Companions of the White Warlock

Smoke Year VII - Companions of the White Warlock Chapter XII

As a figure stood in the Roman library, Harry's eyes moved away from the attractive red-head, and Russell's moved away from the perfectly preserved room.

The man was dressed in a light cotton gown and sandals. He was of average height, and rather burly. Harry and Russell saw that his face, once strong if not handsome, no longer looked fully human. Harry realized that the man still looked a bit more human than Voldemort had when he had applied for the position of Defense teacher, but not much more.

"I am Theseus, and I welcome you to my home," the man said in a medium tenor. "May I offer you wine and water, as well as a seat?"

"I don't drink," Harry said.

"Water only?" the man asked.

Harry nodded. The man poured himself a goblet full of water, flavored with wine, and the same for Russell, as well as a goblet of water for Harry, and the three men sat down.

"So, a White Warlock," the man said. "I have not met one since Merlin."

"You knew Merlin?" Harry said, doubt in his voice.

"I was born in what for you would have been the year 1323 BC," the man said, "on the island of Crete. I am from a magical family, and my father sent me to Egypt to study when I was ten. There was once a cult there which initiated one wizard every four years, and the ceremony included making and using what you would call a Horcrux."

After a few moments of stunned silence, Harry asked, "Do you mean there are hundreds, or thousands, of wizards like you?"

Theseus smiled. "No, there are not, but there have been. Living for an extended period of time is very appealing to many many people in theory, and this is one of the best ways of doing so. However, most people find that sooner or later life pales for them. There were 842 other wizards who underwent the same ceremonies that I did. Of the 843 of us, there are 33 left today, most of us still living in the temple in southwestern Egypt where we have always been. We ceased the ceremonies in what you would call the year 9 BC, under pressure from the wizards allied with Rome. To my knowledge, there have been 1002 others who have created Horcruxes throughout history. Of those, 801 have also ended their existences in some way. 80 were much like your Tom Riddle. All like him have been destroyed. Of the 120 others, 96 were destroyed by other enemies, who were no better or worse than they were. Three others were destroyed in natural disasters -- one, for example, lived in Pompeii, and made the error of keeping his Horcrux near by. The other twentyone are still with us."

"So, excluding Riddle and yourself, there are 53 others like you," Russell said.

Theseus nodded. "In that they have at least one Horcrux, yes." He looked at Harry. "You have a question or comment?"

"You all had to kill. . . ." Harry started, then trailed off.

Theseus nodded. "Kill, yes; murder, not necessarily. I have always executed criminals for my Horcruxes."

"You've created how many?" Russell asked.

"A soul portion in a Horcrux contains small parts of your personality and memory as well your soul. Those non-soul portions begin to denigrate after a century or so of isolation. I reabsorb the soul fragment and then create a new Horcrux every 75 years," Theseus explained. "Tell me, what is your primary question?"

"We are fairly certain that Riddle wished to create six Horcruxes," Russell answered. "He created them, but did not know he created the sixth. We have destroyed four. What will happen should he create a seventh, or try to go on and replace the ones we have destroyed?"

"Good questions," Theseus acknowledged. "I do have answers, but I can hear both your stomachs rumbling, and you both look like you are growing weak from hunger -- hardly surprising after sailing here, even working the boat by magic. Let my women feed you, and then I shall answer your questions."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Why feed you, or why answer your questions?" Theseus asked.

"Why answer the questions?"

"There are 55 people living extended lives through the use of Horcruxes. How many did your Albus Dumbledore, how many did your Professor Russell here, two of the better informed regular wizards around today, know of or even suspect before last year?"

"Just Voldemort," Russell admitted.

"Exactly. You might disapprove of our lifestyle, but fifty-four of us harm no one who is not a convicted criminal," Theseus answered. "We are not evil. Hedonistic, libertine, even selfish and sybaric, but not evil. I have the most contacts with the regular magical world, therefore I have been selected to speak with you. If Riddle is destroyed, the rest of us should be left alone. We desire no attention from the regular worlds, magical or Muggle." He stood and made to clap his hands.

"Those women. . . ." Harry started. Theseus looked at him. "They're Muggles, I take it?"

"I currently have an even three dozen," Theseus answered, "all between the ages of fifteen and forty. I tend to retire them between the ages of thirty and forty. Thirty are Muggles, five are what you would call Squibs, and one is a witch."

"And you retire them because?" Harry pressed.

Theseus frowned. "If you must know, beyond the obvious reason of them losing their looks and my becoming bored with most of them after a dozen years or so, many leave because they wish to have children. Creating a Horcrux causes physical changes, some internal and some external, as you have observed in both Riddle and myself. Creating just one causes the ending of the aging process, but it also causes sterility."

"I had wondered," Harry said. "Of all the crimes I've heard Voldemort accused of, he was never accused of rape, even if he encourages his followers to do it."

