Admitting Defeat, Chao Feng

The Hogwarts weekend was steeped in a rare tranquility.

Lin Du, however, had no intention of resting. Instead, he locked himself in the private study attached to his office.

Heavy curtains were drawn, shutting out the external light and sound. Only a few floating magical lamps provided a stable light source.

Just as he had told Dumbledore, a significant reason for accepting the teaching position was the vast and smoke-like collection in Hogwarts' Restricted Section, especially the forbidden knowledge that was strictly controlled—

For instance, the deeper, more unknown core principles of the Three Unforgivable Curses.

His years of travel and research outside the castle, coupled with that conversation with Dumbledore, had almost reached the limit of what he could find "outside."

To break through, he had to return to this ancient treasure trove.

On the desk lay several thick tomes borrowed from the Restricted Section. The parchment scrolls were filled with dense notes and derivation formulas.

The materials he had copied as an exchange student were the foundation, but the deeper, more dangerous records were clearly hidden more profoundly. Only with his current "Professor" status could he access them without arousing excessive suspicion.

His research focused on the reverse impact mechanism of the Unforgivable Curses on the caster themselves.

The common understanding was that using these curses "tainted the soul," but how exactly it tainted, and the mechanism behind it, was vague.

Lin Du's fingertips traced the blurry words on the ancient texts, combining them with his understanding of the essence of magic power to conduct rigorous deductions.

His powerful mental power and logical thinking ability, like the most precise instruments, analyzed those obscure clues.

"...The spell's might lies in the purity of mind... Killing requires cold determination, domination requires absolute arrogance, suffering requires immersed pleasure..." he murmured a passage from an ancient description, his brow furrowed.

"Purity of malice... immersed pleasure..." he repeatedly chewed on these words, simulating the operation mode of magic power driven by specific emotions in his mind.

"Hmph, isn't that obvious?"

Chao Feng slid out from the shadows, landing on a corner of the desk. Its amber eyes stared at the ancient books. "Forcibly stuffing the dirtiest emotions into your soul and then expecting yourself to remain spotless? You human wizards are sometimes laughably naive."

It tapped the section about the Imperius Curse with its wingtip, its tone laced with mockery. "Especially this 'absolute arrogance'—you have to believe from the bottom of your heart that the other person is your puppet, that their thoughts, their will, should be kneaded by you at will. And that 'immersed pleasure',"

Its wings pointed to the Cruciatus Curse again. "You have to genuinely enjoy every moment of the other person's pain, savoring their wails like tasting honey. This isn't 'using' a spell; it's actively embracing the demon within!"

Lin Du listened in silence, his eyes sharp.

"Theory needs verification," he said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the names of those two dangerous curses.

Lin Du raised his wand, attempting to sketch out that feeling of controlling everything in his mind.

He imagined himself able to manipulate others' wills at will, making them completely obey his commands.

But for some reason, a voice in his mind calmly analyzed every detail of the process, always keeping him like an observer, unable to truly immerse himself.

The tip of his wand merely flashed a faint light, which then extinguished, not even producing a trace of decent magical fluctuation.

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"Pfft—" Chao Feng couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Get real. With your personality, you feel like you're bullying a house-elf just by asking for an extra dessert. And you want to control others?"

Lin Du ignored its teasing and tried to recall the moment that made him angriest.

But the more he deliberately tried to recall it, the more blurred those emotions became.

The wand glowed faintly again, but even weaker than before.

"See?" Chao Feng flapped its wings and landed on the edge of the table. "You're too serious. You have to figure out the principles before you can even do something bad. These spells require real emotions, not just pretending."

Lin Du put down his wand and looked at Chao Feng thoughtfully.

"You're right," he suddenly said. "When casting spells on 'people,' I might indeed lack that pure malice. But what if the target isn't human?"

Chao Feng's feather-preening motion paused.

"For example," Lin Du said calmly, "casting the Imperius Curse on a noisy contracted spirit beast that always dictates your research? 'Absolute Arrogance'—believing your will should obey mine. This logic seems much smoother."

Chao Feng's feathers visibly puffed up.

"You, what do you mean?!" Its amber eyes widened, and its voice suddenly rose. "Lin Du! I'm warning you, don't even think about it! The contract doesn't say anything about that!"

"Just theoretical discussion," Lin Du's lips curved upward ever so slightly. "But from a theoretical standpoint, when casting spells on non-human intelligent creatures, the 'purity' threshold for emotional requirements might be lower. After all, you don't need to overcome the moral empathy for your own kind..."

"Stop! Enough!" Chao Feng zipped in front of him, its wings flapping nervously. "I surrender! Alright? Stop researching this stuff! It's too creepy!"

It paced back and forth on the tabletop, then suddenly pointed its wing at another page of the tome.

"Look at this! Fiendfyre! The legendary flame that can burn Horcruxes!" Chao Feng's tone was almost pleading. "Isn't it better to research this? At least its danger is obvious—either control it, or be burned. It's much better than those things that quietly corrode the heart!"

Lin Du looked at the spirit beast that had suddenly surrendered, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

He followed the direction Chao Feng's wing pointed, his gaze falling on the dangerous term—"Fiendfyre."

"Fiendfyre?" he mused.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chao Feng nodded repeatedly. "This is much more straightforward! Researching it won't turn you into a madman who enjoys tormenting others, and I won't have to worry about you casting the Imperius Curse on me every day!"

Lin Du's finger traced the word, and focus reappeared in his eyes.

"Indeed,"

he said slowly, "the formation principle of Fiendfyre, its control methods, its destructive characteristics... are all very valuable for research. And it doesn't rely on the spellcaster's malicious emotions; it's more about pure magic power control techniques."

He glanced at Chao Feng. "At least researching this won't turn me into a madman who enjoys tormenting others."

"Exactly!" Chao Feng breathed a sigh of relief, its feathers slowly calming down. "At least researching this means both of us can sleep soundly."

It retreated back into the shadows, but habitually jabbed, "Being burned to death at least leaves a complete corpse. If you turn into one of those twisted monsters, I'll be the first to stay far away from you."

After a pause, it shook its feathers gleefully. "But imagine, if you were really being chased by Fiendfyre all over the house, that scene would be hilarious."

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