Hey, everybody. I'm back with another chapter, at last! I apologize for going so long without an update. But I had writer's block for the longest time for this story, and then my personal life completely dissolved into chaos. But, I'm back with another update.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 11- A Big Break
At the main wizarding library of the United States, located in Chicago, a handful of employees of MACUSA's Department of Magical Research, their version of the Department of Mysteries, are looking through a series of books. They've been tasked with doing research in the library's special collections to try and find information on ancient magic. Their main goal was to try and solve certain mysteries about Voldemort, including his connection with Harry Potter, why he survived the night in Godric's Hollow, his strange disfiguration, and even why his magical power seemed so great.
One of the wizards sighs as he shuts the book he's been reading and leans back in his chair. "Ugh. We've been looking through these books forever, and we've got nothing," he says.
"Dude, you've read two books in that time. Stop complaining," one of his coworkers responds to him with a smirk, which receives a glare from the first wizard.
"Hey, guys!"
The group of wizards turn in the direction of the voice, which is the last member of their group, who had been searching the special collections for any additional books that could be of use to their research. In his hand, he's holding a rather large book wrapped in black leather that definitely look like it's not been touched in decades.
"What'd you find, Ted?" one of the wizards asks.
"I found a copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art by Owle Bullock," Ted says, holding up the book.
The group exchanges a series of glances. They of course knew that title, as it was listed on a list that the Department kept of known publications and records of Dark magic. It was the most in depth record of Dark magic still in existence, with the only other record believed to be more extensive having been lost millenia ago during the fall of the Roman Empire. The book was not known to the general public because the wizarding governments of the world and the International Confederation had done their best over the last few centuries to erase knowledge of the book from the memory of the world's magical population. All copies that could be found, except a handful permitted to be kept by governments, learning institutions, and major libraries, were destroyed, and serious regulations were imposed on how the permitted copies were allowed to be used. Although libraries were allowed to keep a copy in any special collections, very few were afford that privilege, and the group weren't actually aware that the National Wizarding Library had a copy.
"They have a copy?" one of the other wizards asks aloud.
"Yeah. One of the employees asked me why we were looking for all these books, and I told him we're from the Department. Well, he decided to allow us to use the copy they have," Ted says.
"Well, that should be useful. Give it a read," the leader of the group, a wizard named Garret, orders.
Ted nods before taking a seat at a table and opening the book. Within a few minutes, a look that shifts between disgust and horror is on his face, confirming how vile the contents of the book are.
Several more hours of relative silence passes in silence as the wizards keep reading through the books they've gathered. The silence is finally broken when Ted calls out, "Hey, guys. I found something."
The group all look up and look over at Ted. He looks around at them and says, "I just found a section in the book that describes something called a 'Horcrux'."
"Horcrux?" one of the guys in the group asks aloud, "I've never heard of that."
"I have. It's something that only senior members of the Department are allowed to know. I don't know much about what they are, but what I do know…this may be what we're looking for. Ted, why don't you explain what the section says?" Garret says.
Ted nods and starts speaking, "So, as I understand it from this section, a Horcrux is an object that a wizard or witch places a part of their soul."
"...excuse me?" one of the other wizards questions after a second of shocked silence.
"What did you just say?" another wizard says.
"Here, let me explain more," Ted says before continuing, "As this section explains, the act of committing murder goes against nature, and so is an act that can cause the soul to split. It does specify that this must be a conscious, willing act of murder without regret or remorse. Killing for self defense, a mercy kill, or, for example, killing in the course of a job such as a police officer or soldier, is not sufficient to split the soul. The book suggests that eventually, the soul can be healed of this tear, but it doesn't confirm it."
"Apparently, following the soul splitting, there is a spell that physically removes the damaged portion of the soul from the body and encases it in an object. That object is known as a Horcrux. It does mention that the piece of soul can be housed in something living, meaning it is possible for living things to be Horcruxes, but the book warns against it, saying that there are many risks that come with doing so.
"The piece of soul becomes tied to the object it is housed in, with the destruction of the object meaning the destruction of the piece of soul. However, the book explicitly states that the act of making a Horcrux bestows tremendous protection upon the object, with the result that it can only be destroyed by forces too powerful for the Horcrux to heal itself, and to be beyond normal or magical repair. The book lists some of these forces that can destroy a Horcrux, which include the venom of a basilisk, Fiendfyre, the Dementor's Kiss, and the Killing Curse if used on Horcruxes that are living beings. It specifically mentions that the Killing Curse may also work on non-living Horcruxes, but that has never been proven. The book also theorizes on other forces that could potentially destroy them, but at the time, had never been proven or were considered impossible to prove."
"Like a nuke?" one of the other wizards asks, bringing a few chuckles to this dark talk.
