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: 101034
Published: 12/08/06
Updated: 07/20/07
Chapter Thirty - The Exchange by Sunny Christian
Chapter Thirty â“ The Exchange
Luci had taken Harry up to see Wormtail right away, and they had been checking on him frequently ever since. She had had him bound in a ridiculous variety of knotted ropes, so when he awoke from the Draught of Living Death, nearly two days later, they could hear him screaming all the way in the kitchen.
Harry, Hermione, and Luci dashed upstairs. They found Wormtail struggling, hissing frantically, having a go at the bindings. Luci immediately put him back to sleep.
âI thought he had to be awake?â asked Harry.
âWhen you get there, but I donât think heâd cooperate on the trip if he were awake. So, Hermione, a little rousing spell oughtta do the trick.â
Hermione nodded. âWeâre going now then?â
She looked to Harry, and he considered the question.
Ron was in no mood to do a great deal of anything and spent most of his time soaring forlornly around the Quidditch pitch, which is where he could currently be found. He didnât eat or sleep much. The rest of the Weasleys had long since returned to their assorted places of residence, but Mr. Weasley had allowed Ron to stay with Harry, hoping that it would help with the grief. It wasnât helping, however, but perhaps the flying was. Harry couldnât tell.
Luci and her mother, who was staying in Malfoyâs old room, had made all of their plans to return home the following day. Luci had been going over with Harry and Hermione the spells that they would need to swap Wormtail for Sirius, and they felt prepared, but he still wanted her there.
âIf youâll come with us,â Harry finally said in response to Hermione, but his eyes were on Luciâs face.
She vacillated, giving him an exasperated glance.
âWhat if something goes wrong?â he proposed.
âIâve told you everything that I know.â
âBut youâre the most powerful of the three of us.â
âPlease!â she scoffed. âThe Boy Who Lived, Defeated Voldemort, and Then Lived Some More? And Hermione, the smartest witch Iâve met since I got here? Iâm just the oldest!â
Hermione beamed, her cheeks flushing.
âI think youâll be fine,â Luci concluded.
Harry stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. âWhat if I just need you to be there?â
She gazed up at him and smiled. âThere you go again; you always know what to say to a girl.â
âIâm rubbish with girls, actually.â
âRubbish,â she replied simply.
âHermione and I, we both have bad memories there too,â he exhorted.
Luci looked to Hermione, who concurred, âItâs a dreadful place.â
âDoes it really mean that much to you?â Luci asked Harry, tilting her head musingly.
He nodded.
She pressed her lips together and then sighed. âWell, who am I to be such a coward in the face of two brave souls such as yourselves?â She smiled. âShall we go, then?â
âWhat about Ron?â queried Hermione. âHe wonât come with us. We canât just leave him.â
âWe wonât be gone long. And my momâll be with him. Why donât we meet back here in ten minutes?â
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Not half an hour later, the three of them were trying to stuff themselves into the telephone box. Harryâs arm was almost fully healed, thanks to a burn salve, and he was pushing Wormtailâs unconscious body through the little door. His heart was pounding, nothing to do with the effort. This was the only chance heâd have to get someone back, for once. The excitement was igniting his nerves, but it was mingled with a nibbling doubt.
âWeâd better go in pairs,â came Luciâs voice, merging into his thoughts.
Wormtail was far too round for both Harry and Hermione to get into the booth along with Luci.
She turned and dialed the numbers, obviously remembering them from her first visit here, and smiled, âSee you inside,â as the door clanked shut.
âHogwarts is reopening,â said Hermione abruptly when the box had disappeared.
Harry glanced at her.
âAll of the seventh year students can complete the term and then take our N.E.W.T.s, as if nothing had happened.â
âAs if nothing had happened?â snapped Harry in disbelief.
âWell, a lot has happened, obviously,â said Hermione mildly. âBut only to us. The rest of the students have just had a very long holiday.â
The telephone box reappeared and they climbed in. Harry punched the keypad and the womanâs cool voice flooded his ears. They took their badges and the box began its journey downwards into the Ministry.
âYou know, we never did hear anything else from Zacharias Smith,â said Harry, desiring a change of topic. âGuess that whole thing with the Dementor shut him up.â
âOh!â piped Hermione. âWhile you and Ron werenât looking, I erased his memory. He doesnât know we broke in; he just knows we were there. He was so confused that I doubt he told anyone what happened.â
âYouâre good to have around, Hermione,â said Harry fondly.
