Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the back of the classroom and joined the other students watching the exercise.
Draco Malfoy stepped out of the crowd and gave Harry a contemptuous look.
“A Disarming Charm against a spider.
Brilliant work, Potter.” Harry ignored him.
Ron was in a much better mood.
He pulled out his Adventurer’s Record and touched it with his wand.
“Adventure begins.” Blue ink spread across the parchment.
His class had changed from [Unchosen] to [Fighter], while his level now displayed [Level 1—5%].
A new feature had also appeared.
[Protection Fighting Style: When a nearby ally is attacked, the user may react quickly to intercept the strike or reduce the damage.] Ron’s eyes widened.
He eagerly showed the parchment to Hermione, but she barely glanced at it.
“Harry has been acting strangely since last night,” she whispered.
Before Ron could respond, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stepped into the training area.
Draco clearly had no intention of allowing the Acromantula to damage his expensive robes.
He ordered Crabbe and Goyle to stand in front while he remained safely behind them.
Crabbe had chosen Fighter.
Goyle had selected Barbarian.
“Go on!” Draco ordered.
“Get it!” Crabbe grabbed a longsword from the weapon rack.
Goyle chose a thick wooden club.
The two large boys charged at the Acromantula.
Crabbe’s sword struck one pincer while Goyle’s club blocked the other.
For several seconds, the students and the spider remained locked together with neither side able to advance.
Draco raised his wand from the rear.
Instead of casting a normal attack spell, he spoke with a strange rhythm and poured magic into every word.
“You ugly eight-legged cushion!
Did your mother forget to give you a brain when she spun your web?” Laughter erupted among the watching students.
Most of them believed that insulting a spider was completely useless.
A strange vibration passed through the air.
The Acromantula recoiled as though it had been struck.
Confusion appeared within its eight black eyes, along with something that looked almost like wounded pride.
Draco had successfully cast [Vicious Mockery].
The Bard cantrip inflicted psychic damage through magically empowered insults.
The target did not need to understand the language because the magic carried the meaning directly into its mind.
The effect did not last long.
The Acromantula recovered and rushed around Crabbe and Goyle.
Its legs moved with surprising speed as it charged toward Draco.
“Goyle!” Malfoy shouted.
“Stop that disgusting thing!
If you run away, you’re not following me anymore!” The humiliating encouragement made Goyle’s entire body tense.
A strange warmth spread through him.
Fear vanished from his face and was replaced by sudden courage.
Goyle roared and charged.
He raised the club above his head and smashed it down against the Acromantula.
Leon watched from the side and struggled to suppress a smile.
Draco had cast the first-circle spell [Heroism].
The spell filled its target with courage, protected them from fear, and granted temporary vitality.
It normally required touch, but Draco had somehow delivered the effect through a threat.
Perhaps only Draco Malfoy could inspire someone by insulting them.
“Stop.” Leon separated the students from the creature before the fight could continue.
“Well done.” He applauded the three Slytherins.
“Mr.
Malfoy displayed remarkable linguistic talent.
All three of you also performed your assigned roles effectively.
Five points to Slytherin.” Draco lifted his chin and enjoyed the attention.
The other groups took turns facing the young Acromantula.
Some displayed excellent coordination while others produced complete disasters.
Neville Longbottom entered the training area with a longsword held in both hands.
Despite choosing Paladin, he was too frightened to swing the weapon.
The Acromantula knocked the sword from his grip with little effort.
Leon intervened before Neville could be injured.
By the end of the lesson, the students left the classroom while excitedly discussing their battles.
Draco continued boasting to Pansy Parkinson about defeating the creature through psychic power alone.
The room soon became quiet.
Leon began securing the Acromantula inside its wooden crate so he could return it to Hagrid.
“Professor?” A hesitant voice came from behind him.
Leon stopped and turned.
Harry stood near the platform with his wand gripped tightly in one hand.
Worry and uncertainty filled his eyes.
“Why haven’t you gone to lunch, Mr.
Potter?” “I wanted to ask you something.” Harry took a deep breath.
“The green fire I used last night.
What kind of spell was it?
I keep thinking it might have been dark magic.” He looked toward Leon and waited for an answer.
“[Hellish Rebuke].” Leon pulled a chair from behind the platform and sat down.
He waved his wand and moved another chair across the room for Harry.
“It is a first-circle spell that allows you to retaliate when someone harms you.
The caster uses pain or anger to summon supernatural flames against the attacker.” Harry sat across from him.
“But I didn’t see that spell in any of the books you gave us.” “That is because it belongs to a class I deliberately excluded from the course.” Harry frowned.
“What class?” “Warlock.” Leon folded his hands.
“Warlocks have some similarities to Sorcerers, but the source of their power is different.” “Because Warlocks use dark magic?” Harry asked.
“No.” Leon adjusted his glasses.
“Power has no morality by itself.
The person using it determines whether it becomes good or evil.” He studied Harry’s expression.
“If Headmaster Dumbledore used a dangerous curse to stop a murderer, that would not suddenly make him an evil wizard.” “Professor Dumbledore would never use dark magic,” Harry replied firmly.
Leon chose not to argue.
“The reason I avoided teaching Warlock magic is that a Warlock gains power through a connection with a powerful supernatural being.
We call such a being a patron.” Harry still looked confused, so Leon continued.
“A Wizard gains power through knowledge and careful study.
A Cleric channels divine power through faith.
A Paladin draws strength from an oath.” “A Warlock receives magic through a bond with a patron.
That bond may be a formal pact, an inherited connection, or something created without the Warlock’s full understanding.” Harry shifted in his chair.
“Is that why Warlocks use Charisma?” “Yes.
Charisma does not simply mean beauty or popularity.
It represents the force of your personality, your presence, and your ability to impose your will upon magic.” Leon leaned forward slightly.
“During the duel, your anger activated the connection inside your soul.
The power answered you and formed [Hellish Rebuke].” Harry looked down at his hands.
“Why were the flames green?” “That likely reflects the source of your magic.” Leon concealed the deeper meaning behind a calm expression.
“Warlock power can appear in many forms.
Some manifests as shadow.
Some resembles starlight or fire.
Yours appears as dark green energy.” He gave Harry a reassuring look.
“That does not make you evil.
Slytherin’s colors are green and silver, but that does not make every Slytherin a dark wizard.” Harry remained silent for several moments.
The explanation relieved some of his fear.
Perhaps the strange magic came from his class rather than from something evil within him.
“But if this is a pact, then who is my patron?” Harry asked.
“I never made an agreement with anyone.” Leon’s gaze drifted toward the lightning-shaped scar on Harry’s forehead.
A fragment of one of the most powerful dark wizards in history was attached to Harry’s soul.
In a twisted sense, Voldemort had become an unwilling patron.
Leon could not reveal that yet.
“Not every pact is written or spoken,” he said.
“Some begin through chance encounters.
Others come from bloodlines or inherited magic.” He paused.
“Sometimes the connection is created by surviving something that should have killed you.” Harry raised one hand and touched his scar.
“Don’t let fear control you,” Leon said as he stood.
“The power is already part of you.
Instead of running from it, you must learn how to master it.” He removed a thin stack of parchment from his robes and handed it to Harry.
“What is this?” “A guide to Warlock magic.” Leon smiled.
“I wrote it last night after realizing what you had awakened.
It explains how to calm your emotions and control the green energy before it overwhelms you.” Harry held the pages tightly.
Much of the weight pressing against his chest began to disappear.
“Thank you, Professor.” “Go eat before Ron finishes every chicken leg in the Great Hall.” Leon waved him toward the door.
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