Summary: Holy Horcruxes, Harry! All of your BOOK SEVEN questions answered! Harry, reeling from the events of his sixth year, must now begin the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. To his dismay, everyone in his life is keeping things from him! During his search, Harry uncovers his enemys' darkest secrets, as well as the secrets of his own past. The killing curse leaves no mark, so why does he have one? Why did it take Hagrid twenty-four hours to get Harry to the Dursleys’? His phenomenal adventures continue, and he will not emerge unscathed. Who will survive? Will Harry defeat Voldemort? And whose side are Snape and Draco Malfoy
really on? If you like it, please review it! COMPLETED 6/27/2007!!!
Categories: General Fics Characters: None
Warnings: Character Death, Violence
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 34
Completed: Yes
Word count: 116793
Read: 101071
Published: 12/08/06
Updated: 07/20/07
Chapter Seventeen - The Smith Sanctum by Sunny Christian
Chapter Seventeen â“ The Smith Sanctum
âListen to this, you guys,â Hermione said to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, as the three of them were preparing for a game after breakfast the following day.
âAccording to this book, Godricâs Hollow, where your parents hid, HarryâŚâ
Harry nodded, annoyed that she would explain this to him, when heâd been there, for Merlinâs sake!
ââŚwas founded by Godric Gryffindor! It says here, âGodricâs Hollow is known for its unexplainable occurrences and powerful energies.â Even more so than by wizarding standards, it says.â
Ron was pulling on Harryâs Quidditch gloves, which heâd been borrowing. âBoring, Hermione,â he said.
âItâs not!â she argued. âI think itâs very interesting, donât you, Harry? Ginny?â
Ginny shrugged. âIâm with Ron, for once.â
âMaybe it explains what happened to me in that house,â said Harry.
âWhat happened?â Ginny asked.
Harry stopped, realizing that he hadnât told Ginny any of this. âJust had a weird flashback,â he replied vaguely.
âOh,â she said distractedly as she mounted her broom.
âHey, whatâs that?â asked Ron abruptly.
Everyone glanced down at Hermioneâs book, where a piece of parchment was peeking out from between some of the pages.
âJust parchment, for notes,â Hermione answered, but her voice shook a bit.
âThatâs the same parchment that Krum used when he wrote you letters!â exclaimed Ron.
Harry, who thought it odd that Ron had ever paid attention to such a small detail, had a feeling that his best friends were about to come to blows.
âLet me see it!â Ron insisted, when Hermione hadnât said anything.
âNo,â she finally replied, stuffing the letter farther between the pages.
âWhy not?â demanded Ron. âIf youâre holding on to Krumâs old love letters, I deserve to know about it!â
Hermione stared up at him from her seat on the bench, her expression timid.
âItâs recent,â she said meekly.
âRecent? Thatâs worse!â exploded Ron. âGive it here!â
âRon, itâs nothing! Weâre just friends! Weâve stayed in touch, thatâs all!â
Hermione was standing now, ready to defend her right to receive the post.
âDoes he know youâre just friends?â fumed Ron.
âYes, of course! Iâve told him that I love you, you dimwit!â
Ronâs angry expression slid from his face. âReally?â
âYes, really,â said Hermione, softly.
Ron was just leaning in for a kiss, and Harry was just becoming nauseous, when Luci and Malfoy appeared in the doorway.
âDisgusting,â drawled Malfoy. âAre we in the wrong room? Iâm looking for Quidditch.â
Harry saw Luci jab Malfoy in the side with the elbow on which sheâd fallen just the previous day.
Malfoy scowled at her.
âAre we in time for a game?â asked Luci.
âJust getting started,â Harry replied. âWhatâll you play, Malfoy?â
âSeeker, of course,â answered Malfoy, as if this was the stupidest question heâd ever been asked.
âIâm Seeker,â stated Ginny matter-of-factly.
âNot anymore,â Malfoy spat.
âDraco, weâre guests, remember?â Luci was leading him into the room by his wrist.
âLook, Malfoy,â started Harry, âdo you think you can handle playing Chaser?â
âWhy not Beater?â Malfoy asked.
