The Heir of Slytherin!?

Speaking of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, Quirrell did have a pretty impressive arsenal of spells.

Devero's eyes lit up when he saw Finite Incantatem, a universal counter-spell.

If Quirrell could teach them this spell in class, then putting up with the garlic-scented classroom might not be so bad.

Of course, they were only first-years.

Most of them couldn't even use the simplest Levitation Charm properly.

Finite Incantatem definitely wouldn't be included in their syllabus.

Still, that didn't mean the same was true for the upper years.

Devero's lips curled into a faint smile.

There was no way he'd keep taking Defense Against the Dark Arts with this bunch of little kids.

He was going to ask to attend the class with the older students!

After all, according to the original story, Quirrell wasn't much of a teacher.

But surely he'd at least demonstrate some spells in class, right?

Otherwise, the students preparing for their O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s would be furious with him.

Young wizards wouldn't take anything concerning their futures lightly.

As Devero wondered about this, a second panel suddenly appeared before him.

[Name: Voldemort (Tom Riddle)]

[Age: Sixty-five]

[Spell Library: Avada Kedavra (Unmatched), Imperius Curse (Unmatched), Cruciatus Curse (Unmatched)...]

[Traits: Dark Lord (Red / Incomplete), Heir of Slytherin (Red), Undying Body (Gold), Mind Manipulator (Purple), Maimed Body (Purple), Born Heartless (Purple)]

[Dark Lord (Red / Incomplete): You are destined to become a dark lord who makes the world tremble. You are immensely charismatic and possess unparalleled talent in Dark Magic. You will surely command countless followers. But a certain extremely powerful magic has shattered your fate, and an indescribable shadow looms over you. In the end, your future will lead to ruin.]

[Heir of Slytherin (Red): You are one of the greatest wizards in history, an heir of Slytherin, and have inherited many of his abilities. Most importantly, you have inherited his absolute craving for glory! The more glory you gain, the stronger you become! Conversely, the more people look down on you, the smaller you become!]

[Undying Body (Gold): As the creator of Horcruxes, one of the world's most evil forms of Dark Magic, you possess an undying body. Even if your body is completely annihilated, you will still exist! But remember the price you paid.]

[Born Heartless (Purple): A miserable upbringing and poor education have left you unable to feel ordinary emotions or empathize with others.]

[Mind Manipulator (Purple): Having grown up amid deceit and treachery, you can see through other people's desires, allowing you to gather armies at your command! But after endless experiments with Dark Magic, your mind has been corrupted, and your ability to perceive others has grown weaker.]

[Maimed Body (Purple): Though you possess an undying body, you were struck by one of the most powerful forms of Dark Magic in existence. Your body is no longer fit to exist, and your mind has suffered severe damage. Without attaching yourself to another living being, you cannot survive.]

Good grief!

This had to be Voldemort's panel, the one belonging to the soul possessing Quirrell.

Honestly, Voldemort was in a pretty sorry state right now!

A gleeful smirk crept onto Devero's face, but he quickly suppressed it.

He'd noticed several details in this Voldemort's description that didn't match the Horcrux he'd seen in the Room of Requirement.

First, the Dark Lord trait on this Voldemort's panel was red!

It was still incomplete, but its description might reflect the different fates of the two soul fragments.

The one left in the Room of Requirement had simply been abandoned there until it began to decay.

But it hadn't suffered all the later misfortunes Voldemort had endured.

It had also merged with Ravenclaw's Diadem and gained a considerable amount of knowledge.

That was why its description said that its future was unknown.

As for the Voldemort who had been forced to cling to Quirrell to survive, his description said that an indescribable shadow loomed over him.

This...

When Devero saw the phrase "indescribable shadow," his pupils contracted sharply.

The only other time he'd seen the system use that phrase was in its description of his time in the Microscopic World!

What was going on?

Had Voldemort also been to the Microscopic World?

