81-82

Ch.81 - Finding the Horcruxes (2)

After Alex had taken the ring from the abandoned shack in Little Hangleton, he apparated to the hidden base of the Order. In its basement, he arranged a room where he could store the Horcruxes. Each compartment was heavily enchanted to isolate the objects within from any outside magic.

When he had deposited the ring to its container, Alex spent some time studying the Resurrection Stone in another secured chamber. Perhaps, it was the most mystical objects among the three Hallows. With its ability to call the dead from the beyond, he could only think about the possibility.

He thought about the tale of the three brothers. The second brother used the Resurrection Stone to bring back the woman he loved. However, she only suffered after being taken from her eternal rest. It was a warning, he realized, but he wondered how true it could be.

He remembered the night of the Battle of Hogwarts when he found Harry in the forest speaking to people that Alex couldn't see. Now, he realized that Harry was using the stone to talk to some sort of spirit using the stone.

So, it was possible, he thought. It was possible to talk to the spirit of those who died without finding their ghost.

His curiosity got the best of him. He placed the stone in one hand and thought of the only person he could think of.

A hazy figure appeared in front of him. It was the spirit of Nicolas Flamel.

Alex couldn't believe it, but he was really looking at the spirit of his mentor.

"Alexander," said the spirit, "why have you called me? ...this sensation, it's hard to describe."

"Is it really you, Master Flamel?" There was some suspicion in him. What if it was merely an illusion — an image created from his own memory.

"Yes, it is me. How have you done this?"

"With this." Alex showed the stone on his hand.

"Ah... The Resurrection Stone — one of the artefacts of the Peverells. Even in France, we have heard about this. How did you come by it?"

"By chance," said Alex. He wasn't sure whether or not he should explain the Horcruxes to the spirit in front of him. He asked, "Can you tell me something I do not know?"

"You want to make sure that I am who I appear to be. You are always so cautious, Alexander. Very well, here is something you don't know, but you ought to: Albus will give you anything for a chance to possess the stone. Like I told you before, he is obsessed with the past. He lives his life filled with regret. That is why he clings to the legend of the Deathly Hallows, especially the Resurrection Stone. He will give anything for a chance to see those dear people that he lost. Be careful now. Desperation can change even a good man."

Alex thought about what Nicolas said. He could use the stone to make Dumbledore do anything he wanted. But, he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. Should he give the old man what he desired the most? Or, should he keep the existence of the stone a secret?

"Are you suggesting that I could use the stone to make a deal with Dumbledore?" he asked Nicolas. If anything, the spirit should know how he should deal with Dumbledore.

"Nothing of the sort," said Nicolas. "I'm sure you can figure out how to get what you need from Albus in some other way. What I want you to consider is whether or not you should help him fulfil his desire or not. Sometimes, it is kinder to deny a man his wish."

Alex understood what Nicolas meant. Nicolas was still Dumbledore's mentor, even now.

Dumbledore had lived his life looking back. Now that he was nearing his own death due to his age, perhaps giving him what he wanted the most was the worst thing he could do to him. Nicolas was hoping for his old student to learn how to let go of his regrets in the last days of his life. Giving him the stone would only affirm the way he had lived his life, preventing him to learn anything.

"There is something else you should know," said Nicolas. "Albus is in possession of the Elder Wand, one of the Hallows. There is also the fact that he had once held the Cloak of Invisibility. So, the three Hallows are very near to one another. And if you reveal to Albus that you have the stone, he will naturally know where all the Hallows are located."

"You don't mean that Dumbledore wants to be the Master of Death, do you?" asked Alex with a smile.

"You know of the myth: the one who can unite the Hallows will be the Master of Death. It is merely a myth, take it from someone who was a former immortal. However, there are people out there who believe in the myth fervently. The young Albus was one of them — he believed that if he could become the Master of Death, then he could lead the world into a better age, an age of tolerance and understanding. He has always been very ambitious. It's one of the things that I like about him. His friend, on the other hand, believed that being the Master of Death could enable him to unite the world in complete order where muggles live under the rule of wizards. Albus and Gellert became friends due to their shared beliefs in the Deathly Hallows."

"Grindelwald also wanted to be the Master of Death?"

