《The Arcane Thief (Harry Potter LitRPG)》


 Chapter 1: The Heist

    A skinny boy walked along the busy streets of London, keeping his head low.


    The boy looked to be around 10 years old, and his clothes were a bit shabby. His raven locks hid his bright amber eyes and most of his face.


    *Thump*


    "Hey! watch it, squirt."


    "Sorry..." replied Axel, the boy, to yet another random passerby, making sure to keep his head low.


    He wasn''t behaving so timidly out of fear or nervousness. No, he was just trying to make sure that the random passerby he had just bumped into had nothing to remember him by.


    A smirk rose from the corner of his mouth as he pocketed the loaded wallet of yet another rich target.


    Yes, he was currently picking pockets in the cold streets of London.


    He wasn''t ashamed of it. In fact, he took pride in his skills. After all, he has acquired them after much pain and suffering.


    Though, his only targets are rich people who particularly seem to have this sense of superiority that he wants to smash. It might be unreasonable to some people, but Axel had personal reasons for his hate.


    He doesn''t steal from people who are poor or good natured. He might be a pickpocketer right now, but he still had his own pride and principles.


    These are the only things he can''t give up on.


    Axel has been an orphan for as long as he can remember. Though he didn''t use to be as homeless as he is right now.


    He used to live in an orphanage. It''s not like he didn''t have to struggle there, but at least he used to have a roof over his head and some food to fill his stomach.


    But somehow, these almost magical accidents kept happening around him.


    Whenever he was under emotional distress or in dire need of help, bad things would happen to those who are the cause of said distress.


    This kept on until the one at the receiving end of this ''accident'' was the son of a rich and powerful man.


    So, at the age of 8, he was kicked out of the orphanage, left to fend for himself. He even had to drop out of the school.


    Maybe he could have stayed if he endured the beatings of the older kids quietly without losing control, or maybe the Orphanage keeper could have still kept him if he begged for it or complained to the local authority. But, Axel decided that he had had enough of that place.


    Well, what would an eight year old know¡­ that life as a homeless 8 year old would be much, much worse than a bullied eight year old.


    But Axel didn''t regret it. There''s something inside him that would just rather die than bow down in submission.


    That was about 3 years ago. In the past three years, he has had to go through a lot. And these years have also helped him confirm something about himself.


    He is weird.


    Like, different kind of weird.


    Any other kid would have definitely died after going through what he has gone through in the past three years. And yet, here he is at the age of 11, still clinging on to life like a leech.


    He has also always felt himself to be more mature than his peers, rather, his mind grows very fast, picking up things much quicker than most.


    Axel checked the contents of the wallet he had just picked up.


    "Nice haul," he muttered, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards.


    There was a point when he almost died of starvation. But now, he has amassed enough wealth to last him for quite a while.


    But Axel wasn''t satisfied with just having enough money for food. He knows that he can''t keep living like this forever.


    Pickpocketing and petty thefts are not sustainable and the money is too low for his ambitions. This money is not legal either, neither does it bring any status to him.


    He needs a more permanent fix to his problem, like having an education, a real job or business. But till then, he is going to focus on gathering the money for it.


    ''So... who''s next?'' he thought to himself as his eyes darted in all directions. Pickpocketing is a difficult job. He can''t just start robbing random people and a lot of time and patience are needed for all the other conditions to meet. Though his one redundant quality is that, he only robs rich @ssholes, like the kid who bullied him and his father, who got him expelled.


    Of course, it¡¯s still not ethical and stealing is still stealing, but hey, what else can a kid his age do? Get a job?


    ¡®Ah, is it my lucky day today?¡¯ He asked himself as he found a man who seemed to be begging to be robbed just after a few minutes of strolling.


    It was a tall man with grey eyes, dressed luxuriously in an odd old-fashioned cloak that covered his whole body, walking across with a disgusted expression on his face as he looked around the whole world distastefully. He had a fancy cane in his hand that he didn¡¯t seem to need at all. His ''thou art beneath me'' look instantly signed him up on top of Axel''s steal list.


    Even as Axel began to make his way toward the man, he had to wonder just why the man seemed so disdainful of everything. He decided that he will not be bumping into this guy. The guy seems to be the sort who''d want to beat him up just for having any physical contact with a street urchin. So, he has to apply one of his more subtle approaches.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ''It''s going to be a bit difficult, but it''s not like I can''t run away,'' thought Axel a bit smugly.


    Though he definitely possessed the talent and skills to back up his claims. He has the confidence to outrun any man in this area. He has managed to slip out of the worst of situations.


    Though... all these claims applied only to muggles and he had no way of knowing this at the time.


    The clueless Axel studied the man carefully and pinpointed the location of the man''s possessions. He then purposefully began walking in the way of the incoming man, timing their intersection perfectly at the moment when the alley was the closest to ensure his escape route in case of being caught.


    When he reached right in front of the man, the guy inevitably had to look at the annoying bug in front of him. Just as the amber eyes met grey, Axel''s eyes shifted to glance behind the man and his expression changed dramatically, his steps also stopping.


    The man, who thought himself to be a sharp one, quickly glanced behind, only to find... nothing! Everything seemed to be normal.


    ''Score!'' Axel smirked. 50% work was already done. Lightning quick, his hand snaked into the man''s unusual cloak to find his wallet. Though oddly enough, instead of a wallet, he found a pouch. Some king of leather skin. Given that he had less than a second to do his thing, he didn''t think too much and quickly stuffed the pouch into the bulky jacket he was wearing. Or at least, he tried to...


    Everything had gone very well, and he had even managed to not make any noise even while stealing such a bulky pouch which must have been filled with coins.


    But, as he moved past the man while pocketing the pouch, he felt the pouch in his hand growing extremely hot all of sudden, making him curse inwardly! And... if that wasn''t enough, it somehow also emitted an extremely loud noise, as if to alarm the owner about a thief!


    ''Fuck!'' Cursing at the absurdity of the situation, Axel didn''t waste his time. He chucked the purse to the other side of the street to distract the man and made a beeline for the alley while his brain worked furiously.


    ''He should glance towards his flying purse, and then he would either run after me, or the pouch, or pull out a knife, or even a gun. I should at least have 2 seconds to run in all cases,''


    And that was enough to run into the alley. Once he turned, the man would have to chase to get a clear shot and by then, he would be out of his sight. Thus, Axel should be out fine for now. But suddenly, he felt something was wrong.


    He threw a quick glance behind him ¡ª Only to see the man pointing the stick which he had in his hand at Axel and a beam of purple light already half on its way to hit him.


    Eyes widening, he quickly tried to dodge but it was already too late. He was quick, but he was not THAT quick yet.


    The light hit him on his side, and his whole body instantly went stiff, completely immobile. For some reason, the man hasn''t thrown a second glance towards the pouch, and neither did he have to pull out his weapon from his robe. It was always in his hand! That fancy stick. Thus, the man was able to catch Axel off guard since Axel never knew there was a world of magic he had no knowledge about.


    Axel''s petrified body hit the ground hard, but the man was far from satisfied. He was looking at Axel like he was an ant that had just bitten the man.


    "Filthy mudblood animal¡­ quite daring to try and steal from a pureblood wizard in the middle of the day," he drawled, his voice containing cold fury.


    He flicked his fancy stick and the pouch that had been thrown across the street somehow flew back into the man''s waiting hand.


    Axel was completely out of the loop with what was happening right now. First the alarm, and the hot bag, then that beam of light which came out of that stick which made him completely immobile, and now that mudblood and pureblood wizard thingy.


    He didn''t know what was happening, but from one look at the man''s ruthless face, he knew that if he didn''t escape right now, he was in some serious danger. He knows that look well. If he''s caught, he''d be lucky to escape with a few broken bones.


    ''C''mon! Move! Move!'' He tried, he really did. But try as he might, he couldn''t make his body move at all!


    The next thing he knew, he was somehow lifted off the ground and carried into the alleyway at the man''s wandpoint.


    The man waved his wand a few more times and muttered something and the world around him turned silent. He couldn''t hear the noise coming from the busy street of London, nor anything else, just the man''s footsteps as he came to stand in front of his petrified body.


    He heard the man chuckle darkly at his vain struggles. "You filthy little thing. I was angry at first, but now... I think it was for my own good that you delivered yourself to me. After all, it''s been a while since I tortured someone to my heart''s content," he said and Axel felt the man''s voice tone changing.


    Beforehand, his voice was cold and almost emotionless. But now, it seemed as if a barrier had been lifted off, and now his voice was sounding much scarier. He understood that voice. It''s the voice of someone who enjoys inflicting pain.


    The man squatted down in front of him, making his face visible. His face was set in a disdainful annoyed look before. But now, his mouth was curved into a cruel, sadistic grin and his eyes contained a hint of madness in them. Looking at this guy, Axel renewed his struggle to break free while his mind tried to find some way out of this absurd situation.


    ''If it''s a dream, now would be a great time to wake up,'' he thought as he saw the man pointing the stick at him again.


    "CRUCIO!"


    !!!!


    In his small life, Axel had suffered much physical pain through various means, and his pain tolerance had gotten quite high. Not to brag, but he didn''t think there were many things that would now make him flinch.


    But this thing, whatever it was, not only made him flinch, it made him squirm in utter agony for what felt like forever! He''d never felt pain this intense in all parts of his body at the same time and for such a prolonged duration! He just wanted it to end.


    And, due to the damn paralysis, he couldn''t even scream, nor could he move to stop the man which caused an odd creaking sound from his body when he tried to move it. One of his shoulders seems to be dislocated in his extreme attempt at moving.


    The man, upon seeing Alex glaring at him, raised his eyebrows in surprise. He seemed almost... impressed.


    "I have to admit, you''ve got some fight in you, little rat. I never expected that a little mudblood could stay sane after taking that," he muttered, almost to himself. He had thought that he''ll kill the rat after one crucio since a child wasn''t expected to retain a functioning brain after one, but it seems that he can have a bit more fun with this one.


    "CRUCIO!"


    Axel, who was still recoiling from the first spell, made to dodge it but then, he remembered that he still couldn''t move at all!


    Helpless, he could only grit his teeth and suffer as his bones creaked from the strain. But this time, he tried to distract himself from the pain by thinking of a way out of this situation. Though all he could think of was how it could be this painful and how he would even surrender all his money if this man would just stop this.


    Though after the third Cruciatus, all Axel had in his mind was¡ª


    ''I''ll kill you... I''ll kill you... I''ll kill you!''


    Now, even if the man kindly stopped, took him to the hospital, and gave him a lot of money, Axel still wouldn''t let this guy off!


    By now, the man could no longer take pleasure in the boy''s suffering. He had to admit, he was more than a bit creeped out from the look in his hate-filled amber eyes which seemed to bore a hole through his skull.


    Even trained Aurors would be much worse off than this little guy who was glaring at him like a chained beast waiting to pounce. He even felt a bit intimidated by it.


    ''No! I will not be intimidated by a mere child!'' The man refused to admit it and thus, decided to make this boy beg like he should.


    "You''ll be begging for death after this."


    """"CRUCIO!!!"""" he didn''t hold back this time. He wasn''t the most powerful in the world, but this much is easily enough to incapacitate an adult wizard, most probably for life. It''s called an unforgivable for a reason.


    This time, Axel got hit so bad that he had to dislocate his jaw just so that he could scream out his pain. Blood came from his eyes and nose, and if he hadn''t relieved himself just half an hour ago, then even his bladder would have come loose.


    But... somehow, the fight in his amber-colored eyes had still not waned. It had intensified!


    The reason he didn''t give up, despite wanting to die right now was...


    He didn''t want to give this man the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. Yes sir, this man... has to die.


    He was feeling a variety of emotions right now which contained a healthy amount of fear, panic, and confusion at how this man was able to do this unknown damnable torture.


    But the most prevalent emotion in his head right now was¡ªRage. Yes, he was royally pissed right now, and for a good reason.


    Painful memories of the past flashed past his eyes. Back then, he was weak and helpless against the strong opponents who beat him mercilessly. But he was still not willing to take it lying down. Even he didn''t know why, but he absolutely couldn''t just bow his head and accept it like any other weak orphan in his place should.


    So, he worked hard. He tried to become strong, strong enough so that he does not lose control. Strong enough that he would be the one giving out the beatings.


    Right now, even if he wasn''t strong enough to be invincible, but he was confident enough to at least escape if the enemy is stronger.


    But! Here he is, getting his ass handed to him once again. Only, this time, it was much much much worse.


    So, wasn''t he back to square one? This man was able to deal with Axel with just one beam of light and now he was playing with him.


    Then... wasn''t he still too weak? And, it doesn''t seem that his life is going to be spared when this guy is done with him.


    ''Do I need to depend on that again?'' He thought in exasperation as his dead eyes suddenly focused back sharply on the man.


    Axel once again brought back the power that he hated, the power that had gotten him thrown to the streets.


    A spark lit up in the depths of his bloodshot amber eyes, and soon, it seemed like his eyes were glowing.


    ...

 Chapter 2: The Awakening

    After the latest Cruciatus, the man was now fairly unsettled. He was panting heavily from the use of the full-powered Cruciatus curse, and his eyes seemed to question reality.


    The scene in front of him was... unbelievable. He had expected the child to die, or atleast have his mind completely broken. But instead, the boy somehow seemed to be fully conscious. And, the most disturbing factor¡ª


    ¡®No sign of submission,¡¯ he thought, looking into the boy''s rage-filled eyes that seemed to have no sign of submission, begging or pleading.


    This was the weirdest of all things. When a person is hit by the Cruciatus, their first instinct is to submit. An unbearable longing for the pain to stop. And in such conditions, 99.9% of people would give up and beg pathetically for the caster to grant them mercy which is why it''s the favorite spell of people like him.


    Considering that this boy was a bottom dreg of the society¡ªthe lowest of the low, and his age should be around 10, then the boy can not possibly possess such pride and mental fortitude to be able to hold on till now.


    By now, it was quite clear that the boy was not a muggle. He refused to believe that a muggle child could be this exceptional. But, he couldn''t be a wizard either. Wizard children do develop faster, but none he has seen so far can be this abnormal.


    He decided it was better to just kill this monster and be done with it since he had begun to have a bad feeling when looking at those eyes.


    But at this moment, he noticed that the boy''s reddish-orange eyes suddenly started to glow, making it look like flames were dancing in those amber eyes.


    The man''s eyes widened. Goosebumps rose on his skin and a chill went down his spine. He hastened his casting¡ª


    "AVADA¡ª¡±


    But before the spell could be finished, Axel screamed at the top of his lungs... and a magical shockwave spread out of his body. The man''s wand was blown right out of his hand, interrupting the chant.


    Axel had decided to put up one final struggle, giving it his all to break out of whatever was holding him back. He was hoping for one of those freaky incidents which had gotten him kicked out of the orphanage to happen. It only used to happen when he used to be extremely angry or panicked. And right now, there was no shortage of any of those.


    And sure enough, with a snap, he was somehow able to break free!


    The first thing he did was to kick that weird-ass stick out of the man''s hand. In his opinion, it was some kind of new gun that the rich people had the access to.


    Right now, after four Cruciatus-es, Axel wasn''t in the right state of mind. He had never felt such hatred towards anyone else up until now. His whole body was throbbing with acute pain, his jaw and left shoulder were dislocated, blood was coming out of his nose and his eyes were completely bloodshot.


    Axel had never committed murder in his whole life. But right now, in his half-broken mind, he had only one thought.


    ''KILL!!!''


    "H-How...?"


    The man was completely stunned right now.


    And before he could even bring himself out of the state of shock to think about bringing out the spare wand from his pouch¡ª


    *SHIN* "AAAAAHHHH!"


    He found a knife stabbed right through his crotch. The grown-ass man shrieked like a woman and fell to his knees in pain.


    What had happened was, as soon as Axel had broken free, the first thing he did was to take out his knife with the hand he was able to move and stab it right into the man''s crotch and bring it out, causing blood to start spraying out on the street.


    While the man screamed, Alex also grunted from the pain he felt upon moving his body. He was having difficulty breathing and his heart was throbbing in pain with every beat. He really would have died if he had to suffer from another Cruciatus. Thus, without further ado, he slit the man''s throat and started stabbing the knife repeatedly into the man''s chest.


    From his previous experiences, he knows not to let his opponent fight back, at all. Because his opponents are always physically superior, he can''t have the luxury to play around.


    Axel watched, almost regretfully, as life slowly drained out of the man''s eyes. He would have liked to return at least a bit of the torture that he''d received. But he had to admit, he wasn''t in the condition to even struggle if the man somehow fought back.


    Thus, he could only stab the man''s eye to somewhat satiate his mad fury. It didn''t help much. Heck, he couldn''t even deliver any last taunting words since his jaw was dislocated and his throat sore from screaming his lungs out earlier.


    After he was done, he felt his head spinning and his vision darkening as he fell back down. It seems he was not going to be able to move for quite some time.


    Just as Axel was pondering what to do next, he saw a bright light descending on him, and the next thing he knew, he was hearing a voice inside his head.


    [Congratulations! You have proven yourself worthy. You have been chosen by the entity A.R.]


    Axel blinked his eyes several times upon listening to the robot female voice and seeing the text floating in front of him.


    ''What... the f*ck is that?'' he thought in bewilderment.


    ''Have I really lost it after that torture?''Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He was in a bad enough situation as it is. He''d rather quickly find a solution to his current predicament than focus on these hallucinations.


    Right now, if anyone saw him with a dead body, his life in London along with his dreams was over. So, he has to leave this place QUICK. But... the problem is...


    ''I... I can''t move! Damn! Even lifting my hand hurts like hell! What did that guy do to my body?!''


    *Ding*


    [Your body is in poor condition and your adrenaline rush is over. Thus you are unable to move.


    Your jaw and right shoulder have been dislocated.


    You have been under a prolonged duration of Cruciatus Curse which has caused severe damage to your nervous system.


    Immediate treatment is recommended for survival.


    And you are currently unable to move because your body''s physical and magical strength has been severely depleted]


    "...."


    ''... This ain''t no hallucination.'' Axel concluded after a moment of silence. There''s no way it is. Since he couldn''t understand even half of it, so his imagination couldn''t have made this up. He used to like studying but his circumstances haven''t allowed him to have enough education to know all this medical shit.


    But, he knew enough to understand that he needed medical attention real quick.


    But, no matter if there was some robotic voice in his head that could tell his body''s state. It seems quite useless if it can''t take him out of here.


    ''What else can you do except telling me things? Can you cure me? Can you give me some energy to move?'' Asked Axel to this voice in his mind. He couldn''t speak because his jaw hurt badly every time he tried so he could only try to project his thoughts with his mind.


    Thankfully, the voice responded.


    [No. Not with your current clearance at least. The perks you enjoy will increase in the future.]


    Right now, in this situation, Axel couldn''t care less about the future.


    ''... Then, aren''t you quite useless right now? Aren''t you quite weak? What can I do with just information?''


    [Host, if you have the right information, information can be much more powerful and useful than superficial powers.


    If you follow the system''s instructions, you will eventually be cured. You can also eventually become the strongest.]


    That got Axel''s attention. He was quite excited to hear that he could be the strongest. But... after living in the streets for so long, he had learned one thing: Nothing''s free in this world.


    ''Why are you helping me? What do you want in return?''


    [This world has diverged drastically from the original course. As it is, there would be many wars in different communities. In this Situation, you have been chosen by the Akashic Records to bring back the balance.]


    [Do understand that the laws of the world do not allow the Akashic Records to force their will upon you. Thus, you are free to choose whether to accept it or not. In case you accept, you will be bonded with the system and will be allowed access to the vast knowledge the Akashic Records contain.]


    Axel had to take a pause at that. Damn, this system is like one of those greasy salesmen selling shady products. And at this moment, with his debilitating injuries, he has no other choice.


    "Sigh..."


    ''Alright, what do I have to do?''


    *Ding*


    [Quest Activated: Go to the Saint Mungo''s Hospital.


    Time: 2 hours


    Reward:


    1)Basic knowledge of the Wizarding World.


    2)5% Approval from AR.


    Failure/Delay:


    ->Death due to heart and organ failure.]


    [Instructions: Firstly, take out the dead man''s pouch, and open it.]


    Axel immediately disagreed, ''I''m not touching that thing. My hand''s still burning from the last time I touched it!''


    [Your hand is now covered in the man''s blood. The enchantments would not reject you this time. The host is recommended to take action quickly. The privacy spells placed by the man are going to run out soon.]


    Axel was having difficulty understanding what this system was spouting and he currently had hundreds of questions to ask this system. But... he knew that he neither had the time nor choice to dally.


    With much difficulty, he took out the pouch from the man''s coat, and surprisingly, it didn''t react this time. Opening it, he found himself looking into a space that was at least 50 cubic centimeters filled with coins, which means a lot considering that pouch was quite small and weightless.


    "...."


    Axel was now getting numb to the weird things that have been happening in his life. He''s been having weird episodes of power release which have saved him more than once in difficult situations.


    And just a while back he even received a letter addressed to his name delivered by a freaking owl! He had refused to believe in its contents but after today? Not so much.


    [Quickly search for a blue coloured potion and drink it.]


    Axel quickly found what he was looking for. And at this moment, there was a loud sound of a bubble popping and suddenly, he could hear the noise from the street again. Axel knew that he had run out of time.


    ''If this kills me, I''m going to kill you,'' he muttered unintelligibly before uncorking the vial with trembling hands and downing the contents in one go.


    Immediately, he started feeling light-headed. Then slowly, the constant unbearable pain he was feeling started to abate, making him almost cry tears out of relief. Then, his mind began to buzz with a pleasant sensation and he began to sway on the spot.


    ''Whazaaheck waz that?'' he asked, trying to keep himself sober.


    At that moment, a ding sounded in his head. And his mind got clear once again. But his body was still feeling pleasant.


    [It was called Exquisite Ecstasy, an addictive potion that only the rich wizards can enjoy. It was the only potion available at the moment which could help you move. It numbed the pain in your body, thus enabling you to move. And your mind has been cleared by the system.]


    Axel tried to move his body. It still hurt to move, and the tremors still hadn''t stopped, and he was quite slow, but it was still much better than before.


    ''Manageable,'' he thought before he picked up the man''s fancy stick, which was definitely a very dangerous weapon, and put it inside the pouch.


    Clearing all the traces and wiping the blood off himself, he left the man''s dead body and limped out of the alley while covering his face.


    [Host is recommended to visit the St Mungo''s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. And make haste, the host doesn''t have much time left.]


    ...


    A while later, an 11-year-old boy entered the St. Mungos through the unique entrance and crawled his way to the counter. Unfortunately, the pouch contained only one vial of the potion and the effect had mostly run out by now.


    If that wasn''t enough, there was terrible traffic along the road so he was delayed a lot.


    At the system''s urging, he even had to hide the pouch outside as well. He only brought in a few Galleons with him.


    Looking at the hospital-like environment around him, Axel sighed in relief. He was doubtful at first, and why wouldn''t he be? What kind of hospital can one find if it is said to be hidden under a shabby department store called Purge and Dowse, Ltd?


    *Ding*


    [Quest Completed]


    [Congratulations! You have successfully reached the Hospital. You will now survive, though you will experience some side effects of long term exposure to the Crutiatus.]


    [Reward: Basic knowledge about the Wizarding World.


    6% approval from AR(You were expected to fall unconscious halfway through the journey)]


    Suddenly, his mind was filled with the knowledge of the Wizarding World. But Axel focused more on the side effects.


    ''What the f*ck?! You said I''ll be cured if I follow your instructions!''


    [The system assured you that you will be cured eventually. The Saint Mungo''s doesn''t have the necessary knowledge to cure you.]


    ¡®Alright, so how do I cure myself completely?¡¯


    [You do not have enough Approval rate to unlock this information]


    ''Approval Rate? What even is that?'' He asked as he recalled that it was a reward for the task he completed just now.


    ''I don''t understand! Since Akashic Records have chosen me given and me a system, and you had a way to help, then why the fuck did you not?!''


    [The AR is bound by the World Law and can only provide limited help/intervention. The approval rate, is the indicator of the World''s approval of intervention. Only with a high Approval Rate can you be someone who AR can help without breaking the world laws. It raises your status and makes you an exception to certain world laws.]


    [That being said, you now have 6% approval. That means the help system can provide you has increased. Once you cross 10%, a new system feature will be unlocked.]


    Axel was left speechless at the system''s reply. But right now, he was thoroughly spent. He fell completely flat on the floor. His last action was to toss out a small purse full of Galleons at the reception before he passed out.


    A healer quickly came to check Axel''s condition. The healer gasped as she finished diagnosing the patient.


    "Cruciatus! 5th-degree exposure suspected! Immediate treatment required!" She called out in shock. 5th degree is the highest order of exposure. It means that the exposure is more than enough to be fatal and it''s mostly given to dead bodies.


    The people in the lobby gasped when they heard the healer''s words. Mind you, the hospital has lots of serious cases daily due to various accidents and attacks, but torturing a child with a Cruciatus, and to such an extent... death would have been a mercy.


    Axel was quickly rushed into the emergency room.


    "Call for Healer Andromeda immediately!"


    ¡­.

 Chapter 3: The Changes

    When he woke up, Axel found himself strapped to a bed.


    !!!!!


    Startled, he tried to free himself in a hurry.


    Feeling sore all over his body, the previous events came rushing back to him like a tide. Torture, a wizarding world, and war.


    Was it all just a fantasy...? Was it imaginary...?


    ''Where am I now?''


    [Replying to the host, you do not seem to have fantasized anything.]


    "Dang it!" It looks like the world really isn''t as simple as he had thought. What happened... was indeed all real.


    ''I really almost died... and then killed the guy.''


    Unlike last time, his state of mind was much better right now.


    He realized that he had killed someone and he didn''t feel the slightest bit of guilt doing it. He also realized that someone else in his place would probably be freaking out right now.


    But well, he grew up in a different environment than those pampered good-natured wannabes. Morality doesn''t fill your stomach, nor does it make you invincible.


    ''Also magic... seems to be real,'' he thought, sifting through the new information in his mind. As a reward for completing the quest earlier, he had gotten the basic knowledge of the wizarding world.


    The fact there''s a whole magical world out there somewhat surprised Axel, but not too much. He had already gotten the letter to Hogwarts and even if he didn''t believe in its contents at that time, he had still somewhat accepted the possibility of magic existing due to his repeated unnatural accidents.


    If anything, he was excited. If magic is real, then... can''t he make stealing so much easier?!


    But, first things first.


    Axel scanned his surroundings. He was in a clean room, with some weird-looking gadgets around him some of which were making beeping sounds.


    His belongings were taken away, but he still at least had his cross shaped pendant around his neck that he has had since childhood.


    Examining his body, he realized that his shoulder and jaw were fixed but the same could not be said about his body. When he looked at his hands, he realized that they we''re still trembling.


    Axel clenching them into fists, and found that he could exert little to no strength. Pain shot up from his finger to his shoulders, making him jerk in surprise.


    "That guy... I really killed him too early," he muttered, feeling unreconciled.


    Moving his body still hurts a lot. It seems that as the system predicted, he is not healed yet. And if the system is right, he is going to have to bear the pain for while before he can heal.


    "?"


    At this moment, he heard rapid footsteps which made him tense up.


    "Oh! You really are awake!" she said, looking surprised. She was a beautiful woman, with a somewhat aristocratic bearing, but her eyes conveyed kindness.


    She slowly approached his side, her gaze not leaving him for a second examining him as if she expected him to do something.


    "You don''t need to fear anything," she said slowly, as if talking to a small kid, "You are safe here. Nobody''s going to hurt you,"


    Looking at the woman with raised eyebrows, Axel replied,


    "Well, I wouldn''t have been worried in the first place if I wasn''t strapped to a bed like this," he said calmly, gesturing at his restraints.


    "...."


    There was a pause where the woman''s eyes widened. Then,


    "H-How...?" She questioned, looking at him in disbelief. It was assumed that the patient must have gone insane or brain dead after that much damage.


    Axel was feeling a bit impatient now,


    "Hey lady, can you please undo the restraints? And why am I strapped up in the first place?" He asked looking calm, though inwardly, his heartbeat sped up.


    ''Did they figure out I killed a man?!''


    The woman recovered quickly as she explained, "You have been tortured by the unforgivable curse, it is expected that you will not be... in the right state of mind after such a prolonged exposure." she explained.


    "Huh, is that so?"


    Axel shrugged, "Well, as you can see, I''m completely sane right now. There''s no problem with my head whatsoever. Is that so surprising?"


    The woman nodded looking at him with pity, "It really is surprising. Especially considering your age. It''s not like there''s no other case of people staying sane after Cruciatus Exposure. But, they''re were all adults, very powerful, and skilled in mind arts. You, on the other hand, are too young. Your body and mind aren''t developed enough. So the damage and pain your body and mind would suffer would be that much more crippling. If only you had been a few years older, at least you wouldn''t have suffered such physical harm..."Stolen story; please report.


    The woman seemed to be ready to go into full-on geek mode, so Axel shook his restraints a little to get her attention.


    "Oh right. I suppose we won''t be needing the safety restraints anymore," saying so, she waved her wand and Axel was suddenly free.


    "...Thank you," he said politely, though he was still on guard.


    The woman didn''t fail to notice how he had flinched when she had pointed her wand at him. Compassion and sorrow filled her eyes and she put her wand far away as she could before she sat at a chair by his bedside and gave him a gentle smile.


    "You really don''t need to worry. I''m Andromeda Tonks, a Master Healer. What''s your name?"


    "Axel."


    She waited for him to elaborate, but Axel couldn''t say ''thief'' as his profession, so he stayed silent.


    "Um... Axel, you can contact your family or guardian now, so that they can visit you. You''ve been here for two days, so they must be worried."


    "I... don''t need to contact anyone," he said, his tone a bit rigid.


    Andromeda paused, a bit confused. "Why? Surely they must want to know you''re fine?"


    Axel rolled is eyes. "There really is no need!"


    Andromeda''s brows furrowed. "This is not right, young man. You have just gone through a horrible ordeal. You have to call someone, who can accompany you through this. Have you run away from home?"


    Axel realized that he realized that there''s no avoiding it. "Lady, I''m an orphan and there''s no one who gives a shit whether I live or die. Can you just let me stay alone?"


    Andromeda''s lips parted but no words came out.


    "I... please forgive me. I was insensitive. Can you tell me how this happened? Who did this to you?"


    Axel shook his head, "I can''t tell you anything," he said instantly. It wouldn''t have been a problem if the person in question wasn''t dead right now.


    Andromeda was quite stumped. She a lot of scars on the boy''s body from various injuries. And he had been tortured by Cruciatus at level that no one before have gone through and survive. And now he had no one to take of him after going through all this.


    She decided she''s going to help him.


    Andromeda put a hand on his shoulder, "Axel, you can tell me. They won''t be able to hurt you again. I''m willing to help you... My sister is Bellatrix Black. You might have heard of her...


    "Uh... I don''t know?"


    "She''s the minister of magic."


    Axel''s eyes widened at that news.


    ''Minister of Magic?!''


    Through the basic knowledge he got from the system, he knew what that meant.


    "Your sister is the Minister of Magic?" He repeated in surprise.


    Andromeda beamed proudly, "Yes, and the best one yet too! Magical Britain has made rapid progress in the last 10 years under her leadership. It has jumped from 30th place to 5th place in the world''s most Magically advanced countries in just a decade," she said. She really looked like an elder sister bragging about the achievements of her little sister.


    "Is your sister a good person? How strong is she?" He asked, thinking about what the system had said, about the Wizarding World being in danger of wars.


    Andromeda shook her head, "Bella... she appears strict and merciless. But she has a kind heart. And she''s powerful... power, skills, brains: she has them all," said Andromeda fondly.


    Axel grew confused, ''Oi system, is this woman lying? If not, then why the hell is a war going to happen in the future?''


    [She''s not lying. Bellatrix Black is a good leader. But, she is a streak of madness in her. She was supposed to have gone insane and locked up in prison, but someone saved her.  The problem is that the fate of Voldemort, the main threat, who was supposed to powerless, has also changed. Once he returns, he is going to be much more powerful than he was supposed, thus breaking the balance.]


    Andromeda suddenly realized that Axel had very expertly diverted the topic and she still hadn''t gotten her answers. Feeling embarrassed, she came back to the main concern,


    "So, as I was saying, you can tell me everything. I can help. We can sign the healer-patient contract. I''ll keep it all a secret."


    ''Just leave me alone, ma''am.'' Axel was now feeling uncomfortable from this lady''s kind intentions.


    ''What the heck does she want from me?'' he wondered.


    Nevertheless, Axel shook his head,


    "It''s not a big deal. Someone was just feeling bored and wanted some amusement. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn''t let me see their face."


    Andromeda frowned. She wondered why this boy sounds so dismissive when such a big episode happened to him.


    ''Does he not realize?!''


    "It IS a big deal," she said, getting frustrated. "You had to bear an unimaginable amount of pain! You could have gone insane! Your entire Nervous system is in shambles! Even with the improvement in healing practices, the side effects might not be completely cured for life! Do you not understand?!"


    Axel laughed sardonically, feeling a bit angry.


    "Of course I understand! And Of course, I care! But, I know... that it is useless to complain! Cause no one else would care enough! Even if they care, it''s because they want something from me.


    This is not the first time I''ve ended up with the short hand of the stick! I was not strong enough, and that''s it. I''ll be ready for it the next time." he ranted. By the end of it, he was feeling quite calm.


    Yes, there''s nothing to complain about. He''s already killed the bastard. He can''t resurrect him, just to kill him again, can he?


    Wait, can he?


    ''System?''


    [No.]


    ''Tsk~ Spoilsport.''


    "Now, can you please tell me when I can leave?" He asked the stunned woman.


    "...."


    And Andromeda was positively despondent looking at the boy. He must have suffered a lot to have this kind of outlook on life. He needs some positivity in life.


    "You are eleven, yes?" She asked suddenly, surprising Axel.


    "...What¡ª my age? Um, yes I''m eleven," he said, wondering what this woman was up to now.


    "Then, I suppose you are going to Hogwarts, yes?"


    "Hogwarts? I did get the letter," he mentioned, actually interested in this topic. The basic knowledge from system also contained information about Hogwarts. A school where he can learn magic.


    "Why do you sound unsure? Of course you have to go! It is the best institute of learning for wizards. As an orphan, if you study diligently, you can turn your life around!"


    Axel thought about it. A place where he can learn magic doesn''t sound bad.


    ''System, can I really learn magic there?''


    [Affirmative. In recent years, after some changes, Hogwarts is shaping up to be one of the best institutes for magic. Even students from different countries are coming to attend it.]


    ''Can I delay it?''


    [No, you won''t be eligible next year.]


    Axel thought about it and made a decision.


    "I will attend it," he answered Andromeda.


    The woman beamed. "That''s great! Have you done your shopping yet? The term starts in two days, right?"


    Axel shook his head. He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet up with a member of staff tomorrow at his address(An Alley) to go shopping. It was written in the letter that the school would pay for all the necessities.


    "I have to meet a staff member tomorrow to do the shopping," he told her.


    Andromeda denied it instantly, "Don''t go with them. They''ll only buy you cheap stuff. I''ll write to Professor Mcgonagall to let me take you shopping!" She decided. The main aim was to keep an eye on the boy.


    She has to observe if he''s physically and mentally stable for allowing him to leave.


    Does she have the money and authority to do so? Bitch, she''s a member of the Black family (reinstated by Bella) and a master Healer. In here, whatever she says, goes.


    Axel on the other hand, still had question marks on his head.


    ''What the hell does she want?''

 Chapter 4: The New Diagon Alley

    Axel felt like things had suddenly taken a strange turn.


    Out of nowhere, he was going to Hogwarts and his shopping guide was being changed from Hogwarts staff to this Healer whom he had known for a few minutes.


    "Ma''am, though I appreciate the offer, I can manage the shopping on my own."


    Andromeda shook her head. "Nonsense. I am not letting you go anywhere without my supervision. Even though you seem to have no mental problems so far, I cannot clear you without proper observation. I would have kept you in bed for weeks, if you didn''t have to go to Hogwarts in three days," she said as went to the cabinet that was filled with potions and medicines.


    While Andromeda was picking out potions for him, Axel finally gathered up the strength to get up.


    "Motherfu--" He yelled out in pain, but gritted his teeth and continued.


    Andromeda turned out and found Axel standing up straight, his legs, arms, and fingers shaking.


    She gasped. "What in the Merlin''s name do you think you''re doing?!"


    Andromeda rushed over and supported his body in concern. "You aren''t supposed to move yet. You aren''t even suppose to be able to move yet! You are in a pain paralysis!"


    "Pain paralysis?"


    "It means moving will induce so much pain that your body simply won''t allow you to move!" Andromeda had a somewhat bewilered look on her face. "How did you even stand up and not faint from pain?" She asked, settling him back on the bed.


    "Well, it just a little painful, but not to the point that I can''t move." Axel shrugged nonchalantly, flexing his fingers. There was painful, but compared to how bad it bad when he under the man''s spell, this is nothing.


    Andromeda looked at Axel in astonishment. "I... think I am beginning to understand how you survived."


    After getting him to drink a bunch of horrifying potions, casting some spells, and fiddling with the gadgets connected to him, the busy Master Healer left to see her next patient.


    Seeing her being no nice and caring, Axel felt a bit uncomfortable, always feeling like she might want something out of it. He now realized that he was weak to kindness, having never encountered it before.


    Axel shook his head, focusing to better things.


    ''Hey system, quickly teach me how to do magic! I need to be strong!'' He was beginning to find this robotic female voice cute. Though even if he didn''t show it, he took the system''s advice seriously.


    [Host is advised to recover more before practicing magic. Also, beginners need a wand for practicing and the wand you possess is currently lying in the pouch which you hid outside so you can''t cast any spells.]


    Well, that was disappointing.


    "Then, how the heck am I supposed to train?" He muttered but then heard a familiar ding sound.


    *Ding*


    [You have received the best Occlumency knowledge from the system.]


    *Ding*


    [Quest Activated: Learn Mind Arts


    Mind Arts is a term given to Mental or Spiritual Magic. It is as important as any other powerful magic, if not more.


    You can start with Occlumency.


    Occlumency:


    A branch of Mind arts that deals with defending and organizing the mind, as well as controlling the emotions.


    Rewards:


    1)Beginner Stage Occlumency: Potion Recipe to cure the side effects of Cruciatus + 5% Approval


    2)Intermediate Stage Occlumency: New Mind Art unlocked- Legilimency + ???


    3)Advanced Stage Occlumency: Another Mind Art unlocked + ???


    4)Master Stage Occlumency: Spiritual Arts unlocked + ???]


    "S-System, am I not seeing things?" Asked Axel shakily. Occlumency sounds amazing and he can''t wait to know about the other Mind Arts as well.


    As someone who''s always relied primarily on his mind, dexterity, and agility, Axel couldn''t be more excited right now.


    To top it all off, he can actually cure himself if he masters the first stage of Occlumency using the potion recipe.


    [Host has a talent for mind magic. That''s why the system is investing in it. You have to return the investment one day.]


    Axel sighed.


    ''Alright sys, I''ll do the tasks. But... if they are too unreasonable or suicide missions, then there''s nothing I can do,'' he warned.


    The System didn''t reply back. There was no need to.


    Filled with anticipation, Alex accessed the knowledge of Occlumency which was stored in his head.


    The first stage or the Beginner Stage meant building up shields around the mind. Even though it''s just the beginner stage, many wizards can''t even reach it due to their lack of talent, dedication, and most importantly, the lack of the right approach.


    Occlumency is an obscure art, to begin with. Even those who do have the knowledge haven''t reached past the intermediate stages due to improper and incomplete approaches. The knowledge given by the system is top-notch and complete.


    [Host is advised to primarily focus on organizing your mind and mastering your emotions. The existence of shields in your mind will cause suspicion should anyone intrude into your mind. An 11-year-old orphan isn''t supposed to possess the knowledge and skills to practice Occlumency. The host is advised to find someone to teach it to you to explain the existence of shields should anyone check your mind.]


    Axel could understand that the system''s words did have some truth to them. He''d experienced that kind of situation before when he was wearing a gold ring and some nosy idiots started demanding how a homeless kid could have them. But,


    ''Then, wouldn''t my mind be defenseless without shields?''


    [Host''s mind is protected by the system. The system will conceal all the sensitive memories that have the potential to cause trouble including all the memories about the system.]


    "...." Isn''t that cheating?


    "Well, that works," Axel commented as he began practicing Occlumency according to systems instructions.


    ***


    That day, after her shift ended, Andromeda asked for the results of Axel''s in-depth health checkup. With the report in hand, she went to Grimmauld Place.


    After her husband got captured by the death eaters in the last war, she moved here with Bella. Sirius and Marlene had moved to a villa that their family-owned along with their son and goddaughter Rose Potter.


    Right now, the house was empty except for Creature, the house elf. Nymphadora was off to her Auror training and Bella comes late.


    She sat at the dining table as the House-elf Kreature prepared dinner and looked through Axel''s report.


    The preliminary check-up was only focused on damage dealt due to the Cruciatus. But the in-depth check-up report in her hands could reveal a lot more. Especially if you''re a Master Healer.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She held the report in her hand. She knew that it was a bit wrong to check up on it since this was private information, but...


    ''There''s a chance that I can find a way...''


    Looking through the report, she grimaced. Her suspicions were indeed confirmed, though it was much worse than she''d expected.


    The report reveals traces of multiple injuries, in almost all parts of the body. There was also signs of malnutrition and improper diet. Andromeda was kind of horrified.


    ''Even if he''s an orphan, just what kind of life has he lived to have so many injuries?''


    Andromeda continued to look through the report. His hands have cuts and calluses. He must be using a knife often. Obviously not for cooking. His leg muscles are trained to the peak. Even quidditch players don''t go this far since they only need to fly on brooms. He''s had to run a lot.


    Now came the truly harrowing details...


    The duration of Cruciatus was estimated to be... 10 minutes.


    "10 MINUTES!" Andromeda was shocked.


    The assailant must be one powerful lunatic. Who does that to a child?! And how did Axel take it?! Poor child..


    Reading further, she found that his vocal cords were badly damaged, his jaw and shoulder were dislocated.


    Understanding the implications, Andromeda''s eyes reddened. He was most likely paralyzed. He wasn''t even allowed to move, to defend, or kill himself to stop the torture.


    His body contains traces of the drug Exquisite Ecstasy. Damn it, what sick games was this torturer playing?!


    While she was looking through the report. The fireplace blazed green and her sister Bella walked out, looking all prim and proper as always.


    Minister Bellatrix Black was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful women in Britain. She resembled Andromeda somewhat. But unlike Andromeda, Bellatrix has curly hair black instead of light brown and she puts a lot of effort into grooming herself and maintaining her youthfulness. She was wearing a pencil skirt, a white shirt, and a blazer. Yeah, the fashion in the Wizarding World has changed in the last decade.


    "You came back early," Andromeda commented, wiping her tears.


    "Hmm, I ran away after it got too hectic. Kreature, bring my din¡ªWhat''s up with you, Andi? And what are those papers in your hands? " She asked suddenly, noticing that Andromeda seemed to be out of it.


    "It''s just a health report of one of my patients,"


    Bellatrix quirked her eyebrows.


    "Hmm... you don''t do work-related things after your shift. You can''t suddenly become an angel and start trying to help random people. So... spill. What is this about?"


    "...."


    Andromeda thought of arguing with her sister for a moment but then sighed, ''You can''t hide things from Bella.''


    "He was put through 5th-degree Cruciatus torture."


    Bellatrix stopped eating her salad. Her attention was piqued, "Well, can he be sane again or is he a lost cause?"


    Andromeda shook her head, "Neither."


    Upon Bella''s questioning look, Andromeda explained, "He didn''t go insane. His mental state seems perfectly fine,"


    There was a pause. Then Bellatrix scoffed, "...No way,"


    "I know right? But it''s true!"


    Bellatrix realized that Andromeda was not kidding, "Who is it? Is it someone I know? How did he do it?! Show me the report." she said, peeking at the report.


    Andromeda shook head, "You know I can''t share the details. It''s confidential,"


    Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Oh come on! Who follows the rules nowadays? And I''m your sister! I can help you!"


    Andromeda still didn''t budge, "I''m sure my patient would not appreciate it," She regretted telling her about this.


    "Spoilsport," Bella pouted but then straightened up.


    "You leave me no choice then. As the Minister of Magic, I hereby pass a new decree that one Andromeda Tonks n¨¦ Black has to share everything with me," she announced imperiously.


    Andromeda looked at her sister incredulously for a few seconds. No one would believe the childish woman in front of her is the Legendary Minister who''s changed the magical Britain in the last decade.


    Andromeda sighed, "You always have your way..."


    ***


    The next day, Axel was feeling much better compared to yesterday, though the situation still wasn''t too positive. Even walking normally was a struggle.


    According to the system, walking won''t cause any further damage but every movement would cause explosive pain and that''s why he''s unable to walk properly.


    Axel looked at his trembling hands which once used to be incredibly stable and sighed. It''s clear that he can''t steal anything with this troll-like dexterity.


    Oh, he knows what trolls are. The basic knowledge contained knowledge on some magical creatures as well. Though he still has trouble believing it all.


    He wore his old clothes that had been cleaned and put near his bed.


    While he was walking around, trying to get used to the pain, he heard a surprised exclamation from the door.


    "Axel! Why did you get out of bed?!" Andromeda came hurrying in and sat him back on the bed.


    "Moving would be extremely painful right now without the Pain Killing Potion. Didn''t I tell you not to move?" She exclaimed, handing him the said potion along with a bunch of other potions.


    Axel blinked, "It''s not that bad," he said in confusion, thinking why she is overreacting. He has been through much worse.


    Andromeda then realized that she wasn''t talking to a child but someone who was able to retain perfect sanity after multiple Cruciatuses. So, she stopped fussing.


    Axel downed the contents of the disgusting vials before they both left for the Diagon Alley.


    They were going to use the floo network but Axel insisted on using Apparition since he was curious.


    *Snap!*


    It was an instant regret as he had to struggle to contain the potions inside his stomach.


    Andromeda put a finger on her chin examining him from head to toe, "So, first we have to get you some clothes and a haircut."


    Axel instantly shot it down. "No need. They''re not on the list."


    "No way! You aren''t going to Hogwarts looking like that. You have to make a good impression and make new friends," she declared as she dragged him to the entrance of the Diagon Alley.


    ''Friends?'' Axel murmured. Having friends seems like a chore. He''s always been a downright loner. He''s a firm believer of Lonerism.


