Karl Orolin was confident he wouldn't mistake Peeves' appearance; after all, they often engaged in "friendly and cordial" exchanges.
There was both verbal reasoning and physical "reasoning" with fists and feet. They could be considered old acquaintances... no, old familiar ghosts... no, that wasn't right either, just old acquaintances.
But why was Peeves here?
Karl Orolin approached Stonehenge cautiously and quickly discovered something was wrong.
Although this spirit had the same height and appearance as Peeves, its demeanor was completely different.
At this moment, it had its eyes closed in a smile, its face serene, and its hands crossed over its chest, resting on its shoulders. It actually gave off a peaceful and gentle feeling, not at all like Peeves.
Just then, Karl Orolin suddenly remembered something Nina Goldstein had told him:
Rowena Ravenclaw believed that Peeves was formed by the gathering of all the students' mischievous and willful negative emotions at Hogwarts, so Helga Hufflepuff had always been puzzled as to why the students' kind and friendly positive emotions hadn't formed a Moaning Myrtle.
Then, could this spirit in front of him, which was identical to Peeves, be...
"Mr. Orolin, your Courage exceeds my expectations. You don't seem like a Hufflepuff; rather, you seem more like a Gryffindor."
At this moment, Elvis Heller had finished his kowtowing and looked at Karl Orolin, who had been closely pursuing him.
"That only shows your knowledge is extremely shallow, because Hufflepuff never lacks Courage."
Karl Orolin pointed his wand at the red, jade-like stone sphere on the altar. "Professor Heller, what is that?"
"You can call it the magic core of Hogwarts Castle, or you can call it by its true name, the stone of destiny or the Stone of Ireland."
Elvis Heller paced around the altar, waving his hands, his voice high-pitched, his mental state appearing very strange.
Karl Orolin couldn't help but frown at these words. "stone of destiny? Do you mean the Coronation Stone?"
"It seems Mr. Orolin's knowledge is extremely shallow," Elvis Heller retorted to Karl Orolin's earlier mockery. "The Scottish Coronation Stone, the Stone of Scone, the Coronation Stone of Tara—those are merely parts of the stone of destiny. This one before us is the core of the stone of destiny, possessing endless, inexhaustible magic."
Good grief!
Things were starting to get interesting!
A stone of destiny containing magic—that should be a treasure from Celtic mythology, right?
Karl Orolin stopped outside Stonehenge, having no intention of entering. "And what about this spirit? It wouldn't happen to be Peeves' twin brother, would it?"
"Actually, that's not wrong. It and Peeves are indeed of the same origin; both come from the emotions of the students at Hogwarts."
At this moment, Elvis Heller had his back to Karl Orolin, stepping onto the altar one step at a time, walking toward the stone of destiny.
Seeing this, Karl Orolin became a bit anxious and raised his hand, preparing to cast fire.
As a result, before his wand could even be raised, it was pressed down by an invisible large hand.
Fine, this is your decision, old timer.
It has nothing to do with me! If something goes wrong, you'll have to take the blame!
"However, Lord Herpo the Foul cast a spell on the stone of destiny, splitting the formed spirit into two. This one has finally met the requirements, so I have come to take it away."
Elvis Heller carefully observed the state of the spirit, looking very satisfied.
Karl Orolin sincerely advised him, "Stealing from someone else's home, isn't that a bit wrong? You're Greek, you should avoid adopting British customs."
"Stealing? If it weren't for Lord Herpo the Foul's help, Hogwarts Castle could never have been built."
So the Wizard who called himself "Merlin" was actually Herpo the Foul... wouldn't that be even more absurd? The era he was active in was even older than Merlin's!
"So you just plant thorns in someone else's home? This inhuman behavior is even more British, and you're also impersonating someone else."
Facing Karl Orolin's wild ranting, Elvis Heller laughed disdainfully.
"The four Wizards who founded Hogwarts accidentally obtained the core of the stone of destiny and had no idea how to use it. It was Lord Herpo the Foul who gave the Castle life. Shouldn't he collect a little reward?"
"As for Lord Herpo the Foul calling himself Merlin, it's actually out of pity for him. After all, the method of using a spirit to complete a soul was created by Merlin. It's just a pity that before he could act, he was sealed by the Lady of the Lake in Avalon."
After saying this, he placed his hand on the stone pedestal beneath the stone of destiny and drew out a blood-red spear.
Elvis Heller gently stroked the spear and looked at Karl Orolin again. "Mr. Orolin, I'll give you one last chance. Do you accept my recruitment?"
"What about the benefits package?"
"True immortality!"
"Are you talking about a Horcrux?"
Elvis Heller sneered, "Lord Herpo the Foul invented the Horcrux not to escape death, but to save that Great One from the hands of... It's just that later Wizards misunderstood its purpose."
Karl Orolin's expression shifted. "From whose hands? And who is that Great One? What is the true purpose of a Horcrux?"
"You ask too many questions. Before you become a servant of Lord Herpo the Foul, I will not answer you."
"However, as your defense against the dark arts professor, I am very willing to give you one last lesson."
"Creating a Horcrux can allow a Wizard to avoid death, but it cannot extend life like the Philosopher's Stone."
"When the moment of life's end arrives, both the soul and the Horcrux will perish together."
Saying this, Elvis Heller revealed a gloating, evil smile.
"After Wizards die, they pass through the Veil into The Otherworld. But if a split soul cannot return to wholeness, it will only be trapped in the Veil for eternity."
"That poor wretch called Lord Voldemort split his soul multiple times to create Horcruxes; it truly makes one feel tragic for him."
"Because as long as one Horcrux is destroyed, his soul will be incomplete by that part."
"If all his Horcruxes were destroyed... that would truly be an interesting thing!"
Karl Orolin took a deep breath. He thought of the Lord Voldemort that Harry Potter saw at King's Cross Station in the original story:
A stunted, twisted, ugly infant shape, a soul so shattered and riddled with holes that it could only exist in this form, unable to move forward or backward.
Poor Senior Tom!
Elvis Heller expressionlessly pointed the spear at Karl Orolin. "What is your decision?"
"I refuse!"
Just kidding! My boss is standing right behind me! Only a fool would agree to you!
Hearing this answer, Elvis Heller shook his head regretfully. "Although your talent is a great pity, my patience has run out."
"Karl Orolin, farewell."
Before he finished speaking, blood mist flowed from his seven orifices, spreading onto the blood-red spear in his hand.
Then he leaped from the altar and charged straight at Karl Orolin, his speed fast enough to be terrifying.
Karl Orolin flicked his wand, and violent black Fiendfyre crashed toward Elvis Heller like a flood or a tsunami.
Unexpectedly, the other party didn't dodge or avoid it, but charged straight into it.
Ominous blood-red light broke through the black sea of fire, dyeing the entire plaza space blood-red.
The sharp spear stabbed toward Karl Orolin's chest like a venomous snake. At this critical moment, Karl Orolin instantly transformed into a Cougar and calmly leaped aside to dodge.
However, in his line of sight, a large fire-red bird suddenly appeared, blocking the thrusting spear.
Karl Orolin:...
Ah, this! This is awkward, friend!
Fawkes:...
You're making me look a bit dumb!