Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 328: Soul of Herpo and Evans conjecture

“Another Parselmouth, sounds like Slytherin.” Ron looked disgusted. “A Dark wizard such as this so-called Herpo the foul, I’m not surprised at what he had studied and created. Come on, besides that horrible monster and the Basilisk, what evil research does he have?”

“Herpo the Foul , known as the founder of modern black magic, had invented many evil curses in his life, most of which are thought to have been lost.” Hermione went on to read, “It was determined that he handed down 186 curses of his invention…”

“God, this guy had created one hundred and eighty-six evil Curses, and probably had more that he did not hand down?!” Ron stared and couldn’t believe it.

“Yes!” Hermione looked up at Ron and threw out much heavier information. “He was also recognized as the first wizard to invent the method of making a Horcrux and to succeed in making it. The Horcrux is considered to be extremely evil black magic which cannot be described in this book. No one could defeat or kill him in those days of his life.”

“This, this guy sounds even more evil than You-Know-Who!” Because of shock, Ron’s mouth was open wide enough for an egg to be stuffed into it.

Voldemort was seen by many as the evillest Dark wizard ever.

Anyone who knew well enough about him knew that the evillest thing he had ever done was to split his soul and make Horcruxes, and this black magic was invented by Herpo the Foul.

Being so shocked, Ron didn’t know what to say.

Herpo the Foul had completely subverted his understanding of a Dark Wizard. It was hard for him to imagine how a man could be so evil and powerful.

“What about his ending?” Harry asked. “Who destroyed his Horcrux?”

“No one…” Hermione closed the thick book and lowered her voice. “He was the most powerful and evil Dark wizard in the world at that time. No one knew the cause of his death. This means that if his Horcrux had never been destroyed, he might still be alive now!”

“Alive… for thousands of years…” Ron muttered.

There ward went silent. Everyone was immersed in the shock brought by Herpo the Foul’s description and deeds. It was hard for them to imagine the existence of a Dark wizard who has managed to live for thousands of years.

“Before that, I thought that the person with the longest life span was Nicholas Flamel, a friend of Dumbledore and a partner in alchemy,” said Harry. “By this year, he will have lived 668 years. I always thought that he was the oldest wizard alive.”

“If this Herpo the Foul is still alive, then he is not!”

“The Horcrux…” Ron repeated in a low voice, and there seemed to be a yearning in his tone. “Like the Philosopher’s Stone, this black magic can help the wizard gain immortality.”

“That’s not the same, Ron!” Hermione raised her eyebrows and explained, “I read a lot of books about the Philosopher’s Stone in my first year. It was the subject of the highest-level research in ancient alchemy. There are many different kinds of stones, depending on the type. Nicholas Flamel can make gold from his stone and make an elixir to help the body delay aging, but he is not really immortal. If he would receive a deadly blow, he will still die.”

“Yeah, we all know that that stone was the last known magic stone, it has been destroyed by Dumbledore, and nobody can make a new one.” Ron followed and asked, “So what about the Horcrux, what’s its distinction in the history of magic?”

“The Horcrux is the evillest black magic!” Hermione turned to look at Evan.

After learning the method of making the Horcrux from the book “Secrets of the Darkest Art”, Evan had explained the operation principles of Horcruxes in detail to Hermione.

When she saw Evan nodding his head, Hermione went on to say, “Making a Horcrux requires splitting one’s soul and storing its separated fragment in a specific container. As long as that container is not destroyed, the owner of the Horcrux can live forever, no matter how much damage he takes.”

“It’s like Voldemort…” Harry said suddenly, feeling strange.

The thought of Voldemort splitting his soul and making Horcruxes, of Tom Riddle’s Diary and Slytherin’s Locket made him feel very bad.

Ron shivered and looked pale when he heard the name of You-Know-Who.

“Yes, it’s like Voldemort!” Hermione took a deep breath and continued. “As long as his Horcruxes are not completely destroyed, he is an immortal monster, no matter what form he is in now. That’s why the last time we saw him, he could only stick behind Quirrell’s head and rely on the blood of the unicorn to regain some strength.”

“No matter what form he is in now…” Evan repeated Hermione’s words.

In his mind there was a scene of Voldemort clinging to a serpent and hiding in the shadow of Albania’s Forest. He was now a monster.

That’s what he was. What about Herpo the Foul?!

The temptation of immortality is too great. As the inventor of the Horcrux, Herpo had no reason not to make it.

Or even worse, he might have had other wicked methods to help him achieve immortality. Perhaps, like transforming his body into a monster that could devour souls…

Evan’s heart sunk sharply as the terrible thought suddenly crossed his mind.

The monster that he met in the underground ruins might be Herpo the Foul himself!

In order to gain a powerful force, Voldemort had transformed his body. Herpo doing the same thing was not out of the question.

After seeing the monster’s creation on the rock walls, Evan had a familiar feeling. There were several key magic steps that were so similar to the steps of making a Horcrux. Even the magic used was very similar. The Horcrux was like a simplified version of it.

The black magic involved in that monster was obviously much higher than the Horcrux, and it was also eviller. As it said, itself, it was a God of Death.

It controlled life, and relied on the power of the Horcrux to help Aragog delay death. If those human souls and magical creatures were the source and essence of that monster’s power, then where would its own thoughts and soul stem from?!

Recent studies of the Horcrux taught Evan that the soul could not be produced out of nothing, and its sources were fixed.

One could either give a part of their own thinking to an object, like the Four Founders, or split a fragment of their own soul, like Voldemort.

In short, the birth of a new consciousness must come from an existing soul.

It was now almost a certainty that the monster was created by Herpo the Foul.

Undoubtedly, its Horcrux should also come from Herpo and continue to execute his will.

Or worse, it could be Herpo the Foul himself!