Chapter 41
Entering the hospital wing.
Devero and Hermione opened the door. A strong smell of disinfectant immediately assaulted their senses. The room was illuminated with soft lighting. A subtle herbal scent hung in the air, soothing their nerves.
Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse, was occupied arranging the medicine cabinet. Meanwhile, Neville was resting on a bed, his color significantly better, no longer as pale as he had been. Most of his injuries had been treated by the nurse.
Ron was seated next to Neville. Upon seeing Hermione and Devero enter, he straightened up, a spark of excitement on his face.
"You're finally here!" Ron exclaimed happily.
He glanced at Devero, a playful twinkle in his eyes. "In class just now, Malfoy was such a joke—he actually wet his pants!"
Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud. She looked at Devero and saw he was trying hard to hold back a smile.
"Shh!" Madam Pomfrey shot them a stern look.
"The patient needs to rest properly. If you keep making noise, I'll have to ask you to leave!"
The group quickly nodded, bobbing their heads like chicks pecking. Only then did Madam Pomfrey return to her task, continuing to organize the cabinet.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't been at school long, but they had already heard about Madam Pomfrey's strict nature.
Devero stepped forward and asked with concern, "Neville, how are you feeling now?"
Neville excitedly raised his hand and whispered, "I'm completely fine! Look, Madam Pomfrey fixed me up in just a minute!"
Devero's eyes brightened. He turned to look at Madam Pomfrey. Her status panel appeared before him:
...
Name: Poppy Pomfrey
Age: 51
Spell Arsenal: Bone-Mending Charm (Mastery), Reviving Charm (Mastery), ...
Entries: Exquisite Healing Arts (Purple), Magical Talent (Purple)
...
Exquisite Healing Arts (Purple): Highly skilled in using healing spells, with extensive experience in medicinal potions and herbs, making her an exceptionally outstanding healer.
Magical Talent (Purple): Possesses magical aptitude surpassing that of an average wizard, learns spells faster than most, and has a degree of creativity.
...
Devero nodded with satisfaction.
This *Exquisite Healing Arts* entry was distinct from the talent-based entries he had encountered before. It was an experience-based entry.
In other words, if Devero copied and integrated this entry, he would instantly acquire all of Madam Pomfrey's years of medical knowledge!
From observing many individuals recently, Devero had concluded: If a wizard fully realized the potential of their talent-based entry, it would evolve into an experience-based entry reflecting their accumulated expertise. Otherwise, it would remain a raw talent entry.
This was the first time Devero had seen a purple experience-based entry! Even Dumbledore didn't possess one like this.
Of course, it was possible that Dumbledore's talents were so remarkable that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully realize them.
Without hesitation, Devero added this entry to his "shopping basket."
Meanwhile, Ron was whispering excitedly, recounting what had happened in class. "You should've seen it—Malfoy's face turned green, thinking he was going to crash and die!"
Devero chuckled and said, "Malfoy's definitely learned his lesson this time."
Neville laughed too but then asked, "Devero, how did you do it? You flew so well. Can you teach me?"
Devero smiled lightly and repeated what he had said on the field: "It's simple—confidence and focus. You need to connect with the broom, like it's an old friend. When you hold it, let it feel your trust."
Neville listened intently, nodding. "Got it. I'll try that next time."
Inwardly, Devero thought, Neville, you'd better stay on the ground. Trouble seems to find you endlessly even with both feet planted firmly.
"And stay calm," Ron added. "Don't let nerves take over. That's why Malfoy flew so poorly—he was too tense."
Devero glanced at his watch. The time for his meeting with Quirrell was nearing. He stood up and said to Madam Pomfrey, "Madam, I had a bit of an accident earlier. I don't have any visible injuries, but just to be safe, I'd like a check-up."
Hermione nodded eagerly behind him, quickly recounting how Devero nearly crashed into a tree while riding a broomstick.
Hearing this, Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows raised. She drew her wand, muttering, "I've told Professor Dumbledore time and again—how can they allow first-years to take such dangerous classes? You're the third one today. What if something serious happens?"
As she spoke, she waved her wand.
"Scourgify Clarus!"
A wave of energy flowed from the tip of her wand, enveloping Devero's body. He felt as if he had stepped into a massage parlor, with soothing sensations coursing through him. Soon, the energy faded.
Madam Pomfrey's expression softened slightly. "Alexander, thankfully, you're unharmed."
Devero thanked her, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Ding!
New spell acquired!
He glanced at his status:
*Spell Arsenal: Injury Detection Charm (Beginner)*
Nice! Another obscure spell learned!
"But to be safe, come back for another check-up tomorrow afternoon, understood?" Madam Pomfrey added.
Devero nodded eagerly. He couldn't wait to see her cast more spells—hardly anyone else knew this one.
Turning back to Neville's bed, Devero said, "Neville, here's the thing you lent me." He tapped the bulge on his toad, Eld's, back. Eld's eyes widened, and his mouth opened wide.
Under the astonished gazes of the other three, Devero reached into Eld's mouth, rummaged around, and pulled out Neville's wand, handing it to him.
"I made sure to keep it in a clean spot—no slime," Devero said with a grin.
Neville, stunned, took his wand from Devero's hand. Ron rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he was imagining things. Devero's toad had just spat out Neville's wand?
"Devero, your toad… how did it do that?" Hermione asked, amazed.
"Oh, Eld? He's a magical creature. His stomach can hold all sorts of things. Didn't I mention that before?" Devero said, pretending to be confused.
But then he realized—he hadn't.
He was about to explain more about Eld's origins when he checked his watch again. Oh no! He was almost late for his meeting with Professor Quirrell!
"Sorry, I've got to go—I have something to discuss with Professor Quirrell. I'll tell you more about Eld later!"
With that, Devero hurried out, leaving the three of them staring in shock.
"Devero!"
As he rushed toward Quirrell's office, a voice called out from behind. He turned to see Hermione, panting heavily, clearly having run to catch up.
"What's wrong, Hermione? I already got checked by Madam Pomfrey," Devero said, assuming she was worried about his health.
"No, it's not that…" Hermione gasped, looking at him with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "Neville's wand was with you, which means…"
She didn't finish her sentence. Devero winked at her. "Yup. Keep it a secret, okay?"
Then he turned and left without looking back. "That… that's against school rules!" Hermione stomped her foot in frustration behind him.
***
Want to read more of this fanfic [20+ chapters], and support me :- Patreon.com/Theuntamed0