    They walked a few paces and came to the forefront of a tall building with the name "The Diagon Alley." The store had lots of customers in different clothing coming and going.


    Apparently, the building was a cosplay store but also the entrance to Diagon Alley. Muggle repellent charms and safety measures were there to ensure the secrecy, including a few obliviators.


    "That''s the entrance," said Andromeda, pointing at a conspicuous brick wall at the end of the store. Sure enough, Axel saw many people going through it.


    Andromeda explained that a decade ago, this used to be nothing more than a dingy alley with the brick wall as the entrance.


    "Come on, you''re going to love it!" Somehow Andromeda seemed more excited than Axel. She was like a geek who''s having her friend forcefully read the Harry Potter series.


    Looking at the brick wall, Axel was really doubting reality.


    [System, is it really safe? I won''t get stuck, would I?]


    If the system could sigh, it probably would have.


    [No host, don''t be a pussy.]


    ''I''m not!''


    Without any hesitation whatsoever, Axel stepped through the wall in anger and an exclamation of wonder escaped from his mouth as soon as he saw everything.


    "Woah..."


    Diagon Alley turned out to be a wonderful place. There were colorful buildings with all kinds of physically impossible structures all around with different magical gimmicks to attract the attention of the customers.


    Andromeda, who had put on a veil that covered half of her face, looked at Axel who was looking all around with eyes and mouth wide and smiled proudly.


    "This place used to be as shabby as a flea market a decade ago," she commented. "Those in power didn''t want it to change."


    Axel was confused, "Why?"


    "Because they had the monopoly over specific things. They didn''t want to lose it. Moreover, the ones who were coming up with much better versions of every product compared to the wizards were mostly from the muggle-borns or half-bloods. How could they accept it?


    "The bastards even passed a law banning the use of things related to muggle, thus dooming us to further mediocrity, while the other magical communities made progress using muggle knowledge."


    This time, Axel, who knew who muggle-borns and Half-bloods were and thanks to the basic knowledge from the system, still couldn''t understand everything.


    "So, how did you guys do it then? Make it like this." He asked, gesturing to the tall and colorful buildings around them.


    Andromeda was glad to see that Axel was curious. She explained,


    "After the war, with the Wizarding Britain in shambles and foreign communities eyeing us to pick up the loot, our main goal was to take away the power from unreasonable idiots and distribute it properly. Bella didn''t spare any tricks whether it''s immoral or shrewd or just pure reasoning. She used every tactic." She said while they walked.


    "I can''t tell you everything since we don''t have the time, but one thing she did was to invest in some projects of muggle-born geniuses which she found potential in, provided them her backing, and voila, they became instant hits! And Bella just sat back and collected her money.


    The Purebloods were like, ''Eh? You can do that too?!''


    After that, they were scrambling to invest in their own muggle-born entrepreneurs. This was just one of the moves she played, and the easiest one.


    Once there were products to spend money on, the coffers of these stingy Purebloods started opening. Britain was one of the richest to begin with, with the old families hoarding huge piles of gold in their accounts.


    Once they brought it out, some did make it big while some lost it all. Overall, the economy took a huge leap and paved the way for the formation of what you see today,"


    While Andromeda explained, Axel listened with great interest and even asked questions, surprising her. She had not expected him to understand this and even take interest in it.


    Axel has always wanted to make it big, so of course, he''s interested. He''s a bit amazed to know how backward the Magical Britain a decade ago must have been...


    ''To not even know how entrepreneurship works... These people must be cavemen. I wish I was born a bit early...'' he thought wistfully. That time must have been a golden opportunity and he''s sure that many smart ones spotted it and took advantage of it.


    But explaining up to here, Andromeda stopped since they had already reached the clothing shop. Axel looked at the shop''s name which was written in moving letters.


    MADAME MALKIN''s


    ~since 1852


    Magical, Comfortable, and Stylish.


    Andromeda explained,


    "This shop is currently the best for clothing. It''s one of the very few shops that''s managed to stay on top even after the great economic revolution. Their enchantments have been developed through generations for over a century so new bloods couldn''t compare themselves to that. The old faction was of course going to prefer her over the new. And the woman who inherited the store has always had an eye for clothing. So as soon as she saw the muggle things being adapted, she copied muggle designs even before the newbloods could without hesitation. Later, she even shamelessly copied the new enchantment ideas of the new bloods!"


    ''Well, so not all Purebloods are stuck-up idiots,'' thought Axel as he looked at the brands inside the store.


    "''Nikey, Raza, Tommy Middlefinger, Louis Vuittoni, Chanell...''"


    "...." he was speechless.


    These are all muggle brands copied with a few letter changed.


    The f*ck...


    This woman...


    Axel made a note to not go into the clothing business. He was already intimidated by this woman''s boldness.


    "Come on," said Andromeda, snapping him out of it. "Let''s get you a total makeover. You''ll be making new friends very soon so we have to make a good impression." She said mysteriously.

 Chapter 5: Meeting the Black Family

    Like all women, Andromeda also seemed to have been possess with a strange excitement when shopping. So, despite Axel''s fear that the shop might be too expensive, she dragged him in and began choosing clothes for him.


    "Change into this," she said, holding up a set of fashionable clothes for boys. The style was quite similar to muggle world.


    "It looks expensive," said Axel, looking at the price tag. "I can''t afford it." Though there was still more money in Cyrus''s bag, but he couldn''t just take it out, could he? With him being an orphan, Andromeda can easily find out it''s stolen money.


    He wants to enter the Wizarding World with a clean slate.


    "Nonsense! I''m buying you everything."


    "Why would you do that?" Axel had thought that the only reason Andromeda was here was to keep him under observation. He didn''t know she was going to pay for everything as well.


    "Because I want to! I''m doing this because I really appreciate you Axel. What you have gone through and survived..." her eyes dimmed. "Many aren''t as capable as you to survive it. So, you deserve it. And besides, my sister has given me enough money to last several lifetimes. I''m old and I really don''t have anything to spend it on."


    Andromeda smiled. "And besides, I''ve cancelled the free the supplies that the Hogwarts staff was supposed to buy you. So, I really have to buy to everything now."


    "..."


    Usually, Axel would have rejected the woman. But her consideration of his self esteem when explaining the reason really made it so that it would be rude if he rejected her now.  Axel sighed, "Just buy cheaper things then."


    Axel took and clothes and went to the changing room. When he came out, Andromeda''s eyes lit up. "You look so much better now."


    ''Of course it would be better,'' thought Axel. His previous clothes were stolen, and two sizes larger, no to mention how old and faded they were. Now he was wearing a branded jeans and t-shirt.


    Andromeda also handed him a pair of shoes which also seemed to have few enchantments. Seeing him, Andromeda was excited like a girl dressing her dolls. "


    "We''ll pick the rest of the clothes and supplies later. For now, let''s just get you a hair cut first. I can barely see you face."


    In order to be incognito, Axel has long and wavy hair that cover most of his face. But it seems that Andromeda really hates them.


    As they walked out of the clothing store, a newspaper paddler happened to pass him by and Axel saw the front page had the picture of the man he killed.


    !!!!


    Axel''s heartbeat accelerated. He wanted to buy the newspaper and read it, but¡ªhe was walking with the Minister''s sister a Master Healer with a lot of experience. She might be able to see through him. Thus, he just kept walking.


    Andromeda looked at Axel''s long hair that looked like a bird''s nest and covered most of his face. It was obvious that he''d never cared one bit about how he looked.


    "Your hair really is in dire need of some care, young man."


    She took Axel to a luxury hair salon.


    "Walking is not good for you. You wait in here after you''re done. I''ll get everything and come back," she advised.


    As Axel sat on the comfortable seat, the stylist applied various types of solutions to his hair and face, making him exasperated. But the more annoyed one of the two was the stylist himself.


    "Have you never taken care of your hair before?! So much dandruff! I''m just happy you washed up thoroughly before coming. I can just imagine what state you were in previously.


    And, what''s with this terrifying haircut?! It looks like someone just randomly cut it with a goddam knife!" The man droned on and on, while Andromeda left in order to buy everything.


    Listening to the man rant, Axel was a bit speechless. Because...


    "Well, you aren''t wrong," muttered Axel. He used to just cut his hair with the knife whenever his vision was being compromised. Though he''d keep the rest of the hair to hide most of his face. Somehow, even with that, he didn''t use to look bad.


    It was the man''s turn to be speechless. While working on his hair, he realized that Axel didn''t know anything about haircare at all. So he generously taught Axel the basics. The man somehow convinced the always apathetic Axel to even agree to have a few more treatments.


    That''s how barbers are, no matter which world. They have a way of talking.


    Soon the haircut was done and permanent setting spray was applied to his newly styled hair, making it so that even after blowing wind through them, they''ll settle back down to the set style.


    After Axel was done, he didn''t wait as Andromeda had advised. Instead, he asked around and went to the cheaper shops to buy second hand supplies to cover everything on the list. Then, he put everything into Cyrus''s pouch and hid it in his jacket.


    It''s not that he didn''t appreciate Andromeda''s generosity. It''s just that... after having lived for so long on the streets, he knows that kindness without condition is as rare as unicorns.


    It has already happened multiple times that he has been fooled by older people trying to ''help'' him.


    ''But still, this time...'' thinking of kind and gentle lady, Axel did feel some warmth in his cold heart.


    When Andromeda returned, she couldn''t find Axel anywhere in the large salon.


    While she was looking around, a striking boy came to stand in front of her.


    His black hair, which was now styled in a way that made it look like they were messy but still looked stunning also, they also had amber-colored streaks running through them, matching his eyes.


    As it turned out, the messy hair were hiding an extremely handsome face. But, now that his face was visible, his scars were also visible. He had one vertically passing over his left eye while the other over his right cheek. But the scars only seemed to enhance his looks. His bright amber eyes were still droopy but there was a hint of amusement in them.


    "Mrs. Tonks, you already forgot me?" He asked, making her come out of her surprise.


    "No way," Andromeda murmured. "You actually look like this?" She wondered out aloud. This little guy is just full of surprises.


    Axel shrugged.


    "Well, I wouldn''t know. Even I only properly looked at myself today." He informed her.


    He''d never bothered before, except for making sure his face was covered. Many times, his head would be covered with a beanie, thus completing his disguise. It was all so that even if someone catches him stealing and he escapes with his high agility, no one would have anything to remember him by once he changes his hairstyle.


    Overall, he''d say that his disguise was 100% practical and functional, considering that even he found himself looking at a stranger when looking himself in the mirror right now.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As they made their way out, Andromeda took out her mirror-like object and began talking.


    "Sirius, where are you?"


    Axel then heard a man''s voice from the mirror.


    "We''ve already been here for a while ago, Andi. We''re at the New Cauldron right now for lunch. Are you coming?"


    "Yeah, we''re on our way," said Andromeda, pocketing the crystal.


    Axel was surprised, "Are you leaving?"


    Andromeda shook her head, "No, ''we'' are leaving. With that injury, you''re going to have problems at Hogwarts. So I thought I''d introduce you to someone in your year. My cousin Sirius was also coming for Rose''s shopping."


    "What? No! There''s no need! No! I can manage on my own!" Axel instantly denied it. He would never agree to it!


    ¡­ a few moments later ...


    "How did I even agree to this?!" Muttered Axel as he walked towards the New Cauldron with a smiling Andromeda.


    [Host, it seems that you didn''t want to disappoint her and make her efforts go in vain.] helpfully Informed system.


    ''Didn''t ask you!''


    While walking, Andromeda turned to him.


    "Axel, don''t forget. You''re my friend''s son. She died in war and I only found you when you came as a patient."


    "Yeah, but why is this necessary?"


    "It''s so that ''she'' knows I''ll be angry if ''she'' bullies you,"


    "...What the¡ª?" Axel barely stopped himself from saying his favorite word. Who the hell was this woman talking about?


    Andromeda elaborated.


    "Well, Rose is a... little bit mischievous. But don''t worry! She''s a good girl. She''ll definitely help you out."


    "I don''t need any help."


    Axel looked at his hands which wouldn''t stop trembling. He wasn''t even sure he would be able to write with this. He quietly put them in his jacket pockets to hide the abnormality.


    He''d be unable to do magic properly for a while as well. Thus, in such conditions, he''s sure to face lots of problems there.


    Yeah, not needing help is a lie. But really, its better to just deal with the hardships on your own than take help from others and regret it.


    They reached the New Cauldron which was located the way they had come from.


    "This is not the best place for food around here right now, but a decade ago, this used to be the only pub around here. So we prefer this one due to the memories," said Andromeda, looking at the renovated pub with nostalgia. "It used to be called Leaky Cauldron."


    They entered with the jingle of a small old bell that was hung on a new door. As the bar, a old man stood in a profession bartender outfit, serving drinks. "Hey Tom." Andromeda called out.


    Tom put down the bottle and greeted Andromeda enthusiastically. "They''re in private room no. 2."


    "He''s the owner of this pub, but he still likes to serve the drinks on his own," Andromeda told him as they went to the private room.


    Standing in front of the door, Andromeda smiled encouragingly at Axel''s whose face was stiff. "You don''t need to be scared. Everyone in there is very good."


    At this moment, someone opened the door for them,


    "Oh, hi Andi, I''m so glad you could make it," said the person with a meaningful smile.


    Only, the person who opened the door wasn''t Sirius like Andromeda expected. It was Bellatrix.


    "Bella! What are you doing here?" Asked Andromeda in surprise. Her eyes contained a hint of a warning.


    Andromeda regretted telling Bella about Axel. She should have expected this to happen. After all, Bella only cares about family.


    Actually, Andromeda wanted to ask for Axel''s permission to read his mind or at least tell her something about how he was able to resist. It would have helped a lot in her research of curing her husband.


    Yes, in the war, Ted was captured by the death eaters and tortured. She and the rest of the Order Members had arrived to save him, but they were too late. Excluding the breaks, the total duration he was under Cruciatus was 9 minutes.


    Andromeda has never been the same ever since. She pursued a carrier as a healer specialized in both mind and body and she became a master Healer. But, she never found any solution. She''d honestly given up and moved on by now. She only went to check on Axel to out of compassion for another mind ruined.


    But, when Axel turned out to be fine, her hope was reignited. If Axel can, then maybe Ted too...?


    She wanted to know how Axel''s mind was able to resist the Cruciatus and how she can help Ted regain his sanity with it.


    But still, after knowing about Axel''s situation and after spending time with him, she decided against it, feeling guilty. For his mental health, Axel needs to keep his mind as far away from those evens as possible. At least for now.


    Everything she bought for Axel was supposed to be the compensation for letting her examine his memory, but when Axel asked why she was buying him things, what she said was also the truth. She really admired Axel and wanted to help him.


    So, she really is very undecided and confused.


    But now, Bellatrix has appeared in this meeting while knowing Axel is going to be here, making Andromeda thing she might have other motives. Bellatrix is ruthless when it comes to family. For family, whatever needs to be done, she does without hesitation.


    Looking at the stunned Andromeda and Axel, Bellatrix smiled.


    "It is rare that the family reunites. How could I not come? A pity Dora couldn''t make it. Now, don''t just stand there. Hurry in! Before someone recognizes me." She exclaimed, ushering them in.


    Axel right now was quite surprised. The minister of magic! He recognized the woman instantly. After all, the whole Diagon Alley had her posters praising her. Heck, there was even a statue!


    So, of course, he was obviously a bit intimidated when the ravishing beauty closely scrutinized him.


    They went in and Axel saw the rest of the occupants in the room. It was a family of four.


    A black-haired man, with a neatly trimmed beard and a mustache. That must be Sirius Black. And the gentle-looking brown-haired woman must be his wife, Marlene.


    And their son and god-daughter and, Jamie and Rose.


    Jamie was a cute chubby boy about 8 years old. And their god-daughter, Rose Potter Black was a pretty little thing, with red hair and green eyes, and attractive noble features, she''s said to have inherited the best of both of her parents.Though the only flaw in her flawless appearance was a lightning bolt shaped scar on her forehead, hidden behind her bangs.


    All of them were currently looking at Axel with great interest. After all, he was quite the oddball here. Axel has never had so many people staring at him at the same time when he wasn''t running away.


    Andromeda swiftly did the introductions,


    "Everyone, this is Axel. He''s the son of my friend who died in the war. I found him when he came to the Hospital, critically injured. He''s starting Hogwarts this year."


    "Axel, this is my sister Bella. Be wary of her, she bites." Though Andromeda said that playfully, Axel was actually scared of her intense gaze.


    Bella grinned at Axel, showing her somewhat sharp canines.


    "And this, is my dog of a cousin Sirius. He used to be quite rabid back in the days," she said, pointing at Sirius.


    Sirius laughed as he ignored his sister''s remarks and instead focused on Axel, "I like your hairstyle, kid. It seems to have a touch of Paul. And those scars are absolutely badass!"


    Paul was the name of hairstylist who did Axel''s hair.


    Andromeda cut him off, "¡ªAnd the one who''s tamed the wild dog, Marlene. She only has to cry a little and Sirius would do anything."


    "I-I don''t cry that often!" Protested Marlene, looking embarrassed that her sister-in-law had that impression of her.


    Sirius instantly took her side, "Of course, dear. You know how Andi likes to joke around. She was just kidding. Would Bella actually bite the kid? Wait¡ªI can''t guarantee that. But also called me called me a dog¡ªdamn, my point is¡ªyou don''t cry¡­ that often."


    Listening to Sirius only made Marlene teary-eyed.


    Everyone was grinning watching their antics. Even Axel was mildly amused.


    This was the infamous Black family in private. They seemed to enjoy themselves and didn''t seem to find Axel''s presence awkward or bothering. This made Axel relax a bit.


    "This bundle of cuteness is Jamie. He gets pampered by everyone in here," Jamie hid behind his elder sister and peeked at Axel.


    "And finally, this young lady, is your soon-to-be classmate Rose. She''s our resident hooligan. Her partner in crime is usually Sirius Black."


    Andromeda turned to the grumpy looking red-haired girl. "Rose, Axel still hasn''t healed from his injuries so help him out for me, ok?"


    Rose nodded her head, looking unwilling, "Okayy, can we quickly eat now? I want to get my wand! I''ve used my mom''s for long enough."


    They all sat down and Axel was not happy to find Bellatrix sitting right in front of him. She''d stare at him from time to time.


    "You look familiar for some reason. Have I seen you somewhere before?" She asked curiously.


    Axel shook his head, "Not possible. I''ve never been to the wizarding world before and I''ve had a drastic change in appearance in the last few hours..." he said as he trailed off.


    Bellatrix shrugged, "Well, never mind."


    The food finally arrived and everyone dug in. Though Axel was still staring at the food.


    "Kid, are your hands stuck in your pockets? Why aren''t you eating?" Asked Sirius jokingly. Everyone only then did everyone notice that Axel''s hand never left his jacket pockets.


    Somehow, even Andromeda hadn''t noticed. She recalled that somehow, Axel''s hands were always in his pockets. And whenever he used them, she was always somehow wasn''t paying attention or distracted.


    Axel turned to Sirius, "I actually AM eating," He said, and sure enough, his plate was messy and half filled with food and there was some food in his mouth as well.


    Everyone blinked their eyes in confusion. None of them had seen him eat at all, they only saw him looking around. Bellatrix''s eyes widened as she realized.


    "No way¡­" she muttered and Sirius and Andromeda also caught up, each looking baffled.


    ''The boy was only moving when no one was looking!''


    Andromeda was the most dumbfounded of them all. She had gone shopping with him, had him try clothes and walked with him, but never noticed!


    He''d somehow managed to blindside everyone present while being the center of attention.


    Though apparently, not everyone.


    "I saw it," said Rose, looking at Axel with narrowed eyes.


    "Your hands¡­ they''re weird. Something''s wrong with them, right?"


    ''Damn... have I got rusty after torture?''


    Axel looked at her for a moment, then sighed. He''d been trying to hide it because it look weak and pathetic as fuck and utterly disgraceful. A master thief with trembling, clumsy hands...what a joke!


    But, now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no way to hide it while they''ll specifically focus on his hands.


    He brought his hands out of his pockets.

 Chapter 6: Enlightenment

    Axel decided to take his hands out, since¡ªone: there was no point in hiding if everyone already knew, two: He really liked the food.


    It''s easily the best food he''s ever been able to taste.


    He gripped the knife and fork and copied others'' movements to eat. He''d copied the technique perfectly, but it was a pity that his hands were trembling and his fingers were moving in random directions, as if not listening to his commands.


    Thus, his movements were quite slow and clumsy.


    Even though his nerves could be healed, they were a jumbled mess right now. The magic starts developing only after 11 so his was not strong enough to protect this body.


    Everyone was shocked to see the bizarre spectacle.


    Even Sirius''s expression became solemn. He was pretty sure that this was not normal and something was wrong with the boy''s hands, "What happened to your hands? Have they always been like that?"


    Axel hesitated. He couldn''t just tell anyone that he''d been put under 5th-degree Cruciatus, could he? Most people tend to lose their sanity after that and he didn''t want anyone to judge whether he was sane or not.


    It''s like how if a man and a woman stayed in the same room for a night, most people would think they''ve had sex even if the concerned parties adamantly deny it with sound reasoning.


    He glanced at Andromeda and she gave a look that its his choice to whether to reveal it or not.


    Axel flexed his hands, "Uh¡­ they were fine in the past. But they''re kinda crippled now." He answered vaguely.


    Sirius''s eyes widened and Marlene gasped. Though Axel noticed that Bellatrix didn''t seem the least bit surprised.


    "Tell me, Axel. How did this happen?" She asked calmly, looking him dead in the eye.


    Axel hesitated. What should he do? This is the Minister of Magic. He can''t reveal anything. It has to be noticed that he killed a man and that was big shot in the Wizarding World. He has to make sure not to reveal anything that''d link him to the recently killed man.


    Thankfully, Andromeda intervened.


    "Bella. No."


    The minister of magic pouted, "Always so self-righteous," she muttered but left the topic at that.


    Andromeda then turned to everyone, "He was attacked by some evil wizard. It''s not incurable. There are still things that can fix him. Let''s just all enjoy ourselves and not make him remind him of it again and again by asking questions, alright?"


    Her words got approval from everyone. It seemed that even if the younger sister was the minister, the household power rested with the elder sister.


    Sirius changed the topic, "Have you made arrangements at Hogwarts? Is it safe for Rose?"


    Bellatrix shook her head, "I''m not sure. Dumbledore is not allowing Aurors for just one person. But he''s guaranteeing Rose''s safety."


    That got Axel confused.


    ''Why are they talking about her safety? Is Hogwarts dangerous or what?''


    Seeing Axel''s confusion, Andromeda explained quietly to him, "Rose''s situation is a bit special. When she was a child, she survived the killing curse and somehow vanquished the most evil wizard of the time."


    "?" Axel looked at Rose again. This girl? Vanquished a Dark Lord?


    Andromeda continued to explain to him, "At that time, she became a celebrity and her parents had passed away. Thus, Sirius, as her Godfather, was supposed to take her in. But he was unfairly sentenced to Azkaban and Rose was sent to her abusive Aunt."


    "At that time, I was still disowned and couldn''t do anything for Sirius. It was only after Bellatrix came back did she first inherited the house black, became the Minister of Magic, and then free Sirius who immediately brought back Rose."


    "After that, there were further attempts at Sirius''s life which thankfully failed. Thus, it is incredibly clear that someone is out there wanting to make Rose''s life miserable. Most likely people from the dark faction."


    After knowing all this, Axel looked at Rose in a new light. He had thought that she was just a pampered girl. But she turned out to have somehow destroyed a Dark lord.


    Since the atmosphere had lightened up, the dinner went smoothly after that. And thankfully, no one questioned how Axel got hurt, making Axel even more grateful to Andromeda. The black family was super considerate and accommodating. And Axel got to see what a family looks like and how happy they all were.


    ...Though the best thing was still food, since he could also taste it instead of just being able to look.


    He really liked the drink called butterbeer and drank a little bit too much of it. So before the dessert came, Axel went to the washroom.


    "!!!!"


    While leaving, he was surprised to find Bellatrix right outside.


    "What''s up, minister?" He asked, noticing that she must be waiting for him. Why else would she stand in front of a men''s bathroom?


    "Cyrus Greengrass," she replied.


    Axel frowned, getting a bad feeling. He noticed that he couldn''t hear any sound other than their breathing and that''s when he realized.


    ''Fuck! It''s that spell again!''


    It was the same spell that the man used to block sound! This can''t be good.


    "What is it?" He asked cautiously, preparing to make a run for it.


    "Cyrus Greengrass." She repeated. "The name of the man you killed. Thought you should at least know that," she said in a sweet voice that terrified Axel.


    This woman seemed completely different from the one he''d seen laughing and playing around like a kid just a while ago.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," he said, trying to sound calm even though he was panicking right now.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The woman laughed, "Oh come on, Axel. You don''t need to lie to me. We both know you did it. In fact, if I, the minister wanted, it would have been your crime even if you didn''t do it."


    ''Darn!''


    Axel had to agree to that. Bellatrix made a lot of changes¡­ but she didn''t bother changing the Pureblood supremacy advantage. After all¡­ as a Black, she currently stood to gain the most from that. And most Pureblood houses had already pledged loyalty to her. If she wanted to make his life difficult, she could do it very easily.


    Axel gritted his teeth, "What do you want?" He asked. It was clear that she wanted something from him. Otherwise, they won''t be having this conversation right now.


    She raised her eyebrows, "Straight to the point, huh? I like it. Well, what I need is very simple actually. And it causes you no harm. The only reason I didn''t simply get it from you was that I wanted to do this without breaking any law and reading people''s minds without their permission is illegal."


    "You wanna read my mind? Why would you want to do that?! I have nothing! You''re the minister of magic! You can gain nothing from this!" Said Axel, finding this situation extremely annoying.


    Bellatrix shook her head, "You actually do have something that I want. You see, Andi''s husband was tortured to insanity about 10 years ago and she''s been trying to find a solution for this whole time. Now, you were tortured as badly as him, but here you are¡­ somehow totally sane."


    "So?" Axel asked, finding it pretty absurd.


    "So I just need to look at the memories to see how you did it. Andi''s already checked your whole brain so biology has nothing to do with the reason."


    Axel glared at her. Of course, he was unwilling. Why would he not? His mind was his own.


    "Andromeda wouldn''t have agreed to let you do this," He said, trying to threaten her using her big sister with the ''I''ll tell on you'' tactic.


    At this, Bellatrix actually laughed, sounding genuinely amused.


    "I see. She did a very good job in manipulating you."


    Axel paused,


    "What... are you talking about?"


    "It''s funny really. How she''s created a perfect image of herself in your mind so quickly. Let me enlighten you, you gullible kid, Andromeda is a Black! She''s no kind woman!


    "!!!"


    Axel had already caught on to what Bellatrix was implying and it was what he''d thought of this possibility a lot of times. But, when it was turning out to be true. He was extremely unwilling to accept the reality.


    But Bellatrix didn''t stop. She mercilessly tore apart the last of Axel''s small hope.


    "You think she did all this out of kindness? Wrong! Wake up, kid! Who are you to her?! A nobody!


    Do you know how many have died for the sake of finding a cure for her husband?! How long has she known you for?! A day and a half. You tell me kid, who''s she gonna choose between her husband she''s known for decades or you?"


    "She''s kind? My perfect pureblood arse! She did all this because she thought it was the easier method! Just throw some money and some kindness to a homeless kid and he''ll give you anything you want and still thank you afterward. But looking at you, I can tell. You wouldn''t have agreed, would you? So, for the sake of my sister, I''ll do this and then we go our separate ways. Now, do you agree or do I need to force you?"


    In the beginning, Axel''s face was showing a lot of emotions. Regret, sadness, unwillingness, anger, etc. But right now, his face showed no emotions. He seemed completely calm.


    After a pause,


    "....I agree," he said with no emotion.


    [Congratulations, you have learned to control your emotions using Occlumency. The speed of progress is unprecedented in the history of the magical world.]


    "But let me tell you in advance, you won''t find anything you that''ll help your sister." He warned her in advance.


    Bellatrix was surprised to see his calm reaction.


    "What''s the matter? You aren''t angry at me?"


    Axel laughed, "Oh I AM angry at you,"


    Angry? That was an understatement. He wanted to Torture this woman with the Cruciatus. He wanted this proud and powerful woman to kneel before him and kiss his feet, begging for mercy for this verbal slaughter. But, it''s not possible for now.


    But¡­ whatever she said¡­ everything is true as well. That''s why...


    "I''m angry at you, but I''m also grateful," he smiled self mockingly.


    "I was getting too hopeful and positive about this world. You reminded me once again that I should never trust anyone and learn to be satisfied with loneliness."


    ''System, can you block all the important memories from her?''


    [Of course, Axel.]


    Looking at the boy who seemed to have given up on the world despite having done nothing wrong, Bellatrix was now regretting doing what she did.


    ''Did I go too far?''


    Looks like her sadistic tendencies still haven''t completely gone. But thinking that the boy was someone totally unrelated to her, she squashed down her guilt. She was doing this for her sister. Thus, without much thought, she plunged into his mind.


    She found the boy''s memory of the incident right in front of her. She saw how Axel very easily stole the pouch of the dignified Lord Greengrasses pouch from right under his nose.


    But of course, it was the pouch of a pureblood Lord. The boy was lucky to keep his hand intact. Then, she watched how Syrus, whom she thought was NOT a death eater, but a very powerful wizard proceed to torture the boy in the most deatheater-ish way.


    Damn, she never knew that calm and collected man could be like this. It seems like she has to stop his daughter''s association with Rose.


    She went in deeper to observe how Axel''s mind had functioned at that moment to prevent him from losing his sanity.


    "!!!"


    She was expecting to find some magical phenomenon or something. At least a semblance of Occlumency that was protecting his mind, but all she saw was pride, anger, killing intent, a strong will never give up, and...not an ounce of submission.


    "???"


    There was no sign of any abnormal magical phenomenon other than his weak magic trying to protect him as much as possible, which was a normal response.


    ''How is this possible?!'' She thought as she saw his unyielding eyes in the memory. It was already 8 minutes into torture with no breaks but there was no sign of submission. Even Syrus was looking scared now.


    Axel''s throat seemed completely mutilated from roaring like a beast. As her gaze went to his throat, she caught sight of something shining there.


    ??!!!


    Upon taking a closer look, she broke the connection due to how shocked she was.


    It was a simple pendant with a distinctive cross symbol.


    ''No way¡­ how come he has it?!''


    ''Did he steal it?! And¡­ is this really the same one?'' For all she knew, that cross could have been mass-produced and this boy just happened to have one.


    But¡­ when she opened her eyes and looked at him again, she realized why she found him familiar. The resemblance was slight, but it was there. Now that she thought about this, everything seemed to fit. This boy was definitely related to ''that man''.


    While Bellatrix was shaken up, Axel was very clear-minded.


    "Are you done? I bet you didn''t find anything that''ll help your sister, did you?" He asked, his face showing no emotions. But his eyes were icy cold and his voice also contained a cold fury.


    "...." Bellatrix suddenly realized that she''d completely forgotten her real goal.


    "Now if you''ll excuse me¡­" he said as he began to leave.


    "Wait!" She tried to stop him. She wanted to confirm his connection with that man.


    Upon being asked to stop, even Axel''s newly gained Occlumency was having a difficult time maintaining his reasoning. He can''t stand this woman any longer. He turned back sharply and the glare he sent her way made the Minister of Magic flinch. It contained a hint of madness in it.


    Bellatrix recoiled upon facing this familiar hostile attitude that seemed to match that man''s. But, it was always reserved for the enemies.


    "I won''t wait any longer, minister. There''s a limit to my patience. If you push too far, I''m ready to die trying to kill you! The deal was to let you see the memory, and we go our separate ways. From now on you and I are strangers."


    Bellatrix paled as she heard him repeat her own words. She recalled the hurtful words she''d just said to him and suddenly felt nauseous.


    Tristan Hunt, the man who had saved her from the fate of being a death eater''s trophy wife. The man who''d changed her way of thinking. After a decade of feeling indebted to him, the first chance she got at repaying him, and she blew it like this. He must be rolling in his grave right now for what she just did.


    ''Oh, Merlin¡­ what have I done?!''


    Axel didn''t stop, "Also, make sure to show the memory to your sister. Tell her that her husband was just a pussy who''s suffered no hardships if he couldn''t even take that much torture. She should stop hurting innocent people for such a weakling and find herself a real man," with those words, he left, while she stood there as if someone had petrified her.


    ***


    After getting out of the New Cauldron, Axel went to the deserted alley where he had hid his second hand stuff. Well, he was right when he bought these, wasn''t he?


    He recalled all the things that Andromeda and done for him, all the times she had smiled kindly, all the times she showed compassion for his injuries. He recalled the homely environment of the Black and how welcoming they were.


    It seems it was all just for Ted Tonks.


    Why would he even think otherwise? He''s just a nobody. He can look at their happiness, but he can only look.


    Shaking his head, he went to get himself the last item. A wand. This time, he was able to relax better. Because he was alone.

 Chapter 7: Trying Out Magic

    Axel was currently in a room he had rented in the Diagon Alley, having completed his shopping.


    Although he was still angry with the Black Sisters, but he quickly put it behind him.


    What''s the point of being angry now? It''s not like he can do anything about with his weak strength and pathetic status. He has to remember the priorities.


    Axel took out the wand he''d bought from Olivander, supposedly the best wandmaker. From what he heard from Andromeda, no newcomers could compete with him. His wands are simply much superior.


    But...the wand he bought was¡­ an embarrassment, to say the least. It was Beechwood, 12 inches, and Cherub hair as its core.


    [Host, this wand is best suited to you in your current state. The system fails to understand why you are not happy with the wand.] Said the system''s robotic female voice.


    Axel looked at the wand that was humming excitedly in his hands and sighed.


    According to the creepy old wandmaker, the true match for a beech wood wand would be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. When properly matched, the beech wand was capable of a subtlety and artistry not seen in any other woods.


    Thus, there was no problem with the wood. In fact, it was the best for him since he''ll lack control over his magic until his nervous system gets better.


    The length 12 inches might be considered too long for a wank, but it was ideal as a wand. So no problem here as well.


    The true problem lies in the core: Cherub''s hair.


    It''s said to only bond with... a male wizard with a high face value. That is, a handsome wizard. It''s said to have a feminine nature and will fall in love with its owner.


    The strength of the bond will represent the degree of power it can exhibit. Thus, he has to treat it well or it''ll not perform well. It ain''t no Sakura who''d love a scumbag just because of his face value.


    How was it good for the current him? Well, all the truly powerful wand cores which were available at the Olivander all require a certain level of magical strength, control, and talent to submit to the wizard.


    And with his shitty body, there was no chance any of them would bond with him.


    Heck, he''d have been lucky to even bond with a wand with a kneazle whisker core. And those are one of the weakest.


    Thus, having a wand that''ll submit to him and can even potentially provide him more power than a dragon heartstring one if the conditions meet, is truly a blessing. Combine it with the control and finesse gained from the beech wood, and he truly has the ideal wand for the current him. But¡­


    ''Why does it feel like I''m using a honey trap to get power like those whores on the street?''


    [Host need not worry. This wand is temporary. With the system''s help, you can eventually get a wand that can rival even the Elder wand.]


    ''Whatever." Sighing, he began looking through the material, not knowing that the "Elder Wand" that system just mentioned was the most powerful wand in the world. Otherwise, he''d have had a much less lukewarm reaction


    Axel read the magic theory and practiced the very first spell, following the instructions to a T.


    He closed the lights, and raised the wand to his chest level. He looked at the wand tip, visualizing it lighting up. He focused his intent, want to see the light.


    He flicked the wand in an upward motion, as if lighting a switch.


    "Lumos," he uttered clearly.


    Axel didn''t feel the magic move deep inside him. But...


    "No result..."


    ''System, did I do anything wrong?''


    [You did everything perfectly. And with your natural talent and smooth magic pathways, you''d have been successful in your first attempt. But due to your injuries, the magic is not able to flow through mana pathways. You''d need more effort, and more powerful magic to force the magic.]


    "What the hell? Is it really going to be so weak?"


    [No need to be discouraged. If you keep practicing, mana passages will adapt and you will be also reach other people''s level. And if you manage to learn casting magic in this state, when your injuries heal, the improvement will be explosive.]


    Axel was enlightened. "So, it''s like jumping with weights. If I train myself to adapt, when I take the weights off, I will be able to jump much higher.


    [Affirmative]


    With that confirmation, Axel no longer wasted his time. In front of doing magic, he had also long stopped paying attention to what happened in the New Cauldron.


    ...


    One and a half days later:


    With a school bag on his shoulder, Axel walked through the wall barrier to enter the platform 9 ?.


    ''Damn system, this is just like the one in Diagon Alley,'' muttered Axel as he found himself on a crowded platform hidden from the world. There was a train with a scarlet engine that was releasing steam. The scenery was quite beautiful.


    Though the loud noise produced by its engine was quite grating on his nerves.


    Everything felt quite surreal. He was actually going to school again. A magic school at that.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ''I wonder what its like...''


    At the station, along with a massive crowd, Axel also noticed that there were many reporters and cameramen as well. It seems that they were here for the girl who lived who''s mostly been kept isolated from the press under the protection of the Black Family.


    Axel ignored everything in favor of finding himself an empty compartment before they all get filled up.


    He chose to settle in an empty compartment at the back of the train, thinking that there were fewer chances of him being bothered there. After all, he had things to do.


    In the past two days, he had managed to read a lot about magic from the books in his curriculum. Since he was in the Diagon Alley, he also browsed to book store further and bought a few more books that could be useful.


    With all of this, he also had to keep practicing Occlumency so that he can get rid of this fucking disability. The parts of beginner Occlumency which are left that can''t be mastered through talent like he mastered controlling his emotions. They can only be mastered through dedicated practice.


    Basically, he hadn''t wasted time at all. And now would not be an exception. He took out his wand.


    Performing the wand motion perfectly, he chanted,


    "Lumos."


    The wand tip lit up, producing a very dim light. And, it seemed like a bulb with a high degree of voltage fluctuations. The intensity of light was changing ever so often.


    This was already much better than his first try, which had no response at all. And he''s been practicing this non-stop ever since.


    The degree of concentration he''s putting into this spell would be enough to baffle anyone. Needless to say, with his natural talent, control and concentration, he could have easily mastered any first-year spell had his body not been so badly messed up.


    Seeing his progress, Axel was somewhat proud. He wasn''t born good at his thieving skills as well. He''d slowly learned them, mastered and polished them to perfection, step by step through a lot of hard work. Since this shit is so difficult, he can proclaim that no one in his shoes could have made more progress.


    But at this moment, the door of his compartment was rudely opened disturbing his concentration.


    The intruder was a bushy-haired girl who looked to be the same age as him. She was dragging a suitcase with wheels behind her.


    "Oh, you''re practicing the Lumos spell? I''ve learned it too!" She said excitedly, inviting herself in.


    "?" Annoyed, he wanted to snap at her, but hearing that she''d learned the spell got him curious.


    What would others his age be like without any disabilities holding them back?


    "Alright, show me," he demanded.


    The girl was all too happy to oblige. She produced her wand and did an exaggerated wand motion.


    "Lumos."


    Instantly, a bright light came out of her wand, lighting up the entire compartment, causing Axle to squint a little due to its sheer brightness.


    "...." He was speechless.


    ''To think I was proud of my pathetic achievements¡­.'' Axel was feeling a slap to all his hard work.


    The girl happily canceled the spell and looked at Axel, expecting admiration and praise.


    But Axel simply picked up his bag and left, closing the door on his way out.


    "???"


    "...Why is it always like this?" Hermione Granger muttered as she stomped her foot in frustration.


    Axel had run away in embarrassment. He had expected her to be better, but not that better.


    If it was just the because of her technique and practice, then Axel could have accepted it, but no! It was because of the fact that they weren''t better than his! And she didn''t even have to put in half of his concentration, and the difference was still so fucking huge.


    ''System, why did you choose me? I''ll need a lot of time and effort to do things that girl can easily do. And there must be so many other better options as well!''


    [The Akashic Records did not look at the short-term gains while looking for a suitable candidate. Here are the reasons why you were chosen:


    1)Superior Talent in Mind Arts:


    All of your physical and magical stats can be increased one way or the other. But for the mental training, the system can, at most, give you the right methods. You can only rely on yourself after that.


    Furthermore, this is can be much more advantageous than you can imagine. You will get to see very soon.


    2)Right mindset:


    Power given to a person who does not know how to wield it will only lead to failure or a win with major losses. If given to an evil person, he will misuse it. If given to a kind person, he will hesitate to even use it. You currently have the right mindset and will hopefully use it properly in the future.


    3) Right Ideology:


    That girl you just mentioned would have used the power to free up the house elves which would have resulted in their deaths. Then she would have sped up the process of arrival of war by offending all the Purebloods.


    4) Lineage:


    (Information unavailable)]


    ''Wait the fuck up. Lineage?!''


    [Information unavailable at your current level.]


    ''Hey, wait.''


    [Information unavailable at your current level.]


    ''Ok, I get it, I get it¡­ No need for more.'' Axel dropped the matter. He didn''t care much about his lineage.


    ''Anyways, what''s this Akashic Records you keep mentioning?''


    [Akashic Records have all the past, present, and future of everything in the Multiverse recorded in them.


    It tries to maintain the flows to the worlds as written in the records. If there''s a major deviation that results in destruction, it can intervene through a champion, like you.


    Thus, you have been chosen by them to help change the world. I am part of their consciousness, provided to guide you along the way and help you obtain power. Should you fail, another candidate will be selected, I...will be terminated.]


    "Fuck." Axel stopped in his tracks when he heard the last part. But just as he stopped, someone bumped into him from behind.


    Alarmed, he quickly glanced behind him, only to find¡­ nothing?


    *Shing*


    He took out his knife and began twirling it in his hands, ready to attack at the first sign of anything odd.


    That scared whoever it was.


    He heard a frantic voice "Wait! wait! Wait! It''s me! Rose! We met the day before yesterday, you remember?"


    Axel''s anger instantly ignited remembering that day.


    "Why were you following me? What do you want now?"


    "I have business with you. But we can''t talk here," with that, he felt a hand dragging him away.


    He shook her hand off, "I''m not going,"


    Rose huffed in annoyance, "Fine. I''ll just go to the press which is waiting for me out there and tell them that you''re bothering me. You''ll have a great time at Hogwarts then,"


    "...."


    Axel knew how to choose his fights. This girl really had too much power at her disposal and it would be too much trouble if she really decides to use it against him.


    But¡­ she''s going to regret threatening him. As the most vindictive person in the world, he''ll make sure she regrets threatening him.


    He grabbed her invisible hand from over the cloak.


    "So, where are we going?" He asked casually as he began to scheme how to make her pay in the future.


    Rose was speechless at this quick change of attitude. She looked down at the hand that was grabbing hers over the cloak and noticed the familiar shaking and twitching.


    She''d almost forgotten that he was disabled for life. She calmed down her annoyance at him due to that and took him to her compartment, locked it, and drew the blinds.


    Removing the cloak, she rounded up on him, only to see him looking at the rest of the occupants of her compartment, his hands back in his pockets.


    Axel didn''t know why he expected her to take him somewhere private.


    He certainly didn''t like being in the same compartment as four strangers and the girl who lived. But, he still entered since he can easily take out these four kids in such close range before they can even touch their wands.


    One was a boy and the other three were girls.


    Seeing Axel so vigilant, Rose did a proper intro.


    "You don''t need to worry. They''re all my friends."


    "This is Susan Bones," she said, gesturing towards a ginger-haired girl with light skin.


    "Neville Longbottom," pointing towards a round-faced chubby kid with blond hair.


    "Hannah Abbot," a nervous-looking blond girl with pigtails.


    "And Daphne Greengrass., she said, pointing at a girl with straight blond hair and grey eyes.


    ''Whut?''


    Axel paused as soon as he heard the last name. Bellatrix''s words rang inside his mind.


    //Cyrus Greengrass, the name of the man you killed//


    Greengrass...


    ''Damn, I should''ve just stayed with that bushy-haired girl.''

 Chapter 8: Mission

    Potter, Black, Bones, Longbottom, Abbott, and Greengrass. According to the basic knowledge he''s gotten from the system, these are all part of the Sacred Twenty-eight.


    Rose turned out to have quite a ''powerful'' friend circle, huh? Though it kinda makes sense, since Rose might be politically the second most powerful witch, right after Bellatrix.


    And after knowing that having a good relationship with her means having a good relationship with Minister Black as well, they''d try any method to get acquainted with her. The easiest being¡ª to let their children become childhood friends with her.


    But, Axel had gotten into a complicated situation now. He was in the same compartment as six of the Sacred Twenty-eight Familys'' members.


    And if that wasn''t enough, he looked at the girl whose surname was Greengrass.


    She certainly had the same gray eyes. He can never forget those eyes. And there was a slight resemblance in the facial features as well.


    So, it was safe to assume that this girl was related to that man, most likely her father. Now, the question is, what to do with this girl? Her father or uncle had tortured him into a cripple. So there is a lot of unvented hate inside him. But, he was also feeling a bit guilty that he''d killed her father.


    Just as Rose was done introducing everyone to him, he received a quest.


    [Quest Activated]


    [You are heading down the path of a loner. It would not have been a problem under ordinary circumstances. But, your foes aren''t entities that you can handle alone.


    You''ll need allies and you''ll need to have communication skills and charisma befitting of a leader.


    Mission:


    Make friends, make allies, and make a good impression with the wizarding world.


    Rewards:


    ?Making a good impression on the people in this compartment:


    ->+1% Approval


    ->Information on your Enemy


    ?Rewards on every successive steps you take towards building a reputation for yourself such that people willingly follow you one day.


    ->+Approval rates


    -> Other rewards]


    [Do you accept the mission?]


    [Y/N]


    After telling him the name of everyone present, Rose pushed Axel into a seat and folded her hands.


    "Why the hell did you leave yesterday?" She asked, as if he''d committed some capital crime.


    Axel raised his eyebrows, "Why are you even asking me that?" He asked, confused as to why his leaving would affect anything. He was more focused on the quest right now.


    The reward was quite tempting. He really wanted to know just what calamity can bring so much destruction that AR would have to go to such lengths to save it.


    But, the problem was:


    ''Oi system, how am I supposed to make friends?! I''ve never had one my entire life! And how am I supposed to make a good impression? And also, what if I accept and can''t complete it? Can I refuse?''


