A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 243 Owen's Little Lesson in Dark Magic (Part Two)

The spacious, empty room was occasionally illuminated by flashes of incantation light, casting flickering shadows on the exquisite sculptures on the walls. A large black cat statue stood silently in a corner of the room, its jewel-encrusted eyes gleaming eerily in the dim light, as if it were looking down at everything at its feet.

Harry was practicing his spells meticulously against the movable target on the wall, occasionally glancing resentfully at Owen, who was fast asleep in an armchair at the other end of the room, his expression somewhat sullen.

This is the Room of Requirement. Last semester, they plotted their infamous scheme to trick Voldemort in this very room. After Harry finally managed to persuade Owen through persistent pleading, they came to this room that night and agreed to make it their secret hideout.

Over the next few days, although Owen remained elusive, the two would occasionally come together to practice spells. Harry would also occasionally get to use Owen's Time-Turner and Vitality Potions, which gave him much more time to study.

These days should have been wonderful, but Harry felt his mental state was crumbling more and more. Because most of the time, Owen was like this, lazily curled up in the armchair in front of the fireplace, eyes closed, looking as peaceful as if he were fast asleep.

Even during his rare moments of lucidity, Owen would only watch dejectedly as Nyx disappeared and reappeared repeatedly in the black flames, teleporting back and forth in the spacious room. Only when Nyx, frustrated and exasperated, slunk away would he then... go to sleep.

Harry had always assumed that Owen was secretly working hard whenever he slipped away alone, but he never imagined that the guy was actually looking for a place to sleep. It was truly frustrating that this guy, lazier than a cat, could consistently maintain first place in his grade. He didn't dare mention it to Hermione, fearing that the diligent little witch, who was even reciting her textbooks in her sleep, would go crazy on the spot.

Moreover, what happened to the promise of studying and growing together? In the end, Owen was always the only one sleeping next to him, while Harry had to expend a lot of effort to suppress the lazy little man who was running rampant in his mind.

Perhaps the resentment in Harry's eyes was too intense, for Owen stretched out in the soft armchair like a cat, then suddenly opened his eyes and lazily met Harry's gaze. Then he looked away and gently stroked Melett's head in the warm, bright candlelight.

It seemed that he was only one step away from improving the Explosion Spell, but he couldn't figure out how to do it. That's when he left the wall-facing space to relax.

Owen was lost in thought, his eyes darting around, and the word "ominous" came to mind again. Since completing the improvements to the Shadow's Revenge, the shadowy figure had never attacked him again.

"It seems that the so-called 'ominous' curse is indeed a profound curse." Owen squinted, his expression exactly the same as the cat-like creature lying on his lap. "The curse was only broken after the improvement of the Vengeful Shadow."

"So, what tricks will they use next?" he thought calmly. "I need to take the initiative. Perhaps Kurt will bring me some good news..."

"Owen, wanna have a wizard duel? The real deal!"

Harry cast a spell that sent the target flying, and finally couldn't help but grit his teeth and say something. He bared his teeth at Owen and, mimicking Draco, defiantly raised his chin.

"Hmm... Are you serious? Are you sure?" Owen raised his eyelids, stared at Harry with his dark eyes for a moment, and then curled his lips into a playful smile. Melett, who was lying on his lap, immediately perked up his ears and turned his head to stare straight at him.

"Uh, of course! I've been wanting to test your true abilities for ages." Harry felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at, but he couldn't take back what he'd said, so he had to bite the bullet and say it, looking both reckless and cowardly.

"Have I been too lenient with this guy lately? He's gotten so arrogant that he's trying to take advantage of me..." Irving thought to himself with amusement.

"If we get serious... someone could die." He imagined it with great enthusiasm for a while, then sighed regretfully. Many of the spells he knew were designed to kill or cause significant damage to enemies, and were not suitable for use in sparring.

Harry blinked, silently took a step back, and seemed to have chickened out a little.

Irving rested his chin on his hand, squinted slightly, and after a while slowly stood up: "Fine, I'll practice with you." He was a bit bored anyway, so he might as well stretch his muscles.

He pulled his wand from his sleeve and leisurely stepped out of the firelight's glow, a relaxed smile playing on his lips. "Actually, I've been observing you these past few days. You have a solid grasp of spells and have even learned some useful incantations from Dumbledore, but you lack practical experience."

