Horcruxes
Stepping up to the front counter, Harry smiled. It was fun, after all, and he got to explore!
As he reached for the bell, a portly man appeared from nowhere behind the counter.
“So, are you ready to check out?” The man asked, his mustache wiggling a bit as he smiled.
Harry smiled back. “Yes, I'd like to purchase these.”
The man looked at the books before looking back up at Harry. “Not all of them called for you, did they?”
Harry’s eyes widened as the man said this. “W-well, I mean, no, not all of them, but most of them did, and the only ones that didn't are the ones that I got on alchemy!”
The man studies Harry for a moment. “Okay then. Just make sure they get to the one they call to. So, is that all?”
Harry nodded, and the man handed him the usual slip of paper, and he signed it quickly after looking at the price.
“Thank you, and have a nice day, mister Potter!”
Harry thanked the man as well and headed out, walking back over to Richard’s shop, ready to get his wands.
Once he stepped in, Harry smiled as Richard came up to him, the man’s phallic nose flopping a bit from his sudden movement.
“Ah, mister Potter! You're just on time! I just finished making your wands as you walked in! Come get them, and try them out!” As he spoke, he basically dragged Harry to the back. Once they were there, he gave him the two wands, and also strapped on two leather things to his forearms.
Harry seemed a bit confused by this, but quickly gave the first one, which he noticed was a pale white in color, a test, waving it happily. Light flared out of the wand, clearing out a few cobwebs and bringing with it a feeling of warmth. Dick walked over and grabbed the wand before Harry looked on as it was put on the leather arm thing and seemed to just go flush with his skin, but he could still tell it was there.
“Just give it a flick of the wrist, and it'll come to your hand. Once you wanna put it back, just let go of it. Won't prevent a disarming charm, but if you drop it before getting disarmed, you can avoid having your wand taken.”
Harry nodded, flicking out his wrist, and watching in amazement as his wand seemed to just appear in his hand, and how it seemed to just vanish back to the holder on his wrist when he let go of it.
Before he could get too distracted, Richard handed him the other wand.
This time, when he gave it a wave, the shadows seemed to flare out, cooling down the room to a not uncomfortable degree, just keeping the room from being hot, rather than freezing them.
Richard grinned. “Now then, just…”
Before he could finish, Harry dropped the wand, expecting it to go to the holder on his wrist. Instead, it just dropped to the floor.
Richard sighed. “As I was saying, just put it in the holder, and then you already know how the holder works, so I don't need to explain it again.”
Harry chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “S-sorry about that.”
“Don't worry. Now, how about you show me what books you got, and I can get the ritual supplies you may need for some of them while you go get a Notice-Me-Not Bag from Bob up the alley. His shop is a bit smaller, but he’s a good guy, and he can adjust it so the bag can only be seen by those you trust, and other such enchantments.”
Harry sighed. He seemed to have a lot of things to do before he was done.
So, Harry quickly offered to pay for the wands, but Richard just told him to go and get the bag, then just pay for all the things he needed to pay for when he got back. He then went off to Bob’s Enchanted Items.
Stepping in, the overwhelming feeling of raw magic power in the shop was not to be understated. Then, an average looking man stepped out from the back, chuckling.
“Hello there! Let me guess, you need something?”
Harry nodded, speaking a bit hesitantly. “U-um, yeah, I need to get a Notice-Me-Not Bag? And I'd like it to only be openable by me, and make sure I can show it to those I trust.”
The man, who Harry assumed to be Bob, nodded in response. “Alright then. Any other enchantments? Specific materials? Do you want it to be feather light, or have some expansion charms on it so you have more room? Do you want any other items?”
“Well, in order, maybe an enchantment to call whatever I need to grab to my hand when I put my hand in if the space inside is big enough, some sort of leather that can handle some rough treatment, yes to both those additional enchantments and no, not really.”
Instead of responding, the man pulled out a bag with a bunch of symbols sewn into it and handed it to him. “You'd be shocked by how many people make that specific order. Admittedly, most are adults with really rough jobs, but still, I have plenty of bags like that. You just need to flow your magic into it, and it'll key to you specifically, and that'll activate the enchantments. It'll expand to be as big as you need it to, and if someone can bypass the Notice-Me-Not charm, then only you can open it, and the defenses will be determined by your magic.”
Harry reached over, but before he could touch the bag, the man held it out of reach.
“Pay, then you get the bag.”
