Chapter 12
A few days after their return to school, Harry and Ginny once more found themselves outside Snape's private quarters. In his pocket, Harry had the locket Kreacher had given them. He didn't like holding it, because it made him feel dirty. He almost felt a sort of whispering coming from the piece of jewelry, and something in him wanted to respond. He had to stop himself from putting the locket on, and wondered if there was some sort of compelling charm on the infernal thing. He would be happy when they found a way to destroy it, once and for all.
On Snape's "Enter," they walked in, and after closing the door, waited until the professor set up several privacy wards, before Harry pulled out the locket, the two teenagers taking a seat across the table from the older man.
Snape frowned as he looked at the gaudy piece of jewelry. "What is this?" he asked, hesitant to actually touch the hideous thing. Even from across the table, he could sense the evil the necklace radiated.
Taking a deep breath, Harry explained what they had learned from Kreacher. When he was done, Snape sat back with an amazed sigh. "Unbelievable," he muttered. "We spend all this time researching and guessing, and this house elf comes in and has had the proof all these years." He rubbed a hand across his face. "I remember when Regulus joined up. He was only a few years younger than me. Just as quickly, he was gone. We weren't sure what had happened, but the rumor amongst Death Eaters was that he got cold feet and paid for it. That's all any of us knew."
He pulled out his wand and ran it over the locket, muttering a few diagnostic spells. After several minutes, he looked back up. "It's evil," he said simply. "There's no specific scan for a horcrux, but I believe it to be one, just based on the wrongness coming off of the thing. And I have no idea how to destroy it."
"I think I might," Harry said, pulling out the book on soul magic that he had found in the Black library. "This book talks about soul magic, but it has an emphasis on the darker side of the genre. It mentions horcruxes several times, and from what I can tell, there are only a few ways to destroy one. Fiendfyre, which I really don't fancy trying out, or basilisk venom, are two methods it mentions. Actually, it warns people of the dangers of those two substances, because they can destroy a horcrux." He looked at Ginny. "Ironically enough, I stumbled across the method for destroying the diary by pure accident." He shrugged. "I'm not sure why I decided to stab that diary with a basilisk fang, it was just instinct."
Ginny leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. "I'm glad you reacted on your instincts then, Harry."
"Yes, you do have good ones," Snape commented. "And you're right, Fiendfyre is not a safe method at all."
"So basilisk venom then?" Harry asked, almost cheerfully.
Snape glared at him, and then sighed and nodded. "It's safer, though not by much. If you had a cut on your hand and accidentally came into contact with the venom, you would die painfully in minutes."
Harry hid a wince at the memory of the basilisk fang piercing his arm, and furrowed his brow in thought. An idea was niggling in the back of his mind. His eyes widened. "The sword is goblin made."
Both Ginny and Snape were looking at him as if he had lost his mind. "Come again?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry spoke excitedly, trying to get them to understand. "Gryffindor's sword! It's goblin made. Goblin made blades only take on that which makes them stronger. It's why they never rust! Don't you get it? I stabbed a basilisk with it. Therefore –"
"The sword is impregnated with basilisk venom!" Ginny finished, her own excitement matching Harry's.
Snape coughed. "Only one problem." They looked at him. "How are you going to sneak the blade out of Dumbledore's office without him knowing?"
Harry frowned. "That sword is mine by right. As Gryffindor's heir, I can claim it."
Snape tilted his head to the side. He hadn't been aware of that piece of information, but it would make sense. Potters had nearly always been in Gryffindor House, after all. And they were a very old family.
"But Dumbledore will still ask why it's missing," Ginny argued.
"True," Harry acquiesced. "So we make a fake and switch them. He'll never know."
Ginny nodded. "Good idea. You'll get right on that?" Her tone was a little mocking, but her eyes were amused.
Harry shrugged. "I'll ask Sharptooth if he can help. It's too bad we can't just put an illusion in Dumbledore's office, but he would definitely sense the magic. And there's no guarantee a tranfisgured object would last as long as we need it."
They all agreed to that course of action, and Snape told them that he was relieved that they had proof, but now they had to figure out what Voldemort had used, and where the objects were hidden.
