A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 50 Black Magic and White Magic

According to wizards' classification of magic, the Patronus Charm is undoubtedly a white magic, and a very strict one at that. It is an ancient and profound spell, notoriously difficult to cast.

It requires the wizard to concentrate on recalling the happiest things in their heart. The shape of the guardian spirit summoned is a symbol of the wizard's inner self, representing hope, happiness, and the desire to live. It is a positive force that can be used to resist and drive away Dementors and Groundbats.

However, as an absolute form of white magic, the Patronus Charm cannot be mastered by dark wizards whose hearts and souls have been corrupted by dark magic; forcibly using it could even cause a terrible backlash.

There aren't many wizards in this world who know how to use the Patronus Charm, but the one opposite Owen definitely can't use it, and wouldn't even bother to.

So what exactly did Voldemort mean? It couldn't just be something he was being teased, could it?

"Professor, I was just mentioning it casually at the time. This spell doesn't fall under the category of an oath, does it?" Owen said calmly.

"I think starting with the Patronus Charm is a good choice," Voldemort said lazily.

"Since that's your opinion..." Irving adopted a relaxed and attentive demeanor.

"You should know the difference between black magic, white magic, and ordinary magic, right?" Voldemort looked at him indifferently.

"It's about how you use your emotions," Irving nodded, speaking in a flat tone.

"General magic, from the most basic Illumination Charm to advanced Ironclad Charms and Disillusionment Charms, does not require the wizard to mobilize their own emotions and feelings. As long as you grasp the basic principles of spells and the methods of casting them, you can understand and master them through practice."

"But black magic is different. It requires the wizard's emotions as a basic driving force. It may not be profound, but its upper limit is higher than that of ordinary magic. The difference between the two is that casting black magic requires malice from the heart, an emotion of wanting to hurt others and hoping to cause them pain. White magic, on the other hand, requires positive emotions, an emotion of wanting to save and protect others."

Owen looked into Voldemort's eyes and spoke slowly and clearly.

"Continue," Voldemort said calmly.

"Isn't that enough?" Owen frowned inwardly and continued, "Dark magic is better at attacking and cursing, and is mostly used to harm, control, and kill. White magic, on the other hand, is not good at fighting and is usually used to protect, heal, and bless others. Therefore, most wizards who specialize in white magic are healers or potion makers."

He paused, carefully choosing his words, and said, "At the same time, unlike ordinary spells, black and white magic, which require the involvement of subjective emotions, have a significant impact on wizards. Wizards immersed in black magic become increasingly...malicious, while wizards specializing in white magic become increasingly compassionate. But comparatively, white magic has a much smaller impact on wizards."

This is easy to understand. When a person is immersed in malice or goodwill towards others for a long time, their personality and behavior will inevitably change subtly.

Take black magic, for example. It's human nature for someone to harbor hatred, resentment, or even murderous intent towards an enemy. But if someone harbors such malice towards everyone, that's abnormal or evil. The casting of black magic requires the wizard to have genuine malice towards the target. If a normal person harbors such dark thoughts for too long, they will become abnormal.

That's why Owen was unwilling to get involved with dark magic at this time.

"Similarly, black magic and white magic are mutually exclusive, representing two extremes. It's impossible for a wizard to achieve great success in both fields simultaneously, because they inherently create intense conflict," Owen continued.

In the early stages of studying black magic, one might be able to avoid falling into darkness by learning white magic such as the Patronus Charm. However, as one progresses to a higher level, the two will only diminish and cancel each other out, resulting in neither achieving great success.

After speaking, Owen glanced at Voldemort. Was it a little inappropriate to discuss the side effects of dark magic with the Dark Lord? Whatever, Owen was treating it as a serious topic.

"Just reading from the book," Voldemort commented succinctly.

"It's just the idle chatter of some ignorant fools." He suddenly gave a cold laugh, his voice turning sharper. "For those with true ambition, everyone knows the problems with them, but no one will reject them. Because they represent the pinnacle of magic, and this is the necessary path to reach the ultimate achievement."

"Black magic represents plunder, white magic represents giving—it's that simple. Wise people choose plunder because it's powerful, all-encompassing, unpredictable, and indestructible; they plunder external things to enrich themselves. Only fools choose giving, gradually becoming pedantic and cowardly, ultimately losing even the courage to resist harm..."

Irving thoughtfully stroked his chin, directly setting aside the narrator's subjective emotions to examine these questions: "Do different pursuits lead to different choices?"

"Throughout history, none of the wizards who have truly reached the pinnacle have been unskilled in dark magic." Voldemort looked at the tightly drawn curtains of the window with an extremely sarcastic expression. "Even Dumbledore, who prides himself on upholding justice, is no exception... In essence, we are no different..."

Irving pursed his lips. He had suspected this for a while, but something just didn't feel right.

"Of course, there are differences. Dumbledore was too cowardly, so much so that although he mastered the secrets of Dark Magic, he never dared to use it." He gave Owen a deep look, his expression becoming enigmatic. "Few people know that Dark Magic has a wondrous characteristic. When you use it on a person or an intelligent being, you receive a wonderful feedback in their pain, fear, and death. It makes you more attuned to Dark Magic and makes your Dark Magic power even stronger..."

"The more powerful something is, the more it is used, and the more it is used, the more powerful it becomes. That's the irresistible allure of dark magic, and the root of its influence on its user," Voldemort said gently in a persuasive tone. "What's wrong with pursuing power? I know you're pursuing it too, Owen Shafik, I can sense your ambition. But you're very clear-headed, able to rationally distinguish between good and bad..."

"But your narrow-mindedness is hindering your development, and the conflicting opinions in those books are only interfering with your judgment. In fact, magic is neither good nor bad; it depends solely on the wizard's choice."

"I know your concerns stem from being misled by the shallow and ignorant ideas in books, and your fear that venturing into the unknown will bring about change. But what you don't know is that whether or not you change depends solely on the wizard's own will, not on magic itself."

Voldemort's voice was soft, with a hissing undertone, incredibly persuasive and charismatic: "The first step to becoming a powerful wizard is to embrace the unknown, not to run away like a coward. Owen, you're qualified for that, so why not give it a try?"

Meeting the other person's seemingly piercing gaze, Owen swallowed hard, feeling as if it were a temptation from the devil. He pinched his palm hard with his nails, quickly suppressing the inexplicable desire welling up inside him.

If he were truly an eleven-year-old wizard, he would probably be completely convinced and eagerly anticipating it by now. But Owen, with over twenty years of experience from his previous life, couldn't find any flaws in Voldemort's words, yet he felt that the other man was like those criminals from his past life who tempted people to take drugs, telling them it was okay to try, as long as they had a strong will...

Wow, this feels so familiar! Irving suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Voldemort stared at him intently for a long while, then narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Now that you understand the difference between black and white magic and ordinary magic, it's time to get back to the Patronus Charm."

The sudden, abrupt end to the previous topic would normally make most people anxious, worrying whether they had disappointed or angered the other person. But Irving, instead, seized the opportunity, casually glossing over the previous subject and saying seriously, "I look forward to it, Professor."

(End of this chapter)