Harry Potter: The Legend of Nero Ravenclaw

The first weekend of the new school year arrived faster than expected.

The castle had already settled into its usual rhythm.

Students bustling through hallways, homework assignments piling up, and the ever-present whispers of Hogwarts' mysteries filling the air.

For Nero, however, the true work was only about to begin.

Lying back on his bed in the Ravenclaw dormitory, he exhaled slowly, letting his mind shift into planning mode.

The beginning of his second year wasn't just another step forward, it was the foundation of everything he hoped to achieve.

His personal objectives had been carefully refined, his ambitions structured into a precise, methodical plan.

Rowena herself had reviewed them, offering insights that had sharpened his approach.

With a flick of his wand, a parchment unfurled in the air before him, revealing his Second-Year To-Do List:

Occlumency: Strengthen his mental defenses to prevent any potential intrusions.

A mandatory safeguard, If he was going to deal with dark forces, protecting his mind was non-negotiable.

Raven Eyes: Master their analytical abilities, pushing further his understanding and applications of this unique gift.

Apparition: Take advantage of his unique constitution, one that made him immune to basic space manipulation, to learn Apparition ahead of schedule.

This would also give him an early start on trying his hand at understanding spatial laws.

Rituals and Purification: Further his now strong theoretical learning on how to cleanse dark magic, an essential step before he attempted purification on a Horcrux.

Curse Breaking: Theory alone wouldn't suffice. If he truly intended to cleanse a Horcrux one day, he needed hands-on experience with lesser dark artifacts first.

Barrier Magic: His most natural affinity thus far. Developing it further would provide both defense and strategic versatility.

Advanced Element, Ice: If he wanted to deepen his understanding of elemental magic, he had to go beyond water.

Ice was the next logical step, an extension of what he already knew.

Healing Arts: Learning basic to intermediate healing spells would increase his self-sufficiency in combat scenarios. A practical necessity.

Intent-Based Magic: Understanding how intent influenced Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He had the feeling that fully grasping the concept of intent would unlock a significant bottleneck in his magic understanding. 

Dueling: Studying was one thing. Real battle experience was another.

He needed to hone his skills against actual opponents.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Even with a structured plan, Nero understood that flexibility was key.

Life, especially in Hogwarts, was unpredictable. There would be obstacles, unforeseen complications, and new discoveries that might shift his priorities.

He needed to be ready to adapt.

But his goals weren't limited to personal development.

After extensive discussions with the Founders' lingering magical echoes, he confirmed one essential thing: Hogwarts itself held secrets far beyond what the school curriculum covered.

In this specific case, each Founder admitted having left behind a legacy room, hidden somewhere within the castle. Their locations are up to them to discover. 

Thus, his Exploration To-Do List was born:

Discover the location of Rowena's hidden chamber.

Discover the location of Godric's hidden chamber.

Discover the location of Helga's hidden chamber.

Explore the Chamber of Secrets.

There was power hidden within these chambers. Not just knowledge, but magic that had stood the test of time for a thousand years.

If he could uncover them, who knew what he and his friends would find?

With a deep breath, he let the thoughts settle.

Focus. One step at a time.

Nero rolled out of bed and stretched.

Today marked the beginning of the first common project between himself, Lilith, Alaric, and Ember.

He found them waiting for him near the entrance of the Room of Requirement, a place they had decided they would use very often this year.

"You're late," Ember commented, leaning against the wall, twirling her ever-present dagger between her fingers.

Nero raised an eyebrow. "By exactly one minute and forty-three seconds."

Lilith smirked. "Still late."

Alaric crossed his arms. "We were just discussing how many rules we're about to break this year."

"Do you think teachers bet on that before a new school year?" asked Ember.

Lilith rolled her eyes, arms crossed as she leaned against the room's stone wall. "Alright, we should get started. We agreed to focus on two things first, right?"

Nero nodded. "Absolutely. First, we need to create a magical way of communicating over long distances. Pretty much a wizarding version of the mobile phones."

"Then, we need to recreate something similar to the Marauder's Map," Alaric added

"One for each of us. It'll be our biggest help in locating the Founders' chambers, and considering the scale of the castle, it's going to be a necessity."

Ember tilted her head. "Which one are we starting with?"

"The communication method," Nero said firmly. "It's more urgent. If we're working on separate things, we need a way to stay in touch instantly without relying on spells like the Patronus Charm, which is too impractical for secrecy. Furthermore, I need to study more spells to upgrade the Marauder's map to our liking"

Ember hummed thoughtfully. "Alright. So we're making enchanted objects that allow us to talk to each other? Sounds simple enough."

"Not quite," Nero countered. "The difficulty lies in the details. We need to make it instantaneous, secure, and private. Owl post is too slow. Mirrors, like the ones Sirius Black and James Potter used, require physical contact with the object and aren't discreet. And two-way mirrors only work between two people, we need a network for all four of us."

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