Animal Bloodline

[Prank complete!]

[You are an unimaginably brilliant prank genius!]

[The person you fooled possesses immense power, hidden and unseen, and though he vanished years ago, his fearsome reputation remains.]

[People call him Voldemort and bestow upon him the title of Dark Lord. But clearly, before you, even the Dark Lord can only have his head drenched in Dungbombs.]

[Your courage dares to fool those in high places.]

[Your wisdom is enough to toy with the clever.]

[You are a true Champion, and also a cunning strategist.]

[Cheer! This is a victory that belongs to you.]

[In the end, I must say that you are the true Dark Lord!]

[Cheers for you!]

[Let us crown you!]

Seeing that long string of exaggerated quest evaluations, Silan felt a little expectant.

Just from the sheer number of words, he could tell the reward trait would not be bad.

At least all the effort he had put into this had not been wasted.

After the long string of quest evaluations drifted past, Silan finally saw this quest's reward.

[Reward Trait: Animal Bloodline]

[Description: As we all know, humans are merely another kind of animal. You are no different from those animals. Go on, merge with their bloodlines and become one of them.]

[Effect: You can understand animals and communicate with them.]

To be honest, Silan felt rather disappointed when he saw this.

So after all that flattery, this was the trait you gave me?

What was this supposed to be?

An upgraded version of Parseltongue?

The ability to talk to animals was certainly magical, but it was not especially difficult to obtain. Even Harry could speak Parseltongue.

Even if the range was broader and he could talk to many different animals, what was so great about that?

It's not like I'm a furry!

After the chaotic thoughts churned through Silan's mind for a while, he gradually calmed down.

Staring at the "Animal Bloodline" trait, Silan began to think.

The trait's effect was nothing unusual, but its description was strange.

What did it mean by "merge with their bloodlines"?

And what did it mean by "become one of them"?

Could merging bloodlines allow him to transform into animals like an Animagus?

If so, then this trait really was useful.

An Animagus was a wizard who could transform into a certain animal at will.

Even while transformed, they could retain their human ability to think.

It was an exceptionally profound and complicated form of Transfiguration.

There were only seven officially registered Animagi in the entire wizarding world, and Professor McGonagall, the cat professor, was one of them.

Becoming an Animagus was extremely difficult.

It required not only tremendous perseverance, but also exceptional luck.

Otherwise, one might fail for months or even years, suffering endlessly throughout that waiting period.

The hardest part was that while learning to become an Animagus, a mistake at any step meant starting all over again.

But what truly made Silan's heart surge was not merely the chance to become an Animagus painlessly.

It was because the trait said "animals."

Magical creatures were animals too!

If merging with a magical creature's bloodline allowed him to transform into that magical creature, then this trait truly deserved to be called a golden legend!

The magical creatures of the wizarding world all had their own unique abilities.

For example, a phoenix's rebirth from ashes, a Dragon's immense strength, a Nundu's poisonous breath...

This was an inexhaustible treasure trove.

Thinking of that, Silan's heart grew eager.

"I'll have to find a chance to test this trait properly."

"But for now, I should finish my homework first..."

No matter how great your future achievements might be, you still had to do homework while you were in school.

Not even Voldemort was an exception.

"Silan..."

Hermione fiddled with her hair and hesitantly asked, "Do you have anything to do later?"

"Yes."

Hermione's little face immediately fell, and she nodded in disappointment and frustration.

"I was planning to invite Miss Granger to do homework with me later. I wonder whether she would be willing?" Silan abruptly changed course.

"Of course I'm willing!"

Hermione's gloom instantly cleared away. "Let's go now!"

At last, after several long days.

Miss Granger could finally be with Mister Prewett again.

The two headed to the library together.

Before reaching the library, Silan ran into George and Fred on the way.

The three exchanged glances, then tacitly remained silent, as though they did not know one another at all.

Once they reached the library, Silan quickly finished his homework and began considering how to make use of the "Animal Bloodline" trait.

Hogwarts certainly did not lack magical creatures.

The Forbidden Forest contained magical creatures rated from X to XXXXX.

But there was no need to rush yet.

Though the Forbidden Forest was often jokingly called a backyard, it was actually quite dangerous.

Blindly taking risks was the sort of thing only Gryffindors did.

He could start by practicing on some small animals.

For example, the owls in the Owlery atop the West Tower, or Mrs Norris. Hagrid's hunting dog Fang might be a good choice too.

He wondered whether the three-headed dog Fluffy had already been locked above the trapdoor. He could find time to take a look...

To ensure his safety, Silan decided to learn a few more spells for self-defense.

With that thought in mind, Silan got up to return his book.

"Madam Pince, I'm returning this book. I'd also like to borrow a copy of The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 4."

The cold and rigid Madam Pince was using a feather duster to clean dust from the bookshelves.

Silan did not know whether Madam Pince was simply bored.

Rather than using magic, she insisted on doing it herself with a feather duster.

Madam Pince kept a tight expression as she let out a soft snort through her nose. "Let me see whether the previous book has been damaged first."

She swiftly opened the book Silan was returning and carefully inspected it.

Only after seeing that it was completely undamaged did her expression soften considerably.

When she glanced at the book Silan wanted to borrow this time, Madam Pince was a little surprised.

Hadn't this child borrowed The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 3 only a few days ago?

He had already finished learning it and was preparing to borrow Grade 4?

The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 3 contained the greatest number and widest range of spells in the Standard Book of Spells series.

It could be said that this book included nearly every spell commonly used by wizards.

The later Standard Book of Spells volumes mostly built upon it, or simply focused on techniques such as nonverbal spells.

Was this child learning that quickly?

"Maybe he's just curious and wants to flip through it," Madam Pince muttered to herself as she began registering Silan's loan.

"Remember..."

"Do not scratch, tear, fold, stain, damage, or throw books," Silan finished for her. "Don't worry, Madam Pince. I remember it all."

"Hmph." Madam Pince snorted. "A clever little wizard."

Though she said that, Silan's care for the books pleased her greatly, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on her face.

While things were peaceful on Silan's side, the atmosphere in Professor McGonagall's office was far from harmonious.