"I know Sirius has been training you in secret, but he's been too gentle and protective of you." Owen smiled with a hint of malice, looking eerie and alluring in the flickering firelight. "You lack experience fighting real dark wizards, and sadly, your future enemies will all be that kind of people."

Harry's eyes twitched, and he involuntarily took another step back. Why did he feel like Owen was about to kill him? It was rather frightening. His heart was pounding, yet he felt excited and overjoyed.

"Come on!" he said, raising his wand with eager anticipation. Hmm, it's really exciting to occasionally tempt fate.

Owen took a few more steps forward before stopping, bowing slightly with an elegant posture. Harry quickly followed suit, then held his wand to his chest.

"Except for you..." Harry uttered his favorite spell first.

But before he could finish reciting, Owen simply shook his wand, and Harry's wand was knocked aside, interrupting the spell.

Harry glanced at Owen, who had a mocking expression, in surprise, then shifted his position and continued chanting without pausing, "Fainting..."

Owen waved his wand again, interrupting his spell once more. Harry was knocked down by an invisible force, rolled on the ground, and then bounced up with a "whoosh."

A silent spell? Owen has secretly learned to cast spells without a spell! Harry realized this instantly, but he wouldn't give up. His mind, which had become very clear during the duel, was working quickly, trying to figure out a way to defeat his opponent.

"Obstacles heavy—" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at Owen. Just as Owen swung his wand again, he abruptly stopped mid-chantment, nimbly rolled to the side, and before he could even get up, had already firmly raised his wand: "Expelliarmus!"

He finally managed to recite the complete incantation. Without stopping to check if his spell had worked, he unhesitatingly pushed off the floor with his hand and leaped behind the wooden dummy practicing the spell like a nimble ape.

Owen smiled and raised his wand, casually deflecting the disarming charm. He then fired a bright white beam of light at Harry's location, which struck the floor directly. Tilting his head slightly, he looked at the wooden dummy Harry had used as cover, his interest growing even stronger.

As expected of Harry, he always demonstrates outstanding combat intelligence in duels and often performs beyond expectations.

Owen sighed inwardly, finally deciding to stop using the silent spell to bully people. He whispered to the wooden dummy, "Thunder Explosion."

The dummy was blown to pieces in the roar of the explosion, and even though the power of the blasting spell was deliberately reduced, fire and thick smoke still covered half the room.

Harry nimbly rolled to the side, using the smoke as cover to successfully cast the Armor Charm on himself. Just as he was about to rush out of the flames, he found that the surroundings suddenly darkened, and he was enveloped in pitch-black darkness.

"Darkest Realm." Owen withdrew his wand, looked at the area shrouded in darkness, and moved to stand next to the cat statue.

Harry blinked hard in the darkness, momentarily wondering if he was going blind. But he quickly suppressed the panic rising within him and raised his wand high: "Lava Fire!"

A bright, golden-red ring of fire spread outwards from him, breaking through the darkness that enveloped him, though it could not dispel the surrounding darkness.

This was a spell he found in the notebook left to him by Dumbledore, and it took him a lot of effort to learn it. This profound fire magic could be used for attack, defense, and control; its terrifying heat could even penetrate the armor of the Ironclad Charm to injure the enemy.

As soon as he cast the spell, Harry regretted it. Worried that Owen might get hurt, he quickly shouted, "Watch out!"

Standing beside the statue, Owen watched the ring of fire emerge from the darkness, feeling its scorching heat, and raised his eyebrows slightly. Just as the rapidly spreading ring of fire was about to strike him, he "whooshed" into the air as black flames, avoiding the dangerous ring of fire.

At the same time, Harry dispelled the darkness that had trapped him, anxiously looked around, and then opened his mouth in surprise as he watched the black flame in mid-air condense into the shape of Owen and land lightly on the ground.

Harry blinked, instantly putting aside his worries, and without hesitation manipulated the golden-red ring of fire to surround Owen.

Irving simply grinned at him and snapped his fingers with his left hand. An eerie and scorching black flame spread out from him, blocking the approaching ring of fire. The black and golden-red flames intertwined fiercely, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound.

The two flames restrained each other, and the two stood facing each other amidst the contrasting colors of the two flames. The scene resembled a magnificent yet eerie oil painting.

"A volley of arrows!" Owen suddenly swung his wand. A dozen straight and slender red beams of light sliced ​​through the air, shooting out like arrows released from a bow.

