Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Victor's lips curled into a slight smile. He raised his hand and removed the black eyepatch from his left eye.

Karen gasped. Where should have been an eye, a serpentine gem was embedded, and the surrounding skin was covered with dark red ancient runes.

"My real name," the wizard whispered, "is Castor Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald..." Karen uttered the name with difficulty, "You and Gellert Grindelwald..."

“He’s my great-uncle,” Castor answered calmly, “a blood relation I’ve never been proud of.” He walked to the alchemy table, his fingers lightly tracing the instruments. “But that’s not the point. The point is, I don’t have much time left.”

"Because of that curse?" Karen looked at the snake-like pupil in his left eye.

Castor nodded. "Helpo's curse, from the darkest magic of ancient Greece. It's devouring my soul, and I... have less than two years left."

Cullen then asked, "So you came to Hogwarts...?"

"There are three purposes." Castor held up three fingers. "First, to study the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, the one left by Voldemort, but unfortunately it's not very useful. Second, at Nicolas Flamel's request, to find promising young people to join the 'Hermes Ring,' which is you."

"And the third one?"

Castor gave a bitter smile. "Before I die, I want to pass on my knowledge. If I can't find a suitable candidate here, I might go to Durmstrang."

He turned and took a jewel-encrusted wooden box from the bookshelf, gently opening it. Inside lay a silver ring, its face engraved with intricate alchemical runes.

"This is my token," Castor said. "Wear it, and you are now my official apprentice."

Karen stared at the ring, her heart pounding.

"I need to think about it," he finally said.

Castor didn't seem surprised by Karen's hesitant answer. "What? You don't trust me? But that's alright, I have a contract here that guarantees I won't harm you."

Karen heard Castor's words but did not respond; she simply continued to look at him.

Castor didn't care whether Karen responded or not, and continued, "Do you know about the Blood Pact? It's a unique pact. To enter into a pact, both parties must each give a drop of blood. Once the pact is established, neither party can harm the other."

“Of course, you might not know, after all, this is a very rare magical contract. Therefore, I can ask Professor Dumbledore to be a witness.” Castor’s words made Cullen look up sharply. “Does that dispel your concerns?”

The suggestion was so unexpected that Karen didn't even have time to hide the surprise on her face. Castor raised his wand, and a ray of silvery-white light emerged from the tip, transforming into a bird guardian that Karen had never seen before—with phoenix-like tail feathers but the head of an eagle.

Less than three minutes after the Patronus flew out the window, the office door was pushed open. Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway, his blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles unusually devoid of their usual gentle smile. His gaze lingered on Castor's face for a moment before turning to Cullen.

"Mr. Hawthorne," Dumbledore's voice was deeper than usual, "Professor Victor told me that you have an important magical contract that needs to be witnessed?"

"Albus, there's no need to mention that pseudonym anymore; the child already knows," Castor explained to Dumbledore.

He then took a crystal bottle from the inner pocket of his robe. "A blood pact, Albus. Like—"

"I know, but do you know what you're doing, Castor?" Dumbledore interrupted Castor, his voice carrying an emotion Cullen couldn't decipher. The headmaster's gaze behind his half-moon spectacles suddenly sharpened.

The air seemed to freeze, and the firelight from the fireplace cast flickering shadows between the three of them.

"I understand better than ever," Castor said with surprising calm. "I need a successor, and he needs a mentor. But we lack trust, it's that simple."

Dumbledore walked to the alchemy table, his long, slender fingers gently tracing the surface of the crystal bottle. As his fingertips touched the bottle, a strand of golden magic seeped from his skin and intersected with the bottle.

"The blood pact is indeed as he said, Mr. Hawthorne." Dumbledore turned to Cullen, his blue eyes filled with a heartbreakingly complex expression. "Once it is made, if either party attempts to harm the other, their soul will suffer a backlash. It is... a very ancient form of magic."

A silent exchange flowed between the three, making the air in the office so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out of water.

"Do you recommend that I accept, Professor?" Cullen looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes.

The old headmaster's gaze swept back and forth between Karen and Castor.

"Everyone has the right to choose their own path," Dumbledore finally said, his voice as soft as a feather falling. "But remember, some knowledge, once acquired, can never be forgotten."

After listening to Dumbledore's words, Cullen made her decision and looked at Castor. "I, Cullen Hawthorne, am willing to become your disciple, Professor Castor!"

"Very well, let's begin." Castor's voice rose slightly.

Dumbledore raised the Elder Wand and drew a glowing golden circle around the three of them. As the circle closed, Cullen felt a sharp pain in her eardrums, as if she had suddenly been lifted ten thousand meters into the air.

"Repeat my words." Castor held the crystal bottle between the two, "A pact of blood, a bond of souls..."

Cullen suddenly tasted rust on his tongue. He saw a wisp of silver light emerge from his chest and slowly drift toward the crystal bottle, and the same thing happen to Professor Castor. Then, a dazzling golden light burst forth from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, illuminating the entire office as if it were daytime.

"In this life, let us not harm each other..."

The instant the incantation was completed, Karen felt her heart gripped by an invisible hand. Two strands of blood within the crystal bottle intertwined like yin and yang symbols.

Dumbledore suddenly closed his eyes, a long sigh containing too many emotions for Cullen to decipher. When he opened his eyes again, something in his gaze had changed forever.

"The contract is complete." The headmaster's voice returned to calm, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the Elder Wand were white. "May Merlin bless your choice."

Castor handed the crystal bottle to Dumbledore for safekeeping. When he turned back to Cullen, the glint in his right eye reminded Cullen of the dying man's final moments of lucidity.

"From today onwards, you will be my only apprentice." Castor's voice suddenly rose. "From now on, come to me every Thursday and Saturday night to learn. That's all."

Karen nodded, then left the office with Dumbledore.

The sound of the door closing was particularly jarring in the silent office. Castor stood in front of the fireplace, the burning flames casting a blood-red silhouette on his figure.