At 2:30 AM, Karl transformed into his Jungle Cat form and left the dormitory and the Hufflepuff common room.
As the saying goes, 'a dark and stormy night is perfect for murder and arson,' and tonight was indeed the opportune moment for him to sneak into the Restricted Section of the library.
That's right, Karl had still decided to go there to look for the Fiendfyre Curse.
After all, besides the Restricted Section, there were probably only two ways to learn the Fiendfyre Curse.
One, learn from Headmaster Dumbledore.
Two, get a letter of introduction from Headmaster Dumbledore and go to Nurmengard to learn from Grindelwald.
Hmm... both seem a bit outlandish... well, very outlandish.
The reason he waited until now to act was because he needed to first learn the Disillusionment Charm to increase his chances of success.
He also needed to memorize some ancient texts related to spells to avoid attracting Filch, like Harry did, by opening a screaming book because he couldn't understand the title.
At the same time, Karl was worried about being caught red-handed by a certain white-bearded old man, so he had made some preparations during this period.
He had extensively borrowed books about Dragons from the library, already leaving an impression on Madam Pince.
If he encountered Dumbledore, Karl could explain that he was looking for "Dragon breeding for pleasure and profit."
"That's right, Principal, I am a passionate Dragonenthusiast, just wanting to learn how to raise Dragons.
I have never touched the Dark Arts, and I have no interest in the Dark Arts."
This reason should work, right?
...The fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle, in the darkness, appeared even more desolate, like a horror movie set.
The Jungle Cat, its fur constantly changing color to match its surroundings, walked into the library.
After crawling under the rope separating the Restricted Section from the other bookshelves, Karl transformed back into human form.
He summoned Fire Treasure and placed it on his head for illumination and as a warning, then began to search carefully.
"Powerful Potions? Not this one."
""dragon breeding for pleasure and profit"? Take it for self-defense."
"Secret Stories of Hogwarts Principals Throughout History? Uh... save it for later."
After a long search, Karl finally found the Fiendfyre Cursein a book titled "Compendium of Dangerous Dark Arts."
Finally found you! Tom's Christmas gift is settled!
Quickly taking out paper and pen to copy it down, Karl returned the book and ""dragon breeding for pleasure and profit"" to their original places, then quickly slipped away.
However, a question still lingered in his mind: this operation was too smooth, wasn't it?
The school really didn't set up any protective or warning magic for the Restricted Section. Aren't they afraid that Little wizards will sneak in and read like he did?
Thinking about how long he had been fighting wits with the air, Karl was utterly speechless.
And just after he left, on a bookshelf deep within the library, a fiery red shadow flashed and disappeared... Inside the Room of Requirement, Karl, mimicking a certain predecessor, elegantly waved his wand.
As the tip of his wand drew a graceful arc, violent black flames appeared out of thin air, churning and roaring.
"Hmm? The color isn't right, is it?"
Karl frowned as he examined the black fire, feeling something was off.
As a fan of the "Harry Potter" novels and movies, he might misremember some unimportant plot points and character names, but he remembered the cool and magical spells very clearly.
Although the original work didn't mention the color of Fiendfyre, it appeared in the movies.
For example, in the Room of Requirement, Vincent Crabbe, who tried to harm others but ended up killing himself, used yellow Fiendfyre.
And Lord Voldemort, when fighting Dumbledore, also seemingly used the Fiendfyre Curse, but that time it was red.
Finally, Grindelwald; his Protego Diabolica must have incorporated the Fiendfyre Curse, but in the script it was black, only turning blue like a gas stove in the movie for visual effect.
As magic flames, the color changes of Fiendfyre certainly wouldn't be due to temperature like ordinary flames.
So why is this?
Is it related to the degree of control over Fiendfyre? Perhaps there's some possibility.
Crabbe couldn't control the Fiendfyre he released at all and was directly consumed by it.
Lord Voldemort easily dispelled the Fiendfyre when Dumbledore scattered it and it attacked him in reverse.
Grindelwald, needless to say, created his own Protego Diabolica, which even allowed others to pass through Fiendfyre unharmed.
Karl guessed that because he could perfectly control fire, his Fiendfyre was black, just like Grindelwald's.
It's also reasonable that Lord Voldemort's Fiendfyre was slightly inferior, as his deepest research should have been on Horcruxes and the Avada Kedavra curse.
Anyway, no matter what, the reason for Fiendfyre's multiple colors couldn't be due to emotions or a reflection of the soul, otherwise wouldn't I also have the demeanor of a Dark Lord?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
I am a sunny, cheerful boy, a respectable member of Wizard society! I will definitely not turn dark!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Just as Karl was reassuring himself, the black Fiendfyrehad already taken the shape of a Thunderbird.
It flapped its wings in the air, making the room's air scorching hot.
The refraction of light constantly changed and bent, as if space itself was twisting and shaking.
"It truly is a violent Fiendfyre, born for destruction. If it weren't for the existence of counter-spells, I'm afraid it would be even more dangerous than the three Unforgivable Curses."
Karl had just finished sighing when Fire Treasureappeared on his shoulder, its small face unusually serious as it stared at the Fiendfyre.
"Ee-yah!"
The little fellow immediately sprang into action, flying into the air and using a headbutt to smash the Fiendfyre-shaped Thunderbird into scattered, floating flames.
"Oh, this..."
Karl looked speechlessly at the Fiendfyre, which had re-formed into a Thunderbird, and obediently became Fire Treasure's mount.
Well, as a fire spirit existing between illusion and reality, Fire Treasure is definitely the king and bane of all flames.
"You're still the best!"
Karl called Fire Treasure over, cupped it in his hands, and gave it a big kiss, "Mwah!"
"Chirp~"
Fire Treasure, who had just been so imposing, instantly covered its eyes with its tiny hands, turning red with shyness... As the holidays approached, the Little wizardsnoticeably grew restless, their words and actions brimming with joy and anticipation.
In the Great Hall, Karl very naturally came to the Ravenclaw long table to eat.
The young Eagles had already grown accustomed to it, pretending not to notice his Hufflepuff-among-Eagles behavior.
After Nina used Lunar Silence to block out sounds, she looked at Karl curiously, "Where did you see the Ouroboros pendant and that ancient Greek phrase you mentioned earlier?"
"What's wrong? Did you find the source?"
Karl's spirits lifted. From Nina's expression, she had clearly found something.
Finally, I can get a glimpse into Elvis Heller's identity. Let me see what you're made of.
"If you remember correctly, that ancient Greek phrase means 'Noble Herpo the Foul, have mercy,' and given that name, the Ouroboros forming the pendant should refer to a Basilisk."
After hearing Nina's words, information about Herpo the Foul immediately appeared in Karl's mind.
Herpo the Foul, an ancient Greek Dark Wizard, and one of the earliest Dark Wizards, had a very profound understanding of the Dark Arts and evil curses.
Moreover, he was the first Wizard to breed a Basilisk and the first to successfully invent and create a Horcrux.
Most importantly, he was also a Parselmouth.
Oh no! Now it's even harder to understand!