Chapter 56 – Of Horcruxes
As Remus's declaration rang throughout the Headmaster's office, the group within watched him in silence, their attention riveted upon the werewolf. It was not so much the information he had brought back with him which struck Harry at that moment; it was the determined manner in which he informed them of the reality of the situation, and the way it left no room for argument which shocked everyone present for the explanation. They had all known this was a possibility—how could they not? But to have it so starkly put before them was anything but pleasant, for everyone in the office loved the young man in their own way, and none of them wanted him to deal with this on top of everything else which had occurred over the course of his short and tragic life.
Fleur knew that though Harry had suspected he might have to die to defeat Voldemort—especially since being told about his horcrux problem—learning that it was fact rather than speculation was undoubtedly a shock; it was one thing to suspect something, and quite another to know it without any doubt. Of course, Remus could still be wrong. They would have to wait to see what further information and proof he was to impart before making a final judgment on the matter. Regardless, Harry would not face it alone—of that Fleur was determined.
"Ladies," Remus continued after allowing his words to sink in, "if you will move away from Harry, I would like to test our theory." He smiled apologetically at the young man. "Until now we have nothing more than a suspicion which appears to match a set of circumstances. One of the things we found is a spell which will determine once and for all if a horcrux resides in you. If I may?"
Though nervous, Harry gamely looked at the elder man with a level of gravity which should not have been allowed in a boy of merely fifteen. "Please," he replied, his voice strong and steady.
Chancing a quick glance at Hermione, Fleur could see that the other girl was just as reluctant as she to move away from Harry even for a moment. Yet she knew that they could not demur—to deny the proof that Remus could now show would do no one any good at this stage of the game. With great reluctance, she shifted her position so that she was not touching Harry, but was close enough to readily comfort him if need be. She could not help but see the symbolism of Harry facing the final proof of the theory of the horcrux alone, though she and Hermione would certainly not allow him to face the consequences by himself.
Smiling faintly as though understanding her thoughts, Remus drew his wand, and after taking a deep breath, he began waiving his wand in a complicated fashion, before he punctuated it with a loudly spoken, "Extrarius Anima Manufesto!"
The spell impacted Harry, causing him to glow white for a brief yet endless moment, and Fleur could not help but wish with all of her heart that it would end there, releasing Harry from this burden. But then slowly the color began to change, a streak of indeterminate color, starting from the top of his head down to his toes. Gaining momentum, the cloud of white light eddied and shifted, the light changing and undulating, like smoke billowing from a burning house, obscuring the light of a clear sky with its dark and sooty filth. A hint of a deep crimson began to overtake the whiteness, and within moments the white aura had fled, leaving nothing but the blood red glow emanating from the person of her beloved. The light remained for several moments before it faded away, leaving no sign behind that anything was amiss.
Remus sighed and turned to Dumbledore. "Sir, if I may?"
At Dumbledore's nod, Remus repeated the spell while pointing his wand at the Headmaster. But when the spell impacted the ancient man, a white radiance burst forth as it had with Harry, and rather than what had happened with Harry, the light remained pure and clear, and it simply faded away once the spell had run its course.
The implications were obvious, given the reaction of the spell to both Harry and the Headmaster, and knowing what it meant Fleur leaned back into Harry, accepting his hand in hers, while attempting to impart what comfort she could.
After a moment's silence—Fleur suspected that this was as hard for Remus as it was for anyone else—he continued his explanation. "That spell, roughly translated, means 'reveal foreign soul.' It was designed to distinguish between a person's own soul, and the presence of a piece of someone else's soul." Remus took a deep breath and looked Harry in the eye. "It also confirms what we've suspected, Harry. You have a portion of Voldemort's soul residing in your body."
Harry gave a jerky nod in response and Fleur could see the rigidness of his posture and the clench of his hand in hers, which indicated the tight control he was exerting over his emotions. On his left side, Hermione was holding on to his other hand, and for a brief moment Fleur's eyes met Hermione's and she recognized the telltale signs of Hermione Granger deciding that she was not going to stand for something, from the chewing of her bottom lip to the way in which her expression and posture screamed defiance. A fierce determination passed between them, the meaning of which could not have been clearer had they shouted it out loud for all the room to hear. They would find a way out of this for Harry. They would not fail him.
On some level, Harry knew that what Remus was saying should be completely devastating, just like on some level he knew that he was clutching both girls' hands almost painfully. But he held his emotions in an almost iron grip, feeling like a visitor in his own body; if he did not, he knew he would break down and that would do no one—least of all himself—any good.
The girls on either side of him—and everyone else in the room as well—directed apprehensive looks at him, but Harry forced himself to continue to listen to Remus's explanation. Perhaps through listening, understanding would come, and the puzzle would be solved. He did not, in truth, think it would be so easy, but at the moment it was all he had.
"I think first we should explain where we found our information," Remus was saying. "After we've explained that, we can move to the horcrux itself."
With that, Remus launched into an explanation of their journeys through Egypt, how that had searched without finding anything until they came to the notice of the society. He then explained what the society stood for, their goals and actions, and how they preserved ancient knowledge—whether good or evil—so that records may be kept and, in the case of destructive magics, countered by those with the will to do so.
It was rather fortunate, Harry thought, that they had managed to find this group. Otherwise, no information at all may have ever been found, and the mystery of Voldemort's return might have been lost forever. If Remus's ominous declaration of how truly bad horcruxes were was accurate, they might have lost the battle before it had even been fought.
Once Remus had concluded his explanation of the magical remnants of the Great Library and answered a few questions—mostly from Dumbledore, whose delight in knowledge Harry knew to be on the same level as Hermione's, though subdued due to the situation—he fell silent once again before turning back to the true subject: horcruxes.
