Rewards

The parchment fluttered before him as words started to appear on it.

Two more pure paths were detected.

2 more complimentary paths were detected.

Proceeding with the final evaluation.

Charms detected. Path acquired.

Remark: We are talking about the spells, not your charm. You are as charming as your wide-eyed Troll ancestor.

Transgifured objects detected. Path acquired.

Remark: Talented in two pure paths- that must have used all your luck. That explains your character and face.

Jinx detected. Path rejected.

Remark: Ha! Just like your Troll ancestor, he can't curse at anyone even if his life depends on it and your Curses are average.

'Duh! Trolls can't even speak, how can they curse.' The parchment didn't care for Leon's thought and continued.

Complimentary paths:

Unseen path detected. Path completed and acquired.

Remark: You will make a good stalker, you creep.

Domination(Havoc) path detected. Path incomplete..rejected.

Remark: I knew you liked to be whipped after I saw you. Don't worry Orin was a sub too… I think.

Tranquil path detected. Overwritten.

Remark: Ha! You are a devil! How can you kill all those poor soldiers? If you don't control your impulses then you aren't better than your troll ancestor. At least, your ancestor had the looks to bed an Astreaus what do you have?

'That doesn't even make sense.' Leon was confused. 'Doesn't every troll look the same?'

Artificer path detected. Path incomplete…age is taken into consideration.

Path acquired.

Remark: At least you know your puny body is useless.

Paths(4/7).

Synergy detected.

Trails are created.

Final Performance Evaluation- O1

Grade Chart:

O – Outstanding->[O1<O2<O3]< p>

E - Exceeds Expectations

A - Acceptable

P - Poor

D - Dreadful

T - Troll

"Hmm! That's it, why didn't I get-" Leon muttered.

Question detected.

Answer: Yes! Before we go into why you are stupid and how your stupidity made you lose the highest grade, check out the trails you can take part in the future.

Mundane Magical(locked) Moral(locked) 

Unseen(3) Unseen(3) Power

Mixed(A&U)(?) Artifacts(2) ???

 Mixed(A&U)(?) 

The trials have everything required to mold you into a mighty Wizard.

I am great, aren't I?

The last sentence shone in different colors.

"Ah! Sure."

The trails did look awesome.

It seemed like finally his dream of becoming an unseen rogue and acting cool would come true.

'If you have a reason for acting like a ninja, you aren't childish or chunnibyou.. right?' Smiling at the image of him in tights and crawling on walls, Leon shook his head.

"What's with the number in the brackets?"

Question detected.

Answer: Those are the subcategories. The Unseen(Mundane) has combat, infiltration, and thievery. Mixed has missions that are about both stealth and artifacts.

"So, these missions, trials, can be in the real world or illusionary world? And why didn't I get the highest grade?"

Answer: Yes! You will have to check whether you are in an illusionary world or not, I won't be spoonfeeding the answer like I did before.

The words on the scroll stopped appearing.

Leon sensed that the Scroll had grown serious, shedding its earlier frivolity as it continued.

The first thing little wizards learn is uncertainty is the monster, the big bad dark lord. If you are uncertain about the artifact's origin, don't touch it. If you are uncertain about the effects of the spell you found, don't touch(use) it.

And what you did exceeded uncertainty and bordered on recklessness.

Why did you think tossing 4 grenades into a closed room of an old fort was a good idea?

Don't answer me, I know it's because you are stupid.

'Hey! I was treating it as a game- an illusion- to not let the soldier's death affect me. Pray tell me, In which game do grenades cause houses to collapse? And it's not like I didn't rectify my mistake later.'

Leon kept his monologue in his mind and just accepted his mistake, he knew he messed up. But the soldiers looked too real, clouding his mind with doubt and anxiety no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. And it wasn't like he knew how powerful a grenade was in real life.

The fort wouldn't have collapsed from that but it was a gamble, so you lose half of a grade there.

And the last soldier, his suicide charge would have killed you if not for me – the basement is full of boom-boom things. And that guy ran from the dining room. If you weren't so averse to watching people die due to your actions, he would have died there- that's a whole grade.

'Sue me for being a normal human. Not a murderhobo who shrugs off murders. And how would I know he would be lucky enough to escape a surprise attack.'

