Hogwarts lay hidden deep within the mountains of the Scottish Highlands.
From above, the castle and its surrounding grounds resembled a vast basin nestled among towering peaks.
With a loud hiss, the Hogwarts Express came to a stop.
A woman’s voice echoed from outside the train.
“We’ve arrived! Everyone, please get off the train. Leave your luggage behind—it will be delivered to the castle.”
Hermione let out a relieved sigh.
Her trunk was incredibly heavy, and she had felt guilty about making Mord carry it throughout the journey.
Together with Hermione and Cho Chang, Mord stepped off the train.
Under the dim station lamps, an old wooden sign read:
Hogsmeade Station
Hermione looked around curiously.
“Hogsmeade… isn’t this the only all-wizarding village in Britain?”
Cho Chang nodded.
“That’s right.”
“It’s just west of Hogwarts. Third-year students are allowed to visit on weekends.”
She sighed dramatically.
“Unfortunately, I’m only in my second year, so I still have to wait.”
Just then, a deep, booming voice echoed through the station.
“First-years! First-years over here!”
Mord turned toward the voice.
Standing there was a giant of a man over three meters tall.
There was only one person at Hogwarts who could possibly match that description.
Rubeus Hagrid.
Cho Chang smiled.
“Go on. Every first-year has to go through this.”
Hermione blinked.
“Go through what?”
Cho’s eyes suddenly sparkled mischievously.
“Oh…”
“They’re probably going to test your abilities.”
“For example…”
She leaned closer and whispered dramatically,
“They might throw you into the lake to see if you can escape from the Giant Squid.”
Hermione’s face instantly turned pale.
She wasn’t athletic.
More importantly…
She couldn’t swim.
Mord shot Cho an exasperated look.
The calm and elegant Ravenclaw apparently had quite a mischievous side.
After Cho walked away with a satisfied smile, Mord cleared his throat.
“Don’t listen to her.”
Hermione looked at him hopefully.
“It’s not that dangerous.”
“They simply make first-years duel each other.”
“If you lose an arm or a leg, the hospital wing can grow it back.”
Hermione froze.
Her face became even paler than before.
The system immediately chimed.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has successfully frightened the heroine, displaying the true temperament of a Dark Lord.
Reward: Darkness Points +10
Mord rolled his eyes.
“System, stop talking nonsense.”
“Scaring first-years before the Sorting Ceremony is a long-standing Hogwarts tradition.”
With that, he gently guided the stiff and nervous Hermione toward Hagrid.
Many of the other first-years had already gathered nearby.
Harry, Ron, and Neville smiled and nodded when they spotted Mord.
Malfoy, however, had changed into a fresh set of robes and was hiding behind Goyle.
Crabbe looked utterly miserable.
His face was bruised, his nose swollen, and his eyes were still red from crying after spending the day partially blind.
Hagrid paid no attention to any of it.
He simply turned and began walking down a narrow forest path.
“Follow me!”
The trail was dark and uneven.
Many students stumbled nervously as they walked.
Without a word, Mord raised his wand.
“Lumos.”
A bright white light illuminated the path ahead.
The nearby first-years stared at him in amazement. Get faster updates on g.com.
Several immediately moved closer to take advantage of the extra light.
The system responded once again.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King casually demonstrates his abilities.
Reward: Darkness Points +1
Mord smiled inwardly.
So showing off counted as well.
As long as he displayed exceptional ability, the system rewarded him.
Of course, there was a difference between impressing people and simply causing trouble.
Running around blowing up toilets like Fred and George probably wouldn’t earn any Darkness Points.
The system might even look down on him for embarrassing the title of “Dark Lord.”
Before long, the forest path came to an end.
Mord stopped in his tracks.
Before him stretched a vast black lake, its surface shimmering beneath the moonlight.
Across the water stood Hogwarts Castle.
Its countless windows glowed warmly against the night sky.
For a moment, Mord simply stared.
Seeing the castle from the Harry Potter stories standing before him felt almost unreal.
Hagrid pointed toward a row of small boats.
“Four students to a boat!”
Hermione hesitated.
Cho Chang’s earlier joke about the Giant Squid was still fresh in her mind.
