Herpo's teeth ground together as he forced out a single word through clenched jaws. "Revenge!"
He knew perfectly well that this was not what he ultimately wanted, yet the hatred was real.
Especially after time had fermented it, that hatred had continued to breed and swell. And Voldemort's question had made it blaze like a raging fire.
"Revenge against those damned people! Especially that Wizet Lovegood!"
Seeing the hatred churning in Herpo's eyes, the corner of Voldemort's mouth curved upward.
At that moment, a strange thought actually arose in his mind, and he even wanted to say to Wizet, "Well done."
After all, he had personally instructed Wizet. In a sense, Wizet counted as his student.
And the path by which he had attained immortality came from the Horcruxes invented by Herpo. From another perspective, he had learned magical knowledge invented by Herpo, so Herpo naturally counted as one of his "professors."
Now, his student had defeated his "professor." Didn't that mean... he had surpassed Herpo?
"Revenge?" This time, Voldemort yawned, seeming somewhat disappointed by Herpo's answer. "Truly... an expected answer, yet one so lacking in imagination."
"You gave it everything you had in Paris, and in the end... the other side won a complete victory. Heh!" His laugh was full of mockery. "It's only natural that you would think of revenge."
Herpo pressed his lips together, forcibly suppressing the rage roiling in his chest.
He kept reminding himself that as long as "my lord" could descend successfully, every humiliation he suffered now would be worth it...
If Voldemort had not been so extraordinary, he would never have lowered himself so far as to seek cooperation with him.
The true brilliance of the Horcruxes he invented lay not only in their ability to help their makers evade death, but also