Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor's office.
"Cough, cough, cough.. very good, I've finished explaining the details of this spell, cough, cough…"
Quirrell coughed nonstop, barely managing to finish his sentence.
The hand covering his mouth looked extremely thin, and his skin had grown even paler.
Lucien, moving his wand as though practicing the spell, asked "with concern":
"Professor, your health seems poor. Why don't you visit the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey—or Professor Snape? His potions should…"
"Ah—No, no need, I'll be fine after resting."
Quirrell waved his hands repeatedly, then immediately shifted the topic, clearly unwilling to discuss his condition.
"This spell, Laceratio, causes numerous wounds on the target's surface, and these wounds are difficult to heal, cough, cough…"
"So—cough—never use it on your classmates."
After finishing, Quirrell forced a smile that was barely better than a grimace.
Lucien drew an "X" from the upper-left corner over the practice dummy with a light motion of his wand.
"Laceratio!"
Whoosh—!!
More than a dozen crimson blood blades shot from the tip of his wand, slicing toward the dummy's head, neck, and torso.
Almost at the same moment, sharp cutting sounds echoed through the room, and several wounds of varying depth instantly appeared on the dummy's surface.
The areas struck by multiple blades were carved even deeper, and the relatively narrow neck was severed completely.
Sizzle… sizzle—~~!
Lucien narrowed his eyes, watching the red liquid seeping from the cuts and producing a faint corrosive hiss against the dummy's material.
The power was decent—its direct lethality was sufficient, and it even carried a hint of poison.
Hmm. Still feels a bit lacking. Snape's Sectumsempra is a bit advanced, but also lacks the acid..
It should be possible to improve it further.
Watching Lucien practice, Quirrell couldn't help but nod, praising him softly:
"Excellent, Lucien. Your talent is truly remarkable."
"For beginners, it's normal to only produce two or three blood blades. But you conjured over a dozen on your first attempt, and your accuracy is flawless. Very impressive."
"That's only because your explanation was so detailed, Professor."
Lucien replied politely. This wasn't flattery—Quirrell's strength was indeed considered elite among adult Wizards.
And his theoretical foundation was solid; his explanations and analyses were genuinely insightful.
"However, Professor, I feel this spell might still have room for development."
Lucien voiced his thoughts and speculations.
After hearing this, Quirrell's lips curled into a smile.
He had been right. As a Ravenclaw with exceptional talent, Lucien possessed an almost instinctive drive to explore knowledge.
Quirrell had simplified this Dark Arts spell—one bestowed upon him by his master—to a certain extent, deliberately omitting certain content and leaving noticeable flaws.
And Lucien, with his extraordinary affinity for the Dark Arts, had indeed—as Quirrell expected—noticed the shortcomings of the spell and even proposed ideas for improvement.
Ever since Quirrell's attempt to influence and control Lucien with a variant of the Imperius Curse had failed—and backfired—Voldemort had instructed him to change tactics.
Instead of trying to control Lucien, he was to lure him into studying the Dark Arts, guiding him to fall deeper and deeper down that path.
Then…
Once Lucien tasted the "sweetness" of Dark Arts and developed a desire to pursue deeper, more advanced knowledge, he would naturally discover who stood at the absolute pinnacle of that path.
Voldemort enjoyed the feeling of seeing geniuses and powerful individuals kneel before him.
He wanted Lucien to acknowledge his supremacy from the bottom of his heart.
And with his master's new instructions, Quirrell acted accordingly.
During their regular tutoring sessions, he subtly wove in knowledge related to the Dark Arts, slowly steering Lucien in that direction.
Only recently had Quirrell begun trying to teach relatively complete Dark spells.
To Quirrell's great surprise, Lucien showed no resistance at all.
Lucien's progress in this area was so rapid that it left Quirrell astonished.
However, after a few lessons, Quirrell found himself facing a dilemma.
Lucien learned too quickly, and too easily.
With his own many years as a student—and as an excellent Ravenclaw graduate—Quirrell knew very well that knowledge obtained too easily often failed to leave a deep impression.
Only by wrestling with difficult questions and thinking them through thoroughly would a student's interest truly be sparked, pushing them to study on their own.
Quirrell believed this was especially true for a genius like Lucien.
"Lucien, that's an excellent question. Maintaining curiosity is a Ravenclaw virtue."
"And your idea is indeed brilliant. Hmm… this spell, perhaps we could try to…"
As he discussed the topic with Lucien, Quirrell patiently revealed the spell's original form bit by bit.
He did his best to make Lucien feel that this was the result of his own careful thought and research.
Time slowly passed—
"Yes, Potions!"
"This magic can not only be used as a simple spell—it can even be combined with Potions!"
Lucien's eyes lit with genuine excitement.
Composite magic like this was uncommon. The spell itself was rare and valuable, but the concept behind it was even more important.
The fusion of spells and Potions.
With this as a reference, it wasn't impossible to develop other applications.
Lucien took out a small bottle, scattered the pale black liquid into the air, and simultaneously swung his wand.
This time, the wand's movement began from the lower right, tracing an X-shaped stroke, with the final motion noticeably curved.
"Laceratio!"
As the blood blades formed out of thin air, they absorbed the floating liquid, causing faint streaks of black to appear within the blades.
When they struck the practice dummy, the slashed areas were stained with the Potion carried by the blood blades. More tiny fragments fell continuously to the ground, but before they could truly land, they were already completely corroded.
Seeing this scene, Quirrell's smile grew even wider.
The effect of this Potion looked rather vicious as well.
Haha, someone who carries something like this hardly seems like a well-behaved child.
"Lucien, you are truly an astonishing young wizard. This is the first time I've developed a new magical application together with a student."
Quirrell gave a deeply satisfied smile, trying his best to appear warm and kind—if one ignored his gaunt, pale face.
Lucien also made his eyes look sincere and earnest, using the acting techniques taught by his drama teacher, mixing just the right amount of emotion into his expression as he said:
"This is all thanks to your patient instruction. Your teaching skills are truly…"
While flattering him out loud, he kept grumbling internally.
Heh, he finally decided to give me the full version of the spell.
No wonder it felt incomplete before—even flawed.
So he was deliberately holding back.
Well… no. Quirrell still taught it in the end.
First teaching the incomplete version, then leading him to the complete one… no, the latter felt more like guidance than instruction.
It genuinely felt like a teacher and student researching and exploring a problem together.
Why would Quirrell go through this kind of "unnecessary trouble"?
To make the learning process less effortless?
He could have simply taught more slowly… or taught less.
Hmm. Is he creating obstacles for me?
Lucien glanced at Quirrell, whose faint smile carried a trace of satisfaction on his pale face.
If he was intentionally creating difficulties during the learning process, then… was he trying to make me remember this magic more clearly?
Dark Arts… tsk, he's really willing to put in the effort.
As Lucien continued practicing, a vortex formed in his eyes, shrinking rapidly until it reached its smallest point.
During the process of asking questions and seeking guidance, he quietly used his Eye of Peering Magic to observe Quirrell, focusing on the magic circuits within his body.
They had changed again.
They were withering, twisting.
Is this the result of being possessed by Lord Voldemort?
Come to think of it, the magic circuits he had seen on Voldemort during the Quidditch match were indeed bizarre—completely unlike those of other adult wizards.
Hmm, and Dumbledore's magic circuits were different as well.
Is that one of the reasons their strength far surpasses that of ordinary people?
While continuing to practice and waving his wand, Lucien asked in the tone of a student earnestly seeking guidance:
"Professor, I recently read in a book that a wizard's magic circuits...…"
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