"Yes, he did. He started to follow his dark ambition seriously after he had stolen the Elder Wand. And, it was from him that Albus had taken the wand during their legendary duel... So, even if you do not believe in the myth of the Deathly Hallows, you have to be wary of how others will react when they find out that you have one of them."

"I understand. I will keep it safe." Alex admitted that he didn't think that the stone would be that big of a deal.

"Good. Now, release me. It is uncomfortable for me to stay here for a long time. Take care of yourself always, Alexander. And remember not to lose your heads chasing after myths. The Deathly Hallows may be powerful artefacts, but that is all they are. In my long life, I have seen other artefacts all around the world that were just as miraculous."

"Thank you, Nicolas. I won't waste my time chasing after myths. Farewell. Give my regards to Perenelle from me."

×××

The next morning, while Alex was in his office reviewing his agenda for the day, he received a call from Mr Grant.

"What is it?" asked Alex. He had a feeling that Mr Grant was calling him for something important.

"Minister Grey," said Mr Grant as they were not allowed to call Alex 'Archon' when talking through a glass communicator. "Hogsmeade is under attack. At this moment, around twenty masked Death Eaters had surrounded Ms Katie's residence."

Alex wasn't worried about Katie. She was staying in Norwich at all times, a precaution that they decided to take. She gave her notice to Saint Mungo's Hospital for a temporary leave. She didn't give her reason as her pregnancy was kept a secret.

However, there were still other people in Hogsmeade. Alex was worried that the attackers would turn to the other people there.

"Contact the security forces staying around Hogwarts," ordered Alex. "Tell them to engage the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. I will go there as fast as I can."

Alex made a call to the Madam Bones from the DMLE and to Ms Bailey to inform them of the attack as well. He thought that the Aurors must definitely be seen on the site of the attack. Then, he informed Mr Tonks that he needed him to take over while he was gone.

After that, he hurried towards the exit of the Ministry HQ with his bodyguards following him closely. They apparated at the edge of Hogsmeade.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the screamings and the sound of explosions happening in the middle of the village. They moved toward the noise with Alex on the lead. He wasn't the type of Minister that would be kept behind lines, even though, that was the protocol for any important figures of the Ministry.

Mr Grant was leading a group of wizards fighting the Death Eaters. The people from 'Arms' had fought very well. Only a few Death Eaters were remaining fighting from behind a collapsed house.

With his lead, Alex and his bodyguards moved around the battlefield while they were still unnoticed by the enemies. They attacked the entrenched Death Eaters on their flank, making short work of them.

The enemies were defeated, however, the damages were already done. Many buildings in Hogsmeade were destroyed and set ablaze. Some residents even got injured during the chaos.

They also suffered some losses in the rank of the 'Arms'. It wasn't the first time that it happened. They had been fighting the Death Eaters in the shadow ever since Voldemort was revealed.

Most of the Death Eaters were killed while some were still alive to be captured. None of them even attempted to escape apparently.

'Arms' was a security company. It wasn't their job to capture or kill criminals unless they were specifically ordered to. So, Alex knew that their people should have given the enemies plenty of chances to escape. As part of their engagement strategies, it was better to give the enemy an avenue to escape when fighting in an urban setting. The last thing they would want, as security personnel, was to corner the enemy and make them desperate.

So, Alex found it odd that they had fought as they did.

Then, the Aurors arrived to clean up the mess. After a while, Ms Bailey and Mr Grant gave their report to Alex.

Katie's house was totally wrecked. They would try fixing everything with magic, but not everything could be fixed with the 'Reparo Charm'.

Just then, Alex received another call. This time, it was coming from Mrs Pearce, who was the leader of the Order's spy group.

"Mr Grey," she started, "according to our agents in Diagon Alley, around five minutes ago, a small group of people arrived at Gringotts. Some of them entered the bank while a couple stayed outside the door preventing anyone else from entering the bank."

"You are saying that Gringotts is under attack — I see. The attack on Hogsmeade was only a distraction. Thank you, Mrs Pearce."

Alex ended the call there. He walked towards Bailey and Mr Grant who were busy coordinating the activities of their people.

"Bailey, Grant, assemble a small strike team. Meet me at Gringotts immediately." Alex didn't waste any time.

