Immediately after leaving Sirius, I headed straight for our training room. I couldn't wait to finally test Cruor Flores, so I flew through the castle without a single stop. I didn't even bother changing into more comfortable clothes. Fortunately, my right hand had fully recovered by then. It was good to verify in a controlled environment that more serious tissue damage, such as affected nerves, took significantly longer to heal. I realized it would likely be the same with blood vessels and internal organs. Though I was exceptionally resilient, I was certainly not indestructible.
Lost in thought, I reached our family training dummy. It was visually far more detailed and bore a much stronger resemblance to a real human than that prehistoric piece of wood at Grimmauld Place. I was genuinely curious whether the desperate, agony-filled screaming I had detected on a magical level during Sirius's casting was caused by the spell's effect itself, or if that Black family dummy was terrifyingly unique and hid some dark secret.
I paused in front of it for a moment. Deep breath in, hold, slow exhale.
As soon as my mind was absolutely calm, I locked a firm visualization into my head. I imagined the opponent's circulatory system, where the fluid turns against its own host and transforms into sharp, black, thorny crystals.
"Cruor Flores!" I barked the incantation, a blood-red jet of light flying from my yew wand that very second. It hit the dummy with absolute precision, right in the center of the chest.
Immediately after, only a soft, quiet cracking sound, resembling the snapping of dry twigs, echoed through the room, but it faded almost instantly. Against the magical background, absolutely no desperate screaming erupted.
Although the spell succeeded on my very first try, its effect was so minimal that I mentally considered it an outright failure. While it would probably cause some discomfort to a real target, in an actual duel it would be useless for now—even if I were allowed to use it in combat.
"Well, I knew it would be difficult," I sighed under my breath to the empty room.
I gripped my wand tightly again, squared my stance, and made another focused attempt at the spell: "Cruor Flores!"
This time, I tried to sense my own magic more deeply—how it behaved in my body and how much energy it actually drew for this spell. But it was immensely challenging. Focusing on the final effect, holding a firm visualization in my mind, and sensing my magical core all at the same time... While Reducto simply and straightforwardly shattered the target, this spell was far more complex.
Once again, only the ordinary snapping of twigs echoed through the training room, fading after a brief moment. It was exactly the same as the first time. Even that split focus hadn't worked out very well for me.
"Alright, stop being a pessimist. Even a weak cracking is a success," I reasoned with myself in the silence of the room. "The hard grind is the only answer, so fucking stop whining and start working. Two hundred repetitions of Cruor Flores to start!"
Determinedly, I stamped my foot against the stone floor and immediately continued: "Cruor Flores!"
For the next few hours, I slaved away relentlessly. I practically forgot to count entirely and just kept going mechanically. Visualization, effect—inhale, hold, exhale—spell. And so it went, over and over. As Sirius had said, this spell wasn't all that demanding magically. Though I still struggled to sense the exact flow of energy and my magical core during the incantation itself, when I compared the time and fatigue to training Reducto, I still had more than enough magic left in me.
I pressed on determinedly. Visualization, effect—inhale, hold, exhale...
"...!"
My mouth suddenly snapped shut, and my facial muscles went completely rigid. In a fraction of a second, my own magic brutally halted my attempt to cast Cruor Flores, and immediately after, it violently retreated from my oral cavity deep below my chest. My jaw released right after, and my mouth was free again.
"Working hard again, Patrik?" a warm female voice spoke from right behind my back.
I spun on my heel instantly, wand raised. It was Vespera.
"Yes, I have to," I offered a strained smile, while my heart felt ready to leap out of my chest.
I had been so incredibly absorbed in the spell that I hadn't heard the heavy doors open or her quiet footsteps at all. When she spoke, I almost had a heart attack.
"Are you alright?" she asked with undisguised doubt in her voice. She stepped a few paces closer and carefully eyed me from head to toe.
"Yes, I was just so engrossed in casting that I didn't hear you at all. I almost had a heart attack," I smiled, noticeably more relaxed this time. "You see, I dropped by Sirius Black's," I told her directly.
Vespera immediately raised an eyebrow in classic Rosier fashion, so I continued without hesitation: "He taught me one of their family spells, so now I'm drilling it here."
Vespera raised her other eyebrow, her pupils dilating in surprise for a fraction of a second. But then she smiled calmly. "How sweet of him. I really wouldn't have expected something like that from him."
But then, her amused expression was replaced by a stern frown, and she dryly added: "Clearly, your drinking bender together made a deep impression on him."
"Heh," I laughed nervously and quickly moved to the next agenda item. "By the way, I have some bad news and some good news for you," I announced, trying to pull the most innocent look possible—the kind Styrax makes when hypnotizing fresh salmon in his bowl.
