Chapter 201 The Method For Creating A Horcrux
The copy that Hogwarts had of the book was originally placed in the library's area.
The exact origin and date it was added to Hogwarts' library were unknown to Evan, but it was, indeed, the only known copy of the Secrets of the Darkest Art.
Evan did not expect the Blacks to have the same book in their collection. This was his greatest accomplishment after destroying Voldemort's Horcrux today.
He had long desired to read this book and hoped to learn more about Horcruxes.
But the copy at Hogwarts had been removed from the library by Dumbledore and hidden.
Although the book used to be in the library along with many other valuable magical books, Evan could not find it now.
Once he saw his name in the library catalog, followed by small red writing: "Warning, this book is extremely dangerous. If you need to borrow it, besides sufficient reasons, you also need the personal approval of the Director."
In Evan's opinion, obtaining the book used to be practically impossible.
Successive Hogwarts' Directors were wise and powerful wizards. He knew they would not agree to let a young wizard see the darkest book of dark magic; unless they had lost their minds or were under the Imperius curse.
The library's borrowing record also confirmed this. Before Dumbledore hid it, the book had been there for centuries. Apart from a few teachers, no student had ever moved it. In fact, most young wizards didn't even know such a dark book existed in the library.
This situation continued until just over 50 years ago, when the student Voldemort, Tom Riddle, managed to borrow the book from the library.
Evan did not know how he had done it. Nor did he know if it was a coincidence that he borrowed the book, or if he already had clues about Horcruxes.
But there is no doubt that Voldemort obtained a detailed method for creating a Horcrux from this book. He believed this dark magic could help him achieve the eternal life he dreamed of.
According to the information Evan had, after learning how to create the Horcrux and solving several key issues, Voldemort immediately began experimenting. He relied on killing to split his soul and became a monster who would never die.
This is also the main reason why Dumbledore could never defeat Voldemort.
When he was at his best, maybe he could have beaten Voldemort, but he could never kill him.
Any effort is futile until all the Horcruxes are destroyed.
Furthermore, Dumbledore's strength is waning with age, while Voldemort's strength grows day by day.
Dumbledore apparently also noticed signs of anomalies and undoubtedly harbored some doubts within himself, although he could not be sure until he saw Tom Riddle's diary last year.
But after becoming the Director, he also removed the book from the library.
Besides avoiding the emergence of a second Voldemort, his decision was also based on the fact that the contents of this book were not really suitable for young wizards.
As one of the foremost books on dark magic, the "Secrets of the Darkest Art" reveals many extremely malevolent taboo magics. Horcruxes are just one of them, and perhaps not even the evilest.
Evan gently caressed the book with his hand and decided to open it. The yellow, brittle pages emitted a scattered and unpleasant sound.
The first type of dark magic introduced in the "Secrets of the Darkest Art" is the Horcrux. At the top of the page is a portrait of a cunning and distorted figure whose soul is being ripped apart. It appears to be suffering great pain, but there is a cruel smile at the corner of its lips.
It could be observed that, in comparison to the other pages, the dozens of pages on Horcruxes were marked and read everywhere because they were consulted much more frequently. Regulus must have opened this book many times. He was searching for clues in it and thus deduced that Voldemort's locket hidden in the cave was a Horcrux.
Evan glanced at the contents and found it to be very detailed.
The book presented the Horcrux, its origin, principles, and the method of this dark magic, as well as many records of trials and points to consider at each step.
The more Evan read, the more dreadful it became. The content of this book had transcended the realm of "general evil."
The first step in creating a Horcrux is to split the soul, and the splitting of the soul depends on murders or other evil forces.
Then, through a series of very complicated steps, the divided souls are separated from the main one.
According to the footnote below, Evan knew that although killing was the easiest way to split the soul, it didn't mean the soul would split immediately upon committing a murder.
The strength required to split a soul is very powerful and comes from wickedness and cruelty. The key is not killing, but being wicked to that extreme.
Therefore, one doesn't split their soul simply by committing a murder.
It depends on the cruelty of the method of murder and how wicked the conjurer's soul is. The whole process is very arduous. As the number of soul divisions increases, the degree of wickedness and difficulty required also increase linearly.
Most dark wizards are able to split the soul once, which is already the limit.
No wizard can divide their soul into more than two parts and create more than one Horcrux. The pain is sufficient to shatter the spellcaster.
Besides, splitting the soul will make the main soul unstable.
What Voldemort managed to do, dividing his own soul multiple times and successfully creating several Horcruxes, seemed nearly impossible for Evan.
Once the soul is separated, the next step is to choose the proper Horcrux and embed the soul into it.
Any object can become a Horcrux, but with the soul transfer, an extremely powerful spell is needed to safeguard your Horcrux, and enough magical power to support the completion of the whole transfer process. This implies that even if a dark wizard is wicked enough to divide their own soul, yet not strong enough to sustain the transfer process, they won't be able to successfully create a Horcrux.
The book stresses that the dark wizard must adequately protect their own Horcrux.
Damaging the Horcrux will inevitably affect the Dark Lord's soul, and the already extremely unstable core of his being will further splinter.
The most immediate consequence is the dark wizard losing his sanity and descending into madness.
His power will not be diminished. On the contrary, his soul will become wicked enough to wield the darkest magic with greater ease.
Eventually, a dark wizard whose Horcrux is destroyed will end up consumed by the forces of darkness, transforming into a monster driven solely by a lust for killing.