Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

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Chapter 103 Night Visit to the Forbidden Book Zone

At the far end of the Pensieve room, an entire wall is like a mirror.

The mirror was magical; instead of reflecting the scene behind Vizette, it showed an abandoned stairwell.

Vizette habitually cast the spell "Ancient Magic: Self-Shaping (Devil's Web)," and after a brief exploration, she passed through the mirror and entered the abandoned stairwell.

Compared to the still tidy warehouse rooms, this stairwell was clearly not well maintained.

The stone steps leading up were broken in several places, with broken bricks and stones scattered all over the ground, covered with a thick layer of dust, and spider webs hanging from the ceiling.

Vizette looked at the ground and took only two simple steps, kicking up dust.

If we take a few more steps, we'll probably create a "misty and ethereal" effect.

He walked up the broken stone steps, and for the sake of privacy, he did not clean the dust in the stairwell.

Before leaving the stairwell, he cast a restoration spell to erase the footprints on the ground, trying to keep everything as it was.

Vizette suddenly had an idea: perhaps the guardians who entered the stairwell had similar thoughts, which was why the dust in the stairwell was accumulating more and more.

Outside the stairwell, there is a spiral staircase leading upwards, at the top of which stands a statue with floating flames dancing on it, emitting a bright yellow light.

On either side of the spiral staircase, there are occasionally a few candlesticks, with flickering flames on them.

“The number of candles has not decreased, nor has any wax been produced…” Vizette also developed a strong interest in these candlesticks.

"If few people come here... and the flames never go out, then it must be some kind of magical flame... How interesting!"

"How exactly is the flame kept burning? What kind of magic is used? What are the incantations and hand gestures? Perhaps it's ritual magic? Or is the candlestick a magical artifact..."

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts arose in his mind.

He reached into his pocket to make sure the newly acquired notebook was still there.

With his notebook in hand, returning to the Pensieve room would be relatively easy for him; he could study the magical flames there later.

As Vizette ascended the spiral staircase, she discovered that the statue was indeed unique in design, resembling a human-faced goat with four tails attached to each other.

He gently pushed open the door at the end of the spiral staircase and entered a room that was also covered in dust and cobwebs;

Bookshelves and cabinets of various styles lined the walls, and strangely shaped masks hung on the walls;

The bookshelves were crammed full of books, and several stacks of books on the floor were covered with cobwebs;

On the mahogany bookcase directly opposite, there is a transparent cover containing an upside-down bat specimen;

There are many books here, one of which is stacked crookedly and almost touches the ceiling;

Above the mahogany cabinet is a portrait of a wizard wearing a red pointed hat, nodding his head repeatedly as if he were dozing off.

Vizette slowed her pace and tiptoed away from the painting to avoid the wizard in the painting waking up and causing any trouble.

This must be a room used for storing miscellaneous items; all sorts of things can be seen everywhere along the slightly crowded passageway.

Not only are there rusty armor, dusty porcelain, globes, lamps, and telescopes, but you can even see wooden mechanisms that resemble torture instruments…

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It wasn't until Vizet pushed open another door that he truly understood which area of ​​Hogwarts he was in.

"This is actually the forbidden book section... That room where the Pensieve is kept, it's amazing that I was able to get here!"

A smile crept onto his face; this meant he would have to go out at night more often.

Vizette rarely entered the forbidden book section; the air there was strange, a mixture of various smells.

Some smelled like rust, some like congealed blood, some like moss and earth, and some like burnt eggs…

Compared to the books in the public areas, the books in the restricted area are clearly more restless.

Some cabinets are less like bookshelves and more like cages, with the books inside like gladiators, pounding against the shelves again and again, trying to gain their freedom.

Some books are even more dangerous, requiring chains to be used to secure them firmly to the bookshelf.

Nevertheless, the books did not give up their struggle, and the bookshelf continued to vibrate and make a soft rustling sound.

The Most Poisonous Magic, The Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic, Powerful Potions, The Untold History of Magic, Secrets in the Shadows: The Rise of the Dark Wizard...

"Develop Yourself, Inscribe Runes on Your Internal Organs," "Empty His Head, Absorb Delicious Pain," "Thus Spoke Merlin Ambrose"...

