More than once, Harry told the story of the castle and his collection of the second Horcrux to several different audiences. And more than once, Harry was reminded of the fact that he had no knowledge on how to destroy them. For all he knew, the Death Eaters could be devising a way to retrieve them, and if they weren’t destroyed, they would be easy to reacquire. Additionally, the last vision of Voldemort had Harry anxious, and rightly so.
A comforting thing happened as a sort of aftermath of the events at the castle, however; Ginny had stopped being reclusive and started spending more time with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, which made Harry both a great deal happier and a little uneasy. He still wanted to keep her away for her own safety, but having her near him again was soothing.
The Order of the Phoenix met now twice a week, discussing more and more problems that aroused around the nation, which was now gripped in terror. Death Eaters had now been seen by thousands of Muggles and their attacks weren’t restricted to the time of night any longer. The only obvious conclusion was that their numbers were growing. Each of these meetings discussed the Horcruxes further. Many tried to destroy them during the meetings, their spells reflecting off the powerful objects without adding so much as a scratch. Harry had to dodge several spells that were reflected back at him. Slughorn tried a few potions that were known for dissolving things, but to no avail. Every attempt put more and more doubt in Harry’s mind. How could he stand up to someone whose magic was so far beyond what he barely understood?
After the meetings, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron would immediately ask him for any developments, which would make Harry relive the dreary moments again. He stopped sleeping after a while; there was too much on his mind for sleep. This had an effect on his grades, and his teachers took notice. Professor McGonagall asked him to stay after class one day. Harry, assuming it was about another Order meeting, slowly walked up to her desk.
“I’ve noticed your performance in class has been less than favorable lately, Mr. Potter,” she began. “Is something the matter?”
Harry didn’t answer. He just slumped in the desk nearest hers and looked around the room.
“I know you must be under a lot of stress, with both school and the Order weighing you down, but that doesn’t mean you have to slack off in your classes. Remember what I said at the Burrow over the summer: under no circumstances are your grades at Hogwarts to be affected by what happens outside the “”
“Outside the school,” Harry interrupted sarcastically, standing up. “Look, Professor, I haven’t slept in three days. I can’t stop worrying about these Horcruxes.”
“Harry, don’t talk about this aloud.” Harry ignored her and continued to vent his frustrations.
“Every meeting we have, you put more and more pressure on me, and I feel less hopeful of even doing a little bit of damage against Voldemort after each one. I mean, at least give me a break! I know I’m the ‘Chosen One’ and ‘the Boy Who Lived,’ but doesn’t anyone know that I want to live a normal life? Even for a moment!”
Once he was finished, he slumped back in his seat and waited for his detention. He knew he wasn’t supposed to yell at a teacher, but he couldn’t help himself this time. He didn’t see Professor McGonagall’s face turn from shocked to sympathetic.
“Come with me to my office, Potter,” she said, and briskly walked out of the room. Unsure of what was to come, Harry wearily followed her. They walked through the corridors of the school until they were right outside a statue of a gargoyle. Minerva said the password and the gargoyle leapt out of the way, revealing a spiral staircase. The two walked into the office of the Headmistress and took their seats at her desk. She looked at Harry for a moment before speaking again.
“I know what it’s like to have too much on your mind, Harry,” she said with concern in her voice. “That’s when it helps to use a bit of magic. Do you know what a Pensieve is?”
Harry looked up at her with surprise. He knew exactly what it was, and had a feeling he was about to have a lesson on it.
“Judging from your reaction, I would assume yes. Most wizards have them, Harry. They are for looking at your memories in a different way, as I’m sure you’ve discovered by now. Professor Dumbledore had one, as do many professors. I think, with as much as you’re having to deal with, and with the knowledge of your lack of sleep, I’d say it’s about time you were given one. You must keep it safe, so I’ll keep it here. You can keep these vials in case you need to put one away, and later, you can add it to the rest when you are in this office.”
She handed Harry a few vials and beckoned him to follow her. He saw, after taking the few steps to the closet, that there was an empty stone basin with his name engraved in the side. He eagerly approached it, looking at Minerva for the explanation of its usage. She smiled at him and proceeded to explain the purpose for it and to choose carefully which memories to put in it, as those were memories that could be seen by anyone who peered into it. She demonstrated how to use the Pensieve by pulling out a pale silver stone basin of her own and taking out a memory.
