Chapter 29 - Annoying as-ss

After having more than enough fun in their flying class, the boys made their way towards their first defense against dark arts class. When they arrived at the classroom, they found that it was already bustling with activity. Ravenclaw students filled the room, eagerly chatting and discussing the upcoming class. Thomas and his friends found a spot near the front of the room and settled in, eager to begin. As they sit in their seats, a small, wiry man with a turban greeted the whole class. Thomas noticed that the man seemed a little nervous as if he was hiding something, especially when his eyes landed on him, making the boy wonder what in god's name was wrong with the man. And if his memory didn't fail him, this was the same man that tried to attack him when he was sorted on his first day. Making the boy weary of being near this kind of man.

[A pity Rarek couldn't come here, he would have loved to scare this man. Nevertheless, under no circumstances should you allow this foul creature to touch you, Thomas. Whoever this man was, he's not human anymore.]

Thomas felt a chill run down his spine as he processed the words that Bahamut, his sacred gear, had just spoken. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the man standing before him, who was now being referred to as a "foul creature" by his own sacred gear.

Fear crept into Thomas's mind as he realized the gravity of the situation. This man was not to be underestimated or taken lightly. Thomas knew that he had to be cautious and keep his guard up, more so even since this "foul creature" seem to be interested in him for some reason unknown to the boy.

"Thanks for the warning, Bahamut," Thomas replied quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I won't let him approach me. But what do you mean he's not human anymore?"

[I might be thousands of years old Thomas, but I have never looked too much into human sorcery. Whatever that man did to his body, turned him into something that's no longer human, as if his body was being used as a vessel for something or someone.]

Thomas looked at the man again, trying to figure out what Bahamut meant by that. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he trusted Bahamut's warning. He made a mental note to keep his distance from the man and to stay on high alert.

As he stood there, lost in thought, his friends couldn't help but notice the sudden change in his demeanor. His usually bright and excited expression had turned grim, and his enthusiasm for their first class seemed to have vanished entirely, almost as if Thomas turned into another person.

"Hey, Tom, are you okay?" Adam asked, placing a hand on Thomas's shoulder.

Thomas shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, trying to put on a brave face.

But Michael wasn't convinced. "What's wrong? You were so excited about this class just a few minutes ago," he pointed out.

Thomas hesitated for a moment before deciding to share what he had heard from his sacred gear with his friends. "You guys remember what I told Adam about that thing right? Well, that thing, warned me about our defense against the dark arts teacher, apparently, he's not human anymore. He said we shouldn't let him touch us," he explained.

The three boys exchanged worried glances before James spoke up. "You say that something wrong with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? I heard rumors from some of the Hufflepuff girls that he's a bit…unusual," he said, voicing the thoughts that were on all their minds.

Thomas nodded gravely. "I don't know exactly, but I'd rather put my trust in that than risk my life. But we don't know for sure, so we should just be cautious," he replied, trying to reassure himself as much as his friends.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," Professor Quirrell said with a slight stutter. "Today we will be discussing the basics of magical defense."

Everyone took their seats and listened intently as Professor Quirrell began his lecture, even the four boys, who after Thomas warned them about Quirrell tried to be on the lookout, just in case. Though for the rest of the lecture, nothing happened and they simply learned about the different types of magical defenses, such as shields and counter-curses, and how to use them to protect themselves from dark magic.

As the lecture progressed, Thomas and his friends couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. Despite their worries about their professor, they had been hoping for something more exciting, perhaps even a demonstration of some kind. But as the class drew to a close, their hopes were unexpectedly met, making them wonder if their teacher was preparing something or even testing all of the students for some reason unknown to them.

"Now, for our practical portion of the class," Professor Quirrell announced, gesturing towards a table at the front of the room. "I have here a variety of cursed objects that I have collected over the years. Your task is to identify the curse placed upon each object and then use your newly learned defensive spells to counter it."

