Harry Potter and Seekers of the Unknown

1. Contemplation

Harry Potter remembered well about the night when he and Dumbledore went to the cave for the locket, which turned out to be a fake Horcrux; how the two went aboard the boat, how Dumbledore drank the terrible potion which eventually killed him later, as undoubtedly it was why he was weak and could not put a fight against Malfoy or Snape; how Harry panicked facing full of Inferi using all kinds of hexes he could think of, though completely forgetting the only solution: fire.

He could remember what Dumbledore told him, and what he showed him in the Pensieve as if they were just minutes ago. He did say 'your blood is worth more than mine'.

What exactly did he mean by that?
He also remembered.

"Why can't I drink the potion instead?" asked Harry desparately.
"Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable," said Dumbledore. "Once and for all, Harry, do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking"

And he had to follow his order as he did give his word.

'... much less valuable?'
Harry thought.
He did not understand what he meant then, nor did he now.
How could Harry be more valuable than the only wizard Voldemort ever feared, the unmistakable leader of the Order, and the best headmaster Hogwarts ever had?

Yes, the prophecy did say it's either him or Voldemort, but it was only a prophecy. It would be made true only when all the participants go along with it. It should not be regarded as solid as facts.

On that journey, he didn't have to do much: he just needed to do as Dumbledore told him to: It was Dumbledore who found its whereabouts; it was Dumbledore who correctly identified how to obtain it; and it was Dumbledore who turned away those horrible Inferi with his fire.

Harry, on the other hand, made several errors, quite possibly complicating the situation, and worst of all, got panic facing Inferi. If that was the best he could do, he was doomed. No matter what the prophecy said, it did not matter.

He had to learn many things, but most importantly, he had to be able to stay calm and keep his mind clear, no matter what. He also needed to know more, be wiser, and stronger -- physically and magically. Ever since the event, thus, he has been working out even more than he used to for Quidditch, and he was now studying -- much more than he used to for his classes, with urgency. Plus, he started meditating, and learning martial arts, by obtaining self-defense technique material by owl post. It allowed him to learn basics of physical combat. He was quite interested in Karate mentioned there, and with Tonks and Lupin's help, he began training himself.

Harry remembered the duel with Snape. Any attempts to hex Snape failed miserably, as he was very quick in countercurses. Come to think of it, it was as if Snape was actually teaching him... "Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter"

"Well, I certainly will by the time I face you again," he mumbled to himself. He was getting more comfortable in casting spells wordlessly.

But would there be next time? And when?
The vision of Dumbledore pleading in face of Snape came back to him.

"NO!"

He was standing up, yelling without realizing he was. He was quite shocked to find out what his outburst -- supposedly only inside his own head -- caused seconds later... There was a BANG! on the door, and in came his uncle, Vernon Dursley.

"WHAT!?"

"Nothing, " he said simply.

"NOTHING? You are saying you screamed your brain out for nothing?"

Harry could feel the rage his uncle was radiating there, just by hearing the hushed voice.
Harry quietly looked into his uncle's eyes.
He was no longer an orphan living at the mercy of these people. He knew quite well what he was capable of, and knew his uncle, aunt, and cousin were actually fearful of him.

"Nothing of importance has happened to you all -- so, as I said, nothing"

Harry spoke in such a calm voice, showing no emotion whatsoever.
Uncle Dursley glared, but seeing that there was no point in arguing, he just said "Fine. Don't yell in the middle of the night"
There was another BANG! and he was gone.

'Damn,' he thought bitterly.
'I cannot let my emotion take over me like this'

He laid back on his bed, and looked out of the window.
The usual street lamps were on, and there was half moon in the sky above, gently lighting this world now bound for sorrow, at the hand of Lord Voldemort.

That is, if Harry was unable to stop him.