"To understand the history of the horcrux, one must go deep into the history of Ancient Egypt," Remus began. "The ancient magicals were interested in all things to do with the human experience—birth, life, death: all of these things fascinated them and drew them into study and experimentation." Remus smiled faintly. "Of all magical people, the ancient Egyptians were the most curious and studious. Or at least those of Egyptian descent claim it to be so. The theory that all people possess souls is almost as old as the human race is itself, and the concept tied in rather nicely with those things which primarily interested the ancient Egyptians.
"Soul magic was rife at the time and, among other things, the Egyptians learned not only how to tie the soul to the earth via the horcrux, but also many other things, both beneficial and otherwise."
Remus paused in his recitation and smiled. "Of course, most soul magic is not truly useful, as the Headmaster had previously explained, but there are some uses which go beyond mere dark magic and are amongst the foulest abominations known to man. For example, there is a ritual—long lost to the world at large, thankfully—which allows one to gain control over another's very soul, in a manner far more profound than even the most powerful Imperius curse. It allows the person who holds the other in thrall to not only control the unfortunate caught in their grasp, but also to snuff out the other person's very soul with a clenching of their fist. And this is not the only—or indeed the worst—soul magic of which the society has record."
There were looks of distaste around the room at this thought, and Harry was struck by the fact that there were undoubtedly many things in this library which Voldemort would delight in should he ever find them. No doubt, it would make his rule all that much darker and the times more evil should he ever discover it.
"The origin of the horcrux spell is in fact lost to the mists of time. There is no record of who created it, and it also does not speak of what that person or persons intended when it was created, though their intentions seem to be obvious, given what the horcrux was designed to do. It is possible, however, that they stumbled on it when seeking for something else entirely. Either way, that knowledge is lost forever."
"My information suggested that Herpo the Foul, an evil and powerful Greek wizard discovered it some centuries before Christ," said Dumbledore.
"But you sent Remus and Tonks to Egypt," Harry protested, feeling the need to exert himself in some manner.
Dumbledore smiled at him. "Herpo was well-known for his travels. He was born and lived in Sparta until, as a young man, he was driven from the city when certain of his proclivities were discovered. He wandered for many years throughout Greece, around the Mediterranean, until he arrived in Lower Egypt, where he lived until the end of his life." Dumbledore turned his attention back to Remus. "According to my information, he was the first one who was known to actually create a horcrux, though I was never completely certain as the history I managed to find made no mention of his ever returning to life. He was also known to be very distasteful in some of his habits, so it is possible that he created one, but had no followers to help him return to life after his death."
"Herpo was mentioned in the histories," Remus confirmed, "but he was not the one who discovered how to create a horcrux. The horcrux is actually a much older spell, dating back many centuries, perhaps even millennia. When Herpo arrived in Egypt, he managed to discover some record concerning horcruxes as he was naturally drawn to such things. He may have thought he had successfully created a horcrux, but it is likely that he did not, for reasons which I will explain as we go along. What is known is that the society—which did not truly even exist as a formal body in those days—discovered what he had done and punished him for it. The battle was hard and it cost the society dearly—Herpo was a powerful and devious wizard, ruthless and cruel—but eventually he was defeated and was put to death.
"As for the true origin of horcruxes, it is not known exactly who invented them, or when they did so. All that it known is that a way to extend life was being sought. Some of the records we went through speculated that it was created in order to protect the life of a Pharaoh who was under the threat of assassination. As you will see, they succeeded, after a fashion, but not in the manner that they had desired, if the story is at all true."
Sitting back in his chair, Remus raked his fingers through his hair and tilted his head back in contemplation. "The more pertinent part of history to our purposes is around the time of the ending of the seventeenth dynasty and the beginning of the eighteenth dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs.
"By the fifteenth century B.C. Northern Egypt was dominated by the Hyksos dynasty, and they held sway over all of Egypt, with the rulers of Upper Egypt, based at Thebes, paying tribute to them in the manner of a subject kingdom. There are many theories as to the origins of the Hyksos, including where they came from or how they managed to seize power, but that is not truly pertinent to our subject. The term which has been passed down through history to describe them, 'Hyksos,' was what the Egyptians called them, and it means 'foreign rulers.' They were naturally considered to be usurpers.
"The second to last ruler of the seventeenth dynasty was named Seqenenre Tao. Now Seqenenre Tao only ruled for four years, but by the time he came to the throne, he was already well into his forties, and had fathered several children, some of whom had already grown to adulthood themselves. It was Seqenenre Tao who laid the foundation for Egypt's liberation from the Hyksos, though he himself died in battle.
"His eldest son, Kamose, continued the fight after his father's death, and in the histories of the Muggle world, it is also thought that he died himself against the Hyksos. They are possibly correct, though the true circumstances of Kamose's death are not known, as it was never proven exactly how he died. For our purposes, the most important figure of this time is another son of Seqenenre Tao, who ruled after his brother Kamose died. His name was Nebpehtire Ahmose I, or more commonly just referred to as Ahmose I.
"Now, Ahmose was an oddity. He, along with only one of his sisters, was a magical—then, as now, if one child born to Muggle parents is magical, then generally they all are. However, all his other brothers and sisters were Muggles, making him and his one sister the only magicals in the family."
That caught Harry's attention. "But my mother was magical while my Aunt Petunia isn't."
"They are the exception rather than the rule, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "Remus is correct—in the vast majority of Muggleborn cases, all the children in the family will be magical with very few exceptions. And I daresay that it is even odder that two out of several children would be magical. Usually if there is a mix, there might be one child among several which is not magical, rather than the reverse."