Harry tried a few times, and was able to do it rather quickly. Minerva seemed a bit taken aback by how many times Harry’s wand returned to his temple with another memory. Harry was very anxious to get as many of these worries out of his head as possible. Minerva warned him that the memories were still in his head, but this just allowed him to sort through the information at a distance rather than experiencing it. After a time, Harry left the office and went back to Gryffindor tower. It was dark already, and he started to feel himself grow very tired. As soon as he reached his bed, he was out.
When Harry woke up, he felt well rested. His mind seemed unrestrained for the first time in months, and he was glad for it. Looking out the window, he saw it was a beautiful day. He got out of bed and dressed quickly. This was a day to spend outdoors. It was the weekend, after all.
He found Ron and Hermione talking by the fireplace, and an idea came to him. He returned to his bed and grabbed his Firebolt and his Invisibility cloak and put it on. He carried the broom with his free hand and quietly passed his two friends. He wanted this day to himself. He could think about whatever he wanted. He could daydream. He could fly!
Seamus was walking through the portrait door, so he slipped past him and quietly waited for the door to close before walking down the hall. Harry loved the feeling of being invisible as he passed his classmates in the hallways. When he was by the castle doors, he took off the cloak and walked out into the sunlight. The day looked beautiful as the sun caressed his face. The soft breeze was calming as Harry walked further out into the grounds. Putting his cloak behind a bush, he grabbed the broom and shoved off the ground hard. Once he was in the air, he was free. He noticed someone waving at him and he waved back. It was Ginny, who was out with her friends. He flew overhead, doing a few tricks in the air, ending with a back flip off the broom and landing back on it before zooming off.
After several minutes of just flying around, Harry noticed smoke coming from Hagrid’s hut, and flew in to visit his old friend. Hagrid came out just in time to see Harry flying by and waved.
“Well, ‘ello there, Harry! Ain’ seen yeh ‘round here ‘n a while.”
“I’ve had some things on my mind,” replied Harry.
“Can’ disagree wit’ that. With the Order an’ all, it’s a wonder yeh’re still in as good a shape as yeh are. So, wha’ brings yeh to my door today?”
“I thought I’d catch up a little bit. It’s been a while since we’ve had our talks, Hagrid, and I found myself missing them. It was you, after all, who introduced me to this mess.”
Hagrid grinned sheepishly at this last bit of sarcasm and the two shared a laugh.
“C’mon in, then,” said Hagrid. “I’ll tell yeh all ‘bout Grawp an’ wha’s been goin’ on wit’ the third years. Yeh can visit Witherwings, too. I collected him from yehr place not too long ago.”
The two went inside and talked for a couple hours. Harry talked about his worries, and Hagrid sympathized. It was as old times, and Harry found himself remembering the better times of his past for a change. After their conversation, Hagrid excused himself, needing to care for some of the new batch of gruesome creatures he now had. Harry kicked off the ground again with his broom and soared back into the air. Today was a good day.
The school looked so peaceful on this day, and the wind in his face was all Harry wanted to feel at the moment. He closed his eyes, loving the feeling of not having a worry in the world for just a moment. He opened his eyes to realize he was just a few seconds from running straight into the Astronomy tower. He froze as dozens of images and memories flooded the forefront of his memory, pulling up only inches away from the tower. He no longer felt relaxed. His worries came rushing back to him, and there was only one place he knew where he could go to find some form of solitude. He flew hard, as if time was a concern, towards the White Tomb.
When he landed, Harry tossed his broom to the ground, walking briskly to the stone walls. He dropped to his knees in front of them, his eyes tearing up both from the harsh wind that had shot at them from the fast flying and the memories of his fallen Headmaster and friend.
“Why did it have to be you?” he asked the tomb in a sob. “I need your guidance so much right now. You could have fought them, like you told me to do. You could have asked for my help! But you’re gone. You’re gone. And I’m still here. With the odds against me as they are, I’ll probably be with you shortly.” Harry paused for a moment, overcome with sadness as the image of Dumbledore lying at the base of the Astronomy tower made itself known in his mind, burning its grave silhouette in the back of Harry’s eyes.
“You knew what I had to do, and how to do it. He feared you, but he hunts me. And I don’t know how to beat him. You showed me the path, but not how to go down it. And why did you have to trust Snape? Why?” Not getting an answer for obvious reasons, Harry stood up rather suddenly and kicked the wall in front of him.