âLucky you,â she answered with a grin. Then, âYou know, itâs curious.â
âWhat?â
âThereâs this joy in your eyes thatâs never been there before, but I can still see some kind of sadness, as well.â
Harry shrugged. âVoldemort is gone. Iâm head over heels for a great girl. We might get Sirius back. But Iâm just having a hard time seeing anything as a victory. Iâm not a hero. A lot of people are dead, because of me.â
âNo, a lot of people are alive because of you, Harry,â she said gently. âSome terrible things have happened, but you canât blame yourself. The Order existed long before we were even born, and it was created so that its members could fight. You couldnât have prevented any of those deaths.â
âI guess.â He couldnât keep the angst from his voice.
âOh, Harry,â Hermione cooed, throwing her arms around him. âItâs all going to be all right now.â
He embraced her but returned, âRon is destroyed.â
She pulled away and blinked at him. âHeâs⌠A piece of him is destroyed, yes, but heâll come back to us. He has to⌠Right?â
The pain that was obvious in her expression put Harryâs to shame, and he feigned assurance, saying, âRight. Youâre always right.â
The telephone booth came to a halt, the doors clinking open.
âThe Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day.â
âHi there,â said Luci, who was levitating Wormtail effortlessly. âLead the way, Harry.â
Harry took them along the corridor of fireplaces, into the lifts. They traveled to the ninth floor, where the grills clanked apart, revealing that familiar black door. The three of them, escorting Wormtail, marched silently into the rotating room. After being shut in with the darkness, Harry demanded, âThe room, please,â just as Bellatrix and Luci had done, hoping that it would work.
Fortuitously, a door flew open and he led everyone through it. It was, indeed, the correct room, and they stepped down the stone benches towards the Veil.
As they drew nearer, Harry could hear the voices chasing each other around, indecipherable and otherworldly.
When they reached the bottom, Luci propped Wormtail against the wall. âHermione, got that left-over asphodel?â
âOf course,â answered Hermione, who handed Luci a dry, blackened leaf.
âWhatâs it for?â asked Harry.
âItâll make the transition between the worlds a little smoother, I think,â responded Luci. She began to crush the leaf in her hand, and then she rubbed it on Wormtailâs forehead.
Harry took the mirror from his pocket and called into it, âSirius?â
âHarry! Thought you werenât coming back!â
âDonât be daft,â said Harry cheerfully.
âHermione? Did she find a way to get me out of here?â Sirius asked hopefully.
âSomeone else did, actually.â
âRon? He couldnât possibly haveâŚâ
Harry laughed. âNo, not Ron.â He glanced at Luci and they exchanged a smile.
âWeâll get you out of there and Iâll introduce you,â Harry said to the mirror.
âJolly good,â replied Sirius. âI am long past ready to get out of here.â
âJust give us a few minutes,â finished Harry, pocketing the mirror.
When he nodded towards her, Luci tapped Wormtail gently on the forehead. âEvigilo,â brought him to his senses and he immediately began to writhe instinctively. Then he stopped, realizing that the ropes were no longer binding him.
âWhere am I?â he managed, thick-tongued. Then, âOh, no, not you!â
Luci smiled at him. âAnd you remember Harry and Hermione, Iâm sure?â
Wormtail took one look at them, sucked in a stifled breath, and bolted for the benches.
âNot so fast,â said Harry, who then employed the Leg-Locker Curse.
Wormtail hissed. âYou tried to kill me and now you have some new sinister thing up your sleeve? What happened to your mercy, Potter?â
âRan dry, Iâm afraid,â answered Harry.
Luci was now standing before the Veil, reading a small scrap of paper. Clearing her throat, she began, âWe humbly request an audience in order to propose an exchange for one of your captives.â
Then she glanced over at Harry and Hermione and added, âI feel silly.â
They both gave her an encouraging smile.
âNo, no, I will not be exchanged!â Wormtail was squeaking in fear. âYou let me go! The Dark Lord will be furious!â
âThe Dark Lord?â said Harry mockingly. âHavenât you heard?â
Wormtail ceased his squirming and replied suspiciously, âHeard what?â
Harry grinned. âVoldemort is dead. His killing curse backfired again, but I guess you missed it this time, yeah?â
Wormtail was frowning. âYou lie, Potter,â he hissed in a low voice.
Shrugging, Harry answered, âWell, it doesnât matter now, does it?â
Suddenly, to his right, the Veil released a gush of wind, and Luci stumbled backwards due to the force.
Harry intuitively darted towards her, but she held up a hand, saying, âNo, thatâs supposed to happen.â She regained her composure and continued, âBring Peter over here.â
Harry tipped Wormtail onto the stiff heels of his feet, and he and Hermione dragged the heavy man back towards the stone dais. He was flailing his arms interminably and they both had to duck multiple times to miss the blows. One of them caught Hermione in the chest, knocking the breath out of her, but she heaved on. Wormtail ranted and raved about the wrath of the Dark Lord when he found out what they had done to him, and Harry could only smirk.
