Coreal
patreon
[Hogwarts] Ch 108: Blaze, Storm, & Nova
🕑 Added 2025-07-27 17:20:59 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Tom closed his eyes. A surge of pure, sacred energy flowed through the unicorn's horn into his body, and his soul felt like it was getting a full-body massage—so relaxing that he nearly dozed off on the spot.
Using the last bit of his willpower, he summoned Andros to stand guard and granted him temporary control of his body. Then he completely passed out.
That nap ended up being the deepest, most comfortable sleep Tom had ever had.
By the time he woke up, three hours had passed. He'd perfectly missed both lunch and History of Magic in the afternoon.
Next to him, the baby unicorn was still curled up fast asleep. Of the two adult unicorns, the injured female one was kneeling beside them, while the other was patrolling nearby.
Tom stretched lazily and stood up, quietly taking in the changes brought about by his soul.
It felt like all the dust had been washed away, leaving him with this refreshing sense of clarity—as if, for the first time, he truly understood himself. The world hadn't changed, but it somehow felt more vivid, more alive.
The two adult unicorns noticed he was awake and came over, affectionately nudging his arm.
Since he'd already formed a contract with one of them, the other was no longer as cautious. Tom gently touched her horn and successfully signed a contract with it too. With that, a subtle telepathic bond was formed—he could now understand their intentions just from their calls.
"Alright, alright! From now on, we're all family. I should give you names so I can tell you apart more easily," Tom said as he petted them.
He thought for a moment, then grinned. "You're Blaze. You're Storm. And the little one's Nova. That's settled."
Even the unicorns seemed to realize how random those names were. They cried out in protest, but Tom just played deaf, refusing to change them no matter how much they complained. In the end, they had no choice but to accept their new names.
"Wuwu, wuwu—"
Blaze, still unhappy about the naming situation, made another request.
"You want that white energy from yesterday... the Patronus spell?" Tom asked, catching her meaning through their bond.
She nodded firmly.
Patronuses were, at their core, condensed positive magical energy—manifestations of one's inner strength and emotions. They could be consumed without causing any harm, and regenerated with more magic and strong emotions.
Tom summoned a small cloud of white mist.
This time, not just Blaze but Storm also excitedly rushed over, their eyes squinting with delight as they gently sipped the glowing mist like it was the most delicious thing in the world.
A flicker of realization crossed Tom's eyes.
'Of course. No wonder Newt Scamander is so damn good at this.' Every single piece of advice he gave was pure gold.
Tom had originally thought the unicorns accepted him out of gratitude and sincerity after he saved them. But now it seemed the Patronus spell was the final push that won them over.
So they grow stronger by feeding on positive energy?
That was a major discovery—and one he'd definitely share with Professor Newt as a thank-you.
It took three full rounds of summoning before the two unicorns were finally satisfied. Seeing that the baby unicorn Nova was still asleep, Tom walked over to a nearby clearing to test just how much his soul had improved him.
He picked a large tree in the distance and cast a Blasting Curse.
The moment he started the spell, he could already feel the difference.
Everything just flowed so easily. Sure, it had never been a difficult spell for him, but it still used to require focus—reciting the incantation in his mind, channeling the magic, and maintaining emotional balance.
Now? A single thought was enough. The steps happened almost instinctively.
He cast several more spells in quick succession, his mind clicking into place.
It wasn't that spellcasting itself had become easier—it was that his soul had grown stronger, more refined. The standards were the same, but he was now so far above the threshold that the process felt effortless.
Andros had once said that magic depended on three key things: magical power, willpower, and emotions.
Strengthening the soul affected both willpower and emotion.
Tasks that once demanded 60 to 80 percent of his focus could now be done with a mere flicker of thought.
So… what would happen if he went all out?
Tom narrowed his eyes and focused. A burst of red light shot out like an arrow, piercing the nearest tree clean through. The beam didn't stop—it kept going, blasting through a dozen thick trunks before finally fizzling out.
The body and soul really did go hand in hand. This boost was no less impactful than fusing with dragon blood—maybe even more so. The soul's improvement didn't just help in battle; it also sharpened his insight.
Thinking back to Andros's fight with Voldemort yesterday, Tom suddenly saw it all in a new light.
"First it was the essence of life, now the soul itself… what's the reward for the next trial going to be?"
He sank his consciousness inward. The first two Animal-like constructs in his mind had stabilized, and then the third constellation of the Canis Major began to glow brightly. A new challenge emerged.
[Third Trial – Canine]
[Objective: Defeat the three-headed hellhound barehanded. No magic allowed.]
[Reward: The Freak Body Trait (Greatly boosts physical defense. Consumes magic power to further enhance resistance.)]
Tom's eye twitched violently.
Are you kidding me?
Barehanded? Against a freaking Hellhound?
Even with magic, breaking through its defenses was tough. And now he was supposed to go toe-to-toe with it? Barehanded? What was he supposed to do, slide in under its belly and offer himself as a snack?
Even if he wanted to… the thing had three mouths!
This was madness.
Unfortunately, the twelve trials weren't exactly AI-powered. No matter how much Tom complained, the challenge wasn't going to change. It was up to him to figure out how to complete it.
That said, compared to the first two trials, this one actually seemed more straightforward. He didn't need to search around for anything or lure out rare magical creatures. The Hellhound was already in the school. If he was strong enough, he could just go and fight it.