She quietly tugged on Mord’s sleeve.
“Mord…”
“There really is a Giant Squid in the lake… isn’t there?”
Mord chuckled.
“There is.”
“But don’t worry.”
“It’s actually very gentle.”
Stepping into one of the boats, he offered Hermione his hand.
After only a brief hesitation, she accepted.
Even after boarding, Hermione didn’t immediately let go.
Her hand was small, warm, and incredibly soft.
Mord didn’t mind at all.
Just then—
“Wait!”
Two girls hurried toward their boat.
One had short black hair and delicate features, though the confident expression on her face gave her a slightly rebellious appearance.
The other possessed long golden hair, fair skin, and an elegant, gentle temperament.
The black-haired girl smiled brightly.
“Hello!”
“My name is Pansy Parkinson.”
“I know who you are.”
“You’re Mord Black.”
Mord was slightly surprised.
He hadn’t expected the girl he assumed would be difficult to approach to greet him so enthusiastically.
The blonde girl spoke much more quietly.
“Daphne Greengrass.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
Mord smiled politely.
He already recognized both surnames.
The Parkinsons and Greengrasses were both members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Britain’s most prominent pure-blood families.
Pansy was a familiar name from the original story.
She strongly believed in pure-blood supremacy and eventually sided with Voldemort’s supporters.
That explained why she seemed so interested in him.
She probably already believed he was destined to become a Dark Wizard.
As for Daphne…
He remembered very little about her.
Still, she was undeniably beautiful.
Hermione smiled politely.
“I’m Hermione Granger.”
Pansy merely nodded before turning all of her attention back to Mord.
“Mord…”
“May I call you that?”
She lowered her voice.
“The spells you used on the train…”
“Those definitely weren’t ordinary prank spells.”
Mord smiled knowingly.
“You’ve got a sharp eye.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Growing up in a traditional pure-blood family, Pansy had probably witnessed Dark Magic before.
Recognizing it wasn’t particularly surprising.
Meanwhile, Daphne turned toward Hermione.
“Granger…”
“Are you related to Mr. Granger from the Extraordinary Pharmacists’ Association?”
Hermione shook her head.
“No.”
“My parents are both Muggles.”
“I’m the only witch in my family.”
Daphne looked genuinely surprised.
“You’re Muggle-born?”
“Yes.”
“Is that unusual?”
Hermione asked innocently.
Daphne glanced toward Mord.
Pansy had spent the entire train ride enthusiastically praising him as some future Dark Lord.
Naturally, Daphne had assumed Mord shared the same pure-blood beliefs.
So why…
Was he getting along so naturally with a Muggle-born witch?
The contradiction left her increasingly curious.
Who exactly was Mord Black?
Pansy, however, had completely ignored the conversation.
She remained focused on only one thing.
“Mord…”
“I’ve never seen those two spells before.”
“Did you invent them yourself?”
Daphne nearly laughed.
Impossible.
He was only a first-year student.
How could anyone create original magic before even beginning school?
To everyone’s surprise, Mord simply scratched his head.
“I suppose you could say that.”
“As far as I know…”
“I’m probably the only person in the world who knows those two spells.”
Silence filled the boat.
Hermione’s eyes widened.
Daphne stared at him in disbelief.
Even Pansy’s mouth fell open.
A first-year…
Who had created his own magic?
The system chimed excitedly.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has astonished everyone with his extraordinary talent.
Reward: Darkness Points +15
Because Hermione was present, the reward was even greater.
Mord accepted the points without the slightest guilt.
Technically…
He hadn’t lied.
The spells belonged to the system.
And since the system belonged to him…
Didn’t that make them his spells?
Before long, the boats reached the shore.
Mord stepped out first before politely offering his hand to each of the girls.
Hermione accepted with a grateful smile.
Daphne thanked him quietly.
When Pansy placed her hand in his, her heart began racing.
By the time she stepped onto solid ground, her cheeks were glowing bright red.
The admiration in her eyes had already turned into open worship.
At that moment, the system displayed another notification.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has gained his first follower—Pansy Parkinson.
Follower Panel Unlocked.