Chapter Seven, Part Two: Of Horcrux Hoaxes and Hopelessness
Chapter Forty-One: Run Aground and Hopeless
“Oh, this is hopeless!” exclaimed Harry, who had been resurrected.
“Yeah,” agreed Ron, whose entire family had been resurrected.
“We’ve completely run aground!” finished Hermione, who had not died or had any of her family die, and who thus had not needed the services of any kind of resurrection spell.
“It’s just terrible. We’re completely out of options!” Harry groaned, annoyed and frustrated. He sat down heavily, on Mrs. Figg’s couch. “How come every time we got to a Horcrux hiding spot, it was always the same? Remember…?”
Horcrux #1, the Locket
Harry grasped the Horcrux, knowing that he, Ron and Hermione had little time to get off the island before the Inferi smashed them to pieces. The locket was oddly light, though, and kind of small… He opened it nervously, and inside was a piece of paper.
After quickly reading the short note, Harry shouted something very rude as loud as his lungs would allow. It was really quite loud; even the inferi faltered, and they were probably deaf…
Horcrux #2, the Cup
Harry, Ron and Hermione, knowing they had no time to spare, darted up to the pedestal when the cup stood, solitary and still, illuminated in an eerie light… Although, when they got closer, Harry could have sworn the cup of Hufflepuff’s from his vision was bigger… And were those plastic jewels?
Heart racing, Harry reached the cup first and pulled out a piece of paper.
Bad news.
Horcrux #3, ‘something of Gryffindor’s or Ravenclaw’s’ (Ravenclaw’s wand)
Harry and Ron had no time to spare; before long, the rubble of Ollivander’s wand shop would be swarming with Knights of Walpurgis. He had known there was more to the store than had met the eye. Those creepy vibes couldn’t have been coming from the old wand maker only, and now this theory had been proven correct. Harry searched through the rubble, tirelessly… he had to find it, for everyone’s sake. And he knew it would be here. Hermione had worked it out, before she had been petrified, again, just like in their second year. What kind of Dark Lord had more than one Giant Snake, anyway? They could only be thankful that she had been looking through a pair of omniculars when she came face to face with Ernest.
“Harry!” called Ron. “Harry, I found it!” He was holding a wand. Harry couldn’t help but think that his tone should have been more victorious…
Wrapped around fake wand was an incredibly unwelcome note…
Dear Tom,
I have taken this Horcrux, and will destroy it, as soon as I possibly can.
I know I will not be the one to destroy you, but when you meet your match, you will not be the victor.
Best wishes,
~R.A.B.
Horcrux #4, the Snake
Never had Harry willingly come this close to Voldemort, but this time, he had not had a choice. He needed to get that snake.
Harry and Ron (because Hermione was still out of commission) had searched endlessly for Nagini, but eventually, they got her cornered.
“Three…” counted down Harry, as they would both pounce at once. “Two…” he got ready, bending his knees strategically in order to increase his attack. “One!”
Harry and Ron jumped at the snake, both at once, and had it pinned down. It was now, however, that Harry noticed something… the snake was small, and felt kind of… rubbery.
“Harry, there’s something…” muttered Ron, and, from the fake snake’s mouth, retrieved a note.
Once again, Harry and Ron choked on the bitter feeling of defeat.
“Of course we remember, Harry,” said Ron. “We were there. Also, the notes are all arranged out in front of us.”
“I think it’s clear that this ‘R.A.B.’ fellow is a genius,” Hermione told the other two. “It can also be concluded that he knows or knew Voldemort personally, and… judging by the last note, in which approximately 48% of the words are spelt correctly, he occasionally has or had one too many firewhiskeys, if you know what I mean…”
“But who could it be…?” wondered Harry, aloud.
There was a brief pause. Ron appeared to be thinking.
“Mundungus?” he suggested.
“Too cowardly,” snapped Hermione.
“Gilderoy Lockhart?” suggested Ron.
“Too stupid,” snapped Hermione. “Also, he’s in the hospital.”
“Sirius?” Ron proposed.
“Too dead!” snapped Hermione. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
Again, a pause, but this time, Harry was thinking.
