Sirius stood in awe, his eyes locked on their destination: the tomb of Herpo. The moment he laid eyes on it, he was overcome by a sense of wonder and reverence. The tomb was a sight to behold, emanating an aura of mystery and foreboding that sent shivers down his spine. Nestled amidst the dense forest, it stood as a solitary structure, its existence concealed from prying eyes by the thick foliage, as if it had been an integral part of the landscape since time immemorial.
Constructed from dark, weathered stone, the tomb bore the scars of countless years, a testament to its ancient origins. Its imposing façade rose majestically into the sky. Every inch of its exterior was adorned with intricate carvings, depicting serpents, mythical creatures, and ancient symbols of power and magic, "It feels like a mini-Hogwarts..." Sirius said in an impressed tone.
Celine, however, gazed upon the tomb with a furrowed brow, her confusion evident. "It's not that impressive," she remarked, her tone laced with scepticism. To her, it appeared as a simple, flat single-story structure—a standard tomb, devoid of any extraordinary features. "It looks like a common tomb from that era," she stated matter-of-factly, failing to perceive what he was glimpsing.
Sure, the arch-shaped entrance was impressive and the carvings were intricate but it was nothing she hadn't seen before, definitely not something that she would compare to Hogwarts.
"Let's go check it out," she said before moving towards the entrance.
"Is it really that common?" Sirius mumbled to himself in puzzlement.
'I didn't know that curse breakers saw ancient castles like this all the time,' he thought while looking at the enormous towers and the imposing battlements, the more he looked at the more it seemed like Hogwarts or more like Hogwarts was similar to it considering that Hogwarts was created after Herpo's time according to history.
'Maybe they earned a lot more than I had thought before if they could see discover stuff like this regularly,'
His thoughts were suddenly by Celine's shout, "Sirius, come here," she had already gone all the way to the castle while he was lost in his thought.
"Coming!" Sirius shouted and jogged all the way to the massive doors with an intricate arch on top with something written on the arch in an unknown language. Sirius found Celine arched over a small pedestal in front of the entrance in the middle. She was mumbling to herself as she read something that was written on the pedestal.
Sirius tried to read it but he couldn't even decipher the language it was so he asked her, "What does it say?"
"It's written in an earlier version of Ancient Greek, so even I can barely understand it," Celine replied, her brows furrowed in concentration. "The only words I can make out are 'Enter,' 'Conqueror,' 'Lizard,' 'Serpent,' 'Cat,' and 'Key'..."
"Sooo... What does that mean?" he said while scratching his head with a confused expression.
Celine rolled her eyes at his silly expression but said, "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe it signifies something along the lines of 'The Conqueror or the Champion of the Dragon, Basilisk, and Nundu must use the key on this pedestal to enter...'" She pointed towards a fist-sized groove atop the pedestal and added, "Go on, then."
Sirius looked at her with a confused expression before he remembered, "Ah! Right the Key!" he immediately looked towards his pouch and put his hand inside to take out the ring that they had made using the parts found in the magical creatures, and it was then that he noticed something startling, the bracelet that he wanted to take out was already sitting on his hands as if it had always been there, "What! I don't remember putting that thing on?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"This ring or key or whatever," Sirius said while waving his hand with the bracelet in front of Celine, "I specifically remember putting that inside my pouch... But now I am somehow wearing it..."
"What does it matter how it got there?" Celine said waving her hand unconcernedly, "Maybe you did it unconsciously or something. Right now you just need to put your hand in there and open the entrance..."
"Fine! If you say so..." he said before putting his hand with the bracelet into the groove and it somehow fit into that perfectly as if he was wearing a snug glove and almost instantly he felt some kind of a tingling feeling as he sensed something trying to scan the bracelet before doing the same for his whole body.
Sirius braced himself, his body tense with anticipation, fearing any possible mishap. However, after a few heart-stopping seconds, the scanning ceased. It must have found what it was searching for, for in that very instant, the massive door began to groan and open on its own accord, unleashing a torrent of ancient sand, dust, and forgotten debris.
Beyond the door awaited a wide, elongated hallway with sleek mud-coloured walls. Torches were evenly spaced along the corridor.
Exchanging glances with Celine, Sirius took the lead, casting a Lumos charm to illuminate their path. Their steps echoed in the vast space as they ventured forward.
To their surprise, the torch brackets suddenly sprang to life, igniting with an ethereal flame. Sirius couldn't help but marvel at the enduring magic, "Amazing... the magic still works after all these years," he murmured in awe.
"Let's go," Celine urged Sirius forward with an impatient push. Rolling his eyes, he complied, proceeding down the hallway. After traversing around two hundred meters, the hallway abruptly widened, revealing a breathtakingly expansive open hall. Above, a ceiling adorned with white pearls emitted a radiant light, bathing the room in a warm glow akin to a celestial light bulb.
"Damn..." Celine gasped, her breath catching in her throat, as her gaze fixated on the left side of the room. Five massive chests brimming with gold coins and an assortment of precious jewels captured her attention. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she calculated the immense wealth before her—approximately one million gold coins. Her fascination consumed her, and she examined the riches with an almost possessed fervour.
