His eyes fell on the twisted writing on the parchment. Just a moment later, Char decisively looked away, his expression becoming extremely calm.
The magic given by Voldemort is not something to be taken lightly, he thought. If there's some hidden trap, with my current magical proficiency, I might not be able to see it. I can't trust it.
If he truly had no other choice, if he were forever trapped by the limits of his own talent, perhaps he might be desperate enough to try it. But since he could rely on his planting system to break through those constraints, why would he take such a reckless gamble?
"However," he mused, "this Transfiguration technique involves the use of magical creature blood. It could be very helpful in solving the problem with my Blood Emerald. The rewards from the Blood Emerald are still very useful to me, and it would be a pity to give up on it. It would be best if I could ask a wizard who is proficient in both the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, someone I can trust, to help me identify the traps."
A thoughtful look appeared in Char's eyes. "First, Dumbledore is out. He's too suspicious. If he knew I had some connection with Voldemort and that Voldemort had given me magical knowledge, the tests and scrutiny would be endless."
"Secondly, my aunt is also out of the question. Even setting aside her knowledge of the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, if she knew I had access to this kind of magic, she would be incredibly worried."
He thought it over, and finally, only one candidate remained in his mind: Severus Snape.
For one, Snape was extremely skilled in both the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. The knowledge Voldemort had provided was likely quite basic in the grand scheme of things; with Snape's expertise, he should be able to spot any hidden traps. Secondly, Char and Snape had already developed a close, if unconventional, relationship. Snape had even taught him his unique Severus Potion Transfiguration technique. The level of trust was sufficient.
Of course, if that were all, Char would not have been so rash. The knowledge from Voldemort was designed to be seductive and misleading. If it were to harm someone else, Char would never forgive himself. But Snape was a double agent, a man who walked the razor's edge between light and darkness. His mastery of Occlumency was so profound that even Voldemort could not detect his true thoughts. The forbidden knowledge on the parchment might be able to mislead others, but to seduce Snape? That would be harder than climbing to the heavens.
Char made up his mind. He used a Quick-Quotes Quill to copy the knowledge from the parchment and then walked towards Snape's office.
"Professor," he said, "I've come across some curious knowledge of Transfiguration. After much thought, I believe you're the only one at Hogwarts capable of identifying it. Could you help me take a look?"
Char's words made Snape raise an eyebrow and snort. "My time is precious. You had better not be asking me to review some childish scrawling. Or I will throw you out."
He took the parchment from Char. At first, Snape's expression was one of indifference. He had made great strides in the field of dark magic in his youth; few Dark wizards possessed greater knowledge than he. But after reading just a few lines, his expression changed dramatically, becoming as gloomy and cold as if it were covered by a thick layer of frost.
He stared at Char. "Where did you get this? This is not something you should be exposed to."
Char's expression was just as serious. "Professor, I can't tell you the details. But someone… somehow got this knowledge into my hands. That person is trying to win me over, to make me work for him."
A cold light flashed in Snape's eyes, his hand tightening quietly around his wand. He looked deep into Char's eyes. "Did you promise him anything?"
Char shook his head. "I believe he has bad intentions. So I lied to him."
Snape's gaze relaxed slightly. "If you know he has bad intentions, then you should know that you shouldn't be involved with such magical knowledge. You should not have brought this to me. Do you realize this could get you expelled from Hogwarts? If you were to carry out even the first step of what is written here, it would be enough to land you in Azkaban for life. How dare you show this to me?"
Char's voice was soft. "Because it contains some information that I need. And… I trust you, Professor."
Snape paused, a flicker of confusion in his dark eyes. Trust? It was a rare word for him, one he hadn't expected to hear, especially not from this boy. And yet, the boy had placed this dangerous knowledge in his hands.
Snape snorted. "Madness. Blindly trusting others is the most foolish thing in the world. If you do not change this bad habit, it will cost you your life one day." But even as he delivered the harsh lesson, the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.
His gaze returned to the forbidden knowledge. A moment later, he frowned tightly. "This is indeed a very profound form of Dark Magic Transfiguration. But there are problems. Big problems." A cold light flashed in his eyes again. "If someone were foolish enough to follow this method to purify their bloodline, once the process starts, there is no way to stop it. They would need to continually introduce more magical creature blood until they were completely transformed into something inhuman. Otherwise, they would feel an intense, unending pain from their very blood. It can be said that once you take a step down this road, there is no turning back. You would be forever controlled by the person who gave you this knowledge."
