Cheerio, Horcruxes!
9:06 a.m, still Sunday, 13th August
1 day, 1.0 hours after the start of Harry's trial
As soon as the Granger parents left their house in their car, Harry and Hermione called Kreacher. Neither Harry nor Hermione liked this plan, because neither teen thought Kreacher was trustworthy, but Kreacher was the only way they could get back to ... the place where Sirius lived.
Pop. To Harry's utter shock, Kreacher was smiling and insult-free when he appeared in the Granger sitting room. "Master Sirius's godson Harry calls Kreacher?"
"Yes, we need you to take us to where Sirius lives. Since we forgot the address. But before you take us, erm, can you tell us why you're smiling?"
The grinning old house-elf answered, "Kreacher has received the best news in fourteen years." Then Kreacher reached up and took Harry's hand and Hermione's hand.
Pop. Harry and Hermione now were standing in the kitchen of ... wherever Sirius lived. Sirius was standing two feet in front of the couple. Sirius handed a quarter-foot of parchment to Harry, saying, "Show this to Hermione."
On the parchment, these words were handwritten—
The home of Sirius Orion Black, as of August 1995, is at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London.
The memory of where Sirius lived, came back to Harry's brain without fanfare, like a word that Harry could not remember at first, but then he remembered the word.
As Hermione handed the parchment back to Sirius, Harry asked, "Why is the Secret worded so strangely?"
Sirius replied, "The Fidelius fails when the words of the Secret are no longer true. I'm the only person who remembers the former Secret for this house, but that Secret referenced the Order of the Phoenix. If Dumbledore would've disbanded the Order, this house would've become visible. This way, if next month I buy a house in Crawley or Little Whinging and go live there, the Secret still is true and the Fidelius here on Grimmauld Place remains."
Hermione nodded. "Makes sense."
Harry asked, "Why is Kreacher so happy?"
"The goblin who came to do the Fidelius work is a semi-retired treasure-hunter. As soon as he stepped out of the Floo fireplace, he said, 'This house has a horcrux in it.' "
Now Sirius was grinning. "My brother Regulus, whom I thought was a Death Eater till the end, pranked Voldy. Regulus stole a horcrux from Voldy before Voldy killed him, and Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy the horcrux. Kreacher couldn't destroy it, but Bloodscream can—and will, today. Shit, I never realised that the reason that Kreacher has been such a berk since 1981 was that he'd been given an order that he couldn't carry out— which to a house-elf, is hell on Earth."
Harry asked, "So what's happened at your end, since Malfoy Manor? At our end, we got potions for Beverly, Shack told Beverly about the Statute of Secrecy—and Hermione turned an ex-Slytherin healer into a Muggle, and almost got arrested for it."
Sirius laughed, then stayed grinning. "When Molly went to call us for breakfast, and discovered that none of the four of us were in the house, she went screaming through the Floo for Dumbledore. When Remus and I apparated ourselves back into Grimmauld Place—but didn't bring you two—our illustrious headmaster Floo-called us; and managed to use the word disappointed five times in a single minute. He also wanted to send out bloody search parties."
Harry nodded. "The standard procedure for recapturing escaped prisoners, which is what he sees me as."
"Then Bloodscream showed up, so then I said, 'So sorry, Albus, but I can't talk any more, I have official House Black business to take care of.' Since the new Fidelius was installed, with me as Secret Keeper, somehow I haven't gotten round to Floo-calling Albus and telling him the new Secret. So the last ten minutes have been quiet without Dumbledore's Greater Good yapping. Alas, we've still got Molly's sweet foghorn voice here to listen to."
Hermione yawned then. Which made Harry yawn.
Harry looked at Sirius and said, "I've had three hours' sleep in the last twenty-six hours, and Hermione is in the same boat. We're going to bed. Can you do some kind of Lord Black magic so that Ron, Molly or Dumbledore don't bother us?"
****
Once Harry walked into his bedroom (after kissing Hermione good night/good morning), Harry called Goldy.
After Goldy appeared, Harry told him, "Please go to Director Ragnok and tell him: Harry Potter, Lord Malfoy, has killed Tom Riddle and all his minions inside Malfoy Manor. Director Ragnok surely knows this, but he doesn't know how I did it. Tell him that I'll tell him how in person, not in a letter. Also tell him that we killed Riddle's big snake, and I think we destroyed a horcrux in the process. If Director Ragnok has any questions that you can answer, do so; hold back nothing."
****
3:18 p.m (about six hours later)
Harry woke up in his bedroom feeling human again. Upon awakening, the first thing he did was to call for Goldy. Goldy had a note from Director Ragnok for Harry—
Only one horcrux is left. It's in Hogwarts somewhere. The problem is, how do we retrieve the horcrux without Dumbledore knowing? Hogwarts wards prevent goblins sneaking in.