He informed his bodyguards where he was going so they could follow him as well. They dis-apparated from Hogsmeade to go directly to Diagon Alley.

×××

In front of Gringotts, four wizards had arrived via Apparition. They were Alex and his bodyguards. The moment they arrived, they fired some spells towards the wizards outside the door of Gringotts.

The Death Eaters managed to shield against the first round of spells, but they succumbed when their attackers didn't relent. One was hit by a Reducto Curse and the other was struck with a powerful Diffindo Charm.

Alex and his group charged into Gringotts as Bailey and Grant arrived with their own team.

Merely a few steps in, they were stunned with what they saw.

The Dark Lord himself was standing there, surrounded by fallen goblin warriors, wizard guards, and some Death Eaters. He turned his head towards the arriving group casually.

He had a horrid scowl when he said, "You arrived faster than I thought."

He was looking only at Alex. His hatred and disdain were clear on his face, just like a beast baring its fangs.

"What have you done with the Lestrange vault?" he asked angrily. "Even as Minster, you had no right!"

Alex was amused at what the man said. "I didn't know that you cared so much for the rights of wizards. But, if you must know, everything inside the vault was destroyed — everything."

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Voldemort said with genuine hatred. "Avada Kedavra!"

The green flare of the Killing Curse flew across the hall of Gringotts.

Alex conjured a swirling disk of sand to shield against the curse, a trick he had used before.

After safely defending himself, the people behind him fired their spells toward the Dark Lord.

However, no spell could reach Voldemort as he conjured a powerful fire that he sent in Alex's direction.

"Oh, shit..." Alex mumbled.

It was amazing how Voldemort could cast Fiendfyre as quickly as he did. But in his madness, he had used a spell that shouldn't be used while inside an enclosed space.

Alex summoned all his magical strength to enclose the fire inside a large scale Aguamenti Charm. The water came forth from the surrounding area to cover the fire as fast as he could command it. He couldn't avoid doing it. There were a lot of people in Diagon Alley that would die if he chose to escape by himself. So, he had to stop the wild spell no matter what.

The people with him were amazed how quickly he could create the wall of water big enough to surround the Fiendfyre. Alex was definitely in the same league as Voldemort, they realized.

Alex's guards didn't forget their duty as they stayed vigilant for any other attacks. It would have been a good opportunity for Voldemort to attack, but it seemed that the Dark Lord still had the good sense of prioritizing his own survival over his anger. He had already escaped by flying through the glass dome in the ceiling of the bank.

When Alex successfully smothered the Fiendfyre with water, everyone else didn't know what to say. The Interim Minister had just defended himself against the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre in quick succession. And once again, he had forced the Dark Lord to withdraw.

"Grant, see to the injured! Bailey, there may be other Death Eaters in the vaults! Move!" Alex's commands had woken up everyone from their stupor.

The goblin bank-tellers didn't fight the Death Eaters. They were huddled on the side. Some of them had been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.

All the 'Arms' guards of Gringotts had died fighting. Today, the security company had suffered greatly. Alex and Mr Grant would make sure that they were treated properly as people who died in the line of duty.

×××

Later on, Alex had met with Ragnuk, the Head Goblin of Gringotts. The goblin's expression was very dark. Gringotts had lost some of their warriors, bank-tellers, and vault managers. It was a big loss to their ranks.

Ragnuk couldn't help but be angry. He blamed Alex for implicating the goblins in the Ministry's war against Voldemort.

"This is a war involving all of us!" explained Alex. "Have you forgotten how the goblins fared in the last wizarding war? Did you think that you were ever a neutral party?"

Alex understood Ragnuk's position as the leader of his people. But, he was tired of the goblins always acting like they were not part of the wizarding nation while complaining about the unfairness of their treatment.

"What difference did it make?" Ragnuk returned. "The Goblins are still treated the same!"

"Then, let your position be known! Gringotts cannot stay neutral! This is your opportunity to become part of the wizarding world. And, your window is closing fast. This war will not last as long as last time around. Think about how you want Gringotts to be known when the fight is over."

"You do realize that our biggest clients are purebloods."

"True, but which would you rather lose? The purebloods or everyone else? It is time for Gringotts to adapt or you will be left behind."