    [The knowledge in your head given by the system also has common knowledge and etiquette of the wizarding world. That''s how you knew how to eat with a knife and fork. Just try, you won''t even realize that you''re using them. Though you of course, have the option to deny since the system can''t force you to do anything. And there is no penalty on refusing or failing. System is not that kind of system.]


    ''Well, I''ll accept then,'' Axel saw no reason to deny it. He just accept it since at most, he''ll only fail.


    Realizing that she was not being taken seriously, Rose brushed her hair back in annoyance.


    "You''re asking why? You left without saying anything! And then Aunt Bella came, handed Aunt Andromeda a vial, said something to her, and left as well! Do you have any idea how sad and heartbroken Aunt Andromeda looked? She had even started yelling at Aunt Bella!"


    Axel scoffed. ''That woman must be sad that her husband can''t be cured,'' he thought. What else could it be?


    "Look, I don''t know what you''re talking about. I was just busy and had to leave. You should ask Minister Black why she left and what she said to Mrs. Tonks to make her sad. I should have nothing to do with it," he answered, feigning ignorance.


    It seems like this girl here doesn''t know that he was called for the dinner only because they wanted to get a memory from him. Once they''d gotten the memory, of course, he wouldn''t go back to be kicked out.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Bellatrix had clearly spelled out just how unwanted he was.


    But he didn''t tell any of this to Rose. That dinner with the Blacks was his Black history.


    There he was, enjoying himself, feeling happy and hopeful, and even having thoughts like how good it is to hang out with these people.


    And there those two sisters were, watching him with amusement, knowing exactly how he was feeling and still doing it just because one wanted to find a clue to cure her husband while the other just wanted to keep her sister happy.


    After leaving that place, he was feeling hurt a lot, but more than that, he was feeling ashamed. He was proud of everything he''d done in his life, even the murder. But this moment¡­ This moment was something he didn''t want to share with anyone.


    Rose was not at all satisfied with his reply. She wanted to refute, but at this moment, Susan interjected, "Rose, who''s this? You still haven''t introduced him to us!"  This guy looked too cool with those scars and hairstyle! She wanted to be friends with him.


    "Yes, who is he?" Asked Neville as well. For some reason, the thought of this intimidating boy being friends with Rose made him uncomfortable.


    Rose realized that even though she had introduced everyone to him, she had forgotten to introduce him to others.


    But, she didn''t know much about him, to begin with.


    Axel sighed. If not for the mission, he''d have left this place right now.


    "The name''s Axel. Nice to meet you," he said, nodding at everyone.


    Susan was instantly excited as she held out her hand, "Hi, I''m Susan Bones. Rose never mentioned she had such a cool friend."


    Axel looked at the hand she offered. If he didn''t shake it, would he be making a bad impression?


    Looking at Axel''s hesitation, Rose couldn''t help but speak out.


    "Um...Susan, his hands¡­"


    But Axel took out his tremoring hand and shook hands with her briefly.


    He couldn''t hide it at Hogwarts anyway. He''ll have to write, flip pages, cast spells, and eat in public.


    As soon as their hands touched, Susan felt his hand twitching abnormally as if vibrating.


    "hm?"


    She looked down at him his hand in confusion. She looked at her hand and then at Axel''s.


    "What''s wrong with your hand?" She asked in concern and panic.


    "It''s weird," Neville commented, looking repulsed.


    Rose was glad that someone else could also see his hands'' abnormality, but she didn''t like Neville''s attitude. It''s not Axel''s fault, is it?


    "Aunt Andromeda said someone cursed him with dark spells. She''s the one who treated him," she informed Susan. This made Susan and Hannah gasp but Daphne narrowed her eyes.


    At this moment, someone else spoke up as he heard a quiet but clear voice.


    "You were tortured, weren''t you?"


    Axel was surprised to see Daphne looking at him with empathy like she could understand what he had suffered.


    ''She can tell¡­'' he realized.


    Though he couldn''t quite say whether it was because she''d gone through something similar or because she''d witnessed or done something similar to a poor victim like him.


    Axel just shrugged, neither affirming nor denying.


    "It''s just temporary. I''ll find a way to heal myself," he said with certainty.


    Rose really felt bad for when she saw him saying those words with such conviction.


    That day, after Axel had left, Andromeda had pulled her aside and clearly explained Axel''s circumstances. He won''t be able to cast magic. And even moving his hand, or his body would be painful every time.


    That''s why she''d all but ordered Rose to thoroughly take care of Axel at Hogwarts and not let him get bullied. That''s the main reason why Rose had pulled him in here with her friends.


    Rose had asked how long it would take for him to get healed. At that time, Andromeda had just shaken her head in regret.


    There was no cure. His nerves were incurably damaged. But right now, she didn''t refute his claim. She didn''t want to squash his hopes.


    Susan was angry for Axel. "Did your parents not complain to the DMLE? My Aunt would definitely send the culprit to Azkaban."


    Axel laughed. This girl was quite innocent. He liked it.


    "Uh¡­ Susan. His parents..." Rose trailed off.


    Susan was an orphan too. So she could understand how insensitive she was when she had just assumed his parents are alive and mentioned them.


    "I... I''m so sorry, Axel. But I can understand. Rose and I are orphans too," she said in understanding.


    Axel just nodded. Though he was quite sure they could understand nothing. They grew up in a luxurious environment, never having to sleep feeling hungry as hell with their body aching all over from the beatings received and worrying about how to get food the next day.


    Since they were talking about parents, everyone went back to their previous conversation about Daphne''s dad before Rose had left to bring Axel. They had only just met and couldn''t even get a chance to console their friend about her father''s death yet.


    The compartment turned silent, as no one had anything else to say to Axel.


    "Daphne, you still haven''t told us. How''s your mom and sister doing? Are they still very sad?" Asked Hannah to Daphne.


    Hannah was quite shy or intimidated facing Axel, a stranger with scars and a cold attitude. But it seems that she can actually speak normally with her friends.


    To everyone''s surprise, Daphne''s answer was¡ª


    "Said? Merlin No!"


    She smile and everyone except Axel''s mouths fell open again. Daphne was usually quite cold and reserved. But unexpectedly, at this time, she smiled!


    "I could never tell this to you guys before," she began, still smiling genuinely. "My dad was actually the biggest scumbag in the world! He had forbidden us to talk bad about him. He used to check our minds regularly and punish us if we ever stepped out of line."


    "...."


    Everyone except Axel was speechless. They had never thought that the always stoic man they had seen before was that kind of person.


    "Oh, Daph¡­ is that true?! We never knew!!" Rose quickly got up and hugged Daphne, Susan and Hannah also began fussing over her.


    Though Axel was smiling, just like Daphne. It felt as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Even though he had felt no guilt towards the man, he had felt bad for the man''s family. What if his children have to live a life similar to his? But now it seems he was worried for nothing.


    Soon, they had stopped bothering him with questions so Axel took out his wand and charms book to start practicing again.


    Rose raised her delicate eyebrow, "What are you doing?" She asked curiously.


    Axel''s mouth twitched.


    "What does it look like? I''m practicing magic, of course."


    She frowned, "Didn''t Aunt Andromeda say that you won''t be able to do that unless your injuries are healed?"


    Everyone was surprised. He can''t do magic?! Even though they felt bad for Axel, their first foremost thought was: ''Thank Merlin it''s not me!'' If any of them ended up not being able to do magic, they''ll definitely cry all the time.


    Listening to Rose, Axel nodded thoughtfully as if he just remembered.


    "Well, she did say that. But, that can''t stop me from giving it my all." He said simply as if stating facts.


    In the next moment, he flicked his wand, "Lumos," His wand tip lit up, producing a flickering light, surprising Rose. It was nothing impressive, really. Not in front of the children who had already seen all kinds of magic and had even started learning with their parent''s wands.


    But this magic was being cast by someone who was supposed to be similar to a squib for the rest of his life. And it''s already better than many other first years.


    Everyone looked at the glowing wand tip held in Axel''s trembling hand. That light seemed to represent him, fighting to stay bright despite all the attempts to extinguish him.


    Looking at Axel, who was clearly struggling to keep up the spell, with the flickering light illuminating his serious and concentrating face, for the first time, Rose felt that... he was not so annoying after all?


    But she refused to admit he was cool!

 Chapter 9: The Threat

    While Axel practiced his magic, the system gave him a surprise.


    *Ding*


    [Mission Completed


    ?Making a good impression on the people in this compartment:


    Rewards:


    ->+1% Approval (Total 7%)


    ->Information on your Enemy.


    Information will be transferred whenever you give your approval.]


    Axel paused.


    ''What the f*ck?''


    He was still thinking about how to start on his mission. Until now, he had just tried to tolerate their presence a little and answered some of their questions while trying not to be rude. And they were already impressed?


    ''I mean, what the actual fuck?''


    Is making a good impression so easy these days? He was a cripple for god''s sake! He had totally expected to be called a cripple, squib, mudblood and whatnot.


    ''Why, system?''


    [The children in this compartment have good characters. Not everyone will be like them.]


    ''So, that''s it.'' Axel went back to practicing, no longer paying attention to the other occupants.


    He knows that he''s incredibly weak right now. He is no longer as dexterous as he used to be. It seems that he''s still quite fast but there''s no accuracy in his movements.


    Overall, he''ll get his ass handed to him in a real fight, magical or muggle.


    The only thing he has going for him is his mind. As something that was supposed to take the most damage, it is ironically the best weapon he has on him.


    But his mind can''t help too much if he has no attack power. That''s why he has to learn magic as soon as possible.


    "Lumos," he mumbled.


    He was whispering the spell incantation in a hushed tone and there was enough lighting in the room that the weak light produced by his wand didn''t disturb anyone.


    After an hour, the Lumos charm had improved a lot. He just couldn''t get used to the sharp pain that shoots up from his chest to his arm and the headache was a bitch.


    And the rate of improvement had slowed down a lot. So he just switched to Levitation, which was even more difficult and painful.


    "Axel?¡­ Axel!"


    An hour later, he heard someone calling his name, pulling him out of his zone. By now, he had managed to light the wand tip a little bit brighter.


    "Hm? What?" He looked up to see the others looking at him with concerned or uncomfortable gazes.


    "Your... condition doesn''t look good. You should stop for now," said Rose, her green eyes containing genuine worry.


    Feeling something wet, Axel touched his nose and his finger came red. The veins around his eyes and forehead were bulging out a little.


    ''How''s my situation, sys?''


    [Axel, after suffering from numerous injuries over the years, your body has developed a self-healing mechanism.


    While is it extremely painful, the intense practice that you are doing is actually beneficial, as it is gradually stimulating your nerves to start functioning the way you intend them to.


    As long as you eat well, there''s no long-term harm being done, only improvement.


    That being said, the system did not calculate that you''d be willing to use this method.]


    Axel scoffed. It''s not like he was willingly doing this. But he knows his luck. If he''d lazed around like others, he''d have been dead multiple times by now. Thus, he''s learned to stop complaining and just do whatever''s needed, even if he doesn''t like doing it.


    Looking at everyone''s uncomfortable faces, Axel calmly took out his handkerchief, wiped the blood off his nose, and stood up.


    "I''m fine. Excuse me, I''ll take a break. I need to go see a friend since I came here without informing her."


    Rose couldn''t even react before he had picked up his bag and left. He knew that for these pampered kids, keeping on practicing even after this would put him into the category of a lunatic.


    The mission he had gotten from the system was already completed anyway, so there was no need to stay.


    ''As expected, I just don''t fit anywhere,'' he mused. It was the same in the muggle world, and it was the same here.


    While he was sitting there, each of their conversations made him think how childish they were. It made him realize that he just can''t stay with these kids without despising them. Maybe there was some envy too.


    Though that Greengrass girl was the only exception, since she seemed to be much more mature. Though she didn''t talk much the whole way, just looking out of the window uninterested or observing his progress from time to time.


    While searching for an empty compartment, he passed by the compartment which he''d left due to that bushy-haired girl. It was now filled with students a bit older than him.


    The bushy-haired girl could be seen talking animatedly with a girl who looked about two years older. The appearance of the girl was a bit attention-grabbing.


    This girl had violet eyes, and a beautiful heart-shaped face with attractive features, framed by light purple hair.


    ''Even the rude bushy girl found friends, huh?'' Axel remarked mentally as he continued searching. An empty compartment in this train is really hard to find. Especially considering the fact that many teenage couples are meeting each other after holidays, so they all need some... alone time.


    Axel opened what looked like a storeroom, only to see two people eating each other''s mouths.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Damn! They''re everywhere!" He exclaimed, shutting the door.


    He did eventually find an empty compartment since this magical train was quite big. Sitting there, turning the blinds and locking the door this time, he asked the system.


    ''System, I want to access the reward I got from the mission.''


    He had still not accessed his mission reward about the threat to this world.


    [Ok. Here it is¡­]


    *Ding*


    Information suddenly entered his mind, causing him to wince due to the uncomfortable sensation.


    He carefully browsed through it and soon, a peculiar smile came to his lips.


    ''Well¡­ I''m fucked, aren''t I?''


    He had expected it to be difficult¡­ But this is Hell Mode.


    ''What in the hell is this World of Nether?'' he asked.


    [World of Nether, or simply NetherWorld is separate dimension connected to this world. As the name suggests, it is a dark domain. Its inhabitants are all creatures with an affinity to dark magic whether they are intelligent species or not.


    An example of the inhabitants of that world is Dementors. Dementors are not creatures of this world. They are one of the few species that have the ability to travel between the two connected dimensions.]


    Axel slumped in his seat.


    ''And this Voldemort bloke¡­ After he almost died, his wraith form somehow ended up there?''


    From the basic knowledge, he already knew that this Voldy dude was super powerful and even almost won the war.


    [Affirmative. Voldemort already had a high affinity with dark magic. He could even communicate with Dementors and fly using darkness.


    He thrives in darkness. Once he was there, he found ways to restore his power back to his former level and even surpass it. During the last decade, he''s conquered a majority of the NetherWorld and his forces increase every day.]


    ''So¡­If he suddenly decides to attack, how am I supposed to defeat the guy?''


    [Host need not worry. While he''s been trying to find a way back into this world, he has only had minor breakthroughs. He has found ways to influence this world but he still can''t directly enter.]


    Axel snorted derisively.


    ''And that fills me with so much joy¡­'' he replied, his thought dripping with sarcasm. He still has to fight an army + Voldemort.


    If the guy is going to conquer or destroy the world, Axel will have to do something anyway, with or without system.


    There''s no doubt. He. Is. Fucked.


    ¡­


    Fortunately, no one disturbed him for the rest of the train ride, allowing him to practice his magic and Occlumency in peace.


    When they reached the destination, he changed into his uniform. It was mostly similar to the muggle schools in Britain, except instead of a blazer, you wear an open black buttoned robe and a hat(optional).


    Coming out of the train, he started walking along the crowd to wherever they were going.


    "Firs'' years! Firs'' years over here!"


    Up ahead, he said a giant of a man waving his hand in the air.


    ''Damn, this guy could easily snap any kid in two.''


    In Axel''s pugilistic view, size mattered a lot. He felt like this guy was quite tough. Going there, he found Rose, Neville, Susan, Daphne, Hannah, and the bucktooth girl as well.


    Seeing him, Rose waved, "How are you now? If you''re not feeling well, there''s a hospital wing here."


    Axel shook his head, feeling exasperated.


    "I''m alright. Thanks for asking."


    He gave himself a mental thumbs up for leaving her compartment since his training had resulted in soaking his whole handkerchief in blood.


    After sitting in the self-driving boats, Axel got his first look at the castle. Under the moonlight, the view of the magnificent castle above the hillock, linked with the back of the Lake, looked breathtaking.


    ''I''m going to be living in a freakin'' castle?!'' He thought in amazement. He has been homeless for three years. So the thought of living in a huge castle seemed quite novel to him.


    Reaching the bank, they walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.


    "Everyone here?" The giant asked, looking at everyone. There were quite a lot of students.


    According to the system, after the economic bloom in Britain, many magical families migrated here. Plus, Bellatrix forcefully passed many laws which improved Hogwarts even more like restarting dueling, alchemy, and some other subjects. So now, many foreign families send their kids to Hogwarts for their magical education.


    The man raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.


    The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. This lady seemed one of those no-nonsense, always serious kind.


    "The firs'' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.


    "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."


    She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was big enough to drive cars through them. Speaking of cars, Axel had seen many strange and enchanted ones in Diagon Alley.


    The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.


    They followed Professor McGonagall into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.


    "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.


    "The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.


    "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."


    She said, glancing at a red-haired kid who had a smudge under his nose before she left.


    This kid had been eyeing Rose for quite a while. His eyes were constantly alternating between her eyes and her scar.


    As soon as the stern-looking Professor had left, this guy had walked right up to Rose who was standing with Axel and others. He hadn''t wiped his face even after Mcgonagall''s warning since he was too busy staring at Rose.


    "Hey, you must be Rose Potter! The-Girl-who-lived!" His loud words caused everyone''s attention to be focused on Rose, making her frown.


    Rose shifted on her feet uncomfortably, her hand flicking her hair back to hide the scar.


    "What is it?" She asked, annoyed.


    The boy seemed over-excited to be talking to the famous girl of the legends. His eyes went wide and his mouth gaped at her.


    "Wow! You really are her!"


    Though it seemed he didn''t know what to say next, so he just went¡ª"How was it? Do you remember how you got this from You-know-who?" He asked, pointing at her scar.


    ???


    Rose seemed quite taken aback to answer. But Susan blew up.


    "You!... You insensitive prick! Why would you want to make her remember something like that?!"


    Her parents were murdered that night. According to Susan, anyone should have enough decency to know not to ask her this.


    All the other kids who wanted to talk with the-girl who-lived glared at the idiot. They''d missed their chance. At this moment, a Blond arrogant-looking kid came up to them while laughing.


    "Oh look at your face, Potter. Gonna cry? You miss mommy and daddy?"


    Rose, not looking the least bit bothered, just smirked as she gave the boy a middle finger.


    "Shut up, daddy''s princess. We all know you''re the one who''s going to cry into your pillow tonight. After all, you''re missing your daddy after not getting head pats for a whole day, right?"


    With that, Rose pulled their group away from the two odd kids.


    "That guy is Draco Malfoy...We don''t get along. And his mom doesn''t get along with my aunts," she explained to Axel, looking a bit embarrassed as she had forgotten to keep her pure image for a moment.


    Axel looked at her differently.


    "Uh...Sure."


    He once again made a mental note not to get in conflict with her. From what he''s seen up until now, she''s a vicious one. She even knows how to use her immense fame and reputation to ruin someone since she''d threatened him with that on the train.


    "Surprised?" Susan noticed his face and smiled. They were walking at the back of the group, so the others couldn''t hear them amidst the chatter.  "Her father and uncle were serious bullies back in the days. My Aunt says she was a marauder''s child and raise by a marauder too. You can''t expect her to have no fangs¡­. or prongs. You''d better watch out."


    Ahead of them, the rest of the group was talking about which house they were going to be sorted into.


    Rose and Neville wanted Gryffindor like their parents. Susan wanted Hufflepuff like her Aunt and Parents. Hannah also wanted Hufflepuff since she wanted to be with Susan. Daphne wanted Ravenclaw since her mom was a Ravenclaw and her A-hole dad had wanted her to be Slytherin.


    Only Axel was left so they all turned to him.


    "Ravenclaw," he said decisively.


    He had it all figured out. From the basic knowledge he''d got from the system, only two houses get a whole room to themselves: Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Of course, he can''t go to Slytherin because of its bad reputation and his status of being an orphan with no distinguished background. So the only one left is Ravenclaw.


    Daphne smiled and Rose looked a bit disappointed. She could have helped him much more easily if he was in Gryffindor.

 Chapter 10: Savage Sorting Hat

    When they reached the Anti-chamber, a stern-looking old lady was waiting for them. She introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall, the deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.


    It turned out to be the biggest hall he''d ever seen. The four long tables seemed to stretch for miles. The upper area of the hall was filled with thousands of floating candles.


    In the last decade, Magical Britain had adapted the magical equivalent of a bulb and tube light from other magical countries since those Purebloods having the monopoly over enchanted candles could no longer suppress them. So, he had seen crystal balls everywhere instead of candles and torches. But, the Great Hall was still lit only with candles and nothing else.


    And Axel could understand why. The huge number of candles are able to provide more than enough lumination and the scenery looks simply marvelous.


    As they were talking, Axel was a bit surprised to see a group of pearly white apparitions float out of the wall, scaring many muggle-borns.


    But since he had the general knowledge from the system, he knew that ghosts exist in the Wizarding world. Heck, he could have sworn he had seen one sometime in the past.


    Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard''s hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.


    And for some reason, the hat began singing.


    "It''s horrendous," muttered Axel.


    Even though he had the general knowledge of the system and understood that sorting would be done through the hat, he still found all this stuff quite absurd.


    Why was that hat allowed into students'' minds? As they say, don''t trust something if you don''t know where it keeps its mind.


    While the hat was singing, Susan was trying to comfort a nervous Hannah.


    "Don''t worry, it''s just a sorting," she was saying.


    "But¡­ but what if I get sorted into Slytherin?" She asked back in worry.


    Rose shook her head, "Sirius said you can choose whichever house you want. The sorting hat listens," she said confidently.


    Axel had also gotten the same information from the system''s basic knowledge. That''s why he was quite relaxed as he looked around the hall in curiosity while trying to ignore the song.


    After the hat was done, McGonagall announced the start of sorting.


    "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Finnigan Seamus!"


    A Sandy-haired guy walked out, looking excited, and put on the Hat.


    "GRYFFINDOR!" Came the hat''s voice moments later, causing the Gryffindor table to burst into cheers.


    "Axel, when is your birthday?" Rose asked Axel out of the blue as Mcgonagall continued to call out names.


    "... Why do you ask?" He asked back in bewilderment.


    "The sorting is done either alphabetically or Chronologically. This time, it looks like it''ll be done Chronologically. So if your birthday comes early, you''ll be sorted first."


    "Oh," Axel nodded in understanding. But¡­ he really had no idea when his birthday was and neither did he ever felt the need to know.


    Thankfully, Neville''s name was called at that moment, causing the subject to be dropped.


    Axel watched as the students got sorted one after another. Rose, Neville, Susan, Hannah, and Daphne all got sorted into the Houses they wanted.


    And soon, it was his turn.


    "HUNT, AXEL!"


    Axel paused. He came to know two things today. His birthday comes quite late in the year, and his surname is Hunt.


    ''Axel Hunt. Well, it''s at least better than Longbottom,'' he thought dryly as he made his way to the stool. With Longbottom, he could come up with at least 5 burns right off bat.


    As he sat, McGonagall put the hideous hat on top of his head. The system had assured him that the Hat can''t reveal his memories to anyone.


    As for hiding his memories, it could at least hide the murder, torture, and system''s existence. Anything more would be suspicious. But Axel was not worried. The rest was stealing from assholes and defending himself in fights. There shouldn''t be any trouble.


    He heard the Hat''s voice in his head.


    ''Hm¡­ so what do we have here?''


    ''Put me in Ravenclaw,'' he thought right away.


    The hat ignored his words as it looked through his recent memories.


    The sorting hat works on a clear-cut algorithm. It usually doesn''t spend much time looking through a student''s head. Especially if the student has no potential and no background.


    Here''s what it saw as it took a cursory look in Axel''s mind.


    ''Hm¡­ you''re already stealing and injuring people at such a young age.


    No family background...


    Oh? And you can''t even move properly and do magic...?


    WHAT?! My singing and my song were ''Horrendous''?! I spent a whole year preparing for that! Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Hmm...I know where you belong¡­''


    ''Wait¡ª''


    But the Hat had already made its decision.


    "SLYTHERIN!" Came his loud voice.


    Axel was stunned. Did he just get sorted into Slytherin?


    ''My background¡ª'' he tried protesting.


    ''Yes, I usually do not put orphans with no family background in Slytherin. But perhaps, staying there would help you learn to appreciate my songs better. I hope you have a pleasant stay at Slytherin. Now move along, little fella. My time is only for polite or talented wizards.''


    "Next."


    And Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from his head at that moment, revealing his baffled face.


    Axel numbly got down from the stool and started to walk towards the Slytherin table. As he walked, a green snake insignia appeared on his cloak and his tie changed to green color, marking him forever a Slytherin.


    He turned back to look towards the Ravenclaw table, where he was supposed to get sorted, and saw Daphne. She was sitting with the bushy-haired girl and the purple-haired statuesque girl he had seen on the train.


    Then he looked at the Hufflepuff table, where Susan and Hannah were sitting together.


    Finally, he looked towards Rose, who was sitting with Neville. She was looking at him with a questioning look while Neville was looking at him like he had caught the plague.


    The Sorting Hat... had fucked him over.


    He looked towards the hateful hat and saw an imaginary pair of Black Sunglasses on its eyes and a cigar in its mouth. Being able to sort any student according to its will and no one even questioning it, it was certainly living the thug life.


    Axel went to the table and sat with the rest of the first-year Slytherins.


    ''What the fuck system?! The basic information in my head said I had a choice!''


    [People usually do have a choice, Axel. But it''s not absolute. The basic information didn''t contain the fact that the hat has an ego of its own and has authority over the final decision. Though things would have still worked out how you wanted, but you were just too unlucky that the Sorting Hat saw the worst combination of memories it could have in the basic sweep of your mind.]


    Axel sighed, ''Bad luck, huh? Why am I not surprised?''  If the goddess of luck existed, he might be her husband''s mistress''s child. (Jon Snow)


    ''What memories did it see?'' he asked the system, though he already had an idea.


    [It saw you not able to cast the basic magic after many tries, the fact that you are a cripple now, and you having no family background. This caused its interest to lessen since you would be a bottom dreg in any house and won''t have any major impact on the world. Therefore, it didn''t dig too deeply and only saw a few glimpses.]


    [In one memory, you were beating people up but it didn''t see that they were the primary offenders and deserved the beatings.]


    [In one memory, you were stealing something though it didn''t see that the person you were stealing from was a rich asshole.]


    [In one memory, it saw you getting annoyed by its song but it doesn''t know that you have a condition called Misophonia, which is a mental disorder triggered by certain annoying sounds. It''s usually caused by trauma.]


    [In one memory¡ª]


    ''Woah, woah, back the fuck up...'' he thought, interrupting the system.


    ''I have something like that? So other people were actually enjoying that thing?!''


    [No, not everyone. But no one was as annoyed as you and many also enjoyed it.]


    While he was conversing with the system, someone called out to him from the side.


    "Your name is Axel, right?"


    Axel turned to see that it was one of the girls who were sorted into Slytherin.


    The girl smiled at him.


    "Hi! My name is Pansy Parkinson. I''m a pureblood direct descendent of the Parkinson Family. Nice to meet you."


    "Likewise," he replied shortly.


    He could tell that he was supposed to tell his blood status as well but he didn''t know it either.


    Thankfully, the blond kid from earlier had attracted the attention of the girl, making Axel grateful.


    At this moment, the last of the students had been sorted and an old man at the high table had stood up. Axel guessed he must be the famous Albus Dumbledore.


    He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.


    "Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!


    "Thank you!"


    To Axel''s delight, the plates and goblets in front of him were now filled with huge amounts of food.


    ''Putting aside magic, I''d have come just for the food,'' he thought as he took his hands out of his robe pockets. Hiding them would be impossible anyways if he''s going to attend classes and eat here daily.


    "Why are your hands shaking and twitching like that?" And sure enough, someone asked him the expected question soon. He found that it was another girl. She was sorted right after him so he remembered her name. Tracy Davis.


    Axel shrugged. "It''s an injury. It''ll be healed soon," He said evasively. But Tracy''s words had attracted others'' attention.


    "What kind of injury was it?" Asked another boy in curiosity. Axel didn''t know his name but he was tall for his age with a thin frame.


    Draco Malfoy, who was sitting on the other side of the Pansy girl and had been hogging most of the limelight, was annoyed by this. Though he did find the idea of gaining attention by pretending to be injured somewhat appealing. He''ll try it in the future.


    He sneered, "Why are you getting fooled, Nott? He''s obviously lying. What kind of injury makes your hands like that?"


    Axel mentally sighed. How can he explain to these kids that when Cruciatus is cast on the body, as the region with most nerves on his body and the area which his magic didn''t seem necessary enough to protect, the nerves of his hands and fingertips were the most badly damaged?


    His shin, knee, and elbow being the other unimportant regions with a high number of nerves, were also constantly hurting. It was a miracle he was behaving normally right now and not crying and moaning like other people in his position would. And then someone has the audacity to say that he''s faking his injuries to get attention?


    Axel gave this blondy a deep look. This guy is now on the list.


    But for now, he just focused on eating. Anyone with half a brain can tell he''s not pretending. Only an idiot would think he''s pretending. And he does not view these idiots as significant enough to explain himself.


    Pansy Parkinson turned to the blondy, "Draco, why did you have to say that? He can''t be pretending, can he? Look how difficult it is to eat food."


    This made blondy idiot even more annoyed but Axel had already reached his quota of social interactions for today. He ignored everyone for the rest of the meal.


    The Pureblood first year were still talking.


    "So, are the rumors true? The famous Mafia Princess is studying here?"


    "Yeah, I heard she''s a genius,"


    "Is that her?"


    "Yeah, I think that''s her. No one has the same appearance."


    "The Mafia Prodigy. I heard she could already cast wandlessly when she was 5."


    "Rumor has it that the products the Valentino Family is selling were invented by her."


    "But why would she come to Hogwarts? I don''t think she needs classes."


    Hearing their conversation got even Axel curious. He followed their gazes to see who they were talking about. It was the same purple-haired girl he''d seen talking with Hermione and Daphne.


    From what he gathered from their conversation, her name is Martina Valentino and she''s from the most powerful magical family of Italy and also a genius.


    ''Oi system, why didn''t you choose her?'' Asked Axel curiously.


    [Axel, there''s no information on her in the Records of this world. Further information on her is locked.]


    ''... The heck?''


    Axel couldn''t understand the meaning of the system''s words.


    There were no records of the girl in this world? And further information was locked?


    ''What the hell does that mean?'' he asked.


    [It means that the system can''t give you any information on her at the moment. The system, like Akashic Records, is bound by the laws of the world. Thus, many things can not be given to you unless you have the required approval rate or unless one of us pays a penalty or completes a task of equivalent difficulty.]


    Axel nodded slowly,


    ''Is that why you can''t provide the information on ways to cure me?''


    [Affirmative.]


    Axel gave the purple-haired girl another look. Who the hell was she that this world doesn''t even have records on her and the information on her is locked?


    Well, whatever. Not his business. Delicious free food is the priority right now. Hmm¡­ can he take some back to his room?

 Chapter 11: The Slytherin Dorms

    After the feast, Dumbledore stood up once again.


    "Now that you have been fed and watered, I have a few start-of-term announcements to make.


    "The staff remains the same except for the Defense Against Dark Arts. It will be taken by Professor Dolores Umbridge, who''s shown remarkable mastery of the subject in her interview. Let us all welcome her."


    Axel saw that it was a woman in pink whose looks matched fairly well with a toad''s. The students seemed to have never heard of her, so they just gave her a polite applause, to which the woman gave a sickly sweet smile that made Axel cringe.


    "And¡ª"


    "Hem-hem..."


    Dumbledore was going to make further announcements, but he stopped since Dolores Umbridge had stood up for some reason after clearing her throat.


    "Pardon me, headmaster. But I''d like to say a few words to the children on this occasion," she said in a high-pitched voice that grated on Axel''s nerves.


    "Of course, of course... You''re most welcome, Professor Umbridge," said Dumbledore magnanimously.


    "Hello, my children. As the headmaster said, I''m going to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from this year. But, that is not my main aim of coming here," she said and paused for the dramatic effect.


    "I''m here, to teach you things that''ll change your life and can change the world. I want to find capable children who are willing to be enlightened. So, let us all get along, heeehe," she said and let out a high-pitched fake laugh in the end before sitting down. There was a lukewarm applause for her, since most students didn''t seem to share her passion.


    Though among the students, someone was much more reactive than everyone. It was Martina Valentino. She was looking at Umbridge with a frown, as if she was surprised and disgusted by her presence.


    After the applause, Dumbledore went on,


    "Thank you, Professor Umbridge, for your kind words. Now, I have an important announcement to make, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor is a prohibited area. Students are not allowed to enter, unless they want to die a painful death."


    That got Axel''s attention. He was now feeling somewhat curious about what was inside. The old man shouldn''t have left it like a cliffhanger.


    Dumbledore made a few more announcements before it was time for the feast to end.


    "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" He said enthusiastically and Axel, who was rather tired and sleepy, suddenly jerked his head up.


    ''What-did-he-say??'' He thought, hoping it was not another song from the hat.


    But alas, it turned out to be something worse.


    "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore. "And off we go!"


    And the school bellowed:


    "HOGWARTS, HOGWARTS, HOGGY WARTY HOGWARTS,


    TEACH US SOMETHING PLEASE,


    ¡­


    ¡­


    This thing made sorting hat''s loud and annoying sound tame in comparison. It seems he''ll have to keep a set of earplugs during his stay here.


    ''Damn it, a warning would have been helpful,'' he thought as he pulled his hands off his ears which he''d covered in annoyance.


    Now that the feast was finally over, the first year Slytherins followed their prefect into the dungeons where the Slytherin dorms were located.


    While the other firsties had no idea where they were going, Axel made sure to memorize all the paths carefully. They all stopped in front of a bare stretch of stone wall in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle.


    "This is the Entrance to the Slytherin common room," said the Prefect. "You need a password to enter¡ª Preservation."


    When he said the word, the wall parted with a low rumbling to show the Slytherin Common Room.


    The common room was a dungeon-like room with greenish lamps and chairs. This dungeon extended part way under the lake, giving the light in the room a green tinge. The common room had lots of low-backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas, skulls, and dark wood cupboards.


    The walls were decorated with tapestries that featured wizards wearing Slytherin robes. Even though it had quite a grand atmosphere, Axel felt quite out of place here.


    Currently, the huge common room was dimly lit with the many crystal balls levitating in mid-air. And it was filled with students.


    A tall blond-haired boy stepped out of the crowd. He had the head boy badge on his chest, indicating his position.


    Performing a noble courtesy, he addressed everyone,


    "Welcome and welcome back, everyone. To those who don''t know me, I am Alaric Malcolm, the head boy of Hogwarts," he said, his voice having a slight Russian accent.


    "Most of you already know, but just for the information, I''m a Pureblood from the Malcolm Family, an influential family with deep roots in Russia. We branched out to Britain seven years ago."


    He then swept his gazes over the first years.


    "Before everyone goes to their dorms, I need to make some things clear, especially with our new members," he said as he relaxed back into an armchair.


    "One," he said, raising his finger, "As everyone must have heard from many sources, anything that happens in Slytherin, stays in Slytherin. We will always present a strong and united front."


    "Second, Slytherin House has been winning the house cup for the past 7 years, and I intend to continue that. So, you all would do well to gain points, and if not then at least try not to lose them. Professor Snape will handle the rest," he said, adding the last part with a slight smirk.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Third, and the most important one," he said, sitting up straight. "As everyone is already aware, Britain has observed many changes in the past years," he said, taking out a mirror-like object that Andromeda also had used to emphasize the point.


    "While some changes are welcome¡­ some are not. The mudbloods, who now call themselves ''Newbloods,'' have now started thinking themselves equal to us Purebloods. They are demanding equal rights! The audacity!"


    Many sneered at that, agreeing wholeheartedly with Alaric. "No," he said, shaking his head.


    "The Malcolm family came to Britain thinking of it as a land of opportunities and old heritage. But it''s turning into a festering ground of mudbloods.


    "So, everyone should do well to not lose to mudbloods and... remind them of their place from time to time."


    Many people began voicing their agreement on the last one, some sporting cruel smiles like the bulky-looking crooked teeth dude standing behind Malcolm like a bodyguard.


    Axel on the other hand was worried about his blood status. What the hell is he supposed to do here? It seems like there''s no muggle-born in here.


    Malcolm raised his hand to silence everyone,


    "So, now that we''re done with the basics, let''s get an intro of our new members. The name, Blood Status, and your family background. Just like how I introduced myself in the beginning.


    "Make sure not to lie since whatever you say can be confirmed easily. And, it would be better if you didn''t hide your background since your background will decide your treatment and standing in the House."


    ''Noooo!''


    Hearing the words Axel felt a sinking feeling all of a sudden. He had planned to remain lowkey and not reveal his family background to anyone. Even Andromeda, Rose, and the others didn''t know that he grew up in the muggle world and was most probably a muggle-born.


    When Andromeda had asked him, he had just said that he didn''t want to call anyone he knew and that he didn''t have parents.


    They just thought that his parents were dead. But like Rose and Susan, he had been raised by a wizarding family. How else would he have the knowledge to come to the Saint Mungo''s by himself along with the other basic knowledge if he was raised by muggles?


    But¡­ what was he supposed to do now that everyone has to reveal their blood status and family background?


    He was a guy who didn''t even know his full name until an hour ago. And now he''s supposed to tell his family background and blood status?


    He sighed in exasperation.


    Actually, Axel''s plan wasn''t too bad. Usually, the first-year Slytherins don''t have to introduce themselves. But this year, the first year Slytherins have at least 5-6 prominent Pureblood Family Heirs that everyone knows about. And many other influential Pureblood Families from other countries or magical communities have also migrated to Britain or just sent their children to Hogwarts.


    Thus, Alaric Malcolm just wants to build connections with these kids so that they''ll be helpful to him in the future. Axel just happened to be unlucky enough to suffer from the collateral damage.


    "System, can I lie about my family? Will they find out?"


    [It''s not recommended, Axel. The mirror in his hand is a device with which he can access information about most of the Pureblood families.]


    Axel was surprised.


    ''Really? What the heck is that device? Everyone seems to have it," He asked curiously. Even Rose and the others each had one and they had spent most of the time of their train ride together playing something with it and he''d seen it being sold in many shops.


    [It''s called a Magi-Mirror. It is a device that has been complexly enchanted to perform a multitude of tasks. The wizards have made their own version of the Internet which they call the Magi-hive. Anyone can search the information you provide through the Magi-hive using that device. It''s a technology from Atlantis, the most advanced Magical Country.]


    Axel shook his head. He shouldn''t get side-tracked. Currently, the main question is¡ªwhat the fuck is he supposed to do right now?


    Upon being asked for an introduction, the arrogant blondy from earlier pompously strutted forward.


    "I am Draco Malfoy. I''m a pureblood with direct relation with the Black family. And the Malfoy family is a rich and influential Pureblood family," he announced proudly.


    While some were impressed, Axel only felt disdain at how these people were being all proud and arrogant at having something they never had to work for.


    After listening to the very unreasonable words the Malcolm guy said and observing the attitude of these people, a deep sense of disdain and contempt had developed in his mind.


    He doesn''t want to be a part of this house.


    While the others were introducing themselves, he quietly slipped out of the first years and mixed in among the other Slytherins. With the skills he''d picked up, this much was easy to him, even when he was a cripple.


    There were about 50 students that were sorted into Slytherin this year. No one paid attention when he didn''t introduce himself.


    After the introductions were over, and when the first years were being taken to their dorms, Axel joined the others, though he still made sure to keep his presence low.


    Unfortunately, someone did actually see him.


    "Hey, Axel! Where did you vanish during the introductions?" Came a girl''s annoying voice.


    Pausing in his steps, he ground his teeth to suppress the urge to punch whoever had asked that.


    It turned out to be the Pansy girl. And when she had asked that, several people also heard it.


    Unfortunately, that Malfoy boy had also heard it.


    "Yeah, you didn''t introduce yourself," he exclaimed. "Why did you not do it? Are you a half-blood? A Weasley? Don''t tell me you''re a mudblood?"


    Draco Malfoy didn''t really care whether he was Weasley or a mud-blood. He was just jealous that Axel''s appearance and temperament were much more attention-grabbing than his.


    Axel frowned. He''d not said a word to this guy up to now. But the guy was repeatedly attacking him for no apparent reason at all.


    Axel was habitually about to beat this guy up before he realized he was no longer in the muggle world. And even in the muggle world, the consequences he faced for such actions were severe, being kicked out of school and orphanage.


    So, he knows he can''t act. At least no yet.


    He looked at Malfoy in disdain. "If I had no background I wouldn''t have been involved with Rose Potter''s group."


    When Axel said this, many of the first years remembers his standing behind Rose when she confronted Draco at the gateway. Each person in the group of the girl-who-lived has a pureblood background. Longbottom, Bones, Abbot, Greengrass, and Potter Black. That''s a line-up that even the Pure-bloods here drool over.


    Of course, Axel couldn''t care less, but he had say it in order to get out of this situation.


    Axel didn''t pay attention to any of them as he moved on. This time, no one tried to stop him. Since it was Rose who brought Draco and Pansy''s aggro on him, it has to her who brings him out it.


    Axel walked into the dormitory area.


    In Slytherin, everyone had a room for themselves and when they were sorted, their luggage had been transported to their rooms by the House-elves.


    Axel walked along the doors and quickly found a door with his name written on it.


    He examined his room. It was a big room, mostly decorated in green and silver. There was a soft bed, a study table, a wardrobe, and some other miscellaneous furniture. He found his bag lying on the bed.


    It was the first time he was going to have a room of his own. He hadn''t slept on a bed for three years and the one at the orphanage was a bunk bed with springs sticking out of the mattress. Not a soft and comfortable one like this one.


    Too bad he was never going to be able to sleep on it.


    Yeah, when he was in the common room, he had already decided that he was not going to stay in this place. The people here were all bigoted idiots and every second he stays here, he''s going to be in more danger.


    He''s already made one enemy in just a few hours. And he''s not sure how many he''ll make if he stays any longer. Currently, he''s not in the right condition to fight¡­ in any way. Be it physically, magically, or in terms of background.


    It''s just fortunate that he at least has his wits about him. Otherwise, he''d have just decided to stay here and then humiliatingly gotten kicked out one day after being bullied one-sidedly.


    Why not leave on his own terms instead of leaving after suffering the inevitable suffering that was waiting for him here?


    The only regret was¡­


    "I thought I''d at least get to sleep in the bed for one day before I left," he lamented while looking at the very inviting bed.


    But with the blondy''s and Pantsy''s help, there''s no guarantee that someone among these arrogant people won''t come to disturb him at night. Due to magic, locks are useless.


    If anyone comes, he''s not confident he can defend himself without killing or maiming anyone. And that''ll just bring more trouble and enemies.


    He is not going to let anyone bully him.


    Thus, after an hour of wait, giving a last glance at the room, he left the Slytherin dorms for good with his backpack sling over his shoulders.

 Chapter 12: The Encounter

    Martina Valentino, the beautiful girl with purple hair and violet soul-stealing eyes, walked through the halls of Hogwarts under a disillusionment charm.


    In her previous life, she was a genius, but also, a shut-in geek with no social life to speak of. At the time when the worst pandemic struck her world in 2030, it made the previous one look quite tame in comparison. Scientists were unable to find any cure.


    Through some luck and a lot of hard work, she was somehow able to make a vaccine that could save millions of lives.


    But, the capitalists of her country prohibited her from revealing the formula to anyone. Money and power were somehow the priority for them. With hundreds of thousands of people dying all over the world, she had argued with them to prioritize the lives of the people first.


    It was too late when she realized she shouldn''t have done that. She found out that she was going to be silenced. She was already under strict monitoring, to begin with. There was no escape. They had made these plans from the moment she had revealed her research to them.


    The last thing she did was leak the formula all over the internet. She couldn''t even confirm whether she succeeded or not before she died.


    The next thing she knew, she met a god who said her actions had saved millions and she was given a wish.


    Of course, she chose reincarnation in the Harry Potter world.


    The god had said some warnings like the world would be different and dangerous or to choose another wish etc. But she hadn''t paid any attention to that. She had just wanted to do magic and experience Hogwarts life.


    Only after being reincarnated did she realize what God had meant by "different". This world was different for sure.


    So different that there was no Harry Potter in this world.


    No, seriously: WTF?!


    After overcoming her surprise, she realized that her starting conditions were excellent and she even had a few ''cheats'' or ''golden fingers'' characteristic to reincarnators.


    Thus, she decided to live her life to the fullest with magic. She was reborn in a very wealthy and loving family which mattered a lot to someone like her who was an orphan previously.


    After rebirth, she finally got a chance to enjoy her childhood and also got to experiment with magic. She made a few things for her family business too so that they stop focusing so much on their more... violent businesses.


    Her school was, of course, going to be Hogwarts. Where else would she choose? She wanted to meet all the characters.


    Her favorite character was Hermione since she could relate to her a lot. And she was heavily disappointed when the brilliant girl ended up with Ron in the seventh part.


    Today, in her third year at Hogwarts, she finally did meet Hermione, along with many other characters, but as expected, many things are different. Like, what the Hell is that Umbitch doing here?! And Dumbledore said she was actually competent?! Did that bitch learn magic in this world or Does she have a Voldemort sticking to her body?


    ''For heaven''s sake, where is Voldemort''s wraith in the first place?! Quirell is still teaching muggle studies with no turban and a head full of healthy hair!'' She thought in exasperation.


    Currently, she was once again walking through the corridors of Hogwarts after curfew, doing her routine exploring.


    She was in half the mood to go to the third-floor corridor since clearing an obstacle course sounded quite fun. It was built for children anyways. She also wanted to pet Fluffy, if he was still the first obstacle in this world.


    While walking under her invisibility, she almost got a jump scare when someone suddenly walked by her.


    ''What in the¡ª?''


    She quickly turned around to investigate. She could barely make out the silhouette of a boy walking through the shadows. He had a hood on, covering his hair, and his face was covered too.


    He was just walking with a slight limp in each step and without any hiding spell cast on him and yet, she found herself losing sight of him from time to time.


    "???"


    Martina couldn''t understand whether her eyes were playing tricks on her or the boy had some kind of magic cast on himself.


    She turned around and decided to follow him since she had nothing to do anyway. She currently had one invisibility and one Silencing Charm on her so she just casually walked while following him to see what this first year was up to.


    Just as they reached the corner, she saw him suddenly disappear.


    "??!!"


    In the next moment, she heard sounds of footsteps as a Hufflepuff prefect soon emerged from the corner.


    When the prefect had walked far away, she saw something beside the Suit of Armor move and his silhouette once again became visible, Martina also saw his amber-colored eyes which seemed to glow in the dark.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ''He was using his cloak as a camouflage!'' She realized. And it was so well executed that he disappeared right before her eyes!