Harry nodded quickly, and after checking the price to make sure he wasn't getting scammed, signed the paper like he'd been doing more than once today. He then grabbed the bag and flowed his magic into it as best he could, making the bag shine for a moment before pulling down.
After saying goodbye, Harry went back to Richard’s and got all the things, putting them in his new bag. The books, the ritual resources, all of it. Then, he headed to the front of the alley. When he saw Percy standing outside of the alley, looking angry that he had to be there, he quickly put a scared expression on his face, having plenty of practice with making it from his relatives. And so, he ran up and hugged Percy tightly, shoving his face into the older teen’s lower chest. “P-percy, thank God! I was so scared while I was there! So many people were looking at me like some piece of meat!”
Percy's eyes widened, and he seemed to stiffen up for a moment as Harry basically jumped on him. Harry looked up as little as he could, not wanting the older boy to see that he was looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction.
Harry was shocked though as he saw genuine concern on the older boy’s face. Not some maniacal grin, or a look of disgust. Nor did he look like he was simply letting him stay there. Instead, he just seemed legitimately concerned.
That actually made Harry think. Percy was a prefect. He wanted to be Head Boy next year. He was an older brother.
All three positions had only a few things in common. They all held some power over others, they all had some form of responsibility, and…
And one of the biggest things for each of those positions was that they had to protect those they had authority over, and had to be there for them.
Percy legitimately cared. He legitimately cared about him and the other students.
Percy then wrapped an arm around Harry, making the boy tear up a bit, this time legitimately
Percy pulled away first. “What happened in there?”
Harry sniffled, though likely for a different reason than Percy assumed. “T-the people there looked at me weirdly, and I ended up taking a wrong turn out of the place where the Floo took me, and… and I couldn't figure out which way to go for a while, a-and I was scared!”
Percy hugged Harry again, running a hand through his hair. A surprisingly rough hand. Guess having Fred and George as younger brothers does give you rougher hands.
“It's alright. You're gonna be okay. Think you can handle your shopping on your own, or do you want someone else with you?”
Harry thought about it for a moment. He was pretty sure he could trust Percy at this point, so maybe he'd tell the older boy about his new book, but he still had other people to check, even just among the Weasley family.
“Can I go and do that with Fred and George? I'll get the money from my vault first, and then I'll buy my school things with them, okay?”
Percy nods, handing him his key. “Okay then. Here's your key. I got it off of Mom before coming to wait here. Figured you'd want it back.”
Harry quickly grabbed the key. “Y-yeah, but how did she get it?”
Percy looked legitimately confused. “You gave it to her, didn't you?”
Harry shook his head. “N-no, I didn't.”
Percy now looked alarmed for a moment before his expression hardened. “Well then, you should really hold onto it then. Wouldn't want anyone to steal from you.”
Harry nodded, tightening his grip on the key. It would definitely be going in his bag when he was done at the bank. Then, a thought came to him.
“Do I look okay?” Harry asked Percy, legitimately curious and concerned.
Percy raised an eyebrow, looking Harry up and down. “You look no different than usual. Maybe a bit winded and panicked, but nothing you wouldn't expect after that ordeal.”
Harry did his best to not look confused. He knew there were differences to his appearance. He'd seen them.
But then he thought about the gem he'd been given. Valerie had recommended a trip to Gringotts.
“Just wanted to make sure I didn't look too frazzled. I don't need to give the twins more things to tease me with.”
Percy nodded, smiling a bit. “Yeah, I can understand that. It ain't too fun when they get new material for messing with you. I should know, I've lived with them their entire lives.”
Harry smiled back, feeling legitimately calm and happy. He decided at that moment that he'd tell Percy a bit. He wouldn't reveal everything, but he'd at least make sure Percy wouldn't worry too much.
Still wouldn't be telling him about any of the illegal stuff. He wasn't stupid enough to think Percy wouldn't snitch.
If the twins weren't against him, he'd definitely tell them though. They knew how to keep a secret.
So, Harry went over to Gringotts and got in line. Or, he tried to. Instead, a weird feeling washed over him, and one of the guards pointed their halberd at him.
“You appear to have something on you that the Goblin Nation would rather keep off their lands.”
Harry looked confused, thinking through everything he had on him. It took a moment of thinking before his eyes widened and he took the black gem out of his pocket.
“I did not come to place it upon your lands. I simply wish to get some of my gold and talk to a goblin about my vaults.”
