Lynn did not wait long in the robe shop before he saw Fox walk through the door carrying a money pouch.
"Come on, Belloc. Something seems to have happened at Gringotts. If you have finished buying what you needed, we had better leave quickly."
After picking up Umr's cage and saying goodbye to Madam Malkin, Lynn headed toward The Leaky Cauldron with Fox.
"Did something happen? I saw a lot of goblins in Diagon Alley, like they were looking for someone."
"I do not know exactly what happened either, but judging by the goblins' attitude, someone must have stolen something from Gringotts."
"Wasn't Gringotts supposed to be heavily guarded?"
"Nothing in this world is absolute. In the eyes of truly skilled wizards, Gringotts' defenses are riddled with flaws. It is just that no one wants to provoke those goblins."
There were noticeably fewer customers in The Leaky Cauldron than when Lynn and the others had first arrived.
Old Tom was wiping glasses behind the bar, glaring displeasedly at several goblins stationed by the entrance and fireplace, as though he blamed them entirely for driving away his customers.
The moment Lynn and Fox entered the tavern, one goblin rudely widened his eyes and stared directly at them.
"Do not mind them, Belloc. Would you like something to drink?" Fox led Lynn to a table, then called Old Tom over before Lynn could answer.
"This is outside, so you should have orange juice. Tom, one Butterbeer and one orange juice."
Old Tom brought them the beer and orange juice on a tray, grumbling as he did so.
"These ugly little things have sealed off every exit in Diagon Alley. They say a thief stole something from Gringotts, but they have scared away all my customers. Who would want to drink while being watched by them like this?"
"Take it easy, Tom. Once word gets out that Gringotts was robbed, the goblins' losses will be far greater than yours."
"What does that have to do with me? I only care about how many Galleons I have lost. Who cares about them?"
Old Tom muttered as he carried his tray back to the bar, looking to be in a terrible mood.
"Never mind that for now." After Tom left, Fox placed the money pouch in the center of the table.
"There are 500 Galleons in here. Including the money I gave you before, that makes 525 Galleons in total. This is my entire investment in you."
Lynn weighed the pouch in his hand. It was very light, so it had probably been enchanted somehow. There was no indication from its appearance that it held 500 gold coins.
Fox continued, "This money will be enough to last you until graduation, provided you do not buy anything too expensive."
Lynn placed the money pouch back on the table. Although he did not know much about the purchasing power of Galleons, he understood that 525 Galleons was no small fortune.
"I would feel guilty taking money without doing anything for it. Can you finally tell me what exactly you have been researching?"
At the mention of his research, Fox pondered for a moment. His expression became considerably more solemn as he looked deeply at Lynn.
"I am not afraid of you knowing. Many people in the wizarding world already know what I am researching."
"It is the taboo of wizards, yet also the pinnacle of magic. Wizards call it dark magic."
Whether it was an illusion or simply the impression the words left behind, when Fox spoke of dark magic, Lynn felt as though the air around them had frozen.
"It is not something related to dark magic, but dark magic itself.
"I cannot tell you the specifics just yet, but I can assure you that my purpose in studying it is not to harm anyone. Otherwise, Dumbledore would never have allowed me to become a professor at Hogwarts."
Although he had already guessed as much, hearing Fox personally speak of the magic wizards called taboo still left Lynn speechless.
Dark magic was immensely powerful, with the three Unforgivable Curses standing above all else. These forbidden spells could directly take another person's life, torture them until they wished they were dead, and even completely control their actions and thoughts.
Yet those exaggerated effects were not why they were called dark magic.
The truly evil aspect of these spells was that they gradually altered the user's mind without them realizing it.
They made dark wizards increasingly irritable, short-tempered, strange, and even deranged.
In the end, they completely changed a person's personality until even those closest to them could no longer recognize them.
Use it too often, and it could turn you into someone who was no longer yourself. That was the most terrifying thing about dark magic.
And yet Fox had actually been bold enough to make the taboo of wizardkind his subject of research. Lynn could not help praising him inwardly.
You really were something else.
"You may not understand dark magic yet, or what kind of thing it truly is. I will give you enough time to learn about it." Fox looked at Lynn seriously.
"After Hogwarts begins, if you regret it, you can still come find me and return these 500 Galleons. Then our agreement will be void. As for the 25 Galleons, consider them my personal support for you. I find you quite agreeable, kid."
Although dark magic had a terrible reputation, Lynn had no resistance to researching it. Setting aside the fact that he possessed exceptional talent for dark magic, leaving such talent unused would be a waste.
Besides, whether dark magic's influence on a person's character mattered depended on the person.
The most classic example was Hogwarts' undercover agent among the Death Eaters: Snape.
Before he came to his senses after his lover's death and joined Dumbledore, he had been a genuine dark wizard, a steadfast follower of the Dark Lord and a core member of the Death Eaters.
He used dark magic as casually as eating and drinking, cast Avada Kedavra until his eyes turned green, and had been dark enough to create an overwhelmingly powerful spell like Sectumsempra while still studying at Hogwarts.
Yet this was a man whom people might doubt even had a heart if you said his heart was black. He endured everyone's criticism and tirelessly infiltrated Voldemort's side. Though he hated his enemy's son to the bone, he had no choice but to take extra care of him because he was also the son of the woman he loved. Until the moment he was bitten to death by a snake, he had continued repenting for the mistake he had made that caused the death of the person he loved most.
All that could be said was that this was probably the power of love Dumbledore spoke of.
Although... Snape did sometimes seem a little unhinged, overall, he truly had not been affected by dark magic. Or perhaps even if he had been affected, it had not changed him much.
When it came to strength of will, Lynn had absolute confidence in himself.
That confidence was not blind. No matter what, he was someone who had truly experienced death.
"I bought quite a few books about magic. I will make my own judgment during the rest of the summer break."
Lynn did not make a promise outright. That would have made him seem too impatient and insufficiently composed.
Fox nodded, then rose from his seat.
"All right, that is it for today. I am glad to have met a student like you. See you at Hogwarts."
Lynn stood as well.
"The feeling is mutual, Professor. Thank you very much for today."
At Lynn's thanks, Fox's eyes crinkled into narrow slits with a smile.
"No need to thank me, Mr. Belloc."
Starting today, there will be two updates a day. The next chapter will be at 12:30. I suddenly find myself a little reluctant to give up the easy life of one update a day (つД`). I hope everyone will give me the recommendation votes in your hands and comfort this poor fellow.
Before you continue