He had to find the remaining Horcruxes, presumably four of them left, then had to get to the last bit of the severed soul, Lord Voldemort himself, no matter what or how many obstacles are. And there is this problem of many Death Eaters and their allies, such as dementors. In comparison, his side seemed quite vulnerable... On their side were Order including Hagrid and his giant half-brother, Grawp, Dobby the house-elf, and maybe Firenze the centaur, maybe merpeople, and hopefully goblins... The list was rather short compared to the other side. Order of Phoenix was outnumbered, and especially weakened because its leader, Dumbledore was gone. What the Order of Phoenix was planning to do in this war, and where its Headquarter was, Harry did not know. Dumbledore was the unequivocal leader and organizer in planning and preparing attack against ever-more-strong forces of evil and dark arts. Now that he was gone, there was no one else fitting the bid as successor to the most respected wizard of the time.

Now that Dumbledore's gone, he had no one to protect him or guide him any more. Harry was 'marked equal', yes, but he sure did not find that likely. In his mind, he was no match for Voldemort if he faced him alone right now. He was able to see quite clearly how he survived thus far, and it was only because Lily Potter, his mother, had sacrificed herself, and other people who loved him arranged everything there was to protect him. Those protective measures will be gone pretty soon, when he becomes of age. And yet, he had to do what he felt was right. It was something he's got to do, no matter what the outlook was. He was willing to admit it that chances are slim, but he knew he would not run. He was determined to complete what many before him had started. 'Boy', thought Harry. It was going to be very tough, and he knew, more than ever, that he needed as much as help as he could.

Now the mission. 'Where do we begin searching for the remaining four Horcruxes?' Harry had no idea where to begin. Dumbledore did mention some clues as to what to look for, but whereabouts of the remaining Horcruxes were unknown even to Dumbledore. Harry was now getting into the unknown territory, where he would be looking for any slightest clues to get to what he could accomplish his goal: to identify and destroy every Horcrux. He was the youngest seeker the Hogwarts ever witnessed in more than a century. He is now a seeker for the Horcrux, not a snitch, and it can be deadly. 'Well, I guess we are the "Seekers of the Horcruxes", though I better not say it aloud... Better make it "Seekers of the Unknown"... sounds odd, but OK'

He liked the idea of having a cryptic name attached.
It sounded rather corny, but somehow, he felt it sounded right.

'Speaking of a name'

R.A.B., who supposedly was once a Death Eater but found out about a Horcrux and planned to destroy one. Harry still had no idea who it might be, and to his knowledge neither did Ron or Hermione. He made a mental note to discuss with them about this again when he sees them.
Then he remembered a place of significance to Voldemort.

Chamber of Secrets.

'What if there was more than the basilisk kept in?' He did see vast space the chamber had, and he did not have time to look for other things in there. Since Tom Riddle was the only Parselmouth in his days, he might have felt safe to keep something important in the chamber, as he did in his locker long ago when he was in an orphanage. Tom Riddle made his first Horcrux , a diary, when he was only sixteen. Who knows what he did when he was in his sixth and seventh year? Whether the school reopens or not, he did need to get back in there, then. Going back to Hogwarts did not seem such a bad idea, it seemed.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities", Dumbledore once told him, after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, it was his choice whether to go against Voldemort alone or to put up a fight as concerted attack with everyone involved. It is his choice, not Ron, not Hermione, nor Ginny. However, he did know as well that he would not be able to do it alone. He needed all help he could get. It would be foolish to take on all the Death Eaters, magical creatures on their side, Horcruxes, and Voldemort. 'But How do we do it, though?' Harry knew fully well that no one else would be able to plan the counterattack properly -- he had to do it with the help of Ron and Hermione.

They have decided in their compartment of Hogwarts Express that Harry will be leaving for the Burrow before the wedding along with Ron and Hermione who are of age already, so they can perform magic without the Ministry intervention. While they were alone, three of them agreed that they'd be spending time with their respective family for a week , then would meet at Dursley's. Ron and Hermione needed time to persuade their parents about their decision. They were going to come with him from the King's Cross, but Harry persuaded them otherwise, stating that although they were of age, it would be good to be with their family for the little time they have, if they were to be on the journey ahead. He had no idea how long the search was going to be, but he knew he'd have to be quiet until he was of age. At the same time, though, he was not going to waste this last bit of time the blood protection offered him. He needed this time to prepare in many ways, physically, mentally, and magically.