Idly, Harry wondered if his aunt had ever known this. It might account in some way for her resentment toward his mother, and even toward Harry himself. But then again, Aunt Petunia had never shown any indication that she had known anything but the basics about the magical world, and she had made it very clear that she did not care to know. Had that antipathy been in part driven because she had been denied something she felt was her right, or had she just hated the magical world on principle? Harry could not be certain, but as it was an extraneous thought, he pushed it away to focus on the narrative.
"Ahmose was very inquisitive," Remus continued, "and extremely ambitious. It is said that he greatly resented that his brother was to be the next Pharaoh due to nothing more than the accident of birth. It was never proven, but at the time, some of those close to the throne suspected that Ahmose had arranged for his brother's death. As Kamose died in the middle of a battle, it is unknown exactly how he accomplished this feat, but it is possible that he hired someone to kill his brother when engaged with the Hyksos, thereby enabling him to blame it on the heat of battle. It's also possible that his brother just died in battle as is thought by the Muggles, without any intervention at all. It is simply not known at this time and regardless, after his brother died, Ahmose assumed the throne and under his guidance, the Hyksos were quickly defeated and driven from the Lower Nile. This ushered in an era of peace and prosperity for the kingdom of Ancient Egypt.
"Unfortunately, though the kingdom was prosperous, at its heart, it was quickly rotting away."
Remus quickly glanced about the room. "Now, to understand any more of the history of Ahmose, we need to focus on the horcrux itself. Ahmose, though important in illustrating just exactly how a horcrux may be used, is incidental to the problem at hand."
Silence descended on the room as, for the next few moments, Remus appeared to struggle with exactly how to relate his information. Finally, he sighed and looked Harry in the eye.
"Harry, I'm not certain exactly how to say this and make it any easier to hear—"
"Then just say it, Moony," Harry prompted.
Fixing him with a searching look, Remus nodded slightly before he continued. "The horcrux is one of the most evil forms of magic in existence and far more disgusting than we have even suspected, despite what the Headmaster has already told us. Casting the horcrux ritual is, as Professor Dumbledore indicated, the act of removing a small portion of one's essence—commonly referred to as their soul—and placing it into another in order to tie the caster to the world so that their soul cannot pass on into the afterlife should they die. A person who possesses a horcrux can still die, but their soul will remain anchored to the world until the horcrux itself is no longer of this world.
"Now, when I say that a portion of the soul is place into another, I do mean someone, rather than something." Remus's words were punctuated by his verbal emphasis on the words. "A horcrux cannot be made from an inanimate object. A horcrux must be a living being, and must be one who has magic of their own."
Of them all, it was Dumbledore who started and stared at Remus with disbelief. For perhaps the first time in Harry's remembrance, the Headmaster appeared incredulous at what he was hearing, and not possessing all the facts concerning the subject they were discussing. It was a curious thing to witness, to more than just Harry, he suspected.
"But that cannot be!" he exclaimed. "Harry destroyed a horcrux in his second year."
"Your information was incorrect, Headmaster," Remus stated quietly. "Over the centuries, the society's agents have systematically removed every reference to horcruxes they could find, and through this experience, they know that there are some records which claim to be able to create a horcrux from an inanimate object, even records which were created after the truth was discovered. Those records are false.
"It is known that when the ritual was first devised and attempted, the ritual creator thought he had a working horcrux, but he could not be returned to life after he died. It was then that those who had the will to do so turned their thought toward the idea of a living host. After some experimentation and minor tweaking of the ritual, they were able to make it work with a living host."
Dumbledore peered at Remus in disbelief before he turned and opened a drawer in his desk. The object he pulled out was one which was very familiar to Harry. It was an old, leather diary with a hole punched through its center, the pages blackened and burned about the edges. It was the diary which had taken control of Ginny Weasley in her first year, possessing her and forcing her to unleash the basilisk on the school. Until now they had all thought it to be a horcrux.
"That is the horcrux that Harry destroyed in his first year," Dumbledore averred, dropping the diary on his desk and glaring at Remus, as though daring him to object.
Remus, of course, complied. "And I can tell you though Voldemort may have intended for it to be a horcrux, it most assuredly was not." Remus paused for a moment, meeting Dumbledore's eyes as something akin to a staring contest began between the two men. "This was confirmed by every scroll and history we could find."
"Could the histories be wrong?"
"Very unlikely," was Remus's even answer. "The way to be certain, perhaps, would be to find something he had intended to be an inanimate horcrux and cast the detection spell at it. Since we do not have one, and the histories were very clear on what was able to be made into a horcrux, I think we have no choice but to proceed under the assumption that they are correct."
Again Harry saw a look cross the Headmaster's face which he had never seen before on the self-assured wizard: chagrin. "I apologize, Remus," Albus stated. "You caught me off guard. Please continue."
"Understandable," Remus replied. "The first reference that Tonks and I found was difficult for us to swallow as well. It took more corroborating evidence before we were finally convinced.
"But it is beyond refuting—a horcrux must be a living being. As a piece of living matter, for want of a better term, a soul shard requires like matter to continue to exist. A magical artifact, no matter how enchanted or powerful, is still nothing more than an inert and dead object. A soul shard simply cannot continue to exist under those circumstances—it must have something to hold onto, and the only other thing it is able to attach itself to is another soul."
Remus turned back to the Headmaster. "What likely induced you to believe that the diary was a horcrux, is the fact that it is also documented that although the soul shard never takes hold of the intended magical object, the ritual—along with the mere fact that killing someone in cold blood, among other abominations, is required to allow the piece of soul to be extracted—is so foul that it leaves an echo of sorts on the intended object. The object appears to be evil and it has certain properties which make it dangerous, but it is not a true Horcrux.
"In fact, that is the reason why the detection spell was developed in the first place. The ritual was known to work, as those who created it were able to determine that the soul was extracted. Conversely, a spell was also developed which, when used on a person, would confirm if they had an active horcrux. It made it much easier when determining whether someone could be killed without fear of them returning."
