Hogwarts Raven (Harry Potter)

As the saying goes, "If words don't shock, they're not worth saying."

Morgan Morgan's words rang out like the dull toll of a massive bell, exploding inside Ian's mind. His expression gradually shifted from shock to an incredulous and suspicious disbelief.

"You're saying… the skeleton that made a contract with me… is actually a god?" Ian's voice was filled with a kind of indescribable astonishment.

He thought his imagination was already wild enough. He had assumed the black-robed skeleton might be some legendary figure, but who could have guessed that sometimes reality is even more absurd and bizarre than fantasy?

"What else could it be? Have you ever seen your teacher strolling around the mortal world for no reason? Even I can't do that, do you think any other legendary figure could break the boundary between life and death?"

Morgan sneered.

Her words… did seem to make some sense.

"True. I boiled its bones for so long and it didn't even get osteoporosis. That definitely doesn't look like any regular human bone." Ian always had a way of offering completely baffling arguments.

"…"

Even Morgan didn't know how to respond to that. To be honest, she didn't even dare imagine what Ian was doing boiling human bones in the first place. Not even the most evil dark wizards she knew were into that sort of thing.

"The contract between you two… its duration is ten thousand years, right?" Morgan chose to change the subject. The information she got from Ariana's unstable messages wasn't very detailed.

She only had a rough idea of the kind of accident Ian had gotten into.

Yes, an accident.

To snatch someone back from the hands of the Death God… and for Ian to return so quickly, this had far exceeded the legendary witch's expectations. It also allowed her to clearly glean two pieces of information:

First.

The power this young wizard possesses is even greater than she had imagined.

Second.

The Death God may be even weaker than she had initially estimated. And this, in turn, supports the first point; after all, the more power Ian now has, the more the Death God must have lost.

"Yes. At least that skeleton said the contract would last ten thousand years… Didn't I even ask you to help analyze it before?" Ian suspected Morgan might be developing memory loss.

"I wasn't a party to the contract, nor a witness. The fact that I could even help you analyze whether it was a trap or not already proves how capable I am. What more do you expect? That I should know every detail?" Morgan let out an unashamed, mocking laugh.

Ian dared not talk back.

"As long as I know there's no harm to me, then it's all good. My only fear is running into another scammer like that Slytherin guy." Ian looked visibly relieved, which made Morgan sneer again.

"I'd advise you not to celebrate too early," Morgan's tone turned to tease. "You should know, gods do not allow themselves to be taken advantage of for no reason."

"A contract with one of them, even if they're down and out, would only ever be one between equals. I think you understand what that implies, right?"

She didn't give Ian any time to reply.

Morgan continued in a calm, unhurried tone, "It means that the transaction between you two was a fair exchange. It gave ten thousand years of service, so what exactly did you give in return?"

She was tossing a question back at Ian.

"Give it love?"

Ian thought about how even while it was being boiled into soup, the black-robed skeleton still kept muttering those same words. Of course, he knew that the legendary witch likely meant something far less vague than that.

He simply couldn't come up with the real answer himself, which is why he was hoping Morgan would provide one. Even if she didn't, playing dumb might still earn him a hint, that would be good enough.

"That's only part of your contract." Morgan gave a sidelong glance at Ian. Of course she could read his thoughts, but she chose not to call him out on it. "The real price is hidden beneath the surface of that agreement."

"By using your power, it broke free from the Death God's imprisonment, which naturally required it to pay some compensation. But in my opinion, that compensation alone isn't worth ten thousand years of loyalty."

"That's exactly why, perhaps, and I mean perhaps, the contract also includes a clause where you must seek revenge for it. Or perhaps for a civilization it once protected."

Morgan gave her personal interpretation.

Although it was just speculation, Her tone still carried a sense of certainty.

"Come on now, that guy couldn't even beat the Death God, and he expects me to fight the Death God?" Ian had always had a good sense of self-awareness, so he never went out of his way to provoke trouble he probably couldn't handle.

However,

"The Death God only manages things that are dead. Who said the disaster that destroyed Him and His civilization was the Death God?" Morgan's voice, full of implication, took an unexpected turn.

"If it wasn't the Death God, then what was it?" Ian was quite surprised.

"Heh, if I knew that, I wouldn't still be just a legend… That's a mystery you have to figure out. All I know is that the gods vanished, many of them, in droves."

"Everyone assumes they died. As for how they died… maybe Merlin knows. If you can find where he's hiding, maybe you could go ask him."

Morgan spread her long hands, clearly expressing her helplessness.

"Only Merlin knows the truth?" Ian, too, was curious about why the gods disappeared, and why they never reappeared.

"Of course. Though I'm not too fond of him, I still have to admit, he had more guts than any of us. He walked the path of godhood. Unfortunately, it's clear that the belief of wizards wasn't enough to help him succeed. As for where he is now… I'm guessing he's still somewhere in the Twilight Zone."

"There's no obsession greater than a failed ascension to godhood."

Morgan was still speculating, but for the first time, her tone wavered with a touch of uncertainty.

"Tch, trying to become a god… That really takes more guts than I have." Ian expressed sincere admiration for Merlin, but the legendary witch gave him a strange look.

"I think trying to replace the Creator, that's what real guts look like." She suddenly sighed without explanation, then continued without giving Ian time to ponder it.

"If you want answers, then put your strengths to use. Dig deep and drag those hiding bastards out." The voice of the legendary dark witch had a very clear tone of encouragement, no matter how you listened to it.

"I know where King Arthur's tomb is. Maybe I can find some info about Merlin inside?" Ian perked up the moment he brought it up. He didn't even need anyone to push him. Ever since he got an address from Nick Flamel, Ian had been obsessively researching how to improve the [Corpse Control Curse], which could only manipulate physical bodies.

He firmly believed there must be magic that could pull the actual soul from skeletal remains. He just hadn't found it yet, or figured out how it might work.

Maybe Voldemort's resurrection methods could offer some inspiration.

"Hm? Arthur's tomb?" Morgan's gaze froze for a moment at his words.

The next second, the way she looked at Ian suddenly became… dangerous.

"You know where it is, and you're not digging it up yet? What are you waiting for? What, are you so respectful of that legendary king that you suddenly grew a conscience?"

Oh boy.

So much for family affection.

This was 100% a death trap question.

"Of course not! I just thought I should prepare better first. See, I've already got the tools ready. So I am just waiting to make all the arrangements, and then I'll take my good friend Pandero on an adventure!"

Ian quickly showed off the grave-robbing kit he got from Nick Flamel and laid out his plan. His eccentric teacher only paused for a moment.

Then,

The legendary dark witch's expression instantly softened and there was even a hint of affection in her eyes.

"Good! Very good! You truly are my favorite apprentice!" Morgan even reached out to pat Ian's head, her voice full of that proud, "the student surpasses the master" kind of comfort.

As expected,

He really wasn't a dark wizard after all.

Compared to the textbook definition of a dark wizard standing in front of him, he was practically a saint.

(To Be Continued…)

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