The wedding of Bill and Fleur was set to be on June 21, Sunday, and he was expected there, though he was not sure if he should even be there. Nonetheless, the days at the Privet Drive were numbered, and Harry was spending every little time left for his preparetion and secret training.

His thoughts drifted to his best friends... Ron and Hermione.

He had to smile as he remembered how they used to bicker against each other all the time, then finally came to senses and got together. He saw the two crying together at the time of the funeral when Harry left the spot. Later, they told him they'd be alongside him, looking for Horcruxes and so on. He was quite stunned to hear it, but appreciated their willingness and loyalty, feeling comfortable to be with. They have been his best friends, from the first year onward, and been together in so many things. To him, Hermione's intellect and knowledge, Ron's tactics being an excellent chess player, and their friendship would be very important, if not essential, in the war ahead against Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. The fact that they knew as much as he did and yet were willing to stay together with him meant loads to him. But what if they die because of Harry? Would he still be able to go on and kill Voldemort? Would he still function at all? He was not sure.

Or how about Ginny?

He told himself and Ginny that he no longer should keep their relationship up, to avoid the seemingly inevitable trap of Voldemort using Ginny to get to Harry. He reasoned that if he did not see her, Voldemort would not use Ginny against him. On their way back on Hogwarts Express, with members of Order on board, both Harry and Ginny acted as if nothing had happened between the two, as if they were just friends, not as intimate as they had become prior to the death of Dumbledore. He was rather proud of himself and Ginny that they were able to display nonchalance between themselves to others, even in their private compartment. There have been many suspicious looks their way, but together, they managed to pull the act, though he felt quite drained when they arrived the Kings Cross Station. It was only two days ago, but he felt as if it was ages ago.

He was recalling the chain of events that night, then realized... Malfoy. Undoubtedly, being in the same year, Draco Malfoy knew Harry and Ginny were going out. He would be more than likely now with Death Eaters, having fled from Hogwarts with Snape that night, who also knows of their relationship. So, even if Harry pretends to break up with Ginny afterwards, it would not matter. Even if Harry was not going out with Ginny anymore, once she was his girlfriend, he was sure Voldemort would take advantage of that... and he knew she was 'the' woman to him even now. He was not able to shut her out of his mind, especially now that he was alone. He knew he would not be able to take away his feelings for Ginny -- he simply loved her too much to do so. He'd do anything for her, even if it costs his own life or safety, but he was not going to risk her anything.

He told Ginny that he wanted to be sure she was safe. He was not so sure if she'd be safe away from him now. He knew he loved her, and would not be able to hide his feelings for her; he was never good at Occlumecy.

Besides, as he knew it now, there was no safe place for sure on this planet. Despite of all the protective measures, he was uncertain how long the Burrow will be safe if Death Eaters decide to attack in full force, just like they did Hogwarts.

The answer was pretty obvious. No, it wasn't safe much longer, be it the Burrow or Grimauld Place, if Vodemort decided to attack there specifically.

And what if the Burrow was attacked when he was not around? The thought was terrifying, and he felt chills through his spine at this thought, though he already knew that it was a good possibility. He resisted the sudden urge to run to the Burrow. He was sure he'd spend the rest of however long time quite nervous and anxious, wishing her the best of luck... No, it would not be good.

However, she was still not of age, and it was very unlikely that Mrs. Weasley would allow her to come with him in such a dangerous mission. Ginny did tell him "What if I don't care?" about the risks, implying that she'd be very willing to risk all and come with him. She did come with him and others to the Ministry of Magic to fight Death Eaters and rescue Sirius. She fractured her leg then, but she did quite well fighting at the time. Ginny made her choice then, and should make one on her own for this. As much as Harry loved her, he was not the one to make a decision for her.

"... I think you ought to relax it in favor of your friends... I think they ought to know. You do them a disservice by not confiding something this important to them." Harry recalled. Dumbledore made him aware that he needed his friends, and that he should not shut himself away. And yet, he is doing the same thing to Ginny again.

'Am I stupid or what?'
'Yeah, now you're telling me!'