“Actually,” he contradicted. “I don’t know about that. I distinctly remember there being people wherever I was when I was dead… Ron’s entire family were there, Cedric Diggory definitely wasn’t; I saw dead people “ Draco Malfoy, my parents, my grandparents, various other emotion-triggering persons of interest… but I’m quite sure Sirius was not there!”
“Hey!” exclaimed Ron. “Speaking of the possibility of Sirius not being dead, there’s one of Mrs. Figg’s messenger cats, coming this way, and it appears to be being followed by a large, black dog!”
“What a coincidence,” commented Harry. “Sirius could turn into a large, black dog. Remember…?”
About four years ago, at the Shrieking Shack…
“Don’t worry, Ron!” screamed Harry, “We’ll save you!”
“Harry, shut up!” hissed Ron. “It’s a trap, you git, and I don’t want that dog to hear you with its ultra-sensitive dog ears…”
But it was too late. A large, black dog ran into view from behind a chair.
“Harry!” exclaimed Ron, “kill it!”
Harry was too confused, and couldn’t move fast enough. A strange change was coming over the dog… it appeared to be turning into…
“That dog is really a man?!” cried Hermione.
“That’s right,” said the man, “And not just any man. All along, that dog has been me, the only man in the world who has escaped Azkaban and who suspiciously has the same little nose as two of you… Sirius Black!”
Ron fainted.
“Yes, I vaguely remember,” agreed Ron. “But it would be such a coincidence if that was Sirius, here, now.”
But perhaps it was a day of coincidences, for at that moment, the dog approached them. A strange change was coming over it… the big mutt appeared to be turning into…
“That dog is really a man!” cried Hermione.
“That’s right,” said the man, “And not just any man. That dog was me, the only man in the world who has escaped Azkaban AND the Veil, and who suspiciously has the same little nose as two of you… Sirius Black!”
Ron fainted.
“Sirius!” exclaimed Harry. “You’re alive!”
“That’s right,” agreed Sirius. “Now, what’s going on?”
“We’ve run aground,” admitted Hermione. “We need to destroy some stuff before going after Voldemort, and all the stuff has already been taken!”
“Come and ask the Order, then!” Sirius told them. Hermione opened her mouth to speak. “No, no!” scolded Sirius. “Before you speak, keep in mind that I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
The ex-convict, ex-dead ex-Marauder apparated all of them to Grimmauld place. They heard sounds coming from the kitchen “ voices.
“I completely disagree,” someone was saying. “We need to get rid of Lucius Malfoy, he’s making the Ministry support the Knights of Walpurgis’ plans!”
“Alright, alright, I get the picture. Let’s vote,” interrupted another voice.
Harry, Hermione and Sirius dragged the unconscious Ron into the kitchen where the Order meeting was being held.
“Sirius!” exclaimed many people. Lupin barked, which caused Ron to stir.
“What happened?” asked the canine ex-Professor.
“Well, that’s a long story,” Sirius told everyone, “And I don’t think Harry, Ron and Hermione can wait.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” agreed Harry. “We really need some help.”
“Well then,” said Dumbledore. “We’re meeting anyway; come and address the Order.”
The Order all sat back down around the table, and Lupin jumped onto Sirius’s lap. Everyone looked expectantly at Harry.
“Well, a while ago, Dumbledore sent us off to go and find some things, which are really important to Voldemort, and which mean that he can’t be properly killed.”
The Order all nodded.
“However,” Harry went on, “when we went to find the first one, it had gone, and had been replaced with a fake. There was a note left behind, signed ‘R.A.B.’”
“Oh!” exclaimed Dumbledore, a look of surprise on his face. “Oh, dear. I apologise!”
“What for?” asked Hermione, confused.
“That was me,” he admitted. “And you don’t need to worry “ I destroyed Ravenclaw’s wand.”
The trio blinked.
“What?!” they exclaimed, confused.
“I took that particular one “ R.A.B. is me,” he announced simply. “I wrote a note to Tom.”
