By the time Leo stepped out of Dumbledore's office, the weekend had already slipped into evening. His pace was slower than usual as he made his way up the moving staircases, his thoughts still tangled in everything that had happened over the past two days. The strange changes surrounding his Patronus refused to leave his mind, replaying over and over as he wandered through the castle corridors.
After finally understanding just how unusual his guardian spirit had become, Leo had immediately gone to Madame Perenelle for advice. At the time, he had been completely bewildered and eager to determine whether the changes were dangerous or merely strange. Unfortunately, even someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Perenelle Flamel had never encountered anything quite like it.
The two of them spent hours conducting experiments. Leo repeatedly summoned the Patronus while Perenelle observed every detail with sharp, unwavering attention. They tested its behavior, magical stability, and responsiveness, searching for any hidden abnormalities. Despite their efforts, they ultimately discovered nothing harmful. Aside from its bizarre appearance, the Patronus behaved exactly as a normal one should.
Because of that, Madame Perenelle advised him to keep it in its mist-like form whenever other people were around. If he absolutely needed to reveal its complete shape, then it would be safer to have it appear as an animal rather than in that strange half-corporeal state.
Leo had considered countless creatures before finally settling on one that perfectly suited his current identity.
An African bush viper.
The moment the idea formed in his mind, the silver mist responded instantly. Its cloudy form condensed into a long serpentine body covered in sharp, leaf-shaped scales. The creature looked both elegant and dangerous, floating through the air like a miniature dragon wrapped in drifting silver clouds.
The sight had left Leo speechless.
Unlike a normal corporeal Patronus, this one seemed to exist somewhere between reality and spirit. It glided soundlessly through the air, a phantom serpent riding upon storm clouds. Silver scales shimmered beneath the light while mist curled around its body like living smoke.
The instant he saw it, Leo knew he had found the perfect form.
After exhausting himself with Patronus experiments, he shifted his focus back to alchemy and rune studies. Before long, however, another pleasant surprise arrived.
That night, while cultivating as usual, Leo inspected the condition of his pseudo-Yang spirit. To his astonishment, the stagnant energy that had remained motionless for so long had finally begun moving again.
The movement was painfully slow.
Incredibly slow.
Slow enough to make a snail look energetic.
Still, movement was movement.
The discovery immediately reignited his motivation. He spent the entire night cultivating without rest, attempting to accelerate the circulation of the technique. Reality, however, proved disappointing. Although the pseudo-Yang spirit had begun moving once more, the speed at which the golden light within his three dantians condensed remained completely unchanged.
No matter how hard he cultivated, the process refused to accelerate.
It was as if the cultivation system and the pseudo-Yang spirit existed independently of one another. One followed its own fixed rules while the other ignored all of Leo's efforts. After several frustrating hours, he could only let out a helpless sigh and abandon the attempt.
Since cultivation offered no immediate progress, he returned to improving the Equalizer.
The silver Colt version still required stabilizing runes to improve firing control, while the golden explosive model suffered from recoil severe enough to shatter a person's wrist. To solve the issue, he needed additional weakening and reinforcement runes woven into the weapon's structure.
As a result, Leo once again buried himself in rune research.
He began by studying decomposed runes, carefully memorizing their structures before reconstructing their complete forms. Then he compared the broken versions with the originals, analyzing how magical energy flowed through each variation. Piece by piece, he slowly developed a deeper understanding of the underlying principles.
Whenever his mind became exhausted from studying, he switched to alchemy instead.
Or, more accurately, blacksmithing disguised as alchemy.
By Sunday evening, a letter arrived from Master Lemaître explaining that he would not be returning that weekend to continue Leo's lessons. The elderly alchemist specifically instructed him to rest properly and avoid overworking himself.
That left Leo with no choice but to continue learning alone, just as he did at Hogwarts.
Fortunately, independent study was something he had long since grown accustomed to. Whenever rune analysis became mentally draining, he practiced alchemy to relax. When even that began to feel repetitive, he occasionally summoned his Patronus simply to watch the silver serpent drift lazily around the room.
At other times, he sat beside Madame Perenelle and listened to her stories.
Having lived for centuries alongside Nicolas Flamel, she possessed memories of countless events that modern wizarding history had long forgotten. Leo listened with fascination as she casually spoke of vanished noble families, legendary duels, and political conflicts that no longer appeared in any textbook.
For a brief period, he genuinely experienced what a carefree life felt like.
Study when you wanted to study.
Rest when you wanted to rest.
Pursue whatever interested you without pressure from anyone else.
Of course, the moment he returned to Hogwarts, that peaceful fantasy vanished.
Now, as he wandered through the castle corridors once again, Leo stretched lazily while considering his next objective.
It was a simple one.
Find the Room of Requirement.
As he moved through Hogwarts, he carefully observed every corridor and staircase he passed. His eyes swept across ancient walls, decorative tapestries, hidden alcoves, and forgotten corners in search of any clues that might lead him to the mysterious room.
At the same time, he found himself appreciating Hogwarts more than usual.
The castle towers rose high beneath the darkening sky, carrying an ancient atmosphere that never failed to impress him. Torchlight flickered across stone walls while distant voices echoed through the hallways. Even after months of living there, Hogwarts still possessed a unique kind of magic that was difficult to describe.
More importantly, Leo enjoyed the rare opportunity to be alone.
Ever since entering the wizarding world, he had constantly been surrounded by people. Friends, professors, classmates, alchemists—someone was always nearby. He didn't dislike their company, but every now and then a person needed space to think.
As he wandered, students passed by in groups. Laughter drifted from nearby classrooms while others hurried toward dinner. Some lingered near windows, chatting animatedly about their weekends.
Every so often, Leo even spotted secretive couples hiding in secluded corners of the castle grounds. Their attempts at privacy were so painfully obvious that he nearly laughed aloud whenever they jumped in panic at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Eventually, he arrived outside the library.
The familiar sounds of turning pages and whispered conversations drifted through the doorway. Out of curiosity, Leo glanced inside and immediately spotted two familiar figures sitting together at one of the tables.
One was a blond-haired boy whose pale hair almost seemed to glow beneath the library lamps.
The other was a freckled student with round glasses sitting across from him, speaking quietly.
Leo recognized them immediately, but he had no intention of interrupting.
After all, he still needed to find the perfect location for his future Equalizer Laboratory.
Continuing down the corridor, he suddenly heard soft footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he found a familiar cat approaching with graceful confidence.
Mrs. Norris.
Filch's notoriously intimidating feline companion moved with her usual air of superiority. The moment she noticed Leo, however, her pace noticeably quickened.
Grinning, Leo crouched and extended a hand.
"Hey there, Mrs. Norris," he said softly. "You're looking energetic today."
The cat immediately walked over without hesitation.
Ever since their earlier encounters near Dumbledore's office, Mrs. Norris had become surprisingly friendly whenever she encountered Leo alone. Naturally, he had shamelessly encouraged the relationship through a steady supply of treats and occasional magical grooming sessions.
Mrs. Norris rubbed against his hand and began purring contentedly.
Leo reached into his pocket and produced a small piece of jerky. The cat sniffed it carefully before taking a delicate bite. A moment later, she was happily eating while Leo watched with amusement.
"You really are easy to bribe," he muttered with a chuckle.
Mrs. Norris blinked lazily at him, looking for all the world as though she understood every word.
After spending several more minutes petting the cat, Leo finally rose to his feet. Mrs. Norris stretched gracefully before continuing her slow patrol through the castle corridors as though nothing had happened at all.
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