“WHY? Why did you not stop Snape? This could have all been avoided if you had just listened to me.” Dropping to his knees, he added through his tears, “I wish you would just come back. Just once, so you could tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
Sobbing vehemently, Harry didn’t see the shadow that was flying in his direction. He didn’t hear the creature’s cry echo off the castle walls and pierce the stillness of the tomb. He couldn’t feel the almost impossible smile the walls were directing at him as the creature cried again. Harry looked skyward at the figure flying towards him and landing at his feet. There, now perched on the ground next to him, was a phoenix. But not just any phoenix: this was Faukes.
Harry reached down and embraced the bird, who squawked its joy in his ear. When he released Faukes, he wondered why the phoenix had come back. Then he noticed a pair of scrolls next to him. Harry grabbed the nearest one, which was wrapped in cloth. He unraveled it, and recognized the hand-writing immediately. It was from Dumbledore!
Dear Harry,
I fear that you’re reading this under the gravest of circumstances, as the only time you are to receive this letter is in the event of my death. I can’t imagine the sorrow you must feel of losing another close friend, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stay with you any longer than the time that was given to us. These events do not happen according to our timing, I’m afraid, and I’m aware that the arrival of this must come at a rather desperate moment.
The last time we met before this letter was written was shortly before we left for the cave at the end of your Sixth year at Hogwarts. I do not know what will happen in that cave, only that what you experience in it will be a preview as to what will happen on the path that has been unfortunately laid before you. Do not lose hope on account of my absence. There is much to be done, and time, as aforementioned, is not on our side at the moment.
No doubt Minerva has taken over Hogwarts, as that was my wish should my time be cut short. The Order of the Phoenix needs you, and I have a feeling you are already an integral part of it by now. It is also without a doubt that you are burdened with the worries no man should have to face alone. But you are a man now, Harry, and you have grown so much in front of my eyes. It has been such a pleasure knowing and teaching you these past years. Some of the best and most rewarding of my life.
Surely you remember the Horcruxes we discussed. I do not know the location of these, so that is something you will have to discover for yourself. However, I do believe that I was right in thinking the three items we discussed in our lessons together are them. These are dangerous to attain, Harry, and even more difficult to destroy, as I’m sure you will find out. Therefore, my last lesson to you will be the destruction of these Horcruxes. Then I’m afraid our time must come to a complete close. But fear not. Now for the lesson.
You recall the ring and my injured hand, I imagine. The story behind that, though not done justice in this letter, should help you with the destruction of at least two of the three Horcruxes we hypothesized together. I returned to the House of Gaunt to see if I was correct in thinking that Voldemort was using Horcruxes. I looked all over the place for something that would be of value to him. After using several sophisticated spells, the likes of which were created by myself, and I am rather proud of them, I ascertained the location of the ring. Knowing what it was from the memories of Gaunt, I examined it.
I’m not sure if you have found the next Horcrux or not, and if so, whether or not you or the Order have tried to destroy it. When that day comes, I’m sure you’ll discover it is impervious to all magical and physical attacks. I learned this quickly, and sought a different way of destroying it. After several failed attempts, I found the solution.
Not sure of the results, I put on the ring. I felt myself instantly become weaker. I knew exactly what was happening: quite simply put, it was a spell that takes away energy, and, if prolonged, life. I would imagine this to be the effect most, if not all, of Voldemort’s Horcruxes have, so be careful. A series of spells must occur, the timing and placement of both the spell and movement of the wand must be precisely accurate. These are listed in the second scroll, which should be with this one. By doing these spells, the ring started glowing orange. After sending several rather unpleasant chills down my body, a figure of Voldemort started to appear next to me. This I thought to be the end of the Horcrux, but it wasn’t. Still wearing the ring, the figure attacked me.
Dueling someone who’s not wholly in front of you is a peculiar thing, but it is necessary to destroy the part of the soul encased in the Horcrux. The spells and wand movements on the second scroll are just to get the soul fragment out of the apparatus. The consequential duel shouldn’t be too terribly difficult. The spell to use against it is also on the second scroll. The ending is rather enjoyable to watch, I must admit. However, there is an after-effect to its destruction, which I did not see. By keeping the ring on, my hand was poisoned. There is no magic to stop this sort of poisoning; only potions. Therefore, I had to rush back to Hogwarts. Thanks to Professor Snape’s assistance, I was healed, and the only thing lost was my hand, which still functioned, albeit painfully and not terribly well. While on the subject, I know you do not trust Snape. Perhaps you have better reason that I as to his true nature. But everyone makes mistakes. I have a feeling I am right on this, however, though I imagine on this issue, we will never see eye to eye.
