Chapter 926: New Professors at Hogwarts
Chapter 926: New Professors at Hogwarts
Just moments ago, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, but now it had suddenly cleared up, leaving Harry and Ron, among others, utterly astonished.
"Did you learn Divination from Professor Trelawney or something?" Ron asked in amazement, not connecting the sudden change in the weather to Ivan. After all, in his mind, even magic couldn't achieve such an outrageous feat.
"If only I could learn Divination..." Ivan rolled his eyes. Precognition was one of the abilities he most desired, but unfortunately, it was entirely dependent on natural talent, and even House Points couldn't help him there.
After chatting with Harry and Ron for a while, Ivan opened the System Bar to check his current status.
[Ivan Hals
Occupation: Bloodline Wizard
Bloodline Fusion: 6/7 (Unicorn, Basilisk, Boggart, Norwegian Ridgeback, Phoenix, Thunderbird)
Magic Gauge: 403
Magic: Transfiguration Spell Level 8 (237/25600), Patronus Charm Level 7 (1068/12800), Legilimency Level 7 (1105/12800), Fiendfyre Level 7 (1030/12800)
Bloodline Magic: Unicorn Shadow, Basilisk Gaze, Boggart Transformation, Dragon Transformation, Flame Control, Weather Manipulation
Magic Items: Human Bone Wand, Philosopher's Stone, Enhanced Protective Ring, Battle Robe...
Legend Points: 0/25
House Points: 950]
After fusing with the Thunderbird bloodline, Ivan's overall strength had significantly improved. The most noticeable change was his Magic Gauge breaking through the 400-point mark, equivalent to four times the total magic power of an adult wizard, which was quite substantial.
Now, even without the Philosopher's Stone, Ivan could easily use various powerful spells without worrying about running out of magic mid-cast.
Another significant improvement was his Transfiguration spell reaching Level 8, which he believed was related to the Thunderbird's characteristics. He had learned from Ollivander that wands made with Thunderbird feathers typically enhanced a wizard's Transfiguration magic.
After successfully breaking through to Level 8, Ivan found himself using Transfiguration spells with greater ease and precision, almost as if he had reached a level of mastery. The creatures he transfigured were indistinguishable from real ones until the magic dissipated.
If he could make further progress, he might be able to achieve true transformation, altering the fundamental nature of objects, much like the Philosopher's Stone.
The most important and final gain was the new Bloodline Magic: Weather Manipulation. During his battle with Grindelwald in the Tomb, he had already controlled storms and lightning.
After several days of experimentation, Ivan discovered he could use magic to change the weather in a specific area, even covering an entire city.
He hadn't yet thought of more specific applications, but he considered how he could create favorable weather conditions during battles to enhance the power of certain spells.
The train continued on its journey, eventually coming to a stop at the platform around dusk. Ivan and his companions followed the crowd off the train and boarded the Thestral-drawn carriages, swaying as they made their way toward the castle.
"Who do you think will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year?" Harry asked curiously.
“Whoever it is, they’re definitely going to have a rough year…” Ron said with a touch of schadenfreude. Ever since they started school, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had all met rather unfortunate fates. Even Lupin, who had fared better than most, didn’t last a full year before Snape exposed him.
At this thought, Ron suddenly seemed to realize something and turned to Ivan. “Could this year’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor be you, Ivan?”
“Of course not…” Ivan shook his head. Although the source of the curse, Voldemort, was dead, who knew if the curse was still in effect. He wasn’t about to risk his life.
What if he ended up with bad luck during a battle with Grindelwald?
So, Ivan guessed that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was likely to remain vacant this year. Most capable wizards in Britain understood the risks and wouldn’t want to take on the curse.
Snape, however, was very eager to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. But for the sake of his own safety, Ivan had Pierce reject his proposal. Besides, as Britain’s most outstanding Potions Master, it would be a waste for Snape to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
“What about our Defense Against the Dark Arts exams this year? Are they going to be canceled?” Harry immediately thought about the end-of-year exams. His O.W.L. exam results from the previous year were decent, and he was eligible to take the N.E.W.T. course.
He hadn’t forgotten that to become an Auror after graduation, an excellent score in Defense Against the Dark Arts was essential.
“While the classes won’t be held, the exams will still go on. Don’t worry, as long as you can pass my course, the exams won’t be a problem,” Ivan explained.
“By the way, Ivan, what are you planning to teach this year? Is Hogwarts adding a new course?” Ron asked.
“Sort of…” Ivan kept the details to himself, not wanting to spoil the surprise.
The Thestral-drawn carriage slowly rolled down the wide lane and stopped at the castle’s entrance. The students disembarked one by one, walking into the entrance hall together.
As Ivan had expected, there were no new faces in the professors’ seats at the magic podium. Two seats remained empty.
One was obviously for him, and the other was the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore’s seat. Since Hogwarts had yet to select a new headmaster, this position was currently vacant, with the school’s affairs managed by Deputy Headmistress Professor Mcgonagall.
“Come sit over here, Ivan!” Hagrid, who had been looking around the entrance hall, was the first to stand up and call out enthusiastically. He then slapped his head. “Oh, almost forgot, I should call you Professor Hals now!”
Flitwick, Mcgonagall, and the others also stood up warmly to welcome Ivan into the ranks of the professors.
Even the usually stern-faced Snape nodded in acknowledgment as Ivan passed by.
Once Ivan was seated, the opening ceremonies of the new school year began. The Sorting Hat sang a new song with a peculiar tone, a song it had spent the entire year composing. Then, under Professor Mcgonagall’s guidance, the nervous first-years took turns sitting on the magic podium’s chair.
“Gryffindor!” The Sorting Hat loudly announced the house to which a first-year was assigned.
Ivan watched with a distant look, and Flitwick, noticing this, chuckled. “Missing it, are you? Remembering how you looked when you first came to Hogwarts five years ago? I recall you looked just as young as these first-years, but you were incredibly brave, daring to face a troll alone in your first year…”
(End of Chapter)
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