Chapter 36
“Wake up, wake up.”
Harry jumped awake to Professor Snape, Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle standing over him.
“Wh-what’s going on?” Harry stammered.
“Your parents house was attacked, Mr Potter.” Snape said seriously.
“What?” Harry gasped, getting out of bed quickly and putting on his dressing gown.
“They’re alive and well,” Snape confirmed, “just very shocked.”
“What- how?”
Snape grabbed Harry’s elbow and led him out of the dorm and into the common room. His room mates followed behind, muttering in concern.
“Sit down, Mr Potter.” Snape demanded.
Harry obeyed, grabbing onto Draco’s hand who sat down close next to him. Draco squeezed his hand and Harry squeezed back, holding it tight like a comforting anchor.
“What happened, please sir?” Harry begged.
“Between 7 and 8, unknown masked forces invaded the Potter Manor, they stunned your parents and they awoke in the hour to find nothing in the house taken or destroyed, all except your fathers office.” Snape explained slowly.
“My fathers office?” Harry repeated.
“Indeed.”
Harry looked at Draco with wide eyes, Draco looked just as shocked.
“Oh Merlin,” Harry gasped, “I know what they were doing, sir.”
Snape raised an eyebrow. “Alastor Moody is currently interviewing your parents, if you know anything I believe he is the man to talk too.”
“It’s Dumbledore, isn’t it?” Blaise whispered loud enough for Snape to hear.
“It can’t have been anyone else, I was with Riddle last night.” Harry nodded.
Snape quirked his lip slightly and excused himself so the boys could talk privately. “Come to my office when you’re done Potter, you can use my floo network to see your parents.”
“Thank you so much, sir.” said Harry. Snape only bowed his head slightly then walked out.
“Dumbledore’s after the prophecy, that can only be the answer.” Harry rushed out. “He’s going to get it then give it to- to Voldemort.”
“But it isn’t in the orb anymore, how could they get it if it’s not in anything?” Blaise asked.
“We left it in the pensieve and my dad hasn’t used it since.”
“Dumbledore’ll probably put his head in, see the prophecy, use that spell where he can extract a memory from his mind, put it in his own pensieve and then Vol- You Know Who can see it too.” Goyle said. It was the smartest thing Harry had ever heard him say.
Blaise frowned. “Does that mean Voldemort doesn’t know the whole prophecy if he’s making Dumbledore get it for him?”
“That must be it.” Harry agreed. “Then how did he hear the first part? I don’t remember seeing him in the pub in the prophecy.”
“Snape was there.” Draco commented. “He used to be a Death Eater, like my father. Maybe he was spying and told Voldemort what he heard.”
“He’s a double crosser?” Harry frowned.
“Huh?”
“Well…” Harry licked his lips. “My parents mentioned Snape being at Order meetings, the ones that worked against Voldemort.”
“How the plot thickens.” Crabbe breathed out.
“So lemme get this straight.” Blaise said. “Dumbledore or whoever works for him invaded the Potter’s house so he could take the prophecy then give it to Voldemort?” They all nodded. “I get that part, but why would Voldemort want Dumbledore to get him the prophecy when Dumbledore was the one that heard it in the first place?”
Harry groaned and leaned back on the couch so he was staring at the ceiling. “I don’t know, it’s all too confusing.”
“It’s hard to believe that the lightest wizard of the century is really working with the darkest one.” Draco snorted, leaning back too.
Crabbe hummed. “What would Dumbledore even want from You Know Who?”
That’s what Harry and his parents were wondering, and the reason they were doing this whole plan. The reminder of his parents made Harry worry, they hadn’t replied to his mirror call and now their house was invaded and the prophecy was most likely gone. He should never have gotten angry at them mere hours ago, they would never have left him alone like that if they were in trouble.
“Welp, I’m going to Snape’s office.” Harry groaned, getting up from the couch. “Don’t stay up, I’ll try and see as much as I can.”
“Good luck, Harry.” Blaise hugged him goodbye.
“Try not to get into trouble.” snorted Draco.
Harry laughed. When had he ever done that?
If James Potter’s office was one thing, it was definitely thoroughly searched.
Books were ripped from the shelves, file cabinets were open with papers thrown messily on the floor, picture frames were smashed carelessly, and the expensive Georgian curtains were torn and ripped from the hooks. Harry took the catastrophe in but his eyes were glued to the pensieve. Looking inside it, it had lost that pretty blue colour Harry remembered seeing when he had poured in the prophecy.
Moody grunted and took Harry’s arm where he then aparated them to Sirius and Remus’s house. Harry rarely came here since his godparents practically lived at the Potter Manor but it was familiar enough not to make Harry feel uncomfortable.
Moody knocked on the front door three times and Sirius answered it with his wand raised and a suspicious expression.
“What did I say after you gave me my first operation?” Sirius asked Moody.
“‘Why the fuck would I do that?’ Then you did it anyway.”
