In the Room of Requirement, on the same floor as the Headmaster's office, the similarly night-wandering Muggle Studies professor was driving Dementors back into their case.
The Dementors in the sky were roaming within the clouds, mixed with freezing thick fog. Countless black cloaks appeared and disappeared on the sea level where the north wind howled. Inside the case was another space. Just as sheep were unwilling to return to the pen, he needed to manipulate the silver glow of the Patronus to envelope the entire island, driving the Dementors back into the suitcase.
Closing the case again, the body and lid no longer trembled. After a short period of grazing, these hungry and thirsty Dementors settled down for the time being.
Carrying the case back to the fortress at the heart of the island, there was still one Dementor curled in the corner of the room, seeming to be shivering.
Hermione sat at the edge of the table, burying her head in concentration to observe a scale.
"A snake scale shed by Yurm?" Melvin sat down opposite her.
Hermione looked up and saw the professor return with the suitcase. A trace of joy seemed to flash in the eyes of the Dementor in the corner, but before it could return to the case, it was glared back by the professor.
"Professor Levent, Yurm gave it to me!" The young witch held up the scale gleaming with ghostly light, her tone carrying a hint of showing off. "This scale possesses magic. The magic of the Horned Serpent remains on it."
"What special effect does it have?" Melvin felt curious.
Hermione recounted what just happened in detail, full of gratitude towards Yurm:
"...As an underage young snake, facing the sudden attack of the Dementor, Yurm actually launched an attack without hesitation. Dementors are dark creatures wearing human shells, feeding on emotions and souls. Under the influence of that evil magic and cold thick fog, any intelligent creature would instinctively feel discomfort, or even have a fight-or-flight response, but Yurm was not afraid at all!"
The young snake on the table raised its chin, quite proud.
"It is a variant magical creature. Although it hasn't learned to speak yet, it can still use its powerful magic by instinct." Melvin wasn't surprised. Yurm had shown extraordinary abilities before. Let alone a Dementor, even if Voldemort came, it would whip its tail at him.
"Professor, did you notice? Yurm's magic is very peculiar. It can protect the soul and consciousness from being influenced by external magic. Whipping the Dementor can harm it just like a Patronus." Hermione glanced at the Dementor in the corner again.
Melvin smiled and nodded: "Not only Dementors. Yurm can also touch illusory spirits like ghosts."
"One more thing, Professor Levent. I don't know if it's my illusion, but after Yurm gave me the scale, holding this scale seems to help me perform Legilimency."
Hermione was afraid Melvin wouldn't believe her and was about to demonstrate immediately: "I can capture the emotions of that Dementor."
"No need. This Dementor is already pitiful enough. Wait for it to recover for a while before using it as a teaching aid." Melvin shook his head, not surprised.
Part of Yurm's magic came from the Snakewood of Ilvermorny, which was the wand once used by Slytherin. That founder was a renowned Dark Wizard and a famous Legilimency master in history books.
After a brief ponder, he decided to tell Hermione: "It can not only help you capture emotions but also benefit the study of Dark Magic."
"Dark Magic?"
Hermione looked down at the scale again, a few more tangles in her eyes: "Professor, Yurm's scale won't affect my psychology like a Hairy Heart, right?"
"The Warlock's Hairy Heart" was a fable in "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
There was once a wizard who believed that emotions made people foolish, so he used Dark Magic to remove his heart and seal it. From then on, he was indifferent and aloof, heartless and unjust, and his Dark Magic grew along with his wealth.
Later, persuaded by a witch, the wizard took back his heart and put it back into his chest. But that heart had shriveled and grown covered in black hair, filled with negative emotions like greed and ambition—obviously a bad heart.
Finally, driven by the Hairy Heart, the wizard cut out the witch's fresh heart, preparing to put it into his own chest, and died in the process of exchanging hearts.
Since then, "Hairy Heart" became wizarding slang, used to refer to certain Dark Magic items. While bringing benefits, they would also accumulate inconspicuous curses, amplifying emotions like greed, anger, and resentment. By the time the wizard noticed, the illness was already critical and incurable.
Yurm's look suddenly changed, staring resentfully at the young witch.
