Chapter 62: A Discussion About Dark Magic
Chapter 62: A Discussion About Dark Magic
"What is Dark Magic?" Liam started with the most basic question.
"Magic that is destructive and evil is called Dark Magic", Hermione replied after a moment of thought.
"That's the exact wording from the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. No wonder you're our know-it-all, Hermione. You remember everything from the books", Liam said with a teasing tone, then he grew serious. "But the real criterion for identifying Dark Magic lies in its evil intent, not its destructive power. For example, the Fire Charm can create a warm fire, but it can also cause a devastating and destructive fire. We can't say the Fire Charm is evil just because it has destructive potential."
"Right, so I think the core of Dark Magic is the malicious intent behind the spell. That's why I'm against you studying it. I don't want any of my friends to turn into evil Dark Wizards", Hermione responded.
"But the definition of evil magic is that it involves negative emotions when casting a spell. It's true that such spells often have more destructive power. As the negative emotions intensify, the spell's strength increases."
"What are you trying to say?" Hermione asked, a bit confused.
"I just think that a certain level of negative emotion should be allowed and doesn't necessarily mean it's evil", Liam explained, flipping to a bookmarked page in his third-year Dark Arts textbook. He pointed to a spell and said, "Look, this spell requires a feeling of disgust towards the target to form a force field from your wand, repelling the target.
Disgust is a negative emotion, but I don't think it's evil. Compared to the power these spells can display, a little negative emotion shouldn't be a problem."
Hermione listened to Liam's explanation, then took the textbook and flipped through it. "Indeed, as one of the top three schools in the European magical community, our textbooks don't include overly cruel spells. I also believe that even the professors at Hogwarts know a few of these spells, but they learn them to defend against them.
My concern is that at our age and level of maturity, we might be tempted by the power and go astray. That's why I think Hogwarts only allows older students in the advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts class to access certain books on Dark Magic in the Restricted Section. I believe that by the time we're older, we can study these topics under the guidance of our teachers, but it should still be for defensive purposes."
"So, how do you think we should handle this knowledge? I just want to learn some powerful spells to protect myself and my friends. Last year, feeling helpless against evil was terrible", Liam said.
"I believe that only through practice can we learn to resist Dark Magic. Just knowing the theory isn't enough. We should practice some defensive spells. However, I don't think we should study the content in these books, as they are Dark Magic. I don't think the situation is so dire that we need to resort to any means to increase our power. Last year's events were just accidents.
I won't object to you reading these books. Since you've decided to learn to protect yourself, you can study Dark Magic to learn how to recognize and counter it, and learn spells that can defend against it. That should be enough to fight evil and protect yourself.
Remember, other magic isn't necessarily less powerful than Dark Magic. There's no need to cross that dangerous line. I think we should read these books together to ensure no one takes a dangerous step", Hermione said after some thought, then she pursed her lips and shared her opinion.
Liam was a bit surprised by Hermione's response, as he realized that not only had he failed to persuade her, but she was also trying to convince him. Hermione's words had a profound impact on him, and after some reflection, Liam suddenly saw a flaw in his own thinking.
It was true that Liam knew the plot, which was an advantage. However, sometimes this knowledge could also be a constraint. He knew that war was imminent, which made him somewhat impatient at times. He had overlooked the fact that he owned the Multiverse General Store, which provided ample time and means to acquire great power. There was no need to rush into methods that could have serious repercussions.
As someone with a mental age over thirty, he should have been more perceptive than a young girl. This realization made him feel deeply ashamed.
"Thank you. I almost went astray. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I swear I will never learn that Dark Magic", Liam said solemnly after hearing Hermione's response.
To show his determination, Liam handed over all the Dark Arts books to Hermione for safekeeping. Hermione looked relieved. The two then discussed a few other things before parting ways to go home for lunch.
Liam agreed with Hermione that Dark Magic, which could cause severe and irreversible mental damage, was not worth the risk. However, he still needed to practice the other magic he knew. It was like swimming; no matter how well you understood the theory, you couldn't master the skill without getting into the water.
Since he needed to practice, he had to find a place that the Ministry of Magic's trace couldn't monitor. After some thought, Liam decided that the Plants vs. Zombies World would be a good place to practice, as it had plenty of targets. Besides, it had been a while since he last visited, and he wanted to see how his house was coming along.
Taking advantage of his free time in the afternoon, Liam went to the Library to gather and photocopy a large amount of industrial information related to daily life, intending to give it to Dave as a gift. After all, it was a world ravaged by zombies. Although humans were beginning to regain strength and rebuild, many things were not easy to restore. Liam planned to bring some information on daily chemicals to help the people in that world rebuild a modern civilization.
During dinner, his mother, Mrs. Sally, asked, "I've been meaning to ask, why do you go to the Library every morning since the summer vacation started? I don't think the community Library has any books on magic."
"Because I'm working on homework with a classmate, Mom", Liam said, eating his spaghetti.
"Classmate? Hermione Granger? You mentioned she was the top of your year last semester", Mr. Lambert chimed in.
"Um, yes. I didn't do as well as her last semester", Liam replied softly.
"So when you work on homework with her, try to learn from her strengths. We've always been concerned that you might become a bit arrogant because of your good grades in primary school", Mrs. Sally said.
The two then gave Liam a brief lecture on his attitude towards learning. Liam realized that he might have been misled by certain stereotypes. Who said that parents in the West didn't care about their children's education? It was a universal concern.
In the final book, Professor Mcgonagall used the Imperius Curse on a Death Eater, which is an Unforgivable Curse and a form of Dark Magic. This suggests that at least the professors must know Dark Magic, though most of them learn it to understand how to defend against it, with the exception of professors like Snape, who have a Dark Wizard background.
(End of Chapter)
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