57. Good News.

I looked at the ring box in my Gate of Babylon and considered what to do with it. It did indeed have powerful compulsions on it, but those didn't affect the group at all.

There was also the withering curse on it. I had protection against some curses—for example, a blasting curse could blow off my arm, but it would grow back. But something like the withering curse? I had no idea how that would affect me. The Cruciatus Curse was another concern—it didn't cause physical harm, just intense pain. I wasn't about to take any chances with it.

There were several things I was highly wary of in this world: the Killing Curse, the Torture Curse, Mandrakes, Basilisks, Cockatrices, and Dark Curses.

Instant killing, petrification, pain-infliction, and more. Would the Killing Curse even work on me? I had no idea. Did it truly target the soul, or was it something else? Regardless, I didn't want to be hit with it, and I sure as hell wasn't going to mess around and test it. I'm neither stupid nor suicidal.

Books and fanfiction often claimed that the only way to destroy a Horcrux was through basilisk venom, Fiendfyre, and the Killing Curse. However, I wasn't sure if that Killing Curse option was true at all—it never happened in the books, only in fanfictions.

Even if I wanted to get something like basilisk venom, there was a problem—we didn't have a Parseltongue at the school aside from Harry. I could fake it to open the sink, sure, but what about the vault door? Or the massive statue of Salazar that required a specific password to unleash the basilisk?

Well, I'd figure it out later.

---

Classes were as easy as ever. I might not have been as naturally gifted as Yue or Rachel in that area, but I still learned at a monstrous pace. I was undoubtedly faster than a normal person like Hermione.

When you have perfect memory and an entire 24/7 period to either learn or practice—without distractions like the internet or phones—the amount of progress you can make is astonishing.

Not only that, but I was excited to learn magic and actually enjoyed it. That was a key point that no doubt helped. Even Rachel and Yue enjoyed learning magic.

Even after a year, I was still thrilled to be here, learning about magic. Our group was at the top of the class with perfect grades in nearly every subject—except Potions, where Snape could be pissy. I was half-tempted to kill him just for that alone. Maybe Slughorn could replace him early.

Homework was a piece of cake. I was in a group with two magical prodigies and Hermione—all of whom didn't mind checking over each other's work. Plus, I wasn't a slouch when it came to studying, and I paid attention in class. Well, except for History of Magic.

Still, we had our hobbies. Rachel loved reading and usually had a book in her hand. My personal library had grown massive—not only from books she ordered or ones we bought from Flourish and Blotts, but also from books we found in the Room of Requirement.

As for me, I had finally accomplished something I had wanted to do for a long time.

In front of me, on my table, sat a yellow, spiked fruit—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Next to it lay a book on curse-breaking that I had been reading through. The fruit itself had a couple of curses on it, which I detected using a curse detection spell.

I waved my wand, chanting incantation after incantation. Finally, something clicked—a dark blue, smoke-like energy was released from the fruit, smelling faintly of seawater as it dispersed into the air.

Excited, I cast the detection spell again. It came back negative. I double-checked it before reaching into my Gate and pulling out the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Repeating the curse extraction process, a second puff of dark blue smoke was released from the orange fruit with flame patterns. It, too, came back with no curse detected.

"Did I do it?" I double- and triple-checked.

These fruits had been a nagging itch in my heart for a year. I really, really wanted cool lightning powers and the abilities of a Logia fruit user. But I also wanted fire-based powers—they were just so damn useful.

I picked up the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, holding it in my hand for a moment. "Best not to let the girls know, or they might try to stop me." My eyes hardened, and I took a bite, expecting something horrible.

To my surprise, the fruit itself didn't taste bad at all. It was slightly sour and sweet, almost like lemonade. My tongue tingled, as if static electricity was running over it.

As soon as I swallowed the first bite, the changes were instant. My Observation Haki shot through the roof—the distance and clarity of my detection increased dramatically. I could feel the electric currents around people's bodies. My thinking speed accelerated.

Holding up my hand, an arc of blue lightning zipped between my fingers, filling the air with the scent of ozone.

My eyes snapped to the second Devil Fruit.

Hesitating for only a moment, I picked it up and took a bite. A hot, spicy flavor—like biting into a chili pepper—filled my mouth as I chewed, then swallowed.

Instantly, I felt my body heat up, a brief discomfort spreading through me before fading away.

Looking at my hand, I conjured a small orange flame over my fingertip—but then, it turned purple as electricity intertwined with it. It was an odd sight.

"Should I just call it Thunderfire?" I mused, marveling at the power in my grasp.