Just as Matthew spoke, the little golden clock on Horace Slughorn's desk struck nine times.

"Of course, but not too long!" said the Potions professor mildly. At the same time he picked a piece of candied pineapple and stuffed it into his mouth.

Then he added: "After all, it's getting late, and I don't think you want to be caught until the lights go out and you're still outside." ”

"Yes, sir, but we won't turn off the lights until ten o'clock...... So, I want to ask you something. Matthew said, "If you're free!"

"Then ask, kid, ask ......"

Slughorn drank a small glass of wine, his cheeks looking slightly red.

Matthew glanced at the old man in front of him, half-lying in the armchair, with a big belly and a relaxed face.

Without hesitation, he spoke softly:

"It's about my roommate, Draco Malfoy......"

"Draco, oh, poor boy, I remember it well!" Slughorn licked the icing on his finger and sighed with some regret:

"It was so bad luck that I had that accident when I first came to school, and then I stayed in the school hospital until today...... So much so that now in October, he hasn't even attended one of our meetings...... I just hope that the friend that Professor Rozier invited can help him......"

"Yes, I'm sorry about that too. Matthew chimed in: "It's just that I'm a little curious, what happened to him at that time?"

......

Matthew Wakefield didn't directly mention anything about that book.

He was going to knock on the side and ask what the book was all about.

So, he started with the attack on Draco Malfoy.

Slughorn seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps because the box of candied pineapple was very much on his appetite, or maybe it was because of today's banquet.

He glanced at Matthew and said a little absent-mindedly, "This kind of thing, we usually keep it a secret...... Professor Rozier doesn't want the truth to be known to the whole of Hogwarts, that would be very detrimental to our teaching work......"

His words, it seems, are a rejection.

But obviously, there seems to be more ingredients for selling guanzi than for rejection.

After all, if he really wants to refuse with an iron heart, he can directly use a ready-made excuse to drive Matthew away.

Matthew was clearly aware of this, too. He hurriedly echoed and said, "Yes, Professor, Principal Rozier's words are right, this kind of thing must not be known to outsiders casually......"

“...... But I'm no outsider, Draco Malfoy is my roommate. But he quickly changed his tone and continued, his voice gradually becoming a little low:

"You know, at the time of his attack - I was the only one in the entire dormitory, and my roommates were all taken to the hospital, and their fate was unknown. I was so scared that I would wake up every night when I went to bed with nightmares, and I was afraid that I would suddenly encounter something horrible like Malfoy and the others, and then die silently!"

As he spoke, Matthew wiped the corners of his eyes pitifully:

"So, Professor Slughorn. I beg you, tell me what happened, I can swear I won't tell anyone! That will at least give me a good night's sleep......"

Slughorn glanced at Matthew with some sympathy: "Poor boy, to be honest, I can understand the pressure you are facing, I can totally understand it. ”

"No, you don't understand......" Matthew shook his head:

"I tried my best to forget what had happened that night, but every time I went to a crowded place, someone would come up to me and ask me what had happened. After all, I was the only one in the dormitory, and they were all curious, but I was very scared! You don't know what a desperate mood it was, and sometimes I even wanted to climb up to the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle and jump out of the window......"

Matthew said as he spoke, moving himself to tears, and tears were already streaming from the corners of his eyes.

"Oh, you can't do that!" Slughorn said quickly, "If you do jump, you'll have to stay in the school hospital for at least a week...... Of course, it could also be two weeks ......"

He paused and looked at Matthew, "Do you need me to get you a towel, kid?"

"No, no!" Matthew quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, he hadn't forgotten that Slughorn had just licked his own fingers.

"Alright!" Slughorn sighed, "That one might as well tell you the truth, it's not really something worth keeping secret......

......

Matthew hurriedly sat down and listened attentively.

If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't in class, he would even want to take out a pen and paper to take notes.

"Matthew, do you know the Dark Arts?" Slughorn said earnestly.

"Dark magic?" Matthew blinked.

"Of course, that's what it used to call before, and now it's called Extreme Magic...... Professor Rozier must have taught you in her class!" Slughorn rephrased.

"Yes, but the textbooks still call it black magic. Matthew nodded and said.

"That's because of the old guys led by the Wizarding Examination Authority, Geselda Marchban!" Slughorn shrugged his shoulders and explained:

"Very old, very old, very prestigious, in the wizarding world...... Although they were nominally subject to the rule of the new Ministry of Magic, they never really identified with Gellert Grindelwald...... However, they can only use this way to cause more or less trouble for Hogwarts. After all, the source of textbooks is subject to the control of the Wizarding Examination Authority......"

"Of course, in Professor Grindelwald's eyes, they were little more than clowns dancing around their graves. Slughorn suddenly said with some deep meaning:

"However, the entire wizarding world is not Lord Grindelwald's word after all!"

Matthew didn't quite understand what Slughorn meant by this.

He could only nod his head in a vague understanding.

"Alright, let's get down to business!" Slughorn continued, "let's call it the Dark Arts...... Matthew, do you know what the scariest form of black magic is?"