It is at this juncture that I must allow our relationship to end, Harry Potter. Hard though it may be in saying good-bye, to hold on to the past is even more destructive to the soul than any spell a wizard can devise. You were able to let go of Sirius with time, and that was wise of you. Miss and respect those whose time has come, but don’t hold on. I’ve never been prouder of any student in all my long years of teaching than I am of you and what you have become, Harry. Though you still have much to learn, and I am not there to teach you anything more than what is enclosed in the accompanying scroll, I know you will find the way.
You remember what I said about destroying Voldemort, right? The way to the light at the end of this dark path is love. You once argued with me that the ability to love is not of importance, but through research, I discovered a spell that can only be performed by love, and that is what you must accomplish. It is only a legend, and I may be wrong on it, but see what you can find by researching the Silhouette of Eternal Benevolence. I will not reveal what it is to you; only that it may be a tool which you can use when you face Voldemort. You will succeed in this task, Harry, so have faith. Do not morn for me, as I’m sure you’ll be fine without me. I felt, though, that a proper exeunt would be sufficed in our relationship. With that being said, I bid you adieu, and wish you the greatest wishes on your life before and after your confrontation with Voldemort. Always look to the light, and ignore the dark, Harry. You can do this, and always remember you are not alone.
With humble regards,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Harry wasn’t sure what to make of his emotions after reading the letter. He sat on the ground and thought about what was just told to him. He wanted to cry out of sadness for missing Dumbledore, as well as out of happiness that he finally had the solution to destroying the Horcruxes. He wanted to thank Dumbledore for helping him one last time, but knew he couldn’t. He also wondered if he should tell anyone about this letter. At that moment, Faukes affectionately pecked at Harry’s shoulder, pushing the second scroll with his foot. Harry opened it and looked it over. It was very complex magic, making him wonder why Dumbledore said it wasn’t ‘too terribly difficult.’
Overjoyed, he quickly grabbed the scrolls and started for his broom. Once he got to it, he set the scrolls down and turned to look at Faukes, who had followed him. He reached down and embraced the phoenix for what felt like the last time, as this was a time for good-byes.
“Good-bye, my old friend,” said Harry, gently setting the phoenix down. “Thank you for the news you brought today, and for watching over me all these years. I’ll miss you.”
A tear fell from the phoenix’ face as it turned and spread its magnificent wings and took off. Harry secured the scrolls to his broom and kicked off seconds later. The two flew around one another, almost as in a dance, Faukes singing a beautiful song of jubilant finality. After a moment, the phoenix landed on Harry’s broom, gave him a wink, and took off for the horizon from whence it came, still singing.
Harry felt a relief he hadn’t ever known before as he came swooping down to the main doors of the castle. He flew right through them and through the hallways with a broad smile on his face. Several students cheered as he swept through the corridors at high speed. He thought he heard Filch yelling behind him, but he didn’t care. He soared up the shifting staircase to the portrait guarding the entrance to Gryffindor tower and stopped so suddenly he fell off his broom. The portrait was broken at an unusual angle and didn’t cover the entrance at all. What’s more, the lady on the canvas was distraught.
“Harry, thank goodness you’re here!” she exclaimed, her hands quite lively. “A couple Slytherins came through here and almost ripped me from the wall. One had a rather greasy look about him, and looked older than the other. They dragged a red-headed student from here. I couldn’t see where they’d gone. You’ve got to do something!”
Harry didn’t need any more explanation: Malfoy. He ran full speed into the commons room, finding Ron in the middle of the floor, doubled over in pain. Hermione was against the wall, her robes torn. He ran to them. Hermione was alright, just unconscious. A horrible fear began to grow in his head as he went to check on Ron. Through Ron’s sputtering, his fear was realized.
Ginny.
He got back on the broom and shot through the window, breaking the glass that covered it. He was cut in several places, his forehead included, but he ignored the blood. He was racing against time. Scanning the surroundings, he couldn’t see her. He flew frantically over the grounds, searching everywhere. The Quidditch grounds. The lake. The field where the third task during his fourth year was held. There was no sign of her or Malfoy. He stopped in midair, thinking of where to check next. That’s when he heard a scream. Following the source of the voice, he flew in that direction, the wind shrieking loudly past his ears.
