Dark Livestream

Chapter 4: Three

Hermione didn't even comment on the framed scroll that hung on Harry's wall by the following evening. (He'd had Kreacher retrieve a suitable frame from the attic.) She simply noted its existence with a weary expression; that done, she proceeded to ignore it entirely.

Harry was glad for the silence. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like his trophy.

The announcement of the promised second project came three days after Umbridge's execution, in the form of a short video. Seated before the fireplace of a different room, against a background of wall-to-wall shelves of books and scrolls, Voldemort informed them of the inception of his video channel, a separate but connected venture to the livestreams: educational videos on the Dark Arts.

"There's no knowledge as fun as forbidden knowledge," he sang. (He had a lovely singing voice.) "And frankly, I've always wanted to be a teacher."

Public outcry over the announcement meant yet another front-page Prophet article, the following morning; Hermione ranted in the kitchen about publicity and penned a sternly-worded letter to the editor that did not make the next day's edition. Meanwhile, Harry, and several thousand others, subscribed to Professor Riddle's channel hours before the first video was posted.

Ironically, Harry realized, nobody would ever know that Riddle was Voldemort's actual name, when he'd been in the public eye as Voldemort for so long. 'Professor Riddle' was what sounded like the alias.

The video was actually quite interesting, when it came out -- more of a general lesson on magic than the instructional video on Dark magic that Harry had expected.

"What are the Dark Arts anyway, you may be asking," mused Voldemort on-screen. "As a legal term, the category originates from a legislation boom just after the Statute of Secrecy -- and has grown to cover a vast number of types of magic, which vary greatly in difficulty, purpose, and fame (or infamy), in the intervening centuries. In fact, the majority of the so-called Dark spells banned in Britain are permitted in Germany; many spells made illegal in France are innocuous in Sweden; and so on. Fundamentally, these dark spells are still accessible to the public -- and so, I will not cover them unless by special request of my dear viewers."

Harry raised his eyebrows at the screen, surprised.

"Rather, this series will focus on the minority of Dark spells, the true Dark Arts, which are 'dark' not only in terms of their legal status, but also in that they are hidden . Centuries of censorship, initiated by governing forces across the world, have relegated powerful works of magic to mentions of mentions, marginalia in crumbling tomes -- magically protected tablets carved of clay, and half-eroded runestone messages lost to time. Were I less of a wizard than I am, the rediscovery of much of what I know might have never happened; indeed, all records of these spells may have been eradicated off the face of the earth entirely."

Voldemort took on a grave posture and tone, his face still hidden beneath the shadows cast by his hood, as he leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Rare knowledge, incredibly rare, becomes incredibly tempting, dear viewers. It is not wise to try and erase knowledge. At best, it will be reinvented, perhaps improved upon from the original -- the origin of the modern Killing Curse. At worst..." he trailed off, dramatically, before continuing. "At worst, fragments of lost knowledge will be put to use by the determined, the ambitious, the risk-seeking, the curious -- and used incorrectly. Mistakes in the Dark Arts are the most dangerous sort: they take ten times as much effort to repair.

"An example, I believe, is necessary to let this message sink in." Voldemort stood up from his chair, walking closer to the camera. "Every magical being in Britain knows my face, and yet I have worn this hood for my public appearances for more than six months. Those who have wondered why... are about to have their answer."