Ian placed a string of compliments upon his own head.
He even raised his two tender little palms in front of Madam Pince, "If you don't believe me, take a sniff. Even the Sorting Hat recognized that I have Gryffindor's excellent qualities."
Of course, Madam Pince wouldn't really smell Ian's hands. She only glanced at Ian with a puzzled look, thoughtfully stepping aside to clear the way to the Forbidden Book Area for him.
Although Madam Pince still felt it wasn't quite appropriate for a first-year little wizard to have access to forbidden books, who could blame her? She was just a librarian and couldn't participate in setting school rules.
"Don't get involved with that evil Dark Arts. I take it that Dumbledore thinks you're outstanding enough to touch upon knowledge not quite meant for your age." Madam Pince, having a good impression of Ian, gave a serious reminder to the little wizard before her.
"Don't worry, I'm not fond of learning the Dark Arts." Ian preferred challenging himself with things that were more difficult to learn. The Dark Arts, which could be learned effortlessly, seemed to lack any real challenge.
"If that's truly the case, then that's good." Madam Pince nodded, her gaze softened a bit. She apparently didn't quite grasp the true meaning of Ian's words.
She merely sensed Ian's sincerity—it seems there's a benefit to speaking truthfully. Watching Ian dart into the Forbidden Book Area, Madam Pince continued tidying the library shelves.
"Oh, I need to speed up my cleaning. I haven't even unwrapped the new book by Gilderoy Lockhart that just arrived." Madam Pince's tasks today were busier than usual.
Because earlier, Dumbledore had asked her to bring in quite a number of books from elsewhere, a significant portion of which required creating new vacant spots in the Forbidden Book Area for arrangement.
This wasn't an easy task.
Especially for a witch like Madam Pince, who didn't like using magic. Who could blame her for loving books? Organizing and placing books was a joy for her... well, it would have been if Filch hadn't sent her that copy of "A Year with the Tibetan Yeti" today.
"There really are little wizards who can suppress their curiosity about the Dark Arts!"
While reorganizing the Forbidden Book Area shelves, Madam Pince also secretly observed Ian, discovering that he truly didn't linger before those books related to the Tongue-Tying Curse, Muffling Charm, and Expelliarmus. Only then did she feel somewhat relieved, continuing her work.
"Trash, trash, all trash..." Ian's eyes swept over the books one by one. He could even hear the enticing whispers emanating from the books.
"Learn from me! You will gain unparalleled means! Kill! Burn corpses! I can bring you power!"
"The mysteries of the human body will be unveiled here!"
"Don't you want your enemies to suffer cruel torture and curses? Choose me! Experience the magic of curses, inflicting pain where death is a relief on your enemies!"
...
These whispers from the Dark Arts books held no allure for Ian. Most of the magic was inferior to those recorded in "Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled."
Indeed.
In terms of cruelty, strength, and depth of magic, "Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled" having such a name obviously wasn't something those ordinary Dark Arts books could even dream of equalling.
They were merely more terrifying in appearance. Ian saw a book cover with a bloodied, distorted face, with bloody eyes, nose, and mouth, the nose flipped into pig nostrils, a sight that could ruin one's appetite for supper.
"Do I really need you to teach me about the human body?" Ian disdainfully thought, possessing the extraordinary trait of [Butcher's Instinct], eliminating any need for formal learning.
Some books even attempted to scare him. Billowing black mist emerged from the books, forming a vaguely crying woman's face, the loud, screeching sounds almost provoking Ian into retaliation.
"You're just books, yet you dare to think yourself above me?" Ian took advantage of Madam Pince moving books, secretly setting a Fiery Fire to burn at the tip of his magic wand.
All at once.
All the demonic voices disappeared, the face in the black mist recoiled in terror, leaving Ian with the peace and serenity he sought in the Forbidden Book Area.
"Bully the weak, fear the strong; anyone who learns from you is a coward," Ian confidently stowed away his magic wand, selecting some books related to souls from the Forbidden Book Area.
Whether due to the miracle of his ability to access the Misty Illusion Realm or considering the main themes in the coming years at Hogwarts, Ian had a very keen interest in knowledge related to the soul.
"Investigation of the Dead"
"Law of Life and Death"
"Book of the Dead"
...
Ian selected three books on the subject of souls. Honestly, even in Hogwarts' library, this category was not abundantly stocked.
After all, it touches upon the most mysterious realm of life's existence, with only a handful of wizards able to conduct research in this area across the entire wizarding world.
Published studies are even scarcer, which is precisely why, even for an ancient school like Hogwarts, the related collection remains quite limited.