Assassins in the Wizarding World.
Chapter Twenty: A Shocked Reaction and Defeating a Memory.
Previously in the last chapter.
"Once again, that does not answer my question, it was just pointless bragging. It will soon be your downfall, including your real self. Tell the exact reason what this Dark magic in my scar is right now, Riddle, before I start doing something I won't regret." For the first time since the interrogation started, Riddle started to show resistance, making Harry's narrowed eyes narrow even more. "Answer me! What is this Dark magic in my scar?!"
Riddle tried to resist telling Potter about his greatest secret since he didn't want anyone, not even his rival, to know about it. If Potter knew the secret, then his immortality, along with the treasured objects he stole during his youth, will be at risk. He had created those things to live longer and conquer the Magical World! The last thing he needed was Potter going after them so that he could destroy them.
But due to him being under the Truth Potion, Riddle caved in. "The Dark magic in your scar, Potter, is called…" Here, he tried to resist the Truth Potion again but a bonked to the head by Harry made him speak again. "A Horcrux."
(In the Present; At Hogwarts; With the Crowd)
The moment Riddle revealed his immortality secret to the entire Wizarding World in Europe, everyone became greatly confused. What on Earth is a Horcrux and why did it sound like a bad thing?
"Horcrux?" Tatsumi repeated the word with a frown on his face. It sounded foreign and…very wrong. "What's a Horcrux?"
"I don't know, Tatsumi," Daphne replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I've never heard of it before."
"Neither have I," Susan said, shaking her head. "But I can tell it belongs in the Dark Arts."
"Or me," Hermione seconded, having a disappointed look on her face for not coming across a word she never heard before.
All the other champions and their hostages shook their heads as well, also having no clue what a Horcrux was. Even Krum, who was taught Dark magic in Durmstrang, didn't know what it was and that was enough to make him slump his shoulders.
Despite the seriousness in the air, Leone couldn't help but let out a playful shock gasp at what Hermione said not knowing Horcruxes. "Oh, my! The brightest Witch of her age doesn't know what a Horcrux is? The world must be ending!"
"Shut up!" Hermione's face flushed bright red as everyone at Hogwarts laughed at Leone's joke, finding it amusing and funny. It was enough to lighten up the mood after hearing Riddle's past, especially his status in the Wizarding World.
Yet…everyone won't be laughing for long when Riddle explains what a Horcrux is…and how to make one.
(With Harry)
'Horcrux?' Harry thought, repeating the word Riddle said in his head with a confused look on his face. 'What the hell is a Horcrux and why does it sound strangely familiar to me? I've never heard of it before.' It was true, he had never heard of a Horcrux before, not until now, but for some strange reason…he felt like he did hear the word before. 'Could the Dark magic in my scar, which is a Horcrux, be the reason why the word feels familiar to me? It could very well be true, but I won't know if I ask the question. Just to be safe, however, I'll ask what a Horcrux is.'
"What is a Horcrux?" Harry asked, wanting to know what the word was.
"A Horcrux is an object that conceals a part of someone's soul to become immortal," Riddle explained, the knowledge of what he learned in Secret of the Darkest Arts came rushing back into his head. It may have been fifty years, but he still remembers the knowledge and the great lengths he did to achieve immortality. "As long as the object remains intact, so does the soul fragment, which would make the person who created one anchored to the living world, even if the body suffers fatal damage."
"So, that's how Riddle survived the Killing Curse when he tried to kill me," Harry muttered quietly to himself, finally understanding how his 'rival' didn't die when he was supposed to. "It was because of this Horcrux he created, which I find very disturbing since I don't think you should mess with your own soul. Concealing a part of your soul is like ripping your soul. But where did he learn the knowledge if it belongs in the Dark category? Did he learn them when he finished Hogwarts?"
Once again, Riddle seemed to hear Harry's questions because he was already answering them. "I didn't learn Horcruxes when I finished Hogwarts, Potter, I learned them during my Sixth year." What he said caused Harry to backpedal in shock.
"Impossible, Hogwarts, despite having so many flaws, couldn't have that type of Dark magic in the library. Dumbledore would have removed the books the moment he became Headmaster." It was true, Dumbledore would never let any Dark magic books, whether they were basics or advanced, in Hogwarts when he became Headmaster. There was just no way Riddle could've learned Horcruxes in Hogwarts, but why did Harry get the feeling he was wrong?
