“Glug… glug…”
A cauldron bubbled steadily over a magical flame inside Mord’s dormitory.
Nearby, Mord sat at a wooden table, carefully slicing dried nettles into fine pieces.
If any of the professors discovered that a student was brewing potions in the dormitory, he would undoubtedly lose at least twenty House points.
But Mord wasn’t particularly concerned.
After all, he had the entire dormitory to himself, so who was there to stop him?
Recently, he had been spending most of his free time studying The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 with Hermione, leaving him with little opportunity to brew potions.
However, he had a feeling he would need this particular potion very soon.
Once he finished preparing the dried nettles, he watched as the slugs inside the cauldron dissolved into a thick green slime.
Without hesitation, he sprinkled the finely ground nettle powder into the mixture before pointing his wand at the magical stove beneath the cauldron.
“Incendio!”
The flames instantly flared higher.
If Professor Snape had witnessed this, he would have exploded with rage.
Not only had Mord chopped the nettles far too finely, but he had also increased the heat when he should have lowered it.
No competent potioneer would ever brew a Boil Cure Potion this way.
Fortunately…
Mord wasn’t making a Boil Cure Potion.
He was brewing the Blistering Potion unlocked by the system.
Although its ingredients closely resembled those of the Boil Cure Potion, the brewing process was entirely different.
Following the recipe exactly, Mord carefully completed every step until the liquid inside the cauldron thickened into a dense layer of gray paste.
“The final step.”
He picked up a measuring cup containing exactly three ounces of water.
Slowly pouring it into the cauldron, he immediately stepped backward.
Hissssss—!
A sharp hissing sound filled the room as thick gray smoke erupted from the cauldron.
The fresh flowers resting on the nearby table were instantly scorched.
Yellow burn marks spread across the petals before the entire bouquet withered and turned black.
Even standing several meters away, Mord could still smell the pungent fumes.
Holding his breath, he hurried to open the nearby window.
Only after nearly half a minute did the smoke finally clear.
Rubbing his hands together eagerly, Mord looked into the cauldron.
A murky, pale-gray potion rested quietly inside.
Comparing it with the system’s description, he nodded in satisfaction.
The Blistering Potion had been brewed successfully.
Putting on a pair of dragon-hide gloves, Mord carefully poured the potion into empty glass bottles.
In the end, he produced three bottles.
For now, these three bottles were his strongest hidden trump card.
Although throwing a potion wasn’t nearly as convenient as casting a spell, its destructive power was unquestionably impressive.
After putting everything away and cleaning the room thoroughly, Mord finally left his dormitory.
The moment he stepped downstairs—
A dark figure suddenly lunged toward him.
“Waaah!”
A ghoul let out a terrifying roar.
Without thinking, Mord threw a punch.
“Ow!”
The ghoul staggered backward while clutching its face.
A familiar voice immediately cried out,
“Terry?”
Mord frowned.
“If you try scaring me again, I can’t promise I won’t respond with a spell next time.”
The “ghoul” removed its mask, revealing Terry’s grinning face.
“Come on, Mord! Tomorrow’s Halloween.”
“We don’t have classes today, but you’ve been locked inside your dorm all day.”
Mord sighed.
“…you would’ve gotten more than just one punch.”
Looking around the Ravenclaw common room, he noticed that very few students remained.
Most had already gone outside or gathered in the Great Hall for the Halloween celebrations.
Without wasting any more time, Mord headed there as well.
As Halloween approached, the weather had become noticeably colder.
Along the corridors, enormous carved pumpkins lined the walls, each glowing warmly from the candle burning inside.
As he continued walking, Mord spotted Hagrid pushing a cart piled high with giant pumpkins.
“Hey, Hagrid!”
“Did you prepare all of these?”
Hagrid looked slightly surprised.
He had heard Harry mention Mord before, but they had never spoken face to face.
To be honest…
He still felt somewhat wary.
After all, Mord belonged to the House of Black.
As far as Hagrid was concerned, very few members of that family could be trusted.
The only exception had been Sirius Black.
And Sirius was believed to have betrayed James and Lily Potter.
Thinking about it, Hagrid’s expression unconsciously became colder.
“Yeah.”
Mord smiled.
“These pumpkins are enormous.”
“They look fantastic.”
Hagrid scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Really?”
“Heh… it’s just an Engorgement Charm.”
“You’ll learn it in your second year.”
The more they talked, the friendlier Hagrid became.
Mord praised his work sincerely and even helped unload several pumpkins from the cart.
That completely erased Hagrid’s remaining suspicion.
By the time they finished, Hagrid was warmly inviting Mord to visit his hut for tea.
After saying goodbye, Mord continued toward the Great Hall.
Their first meeting had gone surprisingly well.
Building a good relationship with Hagrid would certainly be useful in the future.
The moment Mord entered the Great Hall, he paused in amazement.
Thousands of bats fluttered across the enchanted ceiling, forming great black clouds overhead.
Students laughed while decorating the hall with magical Halloween ornaments.
Professor Flitwick floated eerie balls of ghostly blue fire through the air, delighting the younger students while startling the resident ghosts.
The entire hall truly captured the spirit of Halloween.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry and the others were chatting happily.
Only Ron looked miserable.
He lay face-down on the table, his body trembling.
The Weasley twins immediately spotted Mord.
Grinning mischievously, they tossed him a piece of candy.
“Mord!”
“Try our newest invention.”
“Happy Candy.”
“You’ll feel incredibly happy after eating it.”
Mord looked at the candy before glancing toward Harry.
Harry was frantically shaking his head while desperately winking.
Mord smiled.
“If Harry had handed this to me…” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“I might actually have believed you.”
George sighed dramatically.
“Too bad.”
“Looks like we couldn’t fool you.”
Fred laughed.
“Fine.”
“It’s actually Tear Candy.”
“Eat it, and you’ll cry continuously for thirty minutes.”
“Nonsense!”
Ron suddenly raised his head.
Tears streamed endlessly down his face.
“I’ve already been crying for forty minutes!”
George burst into laughter.
“Well…”
“You’re our little brother.”
“So naturally, we gave you extra!”
Ron pouted angrily.
“I’m still your brother!”
Fred grinned.
“Exactly.”
“And what are younger brothers for…”
“…if not to be teased?”
The twins laughed together.
Soon, the entire table joined in, filling the Great Hall with cheerful laughter.
Mord looked around.
Something immediately felt wrong.
“Hmm?”
“Where’s Hermione?”
Harry’s smile instantly faded.
He glanced awkwardly toward Ron.
After a brief silence, Harry answered carefully,
“Ron and Hermione had an argument during Charms class.”
“We haven’t seen her since.”
Parvati Patil, Hermione’s roommate, leaned over and quietly added,
“I know where she is.”
“She’s been crying in the girls’ bathroom on the second floor all afternoon.”
“I tried to comfort her…”
“But she wouldn’t let anyone in.”
Mord silently nodded.
Just as I expected.
Even with his presence, some events still followed the original timeline.
Ron looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Even so, he stubbornly defended himself.
“It’s not my fault!”
“She’s such a know-it-all.”
“Everyone calls her Miss Know-It-All.”
“She’s always correcting people and telling them what to do.”
Mord remained calm.
After a brief silence, he let out a cold chuckle.
“Giving advice?”
“Heh…”
“If Hermione were in Ravenclaw…”
“Everyone would be grateful to have a classmate who studied hard and was always willing to help others.”