Harry bit his lip. "I think we need to tell others," he hedged. "Not everyone, of course, but Sirius and Aunt Minerva should know. They could really help with this."
Snape sighed and nodded. "We will need to wait until Dumbledore is gone. He would know if any visitors came to the castle. When he leaves, Minerva would be in charge, and could admit Black without anyone being the wiser."
Harry and Ginny nodded. "Could you talk to Aunt Minerva then? Tell her that you need to speak with her and Sirius, but you don't want Dumbledore to know, so if he leaves for an evening, call Sirius and have him come."
Snape inclined his head. "I will inform you when we have this meeting, so that you can attend."
Harry smiled slightly. "Thanks."
Ginny looked at him. "We should get going. The Captain can't be late to his own Quidditch practice."
Harry sighed. "True," he acquiesced. He looked back at Snape. "I'd appreciate it if you kept that bit about me being Gryffindor's heir a secret. I really don't want people to know."
Snape inclined his head simply, and Harry smiled. "Thanks," he said softly, before the two teenagers left the Defense professor alone.
Snape waited until they were gone before he slumped in his seat. "Bloody hell," he muttered, thinking about everything he had learned that morning.
XXX
That weekend, Luna surprised them all by completing her animagus transformation. When she changed back, Blaise returned his arms and legs to normal, and gave his girlfriend a hug.
"Great job, Luna," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek.
Harry nodded, grinning broadly. "Nice work, Luna. If you need help figuring out how to fly, Susan would be best for that."
Susan smiled, and led the younger girl a short distance away in the meadow the Room of Requirement had provided for them, and started teaching the girl how to use the wings she had acquired, while Blaise and Daphne got back to work, and the others started up a game of tag in their animal form.
XXX
With school back in full swing immediately upon their return, it was hard for Harry and his friends to find any real time to relax, or work on any side projects. Somehow, though, Harry and Ginny managed to find some time to work on developing their wandless magic abilities. They spent several weekends and free periods in empty classrooms. Their successes paid off, as they found that with more practice, it became easier to cast spells without their wands. After several weeks of effort, Harry was able to cast most charms, hexes, jinxes, and curses through the fourth year curriculum, and was on his way to mastering fifth year as well. Ginny was right behind him, and though her spells were a little weaker without her wand, the difference was minimal.
As they rested after an intense magical workout a couple weeks into January, Harry brought up an observation he had been cultivating, concerning their wandless practice.
"Have you thought about the limits to this ability?" he asked Ginny curiously.
Ginny looked over at him and shook her head. "I'm just ecstatic that it's even possible, but something tells me you have," she commented dryly.
Harry shrugged. "Once we got the actual casting part down, it really wasn't that hard to work our way through most of the curriculum. Which leads me to wonder where it ends."
When he didn't continue, Ginny leaned forward and nudged his hand. "What are you thinking in that brilliant mind of yours?" she asked.
Harry shifted in his seat. "Theoretically, I think there are probably very few spells we can't cast without a wand. I mean, most of them require the same sort of concentration to cast. With or without a wand, it's not that different. The only ones I think won't be possible are the emotion-based ones. The Unforgivables. The Patronus Charm. You know, spells like that, that require intense hate, or joy."
Ginny nodded understandingly. "That makes sense," she replied. "If those spells are too powerful or too intense, it would be logical that they would need a wand to work."
Harry was about to reply, when a doe Patronus interrupted their conversation. He frowned, curious as to the shape the misty creature took; after all, his mother's animagus form had been a doe.
The Patronus looked at Harry, and spoke with their Defense professor's voice. "Tonight, after curfew. Don't get caught."
The doe dissolved and Harry and Ginny looked at each other. "So Dumbledore will be gone tonight," Harry commented idly.
Ginny nodded, as they stood up to go meet up with their friends for supper. We'll take the Invisibility Cloak with us. We sneak out at curfew. We wait for someone to enter the common room, and then we leave. No one will see us.
Harry inclined his head in agreement. How do you think they'll take it?
Ginny sighed mentally. They'll probably be upset that we didn't tell them before now.
