Of course, although Adrian genuinely didn't mind students learning Dark Magic as he believed knowledge itself was neutral, and understanding dark spells was often the best defense against them but as a professor he should still fulfill some basic duty to warn them about the dangers involved.
"Learn magic?" Adrian smiled slightly. "Of course you can, Mr. Malfoy. I won't stop you from pursuing knowledge. But I still strongly suggest you spend more time in the regular library sections outside the Restricted Section. This area only contains Dark Magic, which generally isn't suitable for students to learn without proper supervision and theoretical foundation."
Malfoy unexpectedly shook his head with surprising firmness and replied, "That's not enough, Professor. I need to learn more powerful magic than what's taught."
'More powerful magic?' Adrian raised an eyebrow with curiosity, wondering what had prompted this drive. "Then I'm afraid you're deeply mistaken about the nature of magical power. Most Dark Magic isn't actually very useful in practical terms—it's just... well... rather peculiar and specialized.
Truly powerful Dark Magic is exceptionally rare, like the three Unforgivable Curses which require both skill and genuine intent to cast properly. Well, I probably shouldn't be discussing those specifics with a student.
In any case, as long as you master reasonable spellcasting methods and practice with dedication, ordinary magic can become extraordinarily powerful too through refinement and creative application."
"Take Dumbledore, for example," He continued. "Dumbledore never uses Dark Magic '(not really)' yet he's still widely considered the most powerful wizard in the world. His mastery of standard spells is so broad that he can accomplish more with a simple Stunning Spell than most wizards could manage with a dozen dark curses."
After listening to Adrian's lengthy explanation with apparent attention, Malfoy fell into contemplation.
Then he slowly let out a breath, as though releasing tension he'd been holding.
"Time is pressing, Professor," He said softly. "If you're trying to dissuade me from learning Dark Magic, I'm afraid it won't work. My mind is made up. Besides, Professor Snape has already given me explicit permission to study here, he signed the authorization himself."
Adrian felt genuinely surprised by this frank admission.
Malfoy was openly acknowledging to a Hogwarts professor that he was actively studying Dark Magic, without any attempt at concealment or excuse.
If it were Professor McGonagall standing here instead, she would absolutely fly into a rage, she had very strong feelings about students experimenting in dark arts, and she would probably march Malfoy straight to detention and confiscate every book he'd touched.
Fortunately, Adrian didn't really mind such things on a philosophical level.
He would even approve if Harry decided to study Dark Magic, provided it was done carefully and with proper understanding. The best way to effectively deal with Dark Magic when facing it in combat was to thoroughly understand its mechanics, limitations, and vulnerabilities.
Moreover, it would be frankly abnormal if a Slytherin student, especially one from an old pureblood family like the Malfoys had absolutely no interest in Dark Magic. It was part of their cultural heritage, for better or worse.
"Good luck, Mr. Malfoy," Adrian said with an accepting nod, deciding not to push the issue further. "However, when you eventually move to practicing Dark Magic rather than just reading about it, I strongly recommend staying near Professor Snape's presence.
He can help you solve many dangerous problems that arise, and he has the skills to reverse most common curses if something goes wrong during your experiments. And..."
He lowered his voice, leaning slightly closer and speaking with unmistakable seriousness: "Never get involved with Voldemort or his followers, regardless of what anyone tells you, regardless of what pressures you might face. As far as I know, everyone who's had direct contact with him has come to a very bad end."
Malfoy looked up at Adrian in surprise, his eyes widening slightly.
He had always thought based on classroom interactions and general demeanor that this particular professor disliked him, possibly because of his family's history or his house. He certainly had never expected Westeros to say something like this, to offer what was undoubtedly sincere advice meant for his protection.
Having said his part and delivered the warning his conscience required, Adrian turned to leave, his robes swirled behind him as he walked toward the Restricted Section's exit.
Although Draco Malfoy wasn't exactly a good person by most moral standards, he was still ultimately a Hogwarts student under Adrian's indirect care.
As for whether he would actually heed his warning about Voldemort, that was entirely beyond his control. Adrian had done what he could.
The rest was up to Malfoy's choices.
The next day arrived with typical Scottish winter weather, it was Sunday, which meant most students were sleeping late or enjoying leisure time.
Adrian appeared in the Headmaster's office quite early in the morning, climbing the spiral staircase while most of the castle still slept. The stone gargoyle had admitted him without question at the password.
Dumbledore was already awake and working at his desk, surrounded by scattered parchments and what looked like architectural diagrams of some ancient building.
"You're saying that curse requires Felix Felicis to remove?" Dumbledore cast an inquiring look from behind his cluttered desk, setting down his quill. "If I remember correctly from our previous conversations, you should still have quite a bit of it in your personal stock."
"Not enough quantity for what's needed," Adrian replied concisely, getting straight to the point. "The curse is consuming the luck at an alarming rate and it would take far too much time to brew sufficient amounts now from scratch. Professor Dumbledore, if you happen to have any finished product in your personal stores, I'd like to purchase some at whatever price you consider fair."
Felix Felicis had always been considered priceless and exceptionally rare in the magical world as it was one of the few potions that couldn't be reliably mass-produced due to its extraordinary brewing difficulty and six-month preparation time.
If a bottle appeared on the black-market auctions, it would immediately trigger a mad scramble among wealthy collectors and desperate people, with prices climbing to astronomical levels.
Adrian wasn't willing to expend enormous time and effort searching through shady black-market contacts and risking his reputation.
"Oh, I'll have to look for it," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, stroking his silver beard. "I may have some tucked away somewhere. Let me check my storage."
