“Um, this card…”

Aghashiyan glanced at the 【Hanged Man】 card held in front of him and blinked.

“The meaning of Tarot cards is continuous,” the old wizard said dryly, cautiously choosing his words, “Especially the one you chose, Ms. Arkhipovna, which is right in the middle of the Major Arcana. It has a lot of content bridging the past and the future, so it might not be easy to understand.”

He cleared his throat, his dry right hand scratching at the table, selecting several Major Arcana cards with relatively positive and neutral meanings.

“Actually, personally, I think it’s best to start understanding Tarot cards with 【The Magician】, which is the beginning of everything…”

Before the old wizard could recall the teaching style of that divination professor from his past, he stopped his explanation helplessly.

Arkhipovna moved all the Tarot cards away from him, placing the 【Hanged Man】 back directly in front of him.

“Uh, what’s this?”

“I still want to start understanding from this card, Mr. Aghashiyan. Even if it’s not easy to understand, we have to say it to know where the knowledge gaps are, right? The Major Arcana cards may have some connections, but they are mostly about their own meaning, I think.”

Aghashiyan looked at her in surprise, blinking awkwardly.

The old wizard was absolutely certain that anyone who could say the words "Major Arcana" was definitely more than just a dabbler.

“Lochart did a divination before parting with me, he used Tarot cards—”

Noticing the old wizard's expression, Arkhipovna shrugged and explained very naturally.

"He didn't tell me the divination result, nor did he tell me the meaning of the cards. All I know is that when he left, he specifically took the 【Hanged Man】 card from the face-up cards. So, if possible, I want to know what exactly…"

Arkhipovna didn't finish the rest of her words, she looked up at the old wizard.

"Ah, okay." Aghashiyan sighed and said slowly, "Yes, I think, of course, he wouldn't tell you—"

He looked with a complex expression at the Muggle woman not far away, his dry, wrinkled fingers caressing the edge of the card in front of him. Even though he wasn't a divination master, his excellent memory could still tell him the most basic interpretation of Tarot cards.

"After all, the most superficial and core meaning of this Major Arcana card you chose is: sacrifice."

For the first time tonight, Arkhipovna listened intently to the old wizard's words.

Aghashiyan shifted his gaze uncomfortably. Whether Lockhart really had divination abilities or not, at least his behavior in this room today had largely interpreted this most basic meaning, and he himself was the source of the sacrifice.

Therefore, he had to describe it as objectively and neutrally as possible, trying to include all explanations and possibilities.

"Oh, well then," he said slowly, "Let me think… The Hanged Man…"

Aghashiyan caressed the edge of the card, staring at the patterns on it, seriously recalling what he had learned in the divination class back then.

"As I said just now, this card symbolizes self-sacrifice. It is the most arduous card in the 22 Major Arcana cards."

"The card depicts a warrior with his hands tied behind his back, hanging upside down. One foot is tied or suspended from a tree, maintaining the weight and balance of his body with willpower, which is physical torment and pain, while the other foot is casually hooked, which is a spiritual level of jest and trial. There is already a faint halo of an angel above his head. Although others think this is extremely painful, he has a look of serenity. Because he knows that he is sacrificing himself for others, even if his body… um… is enduring suffering, his spirit will endure forever. Oh, this obviously does not foreshadow death."

Aghashiyan paused, wiping the tiny beads of sweat from his forehead, and gave Arkhipovna a smile.

"This card tells us that even the worst situation is just a kind of tempering for us, and misfortune and misfortune will pass sooner or later."

"Just like the legendary Phoenix Nirvana, and like the legend of the origin of ancient Runic magic and even magical power… Enduring the misfortune in front of you, accepting the arrangement of fate, reflecting on the gains and losses of the past, and accumulating strength for the future resurgence, these are the most important."

"So this card sometimes shows a state of being blinded, what people see is not actually real."

"It's like people working hard for their goals, it seems very hard, and others also think you are very hard, but in fact only he himself knows whether it is happiness or hardship, and only you know whether it is worth it or not, other things are just other people's subjective judgments."

Aghashiyan paused again, taking a light breath, and he suddenly realized something.

In a sense, Lockhart was a perfect fit for what he had just described.

In the magical world, even coincidences may contain magical power.

Unlike crystal ball mist and tea leaf divination, when Aghashiyan first encountered Tarot cards in class, the somewhat whimsical divination professor once said that when there are too many coincidences between a wizard and Tarot cards, it is no longer divination but…

"So, what are the upright and reversed interpretations? You said just now."

Just then, Arkhipovna's voice pulled the old wizard back from his past memories.

That old guy couldn't even predict his own death, and those whimsical legends outside of the books had little credibility.