âBecause I donât trust you with a Bludger,â said Harry, coolly.
Malfoy glared.
âHeâll play Chaser,â announced Luci, and then she handed him a broomstick.
âFine,â grumbled Malfoy, who took the broom and flew it up expertly.
âWell, are you lot coming or not?â he asked, once he was in the air.
Ron and Ginny soared up after him, but Harry turned to Luci.
âKeep an eye on him,â he said quietly.
âOh, I will,â said Luci, âin between catching up on my reading, of course.â
âWhat have you got?â Hermione asked her, as Luci sat down beside her on the bench.
âAncient Runes,â replied Luci.
Harry laughed.
Both girls looked up at him curiously.
âYou two will have your own kind of fun then,â he grinned, and then he sailed his Firebolt into the air.
Below them, Hermione blew the whistle, and Harry immediately began trying to prevent Malfoy from scoring. However, Malfoy was excellent on a broom and a very good Chaser. He got the Quaffle past Ron quite a few times before Ron realized that he needed to take this seriously. Malfoy was playing as if the House Cup were on the line.
Harry had just come around to send the Bludger towards Malfoy when his opponent scored another goal against Ron, who groaned.
âAlways were useless, Weasley,â burred Malfoy.
âShut it, Malfoy!â seethed Ron. âWe can kick you off the pitch any time we want!â
Malfoy, looking fierce, zoomed menacingly towards Ron.
âDonât make me come up there!â Luci called from below.
So Malfoy rerouted his broom, grumbling angrily.
The entire match continued on this way. The three boys just could not get along, but Harry found that he was having a good time anyway. Eventually, Ginny, who had been off by herself, returned to the center of the field with the Snitch securely in her hand, therefore ending the game.
As they all sat down to lunch a few minutes later, Hermione was going on about Luci to Ron. âShe knows loads of things and she said sheâd be happy to study with me and, oh, itâs a dream come true! Finally, someone who appreciates academia!â
Luci was at the other end of the table with Malfoy and his mother, unable to hear Hermioneâs praises.
âI thought you didnât like her?â asked Ron, taking a plate.
âI never said that. I said I didnât trust her.â
âAnd you trust her now?â Harry cut in.
Hermione gave a curt nod. âShe did something very decent.â
âWhatâs that?â asked Harry.
âIâd rather not say,â replied Hermione, and that was the end of it.
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âRon, Harry, wake up! Iâve had an idea!â
âWhat theâŚâ
Harry and Ron blinked at Hermione, perplexed.
âI was doing a bit of leisurely reading before going to sleep, and I came across this passage about the Smith family â“ you know, Hepzibah? â“ and I thought of something! Harry, what if Hufflepuffâs cup isnât hidden? What if itâs exactly where itâs supposed to be?â
âWhat? Where?â
âAt Hepzibah Smithâs house!â
âHermione, the womanâs been dead for fifty years!â Harry reminded her.
âYes, but the house is still there,â she replied.
âWe canât just go banging on someoneâs door in the middle of the night and ask to have a look around!â
âWe can do it like you did with Dudley - one of us will go under some pretense and the other will go under the Cloak and do the looking.â
âUh, hello?â said Ron.
âYou can go with Harry,â said Hermione, âand Iâll pretend Iâm⌠selling something?â
âGo to bed, Hermione,â Harry sighed.
âHarry, this is the most important thing we may ever do! Youâre going to have to face Voldemort, and donât you want to have the assurance that youâve destroyed all of his Horcruxes?â
âYes, but Iâd also like to be well-rested.â
âOh, please, when are you ever well-rested? In order to get there by morning, including talking strategy and sufficient travel time, we need to get started right now.â
Ron was snoring.
Hermione stomped over to his bed and poked him in the chest with her wand.
âIâm up!â he snorted groggily.
Hermione turned on the light in the room and began, âOK, hereâs the planâŚâ
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It was much too early in the morning to be calling at the home of a stranger. Hermione had just rang the bell to the residence that she had determined belonged to the Smith family.
Hermioneâs mouth opened along with the door. Harry knew that she was going to have to change her tactic. There, before them, stood Zacharias Smith, looking haughty, as usual.