    ''Hey! Wasn''t that a ninja technique?!'' She murmured to herself.


    Are all eleven years old like this these days? As she followed him, she saw him suddenly pause for a moment, making her wonder if someone was coming again. But then, he broke into a run!


    ''What the hell?!'' She thought as she quickly gave chase.


    It looked like he was struggling quite a lot as there was a limp in each of his steps, but he didn''t stop and took a turn to another corridor, disappearing from her sight.


    Half running, she followed him in a hurry and turned took the turn¡ª


    "Aaah!"


    And tripped when something suddenly got caught in her legs.


    By the time she got up, he was gone.


    ****


    Axel breathed a sigh of relief as he finally got rid of his follower. He wasn''t actually sure if anyone was following him, but since the system said, he had believed it and got rid of them as soon as he got the chance.


    He didn''t do anything more since that''d get him into trouble and he also didn''t know who the other party was. It could''ve been just an innocent student under an invisibility cloak.


    [That was brilliant, Axel. You get 1% approval for that. Total=8%]


    Axel frowned,


    ''Was it someone dangerous?''


    [That is unclear at the moment. Unlike AR, the System''s knowledge is limited to people of this world. It doesn''t have permission to access that person''s information. That person is under the jurisdiction of another entity.]


    Axel realized who his follower was after connecting the dots. There was only one student who had such a description.


    ''It was that purple-haired girl, right? So, she''s under the jurisdiction of another entity, right? Hm¡­ so that''s why you didn''t choose her.''


    [Affirmative. The Akashic Records cannot taken her presence into consideration in any of the future events. She''s a variable that can either be an ally or another enemy to be eliminated, hence the warning]


    Axel nodded, but then paused since he had another doubt.


    ''Wait, but didn''t you say that the Akashic Records is an entity that has the records of the past, present, and future of the worlds? Then why does it not already know how things will turn out?'' He asked in confusion.


    [That is only the case for normal circumstances. Sometimes, variables emerge who can go against fate. At that time, one change leads to thousands of changes, completely changing everyone''s destiny. The future is now unclear.]


    ''Alright, I got it. Akashic Records is just playing a gamble,'' thought Axel as he walked along the winding corridors of Hogwarts. He continued doing what he was doing earlier, finding a place to stay. He obviously couldn''t sleep in the Slytherin Dorms.


    While walking alone along the dark corridors, it suddenly occurred to him that nothing seemed to have changed yet. He was still as homeless as he was 3 years ago when he was kicked out of the orphanage.


    ''At least I left by choice this time,'' was his only consolation to keep his fragile pride and dignity intact.


    ***


    The next day, Axel woke up in an abandoned class that was in a desolate section of Hogwarts.


    He was tired last night so he decided to postpone trying to find an ideal location. Thus, he just cleared a place in this abandoned classroom, locked the door, set some bells on it, and crashed here after taking out his sleeping bag from his backpack.


    The backpack he had was, of course, enchanted with a space extension charm and a permanent feather-light charm. He had bought it in the Diagon Alley since he couldn''t just keep using Cyrus''s pouch, the murder evidence, could he?


    While buying this, he enthusiastic muggle-born shopkeeper had explained to him that a decade ago, most people used to use heavy metal trunks with an almost negligent feather-light charm on them, explaining just how backward the Wizarding World used to be before Bellatrix.


    But after the economic evolution, half-bloods and muggleborns were able to buy or rent land in the Diagon Alley. And trunks with new designs, better enchantments, and cheap costs were allowed to be sold without having their shops stormed or banned under some silly law.


    Now thing about this, didn''t the system say that Bellatrix had changed her fate? Meaning she was one of the variables in this world. And sure enough, she had managed to change so much in just a decade through butterfly effects.


    And Axel was quite grateful for that. Otherwise, he''d have been lugging a heavy trunk instead of this light and handy backpack with his aching body. He can even take this to his classes.


    It was a bit expensive, but as far as he could see, it was money (that was not his) well spent.


    Walking out of the classroom, he went to a boys'' bathroom, took a shower, and then went to the great hall for breakfast. It was already quite late and all the tables were filled with students. Axel sat at the furthest corner of the Slytherin table, where no one was sitting.


    While he was eating, a prefect came and placed a piece of paper in front of him. He had several sets of papers in his hands.


    "It''s the first-year timetable," he said before leaving.


    Axel picked up the piece of paper and looked through it. Along with his timetable, it also contained a basic description of other subjects taught at Hogwarts.


    "Transfiguration, Charms, Flying, DADA, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy."


    These were the compulsory subjects. Additionally, there were a lot of other subjects you could take as well. They could be taken as an elective by him, while some had an age restriction due to their advanced level.


    "Dueling, Alchemy, Enchanting, Ancient Runes, MagiZoology, Arithmancy, Music, Politics, MagicalScience, Healing, etc."


    Axel sighed as he looked at the list of optional subjects which seemed to go on forever. Enchanting, Healing, and Alchemy, which all seemed interesting, weren''t available to him this year. Thankfully, dueling was a subject available for all years.


    ''Hey system, how come there are so many subjects here?'' He asked in surprise.


    [A decade ago, there used to be fewer subjects. It has undergone a lot of changes after that.]


    ''Really? Can you explain in more detail?'' Asked Axel curiously.


    [Due to the wars and inbreeding, there weren''t enough students to attend other subjects and the school couldn''t afford more teachers as well. Thus, many subjects were removed.


    However, now that the student population of Hogwarts has surged exponentially due to many magical families of all blood statuses migrating or sending their children out of their country to study here, and the funding from the ministry has increased. Hogwarts is slowly returning to its former glory and even surpassing it in some areas.]


    ''...Well, I''ll be damned, this has changed as well.'' thought Axel as a certain crazy woman popped into his head. No matter how much he hated her, he had to admit that she was one hell of a minister. She''s changed everything in just one decade.


    That kinda makes it worse. He wouldn''t have been bothered at all if an incompetent and dumb person thought so low of him. But it makes his motivation burn brighter. He didn''t want to kill her or anything, but he wanted her to thorough regret saying those words to him for the rest of her life.


    ''Just you wait, you bitch.''

 Chapter 13: She is Faint of Heart

    Bellatrix Black was lying in an empty room in a miserable state. Her usually beautiful and picture perfect face looked pale and haggard. Her clothes were disheveled, which was never before seen in always prim, proper and beautiful Minister of Magic.


    She numbly looked at the report that had been sent to her Magi-Mirror. It was just the names and houses of all the students sorted this year.


    Axel Hunt: Slytherin


    He''s in Slytherin, with no family background, with a crippled body, and unable to do magic.


    If even she was this harsh to him for no reason at all. Understandably, he''ll be suffering a lot during his stay there.


    *CRACK*


    The device fell from her hand, causing its screen to crack, but she didn''t pay it any mind.


    Hunt. Axel Hunt. Tristan Hunt. Could she deny the truth any longer? The pendant, the uncanny resemblance, and now the same surname.


    3 life debts.


    That, plus being able to escape her fate of being a trophy wife of a death eater, and learning so many things that today that she''s able to be the most powerful woman in Britain and probably the most powerful woman in the world. That''s exactly how much she owed him.


    That was all 15 years ago. After helping her through her situation, he had to leave since there were people chasing after him.


    Left alone and not wanting to go to Britain where her parents had sold her to death eaters, Bellatrix toured the whole world for years after that. With her changed perspective thanks to that man, everything felt different to her. She was able to see the world without prejudice.


    When she finally returned to Britain after years, she found out that everything had changed.


    Andi, who was banished from the family after running away from home and marrying a muggle-born, was having a tough time raising her daughter and paying for her deranged husband''s treatment.


    Meanwhile, Siri was in jail, accused of being a mass murderer and a supporter of Voldemort. And every other Black was dead. Except for Cissy who''d not bother to care for anyone. She disappointed her the most.


    Bellatrix, who had changed by then due to the man who used to say ''family comes first,'' decided to fight for her remaining family. She became Lady Black, reinstated Andromeda as a Black Family member, and invited her to live with her once again.


    After that, she became the Minister of Magic and got Sirius a trial. With her life settled, she got to the reason behind her running for the Minister of magic.


    To find Tristan Hunt and also help him out. The people who were after him were quite the mysterious bunch.


    Tristan used to be a part of them at one point until one day, he realized their true goals and ran away with something.


    After searching for him with all the resources, imagine her surprise when she found out that Tristan was already dead! That had felt like the end of the world for her.


    At that time, she spent a lot of time in bereavement. And at this time, her family supported her a lot. She grieved until one day, she realized that even if he was dead, there were things she could do for him.


    His idealistic views, his wishes, and his brilliance could still be retained in this world through her. And most importantly, she could still take revenge on the people who were after him.


    After that day, almost a decade has passed and she settled her actions during this time according to a priority list.


    Tristan >>>>>>>>Family > Making the country powerful enough to find out about Tristan''s mysterious enemies and destroy them > Making the world a better place since Tristan wanted it so.


    If anyone messes with this priority, she''ll not hesitate to destroy that person.


    Now, Axel had something that her family wanted. That''s second on her list. Thus, she dealt with the situation without caring about hurting the feelings of an insignificant nobody.


    That was until she saw the pendant! It looked exactly the same as Tristan! From that point on, until now, she had been in denial. She kept thinking that he must be someone else.


    Cause if he wasn''t, the meaning of her actions was too horrible to think about.


    The words she had said to him kept ringing in her mind. Such horrible words¡­ They shouldn''t be said to another human being, let alone to the son of the person to whom she owed her everything, and more.


    But she can''t deny it anymore. She has to accept that he is indeed the son of Tristan Hunt.


    That Tristan, who used to say family comes first and tell her that she should love hers.


    His son has had to live on the streets, unloved and struggling for food.


    That Tristan, who was an honest and honorable man. Someone who even managed to change the evil her into someone a little better.


    His son has had to learn stealing from people.


    That Tristan, who couldn''t even watch a stranger suffering.


    His son has had multiple injuries growing up, got tortured by the unforgivable Cruciatus curse, and is now crippled for life.


    That Tristan, who helped her so much for her without asking for anything in return. Who always made sure not to be too harsh even while scolding her.


    She said such harsh words to his child that they shouldn''t even be said to enemies.


    While the poor boy had always struggled hard for wealth, she had called him poor. While he had tried to be someone powerful, she had called him an insignificant nobody. While the boy trusted someone for the first time, she had broken that trust in pieces. While the boy had happiness and hope in his life for the first time, she had thoroughly crushed them without mercy.


    She picked up her wand.


    With all the things accepted, there was only one thing in her mind right now. And that is:


    A bitch like her deserves to be punished.


    ****


    -AXEL-


    At the breakfast table, Axel folded his timetable and pocketed it. He had Transfiguration the first thing today. While he was eating, the Owl posts had arrived, dropping a few newspapers and a few letters. Most only had parcels.


    After Magi-Mirror technology was introduced into Britain, most people who can afford it would read the news and communicate with people through it.


    Though, there was no parcel system developed in Britain yet. So people were still dependent on owls for that one. Or rather, the Ministery didn''t allow that technology into Britain yet, or the hundreds of thousands of owls hatched and trained through a lot of resources would suddenly be useless. Some developed magical countries had better alternatives.


    At this moment, a huge pitch-black owl carrying a parcel swooped into the Great Hall, attracting a lot of attention. Most of the people recognized the owl in an instant.


    This breed of owls was only used by the Black family. And since it was from the Black family, they assumed it was for Rose, who has been adopted by the Blacks. But to everyone''s surprise, the owl landed in front of Axel.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Axel looked at the owl in front of him with a frown. After coming out of the Leaky Cauldron, he had canceled the custom order of his clothes from Madam Malkin''s. So he shouldn''t be getting any parcels right now.


    He checked the details written on it and found that it was indeed addressed to his name. Is there any other Axel hunt here?


    ''The sender¡­ Andromeda Tonk?''


    Axel''s good mood instantly soured. Why can''t this woman just leave him alone?


    Opening it, he found a letter and an expensive-looking wallet inside.


    "Dear Axel,


    I did the rest of the shopping for you. I would have sent it earlier with Rose but your custom clothes weren''t ready at that time. Did you cancel it? They had later called me to confirm and I denied it.


    Also, congratulations on your sorting to Slytherin! Though I am not really sure about your family background. You never told me. And why was Hogwarts staff coming to help you with your shopping? Is there really no one to take care of you?


    Anyways, I saw the memory. I never knew Cyrus Greengrass was such a sick and deranged person! You have the strongest will I have ever seen in my ten years as a mind healer. I am glad the man is dead.


    I was so furious when I found out that my sister has got your memories! I don''t know exactly how my sister got them, but I''d like to ask for your forgiveness for whatever she did. Bella has never been a polite person, nor a patient one.


    She did say you gave it voluntarily, but then I don''t know why you left. Can you tell me exactly what happened? Bella hasn''t come home ever since. A lot of problems are cropping up after her sudden and unexplained disappearance. She isn''t replying to any of the calls. The Aurors are going to start investigating very soon.


    Anxiously waiting for your reply!


    Andromeda"


    ****


    Axel crumpled the piece of parchment in anger. These people just wouldn''t let him off! If that bitch Minister wasn''t found soon, the Aurors would start investigating! And as the last person who was alone with her, he''d likely be the first person to be suspected.


    Even if they consider the fact he was just a crippled child, they''d at least question him, and probably take his memories as well.


    He doesn''t know how it works in the Magical world, but does know that police do know how to make people talk. And those methods are not pleasant. He''s had first-hand treatment. Those people were merciless even to a child.


    Axel opened the Black leather wallet to realize that it was a lot bigger from the inside. Bigger than the space in his backpack.


    It had all the equipment, books, and other things on the shopping list and more. Axel didn''t even give them a second glance before closing the wallet and putting it in his backpack.


    The way he saw it, these things were just a hoax. The main reason was that she was just worried about her dear sister. As Bellatrix had said, this much was just chump change to their coffers.


    When he looked up, he was surprised to see most of the students looking at him for some reason. Even some professors.


    ''Well, I''m fucked, aren''t I?'' He realized. The last thing he wanted was attention. Attention would lead to curiosity and curiosity would lead to people investigating his background and history.


    If this was still not enough attention, the girl who lived herself came to stand behind him along with Neville. She could recognize that owl from a mile away. Its name was Ater.


    "What was it?" She asked Axel as the owl flew over to settle on her shoulder.


    "Why are you here?" Axel asked her instead.


    She showed her timetable.


    "We have Transfiguration together. I was wondering if you''d like to come along."


    He was about to deny it but when he looked at the curious students, he sighed. They had heard her invitation already. He couldn''t deny it. This wasn''t a question since he wasn''t given a choice.


    "Lead the way," he said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.


    "So¡­" began Rose as they exited the Great Hall. "You still haven''t answered what Ater came to deliver."


    Axel shrugged, "Just some shopping items. Your Aunt Andromeda was asking if I knew where your Aunt Bella was."


    "So? Do you know anything?" Asked Rose, almost too quickly.


    Axel sighed inwardly. He already knew that she already knew. She''s not too good at acting.


    Axel looked at her like she was an idiot.


    "I don''t know,"


    Rose looked at him dubiously.


    "Really? Are you sure? She didn''t look fine after she came back."


    Axel stopped walking for a second. He could see a noticeable change in her attitude from yesterday. Until Sorting, her tone was friendly and gentle. But right after he was sorted into Slytherin, she has been looking at him differently. And her tone has also changed noticeably.


    He never expected anything more from her, to begin with. He returned the favor in kind.


    "Miss Potter, is there any way for me affect her to the point of making her disappear. Need I remind you I''m eleven?" He asked coldly before leaving the two behind.


    Neville snorted,


    "See? He''s already showing his Slytherin colors, isn''t he? I told you yesterday. Most Slytherins are evil. Gran and Dad and Uncle Sirius also say the same thing."


    Rose shook her head with a guilty look,


    "But he did have a point. Why did I even bother asking?" She was just worried for her aunt. The private forces were already moving, trying to locate her.


    After all the previous attacks on the Minister in the past decade, they were also not wrong for worrying.


    ¡­


    Axel didn''t go to the classroom first. Instead, he asked a student for directions to the owlery.


    There was a problem he needed to fix before doing anything else. Otherwise, he''ll have Aurors coming to Hogwarts for questioning very soon.


    He had thought he''d settle it after classes, but after Rose had confronted him, he realized that it is better to do it as soon as possible.


    He went into an empty broom closet and took out his wand.


    When he touched the wand, It gave a hum of vibration along with a spark.


    "Well, someone looks eager," he muttered. He was also eager to learn magic, but he had to do this first.


    Closing his eyes, and touching the tip to his head, he brought a silvery thread out of his head and stored it in a plastic water bottle.


    The method to do this was included in the beginner Occlumency package and he was able to do it since it did not need magical skills but mind skills.


    "Damn, that actually worked," he muttered in slight disbelief. He was used to failing at magic by now.


    [Host, you are quite talented, actually. Have some patience. You''ll excel eventually.]


    ''Like I don''t know that,'' he thought while getting out. He was just worried that with his luck, he''ll be dead long before that happens.


    The shining silvery thread was the memory of his entire meeting with Bellatrix. Though it excluded the part of what exactly she saw in his memories. He excluded it since this could now be shown to the authorities in case Bellatrix really went missing and they wouldn''t know that he had an encounter with Cyrus Greengrass, a man who had been recently murdered.


    And, this memory would most likely also stop Andromeda from continuing her fake act of caring after knowing that her sister had already exposed her.


    He would have liked to add a note as well, but as expected, he can''t write anything comprehensible with his fingers so unsteady. He could only tear a slip containing Andromeda''s signature and stick it to the bottle.


    When he finally stepped into the Owlery while panting due to exertion, he stopped dead in his tracks.


    ?!


    There was a girl standing in front of the open space of the Owlery, looking at the scenery while gently stroking the plumage of an owl that was resting on her shoulder.


    He wouldn''t have bothered if it was any other girl, but it was the same girl who was following him last night.


    ....


    Martina didn''t feel like attending the class right now, so she just skipped it. She had long realized that she can do a lot of things that others won''t be allowed to do. That included skipping classes as well.


    Though some teachers do tend to have her learn something challenging while they teach the other students. Sadly, potions wasn''t one of them.


    So she came to meet Rowlet, her dear owl. She had named her after the cute Pokemon Rowlet since the two looked quite similar.


    At this moment, Rowlet suddenly turned her head 180¡ã to look behind them. Turning around as well, she saw that it was a boy who was looking at her with surprise.


    Just as she was about to ignore him, she saw that his eyes looked familiar. As the boy turned around to find an owl, his figure overlapped with the person who had tripped her last night. Any other person wouldn''t have made the connection but she was a genius with monstrous intellect.


    ''So, it was this little guy here who did that, huh?'' She thought with a frown as she recalled how disgraceful it was when she fell flat on the floor while running. Even her skirt had ridden up, showing the forbidden scenery! It was fortunate she was invisible at that moment, or she''d have straight up used her powers then and there.


    "Hey, you!" She called out to him, making him stop.


    Axel cursed under his breath when she called out to him.


    ''System, should I make a run for it?''


    [Calm down, Axel. There''s a 0.02% chance of you being able to run. System would recommend talking things out peacefully. The magical fluctuations coming from her are insanely high.]


    ''Damn. Talk about being unlucky,'' thought Axel as he slowly turned around to face her.


    He didn''t know what he was expecting, but he certainly didn''t expect her to just keep staring at him.


    [Host, she''s currently reading your mind.]


    Axel jumped in surprise.


    ''What?! But I didn''t even keep the eye-contact for more than a second! And how come I didn''t feel a thing.''


    [She''s at a surprisingly high level of Legilimency. She doesn''t need eye contact and you can''t detect it at your level.]


    Axel panicked,


    ''So what do I do now?!''


    [Don''t worry. It seems like she wouldn''t last long.]


    And sure enough, Axel saw her suddenly jerk back with a gasp.


    ''System, What happened? Did you block her?''


    [No, blocking her would have led to more trouble as you are not supposed to be able to block her. System simply concealed all the information about itself along with other sensitive information and threw out some of your bad memories to test her out. She didn''t last long. It seems that she is faint of heart.]


    *Gasp*


    Martina gasped as she retracted her Legilimancy probe. She just couldn''t watch it anymore!


    Like most reincarnators she had no qualms about casually entering people''s minds. She had just wanted to check what kind of person he was and how he knew someone was following him yesterday... and if he had gotten lucky and caught a glimpse by chance, but who would have thought that things will backfire on her again and she''ll be traumatized just by watching an eleven year old''s memories!


    How can someone live properly after experiencing all that?! Scratch that, how can someone be alive after suffering through all those beatings?!


    At this moment, she heard him call her, bringing her out of her state of shock. "Excuse me, did you have any business with me?... No?"


    He didn''t wait for her reply and just went along on to find an owl to put the small transparent bottle in his hand into the owl''s pouch. As soon as he was done, Axel made a beeline for the exit before the stunned girl could do anything.

 Chapter 14: An Angel?

    Axel walked into a large classroom that had at least 100 students at the moment. He had barely made it in time.


    There was a Black tabby cat on the table, staring at all the students with its yellow eyes.


    Axel went straight to the last table to sit and took out his transfiguration textbook along with his wand.


    "Woah!"


    "Blimey!"


    "Professor?!"


    The tabby cat turned out to be Professor Mcgonagall which kinda impressed Axel. He wondered what animal he''ll turn into, his excitement, however quickly died down. He''d been called a street rat too many times. He''s terrified that it''ll turn into reality.


    Mcgonagall ignored the surprised reaction of the students as she began the classes.


    "Welcome to your very first class of Transfiguration."


    "Transfiguration is a very systematic, exact magical discipline, working best for the scientifically-inclined mind, and as such, it is deemed very hard work. Especially compared to Charms, which affords a much larger margin for personal creativity. Also when transfiguring, it is important to make firm and decisive wand movements. Do not wiggle or twirl your wand unnecessarily, or the Transfiguration will certainly be unsuccessful."


    Axel instantly started to dislike the subject just by the description. But then, Mcgonagall, as if knowing what the students were thinking, pointed her wand at the desk which instantly turned into a pig.


    "Though, with experience and practice, you can do things with transfiguration that can help in infinite ways," she said, turning the desk into a few more things before turning it back into a chair.


    The students grew excited upon seeing the magic so she gave out a warning.


    "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."


    Mcgonagall had the students write a lot of complicated notes, none of which Axel could write with his crippled hand.


    There were a number of factors a wizard had to take into account when carrying out Transfiguration spells. The intended transformation (t) was directly influenced by body weight (a), viciousness (v), wand power (w), concentration (c), and a fifth unknown variable (Z),


    Only after she was done explaining did she allow the students to turn their matchsticks into needles.


    Axel frowned.


    ''System, was Mcgonagall also considering these theories and this complicated formula during her transfiguration?''


    That was instant magic, with no precise wand waving, chanting, or calculation.


    [No, Axel. After a large amount of practice, you can gain enough control over your magic that it simply listens to your will and executes it. Most of these formulae and theories will be useless by then.]


    Axel frowned as he tried the spell following everything instructed by McGonagall. With his trembling hand, he couldn''t even performthe wand movement correctly.


    Not a single change happened to the matchstick.


    When he looked at Rose''s table, he saw that she had already changed hers into a silver pointed needle. Though he saw that most of the students were in a similar situation as him. Only those who had practiced with a wand before were able to do it.


    Axel shook his head.


    ''Nope, this won''t do,'' he thought. Just like in charms, wand movements are a no go for him.


    "Professor?" he called out, raising his hand.


    Mcgonagall, who was praising Rose, turned towards him.


    "Yes, Mr. Hunt?"


    Oh, so she did remember his name. Her Occlumency must be impressive. There were so many students.


    "Can I get more matchsticks?"


    "Yes, how many do you want?"


    "Ah¡­ about a hundred will do, ma''am,"


    "..?.."


    That got a few raised eyebrows, a few turned heads, and some snickers.


    Mcgonagall frowned, but she did humor the boy.


    "You are only allowed to use one at a time." She said, before sending out a box of matches to his desk.


    She remembers his name because the Master Healer Andromeda Black had personally sent a letter to her, requesting her to take care of Axel since he had recently suffered debilitating injuries which have rendered him unable to use magic and write his homework. McGonagall has also passed on the message to other teachers.


    Thus, just now when he made the weird request, she just let the boy have the matches if that''s what he wanted before turning her attention back to the other students.


    Axel, not knowing all this, thanked her before getting to work. This time, he skipped all the complicated stuff and straight up ordered the matchstick to turn into a needle while chanting the spell, putting in all the magic he could muster.


    There was no change, but Axel could still feel the magic going into his wand.


    One second... two seconds...


    After a few seconds passed, Axel shielded his face.


    *Puff*


    And he was right in doing so. The matchstick broke into pieces due to excessive magic. But he noticed that there were traces of silver in the splinters.


    Wand movements are there for directing and controlling the flow of your magic. Without them and with no practice, the magic is splashing colors on a canvas instead of painting with a brush.


    ''Alright, less output,'' thought Axel as he ignored the intense pain that was caused by using magic.


    This time, the match didn''t break into pieces right away, but the shape got disfigured and it still broke in the end.


    With every attempt, he''ll take observations and make changes to his magic. He was not blindly wasting matchsticks. He was getting better results with each broken stick.


    After about 20 tries, Axel was in a much worse condition. And his head was throbbing. But! He also had a somewhat passable silver needle in his hands. Meanwhile, the others who had never tried it were still struggling to make any changes using Mcgonagall''s complicated method.


    [Very good, Axel. Transfiguration is supposed to be very difficult compared to charms. You managed to bring results using a practical approach that complements your extreme mental talent.


    +1% approval. Total: 9%. A new system feature will be unlocked when you reach 10%]If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Axel didn''t pay much attention to the system. He''d be happy to accept whatever help comes from the system but he doesn''t want to be too dependent on it. The new feature might be good, but isn''t it useless right now?


    He decided to perfect this spell. He could feel his control over the magic getting stronger. He should practice on these matchsticks as much as possible since he''d not have many test subjects while practicing with a live animal or a larger item.


    When it was approaching time to end the classes, McGonagall glanced at the boy on the last bench once again.


    She was surprised to see a bunch of silver Needles lying on his desk, along with a number of splinters. He was clutching a handkerchief to his nose with one hand while practicing the spell with the other.


    She frowned. Something was not right. When she walked closer and observed closely, her shock intensified by several folds.


    The first thing she noticed was, that his condition wasn''t good at all! Bloodshot eyes, with traces of blood on the handkerchief, and veins on his trembling hands and forehead were popping out.


    The second thing that surprised her was, that the boy wasn''t making any wand movements while performing the spell. He was only chanting the incantation. And the matchstick was slowly turning into a silver needle!


    "Mr. Hunt, stop it this instant!" She ordered.


    Axel stopped for a moment to look up.


    "Yes Professor?" He asked in confusion.


    McGonagall''s lips formed a hard line as she sternly looked at him.


    "I was under the impression that you are suffering from debilitating injuries and are unable to perform magic until treated?"


    Axel frowned.


    ''What the heck? How did she know?!''


    He shook his head.


    "I don''t remember mentioning this to anyone, Professor. I am injured, yes. But I can still learn magic. It''s just a bit harder for me," he answered, trying to downplay it.


    "...A bit harder?" Repeated Mconagall, giving him a once over. She pulled off his handkerchief which was covered in blood from the other side.


    "Clearly, it''s more than a ''bit harder'' for you, Mr. Hunt. No more magic for the rest of the class."


    Axel considered explaining to this woman that he was in fact fine. But decided against it. He knew her kind. She''ll ignore him like a girl ignoring her ex.


    Putting on a reluctant expression, he agreed. "Yes, Professor. I won''t..."


    ''¡ªlet you catch me,'' he added in his mind in a deadpan. Like hell anyone can stop him from learning magic. With his skills, it''s just a minor inconvenience.


    But he''ll have to get formal proof from the healer here stating that there was no harm.


    Seeing the obedient boy, McGonagall''s eyes softened.


    "That being said. You put in a tremendous amount of effort and managed to learn the spell while a certified master Healer said it will be impossible for you to cast magic. 10 point to Slytherin," she said, and Axel could have sworn he saw reluctance in her expression.


    Anyone a few years older would have been shocked silly witnessing this event. McGonagall, awarding 10 points straight to a Slytherin?


    Now that''s something you don''t get to see often.


    Axel nodded and thanked her. But in actuality, he couldn''t care less about some silly house points. Especially for Slytherin. He''d rather Slytherin come last in the House Cup.


    On the other hand, Draco Malfoy, who was still unsuccessful in turning his matchstick into a needle gritted his teeth while glaring at Axel.


    Axel spent the rest of the class practicing as well. Of course, McGonagall didn''t catch any abnormalities this time.


    Flitwick''s class turned out to be much better since he could practice freely there after taking a back seat while hiding from the diminutive professor. Susan had invited him to sit with her but he had refused since she was sitting in the front. Plus, Hannah didn''t seem too eager to sit him.


    Defense Against the Dark Arts though¡­


    Axel had arrived early and claimed his back seat. What he didn''t expect was someone to actually come and sit beside him.


    ???


    Axel looked at Daphne in surprise. He had noticed that most of the students from other houses would avoid a Slytherin. Even Rose and Susan''s treatment of him had subtly changed. So, he wasn''t expecting her of all people to come and sit beside him.


    "Don''t look so surprised. I was planning on getting some sleep so I came here. My friends refused to sit in the back seat so they are in the front," she said, pointing at a few Ravenclaw girls.


    The meaning of her words was clear: I''m not a loner like you.


    "I need you to inform me if that woman comes here or looks our way."


    Axel raised his eyebrows.


    "You''re not going to try learning?"


    Daphne shook her head.


    "I have already covered the first-year syllabus. My dear father made sure of that," she said, injecting the word father with a lot of venom.


    The corner of Axel''s mouth tugged upward. "Your father must have been a great Asshole," he said with a smirk. After all, he had first-hand experience. It felt good to curse someone''s father right to their face without worrying about the consequences.


    Daphne''s mouth opened in surprise upon hearing the crass word, but she realized that it was indeed an apt description of that man. She nodded.


    "Yes¡­ he indeed¡­ an... a-asshole," she said, saying the word for the first time. It felt¡­ liberating. That man had forbidden her from doing anything unladylike.


    Axel smiled for real this time. She sounded so innocent saying the word for the first time. It was like he was corrupting an innocent little child.


    "You seem be using that word for the first time. Did you father also not allow this?" He probed. If possible, he wanted to know about Cyrus. Maybe it was for closure. After all, he can''t remain indifferent after the series of events.


    "Of course not," Daphne shook her head, feeling a bit embarrassed at being seen through. She felt the need to


    Daphne continued, the subject of her father''s death being a really refreshing subject.


    "You d


    "When I realized that he was dead, I smiled a real smile for the first time in a long time! Same with mum. Really, the person who killed him must be an angel..."


    ''Hm?....Hahahahaha!''


    Axel almost laughed out loud.


    "Yeah¡­ I am sure. He must have been chosen by the god," he said, nodding in amusement.


    While it was Daphne''s first time using a bad word, it was Axel''s first time having an enjoyable conversation with someone.


    But, as interesting as their conversation was, it had to be cut short since a toad-like woman in pink had made her way behind the front desk.


    "Well, good afternoon!" she said when finally the whole class had settled down.


    A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.


    "Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won''t do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply ''Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.'' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"


    "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.


    "There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn''t too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."


    The first thing the woman did after entering was this?


    The first years weren''t all too sensible and polite. One of the Slytherins asked the question in everyone''s mind.


    "We won''t be using the wand?" Asked Draco Malfoy in dissatisfaction.


    Umbridge gave him her characteristic creepy smile,


    "What is your name, dear?"


    Malfoy puffed out his chest.


    "I''m Draco Malfoy. Pureblood heir to the Malfoy family," he said arrogantly.


    Umbridge smiled in approval.


    "Oh, a Pureblood, very good. You see, Draco, magic should only be taught to people who are worthy. Now, do you think everyone here is worthy?"


    Malfoy''s gaze swept over to some of the mudbloods he knew.


    "No," he said with a sneer. "Only¡ª


    "Very good!" Said Umbridge, cutting him off, "You see Draco, I have a lot of magic I can teach," she said, levitating the book in front of her with just a finger.


    "But, it''ll only be taught to the worthy! Meanwhile, in the class, we''ll be covering all the basic syllabus that you all will need to pass the exams," she said sweetly.


    Axel''s mood sank. He was somehow sure that he would not be among the so-called ''worthy'' people.


    [Host, you should stay wary of this woman. She has dark magical power hidden in her. It was undetectable until she used her magic just now. She can''t conceal it very well while using her magic.]


    Damn¡­ this woman¡­ he knew something was wrong with her from the very beginning. Her eyes give him the same chills he got from Daphne''s Dear Dark Daddy.


    [You have good instincts. They''ll help you live longer.]


    ''No shit, system.''


    Daphne frowned, no longer looking in the mood to sleep.


    "I don''t like this woman," she stated flatly.


    "You see it too?" Asked Axel.


    Daphne shrugged. "I don''t know what you see, but those eyes..." she paused, looking at Umbridge. "Something about them reminds of my father."


    Axel nodded in agreement. "She''s bad news. I wouldn''t recommend sleeping," he warned. It was none of his business really, but sitting beside her, he didn''t want to be implicated.


    Daphne said nothing but she obviously was no longer going to sleep. She wanted to say something but Umbridge tutted everyone into silence as she began teaching everyone from the textbook.


    Axel realized that he wasn''t going to learn anything in that class. So, he started practicing transfiguration under his desk. With his carefulness, he couldn''t be caught. No one else tried said anything to tick off Umbridge and the class went smoothly.


    After this, it was dinner time but Axel didn''t directly go to the great hall. Instead, he first went to the library.


    He was already feeling lethargic from all the exertion but it''s not the first time he''s feeling like shit.


    He can count on his fingers how many times in the last three years he was feeling completely fine with no injuries, no hunger, not freezing with cold, not feeling feverish, etc.


    Thus, he''s learned to stop complaining and just do it. While panting, he soldiered on to climb the stairs and walk the long corridors before finding the library.


    ''Oi, system. Recommend me some books on offensive magic and other useful magic which are good enough that I can actually learn,'' he ordered. If this thing can''t even help him this much, he''s straight up rejecting the whole saving the world thing.


    Thankfully, the system didn''t turn out to be completely useless for once, and recommended to him some books which he had to dig out and pluck out from all kinds of places in the library.


    He realized that these smartass students had hidden the good and rare books at places where no one else would find them and these books had been hidden for god knows how long.


    Anyways, why is he borrowing the books?


    It''s because after attending these classes, he has realized that even with his crippled body, he is already getting ahead of what Mcgonagall and Flitwick are teaching the students.


    Which is nothing to be impressed about, considering the strength of his enemies.


    In fact, it''s quite funny and worrying how he is fretting about school bullies while he has to fight an army of creatures from another dimension along with the most powerful Darklord.


    Thus, he''s going to have to learn magic on his own, ahead of everyone else. He needs to gain strength quickly.

 Chapter 15: Not Weak Anymore

    Axel brought the books recommended by the system to the librarian for borrowing. Upon seeing the titles, the lady looked at him in pleasant surprise.


    She let him borrow the books and even thanked him for finding them.


    "Some of them have been hidden for centuries! I wouldn''t mind even if you borrow these for a year now!"


    Of course, Axel had to answer how he found them, to which he simply replied he just tried to look for the best place where he could hide them.


    With the books in his bag, Axel made his way back to the great hall for dinner. He took a seat alone at the furthest corner of the table, near the Professor''s table.


    He decided to check out the books he''d borrowed. While he was eating peacefully while reading one of the books, someone annoyingly disturbed him.


    "Hey, Hunt! I heard you were a cripple?" Asked Malfoy, purposefully making his voice loud so that others could hear it too.


    Axel mentally let out a sigh. This guy¡­ is starting to get on his nerves. Just a disclaimer, but those who get on his nerves don''t usually end well.


    Axel simply nodded.


    "Yeah blondie, must have sucked right? Even a cripple is better than you at magic," he said, one hand holding a goblet while his face made a lopsided mocking expression.


    //Meme Leonardo De Caprio//


    There were some sniggers and catcalls from those who heard. That should have shut him up. Sadly, this guy was denser than Axel gave him credit for.


    "Oh, you think you''re better? How laughable!" He said, pulling his wand out, suddenly getting all serious. Axel hates this kind of people, who dare to makes jokes on other but can''t handle the retaliation.


    "Better? Yeah, I think I am. At least I read the rules before coming here and haven''t embarrassed my house in public,'' he said before glancing at the teacher''s table, where some of the teachers had their eyes on them.


    He had expected his Head of House professor Snape to take action, but the bastard just stared at them like he didn''t intend to do anything.


    ''Git,'' thought Axel. He had seen the same guy taking action against several Gryffindors this morning for the smallest of things.


    No matter, someone could match him in his pettiness, apparently.


    "Mr. Malfoy, it is against the rules to point your wand at a fellow student. 5 points from Slytherin," said McGonagall from her seat. Axel was sitting in the corner, being the closest to the teachers for a reason after all.


    Malfoy''s face was worth watching at that moment. And upon losing points, even the other Slytherins glared at him. Pureblood or not, that was entirely his fault. He was like a Gryffindor while the other boy acted like a Slytherin should.


    Malfoy''s face turned purple as he glared at Axel angrily. "You just meet me in the Dueling class, Hunt. I''ll show who''s better then," he said before leaving.


    ''Dueling class, huh?'' Axel had almost forgotten about it. It was tomorrow and it was held together for all the houses of the same year.


    He glanced at the Professor who was going to teach them Dueling.


    It was a tall and athletic beautiful woman with blond hair and hazel eyes.


    Her name was Alice Longbottom, an ex-Auror and a famous duelist. Neville Longbottom doesn''t act so confident at Hogwarts for no reason. His mum teaches dueling at Hogwarts.


    Axel would have looked forward to the dueling class, if he had a good background and a healthy body. But in his current state¡­ It''s going to be difficult. But, he still has to go. He knows nothing about magical combat and the fights from now on are going to heavily involve magic.


    That night, the first thing he did after going to the Slytherin dorms was to change his door plate with another door plate containing a different name. This one was stuck to a room that was not occupied by anyone. After that, he put his own door plate in his bag and left the dorms for good.


    Though he could technically stay in another dorm as well, but it''s not worth it staying at this place longer. The people here are very punchable and his crippled hands have been itching for a while. Malfoy''s already after him and retaliating openly will attract attention and curiosity to his background.


    Now that he has no room to his name in this huge dorm, no one would find out that he never stayed in his room. There are so many rooms and they''d never even find his name. This is in case someone like Malfoy tried to ambush him at night, only to find that he was not in his room. Then they can complain that he''s been breaking the curfew.


    Now, he won''t bother showing up here at all. There''s so many students that even he can''t tell whether any of them are coming to the dorm every night or not.


    With things sorted out, he had officially left the Slytherin dorms. Somehow, he felt much more comfortable now. Maybe he''s used to being homeless now. Now he can stay wherever he wants in this castle.


    Right now, even though he was dead tired, he decided to practice some magic and Occlumency first. Being tired is no excuse. If you can do it without suffering any consequences, then you''re just being lazy. It also helps that he has a genuine drive to learn magic.


    While navigating between his classes today, he had also been scouting for locations to practice magic and sleep.


    He had come across a huge room with hundreds of training dummies, targets, and other dueling equipment. It was the place where the dueling classes are usually held.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    But of course, he''s not going there right now. He is not the only one who would want to practice magic at night. Thus, he''s sure there''d definitely be someone else there, or at least the prefects would go there to check if anyone was there.


    During the day, he had casually stolen a few dummies and targets from there after confirming with the system that there was no risk. Now they''ll come to his use.


    He went back to the classroom that was his bedroom yesterday, locked the door, and set up the dummies and targets.


    By now, he''d only learned three spells.


    1)Lumos


    2) Levitation


    3) Transfiguration of a matchstick into a needle.


    "¡­. Quite useless, if I do say so myself," he muttered.


    He took out the books he''d borrowed from the library.


    *Gulp*


    Flipping through the pages of some of the best books of Hogwarts library, he gulped upon seeing so many types of spells. These included the spells in Hogwarts normal curriculum as well along with the other spells. And the difficulty varied from the first year to the seventh year and some even above that.


    "Alright, let''s start slow," he muttered. He was sure he can''t learn any of them with his disabilities. Heck, even his Lumos light is quite weak and fluctuating.


    Thus, he has to do something about this. There has to be a way.


    That''s his primary goal. His other immediate goal is to learn some spells that can be used even in his crippled state.


    For that, he examined his current state.


    His hands, specifically, his fingers had suffered major damage and he had little to no control over them.


    But his legs, even though they hurt all the time, and he can''t make rapid movements, his legs are still fine. That is, he still hasn''t lost the incredible balance and grace of a master thief.


    ''Hm¡­ it can be used,'' he thought as all sorts of fighting scenarios flashed through his mind.


    ''Alright, system, can you tell me which spells I can cast with my current condition and are useful to me?''


    [With 9% approval, affirmative. It is possible if you ask.]


    The system recommended to him a few spells which he could practice.


    ''Ah¡­ system, are you sure I can do all these?'' Asked Chris, checking the difficulty level of some of the spells. There was one even above seventh-year difficulty.


    [Affirmative. As previously mentioned, you have an extreme mental talent, Axel. Not even those above seventh year are able to take a Cruciatus curse without suffering mental damage.]


    [A spell requires both magical and mental contribution to complete. The spells recommended by the system need about 90% mental contribution and only 10% Magical.]


    "Great,"


    He looked at the spells. Some of them are going to take a long time to practice. It''s better to just learn the easiest ones first in order to at least have some modicum of safety. So that he won''t be helpless in case someone attacks him.


    The very first spell:


    A Smoke producing spell.


    Yep, as an experienced thief, he knows the fundamental requirements of becoming strong. Step 1: Learn how to distract and run¡­ so that you survive long enough to make the tables turn.


    "Efficio Fumus."


    //Create Smoke//


    It was supposed to produce a continuous stream of smoke that''s quite thick. But when he muttered the incantation without wand movement, his wand produced a few fumes as if coughing them out.


    But Axel actually smiled. This was already much better than most of his attempts to use other spells. And this spell doesn''t need any direction so the wand movements are redundant.


    After reading the theory a few more times, and getting a perfect image for the fumes he wanted, he cast the spell with much more focus and much more force.


    This time, he was able to produce the smoke, and even if the power was somewhat lower, it''d still get the job done. He cast it a few more times, getting better each time.


    "Alright!" He said before flipping the pages.


    Before he tried another spell from the list, he had to test one thing:


    Can he even hit the target?


    To find that out, he tried out the red sparks spell. It''s just a spell that sends out a beam of light at the target. No attack power. Uses very little magic power.


    "Vermilious!" He chanted, aiming at the target.


    "...Damn," he muttered after looking at the results, his voice filled with bitterness. He had completely missed the mark. Looking at his trembling hands which once used to be able to even throw knives with accuracy, he sighed. For now, he can''t learn any shooting beam type of spells like stupify or expelliarmus with this shitty aim.


    But, not all hope was lost. There were still spells that he could perform.


    The smoothening spell or the polishing spell. It temporarily makes the object very smooth by layering the spell magic on top of the object. The spell effect can be stacked.


    "Lubricous nitorem."


    Once again, no need for direction. This is another spell he can use very well. This is going to be a very useful. He quickly learned this and its countercharm as well.


    Now, for the next and probably the last spell today: Electric Zap.


    He really really really liked this one.


    It was one of the more unique spells in the book. You just chant the spell repeatedly. After every chant, the charge keeps accumulating on your wand. The amount of charge you can accumulate depends on your mental strength.


    He thoroughly read the theory. One benefit of these books was that the theory and explanation was quite precise and practical. After building up his intent a for while, he gave it a try.


    "Electrica Impulsa," he muttered, and was rewarded with a small shark travel up his wand.


    He grinned. Putting more power, he tried again. In his second try, the spark a much more power than the previous one. When he tried a thrid and a fourth time, even with his low magical power, enough charged had gathered into his wand that he could see some blue light gathering at the wand tip.


    After four charges, Axel was feeling a bit of a burden holding on. He let of his concentration and the spell dissipated into sharks.


    "This really is quite interesting..." he muttered.


    He decided to focus on practicing this spell. Axel spent several minutes getting the right visualisation, even going so far as he shock himself a little. Then, he started gathering charging, using the spell again and again in order to see his mind''s limits.


    *Crackle* *Crackle*


    *CRACKLE*


    "THIS... IS... AMAZING!" he exclaimed over the loud crackling noise, looking at his wand crackling with an incredible amount of power accumulated on it. He was in a tremendous amount of pain right now. It was almost similar to Cruciatus.


    And it was because using magic hurts even when he used to use a little bit of magic. Right now, he''d used up all of his magic and was holding it all together with his mental power.


    The number of times an average wizard could stack up the charge with this was 3 times before it blows in their face because they can''t control it.


    ''How¡­ much... have I already loaded...system?'' He asked the system while the whole room was lit with a dazzling blue glow.


    [Axel, you''ve chanted the spell for exactly 34 times by now. It is recommended that you don''t go any further.]


    Axel was already feeling light-headed. Looks like this was the extent of his magic...for now. Point: his ''magic'' power. He still had some mental power to spare.


    ''Hey system! How do I cancel it?!'' He asked.


    [There''s no way you can release it here without blowing things up. You need to release it out of the window.]


    ''What?! This thing can be released as well? I thought this wasn''t a ranged attack and I have to touch my wand to them in order attack?'' He asked.


    [Yes, but the amount of magical power you''ve put in it has made ranged attacks to be possible.]


    ''Alright,'' Axel didn''t delay any longer. ''How do I do this?''


    A moment later, a bright blue bolt of lightning flew up into the clouds, leaving a loud sound of thunderclap after it.


    Axel stood there, swaying back and forth, as he struggled to keep standing. This... the system was right. Mental power can be huge boon. He''s isn''t actually as weak as he thought.


    A beautiful but malicious woman''s image came to his mind.


    "Bitch¡­ who said I''m weak?" He muttered before he feel to the floor, already asleep/unconscious.

 Chapter 16: A Challenge

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    *Hoot* *HootHoot*


    Andromeda looked up as an owl and entered through the kitchen window, after it successfully passed the wards.


    Seeing that it was wearing the Hogwarts insignia, she curiously stood up to see what it had brought. Her correspondence with McGonagall was easily done through the Magi-mirror. So she didn''t know what it could have been.