"OK! Is that it?" I sigh. 'I will do better next time, no more repeating the same mistakes.'

Question detected.

Answer: Of course not, you also exploded the room where the fort's map was present. If you didn't wake up in the basement do you think you would have known there was a basement- another half-grade for that?

As most of these scenarios are what-ifs, you get an O. The O grade is for geniuses, so mistakes aren't allowed.

But E would have been your lowest grade. You did exceed my expectations for a wizard your age, at least. I thought you would have gone after new spells without even properly mastering the spells like other brats who think magic is a chore.

The spell variations are very practical, a very nice touch. So, your E3 would have been your lowest grade as long as you got out of the basement scot-free.

Leon nodded.

"Where are my rewards?" He asked, ready to end his encounter with the nagging parchment with some new toys.

Grade: O1

Rewards:[Choose one]

Worldly:

Money(1000 galleons).

Route to the Guest house of Astraeus(Villa).

Access to materials(Potion, Rituals)

Items:

Artifact-98: Will of Ancestors(RECOMMENDED)

Intro Mind magic Kit(Affinity Artifact and guide)

Wand enhancements(melee or long)

Books:

Mastering(Deceiving) Senses(RECOMMENDED)

Rituals(basic- beauty, body, brain)

House Astraeus's custom books:

Search spells - Be a Niffler(Basic)

Hunting spells - Hunt like a Fenrir(Basic)

Recon spells - Be like wind(Basic)

Crafting spells - Craft Away(Basic)

Construction spells - Build Away(Basic)

Leon's eyes twinkled like they hid two stars as he read the rewards.

"What do you mean, choose one? I get to one from each category?" Leon asked, rereading each and every reward on the parchment.

Question Detected.

Answer: Do we have Goblin blood mixed in too? Don't be greedy, you can only choose one from the listed options.

 "Damn!" Leon wrung his hands and started to analyze the rewards, forcing himself to prioritize.

His heart hurt but he dismissed the worldly section. Not having money and living in an orphanage has to do for now.

'I don't see the need for rituals now. I don't have the confidence to mess with them yet and I like my beauty, body, and mind as it is. So, they have to go to.'

He would love to take the Be a Niffler book as he couldn't find the special room Hufflepuff built.

The hat did indirectly hint that only a Hufflepuff can access it and boy did he search every inch of the common room like a puppy on energy drink. But it wasn't a priority as there was no guarantee that the book would help.

With a heavy heart, Leon dismissed the wand enhancements too. He still hadn't properly explored the versatility the wand offers, silent casting, and such, so he would the range enhancements are a thing of the future.

'Construction, Crafting, and Hunting aren't important right now,' he continued going through the list, ignoring the part of his mind that screamed range enhancements are the coolest and he should take them.

"What's with the recommendation, Ethrex? And who recommended them?"

Question detected.

Answer: Me! I recommended those. I chose the book- Mastering Senses- after I observed the way you use your spells. You would love it.

The scroll wiggled around before continuing.

Artifact 98: Will of the ancestors will help you shield your mind from 'anyone'. Hogwarts does protect its students' minds even when they are away from the castle, on holidays. But the said protection will only come after some harm is done when they are away.

While the artifact has to be approved by your headmaster, no one can slip into your mind with this on you.

The parchment wiggled for a second before continuing.

Well! It can't stop a persistent or powerful Grand Sorcerer, of course. But they are rare and you wouldn't come to face one in your lifetime. Even in the long history of the House Astreaus, only Orin was a Grand Sorcerer.

"What do you mean by a grand sorcerer? My headmaster has that title."

The parchment became still like it was staring at him to see if he was joking before words started to appear hurriedly like it was ranting.

Question de-

Answer: You got to be kidding me. Maybe it's just a title, no of course not, people are stupid but not that stupid. That isn't a title that's given away willy-nilly. It seems I have to meet with our House members. Yes! A visit to the last house head's portrait will do. Forget about the Artifact for now. Your heir ring will alert you and everyone near you even when a great legilimence stealthily invades your mind. It should be enough for now, just don't go traipsing into dark alleys.

Mastering senses will also help you create a rudimentary protection for your will(brain) and it has the most versatile spells. Choose it or don't, I am leaving. After you have chosen, you will wake up on your bed. Your next trial is three months from now. So, be prepared for it.

