Chapter 124: Sectumsempra
Russell placed the jewelry at the agreed-upon spot. Just as he was about to wander off elsewhere, a rustling sound suddenly came from the surrounding bushes.
His expression changed instantly. Thinking it might be some kind of wild beast, he immediately cast an Iron Skin Charm on himself and cautiously retreated a few steps.
In a place like this, even a Disillusionment Charm or Concealment Charm was of limited use. Once your body brushed against plants, your position would be exposed almost immediately.
But a moment later, Russell relaxed.
Emerging from the bushes was none other than Ailene.
"You finally showed up," she said, her face full of displeasure. She circled him several times, her tone resembling that of a wronged woman scolding a faithless lover.
"Sorry," Russell said awkwardly. "A lot happened last semester." As he spoke, he gestured for her to pick up the jewelry. "I think these won't disappoint you."
Sure enough, the moment Ailene opened the pouch, all the dissatisfaction on her face vanished without a trace.
"Oh my goodness…" She didn't know the actual value of the gems—only that they were at least ten times more beautiful than anything she had ever seen before.
"These… these are all for me?" She hugged the jewelry tightly to her chest, looking at Russell with hopeful eyes.
"Of course," Russell nodded.
"Russell, you're amazing!" She stepped forward, clearly intending to hug him—but Russell quickly hopped aside.
He wasn't into furries. He had no interest in non-humans like that.
"Come with me. I'll take you to get the potion ingredients," Ailene said. She carefully closed the pouch, hung it around her neck, and turned to leave—then suddenly stopped.
"You can ride on my back. It'll be faster. I've never let another human ride me before. You'll be the first."
"Alright," Russell replied. He'd always wanted to try riding a horse—this was close enough.
It took him quite a while to climb onto Ailene's back, to the point where she was starting to lose patience.
"Let's go!" Ailene cheered, then took off at a full gallop. Russell nearly got thrown off, barely managing to grab hold of her hair in time.
Centaurs were incredibly sturdy. She didn't feel the slightest discomfort from his grip.
After about fifteen minutes, Ailene brought Russell to a small lakeside clearing. She told him to wait there.
"Keep your voice down. My brother might be patrolling nearby—he doesn't like humans," she warned him before disappearing into the forest to retrieve the potion materials.
Russell found a relatively smooth rock nearby and sat down, gazing absently at the lake's surface. At the same time, he made sure to reapply the Iron Skin Charm.
When you're away from home, safety always comes first.
The sound of hoofbeats approached from the distance—clip-clop, clip-clop. Russell assumed Ailene had returned and was just about to stand up when he sensed something was off.
These hoofbeats were much heavier than hers.
Before he could turn around, a low voice rang out behind him.
"Don't move. Who are you, and why are you here?" The voice was deep, laced with unmistakable menace.
"I'm just here to enjoy the scenery," Russell replied. He worried that mentioning Ailene's name might bring her trouble, so he improvised an excuse.
"You're lying. I can smell the scent of lies," the voice said coldly.
"Or maybe that's just your prejudice," Russell replied calmly. He didn't take it too seriously—after all, the Iron Skin Charm was still active. Surely he wouldn't go down in a single hit.
"Evil-by-nature human wizard," the centaur snarled through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you right—"
Russell heard the tense creak of a drawn bowstring. His body tensed immediately. He gripped his wand, ready to counterattack at any moment.
"Brother! What are you doing? Russell is a good person!"
Ailene's panicked voice suddenly rang out, instantly shattering the deadly tension between them.
"Russell… Fythorne?"
"You know me?" Russell turned around. "Because I don't recall meeting another centaur friend."
Not far behind him stood a towering, powerfully built centaur—at least two heads taller than Ailene.
"Corvey mentioned you to me," the centaur said. A trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes as he slowly lowered the bow and slung it back over his shoulder.
Ailene had once told Russell that her brother had been very close to Corvey. It seemed that was true.
"I heard from Hagrid that he was a Dark Wizard," the centaur continued, fixing Russell with a searching gaze. "That he even tried to kill you?"
"That's right," Russell nodded.
But inwardly, he remained on guard—worried that upon hearing this, Ailene's brother might suddenly snap and attack.
He didn't do that. Instead, he nodded heavily, his expression solemn.
"I understand. Everything that happened was the result of his own actions. I apologize for my earlier rudeness."
He bent forward and bowed deeply to Russell.
"Was Corvey imprisoned?" he asked after a pause.
"Yes," Russell replied bluntly. "But he's dead now."
"So it truly came to that…" There was no surprise in his voice. "The sparks in the night sky are unusually bright tonight. I noticed."
He turned to Ailene. "Don't stay out too late. Although most of the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest have been dealt with, a new threat has appeared."
He cast a meaningful glance at Russell before his body disappeared into the tall grass.
"What did he mean by that?" Russell frowned. "A new threat?"
"Yeah," Ailene shrugged, stuffing a large bundle of materials into Russell's arms. "We think a vampire may have wandered into the area."
"Lately, animals drained completely of blood have been turning up in the forest. Small ones like mice and grouse, bigger ones like leopards and jackals—nothing left but dried husks."
"Alright, I'll take you back," Ailene said eagerly, clearly impatient to return and try on her jewelry.
