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    Chapter 91: Why Should the Dead Dictate the Living?

    With nothing else to do, Andy quietly waited in the Headmaster’s office.

    He dared not touch the magical objects in the office; the portraits of former Headmasters on the wall were all drowsy. Andy scanned the room, his gaze finally settling on the bookshelves on the opposite wall.

    As a model Ravenclaw student, reading in the Headmaster’s office seems quite fitting, doesn’t it?

    That’s what Andy thought, and that’s what he did.

    Walking to the shelves, Andy looked at the titles of various books.

    The magic books kept by Dumbledore in his office were all precious volumes in the wizarding world. Some contained magic even more dangerous than that found in the Restricted Section.

    *Revealing Cutting-Edge Dark Magic*

    Andy’s gaze paused, then reluctantly moved away.

    Andy had chatted with senior students from Ravenclaw; Hogwarts doesn’t teach Dark Arts. Seven years of study here prepares graduates to handle various dangers in the wizarding world and makes life considerably easier.

    Provided, of course, that you study diligently.

    But Dark Magic is different.

    Perhaps it’s because past Dark Wizards were usually inhumane. In their pursuit of Dark Magic, they often conducted cruel and forbidden experiments.

    Take Azkaban, the prison of the British wizarding world, for example. Azkaban was once a fortress built by a wizard named Ekstine, who lured Muggle sailors there and took pleasure in torturing and abusing them.

    Rumor has it that Ekstine conducted many dangerous magical experiments in Azkaban, using those Muggles as test subjects.

    Andy had heard a saying in his past life: the development of modern medicine is built on human experimentation.

    In fact, it’s not just medicine; the development of physics, chemistry, and biology is also built on countless experiments, though these experiments don’t sound as bloody.

    Andy had also secretly glanced at some books introducing Dark Magic.

    The development of Dark Magic is also built on countless bloody experiments. Much of Dark Magic is based on ancient Dark Wizards’ research on Muggles and witches and wizards themselves.

    This includes the soul, bloodline, mind, life, and magical power, among other areas.

    Undoubtedly, the more talented a wizard is, the easier it is for them to become obsessed with Dark Magic.

    Because Dark Magic itself is an exploration of the wizard’s own being.

    In comparison, so-called White Magic seems insignificant.

    The magical mechanisms at the entrance to the Headmaster’s office seem amazing, but Muggle elevators can achieve the same thing.

    Andy quickly scanned all the titles, finally returning his gaze to *Revealing Cutting-Edge Dark Magic*.

    Taking a deep breath, Andy calmed his excitement.

    Reading a book on Dark Magic in the Headmaster’s office felt incredibly bold.

    Andy even suspected that Dumbledore had intentionally left the book here.

    But Andy didn’t mind Dumbledore’s probing.

    Through their interactions, Andy had discovered that Dumbledore was extremely tolerant. Andy had already decided that if Dumbledore lectured him, he would listen obediently.

    He would admit his mistakes!

    But before admitting any mistake…

    Andy reached out his eager hand and took down *Revealing Cutting-Edge Dark Magic*.

    “Hey! Boy, that book isn’t for you to read.”

    A stern voice suddenly echoed through the office.

    Andy turned to see a portrait of a fat wizard opening its eyes, glaring at him angrily.

    Andy rolled his eyes. Why should the dead dictate the living? (This idiom implies that the opinions or rules of the past shouldn’t control the present.)

    Even if you’re a Headmaster, you can’t use the sword of a past dynasty to punish officials of the present dynasty. (This is a Chinese idiom meaning that old methods or rules are not always appropriate for the present situation. The reference to the Qing Dynasty highlights the passage of time and the irrelevance of past power structures.) The Qing Dynasty is long gone!

    Seizing the opportunity, Andy took out his wand, pointed it at *Revealing Cutting-Edge Dark Magic*, confirmed there was no problem, and eagerly opened the book.

    After only a few glances, Andy felt dizzy.

    Realizing something was wrong, he quickly activated Occlumency (a mental defense technique), and felt slightly better.

    Many spellbooks have this drawback: because they contain spells, the books themselves are imbued with magical power.

    Due to the time constraint, Andy quickly scanned the table of contents.

    “Boy, didn’t you hear me? Which house are you in?” the fat wizard grumbled, his tone harsh.

    “You’re so noisy!”

    Another portrait of a dark-haired male wizard said, “What’s wrong with a young wizard reading a book? Why should you care?”

    The fat wizard retorted, “He’s reading a book on Dark Magic!”

    The dark-haired wizard scoffed, “So what if it’s Dark Magic? Is Dark Magic not magic? When I was Headmaster, there was no such rule in the school.”

    “That’s why you’re the most unpopular Headmaster in Hogwarts history!” a female witch portrait suddenly said.

    Were they arguing?

    Andy ignored them, found the chapter on the mind through the table of contents, quickly turned to it, and began reading.

    As expected of a Dark Magic book, it’s different from normal spellbooks.

    Normal spellbooks only teach you how to adjust your emotions to enhance the power of magic.

    Many wizards understand this, but they simply can’t do it.

    But this Dark Magic book is different; it describes many methods to stimulate emotions.

    All of them are evil Dark Magic spells; some harm the caster, while others even involve sacrificing relatives and friends.

    Of course, Andy had no intention of learning these Dark spells.

    Andy focused more on the theoretical knowledge.

    This theoretical knowledge was painstakingly researched by predecessors through human experimentation; it’s the most valuable treasure of the wizarding world.

    “Which house are you from, young wizard?” the female witch asked.

    Andy looked up quickly. The speaker was a female witch wearing glasses.

    “I’m a first-year student from Ravenclaw.” Andy replied, then continued reading.

    The fat wizard snorted, “I thought you were a Slytherin!”

    “What’s wrong with Slytherin? Explain yourself!” The dark-haired wizard exploded with anger.

    The fat wizard scoffed, “What’s wrong with Slytherin? Slytherin has corrupted the school’s atmosphere! Look, even a first-year student is stealing Dark Magic spells.”

    Then, he added gleefully to Andy, “Wait till Dumbledore gets back; see how he deals with you.”

    Andy said calmly, “If the Headmaster scolds me, I’ll apologize obediently!”

    The fat wizard: …

    He had even considered the consequences?

    The dark-haired wizard fumed, “What’s wrong with studying Dark Magic? Dark Magic is the essence of magic! It’s because of people like you that the wizarding world’s development has stagnated.”

    Andy looked up, “That’s a fair point, Headmaster. May I ask who you are…?”

    The dark-haired wizard was quite pleased. Andy had been indifferent to the other Headmasters, yet he agreed with his theory. They were just portraits, but Andy was a real student. Didn’t this prove his victory?

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