"Dumbledore did remove the books when he became Headmaster, but the previous Headmaster didn't because he didn't see anything wrong with keeping the books in Hogwarts. That, and the fact he wanted the most talent and advanced children to learn about the wonders of magic."
'You have got to be kidding me,' Harry thought with a sigh, placing a hand over his eyes. 'Why didn't the previous Headmaster remove the books in Hogwarts instead of keeping them there? People could've come across this and tried it out for themselves to become immortal. While I am glad Dumbledore removed the books, I'm angry the previous Headmaster didn't bother to do it. Merlin, what an idiot.' Another sigh left his lips. 'Well, can't do anything about it since it's in the past. Better move on with the questioning.'
"What is the history behind Horcruxes?" Harry asked, now wanting to know the history of Horcruxes. It may seem a pointless question, but since he has Riddle right where he wanted him to be, he can ask as many questions as he wants, including ones Riddle must answer under the Truth Potion. "Why do they sound like a bad thing?"
"The reason why Horcruxes sound like a bad thing is because they are the blackest magic in the entire world, so dangerous and so evil its knowledge should never be out in the open. They were created by a Dark Wizard named Herpo the Foul, an unpleasant person who didn't care about human nature. People who read or know about Horcruxes are very horrified at the procedures on how to create one and the history behind it, including Dark Wizards. I, however, find Horcruxes to be the greatest magic in the world."
Aside from learning Horcruxes are now very dangerous things and shouldn't be out in the open, much less be near a pure hearted person like a child, Harry felt a sense of great dread and unnerve inside him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to his next question, which was very important like the other important questions he wanted to ask, but he needed to know if he was going to defeat the real Riddle and finally bring peace to the Wizarding World.
So, it was an extremely reluctant Harry asking Riddle his next important question, a question he'll be very much regretting to ask…and a question that will scare him for the rest of his life.
"How do you create a Horcrux?"
(Back at Hogwarts; With the Crowd)
"Okay, now I'm starting to become scared," Susan stated, no longer laughing at Hermione's flushed face after hearing the history of Horcruxes. Like Harry said when he was talking quietly to himself, she found splitting your soul into pieces very disturbing and she made a mental note to never mess with her soul; she loved being herself.
But while the splitting soul into pieces part scared her, Susan wasn't sure if she wanted to know the method of creating a Horcrux or not. Just thinking about how to create one sent a dreaded and cold shiver down her spine.
"You're not the only one, Sue," Hannah seconded with a horrified look on her face, shaking like a leaf. "I'm scared as well." She, Like Susan and Harry, found splitting your soul into pieces very disturbing and she also made a mental note to never mess with her soul.
Hannah and Susan weren't the only ones feeling scared; nearly everyone in Europe was starting to feel scared after hearing the history of Horcruxes. Those who wanted to learn more about Horcruxes immediately pushed it out of their minds and felt the urge to get a strong drink. They were going to need it once Harry asked Riddle how to create a Horcrux.
But those who did know about Horcruxes, namely the Unspeakables who studies all types of magic, even the blackest magic in all existence, began planning to go around the Magical World and find every book about Horcruxes to destroy them. The Unspeakables cannot afford a powerful Wizard with dark and sadistic intentions getting their hands on these books because they don't want another Dark Lord to rise.
Europe has already dealt with two Dark Lords; the human population didn't need another one rising and destroying life. A third Dark Lord could very well destroy Europe, but if the Unspeakables can find the books about Horcruxes in the Magical World and destroy them, then the threat of a rising Dark Lord can never happen again and peace will remain in Europe forever.
The Unspeakables only hoped they could find every Horcrux book before some idiot creates one and starts ravaging the Magical World.
Everyone's thoughts about the history of Horcruxes vanished when Harry asked quietly to himself how Riddle learned said Horcruxes, only for the Dark Lord who somehow managed to hear the question to reply he learned them at Hogwarts during his Sixth year.
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed, greatly horrified at what Riddle said, especially the students and teachers at Hogwarts. "HE LEARNED HORCRUXES AT HOGWARTS?!"
