I was laying on the sofa, placed before our cabin's fireplace, reading one of the ancient codexes of Salazar's, detailing his views on muggles and their constant witch huntings, growing in frequency every year. Quincy was sitting opposite me, her legs resting above mine, her face hidden behind a similar book. We have been at it for hours now, and I was so immersed in Salazar's words that when she exclaimed, I almost jumped up.
"Found something!" Sitting up, holding the book, she let her fingers run over the lines she was reading, "A Way of False Immortality: The Horcrux. To create a Horcrux is to delve into the forbidden art of splitting one's soul, a path that leads to the most heinous form of dark magic. The very act of committing murder tears the soul apart, and it is in that moment of wickedness that a sorcerer can imprison a fragment of their own soul within an object."
"Err... then we are not really whole anymore, huh?" I grimaced, making her shrug and continue reading it.
"This object becomes the vessel for their malevolence, anchoring them to the mortal realm even if their physical form is destroyed. The creation of a Horcrux is an abomination against nature, a twisted pursuit of immortality through the foulest means. As long as the Horcrux remains intact, the dark wizard or witch can never truly be defeated. They become a spectral menace, always lurking in the shadows, waiting to return and rejoin the living as a deformed beast."
"No wonder the news said he was back... He must have had one..."
"I am sure of it. You told me what Herpo said to you when you met him for real! He asked for immortality, and he was given the knowledge of how to create it! My guess is that Salazar himself had knowledge of Herpo's doings. He was part of the bloodline, just the same. He just refused to dabble in it. I am especially sure after reading about what comes next. Listen!" She continued, sounding excited, "However, one must understand the grave consequences of such dark practices. The very act of splitting one's soul leads to a state of spiritual mutilation, diminishing the humanity within. It is a path paved with darkness and despair, and those who embark upon it risk losing not only their soul but their very essence. It is not true immortality but a wretched weakening of your existence. When your end finally comes, what awaits you is nothing but limbo. Undeath, a forever state where neither the dead nor the living will see you as you doomed yourself to an eternal, shadowy existence. That is not immortality; that is the retribution of magic itself. Just ask the one who created the technique itself, Herpo The Foul..."
"That nonexistence... that would explain Herpo..." I murmured, thinking about it for a while, breaking the silence after a minute. "He did say that he managed to incorporate his memories into his bloodline... maybe his spirit is in that shadowy limbo state, neither living nor dead. He just can't come back from it."
"Then how did, well, HE, come back?" She asked me, but the moment she finished, she had already found the answer: "He has more than one!"
"Most likely. It would explain the Order's moves and why we saw them head into the Room of Requirements. They were searching for his Horcruxes! They know he is unkillable until he has any of them remaining. Maybe they thought it was the last ones, that is why my Father fought him... but evidently not."
"Do you think Snape knew?"
"Hmph! I don't want to know! He was trusted; my Father told me I could trust him, but... really? Could I? In the key moments, he never helped me. No... I only trust you."
"Hehe, and Professor Lockhart!" She grinned, climbing over and lying down next to me.
"Yeah, and he. If we ever meet him again... I hope he is doing alright!"
"Well, he is crafty and can use memory charms if nothing else, so it should be all good."
"I am curious, how many Horcruxes HE made... how many are left?"
I just asked the question when Squeaky appeared with a loud pop, carrying two brooms wrapped up neatly on her back.
"I returned, Master, Mistress!" She exclaimed proudly, bringing them over.
"Good job, Squeaky!" We said simultaneously, rubbing her head. "Woah!" I couldn't help but exclaim the moment I saw them, almost dropping the broom out of excitement.
"What is it?" Quincy asked, not knowing the big deal about it, smiling at me after seeing my eyes lit up.
"Firebolts! Both of them! Remember the paper that Squeaky brought in last week?"
"Ah, the broom you pointed at? The one that was supposedly the newest and fastest? Yeah, I remember. This is it?"
"Exactly!" Squeaky nodded, looking proud of herself, "I took notes, Master, Mistress, so I made sure to buy the real thing!"
"Hmmmm..."
"Hmm?" I laughed, seeing her playful smile, knowing full well she was teasing me, "I bet you anything that nobody could catch us with these, only if they ride one themselves!"
"What about a dragon?"
"Now you are just pulling my leg!" I leaned over, beginning tickling her, as we wrestled while laughing.
"Stop, stop, stop! I give up! Ahahaha... haaaah... Sorry~!"
"Apology accepted!" I answered with a peck on her lips, "Hopefully, we won't need to run from a dragon; just attacking those two in Hogwarts was enough to tell me I wouldn't stand a chance against them."