As soon as he saw a couple figures, he dove. He’d done several dives before, but this was different. The closer he got, he soon realized that he couldn’t fly directly at Malfoy, as he had Ginny by the hair and his wand pointed at her face. He also wore a cruel smile. Harry didn’t have time to dodge them and land safely, so he pulled hard to his right and crashed, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
“Nice landing, Potter,” sneered Draco. “I thought you were the best at Hogwarts. Oh, I found some things of yours you might want back. Not that you’ll be getting them back, of course, but I thought I’d be nice to see your face as they’re taken from you.”
“If you hurt her, Malfoy...”
“This is your girlfriend, isn’t it? This disgrace to the wizarding world! I’m doing you a favor, Potter. No, I would stay where you are. No need to get any closer.”
Harry had started to approach the pair with eyes of fury, his wand at the ready. Draco matched his furious stare with one of his own.
“I still owe you one for my father, or did you forget that?”
Draco threw Ginny to the ground, causing Harry to run at him. Malfoy put his wand to her head and shook his finger. Harry reluctantly stopped.
“Oh, I love the control! I wish I would’ve done this a long time ago! Now watch carefully as I take the life of this pathetic blood-traitor in front of you, without you being able to do a thing.”
As Draco pulled his wand back, Harry thought of what to do. He searched his mind quickly, trying to find a spell that would work. He couldn’t do any disarming spells or attack spells, as there was a chance he would hit Ginny. Finally, one came to him. He wasn’t sure it would work, but it was worth a shot. Draco kept his hateful eyes directed at Ginny.
“Avada Ke “”
“Accio Ginny!” shouted Harry. Right as a green spark came shooting out of Draco’s wand, Ginny flew right into Harry’s arms. With the speed she was flying, she knocked Harry over when he caught her. He quickly rolled over, got up, and pulled his wand back out, ready to kill his opponent. Then he saw the ‘other’ objects Malfoy had talked about.
“You want her so bad, you can have her,” shouted Draco. “I got what I came for.” With that, he pulled out from behind his robes a locket and box with a cup visible from the outside. Harry almost dropped his wand in desperation. Would this chase ever end?
“If you want these so badly, why don’t you come and get them?” challenged Draco. Harry took a step, but it wasn’t in the intended direction. He turned and saw Ginny had his other hand and was pulling him back. He heard Malfoy laugh as she pleaded with her eyes for him to walk away with her. He shook his head and pulled away, turning once more to Malfoy.
The two combatants had every intention of ending this conflict on the ground on which they stood. After more than six years, both were glad to see this moment had at last finally come. Harry and Malfoy stood about ten feet from one another, wands at the ready. Bowing to signify the duel had begun, they got into position. Malfoy was the first to speak, but he was cut off. Out of nowhere, a loud pop was heard and Severus Snape appeared next to Malfoy, grabbing his arm after seeing what was about to happen.
“You know better, Draco,” he warned as he shot an angry look at Harry. Harry shouted a curse at Snape, who blocked it with ease. The next thing Harry knew, he was upside down, courtesy of the curse Snape invented.
“Oh, how lucky you are that the Dark Lord wants to kill you himself. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now, as would your detestable girlfriend. But there’s nothing that stops be from having a little fun with you, now that we have the Horcruxes back.”
Before he could protest, he felt his tongue hit the top of his mouth. This was another spell that he didn’t see coming.
“It’s rude to insult guests, Potter,” said Snape with an evil smile. “Allow me to teach you some manners. Draco, gather the Horcruxes and get out of here. I’ll take care of Potter.”
“I want Potter!” argued Malfoy. When Snape turned around and looked at him, Draco seemingly lost his nerve and went for the Horcruxes.
“Not so fast, lad!” shouted another voice. From under an Invisibility cloak, Mad-Eye Moody made his presence known, standing right next to the Horcruxes. “I don’t think you want to be touching those!”
Draco stumbled back, stunned.
“You’ll be wanting to put Potter down, Snape,” Moody said threateningly. “I’d say let’s find out which serves his ideals better and leave our students out of this.”
“As you wish,” Snape sneered, letting Harry land on his head. Harry got up and was ready to go after Snape behind his back when Ginny grabbed him and pulled him to the ground with her.
