Hex

The day after the attack.

Linley arrived at Professor Foxx's office after his Transfiguration class ended that morning.

"What brings you here today?"

Professor Foxx seemed very busy, engrossed in writing on a piece of parchment with his quill.

Linley pulled up a chair and sat down, asking with a hint of confusion.

"Professor, aren't you worried about the rumors going around the school?"

Professor Foxx stopped what he was doing, rolled up the parchment filled with characters Linley didn't recognize, and placed it in a bookshelf nearby.

He clasped his hands, a smile on his face just like any other day.

"Rumors? They're so detailed, I almost believe I did it myself. Why don't you believe them?"

"Everyone is saying it was you," Linley said, picking up the teapot on the desk, pouring himself some black tea, and taking a sip.

"But I have my own judgment. I don't think you're the kind of person they describe, Professor."

The smile on Professor Foxx's face deepened. He seemed touched, his eyes narrowing with happiness.

"Having your own judgment is a good thing, but wise people don't cling to their judgments forever. The rumors among the students don't affect me, but you should be careful recently. Minerva also asked me to examine the condition of that student. The attacker's methods were very sophisticated; they must be an old hand at using dark magic. Their motive this time is unclear, so we can't rule out a second attack."

Linley had no intention of letting his guard down. However, besides the rumors among students, he had another reason for visiting Professor Foxx today.

He took out the book with the pure black cover from his robe pocket and placed it on the desk.

Professor Foxx looked somewhat puzzled. "What? Did you encounter a jinx you found difficult to master?"

Linley blinked. "No, Professor. I've finished learning all the spells in this book, so I'm returning it to you."

Professor Foxx looked extremely surprised, his narrowed eyes widening.

While the jinxes recorded in The Book of Curses weren't particularly difficult to learn, their complexity was definitely higher than the spells in the first-year textbooks.

Including the day he gave the book to Linley, only two days had passed. He found it hard to believe that Linley could master all nine jinxes in the book in such a short time.

From what he knew, Linley wasn't one to boast.

So, Professor Foxx stood up from his chair, intending to verify it himself.

After casting a Shield Charm on himself, he gestured to Linley.

"Then let me test your learning success. Come, try a Banishing Charm on me."

Linley didn't act immediately, looking at him suspiciously.

"Professor, won't your Shield Charm reflect my spell?"

Professor Foxx chuckled dryly. "Don't worry, the Shield Charm I cast isn't that strong. It can at most neutralize your spell."

Hearing this, Linley picked up his wand with relief.

"Expelliarmus."

A bright red spell beam shot out from Linley's wand, hitting the Shield Charm two centimeters in front of Professor Foxx.

Linley's Banishing Charm dissipated completely, while Professor Foxx's Shield Charm only rippled slightly.

Linley was somewhat dissatisfied with the effect of his spell. He hadn't deluded himself into thinking he could break a professor's Shield Charm, but it was dispelled too easily.

However, Professor Foxx's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise, and he nodded in praise.

"The pronunciation is standard, the wand movement is steady and swift, and the effect is also very good. If I didn't know you had no prior experience with dark magic, I would have thought you were a dark wizard."

Linley pondered Professor Foxx's words, feeling that his praise was somehow off.

At this moment, Professor Foxx seemed to have become more enthusiastic. He removed his Shield Charm and said to Linley.

"Continue. Cast a Repelling Charm on me again."

Linley hesitated again, thinking that Professor Foxx might have suffered internal injuries and was now mentally unwell.

"Are you sure, Professor?"

Professor Foxx waved his hand. "I'm very sure. Come on, Linley, let me feel the power of your spells."

Since he said so, Linley no longer hesitated. He waved his wand and fluently recited the incantation.

"Repello Muggletum."

The jinx hit Professor Foxx squarely in the chest. He grunted and then stumbled back several steps uncontrollably, only stopping when his back hit the wall.

His face was slightly flushed, but he appeared exceptionally excited.

"I am once again certain that my choice was not wrong!" Professor Foxx exclaimed loudly, without even pausing to catch his breath.

"You are a genius when it comes to dark magic!"

Now, Linley could finally determine with some certainty what his 7 points of dark magic talent were worth.

To be praised as a genius by a wizard like Professor Foxx, who specialized in dark magic, must place him among the top in the entire magical world.

"So, Professor, what should I learn next?" Actually, Hogwarts students had a very easy life. If he didn't find some magic to learn, Linley wouldn't know what to do with himself each day.

Professor Foxx calmed himself down, sat back in his chair, and took a sip of his black tea before speaking.

"Step by step. Even the best talent needs to start from the basics, little by little. Now that you've learned all the jinxes from The Book of Curses, we can begin practicing hexes."

"Hexes?" Linley repeated the word Professor Foxx had spoken.

"That's right, hexes. They are also a type of dark spell. Among the three different levels of dark spells, hexes can cause moderate inconvenience or harm to a person. They are a bit stronger than jinxes but weaker than curses, and the learning difficulty is the same."

Linley was eager at this moment. He had a great desire to learn more different spells, much like the gacha games he played in his previous life. Whether a card was strong or not was one thing, but he needed to have it in his collection.

"Then what book do I need to look at this time?"

Professor Foxx shook his head and said seriously.

"You might have been able to self-teach the jinxes just by reading, and even if you made a mistake in the process, it wouldn't be a big problem. But hexes are different. These types of spells already have a certain level of danger. If you make a mistake while learning them yourself, it could threaten your safety and the safety of those around you. Therefore, until you have completely mastered them, practicing hexes must be done in my presence."