Chapter 286: Achievement: Cloak of Death!
If Salazar Slytherin were truly an unredeemable villain, would Godric Gryffindor and the others have been so blind as to become his closest friends and co-found Hogwarts?
Just before they parted, Dylan asked Helena one final question.
"Miss Helena, in your opinion, are pure-blood wizards or half-blood wizards more naturally talented?"
Helena considered the question seriously, without a trace of bias, and then offered her answer.
"Based on my observations over many years, it would have to be half-bloods."
"Pure-blood wizards certainly possess powerful magical energy across the board, but many of them are often stubborn, aggressive, and lack reason."
"Half-blood wizards, comparatively, tend to think more rationally, making it easier for them to achieve greater success."
Dylan nodded casually. It was just a passing question. After all, the wizarding population was small, and magic was so subjective. Success often depended on individual will and enlightenment. The gap between individuals was vast, making it hard to pinpoint how much influence bloodline truly held.
Bidding farewell to Helena, Dylan knew it was time to return.
Passing the fourth floor, he remembered Harry had asked him to retrieve his Invisibility Cloak, so he walked toward the statue of the one-eyed hump-backed witch.
"Dissendium."
Exams were starting tomorrow. At this hour, only Dylan had the confidence to roam freely. He quickly checked his surroundings, ensuring no one would pass by until he emerged from the secret passage covered in dust, then he spoke the charm to open the secret passage.
As the spell was cast, the statue slowly opened, and the tunnel leading to Honeydukes revealed its true appearance to Dylan for the first time.
Dylan did not jump into the tunnel—he certainly didn't want to get covered in ash.
He merely crooked his finger slightly.
Soon, an invisible Telekinetic force probed deep into the passage. A moment later, a strange-looking cloak, enveloped by the force, floated out of the passage.
It was strange because no matter which angle you viewed it from, you could not see its front. Only the backside, exposed by the folds, faintly swayed in the air, looking like random scraps of cloth stitched together, its edges worn and frayed.
This was the Invisibility Cloak, one of the three Deathly Hallows, its practicality ranking between the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand. Although it only granted visual invisibility and could be detected by spells like the Homing Spell or Hominem Revelio, it required no skill to use. It was also immune to the Summoning Charm. Furthermore, from a purely visual standpoint, as long as you ignored any footprints on the ground, its invisibility effect was indeed perfect.
The moment the cloak touched his hand, a refreshing coolness spread up his fingertips. The fabric was fine and smooth, possessing a texture unlike any mundane weave. Dylan lightly rubbed the corner of the cloak, musing to himself. This would definitely be comfortable to use as a blanket in the summer.
Beyond that...
Dylan glanced down at his mental interface, and another Collection Achievement was activated.
Sure enough, the clear look of surprise he'd seen in his divinations, when he was coming out of the tunnel, was nothing more than an act for his other self.
This was confusing. It was one thing for the artifacts of the four Founders to trigger achievements. The Deathly Hallows were clearly a fairy-tale concept, having nothing to do with Death itself. But if even the Invisibility Cloak could trigger a Collection Achievement...
Then why couldn't Voldemort's seven Horcruxes? Was Voldemort really that insignificant?
Dylan silently griped about the interface. He casually wadded up the Invisibility Cloak, shoved it into his pocket, and headed back to the dormitory.
Inside, Harry and the others were reviewing their notes in the common room. A large group was clustered around the tables, hunched over thick books, their brows furrowed, clearly hoping that what they were reading now would appear on tomorrow's exam.
When Dylan returned, Harry immediately closed his book and approached him, remembering Dylan had promised to bring back his Invisibility Cloak.
"Here you go."
Dylan pulled the cloak out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.
"Thank you so much, Dylan!" Harry took the cloak, his face full of gratitude.
After returning the Invisibility Cloak to Harry, Dylan retreated to his bed, drew the curtains, and began examining the information for the new achievement on his interface.
Achievement Details
CategoryDescriptionAchievementCloak of Death!DescriptionYou have discovered the Invisibility Cloak among the Deathly Hallows! Legend says that the one who gathers all three Hallows will become the Master of Death. However, a legend is only a legend.—But, is it truly just a legend?Fulfillment RequirementDiscover and fully master the Invisibility Cloak among the Deathly Hallows (1/1)Achievement RewardInvisibility Cloak
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Sitting on his bed, Dylan stared at the text on the interface for a long time, scratching his head, full of confusion.
That's it?
He had expected the reward to be a practical skill like a maximum-level Disillusionment Charm. His heart sank when he read the achievement description. Did this mean the interface was genuinely going to try and grant him one-third of Death's authority?
But then he saw the reward...
Dylan paused.
Is that it?
Do they even do fake advertising with a dramatic pause these days?
However, setting aside the suspiciously exaggerated description, Dylan thought carefully—the reward might actually be quite good. Everything produced by the interface had been top-notch. Just like his briefcase, which had become his most useful spatial world.
If that was the case, then this Invisibility Cloak was highly likely to be the same as Harry's, only a copy. Looked at this way, it was actually better than a maximum-level Disillusionment Charm, even if he would rarely use it. But that didn't stop him from collecting it and analyzing the mysterious material of the cloak.
Thinking this, Dylan chose to claim the reward.
The next second, a hooded cloak appeared out of thin air in his hand.
This cloak looked different from Harry's. Harry's was invisible on the outside and had a patterned, linen-coloured inner lining.
But the one in his hand... both sides were pure black.
That's right, both sides were black.
How did this look like something that granted invisibility? This just looked like a normal cloak!
