[HP] Chapter 131-133

### Chapter 131: The Method to Control the Power of the Cursed Seals

Inside the Room of Requirement, Louis sat on a chair formed from liquefied Volumen Hydrargyrum, holding in his hand a dark-gleaming, yin-aspected Philosopher’s Stone. His face was expressionless.

But within his body, power was rioting, and his emotions were shifting in strange, dangerous ways.

Something was clearly wrong!

Blood vessels crawled across Louis’s eyes, and a surge of black miasma—far more violent than the dark aura he usually commanded—sought to consume his clarity of mind.

Yet the Eye of Fate’s Observation truly lived up to being a prize from the Fate Lottery. No matter how wildly the blackness attacked, it could not erode Louis.

At the same time, the Nightmare bloodline in his veins, a special inheritance from the Merlin Template, carried its own “clarity buff.” No matter how much rage and mania crashed against him, Louis’s consciousness remained firm as a boulder.

But even with both powers working together, they could not withstand the black energy that only grew stronger and stronger.

Keeping his mind keenly awake, Louis became aware that his body itself was changing.

It was as if his perspective had drifted above his own form, “seeing” his skeleton elongating, muscle cells splitting at frantic speed.

He was transforming into something unknown—something that was certainly not human!

“Something’s wrong… this isn’t right!” Louis hurled the yin-aspected stone from his hand. The speed of the black aura’s growth slowed, but it did not stop.

Right now, the blackness was like a roller coaster dragged up to its peak. Even without fresh momentum, its leftover force was still enough to smash through his consciousness.

If this kept up, both his mind and body would lose control, consumed by his own negative emotions.

But what could save him now? Was he supposed to gamble on another lottery draw right here on the spot?

Suddenly, Louis remembered the other half—the yang-aspected Philosopher’s Stone that had been split apart by the Tiger Talisman.

“Of course. That one should be able to reverse my state!”

He snatched the identical-looking but opposite-effect stone and activated its power just before losing control.

In an instant, the suppressed power of the Talisman reversed, wrapping around the rampaging miasma and binding it.

Even Louis’s own swelling black aura began to subside, gradually returning to normal.

In his eyes appeared once more the phantom of the Tiger Talisman, but this time, it was not the Talisman’s ordinary yin-yang balance that activated. Instead, a far stranger, deeper equilibrium manifested upon him.

The chaos inside him calmed. Louis sat back against the marrow chair, eyes thoughtful.

“Using brute force to break the Tiger Talisman’s bonds won’t work… Strange. It’s all the power of the Talismans, yet what’s inside me feels… different.”

Rubbing his temples, he replayed everything that had just happened.

“If this were the true power of the Talismans, then when the Tiger Talisman was shattered, I should have gained mastery over its strength—not the other way around, being controlled by it.”

Glancing down at his torn clothing, he muttered, “It wasn’t only my mind being corroded… My body itself was changing in that instant.”

“…Which means the Twelve Talismans’ power is only the surface. Inside each of them, something else lies hidden.”

Quickly, Louis sorted his thoughts and formed a plan.

“The Tiger Talisman can’t be destroyed with brute force. It’s the key to balance. But if I want to truly master it, I must find a way to bypass that balance and unlock its deeper strength…”

It was like a feast sealed under a glass container. He wanted to eat it—but if he smashed the glass, he’d only get shards with his meal.

“An almost impossible task… unless a miracle occurs.”

He looked down at the yang-aspected stone in his hand, then at the yin-aspected stone lying where he had thrown it aside.

If there was ever a miracle, the Philosopher’s Stone itself was one.

And he just happened to have a piece of that miracle in his hand.

“What if I use a complete Stone to maintain the yin-yang cycle, creating a safe chance to harness the power? …No. Balance won’t work. I need separation—yin and yang divided, set against each other… No, that doesn’t work either.”

Louis spiraled through contradictions, denying every theory—until at last, an idea flashed across his mind.

“Maybe… this way will work.”

He smiled with satisfaction, gaze falling upon the stone in his palm.

Now the focus was simple: the Philosopher’s Stone. He needed someone to steal it, to draw all the attention—so he himself could use the Stone without restraint, the thing he needed most.

“…Not yet.”

After thinking a moment, Louis etched a teleportation mark onto the yang-aspected Stone, then handed it to Chuan, who stood silently nearby.

She hadn’t noticed anything strange earlier, since his violent inner struggle had left no outward trace.

“Chuan, return this Stone to its place. Erase every trace—don’t let anyone find out.”

“Yes.” Chuan nodded, took the Stone, and dissolved into water, vanishing.

The yin and yang Stones looked identical in appearance. Not even Dumbledore could tell the difference.

Louis hadn’t refrained from returning the yin Stone because he coveted its boost to his dark aura, but because he needed insurance.