"This ......" Matthew hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I seem to have seen it in an extracurricular book about Defence Against the Dark Arts class, it seems to be called ...... Don't ......"

"The Unforgivable Curse?" Slughorn said before Matthew.

"Seems so, Professor!" Matthew nodded hurriedly.

"It seems that I invited you to join the club, and it was really not the wrong choice!" Slughorn laughed, "You read a lot outside of class!"

"I just prefer the quiet atmosphere in the library. Matthew lowered his head a little shyly.

"Alright. Slughorn's face quickly became serious again: "The Unforgivable Curses are indeed terrifying, but they are far from qualified to be named by the word 'most'......"

“...... The most terrible black magic in the truest sense of the word!" His voice suddenly became hollow and solemn, "the oldest and most mysterious magic...... Indescribable, indescribable, far beyond what a normal wizard knows, mystical magic!"

As soon as the words fell, Slughorn's body trembled involuntarily.

"So......" Matthew frowned and continued to whisper, "Is Draco Malfoy's injury also due to the influence of mystical magic?"

Professor Rozier thinks so. Slughorn replied, "She has a lot of experience with the dark arts, so I agree with her." ”

"So, someone used mystical dark magic on Malfoy?" Matthew asked again, playing dumb on purpose.

"It's unlikely, after all, I'm pretty confident in the safety of the Slytherin common room. So, whether it's Professor Rozier's speculation or mine's conjecture - we all agree that what attacked Draco must have been an item related to the mystical side of the dark arts......"

“...... This was normal, Draco's father had always been interested in that kind of thing, and it was a secret that wasn't a secret, so Draco might have stumbled upon them......"

Matthew felt that he was very close to the answer.

However, he still asked in a low voice, "Is that item related to mystical side dark magic still in the Slytherin common room?"

"Hahaha!" Slughorn burst out laughing, "Don't scare yourself, my child. I could have searched your dorm room and its surroundings in detail. There will never be a fish that slips through the net!"

"Could that be...... That item left the Slytherin common room?" asked Matthew again.

"What do you think it is, paper airplane?" Slughorn said with a smile as he spread his hands toward Matthew, "That's impossible, my boy." Hogwarts has complete and powerful protection against the Dark Arts, and you can't run around with a used Dark Arts item without being discovered......"

“...... Moreover, the space rules of Hogwarts are also extremely restrictive, and the transfer of space of anything without the consent of the headmaster is not allowed. None of us, including the teachers, are allowed to apparition within the confines of the Hogwarts campus...... Not to mention a dark magic item!"

"So what's going on?" Matthew asked, frowning.

"According to our guess, the mysterious side dark magic item that Draco came into contact with is probably a very weak one...... After attacking Draco Malfoy, it used up all of its power, so we didn't find it. Slughorn explained, "Actually, there's only one possibility!"

"Well, if it's powerful...... That mysterious side dark magic item......" Matthew asked again.

"You can only pray that you'll never encounter that kind of thing, unless you're a powerful wizard like Professor Grindelwald. Slughorn's tone gradually became serious.

"Isn't that scary?" Matthew looked down.

"It's not just 'terrible'. Slughorn shook his head: "That kind of thing is definitely not something that a normal wizard can touch...... It will slowly erode you, affect you, and even assimilate you...... Before you know it......"

"So...... What if, I mean what if...... What would have happened if Mr. Draco Malfoy had come into contact with that kind of thing?" Matthew asked in a low voice.

His voice sounded a little shaky.

It is also quite normal that an eleven-year-old child will inevitably not be afraid when he hears such a terrible thing.

"I'll kill him!" Slughorn said.

"Kill...... Kill ...... He?" Matthew stammered, his mouth wide open.

"Yes, as cruel as it sounds, it will definitely end for the best for that boy. Slughorn continued, "Even if I don't do it, Professor Rozier, or even Professor Grindelwald, will!"

"Death is not the most terrible thing, far from it! If you really come into contact with that unspeakable mystery, then you will be faced with something more terrible than death......

"Sounds weird...... "Matthew smiled a little unnaturally, as if jokingly, "So in the future, if we encounter that kind of thing, shouldn't we just run away?"

"Run?" Slughorn smiled mockingly, "True mystery, you can't escape...... Because when you stare at it, it stare at you at the same time......"

At this moment, Matthew looked extremely pale.

"Oh, kid, did I freak you out...... Obviously I should comfort you!" Slughorn said apologetically, "Don't worry, you can't find a few of those really ancient and mysterious things in the world, and you will almost never encounter them......"

"The one that Draco Malfoy had come into contact with was just the simplest of those mysterious side dark magic gadgets, and it had definitely disappeared at Hogwarts...... Otherwise, we would have found it in the first place! So, relax, don't worry about these mysterious things, and focus on the more interesting things!"

Slughorn shouted comfort over there.

Matthew's face gradually improved, and he nodded, "Thank you, Professor!"

"Don't tell you these things!" Slughorn waved at him.

"I won't say it, sir. Matthew Wakefield finished and left.

When he left Horace Slughorn's office, his face was still extremely pale.

PS: It's Monday, continue to ask for recommendation tickets!