The meeting didn't end as well as he hoped. Alex had offered the ministry's help in the restoration of the bank. Ragnuk accepted the aid as long as it was limited to the repairs of the building.

Alex didn't have much time to waste. Now that Voldemort knew that his Horcruxes had been exposed, he didn't know how he would react. All this time, Alex was glad to keep Voldemort playing the waiting game while he moved to collect the Horcruxes. But, that had ended quite spectacularly.

He needed to end the war soon. Voldemort had proven multiple times that he didn't care about losing some of his followers. And, Alex and the Aurors would not be always on time like what happened in Gringotts and Hogsmeade.

Ch.82 - Finding the Horcruxes (3)

Alex spent the morning of the next day reviewing the arrangements with the goblins. The Observer covered the events in Hogsmeade and Gringotts as well as they could expect. Goblins and wizards died in the fight with the Death Eaters. The reality that the war had come could no longer be denied.

A lot of people were waiting for Alex and the Ministry to make an official statement about the attack. At this time, the former Ministry would be trying to calm down the public and ease their worries.

However, Alex was quite different. The war was there. They had already made their statement and given their warnings. The incidents had been reported to the public. It was enough that the citizens were properly informed. The only things that the Ministry was telling the public were some advice on how to take caution during the uncertain times.

The DMLE under the leadership of Amelia Bones was getting stretched even with the recruitment still going on. The Hit-Wizards and the Aurors were at the forefront of the fight against Voldemort's forces. At least, they were expected to be. They were doing their part in conducting plenty of patrols all over the country. They were able to fight off some of the muggle raids that were being carried out by newly recruited Death Eaters.

The Wizengamot Administration Office was very busy with the ongoing trials. Alex had given his instructions that the Death Eater trials would not be postponed regardless of the new cases they were receiving. As a measure during the state of emergency, the use of Veritaserum was permitted during testimonies in the court. The trials were being processed quite fast with about four cases being tried in the Wizengamot every day. Among the biggest trial recently were the cases of Dolohov and the Carrow siblings.

In the afternoon, Alex visited Hogwarts. This time he went alone. His official reason was to consult with Dumbledore, but he was really there to find the Horcruxes. According to the tracker, two Horcruxes were located in Hogwarts.

After arriving in the castle, Alex went directly to the Headmaster's office. He did want to talk to Dumbledore. It was time to inform him about the hunt for the Horcruxes.

"Alexander," greeted Dumbledore, "I'm glad to see you well. After what happened in Hogsmeade and Gringotts, I must admit that I was quite restless."

The headmaster was sitting behind his desk as he welcomed Alex to take a seat. Fawkes, the phoenix, was there as well.

"Albus, I trust everything are alright in the school?" asked Alex. "The fight in Hogsmeade didn't affect the students too badly, did it?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly as he said, "Nothing too bad. But, they were indeed worried. We had to send everyone in their dorms just in case." He, then, frowned as he added, "However, Igor disappeared when news of the attack in Hogsmeade reached us. We've received news that his deputy will be taking over his responsibilities for the remainder of the school year."

Karkakoff must have gotten spooked at the proximity of the Death Eaters. The Durmstrang headmaster must have escaped the country in a hurry.

Alex was confident that the man would never join the Death Eaters ever again. However, he wasn't satisfied to just let Karkakoff go free. The man's trial was hard to place under review. He was a confirmed Death Eater who got a plea deal with the DMLE for giving his testimony that led to the arrest of Barty Crouch Jr. and others. Alex realized that the deal was awarded, in large part, due to Crouch Sr.'s embarrassment after his own son was revealed as a Death Eater.

"We'll keep a lookout for him," said Alex. "But, I came here to talk about something else."

Alex looked at the headmaster seriously. He couldn't think about Karkakoff at the moment.

"Of course. Feel free to speak," replied Dumbledore. He heard the seriousness in Alex's voice.

Alex said as clear as he could make his voice, "I came here to look for of Tom Riddle's Horcruxes, two of them. They are here inside the castle."

Dumbledore's face visibly paled, but his expression quickly changed to a contemplative one. He furrowed his brows as he looked at Alex very seriously.

"How can you be so sure?" Dumbledore asked very solemnly. "How can you be certain that there are Horcruxes within Hogwarts!?" he demanded.