Melvin couldn't help but reveal a gentle smile and reached out to Hermione.
The young witch thought he was going to do some inspection or detection. Ignoring the young snake's gaze, she handed it over honestly.
But she saw Melvin didn't do any detection. He pointed his wand at the scale and branded a silver-glowing mark: "Dark Magic is an indispensable part of magic. Magic itself has no distinction between evil and good; everything depends on the wizard's will. Similarly, Yurm's snake scale won't interfere with your emotions."
It was a pattern of an Ouroboros, simple and vivid.
Then a hole was left at the snake's mouth. At first glance, it was smaller than a pinhole. But when the professor aimed the scale at the Dementor, the Ouroboros immediately glowed with silver light, as if coming alive, twisting its body and opening its snake mouth at the Dementor.
The dark creature, taller than Hagrid, had its cloak and figure elongated, like a reflection in a funhouse mirror. It constantly fluctuated in the silver light, shrinking bit by bit, and finally was stored into the scale.
Undetectable Extension Charm?
Hermione reacted quickly, glanced at the scale, then at Melvin, opening her mouth in surprise:
"Professor, you mean... let this Dementor follow me?"
Melvin nodded: "Yes. It is an excellent teaching assistant, convenient for you to practice Legilimency, and by the way, you can also practice the Patronus Charm."
"What if it gives me the Dementor's Kiss?" Hermione found it hard to accept.
Melvin smiled slightly: "It has been ordered not to harm any wizard outside of Azkaban. At most, it will stop at tasting some happiness, which is also conducive to teaching. You can clearly perceive the loss of your own emotions."
...
At the entrance of the Headmaster's office, the stone gargoyle remained motionless, its two eyes staring calmly ahead.
Aberforth's hand raised and lowered. That brass knocker seemed poisoned, or like red-hot iron; he dared not touch it.
The door to the Headmaster's office could be opened from the inside or by using a password. This was information he had gleaned from tavern patrons. Aberforth was led here by Professor McGonagall, approaching the core area of his brother's territory, yet he paced back and forth, hesitating to move forward.
Sneaking in here tonight was to reprimand him severely, to snatch back Ariana, to teach him a lesson.
If he knocked and went in after being permitted, there would be no imposing manner of seeking trouble at all. It would be like a visit, and he felt inexplicably inferior to Albus.
He leaned close to the two stone gargoyles, pondering the password. They had once lived together like family for a long time, snuggled together at their mother's knee listening to those strange wizard stories. He thought he understood this brother.
Aberforth pondered for a moment and tested: "Dumbledore?"
The two stone gargoyles remained motionless. The oak door had no reaction.
Password incorrect.
Aberforth still didn't give up: "Phoenix Nirvana?"
"Hogwarts?"
"Wizengamot?"
"For the Greater Good?"
...
In another corridor on the eighth floor, the wooden door of the Room of Requirement appeared again.
Opposite on the tapestry, Barnabas and the trolls were still sleeping soundly. The corridor was quiet; torches and kerosene lamps had been extinguished. On the suitcase engraved with alchemical runes, the runes emitted a weak silver light, allowing them to see the path around clearly.
The steps on the return journey were even lighter than when they came.
The young snake in the shedding period felt much lighter. Although the shed skin hadn't been completely removed, it had vented the irritability in its heart.
The young witch gained the friendship of the Horned Serpent, understood the connection between soul and magic, and learned new spells.
The Dementors were appeased. The shepherd Melvin could be idle for the next half month, not worrying about the dark creatures in the case suffocating themselves, leaving only cold thick fog.
Passing through the enclosed corridor section, the remaining corridor had glass windows. Moonlight from outside spilled in through the windows, illuminating the dim castle corridor. Hermione planned to see the professor to the staircase landing, then return to Gryffindor Tower herself.
Moonlight stretched the shadows of the two very long. Melvin carried the case, while the young witch clutched the scale, looking down at it occasionally, revealing a joyful smile, her steps brisk.
Hermione looked up somewhat puzzled and asked: "Professor, there are so many magical creatures in the world. Why do Dementors and Boggarts feed specifically on wizards' emotions and souls?"
"Because they only have shells and need souls to make life complete."
"But this is obviously evil."