After dropping Russell off at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, she dashed away in a hurry.
Forget it. Russell abandoned the idea of exploring the forest at night. Without a map, it'd be far too easy to get lost. He'd ask the Weasley twins later—they were probably familiar with the place.
Not long after he left, a hunched, dog-like shadow crept low into the Forbidden Forest.
---
"Professor Quirrell, what can I do for you?"
After another Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Quirrell once again kept Russell behind.
"What, didn't like the gas mask last time? Thinking of buying another?" Russell said impatiently. If Quirrell wanted to lure him in, he could at least offer something upfront. No benefits, no loyalty.
"It's sufficient for now," Quirrell said with an awkward smile. "Please, come to my office. We need to discuss something."
"What is it this time, Professor? I haven't eaten all day—I was just about to head for dinner," Russell complained, rubbing his stomach.
"What did you decide about my last proposal?" Quirrell ignored the grumbling, dropping the pretense and returning to his usual demeanor.
It was time to dangle a carrot.
"Professor Quirrell," Russell said, "I don't know why you value me so highly, but if you want me to choose, you should at least show some sincerity."
"Sincerity? Of course," Quirrell nodded. "How about this—I'll teach you a spell."
"Oh?" Russell's interest was piqued. "Which one?"
"How about Reducto?"
"Nope. I already know the incantation."
"Then… Confringo?"
"Nope. Too easy to blow myself up."
"Then…" Quirrell hesitated. "Avada Kedavra?"
Before he could finish, Russell stared at him like he was an idiot.
"I'd like to continue attending Hogwarts, thanks."
This won't do, that won't do—damn it, what do you want to learn?! Quirrell nearly grabbed a textbook to hurl at Russell's head.
"Teach him that spell, Quirrell."
Voldemort's voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
"Master? But if Snape discovers it—" Quirrell's expression flickered as he tried to dissuade him.
"Perfect. That would tell us whether he still remains loyal to me," Voldemort said coldly, with a hint of madness.
"And if he betrays you and tells Dumbledore?" Quirrell pressed on.
"No matter. At worst, I revive ten years later," Voldemort replied dismissively. "Let that impostor and Dumbledore fight it out."
With multiple Horcruxes, death was merely an inconvenience.
He never considered that Dumbledore might use the Philosopher's Stone—because Voldemort understood Dumbledore well enough to know he wouldn't.
"Didn't you swear your life to me from the beginning?" Voldemort's voice crawled through Quirrell's mind like a parasite. "Or are you regretting it now?"
"No! Never, Master!" Quirrell shuddered. "I'll teach him immediately."
He cleared his throat and placed one hand behind his back.
"This spell is extremely advanced and tremendously powerful. Unless absolutely necessary, you should never cast it in front of others. The incantation is—"
"Sectumsempra."
This was the spell Snape had once offered Voldemort in his ambition to rise among the Death Eaters—not because Voldemort needed it, but to prove his talent extended beyond potions into the highest tiers of Dark Magic.
"Good. This is the one I want," Russell's eyes lit up.
He'd always loved this spell in the original story—cool incantation, devastating effect. An invisible blade that tore flesh apart and left wounds nearly impossible to heal without a counter-curse.
Quirrell explained it sloppily, offering little more than the incantation itself before dismissing Russell.
If Russell could still learn it under those conditions, Quirrell would admit defeat.
"Why did you defy my orders and handle this so perfunctorily?" Voldemort's voice was soft—but Quirrell felt ice flood his veins.
"My lord, I wanted to test Fythorne's talent. If he can master it even like this, then he's worthy of serving at your side."
"You may use that excuse once," Voldemort replied.
Quirrell exhaled in relief, his back drenched in cold sweat.
"Fythorne… don't disappoint me."
---
Russell, for his part, didn't think much of Quirrell's half-hearted teaching. He simply assumed the man was incompetent.
After all—he had Morgan.
All he needed to do was write the spell into his diary, and Morgan would immediately present the most efficient method of mastering it.
That was the depth of an old wizard's legacy.
"Sectumsempra."
With a sharp utterance, the suit of armor before him looked as though it had been slashed by an invisible blade. A long, narrow gash appeared across its chest.
Russell nodded in satisfaction. Against humans, this was more than sufficient. And unlike most spells, Sectumsempra left no visible casting trace—making it extremely difficult to dodge in combat.
The only question was whether it could break through the Iron Skin Charm.
He tested it.
The result was mixed: it could damage the charm, but not cleave through it outright. Multiple strikes on the same point were required.
Not a problem. He could always shatter the defense first—then follow up with Sectumsempra.
Despite having Morgan as an external aid, Russell mostly studied magical theory with her rather than ancient magic.
As Morgan explained, ancient magic emphasized raw power—excellent for warfare, but crude in daily life compared to modern spells.
Modern magic was more refined, if less destructive.
The ancient spells that could truly help Russell were far too advanced, requiring mastery of Ancient Runes as a prerequisite. And the simpler ones weren't worth the effort.
"Maybe…" Russell mused, "we could combine the two?"
"For example—optimizing Sectumsempra. Developing new applications."
"I'll look into it," Morgan replied, falling silent.
Learning modern spells had become one of her greatest pleasures—and she never grew tired of it.