The entire morning, Viktor tried to appease Hermione, but his efforts were in vain. He followed her everywhere, offered her candy, and swore that he would never behave that way again. But Hermione was unyielding. Her silence and cold, disapproving glare were worse than any shouting. Finally, he gave up. In desperation, he went to the Room of Requirement for the whole day to fully immerse himself in his new dream.
He was obsessed with an idea that had come to him after visiting the Mirror of Erised: to combine magic with techniques from anime. Some charms were relatively easy to "fake" to resemble anime techniques, especially from Naruto. For example, he modified the Fire-Making Charm so that flames burst from his mouth like the Fireball Jutsu, and to create illusory Shadow Clones that could distract an opponent, he could use Transfiguration. Of course, these spells were only a pale imitation of the originals, but even this result filled Viktor with delight.
However, creating completely new spells that fully resembled techniques from the Naruto universe was much more difficult. This required a deep understanding of not only magic but also runic alchemy. He decided to continue making alchemical items to better master the runes.
He spent the whole day creating various defensive and offensive amulets that he had invented himself during the holidays. He had improved his Cooling Rune so much that he could now combine more than six spells on his amulets. He was eager to improve them so they wouldn't wear out and would recharge themselves, but he ran into a problem: the materials in the Room of Requirement were not infinite. This fact slightly upset him.
Tired of the constant concentration, at the end of the day, he decided to distract himself and began writing his new alchemical project, titled "Uchiha." The project was dedicated to creating the Sharingan. If Flamel could create the Philosopher's Stone, which grants immortality, why not try to create eyes that he could replace to gain some advantage? When it was time for dinner, Viktor, tired but pleased with his work, went to the Great Hall.
Upon entering, he immediately headed for his table. On the way, he noticed that the pure-blood scions, whom he had already forgotten about, were looking at him with a strange smirk. After he had given them a good dose of "discipline," they tried not to attract his attention, but today something was different.
Sitting down in his place next to Daphne, Viktor turned to her:
— Why are our friends smiling at me like that? Did they grow some balls over the holidays? — he asked, not taking his eyes off the smirking faces.
But before Daphne could answer, another voice spoke from across the table.
— They simply complained about you to their families, and they were promised that you would disappear in the summer and not come back for your second year, — the voice said coldly.
Viktor looked at the speaker in surprise.
— Emma? Are you still a student? I thought you finished school a long time ago, — he said with genuine bewilderment.
Daphne, sitting next to him, quietly whispered:
— Her name is Gemma.
Gemma frowned, her eyebrows meeting at the bridge of her nose.
— You don't even remember your Prefect's name? And just so you know, I'm only in my fifth year; I have two more years to go, — she replied with annoyance in her voice.
Viktor, trying to smooth over the awkwardness, changed the subject.
— And what were you saying about the summer? And how do you have that information? — he asked.
Gemma sighed, as if she were tired of his oddities.
— These families will not tolerate someone bullying their children, — Gemma explained. — I know this because they came to my family and offered to unite. They won't deal with you themselves, but they'll hire someone to "take care" of you.
Viktor looked at Daphne, and she nodded with a serious face.
— They came to us too, — Daphne confirmed. — They want it to be a joint decision. That way, if Dumbledore tries to interfere, they will have a numerical advantage. He won't go against so many influential families.
Viktor froze for a moment, and then he clapped his hands together happily.
— My god, I feel like I'm in some kind of action movie! I offended the children of influential families, and they're starting to send various thugs after me! This is so intriguing, — he said, delighted.
Daphne asked with a note of anxiety in her voice:
— Aren't you afraid?
Viktor looked at her, then laughed loudly so that several students turned around.
— Remember, in this life, I only fear myself, — he replied, wiping away the tears that had formed from laughing.
After he finished laughing, he began to actively fill his plate with food. Daphne and Gemma just looked at each other in silence, as if asking the unspoken question, "What is wrong with him?" Then Gemma sighed, stood up, and left.
Daphne, watching Viktor meticulously cut his meat, asked:
— Is it just me, or have you become even crazier?
Viktor stopped and seriously pondered her words.
— No, I was always like this, — he replied, — maybe because the holidays were very boring, my head problems have gotten a little worse. — He smiled and continued eating.
