Hagrid froze mid-motion, his teacup paused halfway to his mouth.
He hadn't expected such a young boy to ask about Thestrals—or about death.
But then he looked at Sean again and suddenly remembered who was sitting across from him.
This was one of the Boys Who Lived—a child who had survived the Killing Curse.
Sean himself wasn't entirely sure whether he could see Thestrals.
When the Grylls couple had been killed, he hadn't yet transmigrated into this body. He hadn't personally witnessed their deaths.
But he had experienced death himself.
"I'm about to feed the hippogriffs," Hagrid said slowly as he stood up.
"Come back tomorrow morning. I'll take you to see the Thestrals then."
"Alright, Hagrid," Sean nodded before leaving the hut.
Back inside the castle, Sean ran into Cedric in the corridor leading toward the Great Hall.
Sean greeted him casually and was about to head to dinner when Cedric suddenly called out to him.
"Sean."
Cedric looked around carefully to make sure no one else was nearby before walking over.
"I was just heading to the Great Hall to eat," Sean said. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Come here," Cedric whispered. "I have something for you."
Sean followed him aside, curious about what Cedric wanted to show him.
Cedric reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of parchment folded four times.
He handed it to Sean.
Sean unfolded it.
The handwriting was neat—clearly written by Cedric himself.
But the moment Sean read the first line, he froze.
Magical Power Recovery Potion.
Sean looked up sharply.
"You—where did you get this?" he asked in a low voice.
"Professor Sprout asked me to help organize some documents in her office this afternoon," Cedric explained.
"I found a book on her shelf with the potion formula written inside. I thought you might need it, so I copied it down."
Sean was ecstatic.
Cedric was incredibly reliable.
Not only had he kept Sean's secret, he had also gone out of his way to help him.
Thinking about Cedric's actions later in the Triwizard Tournament, Sean couldn't help but feel admiration.
Cedric truly was loyal, hardworking, and sincere.
"Well done, Cedric," Sean said, clapping him firmly on the shoulder.
"From now on, I've got your back. Nothing will happen to you."
This wasn't just a promise to Cedric.
It was a promise to himself.
Sean had to grow stronger.
Strong enough to change the tragedies of the future.
Cedric shook his head.
"I just wanted to help. You don't need to protect me."
Sean laughed.
"That's true. You're already the top student of Hufflepuff. Maybe you don't need my help at all."
"In that case, I wish you first place every year until you graduate."
Cedric smiled.
"I will."
"You definitely will," Sean replied sincerely.
After dinner, Sean returned to the Slytherin common room and carefully studied the potion recipe.
Compared to the Muggle Experience Potion, this one required only six ingredients, half as many.
But every single ingredient was extremely rare.
Sean remained in his dormitory until 6:50 PM before heading out.
Chris was already waiting for him in the common room.
"You're going to join, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Sean replied without hesitation.
The two of them headed to the Prefects' Bathroom on the sixth floor.
This bathroom was reserved exclusively for prefects, and the facilities were far more luxurious than those available to ordinary students.
When Sean and Chris stepped inside, six figures stood in the dim lighting.
Sean even recognized two of them.
Keith, who had always looked down on him.
And Theo, the fifth-year prefect.
So they were members of the Ouroboros Society as well.
One of the members stepped forward.
He had slicked-back blond hair and carried himself with aristocratic elegance.
"Welcome, our two new guests," he said politely.
"I'm Kurt Malfoy, a sixth-year."
Hearing that familiar surname, Sean immediately knew he was related to Draco Malfoy's family.
Kurt extended his hand.
Sean shook it.
"Sean Grylls," Kurt said smoothly.
"The famous new student of Hogwarts."
"I'm glad you came to Slytherin. You bring honor to our house—and Slytherin will return that honor to you."
"Hold on," Keith suddenly interrupted angrily.
"Are we really inviting him into the Ouroboros?"
"He's the son of a traitor. Letting him join would stain our organization!"
"Shut up, Keith," Kurt snapped coldly.
"Sean's talent will bring the Ouroboros unprecedented power and glory."
He shot Keith a sharp glare.
Keith fell silent.
Sean then asked calmly,
"So what exactly would we need to do after joining the Ouroboros?"
Harry's Dumbledore's Army had been created to support Dumbledore, defend Hogwarts, and fight the Death Eaters.
But what was the purpose of this group?
Voldemort wouldn't return for several more years.
What exactly were they preparing for?
"You don't need to do anything for the Ouroboros," Kurt said slowly.
"The Ouroboros will give you what you want."
"What I want?" Sean frowned.
How could they possibly know what he wanted?
He wanted a lot of things.
Kurt stared straight into Sean's eyes.
Then he drew his wand.
"Power," he said softly.
"The Ouroboros will grant you power."
Sean suddenly understood.
Ah.
So it was that kind of organization.
The classic villain-group recruitment method—tempting newcomers with power.
Then a thought struck him.
Wait… an evil organization?
Is this basically a Death Eater training camp?
Sean pretended to be interested.
"What kind of power?"
"Dark magic," Kurt answered quietly.
"The kind Hogwarts will never teach you."
As he spoke, Kurt glanced around at the others in the room.
Sean leaned toward Chris and whispered,
"You didn't tell me the Ouroboros trains Death Eaters."
Chris leaned closer and whispered back.
"That's not what it is."
"Well… okay, maybe a few Death Eaters came from this group."
"But knowing Dark Magic doesn't automatically make someone a Death Eater."
"That depends on the wizard who uses it."
"The Ouroboros simply teaches Dark Magic."
"What you do afterward—join the Death Eaters, become an Auror, or travel the world—is your own choice."
Sean fell silent.
For a moment, he felt slightly embarrassed.
He had lived two lifetimes, yet he had failed to grasp such a simple truth that this girl understood clearly.
Aurors in the Ministry of Magic also knew Dark Magic.
Some even knew the Unforgivable Curses.
But the Ministry forbade them from using such magic on other wizards unless absolutely necessary—even when capturing Death Eaters.
"Alright," Sean admitted quietly.
"You're right, Chris."
But there was one thing Chris probably didn't understand yet.
The temptation of Dark Magic was subtle.
Gradual.
Almost invisible.
Those who pursued it might slowly fall deeper and deeper without realizing it.
And by the time they recognized the change…
Joining Voldemort would feel like the most natural decision in the world.
To Read 80+ advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146