Chapter 38
Back at Hogwarts, Severus stopped by to greet Slughorn, then returned to his room and cast a Disguise Charm. The newspaper had arrived that morning, and he had no desire to live through that horror again.
And, as if it could have been any other way, he was the main topic of conversation for almost every Slytherin. Of course, he knew it was only a delay, but after today, he simply wanted to give his head a little rest.
He did not even bother to undress before dropping onto the bed, face buried in the pillow.
"Se. Alan, take off your clothes first. It is not good to fall asleep with them on," Nagini said, tugging at his sleeve.
"Are you really that eager to see me naked?" he asked, winking with a playful smile. He rolled onto his back and savored the wave of embarrassment coming off her, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Pervert!"
"That is unfair. You are the one telling me to undress, and I am the pervert."
"Stop making fun of me, you know exactly what I mean!"
"All right, I am just in a good mood," he said, snapping his fingers. In an instant, his clothes shifted into shorts.
"It does not look like it. I still remember your sour expression at lunch, when those people started coming to see us, and you kept it right up until evening. Although when you came back, for some reason, you were smiling." Nagini eyed him suspiciously.
"Yes. I got a huge amount of ingredients at a good discount. You could even say for free."
"For free, you say."
"Of course. They were so generous they handed over almost everything," he said, stroking her head with a satisfied smile.
"All right, I will not bring it up again. It is your business, but be careful."
"You sound like my mother."
"Hm!"
"Very well. I will not be so reckless in the future, and there is no need. I have already achieved my main goal." He laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes. Nagini, hearing those words, let out a sigh of relief. But I still did not expect an outcome like this from the ritual. Almost no side effects, and with such a magnificent addition, ah. if anyone from my world knew about this, all the Masters and some Archmages would declare a hunt for me.
Feeling the magic flowing from the core and circulating through his body, he could not help smiling in quiet, genuine happiness. He had done the impossible: he had created a material core at the rank of Master, something even some Archmages could not achieve.
The difference between a formless core and a material one was colossal. The fact that a wizard could store magic inside their own body, instead of acting only as a conduit, was already huge, not to mention that once the core appeared, a wizard was no longer limited in spell power, provided, of course, that the core held enough magic. And at the same time they could still act as a conduit, drawing magic from the air and releasing it instantly as a spell.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg, and only one of the material core's main advantages. The less important benefits included better control and faster absorption, improved physical abilities thanks to smoother magic flow through the body, sharper five primary senses, regeneration, and much more.
From the ritual, he gained not only the core, but also something Severus's body had sorely lacked: an affinity for fire magic from the phoenix. Because of it, fire spells would now consume far less magic, and their power, on the contrary, would increase several times over.
And that was not all. Along with that affinity, he had also gained an immunity to poison. Even Nagini's venom had no effect on him. He still did not dare test basilisk venom, though, because it was not just a magical poison, but something far more terrifying. Even in his old body, he would hardly have tried it.
From the dragon, he gained a stronger skeleton and greater physical strength, which, of course, paled compared to the first two gifts.
This alone was an unreal outcome for him. After all, his expectations for the ritual had been limited to the last two points, with only a sliver of hope for the first.
But what could have caused the core to materialize? Maybe something was wrong with the dragon crystal, or with the ones in the cave, or maybe the problem was the basilisk or the phoenix? Sigh. too many maybes. I will have to look into this later. He sighed wearily, snapped his fingers again, and the light in the room went out. "Good night."
"And you too," she hissed sleepily, settling on the pillow nearby and closing her eyes.
And, just as Severus had predicted, the next day began with two classmates approaching him the moment he left his room, inviting him out and acting like they were his closest friends. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he could not remember them. So he simply ignored them, politely declined, and left, a decision he later regretted when other Slytherins started coming up to him in the common room to offer congratulations.
Of course, he saw nothing wrong with accepting congratulations, as long as it was only that, and not a veiled job offer, or an invitation to meet later in some private corner and talk.
All that stuffiness made him want to raise the temperature even higher. by a couple thousand degrees. But even this situation brought him relief in the form of Regulus, who happened to be passing by. He greeted him with a smile, slipped out of the crowd, and took his place at Regulus's right. After that, the others, oddly enough, stopped pressing him. They only snorted in displeasure and dispersed.
On the way to the Great Hall, they chatted casually about all sorts of things. Regulus was not particularly offended that Severus had used him like this. If anything, it showed that the Black family was still strong, and that the rumors of decline were simply a fabrication, since they had managed to draw the new star to their side before anyone else.
".By the way, about that spell, I managed to use it," Regulus said, lifting his chin proudly and shooting a sideways glance at Severus, who looked mildly surprised.
"I am impressed. I thought it would take you at least a couple of months, maybe more. How many copies can you create?"
Severus's question made him go a little red.
"Just one."
"No need to be embarrassed. Everyone starts the same way. Practice more often and you will get there," Severus said, giving his shoulder an encouraging pat. "What about the passive barrier?"
"Just an hour, and then I lose control."
"That is not bad either. The day before yesterday you could only hold it for fifty-eight minutes and twenty seconds, and in one day you added a minute and forty. Keep that pace, and by the time you graduate Hogwarts, you will be able to maintain Protego all day long, and even improve your control."
"I." Regulus stopped abruptly as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall. "Why are you helping me?" he finally asked, unable to hold back the question that had been tormenting him for days. For an aristocrat taught from childhood to be suspicious of everyone, and never to accept gifts without first learning what the other side wanted, this was too strange. "No matter how much I think about it, I cannot believe it is only because of my sister. Even if I am on your side, it will not change her feelings or convince Grandmother, who is very strict about blood purity and would never marry Bella off to a half-blood. And even though we have only been in touch for a short time, I have come to realize that you are not a stupid person, and you know it yourself."
"Hmm. that is because." he paused dramatically, ".it is a secret!" He cut Regulus off, making him blink in surprise, then scowl. "But if you can create three fire spears and hold the barrier for a whole day by the end of the year, I will tell you. So, are you ready, or are you scared?"
"Me?! Scared?! Fine! I accept!" Regulus reached for Severus's outstretched hand, but at the last moment he pulled it back.
"And if you cannot, then put on shoes, a skirt, and a blouse, and walk around the first three floors like that. Can you manage that?"
"What?! No, I will not do that!"
"Are you really. scared?"
"Me?! No! I agree!"
"That is great." How easy it is to manipulate them. even though they look similar, their characters are slightly different. "By the way, did your grandmother ever have the stupid idea of marrying Bella off?"
"."
"So she really did. To whom, and when?"
"You cannot do anything about it even if I tell you."
"Hmm. so, Lestrange," Severus drawled thoughtfully, making Regulus stiffen. Only a few seconds later did he understand and quickly look away. "That will not help, and do not worry. I do not like reading other people's thoughts, and you were thinking far too loudly." Two years. so that is where those two years came from, because she is getting married in about that time. what a cruel woman. And yet I want to make her mine more and more. When he surfaced from his thoughts, Regulus, stamping his feet in displeasure, entered the Great Hall. He is offended, and I just helped him.
Shaking his head, he was about to follow him to breakfast, but he had barely taken three steps toward the entrance when a female voice called out to him.
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