The Ravenclaw students erupted into excited chatter, eager to put their new knowledge to the test. Thomas and his friends exchanged a look of excitement and anticipation, forgetting everything they had talked about prior to the start of the class.

When they approached the table, they were immediately amazed by the variety of objects on display. There were small trinkets, masks, and figurines, each looking more ominous than the last. One object in particular caught Thomas's eye. It was a small, black-eye-like orb, pulsing with ominous energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

As the four boys studied the objects, they began to discuss their strategies. Michael suggested they work together, each using their individual strengths to identify and counter the curses. James, on the other hand, thought it would be better to work alone, as it would be a better test of their individual abilities.

In the end, they decided to each choose an object and work independently, each hoping to prove their worth as a capable wizard. Thomas, drawn by the black orb, chose it as his object, eager to show off his skills.

As he examined the orb, he felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. He could feel the curse emanating from the object, a dark energy that threatened to consume him. Thankfully for him, the ritual Mars and he did as well as Bahamut turning a small part of his power into a sacred gear made Thomas quite defended against such weak curses. With a deep breath, he began to chant the incantation he had learned in class, casting a protective shield around himself just in case there was something more than he could see.

Impressed with Thomas's quick thinking, Professor Quirrell made his way over to him. "Ah, Mr. Grayson, I see you have chosen the most difficult object in the pile," he said, his eyes flickering with a hint of amusement.

Thomas frowned, suddenly on guard. "Is there something wrong with this object, professor?" he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Quirrell chuckled, his smile widening. "Oh no, nothing is wrong with it per se. It's just that it happens to be one of the most cursed objects in my collection," he replied with a shudder.

Thomas's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't realized the gravity of his choice until now. He could feel the energy pulsing through the orb, threatening to break through his shield, however, if the curse would affect him, no one knows for sure, not even Thomas.

But Quirrell seemed quite happy about the situation as if he was enjoying watching Thomas struggle with the cursed object. "I must say, Mr. Grayson, you have quite the talent for defense against the dark arts. I look forward to seeing how you fare in future classes," he said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Thomas was unsure how to respond to Quirrell's interest in him. He still couldn't shake off Bahamut's words about the man. Just as he was about to

With a deep breath, he continued to chant the incantation, his shield holding strong against the dark energy emanating from the orb. Suddenly, he felt a strange pressure in his mind. He looked around, but other than his friends, who were worriedly looking at him, and Quirrell, there was no one close enough who could try reading his mind. Then he noticed that Quirrell was staring at him with an intense expression, his eyes seeming to bore into Thomas's very soul.

Thomas felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized what was happening. Quirrell was attempting to read his mind, to uncover his thoughts and secrets. Feeling the pressure on his mind from Quirrell's attempt at the intrusion, Thomas quickly began to put up mental barriers. He knew that Bahamut could protect him from having his mind read, but he also remembered a technique he had read about in Brother Aurelius' journal. And For the first time since reading about the technique, Thomas wanted to put it into practice. He drew on Bahamut's power to help him create mental barriers against Quirrell's attempted intrusion..

He focused on his breathing and began to visualize a wall in his mind. He imagined the wall growing taller and thicker until it surrounded him. He then concentrated on making the wall impervious, and the pressure on his mind lessened.

Quirrell seemed to realize that he was not able to penetrate Thomas's mind and withdrew his gaze. Thomas let out a sigh of relief, feeling drained from the mental strain he had just experienced. Though he was satisfied to have won against a skilled Legilimens.

With his attempt to read Thomas's mind having failed, Quirrell walked away, not wanting to make a bigger fool of himself. He decided to keep an eye on the young boy, who had managed to impress him."

Once the strange professor left him alone, Thomas then turned his attention back to the black orb and began to examine it more closely. As he did, he noticed that the orb was not just cursed but also had a powerful enchantment placed upon it. Thanks to him spending quite a lot of time reading different books, he knew that breaking the curse would not be enough, as the enchantment would still be in place, ready to harm anyone who came too close to it.

