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That afternoon, Augustus stepped out of the dorm. In the Slytherin common room, the other four—Loki and his group—were already waiting for him.
"Mr. Augustus, you're here. So where are we going to train our magic? I've been at Hogwarts for a whole year and still haven't found any place that could work as a training ground," Malfoy said as he walked up to him.
"I found a room by accident. It's actually perfect for training. I have to say, Hogwarts really is full of surprises—there are hidden places everywhere if you know how to look," Augustus replied calmly.
"A place like that? Now I'm curious," Lilian said with a smile.
"Come on, it's getting late," Augustus said, glancing at them before turning around and leading the way out of the Slytherin common room. The four of them walked together toward their destination, following the massive floating staircases.
By 1:30, they had left the common room and were moving along the maze of staircases. After a short while, they reached the seventh floor.
They continued down the hallway toward the interior of the castle, stopping in front of a blank wall with a portrait across from it—Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach a troll to dance ballet.
"This is the place," Augustus said, signaling that they'd arrived.
"But… there's nothing here," Malfoy said, frowning at the empty wall and the portrait.
"Idiot. In the wizarding world, nothing is often the biggest clue. Think of Diagon Alley or Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Seriously, how is a pure-blood wizard this clueless?" Loki scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Oh, spare us, genius. Don't stoop to our level, us poor ordinary folk. It's totally normal for us 'commoners' not to notice the giant flashing clue that's so obvious to your all-seeing eyes," Malfoy said in an exaggerated tone, looking annoyed.
"Well, looks like Loki figured it out," Augustus said, nodding. "It's all about this wall. Just focus your thoughts on what you need from the room, and it'll appear."
He turned to face the wall. Across from them, both the troll and his enthusiastic ballet teacher paused mid-lesson to watch.
The next moment, a polished wooden door shimmered into view on the wall. Malfoy stared at it, a little nervous. Augustus reached out, turned the brass handle, and pushed it open.
Inside was a spacious room lit by torches, looking like a dungeon just below the eighth floor. Wooden bookshelves lined the walls, but there were no chairs—just several huge silk cushions laid out on the floor.
At one end of the room stood a bookshelf holding what looked like sneakoscopes and secrecy sensors, and a large Foe-Glass hung nearby.
"Perfect spot to practice Stunning Spells," Malfoy muttered, poking one of the cushions with his foot.
"Check out these books!" Lilian said, running her fingers along the spines. "'Essential Counter-Curses'... 'Outsmarting the Dark Arts'... 'A Guide to Self-Defense Spells'... Wow…" She turned to look at Augustus, beaming.
"Not bad at all," Loki said, and even with his picky standards, he had to admit it was a great place to train.
"Mr. Augustus, what are those?" Malfoy asked, pointing to the sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.
"Dark magic detectors," Augustus explained as he walked over. "Basically, if a dark wizard or an enemy gets close, they'll react. But don't rely on them too much—they can be tricked."
He stared at the Foe-Glass. Vague dark shadows moved within it, but it was impossible to tell who they were. He turned back around.
"Alright, time to start training. But first, a little test. This will help us figure out which type of magic suits each of you best," Augustus said, clapping his hands to get their attention.
"Magic types? You mean magic has elements or something?" Loki asked, surprised.
"Yep. The magic and theory I'm going to teach you from now on comes from a system you've never encountered before. It's totally separate from the magic you've learned so far—an entirely different system. Think of it as a new world of magic that's about to open up before you."
The three of them grew serious. A whole new system of magic? A world they'd never seen before? Somehow, they could feel it—this choice might just change their fate forever.
Augustus drove a silver wand into the ground. A powerful wave of magic burst out from the spot. His robes fluttered in the surge, and the three students struggled to keep their eyes open.
Then, fourteen giant stone slabs rose up from the floor, forming a perfect circle. Strange, ancient runes were carved into each one, written in deep black and rugged Muse script.
At the very center of the circle was a dark void, from which magical energy poured out in a shimmering state—somewhere between gas and liquid—splitting into fourteen separate streams that each connected to a different stone.
What shocked Loki wasn't just the power, but how the energy wasn't evenly split among the stones. Instead, the moment it burst out, it transformed into fourteen completely different types of energy. The precision was unreal—this wasn't some basic surface-level analysis like a surgeon cutting skin. This was someone operating at the level of the soul.
"These fourteen stones represent fourteen different elemental types of magic.
What you need to do is place your hand on the magical source in the center—it'll determine your magic attribute," Augustus explained, gesturing for them to begin.
Loki stepped into the circle first and placed his hand on the source. Instantly, he felt a pull in his palm. A strange energy passed through him and shot into the center. A second later, one of the stones lit up, sparkling with frost and glowing with a chilly light.
"Ice element," Augustus said simply.
Loki nodded and stepped out of the circle.
Next up was Lilian. As soon as her palm touched the source, another stone lit up. Flames roared to life.
"Fire element," Augustus said, clearly pleased—these were the same two elements he had mastered to legendary levels.
Malfoy went last. When he touched the energy source, the result was wind—an unusual element, but one known for its flexibility and agility among all magical attributes.
"....."