A large portion of the books in the restricted section are closely related to dark magic.

Just like the book "The Poisonous Magic," when Vizet held it in her hands, she could clearly feel a strange sensation.

The cover material appears to be human skin, unusually cold yet pulsating, like the pulsation of blood flowing through veins...

In the book "The Most Poisonous Magic", he saw two familiar dark magic spells - the Sickness Curse and the Hanging and Hissing Curse.

Now that she had the book in her hands, Vizette had no reason to put it down.

He suppressed his discomfort and read through the entire book of "The Most Poisonous Magic" until he was sure that the corresponding book appeared in his mind before putting it back on the bookshelf.

He collected all the books that did not require unlocking the chains and could be accessed and read, arranging them all in his mind, and reaped a great harvest.

Besides books related to dark magic, there were also some books about magical creatures, which broadened Vizet's horizons.

Compared to modern wizards, ancient wizards were clearly more radical in their exploration of the magical world.

They not only observe magical creatures to study magic, but also study magic directly with magical creatures;

Wizards, through some sudden inspiration, combine themselves with magical creatures, thereby quickly gaining a certain magical talent.

This combination could involve performing ritual magic to steal the magical talents of magical creatures;

Or they could combine their powers in a simpler, more direct way, so that their offspring could acquire some kind of magical talent.

Books sharing relevant insights are readily available in the restricted book section.

In fact, the success rate of this kind of research is not high. Only a few wizards can achieve their goals, while many more wizards will lose themselves and thus give birth to new magical creatures.

Some of these magical creatures are fleeting, leaving behind a mythical story for Muggles, while others, if they can reproduce and survive, will become new magical creature species like the Sphinx.

Vizette increasingly understood the significance of the restricted book section; some books were indeed unsuitable for early reading, as it could easily lead to being influenced by certain ideas and committing some crazy acts…

Chapter 104, "The Book of Spells" (original text)

Faced with this kind of knowledge that can be considered taboo, Vizette would naturally not try it lightly.

There are people around him who are worth caring about... many people who are worth caring about.

Only when one has more means to avoid the risks of magical experiments will one truly study these topics.

Therefore, his current plan is to focus his research on the theoretical level for the time being.

If the opportunity arises, one can consult with knowledgeable professors to gain more experience and prepare for future research.

……

Besides books related to dark magic, the forbidden book section offered Vizette many other surprises.

On one of the relatively normal bookshelves, he found a normal book—"The Book of Spells".

Based on the book's dragon-patterned cover, as well as the handwriting and signature inside, he deduced that the book was the original and that's why it was kept in the restricted book section.

"This spellbook will allow you to use some less basic spells to make your life richer, safer, and more colorful."

This is the first sentence in the book, and below it is a signature: Miranda Goshak.

Miranda Goshak was also a student at Hogwarts.

The creation of "The Book of Spells" was a landmark achievement, and it was a great success upon its release, sparking discussions among wizards.

Many magic schools have abandoned their original spellbooks and chosen "The Book of Spells" as their new textbooks.

The Book of Spells was published in the 1950s, which is a noteworthy point in time.

If we combine this with major events in the wizarding world, we find something interesting—the wizarding world, having experienced the Wizarding World War, is more capable and more willing to accept new things.

……

This book contains not only spells for starting fires, cutting, cleaning, unlocking, summoning, and water-making, but also other magic that Vizet has already mastered.

It also records more complex and difficult-to-master spells such as the Ironclad Spell, the Shattering Spell, and the Guardian Spell.

In addition, students who had read the book also recorded extra magic in the margins and corners of the book.

It's like a spell called the Bubble Head Charm, which creates a bubble around the head for underwater breathing or to help breathe in polluted environments.

Similar spells to the Bubble Head Curse include the Disillusionment Curse, the Copying Curse, and the Multi-Shot Curse, all of which are of great research value.

Since the Book of Spells in her mind only retained its original contents, Vizette quickly took out her notebook and copied down all the annotations and spells in the book for future reference.

Having done all this, he left the restricted book section with a sense of lingering satisfaction.

……

Upon entering the library's public areas, one notices an increase in the number of portrait paintings around the room.

It was late at night, and the portraits were all snoring and nodding, their eyes closed.

"Open the Alaho hole!"