Over the next two years, the Wyrm-Breakers steadily grew in both strength and reputation, expanding their brutal operations slowly but surely beyond their traditional hunting grounds in Northern Europe into broader continental territory.
Alongside the syndicate’s rising power, Leon evolved right with them—transitioning from a promising young recruit into an indispensable pillar of the organization.
With every successful raid and high-stakes hunt, Leon’s practical expertise expanded.
He learned the intricate, unspoken mechanics of the criminal underworld: how to buy discreet silence from corrupt officials, how to establish temporary safehouses using layered warding schemes, and how to navigate shadowy black-market exchanges without being double-crossed.
Because his performance on the field was consistently flawless, Leon earned a substantial share of the loot.
He channeled his growing fortune into upgrading his gear until he looked every bit the part of an elite poacher and duelist.
Underneath his tailored dark robes, he wore a custom-fitted vest woven from reinforced Graphorn hide and padded with dragon-scale mesh, offering high resistance to both slashing spells and physical attacks.
His waist belt held an array of specialized leather holsters, silver-tipped hunting daggers, and an enchanted leather satchel anchored with a Feather-Light Charm.
Tucked neatly into his forearm holster was his Black Walnut wand—its dark finish polished to perfection, always ready to draw in a fraction of a second.
Yet, his physical gear paled in comparison to the staggering evolution of his mind.
Every late night spent in his tent was dedicated to absorbing the mountain of literature he had brought back from Flourish and Blotts.
Thanks to his eidetic memory and razor-sharp analytical perception, Leon didn’t merely memorize the contents of his textbooks; he dissected them down to their fundamental principles.
He systematically mastered the entire Hogwarts curriculum, from first-year basics to seventh-year N.E.W.T.-level material.
Had he sat for the official wizarding exams, he could have effortlessly achieved straight ‘Outstandings’ across almost every discipline.
The sole exception was Herbology—a subject hindered by his nomadic lifestyle and lack of access to a proper greenhouse, though his theoretical knowledge remained pristine.
In Charms and Defense, he pushed his research far beyond standard academic boundaries.
He mapped out the geometric trajectories of defensive wards and spell vectors, learning to compress incantations into instant, silent castings.
His progress in Potions was equally formidable.
Transforming his section of the tent into a compact, highly efficient laboratory, Leon brewed an extensive personal arsenal: potent paralyzing agents, volatile incendiary compounds, quick-acting combat healing salves, and specialized anti-venoms.
To keep himself invaluable to the gang, he also brewed high-grade stamina potions and healing elixirs in bulk for the Wyrm-Breakers.
This drastically cut the camp’s operational costs and earned him Garrik Vane’s immense satisfaction.
Recognizing the practical demands of their expanding international operations, Leon also threw himself into mastering languages—both from the Muggle world and the magical realm.
With the organisation pushing further across borders, mastering key European languages provided immediate efficiency on the field, while delving into ancient, obscure dialects and magical tongues offered strategic advantages he knew would prove invaluable in the long run.
Equally vital to his long-term survival was his quiet study of the mind arts: Occlumency and Legilimency.
At first, progress was painfully slow—attempting to construct mental barriers and analyze emotional currents entirely through self-study and theoretical texts proved to be a grueling, abstract process.
The turning point came when Vanya noticed his subtle efforts.
Possessing a knack for mind magic herself, she had taken a twisted amusement in occasionally sifting through his surface thoughts, though she was always careful never to push too deep into his core memories.
Rather than taking offense, Leon leveraged her curiosity, convincing her to act as a live sparring partner.
Having a real practitioner constantly testing, prodding, and probing his mental defenses drastically accelerated his breakthroughs, allowing him to construct sophisticated Occlumentic shields and hone his own Legilimency skills in a fraction of the time it would have taken alone.
These intense, private mind-parsing sessions also served to deepen their bond, forging a tacit understanding and a unique dynamic between them within the camp.
In parallel, Leon continued to mentor Finn.
With Leon breaking down complex spell mechanics into structured, logical principles, Finn proved that he was far from the simple-minded captive the poachers had assumed.
While Finn lacked Leon’s intellectual genius, he possessed a natural, aggressive talent for combat.
His instincts were sharp, his footwork was nimble, and under Leon’s tutelage, he was rapidly shaping up to be an excellent duelist.
The senior poachers quickly took notice of Finn’s martial growth.
Recognizing his rising potential, the camp leaders began considering him a full recruit rather than mere expendable labor.
However, this shift created an immediate tactical problem: with Finn moving up the ranks, whispers began circulating through the camp about kidnapping a new Muggle-born child to take his place as live bait for dangerous hunts.
Leon shut the idea down before it could gain traction.
Convening with Vane and his lieutenants, Leon demonstrated a far cleaner, more efficient alternative using Arithmancy.
Instead of relying on crude guesswork or live bait to track elusive beasts, he applied mathematical prediction to nature itself.
By calculating migratory patterns, seasonal magic surges, territorial behaviors, and environmental variables, Leon could predict the exact routes and timing of target creatures down to the minute.
Rather than waiting helplessly in ambush with a screaming child, the gang could now set precise traps directly along the beasts’ unavoidable paths.
It wasn’t absolute omniscience—unpredictable weather or sudden external interference could still throw off the equations—but its accuracy was staggering compared to traditional poaching methods.
Vane, ever the cold pragmatist, immediately approved the system.
Kidnapping children carried unnecessary risks of Ministry detection; mathematical precision cost nothing, left no trace, and delivered far higher yield.
Two full years passed in this relentless rhythm of hunting, studying, and building power.
By the summer of 1987, at fifteen years old, Leon was building his foundation in the magical underworld.