âHermione Granger?â he asked.
âUmâŚâ Hermione started. âDo you⌠do you live here?â
âOf course, I live here! I wouldnât go answering the door of a house in which I did not live.â
âRight,â agreed Hermione. âWell, I⌠Iâd like to talk to you about⌠about a petition regarding the freedom of House Elves!â
Hermione looked panicked, and this was not going to work. So Harry did the only thing that made sense to him â“ he tore the Cloak from Ron and himself.
âPotter? Weasley?â Zacharias looked at the three of them suspiciously. âWhatâs going on?â
Before anyone could answer, Hermione did something entirely un-Hermione â“ she shoved her wand into the throat of Zacharias Smith, whose eyes grew wide with surprise.
âYou wouldnât,â he spat.
âI would,â said Hermione, âso be cooperative. Is anyone else here?â
âNo. What do you want?â Zacharias looked as though he might believe Hermioneâs threat to be serious.
âThereâs a small goblet with a badger on it,â Harry cut in, following Hermioneâs lead and throwing caution to the wind, along with their plan. âA gold one. We need it.â
Zacharias narrowed his eyes. âWhy?â
âNo questions!â commanded Hermione.
Harry almost laughed aloud at her, with her new short crop and her equally new fierce glare. She really did think that what they were doing was the most crucial thing theyâd ever do.
âWe keep nothing valuable here. Itâs all in the Sanctum,â Zacharias answered.
âSanctum?â asked Ron.
âYes, a museum of sorts. But only family may enter.â
âYouâll have to take us then,â said Hermione.
âVery well,â replied Zacharias bitterly, âfollow me.â
He turned and Hermione thrust her wand into his back, trailing him closely. Harry and Ron werenât far behind.
âI knew you and your lot were misfits, Potter, but I had no idea youâd stoop to petty thievery,â grumbled Zacharias as they walked.
âIt wasnât my first choice, believe me,â Harry replied.
Zacharias led the three of them through the kitchen of the house, into the small back yard, and stopped at the edge of the fence. He bent down and tugged at what appeared to be a square of grass, but was actually a trap door. He slid his thin body down into the hole, and Hermione, Harry, and Ron followed, respectively.
There was a ladder, but it was very dark, so Harry lit his wand. The dank mud along the passage smelled of mildew and he attempted to breathe only out of his mouth, but then he could taste it too. Ron, above him, made a choking sound, as he seemed to be suffering the same experience.
Harryâs feet hit the ground fairly soon, and Zacharias had turned on a light below. Hermione still had her wand at ready, and Zacharias was pressing his hand onto some kind of keypad. Just as Ron got to the floor, a large cement door had begun to creak open, the sound of the stone echoing through the small space.
âYou first,â said Hermione, forcing Zacharias through the entrance.
The Smith Sanctum was reminiscent of a mausoleum, cold and dark, with an eerie energy, as though gravity were somehow heightened. Harry felt as though he were being pushed into the floor as the four of them entered. The gray walls rose up alongside them, meeting at the edges of the nearly twenty-foot ceiling. It was one large, square room - the floor, cracked granite tiles and the walls, lined with shelving.
âAstonishing,â said Hermione.
Valuable artwork, trinkets, and other items were placed neatly on the shelves, with the larger pieces piled in the corners, upon the floor. A large dresser with ornate glass doors stood towards the back of the room, also crammed full of treasure. Everywhere Harryâs eyes could see, there sparkled gold or jewels or some other magnificent piece.
âYes,â said Zacharias, âimpressive, isnât it? I donât know if what youâre looking for is here, but have at it. You should know, however, that as soon as you go, Iâll be reporting this incident.â
âKeep an eye on him while we look,â Harry said to Hermione, who nodded.
âIâll check this dresser,â said Ron, âand you check the shelves.â
Harry and Ron went to work, rummaging through the items. There was a nomenclature among the shelves, everything arranged meticulously. Harry tried not to touch anything, afraid that he would, somehow, tarnish the beauty. He admired the items, many of them engraved with the same badger that could be found on the cup, but he moved his eyes along the pieces quickly, searching.