"Impossible!" Minerva shouted, refusing to believe what she had just heard. "There's no way in hell Riddle learned such awful magic in Hogwarts! The books would've been already removed the moment Dumbledore became Headmaster! He has to be lying!"
"Minerva, you know full well like everyone else no one can fool Veritaserum, including ones who have Occlumency," Moody growled, giving the old woman a glare. "So, even if we don't like it, what Riddle said was the truth. Deal with it."
"I refuse to believe Riddle learned Horcruxes in Hogwarts, Alastor! I don't believe it!"
"Save your arguments later, Minerva," Esdeath said sternly, ending the argument before it got heated. "And focus your attention towards the interrogation. Harry's already saying the exact same thing you said about Horcruxes not being taught at Hogwarts."
It was true, Harry was already saying the same thing as Minerva said about Hogwarts not teaching that type of Dark magic, which made the old woman proud of her lion. The proudness grew more when her lion said Dumbledore would've removed the books the moment he became Headmaster, but the proudness deflated a bit when Harry said Hogwarts had so many flaws. It did not have so many flaws!
The Hogwarts students and teachers also agreed with Minerva, but before they could express their angry protests or defense, Riddle started talking again, causing everyone in Europe to become silent.
"Dumbledore did remove the books when he became Headmaster, but the previous Headmaster didn't because he didn't see anything wrong with keeping the books in Hogwarts. That, and the fact he wanted the most talent and advance children to learn about the wonders of magic."
'Seriously? The previous Headmaster kept the books in Hogwarts and didn't bother to remove them?' Akame thought with a sigh, unknowingly thinking the same thing as Harry and placing a hand over her eyes. 'Was the guy an idiot or something? If the students got a hold on the books, they would've tried to become immortal and do things for selfish desires, maybe even cause chaos to the entire world. I'm so glad me and my friends don't have those type of books in our dimension.'
Akame's thoughts were broken when Harry asked Riddle the million-dollar question ever since the latter revealed his immortality, the question that made everyone in Europe to lean forward in their spots to gaze at Harry's screen with their complete attention, despite the fact they said to themselves they didn't want to learn more about the topic.
The creation…of a Horcrux.
(Back with Harry and Riddle)
The moment Harry asked that question, a pure sadistic look appeared on Riddle's face, greatly unnerving the Ice Elemental to the point he took a reflexive step back, while tightening the handle of his sword. It took a lot of willpower not to raise the said sword up in the air and finish off Riddle just to wipe out that scary expression off his face, but Harry managed to control himself and took a deep breath to calm himself.
"In order to create a Horcrux, Potter," Riddle began, causing Harry to sharply turn towards him with complete attention. He was not going to miss out every word that comes out of Riddle's mouth. "You must first learn the knowledge about them as well as memorizing the steps before trying the ritual yourself, otherwise there's a very likely chance you could kill yourself. Many Wizards who tried to become immortal died from not learning the knowledge and memorizing the steps."
Despite himself, Harry wholeheartedly agreed with what Riddle said, which caused a slight headache to form. If you ever wanted to become immortal, you need to learn the knowledge and steps before trying the ritual out, otherwise you could get killed during the procedure.
(A/N: I have no idea if creating a Horcrux is a ritual or not, but I'm just going along with it because I don't want to spend much time searching about Horcruxes on the internet)
"Once you learn the knowledge and memorize the steps, including learning the spell that splits your soul, you are now ready to create a Horcrux," Riddle continued the explanation. "But that's when the hard part starts."
"What's the hard part?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, finding what Riddle said highly doubtful. How could creating a Horcrux be hard when Riddle was able to do it when he was sixteen? Does he need to sacrifice something important in order to make one or was it something else entirely? Harry was heavily betting on the former because Riddle will sacrifice everything, even his own handsome looks, to become immortal.
Pushing the betting aside, Harry has no intention of creating a Horcrux at all but that didn't mean he was interested in learning more about them. If he was going to become the strongest Wizard in the world, he would need to know every type of magic, including Dark magic. Harry's thoughts about learning about every type of magic were broken when Riddle started talking again.
"The hard part is actually creating the Horcrux itself because you can't just immediately split your soul into a piece, place it into an object you cherished or stole and be done with the ritual. No, you have to do an act before you can start creating a Horcrux and this act is the reason why many people are horrified of Horcruxes."