“This is their fight, Harry,” she whispered fiercely in his ear, once more having a pleading look in her eyes. Harry finally stopped struggling and focused his attention on the duel now unfolding, Ginny’s arms still holding him tightly.
The two men stood face to face, bowing low, yet keeping constant eye contact. The tension between the two was very evident.
“I still can’t see what Dumbledore saw in you that made him trust you to his death,” said Moody, straightening.
“Well,” replied Snape, “perhaps you should try getting hit a few more times in the head before you discover it. You seem a bit worse for wear since our last meeting.”
“A few friends of yours decided to pay a visit to the Muggle Minister, and I was the one to crash the party. It seems you all are having a bit too much fun at others’ expense.”
“It is regrettable that not all are able to enjoy the coming of the new era, but there are always places for those people,” Snape said while getting into a stance, wand at the ready.
“So we do agree on something,” was Moody’s response. The two stood at a standstill for a moment before acting. Harry had not seen Moody duel, but he knew he was one of the best. He also knew from experience how effective Snape was as a duelist. Before the blink of an eye, both men moved, throwing and countering the first curses. The next couple had similar results.
“You haven’t lost your touch, Moody. It would seem that the Order had some logic for bringing your retired hide out of reclusion. Crucio!”
Moody dropped quickly, hit with the brunt of the curse. While writing in pain on the ground, he looked at his adversary eye to eye. Blood started trickling down Snape’s face, but he held on to the Cruciatus curse a moment longer. Both men lifted their curses simultaneously, taking a moment to recover. By the time Moody was standing, however, Snape shouted, “Expelliarmus!” which sent him back a few feet. Moody stood once more and responded with a curse Harry hadn’t seen or heard yet. Snape blocked it and returned with another curse, which was also blocked. The two combatants stood at a standstill once more.
“So what were you planning on doing with these things, Snape?” spat out Moody.
“Oh, I had my plans for them, rest assured. After all, the Dark Lord has other things to worry about than his precious Horcruxes. We Death Eaters keep an eye out for them while keeping his attention elsewhere, so in the instance that one of them is taken, we can retrieve it without his knowing.”
“How admirable of you,” said Mad-Eye, “and cowardly.” Snape fell to the ground, hit by an inaudible curse. He retaliated with another, which Moody blocked. Mad-Eye had the upper hand now.
“There is no way you can block a curse you don’t know, Snape. You should remember that. And you should also remember that there aren’t many curses I don’t know. That one didn’t work. Nor did that one.”
Snape was holding his arm as though it were on fire. Moody didn’t lose eye contact with the limb, and Severus was on his knees in pain. Harry saw Malfoy grab his wand and aim it at Moody. He thought quickly, Levi corpus! and watched as Draco was inverted. He looked back when he heard Snape shout out, “Reducto!”
Moody’s wooden claw of a leg went flying back several feet and Mad-Eye fell to the ground. Snape stood up shaking his arm, a visible burn on it. The two stared each other down before Snape’s robes were split in two. His face started bleeding in several areas, and patches of his hair fell out. The scene was grotesque as Snape backed up, screaming. Mad-Eye regained his footing, leaning on another rock on the mountainside. He had a crooked smile on his face as he hopped towards his opponent.
“Like that one did you?” he asked sarcastically. “That’s one I made up myself.”
“I’m so exhilarated,” gasped Snape. “See if you like this one from me. Sectumsempra!”
“Moody, watch out!” shouted Harry, but it was too late. Blood came from everywhere as Moody fell to the ground, shaking. Both men were now covered in their own blood. Harry crawled to his professor’s side, checking to see if he was still alive. Snape approached his fallen adversary.
“Time for this conflict to end,” he said with a sly smile. Harry then caught a glimpse of something he hadn’t seen before. Inside Snape’s robes was a very old looking book. Harry couldn’t see the title, but he knew without a doubt it was the missing book of the Dark Arts. Without thinking of the consequences, Harry dove for it.
“Avada Ke “”
“HARRY!” shouted Ginny desperately.
“NO!” bellowed Snape, interrupting his own curse as the book was ripped from his inner pocket.
“Expelliarmus!” shouted Moody, sending the distracted Snape into Draco, who caught the Potions Master before Apparating away. Harry pulled Moody to a sitting position as Ginny ran for his leg. After a couple minutes, they had him standing again.