Harry looked around, astounded that nobody took notice of his little interaction with the guard. Did it have something to do with that feeling he'd felt as he walked in?
The guard observed him for a moment before escorting him over to one of the tellers as another one walked past to take his place at the doors.
As Harry was led deeper into the halls of Gringotts, he saw all the symbols and stone portrayals of battles from the Goblin Nation’s past. It was all quite amazing to look at.
He was eventually brought out of his thoughts by the goblin gripping his arm roughly, making him flinch. The guard didn't care though, and brought him into a room. An office. Before he could question it, another goblin, this one behind the desk, cleared his throat.
“So, you brought a bloody Horcrux into our halls.”
Harry nodded absentmindedly. Not a good idea, as the goblin’s eyes narrowed and he grabbed a flayed mace on his desk. Harry quickly started speaking, wishing to avoid his skull being caved in.
“W-wait! I didn't bring it here to conceal it. I brought it by accident. It was recently removed, along with many compulsions and potions that had been on me. If you have a way to destroy it, then feel free to do so. There might be more though. More for this person who’s soul fragment is in this gem!”
At that, the gem flew out of his hand, and into the goblin’s hand, and he began to observe it.
“There's also a blood glamor on this.”
Harry nodded his head. “I had guessed that considering nobody had commented on my new appearance. Would it be possible to transfer the blood glamor to a different item before you destroy the Horcrux?”
The goblin nodded slowly. “We can do that for a fee. Do you have an item, or will Gringotts need to provide one for you?”
Harry thought for a second before sighing. “I'll need to get one from you. How much will all of it be? The blood glamor transfer, the new item, the destruction of the Horcrux and potentially checking if there are more portions of his soul around, if that's possible.”
The goblin grunted. “Well, the Horcrux can be handled free of charge due to us not having to hunt it down. As for the blood glamor transfer, that'll be 4 galleons, and checking for more of those bloody things will be 3 more galleons if you wish to know the location of each of them, and only one galleon and three sickles if you only wish to know how many there are, not counting the main soul.”
Harry nodded. “Alright. Let's go with simply telling me how many there are, counting the one in the gem. Also, would it be possible to have a scroll that tells me when they've been destroyed, or if an item placed on it is or was one?”
The goblin smirked, the expression sending a shutter down Harry’s spine. “We can do that for an extra fee. No lower than two galleons for such a thing. If you wish, we can remove the Horcrux from any item you bring us without needing to destroy it. Most would simply ask for the easy way out.”
Harry shrugged. “I don't mind a challenge with this. Besides, I'd rather put the fear of God into this person if given the chance.”
The goblin nodded, respecting the dedication to destroying one’s enemies as he used his magic to teleport it to the Curse Breaker and Artifact Divisions.
Harry then remembered something he'd been told about.
“Also, how much for an Inheritance Test?” Harry asked, wanting to have more information on what he was born with.
The goblin raised an eyebrow but pulled out a dagger and a roll of parchment. In fact, the dagger seemed to be the same type as the one Valerie had used on him.
“If you wish for us to give you your hair rings alongside it, then it should be about eight galleons and enough of your blood to coat the blade.”
Harry nodded, picking up the blade. Before continuing, he asked a question. “Does this heal you after you cut yourself with it?”
The goblin nodded, but before he could speak further, Harry drove it into his own forearm, flinching a bit as he did so. When he pulled it out, the blade was covered in his own blood, and the wound sealed itself shut, but did leave a scar.
“N-now, where do I sign the pay slip?” Harry asked, trying to ignore the shaking in his left hand.
The goblin stared in wide eyed shock as he called out in Gobbledygook before handing him a slip and stabbing the knife into the roll of parchment.
After Harry signed the paper, it disappeared, and a few moments later, a goblin dressed in an orange and gray set of robes stepped in and began looking at his left arm, muttering in Gobbledygook as they looked it over. After a moment of this, they looked up at Harry, who was just confused. “Why you stab dominant hand?”
Harry was confused. “W-what? No, I'm ambidextrous.”
“Wand arm.”
“No, I have one for each hand.”
Both goblins looked at each other for a moment before looking at the sheet of paper rolled up on the desk with the dagger sticking out of it.
