Tom looked down at the parchment. The writing was so old it had nearly faded, and the phrasing was archaic and difficult to read. It seemed to be…
"A page from Slytherin's own manuscript?"
[…I fear we are already worlds apart. Not a single one of them is willing to accept my views. I once thought Godric shared my vision, for he too believed our pupils ought to be outstanding talents.
But the problem is, he too has been brainwashed by that asinine idea—that those of Muggle parentage possess potential equal to pure-bloods. When I voiced my displeasure at this false notion, Godric flew into a rage.
I have grown weary of quarrel and will no longer watch the corridors filled with shoving, pretenders who pose as witches and wizards.
I now realize with a leaden heart that I must depart this place.
I will place that creature into a state of slumber until someone who shares my views awakens it. The chosen heir will correct the errors others have unwittingly committed.
Those unworthy will only sully my legacy, while my true descendant will shoulder the task of purifying Hogwarts.]
"Hmm…this is indeed the answer… although perhaps not what Nokto Gaunt wanted to see." Tom read the final passage and frowned. "But…what is 'that creature'? 'Purify Hogwarts'? What does that even mean?"
Wade said, "He probably left a powerful creature somewhere in Hogwarts and hoped a like-minded Slytherin heir would release it and then eliminate the non-pure-blood students in the school."
"Is he mad? If a lot of students started dying at Hogwarts, the school would be shut down!" Tom exclaimed.
Wade smiled. "You're right, but…a thousand years ago doing something like that might not have been considered a crime."
"So…that monster might still be alive? Lurking somewhere inside Hogwarts?" Tom shivered.
Seeing the smile on Wade's face, Tom suddenly grew timid and asked, "You're not…planning to go after that creature, are you? This time I'm not coming even if you make me—no way!"
"No, Tom, I'm not interested in that creature. In fact… I'm not even that interested in the manuscripts here. Once I finish going through them, I'll report this place to Dumbledore—including the creature," Wade said with a calm smile.
Tom raised an eyebrow. After you've gone through them? He knew perfectly well that once Wade read something once, he could memorize it completely.
Still, that was far better than being dragged off to chase some unknown monster and dance with death again.
"Are we leaving now? I think I found the exit," Tom said, pointing to a door at the center of the study's second floor.
Of course, he'd figured there had to be another way out. Otherwise, would Slytherin really have walked through that long, suffocating maze every time he wanted to visit his study?
"Give me an hour, Tom… I want to read through these manuscripts properly. There might be some interesting records about blood-curse werewolves hidden in Slytherin's Dark Magic experiments," Wade said as he flipped through the ancient pages.
Tom glanced at the open book before him. The grotesque illustrations alone made his sanity plummet—he nearly vomited.
"You seriously just called those horrifying Dark Magic experiments interesting? And you still have the nerve to keep claiming you're a good person…"
While Wade was going through the materials left behind by Slytherin, Tom naturally didn't sit idle.
Though he now felt some disgust toward his ancestor, his curiosity about the man remained strong.
So Tom took advantage of the free time to wander around Slytherin's study.
The furnishings were rather simple. Apart from Slytherin's crest on the walls, there were also portraits of Slytherin himself.
It was easy to tell that Slytherin had been a very self-centered wizard.
Tom casually picked up a manuscript from the bookshelf and began to flip through it.
To his relief, this one didn't record any gruesome Dark Magic experiments but was instead a collection of essays.
All the essays were written by someone named Deven Jorkinson.
After reading for a while, Tom realized this collection was actually a "homework notebook."
Each essay had Slytherin's own comments written after it.
The annotations were detailed and precise, showing that when Slytherin thought a student was worth teaching, he truly did so with sincerity.
There were plenty more collections like that on the same bookshelf.
No wonder Wade hadn't bothered looking through these manuscripts—there was no way something like information on blood-curse animagi would appear in Slytherin's assigned coursework.
Tom set the manuscript back and began browsing another shelf.
Half of this one had already been emptied by Wade—the half containing the terrifying Dark Magic experiment records he was currently studying.
The remaining books seemed to be Slytherin's own compilations of Dark Magic spell research.
Tom randomly pulled one out and opened it.
"Bone Extraction Curse: a rather decent minor curse. The victim's bone marrow will be forcibly pulled out from every part of the body. The incantation is—"
Tom inhaled sharply. That's a minor curse?
Then those so-called minor curses that made someone's front teeth grow must have been children's games by comparison!
He quickly skipped past the vivid, bloody illustration at the bottom of the page and turned to the next one.
"Black Mist Curse: an accidentally discovered curse that summons a strange, cursed black mist. After conducting experiments on one hundred Muggles, its effects can be summarized as follows—"
"Hss…" Tom's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He didn't even finish reading before hurriedly flipping through another ten pages.
The illustrations for that one curse alone spanned over ten pages!
Before long, Tom came across another Dark Magic curse.
"Blood Moon Curse: Discovered in a strange tomb. Due to the extremely demanding casting conditions, I have not yet tested it myself. The first requirement is to conduct the Blood Moon Ritual during an actual blood moon.
As of writing this book, I have not yet encountered one. Still, I will record this curse in hopes that my descendants may one day attempt it when the blood moon appears.
First, one must prepare the fangs of a bat that has drunk human blood. Then… lastly, the tooth of the intended target must be placed upon the altar…
The procedure is as follows…
Upon completion of the ritual, the victim's missing tooth will regrow in a short time. However, their bloodline will be cursed—them, their descendants, and their descendants' descendants will know no peace for all eternity…
As for the precise effects of this curse, the records in the tomb did not elaborate. I hope future generations who succeed in performing the ritual will add to this entry.
Still, since this curse was documented, it's possible that some of those cursed—or their descendants—still live. I hope to encounter one someday, so I may study the curse's exact nature through experimentation…"
"Wade! I found something! It might be connected to the Blood Curse Animagi!" Tom called out in excitement.
Wade looked up. "What did you find?"
Tom hurried over and placed the book in front of him.
Wade skimmed through it quickly. The section on the Blood Moon Curse wasn't long, since it wasn't one of Slytherin's own creations but rather a spell he'd discovered—and never tested.
He finished reading soon enough, a trace of excitement appearing on his face. "A bloodline curse! The Blood Curse Animagi is also a bloodline curse, isn't it?"
"Exactly! Do you think Nagini's blood curse might have been caused by this Blood Moon Curse?" Tom asked.
"I'm not sure… but judging from the description, it does sound very similar."
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