Chapter 574: The Origin
Chapter 574: The Origin (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
In the memory Harry obtained today, it is evident that 16-year-old Voldemort had already been blinded by power. So even though Slughorn had emphasized the dangers of Horcruxes, he still pressed further, asking, “How do you split a soul?”
Liam believed that at this point, Voldemort already had a basic understanding of how to create a Horcrux. He was merely trying to draw out Slughorn's next response. However, Slughorn, unaware of this, nervously told Voldemort, “You must understand, a soul should remain whole and unbroken. Splitting it is a transgression, something unnatural.”
Voldemort did not back down. He pressed on, “But how do you split it?”
“Through an evil act—the most evil act—murder. Killing someone splits the soul, and a wizard seeking to create a Horcrux uses this destruction: sealing the fragmented soul piece away,” Slughorn explained, living up to his reputation as a wizard from an ancient clan. He spoke with authority on this obscure knowledge.
“Sealing it away? But how—?” Voldemort delved deeper. This time, Slughorn did not answer directly. He shook his head uneasily, “There is a spell, but don't ask me. I don't know! Do I look like someone who has tried it—like a murderer?”
“No, sir, of course not,” Riddle quickly replied, “I apologize… I didn't mean to offend…” In Liam's eyes, this was a test, a way to gauge Slughorn's limits before asking the crucial question.
Slughorn was calmed by his apology. Out of habit, he cared for his outstanding student, and perhaps to reassure himself. He gruffly said, “No, no, no offense. It's normal to be curious about such things… Talented wizards are often drawn to the darker side of magic…”
“Yes, sir,” Riddle said. At this point, he sensed that Slughorn might be growing wary. So, he cut to the chase, asking the key question, “But I don't understand—just out of curiosity, I mean, is one Horcrux enough? Can a soul only be split once? Wouldn't splitting it into more pieces make you stronger? For example, isn't seven the most magically powerful number? Seven—?”
“Good heavens, Tom!” Slughorn exclaimed, “Seven! Is one murder not evil enough? Regardless… splitting a soul is already evil enough… and into seven pieces…”
Slughorn became thoroughly uneasy, staring at Riddle. Liam could sense his deep regret, which was evident in his next words. Slughorn whispered, “Of course, we're just talking hypothetically, right? Purely academic…”
At this point, the young Voldemort had obtained what he wanted, but he did not want his actions to be known by others. So he calmly replied, “Yes, sir, of course.”
Slughorn then warned Voldemort not to reveal their conversation that evening, now realizing something was amiss. This aligned with Voldemort's own goals, explaining why no one else knew about this memory.
After watching the young Voldemort leave the office with a promise not to disclose the conversation, Dumbledore signaled everyone to leave.
“I must thank you; you've helped complete the most important piece of the puzzle,” Dumbledore said as soon as they were outside. “It confirms my suspicions and validates everything I've done. The light of victory is on the horizon…”
Perhaps due to Professor Dumbledore's excitement, his voice was louder than usual. The former Headmasters in the portraits on the walls were all woken up and began eavesdropping on their conversation. A red-nosed, plump wizard even took out a hearing aid. As portraits, their lives were quite dull, and they naturally did not want to miss this opportunity to hear a new story.
“You already knew that Voldemort created Horcruxes to evade death,” Dumbledore continued, “and what we saw today was the beginning of his Horcrux creation. Shortly after this conversation, Voldemort made his first Horcrux, costing a young witch her life. Hagrid was expelled from school as his scapegoat.”
"So, you just casually killed a person, someone who was your classmate?" Harry's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Harry, you are a kind boy. But Voldemort is different", Dumbledore said, shaking his head from behind his desk. "I tried my best to guide him onto the right path back then, but as you can see, I failed. My teaching created a Dark Lord."
"That's not your fault", Liam said. "Education is a two-way street. Blaming either the educator or the student after a failure is inappropriate. What Voldemort did back then would make any normal person wary of him."
"Old age has its moments of reminiscence, but the past is the past", Dumbledore waved his hand. "Right, where were we? Ah, we were talking about how Voldemort began the process of creating Horcruxes. This is why he didn't die when his first attack on Harry failed."
"So, there's a Horcrux hidden somewhere, containing a small piece of his soul to ensure its safety?" Harry asked.
"Not just a small piece, I think you might have sensed that", Dumbledore said. "You heard earlier that he was particularly interested in finding out from Slughorn what would happen if a wizard created multiple Horcruxes. However, he never got an answer because no one before him had ever split their soul so many times."
Dumbledore paused slightly and glanced at Liam. "Four years ago, I discovered that Voldemort had created a Horcrux. Liam unexpectedly found a strange notebook and brought it to me. From it, I found a piece of his soul, though it was very weak. I could confirm it was Voldemort's soul, and I even determined it was the first piece he had split."
"Liam?" Harry and Hermione both widened their eyes; they had not known about this.
"Yes, I can only say we were very lucky at the time. This Horcrux wasn't just a magic item to preserve a soul; it was also a weapon. Theoretically, it could release Slytherin's monster. Fortunately, Liam's caution allowed us to neutralize this threat in one go."
"That was only because I had just entered the Magic World and was cautious about everything", Liam said humbly. "I think at that time, the Dark Lord was still young, and he created such a Horcrux to prove he was a descendant of Slytherin."
"That analysis is reasonable", Dumbledore nodded slightly. "The purpose of a Horcrux is to safely store a piece of one's soul. Using it as a weapon is incredibly foolish, which is why I successfully destroyed that piece of soul."
Dumbledore then retrieved a glass vial filled with ashes. If you looked closely, you could see that the ashes were once a book or a notebook. "But such a Horcrux filled me with a great sense of dread. It means he likely already has—or plans to create—more Horcruxes, so losing one wouldn't be so dangerous. I don't want to believe it, but there's no other explanation that makes sense."
"The worst of this news was confirmed during the Triwizard Tournament. After some research, I found another of Voldemort's Horcruxes at the last remaining residence of the Gaunt family", Dumbledore said in a low voice. "He always believed he had gone further on the path to immortality than anyone else. I think that's where his confidence comes from."
(End of Chapter)
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