"Hermione, remember..."
Melvin was very patient: "This is the instinct of life, just like other creatures are born to find things to fill their stomachs. Hunting and foraging, there has never been a distinction between evil or justice."
Hermione looked down and pondered for a moment, suddenly remembered something, and asked impatiently: "According to the principles analyzed by Professor, Boggarts and Dementors survive by absorbing wizards' emotions. Dementors even devour wizards' souls. Then Obscurials... I mean, is Bastian's illness also like this?"
Melvin looked down at the young witch, pausing briefly: "Yes. The origin of Boggarts is temporarily unknown. Dementors are born from the bones of the dead underground in Azkaban, while Obscurials are born inside wizards whose hearts have died."
He remembered the Obscurial he saw at the French Ministry of Magic: "The source of magic is the soul. A wizard rejecting magic is rejecting themselves. Just like a Muggle loathing themselves leading to schizophrenia, a wizard suppressed for a long time breeds another kind of consciousness without wisdom, absorbing the wizard's magic and despair to grow, until complete devouring."
To some extent, an Obscurus was like a parasite, draining the host dry and heading towards destruction together.
"If we figure out the method of absorbing emotions and magic, can we starve the Obscurus in Bastian's body to death?" Hermione was excited, speaking fast. "Then would she be cured?"
"Whether cured... I'm not sure either."
Melvin paused: "But at least it can alleviate symptoms, like chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, allowing her to live a normal wizard life."
Hermione smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits, hopping and skipping beside the professor, like an otter coming ashore, holding fish in hand and full of happiness in heart.
If it weren't already curfew time, she would even want to apply to actively extend the remedial lesson, asking the professor to explain the principles of magic in detail.
Just as the young witch was full of joy, the two arrived at the fork on the eighth floor. From somewhere came some indistinct murmurs, carrying annoyance and impatience.
The two exchanged glances and looked at the fork on the right.
"Merlin above?"
"Deathly Hallows?"
"Legendary Mage?"
"..."
Walking in the direction of the sound, they soon arrived at the door of the Headmaster's office and saw such a rather bizarre scene.
A tall and burly old wizard, his silver-white beard and hair tied with cloth strips somewhat messy, his bright blue eyes like candle flames showing some chagrin. That loose gray robe worn on his body felt very uncoordinated.
Aberforth was anxious inside. After hesitating for a long time, he spat out the last guess: "Ariana?"
The door remained completely still.
Meeting the Headmaster wandering at night in the castle was normal, but rambling like this at the door of the Headmaster's office late at night still made people feel very wrong.
"..."
Headmaster has senile dementia and forgot the door password?
A thought flashed through Hermione's mind.
"Hermione, you go back first. I happen to have something to discuss with the Headmaster," Melvin suddenly spoke up. He reacted in an extremely short time, realized the current situation, and couldn't help but smile.
Obviously an excuse to send the student away.
A trace of conflict flashed in Hermione's eyes. She glanced at the eccentric Headmaster at the door, then at Professor Levent, feeling that his smile was also somewhat eccentric.
But a student was a student. It was curfew time now. Even if unwilling in her heart, she could only look back every few steps, gradually disappearing around the corridor corner.
"You... Melvin..."
Aberforth looked at the young professor, hesitating to speak. With the lesson from Professor McGonagall earlier, he didn't rashly say anything superfluous, muddling through by feigning ignorance.
"The password to the Headmaster's office changes frequently, and there is no fixed list. It's hard for people who don't understand the pattern of the Headmaster's preferences to guess." Melvin walked past the tavern owner and stood in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Recognized again..." Aberforth didn't harbor any luck this time. Thinking he knew the password, he cooperated by stepping back two steps to make room.
Melvin spat out a string of words at a fast speed, like reciting a tongue twister:
"Sherbet Lemon, Fizzing Whizzbees, Cockroach Clusters, Pepper Imps, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Acid Pops, Jelly Slugs..."
Aberforth couldn't help but look sideways. First Trelawney, then this Levent. It felt like there were few normal wizards in the whole of Hogwarts.
Just then, the two stone gargoyles suddenly stood up and jumped aside. The oak door opened inward with a rumble.
Unknown which candy matched the password.