"I still can't believe the Headmaster actually cancelled the exams!"
The feast went on until nearly three or four in the morning, and most of the young wizards were starting to flag. So, while quite a few people chose to remain in the Great Hall, some students had already returned to their dormitories.
—Since there was no curfew, students could also wander around the common rooms or corridors, as long as they didn't enter any clearly marked forbidden areas.
Dylan wanted to go back and rest. Apart from Seamus, who still wanted to chat with Dean and enjoy the rare lively atmosphere, the others, whether it was Harry or Ron, all came back with Dylan.
Neville, as soon as he got back to the dormitory, couldn't wait to collapse onto his bed.
Hearing him, Dylan chuckled.
"While the end-of-term exams might be cancelled, the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, and the Advanced Wizarding Level exams, won't be excused just because of this."
Neville sighed. "You're right. The O.W.L.s will really test our true abilities."
Dylan shrugged again. "But anyway, at least we don't have to take the exams this time."
Neville nodded again. "You're absolutely right!"
Ron, watching Neville act like Dylan's shadow, clicked his tongue. "Dylan, Ginny seems a bit down about this, but Fred and George said she was really happy to see you."
Harry, sitting on his own bed, said, "Ginny still seems to be avoiding me."
Ron nodded. "She must be embarrassed. Even though nothing truly dangerous happened this time, she must feel guilty for dragging us, and even the whole of Hogwarts, into it."
Harry and Neville both fell silent.
Dylan quickly tidied up his things, used a Cleaning Charm on himself, and then lay down on his bed.
"Actually, if you think about it positively, Ginny will obviously be more steady and cautious after this experience. Since no real harm was done this time, and she can avoid other harm in the future, this can be considered a good thing."
Neville immediately nodded. "Dylan's right too."
Ron scratched his head. "Dylan, you've got such a good attitude. No wonder last summer at my house, even though you accidentally broke the bowl, you could still shamelessly pin it on me without batting an eyelid."
Dylan looked completely calm. "I didn't say anything at the time. It was Mum who insisted you were the culprit. What could I do?"
Ron pouted. "Then why didn't you help explain things for me back then?"
Dylan tilted his head. "I wanted to explain, but you explained too much. Every time you said something, Mum would immediately scold you, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise."
He pulled his blankets up and chuckled again. "Besides, didn't I repair that bowl afterwards? Actually, you can't entirely blame me. You just put that bowl carelessly on the edge of the table, and the walkway was so narrow."
"So—you get it."
Ron made a face and climbed into bed. "I don't get it, not at all!"
After pulling the covers up, Ron paused, then continued, "But… I'm a bit surprised the Headmaster is even giving us house points this time."
Harry took off his robes, wearing his undershirt, and walked to the bedside. "Professor Dumbledore's point is that the details of this incident can't be revealed publicly because the crisis might not be completely over, so this is all we can do for now."
Ron was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I felt like I passed out instantly. Do you think the person who attacked me was Karkaroff?"
Harry pulled back his covers and climbed into bed. "It should be him. After all, I only saw him."
Ron was a bit puzzled. "Then why did this person only take the Basilisk and the diary? He didn't take us, and he only knocked me out. He didn't even touch you, Harry, or Ginny."
Neville looked at Dylan. "Maybe he was worried that staying in the castle for too long would alert the other professors, and they'd corner him in the Chamber of Secrets?"
Dylan was already lying flat on his back. He turned his head and, seeing Neville looking at him, said casually, "Maybe he's just interested in Voldemort and the Basilisk, so he wanted to capture them for research?"
"Wouldn't that be even more terrifying? Live experimentation… so scary!" Neville shuddered, then a look of confusion appeared on his face. "But—why does this style feel a bit familiar?"
Ron nodded in agreement beside him. "Yeah, actually daring to capture the Dark Lord for research? And even taking the Basilisk that Slytherin himself created! Such胆子—didn't he go to Gryffindor before?"
Harry hadn't said a word, but hearing this, he couldn't help but say, "Right! Could it be that he was a Hogwarts student before? Did he appear this time simply to help Hogwarts solve the trouble brought by Slytherin's Chamber and the heir?"
Ron shook his head. "I don't know. We've talked about this possibility before, but who knows what his real purpose is?"
Harry nodded slightly. "That's true. After all, he calls himself the 'Fool of Death,' which doesn't sound like a good name."
Ron agreed. "Yeah, a guy who glorifies death and is so skilled with the Unforgivable Curses, how could he be a good person? I think he didn't attack us probably just because he was wary of the professors in the school. Let's not think of him as one of the good guys."
Dylan glanced at the two of them, his eyelid twitching.
