Chapter 210 Título De Este Capítulo: The Power Of Evan

The four individuals in the boat were huddled closely together, hesitant to move.

Due to the limited space, Harry and Hermione couldn't sit comfortably; they had to kneel with their knees on the boat.

"Professor," Harry said anxiously, gazing at the nearby lake.

"Relax, Harry. As I mentioned before, this boat is imbued with magical power. In my view, Voldemort wouldn't have counted on the three of you," explained Dumbledore. "You are underage and unqualified. Voldemort would have never expected three wizards of twelve or thirteen years to reach this place."

Harry listened to Dumbledore's words with concern and disappointment.

Dumbledore probably noticed this and added, "Voldemort's mistake, Harry, Voldemort's mistake... Youth is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates young minds. All of you possess unlimited potential and possibilities... Well, Evan, you may come closer, but be careful not to touch the water."

"But, Professor, there is no space in the boat," blinked Evan. Even though magically this boat could safely hold several of them, there wasn't enough room on board for him to sit.

"You can board after transforming," Dumbledore said calmly. "If I'm not mistaken, your Animagus form isn't very large."

Evan was surprised; he didn't know how Dumbledore knew about his Animagus form.

Although it was a semi-public secret, Sirius, Harry, and Hermione knew about it. Evan was very cautious every time he transformed, especially when Dumbledore was absent. Given this, he shouldn't have been aware.

But that was Dumbledore. Nothing could be hidden from him. He knew everything. There were no secrets to him.

Evan didn't know his specific source of intelligence, but not only was he aware of it: even everything Voldemort did was as clear as daylight to Dumbledore.

It was astonishing, admirable, but thinking about it, also terrifying.

Dumbledore was that kind of person.

Evan whispered a word and turned into a black cat.

With no room on the boat, he looked around and then leaped gracefully onto the boat, landing directly in Hermione's arms.

Hermione's face turned red, looking very embarrassed. She didn't expect Evan to do that, especially in front of Dumbledore, Sirius, and Harry.

She turned her head and saw the others weren't looking at them. They tried to pretend they hadn't noticed anything, but the slight smiles on their lips betrayed them.

Hermione's face became even redder, almost to the extreme.

Just as she hesitated, the boat suddenly rocked and sank sharply.

Hermione screamed and unconsciously hugged Evan.

Evan didn't have time to feel the warmth of Hermione. He was surprised to find the boat sinking rapidly.

The boat reacted much more when he jumped aboard than when Harry and Hermione boarded, even more than when Sirius got on. Originally, there was less than a quarter of space left on the boat's edge, it sank more and more rapidly, and its sinking speed was increasing, showing no signs of stopping.

If no action was taken, the boat would soon capsize and sink.

Dumbledore looked at Evan in astonishment. He quickly waved his wand and murmured a spell with his lips. A white mist emerged from the wand's tip, passed around the group, and then gathered under the sinking boat, pushing it back up.

The boat swayed violently and gradually steadied. It was nearly at the lake's level, sustained by Dumbledore's magic.

Now, they all floated in the water and were in danger of the boat capsizing at any moment.

Everyone was enveloped in a state of fear, even their breathing became cautious.

They looked at Evan in Hermione's arms in disbelief. They didn't know how he had managed it. How could a young wizard possess such great magic power?

Indeed, even Dumbledore was as astounded as they were.

A flash of amazement crossed his face, the first time Evan had seen it on Dumbledore.

It seemed he had never imagined that Evan would have such powerful magic. For a 12-year-old wizard, this was nearly impossible.

Sensing the stares of others, Evan was unsure of what was happening.

Normally, he might have more magic than Harry and Hermione combined, but he should have much less than Sirius.

The four ways to increase magical power are natural growth with age, enhancement after taking various potions, the empowering effects of magical objects, and the use of dark magic to transform one's own body.

Of course, concerning natural growth, Evan was only 12 years old, belonging to the stage where his magical ability had barely developed, and he hadn't even reached the rapid growth stage yet.

As for magical potions, although Evan's actual magical power level had increased considerably since last summer break, surpassing that of younger wizards his age by far, potions shouldn't be able to cause such an effect. While he brewed several potions this year, many of them did help enhance magic, but their effect was minimal, and it would take a long time to see any significant progress.

Regarding the use of dark magic to alter the body, it should not even be mentioned.

Evan had no knowledge of such advanced dark magic, and there was no record of it in the book "Secrets of the Darkest Art."

Although Evan knew such highly advanced dark magic existed, he had no idea how that magic was utilized.

Besides Voldemort, no wizard had mastered this dark magic, not even Dumbledore.

Since none of these three were considerations, only magical objects remained.

Dumbledore had just mentioned that the depth of a wizard's power was not measured by weight but by magical strength.

Although Evan did not feel that his magical power had significantly increased, he did not rule out the possibility of carrying very powerful magical objects with him.

Evan tried to recall what he had, and besides the standard wizard robes and wand, he should have some treats he had bought at Honeydukes, like that cursed lollipop he couldn't eat.

Moreover, the things that were overwhelming him the most should be those magic books.

Although Sirius had offered his family's entire library as Christmas gifts, allowing them to take what they were interested in, Evan chose almost exclusively books on the Dark Arts.

He shrunk them in size and carried them with him.

Before taking them, those dark magic books had been inherited by the Blacks for centuries. Many of them had not even been opened, and perhaps there was some great magical power or hidden secrets in the books.

Although this possibility was not very big, it could not be dismissed.

Furthermore, Evan kept thinking about the Slytherin's Locket.

He remembered Slytherin's emblem, encrusted with emeralds, a capital S snakelike.