Sirius nodded then turned to Harry. "What was your first word?"
"Moomy." Harry answered, paling slightly.
Sirius sighed in relief and opened the door wider for the two males. Sirius pulled Harry in for a hug when he was close enough and squeezed him so tight Harry had to push him off.
“I’m so glad you’re alright, Prongslet. You can’t imagine the-“ he took a deep breath and pressed a long kiss on Harry’s forehead. -we’re just happy you’re safe.”
“What happened, Paddy?” Harry frowned.
Sirius led him to the lounge room where his parents were sitting on the couch wrapped in each others arms. Harry’s mum had her head nestled into her husbands neck and he was mumbling something to her soothingly.
“Mum, dad.” Harry said, rushing towards them.
They looked up and his mum opened her arms and hugged him long and hard. His dad joined in too.
“We’re so sorry we couldn’t stay on the mirror, we were worried sick.” She told him.
“I’m okay, I’m safe.” Harry reassured them. “I’m more worried about you two, what happened?”
His dad told him what Snape said had happened, they knew the masked wizards and witches were Voldemorts but Dumbledore was ‘borrowing them’. Moody huffed when they explained that Dumbledore was after the prophecy that was still in the pensieve, Harry commented on his and his friends theories and they matched.
“Blaise wondered why Dumbledore would need to retrieve the prophecy when he was there when Trelawney told him it.” Harry said.
“It was Trelwaney, was it?” His dad snorted. “I always thought she was a lier.”
“So did we, and she’s my divination teacher!” Harry laughed.
“Voldemort must want the truth, and the only truth he must trust is if the prophecy comes from that orb, or what was in the orb.” His mum commented.
Everyone jumped when the fireplace turned bright green and Remus appeared, covered in soot. He was in a thin cotton shirt and flannel pyjama pants, he obviously had just come out of bed.
“I came as soon as I heard.” He flustered.
Harry’s dad stood to hug him and thank him. “We appreciate this, Moony.”
“Course, anything for my favourite family.” Remus winked. “Severus filled me in on what happened, is anyone hurt?”
“Only my office.”
“Shit, did they find anything?”
James threaded a hand through his hair. “They took the prophecy Harry and his friends looked at in my pensieve.”
“Fuck.” Remus answered bluntly. Sirius took his boyfriends hand and led him to the kitchen for some tea.
“Want something, Harry?” Sirius asked. “Hot chocolate maybe? Or we have chai tea?”
“Hot chocolate please, with cinnamon.” replied Harry.
Lily led Harry’s head to her shoulder and she stroked his hair. “Tell us what happened with Riddle, my sweet? We were attacked up to when you said you’d make a paperclip your Horcrux.”
“Oh yeah.” Harry laughed at the memory. “I made him pretty speechless, I think. We talked about how to make a Horcrux and I asked about necromancy since we had the theory that Dumbledore wants to bring Grindlewald back. I don’t think that would work though since necromancy is just a curse that raises the dead body from the ground without a soul or intelligence.”
His mum hummed. “I feared that. Bringing up an inferi is not worth all that Dumbledore is doing.”
“Especially after raiding our house.” His dad said glumly.
They sat in silent contemplation. Sirius and Remus returned with six mugs of steaming drinks. Even though Moody refused a drink when they offered it, he took a mug anyway and sipped it slowly. Harry leaned against his mum and blew on his scolding hot chocolate, he smiled as he smelt the heap of cinnamon Sirius put in.
“New plan then?” Sirius asked.
“I’ll keep on getting closer to Riddle.” Harry shrugged, kind of enjoying their private lessons. “I think I’m getting to him.”
“Only if you’re comfortable, darling.” His mum said firmly.
“I’ll send a letter to Reggie.” Sirius suggested. “Ask him to check the Black library for anything on resurrection or other dark spells.”
“How is Regulus?” James asked. “We haven’t heard from him since our wedding, Lils.”
Sirius and his parents talked about Regulus and Harry gestured for Remus to follow him to the kitchen. He wanted to ask him something.
“If you’re wanting to steal any chocolate, I brought it all with me to school.” Remus smiled guiltily.
“No, not that.” Harry laughed “It was about the Horcrux.”
“Oh.” Remus frowned. “Is Riddle forcing you into anything? You can say no and I’ll-“
“No, not that either.” Harry said. “Riddle has this book, it’s a massive old one that is just thrumming with dark magic, and it has very detailed instructions on how to make a Horcrux. Riddle said he stole it from the Hogwarts library when he was a student but do you- do you think it’ll say how to destroy a Horcrux?”
Remus seemed very surprised. “I honestly have no idea. It must’ve been removed when I was a student cause I’ve never seen any books like that in the library.” He kneeled at Harry’s eye level. “Do you want to destroy the Horcrux inside you, Harry?”
“Obviously.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t much enjoy knowing the only reason I could be in Slytherin is because I have a- a parasite haunting my insides!”