Harry winced. Yeah, he agreed ruefully. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And we went to Snape. Hopefully they'll see that he was the logical choice, with his knowledge of the Dark Arts. And they can't deny what we've learned. What we've discovered. He squeezed Ginny's hand tightly. I know it seems like such an impossible task, but they'll have to take some joy in the fact that for the first time in several decades and two wars, we finally have a chance. He shook his head. I'm a little more worried about telling Sirius about his brother's involvement.
Ginny grimaced. Yeah, I can imagine how hard it will be for him, to finally find out how his brother died.
They sat next to their friends and left off with the mental discussion, not wanting anyone to figure out what they were doing and ask what they were talking about. Even so, Harry noticed Hermione narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched them walk into the Great Hall and sit down, though thankfully, she didn't comment.
After supper, they all returned to the common room to try and dig their way out of the mountain of homework they all had. Especially Ginny. She was really starting to hate OWL year.
Curfew drew closer, and when it was almost time for Harry and Ginny to leave, they told their friends they were going to bed early, and disappeared to their respective dormitories, only to reappear a few minutes later after placing illusions on their beds and covering themselves in Dissilusionment Charms. They knew where the other was due to their bond, and met by the closed door. It only took five minutes for the door to open, and the pair slipped out unnoticed.
Once they were in the hallway, Harry covered them with the Invisibility Cloak and they dispelled the Dissilusionment Charms. With a few well-placed charms to silence their footsteps and a minor Notice-Me-Not, no one was the wiser as they snuck down to the dungeons. Harry knew they were probably being overly cautious, but he had learned over the years that that kind of thinking could very well save their lives. Without Dumbledore in the castle, the chances of someone actually seeing them were small, but better safe than sorry.
They reached Snape's quarters with no issues, and knocked once before entering, removing the Cloak as soon as the door was closed.
The others were already there, and looking confused and worried at the appearance of the teenagers.
Snape warded the room against eavesdroppers before Minerva spoke. "Severus, I must admit to some confusion. Why did you want me to call Sirius to the castle at the first opportunity without Albus here?"
Snape hesitated, looking at Harry and Ginny for assistance.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward, observing the adults. Sirius and Amelia were both there, and though Harry knew the Minister would be a great asset, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about telling yet another person. But he forced those feelings aside, knowing that she needed to know, just as much as Sirius and Minerva.
Gesturing for them all to take a seat, Harry swallowed harshly, trying to steady his nerves. Ginny rested a hand gently on his thigh, and he glanced over, smiling slightly at her reassurance.
Looking back at the adults, he began to tell them everything they had learned over the last few months. "Have any of you ever heard of a horcrux?"
Minerva and Amelia looked confused, but Sirius paled significantly at the word, his eyes widening. "How did you learn that word?" he asked, his voice harsh as he stared at his godson.
Harry glanced at Snape, and catching the act, Sirius turned his glare to his former rival.
Snape returned the look with a glare of his own, and Harry shook his head, sighing. "Ginny and I brought the idea to Professor Snape, Sirius." They all turned back to him, though Amelia and Minerva were still feeling very confused. "Last May, Ginny and I began to wonder about a few things. Like how Voldemort survived that Halloween."
Sirius paled at the implications. "You mean… He…" He trailed off, seemingly not having the words to go on.
"Can someone tell us what the bloody hell you're talking about?" Amelia asked archly, leveling a not quite glare at her husband.
Harry bit his lip, and started at the beginning. "I'm not really sure how we came up with the theory –"
"You. You came up with the theory," Ginny cut in. "I just agreed with you."
Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly at his girlfriend. "Fine, a few months ago, I remembered the diary, you know, the whole Chamber incident?"
Minerva grimaced, remembering the fear, finding out that three of her Lions had gone missing, and the utterly exhausting relief and horror at seeing them walk into her office, covered in dirt and blood. "What about the diary?" she asked with forced calmness.
Harry took another breath. "We brought –" on Ginny's cough, he amended his statement, "I brought my thoughts to Professor Snape. We talked about the possibility of it being more than just a memory. Professor Snape did some research, and came back with the possibility of it being a horcrux."
