The lighting inside the Restricted Section was much dimmer than outside. The wall lamps went out completely in this area, leaving only a few scattered candles burning overhead. The flames were as small as soybeans, and the light was barely enough to see if you were stepping on anything.
The bookshelves are still the same, but the atmosphere is completely different.
Herman walked to the nearest row of bookshelves. The spines of the books on the shelves no longer had their gold-stamped titles, and some even had their labels gone, leaving only bare leather or cloth covers.
He leaned closer to examine the words on the spines of several books. The handwriting was messy and blurry, but he recognized a few titles, such as "A Compilation of Eighteenth-Century Black Magic," "Curse: On Irreversible Magic," and one that was simply called "The Magical Conductive Properties of Human Bone Products."
Just by looking at the title, it doesn't seem like a book suitable for reading in a public place, nor is it appropriate to try reading it on your dorm bedside table.
Draco followed behind him, turning her head from side to side, her eyes full of curiosity, her expression like that of someone browsing a newly opened candy store, even though the things on the shelves didn't really look like candy.
Her gaze lingered on the lower shelf of a bookshelf, where a book with a strikingly bright cover stood out among a pile of dusty old books. It had a dark purple leather cover with fine silver trim.
"This one looks quite pretty," Draco said, bending down and reaching for the book.
Before Herman could warn her, her fingers had already touched the spine of the book.
The book's response was so fast it caught everyone off guard.
A strange green light suddenly appeared on the dark purple cover, the pages began to turn on their own with a rustling sound, and then the whole book popped off the bookshelf, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, opening its pages in mid-air and biting at Draco's hand.
Draco was quick enough to pull her hand away, but the edge of the book still grazed her fingertips.
A tiny bead of blood seeped from her index finger. Draco gasped, held the finger up to her eyes, and her face paled.
"This book bites!" She took two steps back, her back bumping into the bookshelf opposite her. The bookshelf swayed, and several books on it shook.
Harry stood a few steps away, barely changing her posture, only slightly raising her eyelids.
With a slight flick of her wand, a thin, gray beam of light shot out, striking the book that was still flailing about in mid-air.
The moment the light touched the cover, the green glow went out like a flame extinguished by water. The whole book lost its strength and fell to the ground with a thud, cover up, pages still twitching slightly, like a snake that had been stepped on but wasn't quite dead yet.
Harry put away her wand, her tone flat. "Most books in the Restricted Section are like that; they either bite, cast curses, or run away after you open them. If the one you just touched only bit you, it wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm afraid it might curse you through your blood."
Draco looked down at the tiny bloodstain on her finger, her lips twitching slightly. "What kind of curse is this!"
"Many things, like hair loss, weight gain, becoming ugly," Harry said, glancing at Herman, and continued, "Or maybe you'll be covered in sores, like you crawled out of a mud pit, and smell awful."
Draco turned pale at Harry's words, and Herman quickly comforted her, "It's alright, maybe you'll just get older and die faster."
"Ah!" Draco cried out in fear, her voice trembling with tears, "No, I don't want to become an ugly monster!"
Seeing Draco crying, Herman quickly comforted her, "It's alright, it's just a curse. We have the professor and Dumbledore, they'll definitely be able to handle it."
Harry saw Draco crying, a slight smile appearing on her lips before she said seriously, "Don't cry. The more you cry, the more vulnerable you become, and the faster the curse takes effect! Look, your hair is starting to fall out."
Startled by Harry, Draco dared not cry anymore, forcing back her sobs as she clutched her head, afraid her hair would fall out.
Then she asked in a low voice, "If I don't cry, will the curse not come true?"
Harry nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's alright. As long as you don't cry and listen to me, the curse will disappear."
Draco quickly, looking at Harry earnestly, as if to say, "I will definitely listen."
Hearing Harry tease Draco, Herman knew the curse probably didn't exist, so he ignored Draco and continued searching for his target on the bookshelf.
Professor Malin was referring to the 97th row of bookshelves. He was currently standing near number 97, but there were at least dozens of books on that row, and he had absolutely no idea which one was the notebook Marlene had left behind.
He tried to start reading from the far left, his eyes scanning the rows of book spines.
"A Study of Forbidden Alchemy in the Middle Ages," " Alchemy and the Soul," and "Magic and the Soul"—each of these books seems somewhat related to Marlene's research area, like books Marlene would read, but not quite like Marlene chose for herself.
He reached out to grab one of the books, and the moment his fingertips touched the spine, the book emitted a low, rumbling sound, like a vicious dog being woken up.
Herman quickly withdrew his hand, and the gurgling sound of the book gradually subsided.
He tried touching another book, and this time it didn't make a sound, but the leather cover felt warm to the touch, like living skin.
When Herman withdrew his hand, his fingertips were covered with a fine layer of sweat and smelled of rust.
I dare not touch it carelessly. Draco wasn't cursed, but if I randomly flipped through the books, I might really get cursed.
Herman looked at the shelves full of books and felt that each one was a monster that could jump up and bite him at any moment.
When Professor Malin took notes, she probably didn't consider whether a first-year student entering the Restricted Section alone might get bitten to death by the books.
He turned his head and looked at Harry.
Harry was leaning against the bookshelf opposite her, her arms crossed over her chest, with a "I'm waiting to see you make a fool of yourself" expression on her face.
Herman opened his mouth, wanting to ask Harry how to avoid the curse and take the book, but before he could speak, Harry let out a very soft hum from her nose, a sound with a hint of arrogance, as if expressing full contempt for his hesitation.
Without saying much, she walked straight over, glanced at the bookshelf, then stood on tiptoe and reached out to pull a book from the top shelf.
The book was thinner than the surrounding books, with a dark brown cover, no decorations, no gold-stamped title, and no label on the spine. It was inconspicuous among the books on the shelf, and if you didn't know what you were looking for beforehand, you probably wouldn't notice it even after flipping through it ten times.
Harry pulled the book out without even looking at it, and casually tossed it toward Herman.