Chapter 154: An Unexpected Discovery
"Of course, the premise of this fairness is that you need to have the physical strength of an adult wizard."
"Therefore, experienced wizards will always guard against the Disarming Charm. Let me also remind you: never allow your opponent to take your wand easily. Although I just said that wizards who lose their wands are on equal footing—"
"You must also understand one thing: a wizard's tools are not limited to magic alone. We also rely on magical items. For example, this ring I'm wearing has a spell that restores magical power and usage count."
"In today's class, if anyone meets my standards, I'll give them this ring."
Sakaski Riche paused here before continuing.
"I've already taught you the Disarming Charm. In this lesson, in addition to practicing it, you'll also work on finding the wand-holding technique that suits you best."
Hearing Sakaski Riche's words, Phineas was deeply surprised.
Not because Riche was wrong, but because everything he said was absolutely right. These weren't just common sense in the wizarding world—they were the kinds of truths that powerful wizards often kept to themselves.
Take wand-holding techniques, for example. Whether it was Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, or even Ilvermorny in America, none of them taught how to grip your wand properly. Even when teaching combat magic, they covered only the basics and most common spells.
At present, only Sguller—an academy for combat magic—teaches wand-gripping techniques. This is considered the most basic training for a battle-ready wizard.
Every dueling wizard has a grip and spellcasting method best suited to themselves. It helps them cast spells more smoothly, maintain control over their wand, and avoid being easily disarmed.
Combat-trained wizards often used the "pinch" or "grip" methods. Phineas's own style was a hybrid, leaning more toward the "pinch"—holding the wand with the thumb, index, and middle fingers.
Dumbledore used a classic pinch grip—between his index and middle fingers.
Lessons like this were rarely taught in traditional schools. That Sakaski Riche was now discussing and demonstrating several standard grips confirmed for Phineas that he was genuinely instructing students in combat.
But that in itself was deeply troubling.
Sakaski Riche would never teach like this at Sguller—let alone with such a calm and patient demeanor.
This wasn't the man who had once attacked a family heir and nearly killed him.
Unless the man standing there… wasn't Sakaski Riche.
Phineas regretted returning the Marauder's Map to the twins. If he still had it, he could confirm whether the person teaching the class was truly Riche.
If it wasn't, then something dangerous was going on.
If it was… that might be even worse.
Luckily, Phineas couldn't verify the truth right now—so for the time being, he didn't have to dwell on it.
Riche spent the class teaching the Disarming Charm and wand grips. As for the enchanted ring, no one met his expectations.
Phineas clearly had the skill, but he didn't take the class too seriously.
He already had his own grip and spellcasting techniques—ones he had refined himself. His casting style came from the Black family's ancient texts, optimized for combat.
Although Phineas was deeply unsettled during the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he found no hard evidence of Riche's motives. That lack of clarity left him uneasy—but also powerless.
And so, the days passed, with Sakaski's classes continuing in much the same fashion.
Strangely, he did seem committed to teaching the students real defense: combat magic, and how to resist dark forces.
But then one day, something changed.
A Slytherin student from Phineas's year was summoned to Sakaski's office for "private tutoring." This raised alarm bells.
Because it wasn't the first time Sakaski had done this.
Before, Phineas hadn't paid attention—he didn't know those students, and they weren't in his class. But this time was different. He knew this boy.
The student was a member of the Nott family—the same family that had compiled the infamous Sacred Twenty-Eight list of pure-bloods.
Young Nott was talented in Defense Against the Dark Arts and had strong combat skills. Second only to Phineas in Slytherin.
But he wasn't so advanced that he needed private lessons.
There was no reason for him to be singled out—yet Sakaski summoned him anyway.
Phineas started asking around Slytherin House.
Thanks to his connections with the Flint family, he soon confirmed what he feared: Sakaski had been calling different students to his office for weeks now. Always different ones. Always privately.
And now Phineas realized—Sakaski's real plan at Hogwarts had already begun.
The thought sent a chill through him.
He knew Sakaski well enough to understand one thing: this man did not care about the rules of the Elders' Council. He was entirely capable of targeting Phineas himself.
Whatever his goal was, removing Phineas was not just possible—it was likely.
And if that was true, Phineas couldn't afford to wait around.
He stood up, left the Slytherin common room, and made his way straight to the Headmaster's office on the seventh floor.
Because no matter how powerful he was becoming, he was still a student. This was something for the professors to handle.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as Phineas entered.
"So, Mr. Black," the old wizard said with a half-smile. "What brings you to the office of this ancient headmaster you supposedly dislike so much?"
Phineas sighed. "Professor, I may be wary of you, but there's no need to poke at me like that, is there? Didn't we already agree—I wouldn't harm Hogwarts, I'd help fight You-Know-Who, and in return, you'd protect me."
Dumbledore nodded, smiling gently. "So, have you found new clues about Voldemort… or has someone else started coming after you?"
From Dumbledore's expression, Phineas could tell—when he had previously warned him about Sakaski, the Headmaster had found nothing useful.