The Book of Curses

Steam rose lazily from the black tea in the exquisitely crafted porcelain cup.

Lynn did not answer Professor Foxx's question immediately. Instead, he asked one of his own.

"Professor, I want to know if what they said is true. Did you really torture and kill five wizards with Dark magic? Were you eventually sent to Azkaban?"

Without probing or testing him, Lynn directly voiced the question in his heart.

Professor Foxx's expression did not change much, but Lynn still noticed that the fingers gripping the teacup's handle had tightened considerably, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

He fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"They were not wrong. I was once a murderer. I tortured five wizards with the Cruciatus Curse for three days each, then killed them with the Killing Curse. The wizarding court, the Wizengamot, sentenced me to life imprisonment in Azkaban. These are all facts. I have no way to deny them..."

His voice was calm, and his clenched fingers gradually relaxed. The look he gave Lynn was exceptionally serious.

"But do you know why Dumbledore, known as the greatest white wizard of the twentieth century, was willing to defend me? Why I was released after eight years in Azkaban? And why the wizards who hate me are all pure-bloods?"

Lynn did not avoid Professor Foxx's gaze. He shook his head. "That is also why I believe you are not the cold-blooded killer they claim you are. So, can you tell me why?"

Foxx leaned back against his chair, but his body did not appear relaxed. His deep eyes stared at the cup of black tea on the table, which had gradually stopped giving off steam, as though he did not wish to revisit his past.

"I think rather highly of you, Lynn. You possess qualities that most wizards lack. When I sat in your home and listened to you tell me how you had found yourself a foster father, I concluded that you would definitely be sorted into either Slytherin or Gryffindor. At the time, I thought Gryffindor was slightly more likely. But even Slytherin would not have been hard to understand, because the requirements these two Houses seek in students are extremely similar. Sometimes, whether one becomes a little snake or a little lion comes down to a single thought from the Sorting Hat..."

Professor Foxx spoke of many things unrelated to Lynn's question, but Lynn did not interrupt him. He simply listened quietly until Foxx was willing to say it himself.

"When I attended Hogwarts, the Divination class professor at the time once said that I had no talent for prophecy. Yet I have never had such a powerful intuition before. Lynn, I believe there is a strong possibility that my life's research will remain unfinished when I die. That is something I cannot accept, cannot accept... So I need someone who can continue along the path of my research.

After I came out of Azkaban, I met many wizards, but most of them kept far away from Dark magic, let alone actively approaching it, changing it, or studying it.

There was no way around it. Adult wizards all have their own ideas, and I could not change them. By chance, Dumbledore found me and told me that Hogwarts had several vacant teaching positions. I thought that perhaps, through this opportunity, I could change a young wizard's views on Dark magic. After that, I chose you."

"Your choice is very important to me, Lynn. It concerns whether the path I have upheld all my life is ultimately the right one, so I do not want you to misunderstand me. But..."

He lifted the now-warm black tea, took a light sip, and said solemnly,

"I also do not want to tell anyone else about my past. Everyone has their own secrets, and I am no exception. But I can tell you that the five wizards I killed were not good people. You could even say they were bastards among bastards. They all once bore an infamous name: Death Eaters."

Lynn looked at Professor Foxx in astonishment.

"Those followers of Vo... the Dark Lord?"

Professor Foxx also seemed somewhat surprised.

"I did not expect you to have already learned about that period of history. I thought I would need to explain that past, which the entire British wizarding world is unwilling to remember."

"Since you understand, then you should know why Dumbledore was willing to defend me back then, why I was released after eight years, and why those young wizards from pure-blood families hate me so much."

"Of course, we have not known each other for very long. I can understand if you do not believe what I say. But Dumbledore and Minerva are also aware of this matter. If you still have doubts, you can ask them and determine whether what I said is true."

"There is no need, Professor." Lynn shook his head. "I have not known you for long, but I have known Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall for even less time. For all I know, Professor Dumbledore may not even know a first-year wizard like me exists. I believe you."

Lynn did not want to have any contact with Dumbledore too early. For now, he only wanted to keep his head down at Hogwarts, study magic honestly and diligently, and avoid being drawn into that headmaster's Savior plan because of any unusual display.

Besides, he truly believed Professor Foxx's words.

The other man had no reason to deceive him. He was merely a young wizard with a little potential and a somewhat mature personality. There was no point in making up such a lie for him when it could be exposed at any moment.

Lynn looked at Professor Foxx with barely concealed impatience.

"So, Professor, can you teach me Dark magic now?"

Professor Foxx stared at Lynn, then laughed helplessly. At this moment, Lynn finally looked like an eleven-year-old child.

"You are thinking of Dark magic too simply, Lynn. This kind of magic can be called the pinnacle of spells, and it is also among the most difficult magic to learn. At least ninety percent of adult wizards cannot use even a single advanced Dark spell. Besides, at your age, even if you have the ability to learn it, you do not have enough magical power to cast it."

Lynn looked at him in confusion. "Then what do I need to learn first?"

Professor Foxx flicked a finger toward the bookcase. A completely black book floated from the shelf and gently landed in front of Lynn.

Its cover bore its title in silver powder: "The Book of Curses."

"You should have seen the author of Standard Spells, Elementary, Miranda Goshawk, say this in the excerpts: jinxes, hexes, and curses are collectively known as Dark spells. This book will not cover such spells."

"So-called Dark spells are also a type of spell. Like ordinary spells, Dark spells impose specific magical effects upon their targets, but the effects they bring are primarily negative."

"And Dark spells are also a category of spells related to Dark magic, though their effects are not as tyrannical or powerful as advanced Dark magic."

Professor Foxx lightly tapped The Book of Curses.

"Jinxes are the category of Dark spells with the mildest negative effects, and they are easy to learn. Many upper-year young wizards master a few jinxes to play pranks on their friends. This book records nine common jinxes in total. Your first step now is to learn every jinx in this book."