Chapter 71: The Path of a Curse-Breaker
"Just as Nero reached for the door, ready to step out of the Ravenclaw common room, the Sorting Hat's voice rang out from its now usual stop."
"Where are you going, lad?"
Nero paused, a smirk tugging at his lips. "As you know, I have quite a lot of pressure from accumulating lots of knowledge. It is time for me to unwind a bit. What better than to marry the useful with the enjoyable? I've decided it's time to step up my game regarding purifying dark artifacts."
The hat let out an amused hum. "And what do you have in mind? Since you developed that blasted application of barriers to shield your mind, I can't even see what you're thinking anymore."
Nero chuckled. "Ah, I have to thank you for that, my dear hat teacher. Though I have to actively form the barrier, my Occlumency is strong enough to detect any attempt to peer into my mind. Once I sense it, I can block it for about sixty seconds, more than enough time to fully deploy my barriers. Still, one day, I'll be able to do it passively, without barriers." His smirk widened. "And who knows? Maybe I could even learn how to apply fake memories to those barriers, that would be a nice surprise for whomever wants to peer into my mind."
The hat gave a dry laugh. "You're a terrifying child."
Nero's expression remained playful. "Flattery will get you nowhere."
Then, with a glint in his eye, he added, "Besides, it's about time I started learning Legilimency."
"Legilimency, is it?" the hat mused.
"Well, I can't exactly carry Veritaserum everywhere, can I?"
The hat barked a laugh. "Cunning little snake, aren't you? Why didn't I sort you into Slytherin already?"