That took a bit of pressure off.
— — —
Back at the castle, gossip was already flying.
Professor Quirrell had quit.
The man who had tormented them nearly all year long had bailed just a month before term ended. Most students were celebrating—they'd finally be spared that awful smell that clung to his classroom.
Only Harry seemed troubled by the news. He'd always believed that Quirrell was actually resisting Snape's threats and manipulation.
Now that Quirrell was gone, did that mean he'd lost?
That thought kept eating at Harry, and he became even more suspicious of Snape, constantly running into him all over the castle—sometimes dozens of times a day.
"Potter! Why are you loitering around the castle again? Is the mountain of homework not enough to keep that restless Gryffindor spirit of yours in check? Two points from Gryffindor. And if I catch you again—make that ten!"
When Tom came to find Snape, this was the scene he walked in on: Snape snapping at Harry, who looked like he was trying desperately to salvage some house points.
"Professor, I just left something in the classroom," Harry explained quickly, hoping to get his points back.
Honestly, how had he made it this far without realizing what kind of person Snape really was?
There was no way Snape was giving him those points back.
In the end, Harry left, sulking. Tom, meanwhile, couldn't help but chuckle. Watching Harry and Snape was hilarious.
As for Quirrell quitting, that didn't exactly come as a surprise to Tom.
Did Quirrell seriously think he could just shake off a punch from Andros the Invincible?
If the man hadn't died on the spot, it was only thanks to Voldemort's deep mastery of dark magic. Even so, the lingering effects of the Patronus—the most potent force against evil—were likely still wreaking havoc on Quirrell's body, making his life a living hell.
Honestly, if Quirrell had shown up for class like normal, Tom would've started suspecting Andros had been holding back—or that he wasn't all that impressive after all.
And if Andros ever found out Tom doubted him, he'd probably beg for another chance to prove himself. And this time? No pulling punches. He'd go straight for the kill.
"Riddle, you find that funny?" Snape asked without turning around.
"Isn't it?" Tom tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
"That fool deserves that anyway."
Snape turned, his expression cold and grim. He knew Harry suspected him of eyeing the treasure hidden on the third-floor corridor. But that wasn't what bothered him—it was how naive and paranoid Harry was being.
How was a brain like that supposed to survive the chessboard of manipulation between Voldemort and Dumbledore?
"People can learn. After enough stumbles, anyone gets smarter," Tom said, skipping the lecture on parenting and getting straight to the point. "Professor, I need your help."
"I'm looking for enhanced versions of the Strength and Agility potions. Do you have any modified formulas?"
Snape gave him a suspicious look. "What do you want those for?"
"I'm just curious," Tom replied with a polite smile. "If you have them, I'd also like a few samples for... study purposes."
Snape frowned, trying to figure out what Tom was really up to.
These types of potions were meant to temporarily enhance the body—pretty useless in the wizarding world, where magic attacks could kill you in a flash. One green spark and you're done for.
But for Tom, they were game-changing.
No wand? No problem.
No magic? Still fine.
There were no rules saying he couldn't use potions.
If he could turn himself into a one-man wrecking ball, what was a three-headed dog going to do about it?
"I had some time on my hands when I was younger, so I tinkered with those pointless potions a bit," Snape said casually, showing off as usual. Then his tone shifted. "But why should I give them to you? Just because you asked nicely?"
"I'll trade you that spell I showed you last time," Tom offered coolly.
That spell, a glowing red sphere of energy, was one of Andros's original creations. It could be used for both offense and defense, was fairly easy to learn, but tricky to control and required an insane amount of magic power. For someone like Snape, though? A breeze.
Tom didn't do charity. He also snagged a few of Snape's original spells in return—mostly minor hexes, but they had their uses in the right situations.
With a deal like that, even Snape couldn't say no.
He didn't bother asking Tom what he was planning to do with the potions. It wasn't that he wasn't curious—he just knew Tom wouldn't tell him anyway, so why waste the breath?
---
After Quirrell's departure, Defense Against the Dark Arts had basically become a free study period.
The other professors were too swamped with their own subjects to step in regularly, and Quirrell had done such a terrible job that none of them even knew where to begin picking up the pieces.
In the end, they just let students review on their own. And as for the final exam? Dumbledore had already promised that no one would fail.
---
A week later, Tom sent off a report detailing his Patronus experiments with unicorns, including his personal experience forming a bond with one.
After his first exchange with Newt Scamander, Tom received a magical emblem exclusive to the Scamander family. From then on, all he had to do was include the emblem in his letters, and the owl would deliver them straight to Newt—no need to go through Dumbledore.
Not that Tom didn't trust Dumbledore… but private letters should stay private, right?
Building a good relationship with Newt was also strategic. There were still nine more trials left, and Tom had a feeling he'd need Newt's help again.
On the other hand, Snape kept his end of the bargain and delivered not only the modified potion recipes but also a few potions he'd brewed himself.
Tom tried making two batches—one of his own, and one using Snape's formula—and tested them in sparring matches with Blaze and Storm.
The difference? About 20% in effectiveness. Snape really was on another level—respected by both Voldemort and Dumbledore for good reason.
Tom was confident he'd followed every step perfectly, but the results still didn't match up.
But it was fine.
Snape's potions were better; he'd just use those. No point wasting time trying to reinvent the wheel right now — not when final exams were right around the corner.
.
.
.
