Second Summon

As the class dispersed, Hermione ran up to me, seemingly worried about Neville. Knowing the original plot, I couldn't help but say:

"Neville won't get into trouble, Hermione, he's the precious Boy-Who-Lived. Maybe they'll even let him enter the Quidditch team for his flying skills", I added with an afterthought.

"But Professor McGonagall looked really serious when she led him away. Would he not get expelled for breaking the school rules?", she questioned doubtfully.

'Dumbledore would allow much more than that since he's the Savior. After all, how is he going to find such a willing sacrifice for the Greater Good?', I thought silently.

"Well, whether he would be expelled or not, we would know at dinner, no? Besides, did you finish your homework for next week?"

This earned me a stink glare from Hermione - knowing her, no assignment will be left unfinished on the night they're given. As we returned to common room, our conversation turned to the safety regulations of these classes seeing as in the very first week, one nose was broken and multiple students were splashed with mild poison. Come to think of it, Hogwarts is not quite safe for students, isn't it?

After splitting up with Hermione, I flopped down on the armchair by the fireplace and slipped into the mind space.

"Summon Zed's Shadow Armor", I commanded, not waiting for the voice's greetings.

"Confirmed operation. Initiating..."

The screen filled up my vision again, just like a week ago.

Harry Potter, Summoner Level 1

Chest Acquired: 0

Summoned:

- Zed's Shadow (Living Shadow)

- Zed's Armor (Base Variant) (Equipped)

Time until next summoning: 2d 23h 59'

Store: (Unlock at level 10)

Augments: (Unlock at level 5)

Special Items: (Unlock level 10)

The progress bar for Zed's Armor appears on the bottom of the screen, quickly finishing. This time, there was not assaulting pain but merely the soft touch of silk - the undercoat of the armor. Though in the League universe, the steel is tempered to melt simultaneously into the shadows just like Zed himself, it must be physically worn and can be damaged. This would've been an issue if not for the existence of Harry Potter's magic.

In particular, casting the Space-Extending Charm on my clothes would allow the armor to remain on, if only below the neck. For strictly offensive purposes, this is quite optimal. However, the helmet could only be hidden on my back, and this might not be practical against surprise attacks. I guess I must prioritize getting either Galaxy Slayer or Death Sworn for the best usability.

Nonetheless, the priority is to complete my training and get the rest of Zed's abilities: throwing shurikens, slashing at close range and his signature Death Mark.

"Can I take out this armor at a later period?", I asked the voice. "Returning to the Griffindor common room with full body ninja armor might not be quite inconvenient."

"Of course, sir. Merely unequip on your panel and put it on later when you so chooses.", it answered calmly.

Following the suggestion, I temporarily removed the armor and went back to the armchair. After checking the time, I hurried to the Room of Requirement, careful to avoid the gaze of the portraits.

While absent-mindedly ascending the stairs, I noticed a familiar dark-haired, round-faced girl wearing silver and blue Quidditch robes. Cho Chang - original Harry's first crush that JK Rowling wrote out for equally unsuitable and awkward Ginny. In my past life, she wasn't truly a fan favorite, though she is almost certainly present in Chinese Harry Potter fan fictions.

Cho Chang's glance bounced off me, perhaps deeming myself an unworthy figure to pay attention to. Next to Cho, the one I assume is Marietta Edgecombre, the betrayer of Dumbledore's Army in the fifth book, was laughing and gossiping with her.

As the two walked pass, I realized in this timeline, we would almost never cross paths - unless, of course, I can become a Cedric Diggory before young Robert Pattinson grows into the role. Putting aside my appearance, the necessity of maintaining appropriate distance with everyone and be 'popular' is far beyond my reach.

Shaking off these stray thoughts, I located the Room and quickly entered. This time, as per my requests, it has expanded with 6 metal dummies and a reinforced stone floor. Returning into the mind space, I equipped the armor again.

The soft under layer covered my body, followed by reinforced Ionian steel. Weighing much less than I expected, the suit covered every inch of my body not unlike Middle East plate armor. My vision from within was not that restricted - not only did it felt as if my eyes were not seeing through a small hole but could focus better than before, the field of vision expands considerably.

Looking into the mirror, I saw my pupils a shade of red, just like Zed's splash art in the game. Two retractable blades extended from my wrists - these felt like reinforced, combat-oriented version of the Assassin's signature weapon. Turning slightly to the side, the shurikens lined up on my back, retractable by one swift motion.

After checking the condition of the armor, I readied my stance and partially merged with my shadow. The disorientation returned as I felt half of my senses submerged in a thin veil, almost as if I was partially underwater while completely dry at the same time.

I activated Living Shadow, a skill I've mastered over the last week and blinked a few meters away from my original position. It seems unhindered by the armor. Noticing the shadow mimic of myself in the middle of the room, I threw out both shurikens at two lined-up targets. A pair of shadowy projectiles also honed in on the dummy behind, half-slicing its body.

As they are made of metal, this amount of damage meant the shuriken attack could fatally wound but not pierce through an heavily-armored soldier. Though this is slightly less than I expected, as there are two, possibly three shurikens hitting the same spot from different directions, the attack's assassination potency is unparalleled.

Next, I got closer to an undamaged dummy and whirled the blades on my wrists. The metal surface shows a shallow slash, showing its much lower momentum. On a more optimistic note, the smooth motion allows for unpredictable and mid-movement strikes, as well as a follow up for the shuriken attack.

Finally, after a brief moment of concentration, I merged with the shadow and became three separate immaterial entities, converging from mid-air towards a marked objective. My vision turned completely dark, yet I could somehow sense my surroundings to excruciating details. Materializing on the other of the dummy, I threw the shurikens and slashed its body.

The two shadows followed my movement. As soon as all three projectiles find its mark, the metal object was severed cleanly in two. What impresses me more than the firepower is the invulnerability gained while in Death Mark.

Against most opponents, this will give me a second of reprieve in battle while closing the distance to melee range. This unstoppable movement is incredible in larger areas and unlike the game, an unlimited flash - Apparating - can be used to surprise the target on top of this. The shadows created in the process would also be invaluable in narrow spaces as shurikens becomes much harder to dodge.

I continued to familiarize myself with the Shadow Master's abilities in the Room until the sun has set and dinner started to be served. Melting into the shadows, I blinked immediately downwards consecutively before landing at the first floor stairs.

As I blended into the stream of students walking towards the Great Hall, I felt more ready than ever for the challenge that lay ahead.