'And here comes one of those big dramatic reveals Riddle loves doing,' Harry thought, barely resisting the urge to let out a heavy sigh mixed with frustration and annoyance. 'It's like Second year all over again.' He had already dealt with Riddle's monologue before, and he didn't want to listen to it again. Not to mention, Harry was getting extremely tired listening to Riddle go on and on about the history of Horcruxes with great awe and fascination; why couldn't he just get straight to the point?
"And what is this 'act' people don't like?" Harry asked for the third time in a row, hoping Riddle would come clean with the answer. If he didn't, then the Ice Elemental was going to kill him and ask Khione instead once the Elemental Trials are over. "Why does it install fear into people when they have the chance to become immortal?" 'If I had the chance to become immortal, I would pass it off because I'm not interested. I like being a normal person.'
"Because the act to create a Horcrux is to murder an innocent person or child without a single ounce of remorse or regret inside you," Riddle replied, causing Harry's eyes to widen in shock. He had not seen that one coming. "The murder cannot be self-defense or mercy; it must be true malicious murder. True murder on an innocent person or child is the only way to split your soul into pieces and place a part of it into an object. I have no regrets at all when I was creating my Horcruxes."
'That's how you create a Horcrux?! By killing an innocent person or child without remorse or regret?!' Harry thought, still shocked from what Riddle just said. 'I shouldn't be surprised or shocked by this because I always knew Riddle was a monster and didn't care about people's lives, including the Purebloods…but I never imagine he would go this far just to become immortal! He really does not care about anyone! He only cares about wiping out life!'
(Back at Hogwarts; With the Crowd)
While Harry was lost in his shocked thoughts, everyone in Europe was reacting to what Riddle said about the creation of a Horcrux…in a very bad way. They were all shocked, disgusted, appalled, horrified and scared. Scared and horrified being the highest because not only this information the people just learned confirmed about Riddle being a ravaged animal with no ounce of regard to human life, but he was still alive in the real world and trying to regain a body.
"T-t-that's how you c-create a H-H-Horcrux?" Susan stuttered out, absolutely horrified at what Riddle just said, as she placed both her hands over her mouth. She felt bile rising in her throat, but she squashed it down with a loud gulp. "B-b-by killing an innocent p-person?"
"Oh, my god," Daphne breathed out, eyes wide as dinner plates and filled with shock and horror. "That is completely and utterly fucked up." She wasn't the type of person to say bad words, given how she was raised to be a proper Pureblood, but she didn't care as she was busy trying not to imagine the procedures on how to create a Horcrux. Like Harry, Daphne has no intention of creating one at all and she will never in her life kill a person, but only if its self-defense.
Hermione tried to admonish Daphne for bad language but couldn't form the words as she was staring at Harry's screen with pure horror and fear on her face. She wasn't the only one as many people in Hogwarts were doing the same thing but due to the information being so horrifying, some of them had either fainted or threw up.
The Empire Group weren't that much affected by what Riddle said, given how they were assassins and seen lots of death before, but it still didn't stop them from becoming shocked and horrified. Even Esdeath felt shocked and horror at what she learned. It was true she had killed and tortured lots of people in her dimension, due to her strongly believe the survival of the fittest, but she would never stoop so low to kill a child; she wasn't that heartless. Esdeath can be a concerned parent if she sees an orphan kid.
But as everyone was trying to recover themselves from what Riddle said about creating a Horcrux, especially the murdering part, one question sprung in their minds…a question that made them gain a dreaded feeling in their stomachs.
What else has Riddle got to say when he's still under the Truth Potion?
And done! That is the end of the chapter. I was going to keep writing and get to point where Harry realizes he has to die in order to kill Riddle, but I have decided to write that in the next chapter because I feel like there's already enough reaction from the people after hearing what Riddle said about creating Horcruxes. They have never heard of Horcruxes before, so I don't blame them for reacting like that. If I learned about Horcruxes, I would never touch or looked them at all.
But anyways, here is a part chapter for you guys to enjoy and I will be combining this chapter with the main chapter in a few weeks.
Write a review if you like this story and enjoy the chapter.
Next Chapter: A Shocked Reaction and Defeating a Memory (Part Two)