The answers would be there. But first, the goblin had to do his job. They quickly grabbed Harry’s arm before running their claw over the scar over the wound, muttering in some other language. Harry couldn't recognize it, at least. Then, the wound reopened, and Harry would have jumped back if not for the hand holding him in place. The goblin's claw continued moving over the now open wound, and even began to glow as something came out of the wound before flames appeared over the wound. This had Harry struggling against the tight grip of the goblin, but he didn't have the strength to do so. Not right now. The flames didn't burn normally though. It felt more like when he would have to disinfect his own wounds as a child. The flames then began to cause the skin and muscle to contract and stitch itself together. It took longer than the knife, but Harry’s arm felt much better. His hand no longer shook in anything other than slight terror at what had just happened.
The goblin behind the desk scowled at him. “If you'd let me finish before being a fool, I would have told you that it heals surface wounds, like shallow cuts, not deep stab wounds, like what you just did. All it did was heal the skin over the wound. You could have damaged your arm quite badly with that little stunt, boy.”
Harry actually got a little sheepish at that. “S-sorry, I'm used to a bit of pain, and you were saying it heals wounds it inflicts, so I figured this would be the quickest way to coat it with my blood.”
The goblin healer sighed. “Foolish children.”
Harry nodded, practically hearing Hermione telling him he was a dumbass in the back of his head.
After a few moments of waiting, the scroll of parchment turned pitch black and there was no more blood on the blade.
Both human and goblin looked at the parchment before the goblin reached over and pulled the dagger out, the parchment seeming to have never been stabbed. Harry could almost tell it wasn't the blade that had fixed the parchment. The goblin then handed Harry the scroll.
“Read it first. It's your information, so you should know what you came here to learn,” the goblin said with a grin.
Harry nodded, taking the parchment. His left hand was no longer shaking.
Name
Harry James Potter-Black
Immediate Family
Lily Potter nee. Evans(Mother)(Deceased)
James Fleamont Potter (Father)(Deceased)
Regulus Arcturus Potter-Black (Father)(Deceased)
Sirius Orion Black (Godfather)(Incarcerated)
Alice Longbottom nee. Carrow (Godmother)(Incapacitated)
Titles
Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter(Paternal)
Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black(Paternal)
Heir of the Most Ancient and Revered House of Peverell(Paternal)
Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin(Conquest of Paternal Blood)(Incomplete)
Vaults
Potter Main Vault
Trust Vault of Harry James Potter
Black Heir Vault
Peverell Heir Vault
Slytherin Heir Vault
Properties
Godric’s Hollow
Potter Manor
13 Grimmauld Place
Temple of Arawn
Temple of the Dagda
Temple of Lugh
Bloodline Abilities
Metamorph magus
Parselmouth
Parselmagic
Twin Cores(caused by Horcrux)
Soulmates
Unknown
Harry looked at some of this in confusion. Why did it say he had more than one father? If he had Godparents, why hadn't he been told of them? And what was that about Incapacitated? What happened to his Godmother?! His mother and other father were still dead. He'd have to fix that later. Maybe the goblin would be able to help him understand some of this.
“Hey, um, real quick question, what's your name?” Harry asked, not wanting to continue only addressing the being in front of him as Goblin.
“Goretooth. Now, what are your questions, cause I have no doubt you have some,” the now named Goretooth responded without looking away from Harry.
Harry, in response, just nodded. “Okay, I’ll start with a basic one: what's with the temples listed under properties?”
The goblin gestured for Harry to hand him the test. After looking over it for a moment, he sighed. “Okay, I can already predict multiple of your questions. To answer the one you just asked, it's referring to temples dedicated to the gods your ancestors worshiped. Most don't have a full temple as one of their properties though. You may want to explore them.”
Harry nodded, clearly invested. Goretooth continued. “Another question I'm willing to bet you have is about the claim to Slytherin’s Lordship, seeing as the last to hold such a position was the one you defeated as a baby.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “W-wait, so I not only had part of Voldemort inside of me, but I also have his old title?!”
The goblin nodded. “Yes, it's through a Rite of Conquest. Once you truly defeat him, you will become the Lord of the House.”
“But what about it saying Paternal Blood?” Harry asked, feeling like that was important.
“That's because one of your fathers is descended from the same line. Namely, the Slytherin line. Otherwise, you would also have the Gaunt Heirship.”
Harry nodded slowly, trying to keep himself calm. Had the hat known somehow? Was that why it wanted to put him in Slytherin? He wasn't in Slytherin though! He was a Gryffindor!
Well, technically, he was a Gryffindor student and a Slytherin by blood apparently, but that wasn't the point.