▼_▼忍住!先忍住这一波! (Hold back! Hold back this wave for now!)
"Dylan, what's wrong? Why does your face look like it's twitching?"
Dylan chuckled. "It's nothing, Harry. I'm just thinking about how many experiments I have to do tomorrow, and it's giving me a headache."
Harry nodded. "I see. Dylan, you still need to take good care of yourself. Studying is important, but your health is also important."
Having said that, he immediately added, "I also need to practice my spells more as much as possible, otherwise, facing this kind of situation again, I won't even have the power to protect myself."
Recalling the time in the Chamber of Secrets, looking at that Karkaroff covered in eyes, who just by looking at him, made him unable to move, and called himself a fool.
A sense of urgency rose in Harry's heart.
This time, the other person didn't attack him.
But what about next time?
If that guy really took the Basilisk and Tom's diary together, just like Dylan said, for experimentation.
Once he researches something, will he consider capturing him, the one who could kill the Dark Lord, for research?
To achieve this goal, the other party might not hesitate to do anything!
For example, using his closest people to threaten him!
—But if it's Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, let them be taken.
However, what Harry feared was that the person would take the Weasley family, take Dylan, take the professors!
He had to make himself stronger to face all of this!
Harry secretly made up his mind that he would study even harder from now on. Even if he couldn't compare to Dylan, he at least had to keep up with Hermione's pace!
"And Hermione hasn't studied for almost half a year. If I catch up, maybe I can even surpass her!"
Harry muttered to himself, his mind starting to wander.
Ron took a deep breath. "Even though we've only been in school for two years, we've encountered so many things. I also need to work harder, otherwise, if Ginny faces a threat again, as her brother, I won't be able to do anything! That would be too upsetting!"
Ron finished speaking, raised his eyes, and secretly glanced in Dylan's direction, whispering softly.
"And, today Ginny only called Dylan 'brother'—she's never called me that before!"
Dylan's lips twitched.
Ginny was willing to call him brother because during the summer, he would always bring her a share of anything delicious or fun.
Even in magic, when he had time, he would guide Ginny.
Then look at those little brats in the Weasley family.
Every day they were either grabbing his broom and flying around in the sky or messing around with the gnomes in the backyard.
They usually didn't care about their little sister at all.
—So why would she call you so affectionately?
However, it was good that Ron had this awareness.
Dylan naturally wouldn't discourage him. Instead, he praised, "I believe you can definitely transform into the rising sun, shattering the darkness—go for it!!"
Ron grinned and said gratefully, "Thanks! With your words, I'm all set!"
Harry said with some regret, "Hagrid still hasn't been released yet. Otherwise, I think he would have had a lot of fun at this gathering!"
Ron nodded in agreement a couple of times. "Even Filch seemed happy. It's a shame Hagrid isn't here!"
Dylan turned around, no longer participating in their conversation. After a while, the dormitory gradually quieted down.
Dylan didn't sleep. Instead, he began to check his system panel.
Apparently, because old Dumbledore announced that there would be no exams this year, the system had triggered the end-of-year summary achievement ahead of time.
But before that, he planned to claim the other achievements first.
——————
**[Achievement]: Riddle's Torment**
**[Description]:** With the Mask of Pain out, who can compete?
**[Requirement]:** Make Riddle feel extreme pain and torment.
**[Achievement Reward]:** Level 1 Dementor's Kiss (Wizard Version)
——————
Seeing this reward, Dylan didn't even scroll down to look at the other achievements. He stopped directly.
"A Dementor's Kiss??"
Dylan looked bewildered.
"Can I even learn the Dementor's Kiss? And in what state should I cast this skill?"
Regarding the Dementor's Kiss, the first thing to mention is the Dementor.
These creatures feed on human happiness and good memories. Just being near them makes people feel depressed and hopeless.
Simply being close to them can force a person to recall the most painful events of their life, thus falling into despair.
These creatures are now controlled by the Ministry of Magic and are the guards of Azkaban.
However… whoever provides them with food, they will obey.
—The violent will submit to those more violent than them.
The Ministry of Magic might just be using the Patronus Charm and the prisoners of Azkaban to keep the Dementors in check.
Voldemort, however, can subdue the Dementors with various Dark Arts while also making promises to them.
Once he rules the world, all Muggles can become food for these Dementors.
—The most crucial thing is that Voldemort doesn't have any happy memories at all.
The Dementors can't suck anything from him.
And the person who has been kissed by a Dementor will have their happy memories and soul sucked away. This doesn't mean the victim will die directly, but rather become a soulless husk with no self-awareness or memory.