âHere!â called Ron eventually, holding up the small golden cup with the finely wrought handles.
Harry couldnât believe it. The likelihood that it would be here was so slight⌠Hermione was a genius â“ Voldemort had hid it where no one would look!
He went over to confirm the gobletâs identity and Ron tried to hand it to him.
âCanât touch it, remember?â said Harry, backing away. âBut thatâs definitely it. Unbelievable.â
At that moment, a chill moved down Harryâs spine, and he became aware of a familiar despair. He turned to see a Dementor sinking down into the room, as though it had come right out of the ceiling. Ron gasped and stumbled backwards into the dresser, which fell over on top of him, shattering and spilling things everywhere.
âRon!â shrieked Hermione, who ran towards him, leaving Zacharias unattended.
Hufflepuffâs cup had fallen to the floor at Ronâs feet.
âGrab the cup!â Harry said to Hermione, who obeyed, âand Iâll get Ron out from under this thing.â
Zacharias was standing dumbfounded on the other side of the room, seemingly unable to move.
The Dementor, which realized that Hermione was now in possession of the Horcrux, bore down on her. Harry heard her squeak, but he was focusing on lifting the dresser.
âHarry!â cried Hermione. âYouâll have to do the Patronus! I⌠I canâtâŚâ
Harry turned to see that she was holding her wand up feebly, the cup in her other hand, and the Dementor was slowly pulling her spirit from her body.
There was a sense of chaos, with too many things happening at once. Harry moved towards Hermione, readying his wand and leaving Ron beneath the dresser.
But suddenly, she had forced the cup in front of her, using it as a shield.
As though it didnât know the difference, the Dementor kept feeding, sucking the soul right out of the cup. However, the essence in the cup was smoky black, where Hermioneâs had been a silvery shade.
Harry, Hermione, and Zacharias watched in wonder.
Finally, the Dementor coughed wretchedly and backed away from Hermione. It seemed confused and sickened by the consumption of the Horcrux. Harry couldnât feel its icy affect, as though it had been weakened.
The Dementor, disoriented but still in search of prey, turned to Harry, who raised his wand and shouted effortlessly, âExpecto Patronum!â
Without any attempt at resistance, the hooded creature floated back up through the ceiling, disappearing from sight.
Knowing that they couldnât waste any more time, Harry said, âHurry, we have to get Ron out from under this thing!â
âHarry,â said Hermione, and he turned to her.
She threw the goblet to him, and he caught it in his left hand. It didnât burn him. He stared at it incredulously. This had been far too easy. It had all been far too easy. Harryâs stomach went into a sour uproar at this apprehension.
âYouâre bleeding,â Hermione said, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked down and saw that a large piece of the stained glass was lodged in his left pectoral muscle. He hadnât even noticed it before, but now a surge of pain went through his entire upper left side. He dropped the cup in response. Blocking out the pain, he gave up on lifting the dresser and he began to try to drag Ron out from under it.
âWingardium Leviosa,â commanded Hermione, and the dresser lifted lightly from Ronâs frame, crashing down again a few feet away when Hermione lowered her wand and ran to his side.
Ron was unconscious and covered in blood, cut in many places from the broken glass.
Hermione looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, and he said, âLetâs get him out of here.â
âMorbilicorpus,â Hermione said faintly over Ronâs body, and it rose limply into the air.
âWe wonât be needing the cup after all, Zacharias,â said Harry faintly, as he was growing dizzy from the blood loss. âSo no thievery committed. Thanks for your help.â
Harry, Ron, and Hermione left Zacharias standing there, flabbergasted by what heâd just seen.
Hermione dropped Ron onto the entryway floor as soon as theyâd gotten safely back to Grimmauld Place. Then she collapsed beside him.
Luckily, lunch was being served in the kitchen, and Harry merely had to saunter unsteadily into the room to indicate that help was needed.
Things were growing hazy, and he heard something break. His legs felt weak and he fell into the doorframe. Soft hands were touching his face and he heard Luciâs voice, then Lupinâs, then Mr. Weasleyâs, though it sounded like they were all under water. Then he felt strong arms around him, lifting him into the air, and that was the last thing that he remembered.
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