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As soon as I started reading books to remember them, I was surprised at how well I do it. However, unlike Hermione, who can memorize books without even concentrating on the process, I had to put such a task in front of my brain.
The books themselves were quite interesting, and not only because of their content. Some already contained magic, and sometimes it was not at all harmless. For example, if you touch an old black leather-bound book with thick leather pages with your hand, you will have an obsessive desire to sprinkle it with blood. The instructions say that the book must be taken with special gloves. There were only three pairs of these gloves for the Forbidden Section, and they could lie anywhere. A person who has not read the instructions can lose several years of life, a liter of blood, getting a curse, and updating the book a little. Unpleasant, right?
There are other, more dangerous examples. One small, thin book with a brown, cracked cover can put a person into a coma. If you do not put a special enchant on her, then a ghostly green spirit will appear from her and yell at you like a banshee. There is a book that can chop off a finger and thank the Old Man that this wound is not dark magic and the finger can be grown.
Among other things, during each of our visits to the library, I sometimes felt someone's presence. There was no one near. At least my eyes can't see them. But with some kind of sixth sense, I was sure aware that we were being watched. Not all the time, but every day. Not that it was annoying, no. I can even assume that it's Dumbledore who sometimes visits under the spell of invisibility because you can't ignore the second-year students in the forbidden section.
"Ewww..." Hermione's voice interrupted my thoughts, full of disgust. I left the book on the table and went to my friend.
"What?"
Hermione looked at me like she saw something incredibly vile nearby.
"There are such disgusting curses..." she grimaced. And she looked pale. This is what I told her.
"These books," Hermione looked around the Forbidden Section, "have overly colorful descriptions."
"But in many books, along with curses, counter-spells are also given. This is important. In general, we are here mainly because of them. You cannot fight something about which you know nothing."
"Well, theoretically, you can."
"By force, insolence, and total exterminatus?" I grinned back.
"An interesting word - exterminatus. But in general, yes. However, I do not consider this to be a sufficient... professional approach. There is no art in it.
"All Brawn, No Brain," I chuckled. "This is not about us, right?"
"Not about us," Hermione nodded and, with a sad sigh, went back to reading.
So we continued to memorize day after day. I didn't even want to try many things, although there were just forbidden spells, rituals, and potion recipes here. For example, the same Polyjuice Potion - it wasn't dark or anything like that. It was simply complex, and the slightest mistakes in its manufacture could lead to consequences of varying degrees of sadness. Among other things, you need to use strictly defined body parts of the person you need to turn into. It must be representative of your species and gender. It is very important. The use of other particles, for example, a person of the opposite sex, can lead to a variety of ugly changes in the body. At least that's what it says. The most unpleasant thing is that without proper treatment, these changes may not completely disappear, leaving something behind on a permanent basis. Some changes are banally incompatible with life. Of course, it is not beneficial to anyone if everyone they meet can be a different person. For this reason, the manufacture of the potion is allowed only by craftsmen and under strict accountability. Just as buyers are recorded in special registers.
Likewise, many potentially dangerous rituals are prohibited. However, this does not mean that they are all dark. The reasons are similar to Polyjuice Potion - their uncontrolled conduct by unprepared and unprofessional wizards is fraught with sad consequences for them and those around them. Only rituals with sacrifices of intelligent beings are under a total ban.
Hermione told me all this sometimes after going to the Forbidden Section. She studied the legislation of magical England and for herself sorted the acquired knowledge into categories of "allowance," at the same time she told me.
That's how we spent a month. Once a day, we did physical training, sat in the library, all in the same abandoned classroom practicing spells and enchantments, but nothing from the Forbidden Section. It is better to apply half, if not three-fifths of that knowledge after the psyche is formed and settled, the wizard matures. Ideally, do not apply at all. I am not a warrior of the forces of the Light, no. But I bet that it is possible to find or create more stable and safe spells, enchantments, rituals, and potions than those listed in these books. Yes, they are easy. Yes, they are powerful. For spells, complicated moves and calculations are not needed. You do not need a thorough knowledge of huge formulas and the ability to count, like a calculator. A couple of passes, the right emotional attitude, a couple of simple calculations in my head, and a couple of phrases - that's it. Why don't I like it?
Curses require negative emotions: anger, hatred, a desire to harm, maim, make the enemy suffer, kill. These emotions are easy to evoke. I bet the more often you use them specifically and deliberately, the more often they will pop up accidentally, spontaneously. Their safe use requires incredible self-control, and even more so, they should not be used at a young age when the core of the personality is just forming. Later, perhaps. These are my theories and guesses. This is not in the books, but I prefer not to use all of this for now. Yes, my personality is already formed, but I do not know if the still growing and forming body will affect it, will occlumency help? The risk is not justified. Hermione agreed with my conclusions, so we study according to the school curriculum, although we share the knowledge gained in the Forbidden Section.