123: Strange Hermione and Level 5 Alchemy

The process of creating Dementors could be summarized in two steps: soul and curse.

Ekrizdis was an exceptionally cruel individual, murdering countless Muggles. Any Muggles who crossed his path were brutally tortured and killed by his dark magic.

Even in death, their souls found no peace, cursed to a state of eternal torment, trapped between reality and a nightmarish limbo—neither dead nor truly alive.

Over time, these cursed souls would transform into Dementors, feeding on the souls of others.

"If evil had a ranking, Ekrizdis would unquestionably be at the top," the author remarked, a sentiment John deeply agreed with.

Using tortured souls to create Dementors was something so vile that even John couldn't imagine doing it.

As the thought crossed his mind, John froze and suspiciously wondered, "Wait, why am I even considering this?"

After all, he was a good person, wasn't he? Even if he became powerful in the future, he'd be a White Wizard, never a Dark Lord!

Right!?

He was definitely on the side of good, without a doubt.

Closing the book, John exhaled deeply.

The book not only detailed the creation of Dementors but also recounted some of Ekrizdis' deeds and history.

If Voldemort killed to dominate the magical world, then Ekrizdis was evil for no reason at all.

He didn't care what others thought of him. He was purely a self-absorbed, deranged madman.

"Good thing he died early, or even Voldemort would've had to step aside," John thought, feeling grateful that Ekrizdis was long gone.

...

By October, the third-year students were getting restless.

Halloween was coming, and that meant they could finally visit Hogsmeade Village.

It was the only village in the country entirely populated by witches and wizards, full of magical folk and many shops to explore.

Places like Honeydukes sweet shop and Zonko's Joke Shop were highly recommended.

As John listened to the others excitedly explaining these places, he debated whether he should go.

To be honest, he was mildly interested, but his mind was more focused on completing his 'surgery'.

How much longer could Nagini hold on? It could be a month from now, or it could be tomorrow.

Nagini's soul was like a candle in the wind, and even the unicorn horn couldn't extend her life much further.

"I need to finish the surgery as soon as possible," John decided.

He was determined to save Nagini—not just for the reward, but also for his academic pursuits and the promise he had made to a friend.

Entering the Slytherin common room, John opened the door just in time to see Tom sneaking out.

"This girl... could she be seeing another dog outside?"

John watched as Tom left again with a bowl of dog food, feeling suspicious.

However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't think of anyone else who might have a dog besides himself.

"Maybe Fang's been extra friendly, making the 'big boss' Tom feel extra pleased," he mused.

Classes were manageable on their own, but when several of them overlapped, John started feeling the strain.

He had to be intensely focused to absorb the lessons from three different subjects simultaneously, because if he missed something, he'd lose a chance to earn points.

This year, as usual, he had a series of tasks, as well as the goal of maintaining first place in his studies.

John wasn't sure if this "first place" applied to every single subject, but if it did, dropping even one subject would be a huge loss.

The pressure was mounting, and he was on the verge of wanting to just give up entirely.

While others were finishing up their classes, John was already heading off to his next one.

One day, he woke up a little late and bumped into Hermione on their way to class. He greeted her.

"You're off to class too? Oh, right, I forgot you're taking all the subjects as well."

"Sorry, John, I'm running late!"

With that, Hermione rushed off, leaving John standing there.

Staring in the direction Hermione had rushed off, John felt a bit confused. Class hadn't even started yet, so why was she in such a hurry?

Also, it looked like she was headed toward Arithmancy—was she planning to skip Divination?

John walked into the Divination classroom, and the moment he sat down, he saw Hermione already there.

"The fuck..?"

His eyes widened, and he glanced around, bewildered. He was sure he hadn't seen her come in.

"What is going on?"

Even John was starting to feel a little baffled.

After class, as soon as it ended, John watched Hermione leave in a hurry again.

A little while later, he ran into her at a corner.

"Uh..."

Hermione looked exhausted, and her pace had quickened noticeably.

John rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Why does Hermione seem so odd?"

Watching her walk away, John realized it wasn't the first time he'd felt this way. Every time it was class time, Hermione always seemed... strange.

The weirdest part? John was intensely curious how Hermione managed to attend three different classes at the same time!

"Unless she's got some remote surveillance like I do, or she's mastered duplication spells."

