Lynn was already out of bed, his hair a mess as he hadn't had time to tidy it with magic yet, and his sleepiness was completely gone.
It would be boring to crawl back into bed, so he felt the permission slip in his pocket and decided to head to the Restricted Section to see if he could find any "treasures."
He sauntered back to the library, where sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting pillars of light through the dusty air.
Madam Pince's gaze still swept over everyone who entered.
Lynn stepped forward and pulled out the permission slip signed by Professor Quirrell.
Madam Pince took the slip, adjusted her glasses, carefully examined the signature, then looked up at Lynn with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
But in the end, she nodded professionally, waved her wand, and unlocked the Restricted Section.
"Remember, you can only read inside; you cannot take any books out of the library.
"And pay attention to what you read; some things... are not meant for someone your age to touch," she warned solemnly.
"I understand, Madam. I'm just curious, just looking," Lynn promised obediently, then plunged into the dimly lit area with even older bookshelves.
Upon entering the Restricted Section, the magical dust in the air seemed to thicken, carrying the scent of old parchment and something indescribable—slightly metallic and sweet.
Lynn rubbed his hands excitedly and began browsing the shelves.
However, before long, his excitement turned into confusion and complaints. (¬_¬)ﾉ
"The Origins and Philosophical Foundations of the Dark Arts?"
"On the Mutual Influence of the Dark Arts and the Wizard's Mind?"
"Taxonomy of Dark Arts Spells: A Two-Dimensional Model Based on Emotional Leverage and Magic Consumption..."
Lynn's mouth twitched. "What is all this? I'm here to learn spells, not to become a graduate student in Dark Arts theory!" (▽д▽)
He continued his search, only to find that a large portion of the books were either these profound and obscure theoretical works or historical research on the lives of famous Dark Wizards.
Books that directly recorded Dark Arts spells with specific casting steps were pitifully few.
He even saw a few with extremely questionable titles, like "Walking Tall in Hogwarts with the Dark Arts" or "My Years with the Dark Arts."
There was even one with a pink cover and a sensational title: "My Dark Arts Darling"... 'Merlin's nightpants! How is there stuff with this kind of street-stall literature style in the Restricted Section?'
Lynn complained frantically in his mind, 'Is this really the Restricted Section? It feels more like a corner providing fantasy material for late-stage chuunibyou patients.'
As he wandered around, he found that this was indeed the case.
The Dark Arts themselves aren't as diverse as ordinary magic, and those that are advanced and strictly controlled are even rarer.
As for the Unforgivable Curses he was most "interested" in, there wasn't even a shadow of them; they were probably sealed away separately.
In the end, after picking and choosing, he only found a few books recording "inconsequential minor hexes" and "harmless little curses."
Carrying a stack of books that looked dangerous but were actually "mild," Lynn walked to the same spot he had sat in last time with practiced ease.
As luck would have it, that familiar figure was sitting nearby again—Hermione, with a mountain of reference books piled in front of her.
"Lynn?" Hermione looked up from a copy of "A History of Medieval Magic," somewhat surprised to see him, and greeted him proactively.
"I haven't seen you in the library for a long time."
"Has it really been that long?" Lynn put the books down and scratched his head. "Just two? Three days? I can't really remember."
His concept of time was a bit fuzzy; anyway, it definitely wasn't long, as most of his spare time was dedicated to the Black Lake and his fishing rod.
"Do you come to the library every day?" Lynn asked casually while organizing his books.
"Pretty much." Hermione's tone was very natural, simply stating an objective fact.
Lynn immediately felt an invisible pressure emanating from a true top student.
He definitely couldn't emulate this kind of studious spirit; he still preferred going to the shores of the Black Lake to enjoy the wait.
"Impressive," he praised, then lowered his head and began his rapid Engrave project.
He flipped through the books one by one at high speed: Densaugeo, Tarantallegra, Fiendfyre, the Erosion Curse... under his powerful Engrave ability, these spells were mastered by him.
In his view, these were indeed just "inconsequential" little tricks.
Hermione watched him flip through the books at a speed that was almost a blur, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Finally, she couldn't help but lean over to look at the covers and contents of a few books, her face showing a look of shock and confusion.
"Lynn, you... these books..." she lowered her voice, her tone full of confusion and disapproval.
"Why haven't I seen a single one of them in the regular section? These spells look... very obscure, and some seem..."
"From the Restricted Section."
Lynn didn't even look up, answering succinctly while his hands didn't stop flipping through the pages.
"What?!"
Hermione's voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of several nearby students.
"Quiet!" Madam Pince appeared by their table instantly like a ghost, her sharp gaze shooting like a knife.
"Miss Granger! No shouting in the library! Do it again and you'll be asked to leave!"
Hermione's face instantly flushed red. She quickly apologized, and only after Madam Pince had walked away did she say to Lynn in a hurried whisper.
"What? Studying the Dark Arts is against school rules! How could you..."
"I have a Professor's permission slip."
Lynn finally looked up and waved the piece of parchment in his hand, his tone calm, as natural as if he were saying, "I have a cafeteria meal card."
Hermione was stunned. She opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but seeing Lynn's matter-of-fact attitude and the genuine permission slip, she ultimately swallowed her words.
She pursed her lips and didn't speak again, simply sitting back in her seat and picking up "A History of Medieval Magic" once more. However, her eyes would occasionally drift toward Lynn and the pile of "dangerous" books in front of him, her brow furrowed, clearly filled with worry and confusion.
Feeling that his skill library had been enriched quite a bit, Lynn closed the last book with satisfaction.
He looked at the sun gradually setting outside the window and skillfully cast a Time-Telling Spell.
"Friend, I'm heading out first. It'll be time to eat soon; time really flies."
As Lynn spoke, he stood up, stacked the books he had finished reading, and prepared to return them to the Restricted Section.
Hermione was clearly taken aback by the address.
She looked up at Lynn's face, which held a somewhat lazy smile, hesitated for a moment, and then responded, "Goodbye... friend."
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Read my other novel: Naruto: Multiverse Adventures.