55 Horcrux

"What's the matter, Minerva?" Mrs. Weasley asked, bewildered. She couldn't fathom why Professor McGonagall reacted so strongly at this moment. "Which Horcrux? What on earth is it?"

Ciaran responded on behalf of Professor McGonagall: "Horcruxes, one of the most nefarious magics in history!"

In addition to grasping the concepts related to Horcruxes from his previous life, after awakening his memories in this lifetime, he delved into numerous books in preparation for his battle class and knowledge dissemination. Among them, several ancient manuscripts mentioned the soul weapon. Combined with his existing understanding of Horcruxes, it could be said that scarcely anyone in the wizarding world of Harry Potter knew more about them than him.

"A Horcrux is an exceedingly dark artifact," Ciaran explained. "It's an object that houses a fragment of a person's soul."

As he spoke, the portraits of the former male and female heads of Hogwarts hanging on the wall came to life, attentively listening to Ciaran's narrative. One of them, a stout wizard with a red nose, even produced a hearing aid.

"An object that contains part of a soul?" Mr. Weasley queried, puzzled.

"A person's soul is whole at birth, constituting their life," Ciaran elucidated. "However, by employing a particular method to cleave a portion of one's soul and conceal it within an object, even if the body is attacked or destroyed, the individual won't perish, as a portion of their soul remains intact in the world."

"Though existing in this form is exceedingly lowly! Worse than a ghost, inferior to the lowliest wandering spirit!"

"What sort of object serves as the vessel for a Horcrux?" Fred suddenly inquired.

The Weasleys seemed to have just noticed their children in the office. They promptly interrupted Ciaran, instructing, "You—Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny—leave the headmaster's office and escort Ginny to the school hospital. Your mother and I will join you there shortly."

"Oh, no!" Fred lamented.

"Mom, we're keen on hearing the professor's discourse on Horcruxes," George protested.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley firmly rebuffed. "You've heard Ciaran state that this is the most wicked black magic. It's not suitable for wizards your age to delve into."

"Dad..." The Weasley children turned to Arthur Weasley, hoping he'd permit them to remain in the office to listen to Ciaran's tale.

Ginny ceased crying at this juncture, her attention mostly captured by Ciaran's narrative. She eagerly sought to unravel what had perplexed and tormented her over the past six months.

What were Horcruxes, and how should they be confronted?

"Arthur, no," Mrs. Weasley gravely shook her head at Arthur's glance.

"Professor Frémont..." They redirected their appeals to Ciaran.

Ciaran found himself in a quandary. While he believed that knowledge of Horcruxes posed no harm, considering the presence of the parents, he saw no necessity to undertake an educational role.

Ron cast an expectant gaze at Harry and remarked, "Harry, you'll share with me, won't you?"

"I don't deem Harry mature enough to comprehend Horcruxes," Professor McGonagall interjected, indicating that Harry should accompany the Weasley children to the school hospital.

Ron promptly fell silent, realizing he had inadvertently dragged Harry into the situation.

After careful consideration, Dumbledore declared, "Indeed, you're too young. Acquiring this knowledge post-graduation would be more suitable."

His statement served as the final decree.

Dejectedly, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Harry exited the headmaster's office with Ginny and hastened to the school hospital.

"Miss Weasley can rest in bed and perhaps enjoy a glass of warm chocolate milk," Dumbledore suggested kindly.

As the sound of the stone gargoyle leaping away and returning to its original position resonated, Dumbledore smiled once more and urged, "Continue, Ciaran."

"The pivotal step in creating a Horcrux is soul-splitting," Ciaran elaborated. "It's a defiance of nature's law to keep the soul intact, necessitating exceedingly wicked deeds."

"What wicked deed?" Mr. Weasley inquired.

"Murder! Murder cleaves the soul, and to fashion a Horcrux, one must seize upon this destruction to ensnare the fragmented soul," Ciaran expounded.

Pausing briefly, he continued, "There exists a spell, though I found no relevant records in any book. Perhaps Voldemort stumbled upon this spell from somewhere."

"I suspect he may have learned it during his tenure at Hogwarts," Dumbledore mused. "For instance, this diary served as the receptacle, or vessel, in which Voldemort ensnared his soul fragment during his youth. Knowing the spell, he couldn't have made this diary into a Horcrux."

"It would be preferable if that spell were lost," Professor McGonagall remarked.

"Naturally, Professor McGonagall," Mr. Weasley concurred.

"Why do you believe Voldemort possessed more than one Horcrux, Ciaran?" Dumbledore inquired.

Ciaran smiled knowingly as he replied, "Voldemort fears death—he's hardly unique in that regard. If he truly possessed only one Horcrux, I doubt he'd casually scatter his Horcrux diary about. It would assuredly be safeguarded with the most stringent and potent magic. Even adult wizards, let alone a young witch like Ginny who just entered school, would struggle to breach its defenses. Perhaps only Dumbledore could effortlessly dismantle the outer protective enchantments."

"Hence, Voldemort assuredly possesses more than one Horcrux. However, the precise number remains unknown."

Ciaran knew Voldemort had crafted seven Horcruxes, but revealing this was unnecessary. It could be inferred that Voldemort had multiple Horcruxes, but ascertaining the exact count was futile through mere speculation. It was prudent to await Dumbledore's conversation with Professor Slughorn for confirmation.

The portraits of the former Hogwarts heads on the wall emitted sounds of shock and indignation. As former heads of Hogwarts, they comprehended the process of crafting Horcruxes and recognized the magnitude of bloodshed required to produce multiple Horcruxes.

Dumbledore pondered deeply, while Professor McGonagall suddenly remarked, "No wonder Voldemort, presumed vanquished after his assault on Lily and James over a decade ago, still persists to this day."

She recalled Dumbledore mentioning that Voldemort lurked in the Albanian forests, where he existed in a state more akin to life than death.

"Who concocted the exceedingly malevolent black magic of Horcruxes?" Mrs. Weasley asked, repulsed.

Ciaran smiled wryly and replied, "Who can say? Undoubtedly, numerous wizards akin to Voldemort have traversed the annals of magical history over millennia, though none perhaps as potent as Voldemort."