Investigation Team

"The Tooth-Growing Hex is a relatively simple curse among poison curses. Its effect is straightforward: it causes the target's incisors to grow rapidly, with the final size of their teeth reflecting the strength of the curse..."

Professor Foxx noticed Linley's troubled expression as he explained and stopped.

"Do you think this spell seems useless?"

Linley nodded. He felt that a spell like this, which seemed only useful for children's pranks, didn't deserve to be classified as a poison curse.

"You must learn to use every spell you know flexibly," Professor Foxx said earnestly. "A truly powerful wizard doesn't necessarily know many powerful spells, but he can definitely use every spell he knows with flexibility.

For example, the Tooth-Growing Hex appears on the surface to only enlarge teeth, perhaps making the enemy look a bit ridiculous. But you must understand that the mouth is one of the most important organs for any wizard. Even the most skilled wizard cannot perform all spells silently. The Tooth-Growing Hex, by causing the target's incisors to grow continuously, will certainly affect their incantation. This effect can be very significant in actual combat."

Professor Foxx looked at Linley, who had a look of understanding, and gently tapped the desk with his finger, asking a question.

"Then do you know why, although the Tongue-Tying Curse has a similar effect to the Tooth-Growing Hex, and the Tongue-Tying Curse restricts wizards more effectively, the former is inferior to the latter within the system of dark spells?"

Linley pondered for a moment and quickly came up with the answer.

"Because the effect of the Tongue-Tying Curse is too good; it completely seals a wizard's ability to vocalize. The Tooth-Growing Hex, however, interferes with pronunciation. And sometimes, for a wizard, having their pronunciation interfered with can cause more damage than being unable to cast a spell at all."

Professor Foxx looked at him with approval. "Exactly, Linley. The most important thing for a wizard is to use their brain well. In fact, most wizards in the magical world lack flexible thinking. You clearly possess this talent, so remember not to waste it."

Linley's first week at Hogwarts was not peaceful.

There had been no news of Hubert since his attack. Some students said he was still in the school hospital, others that he had been sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and some even claimed his parents had taken him home to recuperate.

While Hubert's condition was still debated, almost all the young wizards had reached a consensus on the identity of the attacker.

With the rumors spreading over the past few days, countless uninformed young wizards had accepted Professor Foxx as the culprit.

It was said that some radical Gryffindors had directly cursed Professor Foxx during Defense Against the Dark Arts class, calling him unfit to teach the subject.

No matter how you looked at it, Professor Foxx's situation was precarious.

During this time, the most respected Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts had also not made an appearance.

However, when someone inquired about the matter, Professor McGonagall provided an explanation.

She said that Professor Dumbledore was currently handling some matters at the Ministry of Magic in Scotland and would return after some time.

The recent disputes at Hogwarts had little to do with Linley.

He continued to live a fulfilling life. In the mornings, he practiced spells with Cedric by the Black Lake. During his free time, he spent most of it in the library. Professor Foxx had given him several passes to borrow books from the restricted section. These books were all related to dark magic, and he intended to learn some theoretical knowledge of dark magic while thoroughly mastering dark spells.

His private lessons were scheduled for after dinner.

Professor Foxx seemed unconcerned about his situation at Hogwarts, sometimes joking with Linley about how many parents had sent Howlers to the school to complain about him that day.

But Linley understood that the professor's reason for scheduling the dark spell lessons after dinner was to avoid implicating him.

Those young wizards who believed the "truth" might vent their anger by ostracizing students who were close to Professor Foxx.

In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend.

Originally, young wizards in their second year and above could visit the nearby town of Hogsmeade for some relaxation.

However, due to the recent dark magic attack, Professor McGonagall had canceled this week's outing.

The older students were quite dejected. But the Weasley twins had approached Linley the day before, subtly asking if he would be willing to go to Hogsmeade with them tomorrow, mentioning they had a special way to get there.

Linley did not agree. Not to mention that the real culprit had not yet been caught and there was still danger around Hogwarts. Even if there were no danger, he didn't know what he would do outside.

Wasn't it better to lie low at Hogwarts?

On Saturday morning, while Linley was practicing the newly learned poison curse in his single dormitory, Professor McGonagall was at the main gate of Hogwarts to welcome two guests from the Ministry of Magic.

One of them, a tall, bald, dark-skinned wizard wearing a gold earring on one ear, was clearly the dominant figure between the two.

He seemed to have known Professor McGonagall for a long time, and they shared a warm embrace upon meeting.

"Professor McGonagall, it truly has been a long time," the wizard's voice was slow and deep.

"Yes, Shackle. Time flies. You've become an excellent Auror now," Professor McGonagall said with relief.

The visitor was none other than an Auror from the British Ministry of Magic—Kingsley Shackle.

As he spoke, Kingsley stepped aside to introduce his assistant, another Hogwarts Auror, to Professor McGonagall.

"This is my assistant for this trip, Sevich Quickley. He only recently became an Auror this year, and though young, he shows great potential."

The man named Sevich was a tall, fair-skinned wizard. He shook hands with Professor McGonagall.

"Hello, Professor."

"Hello. Shall we go inside now?"

As they entered the castle, Kingsley cut straight to the chase without further pleasantries.

"Professor McGonagall, we've also seen the condition of the attacked child at St. Mungo's Hospital. He bears clear marks of torture from the Cruciatus Curse, and the caster's technique was highly skilled. The effect of the Cruciatus Curse was precisely calibrated to inflict extreme pain on the child without causing his mental breakdown. This is clearly the work of an experienced hand.

The child has now regained consciousness, but the attacker used an Obliviation Charm to erase his memory of the event. We haven't obtained any valuable information from the victim, which is why we've come to the scene of the incident, hoping to find clues about the dark wizard who attacked the underage wizard."