[HP] Chapter 146-147

### [HP] 146: Transformation into a Dragon

Time turned back to just over ten minutes ago, inside the Room of Requirement.

Louis was still writhing on the ground, enduring the torment of the power raging within his body.

He was in agony, but he knew it was worth it, so he clenched his teeth and held on.

The Black Qi surged through him like an unstoppable tide, tearing apart his muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels—just as he had once used it to remake Garrick Ollivander.

But there was a difference: Ollivander had Louis overseeing the process, so he didn’t have to stay conscious through the pain. Louis, however, had to remain awake at every moment, guiding the Black Qi as it reshaped his body, enduring far greater suffering to prevent anything from going wrong.

The vitality of the Rat Talisman,

the strength of the Ox Talisman,

the speed of the Rabbit Talisman,

the explosive magic of the Dragon Talisman,

the invisibility of the Snake Talisman,

the healing of the Horse Talisman,

the soul command of the Sheep Talisman,

the transformations of the Monkey Talisman,

the levitation of the Rooster Talisman,

the immortality of the Dog Talisman,

and the lightning of the Pig Talisman.

All of these magics, under the scourge of the Black Qi, were carved into Louis’s body, becoming a part of him. At the very core, binding them all together, was the Tiger Talisman.

Yet the outer righteous shell of the talismans had not been completely destroyed. Through the condensation of the Philosopher’s Stone fragments, the balance of yin and yang created a new core—one that inherited the power of all the talisman shells and part of the Tiger Talisman’s function.

But this core did not unleash its power immediately; it lay dormant, always in standby.

Until, at a certain moment, when all the forces within Louis reached perfect harmony—then the transformation began.

Suddenly, the sound of bones cracking like beans frying erupted from Louis’s body. A flood of scales spread rapidly across his skin.

Louis lifted his head in torment, strange tiger-like markings flashing in his eyes—his left eye black as night, his right eye pure white.

Then, the black tiger-mark in his left eye flared brilliantly, a wave of power enveloping his entire body.

As a faint radiance swept over him, his form began to change drastically. His body lengthened far beyond human proportions, coiling upon itself like a massive serpent.

His limbs stretched to their perfect proportions, covered in scales, ending in razor-sharp talons that glinted coldly.

His face was utterly transformed—his skull elongated into something serpentine, yet also crocodilian. Two long whiskers sprouted from his jaws, floating gracefully like ribbons in the air.

Atop his head, bulges formed and, as the metamorphosis deepened, split open into a pair of antlers like those of a stag.

Louis now stood at the threshold of mystery, his eyes half-lidded, fully immersed in sensing every change happening within his body.

Meanwhile, outside Hogwarts Castle, storm clouds gathered, lightning split the sky, and thunder roared as if the end of the world had come.

Professor McGonagall stood outside the castle, her face clouded with worry as she watched the unnatural weather.

She wanted desperately to rush inside, but her duty was to calm and protect the students.

“Senior students of each House, take a headcount immediately. Everyone else, check the people beside you—make sure no one is missing,” Professor McGonagall commanded as Deputy Headmistress, throwing herself into the task.

After hurried roll calls amid the chaos, Percy Weasley, Gryffindor’s prefect, ran up nervously.

“Professor McGonagall, our House is missing one—Harry, Harry Potter. Ron and Neville said he was… at that place.”

Percy didn’t know exactly what “that place” meant, only that Ron and Neville kept insisting the professors knew.

“Harry, is it?” McGonagall said firmly. “I know. Don’t worry about him—he’s safe right now.”

“Ravenclaw, all present.”

“Hufflepuff, all present."

The other two House prefects reported in turn.

Professor McGonagall gave a small nod of relief—then suddenly realized Slytherin hadn’t reported yet.

“Slytherin? What’s Slytherin’s situation?” she called out loudly.

“Professor… it seems we’re missing someone,” Gemma Farley said hesitantly.

“Who?” McGonagall asked tensely.

“Louis Wilson,” Gemma answered.

Louis Wilson? Where could he have gone?

Professor McGonagall’s face turned pale as she glanced back at the castle. He couldn’t possibly still be inside… what was he doing?

“I’m here, Professor.”

It was Louis Wilson. He squeezed his way out from the crowd of students.

“Just now it was too crowded—our prefect must not have noticed me.” His voice sounded a little strange, but at this moment, no one doubted him.