“And I understand that fully, my dear.” Remus soothed. “But the only way to destroy a Horcrux is to kill the item, or person, it’s… inside.”
“So the only way to fully kill Voldemort is for me to die?” Harry gasped.
“Why would you say that?” Remus frowned.
“Think, Remus.” Harry said. “A Horcrux is a piece of someones soul that keeps them from dying, even when their body is destroyed. And that is why Voldemort didn’t die when he tried to kill me! I’m keeping him tied to Earth!”
Remus made the face he makes when he’s thinking really hard.
A moment later he said, “The only thing I can think of to make a loop hole is really dangerous.”
“What is it?” Harry whispered. “I’ll do anything.”
Remus looked in his eyes. “I think you have to make your own Horcrux.”
Harry chose to spend the night in his godfather’s house. He had his own bedroom but he slept peacefully between his parents warm bodies. The sound of his dads constant snoring was kind of restful. Truth was, he tried sleeping alone in his bedroom but the last words Remus spoke to him before bed haunted his mind and now all Harry could feel was that thrumming dark magic book urging him forward open me, Harry, it tempted him from the darkness of his room, kill, use me, make them pay, MAKE THEM PAY.
Yeah, definitely not.
He woke to a delicious smelling breakfast of pancakes with strawberries, jam and lots of maple syrup. Remus asked if he was alright, Harry said yes, even though he definitely wasn't. That man was always telling him bad news, but Harry could never hate him for it, Moony was probably the reason he was alive today.
“I’ve missed morning breakfasts with you, darling.” His mum cooed, hugging Harry fro behind. He was still a head smaller than his mum and he feared growing was just not his forte.
“Me too.”
“Sniv- Snape has offered his floo network again so you can get back to school before classes start.” His dad said.
“Do I have to go back to school after everything we’ve just found out?” Harry groaned.
“Afraid so, Prongslet.” Sirius pouted. “We wouldn’t want you missing out on Hogsmeade.”
“It’s a Wednesday, Pads.” Harry giggled.
Sirius shrugged. “Who said that’s any excuse? Saturday is a state of mind, Bambi my boy, if you want to go to Hogsmeade, then you go.”
“With the invisibility cloak?” Harry queried.
“Obviously, you’re not an imbecile.”
“You truly are a bad influence on him.” Harry’s mum teased.
“It’s called building character.” Sirius rephrased. “And have you forgotten who his father is? None other than Messer Prongs himself!”
James took a big bow and kissed his wife’s cheek. She laughed loudly and pushed him off her, Harry smiled at their usual banter and hoped he gets to do this one day too.
“It’s almost 8:00am, Harry, we should go soon so we have time to change.” Remus said, looking nervously at his watch.
“You can change here, Moony, preferably with me.” Sirius flirted.
"That was awful.” Harry hooted with laughter.
“But Moony-mine is still with me so they mustn’t be too terrible.” grinned Sirius.
“Nope, they’re bad.” Remus agreed with Harry, smirking at his boyfriends shocked expression.
“They’re not all bad.” Sirius pouted.
Remus rolled his eyes. “Yes they are.”
“Even the ones about your di-“
“Okay!” James interrupted loudly, moving to cover Harry’s ears. Harry laughed even louder and tried to shake his dad off.
“It’s at moments like this I remember why you two have your own house.”
Harry and Remus begrudgingly say a long goodbye to the family before taking handfuls of floo powder to go to Snape’s office. Once Harry wiped the soot from his glasses, he see’s Snape standing in front of them looking very unimpressed.
“You’re late.” He snapped at Remus.
“Good morning to you too, Severus.” Remus replies shortly.
Snape rolls his eyes and gestures for them to follow him out of his office. “Mr Potter, get changed and go straight to class, breakfast is just finishing. I have to talk to Mr Lupin alone.”
Harry nods suspiciously but leaves once Remus indicates that he’ll be fine. As Snape said, his dorm was empty, proving that breakfast was still on and classes were close to starting. He shoved his pyjamas into his dirty clothes bag and hastily put on his uniform. Goyle had left a muggle game of scrabble all over the floor from two nights ago and Harry yelped as he slipped and landed on his arse.
“Bloody, Goyle.” He muttered.
His first class was divination, funnily enough, and the already puffed out Harry was close to collapsing when he reached the ladder he had to climb to get to the classroom.
All heads turned to him when he entered and Ron visibly scowled. Hermione, who was next to him, slapped his arm and Harry got the feeling she did that often. Pansy and Tracey waved excitedly for him to share their table and Harry grinned widely, plonking himself on the comfy cushion.
“The boys told us your house was attacked last night, are you okay?” Pansy asked in concern.
“I’m fine, but I have something to tell everyone later. It’s about Dumbledore.” Harry replied quietly.
Harry knows his dad demanded he told no one of their secret mission but if it’s for the greater good, then is it alright?