Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or else I would not be at my computer typing, I would be tanning in the Bahamas. DUH! (LOL) Oh and, this story will not really follow book number 7. Why, because I said so! Actually, because I wrote the plot before the seventh book came out and didn't feel like changing a few little details.
The chains clinked as metal slid across metal. They slowly untwined from the bars, allowing Harry push the gates open and impatiently stride across the Hogwarts grounds, Ron and Hermione hurrying alongside him. Their robes billowed behind them as they rushed up the hill, down the path, past the Whopping Willow, Hagrid's hut and the Lake. As they past the lake a large form bobbed to the surface, but none of them stopped to investigate –all were to intent upon their mission to care. As the doors of the castle became clear Harry quickened his pace.
He turned to Hermione who silently walked up to the door. She started tapping it with her wand and after a few minutes they heard the bars on the other side of the door moving out of the way.
"How did you do that?" Ron said admiringly.
"Oh Ronald, how many times will you ask me that?"
"Until you tell me how you do that. Hey, Harry, WAIT!" Ron called after Harry as he had started across the Great Hall.
Harry froze rigidly as the other two caught up to him. While waiting for the others to reach him, he relaxed for the briefest moment, soaking in his surroundings. Two years. Yet nothing seemed changed. Hogwarts relaxed him.
He cast an appreciative eye over the Grand Staircase, valuing its beautiful carvings and exquisite design fully for the first time. The ceiling arched gracefully high above them and the doors to the Great Hall had never looked more impressive and welcoming to him. Harry closed his eyes and took a breath. How wonderful it was to back!
Ron and Hermione reached him, cutting his reunion with his home short. Sighing in slight disappointment, Harry opened his eyes and looked into their worried eyes. "Almost there." He said.
They nodded, faces still white.
Before they could continue they heard quick steps in their direction. Harry, going paler, if that was possible, whipped the invisibility cloak over the three of them just as a wand tip flared to life ten feet from them.
"Who's there?" questioned Tonks anxiously, hair in a shaggy black bob. "Show your self."
"All right, Tonks," said Harry. Hermione gasped and Ron said 'Blimey' as Harry pulled the cloak of all of them. "Wotcher."
"HARRY! RON! HERMIONE! WHAT THE BLOODY-"
"Tonks, shhhhhh." Hermione said, rushing forward and placing a comforting hand on Tonk's arm and shoulder.
Yanking her out of Hermione's reach, Tonks began to yell a the trio. "SHHHHHH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHHHHHHH? YOU HAVE ALL BEEN GONE FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS AND THEN YOU SUDDENLY APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, NONE THE LESS, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO SHHHHH? MOLLY HAS BEEN SOBBING HER EYES OUT FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF THINKING YOU WERE ALL DEAD!"
Ron scuffed his toe guilty on the marble floor in which Harry joined him.
Guilt churning in his stomach, Harry sighed. "We have to keep going, Tonks." He answered, knowing that there was penalty of guilt in store for him. He would have to take it all later. "We'll talk later." Chest burning with emotion, Harry spun around and headed over to the Grand Staircase.
"What do you mean – you don't have time for this?! After nearly frightening me to death, you at least owe me and explanation!" Tonks hollered after Harry and Ron's retreating backs. She was now getting quite hoarse.
"Here, Tonks, I'll explain it all." relented Hermione, also feeling pangs of remorse.
"Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out." Tonk's demanded.
"Fine. Well, after Bill and Fleur's wedding we left to look for Voldemort's-" Tonk's squawked "Horcruxes."
"Horcruxes?" Tonks questioned.
"Objects with pieces of Voldemort's soul encased within them."
Tonks tripped over an ornate vase upon hearing this information, causing it to shatter into thousands of little pieces. As she fell her wand flew out of her hand, flashing many portraits with light causing them to wake and poking a portrait of a portly duke eating a roast lamb off a gold plate in the eye.
"Ouch! Old on to your vand better wittle Mizzy!" He demanded.
"Oh, sod it," Tonks muttered and as she picked up her wand. "Hermonie," Tonks continued "did you say his-"
"Yes, his soul," Hermione continued before Tonks could interrupt. "Dumbledore believed-"
"Dumbledore?"
"Yes, DUMBLEDORE! Now, stop interrupting!" Hermione shouted exasperatedly.
"Sorry." Tonks muttered, abashed.
"It's okay Tonks. Just stop interrupting me. Where was I? Oh, yes. Dumbledore believed that there were seven Horcruxes and a three had all ready been destroyed. We needed to find four more.
"The first one we found belonged to Ravenclaw. It was a beautiful black, raven feather pen with a raven's claw as the tip. It really was beautiful. We had found it buried in the rubble of the hearth in the manor where Voldemort's father had lived while he was still alive. Then we found Hufflepuff cup. It was incased in the wardrobe in the orphanage where Voldemort grew up. After that, the Death Eaters found us." Here Hermione gave a shiver. "We battled for an hour before we got away. During the battle Harry killed the sixth Horcrux, Nagini-Voldemort's pet snake. That was good, but Ron got hit with the Sectumepra spell. He lost a lot of blood. Almost enough for Mrs. Weasely's tears." Then Hermonie stopped, remembering that night. She had patched up Ron a best she could, but she and Harry did not have much hope that he would survive. Harry had gone out for a fly on his Firebolt to help him to keep his nerves under control but Hermonie could not bring herself to leave Ron's side. She was sobbing, kneeling on the ground next to him, when he opened his eyes and muttered limply 'Hermione wasz goin' on?' Hermonie had been so relived that she cried 'RON!' and impulsively kissed him on the lips. Suddenly, realizing what she was doing, she pulled away, flustered. But Ron weakly raised his arms and placed his hands on her face to pull her in silently.