...
....
......
"Where the heck did those two go?"
It was around noon when Hermione was finally fed up waiting for her friends, so she went out and looked for them by herself. They were supposed to only go, look around a little, get something to drink, and get back soon. That was three hours ago. By now, she had walked around the whole resort but could not find them, and in her anger, she decided that who cared? She would go and snowboard by herself then!
It wasn't hard to decide on it as deep down, she wanted to do it instead of accompanying her friends on the beginner-friendly slopes. It wasn't bad, but she carved for a little bit more excitement.
"It's the fault of the school!" She murmured, grabbing her snowboard and heading to the lifts.
She couldn't help it; since making new friends in the Beauxbatons, she became a bit more... reckless. Of course, she is not someone who would break the rules; she wouldn't be able to do something like that. However, a few more exercises entered her life, including dueling classes and flying, following the steps of her mentor, Fleur. She was someone who she couldn't stand at first, but behind her proud exterior turned out she had a caring interior, helping her and many other English students integrate into the school. The way she helped her has opened up her eyes, and, even if subconsciously, she began taking over her, copying many things Fleur did.
"Haaaah! I just hope she is fine!"
With a grunt, Hermione hopped off the lift, arriving at the top of the slope for more advanced skiers. She was somewhat worried about what had happened in the Triwizard Tournament, how there was no real news, but she was too young to have the chance to accompany them. Rules were rules, after all. Beginning to slide down, she finally could forget about everything bothering her and simply enjoy the cold wind hitting her face while slowing down nice and easy.
"Slow!"
The shout came from behind her, surprising Hermione as it was spoken in English. She thought it was aimed at her for a moment, but the follow-up part disproved that.
"You are cheating! You went before saying go! Conraaaad!"
"Ahahahaha!"
She couldn't see well as the two figures, standing on their own snowboards, whizzed by her like bolts of lightning.
"Careful! Idiots!" She shouted after them, but they were already too far away to hear her.
All the way down, she couldn't help but curse without truly cursing, complaining about the two and how they clearly don't even care about the written and unwritten rules and etiquettes. When she arrived at the bottom, she had already lost her mood to go again and instead decided to head back to their cabin; maybe those two goofs returned by now. That's when she heard the English voices once again.
"Wanna have a rematch?"
"For sure! This time, you won't be so lucky!"
"Lucky?" The girl laughed confidently, "You cheated! It served you right!"
"Tsk... those muggles came out of nowhere; if not for my quick spell, I would have crashed right into them!"
"Cheaters get what they deserve, fufufufu! This time, I will count down!"
"So it would be you who can start early?" The boy teased, but his friend only giggled in answer.
The moment Hermione heard the words 'muggle' and 'spell,' her whole body shivered, standing in place before hurriedly trying to follow the voices. Wizards! They were wizards! There was no question about it. Only they would know the term muggle... the fact that they were speaking English made them even more interesting.
"And dangerous..." She told herself, finally catching a glimpse of the two, boarding the lift again and heading up the slope. "Who are they? No, that can't be!"
There was a precarious thought budding in her mind. The girl did call the boy Conrad... wasn't that one of the names of the two fugitives everyone has been looking for? No, that can't be. That has to be a coincidence... for sure!
"What am I doing?" She asked herself as she was already on the following lift, heading up to the top, watching them on the one ahead, blushing after seeing them clearly hugging... and kissing.
...
....
......
"Don't you feel weird?" I asked, looking around after we got off the lift, furrowing my brows.
"What, afraid of losing again?"
"No... I just had the feeling we are being followed. Weird."
"You are not joking." The moment she saw that I was serious, she immediately believed me, looking around and stealthily producing her wand, waving it around. "There is a response... there is a wand somewhere near us."
"Can you determine where?" I whispered as we slowly walked forward, not wanting to look out of place, telling our stalker we knew.
"No. If I try, they could notice it. A stronger ping would make their wand react forcefully, and they could feel that..."
"Let's go and slide down the slope but slowly. Keep using it. See if you can pinpoint the wizard or witch that is after us! I will 'crash' at the halfway point; let's see what our stalker does then."
"Are you sure it is a good idea?"
"No, but it is better than letting them tail us. For now, we will try capturing the bastard and see what they know! Then we can decide what to do next."
"Um... let's go!"
...
....
......
Hermione had trouble following them after they got off the lift, but finally, she caught a glimpse of the two heading down the slope. With a hurry, she rushed after them, putting on her snowboard, afraid she would left behind, not even thinking about the possible dangers lurking to drag her into something she was not ready for.