“Where did you get ‘R.A.B.’ from, then?” asked Hermione. “If your name is really Icicle Slughorn?”
“It’s a muggle expression,” explained Dumbledore. “‘Rest and Burn’.”
“No it’s not,” contradicted Hermione, who ought to know, being muggle-born. Everyone ignored her.
“What about the rest?” asked Ron. “You took the rest of them too?”
“Of course not,” said Dumbledore, “or else I wouldn’t have sent you three after them, would I? Why do you ask?”
“They were the same!” Harry told him. “Stolen, and a note from ‘R.A.B.’ Here, I’ll show you… This one’s from a fake cup, which had replaced Hufflepuff’s goblet… ‘Dear Mr. Riddle,
I have discovered your secret, and have taken your cup.
I feel sure it will fetch a pretty penny.
~R.A.B.”
“Uh…” muttered Mundungus Fletcher. “I think I know who wrote that…”
“Who?” asked Ron, slightly alarmed.
“Borgin,” the odd fellow answered promptly. “Real-Amberstone Borgin.”
“How do you know?!” demanded Hermione.
“Because,” explained Mundungus. “I stole it from him. See?” He held up Hufflepuff’s goblet.
“Give me that!” snapped Harry, and took the cup. There was a distinct crack in it, running from the top to the bottom, which made him sure it was no longer a Horcrux. “Well, that made all of this rather easier, but still we’re looking for the other two. Maybe Borgin“”
“Umm,” interrupted Professor Bicycle Slughorn. “Could I maybe hear one of the notes?”
“Yeah,” agreed Harry, wondering why. He glanced down at the snake note. It was completely misspelled. “Uh… Hay, Voldamot.
Sory, but Iv taked your Horkruck-snak and wil distroi it as soon as it gos too sleep.
I just coodnt do it eny mor.
~R.A.B.” Harry had stumbled over many words. “Sorry, it’s spelt really badly…”
Slughorn winced.
“I know who wrote that,” he told Harry.
“Who?” demanded Ron.
“My father, Argo Pyrites Slughorn, owner of the Hog’s Head and ex-right hand man of You Know Who,” said Professor Bicycle dramatically. “I wouldn’t put it past him to forget his own initials…”
“What?!” demanded Harry. “What are you talking about? I thought the owner of the Hog’s Head was Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth!”
“It’s a long story,” explained Hermione. “We’ll tell you later.”
“He was drafting that letter and asked my opinion,” went on Professor Bicycle. “I admit, I did have my suspicions, but I honestly had no idea what he meant by referring to a ‘Horcruck snack’! I thought it was some kind of food item!”
“Did he “ uh “ dispose of the snake?” asked Harry.
“Definitely,” confirmed Slughorn.
“Right,” said Hermione. “But there’s still one last note “ could any of these ‘R.A.B.’s’ have struck again?” Sirius guiltily raised his hand.
“Yes, Sirius?” asked Harry awkwardly.
“I don’t know about that, but could I possibly hear the last note?”
Harry pulled out the last note.
“Okay… To the Dark Lord,
I’ll be dead by the time you read this, but I want you to know I stole the real Hor“” Harry paused, “locket and am hiding it until I can destroy it, which will hopefully be before my death, because if I die before destroying it, then whoever searches for the rest of them will have even more trouble trying to find it. Unless my stupid, blood-traitor brother is the next one to look for them all, because then I hope I haven’t destroyed it and it takes him forever and a day and he dies trying!
From R.A.B.”
Sirius groaned.
“That’s “ uh “ my brother,” he admitted, shamefully. “What a git.”
“How do you know?” asked Ron.
“Just read the note, to start off with,” Sirius informed him. “Also, I kind of found and may have accidentally read his diary… Here, I mysteriously have it with me.” He handed the diary to Ron.
“July 12,” read Ron. “Dear Diary,
Today something remarkable happened to me.
I was avoiding going home, because, of course, when I did I knew Mum would kill me for quitting on Voldemort, and thus getting myself killed, so I decided to go wandering for a while.