Tonks, not noticing her face said impatiently, "So why are you here?"
"Wha?" said Hermione pulled out of her reverie. "Oh, ya. Were here because Harry has figured what the last Horcrux is, and it is here."
"Wha…wha….whaaa… WHAT!" Tonks spluttered. "What do you mean it is here?"
"I mean its here." said Hermione, sounding almost bored.
Then they turned the corner to see Harry hopping on one foot yelling 'Cockroach Cluster' and Ron swearing at the motionless gargoyle.
"Boys." Hermione muttered as Tonks walked up to them and said "Do you really think that Professor McGonagall would really have a candy name as her password?"
"Well, what is it then?" Harry questioned heatedly.
Tonks walked up to the statue and said "Mutatio."
The statue sprang aside and Harry leapt inside followed by Ron and Hermione, Tonks bringing up the rear. They ran up the stairs and Harry burst through the door.
The office had changed. The structure had not been altered a bit, but the content was changed. There were no spindly table with intricate instruments, but a sturdy mahogany table piled high with issues of 'Transfiguration Today' and The Daily Prophet. Therewere considerably less books lining the walls and there was no phoenix next to the desk. Instead there was a brass candle holder that was shining light on a shocked Professor McGonagall.
"POTTER, WEASLY, GRANGER!" she screeched.
Harry, ignoring her, strode over to the mahogany bookcase and pulled off the Sorting Hat.
"Are you a Horcrux of Voldemort?" Harry asked into dead silence that was the hat's answer. "Are you a Horcrux?" he asked again, more heatedly.
A small smile appeared on the rip in the hat that served as a mouth. It opened up its mouth and started to sing:
Am I a Horcrux you ask?
I will answer that in song.
A thousand or more ago,
When I was newly sown,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from Glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders,
Formed their own house, for each had different virtues,
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the braves were,
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest,
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission,
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide,
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones,
When they were dead and gone?
`Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head,
And that tis the line a young boy repeated to me,
As I had sung it to him at the feast,
He asked if it `twas true,
Was I really once Bold Grffyndors?
I sung the line, smiled wide
And answered affirmative
"What is going on?" demanded a very confused McGonagall.
"It all means is that the hat is a Horcrux." Harry whispered quietly.
"How do we destroy it?" Ron asked.
"Destroy the Sorting Hat?" gasped McGonagall. "Now, why on earth would you want to do that?"
Tonks leaned over the desk to answer her, saving Hermione from having them from having to explain all over again while the three of them clustered around the now immobile hat.
"What protection do you think is on it, Mate?" Ron queried.
They all stood there for a minute and listened to McGonagall's exclamatory gasps behind them.
Suddenly Hermione gasped "Oh, don't you see? We've already gotten through the protection."
Harry and Ron gaped at her. "What?" they said in unison.
"Well, isn't it obvious?" they continued to stare at her so she continued, "Voldemort would have thought that the protection around Hogwarts and it being in the Headmasters Office would be enough protection; that and the fact that it was the Sorting Hat would keep it above suspicion."
"Wow." Ron said admiringly "You really are amazing, you know that Hermonie?"
Hermonie just smiled bashfully.
Harry ignored them staring at the hat, trying to figure out how bets to destroy it.
"Hermione" he said suddenly, "I need you to set it on fire."
She nodded, raising her wand. She muttered the spell and they all watched as the fire issued out of her wand and the Sorting Hat reflected it. Hermione stopped before the fire hit any of Professor McGonagall's books or any of the portraits, who were now all watching intently, especially the one of Albus Dumbledore.
Everyone stared at Harry, waiting for a reaction. Several moments of silence ensued then Harry's face lifted. He said, placing the hat on the table next to them "Ron, Hermione. On the count of three, we all cast the fire charm at the hat. One.. Two… THREE!" he shouted. They all shot the spell at the hat. At first it resisted but slowly the fire crept closer and closer to the hat until it caused the hat to erupt in flame, scorching the table.
Suddenly a pain shot through Harry scar. It came again and this time did not go away. It blinded him and he collapsed onto the ground.
"Harry!"
"Mate, what's going on!"
"Potter, Potter. What's going on?"
"Harry what happening?"
"He knows." Harry gasped than his head hit the floor.
Soooooooo, What did you think? I' m sorry that Ginny is not in this chapter. I don't think she'll be in the next either. Sorry! I feel that I have to put in these chapters, and if she is not in the third she WILL be in the fourth. So. Please, please, please review. This is my first Fan Fiction writing so please give me some constructive criticism but please be nice!