Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 312: Black Magic
The library was full of wizards.

The orange magic lanterns provided a simple, bright, and soft light, and the wizards crammed on their difficult books, occasionally sneaking a snack or two.

Mrs. Pince always turned a blind eye to this behavior, and she wasn't entirely as strict as the young wizards imagined.

In the restricted book section, the soft light abruptly stopped, leaving only a few dim lanterns placed on the dark wooden table to illuminate each page for Sheen.

Poisonous Magic
Sheen didn't have a very deep impression of it.

"The Most Poisonous Magic" is a book that records the most dangerous and evil magic in the wizarding world.

The core of its content is knowledge about Horcruxes. However, the author of this book also seems to have an extreme aversion to Horcrux magic, and therefore explicitly refuses to provide specific methods for making Horcruxes in the book.

But it did introduce the concept of Horcruxes.

The screaming book subsided after Sheen got his hands on it, and the black smoke disappeared... This actually meant that the book might have some kind of curse.

Because Sheen knew for certain that the book didn't exist, he dared to take it directly—otherwise, being in the restricted area, he would have to be extremely careful.

Ancient wizards were no pushovers.

Sheehan remembers an old book that would burn the reader's eyes; a book called "The Wizard's Sonnets" that would confine anyone who read it to speaking only in five-line doggerel for the rest of their life; and a book by the old wizard Bath that you could never put down once you started reading, and you would bury your face in it wherever you went, and you would have to learn to do everything with one hand.

Gathering his thoughts, Sheen opened the black and silver book cover and saw a name: Godrot.

He paused slightly, then continued reading.

A male egg hatched by a toad will hatch into a dangerous serpent with extraordinary abilities. This is commonly rumored to be the wicked discovery of the despicable Helbo.

But every sane wizard would realize that this is utter nonsense.

The despicable Herpo did not discover the basilisk; rather, he created it.

This is a kind of evil bio-magic.

Having found the chapter on the breeding of basilisks, Sheen's curiosity was not satisfied at all; on the contrary, he was completely captivated.

He looked away from the words "Evil Biological Magic" and began to recall the deeds of this Godroth:
With the help of a magic wand, he wrote a series of dangerous spells, advancing the study of dark magic.

Sheen was familiar with these spells as well; the Biting Curse and the Tongue-locking Throat Curse both came from this dark wizard.

Unfortunately, his wand was the Elder Wand.

My most wicked and enigmatic friend has a staff made of elder horn (an ancient term for elderberry), and is familiar with all kinds of the most evil magic.

When I use it, I know where the wizard's magic truly comes from.

A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the restricted book section, and Sheen looked up to see that the night outside had already fallen.

He stared at his wand, lost in thought.

Yamanashi is long-winded, and Kuriki is lazy.

White wax is stubborn, hazelnut is delicate.

The elderberry wand will never prosper...

These few lines of a folk song written in the Tales of Beedle the Bard inexplicably appeared in his mind.

The process of raising the basilisk is clearly written in this book, and Sheen's goal has been achieved.

He first wrote down the basilisk breeding ritual word for word on the parchment before continuing to read:
"Cruel, twisted," my old friend said. "I must warn every wizard that researching such magic comes at a price. If you think you can, then read on."

Black magic enables wizards to express extraordinary magical power, or rather, enables wizards to unleash the full power of magic.

This power is so great that it has reached the point of studying life and summoning death.

Any wise wizard would ponder the intoxicating secrets involved…

Sheen frowned. The book contained illustrations of basilisks, eight-eyed spiders, and dementors, all of which demonstrated the biological miracles accomplished by black magic—it created life.

As for summoning death... that's easier to explain.

Creating a positive belief is so difficult, but creating an evil belief is so easy.

Any wizard can indulge in killing and cruelty, my old friend, it is calling to me all the time.

Call me... A wizard who goes to extremes will possess extremely powerful abilities.

This proves that,
Magic, in essence, is a belief.

Sheen silently put down the book.

In a daze, the writing began to disappear rapidly. He frowned, staring at this absolutely unusual scene.

The words, when put back together, formed new phrases:

Dark magic creatures were created within the extreme beliefs of wizards, as were dark magic spells.

As for some of the more terrifying directions, concerning Horcruxes, the most evil magical invention, we should not discuss them, nor should we offer guidance.

The only thing I want to point out to you is that generations of elder wand owners have been researching the most mysterious and unpredictable areas; they are born with a more steadfast faith.

The pursuit of greater magical power will inevitably corrupt their souls sooner or later; no one has escaped this fate since ancient times.

You've come this far, apprentice, apprentice with the Elder Wand... I remind you, I remind you again, that I died because of this obsession, that my whole life was spent searching for the essence of magic...

But at some point, I reflected on the decision I had made. I had taken a shortcut, embracing a cruel faith, but perhaps the essence of magic is more than that.

The writing had also disappeared, and only then did Sheen realize that he had been staring at the blank page at the end of the book for a long time.

Godroth's words provided Sheehan with a special direction, and he began to think about seemingly distant and vague concepts such as will, emotion, and faith.

He wanted to be the Demon Lord; he was cruel and twisted enough that he reached depths in the dark magic that no one knew.
He believed that magic was power, which made him powerful enough to rival Dumbledore even in his youth.

Magic, in some ways, might really be the belief of wizards?
Wizards strengthen their faith in order to unlock more powerful magic, and the faith chosen also changes the wizard's personality.

Is this the true essence of black magic corrupting a wizard's soul?
From the beginning of his studies in spells and potions, Sheen knew that a wizard's emotions and beliefs could influence magical power, but this was the first time he had seen such a clear description of the relationship between wizards and magic.

The night was deep, and the corridor was completely silent as I walked out of the restricted book section.

"What truly defines us is our choices, and choices are far more important than our abilities."

At this moment, Sheehan suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind Headmaster Dumbledore's words.

Wizards are entitled to choose their own beliefs.

(End of this chapter)