Chapter 42: Experiment
'Such an upright person as Ezio would definitely not use the Unforgivable Curses for evil deeds.'
So thought Dumbledore, and thus he nodded and agreed to his reasonable request. After all, the subject was Voldemort, and there was no one in the wizarding world more deserving of death than him.
To some extent, going after Voldemort was the equivalent of political correctness; it was just that very few people dared to do so. And Dumbledore had happened to meet such a person today.
He even had the leisure to observe, though it was for the sake of precaution.
There was no place in Hogwarts more undisturbed than the Headmaster's office, so the spell experiment was conducted right there. The audience consisted of the past headmasters of Hogwarts, among whom Phineas Nigellus Black's eyes were the widest. He was suddenly reminded of his own time as headmaster at Hogwarts. The sense of déjà vu was strong, but Ezio was even more audacious than that little rascal from back then. He was simply lawless!
However, Ezio himself didn't care. In his assassin's code, if a stealth assassination couldn't be completed, then going on a rampage through the front door was also fine. In the end, it was all a perfect assassination with no witnesses. As long as the result was correct, it didn't matter.
Had he achieved his goal?
He had.
Would Dumbledore expel him from Hogwarts for this?
He would not.
Then this was a perfect solution to the problem. Dumbledore was no saint. His actions against Voldemort were taken only out of necessity, under the circumstance that 'only Dumbledore could solve this problem'. And until Voldemort was killed by Harry's rebound curse, Dumbledore had not actually made any major moves. Otherwise, while Voldemort was wreaking havoc, he wouldn't have been cooped up in Hogwarts researching the Deathly Hallows, leaving the Order of the Phoenix to fight a life-and-death battle with the Death Eaters, and borrowing the Invisibility Cloak when James Potter needed it more than him.
Dumbledore was not selfless; he also had his own ideas and things he wanted to do. It was just a coincidence that he had accomplished some things that were considered great and right in the eyes of others.
A person's achievements are not solely due to their individual strength. In the saying "the times make the hero," the most important part is "the times." The hero is just a byproduct.
Dumbledore hoped that Ezio was a good person. So, compared to letting him loose and making things uncontrollable, he was more willing to let him stay. At least this way, his state could be stabilized. If he turned bad one day in the future, what did that have to do with an old man like him who was about to go to his grave anyway?
With many complex emotions in his heart, Dumbledore stood quietly to the side. Ezio, having drawn his wand, pointed its tip at the Horcrux diadem.
"Crucio."
Ezio recited it softly, his voice calm. An invisible force of the curse surged from the tip of his wand. The three Unforgivable Curses all had requirements for the user's will and conviction during casting. The firmer your resolve, the more powerful the spell. It was a spell strongly linked to emotion, which was precisely why they were defined as cruel. Only when you possessed a strong desire to make the other person wish for death could the power of the Cruciatus Curse be maximized.
And in terms of malice, Ezio might be a bit 'weak'. He didn't consider depriving a person of their life, controlling their mind, or torturing their will to be an 'anti-human' emotion. He wouldn't experience the so-called thrill of killing from it. It was all just a means he could adopt when necessary to achieve his goal. He didn't see it as 'evil'.
But this indifference to life, this coldness towards others, was a terrifying and powerful force that the malice of an ordinary wizard could not hope to match. It was so powerful that it allowed the Cruciatus Curse to act like a drill, constantly penetrating and breaking through the magic protecting the Horcrux!
After a brief stalemate, this indifference, which surpassed mere malice, touched the soul hidden within the Horcrux!
Black liquid seeped from the gems of the diadem at that moment, and a distorted black mist coalesced into a human face! A hysterical scream erupted from the mouth of the contorted face!
It writhed. The soul fragment of Voldemort within the diadem writhed. The black mist swirled, like a person writhing in agony on the ground. The mist, no longer able to form a concrete shape, twisted continuously. A piercing scream and a heart-wrenching wail echoed through the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
But the perpetrator, Ezio, was merely observing with a calm expression. He was controlling his magic, and at the same time, controlling his will. He was comparing what method he should use to make the Cruciatus Curse display a stronger effect at this moment.
'The thought of wanting to kill someone doesn't make the power of the Cruciatus Curse stronger. After all, the purpose of this spell is not to kill. But the thought of wanting the subject to feel pain and torment doesn't seem to significantly increase the spell's power either...'
Ezio pondered for a moment. 'Oh, maybe it should be like this... I should show pleasure and enjoyment in this painful struggle.'
"Ah!"
A sound of realization escaped Ezio, followed by a slight smile. "I understand."
He stopped casting. The wailing soul ceased its agonized screams.
"You... understand what?" Dumbledore had been watching Ezio closely. When he saw the look of realization, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
"When using the Cruciatus Curse, the more you enjoy the pain and screams of the tortured subject—that is to say, the more twisted your mentality is—the better the effect of the curse."
Ezio cleaned his ear. "Although I can confirm this conclusion, to be honest, I don't really appreciate it. If torture is not used to extract information, then it has no practical meaning. Only a twisted madman would derive pleasure from the suffering of others."
"The wizard who invented this spell was quite boring. Must have been a pervert. There are so many methods of interrogation; torture is only the lowest choice."
Ezio spoke with a lack of interest. After practical testing, his evaluation of the Cruciatus Curse was not high. It had a certain practical value, but its uses were limited.
"I'm more inclined to use Veritaserum. After all, even those who have mastered Occlumency cannot resist the powerful effects of Veritaserum. That is the most practical thing, fast and efficient."
"The only pity is that brewing Veritaserum is too difficult, more troublesome than Felix Felicis. I can't learn it yet, which is a real shame."
Ezio clicked his tongue. He really wished Snape could teach him something good. But these things, he could only get from Snape through Harry. After all, the textbook didn't teach this stuff. It was a highly prohibited substance. Not one in a thousand potioneers knew the recipe, and even if they did, they wouldn't have the skill to make it.
Harry's value to him was not just his status as a Horcrux, but also the Snape factor. He had thoroughly offended Snape before he had even started school. Without using his brain a little, it would be very difficult to get any treasures out of him.
*****
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