"But what is a horcrux?" Amelia asked, exasperated.
Harry's lips twitched slightly, but he kept his expression neutral. "Simply put, a horcrux is an object in which someone imprisons a portion of their soul. While the horcrux exists, they cannot die."
"Oh Merlin," Amelia breathed, while Minerva's complexion took on an ashy tone.
"This diary was a horcrux?" Sirius asked in a hushed whisper.
Harry nodded grimly. "That's what we believe. It was all just theory and speculation, until a couple weeks ago." He hesitated, and Ginny's hand found his, squeezing tightly.
Harry bit his lip. "A few days after Christmas, we found an opportunity to check out the Black library. Everyone else was busy, so we knew nobody would miss us for a few hours."
Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was, Harry? Many of those books are cursed, there was a reason I told you not to go in there."
Harry nodded contritely. "I know, but we thought your family's library would bear more fruit than the Hogwarts one, or the Potter one. And I could sense which ones were cursed; we avoided those." They looked intrigued by the idea that Harry could sense the magic in the books, but the sixth year didn't give them an opportunity to question him. He told them about Kreacher's story, and was glad now that Amelia was there to comfort Sirius, as he learned just how his brother had died.
"Reg," Sirius whispered, his eyes overly bright.
Amelia reached over and gave him a hug. After a few minutes, when he felt he had himself more under control, Sirius pulled away and looked back at Harry. "So Kreacher gave you proof? He gave you the locket?"
Harry nodded and pulled out the gaudy locket, setting it on the table and looking at it distastefully. "I keep it in a box in one of the compartments in my trunk that only I can access. There's a whole bunch of protective charms on it, to keep anyone who might find it out."
They all looked warily at the piece of jewelry. All of them could feel the evil radiating off of the thing.
"How do we destroy it?" Minerva asked softly.
Harry, Ginny, and Snape shared a look, before Harry spoke. "In order to destroy a horcrux, you have to damage it beyond even magical repair. From what we researched, the two most reliable ways to do it are basilisk venom or Fiendfyre." The three of them shared another look. "Personally, I'd rather go with the venom."
Sirius snorted, thinking about the alternative. Fiendfyre was ruthless, eating up everything in its path without thought or care for anything – or anyone – that got in its way.
"And where exactly do you expect to find a supply of basilisk venom?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry glanced at Ginny again, and she nodded.
But it was Minerva who replied, her eyes almost comically wide as she absorbed the implications of this meeting. "You stabbed the basilisk with the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The sword is Goblin made, therefore, it now holds all the traits and characteristics of the venom."
Harry nodded, smiling slightly. "The sword is mine by right as Gryffindor's heir, but Dumbledore would notice if it suddenly disappeared from his office. Our plan was to ask Sharptooth for some help, and get a forgery to switch. The theory is that he'll never know."
Sirius prodded the necklace warily with one finger. "So once we destroy this thing… Voldemort will be mortal?"
Once more, Harry and Ginny looked at each other.
Sirius groaned. "There's more?"
Harry sighed. "Voldemort is a megalomaniac. He's a narcissist with a serious fear of dying. Do you see him making just one of these things? In fact, we already have proof that he made more. First the diary, now this locket."
"How many?" Sirius asked, knowing that Harry was right. Voldemort would never stop at just one.
"We don't know," Ginny replied succinctly. "We're still looking into it. We just thought that you all should know what we've learned. We can't do this alone," she looked at Harry.
Minerva nodded. "I'm glad you brought us into the fold, though I certainly am not happy that you've done all this sneaking around. I do understand, though," she held up a hand when Harry looked about to interrupt. "This is about bringing about the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And though it seems an impossible task, I do realize just what you've accomplished." She looked at Sirius and Amelia. "We know how to defeat him. You two are old enough to remember the last war, but you were still young. You can remember the fear, the hopelessness, the constant battles where we didn't seem to be making any progress." They both nodded, grimacing at the reminder. Minerva leaned forward, her eyes hard and glinting with hope. "Harry, Ginny, and Severus have figured out the key to success. It's far from over, but we have a chance."