Alex decided before coming to Hogwarts that he would have to share with Dumbledore the fact that he had managed to find several Horcruxes using a tracking tool that he devised. He needed to do that much to gain the headmaster's cooperation in scouring the castle for Voldemort's trinkets. However, judging from Dumbledore's reaction, there was more to it than that.

"I have found one of Riddle's Horcruxes. It was kept in the Lestrange vault in Gringotts. With it, I managed to improvise a tool that can track the others. That is how I know that there are two Horcruxes in the castle."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows after what he heard. "Brilliant!" he said. "Using one of the Horcruxes to find the others is an inspired idea, Alexander."

For a moment, Dumbledore was back to his old self, but his expression turned to worse still. What could he be possibly thinking? Alex wondered.

"I just told you that there are two Horcruxes in Hogwarts—a fact that brings us closer to defeating Voldemort. This should be the best news that you can hear right now. Is there something I should know?"

Dumbledore sighed with a helpless expression. He looked at Alex. His eyes—that were usually full of optimism—were dull, as if all the colours in the world had vanished.

Dumbledore spoke very softly, almost mumbling. "I suspected that one of Tom's Horcruxes was in Hogwarts. But until today, I wasn't sure about it. No, it would be more accurate to say that I was hoping that I was wrong."

"What is it, Albus?" asked Alex impatiently. He realized that this was probably hard for the headmaster to say, but he just wanted to hear whatever it was. They couldn't delay for even a minute.

"I-it's Harry... Harry Potter is one of the Horcruxes," said Dumbledore grimly.

"What!?" Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. But, something within him, a voice that he didn't want to recognize, was saying that: yes—it made sense.

One of Horcrux in Hogwarts was mobile. He thought that it could be another snake, like the basilisk, something that Voldemort had hidden in the castle. But, a student was also not out of the question.

Furthermore, he remembered what he saw in the other timeline. It was something that puzzled him until now. Harry had willingly surrendered himself to Voldemort so he could die. After all the fighting, he surrendered himself just to die at the end. He must have known then about being a Horcrux. That was the reason for Harry's connection with the Voldemort. All this time, the boy was always meant to die to rid the world of Voldemort.

He looked at Dumbledore accusingly. How long had he known? What was his plan to save Harry?

Dumbledore was unsettled by Alex's glare. He began explaining what he knew.

"When Voldemort came to the Potters on that fateful Halloween night, he must have intended to use the murder of the infant Harry as part of the ritual in the creation of a Horcrux. However, something happened that he didn't expect. . . . When he was about to kill Harry, Lily Potter stood in the way and sacrificed herself to protect her son. Her act of sacrifice created a strong magical outburst that destroyed Voldemort's body. Even his very essence was at risk of being disintegrated, I believe. A piece of his soul had split and it latched into Harry in the form of his scar. You see, Alexander . . . Harry is the Horcrux that Voldemort never intended to make."

Alex heard what was said, but he couldn't believe it. "That can't be," he said. "It just can't . . . what was your plan? You've suspected this since that night. You must have a plan."

"I suspected that Voldemort had left behind some of his magic with Harry. Perhaps, I was only lying to myself. Something like this had never happened before. But, what I'm sure of is that Voldemort himself does not know about this."

"No, it still doesn't make sense," said Alex stubbornly. "Why would Voldemort use murdering Harry to create a Horcrux? From what I know of him, he has a very high opinion of himself. Why use an infant, an insignificant baby, to create an artefact like a Horcrux?"

"There was a prophecy . . . a child would be born that could vanquish Voldemort. That child was Harry. Voldemort found out about the prophecy and he wanted to kill Harry to prevent the prophecy from coming true. He thought that Harry was the last person standing in the way of his reign."

"And you kept this secret!?"

"What do you think would happen if the public knew!?" defended Dumbledore.

Alex knew that Dumbledore was right to keep it secret. He would have done the same. Although it would give many people hope, the public would demand Harry and the Potters to put themselves against Voldemort. Worse still, some follower of the Dark Lord might look for Harry to gain the favour of their lord.

The secrecy was necessary. The problem was that Voldemort had found out about it for some reason. That was why the Potters had gone to hiding. Even though James and Lily Potters had proven themselves capable of standing up against Voldemort in some fashion.