Insurance against Voldemort truly stealing the Stone and using it to resurrect himself.

The chance was slim—but not nonexistent.

Voldemort must not return. If he did, then all the Horcrux soul fragments that hadn’t fully matured would immediately fall under his control. Louis’s mission to orchestrate Voldemort’s grand melee would collapse.

“If he’s going to come back, it will only be after I’ve collected every Horcrux and nurtured them all myself.”

At the moment, there were six Horcruxes total—including Harry Potter, the living one.

(Nagini only became a Horcrux after Voldemort’s resurrection, and she remained fully loyal to him, so Louis didn’t count her.)

Counting Voldemort himself, that made seven—enough to form a complete Holy Grail War lineup.

Of course, to stage such a war, he would need to summon from the Throne of Heroes. The system’s Legendary tier wouldn’t even be enough. It would probably take something higher—though he didn’t even know what higher tiers were called, let alone how to access them.

For now, his study of the Stone had reached its limit. But his training continued.

The strange nature of the Twelve Talismans gave him new suspicions. He had to polish the Tiger Talisman more carefully, truly master it.

He had to transform that glass container into something he himself controlled—so he could reach for the feast inside at will.

Only then would Louis’s theory have a chance of becoming reality.

***

### Chapter 132: Hagrid the Slacker

Winter passed quickly, and warm sunlight replaced the bitter winds and snow, spreading across the land.

On a sunny weekend morning, Louis sat in a quiet corner of the courtyard, carving a wooden bird.

After much practice, his carving skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Gone was the clumsy, jerky movement of his knife. In no time, a little bird statue took shape in his hands—so lifelike it seemed to carry a spirit of its own.

Hermione sat nearby with a book, occasionally lifting her head to glance at the wooden bird in Louis’s hands.

It was a curious experience. Every time she looked up, the carving had changed significantly. Finally, when Louis carved in its eyes, the little bird seemed almost alive.

“Your craftsmanship is amazing,” Hermione praised. “It really looks like it could fly away at any moment.”

“Fly away?” Louis chuckled, glancing at her. “Maybe it really can.”

Under Hermione’s puzzled gaze, Louis placed the finely detailed bird on his palm and draped a piece of magician’s cloth over it.

The bird-shaped lump bulged against the cloth, unmoving at first.

“Here, blow on it,” Louis said.

Hermione’s eyes were full of curiosity. She leaned over and blew gently.

At once, the lump beneath the cloth stirred. The fabric rose and shifted as though something underneath were struggling to break free.

From beneath came faint chirping sounds.

Hermione froze, eyes wide, staring at the cloth in Louis’s hand, afraid to miss a single detail.

Louis didn’t keep her waiting. He whisked away the cloth, revealing a small bird clutched by its feet in his hand, wings flapping frantically.

It looked exactly like the wooden bird he had just carved.

“Oh my goodness!” Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. “You really brought it to life!”

The bird, panicked, struggled in his grasp. Though newly born, it carried the instincts and habits of any real bird. All it wanted was freedom.

But even if it escaped, it wouldn’t survive long. The “magic cloth,” imbued only with a fragment of the Rat Talisman’s power, could grant it no more than ten minutes of life. After that, it would turn back into wood.

Louis flipped the cloth and draped it over the bird again. Instantly, the fluttering stopped.

When he pulled the cloth away, the bird had reverted to a wooden carving—but this time, frozen in the very posture of its last desperate moment.

Its wings spread wide, feathers ruffled, tiny eyes filled with fear.

Hermione, of course, didn’t notice such details. To her, it was just another one of Louis’s tricks.

> [You have deceived a minor witch with magic.]

> [Insignificant.]

> [You gained 100 Trick Points. ]

> [Current total: 104,100 points.]

“Here, it’s yours.” Louis handed her the carving.

Hermione’s eyes lit up. She hugged the little bird to her chest, delighted. “Thank you, Louis!”

“You’re welcome.”

“By the way, where’s the other carving? And the real bird? Where did you hide them?” Hermione glanced at his robes suspiciously. She still believed Louis’s trick had involved two carvings and a real bird.

“That’s a secret.”

Louis winked and tucked away the magician’s cloth—a cloth he privately referred to as the Otaku’s Happy Cloth.

As for why he called it that… well, that was another story.

Those who know, know.

While Louis and Hermione were chatting about studies, a sneaky little trio scurried past them.

Don’t get the wrong idea—this trio wasn’t the cannon-fodder trio, nor Malfoy and his lackeys. It was Harry, Ron, and Neville.

Without Hermione, Neville—the timid boy who usually hung back—had naturally slipped into Harry’s little group, forming a brand-new trio. That was something Louis hadn’t expected.

And what were the three of them sneaking around for? Did they not realize how suspicious they looked?

Louis couldn’t help but find it amusing.