Remus halted his explanation for a few moments and Harry, though this discussion was in effect confirming the fact that there was nothing any of them could do for him, found himself fascinated by what he was hearing. Oh he was not fascinated by the concept of the horcrux itself—it was clearly an abomination. But the ingenuity of these people astounded him. Had the circumstances been different or the intent less disgusting, he could almost admire the person who designed the magic.
"In that case we may have a further problem," Dumbledore stated into the silence. "I was certain that Harry had destroyed a horcrux in the chamber. If it was not a horcrux, then what was at play there? How was Miss Weasley influenced to do as she did? Was there something else at work of which we have no knowledge?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot answer those questions," Remus replied. "But I believe we will have to address them again another time. There are other conditions of horcrux creation which may provide the answer, but I believe we should focus on what we know."
"Moony, I have a question," Harry blurted out. At the Marauder's motion he continued. "How does the horcrux affect me? It's not going to take over me and make me start doing things, is it?"
Smiling, Remus shook his head. "No Harry. The soul shard, even though it is attached to your own soul, cannot exert any control over you. You must think of this in relative terms—no matter how strong Voldemort is, only a small piece of his soul is attached to you. It can exert no influence over you. Its only purpose is to tie Voldemort to life. Unfortunately, that does not make it any less evil, and the consequences of being a horcrux any less severe."
With those comforting words, such as they were, Harry settled back into his chair to listen. For an instant, he had had visions of suddenly going mad and harming the two girls who were at the center of his life. He would not be able to live with himself if he allowed that to happen. But the relief he felt at that reassurance gradually began to dissipate as the true evil of the horcrux came out in Remus's explanation.
"Now, there are a few more things that you need to know before we truly get into the nature of the horcrux, as well as the historical events which verify our knowledge.
"First, you must know that a piece of soul removed from a person retains a connection back to the main portion of their soul. The soul, according to our research, though not completely understood, is of the body, and the body is part of the soul. The Egyptians found evidence to suggest that all of us are souls."
"That's disgusting," Harry blurted, a feeling of being almost dirty washing over him. "Are you suggesting that if we all are souls, that I have part of Voldemort's body in me?"
More than one face blanched at that thought, but Remus shook his head. "Again, I cannot answer your question with any confidence, Harry. But even by the Egyptians, the soul was not completely understood. Whether the body and spirit combine to make the soul or not, I can assure you that Voldemort did not place a piece of his body in you when he made you into a horcrux. He didn't lose a finger, for example, in creating a horcrux."
The explanation did not truly comfort Harry very much, but he nodded his head, indicating for Remus to proceed. In truth he wanted to get this explanation over with so that he could go lick his wounds in private. This was turning out to be far more difficult than he had feared.
Remus continued, "When a piece of a soul is broken off, or perhaps more correctly, siphoned off, nothing of the soul is lost—you retain just as much of a soul as that which you started with. The soul is both infinite and finite, it is you and it is all of you, and nothing you do can ever lessen the amount of soul you have. It's a concept almost impossible to understand—if there is a higher power watching over us, it would be up to them to understand it.
"Regardless, if that portion which resides in a horcrux is ever destroyed, it… lessens the person, in ways not fully understood. Though nothing changes physically, they experience personality changes, becoming darker and more evil. Given the fact that you already have to be evil to cast the spell in the first place, there might not be a noticeable difference. The records were ambiguous on that matter.
"There is one thing that must be understood and is particularly pertinent to this discussion, as Voldemort tried to make horcruxes out of inanimate objects; a soul shard will not go willingly to an unsuitable vessel. If the creator tries to force a shard from his soul into something which will not sustain it, the soul piece will attempt to find a host it can latch onto. It only has an instant to do so, meaning that if nothing suitable is nearby, then it will dissipate completely. It cannot rejoin the original soul, as it was ejected in order to attach it to another, and is therefore, unwelcome, for want of a better word, with the greater part of the soul."
Dumbledore was watching Remus with a speculative eye, but it was Jean-Sebastian who broke in with a comment. "In that case, if Voldemort attempted to create multiple horcruxes, since he would likely have done it in secret, he may not have very many at all. There may only be one or two."
"That is true," Remus admitted. "But we know of one for certain, and I very much suspect we know of another."
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.
"There are known to be two types of hosts, and each have different properties. The first type is a human. Humans are the best hosts as in essence we are all very similar in our makeup. If a human is used as a horcrux, then the piece of soul enters them and mingles with their own soul. In that way, the horcrux is sustained, and it is for that reason that a horcrux cannot be removed. To remove the bit of soul mingling with the host's, you'd have to go through every particle of the soul—though that's not truly an appropriate term—and remove the foreign soul one bit at a time."
"And the second type of host?" Dumbledore prompted.
"An animal," Remus said. "If a horcrux is made from an animal, then the soul piece attaches itself to the animal's own soul and lives off of it like a parasite. Because the animal is not a human, it cannot mingle in with it the way it does with a human, but since the beast is a soul in its own right, it is sufficient to sustain the soul shard and become a horcrux. The soul shard does provide certain benefits to the animal as well—it makes it stronger, more powerful, larger, and much more difficult to kill, not to mention influencing it much more toward evil. The soul shard… whispers to the animal, directing it to a certain extent, and giving it the appearance of much greater intelligence."
"Nagini," Dumbledore breathed.
"I suspect so, Headmaster," Remus replied. "I can't speculate on any of the other intended horcruxes as I'm not familiar with the circumstances of their attempted creation, but I suspect that he actually did create a horcrux of Nagini.
