""13 Methods of Soul Transfer"? I remember Lovegood saying in The Quibbler that only wizards too weak in Transfiguration would attempt soul transfer."
Develo laboriously placed a book half his size back on the shelf and patted the dust from his hands. He rubbed his forehead.
"Develo, are you even a wizard?!"
He was currently in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library.
To be honest, even after spending a year in the magical world, Develo still wasn't used to solving everything with magic. For instance, he really should have used the Levitation Charm just now.
"But if I had to punch Malfoy, I'd rather do it with my own hands."
His gaze shifted to the bookshelf.
The Restricted Section was located deep within the library, far from any natural light. The shelves were lined with ancient tomes—some free of even a speck of dust, others coated in yellow sand. Each book seemed to exhibit its own unique magical aura, likely due to their contents. Most covers were yellowed with age, and the edges frayed and cracked.
Between the towering shelves were several old wooden tables, cluttered with parchment, quills, and ink bottles.
Despite the ominous atmosphere, Develo found it oddly peaceful here—probably because he was alone.
Of course, there was another reason: the books themselves felt more alive here.
Some whispered faintly, rustling like leaves in the wind. Just like how Develo had heard wands and broomsticks speak, the books seemed to be murmuring to him, tempting him to read their pages.
His mouth twitched.
The louder a book whispered, the more suspicious it was. After all, what kind of book wanted to be read so badly? That couldn't be good.
This time, Develo was searching specifically for powerful spell books. At present, he lacked any reliable means of offense. Even if he couldn't find a tome containing Unforgivable Curses, a book on hexes would do just fine.
As commonly understood, Dark Magic can be roughly classified into three categories based on the severity of harm:
The first category includes relatively harmless jinxes, such as the Stupefy and Impediment Jinxes. Develo had used these before; they didn't inflict lasting physical damage.
The second category consists of hexes, which cause moderate pain or minor harm. The famous Bat-Bogey Hex, often used by Ginny, was Develo's favorite. He was eager to learn it so he could use it on Malfoy—a true classic.
He also wanted to try Densaugeo.
He briefly considered using it on Hermione...
But no, that would be horrible. That thought was too much—even for him. Develo gently slapped his cheek to shake off the idea.
Malfoy could be the designated target instead.
The third category was the most dangerous: curses that caused severe or irreversible harm. The three Unforgivable Curses were the most well-known examples. Though Develo had once been eager to learn them, Professor Quirrell had promised to demonstrate them in class, so he wasn't in a rush.
For now, Develo shifted his attention to other spells.
After the offensive magic, he also hoped to find books on invisibility. Previously, in the Room of Requirement, Riddle—through his possession of [The Wilderness of Knowledge]—had taught him the Disillusionment Charm. However, it had flaws. It wasn't instantaneous.
In certain situations, that delay could leave Develo vulnerable.
Just the other night, when he attempted to sneak into a secret passage the Weasley twins had told him about, he was almost caught by Filch—at four in the morning. (Why was Filch even awake then?)
Still, Develo couldn't find any books about invisibility. Oddly, he came across an entire section of empty shelves—completely devoid of books. Strange, but he was too focused on his current goal to dwell on it.
After that, he browsed the Transfiguration section.
To be honest, Transfiguration was his weakest subject. Next week, he'd be attending that class with the other first-years.
Sure, he could casually transfigure a matchstick into something else using Microscopic Structure Transfiguration, but his in-class techniques weren't much more advanced than Hermione's or the other top students. Enrolling in higher-year Transfiguration courses in this condition would've been asking for trouble.
And Professor McGonagall wouldn't have allowed it anyway.
The other subject he would attend with the first-years was History of Magic.
Refocusing, Develo wandered through the Restricted Section again.
In retrospect, this wasn't a great idea.
Madam Pince had been watching him like a hawk the whole time.
Perhaps his suspicious behavior had drawn her attention. Even though he'd shown her Snape's signed note granting him access, she was still reluctant. She had to cast a spell to verify the signature's authenticity.
Only then did Develo understand why Snape always insisted on signing things himself, even when a self-writing quill could do it.
Eventually, after confirming the signature, Madam Pince allowed him in.
Or perhaps she just didn't want to deal with him so close to closing time.
He resumed his search, scanning the shelves for Dark Magic books related to Transfiguration.
"The Use of Vampire Arrays in Object Transfiguration"
By Walden Krus
"Vampire arrays enhance the precision and durability of transfiguration… interesting, but not comprehensive. If I meet a real vampire someday, I'll ask them directly. Next."
"Methods to Avoid Transfiguration Pain: A Discussion on the Feasibility of Nerve Excision"
By Allison Gray
"Cutting nerves to avoid pain during transformation? Too twisted. I'd rather endure the pain than slice up my nervous system. What was this author thinking? Next!"
"How to Trace the Origin of a Transfigured Object"
By Sebastian Moore
"Detailed techniques and case studies on reversing Transfiguration… Hmm. This one's useful. If I don't find anything better tonight, I'll go with this. Next."
"A Guide to Reverse Human Transfiguration"
By Eleanor Black
"Turning living people into objects? Creepy—but interesting. Combined with Moore's book, this could lead to some creative spellwork..."
Hogwarts really was full of hidden knowledge.
Develo had flipped through three entire bookshelves and still hadn't exhausted the Transfiguration-related Dark Magic section. It felt like the Forbidden books far outnumbered the publicly available ones.
"Maybe taboos are what ignite wizards' creative spark?" he mused, lips twitching with amusement.
Turning to another shelf, he rounded the corner—
Bang!
"Oh! I'm sorry!"
Develo collided with someone. Books spilled across the floor.
He knelt down quickly to help gather them.
"Grimoire of Forbidden Curses"
"Curses and Counter-Curses"
"The Hidden Power of Hexes"
All of them were Dark Magic tomes.
Develo blinked.
"Alexander, what are you doing here?"
He looked up—and froze.
Standing in front of him was someone he never expected to see.
Marcus Flint—a fifth-year Slytherin and Prefect!
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