Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

What concerned him even more was that the light and shadow of these Grindelwalds and Loba worms each extended a slender thread of energy, which ultimately connected precisely to the light and shadow of the mermaid.

From the perspective of energy flow, the mermaid's light and shadow seem to be the "core" of these light and shadows. Those threads are like invisible ropes, firmly "binding" the light and shadows of Grindelwald and Loba worms, giving people an intuitive feeling of being tamed and led, just like humans using ropes to lead livestock in reality, full of clear dominance and subordination relationships.

Besides the light and shadow of these magical creatures, Dylan also discovered more fragmented light and shadow around him. There were several small light and shadow with colorful spots, streamlined bodies, and swaying transparent tail fins. They were obviously the colorful ball fish from the Black Lake. There were also a large number of small silvery-white light and shadow, swimming in groups, which were the most common fish on the bottom of the lake.

These fish-shaped lights occasionally extend into thread-like energy, but unlike Grindelwald and Loba worms, their threads do not connect to the mermaid lights. Instead, they extend straight upwards, passing through the top of the dark space, and eventually disappear into an unknown area, as if connected to a higher level of existence.

Dylan tried to expand his exploration area, only to find that his senses were being restricted by an invisible force.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't escape the specific area around the mermaid's light and shadow, with an exploration radius of less than ten meters.

This feeling of constraint is more like being fixed to a certain anchor point, only able to observe a limited space.

Just as he was studying the threads of light and shadow on the fish, a sudden energy fluctuation came from the darkness above.

Dylan immediately shifted his gaze upwards, where a huge gray shadow was rapidly passing by. This shadow was over ten meters in diameter and had dozens of thick tentacles extending out, each of which emanated a powerful energy aura.

As it moved, one of its tentacles suddenly lashed out at the water below, the immense impact causing a slight tremor in the surrounding space. Then, like an arrow released from a bow, it swiftly darted into the distant darkness and disappeared.

“It’s a giant squid!” Dylan immediately knew the answer. A giant squid lived at the bottom of the Black Lake. This was a secret known to many Hogwarts students, but very few had ever seen its full form.

The shape and energy intensity of that ball of light just now perfectly matched the characteristics of a giant squid.

Despite the limited scope of exploration, Dylan has been able to draw preliminary conclusions based on the various light and shadow effects he observed.

Although this space is not the actual bottom of Black Lake, it is inextricably linked to Black Lake and can be called the "shadow space of Black Lake".

It is both a reflection of the real Black Lake and depends on the existence of the real Black Lake to maintain itself. The creatures and environment in the real Black Lake will form corresponding light and shadow in this shadow space, and the stability of the shadow space, in turn, confirms the reality of the real Black Lake.

Of course, this is only a preliminary conclusion he has drawn based on existing knowledge.

Just as when studying the soul, it is often necessary to construct an understandable logical framework based on existing theories, this conclusion about "shadow space" is also the explanation that best fits his observations that he has been able to find so far.

Following this logic, the characteristics of those biological light and shadow can also be reasonably explained: the light and shadow of mermaids, Grindelwald, and Loba worms are essentially shadow mappings of the corresponding creatures at the bottom of the lake in reality. They seem to represent the entire species because these light and shadow condense the common characteristics of the same kind of creatures.

The connection between the light and shadow of Grindelwald and the Loba worm and the light and shadow of the mermaid is a reflection of the relationship between mermaids and lake creatures in reality.

At the same time, these lights and shadows can also make people feel the characteristics of independent individuals, because the group itself is composed of countless individuals. While light and shadow can condense the characteristics of the group, they can also preserve the possibility of individual existence. Just like looking at a flame from a distance, you can see the overall firelight and also distinguish the jumping sparks.

This sense of contradiction, being both holistic and individual, is precisely the unique manifestation of the connection between the shadow space and the real world.

Although the area for exploration is restricted, Dylan's spellcasting abilities are not imprisoned.

He tried to mobilize the magical energy within his body, aiming his wand at the connecting thread between the Grindelwald light and the mermaid light—the energy bond that symbolized a "taming relationship".

As the incantation echoed in his mind, a faint black halo appeared at the tip of the wand, like a precise pair of scissors, gently severing the connecting thread while completely extracting the "taming magic mark" contained within.