Now he was presented with a dilemma. All the Horcruxes would have to be destroyed. The piece of Voldemort's soul within them shared their existence with its container. One cannot exist without the other.

Could he find it within him to kill Harry? Would he have to kill the very same boy that he was trying to keep safe?

"I need to confirm it," said Alex. "I have to see it for myself."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Let's go and find Harry."

×××

They found Harry with a large group of students in one of the bigger rooms near the Gryffindor common room. They were having a lesson in ball dancing, something which Professor McGonagall had insisted for all the Gryffindor students in their fourth year and above.

"Harry, do it properly!" said Hermione. "Just put your hands on my waist for God's sake. I'm not going to break."

"Come on, Hermione," Harry said helplessly. "It's just a dance. Just relax, okay?"

"Don't you tell me to relax." There was a finality in her voice.

Harry and Hermione were partnered in their dancing lesson. Obviously, the upcoming Yule Ball was more important for Hermione while Harry was determined to act like it wasn't much of a big deal. The same could be said with the other paired-up students in the room.

"Excuse me, Minerva," called Dumbledore. "Can we speak for a minute?"

Professor McGonagall approached Dumbledore after shouting at the Weasley twin.

"What is this about, Albus?" asked McGonagall impatiently. "You know I have to whip these kids into shape. I will not have it said that the Gryffindor House can't conduct themselves in a polite society."

"I'm sure the children will be fine," said Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall then turned to Alex and said, "Hello, Mr Grey. Is there something the matter?"

Alex greeted her in return. Then, he said "I'm afraid we need to borrow Mr Potter for a while. It is of an urgent matter."

She looked at Dumbledore who nodded to her. Sensibly, she didn't ask any questions and just called Harry over.

Harry was glad to be excused from the lesson. The other students teased him about getting in trouble.

"Alex, what's going on?" asked the worried Harry. It wasn't every day that the minister would come to Hogwarts to see a student.

"We have something to talk to you about, Harry. But, we should find a private area." Alex looked at Dumbledore.

"Yes, of course," said the Headmaster. "We can go to the infirmary. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey won't mind."

The three of them went to the infirmary. Dumbledore asked the medi-witch to give them some privacy. She nagged at the headmaster telling him that her infirmary was not some kind of meeting room. But in the end, she stepped out of the room.

Alex watched Madam Pomfrey walked out of the room then he said, "Now, for what we came here for."

He took something out from his expanded storage pouch. It was a crystal ball that was attached to a silver disk. Inside the ball was a golden cup. This was Alex's tracker with Hufflepuff's Cup within it.

Dumbledore was immediately intrigued when he saw the cup. He must have recognized it as the legendary artefact that Helga Hufflepuff had left behind.

Harry, on the other hand, reacted strangely. He pressed his forehead in pain.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Alex.

"It's my scar, it aches all of a sudden," said Harry.

"Endure it, Harry. I need to make sure of something." He knew that Harry was just 14 years old, but there was no other way.

Alex looked at the tracker. He saw that a red dot was indeed pointing at Harry. He walked around the boy just to be absolutely sure.

Harry was a Horcrux. There was no denying it any longer. He looked at Dumbledore with a pained expression.

The container and the soul fragment was one and the same, he reminded himself. What could he do?

Then, he had an idea, a desperate hope. Harry's scar was the only thing that had a reaction from the Horcruxes. It was the only spot on Harry's body that hurt in the past.

Alex pointed the tracker at Harry's legs. The dot pointed upward to the scar on Harry's forehead. Alex tried it at different spots, and he got the same results.

Meanwhile, Harry was experiencing a sharp pain coming from his scar. So, Alex put the tracker back into his storage the second he had learned everything he could from it.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Alex asked.

"Yes . . . I'm fine," said Harry recovering from the pain.

Alex was asking himself whether or not he could destroy the Horcrux without killing the boy. His Hellfire Protector had the ability to choose what it would burn.

Twice, he used it to destroy Horcruxes. The first instance was the case in Egypt when a goblin was possessed by holding a sceptre that turned out to be a Horcrux. The second case was when he destroyed Tom Riddle's diary while Ginny was holding it.

Alex managed not to kill the goblin and Ginny those time, but he didn't know how it would turn out with Harry when the Horcrux was within the body.

