[HP] 70: First to Complete the Second Phase

After finishing the letter, Louis opened the cage and let the eager Fafnir out.

Of course, delivering a letter meant using an owl. And owls, as magical creatures, were born with a human-locating spell—meaning, no matter how hard Hermione tried to avoid Louis, she couldn’t hide from an owl.

This letter, seemingly packed with useful content while actually saying nothing in detail, would no doubt bait Hermione’s curious nature.

Even if Louis had accidentally offended her, this would still work.

He wrapped up the letter and held it out to Fafnir, who gently took it in his beak, looking at Louis with sparkling eyes.

Since Slytherin's dorms had no windows and were buried deep underground beside the Black Lake, sending and receiving mail was a hassle. To deliver a letter, you had to first escort your owl outside before it could fly off, and meet it again when it returned.

Unlike Ravenclaw Tower, which sat high up and allowed owls to fly straight in without needing to pass a riddle checkpoint.

“Oh, right. While you’re at it, bring back a small animal—same kind as last time,” Louis whispered as he patted Fafnir’s head. “Keep it alive, don’t let anyone see you. Be sneaky, okay?”

Fafnir chirped excitedly. This was his first time doing real owl duties.

Catching little animals? That was just a fun hobby.

“I’ll come pick you up tonight,” Louis said encouragingly, just about to let Fafnir fly out—when someone stopped him in the common room.

“Need something?” Louis raised his eyes at the boy standing in his way. He looked familiar
 ah, right. He was the idiot who said Louis looked "so lewd." What was his name again?

“I
” The boy’s face twisted awkwardly, his big front teeth making his mouth look like some sort of ape.

“Don’t give me that 'I-I' stuff. Start by telling me your name,” Louis said, running his fingers through Fafnir’s back feathers. “I’ve got stuff to do.”

“M-my name’s Graham Montague,” the Slytherin stammered, clearly embarrassed. “I came to apologize.”

“Oh? An apology, huh? Let’s hear it.” Louis replied with a friendly tone.

“I
 I shouldn’t have called you ‘so lewd.’ Please, I’m begging you, lift the curse
” Montague pleaded, looking utterly miserable.

Every time he fell asleep, he’d dream of his ideal type of woman leaping toward him—only for her to instantly rot into a decaying corpse in his arms, turning into a skeleton that clung to him relentlessly.

It started last night. Today, even when he tried to nap at noon, the same nightmare yanked him awake. The worst part? The dream felt hours long
 but only minutes had passed in real time.

He couldn’t sleep, and worse, he was starting to fear women. That subtle, creeping dread was growing stronger with each dream. If it kept going, he might be emotionally ruined—forever alone.

“Oh, that?” Louis patted Montague on the shoulder like an old friend. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have forgotten all about it. Come on, I’m not that petty. Go sleep—promise, no more nightmares.”

Honestly, he had almost forgotten—not about being called “lewd,” but about casting revenge on the guy.

Since it didn’t involve trickery, the system hadn’t triggered any notifications. After setting up the illusion curse, Louis had promptly wiped the whole incident from memory. If Montague hadn’t come to apologize, he wouldn’t even have remembered who it was.

“R-really?” Montague asked, eyes wide with hope.

“Of course. I’m a reasonable man—don’t bother me, I won’t bother you.” Louis smiled warmly, but his words were sharp. “Now off you go. Don’t block my way.”

“Y-yes! Right away!” Montague scurried off like a mouse, clearly relieved.

Then, a bunch of students surrounded him, whispering who-knows-what.

“Don’t tell me they’re still plotting against me? Haven’t learned their lesson yet?” Louis muttered as he left the common room.

Once outside, Louis gave Fafnir the rendezvous location and finally let him take off.

Just then, a system notification popped up in front of him:

> [You have completed Task Phase II]

> [Your identity as Merlin’s descendant has now been acknowledged by all enrolled Slytherins]

> [Phase I remains incomplete; rewards will be delayed until completion. Trick Points have been calculated as normal.]

> [Your bloodline hoax has deceived 69 Slytherin students]

> [Impactful Deception Achieved]

> [You have received 34,500 Trick Points. Current total: 41,420 Trick Points]

Totally unexpected.

Louis hadn’t anticipated completing Phase II before Phase I. But looking back, it made sense—the Slytherins who first spread the rumor about his lineage never thought Louis would actually confirm it. And they certainly didn’t expect him to use illusion magic to make them believe he could actually cause nightmares.

And since they were always near him, they were the first to notice things felt
 off.

Montague’s “Louis is so lewd” comment was the last straw. He had no idea his casual remark would lead to a trauma-inducing illusion curse that nearly made him phobic of women.

Now, the entire Slytherin house was forced to believe the very lie they themselves created.

They were supposed to be the hardest group to fool—and yet they were the first to fall.

“But the other Houses still don’t seem convinced. Are they just watching this like it’s a joke, or are they waiting for more proof?”

Louis looked up at the overcast sky. Should I cast Infinite Tsukuyomi to advertise my bloodline?


Nah, that’d be way too cringe.

Fafnir shrieked in the sky and spread his wings, soaring higher. Louis looked up at his retreating figure—only to hear another owl call out nearby.

A somewhat unfamiliar owl swooped down and landed next to him, a small pouch in its beak.

“Huh? For me?” Louis blinked, then realized it must be the delivery Hagrid had arranged for him.

Carving tools.

In addition to the tools, the owl also delivered a letter.

It was from Hagrid, who wrote that he’d taken care of everything Louis requested. If Louis needed materials to practice with, he was welcome to stop by—Hagrid had brought back a lot of good wood from the Forbidden Forest.

“What a great guy,” Louis smiled, petting the owl on the head and handing it a few Knuts as a tip. The owl hooted gratefully and flew off.

Now that he had the tools, he just needed to gather materials. Then he could begin carving his teacher—and finally see for himself what wonders the most mysterious of the Twelve Talismans, the Rat Talisman, could truly achieve.

----