Ever since Ivy Doom acquired the two Strixhaven-related feats, his Tome of Destruction unlocked a surprising number of new exchange options.
Most of these newly available entries seemed to be connected to Strixhaven—judging by their names, they were clearly textbooks or academic resources.
Titles included things like Introduction to Magical Botany, Fundamentals of Magical Auras, Introduction to Computational Magic, Basics of Ink Magic, and An Introduction to Ancient Language Spells.
Although they all bore the words "introduction" or "fundamentals," the cost of redeeming each one far exceeded Ivy's expectations—an astounding 3,000 experience points apiece. That was enough to buy two third-circle spells!
Fortunately, the two Strixhaven feats Ivy had chosen each came with a textbook of their own: Introduction to Elemental Magic and Foundations of Art Elementals. The first was the standard primer for apprentices of Prismari College, while the second contained the knowledge required to create an Art Elemental mascot.
After carefully studying both books, Ivy grew even more convinced that Strixhaven deserved to be called a true magical university.
Introduction to Elemental Magic explained, in clear and approachable language, the properties of nearly every kind of elemental magic, while also providing structured methods of study. In the hands of a gifted student, it could easily inspire entirely new schools of elemental spellcraft.
Foundations of Art Elementals, meanwhile, offered detailed instruction on how to blend different elemental magics to create Art Elemental mascots. For example, by combining water magic with earth magic, then tempering the result with fire, one could forge an Art Elemental with a shimmering, multicolored glaze.
When Ivy thought about it, wasn't this basically just porcelain-making? Any transmigrator from the great nations of the Far East would instantly recognize it as a traditional craft.
Of course, the ceramic shell was only the beginning. The true essence of an Art Elemental lay in its spiritual core, for it embodied the passion and creativity of its maker. Only with such an artistic soul could an Art Elemental gain genuine life; without it, it was nothing more than a construct.
Thus, alongside training Slytherin's Quidditch "trolls," Ivy added a new pastime to his extracurricular schedule—experimenting with new forms of elemental magic and the art of crafting Art Elementals.
When one is fully absorbed in their work, time has a way of slipping by unnoticed.
So it was with Ivy.
Before he realized it, mid-December had arrived.
On this particular day came the usual "Quidditch torment"—by which Ivy, of course, meant training.
"Troll Number One," Marcus Flint—the Slytherin Quidditch Captain—bravely raised his hand, though the tremor in his arm betrayed him.
"Sir? This weekend we have a match against Ravenclaw, should we—"
"A match?" Ivy paused mid-serve, while the trolls struggling to dodge the iron bludgers in the air seized the chance to gasp for breath. "I hadn't paid attention. What's the schedule?"
Troll Number One descended closer to the ground, hopping off his broom so Ivy wouldn't have to crane his neck.
After straightening his wrinkled Quidditch robes, he explained, "The Hogwarts Quidditch Cup uses a double round-robin system. Each house team faces the others twice. At the end of the season, rankings are decided by win–loss records and total victories. If there's a tie, the accumulated match scores are compared. If that's still tied, then a tiebreaker match is held. But as far as I know, such a playoff hasn't been needed in over a century."
Ivy nodded. Simple enough. It was basically the same as the group stage format of that game, abbreviated as LoL.
"So that means there are twelve matches in a school year?" Ivy recalled the season's opening game in November. "From November through April, two matches per month? Ensuring each house has at least one game monthly?"
"Your wisdom is beyond compare!" Troll Number One exclaimed. He spent several moments clumsily counting on his fingers before nodding in awe. His look of reverence was so overdone it almost made Ivy feel queasy. "Yes, exactly! Last month, aside from our match against Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also played. Ravenclaw won, though only barely."
"If we beat Ravenclaw in this match, we'll gain the tiebreaker advantage over Hufflepuff. But the season's still early, so everything's—" He abruptly realized he was saying too much, swallowed the rest of his words, and hurried to flatter Ivy again. "But with your training, I believe Ravenclaw will be nothing but a flock of chicks before us!"
That, Ivy agreed with. After weeks of brutal training, the Slytherin players looked bulkier and tougher than ever. No matter which house stood against them, they would look like fragile little chicks.
Ivy even had the urge to enlarge himself with magic just to match their size when speaking to them.
"Good." Ivy beckoned the remaining players down from the air, then gave instructions to Troll Number One: "You'll lead them in tactical drills, using the strategy I already laid out. Ravenclaw isn't a formidable opponent. Our true target is the Quidditch Cup at the end of term. So I have only one demand of you—crush them."
At the word "crush," the trolls' faces lit up with savage delight. After enduring Ivy's merciless training for so long, their hearts brimmed with resentment. They didn't dare unleash it against Ivy, of course—but the Ravenclaw players awaiting them this weekend would make perfect targets.
Still, since this would be his team's first official match under his guidance, Ivy gave further orders: "For the rest of this week, change training to tactical review and light exercises. Focus on keeping your minds and bodies in peak condition. And keep your hands clean—don't get yourselves thrown in detention before the match!"
"By your will!" the trolls roared. Ivy instinctively tilted his head at the volume.
After dismissing the team, Ivy returned to the Room of Requirement.
Ever since receiving those two Prismari textbooks, he had spent nearly all his free time there conducting magical experiments.
His first Art Elemental creation was nearly complete—a small sculpture infused with Wizarding Animation Charms, the Levitation Charm, and even the D&D spell Dragon's Breath. The figure was a palm-sized dragon of gold and black.
Truthfully, it was a failure—his first attempt at porcelain-making. Without a proper spiritual core, the Art Elemental could not move freely. Unwilling to accept defeat, Ivy had imbued it with animation and levitation spells, making it fly like a real dragon.
And to top it off, thanks to his Magical Item Creation feat, he even gave it the power of Dragon's Breath.
The result was a miniature ceramic dragon that could soar through the air, roar, and unleash fiery breath three times a day!
When Ivy completed the piece, he noticed a new line added under his character panel's class entries:
Sorcerer (Showman), Level 1.
Author's Note:
In the original canon, the Quidditch season only had six matches (each house plays each once). For plot purposes, Author changed it to a double round-robin.