Harry Potter: The Forbidden Magic Legend Begins with Him

Hodge Blackthorn left the headmaster's office feeling a bit puzzled.

It was as if he'd uncovered some secrets, yet at the same time, it felt like he'd only heard a story—one that seemed far removed from his own life. Still, the thought of staying one step ahead of Umbridge brought him a sense of relief.

Not to mention, he'd tested his aptitude for ancient magic.

The results weren't exactly what he'd hoped for, but Hodge wasn't too discouraged. He didn't need such advanced magic just yet. He had other things to worry about—after borrowing some of Dumbledore's wisdom to clear a few obstacles, Hodge had come up with fresh ideas for developing memory magic.

Truth be told, he'd been thinking about this for a while. His conversation with Dumbledore had simply given him more confidence.

The core of his plan was to actively feed memories to a Boggart, guiding it to transform in a specific direction.

Just imagine it: if he could conjure a Dumbledore… or even another version of himself, or perhaps one of those dangerous yet enchanting creatures from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—an Acromantula, a Centaur, a Unicorn, a Hippogriff, a Troll…

Or even a dragon!

The mere thought sent a thrill through him.

But as brilliant as Hodge's idea was, two major hurdles stood in his way.

First, his goal wasn't just to explore his talents but to gain some protective abilities. The method he'd used when capturing a Boggart in the broom shed wouldn't work here. He couldn't exactly stand still in the face of danger, mentally conjuring something terrifying for the Boggart to mimic, could he?

He needed to prepare in advance.

This brought him to the creation and storage of memory threads. He was already capable of crafting them, but as for storing memories, The Mysteries of Memory had detailed accounts. The book described various magical objects that could hold memories: Pensieves, enchanted portraits, memory vials, memory orbs, certain specially crafted prophecy spheres, and even the Sorting Hat.

It also mentioned a material called goblin-wrought metal, outrageously expensive and said to be used in the forging of Gryffindor's sword.

After weighing his options, Hodge decided memory vials were the best choice.

At least those could be bought on the market.

Second, a Boggart's transformations weren't as powerful as one might hope.

According to the research Hodge had done in the library, countless cases showed that a Boggart's transformed state was often just a hollow shell. It couldn't replicate the same strength or magical abilities as the real thing. For example, a Boggart turned Dementor couldn't produce the same soul-draining despair, and a Boggart turned Banshee's wail wasn't lethal.

Yet, there were rare exceptions.

In a medieval wizarding village, a series of werewolf attacks had plagued the residents. After much effort, they captured the werewolf responsible, only to find that the attacks didn't stop. Two more incidents occurred, though the new victims' injuries were far less severe—just shallow, unhealing scars.

A small mercy, all things considered.

Later, a Boggart was discovered in the werewolf's hideout, and the truth came to light.

This reminded Hodge of something Professor McGonagall had stressed in Transfiguration class: "You must thoroughly understand both the original and the transformed object for the spell to succeed."

So, if Hodge could feed a Boggart his detailed understanding of a magical creature, could it manifest some of that creature's magical abilities? Excited by the possibility, he began experimenting.

Hodge broke his plan into three steps: first, he'd work with ordinary creatures that had some affinity for magic—ordinary by wizarding standards, at least. Next, he'd move on to small magical creatures. And then, if possible, he'd set his sights on truly powerful magical creatures that could offer real assistance.

Over the next few days, Ravenclaw students noticed Hodge lingering in the common room, playing with someone's pet—a cat, a toad, a pet rat, or even an owl delivering mail or begging for treats, which he'd pet without hesitation.

But soon, they started to suspect something was off. Sometimes, these well-known pets would appear in two places at once. Ruling out any supernatural explanations, the "truth" began to dawn on them.

"Are you practicing Transfiguration?" Penelope Clearwater asked. "But using classmates' pets as references for transformations… well…" She trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

It was just plain weird.

Hodge, cradling a black-and-orange double-tailed salamander, said, "It's not exactly what you're thinking, but close enou—"

Penelope suddenly leaned back, startled.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I must be seeing things. I thought I saw a snake," Penelope said, her voice tinged with unease. She stared at the salamander in Hodge's hands, which was irritably curling its two tails and flicking a tongue that looked eerily like a snake's.

"I'm terrified of snakes. They're so slimy, and you can't read their expressions. You never know when they'll bite," she muttered as she walked away, grumbling about her O.W.L.s.

She seemed to think her intense revision had caused her to hallucinate.

Hodge scratched his chin. The double-tailed salamander gazed at him innocently—transforming into something frightening was a Boggart's instinct, and even with Hodge's control, it occasionally slipped up.

Hodge grabbed the salamander and left the common room. As he stepped out of the castle, the salamander in his hands morphed into a purple toad. He'd barely settled onto the soft, comfortable grass when Neville Longbottom appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey, Hodge," Neville said shyly. "I was wondering… have you seen my toad? I've been looking everywhere, and Lavender said she saw you holding one…" His eyes drifted to Hodge's hands.

"Er…"

Before Hodge could respond, Neville shook his head.

"That's not mine," he said, eyeing the purple toad in Hodge's hands with a hint of envy. "Yours is really pretty. I hope it doesn't run off."

After that, Hodge resolved to dive into Boggart transformations with real magical creatures as soon as possible.

He spent hours in the library researching, narrowing his focus to a few small magical creatures: Billywigs, Fire Salamanders, Bowtruckles, and Kneazles. They shared a few key traits: simple biological structures, low danger levels, and relative ease of access.

Hodge visited Hagrid twice and, unsurprisingly, found a nest of Fire Salamanders in his hearth.

Two weeks later, Ravenclaw students were astonished to see Hodge wandering around with a Fire Salamander in his arms. Rumors began to spread that Hodge had discovered a way to raise Fire Salamanders at room temperature—

Because, according to reliable records, those creatures could only survive in flames.

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