Chapter 2 Your arsenic is my honey

Tewell's heart finally settled.

Yes, he was planning to return to England, to Hogwarts, the only and best wizarding school in Britain, to serve as an assistant professor of Dark Arts Defense.

Speaking of which, this was not an easy or comfortable job, and one could even say it was the second most dangerous profession, only surpassed by that of a Death Eater's parents.

If memory served, among the seven Defense Against the Dark Arts professors over seven years in the plot, one remained at St. Mungo's, two were imprisoned, and five passed away.

Yes, five.

The additional one, Moody, was only because he was disguised by someone else using Polyjuice Potion, and he eventually met his end as well.

The frequent accidents made it hard not to suspect the danger of this subject.

But for Tewell, it was just adding a little spice to his impending death, with debts already too many to worry about.

At the age of eleven, he stumbled upon a ring by accident.

Unfortunately, the ring was imbued with powerful dark magic that could instantly destroy his young life.

Fortunately, he happened to be transported here at that time, and he still had his own "golden finger."

It was a badge.

This badge was a souvenir from his past life, with the crest of Hogwarts, the most famous wizarding school in Britain, on it.

A large letter "H" in the middle, surrounded by a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger, with a motto underneath.

"Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus."

I'm not sure why this badge came with him as he crossed over, but as his life force waned, it suddenly surged with power, resisting the invasion of dark magic.

However, this power was not strong; it could barely keep him from death. Dark magic still lingered around him, sucking away his life like a festering sore. But upon seeing this ring, he knew what it was. One of Voldemort's Horcruxes!

Having watched the movies, he knew that even Dumbledore and Snape, two of the top wizards in the wizarding world, couldn't break the dark magic on it. Dumbledore, hailed as the greatest white wizard, ultimately chose death because the dark magic on it was too difficult to remove.

He made a quick decision, abandoning the acceptance letter sent by Hogwarts, begging his parents to send him to Demstrang instead, to study at the school known for its research on dark magic.

Fortunately, his family was somewhat prestigious, and he easily gained admission to Demstrang.

Over the seven years, he continuously relied on his study of dark magic and the protection of the badge's power to postpone his death date. He also discovered the biggest secret of the badge: as his understanding of magic grew stronger, the power of the badge could be enhanced, thus compensating for the life damage caused by dark magic. It was like a swimming pool, with water flowing in and out, except the water inside was his own life.

But last year, his strength reached a bottleneck, no longer growing as rapidly as before, and the power of the badge gradually faded. Half a year later, the power completely disappeared.

Dark magic instantly reached out to his life, turning the swimming pool into a one-way outlet.

Facing his life slipping away like flowing water, Tewell, relying on seven years of knowledge of dark magic and a little help, barely managed to condense this dark magic into a small point temporarily.

Thinking of this, he raised his hand to look at his right wrist, where there was a small black dot, with a thin line extending from both ends of the dot. When the lines overlapped, it would be the end of his life.

At this rate, he had two more years.

This was also why he was desperate to apply to teach at Hogwarts this year because, by the end of this year, a magical stone would be stored in the school.

A stone that granted eternal life.

As for why it was Defense Against the Dark Arts, that was simply because only this subject recruited new teachers every year. Even so, Tewell's status as a Demstrang student still made that person hesitate. If he hadn't changed his mind to just be an assistant, he probably would have wasted another three years. So, the position of Assistant Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was Tewell's arsenic and honey.

Reflecting on his past seven years felt like racing against death. Every day was spent desperately absorbing various magical knowledge, and every night he was devising more efficient study methods. This also earned him an indescribable reputation at Demstrang: Panda War God... After leaving here, no one should call him by this embarrassing name again, right?

Tewell happily took out a fresh piece of parchment, leaving a reply on it. In a moment, the letter was folded without any extra creases. But the owl didn't like this neatness. It twisted a couple of times when tying the letter to its leg, then pecked Tewell's hand as if complaining before flapping its wings and flying towards the distant snowy mountains.

Sorry, buddy, I'll make it up to you next time.

Tewell's good mood remained undisturbed. He waved his wand lightly, and the two neatly packed suitcases on the ground became light as feathers, floating towards his open wallet. Upon contact with the wallet, the suitcases seemed to compress instantly and flew neatly inside. The wallet was secretly cast with an Undetectable Extension Charm, making its interior space larger than this dorm room. Using this charm on personal items violated wizarding laws in any country. But then again, can you really call yourself a wizard if you don't break a few laws?

Tewell glanced back at the room once more, reluctantly leaving behind his seven years of memories, before leaving effortlessly.

"So, this is graduation?" Suddenly, the aged man in the portrait at the staircase landing spoke up.

This was the second headmaster of Demstrang, the one who introduced dueling and war magic into the curriculum. The arena in front of the castle was his masterpiece, even though he had to sit on the steps in the frame.

"Yes, Mr. Monté, thank you for your help over these seven years."

Tewell paused in his steps. Despite occasionally reporting to the headmaster, Mr. Monté had always helped him during his nightly wanderings.

"It's Dumont's loss for not keeping you. That fool Kakalov couldn't hold onto you!" Even as a portrait, even with his aged appearance, the old man's fiery temperament was hard to hide.

"It's my fault. I need to study my magic more and explore different kinds of magical knowledge to reach a higher level," Tewell's subtext of ensuring his own survival remained unspoken.

"I heard you're going to that school to teach?" The old man's emotions came and went quickly.

"Yes, but only as an assistant."

"Well, all I can wish for you is not to overwork yourself. Sometimes stopping can give you a clearer view," Monté winked meaningfully at Tewell.

Since last year, Monté had said this to Tewell every time, but he always remained silent when further questioned. So Tewell just shook his head, bid him farewell, and bid farewell to the school as well.