Chapter 312: Dark Magic

The library was filled with wizards.

Orange magical lanterns cast a simple, bright, soft glow as wizards struggled through dense books, occasionally sneaking bites of snacks.

Madam Pince always turned a blind eye to such behavior; she was not nearly as stern as young wizards imagined.

In the Restricted Section, the soft light ended abruptly; only a few dim lanterns sat on black wooden desks, illuminating each page for Wizard Sean.

The Most Toxic Magic,

Wizard Sean had only a faint impression of it.

The Most Toxic Magic was a tome detailing the most dangerous and evil magics in the wizarding world.

Its core content focused on Horcruxes, yet its author seemed to harbor intense revulsion toward this magic, explicitly refusing to provide any method for creating Horcruxes.

But it did indeed describe the concept of Horcruxes.

The screaming books fell silent after Wizard Sean touched them; the black smoke vanished… this suggested the book likely carried a curse.

Because Wizard Sean knew for certain this book carried no curse, he dared to handle it directly—otherwise, in the Restricted Section, one must be exceedingly cautious.

Ancient wizards were never kind souls.

Wizard Sean remembered a tome that burned readers’ eyes out; a Book of Wizard Sonnets that forced anyone who read it to speak only in five-line doggerel for life; and a book by the old wizard Bask, which once opened, could never be closed—you’d carry it everywhere, face buried in its pages, forced to learn to do everything with one hand.

Pulling his thoughts back, Wizard Sean opened the black-and-silver cover and saw a name: Godrot.

He paused slightly, then continued reading.

{A male egg hatched by a toad will produce a dangerous serpent of extraordinary power. The common rumor claims this is the evil discovery of the vile Helga.}

But every sane wizard will recognize this as nonsense.

The vile Helga did not discover the Basilisk—he created it.

This is a form of Evil Biological Magic.}

Finding the chapter on Basilisk cultivation, Wizard Sean’s curiosity was not eased—it was fully seized.

He shifted his gaze from the words “Evil Biological Magic” and began recalling what he knew of Godrot:

With the aid of a wand, he composed a set of dangerous incantations that advanced the study of Dark Magic.

Wizard Sean was familiar with several of these incantations—the Bite Curse, the Tongue-Tying Hex—all originated from this Dark Wizard.

Unfortunately, his wand was the Elder Wand.

{My most evil, most inscrutable friend, its core is made of Elderwood (in the Elder’s ancient tongue), steeped in every darkest magic.}

{When I wield it, I know where wizardly magic truly originates.}

A sudden cold wind swept through the Restricted Section; Wizard Sean looked up and saw the night outside had grown deep.

He stared at his own wand, lost in thought.

Pearwood is talkative, chestnut is lazy,

Ash is stubborn, hazel is fickle.

The Elder Wand never prospers…

These lines from The Tales of Beedle the Bard surfaced unbidden in his mind.

The Basilisk’s cultivation process was clearly written in this book—Wizard Sean had achieved his goal.

He first copied the Basilisk ritual word for word onto parchment, then continued reading:

{Cruel and twisted, my old friend says.}

{I must warn every wizard: studying such magic exacts a price. If you believe you can bear it, then read on.}

{Dark Magic grants wizards extraordinary magical power—or rather, allows them to unleash magic’s true potential.}

{This power is so immense, it reaches the realm of creating life and summoning death.}

{Any wise wizard will ponder the intoxicating secrets within…}

Wizard Sean frowned. Illustrations of the Basilisk, the Acromantula, and the Dementor appeared in the book—each one demonstrating the biological miracles Dark Magic achieved: it created life.

As for summoning death… that was easier to explain.

{To forge a positive belief is so difficult, yet to forge an evil one is so easy.}

{Any wizard can drown in slaughter and cruelty, my old friend—it calls to me without cease.}

{It calls to me… Wizards who embrace extremism gain immense power.}

{This proves,}

{Magic is, at its core, a belief.}

Wizard Sean quietly closed the book.

In a daze, the text began rapidly dissolving; he frowned, watching this utterly extraordinary sight.

The words reassembled into new ones:

{Dark Magic creatures are born from the wizard’s extreme belief; so too are Dark Spells.}

{As for even more terrifying paths—regarding Horcruxes, the most evil magical invention—we must not speak of them, nor offer guidance.}

{The only thing I must show you is that every generation of Elder Wand bearers has studied the most inscrutable realms—they are born with stronger, firmer belief.}

{Chasing greater magical power will inevitably corrode their souls; from ancient times to now, none have escaped.}

{You have read this far, apprentice—apprentice of the Elder Wand… I warn you, I warn you again: I died in such obsession; my life was spent seeking magic’s essence…}

{But at one moment, I recalled the choice I made. I took a shortcut, embraced a cruel belief—but perhaps magic’s essence is more than this.}

The text vanished. Only then did Wizard Sean realize he had been staring at the blank page at the book’s end for a long time.

Godrot’s words gave Wizard Sean a new direction; he began pondering will, emotion, belief—seemingly distant, vague concepts.

He thought of Voldemort: ruthless, twisted, he reached depths in Dark Magic no one else had touched;

He believed magic was power—and thus became strong enough in youth to rival Dumbledore.

To some extent, perhaps magic truly is a wizard’s belief?

Wizards strengthen their belief to unlock greater magic, and the belief they choose reshapes their character.

Is this the true nature of how Dark Magic corrodes a wizard’s soul?

Since beginning his study of spells and potions, Wizard Sean had known that a wizard’s emotions and convictions influenced magical power—but never before had he seen such a clear articulation of the relationship between wizard and magic.

The night was deep; stepping out of the Restricted Section, the corridor lay utterly silent.

“It is our choices that show who we truly are—choices matter far more than our abilities.”

At this moment, Wizard Sean finally understood the depth of Dumbledore’s words.

Wizards can choose their own belief.