"Now," Remus continued, "there are also certain conditions which must be met when creating a horcrux from an animal. The most important one being that the intended horcrux must be magical itself. If the animal is not magical, then the horcrux destroys it by feeding off of its very soul, leaving it a dried husk. Incidentally, this is also the case when one tries to make a horcrux from a Muggle. A soul is required for the soul shard to grasp and hold, but magic is required for the soul shard to be sustained, lest it feed directly on the host's soul to survive. How long it takes before a soul shard finally destroys a non-magical host totally depends on the size and makeup of the host to a certain extent. A field mouse, for example, would be consumed by the soul shard in a matter of moments. The magical creature must also be of some size, though that size was not specified. I expect a flobberworm, for example, could not be made into a horcrux, though a larger creature such as a thestral likely could be. For a human it doesn't matter—any person, as long as they have their own innate magic, can become a horcrux." He turned and looked at Harry significantly. "The smallest baby or the oldest man on earth can be made into a horcrux, as long as they have magic."
"Most magicals who are willing to do something like this probably wouldn't want a Muggle to be their horcrux anyway," Harry opined.
"You are likely correct," said Remus. "But it is academic, as a Muggle will not serve anyway.
"Now we arrive at the most difficult part of this. You see, there are two ways for a Horcrux creator to return to life after they die. You have witnessed one, Harry—there are certain rituals which will assemble a constructed body, into which the soul may be inserted. This is rather imperfect. The body is not the same body that the creator originally inhabited when he was alive, but rather one made up of different pieces bound together by magic."
"Voldemort looks… strange," Harry said hesitantly. "His skin is pasty, he speaks almost with a hiss, he has no hair, and his nose is kind of mashed in with his face."
"That's right, Harry," Remus agreed. "No construct is as good as the original body provided by nature. This way is certainly possible, as Voldemort demonstrated, but it is hardly ideal. In fact, there is a much easier and better way for Voldemort to have returned to life, had he known what to do.
"The other way to return is to simply follow the connection to the horcrux, and to take over the horcrux's body, displacing the soul to whom the body belonged."
By Harry's side, Fleur and Hermione gasped almost in tandem, while everyone else in the room was regarding Remus with expressions of mixed horror and disbelief.
"Then what happens to the soul that originally inhabited the body?" Harry asked, though he was reluctant to know. This whole thing was so repugnant that in truth Harry felt like vomiting. But it was real and seemed to be incontrovertible, and Harry wanted to know everything about it he could.
"It is forced from the body in favor of the horcrux creator's soul," Remus replied quietly. "A part of the Horcrux ritual contains a subjugation of sorts—the horcrux's soul becomes subservient to the horcrux maker's and it is forced from its own body when the creator's soul arrives to take over. There is no defense for the horcrux.
"What makes this even worse," Remus continued in an almost inaudible tone of voice, "is that the horcrux's soul does not pass on. It still maintains a connection to its own body, and also to the horcrux creator, almost like a sort of reverse horcrux."
It was horrible, almost beyond belief. To think that fate awaited him should Voldemort ever learn of the true nature of what he had done was almost more than he could bear. Harry did not even want to contemplate it, though it was stark and clear, so he voiced a question which he was certain just about everyone else in the room was thinking about.
"Then why didn't Voldemort just take over my body when he had the chance? Hell, he's had several chances, since I've run into him more than once before he returned."
"That is the great mystery, isn't it?" Dumbledore interjected. "I think that we can safely assume that the reason he did not do so was that he simply did not know. Is that correct, Remus?"
"As near as we can tell," the Marauder confirmed. "We spoke of this with some of the knowledgeable society members while we were in Egypt. They suggested that Voldemort likely had some other artifact that he was intending to make into a horcrux when he attacked Harry that night in Godric's Hollow. But when he attempted to kill Harry, whatever Lily did to protect him caused the spell to backfire, and the soul shard entered Harry as the only living being close enough to serve as its host. Had the rest of Voldemort's soul simply followed his connection to the new horcrux—which was now Harry—he could have taken over Harry's body. We never would have known what he was up to, as to the world, he would have been Harry Potter, not Lord Voldemort. But the take over of the horcrux's body is an act of will, and Voldemort obviously did not know what he had wrought. He therefore fled to plot his return, rather than take the easier solution.
"Now, another thing which you must understand is that this ritual does not grant true immortality. There is no known way for a person to cheat death indefinitely. The horcrux creator and the horcrux itself will continue to age as they normally would, and both bodies will eventually die. Nothing can stop that.
"However, I think you all understand that this can be a powerful tool for one with the will to use it." Remus stopped and stared around the room, catching the eyes of each person in the room. "If someone has the will and the knowledge, they may stave off the passing of their soul almost indefinitely. If they continue to make horcruxes they may simply follow the connection to a horcrux when the current body they inhabit dies. As long as they keep creating horcruxes and always have one available, they could always remain. In fact, if the horcrux creator continued to create horcruxes and move to new bodies, every one of those souls whose bodies he stole would continue to be tied to him without the possibility of passing on until the horcrux creator dies without a horcrux himself. And though it is, of course, not truly known, the soul being separate from the body is not analogous to being a like the ghosts in Hogwarts. It is thought to be like an eternity of torment for the disembodied soul, as you are still connected to the one who stole your body, but you must watch as that body is used, grows old, and dies, and all under the stewardship of another. That is the true horror of the horcrux."
"But I don't understand," Harry protested, choosing once again to ignore the consequences in favor of more immediate questions. "There has to be a limit to how many times a soul is split."
"The term 'split' is actually a misnomer," Remus replied. "The ancient Egyptians understood the soul better than any other people on earth, though even they did not possess a full knowledge. As I mentioned before, the soul is not in you, it is you. According the ancient Egyptians, the soul is made up of the spirit and the body, and therefore, you don't have a soul, you are a soul. What actually happens through the Horcrux creation ritual, is that a minute portion of the soul is siphoned off from the rest and mingled in with the soul of the horcrux. And this is the primary reason why it is considered to be so much of an abomination—through magic, the horcrux creator is changing the very essence of the soul, that being of the spirit and the body together. Obviously, if a horcrux creator takes the body of the horcrux, he is changing the very nature of his own soul. In ancient Egypt it came to be known as the worst sort of abomination."
