Sullivan's first lesson was a huge hit. It sparked excitement in every young wizard in the class—pretty much all of them copied A Complete Guide to Muggle Weapons and couldn't wait to show it off to friends who hadn't signed up for the course.
After class, Sullivan grabbed a quick bite in the staff room, then headed back to his office. The faculty offices were basically like a two-bedroom apartment: the main office area doubled as a living room, with a bedroom on each side.
As soon as he shut the door, Sullivan flopped onto the bed and eagerly assigned his points, bumping Dark Arts & Defense up to Level 4.
The next moment, a massive flood of knowledge forced its way into his brain. A sharp, swelling pain hit him hard, making him wince.
He focused on the changes swirling in his mind, savoring every bit of new information. All those tricky, obscure dark spells and defensive charms that used to stump him were suddenly starting to make sense.
It took about half an hour for Sullivan to fully absorb it all. When it came to dark arts and defense against them, he felt like he'd leveled up big time.
Without hesitating, he spent his two general skill points: one on Charms and one on Dark Arts & Defense, pushing both to Level 5.
Another hour of digesting followed. The boost to Dark Arts & Defense was exactly what he'd expected—he could now cast the Patronus Charm. His guardian took the form of a stunning silvery raven.
The Charms upgrade was an even bigger surprise. It didn't target just one spell; it improved every spell across the board.
The new knowledge helped him refine his pronunciation, wand movements, and magical energy flow, making spells cast faster and hit harder.
For now, his Alchemy level was plenty good enough. No matter how powerful alchemy got, the stuff you made was still just external tools.
With the Dark Lord about to make his comeback, Sullivan figured the real key to survival was powering himself up directly.
So he set a little goal: prioritize getting Charms, Dark Arts & Defense, and Transfiguration all the way to Level 7.
Plus, he could vaguely sense connections between the skills. Boosting total magical power and control helped everything else, and some of the new dark arts insights were already sparking fresh ideas for his alchemy. That gave him even more confidence about pushing alchemy higher on his own.
Glancing outside, he saw night had fallen. Right on cue, Coalball hopped onto his lap and started meowing insistently.
Sullivan knew what that meant—she wanted to go out and play. He scratched her head. "Alright, alright, let's get you outside."
He tucked Coalball inside his robes and left the office. By now, the students should all be back in their common rooms, leaving the Hogwarts castle feeling quiet and empty.
Sullivan headed straight for the back door of the castle and made his way toward Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Hagrid, you in?" he called out loudly.
The hut door swung open, and Hagrid grinned when he saw who it was. "Sullivan ! Come on in—I just baked some rock cakes. Still warm. Fancy one?"
"No thanks, Hagrid. Those things could double as shields. My teeth aren't up for it." Sullivan teased without mercy. He'd known Hagrid since his own school days, and they got along pretty well.
Hagrid just laughed it off and waved him inside. Fang, the boarhound, caught a whiff of something and barked twice at Sullivan.
"Quiet, Fang! He's a friend!" Hagrid scolded.
Fang shut up, but he stayed on high alert, crouching low in an attack-ready stance.
Hagrid barely noticed Fang—his eyes were glued to the bundle in Sullivan's arms. "Quick, let the little one out. She's gotta be uncomfortable all cooped up like that."
Sullivan couldn't help chuckling at how worked up Hagrid was. He unclasped the collar around Coalball's neck, and in an instant, she leaped down and transformed into a sleek, two-meter-long black panther-like creature.
"Roar!" Coalball landed and let out a warning growl at Fang, who was still eyeing her warily.
Fang immediately rolled over, belly up, whimpering and—even—letting out a few scared dribbles of pee.
Hagrid forgot all about Fang. His eyes were starry with awe. "Wow... a pure black kneazle. There's probably only one like her in the whole world. She's gorgeous."
He rummaged in a cupboard, pulled out a big leg from some unknown creature, and tossed it to her. "Here you go, girl—eat up!"
Coalball sniffed it, decided it was fresh enough, and tore into it happily. Seeing her enjoy it, Hagrid started inching closer.
With most carnivores, getting near while they're eating is a terrible idea. But kneazles are the opposite.
Kneazles are natural Legilimens—they can read your intentions. The only way to get close while they're eating is if your thoughts are genuinely kind.
That's how ancient Native American wizards got kneazle hairs, but no one had ever truly tamed one. That's why Hagrid and Dumbledore had been so shocked when they saw Coalball.
Hagrid crept forward slowly. Coalball glanced up, locked eyes with him for a moment, and easily sensed his goodwill. She went back to her meal without a fuss.
Finally, Hagrid got his wish and ran a hand through her silky fur. The feel of it left him totally enchanted. "Sullivan , I still can't believe it—someone actually tamed a kneazle."
"Hagrid," Sullivan said, skipping the explanation, "Coalball needs a hunting ground. Can you set aside a section of the Forbidden Forest for her?"
Hagrid frowned a bit. "Coalball... Sullivan , honestly, your naming skills are awful. A beauty like her deserves something like Black Beauty or Midnight."
Sullivan had heard endless complaints about the name, but this time he couldn't let it slide. "Hagrid, who gave you the right to criticize my naming? Have you looked at the names you come up with lately?"
Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly and changed the subject. "Every part of the Forbidden Forest already belongs to someone or something. But with Coalball's strength, nothing in there can threaten her. Just... make sure she doesn't go hunting centaurs or other magical creatures. That'd cause real trouble."
Sullivan patted Coalball's head. "Got it? No hunting centaurs or other magical beings. Go have fun."
Coalball let out an excited roar, then shot off like a black streak of lightning—too fast for the eye to follow—leaping straight out Hagrid's window and vanishing into the Forbidden Forest.
Besides their Legilimency skills, kneazles can walk on two legs and boast incredible speed, making them nearly invincible in the wild. That's exactly why they're rated XXXXX—extremely dangerous magical creatures.