Ted continues his explanation, "However, because the object in which the piece of soul is bestowed these protections, it means that the Horcrux will survive until destroyed. And because of that, this means that the piece of soul inside will survive. And so long as that piece of soul survives, the person who created the Horcrux is tethered to the mortal world. In essence, so long as a Horcrux exists, the person who created it can never truly die."
Silence reigns for several long moments before someone says, "Wait…so these things make you immortal?"
"So long as they aren't destroyed, yes," Ted says.
"But, what if their body is killed?" one of the other wizards says, struggling to grasp this.
"Their body will die, but the soul still within the body will survive. It will be reduced to something almost less than a ghost, but still alive. However, it does outline that this type of existence would be one of misery and pain. However, it does say that there exist ways for the main piece of soul to be restored to a new body, including recreating the person's original body, though it doesn't outline those methods in this section."
This time, in the silence, people began exchanging glances. A process through which a person can essentially become immortal, their spirit surviving even if their body is killed and eventually able to be restored to a living body. Yeah, this sounds familiar.
"You think this might be how Voldemort survived the Godric's Hollow incident?" one of the wizards asks aloud to nobody in particular. Of course, he knows that probably everyone around him is thinking that, but he wants to actually vocalize to help people actually process the possibility.
"It lines up from what we know happened on the night in Godric's Hollow and Potter's accounts of his first encounter with Voldemort in his first year and of Voldemort's revival at the end of the Triwizard Tournament," Ted says.
"Voldemort created Horcruxes?" one of the other wizards asked aloud.
"Horcrux, more likely. The book does give a brief history of Horcruxes and people known to have created them, and according to this, nobody has ever made more than one. Presumably because the process is so volatile and damages the person doing it, making one is dangerous enough. It doesn't say it's impossible, so it's not impossible Voldemort could've made multiple, but I doubt it. I'm not sure even Voldemort is that insane," Ted says.
"Did you really just say you don't think Voldemort is that insane?" Garret asks incredulously.
"I don't know. The passages state that creating a Horcrux has long-term physical effects on the person in question. I imagine these would only be amplified with multiple. I don't know if he'd want to put himself through that," Ted says.
"Don't be so sure," Garret responds.
One of the other wizards brings up a question he's been considering since Ted described how a Horcrux can be destroyed. "Does it say anything else about how to destroy one or undo the magic? Is there any other way?"
"Besides destroying the container outright, the book says there are only two ways to remove the soul from the Horcrux. One is the Dementor's Kiss, which would destroy the piece of soul in the process. The other actually returns the piece of soul back to the person who made the Horcrux and restores the soul completely. However, that is only by feeling true, genuine remorse for what you've done, and apparently, the process is so physically painful it can kill you. Apparently, according to the book, it's only been done twice, with one wizard dying and the other surviving by a thread. And I think we shouldn't count on Voldemort ever doing that," Ted says.
There's a few more seconds of quiet before Garret says, "Okay, I'm going to take this to the President and the CIA immediately. You guys, continue your research. This may be a likely explanation for these mysteries, but it may not be the only one."
Everyone nods as Garret gets up out of his chair and heads for the dedicated Apparition space in the library. Since the library was home to many priceless books and even some artifacts, there were anti-Apparition spells on most of the library as a security precaution against thieves. A single space in the library was not enchanted to allow for fast travel to the library that could still be well monitored. Garret soon reaches the room, exchanging a brief pleasantry with the security guard outside the door, and then Disapparates as soon he enters the room.
(A few hours later)
In the President's office in the MACUSA headquarters, President Smithson and Director Deutch are sitting in stunned silence. Garret had just briefed the two men on the discovery the team had made about the concept of a Horcrux. To say it has both men alarmed, and severely unnerved, is an understatement.
It takes a full minute before one of them is able to bring themselves to speak. "So….you're saying….Voldemort might've created an object or objects that make it completely impossible to kill him so long as they exist?" Director Deutch asks.
"Yes," Garret responds simply.
There's another pause before President Smithson says, "I will brief President Clinton on this theory. In the meantime, I want someone to interview Harry Potter on every interaction he's ever had with Voldemort or his followers and everything he's ever heard about Voldemort, to find any possible clue that could confirm if Voldemort has in fact created a Horcrux. At the same time, i want every possible resource committed to trying to find out if Voldemort has in fact created a Horcrux. Deutch, I want Operation Troy to go ahead. Instruct the Phoenix Force to begin training for the operation, and as soon as an opportunity presents itself, you take it," Smithson orders. He pauses, then says, "We need to find out if Voldemort did make a Horcrux, or more than one. There is no bigger priority. Do I make that clear?"
"Yes, President," Deutch and Garret respond simply, the gravity of the situation clear. This simple discovery could turn the war with Voldemort on its head in so many ways. Now they just have to prove it.
And, I'll end there. I hope this was a decent chapter.
I'm gonna try and keep updating, but given the break I took, I won't make any promises about a new update, but I'll try to have the next one up as soon as possible.
Alright. Until the next chapter is up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!