Regardless, he decided to throw out the next question. Before he could though, a goblin burst through the door, shouting in Gobbledygook. At the words being said, Goretooth seemed to get angrier by the moment until he began shouting out something in an authoritative voice.
The goblin that came in nodded and ran off. Before Harry could ask what was going on, the goblin grinned. “Looks like you won't have to worry about finding at least one of those damned things. Apparently, one of our esteemed clientele decided to disregard one of our laws and kept a Horcrux here. One of the ones you happen to be looking for.”
Harry’s eyes widened as he jumped out of his seat. “Can I watch you guys getting rid of it? Also, how did they sneak it past the doors?”
Goretooth nodded, gesturing for Harry to follow him. “We will allow you to see the removal. As for how, it would have to have been with the assistance of a goblin. The doorway is made with Goblin Magic, and only a Goblin’s magic could bypass it.”
Harry followed without hesitation. “If you're unable to catch the culprit by next summer, I may be able to help. I will try and figure out a spell that can show us who did this.”
This made Goretooth pause for a moment before responding. “If you find a method sooner than next summer, send us a letter. We will compensate you for your assistance, as we will for bringing the Horcruxes to our attention. In fact, a quarter of the gold from the Lestrange Vault shall be yours, along with any magic items and books that are not of goblin craft.”
Harry’s eyes widened for a moment. Based on what he'd seen, any vault with a family name tied to it likely had a lot of money, so he was considering just how much he might get from this trip. This could be worried about later. For now, there was a Horcrux to see destroyed!
After a few minutes of speed walking, the duo arrived at a door made of stone. Goretooth simply stepped up and placed his hand on the door before pushing lightly, causing the thing to open rather easily.
Inside the room, Harry saw a couple goblins, a golden cup with the Hufflepuff Crest on it, and…
There was a Weasley. A very attractive Weasley.
Harry really hoped this one was a good person!
The redhead in question quickly noticed Harry and Goretooth enter, giving them each a small bow.
“Greetings, Guard Supervisor Goretooth. May your gold ever flow.”
Goretooth nodded in respect. “Greetings, Curse Breaker Bloodflare. May your enemies all fall to your blade.”
With that, the hot guy apparently named Bloodflare turned to Harry. “Hello there. I've heard a little bit about you from a few other people. You seem a bit different though. The birth name’s Bill Weasley. I'm a Curse Breaker, and the person getting rid of the Horcrux in this old Artifact, and that little gem.”
Harry nodded slowly, already a little more okay with the man in front of him, and a little less confused by his name and appearance. It had nothing to do with him being nice on top of being hot. Definitely not! It did raise some other questions though.
And so, Harry was ushered behind a protective wall inscribed with various runes that Harry didn't understand.
That was until Bill began to chant, and some of the goblins, also behind the wall like Harry was, began to croak out words, their voices filled with power as they spoke. As they did so, a translucent barrier came up along the walls, forming a dome. As it was shitting though, Harry was pushed in, and a few other goblins entered as well, each holding weapons that gave off feelings of immense power.
Harry looked back in concern, seeing a grinning Goretooth with his hand extended. “The vengeance is yours to have~”
With no other warning, Harry turned back to the ritual, pulling out his right wand out of fear for the most part.
Then, the gem seemed to begin melting, the gem forming a physical body as the melted bits grew into a larger pool of the shining red liquid that the body formed from, and the Cup began to overflow with a thick, black liquid, almost like tar, with that viscous liquid all pooling in front of the now tense Goblin Warriors and Harry. As the bodies began to be fully formed, and the chant finally died down, Bill’s wand instantly appeared in his hand, with the stick almost seeming twisted, and his body seemed to relax to Harry’s eyes. To the goblins though, they could see the slight tension in his legs and wand arm.
The liquid at the two figures' feet began to flow up each of their forms, filling in the finer details of their bodies and faces whilst also giving the two forms clothing. The final bit of each pool solidified, extending into their hands before taking the form of a wand.
Both copies of the one that had taken his mother and father.
Before Harry could think on this any more, he began to feel a little dizzy. This confused him quite a bit, seeing as he had been fina just a moment before. That was when Bill launched a spell out against the serpent-like Dark Lord fragments.
This wasn't going to be that easy though as the one that had been in him previously seemingly grabbed the spell, causing it to shine in its grip while also seeming to give it an even greater level of power.
Bill cursed. “Fuck, of course these ones would have abilities! Assume the red one has some sort of spell negation for now, and be careful!”
