Today was… astonishing.
I had been wandering the castle, exploring rooms and offices, when I finally made it to Professor McGonagall's office. It smelled faintly of old parchment and polished wood. Dust motes floated in the sunlight like tiny stars caught in a web.
And then I saw it.
Rows of personal notebooks, neatly stacked on shelves behind her desk. Handwritten notes, sketches of complex transfiguration diagrams, layered with tiny corrections in sharp green ink.
Apparently, this castle — my Hogwarts — wasn't just a copy of the original. It was a treasure trove of knowledge. Someone — or something — had left behind centuries of magical genius.
I snatched up several notebooks, flipping through them eagerly. Transfiguration theory, practical exercises, rare techniques — all of it, meticulously recorded.
Then I remembered: Snape.
I didn't even hesitate.I found his office next — shadowed, cold, the air heavy with a hint of burnt ingredients and something darker. Inside, the shelves sagged under rows of notebooks filled with Snape's meticulous handwriting.
I quickly located the volumes on potions, of course — practical recipes, magical theory, and subtleties lost to most wizards. But as I dug deeper… I found something far more intoxicating: dark magic.
Spells he had personally created. Dangerous, cruel, and brilliant.
I read:
Sectumsempra — a curse that caused deep, invisible cuts, almost surgical in its precision.Vulnera Sanentur — the counter-curse to heal wounds caused by Sectumsempra.Levicorpus — the jinx to lift someone into the air by their ankle.Liberacorpus — the counter to Levicorpus.Langlock — the spell that glued the target's tongue to the roof of their mouth.And… one particularly bizarre spell: rapid toenail growth.
I raised an eyebrow. Even genius wizards had a sense of humor, apparently.
The possibilities were staggering.
With this knowledge, I could perfectly brew complex potions, enhance my dueling skills, and master dark and light magic simultaneously. I could now learn spells that even most Hogwarts students would never touch.
I spent hours poring over the notes, carefully replicating the more practical spells first. Sectumsempra was tempting, but I saved it for later — accidents with dark magic could be messy, and I wasn't in the mood to destroy part of my castle… yet.
Levicorpus and Liberacorpus were more playful, perfect for training reflexes, magical precision, and tactical combat. Langlock would be… invaluable in interrogation scenarios.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, I smiled, thinking of the future: someday, when Middle-earth's armies moved, when dragons threatened, and when Sauron himself cast his shadow over the land… I would already know spells that could decide battles before swords were drawn.
This castle, these notes, this knowledge… the God may have been lazy, but I was not.
And now, with the Peverell Grimoire in one hand, and Snape's secret spells in the other… I felt something new.
Power.
And I was just getting started.