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Chapter 181: Forbidden Books and Curses
Chapter 181: Forbidden Books and Curses
The next morning, Vedich read about the fire in Little Hangton in the Daily Prophet.
The article suspected that a Dark wizard had been conducting nefarious experiments, burning down an empty vagrant's house. The Ministry, after monitoring, had detected traces of a powerful fire spell.
Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The newspaper made no mention of the Gaunt shack, nor of their illustrious history as descendants of Salazar Slytherin.
It was unclear if it was deemed unnecessary, or if the young Ministry officials were simply unaware of who the "vagrant's shack" had once belonged to.
But Vedich was certain that Dumbledore would not overlook this detail.
He glanced at the breakfast table, where the old headmaster was recommending the day's lamb chops to Professor Flitwick, with a stack of thick newspapers by his side.
Vedich lowered his gaze and picked up another newspaper.
This was a Muggle publication, sent to him specially by Ferdinand. It featured clear images of the scene, taken from an aerial view.
The fire had burned a perfect circle in the woods, leaving the inside scorched and barren, yet the boundary untouched.
The newspaper described the incident with exaggerated tones, and finally, in a mysterious tone, suggested that this might be a trace left by a landed UFO.
In another newspaper, however, the author believed that a country was secretly experimenting with high-precision strike weapons, and critically analyzed Britain's national defense, military, technology, and bureaucracy. The author argued that the country was on the brink of collapse.
Vedich was left speechless by these interpretations.
He put the newspapers aside and turned to his breakfast, which was porridge, as usual.
The house-elves had minced the meat and vegetables into a fine consistency, ensuring he wouldn't need to chew and could easily swallow it.
The porridge didn't look very appealing, so the little creatures sprinkled it with finely chopped parsley and sesame seeds, improving its appearance.
There weren't many people in the Great Hall, as students rushed out after breakfast to line up for the reopened maze. Many had even skipped breakfast in their eagerness to explore.
After the meal, Vedich went to the library as usual to return and borrow books. Thanks to Professor Lockhart, he could always borrow the books he wanted from the Restricted Section, and he always enjoyed hearing Madam Pince complain about Lockhart's casual attitude.
Vedich suspected that the librarian knew much more than she let on, perhaps even about the true source of those authorization forms. But she never questioned their origin or confronted Professor Lockhart.
Vedich wondered if Madam Pince treated every student this way or if he was receiving special treatment.
He didn't dwell on it and instead took the books back to the umbrella hut, devouring the knowledge within, especially those related to curses.
Lord Voldemort was an expert in curses, and the Dark spell he had cast on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher remained unbroken, even by Dumbledore.
To face Voldemort, it was crucial to understand curses, and without a protective blood magic like Harry's, one would be at a disadvantage.
From the books, Vedich learned about intriguing and ancient cursing methods, some of which he had only heard about in fairy tales as a child, never imagining that wizards could actually perform them.
For instance, the simple Jelly-Legs Jinx was actually a type of curse with a short duration, often used by students as a prank.
The Killing Curse and Cruciatus Curse were also types of curses that required intense emotions to perform.
These spells had short durations, and Vedich had learned defense mechanisms against them at school.
However, some curses were more complex, long-lasting, and far-reaching, sometimes even passed down through bloodlines. These required advanced techniques, intricate preparations, and substantial magical power.
For instance, there was the Blood Curse that transformed people into animals, and the Unbreakable Vow that created an unbreakable bond between two people.
Even more complex were ancient curses that could permanently turn people into plants or animals, induce eternal sleep, or bring about perpetual bad luck.
The caster themselves may also be subject to some hidden, negative influence."
Vedich was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't notice someone tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Vedich," Michael said. "Put the book down! It's almost eleven, we should get going!"
Theo and Ryan were already waiting by the door.
Vedich blinked and asked, "Get going?"
Michael raised an eyebrow. "You didn't forget, did you? It's the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff match today!"
Vedich's eyes widened in realization.
He had gone to bed late the previous night, immersed in the joy of destroying the Resurrection Stone Horcrux, and had indeed forgotten about his own House's Quidditch match.
Due to the postponement of the Gryffindor and Slytherin game by two weeks, it now coincided with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff match.
As December arrived, the high skies were bitingly cold. The Heads of the various Houses were reluctant to delay their respective House games any further, lest it affect the players' conditions, so they decided to schedule both games for that weekend.
When they arrived at the pitch, there were already quite a few people present, but the crowd was not as clearly divided as it had been the day before.
Both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were well-liked, and their supporters included students from other Houses mixed in with their own.
Vedich even spotted a few Ravenclaws secretly removing their blue and bronze scarves and blending in with the Hufflepuff crowd.
When confronted by their Eagle House peers, they argued, "We're not betraying our House... but it's Cedric, after all!"
"It's his first game, you understand... He needs all the support he can get..."
"But we need support too!" Dalton, the Ravenclaw Seeker, exclaimed angrily, flailing his arms. "Am I chasing bugs up there or something?"
"Of course, you're bringing honor to our House, dear," his girlfriend cooed, planting a kiss on his cheek.
As the boy smiled, she added, "Oh, and by the way, now that you're of age, be careful up there... Don't go knocking any first-years off their brooms."
Dalton's smile immediately vanished.
He watched helplessly as his girlfriend made her way to the other side of the stands, then turned to the two first-years beside him and asked, "What about you two? Are you going to run off and support Hufflepuff as well?"
Vedich and Michael exchanged glances.
Michael patted Dalton's arm and said, "We're rooting for Ravenclaw, of course! Let's go!"
Dalton felt a bit better after that and grumbled something about "pretty boys" as he stormed off towards the Ravenclaw team.
"Quite a formidable opponent, isn't he?"
A ethereal voice piped up beside Vedich, and he turned to see Luna holding a makeshift eagle scepter.
Upon closer inspection, it was a long tree branch with a paper eagle attached to the top. The girl was rather crafty.
If Dalton had seen Luna earlier, he probably wouldn't have been so disgruntled.
"Hello, Luna," Vedich said, using his wand to tap the eagle gently. It suddenly became much more animated, looking left and right and letting out a high-pitched, piercing shriek.
Everyone nearby was startled and turned to look in their direction.
Luna, oblivious to the attention, nodded in satisfaction and said, "Much better, thank you."
With that, she strolled to the front railing, holding her scepter high. The eagle continued to screech, and people on both sides stepped aside to make way for her. Even the Hufflepuff players kept glancing in their direction.
Vedich also spotted Cedric, broom in hand.
He was tall and handsome, with distinct features and a hint of a smile on his face. Despite being only in his fourth year, he stood almost as tall as the seventh-year team captain beside him.
Such a sturdy build was not typically suited for the agile role of Seeker, but he exuded confidence and didn't seem concerned about the possibility of failure.
The whistle blew, and the game began.
(End of Chapter)
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