Before Bill could continue giving out orders, he was forced to block a spell, gracefully flowing into the wand movements for a spell Harry didn't recognize. The figure from the cup did though as it raised its wand, forming a barrier that still seemed a little weaker than the one being used by the goblins to contain the fight. It was enough to deflect the spell though, sending it flying towards one of the goblins in the room. The smaller being slashed into the spell with the Halberd he was holding, forcing it towards the ground where it seemed to almost burn it. Not a fire burn though, an acid burn.
In the same movement that it had used to deflect the spell, the facsimile of Voldemort’s true power launched out a bolt of lightning at Bill!
Harry, not wanting to see someone get struck by literal lightning, lunged in front of Bill, trying to copy the flick of the wand Cup-Mort had used to deflect the spell. Unfortunately, the spell didn't work, and Harry was quickly hit with a bolt of lightning, screaming out in pain from the electricity coursing through his body. As the pain passed, Harry could feel his muscles twitching. He'd managed to keep a grip on his wand though, and quickly used a Flippendo charm he'd been forced to learn to launch himself out of the way of a secondary strike from way too close! The sudden movement made the Boy-Who-Lived dizzy and a little bit nauseous. More so than usual, at the very least.
You see, as Harry had been knocked to the ground, this distracted Bill long enough for the portion of Voldemort to land a good bit on Bill. Lucky for him, the shadow hadn't used the Killing Curse. Instead, it had used a Blood-Boiling Curse, which left the Curse Breaker unable to stand as he coughed up the bubbling liquid now flowing through his veins. He had to stop it quickly, meaning he had to focus on it. His hands were shaking though, and he was starting to feel a bit dizzy. Maybe it had to do with the thing’s ability? If it was, then he had a bit of an advantage. So, he began to cast overpowered cooling charms on his body, frost beginning to creep over his form.
In the time it took him to do this though, the figure began to move towards Harry. It had its creator's personality, and wanted to see the brat that had stopped it from striking down his enemy die up close and personal.
The figure quickly cast a spell. A Bone-Breaker Curse. Harry ended up noticing the attack coming, putting a lot of magic into a Flippendo on the ground, launching himself away from the attack, but also knocking the weaker version of the Dark Lord off balance.
One of the goblins, who had been trying to find an opening in either opponents’ guards, saw the loss of balance, but as he lunged in with a spear in hand to stab the bastard through the chest, he began to stumble, losing his balance as he got close. He was more used to this feeling though, so he still managed to land a blow, if only a glancing one.
Due to being close though, and because of the lack of coordination at the moment, the goblin didn't have time to put up a guard as the Horcrux fired off a Bombarda Curse at point blank range, launching back the now heavily wounded goblin back into the barrier, only just barely conscious.
In the time this took, Harry had recovered enough to start moving. Not gracefully, but he could move. He used this to get over to the injured goblin. It seemed the smaller being was gonna be out of the fight. Realizing the spear might be useful, he picked it up, extremely shocked when the spear resized itself to be a proper fit for his size.
So, with a spear in his left hand, and his wand in his right, he prepared to charge at Cup-Mort, not caring about his lack of balance.
“Wait! Switch opponents!” Bill shouted out with a grin. “I think I figured out its ability, and you may be a bit more useful against the other one!”
Harry nodded, rather confused as he stumbled over to the fight against the other piece of Voldemort they were facing at the moment as Bill strutted over to face the other opponent. His hands were beginning to shake from him keeping the Blood Boiling Curse manageable. He would have to hold his own until all of them could attack together.
“Well? Come on! Did you really think a weak spell like that would keep me down?” Bill said, trying to sound like it really had just been nothing to him, despite the pain he was in at the moment.
Deciding to make the one he was facing even more angry, he turned to Harry.
“By the way, the spell he used earlier was the Protego Charm. The wand motion is raising your wand like you're blocking with a sword, and you need to focus on a feeling of protection and safety if you want it to come up reliably,” Bill said, chuckling under his breath as he saw the one he was facing scowl at him. The next thing that happened shocked him a bit.
“You will not ignore Lord Voldemort, insolent boy!” The shadowed figure exclaimed in a raspy voice.
Bill tried to play it off casually, but the figure being able to talk meant it was powerful enough to bring out Unforgivables. “Well, I'm shocked that such a weak little thing can actually speak.”
“I have no need for jesters, so there is no need for you to continue breathing.”
