A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 335: The Decaying Horcrux

"It's not without danger," the fairy Gonook asked through his mask. He surveyed the corridor ahead, took a step forward, and sparks crackled in the air, striking the fairy. He was thrown off like a tattered kite.

Faisal and Rahman moved forward to check on Gonook. Middle-aged wizard Rahman said, "He's alright, wearing protective clothing. He just fainted temporarily."

"And hidden traps?" Hermione asked Felix incredulously, "Aren't the curses originating from the Dark Mist?" She picked up the curse detector, scanning continuously. Suddenly, something in her hand resembling an antenna exploded, startling her.

"This confirms it as well; curses do exist," she said with an unpleasant expression.

"In fact, there are many more," Felix said. From his perspective, the empty corridor was dotted with numerous points of light, each representing a curse, floating like suspended creatures.

He turned to Hermione, asking, "This pyramid... the part you all explored before, does it contain magical items storing magic?"

Hermione shook her head, "We found quite a few things with residual magic, like the golden dagger and the scarab amulet, but they're very weak now. Unlike the cursed items from the outside world, innocent blood sustains the curse's effect."

After a while, the fairy Gonook woke up. He immediately opened his clothes, then howled in pain. Hermione noticed that he was wearing a silver, skin-tight armor.

"Got a hole in it!" he cried in agony, "Don't know if it can still be repaired."

...

Felix walked ahead, with the others trailing him by a dozen steps. They watched as he poked and prodded the air, curses bursting open like fireworks.

The dense quantity of curses sent chills down the spines of those following behind.

Felix would occasionally stop and examine the slabs on both sides. He initially thought, considering the size of these slabs, there should be at least a dozen ancient spells. But the actual number was fewer. Currently, he only saw three, including the complete Black Lightning Magic.

Many slabs had introductions by the wizard who created this chamber, including their travel experiences. He claimed to be a traveling wizard from Greece who had crossed the Aegean Sea, discovered a magical source in the upper tomb of the pyramid—a four-sided gem—and then decided to create this chamber for the benefit of future generations.

"The curses in the corridor progress layer by layer, getting stronger. Don't force it if you're not confident. Leave the chance for others," Hermione read aloud from the slab. "So that's how it is!" The others looked enlightened.

"Are ancient wizards just too strong, and we're too weak?" Clementine said dejectedly. It turned out they couldn't even withstand the weakest trial.

"Don't make hasty decisions. Perhaps these words are just lies," Felix said. He advanced steadily, his suspicion becoming clearer.

One fact was, were ancient wizards really that powerful? From the perspective of ancient magic, they were indeed formidable. But when it came to the flexibility of their methods, they fell far short of the present.

Most ancient wizards wouldn't have spells like the Disillusionment Charm. As for others, like Protective Charms, Household Charms, and Supportive Magic, their systems weren't as refined as those of today. Those historically famous ancient wizards, while magnifying their strengths, also exposed their weaknesses.

This was also why Felix speculated that ancient wizards guarded their secrets so closely, based on various magical notes he had studied.

The path ahead was rugged and perilous. Felix had already made them retreat far away. He donned a cloak made from Basilisk skin and Fire-Dragon hide, inching forward and continuously clearing away these curses.

Among these curses were also mixed various potent and eerie dark magics. It was unknown how the chamber's owner had managed to preserve them. Perhaps they were stored on a stone or within the granite ceiling.

However, most of the curses within the stone had dissipated over time, leaving only faint glimmers and an aura of malevolence. They seemed to exist independently, without any connection to the overall defense.

Felix grew more certain that the chamber's owner was a dark wizard, a powerful one at that. Felix felt as though he had entered a museum of dark magic, where many of the modern dark spells had their corresponding shadows.

Finally, he stopped in front of a bronze door. The door had a simple bronze handle and no excess decoration.

The fairy Gonook called from a distance, "Can we come over?" He was eager to claim anything in this place as property of the Goblin Bank. In the eyes of the fairies, they had invested money and manpower to eliminate dangers for various wizarding ministries, and in return, they expected treasures within these ruins. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The group approached, forming a line and staring at the bronze door. Seeing Felix lost in thought, they didn't dare to disturb him. His performance throughout the journey had already demonstrated his formidable strength and profound knowledge. Not a single one of those hair-raising curses had gotten past him.

After quite some time, Felix let out a deep breath.

"Stuck on a puzzle?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice. Her voice echoed in the chamber, sounding as if she was whispering right beside them.

"I find it odd. It seems there's not much danger ahead."

That was something that puzzled him greatly. He glanced around at the others. "Move to the sides." Perhaps his expression was too serious, as everyone drew their wands and cautiously moved to the sides. Felix even summoned his eagle-shaped magical lantern.

With everything set, he extended his hand and touched the bronze handle. The knocking created echoing sounds that resonated. Everyone's hearts raced. After a few seconds, the door suddenly cracked open, dust falling as it opened wider and wider with a creaking sound. Then there was the sound of something rubbing against something else. Felix prudently stepped back as two shadows fell down, kicking up a tall cloud of dust.

"Bang! Bang!"

Peering from the sides, the group discerned the true identity of the shadows. "It's Basilisks!" Hermione exclaimed. She wouldn't make a mistake about this; she had faced a Basilisk in her second year.

However, before them were the corpses of two Basilisks. They had been dead for quite some time, and due to being confined for so long, their serpent skin quickly rotted upon exposure to the outside air. A strong, putrid stench assaulted their senses.

"Gross!"

Several of them began to retch. Felix waved his wand, casting the Bubble-Head Charm to provide them with clean air. He himself wore a suit of enchanted armor and stepped boldly into the room. His judgment was growing clearer.

The eagle-shaped magical lantern followed behind, casting light into the interior. The place that had been isolated from the outside world was now illuminated, revealing a nearly empty small courtyard. Several large and small Basilisk corpses lay about. Every single one of them was dead. As Felix walked past them, their colors, along with those of the circular pillars around them, drained away.

Felix headed directly toward the center, where there stood an altar.

On the altar was a life-sized statue of a middle-aged wizard with silver-white hair and yellow eyes. He had a gentle smile and held in his hands a four-sided gemstone. Dim light radiated from the gemstone, the very source of magic Felix had been seeking.

A crack appeared in the statue, splitting open from its forehead and continuing down, almost bisecting the figure. From this long fissure oozed viscous black blood, but it had long dried up, leaving unsightly stains.

Felix could almost imagine how, over thousands of years, it had gradually eroded, fallen apart, cracked, and decayed into its current state due to the passage of time.

"Indeed, it's you, the despicable Harp," Felix murmured softly. His words seemed part admiration and part mockery. "So, Horcruxes can decay too, huh?"

As if responding to his words, the statue of Harp—or rather, the Horcrux—began to lose its luster bit by bit, turning ashen. With a gentle puff of air from Felix, it completely disintegrated.

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