Somehow, I ended up on this beach. It was hot and around the middle of the day, so then I went swimming, and you’ll never guess what I found. I was just paddling around, when all of a sudden I noticed a cave and went inside, where I accidentally fell and cut myself on a rock. Then, the rest of the cave suddenly opened and I decided to explore.
I wandered around for a while, looking at the dead bodies in the water and wondering what the thing was on the island in the middle of the pool, but my hand really stung so I decided to press it against the nice, cold stone. But there was something else there “ I had found an invisible chain! I didn’t really bother with precaution (but don’t tell Mum!). I never thought it was that big a thing I was stumbling into. I pulled the chain, and this little boat emerged.
Since I was going to die anyway, I hopped in the boat and it took me to the middle of the island, where I saw a locket at the bottom of some potion-looking liquid. I couldn’t reach though it, so I figured I would have to drink the stuff, but when I tried, I felt I would go mad.
I called Kreacher to drink it, because I really wanted the locket, and when he had, he apparated back home to get a drink of water. Well, I realised (from eavesdropping in the Hog’s Head) that this was one of those things that Voldemort had, and figured, since he was going to kill me, it would make sense if I just gave him a bit of a bother, so I wrote a note telling him what I’d done. I couldn’t leave it on the island, because it would blow away, and I couldn’t leave it in the bowl because the remnants of potion would destroy it, so I took off the locket I was wearing, put the note inside, dropped it in the potion and got out of there, quick as a flash!
I bet Sirius has never stolen a Horcrux before.
~Regulus.”
“Did he destroy the Horcrux?” Hermione asked Sirius, not worrying about the secret because, if all the Horcruxes were gone anyway, it didn’t really matter.
“No,” said Sirius. “I stole it off him, and eventually (when it started to try and possess me) I destroyed it. At the time, I thought it might be a Horcrux made by Snape.”
Harry scratched his head.
“Well, thanks everyone,” he said awkwardly. “I guess that’s everything… Now we’ve just got to go and kill Voldemort’s human form… again.”
“Good luck!” encouraged Sirius. “And don’t forget “ as your Godfather (and Uncle, and second cousin, once removed) I’ll be very angry if you get yourself killed.”
Harry gulped.
“Yes,” agreed Molly Weasley, “as Ron’s mother and Harry and Hermione’s significant motherly influence, I will be incredibly unimpressed if any of you die.”
The trio all looked at each other, nervously.
“Me too,” agreed Ginny, “as Harry’s ex-girlfriend and love interest, Ron’s sister and Hermione’s close friend, I will be furious if I never see you again.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione quivered.
“Now, now,” scolded Dumbledore. “Don’t put them under so much pressure.”
“Yes,” agreed Lupin. “They’re under enough stress as it is.”
“We’ll support you, no matter what happens,” added Tonks. “Now go get him, Tiger!”
Invigorated with energy and newfound determination, the trio all trooped upstairs to get some sleep, so they’d be rested and strong when it came time to get some real work done the next day.
They would get that Lord Voldemort, and they wouldn’t die trying.
The tension in the room was unnerving as the drama of the story unfolded, and Happy could just tell that this book would blow the public away.
Someone passed the only printed copy of ‘Harry Potter’ to the next person to read, and they all settled with some extra snacks, ready to continue with the story.
--:OoO:--
The Harry Potter Literary Storm
Chapter Seven, Part Three: The Final Search Begins
Chapter Forty-Two: Cactus
Considering the fact that the trio had all gone to bed at some point early in the afternoon, all three of them (even Ron) were wide awake by the time four thirty hit the following morning.
“So,” said Ron, “What should we do today?”
“I think today should be the day when we kill Voldemort’s last tiny fragment of soul,” said Harry, bravely.
“But how?” asked Hermione. “Last time we did that, you died too and the end result was that we had to bring Draco Malfoy back to life!”
“Well,” considered Harry, “I think this time, I won’t die. It’s as simple as that.”
Hermione and Ron looked at each other.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Ron. “So, where do you think we’ll find him?” Harry shrugged.
“Hermione?”
“I don’t know,” said Hermione worriedly.
A moment passed.
“Wait, I know!” exclaimed Hermione, excitedly. “Let’s go and check out the Riddle House.”