McGonagall visibly relaxed. “As long as you’re all here. Go on, find your friends.”

Louis nodded and slipped back into the throng.

All the while, his face twitched unnaturally.

Of course, this wasn’t his true body—it was a substitute. While his real body continued struggling for mastery over the Twelve Talismans’ power, he had split off a sliver of consciousness to shape this double in his likeness, just to answer roll call and avoid suspicion.

To prevent the substitute from transforming into a little dragon due to the talisman powers, Louis had deliberately left a few flaws in its form…

In short, his alibi within the school was flawless.

Inside the Room of Requirement, at the critical moment of transformation, Louis let out a sigh of relief.

He had only spared a moment to appease the professors. Now that was done, he could throw himself into this fully!

A dazzling bolt of lightning split the sky and struck the roof of the castle. At the same instant, Louis completed the final step of his metamorphosis.

His eyes became vertical golden slits, terrible draconic might reverberating throughout the Room of Requirement.

Thankfully, the room was vast enough to give this newly born dragon at least a little space to move.

For Louis had transformed into a dragon—not a winged lizard like a Western fire-drake, but a true Eastern Divine Dragon!

The real cause of conflict among the Twelve Talismans was the clash between their righteous outer shell and Shendu’s primal demonic source. But now Louis had completely mastered this force, becoming the new Shendu…

With one exception: he lacked the Demon Lord’s power of Fire.

That power likely belonged to the very origin of that world itself, something pure Shendu’s essence could never bring across.

Louis admired his draconic body for a moment. To say he wasn’t excited would have been a lie. Becoming a dragon—wasn’t this the childhood dream of countless kids?

A streamlined body stretching over ten meters long, a commanding and majestic stance—just thinking of it thrilled him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a form he could show off openly. He couldn’t use it to impress anyone. That was agony in its own way.

Louis sighed, a look of regret flickering across his draconic face.

“Better change back,” he rumbled in a voice of regal authority.

In his enormous dragon eyes, the white tiger-mark glowed, reversing the transformation. His massive body shrank and dissolved in radiance until, moments later, Louis’s human figure reappeared.

That tiger-mark was the intermediary device Louis had forged from the talisman shells and the Philosopher’s Stone fragment. It allowed him to switch seamlessly between dragon and human, wielding Shendu’s power with perfect control.

Now, even in human form, he could use the full 100% of the talismans’ strength without restriction. In dragon form, he could unleash 1000% of their power.

“This is an epic-level buff,” Louis chuckled, glancing down at his shredded clothes and preparing to find something new to wear.

But suddenly, his mind wavered.

An uncontrollable hunger curled itself around his thoughts.

“…Hungry!”

---

### [HP] 147: Devouring Flames

Hungry!

The overwhelming hunger nearly swallowed every shred of Louis’s reason in an instant.

He felt like a starving ghost who hadn’t eaten in half a month, like he could gulp down a whale whole.

But the problem was—this hunger wasn’t physical. With vitality endlessly flowing in him, it was impossible for him to truly feel hunger.

This hunger was spiritual!

“What’s happening now?” Louis felt as though his very consciousness was being roasted over fire, his mind nearly melting away under that pure, unbearable craving.

“I have to eat something… if I don’t, I’ll starve to death.”

But eat what?

Louis opened his storage space, pulling out food preserved fresh within. Yet the moment he swallowed it, he gagged and vomited it back up.

“No! Not this.” Louis collapsed onto the ground, half-chewed food spilling from his mouth.

“What do I really need?” His eyes widened, and with the last thread of reason he activated the Eye of Fate and Clairvoyance.

Suddenly, he saw something—but the vision was blurry.

He was about to lose his sanity completely!

Then, within that hazy sight, something appeared—something that looked like it was burning.

“What is that? I want to eat it… that burning sensation…”

A spark of inspiration tore through Louis’s muddled mind. Burning… something burning…

He pulled out a strange-looking fruit from his storage. Its surface seemed wrapped in flames.

The Flame-Flame Fruit—the fire-elemental Devil Fruit!

The moment he laid eyes on it, Louis could no longer hold back. He opened his mouth and bit into it.

“Ugh! Disgusting!” He nearly spat it out.

Even though he cursed its foul taste, he forced himself to swallow the chunk, then tossed the rest of the fruit aside like garbage.

With Devil Fruits, a single bite was enough. The rest was meaningless.