They seemed to be heading toward Hagrid’s hut…

Could it be the dragon egg had hatched?

Thinking about it, the timing did seem about right.

“Come on, Hermione, I’ll show you something interesting,” Louis said, turning to her as she fiddled with the wooden bird carving.

“Hm? What are we going to see?” Hermione lifted her head, looking adorably puzzled.

“You’ll know once we get there.” Louis reached out, but Hermione quickly waved him off.

“Wait, I need to put this carving away first.” She pointed to the wooden bird in her hands. “It’s too fragile. I’m afraid it might break if I carry it with me.”

When Louis had carved it, the bird had been in a compact shape, easy to hold. But after its brief “revival,” its posture had shifted to an outstretched pose. The thin wooden supports holding its wings were delicate and easily breakable.

“All right, it’s not urgent. I’ll wait here,” Louis said.

By the time Hermione returned from the dormitory, the newly-formed trio had already come back, looking rather satisfied. Judging by how short their visit had been, they’d probably just taken a quick look at the dragon and then left without hesitation.

How heartless. Even Hagrid, that big softie, deserved a little care.

Louis led Hermione to Hagrid’s hut. The dragon had indeed hatched, and the temperature inside had returned to normal.

When they knocked, Hagrid opened the door. Upon seeing Louis and Hermione, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s you two. Come in, quick,” Hagrid said.

They followed him inside, and Hermione immediately spotted the small dragon strutting proudly on the table.

“That’s a dragon?” Hermione gasped. “A real, living dragon?”

“Oi! Keep your voice down, Hermione! I don’t want the whole school to know,” Hagrid whispered frantically.

But before he’d even finished speaking, the baby dragon let out a piercing screech—far louder than Hermione had been.

“Enough! Stop it, Norbert!” Hagrid hurried over, reaching out a massive hand to pinch the dragon’s jaws shut.

“You don’t want anyone to know,” Louis said, shrugging, “but your secrecy isn’t exactly working. I saw Harry, Ron, and Neville heading into your hut earlier.”

“When Harry came to ask me about the Philosop—” Hagrid suddenly cut himself off, slapping a hand over his own mouth.

One hand clamping the dragon’s snout, the other covering his own mouth—the sight was almost comical.

But big-mouthed Hagrid had once again let something slip that he shouldn’t have. Looked like he’d downed another bottle of Veritaserum this morning.

“Did you say Philosopher’s Stone?” Hermione asked, half amused. “Don’t worry—we already know about it.”

“You… you know? How could you possibly know?” Hagrid’s eyes widened in shock.

Hermione glanced at Louis. Clearly, she was much better at keeping secrets than Hagrid.

“Prophecy, Hagrid. Did you forget?” Louis pointed at his eyes. “I can see it.”

Hagrid’s face cleared with sudden realization. “Right, you can see the future…”

And at that, he actually looked relieved—as though having Louis the “seer” around meant it didn’t matter if he blabbed or not.

In short, Hagrid had completely given up on keeping secrets.

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### Chapter 133: The Quick-Grown Seed of Yggdrasil

Faced with Hagrid’s complete lack of resistance, Louis could only smile helplessly.

“By the way, you said its name is Norbert, right?” Louis patted Fang’s big dog head, then sat down at the table and reached out to scratch the baby dragon’s chin.

“Careful, baby dragons are dangerous,” Hermione whispered nervously, afraid to raise her voice lest she startle it.

“No, no, not at all—Norbert’s adorable!” Hagrid thumped his chest confidently.

“That may be true for you, but to anyone else, even a baby dragon is deadly,” Hermione said with unease.

But to their surprise, the little dragon showed no hostility at all. It even stretched out its neck, rubbing happily against Louis’s fingers.

“See? It really is cute,” Hagrid chuckled. “Look how much it likes Louis. Don’t you want to pet it too, Hermione?”

“I… better not. I’m a little worried.” Hermione hesitated, though Norbert’s behavior did make her itch to touch it.

Still, all the books said dragons were dangerous, and her fear held her back.

Louis noticed her hesitation. He gently took her hand and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

With his achievement as a Magical Beast Tamer, making a baby dragon behave was child’s play.

Blushing, Hermione let him guide her hand to stroke the dragon’s head.

Norbert sniffed at their fingers, then let out a cheerful chirp.

“Come on, show us a trick,” Louis said, tapping the dragon’s little head.

Norbert tilted his head at Louis—then suddenly opened his mouth and blasted fire straight at Hagrid.

The high-temperature dragonflame instantly set Hagrid’s beard ablaze. If Hermione hadn’t quickly doused it with a gush of water charm, he might have been scarred for life.

“Don’t go around setting people on fire,” Louis said awkwardly, patting Norbert on the skull. “I said a trick, not that.”