This pale gray mark hovered in front of the "sensory body," emitting faint energy fluctuations.

Dylan could clearly sense that the mark contained the core magical logic of how mermaids tamed Grindylow and Loba worms—as long as he brought this mark back to the real world and integrated it into his own magical system, he could tame these two dangerous underwater magical creatures in the same way at the bottom of the Black Lake in reality.

This unexpected discovery delighted him. He had only intended to explore clues for the second project, but instead gained an extra magical skill, which was undoubtedly a great surprise.

The wonders of the shadow space intensified Dylan's thirst for knowledge.

He decided to try more magic to see how different types of spells would react in this space.

The first thing that comes to mind is the Guardian Charm, which is closely related to soul energy. This type of magic relies on the wizard's positive emotions and soul power, and may be able to manifest a special form in the shadow realm.

"Call the gods to protect you!"

With a clear call in his mind, a warm golden energy burst forth from his senses, condensing in the air into a "Pixiu," which was Dylan's guardian deity.

Poro!

Unlike in reality, a thin thread extends from the Poro's rear end, like the light and shadow threads of fish observed earlier, extending straight upwards, passing through the top of the shadow space, and disappearing into the depths of darkness.

Based on his previous explorations and understanding of the soul, Dylan immediately drew a conclusion.

If my judgment is correct, this thread will eventually connect to a place where Poros exist, possibly the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts, since he always summons his Patronus there.

Only by successfully connecting with past experiences can the Guardian Charm maintain its stable form; otherwise, it will only summon a vague energy body rather than a specific biological form.

This conclusion is inseparable from his deep understanding of transfiguration magic and the concept of marking.

In magical theory, the core of transfiguration magic is capturing the mark of the target. Wizards use spells to manipulate magic and capture the mark of a certain creature or object in order to transform themselves or other things into the corresponding form.

But for a long time, one question has remained.

Where exactly does magic capture these marks? Even Ravenclaw cannot be considered omniscient about this.

The shadow space they were currently in provided the answer to this question. Dylan realized that this was very likely the source of the magical capture marks. Whether it was the biological mark needed for shapeshifting magic or the soul form mark needed for the Guardian Charm, they all originated from this shadow space corresponding to the real world.

Those extended, thread-like energies are both the circuits through which magic flows and direct proof that magic has successfully captured the mark. Like bridges, they connect the wizard's magical energy with the target mark in the shadow space, ensuring that magic can accurately acquire the required form and ability.

Of course, this is only a preliminary inference based on short-term exploration.

Dylan knew very well that more experiments were needed to verify the accuracy of this conjecture.

For example, try summoning guardians in other forms, observe the direction of the threads' connection, or cast shapeshifting magic to see if you can directly capture new marks in the shadow space.

In the minds of most wizards, the label of the Patronus Charm is very clear.

A highly renowned high-level spell, and also one of the strongest defensive spells against certain dark creatures.

Its power lies primarily in dealing with special "non-existent" creatures like Dementors.

When a chilling aura of despair descends, the silver creature summoned by the Guardian Charm radiates warm energy, acting as a barrier to completely repel the Dementors—an effect that other defensive charms cannot match.

But only those who have truly studied soul magic in depth can appreciate the deeper wonders of this spell.

Just like now, the Poro that Dylan summoned here is interacting with its surroundings in an unexpected way.

The silver light emanating from its body spread outwards like gentle ripples, attracting various creatures and shadows nearby to slowly approach.

The first to react were the moving creatures and their shadows.

The gray-black light and shadow of Grindelho stopped its restless swaying and slowly floated towards the Poro, while the brownish light and shadow of Loba Worm was attracted by a magnet and slowly crawled along the trajectory of the energy fluctuations.

Even more surprisingly, the light and shadow of the originally still aquatic plants also changed. The slender leaf-shaped light and shadow, which were originally just swaying slowly with the water flow, started to sway more rapidly and with greater amplitude after the silver light spread, as if responding to some kind of positive call.

Dylan knew very well that the guardian deity in physical form contained the purest positive emotions of the wizard, which would be transformed into an invisible positive guiding force.