At once, Louis’s body seemed to ignite. Flames blazed across his form—but he didn’t panic. The searing fire brought him no pain. Instead, his face reflected boundless satisfaction and pleasure.

But Devil Fruits never came without a price. Every gift carried its hidden cost.

The unseen demon smirked as it slithered toward Louis, cloaked in the ocean’s curse—those who fused with it would forever be rejected by the sea.

Yet at the very moment the demon sought to merge with him, Louis snapped his head up. His eyes blazed into golden, star-filled vertical pupils.

“Get lost!”

The roar burst forth with a flood of draconic might. The invisible demon let out an unwilling scream—but in the face of that roar, it disintegrated into ash.

The Devil Fruit’s power remained, but the demon itself had been banished—eaten without ever claiming its price.

If the demon had a mind, it might have died of rage already.

But Louis, flames still burning across his body, paid no heed to demons. His hunger was not yet satisfied.

“Hungry!” Louis stood, mouth wide open, inhaling the fire from his own body straight into his belly. His eyes glowed with greed.

“Not enough… I need more fire. Stronger fire!” A flicker of flame flashed across his gaze.

The hunger wasn’t gone—but at least his reason was safe now. After thinking it through, Louis finally remembered who his true target was.

He remembered the question the bronze eagle knocker of Ravenclaw had once asked him.

“Which came first—the phoenix or the fire?” Louis covered his face with his hand and chuckled. “I wonder if the phoenix itself knows the answer to that?”

Beneath the shadow of his palm, his eyes gleamed with a frightening brilliance.

His body shifted, transforming into the likeness of Dio Brando. With full mastery of the Monkey Talisman, he could now take the form of anything he wished—living or dead—and even inherit the special powers of whatever he became.

It was akin to Sun Wukong’s seventy-two transformations.

He pressed his hand against the wall of the Room of Requirement, and a doorway appeared.

Stepping through, he emerged directly inside the Headmaster’s office.

That was the true essence of the Room of Requirement—also called the Come and Go Room. It could connect to anywhere in the castle, even the Headmaster’s chambers.

Inside the office, the portraits of past headmasters were all absent, having rushed off to spectate the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Such a rare duel was a spectacle they couldn’t miss.

Thus, only two beings remained here now: an unconscious Harry Potter, and the phoenix Fawkes.

The moment Fawkes saw the intruder enter, its feathers flared. From Louis’s body it sensed an overwhelming danger—the presence of a natural predator.

Its plumage trembled, its tail feathers blazing like fire.

Sensing peril, the phoenix spread its wings and let out a piercing cry that echoed through the skies, then burst into flame and dove straight at Louis.

Strike first!

Louis merely smiled.

“Perfect timing.”

He stretched out his hand and caught the phoenix by the throat.

The scorching heat, enough to twist the very air, did not harm him in the slightest. On the contrary, his expression was one of bliss, as though he were bathing in a hot spring.

“I am the master of all flames,” Louis declared, opening his mouth as a powerful suction drew the phoenix’s fire into his body.

Fawkes struggled in terror, but in his grip it was like a chicken ready for slaughter, unable to break free from those ironclad fingers.

It felt its own source fire being drained away, its very essence devoured. The flames it had once wielded as weapons were now beyond its control, stolen before its eyes.

The phoenix’s body began to flicker, its lifeforce vanishing rapidly. A creature born of fire, its life was tied to that very flame—and now it was being consumed.

It wouldn’t be long before it was sucked dry.

Just as Fawkes was about to perish, Louis frowned and tossed it aside with disdain, as though discarding refuse.

The phoenix crashed against a bookshelf, rolling weakly to the floor, barely clinging to life.

“No… this flame isn’t right.”

In Louis’s eyes flickered a trace of holy fire—the manifestation of the phoenix flame he had just absorbed.

It tasted fine, but as a source of power, it didn’t suit him.

Still, it wasn’t without benefit—at least the gnawing hunger no longer plagued him.

“I need something darker. More evil. Stronger fire.”

Louis muttered to himself, then suddenly turned—his gaze falling upon the figure of Dumbledore, who had appeared.

At this moment, Dumbledore’s eyes blazed with fury, for he saw his beloved companion Fawkes lying feebly on the ground.

Fortunately, the phoenix’s body still trembled faintly—otherwise Dumbledore might have already exploded in rage.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Louis said with a devilish smile. “What a pleasure to meet you.”

---