Sirius let out a deep sigh and nodded. "It still seems incomprehensible, but I'm sure when it sinks in I'll feel a little more hopeful."
"So where do we go from here?" Amelia asked after a moment's silence.
They looked at the teenagers, and Harry bit his lip, suddenly realizing that all of these adults were actually deferring to him. "Until we figure out how many Voldemort made, we really can't move forward. The biggest issue right now is to figure out how many, what they are, and where they are." He looked at Ginny. "We're going to tell our friends, and ask them to help us with research."
Sirius and Minerva looked worried, but Amelia nodded grimly. "I might not like you all getting involved, but I'm not naïve enough to think you'll keep this a secret from your friends. And together, you can cover a lot of ground with research."
Sirius nodded reluctantly. "You said that Blaise, Daphne, and Luna were nearly there with their Occlumency. Have they been tested by Jason yet?"
Harry nodded quickly. "Over the break, they told me Jason believed their shields were as strong as they could be."
Sirius sighed. "Then I guess we really have no grounds to object. Hopefully you'll be able to find something out, and I'll take a look through the Black library, see if there's anything more there."
"There's one thing I've been thinking about," Harry commented idly. "What does Dumbledore know? Professor, you told us that something about the diary piqued his interest," he looked at Snape. "Would he have considered this possibility?"
Snape shrugged. "Albus is not unintelligent. I'm certain he would know of the existence of such a thing. Whether or not he believes the Dark Lord used such a device, or more than one, only he knows that."
"But if he did suspect, why not do anything to try and find them?" Ginny asked. "He's had fifteen years since Voldemort was defeated the first time. What's he been doing?"
"Sitting on his arse and waiting for me to take care of the problem," Harry muttered.
Ginny snorted, while Minerva looked like she wanted to reprimand her charge, but couldn't quite manage.
"Sounds about accurate," Sirius commented. "He probably thinks that since that damn prophecy is about you, he doesn't need to do anything. Or maybe he had some grand scheme, but we derailed it several years ago. Either way, it doesn't really matter. We're not planning on including him in this, so don't worry about it."
Minerva agreed, and realizing the time, implored the students to return to their dorms. "It is getting late, and you both have classes tomorrow. Please ensure no one catches you. I would hate to have to take any points from Gryffindor tonight."
Harry smiled and nodded, before he and Ginny left.
Once the adults were alone, Snape turned back to the others. "Switching topics, that… turn of events I told you about this summer, I believe it might bear fruit."
Amelia looked confused, and the others, intrigued.
"What's going on?" The Minister asked, looking from the professor to her husband.
Snape considered for a moment, before deciding that Amelia should be brought into the discussion, so he spent a few minutes telling her about his thoughts on Narcissa and her possible defection.
Amelia stared. "Are you certain?" she asked softly. "Bringing Mrs. Malfoy into our confidence would require a good deal of trust, and to be perfectly blunt, I'm not sure if I am comfortable with that."
Snape sighed. "I'm not suggesting anything right now, I am simply telling you that I think she might be willing to jump ship. Black, perhaps this summer we could speak with her together, and you can present your offer to accept her back into your family. That may prove even more persuasive than anything I might suggest. Narcissa has always been about image, and the Black family name holds more prestige than the Malfoy one. Especially after her husband's arrest."
Sirius nodded slightly. "It would be a good motivator for her. Continue to work on her, and we'll see where we stand this summer."
Snape agreed, and Sirius and Amelia left soon after.
XXX
That weekend, Harry and his friends all spent Saturday morning in the Room of Requirement, as he and Ginny finally told the others about what they had learned.
Predictably, they were all disgusted at the thought of someone actually creating a horcrux.
"That's horrible," Hermione scrunched up her nose. "I mean, I know this is Voldemort we're talking about, so I shouldn't be too surprised, I just can't believe anyone would actually send an innocent soul to their death to save themselves."
"That's probably a good thing, that you can't picture it," Harry replied grimly. "It speaks to your character. But like you said, this is Voldemort we're talking about. He fears death and would not balk at killing a hundred innocents to keep himself from dying."
