A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

"Herpo?!" Ron exclaimed sharply. Instantly, heads turned towards their corner in the common room. He hastily lowered his head, gesturing fervently to Harry and Hermione.

The two approached, Ron's eyes darting around incessantly. In a hushed tone, he asked, "Is... that Herpo? The creator of Horcruxes?"

"Exactly," Hermione replied.

Ron quickly glanced at the dusty hourglass on the table. Harry had wiped its surface earlier, yet it retained an aura of antiquity. His voice trembled, "Do you think... a part of Herpo might be in there?"

"You mean a Horcrux?" Harry asked nervously, eyeing the hourglass now in Hermione's hand.

"No!" Hermione said firmly. "Professor Harp checked it before..."

She paused, lifting her head and recounting the events inside the Egyptian pyramid, focusing on Herpo's statue and altar, and how decayed the statue had become.

"It's hard to grasp... wait a moment!"

She dashed back to the girls' dorm and returned with a shallow chestnut wooden tray. Harry and Ron understood her idea—to relive the scene through a Pensieve.

They gathered around, watching as the silver sand within the Pensieve poured like rain. The dim, eerie chamber of the pyramid from their summer vacation emerged again—the cursed narrow passageway, the isolated corpse of a forgotten serpent, and the fleeting glimpse of the decaying statue.

They witnessed it all from Hermione's perspective. She arrived a moment later than Felix did, only to see him exhale, causing the statue to crumble completely, disintegrating into fine dust and disappearing.

Harry and Ron watched, awestruck. No eloquence could fully capture the intensity of the scene.

"Wait a moment," Hermione said, her eyes fixed on the Pensieve. "There were gems and small objects embedded in the side wall of the altar. Look!"

Harry and Ron leaned in closer, aided by Hermione's memories. They saw the altar rotating, presenting various wizardly figures carved into the side walls.

"Where? I only see gems!" Ron almost pressed his nose against it.

"Don't focus on the gems. These wizard carvings are the key. Their hands hold items," Hermione pointed, saying, "The gems are just decorations on the edges. Though, knowing Herpo's cunning, they might also have had curses, but they're surely gone now."

Harry observed closely, discovering the wizardly carvings holding various small items—vials, feathers, small sticks (possibly wands?), and... a dusty hourglass.

"There's an hourglass, just like this one!" Ron exclaimed. "Your memory is incredible, Hermione."

Proudly, Hermione chuckled. "Initially, I thought it might be from the Time-Turner, you know, I had one for a year... but I quickly realized the differences. The Time-Turner had a golden timer on it, and both ends were round. This one is flat and can stand on a table."

"How would we know... we haven't seen one," Ron muttered.

He picked up the hourglass, examining it closely. Through the semi-translucent container, hazily resembling glass, they could vaguely make out clusters of dark golden substance, completely immobile.

"Are you sure there's no magical residue on it?" Ron hesitated.

"I'm certain, at least not a Horcrux or a curse. Professor Harp's magical perspective can detect magical traces."

"Convenient," Ron said. But evidently, his interest waned once an authoritative opinion was given. He shook the hourglass vigorously, the dark golden substance inside seemed stuck to the container, unmoving.

"Oh, it looks like whatever it was, it's just something mundane now. I know some shops in Diagon Alley that collect such items, you know, antique stuff... Are you planning to sell it, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "It seems somewhat nostalgic, doesn't it? At least it reminds me that even Horcruxes decay," he chuckled mockingly, "If I ever meet Voldemort again, I'll tell him his dreams of immortality are just that—dreams."

...

The next day, November 25th, a whole month away from Christmas, the young wizards noticed a sudden drop in temperature. Frost covered the castle windows, the sky ominous, brewing a storm.

"It's torture to attend Care of Magical Creatures at this time!"

On their way to Ancient Runes class, Harry and his friends overheard a fifth-year girl complaining to her companion. Ron chuckled, "Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts will warm them up."

Harry couldn't help but grin.

In the Ancient Runes classroom, Professor Harp was flipping through the Daily Prophet, students greeting him as they arrived. Once everyone was settled, he rose from his chair beside the lectern, his woolen coat brushing against the chair arm.

"It's good to see that our classroom isn't missing a soul or two, especially after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament." Felix brushed off the newspaper. "It mentions Hogwarts holding both the first and second places, and the Minister of Magic praised the educational achievements under Headmaster Dumbledore's leadership. However... in my opinion, Professor Marchbanks from the Wizarding Examinations Authority has a more incisive and insightful view. If you're interested, you should take a look."

"Anyway, let's begin today's lesson."

Felix asked the class, "Has anyone heard of 'The Invincible Andros'?"

Hermione was the first to raise her hand, not surprising. What surprised Harry was that Ron also raised his hand. Harry stared at him in disbelief; it seemed even Ron was surprised, retracting his hand.

"Mr. Weasley?" Felix inquired.

"Um, The Invincible Andros..." Ron stood up, not very confidently. "I read about him on a Chocolate Frog card—I collect them, only need two more to complete the set—he was an ancient Greek wizard known for his powerful spells, capable of summoning guardian spirits as large as giants... He was also a formidable duelist; many couldn't withstand his spells..."

Seeing the professor smiling at him, Ron continued, elaborating unnecessarily, "Andros should have lived in the same era as the despicable Herpo, maybe they crossed paths? Perhaps even had a fight..."

Many students looked at Ron with newfound respect.

"Please, Mr. Weasley, take your seat. Most of that is correct, except for the last statement. It's too far back in time, and there were no dedicated historians at that time. We can only seek truths from fragments of oral traditions. There's currently no evidence to suggest they met..."

>

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