Sean's system panel pinged with the results of defeating Tom.
[Duel Victory: Randomly draw three abilities from the opponent.]
[Drawing…]
[Draw Complete: Obtained Blasting Curse LV3, Transfiguration LV3, Talent: Magic Awakening (3/7)]
Three abilities acquired.
Although this was only Voldemort in his student form, the rewards were still thrilling. Not only did Sean gain the Level 3 Blasting Curse and Transfiguration, but also another fragment of the rare Magic Awakening talent!
And the improvement was tangible—LV3 Transfiguration directly shattered the bottleneck he had faced at Level 2. Concepts that once seemed muddled or unreachable now clicked into place with a mere nudge of thought. It was like gaining an entire year's worth of insight in a heartbeat.
All Sean could think was: Voldemort really is a generous teacher… and terrifyingly overpowered.
Of course, besides these three incredible gifts from Mr. Riddle himself, Sean also received one more bonus—courtesy of Miles, the poor puppet caught in the middle.
[Duel Victory: Randomly draw one ability from the opponent.]
[Drawing…]
[Draw Complete: Obtained Lumos LV2]
A Level 2 Lumos Spell.
After all that effort, that's what Miles had to offer?
Sean sighed internally.
Truly living up to your useless reputation, Miles.
"Sigh…"
Sean let out a breath.
People really shouldn't be so unsatisfied. It wasn't good for them.
The abilities granted by the diary were already powerful enough—and Sean could handle the crap Miles gave him.
Thinking of Miles, Sean glanced over at the boy, who was now barely breathing. Without hesitation, he pulled out two potions from the box on his back and poured them into Miles's mouth. With those potions, Miles wouldn't die. This was only for the sake of his cheap grandfather, Gideon. Otherwise, the Bulstrode family would be one member short today.
Magic surged within his body—Sean could feel it clearly. His third magic awakening was coming.
Before it began, he rushed to the basilisk's massive head. With practiced hands, he removed its two shattered eyes and stored them in a box. Then he collected some of its blood, sliced off a portion of meat, and carefully stored everything away.
By the time he finished, the awakening was overwhelming. He couldn't suppress it any longer. Sean quickly packed up, found a spot, lay down on the ground, and welcomed the coming storm of power.
The moment his head touched the earth, he lost consciousness.
This time, Sean remained in a coma for an exceptionally long time, and when he finally woke up, three days had passed.
Sitting up in bed, Sean felt the magic power surging within him. He had a strong sense that if he were to duel Tom again, he would probably win—with the help of this newfound power.
There was still a bit of time left in second year, and Sean intended to enjoy the remaining days of normal school life. Of course, during that time, he still had to complete his thesis—especially the one on the Wit-Recovery Potion. Sean planned to submit it to Golden Crucible before the school year ended, so life would still be tightly packed.
Snap...
The door to the ward opened.
Familiar people. Familiar voices. Familiar scene.
Gideon stood at the door and said with a touch of regret, "Maybe I'll be coming to see you in this same place next year?"
"Next year…" Sean thought about the situation for a moment, then shook his head. "Unlikely."
"Why are you so sure?" Gideon asked with a smile, taking a seat beside Sean's bed.
"That's part of my personal plan. Next year, I'll probably just study quietly and write papers quietly. I actually prefer that kind of life. Things have been too hectic lately, and I don't enjoy it much."
Gideon nodded and smiled. "You handled Barnabas's situation quite well."
At that, Sean raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'm not the least bit surprised you know about it."
Without lingering on the topic, Gideon looked at Sean and said, "I really appreciate what you did for Miles. If it weren't for you, he probably would've died from that dark magic item in the Malfoy family's hands."
"If it weren't for me, Miles wouldn't have ended up in such a state in the first place."
"One thing at a time. What matters is that you saved his life—that's a fact."
Sean wasn't sure if Gideon had caught the implication in his earlier words, but regardless, Gideon's reply was perfectly measured.
"How are the Malfoys doing? I assume the Bulstrode family wouldn't let a chance like this slip by?"
Gideon smiled and nodded. "I asked for their dragon farm in Romania. The dragon materials produced there each year are extremely valuable—enough to cover the damages.
"Of course, as thanks for saving Miles, the dragon farm is now under your father's name. I thought you'd be happier if it was under his name, right?"
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"Ah, you only call me 'Grandfather' when there's something in it for you. I've got you all figured out, little guy."
Despite his teasing, Gideon showed no hint of blame.
Looking at Gideon, Sean paused for a moment, then asked,"If—just if—my brother or sister is born, and they turn out to be a Squib, what would you do?"
"Whether my grandson or granddaughter is a wizard or not," Gideon said gently, "they'll have a grandfather and grandmother who love them. Are you satisfied with that answer?"
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"When you're on vacation after this semester, come to our house for dinner. Your grandmother misses you very much. She wants to see you—and your parents. You can blame me, blame your uncle if you want—but don't blame her. She's always missed you and your parents. It was me who didn't let her see you before. If you're upset, you can direct that at me."
"As long as my parents don't blame me, I won't have any problems. Don't worry, Grandfather."
Gideon looked at Sean, nodded slowly, and without saying anything more, stood up and prepared to leave.
Just before walking out, he turned back and said,"Oh, and Sean—the notebook I gave you contains a lot of powerful magic. You're free to study it. But most of it is dark magic. You must remember—never let anyone else see that notebook. And don't reveal the spells you learn from it. I think you understand what I'm saying, right?"
"I understand. Thank you for the advice, Grandfather."