He heard his inner voices. "Right..." he mumbled to himself.
It seemed that he and Ginny will have to talk again... a lot, and soon.

It was Sunday afternoon again.

Ron and Hermione would be here any minute.

Harry had told his uncle and aunt about a couple of his friends coming to stay for a week before he left for good. Vernon Dursley glared, but nodded on a condition that Harry was responsible for taking care of foods and such, and made it quite clear that his friends were not welcome under his roof, although Harry gave them no choice but to go along.

Harry has already made his room clear of all the junk that he had piled over the years, and magically expanded inside with the help of Remus Lupin who was on duty at the time, so that the each of them can at least sleep comfortably in a bed. He and Remus had agreed that staying outside the house would be dangerous, even with Harry being protected still. He told Lupin about the incident two years ago when he and Dudley was attacked by two dementors sent by a Ministry official, Umbridge. If the Ministry knows his house during the summer, it is only logical that Death Eaters should probably know it, and should be able to attack him or anyone close to him if they goes outside the house. Aurors or members of the Order were around the house on duty still, but that would not be enough if they decide to attack him in full force.

He was watching news on TV to see any hint of Death Eater activities on Muggle network when the chime indicated the house had a visitor. Harry was the first to get to the door, and opened hastily when he recognized who were standing outside.

"Hey, Mate! Good to see ya!"
"How have you been, Harry?"
"I've been good, now even better with you two here. Come in."

When the door was closed, the three heard a thunderous voice.

"You! You think you can get away bringing in your girlfriend into your room in my household?"

For whatever reason, Vernon Dursley's face was filled with rage.
Ron and Hermione looked to Harry quizzically, though their expression was of amuzement and distaste.

"First of all, Uncle Vernon, they are both my best friends as I told you. Second, Hermione is NOT my girlfriend, she's Ron's. Third, it is none of your business, now please excuse us."

Harry's voice was calm, but there was a distinct strength behind it, even Vernon must have sensed it, as he did not interrupt Harry.

Harry ushered the other two toward the stairs.

"Oh, no, I don't think so, kids."

Apparently recovered from the shock that Harry was not obeying him as he used to, Vernon Dursley thundered, and attempted to block the passage only to be pushed away by none other than Harry. His voice was calm, though there was an unmistakable hint of threat and determination.
"Shut up. As I said, this is NONE of your business. We will not disturb you only if you don't, and you have agreed. Now get out of our way."
Vernon Dursley knew that Harry was not to perform magic outside of the school, but even he had to understand that Harry Potter was no longer a small child at his mercy. Disgruntled, he let them pass by him, but not before calling to Harry from behind. "You know the rules here! None of your silly abnormal things in my household. Got it?"
Harry just waved his hands, and went up the stairs to his room.

"Here, come in."

Ron entered the room which looked to be rather small for all three of them to be in. He mumbled something like it would be very crowded, then ...

"Woa! Did you enchant this room, Harry?"

He was sure the room looked very small with his bed almost taking up entire space from outside. But now that he actually entered the room, it was quite roomy, furnished with three beds, a nice round table with chairs, and a small kitchen! The room even had a bathroom, so that they could actually spend the rest of the week in the room without even having to bother Dursleys for shower or anything else.

"No, Moony and Tonks did it for us when they were on duty the other night. We had a little chat about what we were planning here, and ... here it is. Nice, huh?"

Ron could not agree more about this, considering how it used to be.
On a farside corner, there was physical training instruments, which Harry has been training himself with. Ron immediately spotted them, and asked,

"You've been working out?"
"Yeah." Harry answered simply.

Hermione followed in, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh, Harry, this is nice. You know you can't use magic here though, don't you?"

Harry made a mock shocked face. "You don't like this? I had to beg Moony to do this for you secretly, so you don't have to camp outside... but of course I could remove the charm if you'd rather like to be stuffed together."

Seeing his friends' faces, he began to laugh.

"Well, come to think of it, I guess you two don't mind even if you're stuck to each other, don't you? In that case..."

Harry pulled out his wand.

"Oh no, you're not, Harry."
"Yeah, mate. we need you in this room to properly discuss things."
"... properly?"