"Harry, do you know how Voldemort managed to stay alive fourteen years ago?" Alex spoke calmly with a very serious tone.

"Alexander, what are you doing?" Dumbledore grabbed him by the shoulder.

"No, Mr Grey, I don't know how he did it," said Harry.

Alex pressed his mouth close thinking about what he was about to say. Dumbledore was looking at him with pleading eyes, and Harry had furrowed brows feeling confused.

Was he wrong to even think about talking about Horcruxes with Harry? Dumbledore was practically begging him not to. He understood the headmaster's position. There was no need to burden the young Harry with the truth. How could anyone say to a child that he had to die to protect everyone else? How could they expect Harry to react? But something had to be done.

"We are at the end of the story, Headmaster. Although it's hard for all of us, we must take this last step no matter how painful."

"But, Alexander, think about what you are destroying."

"Destroying? What are you talking about?" asked Harry feeling incensed not being included in the conversation when they were obviously talking about him.

Perhaps, not telling Harry was some form of mercy. That was what Dumbledore was thinking.

Then, Alex's eyes widened in realization. Dumbledore probably had already accepted that Harry's death was unavoidable. Or the more unlikely scenario, the headmaster was gambling on some small chance that Harry could be saved which will require the Harry to be ignorant about the Horcruxes at the moment.

For the first time ever, Alex looked at Dumbledore's eyes and used passive Legilimency. The headmaster had obviously felt his action, but he made no attempt to hide what he was thinking.

Alex saw the mess of Dumbledore's plan which involved the Elder Wand and Voldemort killing Harry personally by using the Killing Curse. It was made possible ever since Voldemort had used Harry's blood in the ritual to restore his body. Harry would learn about him being a Horcrux at the critical moment giving him no time to think of another choice other than surrendering himself to Voldemort.

Dumbledore had foreseen it using a multi-staged Divination that predicted everyone's reaction in each step. He was a master manipulator at work. Everything was being done to give Harry that small chance to survive.

Alex thought back about what happened in the other timeline. Dumbledore's plan was fulfilled at the Battle of Hogwarts a year after his death. If his gambit succeeded, Harry would have survived the Killing Curse he received in the Forbidden Forest.

Alex inwardly chuckled at the thought. Maybe, he didn't have to fight to the death at that time. Maybe, he didn't have to do anything. Maybe, Voldemort would be defeated regardless of his actions. Maybe, the only thing that needed to happen was for Harry to 'die' temporarily.

No.

For what reason was he working so hard? He had decided to create a different history. The moment he woke up in Grandpa Joe's house that day, Dumbledore's plan couldn't happen again. All prophecies and Divinations had been invalidated when Alex decided to intervene. After all, he was a man that had escaped Fate, just as the centaur had said.

Without saying anything, a small ball of fire started forming on his right palm. Everyone who could see it would know that the fire coming out of his hands was very powerful. Dumbledore and Harry were surprised and alarmed at what they saw.

"Harry . . . for us to be able to kill Voldemort, something within you have to be destroyed."

"What in Merlin's name are you doing!?" Dumbledore had asked with anger in his voice. Was he thinking that Alex meant to harm Harry?

Regardless, Alex ignored the headmaster. He let go of the ball of fire and it fell on the floor of the infirmary. There it stayed for a moment growing in size until it turned into the shape of a great wolf.

It warned Dumbledore not to do anything with a fearsome grow.

"Wh-what are you doing, Alex? This is not funny," said Harry. It was natural for him to be afraid.

Dumbledore was already holding his wand. He wanted Alex to explain his action, but Alex was only focused on Harry.

"This spell is something I've created. It is capable of burning almost anything, but its main purpose is to protect. One of its most unique ability is that it can only burn the things I tell it to. Look at how the floor is not burning."

Harry and Dumbledore did see that the fiery wolf was not burning the floor, and Alex was unaffected by even when it was standing too close to him.

"As I said earlier, something within you has to be destroyed before Voldemort can be properly defeated. I can do this without killing you. I've done it before. Do you trust me?"

"Wait a minute, Alexander. Let's think about this," pleaded Dumbledore.