    ''Is Axel''s reply here?'' Thinking this, her actions hastened. Her sister still hadn''t come back. Though there was indeed a message from her through the Magi-mirror.


    It said: I''m alive. Don''t bother me.


    But, can a single text make her stop worrying? NO! This in fact confirmed that something was indeed wrong. Quickly checking the leather pouch tied to the owl, Andromeda frowned. It was a small transparent water bottle with a silvery mist floating inside.


    "A memory?" She saw that there was a slip of paper with her name stuck on it, and the other one had Axel''s name on it. Both were in her handwriting.


    Axel sent her a memory?


    This reminded her of the last memory she''d seen. It was of Axel being tortured by Cyrus Greengrass of all people.


    <div>


    Andromeda shuddered even now as she recalled it. She had cried for a whole day after seeing that.


    A boy as young as 11 years old, having to go through THAT? Her husband was left a crying and begging mess after that torture, and an 11-year-old, whose magic isn''t even strong enough to protect him and whose body isn''t even strong enough to withstand it, had to go through it.


    And surprisingly, unlike her husband, that boy is so strong that he was still fighting till the last minute. Even now, she couldn''t tell how. After going through all that, when he woke up after two days and after releasing that he''d been crippled for life, all he did was nod his head calmly as if that''s what he''d expected.


    It was so absurd that she suspected whether this was an adult sitting in a child''s body.


    At that time, realizing that the boy must have suffered a lot to have matured this early, she had felt a strong desire to protect this boy and let him have a happy life. It was because she thought that even if she couldn''t cure her husband, at least this child could still be saved.


    Thus, she tried to help him, and tried making him feel happiness by taking him out to Diagon Alley. She had even introduced him to her family, in hopes that he''ll have a good time. And in hopes that he could get along with Rose, someone his age.


    And it did seem to have worked. She had seen the boy start to genuinely enjoy himself and smile more. But, after that, he''d gone to the washroom and Bella had gone out saying she had an urgent call on her Magi-mirror.And boy did she regret believing her sister and letting her go.


    When Bella returned with the memory, Andromeda had instantly lost her temper at her. But Bella didn''t seem to hear her as she just replied that it was consented before she disapparated off to Merlin''s knows where. Axel had also left without saying anything.


    Now, he''s sent another memory. What could it be? Did he know what happened to Bella? Andromeda brought out one of their pensieves to check it out.


    It was a small pensieve, imported from a developed magical country. It had a lot of advanced features like enhanced quality and sound amplification.


    She quickly poured the misty liquid-like memory into the pensieve and peered into it.


    Instantly, the world around her changed and she found herself in the Leaky Cauldron, in front of the men''s bathroom.She saw Axel exiting the bathroom and Bellatrix standing right in front of him, waiting.


    ''This¡­ is this Axel''s memory? How did he extract it?'' She thought but her thoughts were paused when she heard Bella say:


    "Cyrus Greengrass... the name of the man you killed. Thought you should know."


    ??!!


    Andromeda got a huge shock hearing those words. Cyrus Greengrass, the man who''d tortured Axel in the memory Bella had given her earlier. That man was indeed killed by Axel...


    ''So, he even had to kill someone while so young. Life is so unfair sometimes!'' she thought but her thoughts paused again when she witnessed Bella blackmailing Axel for the memory.


    "Andromeda wouldn''t agree to this," she heard Axel say, trying to look calm.


    "Yes, I don''t agree!" Andromeda exclaimed. She didn''t like where this was going.


    But Bellatrix actually laughed, sounding genuinely amused.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I see. She did a very good job in manipulating you."


    "No, I didn''t! Not this time!" Shouted Andromeda. No one but Bella had known that she wasn''t actually as kind-hearted as she pretended to be. But not this time!


    Yes, in the beginning, she had just thought that she''ll peer into his mind to see the memories, but after seeing him and getting to know him and his circumstances, she had decided against it.


    This person had experienced what her husband had experienced and had even survived it. He deserved her respect and recognition for that. And after seeing him experiencing various basic joys of life for the first time, she even rejected the idea of peering through his mind even with his consent.


    Because every time he had asked why she was doing all that for him, it had dug painfully at her conscience. She couldn''t bear to break the trust that had been gained after seeing so much reluctance in those eyes.


    Thus, ultimately, she had genuinely decided not to ask him about the memories. Sadly, the scene she was witnessing made her fears come true.


    Hearing Bellatrix''s words, Axel paused.


    "What... are you talking about?"


    Andromeda could hear the edge in his voice and see the last bit of hope in those cold eyes.


    "It''s funny really. How she''s created a perfect image of herself in your mind so quickly. Let me enlighten you, you gullible kid: Andromeda is a Black! She''s no kind woman!"


    "No," she whispered as she saw the last bit of hope die out from his eyes, his hurt emotions clearly visible on his face at this moment. The first time Andromeda got to see his true emotion turned out to be like this.


    Bella was right. She was no kind woman when it comes to the well-being of her husband and daughter. But¡­ not this time. Or was it? She herself didn''t know anymore.


    But Bellatrix wasn''t done yet. Andromeda knew that once Bella decides to do something, she''ll finish it without care. She just wants to get the memory. She wouldn''t care about Axel. And though her fears came true, Bella turned out to be much more brutal than she had thought.


    You think she did all this out of kindness? Wrong! Wake up, kid! Who are you to her?! A nobody!


    Do you know how many have died for the sake of finding a cure for her husband?! How long has she known you for?! A day and a half. You tell me, kid, who''s she gonna choose between her husband she''s known for decades or you?


    She''s kind? My perfect pureblood arse! She did all this because she thought it was the easier method! Just throw some money and some kindness to a homeless kid and he''ll give you anything you want and still thank you afterward. But looking at you, I can tell. You wouldn''t have agreed, would you? So, for the sake of my sister, I''ll do this and then we go our separate ways. Now, do you agree or do I need to force you?


    Tears came out of Andromeda''s eyes when she heard her sister''s words. She saw how Axel''s expressions changed with each sentence, as they were cutting deep into him, scarring him forever as his pain turned into apathy.


    He actually agreed to Bellatrix''s oh-so polite ''request'' and even thanked her.


    "I was getting too hopeful and positive about this world," he said self mockingly. "You reminded me once again that I should never trust anyone."


    It broke her heart to hear him say that. She knew that he had changed...almost irreversibly.nShe could almost see the walls building up around him once again, shutting out everyone. This time, stronger than ever.


    Then the scene in the memory changed to the time right after Bella had exited his mind. No one, not even Axel would notice anything about her, but Andromeda could.


    She looked¡­ shaken¡­ almost as if denying reality.


    ''What happened?'' Thought Andromeda.


    She saw Bellatrix trying to stop him and then recoiling back when Axel glared at her. He refused to stay even a moment more and his final words... got ingrained in Andromeda''s mind.


    "Also, make sure to show the memory to your sister. Tell her that her husband was just a pussy who''s suffered no hardships if he couldn''t even take that much torture. She should stop hurting innocent people for such a weakling and find herself a real man," with those words, he left, while Bella stood there as if someone had petrified her.


    The memory had ended, but Andromeda just stood there, too stunned to even speak.


    Why was Bella looking so panicked after seeing his memory?


    What did she see?


    Was it the reason for her disappearance?


    Are her efforts really so useless?


    And... was Ted...NO!


    The memory Axel thought would clarify everything had instead left Andromeda much more distressed and disconcerted than before, and his last words had left a lot to think about for her.


    ***


    Early in the morning, Axel went to the Dueling Arena for the Dueling class.


    He was surprised to see that most of the first years had picked dueling even though it was an extracurricular subject. That was clearly indicating its importance.


    Alice Longbottom, the Professor AKA Neville''s mom, was standing in the middle, of one of the dueling circuits. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a dueling robe, and a T-shirt underneath saying "Super Mom".


    "Good Morning, sweety bun! How was your first night in the dormitory? Did you sleep well?" She asked Neville right in front of everyone.


    "...Mum!" Embarrassment was understandably written all over Neville''s beet-red face and for once, Axel was grateful he didn''t have parents.


    Professor Alice just laughed, finding her son''s reaction cute. "Alright class, gather around," she said, clapping her hands together.


    "So," she began. "Dueling. We all know what it is, but let''s just recall it once again. Would anyone venture to explain?"


    There were several people who raised their hands but Professor Alice chose a bushy-haired girl who seem much more eager.


    "Yes, Miss?"


    "Hermione Granger, ma''am," said the girl before she instantly began speaking.


    "Dueling. In Wizarding Britain, it used to be a formal practice in wizarding culture in which two or more wizards or witches engaged in combat under the condition that only magical means could be used.


    But, after Britain reconnected with the International Committee of Dueling in the past decade, the rules have changed since many Magical Communities depend heavily on body movements like the Greek warriors or the Japanese Ninjutsu users.


    Now, the combatants face each other and bow, as a sign of respect, before they placed themselves in an accepted combative position and, at the count of three, attempt to disarm, stun, injure, defeat, or kill each other in order to force submission, through either physical and magical means." She finished.


    In wonder, Professor Alice clapped for her.


    "You have a very detailed knowledge, Miss Hermione. Does anyone else have anything to add?"


    "Nothing? Then let''s move on to demonstrations. Any volunteers?"


    Apparently, that was enough wait for someone.


    "Me, Professor!" shouted Draco Malfoy, before stepping up into the dueling circuit.


    Turning around to face everyone, he loudly yelled.


    "I challenge Axel Hunt to a Duel!"


    ***


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 Chapter 17: A Thorough Crushing

    "I challenge Axel Hunt to a duel!"


    ''What is this idiot doing?'' Though Draco has already warned Axel that he was do something, Axel had at least expected him to be a bit sneaky or malicious about it, meaning he''d be Slythrin.


    But this... This is just childish.


    Before Professor Alice or Axel could say anything, the hundreds of first years who were piled around them started making a ruckus, cheering or hooting.


    You have to say, wizards are a drama-loving bunch. These kids didn''t know who the heck Axel Hunt was, but they knew they were in for some drama when a duel was mentioned.


    Professor Longbottom was a bit surprised when Draco chose the opponent on his own. But then she thought, isn''t this what I wanted to do anyways? And its under my supervision. So, she just looked for the opponent who was now being pushed towards the stage with an enquiring gaze.


    Seeing that the ball was in his court, Axel pondered what to do. It wasn''t like he was particularly angry, just annoyed. Who would bother losing their temper against an annoying bug bugging them?


    But¡­ that''s not to say that they won''t take satisfaction in crushing that bug.


    He looked around at the naive kids cheering for Draco, as if they''d get to see a duel similar to how they''d seen on their Magi-mirrors.


    He mentally shook his head. He wasn''t in a good condition, he can''t deny that. He can''t do magic properly, he can''t deny that. He isn''t fast or dexterous anymore, he can''t deny that.


    But¡­ even without any of this, he''d never be in a bad enough condition that bugs like Draco could start to think they have a chance against him.


    ''System, can his family get me expelled or punished I beat him up?''


    [Negative. His family does have some weight, but they can''t affect you. In fact, after you meeting with Bellatrix, you can do anything you want in Britain.]


    ''Alright. Axel was done thinking everything through.


    There weren''t any consequences major enough to stop him from letting out some steam. Cracking his neck from side to side, he stepped forward. He has a lot of anger still pent up even after having killed Cyrus.


    "I accept," he announced in a voice that wasn''t loud, yet it reached every ear through the noise of the crowd.


    "Woah!"


    "Yeahhh!"


    "Fight!"


    ...


    The peanut gallery was fully enjoying the free show.


    Professor Alice, thinking that it was all fun and games didn''t stop the two.


    "Alright, a dueling challenge on the very first day, what a great way to start! Come up, you two," she said, not knowing that the intentions of the participants were quite dark. First years won''t be able to do much anyway.


    Under everyone''s encouragement, Axel stepped into the ring, facing off against Malfoy.


    He still had his hands in his robe pockets while he stood relaxedly in the ring. His presence alone exuded a pressure that''ll make a skilled fighter know that he was not an easy opponent. Professor Alice also couldn''t help giving him one more glance, wondering if she was imagining things.


    "Alright, no lethal spells. And I''ll be stopping the duel before anyone could get seriously hurt," she announced before stepping out of the ring.


    "Now, bow before standing on the two opposite spots,"


    Standing right in front of Axel, Draco did an imperceptible bow.


    "Scared, cripple?" He asked with a smirk.


    Axel nodded, "About one thing," he admitted before he looked at the Professor.


    "Professor, what if I accidentally seriously injure him?" He asked, making Draco grit his teeth.


    Professor Alice had heard this question too many times. Too many students hesitate to even cast spells at each other these days. Even her Nevi has similar problems.


    "Don''t worry, dear. You are under my supervision, so I''ll stop before anything serious happens. Besides, injuries are common in dueling. If your spell is non-lethal and non-violent, then you won''t get into trouble," she answered as if she already had this answer memorized.


    What she didn''t know was that Axel had asked this question on purpose, so that he won''t be blamed later.


    They both took distance from each other and took the spots that had been marked on each side of the circuit.


    "Wands ready!" Announced Professor Alice. Draco leveled his wand against Axel while Axel was still standing with his hands in his open robe''s pockets.


    The next thing Professor Alice was supposed to do was say- ''Start''. But she paused when Axel didn''t draw out his wand.


    Though apparently, this was enough of an announcement for Draco since he already brandished his wand, yelling out his first spell even before the match officially started.


    "Furnunculus!" (A jinx that causes a serious breakout of acid boils or pimples)


    A sickly green beam was shot at Axel, but everyone was surprised to see that while the spell beam approached him, Axel¡­ didn''t move at all!


    The spell beam whizzed past him, passing over the heads of the observers below before hitting the opposite wall.


    Throughout the event, Axel didn''t even flinch.


    Everyone thought that Axel hadn''t moved at all and Draco had just missed, except Professor Alice and Draco Malfoy himself. If you look at his feet, you''d realize that he wasn''t standing on the original spot that was marked in the ring. He was standing just a bit to the left.


    "Hey, look! He''s not standing on the marked spot!"


    Many among the students also only noticed it now as they began pointing it out to others.


    Malfoy glared at Axel.


    "Lucky fluke," he muttered before launching another spell.


    "Inflatus!" (Inflates the target.)


    This time, many people saw it. Even before Draco''s spell was cast, they saw him languidly stepping to the side.


    Once again, the spell flew past him, missing him by a narrow margin.Stolen novel; please report.


    ??!!


    "What?!"


    "He moved even before the spell was cast!"


    That was indeed the case. Axel was moving even before the spell was cast.


    It might seem simple, but it was not. The opponent isn''t blind. He can change his aim at the last second as well if he sees you moving.


    This time, when casting the spell, at the last moment, Draco suddenly slowed down his cast. It was expected that like all the times, Axel would move to the side this time as well. But, contrary to his expectations, Axel just stood there unmoving, as if he didn''t intend to move in the first place.


    Draco thought that since his movements were so obvious, Axel must have easily noticed it when he slowed down his cast.


    ''So, you''ll only move when you''re certain that I''ll cast, huh?'' he thought as he had another idea.


    This time, he didn''t stop casting the spell. In fact, he cast it very quickly. But this time, he purposefully aimed a bit to the right.


    Now, when he moves, there''ll be a 50% chance of the spell hitting him. But, contrary to his expectations, Axel didn''t move at all!


    He just stood there, letting the spell miss him yet again.


    Meanwhile, the peanut gallery was enjoying the show. Axel noticed that many of them were holding up their Magi mirrors, and the lights were flashing out of them. He didn''t have a clue what the fuck they were doing.


    Professor Alice had dropped her playful attitude and was now looking at the duel with some interest.


    Everyone was thinking only one thing: Was it just a coincidence?


    Axel shook his head.


    "You don''t get it, do you?'' He asked Draco as he stepped forward.


    "Flippendo!"


    This time, Axel had once again moved to the side before the spell was cast. His movements weren''t fast or hurried. He seemed to have just randomly stepped to the side while walking.


    "Densaugeo!" (Cases Grotesquely elongated teeth)


    He once again moved and the spell missed.


    "Flipendo!"


    He had just leaned to the side.


    Spell after spell was fired from Malfoy''s wand and Axel was dodging them all even before they were fired. All the while, he was calmly walking toward Draco with his hands still in his pockets.


    "Pro... Professor! He''s cheating! Expelliarmus!" Draco could only think of this reason. Axel has to be cheating! His movements are extremely slow and he''s moving in the right direction every time! It''s almost as if he can see the future!


    "This is not cheating, you dumbass." Axel was exasperated. "I can just... see."


    Professor Alice, who could understand the situation more clearly, was so amazed she couldn''t even blink her eyes.


    "He is not cheating, Draco. He''s is reading you."


    Reading the opponent. It''s something that only experienced dueling usually try.


    If you have a good observation, you can predict the path of all of the spells based on your opponents movements. From the direction their eyes are looking, to the direction their wand is point, to the twitch of their every muscle. And moving out of the way at the moment when the opponent can''t change the direction anymore.


    That''s what Axel was doing right now. Even though Draco was someone very easy to read, unlike trained wizards, but even then, it is something very difficult to pull off, since the mind needs to think very fast before making a decision and executing it.


    Draco now seemed to be on the verge of trying to beat Axel the muggle way. Seeing him furious, Axel was only more annoyed, at the fact that he was such a weak opponent. Even if Axel can read Draco, there are many ways he can make things difficult for Axel.


    After all, Axel is still a cripple. Even if he can see it he can''t move fast enough to act on everything. And there''s a limit to what he can read based on Draco''s movements, meaning there''s room for deception. But the guy is giving in to anger and panic rather than thinking of a solution.


    And this is only making it easier to dodge Draco''s spells.


    "What? You''re only this much?" Asked Axel, not even out of breath, in contrast with Draco''s red and panting face. "Know your place, you bug," said Axel in disgust.


    He might be crippled and might not have much magical capability. But,


    ''I''m still someone who has spent years fighting and struggling.''


    He was still the guy who''d honed his talent and skills for years in situations that decided his survival. Some of his them might have been disabled after that incident, but he still had some things that were far more rare and valuable.


    Some of them were: His sharp eye-sight that could read his target''s every movement, his sharp mind that could predict all the possibilities and movements in a beat, and his insane reaction speed that enables him to act in an instant, as if he was moving out of pure instincts.


    Thus, as someone so much superior than this bug, his patience had finally waned after this bug''s repeated attempts to annoy him.


    *CHEERS*


    The peanut gallery went insane when they saw the unreal scene happening in front of them. It almost looked like Axel could see the future. The flashes of their Magi-mirrors intensified.


    Draco couldn''t do anything and Axel was soon standing right in front of him.


    "Are you done?" He asked.


    Axel''s one hand finally came out and it snatched Draco''s wand right out of his hands.


    He noticed that Draco''s wand seemed to pulse in his hand, connecting with him. It wasn''t as strong as his wand, he could feel the wand eager to draw his magic.


    "Hey, give it back! You filthy little¡ª" Axel ignored him as he focused on the wand.


    [Loyalty by conquest.] Said system helpfully.


    ''Interesting,'' he thought.


    "Electrica inpulsa," he murmured.


    *Crackle* *Crackle*


    Axel grinned. It wasn''t as powerful as his wand, but the spell did work.


    Draco Malfoy was infuriated when his wand was snatched right out of his hand. It was almost similar to having your girlfriend stolen from you.


    "GIVE IT BACK!" He yelled as he tried to seize it back.


    *Zap*


    But instead, he got lightly electrocuted as soon as his hand touched his wands.


    "OUCH!"


    Axel nodded in satisfaction. This guy, he was already on his shit list from their very first interaction. He has always had a problem with this kind of person due to past reasons.


    The reason he was kicked out of the orphanage in the first place was because he had dared to defend himself against a rich second generation like this guy. Now, if this guy had any sign of human intelligence, he''d have learnt his lesson after knowing his skills and won''t mess with him anymore.


    Well, apparently not.


    "You¡ª!" Jerking his hand back in pain, Draco''s anger reached its peak, "You filthy mudblood! Give my wand back to me! My father¡ª"


    "SHUT UP," ordered Axel in annoyance. Yep, they were the same. Do they think they can do anything just because they were lucky enough to be among the privileged?


    "Electrica Impulsa,"


    *CRACKLE* *Crackle*


    Well, they didn''t know that he was the same guy who didn''t submit even when he was tortured inhumanely for 10 minutes straight.


    But Draco didn''t care. All he could see was his wand in the hands of this guy. Having never been punished his whole life, he simply didn''t fear Axel.


    He tried to clutch Axel''s throat as he yelled at the top of his lungs.


    "You Filthy Mudblood! My father would¡ª" he screeched but stopped was when his own wand was shoved inside his mouth! Notice: It was Charged with two Electrica Impulsa spells.


    "What?!"


    *Gasp*


    "Damn,"


    "Woahh!"


    There was a mixed reaction from the crowd.


    It was so out of the blue that even Professor Alice didn''t expect it. She was just going to announce the end of the match. She wasn''t worried about anyone getting injured since all the spell could do was zap people. How was she to know that Axel would shove it in Draco''s mouth?!


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!"


    A strangled sound of a pig being slaughtered came out from Draco as his whole body shuddered as if having a seizure.


    Magic suddenly surrounded both of them and separated them, taking the wand out of Draco''s mouth, courtesy of professor Alice, but the damage had been done.


    Axel dusted his hands off while looking at Malfoy who was lying pathetically on the ground, and there was a wet patch forming between his legs.


    "That should keep your mouth shut for a while," he murmured. His only regret was, that he should have charged it a few times more before plunging it in. Since his magic was too weak, the damage this boy suffered can''t be called an injury.


    But he knew it was the best he could do considering the fact that Professor Alice would have stopped them as soon as it got even remotely dangerous.


    "Um¡­ professor, would I get into trouble for this?"


    Professor Alice, who had diagnosed Draco and found that this drama queen hadn''t actually suffered any serious injury, gave Axel a helpless look.


    "There''s nothing serious. He''s just shocked. So, you won fair and square,"


    At this moment, someone clapped. And,


    Soon, the whole class was cheering for Axel.


    Axel looked at everyone in puzzlement.


    ''What the heck is with these people? Why are they making so much noise?''


    Though at that moment, he was distracted by a system notification flashing in front of his eyes.


    [Quest Progression: Make friends, make allies, and make a good impression with the wizarding world.


    ?Rewards on every successive step you take towards building a reputation for yourself such that people willingly follow you one day.


    ->You''ve made a very deep impression on the people by showing your capabilities.


    Rewards:


    ->+3% Approval. Total 12%


    ->Advice on how you can increase your magical output and learn other spells.]


    Though apparently, the system wasn''t done yet.


    *DING*


    [Congratulations! You have successfully reached the first milestone of the approval rate, thus enabling the Akashic Records to provide you with much more substantial help.]


    [New Feature unlocked.]


    [Congratulations! You have unlocked the Class Feature.]


    [You have unlocked your first Class, Arcane Thief.]


    [You will be given techniques, magical spells, and missions to master this class and ascend to the next.]


    With such a massive input of information in his head, Axel didn''t know what to do. It was so much information that he decided to look through it after he''s dealt with the current situation.


    Even though his actions might seem impulsive, as if he didn''t care about the consequences, but he had done everything after careful calculations.

 Chapter 18: The Arcane Thief

    After sending Draco to the Hospital wing, Professor Alice gave Axel a deep look.


    "Axel Hunt, right?"


    Axel nodded, wondering whether he was in trouble after all.


    Though, contrary to his expectation, Professor Alice had an impressed look as she actually smiled at him.


    "The way you predicted the spell trajectories while moving in such a calm and composed manner when spells are being thrown at you¡­ it was truly impressive. I don''t think even a professional duelist could have done it better. You have a tremendous talent for this. Take 10 points for Slytherin for an excellent demonstration of skills."


    It was the first time a student had received so much praise from Professor Longbottom. But Axel just sighed upon unwittingly gaining more points for the Slytherin.


    After that, Professor Alice took the safer approach for the rest of the class as she taught them some basic stuff about dueling.


    While she taught, Axel just blended himself among the students to hide from all kinds of gazes that were being thrown his way and to check out his rewards.


    Even though his actions might seem impulsive, as if he didn''t care about the consequences, he had actually done everything after careful calculations.


    No one except the headmaster really has the power to expel him from here. Apparently, there used to be an option to have a seat in the board of governors by paying money. But now, money is the last thing Hogwarts needs. This he has known from the basic knowledge.


    And from what he''s seen, the Malfoy family isn''t really much of a big shot since it hasn''t even got its own seat in the Wizengamot.


    So, there shouldn''t be any drastic actions. Now, the only other problem is¡­


    ''This attention,'' he thought, looking at many who were trying to find him among the crowd. Especially Rose Potter. She was the one who start the applause for him.


    ''Now, it''s safe to assume that all this attention might cause some problems. But¡­''


    His eyes went to the system interface in front of him. A massive 3% increase in the approval rate and a suggestion on how he can increase his magic power output.


    Both of these rewards were so huge that he couldn''t understand what exceptional work he did to deserve this. What could the impression of a few first years matter?


    But, whatever it was, he figured that it was totally worth it if he''s got such insane benefits.


    The approval rate of each percent increases after he performs several impressive deeds or missions. After the first time when it got a massive 6% boost, it has only increased by one each time. But this time, he got 3% directly.


    As for the way to increase his magic power output, he realized which path he has to focus on to do that as the system directly gave the information into his brain.


    The main point is¡­ the connection with his wand. Right now, with so much nerve damage in his hands and body, his magic can''t find the right pathways to flow out of his body into his wand. It causes pain when it can''t escape, even if it doesn''t affect the body directly.


    So, now imagine if the wand practically sucks out the magic. Now even if it couldn''t find the way on its own, most of it can still be sucked out through various pathways.


    And that can be done by strengthening the connection with his wand. There''s another benefit to this as well. The Cherub Hair core wand would amplify his magic based on the strength of his connection with it. So, there are two-way benefits in strengthening his bond with it.


    "Though the question is¡­ how to do it?" The system didn''t specify that.


    Something to think about later. Now, for the final reward. The new feature. Honestly, Axel had never played any RPGs so he had no knowledge of how this class system works.


    ''System, give me more info.''


    [You will have to activate the Class feature for that. Do you accept the Class: Arcane Thief?Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Y/N]


    "Then... yes, I accept the class," said Axel decisively.


    *Ding*


    [Class Accepted]


    [You are now an Arcane Thief.]


    [Now you can access the information you asked for.


    Arcane Thief: A special Class achievable only by those with exceptional skills and talent in thieving and possessing magic.


    There is nothing a Master Arcane Thief can''t steal.


    The fields of Specialisation include:


    -Stealth Magic


    -Wards


    -Traps


    -Enchantment


    -Pickpocketing


    -Knife/Short-Sword Welding


    Minor Accomplishments in some other skills. Chance for major accomplishment in other fields through special missions or through special conditions.


    The method to learn these skills of these fields will be unlocked successively when you master the beginning skills and with missions. You might also get special missions for special skills. The methods will be imprinted directly into your mind.]


    ''... Well, I want to laugh right now,'' thought Axel as he tried to suppress the wicked grin that was fighting its way into his face.


    This was every Thief''s wet dream! His hands had been itching after his last try at thieving which had landed him in a hospital and he had given up on stealing anything until he had enough skills to pull it off which would take years.


    Now, it seems that he won''t have to wait that long after all.


    ¡­.


    It was lunchtime and Axel was making his way towards the Great Hall. But, he realized that there was a problem.


    ''Why is everyone looking at me?''


    First years, he can understand, but the rest? No sir. He should totally be a background character for others.


    He saw a group of students huddled together, watching something on their Magi-mirrors.


    "Damn, can this guy see the future or read mind or something?"


    "He''s just a first year, apparently,"


    When one of them saw Axel passing by he pointed at him.


    "Hey look! It''s him! The guy in the RM!"


    The others also looked at him and got surprised. This group was apparently more daring.


    "Hey, can you take a picture with us?" He asked, showing his magi mirror.


    "Why?" Asked Axel. He was genuinely confused.


    That made them somewhat confused. "Well, why not? You''re RM has gone viral on the Hogwarts Forum! You''re famous now. We have to be the first ones to share our pictures with you!"


    ''....Whut?''


    Axel bailed out from there after making an excuse.


    ''System, what the fuck is going on?!''


    [Host, the video of your fight, or the Recorded Memory (RM) as they call it, has been posted on the Magi-hive in Hogwarts Forum. It is currently being shared among various platforms, meaning that it is going ''viral''. This has increased your reputation and thus helped you gain the system rewards.]


    "...."


    "Fuck."


    "Damn it."


    "Shit.".


    "Hell."


    It made sense now. Only now he understood why he got such an outrageous reward of 3% approval for something so trivial as performing well in front of the first years.


    Right now, Axel hoped that the Wizarding world was just as backward as it was 10 years ago.


    ¡­


    For the rest of the day, Rose was left replaying the fight of Axel again and again.


    He did such a great job of teaching that arrogant ponce a lesson!


    But unlike others, she was fully aware of his disabilities. He shouldn''t be able to do magic. And his body was also not in a good state as far as she was aware.


    But still, he had managed to win the duel in such a domineering fashion. She noticed that he never made any rapid movements, because he simply couldn''t. And he could actually do magic! The last time she had seen, he could barely cast a Lumos while struggling.


    At that time, his determination to improve despite his disabilities had deeply moved her, and today he''s progressed so fast!


    When he had won and Draco finally got what he deserved, she was so impressed that she had started to applaud. She would have wanted to praise him in person, but¡­ it seems that she can''t do that anymore. He''s a Slytherin after all.


    Even though her two Aunts were Slytherins, Sirius had still never stopped on passionate hate for Slytherins. Especially the ''greasy git''. ''Those two might be the rare exceptions, or they just got their head right afterward,'' he''d say for her two Aunts.


    Thus, it was understandable that Rose had gotten quite a lot of prejudiced opinions about the Slytherins.


    Thus, when Axel had gotten sorted into Slytherin, she had been quite disappointed that he actually turned out to be a Slytherin. She had begun wondering If Axel was an evil person or not. Plus, Neville and Susan hadn''t heard better things from their home as well.


    And when she heard that her Aunt Bella was missing and Axel was the last person she had talked to, it was like her fears had come true.


    Thus, she had questioned him about what had happened.


    Though she had felt bad when Axel''s eyes towards her had turned cold. She wasn''t sure what was right anymore!


    Yesterday night, Aunt Andromeda had called her to ask about Axel, asking whether she was properly taking care of him or not. She had told Rose that Aunt Bella''s reply did come and she said not to worry. Rose was quite ashamed and regretful while her Aunt repeatedly stressed to take care of Axel.


    She thought she''ll try talking to him today, but that guy didn''t even acknowledge her presence today even when she tried to catch his eye several times! It was like they were... strangers.


    Rose was feeling quite vexed for some reason. No one had ever ignored her.


    "Ouch! Why did you hit me!" Protested Neville.


    Rose blinked. She realized she had accidentally hit Neville.


    "Why are you in the way?" She asked rudely before getting up.


    "Where are you going?" He asked.


    "Just to prank some Slytherins," she replied as she flicked her red hair off her face. Axel was strictly out of bounds. She''ll have to prank other Slytherins.


    Neville sighed.


    ''She''s back again,'' he thought in apprehension.


    This was Rose Potter''s real nature. The one she hides behind her perfect well-groomed persona.

 Chapter 19: Unlocking Skills

    "Fucking Magi-mirrors," Axel cursed under his breath as he walked towards the great hall after avoiding yet another group of curious students who were asking for a picture. This was not in his calculations.


    Most of the students seemed to have already seen his fight and now many would inevitably try to research his background and shit. Many would even want to know if he''s a pureblood or not.His footsteps paused in front of the Great Hall. What was more important? The food, or the peace?


    Rumble*


    His stomach gave him the answer.


    "Food it is," he muttered before thinking how to go in. Right now, it would be for the best if he didn''t appear in front of anyone.


    It seems like he''ll have to use his skills. But they haven''t been working well after his injuries. So there''s still a chance that he''ll be noticed.


    Taking deep breaths, he dipped his head low and diminished his presence as he looked around in all directions.


    ''Score!'' he thought as he saw an opportunity.


    He began walking in the opposite direction to the great hall while keeping his head low. This time, very few people even noticed him and even they didn''t give him a second glance.


    He didn''t know how he does this. He''s just practiced a lot and he started getting better after his various experiences.


    In the next few steps, when he passed by a group of students heading towards the Great Hall he suddenly disappeared from sight since he didn''t emerge from the other side of the group he was passing by.


    He had blended into the group.


    After a few minutes, Axel soon emerged out of a group of students heading out of the great hall with a pile of food stacked in his backpack. He had stored a lot for emergencies like this one.


    He sighed. He was noticed several times just now. He wasn''t sure if he''d be able to do it again with his body''s condition being so bad. And also,


    "Damn, I didn''t even perform any rapid movements. But why was my body hurting so much?" He muttered.


    He couldn''t understand why. Usually, it''s not that bad. Only sometimes.


    At this moment, a System notification came, alerting him.


    [Congratulations. You have unlocked the Stealth Skill: ''Blend'':


    Allows you to Blend in your surroundings using your body movements, accessories, and Magic.


    Current proficiency: 8%


    Information on how to gain further mastery will be transferred to your head.]


    [Congratulations. You have unlocked the Stealth Skill: ''Presence Reduction''


    Allows you to reduce your presence using your body movements and magic.


    Current proficiency: 12%


    Information on how to gain further mastery will be transferred to your head.]


    [Congratulations. You have unlocked the Thief skill: Daring mind.


    A thief needs to be daring enough to attempt the theft. Allows you to calmly analyze your situation and make quick decisions not based on fear but logic.


    Not a proficiency-based skill.]


    "..." Axel was left disoriented for a few moments when information was poured into his head.


    "System, what the fuck?" He uttered, politely asking for an explanation.


    [The new Class feature provides you the information to train physical, Magical, and mental skills related to that Class. Your class is Arcane Thief.


    When you sneaked into the Great Hall, you used these skills just now, meaning that you already possess some mastery in them. So they were unlocked. The reason you were feeling pain was that you were using magic and using magic naturally causes you pain.]


    ''How can that be?'' thought Axel. ''I wasn''t using magic! It was just my usual zone.''


    The zone, as Axel calls it, is a state in which he is able to pull off difficult thefts with ease.


    "Wait a moment¡­fuck," but then he suddenly realized.


    "There''s no way, right?"


    Has he been using Magic all this time? Now that he thought about it, it actually made sense.


    [You have unknowingly incorporated magic in your skills after repeated training, and practice over the years along with your talent. This is one of the reasons why you are as good as you are and were able to get a Special Class like Arcane Thief.


    It is a high-tier class, even above advanced classes. It can not be randomly gained by anyone. Especially not as their starting class in their crippled state.]The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Axel slowly nodded in understanding. So that''s why it hurts so much when he sneaks around late at night these days. It used to be so easy...


    Axel couldn''t wait for the day his body is healed. When that time comes, he''ll stop worrying about low-level people like bigoted Purebloods. That will be the day he''ll start his domination. The real threats would only be strong wizards and Voldemort and his minions.


    Going into an empty classroom, he ate his food in peace while he accessed the information that had been poured into his head.


    There were step-by-step instructions to train the skills he had unlocked, much like how the information on Occlumency was poured into his head. But when he was getting immersed in it, the bell rang, signaling the end of the Lunch.


    "Sigh,"


    Axel decided to do this after his classes were over. With his food problem solved he only had to deal with his classmates who were easy enough to deal with.


    Today, they had Herbology, History of Magic, Potion, and Astronomy.


    The Herbology was with the Hufflepuffs. The Greenhouses of Hogwarts were huge. It was Axel''s first time seeing magical Flora. And of so many different varieties!


    He listened attentively when their squat Professor with gray hair and muddy clothes Pamona Sprout told them about the magical properties of some of the Plants to catch their attention. But he quickly lost interest when she had them do it practically since he couldn''t do anything with his hands.


    "Need help?" Asked someone from the side.


    Axel glanced over to see Susan standing beside him, Hannah right behind her.


    "No," said Axel simply as he focused back on his work.


    Susan pouted,


    "Well, it does seem like you do," she said, looking pointedly at his handy work. The magical plant looked as crippled as his hands.


    "Why do you want to help me?" He asked. He didn''t know why Susan would approach him while leaving her large group of friends.


    Susan was honest.


    "I¡­ I sort of feel bad that I thought you were a bad person when you were sorted into Slytherin."


    Axel didn''t stop his work, not the least bit affected.


    "And what makes you think I''m not a bad person?" He asked, with all the bad person vibes coming out of him.


    Susan shook her head.


    "Uh¡­ I don''t know? Because you were so cool today at the Dueling? Because you shoved that snob''s wand right into his face?"


    Axel nodded in understanding. He had understood that he can''t understand this girl. But, he really liked her honesty.


    "I appreciate your honesty. Would you prefer my honest reply or a dishonest one?"


    Susan smiled,


    "The honest reply!" She chose instantly.


    Axel stopped his work for a second and gave her his full attention as he looked at her.


    "I don''t have any problem with you, but I''d prefer it if you left me alone,"


    Susan''s confident smile slowly disappeared upon listening to his reply.


    "Oh¡­ okay¡­ then see you around," she said, trying to hide the sting that reply gave her.


    She really wanted to ask why he didn''t want to be friends with her or how could he not want to be friends with her, but¡­ she was now somewhat scared of his honest reply.


    Axel simply shook his head. He had nothing in common with that girl. And she was so superficial. It suddenly didn''t matter if he was a bad person if he could duel well.


    They had nothing in common and she was a bit too immature. Though it''s not her fault since she''s only acting her age. Very few 11 year olds would be mature enough that Axel would tolerate them.


    ¡­


    The next class was the History of Magic with Ravenclaws.


    "So, you''ve already studied this one as well?" Asked Axel with some annoyance as he glanced beside him. There was a girl who was setting up soft pluffy cushion on the desk, making preparations to sleep.


    Daphne nodded her head with a sigh.


    "Sadly yes. That asshole made sure that I knew my Pureblood history. About how we fought Goblins and stuff."


    She has decided to use that name for her father. And the fun part is, no one is going to stop her anymore. She had once again chosen to sit in the last seat.


    Daphne shook her head as she looked at him curiously.


    "But forget about that. Tell me, how were you so good at the duel today? Who taught you?"


    ''The Streets,'' thought Axel. But he couldn''t answer her with that, could he? Anyways, he had already started to pick up some of the skills even before he left the orphanage since his life at the Orphanage wasn''t good either.


    Axel just shook his head mysteriously.


    "It''s a secret," he said.


    Daphne frowned. She knew her stuff. The things Axel was doing, even her Dueling tutor couldn''t do that. Daphne has always wanted to be powerful. Thus, she wanted to also learn how to do that.


    But, the thing is, she doesn''t know how to ask him to teach her. In her whole life, Daphne hasn''t asked for anything so she doesn''t know how to.


    But then, she remembered something. Her sister Astoria had always had a way of getting whatever she wanted and she always succeeded. Thus, even though it felt quite embarrassing, Daphne decided to try her sister''s method.


    "Hey, Axel,"


    She pouted her lips as she blinked her eyes cutely.


    "Will you teach me?" She asked.


    Axel raised his eyebrows.


    "Do you even need to ask? Of course. I won''t," he replied in kind, wondering why she would even think he''ll agree.


    "..." Daphne was left speechless for a moment before her face flushed red in embarrassment.


    ''Astoria! You hateful brat!''


    To her relief, the professor came at this moment, preventing her from finding a hole to hide in. For History of Magic, the professor was a middle-aged man with Long hair, a beard, and a huge mustache.


    "My name is Jakub Gorski. And I am your History of Magic Professor. I am a traveler and explorer who has decided to take a rest after a serious injury," he introduced himself in a deep and rugged voice.


    "Now, before me, this subject was taught by the ghost of a Professor, who only taught about things that were centuries old and most of them pretty useless. Also, most of it was based only on Britain," he said in a somewhat condescending tone while shaking his Head.


    "No. We won''t be doing that. We''d be studying only the History from which we can actually learn something. And we won''t be sticking to Britain."


    He spread his hands wide.


    "I have traveled the world. I have visited numerous magical communities from the most primitive to the most developed. I have even visited many muggle places which had a connection to wizards. And let me assure you, this world is a wondrous place! Thus, along with some of Magical Britain''s history, you will be studying the History of other places as well."


    "Of course, another reason would be that, since there are so many foreign students among you that it doesn''t make sense to force them to learn Britain''s boring history."


    Che*


    Daphne clicked her tongue from beside him.


    "I shouldn''t have sat in the last seat," she murmured in disappointment, her previous embarrassment forgotten. "This is something I haven''t ever been taught,"


    Axel had to admit, this teacher was a bit different. But it was also a pity that he can''t pay too much attention, since he has much more important stuff to learn than History.


    Like Occlumency.


    As much as he''d like it, he can''t just focus only on Occlumency. He really needs power right now and Occlumency is going to take time. The first stage, as system put it, isn''t really that simple. For most of the Wizards who have practiced Occlumency, that is the final stage for them and it takes them at least a decade to reach it for average wizards. That''s why everyone isn''t rushing to learn Occlumency. Even with his talent, he can''t master it instantly.


    And that can be fatal if he doesn''t improve on other aspects during that time. His luck has always been shitty and life keeps throwing obstacles at him from time to time. If he''s only focuses on Occlumency, he''ll be weak as hell in this condition to face those obstacles.


    So, now has several things on his plate at once. First, he has to learn Occlumency, then he has to unlock and learn his Arcane Thief Skills, and finally, he also has to increase his magical output by the method he received from the system

 Chapter 20: Some people stay As*holes

    "So, let''s start with the important history of Britain, shall we?" Said Professor Jakub Gorski, rubbing his hands together.


    "In this lesson, we''ll mainly be focusing on the important events that have happened in Britain along with their consequences. In my class, there''s no need for learning precise dates since I think those are the single most boring and useless thing that we can learn from History. Also, do remember to take notes."


    At the mention of notes, there was a hustling noise since there were many first years who hadn''t bothered taking out their notebooks.


    Daphne glanced at Axel''s hands when Professor Gorski mentioned taking notes.


    "Can you write with that?" She asked as she took out her notebook and fountain pen.


    Axel looked at her as if questioning why she was questioning the obvious.


    "No."


    Daphne couldn''t understand the situation.


    "Then¡­ how are you supposed to take notes¡­ and do homework...and write exams?" It would have occurred to her in the last class if Umbridge had actually taught them something worth writing.


    Axel actually didn''t know it himself until yesterday. He didn''t know anything about Hogwarts. And he didn''t know why he had assumed that a magical school wouldn''t stress on having you write stuff and just let you learn magic through wands.


    Thankfully, there was a solution.


    "Professor Mcgonagall has allowed me to use Self-writing pens. She said I''ll get them soon." He had a signed slip from Mcgonagall to explain his situation.


    Daphne was surprised to hear that. "They''re banned for other students, aren''t they?"


    These days, self-writing pens were so advanced and convenient that they had become a norm in the Wizarding World. But it was banned at Hogwarts since students wouldn''t have practice in spelling and writing.


    Daphne sighed.


    "How luc¡ª" she was about to say ''lucky'' but she stopped herself. Having his hands in that condition... he''s probably the last person to be called lucky.


    After everyone was ready, Professor Gorski began his lecture.


    "Magical Britain is believed to be the origin of witchcraft and wizardry for many wizarding communities. Its History can be divided into four parts: Origin, Early, Middle, and Recent. Let''s begin with a brief description of each, shall we?"


    "The Origin age, we are directly going to skip. There are barely any factual records of that time and there''s nothing concrete in Britain''s Libraries. It doesn''t come under studying History, it comes under Researching History. Have you ever wondered how wizards came into being? Where do wizards get their powers from? It''s about that. Obviously not for the first years.


    "Now, the real stuff in Britain started with Merlin, and that is also the beginning of the Early Stage. No one is really sure about his origins, or how he gained his power despite there being multiple stories. But, it has been widely accepted that Merlin was the most powerful Sorcerer and the origin of most of the witchcraft and wizardry we have now.


    He had several apprentices at the time, each of whom he taught different fields of magic and even trusted some of them with his deeper secrets, like how he gained his power.


    These apprentices then branched out to many places, spreading what they had been taught and researching their own magic as well. This was how a lot of different magical communities were formed in different countries with Britain being the most powerful and progressive.


    One of these apprentices, the one with whom Merlin had shared the secret to his powers, actually turned on him. Her name was Morgan Le Fay, more popularly known as Morgana. We''ll study in detail about it later.


    Also, the founders of Hogwarts were also in this age," He took a pause here, seeing that many were struggling to keep up.


    Axel was fascinated. He wondered where Merlin got his powers from.


    [The information is currently locked at your level.]


    ''Damn.''


    Must be a hell of information to be locked even after 13% approval.


    Professor Gorski continued, "This was the most important stage so even while giving a brief description, I had to say so much. Now, the third stage is the Medieval Stage. This lasted the longest. It was after the powerful figures of the Early stage had either disappeared or died.


    This is the stage of degradation. Many families started to hoard their magic, and conflicts continued to grow between them, causing the loss of a lot of valuable Magical Knowledge. A great many Dark Lords emerged as well. During this age, Britain didn''t make any significant improvement in magic and instead went backward.


    Then comes the period that historians called the Recent age. It''s called such because it started just about a decade ago.


    Yes, Britain was in its Medieval age until a decade ago. It''s after the demise of the most recent Dark Lord. This is a period of rapid progression. Britain already had the foundation and funds befitting of the Origin of many countries'' witchcraft and wizardry.


    Under the phenomenal leadership of Minister Bellatrix Black, it is rapidly gaining back its lost status and reforming to be a powerful and prosperous magical country with at a rate never seen in any other magical country or community," finished Gorski.


    "So, this was a brief description of the History of Magical Britain. Now we''ll go into detail starting from the Early age¡­" And so, the History class went on.


    After History, they had Potions with Gryffindors.


    "Why exactly are you here?" Axel asked Rose who was standing beside him in front of his potion-making counter. It would be a lie to say that he wasn''t annoyed with her presence.


    Though, if anything, Rose seemed even more annoyed at being by his side than he. She looked at her Magi-mirror in grievance. It had several messages from Aunt Andromeda all but ordering her to take good care of Axel and babysit him. She even threatened to send a howler if she didn''t.


    "It''s not like I want to be here. I simply don''t have a choice," she said in a peeved tone.


