Hogwarts: I graduated before the system came

Valerius collapsed on the ground. He struggled to raise his head and looked at Douglas who was walking towards him.

There was no longer any arrogance or anger in his eyes, only the purest and most complete fear.

He recognized those eyes.

Those deep green eyes, filled with scholarly curiosity, yet concealing an absolute coldness.

He recognized the spell.

That curse, which only appeared in the dark legend of vampires for three short months, terrified all the evil races in Europe.

"Sky...Skynet..."

Valerius's voice was dry and hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other.

This name is a short but eternal nightmare in the vampire world.

Within just a few months of its appearance, dozens of ancient vampires that had committed many evil deeds, along with their lairs, were completely purified by this iconic spell.

Skynet never kills indiscriminately; it only targets those scum who treat Muggles as blood bags.

But no goal can escape from the huge web woven by cause and effect.

For a time, all the vampires who were indulging in the bloody carnival were in danger. Many old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years were so scared that they hid in their coffins in advance and fell into a long sleep.

Later, Skynet suddenly disappeared.

Rumor has it that he was killed by a real vampire prince because he angered him.

Valerius always thought it was just a legend.

But now, he looked at the man in front of him, looked at his green eyes that were exactly the same as in the legend, and felt the oppression that penetrated deep into his bones, as if it were a natural enemy.

He got it.

The rumor is false.

Skynet is not dead.

Fear made Valerius tremble all over.

Hearing the long-lost code name, Douglas stopped and a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh, you recognized me."

He tilted his head, his tone as relaxed as if he was confirming the identity of an old acquaintance.

"But you don't have to be afraid."

He took two steps forward, crouched down, and looked at Valerius with a very sincere look.

"I've turned over a new leaf."

"Now I'm just an ordinary Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."

Chapter 416: Why don’t you write to the family now and ask them to ask Dumbledore for the person?

These words chilled Valerius to the bone more than any vicious curse.

Ordinary professor?

Could an Animagus who could transform into a crane and lay down a web of cause and effect be an ordinary professor?

Skynet.

All the counterattacks that Valerius had prepared, the dark curse that the ancient vampires were proud of, were transformed into fragile wooden swords in the hands of a child in the face of this name.

He knew very well that in the face of such an existence, any struggle would only lead to a more painful death.

Rumor has it that Skynet not only has a record of killing the Marquis, but there are also rumors that it has seriously injured the Duke. If it weren't for the prince's action, I'm afraid all the dark creatures in Europe would have to relearn how to survive in the dark.

He struggled, forcing himself to stand up from the pile of dead leaves.

The silk robe on his body was already tattered and covered with dirt and rotten leaves, but he still tried to straighten his back and maintain the last and only remaining dignity of a nobleman.

But his slightly trembling fingers and his face, as pale as water-soaked paper, completely betrayed him.

"Mr. Holmes."

His voice no longer had the aria from a stage play, but was dry, hoarse, and had a hint of flattery that he himself was not aware of.

"I think this is a misunderstanding."

"We hold no ill will towards each other, my Brotherhood and your werewolf friends. We just have a slight disagreement over some... minor matters."

He tried hard to force a smile, but that smile was uglier than crying.

"Furthermore, I assure you that my existence has always adhered to the ancient covenant. I have never disturbed any unsuspecting Muggle during unnecessary hunts, nor have I intended to conflict with the Ministry of Magic. I understand balance."

These words were the most humble diplomatic rhetoric he could think of.

He implied that he was a harmless object, an unworthy target for the horror hunter.

The smile on Douglas's face remained gentle.

"Oh?"

He uttered a syllable with interest, like a teacher hearing an interesting answer from a student.

"Don't you want to, or don't you have the chance?"

Valerius was silent.

The only sound in the air was the rustling of the night wind through the treetops, and that sound now sounded full of mockery.

Douglas took two steps forward, his shiny dragon-leather shoes stepping on the fallen leaves, and every step seemed to be stepping on Valerius' heart.

"Well, Count Valerius."

Douglas finally spoke, his tone as relaxed as if he was inviting a friend to afternoon tea.