The beam of light that arrived in the blink of an eye was deflected by the armored charm in front of him, shattering the intricate sculptures on the wall. Harry's backhand beam of light hit empty air and was nimbly dodged by Owen.

"Terrifying." Owen's incantation drifted over.

Fear Charm! Harry hissed softly, managing to cast another Ironclad Charm to barely block the spell.

At that moment, countless black thorns appeared out of thin air, slithering around his feet like snakes. They stretched out their tough tendrils, their dense, sharp thorns gleaming with an eerie light, and swarmed towards him with a rustling sound.

The eerie thorns sent a chill down Harry's spine. He breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw them being held back by the Ironclad Charm, but the thorns gradually covering the ground made his movements more restricted, and the space for him to dodge and maneuver became smaller and smaller.

Owen tilted his head, watching Harry frantically summon a new ring of fire to burn the thorns around him. He pursed his pale lips, suddenly wanting to return to his soft armchair. This kind of duel, which couldn't really get serious, was truly uninspiring.

"He collapsed to the ground, unconscious." He waved his wand.

A bright red light flashed and disappeared in an instant, piercing through the armor charm in front of Harry and striking him squarely in the chest. Harry didn't utter a sound, collapsing to the ground unconscious.

The golden-red ring of fire suddenly went out, and the thorns and black flames vanished. Owen waved his wand to clean the room, then yawned and returned to the fireplace, where he held Melett and closed his eyes to rest.

As for Harry? Let him get some sleep.

"Meow~" Owen is great! Melete affectionately rubbed against Owen's palm and licked his fingertips as a reward.

Harry woke up quickly. He sat on the floor in a daze for a while before running over and sitting down in the chair next to Owen.

"Owen, what was that Stunning Charm all about? Why did my Ironclad Charm fail?" Harry was starting to question his existence. The defeat was so sudden and dramatic that it felt unreal to him.

"When facing an enemy's spell, if you can dodge it, don't use a defensive spell to withstand it. That's basic dueling common sense, isn't it?" Owen didn't answer, but just said quietly.

"Uh...yes." Harry scratched his head sheepishly. He could indeed dodge the Stunning Spell, but...

He muttered under his breath, looking aggrieved, "But who knew your Stunning Spell was so special? If it were an unfamiliar spell, I would definitely have dodged it..." His voice trailed off under Owen's gaze.

"Well, I've learned my lesson," Harry sighed, speaking in a wise and mature tone.

"You were holding back the whole time... I didn't realize the gap between us was bigger than I thought." He scratched his head, looking somewhat depressed and troubled. He had thought that since neither he nor Owen had used their full strength in the dueling class, the gap between them might not be that big, but reality had dealt him a heavy blow.

"Oh," Owen replied perfunctorily. He knew Harry was easygoing and this little thing wouldn't break the guy's spirit.

Sure enough, after a brief period of self-isolation, Harry quickly regained his energy, making one wonder if his memory only lasted seven seconds.

"Owen, can you tell me what's going on with that Stunning Curse you have?" He poked Owen's arm and asked curiously.

"I modified it, making it a spell of the same type as the Unforgivable Curse," Owen casually explained.

"Amazing!" Harry exclaimed sincerely. But then he thought, isn't this just dark magic? Thinking about the dark magic Owen had just used, was this guy really planning to go all the way down the dark magic path?

His lips twitched, and he stared at Owen for a while before changing the subject: "Looks like I need to start learning silent spells... By the way, did you use your full strength just now?"

"What do you think?" Owen rolled his eyes at him, then perked up and summarized for him: "Besides the Silent Spell, you also need to increase the power of your spells. Raising your own magic level is the best way."

He paused, then continued, "While I have a few methods here, none of them are suitable for you. You can ask the headmaster about that." Of the methods he currently possesses, the Mark of Slaughter is clearly dark magic, and the magic fusion experiment requires customization and is prone to going wrong.

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"Besides, you must understand that today's duel was by no means a real battle." Owen tapped the wooden armrest of his chair lightly with his fingers, then smiled enigmatically. "In the end, I didn't use those truly dangerous spells on you, like the Unforgivable Curse..."

"Can you use it on me...?" Harry looked at him and said in a slightly hoarse voice.

"What can't I use?" Owen lowered his eyes and said casually. The shadows of his eyelashes made his eyes appear dark and lifeless.

"That requires a lot of malice, doesn't it?" Harry looked down and fiddled with his fingers.

