Chapter 403: Indomitable Andros
Chapter 403: Indomitable Andros
"Helbo?!"
Ron let out a short scream, and everyone in the common room immediately turned to look in their direction. He quickly lowered his head, his nose almost touching the table, and frantically waved Harry and Hermione over.
The two of them leaned in, and Ron's eyes darted around as he whispered, "Is it... that Helbo? The creator of the Horcrux?"
"That's right", Hermione said.
Ron glanced nervously at the dusty hourglass that Harry had previously cleaned but still looked ancient. He said in a trembling voice, "Do you think... part of Helbo might be inside it?"
"You mean a Horcrux?" Harry asked, his voice tense as he looked at the hourglass, which Hermione was holding.
"No!"
Hermione replied firmly, "Professor Hup checked it before..."
She sat up straight and began to recount the events in the Egyptian pyramid, focusing on Helbo's statue and the altar, and how the statue had decayed.
"That's hard to understand... wait a moment!"
She hurried back to the girls' dormitory and returned a moment later with a shallow wooden dish made of chestnut wood. Harry and Ron understood her idea—she wanted to use the memory dish to recreate the scene.
They gathered around, watching the silver sand rain down in the memory dish, and the dim, eerie chamber of the pyramid during the summer appeared once more. The long, cursed corridor, the isolated Basilisk corpse that seemed forgotten by time, and the statue that they had only glimpsed briefly and which quickly faded away.
They saw everything from Hermione's perspective. She had arrived just a moment after Felix, and watched as he blew on the statue, causing it to crumble and disintegrate into fine dust, which then vanished.
Harry and Ron were astonished by the scene, and even the most eloquent words could not fully capture it.
"Wait a moment", Hermione said, her eyes fixed on the memory dish. "The carvings on the sides of the altar are inlaid with gems and small objects, which are now considered antiques... look!"
Harry and Ron leaned in even closer, and through Hermione's memory, they saw the altar rotate, revealing the various carved Wizard figures on its sides.
"Where? I only see the gems!" Ron almost pressed his nose to the dish.
"Don't focus on the gems. The Wizard carvings are the key. The objects in their hands are inlaid", Hermione pointed out, her finger tracing each one. "The gems are on the edges, purely decorative. Of course, given Helbo's cunning, they might have contained curses, but those are definitely gone now."
Harry examined the carvings closely and indeed saw that the Wizards held various small items: vials, feathers, small wooden sticks (possibly wands?), and... a dusty hourglass.
"There really is an hourglass, it's almost identical!" Ron exclaimed. "Your memory is incredible, Hermione."
Hermione hummed proudly, "At first, I thought it was the hourglass from a Time-Turner. You know I had one for a year... but I quickly realized the difference. Although they're about the same size, the Time-Turner is a golden timer with rounded ends, while Harry's is flat and can stand on a table."
"How would we know... we've never seen one", Ron muttered.
He picked up the hourglass, setting it on the table and examining it closely. Through the hazy, semi-transparent container, he could see dark golden clumps inside, piled together and completely devoid of movement.
"Are you really sure there's no residual magic?"
Hermione hesitated for a moment. "I can be certain that it's not a Horcrux or a curse. Professor Hup's magical vision can detect traces of magic."
"Really convenient", Ron said, but it was clear that he was more interested in an authoritative conclusion. Once his purpose was achieved, he lost interest in delving deeper. He picked up the hourglass and shook it vigorously, but the dark golden substance inside seemed to be stuck to the inner container, refusing to move.
"Oh, it looks like whatever it used to be, it’s just a very ordinary thing now. I know some shops in Diagon Alley would take items like this, you know, old antiques… Do you plan to sell it, Harry?"
Harry shook his head. "It seems pretty meaningful, doesn’t it? At least it reminds me that Horcruxes can decay", he said with a mocking grin. "If I ever run into Voldemort, I’ll tell him that his dream of immortality is just a pipe dream."
...
The next day, November 25th, was exactly one month before Christmas. However, the young wizards found the temperature had dropped sharply, and a thick layer of pale blue frost had formed on the castle’s windows. The sky was overcast, hinting at an impending storm.
"Taking Care of Magical Creatures at this time of year is a real torture!"
On their way to the Ancient Runes classroom, Harry and the others heard a fifth-year girl complaining to her friend. Ron chuckled, "Hagrid’s Flobberworms will warm them up."
Harry couldn’t help but grin.
In the Ancient Runes classroom, Professor Hup was flipping through the Daily Prophet. Students greeted him as they entered, and he nodded in response. Once everyone had arrived, he stood up from the chair beside the lectern, the hem of his tweed coat brushing against the armrest.
"It’s good to see that no one is missing from our class, especially after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament", Felix said, dusting off his hands. "This article mentions that Hogwarts is currently in first and second place. The Minister of Magic praised Hogwarts’ educational achievements under Headmaster Dumbledore’s leadership during an interview. Of course… Professor Griselda Marchbanks from the Wizarding Examinations Authority has a more incisive and thought-provoking perspective, which you might find interesting."
"Alright, let’s begin today’s lesson."
Felix asked the class, "Has anyone heard of Indomitable Andros?"
Hermione was the first to raise her hand, which was not surprising. What was surprising, however, was that Ron also raised his hand. Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at him. Ron himself seemed a bit dazed and tried to lower his hand.
"Mr. Weasley?" Felix asked.
"Uh, Indomitable Andros…" Ron stood up, not very confidently. "I read about him in the Chocolate Frog Card descriptions—I collect them, and I’m only two cards away from completing the set. He was an ancient Greek wizard known for the immense power of his spells. He could cast a Patronus as large as a giant… His dueling skills were also formidable, and many couldn’t withstand a single spell from him…"
Seeing the professor smile at him, Ron couldn’t resist adding more, though it was a bit superfluous, "Andros probably lived in the same era as Herpo the Foul. Maybe they met? Maybe they even fought each other…"
Several students looked at Ron with newfound respect.
"Please sit down, Mr. Weasley. Most of what you said is correct, except for the last part. Due to the ancient times and the lack of dedicated historians, we can only piece together the truth from fragments of information. There is no evidence to suggest they ever met…"
Today’s lesson was relatively short, as the author wanted to make the class as engaging as possible but was struggling for ideas (not because of video games).
(End of Chapter)
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