Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 25, Second Lecture

For an entire day, Stuart and the others didn't say a word to Ike, not even during class, and they even kept their distance when eating in the auditorium.

They only made up after Ike sincerely apologized to them after dinner and swore he would never eat any unpleasant snacks in front of them again.

A week quickly passed, and after completing his daily task of earning points for Ravenclaw, Ike knocked on Quirrell's office door again.

As soon as he entered, Ike's nostrils twitched involuntarily; the strange smell in the room was noticeably stronger than last week. Looking at Quirrell, he seemed even more haggard than when he'd seen him in Defense Against the Dark Arts class a few days prior.

The dark circles under my eyes are so thick, they look almost like they're drawn on intentionally.

"Professor Quirrell."

"Mr. Streid."

After exchanging greetings, Quirrell gestured for Ike to sit in the chair opposite him and said slowly, "You've already mastered the Killing Curse and should have a genuine understanding of dark magic. Before we begin, I'd like to ask you, are you sure you want to continue studying dark magic?"

"Of course, Professor." Ike revealed a hint of longing at the opportune moment, tinged with a touch of fervor.

Quirrell looked at him scrutinizingly for a moment, then said, "So, next, you will learn another Unforgivable Curse..."

"The Cruciatus Curse!"

Quirrell continued his demonstration using a spider. Under his spell, the spider curled up in agony, trembling incessantly. Gradually, venom and spider silk flowed uncontrollably until it lay still.

The whole process lasted a minute, and even just watching it gave Ike goosebumps.

With a flick of his wand, the spider's corpse flew into the nearby trash can. A strange, unsettling emotion flashed in Quirrell's eyes, and he suddenly pointed his wand at Ike.

"Extremely painful!"

Two seconds later, Ike collapsed to the ground. In those two seconds, Ike felt as if someone was tearing his intestines out of his mouth with their bare hands, and at the same time, countless people were pinching every inch of his skin with their fingernails. His head felt like it had hit the corner of a window, his toes had kicked the corner of a table, and his fingernails were being slowly pulled out one by one with pliers.

My stomach felt like it had been punched hard, my back was hit with a stick, and then I was thrown into a washing machine and spun around wildly.

The discomfort and pain drained Ike of all his strength.

Two seconds, only two seconds...

"I've always felt that one can only truly understand dark magic through personal experience, especially the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses..."

Quirrell waved his wand, placing Ike on a chair, then stood in front of Ike, looking down at him with an indescribable coldness.

"The Heart-Piercing Curse causes excruciating pain, a pain so intense it's unbearable. If the curse is cast repeatedly, it can even drive the victim insane or cause death."

"Mr. Strayed, please tell me, did you suffer after being hit by the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Pain...pain..." Ike forced his head up and looked into Quirrell's cold eyes.

"Very good." Quirrell nodded, sat back in his chair, and picked up a paper to grade.

"Remember this feeling; this is what you should be thinking when you cast a spell. You must have a strong desire to cause the other person unbearable pain, imagining all the cruel tortures in the world from ancient times to the present being inflicted on the target at the same time."

"Then recite the incantation..."

"If everything goes well, you will see pain, just like the pain you just felt."

Quirrell marked an A on the paper in front of him, casually put it aside, and then pulled out another one to continue reading.

He paused slightly before saying, "When you've rested enough, go and get a spider, and cast the Cruciatus Curse on it."

"If you succeed, go back and rest. You know where the spider is..."

Ike sat motionless in the chair, his body still trembling uncontrollably.

He never expected Quirrell to use the Crucifixion on him, much less that it would be so painful. No wonder Neville's parents went insane under that curse and are still in the Curses Injury ward at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries.

"I'll make you taste the Cruciatus Curse sooner or later!" Ike cursed inwardly, and it took him a while to realize that his hands and feet were back to normal.

With difficulty, he got up and slowly moved to the box in the corner. He took out a glass bottle from it and put the spider on the ground.

"Quirk...Quirk...Quirk..."

"Voldemort...Voldemort...Voldemort..."

Ike kept telling himself that the poor little spider in front of him was Quirrell, Voldemort.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and glanced at the wand in his hand.

"Extremely painful!"

The spider's legs were all retracted, pressed tightly against its body, as it rolled and trembled on the ground.

In just seven or eight seconds, Ike stopped, while the little spider on the ground had already bitten off its own leg, leaving only its bare body, still trembling.

"Flames are raging!"

A ball of fire landed on the spider, burning it to ashes, leaving only a small black spot on the floor and a barely audible stench of burning.

"Mr. Stryker..." Quirrell appeared beside Ike at some point, glanced at the black spot on the ground, and said slowly, "Your talent in dark magic surprises me. The Cruciatus Curse is far more difficult than the Killing Curse..."

"Of course, your willpower is also admirable. Even if it's only for two seconds, it's not something an ordinary person can recover in such a short time..."

"And you, you seem to be alright now."

"I can endure it in order to learn magic." Ike didn't look at Quirrell, still staring at the black dot on the ground.

“Of course, I have no doubt about your yearning for magic, Mr. Strayed.” Quirrell beckoned a book and shoved it into Ike’s arms. “Now, you should go back and rest. The Cruciatus Curse’s damage is not as simple as you think…”

"You're just a first-year wizard. Even with your exceptional talent and unwavering willpower, you still need time to adjust."

"Especially your mental well-being; you need to take good care of yourself."

Quirrell patted Ike on the shoulder, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "This is a book of dark magic that I've collected. Take a look, and next time we meet, I hope you'll at least understand what it's about..."

"Then, we can learn new magic..."

"Believe me, it's incredibly difficult..."

Ike bowed slightly, picked up the book Quirrell had given him, and slowly left the office.

Instead of returning to his dormitory, Ike went up the stairs to the Hogwarts kitchen.

With a forced smile, Ike greeted the few badger cubs and plopped down at the dining table.

"Ogilvy!"

Omega suddenly appeared beside Ike, still looking timid.

"Is there anything you need, Mr. Streid?"

"Please give me a mango pudding and a glass of milk," Ike replied with a smile. "Oh, and if there were some cockroaches, that would be even better."

"Of course, fulfilling the needs of young wizards is the mission of house-elves." Ome snapped her fingers, and a plate of mango pudding, a large bowl of cockroaches, and a glass of warm milk appeared on the table in front of Ike.

"Thanks, Omega," Ike said with a smile, then quickly ate a pudding, picked up two piles of cockroaches, threw them into the milk, and took a big gulp.

"Chocolate milk, forever the best!"

(End of this chapter)