"Oh, yes, Tarot cards will show positive and negative after being turned over, representing different meanings."

Aghashiyan shook his head, scattering the fragments that floated up in his memory, and continued.

"The upright interpretation of the Hanged Man is: accepting tests, restricted actions, sacrifice, not fearing hardships, not being tempted by benefits, there must be gains and losses, learning from experience and lessons, rebirth from ashes, extensive learning, sacrificial love."

The old wizard pressed his fingers on the edge of the card, rotated it to face Arkhipovna, and explained.

"If the 【Hanged Man】 is face up during a divination, it indicates that there will be a brief pause in the career, but the querent is very clear about the reason, reconfirms his goals, and prepares to set off. Emotionally, it also needs time to reflect. The querent's sacrifice for love will greatly touch the other person and become a catalyst for the development of the relationship."

"Sacrifice for love… a catalyst?" Arkhipovna raised her eyebrows, "What about the reversed position?"

"Unnecessary sacrifice, fracture, misfortune, not working hard enough, being at a disadvantage, willfulness, egoist, lack of patience, being punished, escaping love, unrequited love. When the card is upside down, there is a lack of vision in the career, the goal of hard work is lost, and emotionally, he wants to escape… Ignoring the correct judgment in the depths of the heart, this may start to encounter many failures…" the old wizard said quickly, shrugging his shoulders.

"It sounds like whether upright or reversed, it all fits Gilderoy very well—"

Arkhipovna snorted and said meaningfully in a low voice.

Perhaps there are coincidences in this world, but after the coincidences, there must be some kind of recognizable and summarized logic.

And finding this logic is the work of countless scholars, and Arkhipovna is precisely one of the best scholars.

She is now more than ninety percent sure that Gilderoy Lockhart's fate has likely been observed and influenced in advance.

"Well, so, in general, in Tarot divination, this card more often represents waiting…"

At the same time, Aghashiyan put away the Tarot cards in his hand, and tried to recall the better divination meanings he had heard in class.

"Waiting for the opportunity to arrive, what he loses is only the current freedom. The Hanged Man sees the world upside down, he sees the world differently from ordinary people, he will hang on the tree, possibly voluntarily, for a greater vision, and sacrificing the current situation; it is also possible that he is being punished, repaying his sins, or repaying the sins of others. But this sacrifice will eventually reach its end and there will be gains…"

"Well, but I believe Lockhart will come back."

Arkhipovna nodded, her eyes wandering over the pile of Tarot cards next to her, and asked thoughtfully in a low voice.

"You just introduced that the 【Hanged Man】 is a Major Arcana card that bridges the past and the future… Then what is its relationship with other Major Arcana cards?"

Since there is a coincidence between Lockhart's fate and his Tarot cards, then the other Major Arcana cards are likely to be the same, especially the Major Arcana cards that are ranked higher. Even if those "Major Arcana" cards are the Major Arcana cards that were actively selected, they are mostly confirmed in some aspects.

The magical council hidden in the shadows of the world may be more mysterious and dangerous than Arkhipovna had previously imagined.

As a Muggle who was pulled into this world in a daze, she at least had to know what kind of wizards she was working for.

"The card before the 【Hanged Man】 is 【Justice】, and in front of 【Justice】 is 【The Wheel of Fortune】…"

"The connection of these three Major Arcana cards is the repayment of fate. There is an invisible destiny in this world. There are parts that are gained and parts that are lost. No matter what means and methods are used, if you gain more than you should, you will inevitably have to repay it in your future destiny. Therefore, the 【Hanged Man】 is repaying his sins on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is a continuation of 【Justice】…"

"Faced with things that cannot be decided, one day you must face and make a choice…"

…………

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The depths of the Armenian forest were exceptionally calm.

A werewolf's transformation on the night of the full moon does not depend on whether they see the moon or not.

Whether they are on the top of a mountain, in a wooden house, or even at the bottom of a lake, when the moon steps into a dance and reaches a point 180 degrees away from the sun's ecliptic longitude, they will uncontrollably turn into a bloodthirsty beast, just like the tides of sunrise and sunset every day, they cannot be resisted or escaped.

In the beginning, werewolves would try to roar, struggle, and resist before the "full moon" arrived.

However, as time went on, some more mature werewolves began to choose to quietly enjoy the last peace as human beings.

The werewolves gathered around the woodlands, either sitting or standing, waiting for the beast inside them to appear.

Surrounded by a group of werewolves, Lockhart sat quietly on the top of a reinforced, simply protected log cabin, staring blankly at the dark and silent forest not far away. As if someone had cast an echo spell, many lights and shadows and sounds rippled gently in the darkness and silence.

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Hooray!