“Nice thinking, Potter,” he said between breaths. “That book will come in handy, no doubt. It was obvious Snape didn’t want that taken away.”
“There’s something else we need to do before they get the idea of coming back, Professor. I know how to destroy those things.”
Moody looked as though he’d seen Harry for the first time, shocked and awed.
“How?”
“I’ll need your help. Ginny, could you bring my broom to me?”
Ginny brought it, and noticed there were a couple scrolls attached to it. She pulled them off and handed them to Harry, who opened the second one. He and Moody overlooked the spells and wand movements to release the soul fragments and how to destroy them several times before looking at each other.
“We’ll do it at the same time,” said Moody. “Weasley, keep on your guard. I don’t know what these things’ll do once they’re out. Ready, Potter?”
Both Harry and Alastor moved their wands in sync with one another as Dumbledore’s instructions directed, sending spells at the Horcruxes. After several of each, the objects began glowing orange. They grew in size and took on the shape of the being to whom they belonged. Immediately, both orange shadows flew at their attackers, knocking them over. Harry and Mad-Eye regained composure just before being knocked over again. Harry shouted the incantation to destroy the soul fragment, and hit one of the flying shadows. The object exploded as though several fireworks had been set off all at the same time. The flash was brilliant and lengthy as the figure disappeared. The other turned back around and hurled a curse at Harry, who ducked to avoid it.
He heard Ginny shout, “Impedimenta!” which went straight through the apparition. It seemed to laugh at her. That was just the distraction Harry needed to shoot the incantation, destroying the second piece of Voldemort’s soul. Exhausted, he turned to Moody, who was now unconscious on the ground. Harry felt sorry for the man, as he was no longer young, and he’d just taken quite a punishment at the hands of the former Potions Master of Hogwarts. Ginny leapt into Harry’s arms, her body shaking from what had just happened to them. Harry was so tired he fell to his knees, holding on to her tightly. Both stayed in the other’s arms for a couple minutes before Harry got up and took Ginny’s hand. He walked her over to his broom and sat her down. He got on behind her and kicked off.
“I’ll have someone come back for Moody. I can’t carry him back,” he said as the two flew back to the castle. On the way back, Ginny told Harry how Snape had tried to charm the portrait into letting them in, but when it didn’t work, he threw a curse at it, which unhinged the canvas. Ron tried to stop them, as did Hermione, but both were hurt in the process. Ginny tried to prevent them from leaving, but Draco threw her wand aside and grabbed her. She fought hard, but was dragged half-way. She saw Snape Apparate away after telling Draco where and when to meet him. A few moments later, Harry arrived.
They flew straight past the gates to the gargoyle statue. Harry said the password and flew up the staircase to McGonagall’s door. Knocking quickly before entering, he told Minerva the events that had just unfolded. She quickly followed him back to where Moody lay, still unconscious. Though tired and wearing a crimson mask of his own blood, Harry helped his professor back to the castle with the other Order members who followed him there. Minerva pulled him aside once more to ask him a few questions.
“Now you’re sure it was Mr. Malfoy, right, Potter?” she asked.
“Yes, Professor, it was Malfoy.”
“Well, we’ll deal with him shortly. And you’re sure they Apparated here and left the same way?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible! No one can Apparate past the gates of this castle! Unless...”
Minerva didn’t finish the sentence. She brought her hands to her face, which now had a look of horror on it.
“I was hoping this wouldn’t happen, but it seems as though it has begun.”
“What is it, Professor?” asked Harry, curious to learn what was so terrifying.
“I don’t want to say it unless I know for certain. I’ll let you and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix know as soon as I am sure.”
With that, she led him to the castle and ordered him to go to the Hospital wing. Harry did not want to be there at the moment, however, and limped back to Gryffindor tower. He found Ginny waiting for him, who pulled him into another embrace. He was so tired that he fell onto the couch, taking her with him. They locked eyes once more. There was no fear. No horror or shock. There was understanding. Shortly after that, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, weakened by the day’s activities.
Harry Potter & The Silhouette Of Eternal Benevolence by JourneyJosh
Chapter Notes: Harry finds relief in a couple sources; a Pensieve and the White Tomb, where he receives an unexpected visit from an old friend one last time. Afterwards, he returns to Hogwarts to find disarray and a dear friend missing. Once found, a duel begins unlike any seen before. WARNING: Duel contains some graphic material