Black was about to test how much the system inventory could hold when another notification sounded.
[Extreme shock and worry detected.]
[Chest draw in progress.]
[Diamond Chest obtained ×1.]
‘What?’
He stared.
First a Gold Chest from an unknown source.
Now a Diamond Chest?
Only Supreme Chests ranked higher.
One moment he had been swearing at the system; the next, it had handed him another splendid reward.
Even Black, who wasn’t easily intimidated, found that slightly alarming.
Look, system.
I admit I was a bit rude just now.
But there’s no need to go overboard.
You’re making me nervous.
The Diamond Chest had come from Professor McGonagall as well.
Specifically, from the moment she had read the name Grindelwald.
That surname had once meant chaos and war.
And what McGonagall feared most was the destruction of the peace they had only recently regained.
Voldemort had been gone for barely a decade.
Many of the wounds he had left were still raw.
Now another Dark Lord’s surname had appeared.
Coupled with Dumbledore’s guarded manner before his departure, it was hardly surprising that her thoughts had taken an alarming turn.
The sight of those letters had provoked a visceral reaction.
And earned Black a Diamond Chest.
Black waited a little longer.
When no lightning bolt struck him down, he relaxed.
‘Perhaps someone’s heard about me killing the Hidebehind yesterday.
Did Hermione tell them?’
He glanced at her letter on his desk, then at the owl still perched on a branch outside his window.
Of course.
If Hermione could write to him, she could write to other people.
‘Now, that has possibilities.’
He rubbed his chin.
If he did something astonishing, then found ways to spread the news, could he earn chests like this without even leaving home?
He grinned so broadly that his eyes narrowed to slits.
Outside, the owl regarded him with mounting impatience.
Black retrieved his battered fountain pen from the inventory, tore a piece of card from a cake box and carefully wrote Hermione a reply.
She clearly liked sharing things she had learnt.
For the time being, her letters might be the best way of getting word of his more impressive accomplishments out into the world.
The owl took the piece of cardboard in its beak with an air of distaste, then flew away.
Black watched it leave before shutting the window and drawing the curtains.
He turned his full attention to the two remaining chests.
The Bronze Chest might only have contained money, but it had also led him to discover how to use the inventory.
Well worth opening.
What surprises would these two bring?
Especially the Diamond Chest.
Just one tier below Supreme.
As before, he started with the lower one.
[Opening Gold Chest.]
[Exceptional Aptitude for Transfiguration acquired.]
[Applying Exceptional Aptitude for Transfiguration.]
‘Oh.’
In an instant, his understanding of Transfiguration—which had begun to feel rather stuck—advanced considerably.
And he hadn’t even started studying.
What would happen when he did?
Exceptional Aptitude for Learning, combined with Exceptional Aptitude for Transfiguration…
He could hardly wait to see how quickly he would progress.
His natural talent couldn’t have been poor.
He had managed some Transfiguration before receiving any instruction at all, even if his results had been limited.
But he hadn’t been an exceptional prodigy.
Now he was.
Tempting though it was to begin experimenting immediately, Black kept his attention on the Diamond Chest.
‘System, open it.’
[Opening Diamond Chest.]
[Archdruid Template acquired.]
[Apply template?]
‘An Archdruid Template?’
He paused.
That had increased his strength and magic enormously.
He still didn’t know quite how powerful he had become.
He had met very few wizards, and he hadn’t seen Dumbledore fight, so he had little basis for comparison.
But if templates were the sort of reward found in Diamond Chests…
Had the Starter Pack effectively given him a free Diamond Chest?
The thought pleased him, but he didn’t linger over it.
‘Apply the template.’
[Applying Archdruid Template.]
[Template applied successfully.]
As the final notification faded, heat blazed through his body.
Black cried out and tore off his clothes.
It was unbearable.
Just as he began to wonder whether he was actually about to burst into flames, the heat vanished.
He looked down at his reddened skin.
Without that evidence, he might have thought he had imagined the whole thing.
A mass of new knowledge had settled in his mind.
Druidic magic.
He quietly put his clothes back on, drew the curtains and looked towards the distant trees.
He could hear…
The low murmur of the trees.
The breathing of the earth.
Birds quarrelling amongst the branches.
A sense of kinship rose within him.
Somehow, he knew he could understand them.
Plants and animals alike—their quiet voices were no longer beyond him.
And it seemed that, if he wished, he could have them do anything he asked.
There was another change, too.
Something in his body.
He followed the instinct.
Green light flashed.
Black vanished.
A black crow stood in his place.
A moment later, the crow changed into a cat.
Then the cat was gone, and Black stood in his room once more.
‘So that’s what an Archdruid can do?’