"I'll keep an eye on her from now on," John thought, nodding to himself as he headed to his next class.

...

Soon, it was time for another lesson.

And there she was again—Hermione.

John was starting to seriously question if someone had taken Polyjuice Potion to impersonate her. If not, maybe she was secretly Apparating around the castle?

To figure out if it was really her, John discreetly pulled out the Marauder's Map.

"Motherfuc—!"

The moment he opened it, he almost blurted out a curse.

"For the love of God—or—Merlin, whatever. Why are there three Hermiones?"

John stared at the map in disbelief.

He was really not just hallucinating due to frustration, was he?

It clearly showed three Hermiones: one in the Divination classroom, another in Arithmancy, and a third in Muggle Studies.

John was stunned.

So, Hermione had actually mastered duplication magic?

"You could've at least mentioned it!"

"Here I am struggling to juggle three classes at once, and you're pulling this off like it's nothing."

After class, John blocked Hermione's path.

"Hermione, can you do duplication spells?"

John stared at Hermione, noticing the confusion on her face.

Did I guess wrong?

Unwilling to give up, John asked again, "How are you managing to attend three classes at the same time?"

At the mention of this question, Hermione opened her mouth to speak but suddenly remembered that Professor McGonagall had specifically told her not to tell anyone.

She quickly shut her mouth, pursing her lips, and said, "I have my own way, John. Please don't ask anymore."

"What do you mean!?"

"Please John.. I.. I can't tell." Hermione's face was becoming paler by the moment.

John, still suspicious, looked at her before reluctantly replying, "Tch* Alright, seems like it's some kind of secret you can't share."

As he left, John couldn't help but think, So the fool here turns out to be me.

He figured that Hermione must have some secret she wasn't allowed to reveal, likely because Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall had forbidden her from sharing it.

Whatever it is, it's probably something they don't want me to see, he thought.

"Hey, we're all students here. The professors sure are playing favorites," John muttered, slightly annoyed. But then he shrugged, Whatever. I don't need it anyway.

With my alchemy skills, what can't I figure out on my own?

After class, he rushed into the Chamber of Secrets and focused on his alchemy, his fingers moving as he leveled up.

Alchemy Level 5.

...

The alchemy panel dimmed, signaling to John that he'd need to accumulate more knowledge if he wanted to level up further.

At this point, John could easily be called a master. He surveyed the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets once more and nodded in satisfaction. Everything looked clean.

"Maybe I should renovate it a bit? Running in and out of the Forbidden Forest all the time is kind of a hassle."

With his current level of alchemy, John figured he could attempt some modifications. Installing a door seemed like a good idea—it would save him from having to sneak into the Forbidden Forest every time.

Last time, he was almost spotted by a centaur, and only managed to avoid trouble because his Disillusionment Charm was high-level.

Once he made up his mind, John immediately began modifying the entrance.

Slytherin's alchemy skills were remarkable, far superior to John's current level. But he didn't need to dismantle everything—just creating a new exit would be simple enough!

...

"Haah~ And done!"

After some work, a brand-new door stood before him.

John added a passcode to control access, so he wouldn't have to crawl through the pipes anymore.

He also made sure to modify the girls' bathroom entrance as well, setting up a special incantation that only he would know.

"The stars are eternal," he said, and the door swung open.

John exited from the inside and reappeared in the girls' bathroom.

Thankfully, no one was around at this time, likely due to Moaning Myrtle often haunting the place.

As if on cue, Myrtle emerged from a broken toilet, her head still adorned with the hairpin John had given her.

"John!" She beamed with excitement, "You came to see me?"

"Uh... you could say that," John replied awkwardly, glancing at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He couldn't exactly admit he was just passing through.

Remembering his manners, he turned to Myrtle and said politely, "It's been a while."

Myrtle was overjoyed, telling John that she had shown the hairpin to the other ghosts, though they had been skeptical, which made her furious.

Nearly Headless Nick, in particular, had been quite envious, even suggesting that John help sever the remaining skin on his neck so he could finally join the Headless Hunt.

Listening to this, John thought that these ghosts, unchanged for so long, got overly excited by even the smallest novelty.

Myrtle hinted again that she wouldn't mind receiving a necklace or some thinner glasses. John, trying to dodge the request, explained that the materials were difficult to come by.

This seemed to make Myrtle give up on the idea of asking for a new, fashionable outfit.

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