I was laying on the sofa, placed before our cabin's fireplace, reading one of the ancient codexes of Salazar's, detailing his views on muggles and their constant witch huntings, growing in frequency every year. Quincy was sitting opposite me, her legs resting above mine, her face hidden behind a similar book. We have been at it for hours now, and I was so immersed in Salazar's words that when she exclaimed, I almost jumped up.
"Found something!" Sitting up, holding the book, she let her fingers run over the lines she was reading, "A Way of False Immortality: The Horcrux. To create a Horcrux is to delve into the forbidden art of splitting one's soul, a path that leads to the most heinous form of dark magic. The very act of committing murder tears the soul apart, and it is in that moment of wickedness that a sorcerer can imprison a fragment of their own soul within an object."
"Err... then we are not really whole anymore, huh?" I grimaced, making her shrug and continue reading it.
"This object becomes the vessel for their malevolence, anchoring them to the mortal realm even if their physical form is destroyed. The creation of a Horcrux is an abomination against nature, a twisted pursuit of immortality through the foulest means. As long as the Horcrux remains intact, the dark wizard or witch can never truly be defeated. They become a spectral menace, always lurking in the shadows, waiting to return and rejoin the living as a deformed beast."
"No wonder the news said he was back... He must have had one..."
"I am sure of it. You told me what Herpo said to you when you met him for real! He asked for immortality, and he was given the knowledge of how to create it! My guess is that Salazar himself had knowledge of Herpo's doings. He was part of the bloodline, just the same. He just refused to dabble in it. I am especially sure after reading about what comes next. Listen!" She continued, sounding excited, "However, one must understand the grave consequences of such dark practices. The very act of splitting one's soul leads to a state of spiritual mutilation, diminishing the humanity within. It is a path paved with darkness and despair, and those who embark upon it risk losing not only their soul but their very essence. It is not true immortality but a wretched weakening of your existence. When your end finally comes, what awaits you is nothing but limbo. Undeath, a forever state where neither the dead nor the living will see you as you doomed yourself to an eternal, shadowy existence. That is not immortality; that is the retribution of magic itself. Just ask the one who created the technique itself, Herpo The Foul..."
"That nonexistence... that would explain Herpo..." I murmured, thinking about it for a while, breaking the silence after a minute. "He did say that he managed to incorporate his memories into his bloodline... maybe his spirit is in that shadowy limbo state, neither living nor dead. He just can't come back from it."
"Then how did, well, HE, come back?" She asked me, but the moment she finished, she had already found the answer: "He has more than one!"
"Most likely. It would explain the Order's moves and why we saw them head into the Room of Requirements. They were searching for his Horcruxes! They know he is unkillable until he has any of them remaining. Maybe they thought it was the last ones, that is why my Father fought him... but evidently not."
"Do you think Snape knew?"
"Hmph! I don't want to know! He was trusted; my Father told me I could trust him, but... really? Could I? In the key moments, he never helped me. No... I only trust you."
"Hehe, and Professor Lockhart!" She grinned, climbing over and lying down next to me.
"Yeah, and he. If we ever meet him again... I hope he is doing alright!"
"Well, he is crafty and can use memory charms if nothing else, so it should be all good."
"I am curious, how many Horcruxes HE made... how many are left?"
I just asked the question when Squeaky appeared with a loud pop, carrying two brooms wrapped up neatly on her back.
"I returned, Master, Mistress!" She exclaimed proudly, bringing them over.
"Good job, Squeaky!" We said simultaneously, rubbing her head. "Woah!" I couldn't help but exclaim the moment I saw them, almost dropping the broom out of excitement.
"What is it?" Quincy asked, not knowing the big deal about it, smiling at me after seeing my eyes lit up.
"Firebolts! Both of them! Remember the paper that Squeaky brought in last week?"
"Ah, the broom you pointed at? The one that was supposedly the newest and fastest? Yeah, I remember. This is it?"
"Exactly!" Squeaky nodded, looking proud of herself, "I took notes, Master, Mistress, so I made sure to buy the real thing!"
"Hmmmm..."
"Hmm?" I laughed, seeing her playful smile, knowing full well she was teasing me, "I bet you anything that nobody could catch us with these, only if they ride one themselves!"
"What about a dragon?"
"Now you are just pulling my leg!" I leaned over, beginning tickling her, as we wrestled while laughing.
"Stop, stop, stop! I give up! Ahahaha... haaaah... Sorry~!"
"Apology accepted!" I answered with a peck on her lips, "Hopefully, we won't need to run from a dragon; just attacking those two in Hogwarts was enough to tell me I wouldn't stand a chance against them."
