Chapter 322: Veritaserum

Hogwarts.

Evening.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Wizard Sean held a small, exquisite crystal vial.

This was the Veritaserum from the vault.

It was a magical potion used to force the drinker to tell the truth; just three drops could make a person reveal their deepest secrets.

The Ministry of Magic imposed strict regulations on its use, but as the producer, Snape was something Wizard Sean suspected the Ministry had no power over.

Wizard Sean understood the potion and its recipe, but he lacked the ability to brew it, for even Professor Snape required a full month to prepare it.

Notably, one ingredient of this potion was the feather of the Silence Bird.

This bird never uttered a sound in its entire life, until the moment of death, when it let out a single long, piercing cry—repeating every sound it had ever heard, starting with the most recent.

Thus, it was indispensable in both Veritaserum and Memory Potion.

Walking Song?

Wizard Sean thought this, then drank three drops.

“Who are you?”

The brooch spoke.

“Wizard Sean Green.”

Wizard Sean felt a strange force preventing him from saying anything else.

Even silence was hard to maintain.

“Do you possess a master’s level in the branch of Transfiguration?”

“Yes.”

“Do you possess a master’s level in the branch of Charms?”

“No.”

“Do you possess an expert’s level in the branch of Charms?”

“No.”

Wizard Sean fell silent for a moment.

Indeed, a wizard did not necessarily understand his own limits.

Deep within, he knew he had not reached it.

“Do you possess a level close to expert in the branch of Charms?”

“Yes.”

…

“Then, in terms of magic, have you reached the expert level?”

After the brooch spoke, Wizard Sean felt slightly tense—this was a wizard’s first impression of his own magical ability, and Wizard Sean believed it reflected his true faith in magic.

“No.”

“Then, in terms of magic, have you reached the master level?”

“No.”

“Somewhere between?”

“Yes.”

This was a peculiar conversation; Wizard Sean realized a wizard’s faith in magic was holistic.

Faith in magic was built from multiple branches; when he achieved progress in Charms, theoretically, his other magical abilities would rise as well.

This made Wizard Sean easily recall the concept of magical power—could it be that wizards did not increase magical power, but rather faith in magic?

After all, from the beginning, the wizarding world had no concept of magical power.

“Avada Kedavra requires immense magical power as a foundation…”

In Mad-Eye’s words, replacing “magical power” with “faith” made perfect sense.

And it was more accurate—it explained why wizards needed emotion, willpower, and other methods to aid spellcasting.

Then, the brooch’s voice grew much deeper—

“Can you always ensure you will never fall into Dark Magic?”

…

The sky had turned completely black.

Wizard Sean returned from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, his brow tightly furrowed.

In the distance, the twilight had faded, leaving only deep ink-black.

A faint, fleeting glow flashed across the Empty Sigil on his chest; he noticed the moon tonight was unobscured.

Thin mist began to rise in Ravenclaw Tower.

A black cat stepped once more into the swirling mist; upon closer look, the dark, green-glowing mist-balls had vanished.

Meanwhile.

Gryffindor Tower.

“This time, this time, I must succeed…”

The red-haired little witch murmured to herself, then collapsed with a thud.

“Ginny, if you see Mr. Black Cat, could you pass on a message for me…”

A little witch beside her whispered.

“Me too!”

A lively little witch immediately chimed in.

“What do you want to say?”

Ginny asked curiously, then shook her head,

“Mr. Black Cat dislikes trouble—just speak to the statue.”

“Ginny!”

The lively witch lunged to tickle Ginny.

After a long while, she finally settled down to sleep.

On the other side of the borderland, a bizarre mist-blob shot straight toward the black cat.

The black cat reacted swiftly, dodged, and pawed at the mist-blob—easily recognizing it as Ginny.

But why could Ginny actively summon the dream-mist?

The truth proved curiosity wouldn’t kill a cat—but it would certainly make it suffer.

Watching Ginny emerge, the black cat tried to hide behind the mist.

“Mr. Black Cat!”

Ginny’s face flushed with excitement.

“Good evening.”

The black cat stepped calmly out from behind the mist and said.

“I have so many questions for you… You took the diary, didn’t you? Ever since it disappeared, I haven’t had nightmares again—”

Ginny chattered on.

“No.”

The black cat said.

It looked at Ginny, a thought steadily forming in its mind.

Soul Relics possessed incredible power—could he use a Soul Relic to pull both Harry and Voldemort into the borderland?

As one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Harry was an accidental Horcrux; his soul was not like Ginny’s or Voldemort’s.

Even in the original story, Harry’s soul and Voldemort’s fragment appeared together.

Clearly, he had lost some key insight—last time, Harry had appeared alone.

The black cat pondered silently; the mist of the borderland thickened.

…

The next day.

Hope Cottage.

The Empty Sigil lay silent; as Wizard Sean used it, his connection with it deepened gradually.

He could feel the Empty Sigil slowly regaining magical power; soon, he could test his theory.

If things went well, Wizard Sean could easily destroy one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.

Beyond that, he needed to rapidly improve his magical ability—his progress in Charms and Potions, among other branches, had slowed slightly.

Time slipped away.

Good news: the Basilisk cookies were done; as for the Basilisk’s disposal… Wizard Sean decided to consult the Headmaster.

Bad news: the Chamber of Secrets could not be kept secret; if luck ran poorly, after explaining this to Professor Snape, he would spend six years confined in the dungeons.

In the corridor, Wizard Sean saw Harry once again cornered by Lockhart.

“So, Harry,”

Lockhart beamed,

“Today’s the first Quidditch match of the season, isn’t it?

Gryffindor versus Slytherin, right?”

I heard you're an excellent seeker. I was a seeker too in my day. They wanted me to run for the national team, but I preferred to devote my entire life to eradicating the Dark Forces. Still, if you feel you need some extra training, come to me anytime. I'm always happy to pass on my experience to players who aren't quite strong enough yet...