"Then surely the soul cannot be split so many times."
"Again, incorrect. We are once again speaking of topics which are imperfectly understood, but the spirit and the body combine to form the soul. It is both constricted to what fits into the body—including the body—and is infinite. What is known is that removing a portion of the soul does not in any measurable way lessen the amount of soul left behind, if such a thing can even be measured. The soul simply is—it cannot be quantified. As a result, there is no practical limit to the number of horcruxes which may be created.
"And that is why it is impossible to remove a horcrux from a human. Since the soul is infinite, it can never be done. It's something akin to cutting a bit of mold off a piece of cheese. You could do it if there was a bit of mold attached to the outside of the block. However, if the mold is mingled throughout the cheese, there's simply nothing to cut off and impossible to separate the good from the bad."
It was in every way horrible. Not only was the spell much more dangerous than they had ever dreamed, but being forced from his body in favor of Voldemort was not something he even wanted to consider. Better to be dead, he thought, than to have Voldemort force him from his own body. But Harry was determined to remain strong, regardless of what it cost him.
By his side, the two girls so steadfastly supporting him were by no means as stoic as the front Harry was attempting to maintain. Hermione was looking lost and anguished, such as he had almost never seen her before. Fleur, by contrast, had tears rolling down her cheeks—for a being whose powers were based on love, hearing of the sword poised over the head of one she held dear must be extremely difficult, especially for one who was as intrinsically a good person as Fleur. And all about the office long faces mingled with shock abounded. This was certainly beyond what any of them had ever expected.
It was left to Dumbledore to focus the attention of the group back on Remus's narration. "You mentioned that there were historical events which would illustrate what you discovered?"
"Yes, of course," Remus replied. "We were speaking of Ahmose, the first Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty. Now again, if you will recall, Ahmose was magical as was one of his sisters, though the rest of his siblings were not. There are a few other things which are known about him. First, he was fascinated by the subjects of life and death, and more specifically, because he was magical, felt that he was in a unique position to see to the needs of his people. Second, as he and his sister were the only members of the Egyptian royal family who were magical, he considered himself to be a blessing from the Gods. Clearly, the Gods had determined that one possessed of magic was destined to rule the people, and as such, those without magic could not be allowed to contaminate the line of the dynasty he was to found."
"So he was kind of like a Pureblood fanatic?" Harry asked.
"No, Harry," Remus replied. "The Egyptians at the time looked on those with magic as people who had a special ability, and the magicals themselves considered their magic to be a specific talent they possessed. There was little if any conflict between magicals and Muggles. Ahmose did not disdain those without magic, but as he himself had been born with magic to a non-magical line, he felt that he was special."
"I think the more accurate question," Jean-Sebastian interjected, "is how this plays into the discussion of horcruxes."
"Exactly," Remus confirmed. "You see, at the time, it was very common for siblings to be married, especially within the royal family. In Ahmose's case, the only one of his siblings he would even consider marrying was his one magical sister, as he considered her to be pure, being both magical and a member of his own family. As a result, they were married and she became his wife.
"However, that is not all. If you recall, he was convinced of his destiny to lead his people and his surety that only he could do it properly."
"He used horcruxes," Sirius said.
"He did," confirmed Remus. "But he did not use just anyone for a horcrux. When his eldest son was born, he conducted the horcrux ritual in secret, creating a horcrux of his son." Several gasps of shock resounded throughout the room. "Ahmose himself ruled for approximately 25 years, and when he passed on, he simply followed the link through to his son, Amenhotep, and ruled Egypt for approximately another twenty years in the body of his son. While occupying the body of Amenhotep, he fathered other children, again taking the eldest son and making them into a horcrux.
"This continued for over two and a half centuries. Ahmose would continue to marry his siblings—or his daughters, depending on how you look at it. Biologically they were actually his current body's siblings, though in reality they were all his descendents, and growing increasingly remote from his original body. For a time he actually made a horcrux of a daughter when he was not able to father a son, and he ruled as Hatshepsut, one of only a few female Pharaohs, and one which history considers to among the greatest of all Pharaohs."
"If he was so concerned with keeping his line pure, then who did he marry while in the body of a woman?" Sirius asked.
"As he had no choice, he married a close cousin, the son of one of his previous body's siblings. But as his line continued, and as he continued marrying brother to sister, inbreeding began to sap the strength of his line and they became more prone to birth defects, poor health and other physical problems. By the time he had created his last horcrux, the line had grown unstable and weak. The last body he inhabited before he was finally killed was one which is quite well known in the Muggle world—a young boy king by the name of Tutankhamen."
"King Tut!" Hermione exclaimed. She then colored immediately in embarrassment. "Sorry. Like Remus said, Tutankhamen is very well-known in the Muggle world as his tomb was forgotten for many centuries, before it was discovered again only about seventy years ago. For many years it was rumored that there was a curse on the tomb as those who found it appeared to have died young."
"The existence of a curse is very possible, Hermione," Remus replied with a smile, "based on how Ahmose was eventually defeated, and the way his reign was reviled after he finally died. But we will get to that in a moment.
"Toward the end of Ahmose's line, it gradually became more difficult for him to create viable horcruxes, as his children would often be stillborn, born weak or prone to illness, often dying before reaching adulthood. Just before Tutankhamen he went through a succession of bodies, his children born when he was occupying the body of Akhenaten. Akhenaten was actually a strong Pharaoh—a brief throwback to when he was younger and his line stronger—who reigned for almost twenty years. But his children were all sickly. After his Akhenaten body died, he spent less than a year in the body of his eldest son, and then about two years in the body of another daughter. After that body died, he finally took the body of Tutankhamen, who was only nine at the time. This turned out to be his last body.