They set him upright before the Veil, and Luci stepped in front of him, saying, âWe offer the soul of Peter Pettigrew in exchange for the soul of Sirius Black.â
Then she moved out of the way and gestured to Harry, who pushed Wormtail forcefully through the curtain. He toppled over, shrieking, with his feet sticking out, due to his legs still being locked together. The three of them had to scoot him the remainder of the way through the Veil.
Another devouring blast of current, this time drawing inwards, and then the archway went still and silent. Harry had never seen it still or silent, and he wasnât sure what to make of it.
A long while passed, with all of them staring silently, expectantly, at the Veil.
âShouldnât something have happened by now?â Hermione eventually asked in hushed tones.
âYes,â replied Luci softly.
Harry looked at her in panic. âWhat do you mean? Heâs not coming out?â
She shook her head. âMaybe I missed something.â
Muttering to herself, she scanned the paper in her hand multiple times. âAccording to Craigâs instructions, he should have emerged by nowâŚâ
Harry blinked at her.
âTry him in the mirror,â she suggested.
Harry retrieved the small square and summoned, âSirius.â
There was no response. He repeated his godfatherâs name. The mirror was silent.
âWhere is he?â he asked Luci in fright. âDid something happen to him?â
âI⌠I wouldnât think soâŚâ
âYou wouldnât think so?!â
Her expression was rueful and poignant. âIâm⌠so sorry, Harry. I canât think of any reason why Craig would lie to meâŚâ
âHeâs a Death Eater!â spat Harry angrily. Then he swore and kicked the archway. Pain shot up through his foot and died away somewhere along his shin.
âLife will simultaneously surprise and disappoint you,â Luci commented resentfully.
âLook at the pair of you!â exclaimed Hermione. âYouâre both so⌠emotional!â
âIt didnât work, Hermione!â Harry retorted.
âWell,â she began meekly, âthere was always a chance of that, wasnât there?â
He growled in response.
âI mean, it was a long shot, wasnât it?â she continued.
âThis is my fault,â Luci cut in. âI should have never gotten your hopes up, Harry. It was a long shot.â
Shaking his head, he was at a loss for words and merely ran his fingers through his hair. His heart was like a stone, weighed down by disappointment.
Luci came to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He surrendered to her and tugged her closer.
âIâm so sorry,â she said again.
âYou tried,â he said softly. âWhat more can we do?â
âWonderfluff!â exclaimed Hermione, out of the blue.
Harry pulled away from Luci. âHuh?â
âThat stuff you told Ron and me about⌠the purifier!â
âWhat about it?â
âMaybe Wormtailâs soul wasnât as tortured as Siriusâs. But if we could get that Wonderfluff in there to him, maybe it would purify his soul and he could be released!â
Luci looked skeptical, and then pensive.
âWhat are you thinking?â Harry asked her.
âJust mulling it over,â she responded, âbut this calls for more research, because I donât know how to get something in there to someone specific. And Iâd be worried about the effects of something like that on someoneâs soul.â
âHermione does research for fun,â he said, glancing at his friend.
âWell, it was my idea,â agreed Hermione.
Luci sighed. âBack to the drawing board, then.â
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It was Luciâs last night at Grimmauld Place, and Harry was lying in his bed, wishing that they were together â“ here, there, in the drawing room; it didnât matter. She was going to leave him tomorrow, and though Ron and Hermione would still be in the house until Hogwarts reopened at the start of the next week, he somehow sensed that her absence would make him feel very alone.
Ron was still up at the pitch, and the room was dark and silent. He had been verbally upset that they had been unable to retrieve Sirius, but Harry could tell that Ron wasnât very interested in the events at all.
Harryâs optimism was dwindling. There didnât seem to be a foolproof way to recover Sirius from the Veil. He wished that he hadnât gotten his hopes up, because the fresh disappointment was much worse than the aching loss to which heâd grown accustomed over the last few years.
All of the sudden, Harry heard a crash that seemed to come from downstairs, followed by a loud curse. He bolted upright. Throwing on his glasses, he seized his wand and headed out to the landing.
âLumos,â he said, and then, âWhoâs there?â
âItâs me,â called a familiar voice. âBloody table, always hated that thing.â
âSirius?â asked Harry in incredulity. No, of course not, you dolt, he told himself.
âWho else?â came Siriusâs voice. Then he continued to swear at the furniture.
