word forced from him.
"Well, I think it's time for me to leave, too." Dumbledore winked at Hermione and the others.
[... [Punish the Defiant] [Teach the Greasy Bodyguard a Lesson] [Earn the Approval of the White-Haired, Crooked-Nosed Grand Archbishop] mission complete... 30 experience points, one Silver-tier talent draw]
—At last, I can rest.
After taking a shortcut to complete the Clear the Compartment mission, the chimes in Harry's ears still hadn't stopped.
He'd just completed two more missions: [Find the Threat Beside the Red-Haired Retainer] and [Win Over the Bunny-Toothed Grand Scholar].
He'd gained 20 experience points.
Now...
[Intermediate Savior Lv1] had shot straight up to Lv10, and he'd accumulated enough experience to reach the [Bronze] tier.
—Allocate experience.
—Eleven-pull!
"Dogskin Book! Show me your limits!"
[[Core Savior Lv1] (All Resistances +6)—7/100]
The deep black sheen on the white book's cover turned bronze. Then its pages opened, projecting a wheel that shimmered with silver light.
"Stop!"
[Fairy's Anti-Divination Power]
[An ascension of the power to evade the Augurey, a miracle born from insignificance]
[The Savior Lord is blessed with extraordinary luck. Equip this trait? YES or NO]
[Hairy Crab's Stomach]
[Improves digestion, with an accompanying stomach modification]
[A stomach that can directly digest magical substances. Your wand tastes great. Munch, munch, munch]
[...YES or NO]
[Succubus's Reproduction Ability]
[...Reproductive organ modification]
"Hey, you can lay five hundred eggs in one go."
[...YES or NO]
I'm Black Tiger Hak Foo. I beat up Jackie Chan
Making Dried Pufferfish, and One More Thing
I Take the Stairs
Force Lightning
Gandalf's Flash Spell
How to Make Uruk-hai
Step-by-Step Elf Cookie Cooking
Hobbit Stealth
"Break down Succubus's Reproduction Ability!" That was Harry's first reaction after reading it with a frown.
[...Trait disassembled. Obtained two [Trait Gems]]
"This time it's a Star Wars, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Lord of the Rings special?"
Knowledge from alternate worlds, localized for this one, flowed through his mind. He finally confirmed that magic knowledge draws were no longer limited to this world.
But talent traits still were.
Before you continue