From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 74 Intruder

The intruder was Cassandra.

Cassandra has been fascinated by the Room of Requirement ever since she got a glimpse of how to properly use it during Christmas vacation.

She can enjoy afternoon tea in the elegant, green courtyard, accompanied by pleasant piano music; she can also quietly read a magic book that came from nowhere on a pile of comfortable cushions; or she can prepare a potion surrounded by a misty cauldron.

In short, there is nothing this magical house can't do, except what she can't think of.

So it was natural that she found traces of Ivy's use in the "room suitable for studying magic".

After another secret follow-up, Cassandra successfully opened the door of the Room of Requirement.

Ivy, who was performing the art element creation ritual, of course noticed the uninvited guest, but it was a critical moment, and no matter how angry he was, he could not interrupt the ongoing ritual magic.

Then, an invisible hand condensed by telekinesis grabbed Cassandra's swan-like white neck and lifted her up from the ground.

Maintaining this awkward posture, Ivy no longer paid attention to his classmate's struggling limbs, but devoted himself to the creation of artistic elements.

Colorful magic resonated throughout the room. The dazzling colors from the four elements transformed into all kinds of gorgeous noises. The howling wind swept up the ice and sand, which was suddenly exploded into a thick fog by the rising flames. Finally, it turned into drizzle under the echo of thunder.

Ivy's spiritual power sits in the center, trying to reconcile the conflicts among the four elements.

The originally carefully planned plan was slightly disrupted by Cassandra's sudden intrusion. Although her total magic power was insignificant compared to the elemental power echoing in the room, this unexpected factor still caused huge waves in Ivy's spiritual world.

If the human mind is like the ocean, then the emotions generated by various thoughts are the unpredictable winds. The slightest change in the outside world can cause a boundless tsunami in the ocean of thought. And the ritual magic that Ivy is performing requires his full concentration, and there is no room for error.

For a moment, Ivy regretted not casting the second-level spell Mechanized Mind ahead of time, but then he thought, artistic brilliance cannot be generated from absolutely calm emotions; so he began to sigh again, wondering why he hadn't set up a protective barrier in advance. Did he really think that the magic of the Room of Requirement was foolproof?
As Ivy's thoughts fluctuated, the elemental power surrounding the art element at the center of the pentagram array began to fluctuate, and the colorful elemental magic circulation began to become unstable, as if it would be completely disconnected in the next second.

But Ivy is a mature master of black magic after all. He cleared all distractions with his firm confidence in his inevitable success and continued his work with concentration and determination.

Thus, amid Ivy's hesitant mood swings and firm self-confidence, a contradictory, curious and confident consciousness was born. Ivy, who had been maintaining the operation of the ritual, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He understood that the magic ritual of creating the Art Element Garden Statue had entered the final step - giving it a name.

"Howling Flame." Along with Ivy's clear and bright voice, the Art Element Garden statue of Cuili Academy - Howling Flame, was officially born.

The four elemental orbs that were part of the ritual magic suddenly lost all their magical aura and vanished into thin air in a puff of dust. The giant cat, its fur like flaming fire, nimbly leaped from the magic circle and pounced into Ivy's arms with a vague purring sound.

"Hmm. Nice cat." Ivy's face lit up with delight as he weighed the massive cat in his arms. Unsurprisingly, Howling Flame was much lighter than it looked. This was because the ceramic that made up his body was hollow, concealing an elemental core composed of wind and fire. These two elemental powers allowed this magnificently furred cat to freely hover at low altitudes.

Of course, the Artelemental creatures Ivy had created, having consumed countless materials and experience points, were capable of far more than this. But there was still a young student being suspended in the air by Ivy, so before detailing the wonders of the Howling Flame, let's first take a look at Cassandra's situation. Ivy released the telekinesis that had been strangling her neck and used it to support her limbs.

In the painful struggle of suffocation, the hair ornaments that Cassandra used to restrain her golden hair fell to the ground. Her hair, which shone with soft luster, was now scattered and disorderly on her shoulders, and many strands of hair passed over her forehead and covered her beautiful face.

Tears and saliva flowed freely on her fair face. Fortunately, she was still young and didn't have the habit of powdering her face, otherwise it would have made her look even more miserable. Her lips were now completely bloodless, and what came out of them were no longer elegant and vicious words, but a series of untuned coughs.

The silver buttons on the Hogwarts school robes were undone one by one, and the white shirt underneath was no longer neat, but covered with crooked wrinkles.

Ivy's gaze continued downwards. At the bottom of the plain cotton dress, a pair of small feet in white socks were trembling constantly. Only one shiny black leather shoe was still on the foot. The other one had disappeared in the struggle. Ivy saw traces of moisture on the white sock.

Directly below the floating Cassandra, a small, transparent, suspicious pool of liquid was reflecting the lights in the room, and Ivy showed a look of understanding.

Among the many ways humans die, hanging is often the most undignified, because during the process of losing oxygen, humans often lose control of their muscles, leading to sexual excitement and incontinence.

Cassandra's case can only be considered mild among normal ones.

"So—" Ivy waved his hand. Cassandra, trembling like a dead fish, floated over and stopped in front of him. "Now that you know my secret, what do you think?"

"He——" The big cat in Ivy's arms seemed to dislike the suspicious liquid on Cassandra's upper and lower sides. It let out a breath and jumped out of Ivy's arms.

It seems that the interrupted magical ritual has injected a bit of rebellious spirit into Xiaoyan.

"Sorry..." Cassandra said in a hoarse voice, straining her throat.

Ivy thought she had misheard and quickly cast several healing spells to restore her physical condition.

"Because I thought you were just studying magic here... reading a book, reciting a few spells or something..." This time Cassandra's voice was much clearer, and she spoke breathlessly, "I can foresee the consequences of barging in here - of course you'll be angry, because no one likes their personal space to be invaded. But, this classroom belongs to Hogwarts, not just you. So..."

"So my anger is not justified?" Ivy asked with interest.

"I want to learn the secrets of magic from you. I'm willing to give everything..." Fear still flickered in the blonde girl's eyes, but hidden behind her trembling voice was an unshakable determination. "You look about the same age as me, but you possess a power that even many adult wizards can hardly withstand... The weak will be bullied by the strong. If I have to be weak all my life, I would rather die now..."

"Hahaha..." Ivy laughed and wiped away the tears and saliva on Cassandra's face. "We are classmates, right? You don't have to be like this..."

"Classmates can't..." Ivy could feel Cassandra trembling as her fingertips brushed against her skin. "We need a closer relationship..."

(End of this chapter)