When Avada finally returned to the familiar warmth of the Hufflepuff Common Room and saw all those familiar faces again, he immediately decided he wasn't going to think about anything else.
Right now, all he wanted was to sleep—sleep until he woke up naturally, whenever that might be!
So he put that thought into action at once. After greeting Cedric, his three roommates, and a few other friends, he headed straight to his dormitory, collapsed face-first onto the soft mattress, and instantly lost consciousness.
When he finally woke up feeling wonderfully refreshed and wandered into the Common Room in search of breakfast, he found himself staring at a room full of shocked Hufflepuffs.
"It's already nine o'clock at night! You slept for fourteen hours straight!"
Summers exaggerated wildly, "I checked on you several times! I asked if you wanted lunch or dinner… but you were snoring away and didn't hear anything. Fourteen hours! You didn't budge once!"
"Huh?"
Avada blinked, then suddenly understood. "I guess the pressure from before was too much. I'd been tense for days, and when it suddenly disappeared, I finally relaxed. So I slept longer than usual… Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Of course we know you're fine. Considering how swamped you were, it's a miracle you didn't drop earlier. Oh, and we saved you dinner—but the problem is…"
"What problem?"
"The problem is that if you wake up at this hour, you won't sleep tonight at all. What are you going to do about tomorrow's classes?"
"..."
"Actually, it's not that big of a deal."The upper-year student who had previously sold Avada Wit-Sharpening Potion overheard them and chuckled. "Just brew a dose of Sleeping Draught—it's simple. Heat powdered daffodil roots with mugwort and you're done."
"I just can't sleep for one night, and you want me to drink Draught of Living Death?!" Avada yelped.
"What are you thinking? The real Draught of Living Death is far more complicated—you'd need at least sixth-year brewing skill. What I'm talking about is merely the base solution—a very rudimentary sleep aid…"
In the end, following the older student's advice, Avada brewed a basic version of the Living Death base and drank it before bed. He also begged his roommates to wake him up on time and, if he couldn't wake, to pour Pepperup Potion down his throat.
…
After getting thoroughly scolded by Professor Snape for "recklessly using excessive amounts of Pepperup Potion," Avada finally finished his day of classes.
He wolfed down a few bites in the Great Hall, then headed straight for the third floor. He resisted the urge to use Disillusionment and walked to the familiar Defense Against the Dark Arts office—where he found Baron already waiting.
They exchanged a silent nod, then knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door unlocked with a click, opening by itself to reveal Professor Baker, who greeted them with a calm, knowing smile—as if he didn't need to open the door to know who stood outside.
"Come in, your rewards are ready…"
Once Avada and Baron stepped inside, he waved his wand and shut the door behind them.
Then he walked to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and lifted out a large bag.
"First, each of you will receive five hundred Galleons. I know neither of you is particularly strapped for money, but five hundred Galleons is no small sum—it's practically all the cash I carry. I've also reimbursed you for the materials you purchased; the receipts are inside…"
He held up a hand before they could protest."No refusals unless the two of you believe my life wasn't worth at least a thousand Galleons."
With that, he pulled out two money pouches and then two identical booklets, placing one set before each of them.
"And next…"
Professor Baker smiled mysteriously. "This is the real highlight today."
"What is it?"
The books were tiny—how much valuable knowledge could they possibly contain?
"Remember the 'Dual Casting' I mentioned?" Professor Baker said with a grin. "These booklets contain the training methods for it."
"You're giving us your trump card?!"
Avada was genuinely shocked. Of course he remembered the technique—Professor Baker had warned them since the beginning that if they didn't break his first wand at the start of a duel, he could fight using two wands at once, multiplying the pressure they faced.
"I trust you both not to go blabbering about it. Besides, it's not as overwhelming as you imagine."
He explained, "The essence of Dual Casting is splitting your focus, but that dramatically increases mental strain. You can't use it as a routine technique, and it won't magically double your combat ability. It's meant to break stalemates with a surprise advantage."
"But for enemies who don't know it exists, it's practically fatal—nearly every formidable opponent who pushed me to my limits fell to this technique, including Aethelred. I deliberately cut that part from the memory playback earlier."
"And now, two more things…"
Two more?Professor Baker retrieved two additional books.
"These contain the real theory behind the magic Repentance. Up until now, you two merely followed my instructions while setting it up—you never learned the underlying principles. Since you managed to construct the spell correctly, I believe this knowledge will be useful to you."
"But… the content is extremely advanced—and some sections are incomplete. You shouldn't expect to fully understand it before graduation."
"And lastly, I prepared one personal gift for each of you."
Under their stunned gazes, he lifted a familiar black crystal sphere.
"This one is for Mr. Shafiq."
"Professor," Baron stammered, pointing at it, "is that…?"
"Yes. The very container that once held my consciousness."
Seeing Baron's horrified expression, Professor Baker laughed lightly."I know what you're thinking, but relax. It won't suddenly suck your mind into it. Not unless you accidentally split your consciousness and then deciphered a mountain of obscure research texts like I did…"
"It currently has only two functions. First: durability—extreme durability. It can withstand Fiendfyre for ten seconds. Second: once per month, it can 'prophesy' the danger level of something you intend to do. When you activate it, one to seven stars will appear inside—one being safest, seven being most dangerous. I've written the instructions in the booklet."
"And once you grow stronger, you may attempt to decode it. You'll find many miraculous and practical techniques hidden within—useful enough to greatly benefit you. Consider it my thanks for saving my life. Are you satisfied, Mr. Shafiq?"
"Why would you add a prophecy function to your own container?" Baron asked, now more at ease, though still curious.
"To disguise it. When people believe the object already has a legitimate purpose, they stop suspecting it might hold a wizard's consciousness."He said this casually—but then his expression shifted, revealing rare hesitation and conflict.
"As for Mr. Kent's gift… Mr. Kent, you're a Hufflepuff, yes? Then I believe you're qualified to receive this."
He slowly reached into the bag and withdrew the final item: a book as thick as a dictionary and as large as a magazine, bound in pitch-black material with heavy clasps sealing it shut.
"Mr. Kent, I need a drop of blood on this book to bind it. That will ensure only you can read its contents."
Avada froze for a moment, then conjured a needle and jabbed his arm—no way was he poking his fingertip, that hurt too much. A drop of blood smeared onto the cover.
"Good."
Professor Baker slid the tome toward him and fixed him with a grave stare.
"The knowledge within may touch upon the world's deepest, most fundamental truths. It is profound and mesmerizing—but if you lose caution and reverence while exploring it, you may pay an unknown price…"
"I can sense you carry a great secret—don't be alarmed. I suspected it ever since you correctly identified my container as a Dark artifact. Everything that followed only confirmed my guess. And I believe your character is strong enough to handle this knowledge. So I entrust it to you, as repayment for saving my life. Take it. No arguments. If you feel it's too valuable, then use the knowledge inside to accomplish something worthy of its worth."
"And to avoid unnecessary risks, I've placed a seal on the book. You won't be able to open it until sixth year."
"Whew…"
After watching Avada and Baron leave and close the door behind them, Professor Baker leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply.
"Hyper-acute Magical Perception…? Or perhaps… the ability to gaze directly at the 'source'…?"
(End of Chapter)