Harry stood frozen, his hands gripping the banister, his illuminated wand pressing into his right palm. It couldnât possibly be⌠He was far too stunned to speak, far too elated to move, far too⌠far away!
Grasping his awareness again, he dashed down the staircase, shining his wand over the room. Finally, the light landed on that face. It was no longer lined and tired; it was⌠joyful.
Harry managed a gagging sound, but that was all that he could force.
âNo âWelcome back, Siriusâ?â his godfather asked with amusement.
Harry opened his mouth, but there were no words.
Sirius laughed and embraced him jovially. âItâs good to see you too!â
âB-But how?â choked Harry, pulling away and looking up into Siriusâs face. It was downright surreal, as if he were in some kind of dream.
The man shrugged. âJust a little while ago, I flew right out of that bloody Veil. Do you know, our old friend, Peter Pettigrew, showed up? Oddest thing. Something about the Dark Lord being dead?â
Harry nodded.
âNow itâs my turn to ask â“ how?â
âI have to sit down,â muttered Harry, fumbling in the dim light of his wand. Finally, he just leaned precariously against a table.
âDid you do it?â Sirius asked cautiously. âKill Voldemort?â
âSort of,â said Harry. âItâs a long story.â
He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and then slowly told Sirius about his battle with Voldemort.
Afterwards, Sirius was silent for a long while. Eventually, he said gently, âJames and Lily would be so proud of you, Harry.â
Harry felt his throat closing up, the tears prickling at his eyes.
âIâm very proud of you,â continued Sirius.
Harry remained silent with emotion.
âWell, then!â Sirius chimed hastily, altering the atmosphere. âItâs just more good news that your little friend managed to spring me from that Veil then, eh?â
âGirlfriend,â Harry corrected him.
âSorry?â
âSheâs my girlfriend,â he repeated.
Sirius halted, giving Harry a perplexed look. âHow old are you now? Seventeen?â
Harry nodded.
Sirius frowned, and then shrugged. âEh, seems about right. A girl from school then? A very bright one, no doubt.â
Harry laughed. âAnother long story,â he began, and then he recounted how heâd met Luci and how sheâd plotted to get Sirius out of the Veil of Voices. When he mentioned that she was Malfoyâs sister, Sirius spat, âA Malfoy? You must be mad, Harry!â To which, Harry explained that Luci hadnât grown up with the Malfoys and, therefore, was remarkably different from them. Sirius finally sighed in defeat and commented, âYou must really like this girl,â and Harry answered, âYou could say that.â
The night accelerated from there, flying by as the two of them shared their tales of the last two years. Sirius hadnât been up to much, of course, but he described what it was like inside of the Veil, and he was thrilled to hear Harryâs stories.
When Harry mentioned his mother and Snape, Sirius looked disgusted but entirely unsurprised, merely snarling, âSnivellus,â in distaste. He seemed indifferent to learning of Snapeâs death. He was infinitely more outraged at Wormtailâs plan to hold Lily prisoner under a love potion. In fact, he slammed his fist into a piece of furniture and went on a brief tirade about trust and how livid James would be if heâd known. Harry sat silently through this and then continued on about the events of the year, going into detail about Billâs wedding and Hagridâs death and the fact that his two best friends were now dating. âEveryone grew up!â Sirius commented, evidently upset that heâd missed out on this.
Finally, they came to the subject of the Horcruxes. Sirius was visibly stunned but listened intently as Harry told him about the locket that his own brother had retrieved, and about the wings, the cup, and Nagini. âYouâve had some year,â he had breathed. Then Harry went on, regarding the battle that had taken place in the Ministry, just before they had initially contacted him in the Veil, and how so many people had died, including Mrs. Weasley. âWhat a terrible shame,â Sirius had muttered sadly.
At this point, Harry had realized that Sirius had also missed the previous year of his life, so he went on about the Half-Blood Prince and about everything heâd learned that year with Dumbledore. He told Sirius about briefly going out with Ginny and about Malfoyâs plot to kill the Headmaster. And then he got to Dumbledoreâs death, whereupon Sirius gasped, âMalfoy killed him?â Harry had shaken his head and explained, going into detail that made his blood feel cold, but he knew that it was important for Sirius to know. Afterwards, Harry felt exhausted just from the effort of recalling the events.
Eventually, stirring could be heard upstairs, and Harry jumped to his feet, chiming, âCome on; Iâll introduce you!â
Once he and Sirius were on the second landing, Harry knocked firmly upon Luciâs door. It swung open, and suddenly, Harry was jerked through the doorway and thrown backwards.
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