Harry pocketed the note, then walked downstairs to the kitchen. Hermione was drinking tea, and looked like she just had awakened. Sirius and Remus were sitting at the table, ignoring Molly and Ron whilst the two Marauders talked with each other. Ron was stuffing his face.
A copy of today's Daily Prophet was lying in the middle of the table.
Molly screeched, "Harry, how could you? Murdering those innocent people?"
Rather than argue, Harry asked, "Sirius, you know what happened yesterday morning. Am I a murderer?
"No way, pup."
"Remus?"
"Harry, you're someone whom your parents would bust their buttons about."
Hermione didn't wait to be asked. She glared at Mrs Weasley and said, "I have complete confidence in Lord Potter."
The twins walked into the kitchen then, with suspiciously perfect timing. One of the twins said, "Our ickle Harrikins is also Lord Malfoy now."
The other twin said, 'You need to start practising the sneer, Harry. Nobody will believe you're Lord Malfoy if you don't sneer."
Harry picked up the Prophet and started to read it. Five minutes later, he said, "I'm shocked
—the story actually is accurate. Either the planets are in rare alignment, or Rita realised that the New York Wand would be writing the truth, so she should as well."
When Harry turned to Page 2, he commented aloud, " 'BWL DENOUNCES APWBD DURING TRIAL.' I'm surprised the Prophet printed this."
Sirius said, "By the way, since this morning, Dumbledore has been sending Fawkes with messages that the headmaster 'insists' that he no longer be blocked by the Ward Ledger, so that he can meet with you here, 'before Harry goes Dark.' Dumbledore also demands a written copy of the Secret, by the way."
Sirius, Remus, Harry and Hermione all rolled their eyes.
"I don't see why you changed the Fidelius," Molly ranted. "Dumbledore is more trustworthy than you, Sirius. He leads the Order and is the Leader of the Light..."
Sirius copied Harry's behaviour and did not argue with Molly; instead, he waited till Molly was silent, then acted as if she had not spoken: "Anyway, after Dumbledore made his demands, I laughed in his face. I said that the earliest I'd let him in my house is at 6 p.m tomorrow, and not one minute earlier. I also told Dumbledore that if Lucius's fate had been up to him, Lucy would kill ten thousand people, then die of old age in his own bed; I vastly preferred Harry's choices to the headmaster's."
The note from Ragnok was burning a hole in Harry's pocket. Harry said, "Hermione, Sirius and Remus, I want to borrow your brains for a few minutes. Let's go to the library."
****
In the library
Harry handed Ragnok's note to Hermione, who read it, then passed the note to Sirius; Remus read the note over Sirius's shoulder.
Harry said, "Sirius and Remus, you two are excellent at 'outside the box' thinking—" Sirius asked, "Hermione doesn't 'think outside the box'?"
Remus said, "Not really." Hermione shrugged.
Harry said, "But there is nobody on the planet better at going to the library and discovering that the box has a trapdoor on the bottom."
Hermione flashed Harry a wide smile.
Harry said, "Anyway, for reasons I don't want to share yet, I don't want to wait till September to track down this last horcrux—"
Hermione shot Harry her You have information you're not sharing look of accusation.
"—so how can we get into Hogwarts today or tonight, find the horcrux, grab it, and leave, without Dumbledore knowing?"
Hermione asked, "What would happen if Dumbledore knew?"
Sirius answered, "He'd hold the horcrux for ransom, so that the only way we'd be allowed to take it would be for Harry to become Albus's puppet again."
Both Harry and Hermione scowled at this.
Sirius sighed. "I can't be sure that if we entered the school through one of the secret tunnels, the wards wouldn't rat us out."
"What about house-elves?" asked Remus. "House-elves go in and out of Hogwarts all the time. I don't think the wards even notice them, except during wartime. And both Kreacher and Dobby have had experience with one of Voldemort's horcruxes; either of them can 'smell' the horcrux, once they get in the castle."
Hermione said, "I really don't like the idea of putting house-elves in danger."
Harry said, "Can the house-elf who finds the horcrux, put it in some sort of evil-magic-proof box, so the horcrux doesn't harm him?"
"Lead," Remus said, "good old Plumbum. Good for Roman water pipes, good for car batteries, and good for protecting someone against evil magic. Have the house-elf conjure or transfigure a lead box to put the horcrux in."
****
Hermione was not happy, but she agreed to the others' "send two house-elves" plan. Hermione worried about Dumbledore capturing Kreacher and Dobby, and throwing them in the "Hogwarts house-elf gaol," but nobody had a better idea how to get the horcrux before September.
Sirius called Kreacher, and Harry called Dobby. The task was explained to the house-elves: "We have something that we won't order you to do, but we ask you to do it." Snip. "After you levitate the horcrux into the lead box, elf-pop to Gringotts and give the box directly to Director Ragnok. If Ragnok tells you to wait for a message from him to us, then wait."
Kreacher stood straight. "Master Regulus would want Kreacher to do this." Dobby's attitude was, Does the Great Master Harry Potter Sir even need to ask?