"Heh, that's no restriction at all. Don't underestimate me." Owen tilted his head with a half-smile, his refined face half-lit and half-shadowed by the firelight, exuding an elegant yet alluring and dangerous charm. "If I want, I can use them on anyone..."

The chilling aura emanating from him that sent a shiver down Harry's spine vanished in an instant. He was back in his armchair, slumped back into his chair. "Well, just like the Patronus Charm you practice, aren't you also learning to find joy and hope amidst despair and pain?"

"Whether it's black magic or white magic, if you want to master them, you must first learn to control your emotions." Owen's voice was clear and calm. "Those wizards who have achieved outstanding success in these two fields are mostly masters of emotional control, and the rest are just some paranoid madmen..." He curled his lip.

Harry listened in silence, then suddenly looked into his eyes and asked, "Why didn't you use those spells just now? Didn't we agree to get serious?"

Owen turned and glared at Harry, thinking the guy deserved a beating. But meeting the other's burning gaze, he ultimately shook his head helplessly, his expression softening.

Although he had initially intended to give Harry a merciless beating to teach the guy a lesson in the harsh realities of society, he couldn't help but restrain himself during the duel, turning it into a playful, albeit somewhat trivial, exchange.

He sighed softly, his eyes hazy and unfocused, and said gently, "Ah, I feel that using those spells on a friend is a bit inappropriate... at least impolite, isn't it?"

Harry looked at him for a moment, then gave him a genuine smile. He also relaxed into the armchair, as if he had finally let go of the weight that had been pressing on his heart, and his whole body felt lighter.

He understood that he didn't need to worry about Irving as much for the time being, because Irving still cared about him like Sirius and his other friends; they hadn't drifted apart, and they would always be best friends. Since that was the case, why bother with factors outside of friendship?

Harry nodded seriously and said, "Yes, that's very—very impolite."

Irving smiled slightly, and his mood lightened considerably.

They chatted casually for a while about the upcoming training plan, and Owen even briefly talked about his modified Soul Coma Spell, which made Harry's eyes light up.

"Want to learn?" Owen idly tugged at Melete's tail, his finger getting a fierce nibble on by the cat. "If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

"Is it okay?" Harry asked expectantly. Although the spell was dark magic, in his opinion, this spell, which only stunned enemies, was not evil at all, and was actually quite useful.

"Sure," Owen said casually. He didn't mind teaching others the spells he had improved; he always did as he pleased, teaching whatever he felt was appropriate.

"This spell is indeed quite suitable for you. Although it requires malicious activation, its requirements are not as high as the Unforgivable Curse," Owen said calmly. "For you, it may not be very convenient to use normally, but it won't be a problem to use it when facing enemies you hate enough."

He then carefully explained the principle behind the spell and demonstrated it step by step. After practicing a few times on the target, Harry learned it remarkably quickly.

"I didn't expect you to be such a genius." Owen raised his eyebrows in surprise. This spell was no small feat.

Harry's lips twitched uncontrollably, and he explained, whether with pleasure or frustration, "You know, ever since I was affected by Voldemort's crown last semester and saw fragments of his memories, I've learned dark magic very quickly, but it's just very difficult to unleash it..."

"Tsk, impressive." Owen grinned speechlessly and casually cast a detonation spell on the target. He then began to ponder how to improve it.

"You still don't have any ideas?" Harry said thoughtfully, looking at the target engulfed by the explosion. "Why not take a look at Mr. Dumbledore's Lava Fire Charm? That kind of high temperature can break through the Ironclad Charm's defense..."

Irving paused for a moment, then suddenly seized upon that spark of inspiration. His brain raced, and his thoughts sparked wonderful ideas like intricate gears.

"Blast!" he chanted, following the train of thought. Harry, in perfect unison, waved his wand and cast an armor spell on the target in front of Owen.

With a deafening roar, the bright fireball struck the invisible barrier of the Ironclad Curse. Instead of being deflected as usual, it caused the barrier to explode, the violent impact tearing the target behind it to shreds. The orange fireball bounced wildly, causing everything it touched to explode, a series of deafening explosions echoing throughout the room.

Irving stared at the massive chain of explosions he had triggered, his pupils reflecting the dazzling fireworks, a beautiful yet dangerous smile on his face.

"It worked?" Harry exclaimed in astonishment.

"Who isn't a dark magic genius?" Owen glanced at him and said with a smile.

Harry: ...Is this something to be proud of?

(End of this chapter)