"By this time, it is suspected that he had begun to grow a little mad. Nothing much is known of how the move from body to body affects the spirit, but it has been theorized that this constant movement and the soul having existed in different bodies for many years, coupled with the fact that the bodies were becoming weaker and weaker, caused his mind to gradually break down. He began to exhibit signs of paranoia, growing distrustful of those around him and convinced that there was a plot to overthrow him. The ironic thing is that he was correct.
"At some point, his actions had been discovered though the means is unknown, but it was likely about the time he took over Tutankhamen. A number of his subordinates, convinced that what he was doing was blasphemous and immoral, began to plot against him, led by Horemheb, the commander of the Egyptian armies. By this time, however, Ahmose was fading fast. As Tutankhamen, he again married one of his sisters, but as they were both suffering from various frailties, she was unable to carry a child to term, losing one after about five months of pregnancy, while the other was stillborn.
"Ahmose was desperate to produce an heir and, more importantly, a viable potential horcrux. He conceived of a plan to have his wife killed and to marry a magical woman unconnected to him. This was extremely distasteful to him, but he was coming to the opinion that he had no choice, as he had no children, and his wife did not appear strong enough to bear him a child. A marriage to a cousin was briefly considered, but as his marriage when he inhabited Hapshetsut a century earlier had not strengthened his line appreciably, he decided he could not take the chance.
The ironic thing in all of this is if he had succeeded, the new blood might have fortified his line, allowing him to rule for many more years. Of course, he would have had to have survived long enough in his Tutankhamen body for any children to mature—the men plotting against him likely would have killed any children he managed to produce if he had died young in that body. As Pharaoh he could exert some control and provide for the safety or his children, as the Pharaohs were thought to be deities themselves. If the children he had fathered through this other woman had lived, but still died young as Tutankhamen, he likely would not have been able to protect them while residing in an infant's body.
"In the end, however, speculation is academic. His general, Horemheb, feigning a concern that he had not produced an heir yet, prodded him forward in his plan to marry this other woman. Horemheb convinced him to set up a secret meeting with the woman of his choice, and without the presence of his guards. It was then, when the Pharaoh was undefended that he struck, killing him. Wary of the people's reaction to the killing of a ruling monarch—who if you recall were considered gods themselves—Horemheb removed the body back to the palace where, with the assistance of other magicals, he made it appear as though Tutankhamen had broken his leg, and had died several days later of a resulting infection. He was so successful in his ruse, that many Muggle scientists and archaeologists to this day believe that was how he died.
"Ahmose was then succeeded by Ay, another conspirator who ruled for only four years—and who most Muggle historians believe to have been the real power behind Tutankhamen's throne. Then Horemheb finally deposed Ay and took over the throne. He was the last Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty.
"As a final footnote of this history, Horemheb was of the firm conviction that what Ahmose had done was beyond forgiveness, something which I cannot disagree with. It was at Horemheb's instigation that all records of horcruxes began to be collected and housed in a secure location so as to be removed from the world. This collection was later expanded to include other types of dark magic, and finally to include all kinds of magic. It was later placed in the library at Alexandria, and when the library was damaged, it was placed in a secret location and the Eye of the Pharaoh was born."
His recitation at an end, Remus fell silent and no one in the room appeared eager to speak up. The things that he had discovered seemed beyond dispute, not that Harry was inclined to do so anyway. In truth, he was more than a little numb. So much evil had been wrought by means of this spell which was devised all those centuries ago, and now it was happening again. At least this Ahmose, though misguided and misunderstanding certain things about human physiology—even if Harry had to admit that Ahmose's creating horcruxes from his children was truly an unforgiveable evil—had at least been a benevolent ruler, it appeared. Voldemort was not. He was out for nothing more than his own aggrandizement and his own selfish desires, and would undoubtedly use this power to kill millions if he was given the chance. The horcrux was a terrible tool in such a madman's hands.
"I guess we can be thankful that Voldemort doesn't know what a horcrux can do," Sirius stated into the silence, echoing Harry's thoughts rather neatly.
"But the question is, what can we do for Harry?" Hermione said.
"Nothing," Harry replied shortly. He was tired—bone-tired—and though he knew that the girls and everyone were worried about him, he was beginning to get annoyed with the pitying looks. He realized that it was petty to a certain extent, but he also thought it was justified that he felt this way. What Remus had discovered was very clear. There was nothing that could be done—being a horcrux was a death sentence. But if he was meant to die in the struggle against the tyrant, at least he could make sure that he took Voldemort with him.
Hermione glanced up at him after his short reply, but Harry ignored her. "It's pretty clear what must be done. We have to make sure that Voldemort has no more horcruxes, and then we have to make sure there is no more Voldemort."
The Headmaster gazed at him with that calm inscrutable expression of his. "Just what are you suggesting, Harry?"
"That we get rid of him once and for all," Harry replied firmly. "Kill Nagini, confirm he has no more horcruxes, and then kill him once and for all. We can draw him into a confrontation or whatever—I don't care how we do it. But we have the advantage—Voldemort does not know that most of the horcruxes he tried to make are worthless and he won't be trying to make any more. He needs to go before he learns the truth."
"Harry, I think you need to calm down and consider this rationally," said Sirius.
"I'm calm, Sirius," Harry returned. And what is there to think of?"
"Well for one you can act a little less like a child!" Sirius snapped.
