Sectumsempra

Kyle hadn't noticed Dumbledore's unusual expression. Lying on a bed in the infirmary, he was still reviewing the battle from earlier in his mind.

What had put him at the greatest disadvantage tonight was his lack of a sufficiently powerful offensive spell.

He seemed to have mastered many Water Release techniques, but when it came down to it, their essence was simply using water to smash people.

For example, the Great Shark Bullet Technique Kisame used could devour an opponent's Chakra.

But Kyle's Great Shark Bullet... was really just a shark-shaped water projectile. It could bite apart fragile things like wooden tables and chairs, but against a werewolf's resistant hide...

It was no different from throwing a water balloon at an ordinary person.

As for Earth Release, its slow casting speed and lengthy windup meant that it was at a serious disadvantage against highly agile enemies—such as werewolves.

The werewolf killed by Earth Spear had first been staggered by Hagrid's attack, allowing Kyle to pierce it to death with a single Earth Spear.

Until he was confident that he could develop Earth Release into something like Ōnoki's Dust Release, where anyone touched would die, Kyle felt it was best not to dig too deeply into that direction.

Lightning Release, meanwhile, would injure himself.

And Fire Release...

Other than Uchiha Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame, Fire Release in the original series did not seem to have burned many people to death. Better forget it.

That left only Wind Release among the Five Elements Ninjutsu.

Kyle felt that ordinary Wind Release would most likely run into the same predicament as Water Release. Before he developed Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, Wind Release would probably only be good for blowing air at enemies and helping them cool off.

Ultimately, his ninjutsu was still all show and no substance. Unless he could activate Susanoo or True Several Thousand Hands - Top Transformed Buddha, the power of the Five Elements Ninjutsu alone would still make it difficult for him to make waves in the Magical World.

For now, he still had to start with magic.

Kyle recalled the spell Snape had used to sever the werewolves' heads.

So he tugged at the hem of Dumbledore's robe as the man sat beside the bed. "Professor, can I study magic under Professor Snape?"

Dumbledore's tangled thoughts were interrupted by Kyle.

He was somewhat surprised. That morning, he had just asked Snape to become Kyle's teacher. Before he had even had the chance to tell Kyle, the boy had brought it up himself.

Eh, did that mean mother and son—pah, father and son—were truly of one mind?

At the thought, a smile bloomed across Dumbledore's face.

Before he could agree, Kyle added, "I want to learn Sectumsempra!"

The smile on Dumbledore's face froze.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Kyle." Dumbledore decisively refused Kyle's request.

At that moment, he no longer wanted Snape to be Kyle's teacher either.

"Why, Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle did not understand why the usually agreeable Dumbledore had suddenly rejected his request.

"If I could master Sectumsempra, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state if something like this happened again."

"Sectumsempra is Dark Arts," Dumbledore explained.

"Dark Arts refers to evil spells primarily intended to harm others."

"Dark Arts can grant great power, but they also affect the user's mind."

"With the slightest carelessness, a user may become addicted to the allure of Dark Arts and turn into an evil Dark wizard."

Kyle paid no attention to Dumbledore's alarmist warning and scare tactics, merely shaking his head. "Professor, I think my will is strong enough."

Dumbledore firmly shook his head.

"No. It is far too early for you to dabble in Dark Arts."

"No room for negotiation?"

"Sectumsempra is non-negotiable, but I can teach you other magic."

What was the point of other magic if he could not learn Sectumsempra?

Kyle yanked the blanket over himself, completely covering his head. The number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again later.

Seeing this, Dumbledore's cheek twitched. Having never comforted a child before, he did not know what to do for a moment.

He sighed and rose to his feet. "Then, good night."

No response came from beneath the blanket.

Dumbledore smiled helplessly and turned to leave the infirmary.

After Dumbledore left, Kyle poked his head out from under the blanket again and furtively looked around.

Once he confirmed that Dumbledore had truly gone far away and that Madam Pomfrey, who ran the infirmary, was absent as well, Kyle swiftly rolled out of bed and darted out of the infirmary.

A few minutes later, Kyle knocked on the door to Snape's office.

The door slowly opened, revealing Snape behind it, dressed in his ever-present black wizarding robes.

Uh... it was past midnight now. Professor, did you even sleep in that outfit?

"What is it?"

Snape's cold black eyes stared unblinkingly at Kyle, his tone as indifferent as ever, even though they had fought side by side earlier that night.

Kyle looked up at Snape, his eyes sparkling as he falsely invoked Dumbledore's authority. "Professor Dumbledore said I can study magic under you!"

Snape glanced at the clock on the wall, and his face instantly darkened. You came to learn magic in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Do you even know what time it is?

For the sake of Dumbledore's old flame's son, Snape restrained the urge to hang him up and give him a beating.

Snape's tone grew even colder. "Come to my office tomorrow evening at eight. Now, you should go back and sleep."

He agreed? Hehehe...

But Kyle did not leave immediately. Instead, he continued staring at Snape. "Professor, I want to learn the Sectumsempra spell you used when you killed the werewolves..."

Sectumsempra?

Snape studied him through narrowed eyes for a while. "That is Dark Arts."

"Professor Dumbledore has already approved it." Kyle's expression did not change in the slightest as he used Dumbledore's name as cover.

Hearing Kyle's words, Snape gave him a long, deep look, suspicion in his eyes.

Because of Kyle's identity, he could not easily use Legilimency to determine whether Kyle was telling the truth.

Legilimency was a spell that allowed one to obtain another person's emotions and memories from their mind.

Snape could be said to be exceptionally skilled at this spell, but reading another person's mind without permission was ultimately impolite.

Therefore, Snape would not casually use Legilimency to read his students' minds, much less on someone whose identity differed from that of an ordinary student.

In the end, he chose to believe Kyle and gave a stiff nod.

Kyle and Snape stood at the office door, staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting for me to escort you?" Snape's face was gloomy, but he failed to frighten Kyle at all.

"I want to know how to learn Sectumsempra first." Kyle stared eagerly at Snape.

After they faced each other for more than ten seconds, Snape turned and entered his office. He took a thin notebook from the bookshelf and handed it to Kyle.

"You may read it, but you are not allowed to practice on your own," Snape instructed. "I'll teach you personally tomorrow night."

Kyle joyfully accepted the notebook from Snape, then bowed deeply and respectfully. "Thank you, Professor!"

The office door slammed shut in front of him with a bang, but Kyle was not bothered.

He tucked the notebook away inside his clothes, unable to suppress the smile on his face as he happily slipped back to the infirmary.