"What?!"
Avada dashed inside, and after weaving around several piles of clutter, he saw Baron crouched anxiously beside a man in black wizard's robes, sprawled unconscious on the floor. It was Professor Baker. A fist-sized black crystal ball lay nearby, quietly rolling to a stop.
"Something's wrong! Baron, get back here!"
The instant his Magic Sense swept over Professor Baker and the black crystal ball, Avada's hair stood on end. His face pale, he shouted urgently to Baron.
Baron jumped at his shout, then hurriedly sprang up and backed away a few steps, quickly drawing his wand from his waist.
"What's wrong?"
He lowered his voice and asked cautiously. As far as he knew, Professor Baker was undoubtedly a kind and capable teacher. His position as a member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts League, Headmaster Dumbledore's trust in him, and the astonishing duel he had put on at the start of term all proved that the professor was reliable and safe.
Although they still didn't know why he had collapsed in the Room of Requirement, surely he needed help, not suspicion.
Avada didn't answer right away. He drew his wand as well and moved slowly and silently toward Professor Baker, his expression grave. "See that black crystal ball beside Professor Baker? I suspect it's a Dark Magic object!"
"And I guarantee that this crystal ball has never appeared in the Room of Requirement before. So Professor Baker must have brought it here or made it himself!"
"Are you sure?!"
Baron's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression turned uncertain. The fact that a member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts League possessed a Dark Magic object would be huge news if it got out.
Avada gave a bitter smile at Baron's question. He'd already downplayed it for fear of scaring him. That thing was more than just a Dark Magic object...
Looking at the vast hollow in the crystal ball's magic, the golden mental energy that surrounded it, and the incredibly complex, familiar magical structure around it, Avada sighed.
It was a Horcrux.
A Horcrux belonging to Professor Baker.
Without a doubt, this Horcrux was irrefutable proof that this professor, so trusted by his students, had committed murder and spent years studying Dark Magic. Over the course of the term, Avada had gained some understanding of Dark Magic. Combined with his memories of the original story and his own research into the human mind, he knew better than to think a Horcrux was some trivial thing that anyone could make at will.
As far as he knew, only the most evil of Dark wizards—those who had mastered Dark Magic and whose souls had been utterly corrupted by it—could split their souls through murder and create Horcruxes of their own.
Otherwise, if murder could split a soul so easily, wouldn't the souls of Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix, who fought for justice, be riddled with holes and shattered to pieces as well?
At last, he understood why Professor Baker's mental energy had felt so wrong before. His soul had probably already been split back then; he must have used some method to conceal the signs.
"Are you sure it's a Dark Magic object? How can you tell?"
Baron had examined the crystal ball for a while as Avada thought, but hadn't found the slightest trace of Dark Magic. He turned to Avada and asked in confusion, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Get back here at once, Baron."
Avada spoke with utmost seriousness. "Let's get out of the Room of Requirement first, then find the nearest professor! I remember Professor Flitwick's office is on the Seventh Floor, right? Come with me and find him before Professor Baker wakes up!"
"Even if you don't trust me, surely you trust Professor Flitwick?"
Hearing how serious Avada sounded, Baron gradually realized how grave the situation was. He still didn't know how Avada had determined that the crystal ball was a Dark Magic object, but he trusted that Avada wouldn't make such a claim without reason.
"Fine. Let's go together..."
"Mm..."
Before Baron could finish, Avada heard a soft groan. Professor Baker, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, had opened his eyes and was slowly pushing himself upright with one hand.
"Run!!"
The two of them were horrified. They turned and sprinted for the Room of Requirement's door with all their might!
Then something terrifying happened: no matter how hard they ran, the distance to the door didn't shrink at all. It kept growing instead! In Avada's perception, the magical structure representing "space" had somehow twisted into a tangled mess, like some enormous invisible maze!
"It's over..."
Avada stopped in despair and drew his wand, ready to fight to the death. Seeing Baron beside him turn pale and do the same, he couldn't help giving a bitter smile. He wished he could beat up the version of himself from the tea party a few months ago.
Back then, he'd thought, Surely I can at least survive my first year?
That's what you get for jinxing yourself!
"Huh?"
Professor Baker finally stood up. He looked around with a dazed expression, then soon noticed Avada and Baron standing ready for a fight. Confusion crossed his face.
"You... why... are you... here?"
His voice was slow and hoarse, as though he hadn't spoken in years.
Avada and Baron exchanged a glance and suddenly realized they might still have a chance to survive.
"Ahem."
Baron stepped forward first. The expression on his face changed in an instant, replaced by genuine concern. "Professor Baker, are you all right? We just came into this room and found you lying here!"
"Merlin be praised, you're finally awake! We were trying to decide whether to find another professor to help, but we didn't want to expose this room... It's wonderful that you woke up on your own!"
Listening from the side, Avada's face twitched, and goosebumps crawled over him in waves. No wonder this kid had made it into Slytherin in no time!
"I... woke up?"
Professor Baker stared at his hands in confusion. After a long while, he slowly replied, "Mm... Yes, I woke up. You're..."
He raised his head and studied Avada and Baron for a good while. His expression shifted from recollection to sudden understanding.
"Right, you're Avada Kedavra and Baron Shafiq, my students... I'm Benjamin Baker, Hogwarts' Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, an adventurer, and a member of the... Defense Against the Dark Arts League?"
Holding his head, he staggered to his feet. Avada and Baron tensed up again.
"How to speak to students... Right..."
He looked at them and gave them a somewhat stiff smile. "Thank you for your concern. I'm fine, just... well, I had a little accident. Don't worry..."
"Go on and enjoy yourselves. I'll be off. I still have plenty of work to do as a professor..."
As he finished speaking, the distorted space silently returned to normal. Professor Baker began walking, stumbling out the door under Avada and Baron's tense watch. He even remembered to close it behind him, leaving the two of them staring at each other in disbelief.
"What... what was that all about?"
Baron finally dropped his act and let out a long breath. Then he slumped to the floor. After taking a while to recover, he remembered Professor Baker's strange behavior and asked Avada in confusion.
Avada kept silent, though he knew it was probably a side effect of splitting a soul completely. He could sense that Professor Baker's mental energy had weakened considerably. The hollow in his magic, essential to any intelligent being, had also shrunk by a great deal.
"By the way,"
Baron suddenly looked at Avada with curiosity. "Did Professor Baker just say your real name? You're called Ava..."
"Don't say it out loud."
Avada shuddered again. "I'll explain later. Let's get out of here first. You go find Professor Flitwick, and I'll go to the Headmaster's Office to find Dumbledore. Professor Baker's condition is far too strange. It may be beyond what a professor can handle!"
"Mm."
Baron understood how urgent the situation was and didn't press Avada about his name. He got up, and the two of them headed for the door together.
Suddenly, a familiar, urgent voice stopped them.
"Mr. Kedavra, Mr. Shafiq, don't go yet. Please wait!"
Before you continue