There was a moment of silence before Blaise spoke up. "So you say that basilisk venom can kill these things? And you want to use the Sword of Gryffindor?"
Harry nodded. "After I stabbed the basilisk, it became impregnated with the venom. We're going to make a fake and switch it with the real thing, so Dumbledore doesn't find out."
"But how does that work?" Susan asked. "Why do you need something like basilisk venom to destroy these things? Why can't you just smash it?"
Harry sighed. "Horcruxes are difficult to destroy. You can't just break the object. You need to destroy it beyond even magical repair. The piece of the soul can't exist without something to anchor it, so when you destroy that anchor, the soul dies as well. But horcruxes aren't like human beings, at least not whole ones. For example," he looked at Hermione, knowing that she was the most intrigued by his explanation, "I could take the Sword of Gryffindor and run you through, and your soul would be completely intact."
"That's reassuring," Ron snorted.
Hermone looked at her boyfriend. "I think it should be," she shot back. "Our souls are completely whole, Ron. They are our own. Voldemort can't claim that, can he? With each object we destroy, we bring him one step closer to death." She looked back at Harry. "What do you need from us?"
Harry smiled slightly. "Ginny and I have come up with what we think is a pretty good plan. There are several angles we need to address, so we thought that splitting up into teams would be best. Ron, Hermione, Blaise, Daphne, you should research where Voldemort may have hidden these objects. Neville, Susan, and Luna can try and learn more about Voldemort's past. If it helps, his real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. And Ginny and I will keep trying to figure out what the objects are and how many he made."
"Give us an easy task why don't you," Ron groused, but his eyes were alight with the challenge.
Harry snorted. "Yeah, I know it's not going to be easy. I've thought a little about it, and I think Voldemort would have used places of significance. He wouldn't have just stuck his horcruxes anywhere. He would have wanted their location to be as symbolic as they are. So start there. I know it's not much, but it's an idea."
Hermione nodded. "We'll figure this out, Harry. I have faith that all of us together can end this."
Harry smiled widely. "Together we're stronger," he said, glancing at Ginny. "We're a team."
Ginny reached out and grasped his hand. "Exactly," she replied firmly. "We work together, and we end this."
The weight of responsibility settled over them, before Neville coughed, clearing his throat. "Where can we find information on Voldemort?" he asked curiously. "I mean, I know we could look through old Prophet articles, but that would really just tell us about the horrible things he's done. We need to find out how he grew up."
Susan shivered. "That's just creepy, thinking about Voldemort as a teenager."
Even Luna shuddered at the image.
Harry bit his lip. "Well, we know Riddle went to Hogwarts. There has to be a record room in the castle somewhere. I can't give you much more than his name, and the fact that his father was a muggle." He glanced at Ginny briefly. "I know I should be thankful and all, but what is it with evil bastards and their monologues when it would be so much more practical for them to just kill me and be done with it?"
Ron, Neville, and Blaise laughed weakly, but the girls looked horrified.
Harry shrugged. "Sorry," he said, though he didn't really sound it. "Just an errant thought."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we'll keep each other updated with anything we learn. Professors McGonagall and Snape, along with Sirius and Amelia, know about all this, but no one else. We're not planning on telling anyone either, so make sure no one finds out what you're doing."
They all nodded seriously.
"Do you think McGonagall could help us with old records?" Neville asked, looking at his fellow sixth year.
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea, Nev. You guys should ask her."
As it was getting near lunchtime, they all left the Room and headed down to the Great Hall, still thinking about that morning, and eager to get started.
XXX
That afternoon, Harry received a letter from the Weasley twins, informing him that they had completed their transformation, as well as completed their maginades, coming up with several varieties that would shoot out different spells.
Harry replied quickly, congratulating them on both their successes, and giving them an idea for their listening devices, since they still hadn't managed to make them work yet. He had thought about it, and wondered if Arthur could help them out at all. The man had, after all, been tinkering with muggle devices for years, even getting a car to fly and turn invisible. Perhaps he could help them figure out how to get the listening devices to work.
All in all, Harry felt like they were finally making some progress, despite how far they really had to go.