Stirred by magic, the candlelight flickered violently.
Emotions exploded in Damon's chest like spring thunder, stirring every cell in his body to a flutter of joy.
His mind began to reel in memories—starting with the letter from Hogwarts.
Owls, professors, wands, the cleansing spell, Diagon Alley, Platform 9, Hogwarts. Hogwarts's
Joyful memories flooded back, almost uncontrollably.
Just then, Snape's voice echoed from beside him, and the pages trembled softly beside his ears like wind— "Legilimens."
Damon felt a warm sensation slowly intruding on his consciousness, like something touching his mind.
Not plundering, not ripping. A fine, water-soaked brush delicately slipped through the cracks of his consciousness.
He heard Snape's voice—not from the outside world, but a whisper echoing directly within his mind:
"
Gently, firmly, push me away with your will, not violently.
Damon focused his mind, restraining the magical energy within him that sensed an invasion, eager to devour anyone.
His magic would erupt, rejecting outside forces.
But at that moment, the effect of the emotion amplifier was fully activated.
Boundless ecstasy filled every inch of his body. His brain, his nose, his mouth opened, his nostrils hummed. A golden storm blew through Damon's mind, countless images and sounds surged like rivers, film rewinding.
"Harry Potter! This is Harry Potter!"
"Magic! I can learn magic!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
The joyful laughter and shouts of the young man resounded through the clouds.
Even if even a fraction of this ecstasy was revealed, it would have burned Snape to the point of burning.
Memories of Damon's first year, filled with constant studying, practicing, improving, and researching in the Room of Requirement, flashed through his mind. These joyful memories felt like yesterday.
"Damon,"
He heard Snape's voice, trembling as he strained to maintain a certain level of restraint.
"Now, try to mask your emotions, any kind. Try to deceive me with anything but happiness."
Damon frowned—it wasn't easy. He was simply too happy right now. Forcing himself to remember other emotions amid his greatest joy—all he could think of were the painful moments before happiness.
It was too difficult.
But he would try.
The scene shifted, and the vibrant world faded to silence.
"Tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick,"
The alarm clock rang.
The young man opened his eyes, only to see the familiar ceiling. Monotonous, dull. Just like his life. He brushed his teeth in the mirror, staring at himself with boredom—his eyes were dull, his expression neither pained nor happy, nor even calm. It held no power, only numbness.
He felt numb to everything.
"Hoo!"
The hot handkerchief covered his face, and he breathed slowly, feeling the warmth on his face—it gave him some energy to spend the next few days.
"Sometimes, I long for a drastic change in my life."
Before leaving, the young man glanced at the mirror on the wall and sighed silently.
In the coldly lit basement classroom, they both opened their eyes simultaneously.
They were both silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Snape's voice rang out softly, a rare hint of gentleness in his words.
"You're doing it wrong. You need to control your emotions, not change them. Your mood suddenly switched from extreme happiness to boredom. Anyone can tell there's something wrong.
You need to make appropriate changes, not destroy everything and create anew."
He paused, giving an example. "You seem to be enjoying everything at Hogwarts?"
"What I mean is, if practicing spells brings you joy, when you need to deceive others, you don't need to completely change the memory. Instead, make certain modifications. For example, if you have an enemy you must defeat, then your practice becomes more utilitarian.
You can incorporate anger, pain, anxiety, worry, all kinds of emotions, instead of just like now."
"I see."
Damon rubbed his brow, his expression a little hazy. He didn't know how long the Legilimency session had lasted, but he felt the effects of the drug had worn off.
In its place, he felt a fatigue he hadn't felt in a long time, originating from the depths of his soul, reaching his heart, and then affecting his body.
"Feeling tired? That's a normal side effect of the Emotion Amplifier. You're overloaded."
Snape's voice was so gentle it almost made Damon nauseous.
"That's enough for today. You're not fit to have your memories read anymore. However, since you're eager to improve, I have another method. Would you like to try it?"
"What is it?"
"Legitimate spell, but not from me to you. You to me—this way, you can learn a new advanced spell and experience Occlumency from a different perspective."
"If you don't mind me seeing your memories, professor, I'm happy with it."
"You want to see my memories?" Snape's sardonic smile returned. "You're still far from perfect. No wonder you're as narrow-minded as a troll in a place like Gryffindor."
He raised his wand. "Legitimate spell, the spell is Legilimens. I'll guide you on your first cast. Follow my movements."
Damon followed suit.
The two of them tried it out, their expressions identical and calm.
"Legilimens! "
They chanted simultaneously.
A searing wave surged through Damon's mind, and countless images flashed before him.
The dark, damp old house, the chipped paint on the walls, the shattered window frames. The sounds of his parents'
Arguments the crashing of bottles, the threatening shadows.
And the gloomy boy crouched against the wall, his legs crossed.
He longed to leave this place, impatient, but no matter how much he thought, he had to wait until he was eleven.
Although, sometimes he wondered if he would even live to see that age.
The image, filled with dark and cold tones, always accompanied the boy, until that crimson shadow appeared.
Under a tangled tree, a boy in a cheap suit bent down and plucked a blade of grass. He offered it to her, and it had become a white dove.
Under a bright blue sky, the young Snape exchanged a knowing smile with the crimson-haired Lily Evans.
And then, all the memories from that moment on came alive.
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(End of this chapter)