    She looked at Axel with narrowed eyes.


    "What exactly did you do to Aunt Andromeda? She''s been awfully concerned with your well-being."


    Axel frowned. must be that woman who asked her to sit here.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He had mixed opinions about this woman. Her actions don''t make sense and they''re contradictory if he takes Bellatrix''s words into consideration.


    Her letter to Mcgonagall did help him in the end since he now had her signed note stating his injuries and she did get him to have a good time and now she''s asking Rose to take care of him. Axel didn''t know if she wanted something else from him.


    ''But, does it really matter?'' He thought to himself. He realized that he couldn''t really bring himself to care. Whether it was some kind of compensation due to the memory extraction or whether she wanted something else from him, he didn''t really care anymore. The situation is, he has to partner up with Rose for this class. It can''t be that bad, can it? Does he really need to struggle so much to reject it?


    Rose was even more annoyed when her question was ignored.


    "So? Did you do anything to her? She''s even threatening to send a howler if I didn''t help you,"


    At that moment, a man strode in, with his cloak billowing behind him in style. The first thing he did was a roll call.


    When Rose''s turn came--


    "Rose Potter?"


    "Present, sir."


    Snape looked up from his sheet at Rose. Even though his face was expressionless, Axel could tell that something was different from his experience in reading people.


    Snape''s eyes then fell on him for a second before going back to the parchment. When his turn came Snape had looked up at him again, and Axel didn''t know why, but he had a bad feeling.


    After Roll call, the man swept his gaze around at the class.


    "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word.


    "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don''t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of¡­"


    Axel glossed over the rest. The man seemed to be exaggerating quite a bit. He''ll have to see if this man can really teach them to brew glory and stopper death.


    But suddenly,


    "Hunt! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"


    ''...What the fuck?''


    Of course, Axel didn''t know. Potions aren''t going to help him when he''s in a fight. And, with his condition, can he even brew potions? Thus, he hadn''t bothered even touching the book.


    "I don''t know, professor," he said simply. He didn''t think it was a big deal. He could bet even half the students didn''t know anything based on what he''s seen from his previous classes.


    But Snape''s lips curled into a slight sneer.


    "Tut, tut, you should be more qualified before trying to leech off someone''s fame," he said, glancing at the person beside him.


    For a moment, the Slytherins and Gryffindors seemed to unite as many of them had problems with The Girl Who Lived and the adopted daughter of the most powerful pureblood family partnering up with him. Many of them snickered, sneered, or smirked at Snape''s comment.


    Though Axel was surprised. He didn''t know so many people minded. He was just minding his own business. It seems he had underestimated her fame. If he knew, he''d have kicked Rose out ages ago.


    Axel had to check the snake insignia on his chest to confirm he was Slythrin. He was surprised why Snape would target a Slytherin. From what he had heard and observed, he was a discriminatory bastard who always favors Slytherins.


    "Let''s try again, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"


    Axel had had enough. It was clear that this bastard was targeting him.


    ''Tell me, System.''


    Rose was a bit worried. Sirius had warned her repeatedly about ''the greasy git''. That he might be a pedophile and necrophile, whatever those things meant. He had also told her that the man had a severe obsession with her mother and that she should be careful of him all the time.


    But still, she hadn''t expected things to turn out like this. Obviously, Axel was mostly being targeted because of her.


    When Snape had asked the second question, she was going to help Axel by whispering the answer to him, but¡ª


    "A Bezoar is found in the stomach of a goat. It''s a very potent antidote that can save you from most poisons," said Axel, surprising her.


    Snape sneered.


    "Well, a lucky question. Then tell me, Hunt, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"


    Not a second after he had asked the question, Axel''s bored voice came again.


    "They''re the same plants. There''s yet another name for this plant as well. It''s Aconite."


    Snape seemed to not give up.


    "What color of fumes are released when a boil potion is made successfully?"


    "Pink. The potion in question is an effective remedy against pustules, hives, boils, and many other scrofulous conditions."


    Snape was still not satisfied.


    "What is the Wiggenweld Potion?"


    Rose frowned. This was not even a first-year question! Even she didn''t know the answer.


    But Axel didn''t even bat an eye as he answered.


    "It''s a healing potion with the power to cure injuries. It is also the antidote to the Sleeping Draught and¡­. the Draught of Living Death, which, by the way, is actually the answer to your very first question, Professor."


    That managed to shut him up and slap those who had laughed. Snape looked at him for several seconds before looking at the rest of the class.


    "Well, why aren''t you all writing that down?!"


    Axel had managed to answer all the questions.


    Rose was impressed and confused at the same time.


    "Why didn''t you answer the first question earlier?"


    Axel shrugged.


    "I was trying to keep a low profile. Not everyone has a powerful background to fall upon like you." Of course, he couldn''t say he was cheating, taking advantage of his high approval rate to get the answers from the system.


    "..." She was a bit speechless. Low profile? He was probably the most high-profile first year right now after her. Though looking back, he did try his best. He never sought any fame. But he''d be bullied more if just he let bullies like Snape and Malfoy walk all over him. So, when there was no other choice but to stand out, he stood out in a way no one would dare to mess with him again if they were not idiots.


    When thinking about it, she could understand why. Slytherin is infested with Purebloods like Malfoy. So he understand why he would want to keep a low profile.


    Axel raised his index finger.


    "Also, let me make clear, I am NOT sitting with you in the next class. No matter what. I was an idiot to even think this could work out fine, am I clear?"


    By now, even Rose knew better than to mess with this guy. She was so overwhelmed by his rythym that she found herself nodding obediently. If anyone who knew her saw this, they''d have their jaws dropped so low that you''ll have to dig them out.


    Snape had them brew a potion for the rest of the class. Axel and Rose''s potion was progressing just fine since Axel was doing almost nothing.


    But of course, someone had to have a problem.


    "Hunt, why aren''t you doing anything?"


    Axel produced two pieces of paper from his pocket. One was his condition report he had got from Saint Mungo signed by Andromeda which mentioned his current body''s condition and another was Mcgonagall''s signed note on the state that he be given some liberties on things which he can''t do.


    Axel had thought that this should shut him up since everyone was always just too surprised to know just how bad his body actually was. But apparently, not Snape.


    Axel knew that the man WAS indeed surprised to know about the details his condition. But, he didn''t seem to show the same empathy as the other teachers.


    "Well, I don''t see the problem here," he said after a pause.


    ''Huh?'' This made both Axel and Rose surprised.


    "Pardon?"


    Snape sneered, "I said, I don''t see the problem here. Having injuries doesn''t give you the excuse to not try. If you''re afraid of bringing your partner down, then don''t pair up in the first place," he said clearly.


    ''Well, wouldn''t be a problem if doesn''t fucking hurt every time I try, you bastard,'' thought Axel. He knew this bastard knew it was painful and yet he was making him do this.


    ''Fine, if this is how you wanna play it,'' thought Axel as he picked up his things and left Rose''s table.


    It was good that this bastard knew how bad and irreparable his condition was. He''ll get a nasty surprise when he one day finds out just how much Axel can do even with this condition and an even nastier one when Axel eventually heals himself and becomes more powerful than a wizard and a better potioneer than this guy.


    ''Another grudge...''


    ¡­


    The potions class wasn''t too difficult in the end since he didn''t do anything that''ll be difficult with his condition. Axel will simply get a bad grade. But since when was that a problem?


    Funnily enough, the greasy bat had stopped targeting him after he had left Rose''s table. This made him hate her more. Damn it, if only he had known that she was the problem. He''ll make sure this won''t happen again.


    But with the classes over for the day, he can now focus on better things.


    Like increasing his power output and exploring the new system feature.


    ''Alright, system, explain how I should level up this Arcane Thief class and unlock better skills,'' he said to the system after he had retreated to his hideout that night.


    First things first. Like last time with the spell practicing, he once again focused on escape first. Arcane Thief might not sound powerful, but¡­ as a thief, Axel can see its huge potential. Alongside ensuring his safety, it can be very powerful in combat. In fact, an unusually skilled thief by profession already, he''d be able to use these skills to their fullest potential.


    Like how he did at that time with Valentino girl.


    Despite all her so-called talent and genius, hadn''t Axel caught her off guard at that time without any power? If she was a certified enemy, she might have been dead right then and there.


    Also, he had almost given up on thieving after his last attempt. But now, with the skills of the Arcane Thief Class... the Purebloods wouldn''t know what hit them.

 Chapter 21: Grinding Skills

    ''Alright, system, explain how I should level up this Arcane Thief class and unlock better skills,'' Axel asked the system. All this class system was quite and confusing to him.


    Thankfully, the system''s response was clear and quite detailed.


    [When you unlock a skill, a certain amount of information on how to enhance it becomes accessible to you. Further information will become accessible as you enhance the skill using the existing methods.


    For example, when you unlocked your skill ''Presence Reduction,'' you have unlocked the basic information to enhance it. Once you progress, further information will be unlocked.


    As for unlocking the skills, there are several ways to do it.


    1) Unlocking the skills that you already have. For this, you just need to use that skill and you will unlock a limited amount of information on how to further enhance it. This is how you unlocked your Presence Reduction and Blending.


    2) Unlocking the skill by learning it from other sources. For example, if you learn invisibility from other sources, you will unlock the Arcane Thief Invisibility.


    3) Skills can also be unlocked by performing specific actions related to that class. For example, for your Arcane Thief Class, the main action you will have to do is steal, along with some other actions. The more you steal, the more skills you unlock. The more difficult the task is, the better skills and better information you will unlock.


    The Class will progress the more skills you master. Thus enabling you to unlock a new class.]


    Axel''s eyes glazed over as he processed the words.


    "The more I steal¡­ the more I progress?" He murmured. Was this a dream? It''s like you''re getting sponsored to do what you love to do and get better at it along the way.


    Right now, he had four options:


    1)Train in the skills he had unlocked.


    2)Try unlocking the Skills he already had by using them.


    3)Try stealing some things to unlock


    4)Try unlocking the skills by learning them from other sources.


    After his last experience, and with his body''s current condition, he doesn''t really want to risk getting caught once again. So, the third option is out. As for unlocking the Skills he already had, he doesn''t know what skills he already possesses. So it will be like blindly shooting a target.


    Learning from outer sources to unlock and then start making progress¡­ it''ll be taking too much time.


    So, it''ll be best to just learn what he has already unlocked for now. He already has a lot on his plate as it is.


    Axel sat down and accessed the information he had on the skills he had unlocked.


    Since this was the basic information, there were physical and mental exercises that''ll help him along with tips and tricks in both the skills. There were body movements and maneuvers which he hadn''t thought of himself as well. There was even a diet plan he had to follow which included magical ingredients he didn''t know about.


    Aside from the practical part, Axel was already feeling like he had progressed just by reading the basic tips, tricks, and techniques.


    "Hot damn..." Axel was overwhelmed. This information was gold. That was just a figure of speech since this is much more precious than any amount of gold. Especially for a thief.


    ''System? This is not even all the information? Then what am I getting after I progress?'' He asked the system. He couldn''t imagine what else could be better.


    [There are potion recipes, rituals, breathing exercises, etc, to be unlocked that''ll help prepare your body to channel much better and more potent magic so that you can be prepared for the advanced aspects of many skills. Then you will unlock the advanced techniques. You have a long way to go.]


    ''Woah¡­''


    Axel didn''t understand everything, but he understood one thing clearly: This is going to be awesome!


    "Let''s get started then."


    He began with the skill ''Blend'': To blend in the surrounding.


    He first performed some of the basic exercises, the ones he could perform with his physical condition. He then began to practice the movements that were described following the images in his mind.


    It was quite painful and he couldn''t focus well.


    [Congratulations. You have unlocked the Skill: Pain Tolerance.


    A true thief can be silently near all the pain in order to not get caught and complete his theft. Increases the tolerance to pain.


    Current progress: 57%]


    "...?"


    Axel looked at the 57% bar on the interface in wonder. It was so much higher than his other skills. That''s right, pain had been his constant companion throughout most of his life. Heck, he had even taken on the most torturous spell without losing. Then why is he getting put off with his current pain?


    "Damn laziness," he muttered. Axel realized that he was just being lazy and not taking this training seriously. Is it not important enough? Well, of course, it is. It can save his life at a critical moment.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    So this time, he just gritted his teeth and made his body move.


    This time, he could focus much better. Soon, he fell into a trance which he calls the Zone.


    It was a mysterious experience. Closing his eyes and following the movements in the images, his originally crude and practical movements seemed to gain much more grace and finesse in real-time.


    [Progress: 8% -> 13%]


    But he soon had to stop since it looked like his body had had enough.


    He decided to try out a mental exercise that was common in both ''Blend'' and ''Presence Reduction'' skills. He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.


    He closed his eyes and made his breathing even. Words floated in his mind as his mind started to calm and he followed them.


    "Remain motionless, reduce to zero the amount of unnecessary extra effort."


    "Free of everything that hinders or oppresses you. Let go of all of your worries and burden."


    "Completely relax mind and body. Slightly open your arms laterally, turning our palms slightly upwards."


    "Direct the head in a straight and natural frontal-upward direction so as not to restrict the flow of breathing."


    "Sense the surroundings. To Blend in, you must be aware of your surroundings first."


    "Make sure to¡­.


    ¡­


    The instructions continued, and Axel followed all the steps. As he progressed, he started to feel a slight pain in his body, meaning that his magic was indeed moving, albeit in small amounts.


    After he was done, the results were quite good.


    [Progress in Blending: 13%-21%]


    [Progress in Presence Reduction: 12%-17%]


    ''This is good,'' thought Axel. This exercise was common in both the skills and it was also quite relaxing along with being very effective. Stealing food from great hall wouldn''t be a problem anymore.


    By now, he was quite spent and his eyelids felt quite heavy. But, he still had one thing left to try.


    He took out his wand and looked at it for a while.


    ''System, how strong is my current bond with my wand?'' he asked.


    [Currently, it''s quite weak.]


    ''Huh?'' Axel''s droopy eyes opened up upon hearing that.


    ''The bond is very weak? Why?''


    [Good looks can only take you so far, Axel. You have treated your wand poorly until now.]


    "What the heck?" Axel would accept that he hadn''t really gone out of his way to treat it better, but he didn''t think that he had treated it poorly.


    ''Can you explain?''


    [When was the last time you polished it?]


    "...You need to do that?"


    He hadn''t polished it at all.


    [Yes. You need to treat it like a person. Preferably, like a girl. Other wands don''t need such treatment, but Cherub wands are quite sensitive and have a womanly heart. It would be advisable to polish/groom it daily. Aside from this, there are several other reasons.]


    [You have never praised it for its work. The time when you charged the electric zap spell to your limit, you were not the only one who was struggling. These are some of the reasons.]


    "..."


    ''Am I a scumbag?''


    His actions did seem quite scummy.


    "Well, I''ll try to do better," he muttered. Thanking it and treating it like a woman seemed too much for his sanity at the moment, but Axel made sure to polish it before sleeping that night.


    ¡­.


    Late at night, the front door of a house slowly opened and a woman slowly stepped in. The woman''s beautiful face was expressionless and her posture was straight. Nothing would have seemed wrong with her if not for her gaunt face and her pale skin.


    She slowly made her way up the stairs to her room, not making any sound. Just when she had opened the door to her room she heard a voice from behind.


    "So¡­ you finally decided to show up?" Asked the voice. There was something peculiar about this voice. It wasn''t loud and it didn''t contain much emotion. Yet, it had this terrifying quality to it and it that made the pale woman flinch.


    "A-Andi? You''re awake? Why are you up at this time of night?" Asked the pale woman. Her previously expressionless face had changed into a bright and cheerful one. But her voice sounded a bit hoarse.


    Andromeda wasn''t fooled by her sister''s fake smile.


    "I am awake because I have been waiting for my sister who suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. Do you think I can sleep?" She asked, still trying to keep calm and sure enough, her eyes were bloodshot and the dark circles also indicated her lack of sleep.


    If she could have felt worse, Bella did. Which was an achievement considering how bad she was already feeling.


    "Andi, I¡­ I¡ª" she began, her visage not looking that of a genus minister but of a little girl being scolded.


    "Don''t Andi me this time, Bella! There is a limit to how absurd actions your actions can be?! You are running a country and you have a family who was worried sick that you might have been kidnapped or worse! What was so important that you couldn''t even properly inform anyone?! Just tell me, was it something so urgent that you couldn''t inform us, yes or no?" She demanded, her voice containing more disappointment than anger.


    "..."


    Bellatrix opened her mouth to speak, but no she couldn''t respond.


    She simply hadn''t bothered to care about anything else.


    Andromeda shook her head in disappointment.


    "And don''t even get me started on how you are enjoying... torturing children these days!" She raged.


    This made Bellatrix flinch. A crack appeared in her mask.


    "Do you have ANY idea how much damage your actions have caused Axel?!"


    The Occlumency shields Bellatrix had been using went down and her cheerful persona broke down like a sand castle.


    But Andromeda was just getting started.


    "It was already a miracle that boy had been sane after the things he had been through.


    He had already built walls around himself so high that he didn''t trust anyone! He has never even talked to anyone properly and never had any real joy in his life. Neither did he ever have someone who''d care if he was tortured to death!


    ''Because no one would care enough!'' that''s what he had answered when I had asked why he was emotionless even after being tortured. Did he not have feelings? He did! But he didn''t express them because no one cared!"


    Andromeda paused as she breathed in deeply, trying to calm down. She was never the one to lose her composure. But this time, she had. She was explaining all this to explain why she minded it so much if Bellatrix targeted Axel.


    Calming herself, she continued in a lower voice. She was so disappointed that she couldn''t even bring herself to be angry. She was just¡­ so disappointed¡­ so regretful...


    "And to such a boy, you¡­ said those words! For WHAT?! Your amusement? You could have easily taken the memories without saying those hurtful words, whether they were true or not," she said, her voice lowering further during the last part.


    She herself didn''t know how much of Bellatrix''s words were false anymore. But by now, she at least knew that she cared. In such a short time, while helping the boy gain happiness, she had come to care about him.


    It was quite surprising, considering the fact that there was no end to the pitiful patients she had treated professionally in her 10 year career. The conditions were unique and the boy had a way of drawing people in. Even without intending for it or even while consciously avoiding it.


    "H-How¡­?" Tried Bellatrix. She didn''t know how Andromeda knew this.


    "You want to know how I know this? It''s because the boy sent me the memory. He had to! He was the last person you were with and then you disappear without a word! The Aurors were going to take action! He might have been scared!"


    She looked at Bellatrix who had totally lost composure at this point.


    "Well?" She asked, looking for a response.


    Sniff*


    Sniff* *Sniff*


    Though whatever response she was expecting, she certainly wasn''t expecting this reaction. She hadn''t seen Bella cry ever since the time she found out about her savior''s death.


    Like a dam that had broken, Bellatrix broke down in sobs as she hugged Andromeda.


    Sob* "Andi¡­" *Sob* "I screwed up, Andi. I screwed up so bad¡ª"*sob*


    "?!"


    Andromeda was so surprised that she even forgot her anger and disappointment for a moment. All she could do was slowly hug her back as her weary mind finally eased after having her sister back.


    "We''ll¡­ we''ll figure it out. We''ll make it up to him, Bella. I''ll make sure that we do."

 Chapter 22: Flying and Undercurrents

    It was Thursday and Axel was beginning to think that the hype of his duel had finally died down.


    [Progress in ''Blend'': 21%-26%]


    [Progress in ''Presence Reduction'': 17%-22%]


    Along with that, he had made some more progress in his skills yesterday after training the given methods, though no new skill was unlocked yet.


    As for increasing his power output, he did polish his cherub wand regularly. Yesterday, he had muttered a ''good job'' to it after he had finally successfully pulled off the Levitation charm and was rewarded with a thrum of magic running upon its length. So, it seems that it was going loads better than his previous situation.


    With the help of the information, Axel had learned more about the proper use of his skills. He was soaking in that valuable knowledge like a sponge.


    Which is why, today, he found himself sitting on the Slytherin table along with the rest of the students.


    He sat there, with a serene expression, as minute amounts of his magic slowly flowed through his body, blending him with his surroundings, and reducing his presence.


    ''It''s actually working,'' thought Axel as he ate his food in silence, making his movements blending in with the other students, no making any move that''ll be attention-grabbing.


    It''s not as difficult as it seems. He just has to make others think he is just another student, just eating his breakfast. He had covered his eye-catching hair with the Hogwarts hat which many students wear regularly. Along with a little help of his magic, anyone looking his way would just glance right over him.


    Though, there was a problem. The progress had slowed down as those exercises weren''t giving the same results.


    To get new information, he''ll first have to complete what he already has. And that can''t be done unless he changes his diet.


    The things he was supposed to take, like eating ingredients of some magical plants and even things like hippogriff milk, how was he supposed to get them?


    ''System, any idea?'' He decided to ask the system. With 13% approval, it wasn''t as useless anymore and Axel would get the information he wanted most of the time, like the time when Snape asked him questions.


    But, he doesn''t want to get overly dependent on it, so he usually tries to handle any problem by himself first.


    [You can order ingredients using BigOwl.]


    ''And where the fuck am I supposed to find this big owl?''


    [BigOwl is Magical Britain''s biggest shopping platform. You can order almost anything and get it delivered to you in the shortest time.]


    ''Oh¡­'' Axel got it now. He wasn''t dumb. He had seen other students getting various things delivered as well.


    Though¡­


    ''How do I order it? Do I write a letter?''


    [You can do that, or you can simply order it through your Magi-mirror. It''ll take less time.]


    ''...The fucking Magi-mirror again?'' Axel sighed. He did indeed have a Magi-Mirror. It came with the things Andromeda had given him. Though he had still not used any of them.


    But with the number of events being connected to it, it seems that he has no choice but to use it. While he pondered the conversation of some older Slytherins caught his attention.


    "So, you also got an invitation, right? Have you thought about attending?"


    "Do you even need to ask? Of course I am. Did you see the spells she performed?"


    "Yeah, they were so Powerful! Do you think we can also do the same?"


    "Well, that''s what she said, didn''t she? She said she also used to be just a mediocre witch, right?"


    "Yeah, the only problem is all the restrictions and secrecy,"


    "Well, but it does make sense, doesn''t it? Nothing comes for free after all."


    Axel was interested because they were talking about joining something that can increase their powers. But, as soon as he heard the word ''restrictions'' his interest lessened a lot. Besides, he wasn''t even invited, what''s even the use of thinking about it?


    Axel simply picked up his bag and left. He had flying lessons today and he was getting late.


    He honestly still couldn''t even properly get over the fact that wizards can actually fly. He had never thought that he''d be able to fly. And now he actually had a chance.


    If only his body wasn''t in such a bad condition, he''d have been pretty excited about it.


    To find places to stay and to escape while he was being chased, Axel had picked up traveling through rooftops after much practice. He could have climbed over almost any building. That''s why he was so confident in his escape after entering an Alley.


    When jumping through the roofs and seeing the ground below, used to give him the illusion that he was flying. So of course, he found the prospect of actually flying quite appealing.


    It was just that with his current condition, he isn''t sure how well he''ll do.


    Walking alone, he made his way towards the Quidditch pitch.


    ''Hmm?''


    Just as he stepped into the field, he felt his foot sinking in.


    Frowning, he tried pressing his foot further only to find the ground quite soft and bouncy.


    "The heck is this?" He muttered. Up ahead, he saw that the other students were also moving forward half-bouncing half-walking.


    "The whole ground has been enchanted with Cushioning magic to prevent injuries and death. Can you believe they used to play without this just a decade ago?" said a voice from behind him.


    "No," Axel didn''t even glance behind as he began walking/hobbling forward on the bouncy ground.


    Rose frowned. She didn''t like being ignored. Though she could understand it since she was the reason why he was treated like that in the Potions class.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She had even protested at that time when Snape had forced Axel to make Potions, but it had only resulted in point loss for Gryffindor and more trouble for Axel. So, she had given up after the first try after noticing Axel''s warning glare and realizing that she was only making it worse.


    ''Though this, it''s different!''


    "Hey!" She yelled, catching up to him.


    "You might not know this, but I''m the best flier at Hogwarts. And you''re rejecting my offer for help," she said in annoyance.


    Rose didn''t know why, but now, Aunt Bella had also joined Aunt Andi in pestering her about Axel.


    Has he been taking his food regularly? Are the teachers going easy on him after Andromeda''s notification? Does he have friends? Is there any girl getting too close to him lately?


    Things like that.


    And, her threats were also real. "If you ever tried to bully him, I''m banning Quidditch from Britain."


    This one had really left her terrified.


    Now, Rose was dying to know what had Axel done to achieve this in so little time. Though she was already sure interrogation wouldn''t work on this guy. She had tried and look how good that turned out. He has even stopped acknowledging her presence.


    Axel glanced at her with a raised eyebrow,


    "You''re good at Flying?'''' He asked.


    Rose''s face lit up.


    ''See? I knew he''d stop ignoring me after hearing that.''


    She nodded with pride. "Yep, I''ve been flying on brooms since I was very young. Sirius even gifted me a real broomstick when I was four!"


    "Well, good for you," he said in a deadpan before moving on.


    "...?"


    When she heard Axel''s reply, Rose''s face turned red in anger, somewhat matching her hair. She was expecting him to be at least a little bit impressed with that.


    ''Does he not believe me?'' She thought in anger.


    There was a limit to how much she could take. Stomping her foot in anger, she left with a huff. After she had left, the bored look in Axel''s eyes vanished as he looked in her direction with a calculating look. It seems his guess was right.


    "She''s all bark," he muttered. He had been testing her out for a while now and it seems that his assumptions were right. She will not do anything to him. She hadn''t shown any real intent to take action against him.


    That''s why he''s been rude to her recently. Otherwise, he''d have continued to remain polite until the day he took his revenge.


    He went over to the middle of the pitch where students were gathering up. Unfortunately, it would seem that Malfoy had managed to get out of the Hospital wing by now and was currently glaring at Axel.


    "I bet he can''t fly with his crippled body," Axel heard him say clearly enough that many others heard it as well.


    He sighed. Would it kill this guy to use his brain? Why can''t he comprehend that antagonizing him will get him nowhere? Just how spoiled is he to not know any fear?


    ''It seems like I''ll need to have a word with his mother.''


    Axel simply ignored the guy and went to stand in front of a broom. Soon, their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.


    "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."


    Axel looked at his broom. It looked to be in a fairly good condition. It also had two attachments to put your feet on. On its tail, the words Nimbus 3000 were written.


    "A Nimbus 3000? It''s been a while since I last saw one," Axel heard one of the students say.


    "Yeah, brings back nostalgia, doesn''t it?" Another student said.


    "Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say ''Up!''"


    "UP!" everyone shouted.


    "UP!" Axel also tried with all his effort.


    SNAP*


    ''Fuck!'' Axel winced in pain when his injured hand was slapped hard with the handle of the broom.


    The sound was loud enough for even the rest of the students to hear.


    ''Damn it, why?!'' Axel questioned when he noticed that he seemed to be the only one whose broom hit his hand so hard.


    [Axel, the command didn''t need magic to activate. It only needed intent and authority.]


    ''Oh.''


    Axel didn''t know that. He had thought it was yet another spell and had put in the usual effort he puts into his command.


    ''But still, isn''t it a bit too fast?''


    [If an average person is putting in 50% intent in their spell, you are putting around 500% intent to extract your magic. If only comparing the intent as in this case, then you have become much superior to others due to your superior talent and practice.]


    ''Ah, got it,''


    "Are you alright kid?" He heard Madam Hooch ask him. She was looking at him peculiarly, as if she also found this occurrence strange.


    Axel nodded.


    "Good. Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle ¡ª three ¡ª two ¡ª one¡ª *PTWEEEE*


    Axel mounted his broom. He noticed that it had Cushioning charms on it as well so that it''s comfortable to sit without busting your balls. On the whistle, he kicked off the ground hard, as hard as his feet could carry him.


    He had read the instructions from the system already since it was so basic information. He slightly raised the handle¡­ or atleast, he tried to. His crippled hands were shaking non-stop, completely disrupting his flying.


    The broom was radically changing directions as well since his hands weren''t steady at all! Yet, he was somehow able to keep balance without crashing down like anyone in his position would.


    At this moment, a system notification sounded as well, further distracting was also aware of Malfoy''s jeering laughter.


    "Alright, fuck it,"


    At this moment, Axel simply decided to fuck all instructions and simply let go of his hands.


    Even though the rest of his body isn''t in a good condition, it''s good enough that it doesn''t randomly twitch and shakes. It moves in the direction he wants it to apparently, that was more than enough for him.


    !


    Those who had seen him had thought that he won''t be able to stay on the broom a moment longer. But, as soon as he let go of his hands, his broom suddenly stop moving in mid-air, as if someone had paused the video.


    ''Well¡­''


    With his broom now levitating steadily, Axel looked at the broom in slight surprise. He tried steering it left and right using just his legs and found himself flying wherever he wanted with just a slight shift in his legs.


    ''Ah¡­ was this supposed to be that easy?'' He asked himself as he finally looked around at others.


    It was a mess. Many were lying on the ground, many were flying around here and there with no control, and many weren''t even able to stay in their brooms without falling.


    ''Well, apparently not.''


    Sitting completely at ease while watching Madame Hooch whistling her lungs off, trying to get the students to listen, Axel finally looked at the notification which had come just now.


    [Congratulations. You have unlocked a new skill: Arcane Acrobatics.


    A thief must have nimble and dextrous movements. Helps you increase your balance, maneuverability, and nimbleness and adds grace and finesse to your movements.


    Current progress: 3% (Original 10%)]


    ''Well, what does this progress mean?''


    [You had gained 10% mastery in this skill with your years of training. But, due to your injuries, your performance has decreased. You can''t do rapid physical movements, but your balance, grace, experience, and practice are still there and you have high maneuverability and balance while flying a broom without using your hands.]


    ''Hmm¡­ well, it''s better than nothing,'' he decided after some pondering.


    Down on the ground, Rose sighed in relief when she saw Axel stabilizing in the air. She was stuck here helping out Neville who had fallen from his broom.


    She could have saved him, of course, but she was too focused on Axel who looked ready to fall at any moment.


    She had already been worried this would happen since Axel''s hands were too unsteady. But the guy had thoroughly rejected. When his broom became uncontrollable, Rose saw what was most likely the end of the world for her: Quidditch being banned from Britain.


    Thankfully and surprisingly, as soon as he took his hands off the handle and controlled the broom with the rest of his body, everything seemed to have changed 180.


    That guy had managed to fly the broom even with his hands like that, meanwhile¡­


    "H-Hey Rose! Please help me out! I-I think I''m stuck!"


    Meanwhile, Neville had still not gotten over his fear of heights.


    Dolores Umbridge stepped into her office after passing through several wards. She hadn''t learned them herself. She was just granted the ability.


    Once inside, she opened her cardigan and pull out a locket hanging in front her of the neck.


    She opened the locket which was empty inside.


    "My Lord, I have confirmed. The stone was indeed transferred here," she said to the locket with her eyes closed.


    At first, there was no response. But soon, an obscured face slowly appeared on the surface of the open locket. The only thing that was clearly visible was the frightening red eyes.


    A hint of a smile seem to appear on the face.


    "Good," came a raspy voice, though it had a smoothness to it at the same time to contrast it. It sounded terrifying yet charismatic at the same time.


    "But focus on the other task more. We''ll need as many people as we can get," it said.


    Umbridge bowed her head,


    "Things have been progressing smoothly, my Lord. I am propagating it as much as I can here."


    "Good, perform your tasks successfully and you shall be rewarded."


    Umbridge knelt down on the ground in glee, "Thankyou My lord! I shall not disappoint you!"


    "Is that all you have to report?"


    Umbridge hesitated,


    "My Lord, about the girl¡­"


    The voice paused for a few seconds.


    "Leave the girl alone for now¡­ I have plans for her."


    Umbridge bowed.


    "Yes my lord."

 Chapter 23: Surprise Meet

    That day, after classes and dinner, Axel sat in the empty classroom which had turned into his makeshift bedroom by now. Except, of course, for the fact that there was no bed here.


    But you won''t find Axel complaining. This place was dry, warm, relatively clean, and wasn''t infested with bugs and rodents ¡ªWhich is already quite nice for someone who''s experienced the street life of London.


    He looked at the information about the new Skill he had acquired.


    [Arcane Acrobatics.


    A thief must have nimble and dexterous movements. Helps you increase your balance, maneuverability, and nimbleness and adds grace and finesse to your movements.


    Current progress: 3% (Original 8%)]


    In the information, there were quite a lot of physical exercises along with the basics of free-running and parkour. And even though it was such a pity that he couldn''t do most of them at the moment, but he was still quite excited to give them all a try when he eventually gets healed.


    And of course, there was one more thing again: Diet.


    Sigh*


    Axel felt his heart bleed at the thought of buying these things. Though he did notice that most of the ingredients were common in the three skills.


    ''System, is the diet really that important? Can you explain how those things can help?'' He asked.


    [Affirmative. The special balanced diet, consisting of various magical ingredients and supplements, is a very vital part of the training. They will help you improve your body in various ways.


    Along with providing the necessary nutrition required to perform these taxing exercises, it''ll condition your body to be stronger and flexible enough to perform the higher-level techniques that you''re going to unlock.


    Lastly, it''ll gradually increase the magical conductivity of your body, thus allowing you easier access to magic so that you can use it in the skills.]


    Axel clicked his tongue. ''Looks like I have to do it, huh? So, what are the Prices of the Ingredients?''


    Instantly, the system gave out of list of ingredients, along with their prices. The ones not included can be obtained through the Greenhouse.


    "Damn it, is this robbery?!" He couldn''t exclaiming in dismay. It was going to take a good chunk out of what he had stolen from the man.


    [Things in the list like Dragon meat jerky, Dragon liver, Gurdyroot, Root of arnica, Silverweed, Star grass, Galanthus Nivalis, etc. aren''t supposed to be cheap, Axel. But it''ll give your body a solid foundation along with many benefits. It''ll also help in making your injuries less severe.]


    "Sigh...I''m going to be poor again."


    He to spend the money and get the ingredients. But in order to buy them, he needs a Magi-Mirror as well.


    Axel sighed. Too many things are related to the Magi-mirror here. It seems that he has no choice but to get one too. His problems don''t end there. Cyrus''s pouch had money, yes. But was there enough to cover the cost of Magi-mirror and system''s ingredients?


    Of course not. Which idiot would keep that much cash in pouch? Speaking of which even Cyrus also had a Magi-mirror. But at that time, which his injured and drugged state, he had just thought it was an ordinary mirror and left in the pocket. It was a good thing he did though, since it might have been tracked.


    ''What to do?'' Axel wondered, trying to think of ways to get money.


    There are some really great targets here that he''d like to steal from in House Slytherin, but he hasn''t yet reach a state in which he can successfully pull it off, so stealing is out of question.


    But stealing is not the only thing he has learnt so far. He still has other specialties. He only has to figure out how to capitalize on them.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    While still thinking of this issue, he snuck out of the Castle. Where was he going? To get the ingredients that can be found in the Greenhouse. Axel crossed the grounds and reached the place where the Greenhouses were built.


    The Greenhouses are actually huge, having been rebuilt in the past decade. They now contain precious flora in high quantities, valuable enough to supplement a large chunk of the Castle''s finances.


    But according to the system, he has to go the Greenhouse at the back, the abandoned Greenhouse, since it''s unguarded.


    Entering through gap between the broken down door, Axel looked around. Even though it was quite dark, he could still somehow see quite well. And now that he knows that most of his previous skills were him unconsciously doing magic, he can now tell that he is actually using a skill in order to see, since there is a slight flow of magic towards his eyes.


    It''s just that this skill hasn''t unlocked yet for some reason. According to the system, this skill is a bit more higher level and needs him to practice more and figure out more things in order to unlock.


    ''Hm hmmm hm hmmmm...''


    ???


    While Axel was still thinking about his skill, he heard a faint humming, coming from the back of the Greenhouse, making him go alert. Axel was a bit unsettled. But he couldn''t be blamed. You can''t say Ghosts aren''t real since Ghost are actually real in the Wizarding world, you can''t say it can''t be anything dangerous since there are dangerous creatures of all types in the Wizarding World.


    So, getting a unsettled was natural. But that didn''t stop him from activating of his stealth skills and investigating the source of the voice. He was expecting a lot of things, each more absurd than the other, but he wasn''t expecting what he actually found. He was so surprised that he stood there for several seconds.


    ''Daphne?!''


    Yes, sitting among the plants in the soil was Daphne, a glow orb illuminating her surroundings. She was relaxedly humming a tune while caring for various type of plants. In turn, the plants were also moving in sync with her humming, as if enjoying it. The scene seemed to be straight out of a muggle fairy tale, having such harmony and peace that it made him not know what to do.


    It seems that Daphne''s rebelliousness is gradually increasing. It was definitely past curfew right now, around 10 pm, and here she is sitting in a Greenhouse like there were no classes tomorrow.


    While humming, Daphne turned her attention to the plants behind her, and Axel was still a bit absentminded, so he didn''t realize. And that''s when she inevitably saw him, or rather, a cloaked figure standing behind her like a statue.


    A piercing shriek resounded throughout the Greenhouse. No surprise there. Anyone would be taken by surprise by this surprise-entry.


    "Keep it low, damn it!" Axel had to quickly step forward and clamp the girl''s mouth shutting. "It''s me."


    Daphne stopped struggling when she saw Axel. As Axel removed her hand, she touched her lips, still feeling the shaking of his hands which didn''t have much force behind them.


    Realizing that she was still wearing her pink pajamas with cartoon prints that were a matching pair with Astoria''s, she blushed a bit, quickly putting on her cloak that she had discarded earlier. She also picked up the Invisibility of her father, which she had used to sneak here.


    "What are you doing here?" She asked, looking up at him.


    "I could ask you the same," said Axel, looking pointedly at her muddy hands.


    "I..." Daphne hesitated for a moment, as if wondering how to explain. "I came here to relax."


    "Relax...?" Axel raised his eyebrows. "Here in this dark and gloomy place? Can''t you relax in your room?"


    Daphne sighed. It seems that in order to not look like a psycho, she has to explain. "Due to our Family Business, my house has several Greenhouses. Me and my sister grew up playing among plant since childhood."


    She would usually not talk about something this personal, but she had to in order to explain her odd behaviour. Besides, in the past few days, they had talked so much about her father and her personal life that Axel was no longer a stranger.


    "You''re missing home," Axel realized.


    "I... yes, I''m missing home," Daphne shrugged. "Sitting here, I feel relax and at home," she said, patting the soil in the ground. "Now, tell me why you''re here," she demanded, feeling like she was going to bury him here if didn''t after making her share so much.


    Axel shrugged. "Just wonderin'' around."


    "Alright, alright, I''ll say," he said, when he noticed her taking out her wand. "Geez, you can be like Rose sometimes."


    He responds to respect with respect. So it seems he also needs to tell her. "I''m just here to pick up some ingredients that would help with my... condition."


    "Your... condition." Daphne''s gaze went to Axel''s hand. "If you don''t mind me asking, what is actually happened to you?"


    Axel has always changed the subject whenever his condition comes up, making her also take the hint and not ask. But right now, she couldn''t help it. She can see that it was not as casual as it seems, since Axel still sometimes reveals hints of pain on his face.


    Axel''s relaxed face hardened. "Just don''t ask," he said, turning towards the plants as he began looking for the ingredients.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked," said Daphne, getting up and patting off the dust. Though she was polite, but she still felt that it was bit unfair. He was so smooth that talking that she had told almost too much about her father and her personal life. But she knows almost nothing about him. Let alone his past, she didn''t even know how he could duel so well despite his condition.


    She has searched for Hunt Surname everywhere on the magi-mirror but there was no result.


    ''I''m not giving up.''


    Daphne decided she is going to find out more, if only to be even with him. There''s also this damn feeling of wanting to know something and then being denied, leading to wanting to know it even more.


    "Hey, let me help you find the Ingredients. I know all the plants here."


    ....

 Chapter 24: Time Skip

    ¡°It¡¯s quite long and thick. I¡¯ve never seen one like this.¡±


    ¡°What next?¡±


    ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to shake it. When it leaks the sap, I¡¯m going to collect it.¡±


    ¡°Do it gently!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ this juice is actually quite delicious. I love it.¡±


    After curfew, in the abandoned Greenhouse, Axel and Daphne were on the ground¡­. collecting the ingredients that Axel needed for his diet.


    While picking up the magical herbs, Daphne also highlighted a few features about them as well as the correct ways to harvest them, which would help Axel find them in the future.


    The whole time, she no longer asked him personal questions. The whole time, Axel was at a bit of a loss.


    She hadn¡¯t asked much, just the most obvious question about how he got injured. In return, she had shared almost too much.


    And yet, he had to reject her, since the information was related to murder. Axel could tell that she was angry, and yet, she was helping him pick the ingredients while giving instructions so meticulously.


    But, Axel thought about the Black sisters and hardened his resolve.


    Daphne seems to be completely fine, but so was Andromeda, and the Orphanage keeper.


    He looked at Daphne, who looked so innocent, so weak, and so kind. She was Cyrus¡¯s daughter, yes, but she seems to be the exact opposite. Can she really be bad?


    ¡®It¡¯s just better to keep a distance. After all, I can¡¯t know for sure. Definitely not so fast.¡¯ He decided.


    But still, for some reason, right now, picking up ingredients with her, he felt peculiar. It was a feeling he had hardly felt for a long time.


    How to say it, less burdensome? Less bored? He couldn¡¯t quite tell. But, he wanted to find out. When she was herself, talking without restraint, Daphne had a way of making you feel that way.


    ¡­


    The next day, they had History of Magic Ravenclaw. Usually, the Ravenclaws always come late for the classes but this time, it was the Slytherins who were delayed, courtesy of McGonagall who punished all the class for the mischief of a few Slytherins.


    ¡°Hey, Hunt.¡±


    While walking towards Professor Gorski¡¯s class, Axel almost lashed out when someone put a hand around his shoulder.


    The person who did it was even more surprising. It was Arnold Smith, another Pureblood Slytherin. Arnorld is from a Wealthy American Family which has recently shifted to Britain.


    Axel knows because the guy is quite popular, having the holy trinity of looks, background and academic excellence, making discussions about him quite common on the Slytherin table in his absence.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Axel, trying not to sound annoyed at having extra weight on his shoulders. Maybe this type of close is common in Americans and he is not trying to get a beating.


    ¡°I have seen, you seem to know Daphne Greengrass quite well?¡± He asked with a smile.


    ¡°Not too well. We are acquainted,¡± he said, not knowing where this was going.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never seen her smile so often though. You aren¡¯t trying to pursue her, are you?¡±


    Axel shrugged off his hand, but the boy once again put it on his shoulder. The difference in their height and body weight made Axel curse the malnourished phase of his life. Axel was not short for his age, but Arnold was taller.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he answered, rolling his eyes. ¡°Why are you asking all this?¡±


    Arnold scratched his head sheepishly. ¡°Well, I really like her. I¡¯ve liked her since I first saw her at a ball. Do you think you could introduce us?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off. Do you think I¡¯m a pimp?¡±


    The hand was shrugged off again, and this time, Axel didn¡¯t let him get close again.


    Axel really didn¡¯t expect Arnold to ask him this of all things. The boy¡¯s intentions would have been obvious, if they were older. But they were 11! And even though wizarding children mature faster, he still thought that the guy must have a screw loose.


    ¡°I knew you were lying when you said you were just ¡®acquainted¡¯.¡± Arnold snorted as he finally stopped smiling. ¡°Listen to my advice and stay away from her. Have you looked at yourself? Which part of you deserves her friendship?¡± With that, he stormed off.


    Axel was left walking alone, confused by the series of events. But then, things became clear. Who even wants her friendship? Isn''t she the one who came to sit with him every time?


    Though, Axel won¡¯t say he disliked the company, and he wouldn¡¯t reject her from sitting with him just because of a jealous idiot¡¯s warning.


    ¡®Would it even come to that though?¡¯


    Thinking of yesterday night, Axel wondered if Daphne would even want to sit him anymore. He had been so rude to her, not even sharing back one percent of what she shared with him.


    He had yet to explore that strange feeling he felt when hanging out with her, but it doesn¡¯t seem like he will get the chance to.


    Due to his slow walking speed, he was among the last to reach the class, and when he got and looked towards his seat, his jaw hardened.


    Arnold Smith had put his bag on his desk, chatting with Daphne while standing over.


    Daphne shook her head and pointed at the empty seat beside her, saying something. Axel couldn¡¯t hear her due to the distance, but it seemed like she was inviting Arnold to sit, since Arnold went behind the desk and started to sit, a smile on his face.


    Seeing this, Axel didn¡¯t know why, but his steps stopped. When he thought of Daphne talking relaxedly with Arnold, telling him everything about herself, his brows furrowed involuntarily.


    ¡®Which part of you deserves her friendship?¡¯


    The words echoed in his mind. It¡¯s true. Arnold can be better in all aspects needed for friendship. And Axel doesn¡¯t even intend to be friends with her. Then, isn¡¯t this how it naturally should be?


    *Thump


    The sound woke him up. Axel looked back and realized that Daphne had thrown Arnold¡¯s bag to the ground, attracting a lot of attention.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you the seat is occupied?¡± She asked, fixing Arnold with a cold gaze. She glanced at the front and caught sight of Axel. The cold look was gone instantly. ¡°Why are you so late? Come sit already,¡± she said, patting the seat.


    Axel stood there for several more seconds, before mechanically walking over and sitting down. There was no way. If he rejected Daphne after all this attention, even he would feel second-hand embarrassment for her.


    ¡°How do you save a seat for me everyday?¡± She asked as he put his bag on the desk. ¡°I¡¯ve had to reject three guys so far who wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±


    Axel glances at her, askance at her delusion. ¡°¡­Do you think anyone else would want to sit with me?¡±


    Usually, Slytherins always arrive first. And no one really wants to sit with Axel, which he appreciates very much, leaving the seat empty. He just couldn¡¯t understand why Daphne doesn¡¯t understand this.


    ¡°Why would they not?¡± Daphne looked even more confused than him. ¡°You are fun to hang out with. Well, let¡¯s not mention the guys, the girls in my dorm have been talking about you since your duel. It¡¯s quite annoying to be honest.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Axel sighed as he recalled that. Apparently, in the duel, he had shown off some things that are supposed to be difficult for others, making him popular due to the algal recorded memory. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done it.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Daphne looked at him quietly. ¡°You don¡¯t like attention, do you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There are reasons. But even without them, the most basic one is that I don¡¯t like dealing with people.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Axel gave her a look. ¡°You seem to have a lot of questions today?¡±


    Daphne turned her head, looking innocent. ¡°Almost got him talking,¡± she muttered in a low voice, clicking her tongue.