And had he been attacked there?

It must have happened after he'd turned Ravenclaw's Diadem into a Horcrux, at the very least!

Devero quietly committed this information to memory.

It looked like he'd found a new lead for learning more about this indescribable being.

Dark Magic!

He continued reading.

Devero was incredibly envious of the [Heir of Slytherin] trait!

It was probably the biggest difference between the soul fragment in the Horcrux and Voldemort himself.

What an amazing effect!

It also fit Devero's future plans perfectly.

He'd already planned to make a name for himself in the Wizarding World through various inventions.

Then he'd teach at magical schools across Europe and explore every one of them.

That would earn him Trait Upgrade Cards and Wisdom of the Sages.

If possible, he could even visit other continents.

With this trait, Devero's plan would be like a tiger with wings!

And if he loaded this trait, he should be able to speak Parseltongue!

It was practically an improved version of the Horcrux trait, without any drawbacks!

Before entering Hogwarts, Devero had wondered whether he should learn Parseltongue.

After all, the Chamber of Secrets was part of Hogwarts.

It would count toward his exploration progress, too.

Now that problem was perfectly solved!

It was settled!

The next red trait he copied would be this one!

Devero happily added it to his shopping cart.

As for the other traits, all he could say was:

Voldy, you've really had it rough!

It was bad enough that your Dark Magic experiments had ruined your body.

But you'd even managed to ruin your own intelligence.

Devero had never seen anything like it.

Still, Devero had no intention of turning Quirrell in just yet.

He still had to wait for the cooldown on copying a red trait to expire.

He'd copy all of Quirrell's traits and learn his spells first.

Once he'd squeezed every last bit of value out of him, he'd decide what to do next.

With his plans settled, Devero listened to the lesson in high spirits.

Even the garlic in the air seemed to smell sweet.

He even threw himself into answering questions in class, joining Hermione in earning ten points for their house.

After class, Devero told Quirrell he wanted to attend the lessons for older students.

He also said he was willing to take a test.

Quirrell agreed with a shrill-voiced smile and arranged to meet Devero alone after class on Thursday afternoon to discuss it.

Devero readily agreed.

Next came Herbology.

As usual, Devero earned ten points from Professor Sprout.

Then it was time for lunch.

The first class of the afternoon was History of Magic.

Good heavens!

It was easily the most painful class Devero had attended since arriving at this school.

He hadn't slept well the night before, and Professor Binns's teaching style made Devero wonder if he'd cast some sort of spell on his own voice.

How else could it be so hypnotic?!

And so Devero earned his first class nap.

Then Professor McGonagall caught him in the act while making her rounds.

For the first time, he earned a detention and lost ten points.

Fortunately, during the break, Hermione brought him some special coffee.

It helped Devero make it through the second half of the class.

Otherwise, he would've fallen asleep even while standing.

The coffee was just a little too bitter.

Had she not put in a single grain of sugar?!

At his first sip, Devero's tongue had gone numb from the bitterness.

"Did you put gentian in this?"

Devero could tell right away that she'd added some herbs.

"Yeah. I read in the Daily Prophet that you could make it this way. Lots of wizards use it to stay alert!"

Hermione was excited that Devero had recognized her doctored coffee and immediately shared her idea with him.

"Um, but the recipe they gave probably included sugar, right?"

Devero couldn't believe the Brits could stomach such an outrageous drink!

But Hermione looked deadly serious at that.

"Devero, sugar is bad for your teeth, especially at our age."

Well... she was a dentist's daughter, after all.

So, under Hermione's enthusiastic gaze, Devero could only choke back tears and drink the bitter coffee.

Over the next two days, Devero attended his morning classes, earning points for his house.

In the evenings, he wandered around wherever he pleased.

Spent exploring Hogwarts.

Before they knew it,

Thursday had arrived.

Flying Class was in the afternoon.

It was a class Devero had been really looking forward to!