Sirius only took a few glances at the gold and jewels and then looked away as he wasn't interested in the material wealth much since he knew that there was enough waiting for him in his vault if he was ever granted freedom from the British Ministry.
He was much more interested in the right side of the room where a towering bookshelf occupied a significant portion of the wall. It brimmed with books that, despite their age, appeared remarkably well-preserved. The remaining space housed stands displaying weapons and armour from the medieval era, all enchanted, as he could sense the subtle traces of magic emanating from them.
At the heart of the room, a pedestal akin to the one outside commanded attention. Unlike its empty counterpart, this pedestal bore a small ball filled with silvery fog, reminiscent of the divination orbs used by Professor Trelawney in her classes. Opposite the entrance, another door stood, likely leading deeper into the castle.
Curiosity tugged at Sirius as he approached the bookshelves, eager to delve into the realms of ancient knowledge. However, just as his hand neared a book, Celine's voice halted him in his tracks. "Wait!"
Startled, he withdrew his hand and turned to face her. "What's the matter?"
"It could be dangerous,"
Celine warned, moving to stand beside him. "We don't know what might be cursed. Let's examine everything before touching anything."
Realizing the wisdom in her words, Sirius nodded in agreement, looking to her expectantly.
"Don't stare at me like that, you dolt!" Celine scolded, exasperation lacing her voice. "Remember, I have no magic. You're the one who needs to cast the spells."
"Right, my apologies," Sirius replied sheepishly.
He took a deep breath before he raised his hands and started to cast the standard scanning spells that he knew of one after the other, he cast them over the books and armours and the gold. The spells served as a precautionary measure, indicating if further specific spells were required.
After a while, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything seems clean," he reported, "But isn't that weird?"
"What do you mean?" Celine asked, curiosity piqued.
"Well, Herpo was supposed to be this dark and evil wizard, right? You'd expect a lot more curses and ghosts and stuff like that..." Sirius trailed off with a shrug.
"Who cares?" Celine said, not being able to hold off her excitement anymore she immediately ran towards the treasure with a shout of exhilaration, "We're rich!"
Sirius rolled his eyes and did the same and went towards the books, he scanned over the large bookshelf to find that it was divided into a few a section.
As he pulled out a book, his excitement waned. The text within was incomprehensible, resembling squiggly shapes more than any recognizable language.
"Hey, Celine, can you see what language these books are written in?" Sirius called out, expecting a response. When none came, he turned to find Celine fixated on the gold chest, her gaze distant. Concern laced his voice as he asked, "Celine, are you alright?"
Celine shook her head, her tone eerily calm. "Sirius, can you shrink the chests for me?"
Confusion etched on his face, Sirius complied, waving his wand and shrinking the chests, imbuing them with a lightweight charm. Celine promptly stowed them in her pocket. Then, she made an unexpected request. "Can you create a portkey to the airport for me?"
"Why?" Sirius asked, bewildered by her sudden urgency.
"We've achieved our goal, and I've received my reward. I have something to attend to," she explained urgently.
"But—"
"Please, I wouldn't ask if I still had magic. Please..." Her desperation was palpable, compelling Sirius to acquiesce
Somewhat hurt by her abrupt departure, Sirius conjured a small rock and chanted the incantation "Portus." The rock glowed brightly, signifying its transformation into a portkey. Levitating it toward Celine, he presented it to her, ready for her touch. "Why the rush? Don't you want to explore what lies beyond that door?" he queried, pointing to the massive door at the far end of the room.
"What door?" Celine's voice held confusion as she followed his gaze, seemingly unable to perceive the imposing entrance.
"You can't see it?" Sirius asked, perplexed. Realizing something was amiss, he began to piece together the strange occurrences. "Celine, I believe something is affecting you. You should wait—"
'LET HER GO,' a voice whispered from behind Sirius. Instantly, he spun around, wand raised, scanning the room for the source of the voice.
"Sirius, I need to go," she insisted, her voice betraying hints of internal struggle. Before Sirius could react, she seized the portkey and vanished in a swirl. "Wait!" he shouted into the empty room.
It dawned on Sirius that something was amiss from the moment Celine had touched the gold chests. Her subsequent behaviour mirrored that of a Muggle ensnared in a Muggle-repelling charm, consumed by an urgent need to depart.
"Welcome, child," boomed a voice from behind Sirius. He spun around, his gaze settling on the seemingly inconspicuous magical seer's ball resting on the pedestal. To his astonishment, it emitted a faint glow. His heart raced as he gulped, stammering, "D-Did you just speak?"
"I did," the voice replied, emanating directly from the enchanted ball. It levitated toward Sirius, halting a meter away. "Be proud, child. You have admirably passed the test," the voice declared arrogantly. "Though you are older than I anticipated, you will suffice... I suppose."
Sirius's mind raced as the word 'Horcrux' filled his thoughts. If his assumption was correct and the ball was a Horcrux containing the spirit of Herpo the Foul, then he was completely and royally fucked, because for one thing he didn't know of any spell that would work against a spirit or that would stop him from getting possessed.