"If I'm acting like one, I think I have a right," Harry shot back. Shaking his head, and knowing that his carefully maintained control was crumbling, Harry stood and looked around the room. "I understand you are all concerned about me and I know that this information has been a shock. But what Remus has told us doesn't leave a whole lot of options. I will do what must be done—we just need to make sure we get Voldemort into a position where he can be killed, and I'm the best form of bait we have. I suggest we make use of the advantage we have."
"That is very noble of you," Dumbledore spoke up, neatly cutting off Sirius, who appeared about to launch into a rant. "But Harry, not all is lost. Remember what I told you—all magic can be countered, even if that counter has not yet been discovered."
"Professor, I would be forever grateful if you could find something which would get rid of Voldemort's soul. But I think we had best operate under the assumption that nothing can be done. Especially with all the attacks of the last few days. He has to be defeated—we have to do everything possible to make sure he never finds out what he can do with horcruxes."
"But Harry—"
Harry, however, was in no mood to listen any longer. "Look," he said, interrupting whatever Hermione was about to say, "I think I need to go and absorb this and maybe get some sleep." He turned to Remus and Tonks, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, uncharacteristically saying nothing. "Thank you both for your effort to find a solution—it really means the world to me.
"If it's okay with you, Professor, I think I'd like to get some sleep."
"That might be for the best," Dumbledore replied, with a quiet nod. "Thank you all for coming."
Harry turned to leave when he was arrested by the voice of the Headmaster.
"Harry… remember that not everything is as dark as it initially appears. I think after a night's sleep it will not seem so bad."
Privately, Harry could not imagine that it would appear to be anything other than as hopeless as it was, but as he wanted nothing more than to leave and to be by himself, he nodded curtly at the Headmaster and swiftly exited. He took the circular stairs down toward the corridor two and three at a time and once he had reached the exit, stepped out into the passageway and quickly made his way from the office, heedless of the voices of the two girls who were calling out for him to wait.
He quickly strode up several corridors to the seventh floor, and pacing quickly back and forth called the Room of Requirement. He opened the door and stepped through it into a room which was something completely out of a Gothic horror. The light was dim, the furnishings done in black, complete with snake-like reliefs carved into the wood, and even the fire burning in the grate to one side of the room appeared to be muted, rather than a cheery, welcoming blaze like he would normally see in the common room. Harry did not care—he had not consciously thought of what he wanted, but apparently the room had picked up on his mood and provided it regardless. It did not really matter anyway.
Unfortunately, his momentary bemusement with the room caused him to forget his desire for solitude, and the girls arrived before he could shut the door properly. He wanted to yell at them to leave him alone, but by this point he could not even trust his emotions. Instead of saying anything, he moved into the center of the room, and stood staring at the fire, willing his mind to empty of all thoughts.
"Well, this is a… cheerful room you've conjured here," Hermione's voice floated up to him.
Harry did not reply; he merely grunted and continued to stubbornly stare into the fire. He felt rather than saw the two girls moving closer to him, wondering what he had to do to get them to leave him alone. It was a hopeless business, he decided, so he settled on simply ignoring them.
"Harry," Fleur spoke up hesitantly, as she placed her hand on his arm, "why did you run away from us?"
"I wanted to be alone," was Harry's short reply.
"You can't give up," Hermione said.
Unfortunately, those words were the catalyst which unleashed Harry's anger. He turned his burning gaze on Hermione and disengaged Fleur's hand from his arm roughly.
"Of course I will not give up!" he shouted. "I'll see that bastard dead if nothing else!"
"But Harry—"
"No, Hermione!" he yelled, cutting her words off. "There's nothing you can do! Not everything can be fixed by books or scrolls. I have to die to get rid of that bastard, but I swear to you both that I'll take him with me. I won't leave you both to a world where Voldemort is still out there poised to take control!"
As quickly as it came, his anger fled and he was left with nothing but sorrow and regret for the utter devastation of his life. He sagged down to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes, shaking his head in denial. Hermione and Fleur knelt down beside him and wrapped him up in their combined arms, imparting what comfort they could. Great sobs wracked his frame and for the first time that he could remember, he cried for the loss of innocence, the loss of his life, and the fact that he was not destined to live a long life in the company of these two who he loved above anyone else.
"I don't want to die now that I have something to live for," he managed to choke out in between his sobs. "Don't ever think that I want this. But I promise you both that I'll do whatever is necessary to get rid of Voldemort. I'll do it for both of you, even if I wasn't already determined to do it because it's the right thing to do."
They stayed in this manner for some time and despite the situation, Harry found that he was able to find a modicum of comfort in the presence of the two beautiful ladies, and after a while, found that his emotions calmed significantly. It was then that he sniffled one last time and, after taking a wry look around the room, changed the décor to something brighter—and somewhat reminiscent of the common room—with a thought.
Then Harry looked into the faces of his girls—his girls! Both were watching him closely, but he could see their sadness mixed with determination, rather than the pity he half expected to see. It heartened him a little—he imagined he could handle just about anything but pity from the two who meant the most to him.
Harry gazed into the eyes of the two girls—the beautiful ice blue eyes of his betrothed, and the deep and mesmerizing chocolate brown of his closest friend. One of them was more than any man could ever want—both of them together were an embarrassment of riches. Moved with an overwhelming feeling of love, Harry moved in and placed a soft and loving kiss on the lips of each one in turn. The kisses were sweet and passionate, for all that they were short, and though they helped calm Harry significantly, he could not help but feel like they were the beginning of his good-byes to both girls.
"I love you, Fleur. I love you, Hermione. I will do anything necessary to keep you both safe. If it means my life, then so be it."
"We'll find a solution, Harry," Hermione said, her typical determination shining through.
"We won't let you face this alone," added Fleur.
And for one shining moment, Harry allowed himself to feel that it was not all completely bad. It was still too new, too raw for hope. But perhaps everything was not quite as black as he thought.
Updated 06/03/2014