"But what's a grand sorcer-"

The scroll disappeared leaving a normal parchment behind with a copy of the rewards section.

"Argh!" Leon really wants to tear the parchment to pieces.

'Grand Sorcerer? Isn't it just a merit title or something?'

Shaking his head, he concentrated on the rewards again.

" Intro Mind Magic Kit, Mastering(Deceiving) the Senses, Search and Recon books."

"I love to know more about the recon spells but I don't need them now."

Leon's eyes hovered between the Intro Mind Magic Kit and the Senses Book.

Sighing, he chose the Mastering the Senses book as his heir ring would protect his mind along with his 'mutated' occlumency talent.

The void squirmed before he woke up on his bed.

He quickly searched his room for his reward but didn't find it.

'Maybe it will come in the mail?'

Disappointed; a quick Tempus spell let him know it was midnight.

Exhaustion bore down his mind as he saw the time.

'No, Hyperbolic chamber training for me, I guess.' Yawning, he fell asleep before his head even touched the pillow.

Leon was hoping time in illusions ran differently, but it wasn't meant to be.

.........….

"Rise and Fall of the Artifacts"

He woke up the next day and decided to read the book Flitwick gave him instead of practicing spells.

Yesterday was surreal- the troll, the trial….

So much happened in one day that he needs some time to digest it and consider how the trials and rewards will influence his life.

So after waking up in the Harry Potter world, for the first time, Leon procrastinated and decided to read a book in his bed.

And what better book than the one that talks about magical gadgets?

Artifacts were part of wizards' and witches' lives even before the wand was invented.

However, their numbers boomed later owing to the birth of wands which made their creation easier.

From a magical broom to a self-cleaning clock anything magical can be called an artifact.

With the rise of proper schools for wizardry and witchcraft, artifacts were intensely researched.

An Artifact can assume any combat role, it can attack, defend, and support, in addition to helping with one's daily tasks.

With wands easing their creation, Artifacts became even more popular as even a second of reprieve in battle is important, not to mention the extra life some artifacts provide.

Artifacts reached their peak. In the age of Artifacts, most lazy wizards stopped using their wands and instead depended on artifacts to save them, battle for them and even cook for them.

When Artefacts were popular and Artificers were highly regarded, the invention of the **** spell heralded the downfall of the Age of Artifacts.

[You will know about the spell in the future, Mr Leon. It's a horrible spell, ignore it for now, and don't let me catch you researching about it. If I do, I will take these books back and you will be in detention as long as you are in Hogwarts.]

'Hmm!' Leon continued reading with a raised eyebrow, shrugging at the professor's warning.

The spell ignores magical protections and even eats away the enchantments weaved into solid artifacts making people remember about their wands.

It became popular enough that if the opponents used any artifacts in a battle they would have to face the spell in all of its sickly glory.

After all, a battle unlike dueling ends only when one is injured or dead.

The threat of the spell made people afraid to bring any artifacts into battle.

Once the **** spell bathes the battle in its glow, it only ends with a death.

Death is the least price demanded by the spell.

For every successful cast, it became easier to cast the next. It twisted one's mind to accommodate it, leaving their sanity in tatters.

One too many normal quarrels escalated and bathed the world in green, especially if an artifact was involved.

An artifact's presence naturally called for the green death, owing to the potential versatility and unpredictability of an artifact.

It wasn't long before Artifacts reminded people of the ghastly spell and the state it left the user and its recipient.

Some believe a swift death is a mercy compared to living with one's mind and magic twisted to accommodate the spell.

People slowly stopped using Artefacts and instead, started to depend on their wands.

The artifacts and Artificers were slowly forgotten and became a taboo that reminded people of the days when green death and madness were rampant.

And then the book went on to mention the basics necessary to build a proper artifact.

'Awesome story(History?) But, do they have to dance around Avada Kedavra so much?' he thought. 'Well, now I know dark magic does affect you, at least the unforgivable does.'

Leon closed the book after looking at the methods to make enchanted items and left for breakfast.

'I will start testing them tomorrow.' He decided, his mind wasn't at its peak as yesterday's events were still fresh on his mind.

'I would have smacked anyone if they told me I would postpone building magical artifacts when I get the chance to.' Shaking his head, Leon greeted his friends.