Theseus smiled. "One change of the fourth Horcrux is a diminution of the sexual drive. The fifth, let us say, leaves a man limp. Still, from what I have heard of Riddle, his drives were never directed towards sex." He gestured them out of the library and towards the dining room. "I have to admit, my drives have always been towards the acquisition of knowledge and the enjoyment of women."

"Just as long as you don't try to distract me with them," Harry retorted.

"Ah, you saw my lovelies by the pool," he said with a smile. "Please," he said gesturing the pair inside a room, "relax and I shall order food, and make certain the servers are wearing something. The golden carafe holds pink wine, the silver one white. The crystal of course holds spring water. Please, excuse me for a moment." Theseus left them at the threshold.

Harry looked inside. "There's no place to sit."

"The ancients ate lying down," Russell answered. "Come on." He led Harry behind the chief couch. Russell kicked off his shoes and sat down, and then twisted himself onto the cushions.

Harry sighed and copied Russell. "I suppose we eat with our fingers," Harry muttered.

Russell shrugged. "Forks were only used for serving, but he might have adopted the practice by now."

Their attention was brought to an interior door, as six attractive women -- wearing very little -- came in, five of them carrying covered platters while the first one held the door. That first one now came over and uncovered the first platter. It had bowels, dishes, and silver. She placed a large and small bowels, a shallow saucer, and a large and two small plates in front of each man, as well as a knife, a spoon, and two small forks.

The woman silently brought each of the other women forward and served Harry and Russell. The large bowel was filled with a warm chicken soup with pasta. The large plates each had a slice of roast beef and a fillet of some sort of fish. She placed carrots and celery on one small plate, poured olive oil into the saucer, and fresh fruit into the small bowel. Lastly, she placed a large pile of bread between the two place settings. The women bowed and silently left.

Harry thought dipping bread into olive oil was a bit odd, but the lunch was very satisfying. Neither Theseus nor his servants came in until the pair was nearly finished.

"Would you care for something more modern for a sweet course, or a traditional cheese plate with some wine?" Theseus asked, coming in. "I shall happily join in either."

Russell looked at Harry's face, and said, "Something sweet, I think."

Dessert was modern in that it was an excellent vanilla ice cream with fruit, served with Turkish coffee. When the three were again alone, Theseus asked, "Shall I give you the answers to your fundamental question now?"

"Yes, please," Harry answered.

"All people are all created different in many ways," Theseus said. "Different abilities and aptitudes, mental and physical; different temperaments and dispositions; different levels of intelligence. Those of us who are magical have different abilities and powers and power levels. Despite all this, we all have about as much of what, for lack of a better term in English, you call 'soul'. It cannot be truly divided in any permanent way, which is why the concept of a Horcrux works. It must all go on to whatever lies beyond this world together."

"You don't know?" Harry asked.

"No one truly does, my young friend. Mystics have their answers, which on some levels are fairly similar, but those are only slightly better than speculations. We cannot explain what the interactions between our finite selves and infinity might truly be." Theseus smiled. "If they had a good, certain answer, even I probably wouldn't still be here."

"Go on," Russell urged. He was uncertain as to how long this ancient warlock would tolerate them, although he was certainly being friendly at the moment.

"Right," Theseus said. "A number of ancients tried to determine what would happen if they divided their soul numerous times. Some did this out of curiosity, and a few tried to see if it would make them more powerful. Well, in short, it made them less human and no more powerful after the first two divisions. Three divisions, into four parts, seems to be the best compromise between protection and keeping some hold on one's humanity. Six or seven divisions, depending on how well the ceremonies are done, seem to be the maximum possible, although one Tibetan master managed a ninth division. What happens at that point is that the remaining soul fragment in the body is unable to animate that body. You simply lie there in what looks like a coma, although your mind does function to some extent. If someone does not add in one of the soul fragments contained in a Horcrux, the body eventually dies. It would take a large soul fragment to reanimate a new body. This condition can also happen if you split your soul into halves each time you create a Horcrux. You seem to need about one eighth of your soul to make a body work."

"So, Voldemort's right up next to the limit, but doesn't know it," Harry mused.

"He has created six Horcruxes, you said?" Theseus asked.

"Yes," Russell informed the ancient. "He knowingly created five. The sixth was created by accident when his original body was destroyed, as that occurred while he was trying to create one. As far as we can tell, he never knew that one was created, and he is planning on creating at least one more."

"At least?"

Harry told Theseus the story of the diary.

Theseus thought about that, and said, "I do not believe he designed the diary to be used other than as it was. He did not tell this Malfoy to send it on to Hogwarts, he set up a situation where Malfoy would be likely to use it if something happened to him. The soul fragment would have reunited with Voldemort once it became fully material."

The trio sat in silence for a few minutes.