...
....
......
"Where the heck did those two go?"
It was around noon when Hermione was finally fed up waiting for her friends, so she went out and looked for them by herself. They were supposed to only go, look around a little, get something to drink, and get back soon. That was three hours ago. By now, she had walked around the whole resort but could not find them, and in her anger, she decided that who cared? She would go and snowboard by herself then!
It wasn't hard to decide on it as deep down, she wanted to do it instead of accompanying her friends on the beginner-friendly slopes. It wasn't bad, but she carved for a little bit more excitement.
"It's the fault of the school!" She murmured, grabbing her snowboard and heading to the lifts.
She couldn't help it; since making new friends in the Beauxbatons, she became a bit more... reckless. Of course, she is not someone who would break the rules; she wouldn't be able to do something like that. However, a few more exercises entered her life, including dueling classes and flying, following the steps of her mentor, Fleur. She was someone who she couldn't stand at first, but behind her proud exterior turned out she had a caring interior, helping her and many other English students integrate into the school. The way she helped her has opened up her eyes, and, even if subconsciously, she began taking over her, copying many things Fleur did.
"Haaaah! I just hope she is fine!"
With a grunt, Hermione hopped off the lift, arriving at the top of the slope for more advanced skiers. She was somewhat worried about what had happened in the Triwizard Tournament, how there was no real news, but she was too young to have the chance to accompany them. Rules were rules, after all. Beginning to slide down, she finally could forget about everything bothering her and simply enjoy the cold wind hitting her face while slowing down nice and easy.
"Slow!"
The shout came from behind her, surprising Hermione as it was spoken in English. She thought it was aimed at her for a moment, but the follow-up part disproved that.
"You are cheating! You went before saying go! Conraaaad!"
"Ahahahaha!"
She couldn't see well as the two figures, standing on their own snowboards, whizzed by her like bolts of lightning.
"Careful! Idiots!" She shouted after them, but they were already too far away to hear her.
All the way down, she couldn't help but curse without truly cursing, complaining about the two and how they clearly don't even care about the written and unwritten rules and etiquettes. When she arrived at the bottom, she had already lost her mood to go again and instead decided to head back to their cabin; maybe those two goofs returned by now. That's when she heard the English voices once again.
"Wanna have a rematch?"
"For sure! This time, you won't be so lucky!"
"Lucky?" The girl laughed confidently, "You cheated! It served you right!"
"Tsk... those muggles came out of nowhere; if not for my quick spell, I would have crashed right into them!"
"Cheaters get what they deserve, fufufufu! This time, I will count down!"
"So it would be you who can start early?" The boy teased, but his friend only giggled in answer.
The moment Hermione heard the words 'muggle' and 'spell,' her whole body shivered, standing in place before hurriedly trying to follow the voices. Wizards! They were wizards! There was no question about it. Only they would know the term muggle... the fact that they were speaking English made them even more interesting.
"And dangerous..." She told herself, finally catching a glimpse of the two, boarding the lift again and heading up the slope. "Who are they? No, that can't be!"
There was a precarious thought budding in her mind. The girl did call the boy Conrad... wasn't that one of the names of the two fugitives everyone has been looking for? No, that can't be. That has to be a coincidence... for sure!
"What am I doing?" She asked herself as she was already on the following lift, heading up to the top, watching them on the one ahead, blushing after seeing them clearly hugging... and kissing.
...
....
......
"Don't you feel weird?" I asked, looking around after we got off the lift, furrowing my brows.
"What, afraid of losing again?"
"No... I just had the feeling we are being followed. Weird."
"You are not joking." The moment she saw that I was serious, she immediately believed me, looking around and stealthily producing her wand, waving it around. "There is a response... there is a wand somewhere near us."
"Can you determine where?" I whispered as we slowly walked forward, not wanting to look out of place, telling our stalker we knew.
"No. If I try, they could notice it. A stronger ping would make their wand react forcefully, and they could feel that..."
"Let's go and slide down the slope but slowly. Keep using it. See if you can pinpoint the wizard or witch that is after us! I will 'crash' at the halfway point; let's see what our stalker does then."
"Are you sure it is a good idea?"
"No, but it is better than letting them tail us. For now, we will try capturing the bastard and see what they know! Then we can decide what to do next."
"Um... let's go!"
...
....
......
Hermione had trouble following them after they got off the lift, but finally, she caught a glimpse of the two heading down the slope. With a hurry, she rushed after them, putting on her snowboard, afraid she would left behind, not even thinking about the possible dangers lurking to drag her into something she was not ready for.