“Good idea, Hermione!” complimented Ron.
Five minutes later, at the Riddle House…
“Well,” said Harry, “this is interesting.”
“But there’s nothing here,” contradicted Hermione.
“You’re right,” agreed Ron. “I think we should look somewhere else.”
“But where?” asked Hermione.
“I don’t know,” said Ron worriedly.
A moment passed.
“Wait, I know!” exclaimed Ron, excitedly. “How about the Chamber of Secrets? There are sure to be secrets in the chamber reputed to contain secrets, right?”
“Good idea, Ron!” complemented Harry.
Almost an hour later, in the Chamber of Secrets…
“Well,” said Hermione, who had never been inside the Chamber before, “this is interesting.”
Thankfully, someone had removed Basil, the dead giant snake. The cement floor had been removed also, so the ground was covered in dirt.
In fact, chamber was completely empty, except for a small piece of paper on the centre of the floor and a humble grave stone. Harry and Ron looked at the grave, while Hermione picked up the paper.
Giant Snake From
A Time Almost as Old as Time Itself Until
He Met His Death at the Hands of an Insolent Child,
1993
“I have now been insulted on a grave stone,” commented Harry. “That’s got to be a record or something.” Ron nodded earnestly.
“Is there anything interesting and/or useful on that piece of paper, Hermione?” he asked. Hermione shook her head.
“It’s just information on giant snakes. Did you know that other snakes consider them half-bloods because they’re originally from chicken’s eggs?”
“No, I didn’t,” said Ron, who didn’t care.
“Also, did you know that giant snakes are considered to be the Princes of the reptilian kingdom, as opposed to giant man-eating lizards, who are the Princesses?”
“No, I didn’t,” said Ron, grinding his teeth, irritated. “And I really don’t care.”
Hermione looked like she would be angry for a moment, but then sighed.
“Yeah, me neither. It doesn't really make a difference (or explain) anything - after all, 'the Half-Blood Prince' is a term utterly irrelevant in the stories of our lives. There’s nothing here.”
“We’ll have to look in another place,” said Harry.
“But where?” asked Ron.
“I don’t know,” said Harry worriedly.
A moment passed.
“Wait, I know!” exclaimed Harry excitedly. “Let’s go and raid Lucius Malfoy’s personal belongings!”
“Good idea, Harry!” complemented Hermione.
About forty-five minutes later, in the Ministry for Magic, right outside Minister Malfoy’s office…
A little memo-plane flew into Malfoy’s office, and Harry, Ron and Hermione prayed this was an important one.
Thankfully, from inside the office came a growl, and Minister Malfoy soon walked out.
“What are you doing outside my office?” he demanded, as soon as he was out in the open.
“Err “ we were looking for you,” Harry lied, frustrated that they had not foreseen this confrontation.
“Why?” asked Lucius Malfoy suspiciously.
“Because “ umm…” Harry faltered and looked at Hermione.
“We want to talk to you about the budgeting,” said Hermione simply. Lucius scowled, and muttered something about Devil children, cups of pumpkin juice, and being back in an hour or two.
Harry, Ron and Hermione high-fived, as soon as he was out of sight, and snuck into his office.
It was a regular office, definitely not too shabby, but not the luxurious place one would expect of Minister Malfoy. On the desk were several trays, labelled,
In-Tray,
Out-Tray,
Personal Correspondence, and then
Very Personal, Private Correspondence for No One’s Eyes but the Minister’s.
They immediately started pulling stuff out of the last tray and throwing it all over the floor.
“There’s nothing here,” said Hermione, forlornly. “Nothing but letters from Draco and plans of the Knights of Walpurgis’ future heists and murders. See? Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Professor Bicycle Slughorn, Dumbledore, Ron, Ron,” she was flipping through assassination plans, “Argo Pyrites Slughorn, Ron again, Dumbledore, Pyrites, Pyrites, Ron, and there are about twenty for you, Harry.” She sighed, possibly reflecting on the fact that no one seemed to want her dead. “This is so disappointing. I felt sure that going through Lucius Malfoy’s belongings would turn up something at least vaguely interesting…”
“Hey!” exclaimed Harry, who was looking through Malfoy’s Personal Correspondence tray. “I think I found something that fits your description!”