That's when he remembers something that he put away fearing that it might make him a target. However now was not the time to think about this, so Thomas quickly took out the ring he had received as a gift from Irina on his birthday. It was a beautiful ring, similar to that of the Crusaders, blessed by the church to protect exorcists from low-class curses. As he wore the ring, he could feel a sudden surge of power coursing through his body, and he knew that he had the strength to break the enchantment.

Closing his eyes, Thomas focused his mind on the orb, feeling the dark energy emanating from it. He began to chant the incantation he had learned in class, which barely cut the dark energy. Since the usual method failed, Thomas had to resort to his second plan, using an incantation to purify an object from Brother Aurelius' journal, a technique to break powerful enchantments. The words flowed from his lips like a river, and he could feel the energy of the enchantment beginning to weaken.

The orb began to tremble, and Thomas could feel the dark energy slowly dissipating. Sweat poured down his face as he continued to chant, his friends watching him in awe. James, Adam, and Michael had never seen their friend in action like this, and they could feel the power emanating from him. Even Quirrell, who was in the other corner of the class, could feel the holy energy surrounding the orb.

Finally, with one final word, Thomas broke the enchantment, and the black orb shattered. The dark energy that had once emanated from it dissipated into the air, leaving only the shards of glass behind.

As his friends rushed over to him, fearing that their friend might have hurt himself, they noticed the ring on his finger.

"Tom, are you okay?" Michael asked, looking at him with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Thomas replied, smiling. "I used my ring to break the enchantment."

"The ring?" Adam asked, looking at the silver band on Thomas's finger.

"Yeah, Irina got it for me for my birthday," Thomas explained.

"Whoa, look who's getting all the attention from his girl," James teased, a mischievous glint in his eye. "She's really spoiling you, mate. Who is she, anyway?"

Thomas blushed, knowing that his friends would never let him live it down.

"Shut up," he said, playfully punching James' arm.

James chuckled. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay. What was that all about anyway?"

As Thomas explained to his friends about the cursed orb and the enchantment placed upon it, they listened with rapt attention. Adam and Michael looked worried, knowing that the danger they had faced was more significant than they had thought. James, on the other hand, seemed more interested in the fact that Thomas had a girlfriend.

"Would you look at?" James said, smirking. "And here I was worried about you bastard. Maybe we should all get ourselves a girlfriend like that."

Thomas rolled his eyes, knowing that James was just teasing him. He didn't mind though; he was glad to have his friends there to talk to after what had happened.

"Seriously though, how did you break the enchantment?" James asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

"I used the ring Irina gave me," Thomas replied, holding up his hand to show them the silver ring with the crusader cross on it. "

"Whoa, where did she get that?" Adam asked, looking impressed.

"She didn't say," Thomas replied with a shrug. "But it came in handy today."

"Our friend got some connections," Michael joked, earning a chuckle from the group.

Soon, the boys and the rest of the Ravenclaws finished their class and returned to their common room, exhausted after the harrowing experience. As they entered the cozy room, the warm fire in the fireplace greeted them, casting a warm glow throughout the room. The four boys all slumped down onto the comfortable couches, happy to finally relax.

Thomas sat on one of the armchairs, holding the ring that Irina had given him tightly in his hand. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a caring friend. He knew that without her gift, he might not have been able to break the enchantment on the cursed orb, without revealing to the entire school the existence of his sacred gear and probably putting a target on his head.

Adam and Michael sat on the couch opposite Thomas, discussing the class and the strange behavior of Professor Quirrell. James, on the other hand, had already pulled out his Transfiguration book and was deep in study, determined to improve his grades as well as finally learn how to use transfiguration for one of the pranks he was planning to do later this year.

The rest of the Ravenclaws in the common room were engaged in various activities. Some were playing wizard's chess, others were chatting with friends, and a few were even working on their homework. After all, there were still a few hours until they are required to go to the great hall for their lunch.

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