Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 594 Skull

This long, dark cave passage is winding and labyrinthine, with several forks in the road every now and then, giving visitors a choice to make.

Fortunately, Zenong had a notebook with the route written down, so they didn't have to keep trying and making mistakes in this ghostly maze.

The Count chose to nestle in Zenon's backpack because Cohen might easily shake it off his shoulder when crossing the aisle.

"Just turn left and you'll reach the cave," Zenon muttered, wand dangling from his lips and flipping through his notebook.

After squeezing through an even narrower crevice, Cohen's view suddenly opened up.

But that realization only lasted for that brief moment.

At the center of the maze is a spacious tomb chamber with walls covered in thick holes. In the middle is a mud-brick coffin without a lid, which is empty, but a brand-new cordon has been set up outside to prevent tourists from crawling into the coffin.

An unknown light illuminated every corner of this place.

“A permanent lighting spell, harmless, so the ministry kept it.” Zenon put away his notebook and explained to Cohen, “The other things all carry some residual curses, so we put up a cordon—the door on the left leads to the study and bedroom, and on the right there are stairs and several of Helpo’s laboratories. Down the stairs is a large prison holding Muggles and Helpo’s enemies…”

"Isn't there anything with written records?" Cohen wandered around the tomb-like dwelling, peeking into the messy, deep holes in the walls.

Judging from the cave that looks like it was for snakes to pass through, it's very likely that Helpo not only kept a pair of snakes, but also learned the Animagus technique himself and was able to transform into a snake.

If the snakes were just pets, he wouldn't need to create so many snake holes leading to the surface.

To Cohen's disappointment, the study on the left was empty of books, containing only old-fashioned bookshelves and stone tables and chairs.

There were no snake holes on the walls of the study, but they were covered with dense, rune-like snake-shaped marks.

“Helpo’s things were destroyed by the wizarding order back then,” Zenon said. “The few remaining ones are locked up in the ministry, and they’re all evil black magic—why are you asking about that?”

Zenong was somewhat puzzled.

“It’s nothing,” Cohen said. “It just feels a bit empty here—I thought tourist spots would have a bunch of signs with lots of descriptions on them…”

In fact, Cohen had already decided what he was going to do next.

If you can't find anything here, go to the Greek Ministry of Magic and look for Helbo's remaining belongings and books to see if there are any clues about Horcruxes.

“There’s hardly anyone around here,” Zenon sighed. “He’s not exactly a big celebrity—but… do you have any ideas for tonight? I can take you to an awesome place—”

Zenong paused for a moment in a very mysterious voice and then said:

"There's a Medea Witches band playing in Athens tonight, and I'm pen pals with their bassist—I can get you a ticket too!"

The bassist? He's got a lot of presence.

Cohen hesitated for a moment, after all, he wasn't actually that interested in the Witches.

“Well, it seems you haven’t heard much about them…” Zenon said dejectedly, seeing Cohen’s lack of interest. “But Greece has other fun places too—”

Suddenly, Cohen raised his head.

"Do you want to go?" Zenon thought Cohen had changed his mind and immediately looked up.

“No.” Cohen began to look around.

He heard the voice of a Dementor—or some ancient way of communicating.

The voice rang directly in Cohen's mind, exactly the same as the conversations he had with the Dementors.

[...with both hands cupping the sacrificial blood, he prayed to the spirits of the dead, solemnly making a promise...]

……

Why did you use such a cruel tactic?

Summon me from the underworld?

Quickly retreat from the deep pit.
Allow me to drink the blood.

[Reiterating the truth...]

How do you traverse the darkness of death?
The living must set foot in this place.
What suffering must one endure...?

……

Long, incomprehensible sentences flashed through his mind, like lines of poetry.

But none of that suddenly mattered, because Cohen heard something that was clearly a spell.

【Σσ-θυοφιδδ-κοντ!
ερβο-σταανα-κκοττε】

"Hiss... hiss hiss..."

Cohen seemed to suddenly understand how to use the spell, and began to recite it in a Parseltongue.

"You haven't been affected by anything here, have you—" Zenon asked anxiously as he followed Cohen around the room.

click-

The sound of a stone cracking made Zenong stop talking.

It was the wall covered with snake-like runes, which had a thin crack in the middle, and the crack was widening with a series of cracking sounds.

"What is this? What happened?" Zenon looked at the wall for a while, then at Cohen, who had just been hissing at the wall.

“It looks like there’s still something in Halbo that you haven’t completely searched.” Cohen narrowed his eyes.

[Soul Strength: 20]

A spirit suddenly appeared behind the wall; Cohen was certain it wasn't there before he recited the incantation.

But this is not a Horcrux. Cohen can distinguish between the broken soul of a Horcrux and a normal soul. Behind this wall is a complete human soul.

Are there any people who have been imprisoned in the back for thousands of years?
Won't they starve to death?
"But—how did you do that? What did you just say?" Zenong asked, full of confusion. "It sounded like... Holy crap, Parsleyan?"

Cohen nodded, but instead of looking at Zenon, he stared intently at the crack in the stone wall.

It gradually expanded, and soon we could see clearly what was behind it.

Swish!
Two dark green lights emerged, and Cohen pulled Zenon behind him.

However, the two green beams did not come towards us; they were not death curses.

"My God!" Zenon peeked out from behind Cohen toward the direction of the two green lights and was startled by what was inside.

Behind the wall was a narrow, square hut with a half-person-high square pillar-shaped stone platform in the middle, and the source of the two green lights was in the center of the platform.

It was a pale skull floating in the air, with two green flames burning in its eye sockets.

The skull's jaw twitched, as if it were moving its non-existent masseter muscles.

"Ouch—" Zenong suddenly clutched his head and cried out in pain.
"What's wrong?" Cohen turned his head alertly and asked Zenon behind him.

"It felt like something drilled into my brain—" Zenon said, grimacing.

“Is this language correct—Avt? No—this? Ah, yes, yes—” the skull muttered to itself, as if digesting Zenon’s memories to figure out what language it should use now.

Then, its soul fire looked at Cohen.

"Ah! Master! You're back!" the skull said in an extremely obsequious tone. "It's so good to see you—I've been waiting for you... Hmm... You look a little different—no, you seem..."

The skull paused for a moment, as if pondering why the person in front of it shared such a similar aura with its master.

Then, it showed a look of sudden realization—Cohen didn't know why the skull could make that expression, but the sudden surge of its soul fire and the sudden opening of its mouth were as if it were saying, "I fucking understand!"

“You must be the master’s son! Little master, you look just like him! And you have the same powerful strength—you’ve inherited all of the master’s good qualities, you’re no less than him—I mean—you’re too perfect…absolutely perfect—you’re just as irresistible as Aphrodite…”

(End of this chapter)