— What if it's not because of boredom?
Viktor froze, lost in thought.
— Maybe you're right. I think I need to see a psychiatrist. Is there a psychiatrist at school?
— What does a psychiatrist do?
Viktor looked at her in surprise, then realized he had asked a silly question, because being a little cracked is quite natural for wizards; one of them even runs the school.
— By the way, don't forget about George. I reminded him too; he'll come to your room after dinner.
Viktor looked at Daphne happily, his eyes even getting a little teary.
— It's so good you're back, and I don't have to remember this useless information. — He took her hand and whispered, almost crying: — Thank you.
After dinner, Viktor watched a pillow fly across his room.
— See? It's not that hard; all it takes is more practice.
George smiled awkwardly.
— Fine, you did great, and now can you gather the first three years in the common room? I need to make an announcement.
George nodded and, happy, left.
Viktor walked to his desk, opened the diary Hermione had given him. It was titled: Project "Uchiha," and it even had a description of what he expected the eyes to do. But he didn't understand how to bring it to life. After pondering for a few minutes, he closed the diary and went to the common room.
Upon descending, he noticed that everyone was waiting for him. Almost all of the first, second, and third years were there, even a few older students. The only ones missing were those who didn't support Viktor or remained neutral, but there were few of them in the first three years—they were the ones who supported the ideology of pure-blood supremacy.
— I won't keep you in suspense; we're all tired, and tomorrow is the first day of the second semester, so I'll get straight to the point, — Viktor began. — Last semester, we faced the problem that some students failed certain subjects, which, in my opinion, is a disgrace to the whole house, — some students shamefully lowered their heads. — Our Head of House kindly asked me to help the struggling first-years, which I believe I did excellently. And so as not to repeat the mistakes of last semester, students who are having trouble or don't understand something can... no, they must attend my courses. This will take place on the third floor, in the first classroom, from eleven in the morning until five in the evening. We used to work on weekends, but since your humble servant is now obligated to brew potions for our beloved aforementioned Head of House on Saturdays, we will only be meeting on Sundays. Did everyone understand, or are there any questions?
Someone raised a hand and asked:
— What if we still don't succeed even after your classes, for example, I'm very bad at Potions?
Viktor smiled predatorily. His smile sent shivers down everyone's spine.
— Don't worry, after my classes, you'll succeed in everything. You can ask those who have already attended, — he clapped his hands, and his predatory smile turned into a simple one.
— Well, if there are no more questions, you're all free to go.
After the meeting, when everyone started to disperse, Viktor called Daphne to his room.
— Now, tell me more about the family pact. Did your family, the Greengrasses, also agree?
Daphne hesitated but didn't hide anything.
— Viktor, my family isn't exactly pure-blood fanatics...
— But?
Daphne sighed.
— But they couldn't go against the others. Our families are closely connected, especially when it comes to business. We couldn't refuse. I'm sorry.
She felt incredibly ashamed, admitting that her family had supported the idea of killing Viktor. At first, Daphne thought that he would soon be dealt with, and she only helped him because she had no other choice. But after the first year, she had gotten used to him. Yes, he could be difficult at times, but over time, she realized that being with him wasn't so bad. He always protected his own people and helped them. Although his actions often frightened those around him, people were drawn to him because he exuded the aura of a strong leader.
— Well, you don't have to apologize. I'm not stupid and I understand that sometimes there's no other way out. All right, now, in detail, what exactly are they planning?
Daphne looked at him with a smirk.
— You said you weren't afraid.
Viktor smiled.
— I'm not afraid, but, as I said, I'm not so dumb as to act without a plan.
Daphne nodded.
— I don't know the details, but I think they'll first follow you to find out where you live and if Dumbledore has sent anyone to guard you.
— Wait. You mean they don't even know where I live?
— No. They tried to find out at the Ministry of Magic, but Dumbledore chose the house for you himself and left no information.
— What are the chances they'll find me?
— Very small. England is big, and searching the whole country requires a lot of resources. They won't want to spend so much money on searching for some kid.
— Well, that simplifies things. All right, you can go and rest.
Daphne nodded and was about to leave, but Viktor stopped her.
— Daphne, you're a smart girl. Thank you.
Daphne smiled at him and left, closing the door behind her.