Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

Cael had just finished his Potions class under the heavy scowl of Professor Snape. The one thing Snape hated more than teaching Gryffindors was teaching Cael specifically. To him, Cael was the living, breathing embodiment of every Gryffindor trait he despised — arrogant, reckless, always pushing the rules. It reminded Snape far too much of his school days… and especially of the Marauders.

Cael made his way toward the Room of Requirement, lost in thought, when suddenly, the familiar chime of his system echoed in his head.

Ding!

Quest of Changing: Learn the Animagus transformation by the end of the year and become an illegal Animagus.

Rewards: Aegis Vitae — Shield of Life

Type: Advanced Protective/Healing Magic

Category: Rare, Ancient White Magic

Effect:

• Shields the caster or another from deadly attacks (both physical and magical) for a short time

• Instantly heals minor wounds within the shield's area

• Repels dark magic, especially curses and hexes

• Temporary — drains the caster's energy the longer it's held

Cael's eyes narrowed at the screen hovering in front of him.

Cael's brow furrowed, skepticism kicking in. "Seriously, system? Now? It's nearly winter. No rain, no thunderstorms, no freak weather for the Animagus ritual prep—it's practically impossible this season."

The system's voice chimed back, annoyingly casual.

"Well, you can always postpone until next year."

Cael rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm going to wait around for that. Maybe I'll get lucky — if there's a storm by November, I can pull it off. And besides… that spell? Aegis Vitae? That's rare, unique, and could save my life someday."

But preparation came first. He needed a Mandrake leaf, among other things. Which meant raiding Professor Sprout's Greenhouse—quietly. His first thought was to rope in Fred, George, maybe Lee. It sounded like the sort of chaos they'd adore.

But then the weight of it hit him.

The ritual was dangerous. Magical instability, disfigurement…worse. If something happened to them because of him, the guilt would stick longer than any spell. He shoved the idea aside.

Solo mission, then.

Step one: research. And there was only one place for that—the library.

His first real step should be research. The library — maybe, just maybe, they had something useful about Animagus transformations. So, he made his way there, weaving through the castle's halls until he reached the grand double doors of the library.

Inside, the usual quiet filled the space, only broken by the scratch of quills and turning pages. His eyes landed on Hermione Granger, buried in books and parchment as always.

Cael smirked slightly.

She really is a hard worker. No wonder they call her the brightest witch of her generation. Honestly, she probably carried Harry Potter and Ron Weasley through half their battles. If it wasn't for her, Harry wouldn't have survived half as long at Hogwarts… She's more of a main character than he ever was, Cael thought to himself.

Not wanting to disturb her, he slipped past, diving into the shelves.

For hours, he searched — flipping through book after book, but all he found were basic introductions, surface-level information. Nothing about the actual ritual.

His eyes drifted toward the Restricted Section.

Figures. They wouldn't leave dangerous transformation magic lying around where anyone could read it.

Madam Pince, the strict librarian, was already watching him with sharp, suspicious eyes. He'd been here for hours, pacing the aisles but barely reading. Cael sighed, giving up — for now. He slipped out of the library, already planning to return tonight, after curfew.

Night — The Library

The heavy, iron-bound doors loomed ahead. His wand was ready, hand steady.

The simple unlocking charm Flitwick had taught them in Charms class felt like child's play compared to the enchantments protecting the library at night.

Still… he had prepared.

"Alohomora…" Cael whispered, focusing hard.

For a moment, nothing happened. The doors stood firm, daring him to turn back. But then, with a faint click, the latch gave way.

Cael slipped inside, the darkness swallowing him whole.

The library at night was a different beast entirely.

Towering shelves rose like silent guards, long shadows stretched across the floor. The Restricted Section waited at the far end — cordoned off by a velvet rope, the faint shimmer of enchantments hanging in the air.

He crouched low, edging toward the barrier. His wand's faint glow revealed the chained tomes beyond — some breathing softly, others whispering strange, chilling words that danced at the edge of his mind.

A shiver crawled down his spine.

From his robes, Cael pulled the parchment — the stolen counter-charm he'd nicked from an older Ravenclaw prefect.

Eyes darting around, he whispered the sequence under his breath.

The shimmering barrier fizzled — just for a second.

That's all he needed.

He slipped under the rope, careful not to brush it, disappearing into the shadows of the Forbidden shelves.

The air here was different — heavy with dust, old parchment… and something sharper. The scent of scorched hair and bitter herbs clung to the space.

Row upon row of dangerous books glared down at him — curses, blood rituals, forbidden transformations.

But Cael was looking for only one thing.

His fingers ghosted along cracked leather spines: Curses of the Mind, Ritual Blood Magic, The Art of Magical Mutilation—

There.

Animagus Transformation: Theory and Dangerous Practice

His fingers trailed along cracked leather spines, skipping titles that promised death, madness, or worse… until his hand froze.

There.

A thick, black-bound book with faded gold letters, nearly hidden behind grimoires on magical mutilation. His pulse quickened.

He slid the book free, its weight heavy, the cover humming softly with protective spells. But curiosity burned brighter than caution.

Opening the book, his eyes scanned the first page:

"The ritual of becoming an Animagus is not for the faint of heart. Failure results in permanent disfigurement, magical instability, or death. The Ministry requires registration — but mastery, they cannot control."

A grin curled across his face.

This was it. The first step of the quest.

But his grin faded as his eyes flicked to the diagrams — circles drawn under moonlight, bone marrow extractions, the Mandrake leaf kept in the mouth for an entire month.

His stomach twisted.

This wasn't just a spell. It was a trial — dangerous, nearly impossible.

But he didn't back down. Not now. Not with the reward waiting at the end. The thought of transforming into an animal… the power… the Aegis Vitae spell… it fueled him.

A sudden creak sliced through the silence. The library doors.

His body tensed. He ducked into the shadows, wand tight, book clutched to his chest.

Footsteps. Slow. Hesitant. And then—

The faint, unmistakable stench of garlic.

His eyes widened.

Professor Quirrell.

The man shuffled in, pale face gleaming in the wand light, mumbling softly to himself. Except… no. Not to himself.

"Mm-master… a-are you sure it's here?" Quirrell stammered, voice barely coherent.

A hiss answered from beneath his turban. Cold, guttural, serpentine.

"Yes… it's here. Second row of the Forbidden Section. Find the book… finish the potion."

Cael's blood ran cold. He stayed frozen, every muscle taut as Quirrell rifled through the shelves, eventually pulling a tome free. He scurried out of the library, the eerie hiss of You must not fail me… trailing behind him.

For a long moment, Cael remained hidden, lungs tight, pulse pounding. It was the first time he'd heard that voice—the voice that sent grown wizards trembling to their knees. The voice people barely dared whisper about.

Voldemort.

The system's voice broke the tension, far too chipper for the situation as if it was taking an interview for a TV News .

"Congratulations, Host! You're officially the first to hear the sultry, dulcet tones of the Dark Lord himself. How does it feel to meet one of the Wizarding World's most famous celebrities?"

Cael exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes. "System, now's really not the time. We nearly got ourselves killed."

"Correction: You nearly got yourself killed. I'm just along for the ride."

Suppressing a groan, Cael tucked the Animagus book under his arm and slipped out of the library, determination replacing fear.