The Christmas holidays were approaching, which meant that Ciel's first school year at Hogwarts was quietly halfway over.
A slight feeling of nostalgia surfaced in Ciel's heart. In his past life, when he stayed up all night watching over the experimental fields, he read quite a few Harry Potter fanfictions to pass the time. There were quite a few where the protagonist could beat Voldemort and Dumbledore before even starting school. Those who couldn't defeat the two-faced man by the end of the first semester were even rarer.
His current strength, to be honest, was a disgrace to transmigrators.
But after a moment, Ciel gently shook his head, exhaling a puff of white air. He hadn't wasted a single day in these past months. He had a clear conscience. Just keep going step by step. Sooner or later, he would reach his destination.
The fleeting emotion passed. Ciel's attention returned to reality. His expression also became a bit more solemn.
"Quirrell's injury was delayed by a full week thanks to the failed Sacred Tree Potion. Defense Against the Dark Arts class was also suspended for an extra week. But tomorrow, Defense Against the Dark Arts class will resume. That means today, Quirrell will be discharged from the hospital. It seems that even with the help of the Weasley twins, delaying for this extra week is already the limit."
He paused, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes. "But... it's enough."
He glanced at the system panel. Thanks to consistently brewing Sacred Tree Potion over the past week, the training effect on his magical perception had been excellent. On the Magical Perception Enhancement text, the golden luster had become more intense, occupying nearly four-fifths of the area.
But in the last two days, Ciel had discovered that improving magical perception through training seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Gold Tier still seemed some distance away.
He understood in his heart. The training limit for his magical perception, determined by his weak magical talent, was probably almost reached. It was a bit like fitness. Some people were naturally gifted and could build muscle easily with a little training. But others, even with maximum exercise, couldn't build much muscle in a year. Ciel's talent in magic was just like that.
But his face showed no ripples. Talent wasn't enough. The system would make up for it.
"The new batch of Goldfish Vines planted before, catalyzed by the troll, should have matured. Once this batch is harvested, Gold-Tier Magical Perception Enhancement will be a natural result. And Hagrid has been helping me look for the troll settlement during this time. Although there's no news yet, with scarce food in the snowy weather, the trolls will leave more tracks in their search for food. It should be soon. If I can tame a troll settlement, even a small one with just a few trolls, my magical perception can continue to improve at a high speed."
Thoughts flickered in his mind. Ciel walked towards Hagrid's hut outside the castle. But before he even left the castle, in the corridor on the library floor, he encountered three familiar figures.
It was the trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They had clearly just come out of the library, looking tired, as if they had been searching for information for a long time. As they walked, the three were still discussing their findings.
But when they saw Ciel, Harry immediately let out a sharp cough. The discussion came to an abrupt halt. The three also stopped in their tracks.
Hermione looked at Ciel with an apologetic expression. Ron's face showed resentment. He was clearly still holding a grudge for being taught a lesson by Ciel with Levicorpus. But remembering the miserable state Malfoy was in after being taught a lesson by Ciel, Ron didn't dare to make a sound.
Ciel saw all of this clearly. He also found it amusing. He knew exactly what the trio was looking for in the library. It was nothing more than information related to Nicolas Flamel.
It was also a coincidence. Hogwarts didn't have alchemy as a course. Otherwise, with Hermione's mastery of textbooks, it would be impossible for her not to know about Nicolas Flamel. He was a living fossil of alchemy, an unavoidable figure when discussing the subject. And the alchemy course had been removed from the curriculum many years ago due to its excessively high failure rate.
Ciel had learned this from Snape. During this period, besides brewing Sacred Tree Potion, he had also learned some popular science about advanced magical knowledge from him, including some alchemy classics recorded in the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, like the Emerald Tablet and Corpus Hermeticum. It was an eye-opener for him regarding the ancient magic of the wizarding world.
Out of curiosity, Ciel had once asked Snape, "Professor. Since alchemy is so important in magical theory, and you were so talented back then, why did you choose to specialize in Potions instead of alchemy? I see you're very familiar with the Emerald Tablet and such."
Snape had immediately changed the subject. He muttered some words. "It's not that I didn't want to learn. I just didn't have the time. Actually, alchemy isn't difficult, really not difficult. It's just that when drawing the alchemy circle...sigh, either the quill runs out of ink, or the parchment is too rough. Understand?"