And the only way he knew of dealing with the Horcrux was from the canon... none of which were helpful to him at the moment. The Fiendfyre spell was uncharted territory for him, and attempting it would likely result in his own demise.
The second option, Basilisk's venom, was even more frustrating as he had very recently killed a bloody Basilisk but he acted dumbly and didn't immediately harvest a few drops for future uses which would have been very helpful to him at the moment.
And the last option, Killing curse, was the flimsiest one as well as the only one he could somewhat rely on. Because it was never particularly specified that it works against a Horcrux it was somewhat unreliable, as the only Horcrux that was destroyed using the killing curse was the one inside Harry and he didn't know for sure that it would work as well against an inanimate object as he was pretty sure that Killing curse was only supposed to work on living beings.
Now that he thought about it was really stupid of him to enter the tomb of Herpo, a wizard famously known for being the creator of Horcrux without giving any thought to how he would destroy one if he had created one. However, dwelling on blame would not yield a solution. He had to stall for time, hoping a stroke of inspiration would illuminate a path forward.
"A-Are you the one who sent my friend out of here?" he asked the first question that came to his mind.
"She was your friend? I thought she was a mere retainer or something," the voice responded, sounding perplexed. "So I sent her away after allowing her to take a few pieces of gold."
"Never mind her," the voice continued in a haughty tone. "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Why haven't you bowed before your teacher?"
"My teacher? Wait! So you don't want to possess my body or anything like that?"
"Of course not," the voice replied disdainfully. "Why would I resort to such lowly tactics after you passed my test? And how would I even do that? Do you take me for a Horcrux?"
"You're not?" Sirius asked, scratching his head with a puzzled expression.
"You fool!" the voice erupted in anger. "How dare you mistake me for that faulty piece of magic! I would never stoop so low as to rely on those foul things. Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would know that I am an intricate piece of complex Divination magic."
"Divination?"
"Do you know anything about Divination, boy?"
"Um... No."
The voice sighed in disappointment. "Has the younger generation fallen so far that they lack even the most basic knowledge?" It mumbled to itself for a moment before deciding to explain the basics. "I have neither the time nor the desire to delve into the complexities of Divination. So, here's the gist: Divination is essentially a seer's future self sending thoughts in the form of mental energy to their past self, who then tries to comprehend and divine the future."
"Sure..." Sirius said unsurely, the tension still hadn't left his body even though the ball said that it wasn't a Horcrux as he couldn't be sure that he wasn't being tricked but it wasn't like he could do anything at the moment except listen to the talking ball.
"And what I am doing is the exact opposite of that," the voice in a smug tone as if he was supposed to be impressed by what he was doing, "Instead of the past I am currently sending my thoughts into the future,"
While Sirius didn't understand the thing completely, the one thing he was sure of was, "So what you're saying is that you're just a talking ball?"
"Haven't you been listening? The ball is merely a medium. I am communicating through it from the past," the voice replied.
"So, you can't use magic?"
"And how would I do that without a physical body?" the voice responded with a sigh of exasperation.
Sirius felt a wave of relief wash over him as he lowered his wand. "Phew... I was terrified for no reason."
Now that he had calmed down he was back into the mood to explore so he went towards the bookshelf while asking it, "So why exactly are doing that Divination thing?"
"Naturally, to pass on my knowledge as a successor—Wait! How do you not know about that? Who even informed you about this place if you don't even understand its purpose?"
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts told me..."
"Hogwarts, you say?" the voice pondered for a moment.
Frustration building, Sirius turned his attention to another book filled with incomprehensible squiggles. "What language is this?" he asked, annoyed.
"It's Parseltongue,"
"Of course it is," Sirius said sarcastically before shaking his head while looking down at the book that could contain powerful ancient knowledge, "Guess I can never read it..."
"Why not? You only need to supply a small amount of magic to the Key in your right hand to do that,"
Sirius regarded it sceptically before shrugging and following its advice. As he infused a strand of magic into the bracelet, the words in the book became comprehensible, as if he were reading ordinary English. "Wow... this bracelet is quite useful."
"Indeed," the voice replied with pride. "How else do you think you can understand me? I painstakingly created and enchanted it..." the voice continued but Sirius was barely paying it any attention as he was busy reading the titles of the book in front of him.
"Most of them are about healing and wards and a few about divination, " Sirius suddenly interrupted the boastful magical ball in a confused tone
"What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with that?" the voice questioned.
"There's nothing wrong," Sirius replied, confusion lacing his tone. "I just expected more Dark Magic considering your reputation..."
"My reputation?" the voice asked, puzzled. "What exactly were you expecting?"
"Things like how to create a Horcrux, methods of torture or the process of breeding a Basilisk... stuff like that."
"What? Wait a minute! Who do you think I am?"
"Aren't you 'Herpo'?" Sirius asked, his confusion mounting.
"Indeed, I am!" the voice responded proudly. "I am 'Herpo the Great,' renowned as the greatest Healer and Divination expert the world has ever known."
"I don't know about great, but the only Herpo I know is called 'Herpo the Foul,' famous for inventing the Horcrux..."
"You imbecile! That's not me," the voice scolded angrily. "That's my brother."
"What?!"
/