Ron and Hermione went to look in the tray. Inside was what appeared to be a wooden stick of some sort, one end of which appeared burnt like it was a torch.
“You’re right!” agreed Ron. “That is vaguely interesting!” He reached forward for it.
“No, Ron!” cried Hermione. “You stupid“”
Both she and Harry lunged forward to try and push Ron away so he couldn’t reach the wooden object. However, since they had attacked from either side, all they did was squash Ron, who firmly grasped the torch with ease.
None of them knew what they should expect “ was the office going to explode? Would an alarm go off? Would Ron get charcoal on his hands?
It was none of these things. Suddenly, it was as if the room started spinning, and neither Harry nor Hermione could think of anything cleverer than to just hold tightly on to Ron. After several moments, the three fell to a dark, grassy ground. Around them were stones, and flowers, and in one direction there were some dark trees…
“It was a portkey,” commented Hermione, nervously.
“And now,” realised Ron, glancing around, “we’re in a grave yard!”
There was a pause.
“I think I’m noticing a pattern here,” muttered Harry, but Ron and Hermione ignored him.
“What should we do?” asked Ron.
“Pick up the torch again,” said Hermione, “see if it gets us back to the Ministry.”
Ron picked up the torch. Nothing happened.
“It didn’t work,” Ron told the other two, stating the obvious.
“What should we do?” Hermione asked no one in particular.
“Well, a good idea might be to let go of me?” suggested Ron. The other two, who had still been holding on, let go, and Harry drew his wand.
“Keep on alert,” he advised. “Just in case we get jumped by Knights of Walpurgis, or a creepy muggle called Martin Malovski Saint Clair turns up with a vial of vapour.”
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry strangely.
“Trust me,” he told them. “We’re in a strange, dark place, alone. Statistically speaking, it could happen. If someone tries to kill you, play dead and don’t do anything until I say the code word. And only if you’re really sure it was me. Okay?”
“Of course,” agreed Hermione.
“Yeah,” added Ron, “what kind of side kicks do you take us for “ stupid ones? Now, let’s call out loudly, and see if anyone notices we’re here…”
“No, it would be wiser to remain undetected,” contradicted Harry. “What we need is some idea of where we are…”
They decided to explore the grave yard, keeping close together, with wands out. After several minutes, Ron stopped abruptly, almost tripping.
“Ouch!” he exclaimed, annoyed.
“What happened?” asked Harry quietly, gazing around the perimeter, wand ready for some good cursing.
“I walked into this filing cabinet,” explained Ron, pointing at a filing cabinet, which stood directly before him. The trio inspected it.
It was a regular filing cabinet, with three drawers. The first one was marked, ‘Knights of Walpurgis Records’, and contained information as to the whereabouts and status of all the Knights of Walpurgis. The second drawer was marked, ‘Order of the Phoenix Records and Speculation’, and contained information about members and suspected members of the Order.
The third and final drawer was marked, ‘Personal Correspondence’, which the trio took as a good sign. Harry tugged open the drawer. The only item inside was a large piece of paper, folded in four.
“Do you think it’s another port key?” asked Hermione. Harry shook his head.
“There can’t be that many graveyards of personal significance to Voldemort,” he told her, confidently picking up the sheet of paper.
As he unfolded it, the sight that met their eyes was something they never would have expected. Something completely new and unpredictable.
It was completely blank.
“Well, turn it over, Harry!” urged Hermione. Harry flipped the paper over, to reveal the side with content. Over the paper were small arrows, from place to place, and informative illustrations. It looked almost like…
“A map,” said Harry. “It’s a map.”
--:OoO:--
There you go, guys! A pretty decently lengthed chapter. As usual, any questions are more than welcome at my Duelling Club thread, thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing (hint hint ^^) and I wish you the best of days!
Also, please stick around for 'Chapter Seven, Part Four: 'X' Marks the Spot'