A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 336: The Most Painful Punishment

Felix Harp gazed at the altar, a massive statue right before his eyes. In an incredibly short span, it decayed into pieces, shattered, and was then carried away by an invisible wind, turning into fine sand, leaving nothing behind.

Was it because of the breath he had taken?

Certainly not, Felix thought. That's preposterous. The statue of Heirbald should have been similar to those serpent-monster bodies he'd seen before, sealed away for who knew how long, likely over a thousand years, no, maybe even two thousand?

He thought it over meticulously. The vile Heirbald was active during Ancient Greece, even before the four founders of Hogwarts rose to prominence. By the time the Four Heads had emerged, Heirbald had vanished for centuries.

For them, Heirbald had become part of legendinfamous but unseen. Perhaps, in their childhood, they might have been scared by their parents with tales of Heirbald's wicked reputation.

Felix smirked at this sudden thought. Once-upon-a-time legends were once children themselves. That was a fact, rarely considered by most. They often inclined to think that legends were legends from the very start.

Setting aside this notion, Felix grew serious, pondering the issue of Horcruxes.

Yes, Horcruxes. For him, the only allure of Horcruxes lay in their connection to the study of the soul. Sadly, even though he knew how to create Horcruxes, he was rather ignorant about the realm of souls.

He hadn't even scratched the surface.

He thought of that book, "Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic." It contained more than just one type of magic, but undoubtedly, Horcruxes were the most sinister. The wickedness lay not just in the murder it required, but in the act of splitting the soul.

To render an intact soul incomplete was an act against nature, and it would exact an excruciatingly heavy toll. The book stated this explicitly. As for what that toll might be, it didn't say, and Felix was left clueless.

...

When Hermione entered, she was taken aback. There were not just the two snake creatures blocking the door; there was a whole nest of them. She had to use a Bubble-Head Charm, carefully avoiding the snake carcasses strewn around, and approached the professor. Just in time to hear him mention Horcruxes.

A shiver ran through her. Could the professor have discovered the fourth Horcrux of the mysterious figure? But upon closer reflection, that didn't make sense. He had mentioned a name earlierHeirbald. She quickly realized the significance of that name.

Vile Heirbald, the infamous dark wizard of Ancient Greece, was one of the sources of many surviving dark magics. He had invented various cursed spells and dark magic, most famously, the Horcrux! And beyond that, he was also known for his connection to serpents and his discovery of the method to hatch snake creatures.

Could they have stumbled upon Heirbald's hidden Horcruxes?

Just as she was about to inquire, the professor sighed and blew a breath. In front of him, the seemingly robust statue crumbled into dust. Even as she approached, there was no trace of ash left. It was as though everything had been a figment of her imagination.

"Professor?" Hermione tilted her head, looking at Felix who had been silent all along.

Felix gazed at her and said calmly, "Nothing much, just a bit contemplative."

"You destroyed Heirbald's Horcrux?"

"Um, it's not me. It was already destroyed long before. We merely discovered this fact."

Hermione blinked and tried to analyze with her limited knowledge about Horcruxes. She glanced at the others in the roomClementine and the three newcomers who were currently staring at the snake creature carcasses, and the house-elf Gonook... whom she couldn't see, perhaps blocked by the snake creatures.

So she asked in a hushed tone, "Professor, if a Horcrux is destroyed, what happens to Heirbald's main soul?"

Felix's eyes shifted. It was an intriguing question. The purpose of a Horcrux was to split the soul, hiding a part in an external object. This meant that even if the body was attacked or destroyed, the person wouldn't die, as a part of their soul remained unharmed in the world.

But what if boththe unexpected death of the wizard and the destruction of the Horcruxoccurred?

Was it possible that Heirbald, after inventing the method of creating Horcruxes and successfully making the first one, hadn't gotten around to studying how to restore his body and had died in an accident, or simply passed away...

This speculation wasn't entirely impossible. Heirbald's subsequent fame or infamy was due to his creative inventions of dark magic. Could it be that, prior to him, no one had researched ways to resurrect the dead?

Felix continued down this line of thought. If Heirbald's main soul endured due to the presence of a Horcrux, but he couldn't find a way to revive, how many years might have passed? The Horcrux, too, would decay over time. What awaited Heirbald then?

Would he dissipate into nothingness or continue to wander some obscure corner of the world, more wretched than the lowest ghost?

"I don't know either," Felix answered Hermione's question, "Perhaps dying might have been a quicker end."

Hermione was momentarily puzzled. She was about to press on with her questioning, but she realized the crux. With a Horcrux destroyed, leaving the main soul free, there were three possibilities: dispersing, surviving like Voldemort, or successful resurrection.

The first two were uncertain. But the third possibility was exceedingly slim, for after Heirbald's time, no traces of his activities had ever been found. This, in itself, was odd. If Heirbald used Horcruxes to resurrect, there should have been no reason to remain hidden.

