After Ted left, Professor Quirrell returned to his usual timid demeanor, his voice trembling as he murmured, "Master, master, can Ted manage to get the weakness of the three-headed dog from Hagrid?"
A dark, chilling voice responded from the back of his head. "It does not matter. If he manages to pry that information from that foolish half-giant, then so be it. If not, it is of little consequence. As long as he continues to pursue magic, he will inevitably serve me."
Voldemort was, in fact, quite pleased with how things were progressing.
His long-cherished dream of being a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had finally been realized—albeit in an unorthodox manner.
The role suited him well, and he was making good use of it.
And Ted... oh, Ted was proving to be a delightful surprise.
He was the perfect student in Voldemort's eyes: relentless in his pursuit of knowledge, intelligent, diligent, and—most importantly—openly dismissive of authority and rules.
Yes, Tom Riddle saw a bit of himself in the boy.
Ted, meanwhile, finally felt a sense of relief after nearly two weeks of tension.
He had figured out what was happening—Professor Quirrell was at an impasse regarding the three-headed dog.
So, since Ted was close to Hagrid, Quirrell had opted for a roundabout strategy to gather information.
Ted had no intention of exposing the creature's weakness, but he was more than willing to play along.
If he could gain knowledge and experience about magical creatures from Quirrell without jeopardizing the course of events, he would consider it a win.
And the knowledge was certainly valuable—his skill in "Magical Biology" had already leveled up to rank two just from Quirrell's lessons alone.
He hadn't even started Care of Magical Creatures yet!
Quirrell was truly knowledgeable in this field.
During their private discussions, Quirrell—whether he meant to or not—also let slip tidbits about the Dark Arts.
If one didn't know better, they might actually believe he was an excellent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
But Ted knew better.
This wasn't Quirrell's knowledge—it was Riddle's.
Voldemort was cleverly weaving the Dark Arts into their conversations, planting seeds of temptation in a subtle, almost imperceptible way.
It was like a well-baited hook, constantly teasing one's curiosity and thirst for knowledge, luring them in ever so gradually.
Even though Ted wasn't particularly drawn to the Dark Arts, he couldn't deny their allure. The knowledge itself was fascinating.
When he noticed that his "Dark Magic" skill had quietly reached level two, he became wary.
Quirrell—no, Voldemort—was offering just enough to intrigue him, and that was dangerous.
March arrived, bringing with it new discoveries.
_____________________
Ding~ The talent [Knowledge of Other Worlds (Gold)] has triggered.
[Black Secret Technique: Karasu Ninjutsu Scroll (Green)] has been discovered."
_____________________
Ted blinked in disbelief. "What the hell?"
The system described the scroll as a record of crow-based ninjutsu techniques from the Land of Wind's Hidden Sand Village. It required 200 experience points to unlock.
Ted groaned, leaning back on his bed. "Of all things..."
Still, 200 experience points weren't too much. On a good day, he could earn that quickly. On a bad day, it would take three or four days at most.
Even if he didn't use it much, knowledge was knowledge. He decided to redeem it.
The moment he did, intricate details about puppetry—ranging from material selection and construction to manipulation—poured into his mind.
Ted's conclusion? "Not as good as Transfiguration."
His Transfiguration skill was already at an advanced level—rank eight or nine—and was nearing the legendary tier.
Puppetry, on the other hand, had clear limitations. No matter how skilled one became, it couldn't surpass the constraints of control, materials, and functionality.
The strongest known puppeteer, Sasori of the Red Sand, was only considered a "master-level" puppeter.
Transfiguration, however, had an unknown upper limit.
Even Dumbledore, during his battle with Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic, had demonstrated transfiguration that defied normal expectations.
Dumbledore had undoubtedly reached heights in Transfiguration that few—if any—had touched.
In the following days, Ted kept up the charade of working diligently on Professor Quirrell's assignment, writing a paper on canine magical creatures.
When discussing three-headed dogs, he kept his theories vague.