—As long as your brain and heart are still working, you can live without a soul.
But it's just living, like an empty shell.
Dylan wasn't quite sure whether the Dementors, when sucking the souls of others, directly digest the souls, causing them to completely annihilate—that is, to vanish into thin air.
Or do the Dementors keep those souls within their bodies?
Dylan pondered for a moment, not looking at the other achievements, and instead extracted this achievement reward first.
"To cast the Dementor's Kiss, a Dementor raises its hood and presses its jaw against the victim's mouth. How am I supposed to use this ability? Am I really going to have to kiss someone?"
Dylan suddenly felt a chill.
After extracting the reward.
The next moment, his vision blurred, and he felt like he was in a strange, deathly forbidden land.
He was slowly walking on swampy ground, accompanied by several Dementors.
Dylan looked around.
He saw that these Dementors were about three meters tall, floating around him, draped in black cloaks, their faces hidden by black hoods. Their bodies were gray, somewhat like mud that had rotted in water.
Dylan examined these Dementors for a moment.
They had scabbed hands, like ethereal phantoms, their whole bodies decayed, without any facial features.
The face vaguely visible beneath the hood, in the place where there should have been eyes, there was only thin skin covered with gray scabs, stretched over empty eye sockets.
There was a mouth, but it was just a shapeless gaping hole, sucking in the air and making the kind of rattling sound that dying people make.
Dylan walked side by side with these terrifying creatures, slowly moving forward on the swampy ground filled with the stench of decay.
—These Dementors were like his little brothers, closely following his left and right.
The surrounding fog was thick, and muddy water splashed up from time to time, wetting the hem of his clothes.
When Dylan looked straight ahead, he saw a figure staggering and fleeing.
It was a beautiful woman, her white dress already stained with mud.
While fleeing, she would occasionally turn her head, looking in horror at the Dementors approaching her from behind.
Large splashes of water and mud erupted beneath her feet.
Dylan followed leisurely behind, until the woman, in her panic, stumbled over her own left foot and fell headfirst into the mud.
Classic, so classic.
Dylan slowly walked to the woman's side and looked down condescendingly at the dishevelled white figure.
He crouched down, reached out his left hand, grabbed the woman's chin, and forced her to look up.
Dylan saw the fear in the woman's eyes, tears mixed with mud, sliding down her cheeks.
Dylan brought the index and middle fingers of his right hand together, gently touched his lips, and then slowly placed them on the woman's mouth.
In an instant, a faint soul power began to be drawn out from the woman's body.
Those beautiful memories turned into nourishment, making his mental energy more abundant, and a look of intoxication couldn't help but appear on his face as he fully enjoyed the influx of this power.
"Ah!" the woman screamed in pain.
Having sucked halfway, Dylan seemed to feel it wasn't satisfying enough.
He gently leaned down, his face slowly approaching the woman's.
The woman's eyes widened in horror, her face full of resistance, but she couldn't break free from Dylan's control at all.
Dylan's lips were almost touching the woman's rosy lips.
—Start sucking!
As the woman's soul power continued to be sucked away by Dylan, the expression on her face became increasingly painful.
Finally, amidst the woman's desperate cries, all her beautiful memories and soul were swallowed by Dylan—leaving her with only endless sorrow and bitterness.
Dylan stood up, licked his lips, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.
—Just like he had just enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
Then, he continued walking deeper into the swamp with the surrounding Dementors, looking for the next victim.
Slowly opening his eyes.
Dylan could already feel that some strange abilities and knowledge had appeared in his mind.
"I… have I really become a Dementor?"
Dylan's expression was somewhat complicated.
Thinking about his spell—*Eldritch Cthulhu*. A power that even Dementors would fear.
Now, he had also mastered the Dementor's Kiss.
—Wasn't this even more Dementor-like than a Dementor?
"In that case, is it still necessary for me to spend time trying to master the Patronus Charm?"
Dylan's progress with the Patronus Charm was currently not very smooth.
Compared to the speed at which he learned Legilimency, Sectumsempra, and even Occlumency…
The Patronus Charm was like a bone with a hooked end, with a layer of tough and thin muscle attached to the surface. No matter how hard Dylan tried to bite down, he couldn't break through the defense and tear off the meat.
Dylan didn't even know if it was because he had mastered too much Dark Magic that he couldn't truly learn and master the Patronus Charm.
But even Umbridge, who enjoyed tormenting people every day, could learn it, so why couldn't he?
"Perhaps I should try tormenting Tom a lot more to see if I can make that my happy memory?"
The latest novel is first published on Six Nine Book Bar!
Dylan frowned slightly.
