Chapter 443: Shameless
Chapter 443: Shameless
It was well past lunch, yet Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hadn't returned. Albert wondered what those three were up to, but he didn't dwell on it too much. After lunch, he headed straight to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor.
As he walked past the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of the stupid Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by a troll for the third time, Albert reached out to push open the door, only to find that it wasn't there.
"Someone's in there?"
Albert immediately guessed the reason for the door's absence but wondered who could be inside the Room of Requirement. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, or the McDougal sisters, perhaps?
He decided to try accessing the Ravenclaw private library instead.
This time, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared, and when Albert pushed it open, he found Katrina sitting at the table doing her homework.
He didn't want to disturb her, so he made his way directly towards the private library. In a secluded corner near the window, Isabelle slept peacefully on a hammock, looking like a sleeping beauty that beckoned to be awakened.
Speaking of which, when did the Ravenclaw private library transform into this?
Albert clearly remembered it used to be a cramped room, but now it had been transformed into a spacious and bright library, complete with a few potted plants and additional windows along the walls to let in natural light.
However, the entrance to the Ravenclaw repository of knowledge remained, carefully hidden in a very secluded corner.
Albert sat down on a sofa by the window, put down his bag, and eagerly opened the task panel. Having completed the good student task, he was ready to choose the most practical skills from Quirrell's selection.
The moment he finished the task, Albert was surprised to see that the skill panel in front of him spanned several pages, causing him a moment of astonishment.
But on second thought, it made sense. After all, Quirrell was a professor, and he would naturally have a wide range of knowledge. Although he was far inferior to Rowena Ravenclaw, who had been buried in the ground for years.
It was just a pity that there was a high degree of overlap between the skills on the panel and the ones Albert already possessed, rendering the redundant skills useless to him.
Albert had also fantasized about the possibility of somehow transferring Voldemort, who was attached to Quirrell, along with his skills. Unfortunately, this wish couldn't be fulfilled, as the skill panel clearly only offered skills that Quirrell himself possessed.
However, upon closer inspection, Albert noticed that Quirrell had quite a few dark magic skills, likely taught to him by Voldemort, as one would indeed need real talent to break into Gringotts, unless one had the kind of luck the Boy Who Lived had.
Albert was specifically looking for those unique skills that couldn't be acquired through experience and level-ups, as they currently offered the best value. After some searching, he found one called Proficiency in Fundamental Theory.
But Albert didn't make a decision right away. Instead, he scrolled through the list and selected two other skills: one called Fiendfyre Curse, a dreadfully powerful yet hard-to-control curse, and the other with a very unusual name—Voldemort's Casting Technique.
Yes, it was indeed called Voldemort's Casting Technique.
Accomplished wizards often developed their unique casting techniques.
Albert recalled seeing a skill called Finkle's Casting Technique on Rowena Ravenclaw's skill panel.
That skill was named after an award—the Barnabas Finkle—which was presented in full as the Barnabas Finkle Outstanding Casting Technique Award. It was given to those who demonstrated exceptional casting techniques, and it was said that even Dumbledore had once received this award.
Voldemort's Casting Technique was surely no less impressive, perhaps even superior to Finkle's.
While there were many despicable and contemptible aspects to Tom Riddle's character, one couldn't deny that as a powerful dark wizard, he was exceptionally skilled. And for a skill to be recognized and named after him, it had to be worthwhile.
Fiendfyre and the other skills were quickly dismissed, despite Albert's interest in the curse. He knew he couldn't waste this opportunity to acquire a designated skill.
Between Proficiency in Fundamental Theory and Voldemort's Casting Technique, Albert ultimately chose the latter. Mastering Voldemort's Casting Technique would undoubtedly enhance his strength, and most importantly, selecting it gave him the illusion of pulling one over on Voldemort, a more satisfying prospect than pulling the wool over Quirrell's eyes.
Trusting his instincts, Albert believed he had made the right choice.
After selecting the skill, Albert immediately used his experience pool to upgrade Voldemort's Casting Technique to Level 2, then eagerly closed his eyes to carefully recall the newfound knowledge embedded in his brain.
It wasn't just limited to casting techniques but also included Voldemort's unique understanding of spellcasting.
Score! Albert forcefully suppressed his excitement to avoid attracting attention from Katrina, who was focused on her homework.
He believed that once he thoroughly mastered Voldemort's Casting Technique, even if he couldn't defeat Rowena, he wouldn't be as easily suppressed by her.
Albert considered it for a moment, then decided to invest the 10,000 experience points he had just acquired into upgrading the skill further. He raised Voldemort's Casting Technique directly to Level 3.
Then, he closed his eyes again to carefully absorb Voldemort's unique insights into spellcasting.
The man who sought to evade death was indeed no ordinary wizard.
Albert drew his wand and waved it, and a lion-bodied eagle-headed beast erupted from the tip of his wand, shrinking into a hazy ball of light in front of him.
His casting was far from smooth and even clumsier than Quirrell's, but Albert could clearly feel that he was more adept at spellcasting now.
"I wracked my brains to complete the task, and it paid off!" he thought, convinced that Voldemort must have taught his casting technique to Quirrell, and that the professor must have gained some benefit from it to be so easily deceived.
However, Quirrell probably hadn't fully mastered it, but he had still benefited from this casting technique and the many dark arts, becoming the man who could break into Gringotts and walk away unscathed.
What a couple of great guys, Quirrell and Voldemort! Albert waved his wand, practicing Voldemort's Casting Technique.
"I've never seen that casting technique of yours before!" Isabelle exclaimed as she watched Albert repeatedly attempt the Transfiguration spell. "It's impressive. If you were to enter a competition, you'd definitely win the Barnabas Finkle Outstanding Casting Technique Award, too."
"Is yours Finkle's Casting Technique?" Albert asked.
"Yes, I self-studied it, but I've only learned a bit," Isabelle admitted with a nod.
"Wait until I've mastered it, then I'll teach you!"
Voldemort's Casting Technique was naturally far superior to that of most wizards.
However, Albert had no interest in the so-called Barnabas Finkle Outstanding Casting Technique Award. Participating in such an award would mean sharing this casting technique with others, and he wasn't willing to do that, not even with Isabelle, his girlfriend. As for the rest, they could forget about it! If Voldemort knew that someone had shamelessly claimed his casting technique as their own, the look on his face would surely be priceless.
(End of Chapter)
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