Chapter 412: We will ultimately choose to deceive ourselves

The Great Hall.

After finishing supper, Andy and Hermione sat facing each other at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione took a stack of cards out of her pocket and placed them on the table, gesturing to Andy, "Andy, go ahead and shuffle the cards."

Andy, with a hint of hesitation, trepidation and unease, picked up the tarot cards on the table and prepared to shuffle them.

What if it works?

If it doesn't come true, you won't lose anything, but if it does, you've won!

"That's not how you shuffle, it's not poker,"

Hermione took the tarot cards from Andy's hands, spread them out on the table and shuffled them, making circles with her hands, just like one would with mahjong tiles. "Like this...OK, you try."

Andy: "..."

After shuffling the cards, Andy arranged them neatly and asked curiously, "What should I do next?"

Hermione took the tarot cards, rotated them 90 degrees counterclockwise on the table, and said in a serious tone, "Okay! From now on, follow your heart and draw the cards!"

"Remember, you can only draw three cards."

Andy felt like he must be crazy to actually believe Hermione's prophecy.

But...this kind of thing...

Even though every cell in Andy's body was saying, 'This is a farce.'

But there was always a voice inside Andy's heart that said, 'Just try it! What if it works?'

With deep scepticism, Andy drew three cards.

"The Devil!"

Hermione pointed to the first card and explained in a mysterious tone, "The Devil represents sin. He has the power to seduce and will tempt others to lose their senses and do evil things."

"Impulsiveness will dominate your rationality, and your spiritual self-discipline will fade away. You will become unwilling to take responsibility for your actions, justifying everything by saying that the devil made you do it."

Andy: "…"

Hermione looked at Andy and said, "Andy, what you want to do may be dangerous. Dangerous to you, and dangerous to others."

Andy swallowed.

The thing he feared most was the self-supplementation of vague contents.

Andy put himself in Hermione's shoes and always felt that her divination was really accurate.

Because no matter how Andy tried to explain his actions, experimenting with Dark magic to perform a magic transfiguration was an evil thing to do.

"What's the second card?" Andy asked.

"The Tower!"

Hermione pointed to the second card and explained, "It's indeed difficult to accept the opponent's strength, but facing it pragmatically and solving it rationally is also a huge step forward."

"No matter how high a tower is, it will eventually collapse. People need to be forward-looking and not just confine themselves to their towers. Sometimes you have to step outside your current circle to truly see the big picture."

Huh...?

Andy once again felt like he was being addressed personally, and he opened his mouth but ended up unable to say anything.

Hermione pointed to the third card with her right hand and said again, "The third card is Temperance!"

"To weigh the relationships between all things in the world, so that all things can remain in the law of eternal balance."

"Self-control. As long as you achieve balance in your spirit and your desires, you will be able to succeed and gain what you have not yet gained."

"When faced with all kinds of desires in the heart, the most important thing is how to control them properly."

After saying this, Hermione looked up at Andy, "To be honest, the result of this divination... Andy, I think you should give up what you want to do immediately."

Andy looked at the three cards he had chosen and asked, "Hermione, can I have these three cards?"

"Of course!" Hermione organised the remaining cards and put them back in her pocket.

Andy picked up the three cards.

Devil, Tower, Temperance...

If they were to be interpreted literally, Andy felt that these three cards were indeed very suitable for his current situation.

Experiment with magic transfiguration and stealing the power of Death.

Control your desires and break free from your current predicament.

Should I give up?

Andy felt that his current state of mind was a bit like that of the Dark Lord.

When the outcome of the prophecy favoured him, it was as if fate was on his side. But when the outcome of the prophecy was unfavourable, it was as if fate was against him. So he refused to believe in fate!

If this happened in his previous life, Andy might have just taken the result of this divination as a joke and forgotten about it after a night's sleep.

But this is the world of magic!

The prophecy has already proven its terrifying power, and even Voldemort could not escape the arrangement of fate.

Just look at the two people who made this prophecy!

Hermione Granger is one of the original Golden Trio.

Andy Collins, a reincarnator from another space-time, and also a person who possesses three points of talent in Divination.

Andy did the shuffling and drew the cards himself. Even though Andy wasn't really sincere at the time, his state of mind was still affected a little when the result of the prophecy came out.

This might be a warning from fate!

'Hmm...'

Andy thought, 'What will happen if I choose to go my own way?'

Looking at the three cards in his hand...

Judging from the cards alone, the final result would be nothing more than a fall into darkness – a refusal to take responsibility for one's actions and the blame being placed on the devil.

Andy tried to interpret the meaning of the cards himself.

The Dark Arts was like a tower, difficult, and it had trapped Andy. If Andy persisted, it was likely that he would let his mind fall into darkness.

Therefore, Andy should control his desires, try to get out of the tower and give up the Dark Art Experiment.

In this way, Andy might encounter a wider world.

'If it only affects the mind...'

Andy was not without a solution.

If he increased the [Will] attribute to seven points, Andy felt that he could completely immunise the mind against the effects of dark magic transfiguration.

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione suddenly asked.

Andy spread his hands, "What else would I be thinking about? I'm thinking about the prophecy!"

"That's all in the future,"

Hermione laughed and said, "The first card represents the current situation, the second card represents the problem and obstacles, and the third card represents the answer and result."

"So the result is... you need to control your desires and bring your mind into a state of balance."

Andy was stunned.

So that's it!

If you interpret these three cards from a different perspective.

Dark magic can affect Andy's mind, and that dark power is like a tower, trapping Andy inside.

Therefore, Andy needs to control his desires and bring his mental state to a balanced state.

Dispel the darkness and walk out of the tower.

Thinking about it this way, Andy instantly accepted the outcome of this prophecy.

Not bad!

At least it gives a solution to the problem.

"Ah—"

Andy stretched and got up, saying, "Let's go! We should go to class."

Hermione looked at Andy curiously, "What about you? Have you decided to give up?"

"Of course!"

Andy laughed: "Just as you thought!"

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