Knowing he had to react quickly, Bill started moving, his own fighting style lending itself to facing this opponent rather well. As he stumbled, a bright green spell was flung at him. The Killing Curse.
Bill forced himself to stumble again, managing to just barely dodge the incoming death sentence.
Before the piece of the Dark Lord’s soul could prepare another spell, Bill fired out two stunners and a bone breaker curse at the Horcrux he was facing. Unfortunately for Bill, his opponent was still considered a match for Dumbledore, even in a weakened state. The two stunners were redirected into two of the goblins fighting the other Horcrux, with only one being blocked with the goblin-made weapon being wielded. This made the fight against the red soul fragment that much more difficult, as there was one less person keeping the bastard occupied.
Instead of simply using a Protego for the Bone Breaker, Cup-Mort decided to show off and inspire fear as it did so by catching the spell on the tip of his wand mid movement, altering the color of the spell. It seemed to still hold the color from the bone breaker though. Bill quickly realized what was going on and started to realize just how bad this was going to be.
The Horcrux had combined the Bone Breaker sent against it with a Bombarda, basically forming a spell that would cause the bones to explode within the body of whoever was hit by it. More than enough to kill him. He knew he wouldn't be able to deflect it normally. He needed something a little better for this. He needed a shield!
Time seemed to slow down for Bill as he took in everything around him. He needed something!
That's when he saw it. One of the other goblins had a shield!
He just really hoped the guy would forgive him after this. Maybe he'd buy him a drink to make it up to him.
So, he quickly used a quick Accio Charm, putting as much magic into it as he could to draw it to him faster. It managed to reach him just fast enough for him to block it. He wasn't able to knock it off course to hit one of the two soul fragments though. Guess it would be a bit harder than that.
Meanwhile, while that encounter was going on, the group of seven goblins that weren't out of commission and Harry were fighting the weaker of the two soul fragments. Even with it being weaker though, it was still holding its own against the group fighting against it.
Harry heard something impact the barrier though, and even heard a small cracking sound. When he looked over, he saw a fading greed light and some spider web cracks along the glowing walls of magic.
He didn't have much time to think on this though as he was forced to start moving again by the Horcrux that had once been a part of him attempting to hit him with another lightning bolt. He wasn't exactly desperate to find out how well he could handle a second lightning strike, so he quickly attempted to use the Protego Charm again. “Protego!” He called out as he raised his wand as he'd seen in at least one movie with a sword fight in it.
Unfortunately, he made a mistake in the simple wand movement, resulting in only a flickering barrier that was unable to hold up against the power the Horcrux of the Dark Lord could bring to bear.
At that moment, all Harry could think about was that he didn't want the lightning to further him. He didn't want to experience the extreme shock!
In response to this, his magic began to flow through his body, altering its own structure to make him almost rubber-like, causing the lightning he'd been hit with to feel more like a static shock than an unbearable amount of energy like the first one had. Harry was, understandably, confused.
“W-what? How come that one didn't hurt that much?”
Before he could think about it any more, the Horcrux fired another spell, this time, it was a Severing Curse, and he heard a body hit the floor, barely having the time to register a goblin getting knocked out by a spell that had been deflected by the other Horcrux. The spell began to tear into the ground, and Harry thrust forward with the spear in his grip. He could feel the spell pushing him back for a moment, and he could tell he needed more strength to deal with the attack. This time, he could actually feel his magic flowing differently. It felt closer to how it felt to use Transfiguration, but also different. More powerful. More natural. Then, he felt it begin to get easier to hold back the spell.
His magic was making him stronger!
Once he could do so, he pushed the spell back and away from him, a bit of a grin beginning to come to his face. His heart racing, he began to run forward, his magic responding a bit faster as he wanted to move in faster to try and capitalize on the Horcrux’s visible shock from what Harry had done.
As Harry got in close enough, he wound back before swinging the spear towards the fragment of the Dark Lord as a goblin in the background, looking on while panting, had the shield on its arm pulled over to Bill at a faster rate than he'd expected, resulting in a minor friction burn.
Harry couldn't focus on that though as he swung. He wasn't fast enough though, as the smallest fragment of Voldemort’s soul simply flicked his wand and lightly tapped his foot on the ground to raise a wall of stone in the past of Harry’s attack. To the shock of both of them though, Harry’s muscles visibly bulked up, and the spear, being filled with Harry’s magic, shifted its form just a bit, the blade becoming longer and sharper before cutting through the wall of stone. Voldemort managed to jump back enough to avoid a fatal blow, but Harry still left a cut on the Horcrux that had previously been inside of him. And not a shallow one either.