Harry and Hermione asked Ron in unison, their eyes tinkling in amusement.
He raised his hands in defeat. "All right, I'm not going to say anything. Let's just get on with what we're here for, shall we?"

"OK."

They settled their luggage to the side of the room, and locked the door.
Hermione took some packages out of her trunk.

"I think it's about lunchtime anyway. Care for a meal before we discuss things?"
"That would be nice. It's been a while I got some decent meal... Thanks, Hermione."
"You're welcome. You, Ron?"

He was taking several containers out of his trunk as well.

"Of course. I did bring some, too. Mom got us some prepared. Let's dig in."

After several plates and butterbeers, Harry got up, and washed the dishes without using magic. Hermione dried, and Ron put them away. Harry pulled out three cans of butterbeer as they returned to the table. Hermione pulled out a parchment and several books from her trunk, whereas Ron drew out a letter.

"Here, Harry. This is from Dad."

He glanced at the letter. It said he and Ron are to take the apparition test on July 31, on his birthday. There was an appointment card with the letter. He nodded.

"I guess you and I are to go to the Ministry for apparition test, Ron."
"Right, Dad told me about that. So the letter is about the test appointment, then?"
"Yeah. I need to present this card to take it. You have yours, I assume?"
"I do, as a matter of fact... though I'd have to make sure it's with me later."
"Ron, you didn't forget your appointment card?"
"Of course not! It should be in my trunk somewhere... Well, I'll look later. Don't worry, it should be somewhere in there."

There was a smirk on Hermione's face.

"You mean, this card?"

Ron looked at the card in amazement. Harry had to chuckle at the sight.

"Wha-- How -- Bloody hell! How in the world did you get it out of my stuff?"
"I didn't get it out. Mrs. Weasley picked up from your bed, and gave it to me this morning before we came. She must have known that you'd lose or something."

Ron mumbled something incomprehensible, and quickly snatched it from her hand. Harry carefully place the card inside the envelope, and placed in his trunk.

Noticing that Ron was embarassed and Hermione looked rather uneasy, he decided to change the subject.

"How's Bill doing?"

Ron's expression was mixed.

"... He's doing all right, I think."

Harry looked at Hermione, who said, "At least, I heard he did not exhibited any signs last full moon, though."

"The cursed wounds did not quite heal." completed Ron.
"... I see."

There was a pause, then Harry asked.

"Would the wounds go away when the attacker is done away?"

Surprise filled the faces of the two.

"You mean, if Greyback is dead?"
"Yeah."
"... I don't know. Once the wound is contaminated, the effect would not go away, I think... but there is no record of werewolf leaving a cursed scar when not transformed, and so anything is possible, I suppose," Hermione said, thinking.

"Right. We just need to hope for the best, then."

All three nodded somberly.

Hermione thrusted a parchment each to Harry and Ron.

"Well, I thought about the whole things, and here are things I think we need to discuss before we start. You did bring your own, right, Ron? And you, Harry?"

On their way on the Hogwarts Express, they did agree to brainstorm individually until they get together and plan, but....
Ron grimaced at her parchment.

"Uhh... Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"You know we only have a week, right?"

She simply raised one of her eyebrows at this, and made no comment about it.

Harry decided to cut in. "Let's just hear her out, Ron. We can prioritize things after that."
Ron hesitated for a second, then said. "All right, we do need to cover a lot of things. Just that setting priorities may be difficult, you know?"

"You know she is the most thorough and meticulous to every detail of us three, Ron. We're ready, Hermione"

She smiled at Harry, then at Ron, and started.

"Setting priorities can be accomplished properly only after we all come up with everything to do, you know? Here are things I could come up with. Why don't you two look at the list, and see if you can add anything else?"

Harry carefully read through her list, and grimaced at mid-way through it where it said 'Snape'.

"What do you think about Snape, Harry?"

As if she read his mind, Hermione asked him.

