In the wizarding world, there are three curses recognized as the most evil, cruel, and merciless— the Unforgivable Curses.
They are the Cruciatus Curse, the Killing Curse, and the Imperius Curse.
These three curses are uniquely dangerous. First, they have no counter-curse to break them. Second, they come with extremely harsh conditions to cast them.
They require an intense surge of negative emotion and an extraordinarily powerful amount of magic, far beyond ordinary wizards.
Just like most dark magic.
Once a caster utters the incantation, the dark force seeps into their very soul, slowly eroding their true nature.
Because of this, the laws of the wizarding world were once strictly declared: anyone who dares to use these three curses would be immediately imprisoned for life in Azkaban!
Dylan was helpless, he never expected that out of all the random fully-leveled spells, these three Unforgivable Curses would fill his spellbook.
"Calm down, Dylan, calm down. A curse is just a tool. Even the Unforgivable Curses can be used properly!"
Dylan lightly patted his cheek, whispering to himself, "At least I have a way to protect myself now, right?"
It's said that the best defense is a good offense. While he didn't draw a Patronus, the Unforgivable Curses weren't the worst thing that could happen.
After convincing himself internally, Dylan finally felt a bit more at ease and turned his attention back to the system panel in front of him.
Aside from the three fully-leveled curses, he had the option to claim a free magical creature.
"Voldemort, if you're listening, please give me something cute. I don't care if it has no power, just don't make it something that looks like a crazy witch."
Perhaps Voldemort heard Dylan's silent prayer.
In an instant, the starry sky above seemed to explode.
Dylan felt the space in front of him warp.
Before he knew it, a small creature, something like a black cat, but more like a lynx, leapt out gracefully.
It was small, its fur dark as midnight, a deep black with no hint of color.
Dylan looked at it, and once again, his vision darkened.
This little creature, despite being a kitten, lacked any sense of clumsiness. Instead, it exuded an icy demeanor.
Looking into its eyes, Dylan felt an unsettling premonition, as though he was gazing at something ominous.
"Meow~" The little creature's claws hid beneath its fur, its black eyes locked onto Dylan.
[Message]: You have acquired a magical pet—Shadow Lynx!
[Message]: Your pet space has been activated!
"Shadow Lynx?" Dylan glanced at the system panel, which showed a detailed introduction to the creature.
After reading it, he sighed in relief.
"Thankfully, it's not an evil magical creature. I'll just need a permit to keep it, or else it would be illegal."
The system had also given him a pet space, so Dylan wouldn't have to keep the little Shadow Lynx with him all the time.
"Meow!"
The Shadow Lynx's call grew louder, as if trying to communicate something to Dylan.
To his surprise, Dylan realized that he could vaguely sense what the little creature was trying to say.
"You want me to hold you?" Dylan blinked.
"Meow!" The Shadow Lynx raised its head proudly.
Oh, it's a little tsundere, isn't it?
And why does it sound like a meow, but more like a 'moo'?
Dylan extended his hand, gently picking up the little Shadow Lynx.
"Since you're my pet now, how about I give you a name?"
The Shadow Lynx curled its legs, giving Dylan a sidelong glance without reacting.
"You look so handsome, with your dark fur. How about I name you… Coalball?"
"Meow?!" The Shadow Lynx bared its teeth.
Dylan chuckled, noticing it didn't object, and its eyes brightened with what seemed like approval. He gave it a gentle scratch.
"If you like it, then it's settled. But now, I need to take care of other things, so you stay in the pet space for now."
"Meow??"
Dylan placed Coalball into the pet space.
He sensed the space and realized it was like a Poké Ball, his pet wouldn't feel uncomfortable inside, even unaware of its surroundings.
"I wonder if one day I could upgrade the pet space to a real world…"
Dylan thought to himself, then began considering how he would visit Diagon Alley and inquire about how to get the Shadow Lynx's permit.
After all, it was his first pet. He couldn't hide it like an affair, could he?
"Ugh, what a mess. I haven't even started school yet, and I'm already breaking the law."
He double-checked his Hogwarts acceptance letter and the attached supply list, memorizing the important details. He tucked the two parchments into an envelope and headed out of the basement.
"Mom! Dad! I have an announcement!"
After his usual morning routine, Dylan sat down with his parents at the dinner table and told them about his acceptance into the magic academy.
But his parents were staring at the letter with suspicious expressions.
"Hubert, do you believe this? I mean… magic?" Dylan's mother, Maeve, looked utterly incredulous.
"Dear, I find it hard to believe too, but Dylan's always been honest," Hubert said as he took the parchment and examined it closely.
"You mean, this is some prank from one of Dylan's friends?" Maeve seemed to calm down a bit after hearing that.
"Mom, you know I don't have any friends," Dylan blinked, reminding her gently.
Maeve and Hubert exchanged glances.
Could it be that their son had fallen for some scam?
Dylan could easily use his curses on his parents to prove the letter was real, but he didn't want to do that. He was still too young, and he didn't want to live out Harry Potter's life.
Although his parents were poor, they loved him deeply.
"Dad, I think I should reply to the letter. What if it's real?" Dylan's face lit up with hopeful anticipation.
"Magic, huh?" Hubert flicked the parchment, frowning slightly.
"Oh, darling, you can reply, but you mustn't just run off with strangers, okay?" Maeve said seriously.
"Of course!" Dylan agreed eagerly.
After the meal, since it was a day off, Dylan's parents watched as he wrote his reply.
As they observed his concentrated manner, they didn't stop him. After all, he was a child, and it was only natural to be curious about such extraordinary things.
Once Dylan finished writing, he placed the letter on the windowsill of the living room desk.
The entire day passed, but no owl showed up.
"Sweetheart, don't be sad. Maybe by Christmas, Santa will leave you a magical gift," Maeve said, noticing Dylan's frequent trips to check the letter.
"Eh? Santa Claus?" Dylan blinked.
Wait, Mom… it's only March. Are you seriously telling me to wait until Christmas?