Trouble in the Slytherin First-Year Dormitory

"So, is the Blood Curse on Elshiona also like that?" Xiwen frowned, lost in thought.

Dumbledore and said to Xiwen, "If you're referring to the Greengrass family's Blood Curse, it's probably different from the Blood Curse on Nagini."

"In fact, Blood Curse is just a general term for curses placed on bloodlines, and it can be divided into many types. This kind of curse is a very complex category of magic."

"So what will the Blood Curse on Elshiona ultimately turn her into?" Xiwen asked with concern.

"Xiwen, I'm sorry, I'm not an expert in this area," Dumbledore sighed and said softly. "If Professor Enriques can't answer this question for you either, then I can't think of anyone better."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Xiwen slumped listlessly onto Dumbledore's large sofa, his mood rather gloomy.

"But don't worry too much, we're already researching the Blood Curse," Dumbledore smiled at Xiwen, reassuring him. "Everything will be alright."

"I hope so." Xiwen nodded slightly.

The next day was the first weekend after the start of the school term.

Xiwen still maintained his old habit of going to Nick Flamel's safe house to learn alchemy from him.

"You seem a little unhappy?" Flamel noticed that Xiwen's mood was off and asked him.

"Well, I'm a little worried about a friend," Xiwen said to Flamel with a forced smile.

"If you'd like, you can talk to us two old folks," Madam Flamel said kindly to Xiwen as she approached. "We've lived so long and seen so much; perhaps we can be of some help to you!"

"It would be wonderful if you two could offer some advice!" Xiwen's spirits lifted slightly, and after a moment's thought, he said to the two elders, "A friend of mine has a very powerful Blood Curse inherited in her family. It seems to be manifesting in her now. Even Dumbledore couldn't break free from this curse."

"Oh? If even Dumbledore can't do anything about it, you're not talking about the Greengrass family's Blood Curse, are you?" Flamel glanced at Xiwen and asked.

"Huh?" Xiwen looked at Flamel and asked in surprise. "It really is the Greengrass family Blood Curse. How did you guess it based on such a small amount of information?"

"After all, it's a powerful Blood Curse as the 'Death's Curse.' You might not realize how famous it is in the Bloodline Magic world," Flamel said. "Its status in Bloodline Magic is equivalent to Grindelwald's in the Wizarding World."

"Is it really... that powerful?" Xiwen stood there, stunned.

"In these six hundred years, I've always wanted to learn new things, and of course, I've also gained some understanding of Bloodline Magic." Flamel nodded slightly and said to Xiwen, "The Blood Curse of the Greengrass family can be considered a prime example; it even predates the year I was born."

"For a period of time, countless Bloodline Magic experts were invited by the Greengrass family to solve the problem of the Blood Curse, but all those renowned experts failed to achieve anything. This also contributed to the Greengrass family's formidable reputation regarding Blood Curse."

"I think they don't want their family to become famous because of this," Xiwen sighed.

"Yes, no family would want to become famous like this," Flamel sighed. "But since there's no way to deal with this Blood Curse, we might as well make it even more famous. Maybe that will attract more capable wizards to help them solve the problem."

"Unfortunately, over the generations, this curse etched into the very marrow has shattered the confidence of countless Bloodline Magic experts, and it gradually came to be known as the 'Death's Curse.' The consensus within the circle has become that the Greengrass family Blood Curse cannot be broken."

"So there really isn't a solution?" Xiwen frowned deeply and asked in a deep voice.

"It seems there's no way to completely break the Blood Curse, but alleviating its symptoms shouldn't be a problem," Flamel said. "Once we return to Hogwarts, you can have the little one who inherited the Blood Curse write back to the family to ask; they should have a complete set of mitigation measures."

"Alright, cheer up, don't worry so much!" Flamel patted Xiwen's shoulder hard, only to hear a "crack" from his own bones.

"Um, your hand..." Xiwen's attention was immediately diverted, and he looked awkwardly at Flamel's hand.

"No problem." With a sickeningly so, sickeningly sweet voice, Flamel expertly positioned the hand bone correctly. "Don't worry, okay? According to the Greengrass family tradition, taking care to alleviate the symptoms of the Blood Curse will at least allow us to live peacefully for another decade or so."

"Maybe one day in the future, a solution will suddenly appear out of nowhere!"

Xiwen also mustered his spirits and nodded heavily.

That evening, upon returning to Hogwarts, Xiwen immediately stopped Elshiona was still somewhat distraught, in the common room and comforted her, telling her to write home and inquire about ways to alleviate the Blood Curse.

Only after watching her deliver the letter did Xiwen feel somewhat relieved.

After sending Elshiona home to get some sleep, Xiwen suddenly remembered the daunting task Dumbledore had given him—to befriend Riddle!

He thought for a moment, then silently walked to the door of the boys' dormitory for first-year Slytherin students and politely knocked.

"Is anyone home?" Xiwen asked.

"Nobody's here... no, wait a minute!" a gruff voice came from inside.

"What's going on in there..." Xiwen's lips twitched, and he used a lock-picking spell to open the door.

The furnishings in this dormitory room are similar to those in Xiwen's room.

A green chandelier hung from the ceiling of the room, with four beds arranged on either side. Facing the bedroom door was a fireplace that hadn't been lit in late summer. Behind the fireplace were tall windows and the dim waters of the Black Lake.

There were two Slytherin wizards in the room, one a rugged-looking Lestrange, and the other a thin wizard whose name Xiwen didn't recognize. They seemed to be up to no good, their expressions stiffening when they saw Xiwen enter.

As soon as Xiwen pushed open the door, Lestrange instinctively put his hands behind his back, looked at him awkwardly, and asked, "Rozier, what brings you here?"

"I've come to see how you're doing. Are you adjusting well to life at Hogwarts?" Xiwen said, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at the two of them.

"Our campus life is pretty good, thank you for your concern, senior." Another thin little wizard, seemingly afraid that Lestrange would say the wrong thing, quickly chimed in to Xiwen.

"What is your name?" Xiwen asked, looking at the thin little wizard.

"Avery, my name is Pablo Avery," said the thin little wizard.

"So you're from the Avery family." Xiwen smiled kindly.

However, his expression turned serious the next moment, putting immense pressure on Lestrange and Avery.

He slowly took a few steps forward, causing the two young wizards to unconsciously retreat.

Can I see what you have in your hands?

Xiwen stared at the two of them and said, word by word.