**Chapter 60: Learning Counter-Curses for Dark Magic**

"Although I've already mastered several high-level dark spells, aside from the three Unforgivable Curses, I still need to quickly learn the counter-curses for the other dark magic spells."

The Christmas holidays passed day by day.

Harry often dragged Ron with him late at night to visit the Mirror of Erised, gazing at his reflection in the mirror.

Eventually, Dumbledore discovered this, and the mirror was removed. Harry became visibly disheartened.

However, Dylan didn't have time to comfort him.

He had been spending his days researching counter-curses for dark magic.

For some unknown reason, Professor Flitwick, who had initially been hesitant about teaching him counter-curses for dark magic, not only agreed to teach him the counter-curse for the Fiendfyre spell but also surprisingly offered to teach him counter-curses for other dark spells as well.

Dylan had been dedicating his time to learning these counter-curses.

On top of that, he had many other tasks to attend to.

For instance, planning his entry into the Forbidden Forest.

This was a dangerous endeavor, so Dylan had to prepare thoroughly—deciding when to enter, when to exit, and where to find the Acromantulas. He also needed to figure out how to collect their venom once he located them.

These were all tasks Dylan needed to complete.

Moreover, he couldn't neglect his other subjects and had to keep improving in them simultaneously.

As a result, even though it was the holidays, Dylan's schedule was more packed than ever.

"Next school year, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will change again," Dylan thought while practicing the counter-curse for Fiendfyre.

He couldn't quite remember the name of the new professor for the upcoming year, but he recalled that the name had something to do with "Lock" or "Hart."

However, there was one thing Dylan remembered clearly about this professor.

While the professor was mediocre in most forms of magic, he was a master of the Memory Charm.

And he was quite vain.

He particularly loved giving out autographs.

"Although he's the type to use Memory Charms to steal others' achievements, and he's generally incompetent and full of himself, once he becomes a professor, his signature will grant me access to the Restricted Section of the library to borrow forbidden books."

Dylan remembered that this professor had tried to use a Memory Charm on Harry and Ron.

But because Ron's wand was broken, the spell backfired, hitting the professor himself.

As a result, he lost all his memories and was sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for long-term care.

"Even though he's pretty useless, he still has some value," Dylan chuckled to himself.

There's no such thing as a completely useless person.

That vain professor had managed to become a Hogwarts teacher by using Memory Charms to steal others' achievements and boast about them.

"Once I get his signature, I'll be able to access the Restricted Section. Professor Flitwick may have agreed to teach me a few counter-curses for dark magic, but that's far from enough."

Dylan didn't think getting the professor's signature would be difficult.

Once he gained access to the Restricted Section, he could use the books there to further validate some of his ideas.

"If only my ideas weren't so unconventional that they'd immediately label me as an outlier in front of any professor, I wouldn't have to resort to self-study all the time."

Dylan sighed softly.

He waved his wand gently.

Learning the counter-curses for Fiendfyre and other dark spells wasn't particularly difficult for him.

In a way, counter-curses for dark magic were simply the reverse of the original dark spells.

As someone who had already mastered the six most powerful dark spells in the world, mastering their counter-curses wasn't a challenge.

Dylan waited until Harry and the others were out of the dormitory and practiced alone in the room.

"Fiendfyre!"

With a flick of his wand, pink flames erupted from the tip, forming a lifelike pink rabbit.

The rabbit hopped in mid-air, moving according to Dylan's will.

Just as it was about to leap onto Harry's bed, Dylan twisted his wand again.

The Fiendfyre rabbit jumped into a pile of wood he had prepared earlier.

"Sizzle!"

In an instant, the flames consumed the wood, leaving no trace behind.

Just as the Fiendfyre was about to spread and engulf the entire dormitory, Dylan cast the counter-curse.

"Whoosh!"

A stream of pink light shot out.

The unstoppable pink rabbit was enveloped by this magical energy. Despite its fiery claws and blazing tendrils trying to break free and consume everything, it couldn't escape the magical restraint.

Finally, with a sharp screech, the rabbit let out a soft "pop" and was extinguished.

All that remained was a charred mark on the ground.

"Reparo!"

Dylan cast the Mending Charm at the scorched area.

A pink glow shot out, but when it touched the charred ground, the mark only quivered slightly.

However, less than a second later, the pink light dissipated like foam.

The charred mark on the ground remained stubbornly intact, showing no signs of repair.

Dylan's expression remained calm, as if he had expected this outcome.

He stood up slowly, grabbed a corner of Harry's bedsheet, and pulled it down.

The sheet covered the charred mark on the floor perfectly.

Dylan patted the sheet in satisfaction and returned to his own bed.

"If I'm going to practice dark magic and its counter-curses on a larger scale, I should probably do it in the Room of Requirement."

The Room of Requirement was extremely well-hidden and had special protective mechanisms, making it difficult for others to detect what was being practiced inside.

Only those with a genuine need could find and enter the room, and its interior would transform according to the user's needs. Most importantly, it could resist magical detection.

Therefore, if Dylan wanted to practice dark magic, its counter-curses, or test some of his theories, the Room of Requirement was the ideal place.

It was one of the few places where Dylan didn't have to worry too much about Dumbledore noticing anything unusual.

"Maybe I'm being overly cautious. Dumbledoreis a great wizard, but he's still human. In the end, he even sacrificed his own life to outmaneuver Voldemort."

Dylan thought he should relax a bit and not be so paranoid.

Dumbledore couldn't possibly know everything.

(End of Chapter)