Mord had only just begun studying the Animagus when the system surprised him once again.
He immediately opened the new description.
[Dark Animagus]
Learn the required ritual to transform into a Dark Creature.
As your magical power and physical abilities grow stronger, you may eventually possess more than one transformation form.
Requirements: You must first master the standard Animagus transformation and successfully fuse with the Dark Ember.
Mord’s eyes widened.
A Dark Creature?
His breathing quickened.
Although the wizarding world didn’t have a precise definition of Dark Creatures, they generally shared several characteristics:
They were powerful.
They were feared.
And they possessed astonishing vitality.
The first creature that came to Mord’s mind was the Dementor.
A terrifying being that existed somewhere between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Dementors fed on happiness itself.
Almost every physical attack and most forms of magic were completely ineffective against them.
Only the Patronus Charm could repel them.
Even then…
No one had ever truly killed a Dementor.
If I could transform into one…
Mord chuckled.
I’m getting ahead of myself.
His eyes dropped to the price.
500 Darkness Points.
He sighed helplessly.
“That’s ridiculously expensive.”
Even if he somehow managed to earn enough Darkness Points, he still couldn’t use it.
He hadn’t yet mastered either the standard Animagus transformation or the Dark Ember ritual.
The system responded immediately.
[Ding!]
Please continue working hard, Lord Demon King!
Mord sighed dramatically.
“You’ve changed.”
“Now you’re making life difficult for your own master.”
For the moment, Dark Animagus would have to remain nothing more than a distant goal.
“Huh?”
“You’re reading about the Animagus?”
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Hermione had arrived.
The library was practically her second home.
She had hurried there immediately after lunch, only to discover that Mord had arrived even earlier.
Mord lifted the thick book with a grin.
“Interested?”
“I spent quite a while convincing Professor McGonagall before she finally let me read this.”
Hermione’s eyes followed the book as though it possessed magical gravity.
She swallowed nervously.
“I…”
“Is this really okay?”
“We’re only first-years.”
“The Animagus is incredibly dangerous.”
Originally, Hermione had planned to meet Mord so they could study Scourgify together.
She thought learning an advanced cleaning spell was ambitious enough.
She certainly hadn’t expected Mord to jump straight to one of the most difficult branches of Transfiguration.
Mord leaned slightly closer.
“We’re only reading.”
“It’s not even in the Restricted Section.”
His voice carried an almost devilish temptation.
Hermione felt her ears grow warm.
The system chimed.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has tempted the heroine into studying forbidden knowledge.
Darkness Points +5
Watching Hermione eagerly begin reading, Mord smiled with satisfaction.
Forbidden knowledge?
This barely counted.
Compared to genuine Dark Magic…
This was practically children’s homework.
More importantly…
He wasn’t trying to harm Hermione.
The Animagus transformation actually didn’t require overwhelming magical power.
That was exactly why Mord had chosen to spend his Advanced Introductory Card on it.
Its greatest challenges were understanding the theory and patiently completing the lengthy process.
There was, admittedly, one real danger.
A failed first transformation could permanently trap the wizard in animal form.
But Mord wasn’t overly concerned.
Thanks to the system, he completely understood every step.
As long as he followed the process carefully, there shouldn’t be any problems.
And even if something unexpected happened…
They could simply stop before reaching the dangerous stage.
Besides…
James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew had successfully taught themselves the Animagus while they were still students.
Mord had no reason to doubt himself.
After reading for quite some time, Hermione finally lowered the book with an exhausted expression.
“This is so difficult.”
“I can barely understand half of it.”
Mord laughed.
“Did you really expect to master the Animagus after reading it once?”
Hermione nodded helplessly.
“Fair point.”
Still…
Every page made her even more curious.
Knowing such fascinating knowledge existed while being unable to fully understand it was almost unbearable.
For someone like Hermione…
Curiosity was irresistible.
Mord smiled.
“We could study it together.”
“We can compare notes.”
“Besides…”
“The Animagus process also requires brewing several potions.”
“It’ll be much easier if we work as a team.”
Hermione hesitated.
“It’s dangerous…”
Mord nodded.
“True.”
“But remember…”
“Professor McGonagall can transform into a cat.”
Hermione looked away.
“It’s also incredibly time-consuming…”
Mord grinned.
“But you’ll be able to turn into a kitten.”
Hermione’s resolve finally broke.
“…Fine.”
“But you have to promise we’ll be extremely careful.”
Success.
The system immediately rewarded him.
[Ding!]
Darkness Points +10
Mord couldn’t hide his smile.
He pulled his chair beside Hermione.
“Let’s start with the first chapter.”
Thus began their secret Animagus study sessions.
The days at Hogwarts passed quickly.
Every day introduced a different subject.
During the past week, Mord had experienced nearly all of them.
History of Magic was taught by Professor Binns—a ghost who had apparently been teaching for centuries.
His voice never rose.
Never fell.
Never changed.
At first, Mord had been skeptical.
Could a class really be that boring?
He confidently entered the classroom.
He blinked once.
Class was over.
Looking around, he found Hermione rubbing her tired eyes.
“You didn’t fall asleep?”
Hermione sighed.
“I almost did.”
“His lectures are practically lullabies.”
After enjoying an unexpectedly refreshing nap during History of Magic, Mord headed toward Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Unfortunately…
The moment Professor Quirrell entered the classroom, the overwhelming smell of garlic nearly drove everyone away.
Fortunately, Mord had wisely chosen a seat in the very last row.
“I-I…”
“T-Today…”
Quirrell stammered nervously through nearly every sentence.
Most students dismissed him as a timid and incompetent professor.
Mord, however, calmly glanced toward Quirrell’s enormous purple turban.
He knew exactly what was hiding beneath it.
Lord Voldemort.
At the moment, however, Voldemort remained extremely weak.
There was no reason to provoke him yet.
Still…
Mord certainly wasn’t planning to miss the dramatic events waiting at the end of the school year.
That would undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity to earn plenty of Darkness Points.
Before long, Friday arrived.
Early that morning, first-year students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff gathered excitedly in the Great Hall.
Today was their very first Flying Lesson.
Even Cho Chang looked unusually enthusiastic.
“Mord.”
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Flying lessons are actually a lot of fun.”
She smiled brightly.
“It’s a shame we only get them during first year.”
“I’d happily take them again.”
Mord laughed.
“Then you should come and sit in on the lesson.”
He took another bite of bread.
In truth…
He was just as excited.
After all…
The Black family had always been famous for producing exceptional flyers.
He couldn’t help wondering…
How much talent had he inherited?