"... Why?"
"Do you think Dumbledore was right? I mean, he could have staged up his own end by making Snape kill himself... wait, I know this sounds crazy!" she added hastily, seeing Harry grimace. "But think about it. How could Dumbledore be so wrong about Snape for all those years! Snape did help Dumbledore on previous occasions, right? Snape might have discussed with him about the Unbreakable Vow to protect Malfoy, and... "

"Well, Hermione." Harry replied quietly. His green eyes were stern.
"The thing is, it doesn't matter if Snape acted on Dumbledore's order or not now. To me, it is personal. Snape killed a person very important to me, I vow to avenge. Simple as that."

Hermione's expression was of sorrow but with understanding. She looked into Harry's eyes, and nodded.

Hermione's list was long, but was very complete. Ron was shaking his head, mumbling how could a person possibly come up with these unbearably long list. Harry had to chuckle at this, knowing him too well that it was a way of his compliment to the girl in front of him. Then Harry came across a sentence: 'How can we make sure that a person is who he or she looks like or claims?'

He looked up. Hermione was looking straight at him. Her expression was serious.

"Yeah... how do we know? Let's say, how do I know you are Hermione?"
"And how do I know you are Harry as we know?"
"How do I know it's Ron, and not some imposter taking Polyjuice Potion?"

Ron looked up, confused.

"I know who you two are, though. I just know it."
"Well, mate. I know, but let's say we got separated for a while, and met again later. We only need to look at our eyes if Imperius Curse is on, I know. But how can we be sure of someone look like from someone real? We could use Legilimency, though I'm not very good at it."

"Here's another possible answer, Harry."

Hermione opened one of her books, and showed a chapter to him. It read... "'teth vitalis et sanguis' -- The Bonding of Lives in Blood."
Harry and Ron looked up at her.

"What does this do?"
"Honestly, you two don't read? This is in the book for NEWT! I thought we agreed to each one of us getting a copy of the 7th year texts, and self-study since we're not going back. I'm the only one who studied, then?"
"Oh, I have the books, though I must admit I'm not there yet."
"Yeah, neither do I. It's been only a week, though! How can you even finish reading that much?"

She just sighed at this comment by Ron. This was nothing new. She has been the first to finish reading, whether it was textbooks or other reading material, always. Some things never change, Harry mused silently, and waited for her response.

Seeing that the two were waiting, she sighed again, and continued.

"Teth vitalis et sanguis is a way of magically bonding lives of people who care for each other so that one can communicate each other in their mind if they choose to. Those who bonded can feel each other even when they are separated with great distance, and... "
"... Sounds like it is for a wedding ceremony"
"Right, Ron. It is one of the ancient rituals performed at wedding ceremony. It can only be done once in life, and only between two people. The thing is, once it's done, it cannot be undone even if you wanted to. It is not commonly performed these days."

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What are you suggesting, Harry and I do this, then?"
"Nah, Ron. I think it should be you and Hermione. I think we know each other enough to tell a fake, and if I'm not much mistaken, this should be done between a couple in love, not just two people."

Hermione nodded, her cheeks slightly pink. She continued,

"And I think you should do it, too, Harry."

Ron said calmly, nodding at her.

"Right. Ginny is my little sister, and you and I both know where your heart is, Harry. You told me about your so-called 'break-up', but you know what? I don't buy that crap! And... she's a mess, Harry! We were able to come without her only because Mom absolutely forbid her, saying she was still underage, and needed to help preparation for the wedding."

Harry sighed.

"Listen. Once we are at the Burrow, I will talk with Ginny, I swear. I owe it to her to explain things at the least. I know I hurt her, ... and myself though I felt it was best for her at the time. Anyway, for now, let's just continue with planning, OK?"

Seeing that the two friends looked at him, shruggin as if to say 'Whatever,' he sighed again. Harry decided that he'd have no say in things about Ginny at this point, and continued.

"I agree that you two should perform this ritual. Communication without risk of being intercepted is always good. Oh, and this is my to-do list. Why don't you read it over? And you have yours, right Ron? Let's just compare notes, shall we?" Ron nodded, and pulled out a couple of parchments from his trunk.