"Now, let's talk about your future."

"You have two choices."

Valerius' pupils shrank suddenly.

"Don't be afraid. I have no interest in killing you."

Douglas said slowly, and that sentence just ignited a faint hope in Valerius' heart.

"but……"

Douglas changed the subject, and that glimmer of hope was instantly extinguished, leaving only a wisp of black smoke.

"An ancient vampire race with pure blood who can free bats is an excellent research subject for my students."

"Look, I'm in need of a teaching assistant."

Douglas paused, tilted his head, and looked him up and down with a very serious look, as if he was evaluating the value of a commodity.

"Or rather... a living teaching specimen."

Living...teaching...specimen.

These words struck Valerius' soul hard.

The miserable state of his cousin, the thing still locked in the Red Moon Chamber like a pile of wriggling rotten flesh, was the perfect footnote to this sentence.

The research Douglas talked about was a torture that was ten thousand times more terrifying to him than eternal death.

He had no doubt that the man in front of him could both say and do what he said.

Douglas seemed satisfied with the fear on his face as he pulled out a folded piece of parchment and a pen from the inside pocket of his robe.

That was no ordinary parchment.

The paper was an aged, bone-yellow, and upon it, traced in blood-red ink, was an incomprehensibly complex pattern.

The pattern had the sharp edges of runes and the elegant and strange style of oriental talismans. They were entangled together, like living things, slowly wriggling on the paper.

The pen had a shaft made of the leg bone of some unknown beast, but the tip was not a feather, but a translucent fiber that flickered with faint electric light.

That's the dragon's nerve.

"You have two choices."

Douglas handed the strange talisman paper and the deadly pen to Valerius.

"First, sign this teaching mutual assistance agreement and become my teaching assistant from today on."

"Second, become my specimen."

Douglas's smile widened.

"But it's the dead kind."

He looked at Valerius' pupils that were shrinking with fear and added sympathetically.

"Honestly, your body structure is perfect, your bloodline is pure, the strength of your muscle fibers, and the concentration of your blood curse are all rare research materials."

"Don't worry, I will treat you well and ensure that every cell in your body can be used by my students to find its due value."

Valerius felt the magic emanating from the talisman paper.

It was a kind of contract magic based on souls and concepts that he had never encountered before.

Once signed, any thought of resistance will lead to consequences more terrible than death itself.

Douglas does not explain the role of the contract.

This unknown is the deepest fear, like a bottomless black swamp, luring all your guesses and then swallowing them one by one.

"I am...I am a descendant of the Cappadocian family!"

Valerius made his last and weakest struggle, trying to use his family's ancient name to scare away the devil before him.

"you can not……"

“Cappadocia?”

Douglas interrupted him lightly.

"As I recall, the highest-ranking member of that family is a duke who has been sleeping for hundreds of years, right?"

"not to mention."

Douglas's eyes became sharp, and he immediately stripped off Valerius's last disguise.

"You are just a traitor expelled from the family."

"Otherwise."

Douglas suggested kindly.

"Would you write a letter back now and tell them that you are being recruited by the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and ask them to come to our headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to ask for someone?"

Chapter 417 Welcome to my research team, Assistant Professor Valerius

When the name "Dumbledore" came out of Douglas' mouth lightly, the last gate of luck in Valerius' heart was completely broken.

He was not afraid of Dumbledore, the legendary white wizard was too far away from him.

What he feared was that the man before him could so casually use that legend as his backer.

This means that even if he was really torn into pieces today, his family would never dare to, let alone knock on the door of Hogwarts for a traitor.

Moreover, the family would never provoke Dumbledore for an exiled traitor, let alone face the notorious vampire hunter, Skynet.

He lost completely.

He was defeated miserably, and even the last bit of strength to struggle was drained away.

Valerius's proud head, which had never bowed to anyone, slowly, slowly drooped.

"I……"

His voice was as thin as a mosquito.

"I choose... to sign the contract."

He stretched out his hand, the hand that once gracefully held a goblet and ruthlessly strangled the enemy's neck, now trembled like a fallen leaf in the wind.

Take the pen made of dragon nerve.