After that, their private meetings grew infrequent. Quirrell seemed preoccupied, no longer offering additional "lessons."
Ted wasn't too bothered. He had plenty to study, and even without new "otherworldly" knowledge, he was making steady progress.
He dedicated most of his time to spell research, developing new techniques:
Slow Falling Charm – A refined version of the Levitation Charm, allowing the user to drift gently like a feather.
Magic Suppression – A defensive technique that created a barrier of magical inertia, weakening the effects of incoming spells.
This magic is particularly intriguing because it indiscriminately suppresses all magic, whether beneficial or harmful, to varying degrees of severity.
If a wizard is restrained by this magic and then attempts to transfigure themselves... well, that could lead to quite the predicament.
Arcane Lock: A magical means of securing a door or chest, preventing access by ordinary means or even simple unlocking spells. This spell is reminiscent of the "Locking Charm," which counteracts the commonly used "Unlocking Charm" (Alohomora).
In the wizarding world, Alohomora is a fundamental spell for opening locks, but just as the spell exists, so too does its counter—a spell that keeps locked objects sealed, regardless of attempted tampering.
Comprehend Languages: A spell that enables the caster to understand spoken words from any creature or decipher texts that would otherwise be indecipherable.
Many powerful and well-studied wizards are known to speak languages such as Mermish, likely due to similar magical capabilities.
Shield: Summons an invisible force barrier in front of the caster.
This spell functions as an automatic defensive measure, making it a valuable area of study for any wizard seeking protection.
Mage Armor: Conjures a near-invisible but tangible force field that acts as a protective layer over the caster.
This spell shares similarities with the "Shield Charm" (Protego) and more advanced applications of protective magic, such as a humanoid full-body armor spell, essentially wrapping the user in an invisible suit of magical protection.
Currently, Ted has four different protective spells at his disposal:
Frost Armor: Provides a physical shield with an icy backlash.
Shield Charm (Protego): Offers general physical and magical defense.
Shield: Generates a floating force-field barrier.
Mage Armor: Encases the user in an invisible protective layer.
With all these defenses in place, Ted is practically untouchable.
Grease: Covers a circular area in slick grease, making anyone who steps in it prone to slipping and falling.
A well-placed Grease spell can be devastatingly effective—just ask Malfoy. The Slytherin prince couldn't resist flaunting himself, only to end up slipping over a dozen times in front of the entire school, dragging his goons down with him. The resulting chaos was akin to a large-scale Japanese game show.
Unseen Servant: Summons an invisible, mindless force to assist with mundane tasks such as fetching objects, opening doors, moving furniture, or tidying up.
A must-have spell for any aspiring wizard—why waste time making your own bed when magic can do it for you? Not everyone has house-elves at their beck and call.
This spell is practically the holy grail of household magic, liberating wizards from the dull chores of everyday life.
In addition to these newfound abilities, Ted also picked up several native Hogwarts spells, thanks to Professor Flitwick's guidance:
Knockback Jinx (Flipendo): Propels the target backward with force.
Banishing Charm: Weakens the opponent, particularly effective against large creatures.
Unlocking Charm (Alohomora): Opens non-magically sealed doors and chests.
Ted privately learned Alohomora from the Weasley twins, who were more than happy to share their "extracurricular" knowledge. He mastered it in under three minutes.
Ted's dedication to learning and his proactive approach earned him high praise from Professor Flitwick, who generously offered additional guidance. His rigorous efforts led to a major breakthrough: his Spellcasting skill had now reached Level 3!
And if that wasn't enough, his Transfiguration finally advanced to Level 2!
Transfiguration had proven to be an incredibly intricate field of study, far more challenging than he initially anticipated.
Previously, Ted had been struggling with two particular spells:
Engorgement Charm (Engorgio): Causes objects to grow in size.
D&D's Level 1 Spell, Enlarge Person: Temporarily increases a creature's size and strength.
Both spells required an advanced understanding of Transfiguration, making them incredibly difficult to master with his current skill level.
However, with his recent progress, things were looking much more promising.