Hogwarts, where the stars shine

A group of four people left the Slytherin common room and walked towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts office on the third floor of the castle.

Mesa and Lilia were deeply involved in this matter, so Dumbledore did not let them avoid the rest of the trip.

This office is where Steele Martin usually rests, and he also decorated the room himself.

The shelves on the wall were filled with books and speculums, and there was a large box stacked in the corner, which looked normal.On the desk, the pale candle had burned to the bottom, and there were half-marked test papers next to it.

Everything was normal, befitting a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, except for Steele Martin himself.

Steele Martin's body lay on the bed, with a candle burning above his head and one at his feet.

Just like in the spirit skin space, Martin's exposed skin was engraved with black characters, looking eerie and weird.

It seems that it was because of these mysterious characters that Steele Martin was able to leave his consciousness (soul) and enter the hidden spirit skin space.Only Slytherins can enter there.

The placement of candles, the ghostly characters, and the soulless body gave this office a spooky air.

Dumbledore looked at the characters, as if he wanted to try to identify them and determine where Martin's spells came from.This is a useless attempt. Even if it can be clearly identified, it cannot change the outcome. It can only increase the knowledge.

The curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position has come true again. Steele Martin no longer has to take two steps to avoid illness. He has reached the point in one step. You don't even need to see it to know that he is in an advanced stage and is in a vegetative state~.

Dumbledore sighed, perhaps lamenting Steele Martin's fall.

Love and remembrance are not wrong. What is wrong is Martin's way of loving and remembrance. What is wrong is his insistence on going his own way.

Seeing his former student step into darkness, Dumbledore's heart should be full of bitterness at this moment.

"Professor Snape, will he wake up?" Lilia asked timidly.From the moment she entered the office, she hid behind Mesa, partly out of embarrassment and partly because of the gloomy atmosphere here.

"No, he will never wake up again. His physical functions will gradually disappear." Snape said, but he saw the spirit skin devouring Steele Martin with his own eyes, and saw the scene where the spirit skin was assimilated by the spirit skin. .

Even if Steele Martin got rid of the spirit skin at the last moment, he would come back almost a cripple.

"Everyone has to pay the price for their choices." Dumbledore said meaningfully, "Steele Martin paid his own price, an extremely heavy price."

Snape did not answer, but silently looked around the entire office, and finally landed on the box in the corner.

"Maybe we should open it and have a look," Snape said, taking out his wand and pointing it at the magical brass lock hanging on the box.

A bright light flashed, the copper lock clicked open, and the objects in the big box were revealed in front of the four people.

There weren't many things in the box, just a few crudely made wooden dolls, a few specially treated bones, and two jars of disgusting-looking liquid.

The liquid in one tank was as dark as ink, a bit like black mud; the liquid in the other tank was very clear, but it was soaked in something that looked like human skin.

"What is that?" Mesa asked. "It looks like human skin."

The substances in the clear jar are all small pieces. Although the sizes are different, the shapes are very similar.

"It doesn't look like it, it's human skin." Snape said with certainty, "It's the eyelids that have been cut off or cut off. Unfortunately, no one can explain to us the function of these eyelids."

Although he said it was a pity, Snape had no regrets at all, and he had no intention of holding back in the spirit skin space.

The silent curse directly chopped Steele Martin to the ground, and the ground was soaked red with blood.With that terrifying amount of bleeding, someone else could have covered it with a white cloth and prepared to serve the food.

Mesa admires him very much for being sinister and ruthless, and even wants to learn from him.This spell is simply a must-have magical skill for traveling at home, killing people, and stealing goods.

The office fell silent over the jar of eyelids.

Regardless of whether these eyelids come from a living person or a dead person, it is a very scary thing.

The eyelids soaked in the jar are so dense that even a brave person like Mesa would not want to take a second look, let alone Lilia.

These disgusting things made the young Miss Shafiq shrink to the door. Not even Mesa and Snape combined could give her a sense of security.

After a while, Dumbledore stopped observing the black characters and said: "Severus, take Mr. Black and Miss Shafik to rest first. I will deal with these things, as well as Steele Martin."

With that said, Dumbledore walked over, closed the lid of the box, and locked it again.

Lilia felt like she was being pardoned and left without saying a word. She didn't want to stay here for a second.Mesa wanted to stay and learn more about Martin's past, but he couldn't resist Snape's urging.

Led by Snape, the three of them walked towards the auditorium on the first floor.

The Slytherin students rested in the Great Hall tonight, and although Martin's matter had been resolved, the Headmaster did not let everyone return to the common room.

With Steele Martin permanently remaining in spirit skin space, his life has come to an end.The mysterious characters, the strange eyelids, the woman he tried to recall, and how to learn about the spirit skin space, many of the mysteries left behind by Martin have been forever sealed.

The silent three people quickly walked to the door of the auditorium, but Lilia was the only one who walked into the auditorium to rest.Snape took Mesa to a nearby empty classroom. He had something to say to Mesa alone.

There is more exposure outside the window, but there are no fallen flowers tonight.

Severus Snape stood in front of the window, the bright moonlight shining on his sallow face, but unfortunately it was difficult for the Potions Professor to give people a sense of sanctity.

Snape said softly: "I know exactly what you want to do in the Academy, Mesa Black. There was someone who did something similar, but he did it much better than you."

This person is of course Snape's old master Voldemort, but Mesa does not know the Dark Lord's secret past, let alone that he has a similar experience to himself.

Mesa did not act submissive, did not present himself as a victim of blood discrimination, and did not lower his head and say that he had done something wrong.He never felt that he had done anything wrong. If he did something wrong, it was because he was not strong enough.

Snape turned around and looked at Mesa in the darkness.

He continued: "You can continue as you wish, but only if you learn to abide by the school's rules. At least for now, you have to abide by the rules."

These words really surprised Mesa.

Judging from what Snape said, it seems that the headmaster of Slytherin will protect him from now on?

Logically speaking, at this time, Mesa should lift his robe, kneel down, burst into tears, and say sincerely: I have spent half my life regretting that I have never met my master. If I don't give up now, I am willing to worship him as my adoptive father!

That's right.

But instead of being moved or excited, Mesa kept wondering about Snape's intentions.He is a little wizard with nothing to gain, what does he want from him?

Seemingly seeing through Mesa's thoughts, Snape continued: "I do have my own purpose, but you don't deserve to know it now. In addition, if your development does not meet my expectations..."

Snape didn't finish, and he didn't have to finish. Half of it was enough.

"I see, Professor," Mesa said, unable to think of any reason to refuse Snape's help.This is an opportunity that no one else could ask for, so how could you refuse it.

Snape walked up to Mesa and asked, "When did you start getting involved in dark magic? During the Christmas holidays?"

Snape had never checked Mesa's wand whether in or out of the spirit skin space, but he was convinced that Mesa must be secretly learning dark magic.

"Yes, I started contacting him during the Christmas vacation." Mesa answered truthfully. He had already used the black curse, so there was no point in denying it.

And whether he accepts Snape's help or cooperates with Snape, Mesa is always the weak side.When facing a strong opponent, Mesa must maintain due respect.

"Do you know why black magic is called black magic?"

"Because they are too powerful and will cause irreversible harm to people?" Mesa answered uncertainly.

Snape nodded and continued: "This is just one aspect. More importantly, long-term study and use of black magic will affect people's minds and eventually turn them into uncontrollable monsters."

Mesa was well aware of the disadvantages of black magic, but he ignored these disadvantages just to have more cards at his side.

Snape walked back to the window. As he walked, he said: "Starting from next semester, I will look for you when I have time. I hope your future performance will not disappoint me, Mesa Black."