P-pop; two house-elves vanished. Then for the four magicals who remained in the library, the tedious wait began.
****
Five minutes later
In the headmaster's office, Hogwarts
Pop. Wrinkly, the Hogwarts head house-elf, appeared by Dumbledore's desk. "Hogwarts elf Dobby and a not-Hogwarts elf popped into Hogwarts, popped about, then popped into the Come and Go Room. They spended four minutes there, then popped away with two items. The two items were—"
Dumbledore held up a hand. "I don't need to know," he said.
This sort of thing happened about once every two years: a non-Hogwarts house-elf entering Hogwarts, eventually entering the Come and Go Room, taking something, then leaving the school and grounds, never to return. The last time that Dumbledore had asked for complete details, a wizard in his forties had sent his house-elf to track down the jumper that his grandmother had knitted for him, back when a firstie.
Now Dumbledore asked Wrinkly, "The elves took two things away, but did they leave anything behind?" A left-behind item might be a bomb. Most likely, a left-behind item was something that the house-elf's master/mistress did not want the spouse or children finding in the house. Dumbledore might be able to use the item for blackmail.
"No," said Wrinkly, "nothing was leaved behind. Do you want to know the name of the not- Hogwarts elf? Or the name of his master?"
Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling, "No need. Thank you, Wrinkly, you may return to your duties." Pop.
Dumbledore was too distracted to give Wrinkly's report much thought. A new Hogwarts term started in nineteen days, true; but also, the three-day annual conference of the International Confederation of Wizards began in eight days. Within the ICW, Australia and the USA were trying to toughen up NEWT testing in Wizarding Britain to match ICW standards, and Dumbledore had to block this at all costs. If NEWT testing in Wizarding Britain became stricter, British Purebloods would suffer a humiliation from which they would never recover, and for what? So British Purebloods could go to the States or to Australia, and be hired for positions? British Purebloods had no wish at all to work in any country where people talked funny, and where the local wizards were descended from immigrant Muggles, Muggle-borns and half-bloods. So what the USA and Australia were pushing for, was unneeded.
****
Back in the library of Number 12, Grimmauld Place
Pop. Kreacher returned, but not Dobby. Harry felt alarm.
Kreacher stood straight as he looked at the humans. "Kreacher finded the evil-magic thing, then Dobby turned an old book into a lead box and moved the evil-magic thing into the box. Together, Kreacher and Dobby popped to Drecta Ragnok's office and gived him the box. Drecta Ragnok sended Kreacher away, but telled Dobby to wait to take a message."
Hermione rushed over to Kreacher, dropped to her knees, and hugged the old house-elf. "Kreacher, I'm glad you're okay. You did so well, and I'm proud of you. You were so brave!"
To Harry, it seemed obvious: Whilst getting hugged by happy Hermione, Kreacher had no idea how to act.
****
Ten minutes later, in Knockturn Alley
Two furtive-acting wizards were haggling over the price of a unicorn horn. Meanwhile, Tom Marvolo Riddle, in wraith form, was hovering nearby, though neither wizard seemed to notice. Wraith-Riddle was trying to possess one of the wizards, but was having no success.
Yes, Riddle now was a wraith, not a corpse, because of his horcruxes. But for some reason that he could not figure out, now he was a magically puny wraith, unable to work even a simple possession.
Suddenly Wraith-Riddle felt an awful pain—something supposedly impossible for a wraith— then he ended.
The wraith-cloud dissipated, unnoticed by the two dodgy wizards.
****
Seconds later, in the Grimmauld Place library
Pop. Grinning Dobby appeared in the library. He handed Harry a foot of parchment—
The soul-piece was removed from the horcrux and destroyed with Fiendfyre. The fee of G5 000 has been charged to your trust vault. The Diadem of Ravenclaw, as with the other de- souled horcruxes, has been placed in the Potter family vault.
All soul-pieces made by Tom Marvolo Riddle have now been destroyed. I stake my honour, and the reputation of Gringotts, on this declaration.
In any case, the lifestone of Tom Marvolo Riddle finally is dark. He is dead. Ragnok
Director, London Gringotts
King of the goblins of Britain
Harry worked the Tempus Charm, whilst Hermione hugged Dobby. Now-grinning Harry looked at the three other humans, and the two house-elves, in the library.
Harry said, "It's now 4:22 p.m, on Sunday, 13th August 1995. For the first time since I was fifteen months old, I have a future!"
Harry rushed over to Hermione—who had just stood up after hugging Dobby—then Harry kissed Hermione like he meant it.
****
After they broke the kiss, Hermione said to Harry, "I'm glad that you don't need to worry anymore about finding the horcruxes. Is this why you wanted to get everything wrapped up before 1st September? To end your worries?"
Harry answered, "No, I wanted the whole Voldemort thing put to bed ASAP so I wouldn't be forced to go to Hogwarts for another year. I'm thinking hard about us transferring schools, to Manchester Magical Academy."
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