However, he actually used Dark Magic on others simply because he wanted to trigger the spell proficiency improvement task.
Or to accomplish certain things, as long as he achieved his goals.
He wasn't like Umbridge, who could experience that perverse pleasure in the process of tormenting others.
Maybe a little excitement—but that was clearly not enough to become his happy memory.
Dylan couldn't help but sigh silently. "Taking everything too lightly isn't a good thing either."
Dylan scanned his system panel.
——————
**[Name]:** Dylan Hawkwood
**[Magic]:** Fiendfyre, Happiness Charm, Confundus Charm, Obliviate, Soul-Stealing Incantation, Spirit Severing, Shadow Mist Travel, Necromantic Return, Avian Army, Sectumsempra, Legilimency, Cruciatus Curse, Imperio Curse, Reanimation Charm, Parasitic Possession, Corpse Bloom, Knot-Tying Charm, Bat-Bogey Hex, Eldritch Cthulhu, Avada Kedavra, Rictusempra, Occlumency, Mnemomancy Shield—
**[Traits]:** Rapid Meditation, Serpent's Gaze of Doom, Dementor's Kiss (Level 1 Wizard Version), Pet Ability Control, Pressure of the Netherworld Cockroach, Spell Chain ×50—
**[Items]:** Shadow Ring, Wand of Authority, Pet Space Suitcase—
**[Money]:** 9021 Galleons—
**[Pets]:** Coalball (Shadow), Norberta (Norwegian Ridgeback)
——————
The Dementor's Kiss, for Dylan, was listed under the Traits column, just like the Serpent's Gaze of Doom.
Clearly, the system didn't recognize it as a spell.
Dylan could understand that.
Looking at the long list of abilities on the panel.
The corners of Dylan's mouth slightly lifted.
"On this panel, I can randomly pick any spell, and it's enough to make me like Lockhart. With so many spells and various traits, and even the spells have been refined with different characteristics."
Dylan was satisfied. "What can little Voldy use to fight me?"
Of course, recalling the Voldemort's skill library he had seen back then.
The magic Dylan currently knew was still too little.
The only difference was that the skills he displayed in the first half of the panel were basically max-level spells.
While Voldemort knew many spells, many of them were just Dark Magic he had researched himself, and his proficiency wasn't very high.
Only those powerful and outstanding spells would Voldemort master more skillfully.
"No, I'm still satisfied too early. Putting aside everything else, even though little Voldy's highly proficient spells are all Dark Magic, his skill library is much more abundant than mine, not to mention old Dumbledore."
Even Dumbledore, besides White Magic, might even have a level of mastery in some Dark Arts comparable to Voldemort's.
"Looks like I still need to practice."
Dylan thought of Tom in the diary, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again.
"This little Riddle is currently in his right mind. I'll have him teach me some spells. Even if he wants to trick me, he should take a look at my affinity for Dark Magic. Even if he gives me a wrong technique, I can still make it work."
Dylan slightly composed himself and then looked at the achievement rewards he hadn't claimed yet.
——————
**[Achievement]:** A Pretty Good Second Year
**[Description]:** Another school year has ended. Although your house hasn't won the House Cup yet, it's already a foregone conclusion.
**[Requirement]:** Subjects are recognized by professors, Gryffindor wins the House Cup.
**[Achievement Reward]:** Logical Thinking Ability +5, Magical Power +5, Mental Power +5
——————
**[Achievement]:** Seemingly First in the Year
**[Description]:** Although there was no assessment, your strong competitor Hermione hasn't studied for so long. Even with exams, she definitely wouldn't be able to outscore you, the guy who studies hard from dawn till dusk every day.
**[Requirement]:** Maintain the top position at the end of the term.
**[Achievement Reward]:** Voldemort's Random Ability +1
——————
Two ordinary skills.
But Dylan's face darkened.
"No exams really made my rewards worse!"
He sighed deeply to himself again.
Dylan couldn't do anything else about it.
But at least he could still draw some rewards, but the problem was…
Voldemort, that old bastard, had a too deep skill pool.
If he drew randomly, he might not get anything useful, and might even draw something useless!
Dylan thought about it. Anyway, having more skills wouldn't hurt.
It was a free spell after all.
"It would be hilarious if it was one I already knew."
Dylan claimed the reward.
The next moment.
The scene in front of him changed again.
Dylan watched a group of masked Death Eaters. He raised his hand and flicked a few marks onto these ugly people.
—And then it ended.
**[Message]:** Congratulations on obtaining the max-level spell—Noxsignum (Dark Mark)!
Looking at the system prompt.
Dylan's eyelid twitched again.