Ciel understood as soon as he said it. Snape must have tried alchemy. But even he hadn't succeeded. No wonder true alchemy items were so scarce. Even the four Heads of House were quite envious of Dumbledore's Deluminator.
With his own talent, he shouldn't even think about it. Unless he could encounter some magical plant that enhanced alchemy in the future. Otherwise, it was better to focus on the present. Just herbology and potions were enough for him to study for who knows how long.
Reining in his distracting thoughts, Ciel continued walking forward. In the blink of an eye, he left the trio's sight.
At this time, Ron finally began to grumble. "Have you guys heard? He's been getting even closer to Snape recently. I bet he's already been bought by him. Look where he's going... towards Hagrid's hut. He's probably trying to get close to Hagrid, to break through from Hagrid's side!"
Harry also sighed. His face was full of worry. "But Hagrid trusts him very much. I mentioned it to Hagrid before, and Hagrid actually got angry. I'm really afraid Snape will use Ciel to create an opening with Hagrid."
Hermione defended him. "You guys shouldn't think the worst of things. Ciel is definitely not like you say."
Ron sneered silently at this. After a long while, he snorted coldly. "I was going to come out for some fresh air and a break. Now it seems I have to go back. We have to work overtime to find out who Nicolas Flamel is. We have to figure this out before Snape and Ciel do."
Meanwhile, in the hospital wing, Quirrell looked pale, looking at Madam Pomfrey with longing.
Madam Pomfrey frowned. "The Fanged Geranium wound and the effects left by the Giant Slothflower are basically healed. Professor Quirrell, you can be discharged. But your body seems much weaker than before. Are you sure you don't need to stay in the hospital wing for a few more days to recuperate?"
Upon hearing this, Quirrell reacted as if triggered, his expression twisted, and he shook his head frantically. "Absolutely not!"
In the past week, he had to endure the torture of the Weasley twins bringing him potions every day. Sacred Tree Potion, although a failed product, still contained a lot of sacred magic. For ordinary wizards, it had some benefits. It could also resist the power of dark magic. But for Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort, it was like rubbing salt in the wound. Every time he used the potion, it was excruciatingly painful.
But in order not to arouse the suspicion of Dumbledore, who had arranged this "test," he had to pretend to be very comfortable. Just thinking about it made Quirrell feel a flame of hatred spreading crazily in his heart.
"I don't want to live like this for another day!" he said through gritted teeth, his expression ferocious.
But soon, seeing Madam Pomfrey's slightly frightened expression, he quickly explained. "Over a week, so long, I haven't taught my students. Merlin above, I'm going to delay their studies! And, I'm still receiving a salary from Hogwarts for this? I'm practically a salary thief! Madam, I must go back to work immediately, I can't stand it for another moment!"
Hearing this, Madam Pomfrey's eyes turned red. "Professor Quirrell. You are such a dedicated and good professor. Alright, then I won't keep you."
The moment he walked out of the hospital wing, Quirrell opened his arms as if embracing a new life. But the next moment, a cold wind blew by, making him shiver violently. The potions during this period had a significant impact on him, leaving him in a weakened state both physically and magically. Even Voldemort, who was possessing him, was affected and had entered a state of dormancy to reduce power consumption.
This also made Quirrell feel anxious. He didn't have much time left.
"I have to quickly control that little badger. Use him to get past the three-headed dog and get the Philosopher's Stone."
For this, Quirrell decided to take a risk. "I know he goes to the greenhouse every night. Tonight, I'll make my move!"
At this time, Ciel had already arrived behind Hagrid's hut. He walked towards the area where the troll was being kept. Although he didn't know what Quirrell was up to, he could guess. Time was not on Quirrell's side. As time passed, his actions would definitely become more drastic.
He had to improve himself quickly.
At this time, Ciel heard the troll's mumbling. "A... Abandon..."
"Aba-aba..."
In his sight, a series of orange-red colors like goldfish also appeared. The new batch of over forty pots of Goldfish Vines... all matured!
Looking at the heavy reward orbs hanging above them, Ciel reached out, touched, and harvested!
After the orbs flowed into his body, a strange feeling he hadn't felt in a long time spread through his veins again. Ciel closed his eyes. Listening... to the echo of the wind and snow. And... the surge of magic.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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