"I'm listening. The bad news first," she commanded curtly, her brow furrowing again in anticipation of some disaster.
The corners of my mouth twitched for a second, but I immediately forced them back into a calm expression. My plan was perfectly bulletproof so far.
"Sirius spoke with Andromeda Tonks about me and my mother. The result is that she has invited me over for tea."
Her furrowed brow relaxed instantly, and an amused smirk settled on her face. "Well, look at that... If that was the bad news, I am immensely curious about what the good news could possibly be."
"Well..." I ran my free hand through my hair and tilted my head slightly. "Last week I had a bit of free time and, somehow... I met a few Muggles." I smiled at her with the expression of an innocently hungry cat and smoothly continued: "One thing led to another, and I sort of took control of a minor drug dealer."
"Didn't we agree that we would go after those Muggles together so that nothing happens to you?"
The smile completely vanished from her face that very second. She looked down at the floor first, as if processing disappointment, and then locked her eyes directly onto mine. I had a strong impression that my solo stunt had affected and hurt her, so I immediately went on the defensive and began to explain.
"Yes, Aunt, and of course, we'll go after them later exactly as planned. But this was just a completely ordinary street dealer. Nothing dangerous or serious, no weapons, and no bodyguards. I was more just practicing Legilimency on him in the field, and at the moment, I have him under the Imperius Curse. He's just a small, insignificant fish. For the really big targets, naturally, we'll go together," I finished with a firm promise in my voice and took a few steps toward her.
Vespera only nodded quietly, still without a hint of a smile. Not wanting to wait, I reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. We both had a weakness for such quiet moments. For a while, we just stood there motionless in the middle of the empty training room, pressed against each other. When she finally pulled away slowly, her intense gaze clearly revealed that she would have preferred to stay in that safe embrace a little longer.
"So? What is our next plan?" she asked. Though she was still speaking without a smile, fortunately, she no longer looked like a kicked puppy.
"How about a quick visit to the Malfoys, a discreet kidnapping of Draco, then you drop us off at Andromeda's, and come back for us later?" I suggested with a sly smile.
Vespera just shook her head in amusement. "You really are as sly as a fox, Patrik. Are you serious about wanting to take Draco straight to Andromeda?" A small smirk finally appeared on her face, but she immediately added with a raised eyebrow: "Narcissa will be beside herself."
"Well, to start with, we can simply tell her you're taking me to our manor, or something along those lines... If it really comes down to it later, I'll play on her emotions. After all, I am her long-lost nephew," I smirked at Vespera and smoothly continued developing the plan: "And then, once we're done with Andromeda, we can head straight over to the dealer. He should already have some cash ready for me. From there, we'll hop straight to Gringotts to see Ranrok. I finally need to get our business fully up and running."
"You should enjoy your holidays a bit more, Patrik," Vespera noted with a sigh, but in the end, she gave an approving nod anyway. "Alright then. I will send Narcissa a message to expect us tomorrow."
"Thank you, Aunt. I'm really glad I have you," I smiled at her. "It's just that these first holidays are simply more time-consuming because I'm completely new to the wizarding world. I firmly believe that next year we'll go on a proper holiday together. What would you say to Rome, for example?"
Vespera's eyes lit up, and a broad smile appeared on her face. "I am glad to have you too, dear nephew," she replied softly. A brief silence fell, but then her usual decisive tone returned: "And now, off to dinner, Patrik. It is really late."
"Dinner sounds absolutely wonderful," I smiled in agreement and obediently followed her out of the training room.
Hugs and words of affection are a total cheat code for Vespera, I thought to myself in amusement as we walked down the corridor. But I felt absolutely no guilt about it. I liked hugging her, and I genuinely cared about her.
After a quick and hearty protein-rich dinner—followed by a few pancakes with Agnes in mind—I retired to my room. Of course, Styrax was still occupying my bed. This time he was sleeping stretched out on his back with his paws in the air, the tip of his pink tongue innocently poking out from between his sharp fangs. It was strange how much that tomcat slept. I knew that cats usually sleep up to sixteen hours a day, but to me, it seemed Styrax was pulling at least twenty. It was quite possible, however, that he was simply in absolute safety for the first time in his life, well-fed and without the need to fight for survival, so he was just enjoying that luxury to the fullest. It also struck me that he didn't even blink when I arrived. Any normal cat would instinctively react if something rustled nearby.
I shed my clothes, got into the shower, cast a few basic cosmetic and hygiene spells on myself, and finally threw myself into bed in ordinary but comfortable Muggle sweatpants and a V-neck t-shirt. Naturally, I immediately reached for Charles's book on magical wards. Jobo had interrupted my reading of the introduction earlier, so I was genuinely curious to see the continuation.