"He searched me out nearly fifty years ago," Theseus said, bringing attention back to himself. "I declined to give him much information or help, and to my knowledge, he did not meet with any of the others like me. The basic ceremony for making a Horcrux is not all that difficult to obtain, or wasn't fifty years ago. I believe Riddle has destroyed a number of books with the information in them, and Albus Dumbledore did the same." Theseus' face hardened, and for the first time he looked very dangerous. "I do not care for those who burn books, no matter what their motives."

"I agree," Russell said quickly. "There are other ways to keep dangerous information at least moderately safe."

"I'm sure Hermione would agree with you," Harry said.

"Ah, Miss Granger. I was hoping you would bring one of your attractive associates with you."

Noting Theseus' leer, Harry thought, 'Yeah, I just bet you do, you perv.' What he said, however, was, "They're on other assignments."

"Pity; perhaps some other time."

"Can you give us any other information about Voldemort?" Russell asked.

Theseus thought a moment. "I doubt it. You know even better than I how selfish Riddle is. I have to admit, the man is a savant -- that is, he has a natural feel for magic and a mind like few I have ever encountered. However, he does have what is sometimes called 'the typical criminal mind'. That is, he has difficulty seeing other people's points of view; he has no empathy. The only things that matter to him are his needs, his desires. He cannot really believe that the universe does not center around him." Theseus shook his head. "In many ways, it was a shame that he was so powerful. Had he been an average wizard in terms of power, he might have turned out much better."

"That might be true, but I think it's too late to feel all that sorry for him," Harry pointed out.

Theseus smiled. "You may be correct. Perhaps it is a function of my age, or just my personality. I do tend to think about how history is put together, and how we get to places in history such as this one."

"Could you answer another question about Horcruxes?" Harry asked, to divert the subject back to the important one on hand.

"Of course."

"Did Voldemort feel anything when I destroyed the Horcruxes?"

"Probably not," Theseus mused. "I have never lost one, thank the Snake Goddess. I have known a few who have, however. Only one reported feeling anything, and he was a much more mystical person than any of the others. I have never thought Riddle had anything of the mystic in him."

"True," Russell agreed.

"So, while he might have set wards which might warn him, the actual destruction of the Horcrux, resulting in the destruction of the soul fragment, does not have enough of an effect on the primary fragment for the person to notice. In fact," Theseus added thoughtfully, "considering Riddle is no longer in his real body, he would be even less likely to know you destroyed any of them."

"If all the Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort will be totally mortal, right?" Harry asked.

"Correct," Theseus acknowleged.

"Is there any way to contain the remnants of Voldemort's soul should his current body be destroyed before the Horcruxes are destroyed?" Harry followed up.

"You would basically be imprisoning a soul," Theseus replied. "You would have to create a Horcrux, using Voldemort's blood rather than your own as the essential ingredient. The death you would use to trigger it would of course be Voldemort's."

"Voldemort used my blood to recreate his body," Harry said. "Would that affect a Horcrux to trap Voldemort, or one that Voldemort made for himself for that matter?"

Theseus considered that. "If I correctly understand the ceremony you described in the media a year ago, almost certainly not, since there was also blood in his servant's hand and of course there had to have been some genetic material left in his father's bone for the spell to have worked. However, don't you think creating such a Horcrux might be somewhat dark magic for a White Warlock to create?"

"Maybe," Harry acknowledged.

"I could do it," Russell said.

"I wouldn't like to have you do something I wouldn't," Harry objected.

"How would you get his blood?" Theseus asked.

"Good point," Harry acknowledged. "There isn't any other way?"

"Not under these circumstances," Theseus stated firmly. "There are much Darker ceremonies which, I assure you, you do NOT wish to invoke. However, I shall create a shell Horcrux for you. All it would take to activate it so that it is ready to accept Voldemort will be to blood it and chant a basic incantation. It would then have to be within twelve feet of his dying body."

Seeing the glare Russell was using, Harry said defensively, "It's a last-ditch measure, Prof."

"I would hope so," Russell declared.

"Now, I hope you will both stay the night," Theseus stated. "After all, even you cannot apparate in or out of here, and there is no need to rush away, is there?"

"Of course not," Harry said. "I hope dress is informal?"

Theseus laughed. "Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Shall I have any of the girls join us?"

"No," Harry said nervously. "I don't think so."

"A little uncomfortable among cute, mostly naked girls, my lord?" Russell teased Harry as they sat in a comfortable lounge between two small bedrooms.

"A little," Harry admitted. "I'm just glad none of the girls came along."

"Why?"

"Because he would be after all of them," Harry nearly snapped. "Ginny would be flattered, and I have no idea how Hermione might react at the chance to be with a three-thousand year old warlock, especially if his library reflects that!"

"And he seems very charming," Russell agreed. "I don't think he has spells on any of the women that I saw, although it could be subtle."

"I don't think he's enchanted them either," Harry agreed.

"I wonder what Luna would think of him," Russell said in an innocent voice.

Harry scowled, but said nothing.