Dark Magic LV4; Will's suggestion

Although he had prepared himself, Lupin was soon astonished by the depth of Will's knowledge.

Will had thoroughly mastered the first- and second-year Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks and could even recite most of their contents. He had thought teaching Will would be as easy as tutoring a small child, but he soon discovered otherwise.

Had he not been an outstanding student himself, there were questions he might genuinely have struggled to answer.

Will always came up with a whole series of questions, many touching on the Dark Magic taught in higher years. Simply reciting the textbooks was nowhere near enough to satisfy him. He would often commit the theory firmly to memory in a single afternoon, then begin identifying the problems within it.

"I want to learn Finite Incantatem."

"About jinxes, hexes, and curses—if the boundaries between them are flexible, changing according to a wizard's will and the power of the spell, why are the Unforgivable Curses classified as curses? And why are the curses in our textbooks different from the 'curses' in other countries?"

"Why are the most powerful Dark Magic spells classified as curses?"

"Can Finite Incantatem restore a body blown apart by Confringo?"

In practice, though, Will only asked Lupin to teach him the third-year curriculum and part of the fourth-year curriculum. After all, Lupin was the most reliable of Hogwarts' Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers.

He did not delve too deeply into the subject. Will knew Lupin could not possibly teach him those dark spells. For now, he was simply trying to study Hogwarts' Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum as far ahead as possible. Over the coming years, apart from Lupin in his third year, Defence Against the Dark Arts would be a complete disaster.

Will did not want them to affect him too much, and studying alone was nowhere near as fast as having someone teach him.

[You have acquired new Dark Magic knowledge. Dark Magic experience +1]

[You have acquired new Dark Magic knowledge. Dark Magic experience +1]

[You have acquired new spell knowledge. Charms experience +1]

[You have acquired new spell knowledge. Charms experience +1]

Time passed quickly. A little over ten days of lessons was nowhere near enough, but he had still gained a great deal.

First of all, his Dark Magic had risen to LV4.

[Your Dark Magic has advanced to LV4. You may choose one of the following additional abilities.]

A. Dark Resistance: When you are attacked by Dark Magic, you can temporarily resist 20% of its effects, delaying their onset (the duration of the delay varies according to the power of the Dark Magic).

B. Dark Echo: When you cast Dark Magic, the effect of each individual spell increases by 15%. If the target is suffering ongoing Dark Magic damage, an additional 5% effect bonus is applied.

C. Dark Surge: Each time you cast Dark Magic, its effects have a chance to weaken or strengthen by between -20% and 30%. Your Dark Magic may undergo beneficial or harmful changes.

All three effects were extremely powerful. A would improve his durability and give him more room for error, while B would increase the power of his Dark Magic and also offer some synergy with LV3's Unrelenting Malice.

As for C, Will had no intention of becoming a gambling addict. He did not want it, no matter how powerful it was.

After a long period of deliberation, Will finally chose B, Dark Echo. After all, sometimes the best defence was a good offence.

It was early morning, two days before Will returned to school.

"I should be going, Will." Lupin held a suitcase and wore a neat set of new clothes, bought with the money Will had given him.

At first, Lupin had been unwilling to accept the "tutoring fee." Will had saved him too, and he felt embarrassed about taking his money.

But Will had said, "You've got five Knuts to your name. What are you going to live on after I go to school—thin air?"

Only then had the somewhat mortified Lupin accepted the money.

"So soon?" Will put down his book. He still had a few days before he left for school.

In truth, Will did not think he could persuade Lupin to stay. They were not close enough for that yet. At most, he could have Lupin give him lessons and rack up some experience. Besides, even Harry had been unable to keep him around. What chance did he have?

"Yes. All good things must come to an end. See you in the summer, Will."

Will and Lupin had got along very well, and the two had agreed to have another round of tutoring during the holidays.

"What about until then? Aren't you going to find a job?"

Will's words seemed to strike a sore spot.

"You don't understand. Werewolves show clear signs of weakness around the full moon, such as pale faces and a lack of energy. Quite a few wizards can deduce from those details that their colleague is a werewolf," Lupin explained to Will. He thought Will was oversimplifying the problem.

"Nobody said you had to find work in the wizarding world, Lupin."

Lupin looked at Will in surprise. "You mean I should find work in the Muggle world?"

"What else? Plenty of wizards work in the Muggle world. They do well, and they earn enough to support their families. Many of the half-blood families at Hogwarts are the best examples of the standard of living those wizards enjoy."

"But I'm a werewolf, Will. A werewolf," Lupin stressed heavily.

"But you're also a wizard. There are so many spells that can conceal your identity. A Locking Spell can lock you inside a room,

a Silencing Charm can keep your howls confined to that room, and a single Muggle-Repelling Charm can keep it out of Muggles' sight forever.

You could build yourself a decent basement.

A sturdy set of shackles could keep you secured inside when you turn into a werewolf. Without Wolfsbane Potion, you lose your reason. Without your reason, you can't undo the shackles. But once you regain your senses, you can use Wandless Magic to cast an Unlocking Charm and free yourself."

Will was not going to support Lupin, nor did Lupin want him to. But Will was trying to find him a job.

There were two benefits to this. For one, Lupin was genuinely very knowledgeable. During the holidays, he could teach Will plenty of things and help him rack up a lot of experience.

For another, Lupin was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. By tying their interests together, Will could influence Dumbledore's impression of him to some extent.

"Green's Bookshop is hiring. It's an entirely Muggle bookshop. You could try applying while these clothes still look presentable.

You can ask for time off on the night of the full moon. If the owner refuses, you can use a Memory Charm or something to make him forget you skipped work. Besides, I don't think you can spend your whole life wandering."

Will managed a smile and handed Lupin a business card.

His words made Lupin hesitate, and he accepted the card...