    But still, she was satisfied since she got him to talk more than one word answers on something personal.


    ¡°I have a genuine question though,¡± she began, turning to him again.


    ¡°Were the questions till now fake?¡±


    ¡°No, but this one I¡¯m asking with real concern. Do you need more ingredients? I mean the ones that can¡¯t be found in the Greenhouse.¡±


    ¡°I do. But I should be able to get them from the Bigowl. Why do you ask?¡±


    Daphne shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t buy from there. The prices are heavily inflated, to be honest. At least the plant-based ingredients, I can get you any of them for free.¡±


    ??


    There it was again, being helping without making any demands. Axel closed his mouth in a line. ¡°No need. I can pay.¡±


    Daphne still looked unconvinced. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, the ingredients we picked yesterday weren¡¯t cheap. Were your parents rich or something?¡±


    Daphne was one of the few people who knew Axel was an orphan, since it was revealed in the train. So, she understands that it might be difficult for Axel to pay for his own treatment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make my own money,¡± said Axel stubbornly.


    It¡¯s not something innocent people will understand, but there¡¯s a difference between stealing from those who deserve it and taking things as charity. Axel doesn¡¯t dislike the former, but he hates the latter.


    Things don¡¯t exist as black and white. The black color has many shades. The shade you choose determines your future and the kind of person will be. Axel can accept being a thief, but not a beggar.


    ¡°Okay, but how are you going to make money? You are a student.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m figuring it out.¡±


    Daphne sighed.


    ¡°Why are you worrying so much? I still have enough to buy the ingredients for a few months. ¡±


    ¡­


    Time Skip_


    HALLOWEEN


    Two Months had passed since the start of the new term and Hogwarts had settled into its usual schedule, except for some crazy things from time to time.


    This year, there were a few noteworthy students at Hogwarts.


    First of all, there was the Girl Who Lived who had surprisingly managed to get into the Gryffindor House Quidditch team in her first year.


    And then there was the Mafia Prodigy, who''s attending her third year at Hogwarts. She is usually staying locked up in her room doing some kind of Magical experiment or she''ll sometimes visit the Dueling Arena where there are always students dueling and a healthy amount of audience watching. She had an undefeated record in the Arena.


    Aside from these two, there were several others like Alaric Malcolm: the head boy, the Weasley Twins, who are very famous for their prank videos, and some other students with high Status from other magical communities.


    But interestingly enough, there was one student who had become unintentionally notable for being very¡­ un-notable.


    Yes, Axel hunt had initially become famous after his video of a duel that had gone viral which showed his extreme dodging skills, giving the illusion that he could see the future. But when the curious students had tried to find out more about him, they were surprised to find¡­ nothing!


    They couldn''t find any information on him. And except for his classes, he is rarely seen outside. The only people he''s ever been seen associating with are Rose Potter and her friends.


    Another reason for his fame was, apparently, some young witches seemed to have taken a liking to him after seeing the duel. Axel''s face value is not low, considering that he was chosen by the Cherub feather core war. But he still hadn''t expected this.


    And right now, the person in question, being quite unaware and uncaring of all this, was on his way to attending his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.


    [Progress in ''Blend'': 26%-39.9%]


    [Progress in ''Presence Reduction'': 22%-35.4%]


    [Progress in ''Arcane Acrobatics: 5%-14%]


    [Progress in Pain Tolerance: 57%-60%]


    In the past two months, Axel had definitely made good progress in his skills considering the fact that the rate of improvement slows down the further you improve. He had even unlocked some new skills as well and unlocked some further information about on the existing ones.


    Though, the progress he was really happy about was with his body and wand.


    At first, he had only ordered the diet supplements in small amounts since he couldn''t bring himself to fully trust in the system.


    Only after getting checked up at the hospital wing before and after consuming the diet and confirming that there were no side effects did he fully commit to spending his money.


    And after two months of various exercises, practicing various techniques, and completely emptying his pockets, the results were now starting to show.


    His originally skinny body now looked in a much better shape. But, the real improvement was inner improvement. The training of the Arcane Thief Class wasn''t focused on gaining a bulky or muscular physique. It was focused on getting him the fastest, most flexible body with more inner strength than superficial bulk.


    Now, even if his movements weren''t as fast as before he was injured, he was still much better than his previous completely crippled self and his technique was better than ever before.


    Though, there still wasn''t much noticeable improvement in his hands'' condition.


    As for his other improvement, it was with his wand.


    After two months of caring and coaxing this girlish wand, his bond was now strong enough that his magic was almost as powerful as an average first year. This was already quite an improvement for Axel whose Lumos used to be the weakest in the class and always fluctuating.


    His Occlumency was also going swimmingly well, but even if he''s a genius, he can''t be expected to achieve in months what others have spent years, decades, and even their lives he was close.


    He walked into the DADA class, ignoring anyone who was looking at him, and went straight to the last seat.


    Since DADA was with Raven, Daphne was, as always, sitting with him in the last seat.


    "So, the phantom boy has once again decided to grace us with his presence, huh?" She asked, teasing him with the name that was being used for him these days.


    Axel rolled his eyes in exasperation as he took his seat beside her.


    ¡°Don''t make me cringe. I have told you already that I am usually there. It''s just that people are too blind to notice me," said Axel truthfully.


    With his current skills, none of the students can see him as long as he doesn''t want them to. Though he does purposefully show himself in the Slytherin dorms in front of some small groups of students now and then, so that they know that he''s staying in the dorms.


    Daphne rolled her eyes at him as well.


    "Yeah, I totally believe you," it might not look like it, but she was also being serious. She''d sometimes forget he was sitting right beside her until she sees him again.


    In the past two months, Axel and Daphne had gotten used to sitting together in their common classes. Though since Daphne had many other friends as well, she''d sometimes sit with them.


    Even after two months, Axel had still refused to acknowledge her as a friend.


    "We''re not friends. We''re just acquaintances who are on friendly terms," he''d say to whoever who ask.


    Axel was quite clear that people''s minds were quite complicated and can change anytime. This girl calls the other girls from Ravenclaw her friends but she''s always bitching about them to him behind their backs.


    Is this friendship? Then no thanks, he doesn''t need it.


    Sitting there, Daphne went back to read her book while Axel took out his wand to practice.


    Thrum*


    "Yeah, good morning," he murmured to the wand. By now, he was quite clear on the fact that what he was doing wasn''t crazy at all. This thing was almost alive. Even that creepy old man at the wand shop had said that wands have a mind of their own.


    Daphne gave him a peculiar look from the side. At first, she had thought he had something wrong with his head but she had seen his wand acting like a person in person. So now, all she could think was it might be nice to have a wand like that too.


    ''Treats it better than he treats me,'' she thought with some resentment. She had already given up trying to figure him out by now. She couldn''t understand a thing.


    She had almost given up on getting him to open up about himself. She just sits with him because she can just observe him if she''s bored. Talking to him is interesting, he''s always training, and it''s quite a novel experience seeing him making progress with each day.


    "You know, seeing you try so hard every day makes me feel like a lazy piece of shit," she said casually.


    Yep, this was another effect of Axel¡¯s company. Daphne had become fluent in using bad language. This was just her small way of showing a middle finger to her dear father who might be observing from hell. To hell with his perfect pureblood lady bullshit.


    Hearing her words, Axel turned to look at her with a bored expression.


    "I fail to see how this is any of my concern."


    ¡°...¡±


    With her cheeks heating up in embarrassment, Daphne silently wrote down this line as well among the many others.


    This polite way of cursing was also something she wished to learn.


    Soon Umbridge had arrived, making her presence known with her annoying "hem* *hem*


    Once again, there was nothing interesting in her class. She only let the students read the chapters in her class and ask her if they have any doubts.


    ''This lazy toad.''


    Axel somewhat hated her, but he still made sure to steer clear of her. His instincts always warned him against her.


    Especially considering how some of the students who had protested had gotten detentions. Axel never saw them dare to even let out a peep from the next class.


    He practiced covertly with his presence hidden while Daphne read her book.


    "Those who have attended the extra classes. Congratulations on your improvement. And those with invitations who haven''t yet attended, please do reconsider after looking at the improvement of those who have attended."


    Umbridge even called for a demonstration, with a dummy ready.


    "Mr. Malfoy, would you kindly show how much you''ve improved in the last two months?


    Malfoy, who came out looking quite pompous, nodded with a smirk. He cast a look at Axel before looking back at the dummy.


    "Expulso!"


    BAM*


    The Dummy hit got thrown back with such force that it hit the wall behind.


    The whole class was astonished after seeing this.


    "I think I''ll reconsider going after this. If even that idiot can improve, then it might be worth the restrictions," said Daphne in shock.


    Daphne was the only one among Rose''s group who had gotten the invitation. Only the dark Pureblood families had gotten one.


    Axel shook her head immediately, his expression quite severe.


    "Don''t go. It''s not worth it," he said, his eyes actually looking at the system notification on the system interface in front of him that was blinking red.


    [Dark Magic detected.]


    ''What is this woman doing?!''

 Chapter 25: Trouble Comes without Knocking

    Axel looked at the scene with a slight shock in his eyes. This was just too absurd! This mad woman taught students dark magic?! How?! Why did no one stop it?!


    ''System, do they know they''re learning dark magic? Do I tell everyone?!'' Axel asked the system urgently.


    [You can try doing that. However, it is not recommended. The people in this world don''t even know what exactly dark magic is anymore. People will only see it as a normal spell and your words will not be believed by most people and your enemies will be alerted.]


    Axel couldn''t properly understand what the system was saying.


    ''What exactly IS dark magic though?'' he wondered. ''How is it harmful?'' From what he had gotten from the general knowledge, dark magic was banned in Britain by the ministry.


    [Dark magic is the magic from the Nether Dimension. It can be much more destructive than the ordinary magic that the wizards use. Currently, very few spells known to wizardkind actually make use ofDark Magic, like Fiendfire.


    Most of the spells that have been labeled dark don''t make use of dark magic at all. They are called Dark just because they are brutal. Hence, wizards don''t actually have any real knowledge of dark magic.


    Dark Magic is harmful because those who don''t have an affinity with it can be negatively affected after using it.]


    *sigh*


    Axel lightly banged his forehead on the desk.


    "What an ordeal¡­" he muttered exasperatedly.


    Daphne, who was sitting beside him thought that the reason behind Axel''s odd behavior might be that his enemy had gained strength too fast.


    "Don''t worry," she said, "I''m sure you can still beat him."


    Axel raised his head to look at her in bewilderment.


    "I''m not worried about that. I''m worried that the methods she''s using to improve them might be harmful, but¡­ never mind," he said while sighing.


    It''s none of his goddamn business if they harm themselves, he decided.


    If you look at it from his point of view, there''s nothing much he can do about it without putting himself in danger.


    If he openly claims that they are using dark magic, he''ll be in trouble with that creepy woman. As for informing the authorities? As if they''re better people! The minister of magic herself is a woman who enjoyed forcefully getting information out of him, searching his mind. He''s never trying his luck with another person in power.


    As for informing someone anonymously, in a magical world, there''s no way to do it anonymously, considering the fact that his murder was somehow discovered by the minister.


    ''It''s better to just let the world burn...rather than foolishly putting myself in danger. I''ll only think about it when I have the power to do something about it,'' he decided.


    ''You''re not going to give me mission for it, are you?'' He asked the system.


    [The system doesn''t intend for the host to die foolishly. Of course, you will get hefty rewards if you do stop them from propagating dark magic.]


    ''No thanks, I''ll pass,'' thought Axel without hesitation. With his bad luck, he already gets into enough trouble already. He doesn''t want to go out of his way to court it.


    ¡­


    Later that day, after classes, Axel was doing his exercise and training in the abandoned classroom.


    It was evening now and it seems that there was supposed to be a feast or something in the great hall for Halloween but Axel rarely went to the great hall these days. It was simply a waste of time and effort.


    The diet along with the food he frequently brings from the Great Hall is more than enough to fill his stomach. Why waste the extra time and effort of walking to the Great Hall?


    *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* Panting from extreme exertion, he flopped down on the mattress.


    This classroom was no longer that dingy unwelcoming place it used to be.


    With the castle being so huge, no one really comes into this part of the castle since there''s nothing important here except for some creepy-looking abandoned classes. Especially after the sun is down since they hadn''t bothered installing lights here. If they aren''t used to the dark like him, they''ll be creeped out just from the vibes of this place.


    So, now that he was sure that this place seemed secure enough, he had invested some effort in making it a more convenient place to stay during his past few months.


    He hadn''t bothered bringing a whole bed, but he did bring a mattress from the Slytherin dorms. Aside from that, there were a few light balls (the magical equivalent of light bulbs) since he couldn''t forever depend on the moonlight coming from the window and his wand light. Oh, and he had also personally cleaned everything while also learning the lowest cleaning charm.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    After taking a breather, he started taking various supplements since the best time to eat was after training.


    Even though some of them tasted horrendous, he still ate them without complaint.


    This was bought after spending an obscene amount of money and would give him power. He''ll be damned if he complains.


    "Let''s see", he muttered as he checked the skills. These were not all, but are some of the new ones in this list as well.


    [''Blend'': 39.9%]


    [''Presence Reduction'': 35.9%]


    [''Arcane Acrobatics: 15%]


    [Pain Tolerance: 60%]


    [Wand Aim: 5%]


    [Knife throwing: 4%]


    [Knife Wielding: 5%]


    [Silent Steps: 40%]


    [Trap designing: 5%]


    Most of the new skills he had gained were pretty minor ones. They didn''t have much-complicated stuff about them yet.


    Silent Steps was easy enough to get since his legs were working just fine as long as the movements weren''t fast or strenuous and he had a good mastery of the skill already.


    Knife Throwing and Wielding, he already had a crude but practical knowledge and minor mastery, so it had unlocked when he had tried using his knife. But, his proficiency at the moment was 0% due to his disabled handle. He has raised it with a lot of difficulties. ''Wand Aim'' also had a similar case.


    Now, even with his hands always trembling and moving differently than how he intends them to, he is predicting how much his aim would randomly deviate and then making adjustments. Helluva chore, but anything to make it work. Especially since things aren''t looking up now...


    The past two months had been smooth enough, but he had several blocks in his way now. He realized that the skill progress was more difficult to increase the more he raised the percentage.


    And if that wasn''t enough, he took out the man''s pouch to check the money.


    *Jingle*


    "Sigh¡­ it''s too low."


    The money was almost all spent after spending so much on his diet.


    In the beginning, he had thought that money would not be a problem since he already needed to perform theft for unlocking new skills. But¡­things aren''t as easy as they seem.


    First of all, with his hands as they are, he can''t make use of all that dexterity he had. So, picking anyone''s pockets was simply not an option.


    But¡­ that is not the only way to steal, is it?


    Axel sighed as he laid down on the mattress, putting aside all the ingredients.


    Crippled hands weren''t exactly the real problem here and he knew it.


    The real problem was, that he just couldn''t bring himself to actually steal after his last attempt had gone horribly wrong and he had to suffer such consequences.


    Even if it was supposed to benefit him by unlocking his skills, even if he liked stealing from the rich, and even if he really needed the money... he just couldn''t. For two months, he had tried. He really did, but¡­there was this resistance, this hesitation that he had developed towards stealing anything that he always found himself finding some excuse not to do it.


    He recalled Andromeda''s words.


    //It would be quite weird if you are completely fine after going through that experience. There has to be some kind of impact it would have brought on you//


    Axel hadn''t thought there was anything wrong with him, but it would seem that the torture might have left behind one small trauma after all.


    It wouldn''t have been a big deal at all to most people. After all, they are better off not stealing at all. It would instead be counted as a plus point. But for him whose future is based on stealing after getting the Arcane Thief class? It''s quite a big problem.


    Axel shook his head.


    "Might as well focus on training," he muttered as he began doing his mental training. He''ll get over it. He''ll make himself get over it.


    By the time it came to the turn of his occlumency, he was already feeling quite spent. In Occlumency, he focused on organizing his memories.


    Without properly organizing them, your memories are a jumbled mess. You can''t recall the right memory without connecting it with other memories. And some memories are stuck so far back that you can''t even recall them. You have to pull such memories back into your mind, which is easier said than done.


    That''s why occlumency takes time. Many occlumen don''t bother doing this their whole life since they know the correct way and think this stage is useless. But Axel has no choice but to do so since it is included in the beginner stage Occlumenecy, thus not giving him the choice to skip it like other people.


    Due to the frustration, Axel had trained so much that he fell asleep while he was still sorting his forgotten memories out of exhaustion.


    Axel had the weirdest dream. He felt quite weak for some reason, and his vision was quite blurry. He seemed to be hanging in the air, held by something.


    "Do we really need to do this?" He heard a woman''s voice. It had a sad and resigned tone to it.


    "I have no choice. They had found two keys in the location. I could only steal one and they can''t be allowed to use the second. So, ''I'' need to do this. But you just won''t let me do it alone," said a man''s deep voice. It sounded quite helpless.


    "Come on, Tristan. You know you can''t do this without me! Besides, we''re coming back! We have to," said the woman, and Axel felt himself getting squeezed. He realized that he was in the woman''s embrace.


    It was quite a¡­ peculiar experience. He felt so comfortable that he fell asleep.


    *ring*


    When he woke up, he could only make out the blurry silhouettes of two people looking down on him.


    *ring**ring*


    "We''ll be back very soon, Axel. Stay strong until then," he heard them speak.


    *ring* *BOOM*


    Axel jerked awake from his dream. He was in such a deep sleep that he didn''t even wake up after the bells he had set up to alert him started ringing, meaning that someone was here!


    As soon as he opened his eyes he saw red words flashing on the system interface. He then heard the system''s voice,


    [It''s a Mountain Troll, Axel. You need to survive.]


    "The FUCK?" Axel questioned, grabbing his wand and knife in each hand. He couldn''t understand the situation. A mountain troll¡­here? Furthermore, he was still a bit disoriented from the dream he''d just had.


    *BOOM*


    *BLAST*


    But his doubts were instantly cleared as the huge doors were blasted open from their hinges and a giant creature came rushing in.


    System''s words had been clear enough. It was a mountain troll alright.


    ''RUN!''


    Axel was already in his stealth so he wasn''t much worried. His first thought was to escape quickly.


    Just as he was about to execute this brilliant plan, his mind analyzed the situation clearly and gave him the bad news. Why would a mountain troll suddenly come into this part of the castle? And even if it did, why only target this door? It was at this moment that he saw the Trolls mouth dripping with saliva as it stared Hungrily at the supplements he ordered.


    That''s right! The smell of these magical ingredients! That''s why it''s here!


    ''Oh¡­nonononono. NO! You muthefuckah, you don''t even think about touching that!''


    It was the precious ingredients he had ordered after spending all his money. He can''t just let this thing eat it!

 Chapter 26: Axel vs Troll

    Waking up to the sight of a freakin'' mountain troll barging into your room isn''t an experience Axel would recommend to others.


    It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet.


    And worst of all, the smell coming from it was downright revolting.


    It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.


    Though Axel was also one mad dude. He ignored all this when he saw the Trolls mouth dripping with saliva as it stared Hungrily at the supplements he ordered.


    "Oh¡­nonononono. NO! You muthefuckah, don''t you even think about touching that!"


    It was the precious ingredients he had ordered after spending all his money! And, he''ll be damned if he lets a troll eat it.


    Axel quickly grabbed a bunch of strings that were lying beside him and pulled them all in one go.


    Immediately, a shower of white, red, and green powdered substances fell on the creature from above and a bunch of nails also fell on the troll''s path.


    These were just some traps Axel had designed for the intruders. As a paranoid person, he wouldn''t stay here without assurance.


    So, he had tried setting up some traps and did some research on the subject as well. To his surprise, he had even gotten the Arcane Theif Skill: Trap Designing.


    The powdered substances were what he had got from his Herbology class. Unlike others, he had paid attention in that class from day one since he had realized its potential.


    Of the substances, one was supposed to cause intense itching, one would make a person disoriented and nauseous, and one was simply a very powerful chilly powder, intended for eyes,


    Unfortunately, due to having some common sense, he had designed the traps taking human intruders into consideration. The powdered substances were hanging just above the door so that the intruder doesn''t have much time to protect himself. But, Troll''s body was even taller than the huge door frame and it had already entered while Axel was still disoriented from his dream.


    So, the powders fell on its shoulder, and the chilly powder didn''t reach its eyes. As for the powder that was supposed to cause disorientation and nausea, and the itching powder... they did seem to have a little effect on the troll''s thick skin, but not to the degree it should.


    Axel didn''t even have the time to think much before lunging for his food and starting stuffing it all in his backpack. But, by doing this, Axel had exposed himself since his skills didn''t grant him actual invisibility. And sure enough, seeing the very mouth-watering food for which it had come all the way to this part of the castle disappearing right in front of its eyes, being stolen by a small creature, the Troll, who was distracted due to the itching, grew enraged!


    It let out a mighty roar as it charged ferociously at Axel while ignoring all the puny nails that pinched its feet.


    "Fuckfuckfuck!" Seeing the traps he had designed meticulously failing one after another, Axel cursed under his breath while trying to make his crippled hands work fast. When he gets out of this situation alive¨C correction¨C ''if'' he gets out of this situation alive, the first thing he''s doing is to learn a spell that can quickly collect his things and put them in his bag!


    boom* *boom* *boom*


    The troll got closer with each step while Axel collected the ingredients worth hundreds of galleons.


    Damn it! He should have always been in a ready-to-flee state! It seems he had gotten careless after two months of safety. Even the traps were set up in the beginning when he was still careful. But after two months, his paranoid nature had calmed down a lot, and it seems that was a mistake.


    It was only seconds before the troll was onto Axel, and was bringing his club down on Axel who couldn''t make quick movements due to his body.


    While the club was being brought down on him, Axel looked up at it without flinching while raising his wand¨C and pointing it at himself.


    "Flipendo!"


    With almost all the ingredients safely stuffed in the bag that was clutched in his hand, Axel''s body was knocked sideways due to his own spell, out of the way from the incoming huge club.


    BOOM*


    The club descended with great momentum and landed with huge impact, destroying the floor and raising dust everywhere.


    "Cough--Cough.. Damn..."


    Axel slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes as he coughed due to dust. He looked at the little amount of ingredients left on the ground that he couldn''t pick up as he swung his backpack over his shoulders.


    They were totally ruined.


    For a moment, both Axel and the troll just looked at the ruined ingredients mixed up with a pile of dust and debris on the floor. Then, as if in sync, both turned their gazes on each other.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "...You¨Cstupid¨Canimal!"


    ROAR*


    Then, both instantly blamed each other for it.


    At first, Axel had thought that he''d just run away but now¨C


    "You''ve made this personal, you bastard," he muttered as he took out another wand from his bag, now standing with one wand in each hand. One, his own, and one he got from Cyrus Greengrass


    Right now, while an average person in his place might be freaking out, Axel was thinking something else.


    ''This guy doesn''t look like much,'' was what he was thinking as he checked out the key information he had from the system.


    From what he can tell after looking through the information and from what he had seen this guy do so far, it seems like it wouldn''t be as difficult as he thought.


    He''s big? So were all the others whom Axel had faced. When it comes to a fight, bigger is not always better.


    Fast? Not much.


    Magic resistant? We''ll see.


    With a loud roar, the Troll charged at him once again. And this time, he shot several spells, none of which hit the troll. They all landed on the ground between them.


    SLICK* *THUD*


    And the troll, who was charging at Axel, fell forward on his face with a resounding thud.


    "Haha! Taste that, you bastard!"


    The spell Axel had used was one of the first spells he had learned. It was ''Lubricous Nitorem'', the spell that temporarily makes any surface very smooth and slick by covering it up with magic.


    Axel had fired several of them one after another, so that all the ground in front of them would be slippery in case he missed the spot due to his bad aim.


    Even after the troll had fallen, Axel didn''t stop chanting. Spell after spell landed on the ground all around the troll as he circled it, stacking up the effect and making it even more slippery so that the Troll slipped every time it tried to stand. Axel also emptied his stack of chilly powder, itching power, and the green poisonous powder that causes disorientation.


    "Electrica Impulsa...Electrica Impulsa...Electrica Impulsa¡­"


    Meanwhile, the wand in his other hand was starting to light up slowly with each alternate spell.


    Though at this moment, the Troll let out a loud, desperate cry. It pulled back its large club, about to throw it at Axel.


    It was such a move that Axel¡ª


    ¡ªwanted to yawn.


    ''So predictable,''


    BUT...


    BOOM*


    SPLAT*


    But...before the poor troll could even throw it and before Axel could apply his countermeasure, a bright purple beam of light came and blew the troll''s head off!


    "What...What the fuck?" Axel turned his head to look at the kill stealer.


    A While Earlier:


    Martina Valentino sat in the great hall, attending her third Halloween party here.


    In the past two years, nothing had gone wrong on this day, making her quite used to the quiet.


    But, this was the year when the plot officially starts and events start happening every year.


    Or so it was supposed to be...


    But this world is so freaking A.U. that she wants to kick the creator''s balls.


    A Harry Potter World with no Harry in it. And if that wasn''t enough, many other things have also changed, and many new things which were never mentioned in those small seven books are also in this world.


    So, now she doesn''t know what the heck she''s supposed to do today. From what she knew, a Troll was released into the castle last time so that Quirrell could steal the Philosopher''s Stone, and Hermione was almost killed (due to Ron)


    But in this world, Quirrell is still peacefully sitting in his seat and Hermione is sitting right beside her on the Ravenclaw table and Umbridge is also here. So. now she was left sitting here, doing absolutely nothing with her nerves feeling all jittery.


    "Hmm?"


    Though at this moment, her familiar Rowlet contacted her through their bond! She had asked her to keep an eye out for any signs of abnormal activities today.


    Just as Martina stood up, the door to the great hall was also opened and the Head Boy, Alaric Malcolm rushed in.


    "THERE''S A TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON!"


    Martina didn''t even listen to Alaric''s words before she ducked down the table, turned herself invisible, and left the great hall while everyone was still panicking. With such a big and diverse student population, there were many students who were currently out of Great Hall. Martina would feel guilty if she let innocent students die for no reason.


    She rushed to the Location that her familiar had told her of. This was one of the more remote and desolate parts of the Castle.


    Even Martina doesn''t like to come here at night since she finds it a bit scary. She was already scared of ghosts and other things in her previous life, and in this life, they all actually exist so she usually tries to steer clear of such places.


    Though, there was one benefit.


    ''No one''s at risk here,'' she thought with a sigh of relief.


    She couldn''t imagine any students wandering around here at this time of night.


    boom*... *roar*


    Though¡­ just at this moment, she heard a distant noise, making her frown. This must be the troll. But¡­ Why would a troll make noise? Unless¡­


    Once again, Martina was rushing forward, right in the direction where the sound came from.


    Boom* *Boom*


    As she got closer, the noise grew louder, the smell grew worse and,


    "Lubricous Nitrorem!" She heard another voice as well.


    She found a destroyed door, peering through which she came across the scene of a Troll charging at a boy!


    Martina had her wand out in a second, ready to blast the troll off, but before she could do that, she saw the Troll falling face-first to the ground.


    After that, it seemed that the boy had everything under control for a while as he kept changing positions, throwing out spells and some powders at the troll from all directions."


    ''What?!'' As the boy moved around the troll, she finally got to see his face, and she recognized it instantly!


    ''Axel Hunt!'' She recalled his name due to his viral video.


    This is the same guy who had made her fall that night and the same guy whose memories she had seen the next day. And what horrible memories! Martina has tears in her eyes every time she remembers them.


    She has wanted to meet this guy again ever since, to talk to him and try to help him out in some way. But, she hasn''t seen him much ever since.


    And, she also hesitates to approach him. She doesn''t even know what she''s supposed to say once she did talk to him.


    ''Hey, I looked into your mind without your permission and now I want to help you out in some way,'' yeah, her awkward otaku shut-in nature doesn''t seem to have improved even after reincarnation.


    ROAR*


    She was brought out of her thoughts when the troll suddenly let out a deafening cry as it prepared to throw its weapon.


    Panicked, Martina didn''t even think twice before she unleashed one of her full-powered attacks on the Troll, causing its head to be blown up into pieces.


    ''What?!'' Even Martina herself was surprised. She had read the trolls were magic resistant so she had put in some extra power.


    But she quickly turned her attention to the more pressing topic.


    "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" She asked Axel urgently while approaching him quickly.


    He was up against a damn troll! He might have been in need of medical attention.


    The boy looked at her with an unreadable expression.


    "I''m fine," he said as his gaze went lower, towards her legs.


    Martina, who was still approaching realized a moment too late why he was glancing at the floor as her foot suddenly slipped due to stepping on an extremely slippery surface and she found herself falling back.


    Thump*


    The floor she had stepped on was quite slippery and she fell back on her butt with her skirt riding up and her spread open in M shape.


    "..."


    "..."


    All Martina could think at the moment was:


    ''Again?! Are you kidding me?!''


    What Axel was thinking:


    ''Hm...She seems to like purple a lot.''

 Chapter 27: No rest

    As Axel turned around to look at the kill stealer, he was surprised to find Martina Valentino standing in the doorway with her wand raised. Judging by the power of the spell, he was expecting some professor or something. Certainly not a student who''s barely two years older than him.


    "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"


    Before Axel could even think of what action to take, she was already advancing toward him. He was quite intimidated by her graceful and noble bearing as she walked toward him with no sign of fear or hesitation.


    Overtaken by her momentum, Axel considered running away from this powerhouse who had casually blown away a Troll''s head just moments ago. At least this time, his chances of successfully running away were much better than last time.


    Just as he was pondering this, he saw her stepping on the area of the ground that was affected by his Lubricous Nitorem spell and... fall to the ground on her posterior.


    "..."


    "..."


    Axel looked at the girl who had fallen in front of him in an embarrassing position.


    All of her mighty image had been effectively shattered into pieces with this.


    Now he was rather worried that she might blame him for it. After all, that spell beam was no joke. It blew the magic-resistant troll''s head apart.


    During the past two months, Axel had researched this girl who seemed to be special enough to have her information restricted on the system. And the results seemed to be in his favor.


    Despite her family''s infamous reputation, and having more than a 100 times the money and influence than the Malfoy family, she hasn''t shown any sign of negative behavior at school, nor has she shown hostility towards him. And Axel wanted to keep it that way. He knows how to differentiate between someone like Draco Malfoy and her. So, as he looked at her lying on the floor, he was at a loss whether to just run away, help her up, or just keep standing here and enjoy the view presented to him.


    Though he wasn''t given much time to think as Martina quickly got up and coughed awkwardly. Her cheeks had a red dusting on them, showing her embarrassment.


    "Ahem, pardon my ungainliness... that was rather inelegant of me," she said in a tone that seemed much more mature than her age and Axel could guess she was using Occlumency.


    "But right now, we need to get out of here. The professors would be coming here at any time and it would be troublesome to explain how one first year and a third year fought a troll and destroyed its skull. Are you injured somewhere? Can you walk?"


    ''Wait a minute... The professors are coming?!'' Axel skipped the rest of her words.


    He only now realized that having a Troll in the school seemed to be a bigger problem than he had thought. Indeed, having that thing enter a classroom full of students might turn the classroom into a meat grinder. So, it does make sense for the staff to take action.


    But, if they find his things here, they''ll know that he''d been staying out of the dormitory and breaking curfew for all this while¡­ And in that case, he''s sure to get punished.


    "Uh...I can''t leave right away. I need to collect my things," said Axel as he rushed off and began filling up the rest of his belongings into his bag. If the teachers found his things here, they might think these things belong to the person who head-shotted the Troll.


    ?


    Martina looked at Axel filling up his bag with things in confusion. She couldn''t understand why he''d have so many things in here.


    "What things? Hurry up! We need to leave!" She said as her attention shifted to the things he was packing. Books, uniform, a toothbrush, a mattress, a pillow, clothes, etc. She frowned. Why would he have these things here?


    ''Wait. Don''t tell me¡­'' There was only one conclusion she could reach.


    "You¡­ have you been actually living here?" She asked in disbelief as she looked around at the destroyed room.


    "Yeah,"


    Axel just shrugged. It was so obvious that he couldn''t even deny it. Though he couldn''t understand how the hell here and why the heck she is being so nosy. Wasn''t the Mafia Prodigy supposed to be an aloof and unapproachable existence at Hogwarts?


    Of Course, he didn''t know that behind her imperial persona, Martina was just a recluse with very low social skills to speak of.


    Hearing his answer, Martina was appalled.


    "Seriously? How can someone stay here? How can you even fall asleep in this place?"


    This is one of the very few corners of the castle that isn''t lit at all at night since no one really comes here or passes through here. Even she has only ever dared wander in the lighted areas at night. So, she couldn''t comprehend how someone could sleep peacefully at night here while there was no living person in the vicinity.


    Axel gave her an annoyed look,


    "I had been sleeping here well enough until a Troll decided to rudely disturb me tonight,"


    "..." Martina looked at the destroyed doors as the picture became clear to her. That¡­ isn''t that even more terrifying? Imagine sleeping alone in a creepy place and an ugly Troll suddenly breaks your door open and charges at you¡­ Martina was sure that her scream would have woken up the entire castle.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "But...why would you stay here? Why not just stay in the Slytherin Dorms?" She asked, though she could guess the answer.


    Axel shrugged, "Didn''t like the residents," he said shortly.


    Martina surmised that her assumptions might not be too far off. His case reminded her of the case of another one of her favorite characters, Luna Lovegood, who had been alone for her beginning years. This is why, she wanted to help.


    This boy has been sleeping alone in this gloomy part of the castle. And if that wasn''t enough, even that place isn''t available to him anymore. She would have told him about the room of requirements but she''d seen Umbridge going there once so that place can''t be safe anymore.


    "If you really need a different place I could talk to¨C"


    "No need," said Axel who had checked the notifications by now. Sometimes, the rewards of the system are based on his needs. And that was the case this time as well.


    [You managed to survive against a troll. Congratulations.


    -2% approval.


    -Information on a secret room]


    ''Good work, system,'' he praised. He''s realized the power of information many times over by now.


    When Axel was done cleaning up all the cases of his presence in this place, with some magical help from Martina, he looked at the room with a complicated expression. This had been a nice place for the past two months.


    But, it seems like he wouldn''t even be given the time to reminisce as Martina''s owl hooted and they heard rushed footsteps coming from the way they had come.


    ! x2


    Both Axel and Martina got startled by that. Both didn''t want to be found here. Axel''s reasons were clear and Martina''s reasons were¡­a little complicated.


    She didn''t want everyone to know that she had so much power since she had read too many scenarios in her previous life that could go wrong. Heck, she didn''t even know if this was a good Dumbledore or a dark and manipulative Dumbledore world. Thus, she only wanted to be a genius within the bounds of reasoning, not someone who could blow off a troll''s head with one spell.


    Thus, when they heard the footsteps, both of them hurried off in the opposite direction of the footsteps.


    "Search the whole area!" They heard Professor Longbottom''s voice. That was it for Axel. He took out a broom he had ''borrowed'' from the broomshed and started to fly since his legs couldn''t quite run yet. When he eventually stopped, he was surprised to find Martina right behind him.


    "Why did you follow me?" He asked her, trying not to show his annoyance. She had tried to read his mind without permission. So he obviously didn''t have any favorable impression of her.


    He had planned to find the place which was in the system''s information after ditching this girl. But surprisingly during all those different paths he took during his flight, she had still managed to follow him. Axel wondered how she followed him. She didn''t have any broom in her hands.


    Martina frowned,


    "I just panicked and followed you. Is that a problem?"


    When the professors came, she panicked and started running on foot along with Axel, but then she saw him calmly moving, while glancing back, almost phasing in and out of her view like last time, and then he took out his broom. Suddenly, she remembered that she can also fly, making her curse her muggle-mindedness. After that, she just followed him wherever he went since he seemed so calm and composed, as if he knew what he was doing.


    Axel shook his head,


    "Not a problem. Now, why don''t we go our separate ways?"


    shiver*


    It was getting quite cold. Axel wanted to quickly find the new place system recommended and sleep but he couldn''t go in her presence. In the first place, where the fuck were they right now? Axel had no idea. He had just flown randomly wherever. He took out his wand and lit it up, only making their immediate surroundings visible.


    Martina also shivered. She shook her head,


    "No. I can''t leave you here alone; It''s Halloween, I can''t just let you find another place to crash. It''s not safe," she said as she looked around to identify where they were.


    Axel stopped walking as he looked at her.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but we''re just strangers. I don''t understand why you are going so far to help me out. Is there something you want from me?" He asked clearly. He wasn''t feeling good right now, so he was having difficulty having this girl barely two years older than him being all nosy and bossy on him.


    "I¡­"


    Martina grew dazed as she realized that her actions did really seem abnormal, especially considering the usual persona that she usually uses to avoid people. But, she can''t just tell him that she had seen his memories without his permission, could she?


    hoot* hoothooot*


    At this moment, Rowlet, who was on perched her shoulder suddenly started hooting urgently, making her confused,


    "What is it?" she asked.


    Martina was exasperated at first; they had just escaped from one danger, and there was another danger approaching already? Though the urgency and fear she felt from their bond told her that the situation was not to be taken lightly.


    Wrapping her arms around herself due to the cold, she turned to Axel.


    "Axel¡­ where e-exactly are we? She asked as she lit up her wand, and was surprised to find that her breath was misty due to the cold. There were no lights here and she was getting very cold and desolate vibes from this place. Unknowingly, she had moved closer to Axel for some warmth.


    Axel shrugged.


    "No idea. We might be somewhere around the second or the third floor," he answered with a frown as he realized something. He was feeling cold because he wasn''t wearing the enchanted clothes. But¡­ Martina should be wearing the enchanted ones, right? Similar to the ones Andromeda had bought him.


    Martina paused.


    "Wait, d-did you say we might be on the t-third floor?"


    !


    At this moment, the red system alerts from earlier suddenly popped up again, making him startled.


    [Axel, you need to run. Now.]


    "What the Fuck?"


    [It''s Dementors. The system is not able to protect you from soul attacks.]


    Axel realized that the system was not playing around right now. But, before he could do much, he heard a rattling breath, coming from somewhere above him.


    ?!


    An intense chill went down his spine as he quickly moved his wand upward, making more of the area above them visible.


    And what he saw made him catch his breath in his throat.


    Two towering figures, wrapped in dirty and tattered black, hooded cloaks were swooping down towards him.


    "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" From right beside him, Axel heard a piercing scream coming from Martina but he couldn''t pay it any attention since the creatures'' target was not Martina, but him. She didn''t even have to be so scared since she can just run while these creatures are busy with him.


    Axel was suddenly feeling very cold. The cold seemed to pierce his clothes, penetrate his skin and go right through his very heart.


    Suddenly, images were flashing in front of him, images of being tortured, being beaten. It was as if he was reliving his worst. Though the images cleared as he heard the ding from the system, giving him some clarity.


    His other wand slipped into his hand from his sleeve.


    "Electrica¡­ Impulsa¡­" What the fuck? Why was he feeling so hopeless? Why does struggling seem so futile? "Electrica Impulsa¡­"


    Why is he even living anyway? What''s the purpose of his life? Who would even care if he died?


    ¡­..


    But then, a voice from inside his mind spoke up


    ''Fuck I''m living for myself, damn it! I don''t give a fuck whether anybody cares or not!''


    Yes! He was living for himself. Is that too insignificant for others? What was his goal? Well, it was to be the Greatest Of All Time and give a giant middle finger to everything that had tried to bring him down.


    So, even if he has to die, he has to at least give a memorable middle finger to his attackers.


    "ELECTRICA IMPULSA!"


    Crackle* *Crackle*


    Axel''s dazed eyes snapped back into focus as two glowing blue rods were impaled into the two Dementors who were looming over him.


    "E-Expecto Patronum!"


    He dimly heard a voice beside him but his consciousness was already phasing out as he fell to the ground.


    The gloomy feeling was gone and all he was feeling was... weak. So weak and pathetic...

 Chapter 28: Sleeping With Martina

    ''This must be a dream¡­ Just a nightmare.''


    That was what she was thinking as she lay collapsed on her knees right after she first saw the dementors.


    "Electrica¡­Impulsa¡­"


    She had found them scary even when she had seen them in the movies. But, seeing one in real life, and in such a theatrical fashion as she had looked up while already feeling panicked from the atmosphere, and seen those scary rotten creatures swooping down on Axel¡­It was just too much.


    "electrica impulsa¡­"


    She had reincarnated in this world and had been treated like a princess by everyone, always being protected and cared for. She had never suffered any hardship here, making her forget the darker aspects of this world.


    She had forgotten that this world wasn''t just sunshine and daisies but a dark world where terrible dangers were waiting to surface. She was dimly aware that she had to do something, but she was in a state of shock. Just the rebound of the dementors'' attack on Axel had left her frozen in fear.


    "ELECTRICA IMPULSA!!!"


    !!! At that moment, she heard Axel''s loud voice which snapped her back into reality. She saw his amber eyes blazing with fire as he stabbed the two dementors with wands that were crackling with blue magic.


    Martina came to her senses with a start as she witnessed this scene. There he was, an 11-year-old boy fighting desperately against the dementors while they were clearly attacking him with all they had. And here she was, frozen in fear and denying reality despite being a reincarnator and a so-called genius. This was the first time Martina Valentino realized the massive difference between the two of them.


    ''I can''t just cower in fear! Not after the countless hours I''ve spent practising magic!'' She thought, raising her wand.


    She recalled all the good memories she had made in this world after living as an orphan in her previous life. Her father and older brother, who were feared by everyone but were very sweet-tempered and overprotective of her. And she recalled her mother who would always try to be strict but would cave into her every demand.


    "Expecto Patronum!"


    With the powerful memories, she chanted incantation for the Patronus charm, and her patronus, a big bright owl burst out from her wand and drove away the already writhing dementors.


    Right after that, she saw Axel lying unconscious on the ground with his two wands fallen by his side.


    "Nonononono. Please be fine, please be fine¡­" she muttered as she tried shaking him but he was out like a light. Martina didn''t know if he was in danger or not, but she did know that if anything happened to him, she was going to blame herself forever.


    ''So much for a genius,'' she thought self-mockingly. When it actually came down to it, she couldn''t even deal with two Dementors in time.


    She didn''t even know what would have happened if the Dementors had targeted her first. Would she still have had the clarity and concentration left to cast the Patronus? Or would her tasty reincarnated soul be the Dementors'' meal?


    ¡­


    "How is it?" Martina asked anxiously to Madam Pomfrey who was critically diagnosing Axel with all kinds of machines. She had ended up turning both of them invisible and flying them both to the Hospital wing.


    The medi-witch raised her eyebrows in surprise after her examination was complete.


    "This boy just keeps surprising me. He has managed to change a lot in just two months," she muttered as she checked some past records of Axel she had in a bundle.


    Martina frowned,


    "What does that mean? Is he not okay?"


    Madam Pomfrey looked at Martina like she was talking absurdly,


    "Okay? With his body''s condition, he''s not "okay" by any stretch of the word. But if you''re asking if he''ll gain consciousness soon then yes, he will. There''s no harm done right now. He''s just really exhausted. Poor boy, he''s been pushing himself a lot. But I''m talking about his previous injuries," she muttered as she prepared a syringe and gave him a shot through his arm.


    With Madam Pomfrey''s cryptic answer, Martina was now more curious than relieved. She did already have her doubts about his physique already from various indicators.


    Frowning, Martina couldn''t help but ask her what was wrong with Axel''s body in the past, to which the Healer just shook her head,


    "That''s confidential, dear. You can only ask him if you want to know," She said before she began noting down further details in his file.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ''But¡­ I really want to know¡­'' she thought with a sigh.


    She had seen him being beaten and injured in the memories she''d seen and even when she''d first seen him when he was sneaking out in the dark, his movements seemed to indicate that he was having difficulty moving. She had also seen his hands shaking a lot as well.


    What was wrong with him? And why was he still not cured? Does he need help?


    Her gaze lingered on the folder in Madam Pomfrey''s hands.


    ''No, that''s wrong,'' she thought as she shook her head. She shouldn''t look into it without his permission. It looks like she would have to wait for him to wake up to find out.


    She looked at Axel''s sleeping face. Right now, it didn''t have the constant frown and the annoyed expression it always has. Without it, his face looked quite handsome.


    Martina wondered how long it''ll take for him to wake up. It was only 10 o''clock right now. She can afford to wait for a few hours.


    Though while waiting for him to wake up as she browsed through her Magi-mirror, Martina, after being tired from the incident, found herself falling asleep.


    ¡­


    Axel woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. He didn''t feel like moving at all. His brows furrowed as he recalled last night''s events. First the troll then the Dementors. Man, this school is really hardcore. To think he had heard it being called the safest place in Britain after Gringotts¡­


    He examined his surroundings. He was in the hospital wing.


    Just as he sat up, his gaze went to his side and he almost jumped out of the bed.


    "What the¡ª?!"


    Right beside his bed, sitting in a chair with her head propped on the side of the bed, a girl was sleeping peacefully. Her long purple hair was spread all over the bed and her sleeping face looked much younger than her usual face, when she looks far older than her age.


    Axel realized that she must be the one who brought him here, but¡­ why is she sleeping here?!


    With the disturbance caused by his reaction, the girl''s eyebrows creased before she slowly opened her eyes.


    Martina opened her eyes to see Axel glaring down at her.


    "Aaaahhh¡ª" she almost screamed out aloud before she clamped her mouth shut.


    Last night, she had waited for him to wake up while browsing through the Hogwarts forums for the discussion on Troll. She had wanted to ask about his body''s condition and help him out if she could. After all, with her family''s resources, even phoenix tears could be arranged if they tried hard enough. But, she''d accidentally fallen asleep it seems.


    Axel frowned, does he look that scary? Well, he was hoping he does.


    "Did you bring me here last night?" He asked.


    Martina quickly raised her head from the bed as she tried to compose herself, schooling her features and tossing her hair back. Though the drool at the corner of her mouth didn''t help at all.


    "Um¡­ yes. Pardon my crude conduct, I fell asleep while waiting for you to wake up," she said after clearing her throat.


    Axel shrugged,


    "Well, thanks for saving me. I''m awake, so can you tell me what you want now," He said to her. It was clear she wanted something since she decided to wait but he couldn''t imagine having anything that the Mafia Prodigy might want.


