Since the start of term, Marcel had spent most of his time researching the problem with himself. The origin of this could easily be traced—it all resulted from that dagger. According to Rowena, this was part of the trial. If Marcel guessed right, the goal this time was probably for him to recover the emotions and feelings he'd lost.
But this trial was clearly much more difficult than the last. At least with the Phoenician characters there were clear clues; the weird dagger offered none.
Rational thinking could keep him calm, but baseless speculation was just guesswork.
"It's obviously related to the soul," Marcel mused, using an invisibility charm to secretly search the Restricted Section of the library for materials. He carefully turned the pages of the magical research journal he'd already glanced at before—a handbook on soul magic. The book still gave off an unsettling aura, yet now Marcel found it much less difficult to endure.
He read by moonlight, slowly taking everything in, often stopping to think. After a while, having finished skimming it, he thought, "I learned a few things, but none solve my current problem." He shelved the book. "The dagger…damage to the soul…what is it, exactly?" He muttered to himself, hoping for some spark of inspiration.
Suddenly, he closed his eyes, standing quietly for a moment. "That's it!" he burst out, momentarily forgetting he was still under an invisibility spell.
"Right… if emotions and feelings are part of the soul, erasing them is like erasing a piece of one's soul." Calmly, Marcel posited a theory not even found in the magic text he studied: "To erase part of the soul you must first split it—that's just like making a Horcrux." (see 魂器 ). "And after that… is it consumed?" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing a terrible implication: if part of the soul is devoured and the dagger hadn't come back with him, then he could be in real trouble. "I'll have to try to check the current state of my soul..."
He decided to modify a partial incantation from the book, using his improved understanding of magical rules to dissect and adapt spells (a nod to post-summer progress in the fanfic). While he couldn't yet create wholly new spells, altering existing ones was within his grasp. Under his breath, he tested the result: a thin wisp of black fog curled from his wand tip, growing denser until finally forming a terrifying skull, eyes flickering blue.
A stifled gasp came from somewhere in the library. Instantly, Marcel waved away the skull and turned toward the sound. He said coolly, "Ron, if you're here, come out."
After a pause, three figures—Ron, Harry, and Hermione—emerged from behind a bookshelf by the edge of the Restricted Section, pulling off an Invisibility Cloak.
"Clever," Marcel observed, glancing at their shoes, wrapped in rags for stealth, and then at Hermione.
Hermione hesitated, about to explain, but Marcel cut her off. "Just say it. Why did you come looking for me so late?"
The three looked at each other, not knowing how to begin—especially Ron, who after witnessing that spell wanted desperately to leave.
Harry clutched at his scar, which ached after seeing Marcel conjure that skull of dark mist—a subtle connection to soul magic and the Horcrux link. Hermione, worried about Marcel's state, hadn't wanted to come but couldn't let things go.
Standing in that cold moonlight, with Marcel's expressionless face half-lit, the three felt genuine fear—this wasn't at all what they'd expected.
Hermione, the quickest to recover, claimed, "We just wanted to… get a book from the Restricted Section."
"Fine," Marcel replied, not calling her bluff—he knew she'd already checked out 强力药剂. He replaced his book and left, pausing only briefly at Hermione's whispered, trembling, "Are you… alright?"
"I'm fine." He left through the door, never looking back.
The encounter left Ron speechless and frightened; Harry, clutching his aching scar, in deep thought. Back in the common room, they wondered about the link—Harry explained he'd guessed Marcel would be in the Restricted Section (thanks to seeing Marcel's handwriting previously).
Ron muttered they should tell Dumbledore. Hermione, after some silence, agreed: "Maybe you're right... Even if it's for Marcel..."
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