Norbert gave two pitiful little whines, immediately stirring Hagrid’s heart. He rushed to shove a chunk of bloody meat into the dragon’s mouth as comfort.

“He’s still young, he doesn’t know any better,” Hagrid muttered—the classic excuse of every parent spoiling a brat.

The baby dragon was cute, sure, but as they watched Norbert gnaw noisily at the meat, everyone present had to face the bigger problem.

“Hagrid, have you thought this through?” Louis asked gently, watching Norbert with fondness. “With how fast dragons grow, your hut won’t hold him for long.”

At that, Hagrid’s eyes grew red.

“No—you can’t say that! I’m this child’s mother, I’ll raise him myself!” His voice cracked, close to sobbing.

“But keeping a dragon is illegal,” Hermione said firmly, recalling Ministry law she had read. “You could be arrested, and even drag Professor Dumbledore down with you.”

The mention of Dumbledore left Hagrid speechless.

“You’re right… I can’t bring trouble to Dumbledore.” He sighed. “Louis, how long can I keep him?”

“See your door? Once Norbert’s too big to squeeze through, that’s when he has to go,” Louis estimated. That would be around Easter.

“But how do we send him away?” Hermione raised the key issue. “By then, he’ll be too large to hide in a pocket. And where do we even send him?”

Both she and Hagrid looked at Louis. He spread his hands. “Don’t look at me. I don’t have any connections.”

“True enough. Your family are all Muggles, no way you’d know,” Hagrid sighed.

“But really, Hagrid, don’t you know someone who does?” Louis asked slyly. He refused to believe Ron had never bragged about his brother working with dragons in Romania.

“Let me think… Oh! Ron! He said his brother’s in Romania studying dragons!” Hagrid exclaimed. “But if Norbert goes there, won’t he be bullied?”

“Don’t worry about that yet. Just tell Ron to write to his brother. Otherwise, you’ll run out of time,” Louis advised.

Of course, Louis didn’t mention that Norbert would never actually make it to Romania—because he intended to intercept the dragon himself. Right now, though, he was playing the part of the helpful friend, not the scheming villain.

And so, with much weeping and reluctance, Hagrid “happily” agreed to send Norbert away.

“Happily” enough that he was bawling his eyes out.

....

“Almost forgot—I still have a Legendary Draw left.”

Inside the Room of Requirement, Louis slouched on the sofa, idly polishing the Tiger Talisman as the thought crossed his mind.

That draw was his reward from Christmas Eve, when he healed Fluffy, the three-headed dog. No one had noticed that Chuan had secretly irritated the beast by jabbing its ear, and Louis had reaped the credit. Most likely, the reward had come from Dumbledore himself.

Since he remembered, he might as well use it.

Louis yawned, half-closing his eyes as he initiated the lottery.

To be honest, ever since he’d pulled that useless Rod, he’d been wary of the draws. Sometimes he suspected his supposed “European luck” was a lie and that he was actually some poor chief smuggled in from Africa.

“Please, don’t let it be another useless piece of junk…” Louis muttered, not even sure which deity he was praying to.

His storage space was already piled with “precious trash.”

For example:

- The Legendary waste item, the Spark Prism Rod.

- The Perfect-grade trash, mountains of Holy Relics.

- Devil Fruits, currently classified as “temporary waste.”

And there were other things that weren’t trash, but weren’t useful either—like high-tech gear from the science side. From plasma grenades to exoskeletons, he had enough to outfit a futuristic super-soldier.

But what use was that inside Hogwarts? And he definitely wasn’t going to hand them out for Muggles to study.

If they were to be given away at all, they’d have to be shipped East.

The draw began. Seven-colored lights flashed brilliantly before him. Louis cracked his eyes open a slit, watching the process—just to give the system a little respect.

Finally, the radiance faded. A colossal shadow appeared before him.

Damn it—don’t tell me it’s another Ultraman!

Louis’s eyes widened in alarm. Luckily, it wasn’t a giant of light, but the phantom of an enormous tree.

The shadow condensed, transforming into a tiny seed that landed in his palm, making his hand tremble.

It was just a seed, no larger than a fingernail—yet it felt as heavy as a world, as though it carried an entire cosmos within it.

> You have drawn a Legendary Special Item: Fast-Grown Seed of Yggdrasil.

> Plant it to rapidly grow into a World Tree.

> Due to the accelerated growth, it cannot generate a full macrocosm, but it can stabilize a space and transform it into a true world.

A World Tree seed—though an “instant” version.

Louis opened his eyes fully now, starlight flickering in their depths as he stared at the seed.

He could already see countless possibilities upon it. His Eyes of Fate pierced the veil of time, glimpsing the near future—

In a Reality Marble wreathed with flowers, a World Tree swayed like a forest in the wind, its leaves whispering. And upon its crown, a great dragon stood tall, raising its head and roaring at the sky.

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