    Martina shook her head.


    "No, I don''t want anything. I just¡ª"


    But she paused when both of them heard voices approaching from outside the partition screen.


    "D''you reckon they might still be here?"


    "Well, the photo was quite recent. I think we''re the first ones to come here, so there''s a chance."


    "Well, I''m quite scared, to be honest. You two can go ahead and check. I don''t want anything to do when the Valentino Family is involved."


    "Oh... no..."


    Martina''s eyes slowly widened as she comprehended their words.


    As she had fallen asleep without intending to, she had not even been able to set up wards around the place. On the off chance that someone peeked through the blinds, they would have been able to see her. And, it seems like that had turned out to be the case.


    ''Damn it!''


    In her panic, she didn''t even bother using her wand and simply put up the wards wandlessly, making it so that no one would be able to find this area so as to block those idiots.


    She quickly took out her Magi-mirror and opened the Hogwarts forums.


    "Shitshitshit!" she muttered as she found that the forums all blowing up with discussion. And the reason was just one damn photo, posted anonymously by someone.


    *Ring* *Ring*


    As if to make the situation worse, her Magi-mirror began ringing as she found her brother calling already and more calls and messages were starting to pop up with every second.


    On the other hand, Axel had also heard those kids. And after two months of adapting, he had some idea what they could be talking about. He found his bag beside his bed. He fished out his Magi-mirror and quickly checked the forums as well.


    !!!!


    When he saw his photo with the beloved princess of the most dangerous Mafia family sleeping right beside him, he saw his life flash before his eyes.


    "F."


    Yep, he was dead. He was truly dead now¡­.


    He wondered if it might have been better if he had been left with the Dementors.


    After checking to make sure all his belongings including his wands were with him, he simply got up as pain enveloped his body, indicating that his skills were activated.


    Martina quickly answered the call of her brother.


    "Fratello¡ª" she began but was cut off as both her father''s and brother''s faces popped into view cramped together.


    "Where are you right now?!"


    "Are you alright?!"


    "Who is he?! I just need the name!"


    "He''s only a friend right?... Right?!"


    Martina didn''t even have the chance to speak at all. Though it seemed that the Magi-mirror was suddenly snatched out of her brother and father''s hands and her mother''s stern face popped into view.


    "Martina, what¡­were you thinking, sleeping unprotected at a place like that? Have I taught you nothing upto now?" Even though she didn''t show it, Martina could tell that her mother was truly irate right now.


    Martina pouted,


    "Mum, I know it''s my fault but we don''t have time for that. I just need you to quickly get that picture deleted from everywhere,"


    "Your father already has his men doing that. But the matter won''t end here. I need to know¡­ who was this boy and how did you end up in that situation?" Asked her mother, her tone leaving no room for evasion this time.


    "He is¨C" Martina looked up from her mirror, only to find that Axel was nowhere to be seen. When did he leave? She still had not been able to know about his condition.


    "Mum, don''t put any of this on him. He was unconscious at the time. I was just waiting for him to wake up since I had business with him," she said quickly. For goodness sake, his life had been miserable enough from what she had seen in the memories. She didn''t want her family making him go through more difficulties because of her fault.


    "Martina Valentino¡ª" began her mother, ready to launch into a big lecture, but Martina just cut off the call before that.


    She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. Her family had taken it well enough, considering the fact that her father and brother weren''t already on their way to kill Axel. But¡­ how would the rest of the school react to this?

 Chapter 29: Special Reward

    Axel walked through the corridors of Hogwarts while feeling like murdering someone. As he had feared, the picture had spread everywhere already.


    The effort he put in the last two months into putting a low profile had all gone to shit as now even the previous RM (Recorded Memory) of his Duel was once again being shared, to inform everyone who exactly was the ''lucky bastard'' who had the Mafia Prodigy sleeping at his bedside.


    ''First the Troll, then Dementors, and now this... yep, I think I officially hate Halloween now,'' he thought irately.


    It was quite absurd that his biggest problem until yesterday was just money. Money that he could steal but wasn''t stealing for¡­ no real reason at all. After one encounter with the Dementor, he could no longer give a fuck about getting caught or some shitty trauma.


    He realized that after two months of living a better life, he had begun to think that he had a choice. Hell no, he didn''t. He doesn''t even know what would have happened if that girl hadn''t been there. He would have been grateful if she had not gotten him into so much trouble. That''s why he had just left without listening to whatever she had to say.


    After sitting on the Slytherin table for breakfast under his stealth skills, he finally checked the system notifications of yesterday. When the Dementors had attacked, he didn''t have the leisure to see what mission he had been given.


    [Congratulations. You survived an encounter with Dementors.


    -Special skill: Minor Light attribute


    -1% approval rate. Total = 14%]


    Axel looked at the system interface in a stupor. Light attribute? Holy shit that sounds good! And it''s apparently a special skill. He recalled that he could unlock special skills in special cases or by doing special missions. Now, the only question is¡­ what exactly is this?


    He tapped the Minor Light attribute of the system interface to get more information on it.


    [Minor Light attribute: Light attribute Magic is the magic summoned from the #$*# #!$. This skill gives you the ability to imbue a minor amount of Light Magic into your spells.]


    Axel was pleasantly surprised, but also a bit confused.


    ''System, what is the meaning of those symbols? Also, I thought all the magic wizards usually did was light magic. Is that not it?'' He asked.


    [Axel, those symbols mean that the information is locked. And as explained previously, most wizards of these times do not have any accurate knowledge of Light and Dark Magic.


    They mostly term the dangerous spells which use the normal magic to be Dark magic and all the other spells as Light Magic, which is, of course, an absolutely wrong conjecture.


    The real Dark magic is spells that use the magic summoned from the Nether World. An example would be Fiendfire. And the real Light magic is spells that use the magic summoned from #$*# #!$. An Example would be the Patronus charm. The Light Magic and Dark Magic are natural counter to each other.]


    ''...Damn¡­ now we''re talking!''


    After comprehending the meaning of those words, Axel wanted to shout out in joy.


    It''s about the goddamn time he got something like this. There''s apparently a very powerful Darklord trying to take over this world, and that Darklord and his minions are quite adept at Dark magic. So, having something like Light Attribute magic, which can counter creatures like the Dementors is a necessity and is going to be quite handy.


    Axel grinned. It was certainly a ''Special Skill'' alright. His mood felt much ''lighter'' now. He didn''t even particularly mind all the attention and troubles the photo with that girl had brought him anymore.


    Feeling much better, he left for his first class which was with the Gryffindors.


    A few moments later. . .


    "..."


    Well, maybe he had spoken too soon about not minding the troubles of that photo.


    He certainly did mind it if a crowd of students are gathering up in front of his Potions class to wait for his arrival.


    Sigh*


    He can''t just enter the class in stealth since he needs to show his face to the Professor for attendance. And when he does that, it would be absolutely certain that he can turn himself invisible through magic since these idiots don''t know that there are ways one can avoid being noticed without using Invisibility or magic. There are already rumors that he can cast the disillusionment charm and he doesn''t want them to believe it.


    Thus, with all the exasperation in the world, he turned off all the skills and started to walk toward his classroom. It''s not comfortable and it might be annoying, so he usually avoids trouble, but when it comes down to it, he''ll not cower away. So what if there was a photo of him with some girl? Heck, so what if he even slept with that girl? If anyone has a problem they can kiss his ass.


    It wasn''t long before someone spotted him approaching the class.


    "Hey! He''s here!"


    "Really? Where?"


    "There he is!"


    "Yeah, that''s him alright."


    The crowd of students started approaching him but Axel didn''t stop walking.


    "Hey, what exactly happened?"


    "Yeah, how did you end up in that situation?"


    "Do you actually know her?"


    "Hey, I''m just warning you. Stay away from her or I''ll¡ª"


    All kinds of people were mixed in the crowd. Some were just there to gossip, some were jealous gits while some were there just to enjoy the show, recording everything on their Magi-mirrors.


    Axel didn''t stop walking at all. He got mixed up into the crowd and emerged from the other side while everyone was trying to find him inside the crowd.


    "Hey, where''d he go?!"


    "Do you see him?"


    "Damn it, why are there so many people here?!"


    ''Losers,''


    Quite unimpressed, Axel left those losers behind as he entered the class with his hands still in his pockets. Even inside, he could feel many gazes fixed on him. Not paying them any attention, he went straight to the last bench which all but belonged to him now in all his classes.


    Once he settled his equipments, of course, he was still not going to be left alone.


    "Hey, Axel,"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Hi Axel,"


    Two girls came to his table. It wasn''t the first time they were bothering him in these two months, so he knew their names. Parvati and Lavender. Gryffindor''s gossip girls.


    "We saw your photo! Holy Morgana, you two looked cute together."


    "Yeah, how do you two know each other?"


    "None of your damn business. Now scram."


    "?!" x2


    It wasn''t Axel who said that. It was Rose Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived. Parvati and Lavender both looked fairly terrified as they scurried away quietly.


    Axel was almost impressed. In the past two months, Rose had built up a reputation for herself as the Girl-Who-Must-Not-be-messed-with. Those who had messed with her were all always met with a vicious revenge. Except only for Axel himself. He couldn''t understand just why, but she never did do anything against him despite all of her threats.


    "What do you want?" Asked Axel rudely. Since she doesn''t do anything, he is just going to treat her like anyone else.


    Rose gritted her teeth. Oh how satisfying it would be if she could just prank the living hell out of this guy, but she valued her life more. This guy has Aunt Bella obsessed over him for some reason.


    "I''m not here because I want something. I''m just here to let you know that I know your secret," she said imperiously.


    That made him pause.


    "What secret?" he asked, his wand slowly sliding in his hand.


    Rose shook her head, as she looked at her Magi-mirror. Aunt Bella seemed to have gone berserk today after seeing his photo. Rose now has several orders she has to follow, demanded urgently by the Minister of Magic.


    "If you want to know, first answer these questions. How did you end up in the Hospital wing and what is your relationship with Martina Valentino? And also, it would be better if you ''stay away from vixens like her'' since her family''s reputation is quite bad. hmm¡­ that''s it," she said as she finished reading what Aunt Bella had written.


    Axel looked at her for several seconds. Then just scoffed,


    "I think I''ll pass. You can go tell my secret to everyone."


    Rose grew angry.


    "Huh? You think I''m bluffing? I know that you know some weird magic that lets you capture any woman. And what''s with that face? You''re probably wondering how I know, right? Well, it''s not too difficult to guess after looking at the series of events," she said triumphantly, feeling smug when Axel''s eyebrows went up his hairline when she exposed his secret.


    First Aunt Andromeda, then Aunt Bella, and now Martina Valentino. Heck, even she sometimes finds herself under that spell as well but since she''s the Girl-Who-Lived, she''s most likely immune to it.


    Axel nodded slowly,


    "Yeah¡­ get lost."


    "...What?" The smug expression on her face vanished as she wondered if she had heard him wrong.


    "I said¡­ ''get¡ªlost'' do you get it now? You can go and expose my secret everywhere. Blimey, I can''t even bring myself to be bothered," he said exasperatedly. Seriously, what''s with this girl''s brain? He was an idiot to think she knew one of his real secrets.


    Rose stomped her foot in frustration. Oh Merlin, if only she could do whatever she wanted with him¡­ she would have made him regret every single time he''s insulted her.


    Too bad she can''t do anything with a somewhat psychotic Minister of Magic protecting him like her love child. With a huff, Rose stalked off while wondering how she was supposed to answer Aunt Bella now.


    She thought for a while. Well, isn''t it obvious? If Axel isn''t giving her the information, then she just has to invent it herself, right?


    Let''s see, why Axel was in the Hospital wing? Let''s just attribute it to the Troll. He was out wandering and got done in by the Troll, seems legit, huh?


    What''s the relationship between her and Martina? Let''s see. Both are having a romantic relationship and Axel is getting help from her. Yeah, that''s good. Axel is seducing women to get benefits.


    There! It''s done! Isn''t she simply a genius? Rose simply sent the made-up answers to her Aunt, not knowing what results it would bring.


    She then quickly began setting up the equipments for the potions class. Snape is no longer kind to her and instead treats her badly in the classes now. But that has been the case for every Gryffindor, isn''t it? Oh well, she knew enough to get by.


    ¡­


    Axel walked out of Potions class with another Troll (T) grade to his name. But as he already mentioned, he couldn''t care less about this shit. What would he even do with full grades? Get attention? No thank you, he was already struggling with what attention he , grades are only useful to those who are going to apply for some job. And Axel wanted to be someone who hires, not someone who gets hired.


    As he walked along the corridors, his footsteps slowed down as he noticed a difference. He was expecting the students to flood him again, but funnily enough, none were coming.


    Shrugging to himself, he went to attend his next class, going almost unhindered save for a few stragglers.


    It was History class, and despite it being a much more interesting class, that couldn''t prevent him from taking the last seat.


    Daphne was sitting there while reading some book. When he came, she didn''t even glance up at him.


    "What''s up with you? What book is it?" Asked Axel as he sat down. She wouldn''t usually ignore him like this, so he thought that the book must be really interesting.


    Daphne didn''t even look at him,


    "Oh¡­ I''m trying not to bother you, so that your ''girlfriend'' doesn''t come after me," she said, turning the book, since it was upside down.


    Axel grew puzzled at her absurd words,


    "The fuck are you talking about?" There was no need for a language filter when talking to her.


    Daphne sighed,


    "I forgot that your Magi-mirror is just a showpiece. For fuck''s sake, do try to use it sometimes. Your girlfriend has made a declaration."


    Axel frowned as he took out his Magi-mirror to check the forums.


    "Oh¡­ hell," he muttered as he saw the changes. The photo had been deleted from the forum and now there was another post pinned to the top, posted by Martina Valentino herself.


    "Anyone bothering Axel Hunt will have to answer to me."


    Axel''s mouth twitched. What''s the problem with this girl? It seems that he can forget about having a peaceful life at Hogwarts.


    Daphne finally looked at him to see his reaction.


    "You sure work fast, Mr. Charming. You managed to land the Mafia Princess in just two months."


    Axel looked at her in annoyance.


    "What''s up with you? Why are you being so bitchy?"


    Daphne looked back into her book.


    "You are such a liar. You deny even being friends with me and would even make that bimbo your girlfriend because her family is more powerful. I didn''t know you were so superficial."


    Axel rolled his eyes,


    "Have you ever seen me talking to her?"


    Daphne paused,


    "...No,"


    "Have you ever seen her talking to me?"


    "Uh...No?"


    "Have you ever heard me even mentioning her?"


    "..."


    "Then the fuck are you assuming she''s my girlfriend? Jeez! You''re being so annoying. That''s why I don''t make friends. It''s more trouble than it''s worth."


    Daphne''s brain started to work normally again after she calmed down. She realized that the photo had Axel unconscious or sleeping so it''s not like he was willingly having the Valentino girl sleeping next to her. And as for the post that Martina posted, he didn''t even know about it.


    And now that she thought about it, she couldn''t even imagine Axel making her a girlfriend for superficial things.


    ''It all seems... one-sided?'' She realized. And now she was feeling stupid. She had just gotten wrapped up in her friends'' discussion. Really, why does she even bother listening to those immature girls?!


    In the first place, she sits here in the last seat instead of the first only because she finds those of her age too immature and annoying. And sitting here is quite peaceful and refreshing as they both usually do their own thing and don''t annoy each other. But she had done it, she had annoyed him over silly nonsense.


    Though another reason for her unreasonable behavior would be the inferiority she felt when compared to Martina Valentino. The girl is a Legend in the Ravenclaw house. Everyone all but worships her due to her genius.


    But genius or not, would that matter to Axel? Fuck no. And if he was materialistic, he''d have just gone for Rose, who has the whole Black Family with her. She had just blindly listened to the gossip.


    "Um¡­ I''m sorry, I was being an idiot," she said meekly.


    Axel rolled his eyes,


    "As long as you know," he said simply. He''ll sit somewhere else if she continues her nonsense. Now he has to think of what consequences that new post would bring.


    At this moment, Professor Gorski, their History Professor entered the class, looking quite worse for wear. His eyes had dark circles, and his posture was quite languid, contrasting his usual energetic appearance.


    Yawn*


    "Excuse my unrefined appearance, I have had a tough night due to my injuries flaring up. I won''t be teaching you anything today so you can quietly do whatever you want for the period today," he said, making many students disappointed along while also making some happy.


    Axel just shrugged. He had a never-ending list of tasks, so it was alright for him, though Daphne was not happy.


    "I have nothing to do!" She complained.


    Axel put his notebook in front of her.


    "You can just do my Homework if you''re so free."


    Daphne wouldn''t have done it and she knew that Axel was also just joking, but¡­ this time, she accepted the notebook and took out her pen.


    "I''ll do it," she said, making Axel surprised.


    "Just as a payback for saying those things," she said.


    Axel shrugged. She didn''t owe him anything really but, who is he to decline a gift horse in the mouth?


    ""You have Failed.""came a creepy rasping voice from a Locket.


    Umbridge knelt down.


    "Forgive me, my lord."


    The voice grew colder,


    ""Even after arranging two Dementors and a helper for you, you still have failed in the task, does this deserve forgiveness?""


    Umbridge bowed lower,


    "T-There was an interruption, my lord. I-I think it was Dumbledore. All the other professors except myself and our helper were after the Troll!"


    That made the voice even angrier,


    ""Dumbledore! It''s Dumbledore again¡­. It seems that we have no choice but to execute the task in Dumbledore''s absence¡­ Leave the stone, for now, focus more on the other task. It''s going to be much more important in my plans.""


    Umbridge nodded dutifully,


    "Yes my lord. That task has been going swimmingly. No one seems to suspect a thing."


    "But... my Lord. About the new helper..."


    ""Don''t question his loyalty. I gave him an offer he simply can not refuse,"" the voice said with a hint of amusement.

 Chapter 30: The Panty Thief?

    Bellatrix Black sat in her office with her Magi-mirror his hands. Different screens were flashing around her like computers, all displaying different reports and data. But, there was something common in all the information showing on these devices right now: They were all somehow related to Axel.


    Some were playing recorded memories of him while some were pictures of him. And the one on the biggest screen was of him lying in a hospital bed with a certain girl sleeping on his bedside.


    Today was bound to be a hectic day for Bellatrix. Apparently, a troll had somehow managed to get into Hogwarts. Now, this wouldn''t have been a big deal if the news didn''t get out, but with the existence of the Magi-mirrors, almost all of the Britain and many other parts of the world knew about it.


    It has to be noted that children of various affluent magical families from all over the world have sent their kids to Hogwarts due to its great education and reputation. And now, a troll has been suddenly set loose in the school. So of course, those parents from affluent families would demand an explanation.


    And whose fault it was?


    That fucker Dumbledore! First, he won''t let the ministry help with the security of Hogwarts and now he expects her to take the blame? Fuck no! With the help of mass media, she has made sure that everyone knows exactly who is at fault. That old fossil still hasn''t fully grasped the use of modern magic tech yet.


    But, she had been so busy dealing with it all for the whole night and the morning that she completely missed Axel''s newest photo.


    This is the first time she saw his sleeping face, and the boy looks so cute and innocent without that annoyed and bored look on his face. If only he didn''t have that girl sleeping beside him, the scene would be perfect.


    That girl, is the princess of the most notorious mafia family in Italy and probably the whole world. For centuries, that family has been involved with all kinds of criminal activities, managing to stay in power by doing all kinds of illegal activities. So, it would be quite understandable if she didn''t want Axel to associate himself with the princess of such a dangerous family.


    For the past two months, she''s been trying to search for a way to cure his body and she also informed all the teachers to pay special attention to him and not let him suffer. She had even almost gotten Severus Snape fired.


    She had wanted to do more but Axel wouldn''t appreciate help from someone he hates with a passion.


    So, she''ll help him from the shadows. Without letting him know it was her who helped her.


    Like right now. She picked up her Magi-mirror and made a voice-only call.


    Ring-Ring* *Ring-Ring* *Rin¡ª*


    "Yes?" The call was answered quickly.


    "Bellatrix Black, Britain''s Minister of Magic. I have business with your Boss," said Bellatrix in a cold voice.


    There was a pause as the other side checked her caller Id once again.


    "This is very sudden, but I''ll inform the Godfather. Could you please wait on the line?"


    "Make it quick,"


    After a few moments, someone else''s voice came from the speaker.


    "Well, it''s certainly a surprise, Minister. I believe this is our second time talking to each other."


    The voice belonged to Martina''s father. But this time, it had quite a sleazy and dangerous edge to it that wasn''t present when he was goofily talking to his daughter.


    "Mr. Alessandro, I had some urgent business with you," said Bellatrix, coming straight to the point.


    "Blunt as always, I see. Well, I''m listening,"


    A Blunt and honest approach worked much better with people like Alessandro. So Bellatrix didn''t bother beating around the bush.


    "I need you not to take any action against one Axel Hunt. He''s under my protection," she said in a dead serious tone.


    That made the other party go silent for several seconds.


    "That¡­ is a rather exorbitant demand. But¡­ it can be done¡­ on one condition,"


    Bellatrix was surprised. She hadn''t thought that the man would give up so easily on making a move against Axel after the incident. Though how could she know that he had already promised his daughter not to hurt Axel? So any requests he was making were for free at this point.


    Bellatrix drummed her fingers against the desk,


    "Speak,"


    "I don''t really need much, just give me all the information on the boy,"


    Bellatrix instantly denied it,


    "Then let me make myself clear: It wasn''t a request, Alessandro. It was a declaration. You harm Axel, you''ll have a war. Am I clear?"


    Alessandro chuckled.


    "Oooh, that''s quite an overkill, for an orphan crippled child. It seems my information was indeed incomplete. How curious¡­. Well, as long as he stays away from my daughter," saying so, he cut the call.


    Bellatrix sighed,


    "If anything happens to Axel, war would be the least of your concern," she muttered.


    Ding*


    A notification rang on her personal MM (Magi-mirror) and she quickly opened it when she noticed who sent it.


    She had been trying to find out how and why Axel is involved with this girl and why he was in the bloody Hospital wing! And, it would seem that her wait was finally over as she received a reply from Rose.


    "... What?!"


    Axel was injured by the Troll?! And, he seduced Martina for benefits?!


    The things in her office started shaking due to her magic flaring up.


    "No!"


    She had been wrong once again! She had thought that she could simply help him from the shadows until she finds the cure and properly apologizes to him.


    Because she couldn''t bring herself to face him, or even dare to contact him after what she had done. She knew from the look in his eyes and that voice filled with cold fury that he wouldn''t forgive her.


    We''re nothing but strangers'' Were his words.


    She didn''t think she could handle his rejection again. That''s why, she had been trying to make her apology substantial and sincere enough that something might change.


    But, she didn''t anticipate that Axel wouldn''t settle for a crippled life and would start trying to seduce that girl to get her help in fixing his body.


    And now that her passiveness had caused these events, what should she do? It''s almost two months and she''s nowhere near finding a way to heal him than before. It would seem that she can''t stay passive forever.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    And as for the troll? She hadn''t given the matter much though, but now that Axel had been hurt¡­ Dumbledore is going to get hell.


    After dinner, Axel had followed the directions he had gotten from the system to claim his rewards. The directions for a place to stay at Hogwarts.


    And the room found was awesome. Well, it was actually several Victorian-style luxurious quarters connected by one common room, plus a big bathroom. It was made for Noble guests and VIP guests whose location had been long forgotten but everyone at Hogwarts, if the system''s information was to be believed.


    Which is why he was currently in a luxury suite with a fucking king-sized bed.


    On a normal day, Axel would have loved to simply test out that oh-so inviting large bed, but not after today. In the last 24 hours, he''s almost died two times and if that wasn''t enough, a fucking Mafia family is soon going to have its revenge against him for something that wasn''t his fault.


    "There''s no time for hesitation¡­ there''s no room for laziness¡­ and there''s no easy way to choose," he muttered as he looked himself in the mirror. He was currently decked in an all-black outfit. These were the custom-made clothes that had been ordered by Andromeda.


    During the past two months, he might have started to have a much better life when he was studying magic along with so many others. And that had somehow given him the illusion that he was one of them. That he could also afford to have a happy and carefree life¡­ just like others.


    And Bloody hell, was he wrong! He had forgotten that life would sometimes give him these moments, when everything seems to be going alright, giving him hopes, letting him lower his guard¡­ And then it would suddenly throw a curveball at him, like a sucker punch to the guts, leaving him suffering the aftermaths.


    That''s why, he''s no longer going to hesitate now. What''s the point of hesitation when he could suddenly die the next day? Getting into trouble while trying to do something is more preferable than just being a passive pussy AND still getting into trouble anyway.


    The thought of Dementors almost taking his life came to him once again. And as he thought about it, he could no longer feel that rejection towards his craft that he had developed after the torture.


    If Stealing has brought his downfall, then Stealing is the thing that has brought him so far in the first place. He''d have starved a long time ago without it.


    Axel closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he loosened up his muscles with some stretching,


    "Alright system, I think I''m ready now. Tell me everything you can about how to progress my Arcane Thief Class," he said decisively.


    [1% approval rate for overcoming your trauma.


    Since you are ready, you can now be able to see the Steal Points. Every skill needs a certain amount of Steal Points to unlock. These Steal points can be gathered by doing several small thefts, or a low amount of major thefts.


    Stealing would also progress your Class and give more guidance and information on how to steal and what precautions to take when stealing in a magical world.]


    "Oh, so that''s how it works¡­" he muttered. So he just has to steal and accumulate Steal Points or S.P.. Then he''ll get the skills and also get more information on how exactly to steal in the Magical World.


    But, he still couldn''t understand several things.


    "But, can you show me the information on the skills and the amount of SP they''ll require for me to get them? And if the thefts I''ve committed during the past years can be converted into SP or not,"


    [Currently, you can not choose the skills you unlock. It''s set on the systematic progression right now. You''ll need to increase the approval rate to open the Skill Shop where you can spend your SP to buy whatever Skill available. But for now, the next skill you can unlock has already been set and will be unlocked when you collect the necessary SP for it.]


    "Damn¡­ what skill is it? And how many SPs do I need to unlock it?"


    [Ward Breaking: 1000 SP]


    [Ward Breaking: It is one of the most important skills for being an Arcane Thief. It is considered too difficult and advanced in the Wizarding World, but not if you''re training through the method given by the system.]


    "Hell yeah!"


    Axel almost began to jump in joy. He knew he couldn''t do much without this one, with most Slytherins actually putting up at least the basic protection at their individual doors.


    But this field needs quite advanced prerequisites to even begin to perform the basics. It was a pleasant surprise to know that he could start learning it so quickly using the system''s cheat knowledge.


    With a newfound enthusiasm, Axel walked out of the secret space and moved toward his very first hunting ground.


    : The Hufflepuff Dorms.


    Yep, he couldn''t just waltz into the Slytherin Dorms and steal their stuff, could he? Even though a Slytherin is more likely to be richer and net him much more money and SP, but many Slytherins are also likely to have at least some kind of setup to prevent intruders, right?


    And he doesn''t know shit about those precautions with the magic coming into the equation.


    The best way would be to slowly level his Class so that the information on how to steal is available in his mind.


    The priority is not to get quick and easy gains, but to ''learn''. The art of stealing needs patience, practice, and perseverance. With magic being real and his body being in a shitty condition, he''s going to once again start from level one.


    And Hufflepuff dorms would be the best place for that. Those loyal badgers wouldn''t have much precautions against each other since no such incidents happens there. That''s why he''s starting from there.


    And of course, he''s not going to steal anything noticeable. He just wants to level up his class, not to make innocents suffer.


    After making up his decision to start from Hufflepuff today, he had taken some time to follow a few Hufflepuffs back to their dorms, so he knew how to get in.


    Before entering, his custom enchanted outfit morphed into a simple set of dark yellow pyjamas with a sleeping hat covering his head. This will help him blend in. His face had a mask on it since some students do get them from the Hospital wing when they have magical flu or something.


    Now, he was just another Hufflepuff breaking curfew even if someone saw through his powerful Stealth Skills.


    "Here goes nothing," he muttered as he proceeded towards the Entrance.


    The entrance to the Hufflepuff Dorms was concealed behind a stack of barrels. In order to reveal the entrance, no password was required. Instead, one had to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in a rhythm.


    Since he couldn''t tap it in rhythm properly due to his hand, he would have to do it using his leg.


    [Be careful, Axel. If you don''t do it the right way, you''ll be doused in vinegar and barred access.]


    "Well¡­ that''s kinda dumb, but whatever," what if someone tapped wrong by mistake?


    Tap* *TapTap* *Tap*...


    He managed to hit the barrel rightly and sighed in relief when the lid swung open, exposing a passageway. Not wasting more time, he went in.


    In the dim lighting, he saw the common room, which turned out to be a huge, round, earthy, low-ceilinged, and warm place, with kinda welcoming vibes.


    There were lots of yellow hangings, burnished copper, overstuffed sofas and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black, and small circular windows that provided a vista of rippling grass and dandelions. There was also a large, honey-colored, wooden mantelpiece with carvings of badgers on it, located underneath a portrait of a beautiful witch who must be Helga Hufflepuff.


    Since it was the middle of the night, the common room was empty, with everyone sleeping.


    ''System, can you tell me the number of Steal points I''ll get for each item?'' Asked Axel.


    [Affirmative, Here''s the catalog of some things you can steal and their equivalent SPs per piece.


    The Currency conversion:


    Knuts: 5 SP


    Silver: 10 SP


    Gold: 25 SP


    Platinum: 50 SP


    The price of items can be different based on different qualities and who they belong to. But here''s the general price.


    Quill: 0.2


    Notebook: 0.4


    Shoes: 3


    Broomstick: Nimbus=20, Cleansweep=10..


    ¡­.


    And the list went on. It was so long that Axel hadn''t even heard of several things.


    "What in the world¡­?"


    And¡­ there were several weird things as well.


    Used Panties: 10 SP


    ''What the fuck system? 10 SP?! Why the hell is it such a useless thing has so much SP?''


    [Axel, those things have a market of their own. If you sell to the correct buyer, you can gain a lot of profit. The points can even go upto 1000 SP or higher depending on the identity of the person you stole it from since it would have a large value to certain people.]


    "..."


    For the life of him, Axel could not comprehend what kind of sick bastards would pay for things like that. So what was he supposed to do now? Steal women''s underwear? Axel Hunt, the panties Thief. Yeah, how glorious...


    But from this, he learned another lesson: Different things would have different values to different things. Even useless things could get him SP and the list of things he could steal was so large that he didn''t even bother reading the whole of it.


    ''Well, it seems I have my work cut out for me,'' he thought as he realized just how much he''ll have to steal to unlock various skills.


    He can''t just steal a lot of galleons from one rich Hufflepuff and be done with it since¡ª


    1)He doesn''t steal from those who weren''t rich assholes.


    2)If he went for a big hand, everyone will be alerted of a thief and will get more precautions, thus making things difficult for him in the long run.


    Thus, he''s only going to use the Daily Life tactic for now. It''s a very effective way of stealing, in which you only go for things whose absence would be gone unnoticed and whose absence wouldn''t be missed much by the owner. In this way, they''ll just think that they either dropped or forgot it somewhere or it is just misplaced and later, they''ll simply forget about it.


    This way, he won''t be harming anyone since they''ll barely be bothered and he can continue to steal for the upcoming years without students and authorities taking action while also making progress.


    As he began sneaking into the dorms, he began to feel a familiar feeling of thrill and anxiousness. It''s not like he hadn''t tried stealing in the past two months. Old habits die hard. Heck, he''d even taken a broom from the broom shed.


    But, every time he tried, he just couldn''t focus at all and his hands would start shaking much worse and the pain in his body would intensify. He would find himself just delaying it or making excuses.


    But right now, he could no longer feel those things. And instead, a familiar excitement once again began bubbling inside him. He had forgotten just how much he liked this profession. It gives him a thrill that makes him feel more...alive¡­ more special¡­ more powerful.


    A feeling of concentration enveloped him as he found himself entering his most focused state.


    These past months, despite living in such a fantastic and magical environment, he had always felt that something was missing. And he realized what exactly it was.


    "It starts here,"


    Several things had happened, and he had lost his way. But, the real journey of the Arcane Thief¡­ starts now.

 Chapter 31: Letter

    <div>


    After the Troll incident, Hogwarts experienced several changes. For example, a few Aurors of the minister''s choice were instated along with other security measures. And alarm systems were installed, so that the others can be informed if such a thing happens again and prevent a troll from going on a Killing spree.


    But it wasn''t actually that big of a deal. Hogwarts is relatively safe compared to other magical schools.


    And the student who was in the middle of all of it, Axel Hunt, was having his own share of complications.


    "What the fuck? Is this woman crazy or something?" He thought as he looked at the Letter from the Minister of Magic herself.


    After the recent events, he had expected many things, but never did he expect this¡­ Like, it doesn''t make sense at all.


    "Dear Axel,


    I know that I''m probably your most hated person in the world, and I know that almost anything I do to remedy that might only make you resent me more, but¡­ I just wanted you to know¡­ that I have really regretted what I did to you that day.


    I know that nothing I can do to remedy that but, there are certain things that can be remedied. I have been trying to search for a way to heal you. There isn''t much I have found yet, but¡­ there is still a good chance that I might find something. Meanwhile, there are other things I have sent so that you don''t have to¡­ associate with someone to get something. I know I can''t take back what I said, but I''m trying to make up for it.


    Please consider joining us for the Christmas holidays. I''d like to tell you some things about your father.


    Waiting for your Response


    Best Wishes


    Bellatrix Black."


    Rip*


    The only thing this letter managed to do was rip open the weak band-aid he had managed to put over the wound he could only remember as the Blackest day of his life.


    "Bullshit," he muttered as he crumpled the letter and threw it in the corner of his bag along with the small purse she had sent him without even checking its contents.


    He already has felt so much reluctance and repugnance just by using what Andromeda had sent him. And that woman could be considered a saint if compared to BBWWBB, Biggest-Bitch-World-Wide Bellatrix Black. So, he didn''t even consider using it. He was a thief with principles.


    And what was she implying anything when he said he didn''t have to associate himself with¡­? She is only sending this after seeing his picture with a rich girl sleeping next to his bed. What could be the implications? That he''s some gigolo? He is not!


    And what would it make him if he accepted any help from the woman who has metaphorically stripped him naked and taken his dignity as a person just for her amusement? Accepting her help would definitely make him someone much worse than a gigolo.


    And she knows about his father? Well, this is somewhat new.


    Axel recalled the dream he''d seen on Halloween eve.


    Right after seeing that dream, he had been attacked by the Troll right after he woke up and then saw a girl blow it''s head off, right after which the teachers came and he ran and got attacked by Dementors, and woke up to find himself in trouble due to a photo. So, he couldn''t be blamed if he forgot most of the dream and couldn''t recall it.


    The only thing he could recall... was a man and a woman, who were definitely his parents, leaving him with the caretaker of the orphanage.


    So... he also couldn''t be blamed if he didn''t want to know about his parents.


    He just wanted to have nothing to do with this woman until the day he makes her kneel in front of him as he does things to her that are a lot worse than things she''d done to him. Thus, for now, he went out of his way and instead of just a few words, wrote her a ''polite'' and ''detailed'' response that''ll hopefully keep her out of his goddamn life until that time.


    [That... is quite brutal, Axel.]


    Axel shrugged,


    ''I wouldn''t know. But... I do feel better after writing it,'' he thought that to the system. He had ranted everything in the letter.


    ¡­


    After that, almost everything had gone back to normal, except some people still had some problems.


    "What are we going to do about him?" Asked a fourth-year student in a somewhat heated tone. He had blond hair, styled in a fauxhawk, and handsome features.


    "Don''t be an idiot, Damien. He''s under that girl''s protection now," said Alaric Malcolm, the head boy. He also had blond hair, but his hair was combed back neatly.


    "But brother! You know¡­ and everyone knows that I''ve liked her for three years! And I didn''t even get to talk to her properly all this time. And now some brat comes and gets so close to her?! We cannot let this pass!"


    "Get over it, Damien. If we can''t have the connection with that family through you, then at least don''t make them our enemies! Are we clear?" Asked Alaric seriously.


    Damien''s hands clenched into fists but he still nodded,


    "I''ll be careful."


    "You''d better. You''re not a child anymore, so you should start using your head now," saying that, Alaric walked away.


    And Damien, who was about to show more frustration suddenly stopped as he...used his head.


    They just couldn''t offend the Valentino Family, right? But what if no one knows who did it?


    Now, the question was¡­ when to do this. He''ll have to wait for the right opportunity.


    Time Skip: One month.


    "Position, Aim, Fire!"


    """FLIPENDO!""""


    "Position, Aim, Fire!"


    """FLIPENDO!""""


    "Position, Aim, Fire!"


    """FLIPENDO!""""


    It was early morning and Dueling class for first years was going on in the Arena with numerous Training Dummies Lined up and students practicing on each of them in groups.


    "Position, Aim, Fire!"


    """FLIPPENDO!""""


    On every firing command of Professor Alice, the students, standing a fair distance away from the dummies would chant the spell and try to hit the Training Dummies in the small circle drawn on the center of their chest.


    This wasn''t the first time this drill was taking place and very few students were able to properly hit the target from such a distance.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Don''t exaggerate the wand movements! It''ll only deviate from your aim. Keep your hand, shoulder, and wrist firm or the kickback will shift the trajectory and in such a long distance, it''ll be enough to miss the target," said Professor Alice as she repeatedly tapped her wand on her palm, looking stern.


    "Hey Hannah, you''re doing it wrong, you''re supposed to keep your hand extended out completely, elevated up to the eye level for better aim," said Hermione Granger, who was in the same group as Rose''s friends. Well, the loner girl had made new friends in the past few months.


    Hannah, who had been trying her best and was a bit happy with her progress, immediately got deflated at that.


    "Hey, it''s not necessarily wrong. And she''s doing just fine, alright?" Spoke Susan, Hannah''s knight in shining armor.


    "Rose, you have to beat the evil Slytherins in the match today, alright?" Said Neville as he fired a spell and missed.


    "Shut up, Neville. Not all Slytherins are evil," said Daphne who was also in the same group.


    During these months, Daphne had become better friends with Hermione rather than the other Ravenclaws and due to that, Hermione had gotten on friendly terms with the rest of the Golden Quintet.


    Today, they were practicing their aim and Professor Alice had divided the students into groups of seven due to the limited number of training dummies. And since all the houses were here, these six friends had gotten into the same group.


    Daphne looked around the huge arena, searching for other groups and Rose was also secretly doing the same.


    ''Where the fuck is he?'' (curious)


    ''Now where did that guy go?'' (annoyed)


    And at this moment, the guy in question finally showed up at the door with dark circles beneath his eyes and his long hair looking disheveled.


    Due to his nightly activities, which included sneaking into people''s bedrooms, along with his endless training, he had been unable to get much sleep at night and was dead tired due to the exercises. And this goddamn Dueling class is being held in the early morning, even before the normal class start.


    "You''re late, Mr. Hunt. We''re training in groups of seven. You can join little Nevi''s¡ª I mean Mr. Longbottom''s group. It has a vacancy,"


    In Neville''s group, Rose gave Neville a questioning look.


    "I thought your mum said all Slytherins were evil?" She asked sarcastically. If she had taught him so, then why would she send a Slytherin to his group? Personally, she still couldn''t decide whether Axel Hunt was a good guy or the evilest of them all.


    Neville looked away,


    "Well, my Gran, dad, and Uncle think to say it all the time. Mum should also think the same, right?" He said in puzzlement.


    When Professor Alice recommended him to join Neville''s group, Axel, who was just searching for a group, paused in his steps as he looked towards Neville''s group.


    ''... Is this hell?'' He thought when he saw the people in the group. Except for Daphne, he was on bad terms with everyone else in that group.


    Professor Alice didn''t seem to have plans of continuing before he joined the group. This woman had treated him fairly until now, so he didn''t want to just openly defy her suggestion in front of hundreds of students.


    And most importantly, he couldn''t even find other groups with vacancies in such a short time.


    Thus, with a sigh, he decided to just join the group he was assigned.


    "You look like a mess," commented Daphne as soon as Axel came beside her.


    "Yeah, good morning to you too." He muttered with a yawn as he took out his wand.


    Hum*


    His wand hummed as it shot out small pink sparks to greet him. Axel just squeezed it a little bit in return. As for his greetings to the wand, Daphne wasn''t someone who''d mind, but he didn''t fancy talking to a wand in front of others.


    Taking a deep breath, his eyes focused and his slouching posture straightened.


    Taking a stance, he fired his shot at the Dummy.


    Dang*


    And the spell hit near the center circle.


    "... Hey, how''d you do that?" Asked Rose as she looked at Axel''s constantly shaking hand which loosely held the wand. There was no way anyone would be able to be accurate with that kind of hand. She wondered if it was a lucky shot. They were standing quite the distance away from the dummy.


    "Yeah, you used to suck bad at this," commented Daphne. This wasn''t the first time this activity had been organized. The last time she had seen him shoot, he was pathetically bad at this. His spells were so weak that they wouldn''t even form properly sometimes and his aim would always be a mile off.


    Axel shrugged,


    "I practiced," he said dismissively.


    His aim was shit due to his injuries and his power output was so weak that spell-beam-type spells were inaccessible to him. Even in his duel with Draco, he had only used one spell and that spell was also something he had to charge two times to give some damage.


    But due to his hard work and the information and the knowledge he had gotten from the system, he had improved a lot in the past three months.


    With the diet of magical ingredients and exercises, his body is much more attuned to magic, making it easier for it to be channeled even through his damaged nerves and the bond with his wand was stronger than ever. Due to this, his power output was now strong enough that he could use the beam-type spells.


    As for his aim, his body did heal a little bit during this time and¡ª


    [Wand Aim: 8%]


    He had made progress in this skill. It wasn''t much of a complex skill either. His mastery would be quite high if he wasn''t crippled.


    Axel''s short answer didn''t satisfy anyone, especially as they looked at the trembling hand.


    "Come on Rose, it was just a lucky shot. It''s not possible to be accurate in that condition," said Neville.


    Axel just ignored everyone as he shot out a few more spells, almost all of them hitting the Dummy.


    "How are you doing this? You aren''t doing the wand movement and also, the Professor said we can''t hit the target without keeping our hands steady," questioned Hermione who couldn''t take it anymore.


    She was quite jealous that he was under the protection of her idol, Martina Valentino. Hermione had thought that she''d be the only one to receive Martina''s attention but after Halloween, things had changed.


    Sigh*


    Seeing that they weren''t practicing and only disturbing him, he decided to satisfy their curiosity and be done with it.


    "It''s not a big deal. I''m just holding my wand straight up and have it pointing at the Dummy¡ª" he said, holding out his wand and aiming at the Dummy''s midpoint.


    "Now, if my hand doesn''t shake, the spell will directly hit the bullseye. But, since it''s shaking so much, it''ll definitely deviate in some direction which will totally mess up my aim.


    So, I just need to anticipate which direction it''ll shift and move my hand in the other direction to some degree to cancel it. Now, the only problem is that, my hand doesn''t really respond well to whatever I want it to do, so before even shifting my hand, I also have to calculate how much deviation will be caused due to my hand not responding exactly as I want it to be and move my hand after taking these two factors into consideration.


    Now, if everything is correct, I should be able to hit the bullseye, but as you can see, I still need a lot of practice.


    That clear enough for you?"


    "..." 6


    The whole group went speechless at that. Some because they didn''t understand everything and some because they understood everything he had said.


    "Just¡­ how would it be if he was completely healed?" Asked Hannah, looking a bit terrified. Hearing that, everyone had goosebumps looking at Axel firing away at the target.


    Axel just shook his head. He hadn''t even included how he also has to take the kickback/recoil caused by the spell into consideration. With his weak wrist and fingers, it''s already a struggle to keep the wand in hand and not drop it.


    But, he has to say, it''s not that bad. He wouldn''t have been this good at certain things if he''d been completely healed. For example, he''d never have worked on his aim and power output since it wouldn''t have been a problem.


    Yes, he''d have been a much much better magician, duelist, and fighter than he is right now, but he wouldn''t have had many things that he had enhanced now.


    And now when he''s healed, he''ll have all the things he''s supposed to have AND the things he''s gained due to this urgency of improvement due to his weaknesses.


    ''Though, I''d still rather avoid being a cripple if given a chance,'' He lamented. After all, three months was such a small time. He may have improved faster than anyone, but all things considered, he''s still quite weak in a fight. That''s why,


    "Flipendo!"


    He began training seriously.


    Though, the same couldn''t be said for the rest. The students of all four Houses were quite distracted today. Because, today noon, it was Gryffindor V/s Slytherin, the start of Quidditch Season. And also, the meeting day.


    Normally, it wouldn''t have been this much of a big deal, but several factors have led to increasing the hype by a lot.


    First of all, the Girl-Who-Lived is going to be participating in this match, getting selected in her very first year.


    Then there was a different reason as well. A bigger reason. Apparently, the conflicts between the Slytherins and other houses have been slowly escalating for some reason, making Slytherin quite hated by the other four houses. And now, most of the Hogwarts population wanted to see Slytherins getting their ass beaten.


    As they practiced Daphne turned to Axel.


    "Would you like to come and see the match with us?" She asked.


    Axel looked at her absurdly,


    "You''re going? Didn''t you find it quite ''meaningless''?" He asked.


    Daphne shrugged,


    "Have to cheer for my girl Rose. At least tell me you''re coming so that I won''t have to suffer alone."


    Axel shook his head.


    "Not coming," he answered. Sure he was a bit interested in Quidditch, but he didn''t want to waste his time.


    Daphne sighed. She didn''t try to persuade him otherwise since, for Axel, no means no. Unless...


    "I had hoped that it wouldn''t come to this, but it seems I have no choice. I''m calling in my favor for doing a majority of your homework for the past month. It''s your choice now,"


    Axel looked at her in annoyance,


    "Seriously? This is how you waste that favor?"


    "Hey! I think it''s worth it."


    Homework wasn''t that big of a deal since they both had the same homework, only different times of submission. And she didn''t even have to write his homework since he was allowed Self-writing pens.


    "..."


    On the other hand, Rose listened to the banter between the two speechlessly. Axel could actually willingly talk that much? AND... is that a hint of a smile she''s seeing tugging at the corner of his mouth?


    Susan was much more vocal about it.


    "Hey! How come you''re such good friends with her but not with me? This is unfair!"


    Axel and Daphne rolled their eyes,


    ""We''re not friends.""


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