HP: Wizardry’s a Hassle, Wand in the Right Hand, Gun in the Left

"The resolution of the crisis within the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts will be announced during dinner, once all the students have woken up and gathered in the Great Hall."

"As for Ginny Weasley, Dumbledore has assured us that he will conduct a discreet examination to determine if Voldemort left any lingering influence or anomalies in her. Any interaction between Hermione and her will have to wait until Dumbledore has confirmed her condition."

"Lastly, my own task is to further research and refine the use of the Cruciatus Curse as a method to separate soul characteristics from pure soul essence. This is to address the Voldemort soul fragment attached to and growing within Harry Potter's soul. Tom Riddle's diary will serve as the test subject, aiming to destroy the self-awareness of the soul within and transform it into pure soul essence."

Indeed, the Cruciatus Curse was the solution I proposed last night to deal with the issue between Harry and Voldemort's Horcrux.

The Cruciatus Curse inflicts pain by cutting into the soul. If that's the case, then could it not be repurposed—precisely controlled and with moderated power—into a surgical tool to remove impurities that do not belong to a part of the soul?

Even Dumbledore, who initially dismissed the idea due to his aversion to dark magic, eventually deemed the method "more than fifty percent feasible" after thoroughly considering the fundamentals of spellcasting and magical energy manipulation.

A significant reason I learned the Cruciatus Curse was to resolve the anomaly in Harry's soul as soon as possible without provoking Dumbledore. With my heightened sensitivity to magical circuits and souls, I had already made some preliminary progress.

The theory still required refinement and much experimentation. The incident of the Heir of Slytherin came at just the right time to further my research.

Tom Riddle's diary appeared like a timely rain, becoming the perfect experimental subject for my study of the Cruciatus Curse.

Upon learning that the Heir of Slytherin was actually a fragment of Voldemort's soul residing in the diary, I immediately saw the potential follow-up. After the battle concluded, the diary became the best trophy I could ask for.

If the experiment failed before the soul fragment of Tom Riddle in the diary was completely damaged, it wouldn't matter. At the very least, the accumulated experience and recorded errors would serve as a reference for future attempts, refining the technique further.

If successful, I would obtain a source of pure soul essence, which was exactly what I desired most.

Pure soul essence is like a lump of clay that can be molded at will. Through alchemy, I could imbue it with a certain level of consciousness, making it my "second pair of eyes." It could also absorb the soul energy from the Philosopher's Stone to strengthen itself.

I planned to use this method to attempt creating an alchemical golem connected to its creator's consciousness.

With an alchemical golem, I would have more free time to dedicate to other pursuits.

Of course, the ideal is often far from reality. All of this hinged on the premise that my Cruciatus Curse could successfully separate Tom Riddle's soul fragment.

A numbing sensation spread through my arm. I stopped constructing the virtual form of magical circuits in my mind, calming the magical energy surging within my body. I opened my eyes.

It was already close to dinner time. After lunch, Hermione and I had taken our usual walk to aid digestion. Feeling extremely tired, Hermione decided to nap in the Room of Requirement, dragging me to the bed for a forced nap. She ended up sleeping the entire afternoon.

Although I had dozed off briefly, I woke up soon after and spent the rest of the time studying magic in my mind.

At some point, Hermione, who had been lying beside me, changed her sleeping posture. She was now lying on her side, hugging my left arm, her small face pressing against the artery on my arm. My left hand felt as if a thousand ants were crawling over it.

...It was numb.

Fortunately, magic offered a convenient spell to alleviate this sensation. I had already cast the spell on my arm several times, avoiding the need to disturb Hermione's sleeping posture and risk waking her.

But now, I couldn't let Hermione continue sleeping. If she slept any longer, she might not be able to fall asleep at night.

"Hermione, wake up," I said, breaking the silence and preparing to wake her.

"It's almost dinner time."

"Zzz..."

"Stop pretending. I know you're awake. Get up."

"Zzz..."

I decided to act. Using my free right hand, I curled four fingers, leaving only my index finger extended. I found my target and poked.

I poked Hermione's ticklish spot.

"Poof!"

As if struck at her weak point, Hermione's body on the bed jolted slightly, and the laughter she had been holding back finally burst out with a giggle.

Unlike Hermione's mischievous nature, I didn't take advantage of her reaction to launch a relentless tickle attack. I simply poked her once and withdrew my hand.

Of course, when dealing with Hermione, one poke was enough. The little girl would imagine the rest of the tickle assault herself. At this moment, Hermione curled up like she had been hit in the abdomen, releasing my already numb arm. She rolled to the side, trembling slightly while suppressing her giggles.

"Get ready. Let's head downstairs," I suggested, massaging the muscles of my left hand to relieve the symptoms.

"Haha... Don't touch me..." Hermione laughed silently, trembling as she reached out to stop the nonexistent attack.

"I'm not planning to keep poking you. I'm not like you," I replied helplessly, pushing Hermione's hand back to show I wouldn't accept her baseless accusations.

"!"

Without warning, Hermione pounced like a cat, her hands clawing as she lunged at me.

"You must pay for what you've done!"

"Take this, Glenn..."

...

Not long after, a disheveled Hermione with a flushed face and a calm Glenn stepped out of the Room of Requirement.

Having launched a surprise attack only to be countered, Hermione finally understood what it meant to feel the disparity in strength.

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