Chapter 336: The Most Painful Punishment

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.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

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.

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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