He stood up from his chair with a slight creak of old joints and walked toward Fawkes's beloved perch in the corner of the office. Fawkes was currently grooming its gold-red feathers with its beak, producing a soft rustling sound. It looked up briefly at Dumbledore's approach, trilled a quiet greeting, then returned to its preening.
Dumbledore stopped before an oak cabinet tucked behind the phoenix's perch.
He leaned close to the cabinet door and murmured something very softly—Adrian just barely caught what sounded like "Lemon Sherbet," spoken like a password. He always liked using dessert names for passwords.
The cabinet door responded to the password and slid open silently, revealing dozens of small compartments neatly arranged inside like a apothecary's storage system.
"Ah, here it is." Dumbledore's voice carried a hint of nostalgia, as though the potion brought back some old pleasant memories.
He took out a small crystal vial from a velvet-lined compartment on the top shelf.
Adrian accepted the bottle of shimmering golden Felix Felicis and gently shook it before his eyes.
Undoubtedly genuine, and of exceptionally high quality—the color, consistency, and magical aura indicated it must have been brewed by a true Potions master, possibly by Dumbledore himself in his younger years or from someone of equivalent skill.
However...
"Is there more?" Adrian looked up with a somewhat helpless expression, apologetic about the enormous request. "I'm afraid this single vial still isn't nearly enough to complete the curse removal. In total... I might need about a pint, maybe slightly less."
A full pint of Felix Felicis.
"That's rather difficult, Professor Westeros," Dumbledore said with a slight frown. "You must know better than most how exceptionally rare Felix Felicis is in any quantity. If it were a few years ago... Nicolas would certainly have had some in his stores..."
"Oh," He suddenly brightened as a memory hit him. "There is one other person I know who might have such quantity."
"Slughorn," Adrian said at almost the same moment.
"Professor Slughorn," Dumbledore said too.
They spoke nearly in unison, the same name occurring to both minds simultaneously.
"So, you still remember your old professor fondly." Dumbledore said with cheerfulness. "I thought perhaps you might have forgotten him after all these years."
Adrian nodded with a smile. "Of course I remember him."
Horace Slughorn had been his Potions professor during his first through fifth years at Hogwarts, before Snape took over the position following Slughorn's initial retirement. The transition had been somewhat abrupt, occurring mid-year for reasons that were never fully explained to students.
For good students who showed promise and came from interesting backgrounds, Slughorn was humorous, witty, and genuinely enthusiastic about their development. Adrian had found quite him likable despite his obvious social climbing and favoritism.
He had even joined the exclusive Slug Club that Professor Slughorn hosted regularly in his office filled with those select gatherings of "promising" students who received extra mentoring and useful connections.
Incidentally, Adrian had been the very last member inducted into the Slug Club, staying only a few months before Slughorn retired completely from teaching and the club dissolved.
They had communicated and kept in touch through owl post for a while afterward. Slughorn was sending chatty letters about his retirement activities, and Adrian responded with brief updates about his travels.
Unfortunately, Adrian had been traveling lengthily and unpredictably at that time, moving between countries and magical communities with little warning. Slughorn's owls often couldn't locate him reliably across international distances, arriving weeks late or giving up completely.
Over time, as months passed without successful letters, the two had naturally lost contact. Adrian occasionally wondered how his old professor was doing.
"Slughorn is genuinely excellent at brewing potions," Dumbledore said with confidence. "He is one of the finest Potions masters of his generation. And from what I understand of his personality, he particularly enjoys collecting and hoarding rare potions."
Adrian knew Slughorn well enough from personal experience to know Dumbledore spoke the truth.
The old professor had indeed loved displaying his collection, pulling out rare vials during Slug Club meetings to impress his favored students.
"Where does Professor Slughorn live now?" He asked expectantly.
Dumbledore's expression shifted to something slightly apologetic. "To be completely honest, I'm not entirely certain of his current location. Horace has moved at least twelve times since retiring from Hogwarts, possibly more. He never stayed in one place for long, never left a forwarding address with the school or Ministry."
"However," Dumbledore continued, raising one finger, "I do have a reliable way to contact him, even without knowing his exact address. It just requires a bit of time for the message to reach him and for him to respond.
Hmm... it might have to wait until sometime next week, given his usual delay in checking communications."
"That's plenty of time," Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."
Dumbledore shook his head gently, his expression turning more serious. "This was an unwarranted disaster to begin with, directly resulting from our investigation. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought you to Crouch's house, it was my request that put you in harm's way.
But... even knowing the risks, I still hope you'll be willing to accompany me to another potentially dangerous place in the near future."
"What place?" Adrian asked, immediately alert and somewhat puzzled by the grave tone.
His mind raced through possibilities. 'Had Dumbledore somehow discovered Voldemort's actual location? Was he planning a direct confrontation?'
"Remember those evil objects Voldemort created?" Dumbledore asked with seriousness, his blue eyes determined behind his spectacles. "The diary, and the locket. Do you remember our discussions about them?"
"Of course," Adrian immediately understood where this was leading. "Those are Horcruxes."
'Wait!' His eyes narrowed as realization hit him. "Have you discovered some new clue about another Horcrux's location?"
"Just a guess based on accumulated evidence," Dumbledore said slowly.
"Recently I've been organizing many memories about Tom through my Pensieve. you know, I was once his professor during his school years, and I maintained some contact with him afterward.
I watched him transform from a troubled but brilliant student into... what he became. And among those reviewed memories, I found some potentially significant clues—he very likely hid at least one Horcrux in his old family mansion."
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