Alex looked at the headmaster finally and said "This is an option that you have not seen before, Albus. It can be done. There is no reason for Harry to stand up to Voldemort personally." He looked back to Harry and asked, "So, do you trust me, Harry?"

"Yes . . . I trust you, Alex."

"Good, this will hurt for a while."

The fiery wolf lunged at Harry and it turned into a torrent of fire that engulfed the boy.

Harry screamed in pain while holding his forehead where his scar was located.

Then, Dumbledore and Alex saw a dark wisp of smoke that leaked out form Harry's lightning-shaped scar. They heard an anguished wail coming from it as it burned in the fire.

When Harry collapsed unconscious on the floor, the fire vanished instantly. He had an unsightly burned skin where his scar used to be.

Alex checked Harry's vitals as fast as he could. Dumbledore was very concerned and confused about what happened.

"He's alive," Alex said plainly as he picked up the boy and carried him to one of the beds there. "Can you call Madam Pomfrey?"

While the headmaster was out looking for the medi-witch, Alex took out the tracker with Hufflepuff's Cup in it to make sure that Harry didn't have the Horcrux within him anymore.

To his relief, he saw that there were only five red dots. Two of them were pointing to the hidden HQ of the Order. Another two were pointing to Little Hangleton. And one was still pointing to somewhere within Hogwarts.

When Madam Pomfrey arrived, she immediately examined Harry. She said that he was magically exhausted and the burn on his forehead would heal with the right potion. After all, it was a burn caused by magical fire. But, the scar should be able to heal without a problem.

Soon, Harry would no longer have his iconic scar. No Horcrux or prophecy would be connecting him to Voldemort anymore. From that night, he was just Harry.

Dumbledore obviously had a lot of questions for Alex, but they still had more to do. The tracker led them to the 7th floor left corridor.

Dumbledore realized that they were standing in front of the Room of Requirement, but the room could only lead them to the Horcrux if they knew exactly what they were looking for.

So, they decided to think about the room where Tom Riddle hid a Horcrux as the walked past thrice the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy. A door appeared on the opposite wall. They have found the room that they needed.

When they entered, they saw a room filled with all sort of things, things that must have been left behind by the occupants of Hogwarts during its long history.

Alex was amazed at the Room of Requirement. He wondered if he could create a room like it in his own home. It was incredible to think that a room like this existed within Hogwarts without most people knowing about it. More likely, students had found the room without knowing what it was and how to find it again.

Fortunately, they didn't need to look in random. They had a tracker to guide them to what exactly they were looking for.

"That is Ravenclaw's Diadem," said Dumbledore referring to a bejewelled silver tiara.

"Of course, it is," said Alex. "I already have Hufflepuff's Cup and Slytherin's Locket. I'm beginning to think that Riddle has an obsession with Hogwarts."

"You would be correct in thinking that," said Dumbledore. "People would rather not think about it, but there was a time when Tom was just a boy who found his first home in Hogwarts."

"Well, that is a long time ago, Albus."

"So it is. . . ."

After recovering the Horcrux, Alex explained to the headmaster that they needed to be destroyed at the right time. So, he would be keeping it in an undisclosed location.

Of course, as insurance, Mr Baxter was properly informed about the Horcruxes. If for some reason that Alex failed to stop Voldemort, Mr Baxter would have the task of destroying all the Horcruxes that Alex had found.

Going back to the infirmary, Alex saw that Harry was still asleep. His friends were there to stay with him.

"What happened to Harry, Mr Grey?" asked Neville.

"He's fine. He's just exhausted. We have taken a look at Harry's scar and we found a way to remove it."

Alex decided to stay awhile and catch up with Neville, Hermione, and Ron. They're conversation naturally turned to the upcoming Yule Ball.

Apparently, Harry did find the courage to ask out Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, which was quite scandalous among the Hogwarts students. Hermione was going with Victor Krum, another surprising pair. That was probably why she was the most concerned about the dance because the champions and their dates for the night would be dancing first in front of everyone. Neville and Ron were going with the Patil twins.

Before leaving, Alex left behind a note for Harry. In it, he thanked Harry for trusting him. And, he wrote that the 'thing' they talked about was properly removed from Harry.

Only Voldemort and his snake were left. Alex went on knowing that the final battle between him and the Dark Lord was finally at hand.

END OF CHAPTER