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"This is an eight-eyed giant spider," Morris introduced casually.
"Of course we know it's an eight-eyed giant spider!" Fred looked around, unconsciously lowering his voice. "But how did you end up bringing this thing out?"
"I plan to keep it as a pet," Morris said seriously.
"..."
The twins were speechless for a moment.
Are all freshmen like this these days?
Keeping an eight-eyed giant spider as a pet?
Compare them to their younger brother, Ron.
Yeah, their younger brother is just a useless piece of trash who can only call for his mother.
Seeing that the two were not speaking, Morris looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Is it inappropriate?"
"It's not a matter of suitability," Fred sighed. "While we think it would be a great pet, an adult giant spider can grow as big as a car. If it's discovered, you could get expelled!"
"I see," Morris nodded.
Such a large spider was just a juvenile. It seemed the animals of the magical world were even more exaggerated than he had imagined.
Although he doesn't dislike spiders, spiders bigger than a person are out of the question; he can't handle them.
Morris calmly closed the box and said, "In that case, I'll find a time to kill it."
The tone was so calm, as if he were saying he was going to the library to return a book.
The twins froze for a few seconds, then George suddenly grabbed Morris's arm.
"Wait! Don't be impulsive!" he said urgently. "This is something you don't usually see!"
Morris raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do?"
"Let us borrow the spider for a few days to play with… uh, no, to study it for a few days," George said, looking somewhat excited. "We are very interested in this creature."
Morris stroked his chin.
He didn't mind lending out the spider.
"Of course," he smiled slightly, "but I have one condition."
"What?"
"I want a dozen of your Fat Tongue Toffee."
"make a deal!"
Chapter 33 The Art of Concealment
After lunch, Maurice handed the giant spider to the Weasley twins and received a large box of Fat Tongue Toffee for himself.
This is a good deal for him.
He was very interested in the magic candy made by the twins, and it tasted surprisingly good.
As for the eight-eyed giant spider—it doesn't matter if the twins kill it.
At worst, I can just go to the Forbidden Forest and catch one when I have some free time.
Judging from the fact that he could easily pick one up on the roadside, there must be quite a few of these creatures.
As for what the principal said at the beginning of the school year about not being allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest... Maurice didn't take it to heart at all.
As long as he doesn't get caught, he'll still be a law-abiding student.
...
There is a herbal medicine class in the afternoon.
The herbalist class was taught by a witch named Pomona Sprout, who was short and plump with fluffy brown hair. She was very approachable and was also the headmistress of Hufflepuff.
The first lesson was about learning about a plant called Dictamnus dasycarpus.
They were asked to learn how to treat a simple wound with white peony root—of course, it was just a simulation, and the students wouldn't actually get hurt.
The method of using white peony root is very simple: just crush it and apply it to the wound.
Morris deliberately scratched his arm with a thorny vine to test the detailed effects of the white peony.
In just a few minutes, his tiny wound had completely healed without leaving a trace.
Its immediate effect was far more potent than any medicine he had ever seen.
Therefore, it seems necessary to keep some white peony on hand.
After all, you can't always get injured while practicing magic.
...
After dinner, Morris went straight back to his dormitory.
He opened the candy box the Weasley twins had given him, tore open the wrapper of a fat tongue toffee, and popped it into his mouth.
Feeling the inexplicably addictive swelling in his tongue, he stretched.
"An extraordinary day," was how he summarized the day.
In fact, on his very first day at Hogwarts, he was inexplicably attacked by centaurs.
Perhaps the magical world is even more dangerous than he imagined.
Therefore, improving one's own strength becomes extremely necessary, especially in terms of protecting oneself or escaping.
"The Book of the Dharma Master".
As soon as he had a thought, the books slowly appeared in his mind.
He is now going to practice a new spell.
"The Art of Concealment".
As its name suggests, this is a spell that allows the user to hide in the shadows.
However, this spell was much more difficult than the two curses he had already learned, especially in constructing the spell model.
If the difficulty of the previous two curses is likened to writing a paragraph, then this spell is like creating a painting.
Although the two sides are not on the same dimension, the latter is obviously more complex.
"Let's give it a try."
Morris waved his wand, turning off all the lights in the room—the darker the place, the higher the success rate of the spell.
Half an hour passed.
After failing more than ten times, Morris finally succeeded in constructing the spell model.
Interestingly, there is a note at the end of this spell: it is not recommended to chant incantations when using this spell.
The reason is obvious with a little thought.
If a spell to conceal one's appearance requires an incantation to be recited before use, then its stealth capability is greatly reduced from the start.
Especially in times of crisis, any extraneous voices can pose a great threat.
Of course, he is still in the initial practice stage, and the aid of incantations is necessary.
Just like you have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk.
Incidentally, Morris can now use "Weakness Curse" and "Wailing Curse" without chanting, though they are much less powerful.
"Invisibility Technique!"
As the incantation ended, Maurice felt a strange force surrounding him, constantly squeezing him.
He knew that he had succeeded in his plan.
Then, the squeezing force grew stronger and stronger.
Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes, and he felt as if he had been stuffed into an extremely cramped box, with hard, cold sensations coming from all directions.
He successfully entered the shadows!
From the outside, he appeared as if he were covered by a black cloth, twisted, and then disappeared from the spot.
"Is this the power of the Shadow Concealment Technique?" Morris was somewhat speechless.
Entering the shadows sounds like an extremely powerful and cool ability.
But after experiencing it firsthand, I realized it was pure torture.
Imagine how it would feel to be stuffed into a suitcase that's almost the same size as you.
This was far from the stealthy, indiscriminate movement he had envisioned, where he could "integrate with the environment and move freely."
He tried to move, but it was like wading through viscous water, with every movement requiring him to fight against resistance from all sides.
Approximately 150 seconds later.
"call--"
Morris exhaled, dispelling the spell.
When the figure reappeared in the room, its position had moved from the bedside to the door.
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