Harry pulled out a couple of parchments which he was preparing the past few weeks. On the list, he included Gringotts, the wedding, visiting Godric Hollow, Grimauld Place, and Hogwarts in additiion to studying and training. He had put down reasons for visiting Hogwarts... the Chamber of Secrets, Room of Requirement, and Dumbledore's portrait.

"You're not going there to get the Prince's book, are you, Harry?" asked Hermione as if she was accusing him of a crime.
"No."

She looked visibly relieved, though only until he said, "I already have that book back." Harry continued hastily, stopping her protest, "I need to know what Snape has in his sleeves if I were to face him, Hermione. But that is not the reason I wanted to go back to the Room of Requirement. I just remembered, when I tried to hide the book, I noticed an old-looking tiara. There were so many things in there that may be useful for us. Maybe even Horcrux was in there, too. You see, say if Riddle wanted to hide something while he was at Hogwarts, don't you think it is the first place to consider?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. It seemed utterly impossible that Voldemort would hide his Horcrux in Hogwarts itself, right under the nose of Dumbledore. However, they did remember Dumbledore mention about the 'remarkable' room. He even openly admitted he did not know everything in Hogwarts. They would need to find out which of Founding Fathers' heirloom still exist today, and search anyways, and Hogwarts library seemed to be a good starting point for that research.

They discussed late into the night, and continued for the rest of the week. They'd eat, do some workout, study, and discuss. There were much to discuss, and this room was perfect for the intense discussion without having to worry about eavedropping and such. Surprisingly both Harry and Ron, Hermione knew quite a lot about working out, and was more fluent in using Harry's equipments than its owner. She even demonstrated how to use them in ways Harry did not know of, but very effective. When Ron asked how she knew them so well, she simply stated that girls have a reputation to keep, and did not elaborate.

When they finished planning and discussing things through, Hermione pulled out her wand, and muttered, 'Incendio', destroying the parchments in flame.

It was late afternoon. They were to take off for the Burrow in a few minutes.

His trunk was ready, and Harry gave one last glance at where his room used to be. This was it. This was the last glimpse of this place that he would see, ever. He was going to leave without saying anything to the Dursleys initially, but changed his mind when he woke up this morning. He did owe them the past 16 years, even though most were not pleasant.

"Well," Harry started, facing the three at the front door to the house, and he noticed their face showed strange expression of mixed feelings. Aunt Petunia handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" perplexed, Harry asked.

"When I agreed with Dumbledore of taking you, I received this letter with a key in it. You will need it to enter your parents' home if you decide to go back there."

"... Er ... thanks," not knowing what else to say, he said as he took the envelope. Inside, he also noted something else... a note. It was blank. He looked up at Aunt Petunia with a questioning look, which she answered curtly.

"You will need to read the note after you enter the house, he said."

He nodded.

"I see. Now, it is time. Thanks... for the past 16 years -- well, almost 16 years, anyway. I will leave in a moment with my friends, and will never come back to this place, so rest assured that you will not see me, ever again," said Harry quietly. The Dursleys did not say a thing. Mainly to Petunia, he continued.

"Remember what I told you last week, Aunt Petunia?"

She merely nodded and whispered, "We are on our way tomorrow."

"OK. Give it at least til early August, right?" She nodded. Harry had mentioned of the ancient protection ward Dumbledore had placed on him via his mother's blood lineage. It will be gone soon, and he was fairly certain that there will be an attack planned. Aurors had set up a trap, and the Dursleys were to spend some extended holiday in Switzerland.

Harry was to rejoin Ron and Hermione at Mrs. Figgs. He thought this parting should at least be private among themselves. Ron already picked up Harry's trunk, and Hermione had Hedwig. He could see Moody, Lupin and Tonks were approaching as well, as their escort.

"Good bye, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley."
Said Harry, with some strange, strenuous tone, after eyeing each of them.

This time, Petunia gave him a nod, with her eyes near tears.

"Bye, Harry. I know we've never been good to you and all, but do take care."

Stunned that she actually gave him a proper good bye, Harry did not move for a few moments nor spoke. Vernon and Dudley merely waved their hands.

Harry nodded, then turned his back to them, and without looking back, went to the neighbor's house, where they would be shielded from any Muggle's view to apparate away.