Mord paused for a moment, surprised by the voice behind him.
Turning around, he found two Hufflepuff girls standing there.
He recognized both of them immediately.
Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones.
Hannah hardly needed an introduction, but Susan’s background was even more remarkable.
If Mord’s life could be described as a disastrous beginning, then Susan’s was practically that of a protagonist.
Her parents and several relatives had been killed by Death Eaters.
Afterward, she was raised by her only remaining family member—her aunt.
That aunt was none other than Amelia Bones, the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.
It was one of the Ministry’s most powerful departments.
Even the Auror Office reported directly to her.
Tonks herself worked under Amelia’s authority.
The moment Mord realized who Susan was, his smile became noticeably brighter.
“Hello.”
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’d be happy to help.”
Susan had ash-black hair cut just above her shoulders and sharp, well-defined features.
Her strong jawline and thick eyebrows gave her a dignified appearance that was both elegant and heroic.
“Thank you.”
“I’m actually having trouble with the pronunciation of the third syllable.”
Unlike the shy Hannah Abbott, Susan spoke confidently and without hesitation.
Mord patiently explained everything he knew.
Before long, the three of them were chatting comfortably.
Susan proved to be surprisingly talkative.
Their conversation quickly drifted beyond Charms and into topics about Hogwarts, their families, and everyday life.
By the end of class, Susan could already cast a faint but stable Lumos.
It was obvious that she possessed considerable talent for Charms.
As everyone packed their books, Susan smiled.
“Mord, thank you for helping me today.”
“I’ll probably have to bother you again in future lessons.”
Mord chuckled.
“I don’t mind at all.”
After leaving the classroom, Hannah couldn’t resist teasing her friend.
“Susan…”
“You’ve never been interested in talking to boys before.”
“So what changed today?”
“Mord is pretty handsome…”
“Don’t tell me you’ve already fallen for him.”
Susan rolled her eyes.
“Stop imagining things.”
“He’s genuinely skilled at Charms.”
“I just wanted some advice.”
“So that’s all…”
Meanwhile, Mord watched the two girls disappear down the corridor before quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
The system chimed.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has successfully passed another layer of Ministry scrutiny.
Darkness Points +1
Mord rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
His family had been notorious Dark Wizards.
Susan’s entire family had been murdered by Dark Wizards.
There was no way she didn’t know who he was.
There was also no way she approached him without at least some curiosity—or suspicion.
Still…
Mord wasn’t particularly worried.
He had nothing to hide.
Besides…
Being watched by a beautiful girl wasn’t exactly a hardship.
One day, he would completely shatter every prejudice she had against him.
At lunchtime, Terry Boot once again surrounded Mord with questions.
“Mord!” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“I’ll call you my boss if I have to!”
“Please teach me!”
Mord smiled helplessly.
Although Terry’s natural talent was average, his enthusiasm more than made up for it.
Normally, Mord wouldn’t mind teaching him.
After all, helping others usually earned Darkness Points.
Unfortunately, he had something more important to do.
After giving Terry a few quick pointers, Mord stuffed the last bite of pie into his mouth and stood up.
“If you still have questions, ask me tonight.”
“I’ve got something to take care of.”
Leaving the Great Hall, Mord headed toward one of the quieter wings of Hogwarts.
There was one thing the enormous castle never lacked.
Empty rooms.
Compared to the castle’s size, the student population was surprisingly small.
Finding an unused classroom wasn’t difficult.
Stepping inside, Mord drew his wand.
Ever since studying Incendio that morning, he had been eager to try it.
Taking a slow breath, he traced a triangle through the air.
“Incendio!”
A tiny flame appeared at the tip of his wand.
Success.
Mord’s eyes brightened.
Although the fire was small, it proved that his spellcasting was fundamentally correct.
He dismissed the flame and carefully reviewed what he had learned.
“My pronunciation wasn’t firm enough…”
“And I hesitated during the final movement.”
Ten minutes later, he tried again.
“Incendio!”
Whoosh!
This time, a fireball the size of a fist burst from his wand.
With a flick of his wrist, it shot several meters across the room before gradually fading away.
“Now that feels like a real success.”
The familiar system notification immediately appeared.
[Ding!]
Charm Learned: Incendio
Darkening Available
New Dark Magic Ritual Unlocked: Dark Ember
Cost: 100 Darkness Points
Purchase?
One hundred?
Mord nearly bit his tongue.
He hadn’t expected the darkened version of Incendio to cost so much.
Quickly opening the description, he began reading.
Dark Magic Ritual – Dark Ember
A primordial flame born from the deepest darkness.
Although weak in its initial form, it possesses limitless potential for growth.
Effect One – Enchantment
Can erode magical resistance and merge with any fire-based spell, granting it the ability to weaken magical defenses.
Effect Two – Devour and Grow
Can consume other magical flames to strengthen itself continuously.
Mord’s eyes widened.
This ability was incredible.
Not only could it enhance every fire spell he cast, but it could also evolve indefinitely.
This is practically the magical version of the Heavenly Flame.
He glanced at his remaining Darkness Points.
He had accumulated 120.
Now it barely seemed enough.
Still…
Power existed to be obtained.
“System.”
“Purchase it.”
Immediately, another flood of knowledge poured into his mind.
After organizing the information, Mord finally understood.
Dark Ember wasn’t actually a spell.
It was a ritual.
Once completed, the ember would permanently fuse with its host.
From that point onward, it would become part of the wizard’s own magical talent.
Whenever Mord cast fire magic, he could merge it with the Dark Ember instantly—without needing another incantation.
In battle…
That would be incredibly useful.
The system chimed again.
[Ding!]
You have spent a total of 100 Darkness Points.
Reward: Blind Box ×1
Please continue earning Darkness Points for the glorious future of the Demon King!
Mord raised an eyebrow.
“So there’s a spending reward too?”
Interesting.
Still, he wasn’t in a hurry to open the Blind Box.
There were more important matters first.
The ritual required two special ingredients:
The blood of a Fire Salamander.
And the blood of a dark-attribute magical creature to draw the ritual circle.
Mord already understood the ritual itself.
The only problem was obtaining the blood.
After thinking for a moment, he smiled.
“Looks like it’s time to use my ultimate strategy.”
“Spend money.”
He still had several hundred Galleons in savings.
Surely money could solve this problem.
As for who could help him obtain the ingredients…
Mord already had the perfect person in mind.
The afternoon’s Astronomy lesson passed without incident.
By dinner, Mord had once again wandered over to the Gryffindor table.
“Mord!”
Hermione greeted him with a bright smile.
“How was your first day?”
Hermione pursed her lips.
“It was… fine.”
She had performed exceptionally well in every lesson and had even earned Gryffindor twenty House points.
Yet somehow…
No one seemed impressed.
Ron had even laughed at her eagerness in class.
The experience left her feeling strangely disappointed.
For the first time, Hermione wondered whether she truly belonged in Gryffindor.
Perhaps…
Ravenclaw would have suited her better.
Harry, Ron, and Neville also greeted Mord warmly.
Glancing toward the far end of the table, Mord noticed the Weasley twins watching him with obvious curiosity.
He smiled before turning to Ron.
“Ron…”
“Could you introduce me to your brothers?”