Right on the next double-page, the author discussed the spell Revelio, which was used for magical analysis and revealing the hidden. In practice, it functioned essentially as a magical sonar—and the more experienced and sensitive the wizard who cast it, the more precise feedback about the surroundings they received. Most importantly, Revelio represented a fundamental tool for anyone wishing to either break magical wards or create them. It made sense. Borgin himself also used it in his shop on a daily basis when examining artifacts.
In the second part of the chapter, Charles discussed the very first and most basic spatial protection—the Muggle-repelling spell with the incantation Repello Muggletum. The author marked it as the single best stepping stone to understanding the core essence and theory of creating protective barriers.
The strength and stability of the created ward directly depended on the amount of magical energy the wizard channeled into it. Through practical training, a wizard had to figure out for themselves approximately how much magic they needed to cover the desired area with the given spell. It was not an exact science where energy consumption could be calculated per square meter using some fixed formula. Naturally, a direct proportion applied: the larger the territory, the greater the magical strain. Theoretically, a mage would be able to cover even the entire globe this way, provided they had enough strength. However, no one carried that much energy within themselves, and there was no gemstone in the world large enough to contain and sustain such a gigantic amount of magic.
Thinking about it, I could already create one protective field—Muffliato, and quite successfully at that. My heightened magical sensitivity helped me extraordinarily with this. Logically, it followed that other spells of this type might not be too difficult for me either.
But first and foremost, I needed to find the ideal spell for Hogwarts, so I began slowly and systematically flipping deeper into the book. Among the more demanding ones, Cave Invictum caught my attention; it was supposed to function as a solid physical barrier and, at the same time, a silent alert for the caster. I made a mental note of it and kept flipping. I primarily needed a protective field that would trigger a subconscious but uncompromising feeling in an intruder that they simply didn't want to be in that place and had no reason to be there.
After a moment, I found exactly what I was looking for. On the following double-page, the author described two specific protective fields in detail. The first was Aversio Maxima, which was meant to induce an overwhelming, almost physical sense of aversion in the target. However, according to the described effect, this spell was far too aggressive and noticeable. I needed something significantly more subtle as an initial, outer layer.
Next in line was Pelle Praesentiam. This, too, was far too obvious—it sent direct mental signals and commands to turn back to an intruder's mind, with a clear message that their presence was not welcome.
Only on the next page did I finally stumble upon something that was absolutely ideal for my purpose. The spell Fastidium Loci subtly and gradually increased distaste for the given location the closer a person got to it. It was definitely the most discreet.
If I set up Fastidium Loci with a wide radius to start, layered Pelle Praesentiam right behind it, and capped the whole thing off with the Cave Invictum barrier, I would have any room perfectly secured for my privacy and training. Thoroughly and with focus, I reviewed every single detail and specific of these spells so that I would be ready to use them immediately at Hogwarts.
I could anchor those structures directly onto some corundum or quartz so that I wouldn't have to painstakingly construct them over and over during every visit, the thought struck me the moment I shut the heavy book with a soft thud.
Before sleeping, however, it was time for only my final nightly ritual. Water magic with an attempt at ice transformation, subsequent Occlumency, and finally exhaustion by fire. I pushed myself hard and relentlessly until I was left almost completely empty of magic.
My magical core simply had to grow.
***
Author's note:
Between trying to master new spell and casually planning to "kidnap" cousin Draco, Patrik's holidays are packed! Vespera definitely has her hands full, but as we saw, hugs are the ultimate cheat code. (I can personally verify this works on my girlfriend in real life, too!).
How did you like the dive into wards in this chapter? Any guesses on how Patrik will handle constructing these complex magical wards?
Want to read ahead? The next chapter is already out for free on my official website! Grab the direct link on our Discord community: tgdTNZYVKt
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(16):
85. As Peaceful and Civilized as Always
86. The Twin in the Shadows
87. Their Addiction, Our Profit
88. Fake Smiles and Sharp Instincts
89. The Path to Invincibility
90. AD: Piña Coladas and Rainbow Thongs
91. Blood Traitors
92. Before the Storm
93. Arania Exumai
94. Favors and Frustrations
95. Power and Glory
96. Morning Drills and Slytherin Deals
97. Thrill of the Fight
98. Calculated Risk
99. Flight and Fortune
100. Calculated Arrogance
Join the Inner Circle - tgdTNZYVKt (Discord)
(Vote on plot | Dark FF recs | Chat with the Author)
Support the craft and keep the darkness spreading. Your support directly allows me to dedicate more time to crafting this world.