He had considered that it wouldn't be easy to pick out useful spells from Voldemort's ocean-like skill library.
But he didn't expect to draw such a useless spell!
In fact, the Reanimation Charm he had mastered at the beginning was to some extent equivalent to the Dark Mark.
However, the ability of the Reanimation Charm.
It wasn't just releasing a skull-shaped Dark Mark into the deep sky.
It also had a certain effect of deterring other soul entities.
But this Dark Mark was really just casting a marking effect on others.
"Forget it, I'll just treat it as a tracking spell."
Dylan comforted himself.
Actually, this spell was still quite practical in terms of locating.
Especially when wanting to chase someone.
Cast a set of skills on the other person, and he could chase them for miles.
—Provided he could cast it.
And Dylan sensed it slightly.
Miles was probably a bit of an exaggeration.
Beyond ten kilometers, the spell would basically automatically失效 (fail).
Dylan rubbed his temples.
"It's nothing, nothing. It's still a spell, and it's max level. I can totally use this skill to learn by analogy. The knowledge is at least all mine!"
After brainwashing himself for a while, Dylan finally felt a lot better.
Lying in bed.
Dylan's thoughts shifted from the upcoming experiments to the situation Hogwarts would face next year.
"Speaking of which, Sirius Black should also be escaping next year. At that time, the Ministry of Magic will also send Dementors to patrol around Hogwarts."
Thinking of this, Dylan suddenly became excited again.
"Although I've mastered the Dementor's Kiss, it's only the Level 1 Wizard Version. Does this mean that I might be able to transform into a Dementor afterwards?"
"Moreover, whether it's the efficiency and speed of absorbing the other party's happy memories and soul, or the negative and oppressive emotions I myself emit when using the ability, they are far inferior to those of a real Dementor."
"Then do I have a chance to capture a Dementor for research?"
Dylan didn't think he couldn't capture a Dementor.
Dementors, in essence, are evil and dark magical creatures. They don't have real bodies. Although they can't be directly called souls, they are clearly a kind of ambiguous spiritual entity.
In that case, the Soul-Stealing Incantation, Spirit Severing, Necromantic Return, Imperio Curse, Eldritch Cthulhu… that Dylan had mastered.
They might all be able to affect, or even harm, Dementors.
Dylan couldn't be sure about other spells.
But when he mastered Eldritch Cthulhu, the illusion clearly showed that those Dementors didn't dare to approach him at all.
Dylan believed that this spell could definitely restrain those Dementors.
At that time, even if he hadn't mastered the Patronus Charm.
As long as there was a spell that could affect Dementors, Dylan was confident that he could capture them.
"However, to avoid these strange things causing too much impact in my space, after capturing them, I should probably torment them for days and nights with Eldritch Cthulhu, just like I cast hundreds of spells on Tom in a row."
At that time, these Dementors would inevitably become afraid of him.
And with fear, wanting to control these strange things would undoubtedly be much easier.
"Can note this down first."
Dylan clicked his tongue.
Dementors can eat souls.
Karkaroff is a glorifier of death.
So Dementors obey Karkaroff.
Becoming messengers of death.
This should be a very reasonable thing, right?
Dylan nodded to himself.
"There shouldn't be anything more correct than this."
Dylan also thought, "And, when the Quidditch World Cup comes, and those Death Eaters appear, won't I have to catch a few of them as test subjects?"
Lockhart alone wasn't enough.
At that time, to prevent these Death Eaters from causing trouble in his pet space.
If he wanted to make them his test subjects, he couldn't just kill them directly with a few Unforgivable Curses.
Then the necessary supervision was absolutely necessary.
—Dementors were used to being prison guards anyway.
After becoming his messengers, they could continue doing their previous job.
Wasn't this their old profession?
At that time, Dylan could use Dementors to help him monitor those Death Eaters.
Even afterwards, as Dylan's demand for test subjects grew, whether it was Death Eaters or Dark Wizards he captured.
They would all need supervision.
—Wizards weren't as obedient as those spiders and cockroaches.
Using Dementors as guards was simply perfect.
It could even be called ideal!
"When I'm in my third year, I'll also be able to apply for a Time-Turner, which is another powerful weapon."
Hermione used the Time-Turner to take Harry back in time and save Buckbeak.
Dylan really wanted to study the operating principle of this thing.
Dylan dismissed the thoughts in his mind.
Outside the window, even the first hint of dawn had appeared.
"Can't stay up any longer, but thankfully, tomorrow morning, old Dumbledore approved that all students don't need to attend classes, and the afternoon seems to be another whole afternoon of History of Magic."
I can still catch up on sleep!
(End of this chapter)