Hearing Snape's words, a chill ran down Char's spine. He knew it. The knowledge and power given by Voldemort were never free. It was just like in the history books, when Peter Pettigrew sacrificed his arm to resurrect Voldemort, and in return, Voldemort gave him a new, powerful silver arm. But that arm was also a monitor, a leash. The moment Pettigrew felt a flicker of pity for Harry, the arm turned on him and strangled him to death. It was because he knew these stories that Char was so wary. Anyone else might have fallen into the trap, never to escape.
After taking a deep breath, Char looked at Snape. "Professor, can the traps be removed? Can the useful parts be extracted?"
Snape stared at him, his expression unreadable. "What do you want this part for?"
Char spoke the truth. "To plant trees."
Snape was stunned for a moment, a rare, speechless expression on his face. If anyone else had said that, he would not have believed a word. But from Char… he truly believed it. This boy… Snape didn't know how to describe him. If he had seen this kind of forbidden knowledge when he was a student, he would have been completely consumed by it. But Char… he really only wanted to plant trees. Snape was, in a strange way, impressed.
A moment later, he came back to his senses and raised an eyebrow. "Alright," he said, his voice calm but filled with an unshakable confidence. "This might be difficult for others. But for me, it is nothing."
He began to write and draw on a fresh piece of paper, making extensive deletions and modifications to the original text. After a long time, he handed a new document to Char.
"This version eliminates the drawback of being unable to stop once you start," Snape said. "But I must warn you. Dark Magic Transfiguration, also known as Flesh Transfiguration, is absolutely forbidden. Once you truly start to get involved, you are already staring into the abyss. And when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." He stared at Char seriously. "I believe you have a will that is different from the other little wizards. Do not disappoint me, Char Sprout. If I find out you have transformed yourself—" He tightened his grip on his wand, and an extremely sharp and powerful Divine Edge Shadowless Curse whizzed past Char's cheek. "I will use the most painful method to dig out your flesh and blood, bit by bit. Then I will send you to Azkaban myself, so you can cool down. Do you understand?"
Feeling the sharp edge of the curse brush against his cheek and hearing the "threat" in Snape's words, Char felt a strange warmth in his heart. He understood that this was Snape's way of expressing his concern. He nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Professor. I have no intention of ceasing to be human."
After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again. "And… can you please not tell anyone else? Including Headmaster Dumbledore. If he knew, I'm afraid I'd be subjected to endless lectures on morality."
Snape raised an eyebrow, a sneer playing on his lips. "If you knew that, why would you dare to touch this sort of thing within the walls of Hogwarts in the first place?"
"It won't happen again," Char smiled. He said his goodbyes and prepared to leave. But just before he walked out of the office, Snape called out to him again.
"And another thing. That Severus Potion Transfiguration I taught you. You now have more time to think about it. It will be beneficial for both your Transfiguration and your Potions. Also… you have a lot more secrets in that head of yours now. Next semester, you will come and practice Occlumency with me. I do not want to hear that you talked in your sleep one day and were thrown into Azkaban. That would be a disgrace to me. Do you understand?"
Without waiting for a reply, Snape closed the office door with a loud bang.
Char stood in the corridor for a long time. Then, he bowed lightly and walked away. The image of Snape's miserable death from the history books flashed in his mind. He clenched his fists, forcing the image away. This time, with him here, he would never let Snape suffer the same fate.
But the thought brought with it a heavy sense of pressure. To change Snape's fate, he would have to be strong enough to challenge Voldemort himself. He thought of the oppressive feeling that had come through the parchment, and his fists tightened even more. And that was just a weak, disembodied Voldemort. He couldn't even imagine what the Dark Lord would be like at the height of his power. He had less than seven years. The difficulty was almost unimaginable. I have to hurry, he thought. My current strength is far from enough.
He quickened his pace, returning to his small greenhouse. He opened the modified Dark Magic Transfiguration notes from Snape. Although it was a different branch from Gamp and Tolman Transfiguration, the principles were still similar. With his bronze-level skill in Transfiguration, and because this part of the knowledge didn't involve overly advanced concepts, his learning speed was quite fast.
By the second morning, on his system panel, a new line of blurry handwriting gradually became clear.
[Dark Magic Transfiguration (Iron Level)], formed!