The remaining two possibilitiesgoing by the professor's response, "Perhaps dying might have been a quicker end"indicated the dispersal of the main soul. But if not... like Voldemort, would Heirbald wander the world for thousands of years?

A shiver ran down her spine. This must be the most excruciating punishment in the world.

"Young lady, please step aside."

Felix Harp stared at the altar, a grand statue right before his eyes. In an incredibly short time, it decayed, shattered into pieces, and was swept away by invisible winds, turning into fine sand until nothing remained.

Was it because of his breath?

Definitely not, Felix thought. That's preposterous. The statue of Herpo the Foul should be similar to the serpent creature corpses he had seen beforesealed away for countless years, perhaps even two millennia.

He pondered earnestly, Herpo the Foul, the devious dark wizard, had lived during ancient Greece, even before the founding of Hogwarts by the Four Founders. By the time the Four Founders rose to prominence, Herpo had vanished for centuries.

For them, Herpo had already become part of legenda notorious name, a figure unseen. Perhaps, during their childhood, they had been frightened by their parents with tales of Herpo's wicked reputation for misbehaving.

Felix smirked, finding amusement in this unexpected thought. Legends, too, were once children. This was a fact, yet few made such connections. People tended to assume that legends were legendary from the start.

Pushing aside that notion, Felix became serious, pondering deeply over the matter of Horcruxes.

Indeed, Horcruxes. The only appeal they held for him was their connection to the study of the soul. Unfortunately, despite understanding how to create Horcruxes, he knew little about the realm of souls.

Barely scratching the surface.

He thought of the book, "Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic," where Horcruxes were just one of many forms of magic described. Yet, undoubtedly, they were the darkest. Not only did they require murder, but they also fractured the soul.

To render a whole, untainted soul incomplete was a profoundly unnatural act, one that exacted an enormously heavy toll. The book stated this explicitly, though it omitted the specifics of the price, leaving Felix in the dark.

...

When Hermione first entered, she was startled. Not only were the two snake creatures blocking the door, but there were many more inside. She had to ward off their petrification curse, carefully avoiding the serpent corpses as she approached the professor. It was at that moment that she heard the professor mention Horcruxes.

Surprised, she felt a rush of thoughts. Could the professor have discovered the fourth Horcrux of the mysterious individual? But that didn't make sense, as a name had been mentioned earlierHerpo the Foul. She quickly realized the significance of that name.

Herpo the Foul, the notorious dark wizard of ancient Greece, was one of the origins of many surviving dark magics. He invented numerous cursed spells and dark magic, with the most infamous being the Horcrux! Besides that, he was a Parselmouth who discovered the method of breeding serpent creatures.

Could they have stumbled upon the place where Herpo the Foul concealed a Horcrux?

She was about to inquire when the professor sighed, and before her eyes, the seemingly sturdy statue crumbled into dust. The professor's gaze turned to the rubble, and he'd been silent since.

Felix looked at her and calmly said, "Nothing really, just a moment of reflection."

"Did you destroy Herpo's Horcrux?"

"Hmm, not my doing. It had already been destroyed. We merely discovered that fact."

Hermione tilted her head, gazing at Felix. He had been silent since earlier.

Felix looked back at her and said calmly, "It's nothing. Just feeling a bit contemplative."

"Professor?" Hermione inquired, puzzled.

Felix gazed at her and replied, "It's nothing. Just sometimes, it might be easier to die."

Hermione couldn't grasp the meaning immediately, wanting to press further. But she realized the key point: without a Horcrux, a vacant soul had only three possibilitiesdissipation, like Voldemort's state before rebirth; lingering, like Voldemort did after his first fall; or successful resurrection.

The first two outcomes were uncertain, but the third was immensely improbable. No trace of Herpo's continued existence had been found by later generations. This was highly unusual; if Herpo had used a Horcrux to return, he had no reason to remain hidden.

The remaining two possibilities, as per the professor's response, might lead to dissipation of the primary soul, or, like Voldemort, enduring the passage of millennia within the world, wandering as a wretched spirit.

"I don't know," Felix responded to Hermione's question. "Perhaps dying would be the swifter route."

Hermione was momentarily puzzled, her thoughts continuing, but she soon grasped the essence. Without a Horcrux, there were only three potential outcomes for a disembodied soul, either to dissipate, persist like Voldemort, or successfully revive.

While the first two remained uncertain, the professor's response"Perhaps dying would be the swifter route"hinted at the dissipation of the primary soul. Yet, if not, could Herpo be like Voldemort, wandering the world for millennia?

A shiver ran down her spine. Could there be a fate worse than that, the most agonizing punishment in the world?

"Miss, if you wouldn't mind moving aside a bit."

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