Before Harry or any of the goblins that Voldemort had been holding off during Harry’s little struggle with its Severing Curse could capitalize on this further, the now bleeding Horcrux unleashed a burst of power, almost like an omnidirectional Flippendo. Harry was pushed back the least, still in his bulked up form, and managed to slam the shaft of the spear into the stone floor, keeping himself rooted to the spot.
After that attack, the Horcrux was visibly winded. Already feeling the strain on his body from both the magical alterations and the massively powerful repulsion charm, Harry knew he wouldn't be able to fight much longer. He pulled out the spear as quickly as he could while running forward. This time, the Horcrux didn't have the energy to raise a wall, and tried to jump back, but Harry was moving faster, and quickly plunged the spear through the chest of his arch enemy. The Horcrux coughed heavily, a black liquid rising from its throat. That's when the scream happened, and Harry flinched from the ear piercing sound as a black smoke rose from the now fading body. With nothing on the other end of the spear to hold him up, Harry just stumbled forward, managing to stand for only a few seconds before his body returned to normal and he fell to the floor. He was still conscious, but his body hurt like all hell.
“Yep, definitely gonna feel that in the morning.”
Meanwhile, back with Bill’s fight, Bill was preparing to dodge even more, as the dizziness began to get to him, and he could begin to feel the nausea as well. That's when the other Voldemort fragments fired off the omnidirectional Flippendo, knocking both Bill and the other Horcrux off guard. Bill was more used to such things though, and managed to recover quickly, forcing his magic through his body to steady himself before, with a grin on his face, flowing though complex wand movements. Then, a few cuts appeared on Cup-Mort. Then, a few more. The cuts began to bleed black blood somewhat quickly as they appeared. The Horcrux seemed confused and annoyed as it spoke.
“Did you think a few cuts would be enough to take down Lord Voldemort?!”
“No, but that's not the end of the spell,” Bill spoke as he made one more wand movement. A simple flick of his wand, the exact way you would flick a match across a surface to make it light up.
The blood-like substance from all the wounds then began to burst into flames, making the figure scream in agony and wrath.
“I will not be taken down by some simple flames like this! Now suffer the consequences of opposing me! Avada Kedavra!” The Horcrux screamed out, the green light flowing from the tip of its wand. Instead of dodging normally, Bill instead simply fell to the floor, thoroughly exhausted as the Killing Curse, only just powerful enough to form, hit the barrier and barely left a dent as the flames consumed the blood and magic of the ones they burned. The black smoke rose from this figure, different from the smoke of the flames coating its form as a scream rose from its form, and instead of fading like the other, turned to ash under the power of the Bloody Flames.
The room was silent for a moment before Bill chuckled. “Good job remembering not to fire any spells at the bastard. And I'm shocked to see a goblin made weapon accept you so easily.”
Harry chuckled before clutching his side, only now noticing the fact that he'd likely broken at least a few ribs as the adrenaline wore off. “Y-yeah, I mostly just didn't have any spells that I could think of that could kill it. And does that mean I can keep the spear?”
Bill shrugged. “Not like we could take it from you. It would just come to you again anyways. Just remember to return it to the Goblin Nation when you die.”
Harry nodded. “Sure, I guess.”
The goblins on the outside lowered the barrier, and a group of goblin healers walked over to the various people who had been injured.
Harry began to relax a bit as the healer that had healed him before came up to him, looking disgruntled.
“Hey, I didn't ask your name before,” Harry said, a little light headed after the whole battle.
The goblin healer grunted, though they did look a bit shocked. “Surprised you recognized it was me. Most can't tell the difference.”
Harry chuckled a bit, grunting as the pain from his ribs started flaring up again. “Don't know how. There are always differences. Now, what's your name?”
The healer sighed as they started working on Harry. “Healer Soulgrind.”
Harry nodded. “Thanks, Soulgrind. I'll let you do your work now, and then I can go get some money for my school shopping.”
Soulgrind shook their head. “Impatient boy.”
At that moment, a smaller looking goblin burst through the door.
“Mr. Potter, the audit Valerie requested on your behalf is ready!”
Goretooth looked at Harry with a look of noticeable irritation, not taking his eyes off of Harry as he spoke. “Well, once Mr. Potter is healed, he can go look at those numbers.”