Chapter 529: Antidote for Poison
Chapter 529: Antidote for Poison
The next morning, after their classes, Harry told the friends he trusted about the homework Dumbledore had assigned him. Liam was in the Common Room with Hermione when Harry shared the details, including Dumbledore’s attitude toward the conversation he overheard between Malfoy and Snape.
"Slughorn must be determined to keep the truth from that time hidden. If even Dumbledore can’t get that memory now, your chances of obtaining it are slim", Liam said bluntly. "As for the Horcrux, I must say the Dark Lord truly deserves his title as a powerful and extremely evil Dark Lord. To even consider such a dangerous concept at that age and attempt to delve into such knowledge is remarkable."
"Even if it’s difficult, I have to try—wait, you said you know what a Horcrux is?" Harry looked at Liam in surprise.
"Yes", Liam nodded slightly and continued, "As an Alchemist, I do know about Horcruxes, which are very obscure and evil alchemical products. Since the Headmaster has now informed you about the existence of Horcruxes, it means there are some things I can tell you."
Clearing his throat, Liam spoke seriously. "A Horcrux is an alchemical device that holds a piece of a person's soul, which is split through murder."
"Terrible", Harry shook his head in disgust. "Why would Voldemort make such an evil magical item? Does it give him immense magical power?"
"No, the purpose of a Horcrux is to grant immortality", Liam said, smiling at Harry’s wide-eyed expression. "You’re not interested in this, are you? I understand the allure of immortality—"
"Of course not", Harry interrupted firmly, "It’s too evil."
"Not only that, but the side effects are severe", Liam continued. "According to available information, when a person splits their soul, they often lose part of their mind as well. You can see how the Dark Lord lost his youthful wisdom and charm in his later years. The split soul can also form another being under certain conditions. Due to the evil nature of the Horcrux, this new entity and the original cannot coexist peacefully. In the end, only one can survive."
"Then, what else do you know about Horcruxes?" Harry felt uneasy at this, thinking about the prophecy involving himself and Voldemort. He urged Liam to continue.
"A part of the soul is stored in an external object. This way, even if the Horcrux user’s body is attacked or destroyed, they won’t die because a part of their soul remains in the world, undamaged. Of course, existing in this form is worse than being a ghost; few would choose to live like that", Liam explained the critical point.
"So, the Voldemort we encountered in our first year was in that state, right? The cloud of mist that emerged after Quirrell died", Harry recalled the Voldemort he had seen in his first year.
"Yes", Liam nodded. "Theoretically, a person can only create one Horcrux. However, I can tell you that Dumbledore and I have destroyed far more than that. I believe the Headmaster assigned you this task to help you discover how many Horcruxes the Dark Lord has created."
"But how am I supposed to get that memory?" After hearing Liam’s explanation of Horcruxes, Harry felt even more discouraged. He didn’t think he could make Slughorn reveal such important information. But now, knowing the dangers of Horcruxes, he felt that, as Voldemort’s prophesied opponent, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
"I’m not sure", Liam shrugged. Because he had long ago cleared out Aragog, the event where Slughorn got drunk and revealed the truth at Aragog’s funeral couldn’t happen. However, Liam believed he still had some advice to offer Harry: "Since you now know what a Horcrux is, you must also understand that Professor Slughorn will want to keep this a secret. So, don’t ask him directly."
"Of course." Harry nodded with a bitter smile. "Looks like he might be one of the main culprits behind Voldemort! How could we possibly ask him directly in such a situation?"
At this point, Harry had a pretty good idea of what Dumbledore had been up to recently: he must have been searching for the other Horcruxes. However, he was not about to reveal this information.
During the conversation, Harry mentioned that Dumbledore believed the conversation between Snape and Malfoy he had overheard was not important. The Headmaster reiterated his trust in Snape once again. Liam and Hermione could only console Harry, suggesting that Dumbledore might have his own plans that needed to be kept secret.
Liam was a bit confused about what Professor Dumbledore was up to, especially since Dumbledore wasn't going to die this year. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore would allow Malfoy to meddle with things.
Hermione was clearly suspicious as well. After Harry left, she turned to Liam and asked, "What do you think our Headmaster is planning? I don't believe Dumbledore can't see that Malfoy is working for the Dark Lord, and that this will affect Hogwarts."
"Perhaps our Headmaster is setting a trap for the Dark Lord. You know, a plot only works when it remains unknown. From what Harry said, it seems our Headmaster is aware of this. So you don't need to worry so much." Liam comforted Hermione, and he genuinely believed this. However, to be on the safe side, he still did some tinkering with the Vanishing Cabinet Malfoy had been working on and around the Room of Requirement.
Harry had also told Ron and Ginny about these matters, but they couldn't come up with any good ideas. As a result, Harry still appeared very troubled, often pulling at his hair in frustration. Liam was a bit worried that Harry might go bald before middle age, considering even the magical world had no cure for baldness. Otherwise, a top-notch Potions master like Slughorn wouldn't have his own issues.
Speaking of Potions, in the new Potions class, Slughorn introduced a new twist. Unlike Snape, who preferred a methodical approach to brewing potions, Slughorn encouraged students to learn how to apply these potions in real life. For example, in the new class, he gave each student a vial and asked them to create an antidote for a mixture of poisons.
"According to Golpalott's Third Law, the antidote for a mixture of poisons is more effective than the sum of the individual antidotes. This vial contains over a dozen poisons, so today's class task will be a major undertaking", Hermione murmured to Liam, still feeling uneasy about Harry's habit of copying from the book and outperforming her in Potions. She disliked taking shortcuts and saw this as an opportunity to outshine Harry.
"It's not that complicated", Liam reminded her. "A single Dungstone will do; these poisons aren't that potent."
"Shut up", Hermione turned to stare at Liam. "If I do that, how am I any different from Harry?"
Liam shrugged helplessly. Hermione could be stubborn in certain aspects. She was principled and flexible when it came to important matters, but in daily life, she remained somewhat rigid. Liam didn't mind this about Hermione; sticking to one's principles wasn't a bad thing.
"Then I can only wish you good luck", Liam said before focusing on his own work. Of course, he wouldn't use a Bezoar, which lacked any real skill. As an Alchemist, he had better methods.
(End of Chapter)
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