Dylan turned the cloak over and over, guessing. Perhaps this was the interface's upgrade to the Invisibility Cloak? With Harry's cloak, the user could easily bump into things because they couldn't see their own body in its invisible state. This cloak, at least, wouldn't make him invisible to himself, which was an advantage.
Dylan put the cloak on and looked down. He looked exactly the same, only with a black cloak draped over him.
Ah, this...
Dylan leaned back against the headboard, a little hesitant to pull back the curtains and ask Harry if he could see him. But if Harry could see him... using an Obliviate Charm on him right before exams didn't seem right.
Just as Dylan was about to use divination to check the result, a furry tail flickered past his eyes without warning.
"Meiqiu, don't..."
Dylan's words caught in his throat. He turned to speak to Meiqiu, but he found that a portion of his arm overlapped with Meiqiu, who had somehow slipped under the curtain and hopped onto the bed!
What was going on?!
Dylan instantly snapped his hand back, the speed creating a small gust of wind. He clenched his fist. The real sensation in his palm confirmed that his hand was perfectly fine, with no abnormalities. The previous scene was too bizarre. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart clenched, as if squeezed by an invisible hand. A flurry of thoughts instantly erupted in his mind: confusion, surprise, and a trace of incredible curiosity.
A few seconds later, his gaze settled on the cloak he had just received. If anything was odd about him right now, it was undoubtedly this cloak.
He blinked hard, trying to calm himself. Then, he took a deep breath and slowly reached out his hand again, extending it toward Meiqiu.
This time, his movements were extremely cautious, his fingers trembling almost imperceptibly. When his palm gently landed on Meiqiu's back, the familiar furry, warm feeling was exactly the same as always.
Sensing the weight on its back, Meiqiu lazily lifted its head and rubbed its furry face against Dylan's wrist, as if begging for affection. Then, it lowered its head, curled up tighter, and continued to nap, completely oblivious.
Feeling Meiqiu's slight breathing under his palm, Dylan furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Why could I pass through it just now, but not now? What was different between the two attempts?
He carefully recalled. The first time he reached out, he didn't know Meiqiu was hiding there; his attention was entirely on the mattress. This time, he was clearly aware Meiqiu was under his hand... Could that be the key? Is it about cognition, or perhaps the subjective will?
The moment the thought surfaced, he decided to try again. He concentrated, silently willing, "I can pass through." Then, he slowly pressed his hand down.
Just then, his hand met no resistance. His palm passed effortlessly through Meiqiu's body and pressed directly onto the mattress. His fingertips could even feel the hardness of the springs inside the mattress.
It was exactly as he suspected!
Dylan's eyes lit up. The first time he passed through Meiqiu and touched the bed was because he subconsciously believed only the bed was there. It would have been strange if he hadn't passed through. The undetected Meiqiu was, in his consciousness, "non-existent," allowing him to pass right through.
Just now, he was clearly aware Meiqiu was there and believed he couldn't pass through, so he couldn't.
Now, he actively willed to "be able to pass through."
And he passed right through the mattress with ease!
To verify his hypothesis, Dylan conducted a few more tests. He first tried to pass his hand through his own body. No matter how much he focused his mind, his palm felt like it hit an invisible wall and wouldn't budge. It seemed that self-cognition was deeply ingrained and couldn't be easily changed.
Next, he used his magic to float his body up, drifting slowly toward the canopy of the four-poster bed. The anticipated obstruction did not occur. His body effortlessly passed through the canopy as if through a thin mist. He floated around the dormitory, able to look down and see the bedding on the bed, the suitcase in the corner, and even the tip of Meiqiu's tail dangling over the edge of the bed.
Then, he controlled his body to slowly descend, sitting back down on the bed.
He could now confirm it: This Invisibility Cloak possessed the ability to negate physical collision! Just like the powers of a Dementor, or Meiqiu!
With this understanding, Dylan immediately believed the cloak could render a person invisible. If it could negate physical collision, what was invisibility to it?
He tested it a few more times using divination. Summoning the cloak with the Summoning Charm yielded no results; the cloak remained still. Casting several ordinary defensive or offensive spells at the cloak had no effect; the spells vanished upon contact. However, the cloak seemed to offer little resistance to powerful, lethal curses. When he tried the Sectumsempra Curse, the spell easily sliced off a corner of the cloak. The Killing Curse completely vaporized that small piece of cloth into dust.
However, what surprised Dylan the most was its Concealment ability.
He took out a blank piece of parchment and tapped it lightly with his wand. An image of the surrounding environment, centered on his location, instantly appeared on the parchment, dotted with small points representing people's names. Yet, the spot where he should have been, the very center, was empty—not a single trace.
Dylan's lips curled into an involuntary smile, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.
Dylan set down the parchment, tracing the smooth edge with his fingertip. The cloak's ability to negate physical collision was certainly novel and interesting, but that was where its utility ended. From the previous divination tests, he knew this ability could not shield a person from magical attacks—unless the spell was simply manipulating an object for a physical impact. Otherwise, any spell involving energy blasts or direct effects on the body was unimpeded.
As for its defensive ability against magic, no matter how strong it was, it couldn't even withstand the Unforgivable Curses. This immediately meant it was vastly inferior to his max-level Shield Charm.
Although the Shield Charm couldn't completely block the damage of an Unforgivable Curse, it could provide a significant buffer, buying him a crucial moment of survival. Against those overwhelming Dark Arts spells, this cloak was virtually no better than ordinary cloth.
Only this Concealment ability truly counted as the most essential and core feature of an Invisibility Cloak. Even Harry's long-inherited Invisibility Cloak would have been revealed by a detection spell similar to the Marauder's Map; the wearer's location would have been clearly marked.
(End of Chapter)
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