"Professor," Hermione couldn't help but ask quietly, "what is Professor Dumbledore researching? Those books—" she pointed to one with a cover glowing with eerie green light.
"I think I saw content related to the Dark Arts."
The little witch's voice was cautious.
Snape's eyes immediately turned sharp, his black pupils shrinking to the size of a needle point in the dim light. "You saw wrong, Miss Granger."
"Don't be too curious," his voice was cold, carrying an unmistakable authority, "this knowledge is not something a little wizard like you can reach."
Upon hearing this.
Hermione felt a surge of defiance rising in her heart, she straightened her back: "But Professor, knowledge itself doesn't have a division of good or evil, the key lies in how it's used.
"You often emphasize this point in Magic Potion Class, don't you?"
She tried to use such words to block Snape's rebuttal.
Snape's lips twisted into a cold smile: "Surprising, Miss Granger, you actually remember what I said in class. But allow me to correct you—"
He suddenly leaned forward, his waxy face appearing especially sinister under the reflection of the magic light ball, "Some knowledge is like poison, just knowing it can corrupt a wizard's soul."
Hermione involuntarily stepped back half a step, but her curiosity soon overcame her fear. Her gaze drifted again to those ancient books, especially the thick one with the cover flickering with green light. On the open pages, she vaguely saw a familiar symbol—the one similar to the changing runes on the Bronze Gate.
"That gate." She blurted out, "Is it related to the Dark Arts? Ian has been inside for a long time, shouldn't we quickly think of a way to warn—"
The little witch's words were cut in half.
"Silence!" Snape suddenly interrupted her sharply, while quickly glancing at Dumbledore, who was still immersed in his own world, "Do you think the headmaster is here to while away the time?"
This sentence directly left Hermione speechless.
She still had respect for Dumbledore.
"I can actually help filter, though I don't understand this knowledge, I'm quite good at looking at pictures and finding characters." Hermione felt she also ought to do something.
Members of the trio often had such eagerness to try.
However.
Snape sneered again.
"Do you think all dangers wear a black cloak for you to recognize?" Snape said coldly, "Some are actually more terrifying than the Dark Arts."
"Because they don't even follow the rules, just taking a glance will brand them in your mind, becoming an erosion of your soul." Snape wasn't exaggerating his warnings.
This kind of knowledge genuinely existed.
There wasn't a lack of it in Dumbledore's private collection.
"Uh..."
Hermione opened her mouth, but couldn't find words to refute.
She felt Snape was trying to scare her.
And just at this moment.
"Hermione."
Dumbledore finally spoke, lifting his head, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable strength, "Your professor is right, some doors, once opened, can never be closed."
"You came to Hogwarts to learn when to push them open." One must say, the old headmaster was still as philosophical when he spoke.
"Alright."
Hermione lowered her head, gently responded without proposing any bold suggestions again—after all, she wasn't Ron, and if it were Ron, he definitely would still feel unsatisfied at this moment.
Then would lead others to feel unsatisfied too.