For most living beings, this guiding force has a natural attraction, making them involuntarily approach it. However, dark magic creatures like Dementors, which rely on negative emotions for survival, will instinctively repel this positive energy. This is the key reason why the Patronus Charm can restrain them.

At this moment, the light and shadow of the creatures here gathered together, clearly influenced by this positive guiding force.

To further observe the reaction, Dylan mobilized the magic within his body and slowly injected it into the Poro Guardian.

Instantly, the silver light surrounding the guardian became even more intense, yet it still maintained a soft texture, without the slightest hint of glare.

This enhanced energy fluctuation indeed attracted more underwater creatures and shadows. Groups of silvery-white fish began to gather in this direction, and even the colorful fish that had flashed by in the darkness earlier swayed its colorful tail fins and approached.

Even the enormous giant squid's luminous form paused for a moment in the darkness above the Poro Guardian. It stretched out dozens of thick tentacles, seemingly sensing the energy within the silver light. After a few seconds, it slowly moved its tentacles, then plunged back into the distant darkness and disappeared.

Observing the reactions of these creatures and their shadows, a thought suddenly popped into Dylan's mind: "What different changes would occur if dark magic were infused into the guardian spirit?"

He acted immediately, drawing out a stream of silver-black energy and carefully merging it into the Poro Guardian.

This time, the guardian's silver light became even brighter, yet it still retained its gentle nature.

Sure enough, the surrounding biological light and shadow underwent new changes.

First, there were the aquatic plant lights and shadows. Suddenly, tiny green threads emerged from the leaf-shaped surfaces of the lights and shadows, extending slowly like vines, and finally connecting precisely to the silver light of the Poro Guardian, forming delicate energy links.

Immediately afterwards, the fish-shaped lights that had gathered together also began to move. Silver threads extended from each side of their bodies, connecting with the guardian spirit as if they were exchanging some kind of energy.

Meanwhile, the closest mermaid, Grindelho, and Loba worm light and shadow also each sprouted threads. Unlike the "taming threads" that connected the mermaid light and shadow to Grindelho and Loba worm light and shadow, these newly sprouted threads only extended slowly and stayed not far from the guardian deity. They did not connect immediately, as if they were hesitating or adapting to some new energy frequency.

Besides the changes in biological light and shadow, Dylan also felt his magic flowing into the Poro Guardian through some invisible channel, making the Guardian's light more and more stable.

After a moment's thought, Dylan disconnected the magic transmission.

As the energy connection was severed, the physical form of the Poro Guardian gradually dissipated, and the silver light slowly weakened, eventually leaving only a semi-transparent Poro phantom, suspended in place.

Dylan manipulated his consciousness to approach the phantom and, after careful observation, discovered that it was not the residual energy after the guardian deity dissipated, but a completely new form of energy. Threads also emerged from the surface of the Poro phantom, and these threads extended outwards, connecting with the light and shadow of the mermaid, Grindelow, and Loba worm.

However, this connection seemed exceptionally illusory, and the color of the threads was much lighter than the threads used by the mermaids to tame other creatures, giving it an unreal feeling that it might break at any moment.

Dylan tried to touch the threads with his consciousness and could feel a faint flow of energy, but it was far less stable than when he tamed the threads.

“This is all truly amazing.” Dylan stared at the floating Poro phantom, his mind quickly processing his recent discovery. “The reason why the Guardian Charm can generate positive guiding force is that it is essentially a personification of the soul.”

He further analyzed: "When performing this ritual, one needs to use beautiful memories as a starting point to stimulate one's own pure positive emotions—memory and emotions, these two elements that are crucial to the 'soul,' together support the form of the guardian deity, making it an external manifestation of the soul's energy."

“Originally, this process involved a complex transformation of soul energy, but here, the influence of the Poro Guardian on the surrounding light and shadow appeared exceptionally pure, without any interference from magical energy in the real world.”

Dylan's consciousness lingered on the Poro phantom, sinking into deeper thought: "The effect of using dark magic to maintain the guardian spirit here is also quite obvious—this remaining Poro phantom is essentially the form of energy returning to its pure state. And this purity seems to have directly affected the 'memory' level of the mermaid's light and shadow, causing them to re-establish their previous connection."

A new hypothesis suddenly emerged. (End of Chapter)