Chapter Two The Journey Begins
Phineas Nigellus Black spoke up and shattered the silence that lasted after Margaret's words. "You know the Ministry is interrogating the portraits. Perhaps it would be wise for you to retreat into silence, Margaret."
Harry glanced up at him and then to her picture. He once again noticed the empty wall space on each side of her portrait. She glared at the other portrait and then straightened her shoulders and looked down at Harry. "Don't worry about me, Harry. No one knows that I can speak. They will learn nothing from me." She smiled that gleaming angelic smile and then turned her profile to him. The portrait seemed to freeze and become more two dimensional as it had when he entered the room. He watched for a moment but knew that she would not become active again.
He glanced once more at Albus' portrait, wishing with all of his heart that the eyes would open and the man would see him there, even if it made no difference. It wasn't to be and Harry started towards the door. There was a faint sound of voices as he approached the anteroom. He was only able to slip inside a rather ornate cupboard before the people entered the room. He stepped back and heard the sound of colliding bottles. He was in a potion's cupboard!
"Minerva," Remus Lupin was saying, "They did their best to follow him. We lost him very near the Leaky Cauldron so we can safely assume, I think, that he entered at Diagon Alley. Harry knows very little about our world. I think that will be a help in finding him. He won't be out of sight-for-long."
"Didn't you tell him that we would fetch him today...that we planned...that you were going to pick him up at his aunt and uncle's?" McGonagall asked. She took her place at Dumbledore's desk and looked up at the man who remained standing.
"You know Harry, Minerva. We kept in touch but I was sure he wouldn't act impulsively. He knew the dangers and I thought he trusted me. I thought sure he would stay as long as the blood charm remained in place. However, I am at fault. I wasn't specific about my plans to him," Lupin sighed. "That bloody invisibility cloak. I swear Dumbledore should have burned it! Instead, what does he do? He gives it to him! If it hadn't been for that we would never have lost him."
"And in Diagon Alley, too!"
There was a silence and Harry held his breath. He was feeling mildly guilty and angry at the same time. As usual no one ever divulged their plans to him and yet he also knew that Remus would have come for him.
"Yes, well, Albus did a lot of things," she murmured at last breaking the silence. "I thought I was a friend of his; I thought he felt safe in confiding in me. Now, I have found that he kept many secrets." Harry caught a glimpse of her face through an opening between the cupboard doors. She looked very sad.
"You know him, Minerva," Lupin said with despair, "He protected everyone. He was always, always trying to make sure no one was harmed. He's done it ever since I've known him and probably as long as you've known him."
Lupin was out of his line of sight so Harry watched McGonagall who was now nodding in acknowledgement of what Remus was saying.
"Well, shall we do it?" McGonagall said as she got to her feet. "I want you to know that I think this is a terrible invasion of his privacy. However, he left no will, which was very unlike him. Of course, we have yet to open his vault at Gringott's. I believe he probably did leave something there and if he did he would have wanted Hagrid to have it. Possibly he left a clue there as well and I am hesitant about taking this action. Don't you think we should wait?"
"We've had this discussion," Lupin said irritably. "The goblins may have already gotten to it. We know that some are loyal to Voldemort. They are certainly stalling for time and that's a bit suspicious. Albus didn't designate an executor of his estate and you know it could take years to clear it all up."
"Yes, yes, I know." She walked across the room and out of Harry's sight. He heard the faint ringing of glass as she reached through a door and jostled the contents and he knew immediately what their intentions were. "I hesitate to do this," she was saying, "but I understand that we must. However, we have agreed. Once we have learned of his activities then the contents of the Pensieve will be bottled and put in the archives in the library."
Harry thought Lupin must have agreed. She continued after a pause. "Very well. I'll take care of that. I think I will mislabel the contents so that Scrimgeour or one of his aids will not be able to find it." She spoke about the Minister of Magic with a sourness in her voice and Harry nodded in agreement. "Madam Pince can keep a secret. If anyone tries to enter her library intent on snooping she would fight them off like a lioness." .
"Together then?" Lupin asked.
Harry knew that the time was ripe for him to leave the room while they were in the Pensieve and yet he wanted to know what they learned and how it affected him. He had only ever been in the Pensieve on his own when he stumbled on it for the first time and the second incident in which he saw Snape's life; the other times he had been guided by Dumbledore. He'd forgotten all about it when he made plans to steal the sword. Now, he wished that he could have used it himself.
They are going to learn about the Horcruxes, he thought, biting his lip. He pulled his wand and lit it only so the end glowed dimly in the darkness of the closet. He studied the jars of potions ingredients without really paying attention to the labels. His mind was on what they were learning.
And sure enough, minutes passed by, then a half hour and still they were silent, bent over the basin with their faces emerged in Dumbledore's thoughts. Lupin was the first to step back and exclaim in astonishment, "Horcruxes! My god!"
Minerva stepped away a fraction of a second later and exclaimed, "Remus!"
"Yes, yes, I know!" he answered and his voice got closer as he paced the circular room and came close to Harry's hiding place. "And Harry was privy to this information. What do you think Albus was doing?" he said, sounding very annoyed. "Harry is still a young man, he's just about to come of age. How could Albus think of including him in this bizarre hunt for...for Horcruxes!"
McGonagall didn't speak. Once again Harry caught sight of her behind Dumbledore's desk. There was a long pause and she finally spoke. "Albus thought that Harry had some special skills that were transferred to him at the time of his parent's death. After all, he can speak parseltongue; we know he has a mental connection to the Dark Lord and he's escaped death at his hands several times. There's probably more."
"Minerva...," Lupin growled.
"Yes, yes, I agree with you," McGonagall said and nodded emphatically. "Such a burden. Perhaps he is the Chosen One as they report, although based on his performance in classes, his skills are moderately good; not excellent, not even spectacular, although I have to admit he is the best Quidditch Seeker I have ever seen."
Harry had to agree with that even though he was slightly embarrassed by her words.
"Perhaps he has improved over the summer," she was saying, "but that does not make him a match for the Dark Lord or for destroying... Horcruxes." She said the last with great distaste.
"What do you know of Horcruxes, Minerva?" This time Lupin dropped into a chair across from the desk and Harry could see him.
"Probably as much as you," she answered. "One must commit a heinous crime to wrench the soul from the body and place it in a receptacle. If Albus was right, and it appears he was, there are several of these objects, meaning that Voldemort split his soul into parts. We know that one piece resides always within the body. Once the objects are destroyed he will become mortal again."
Lupin had his fist to his mouth, pounding at his lips unconsciously and was nodding as if stunned. "Terrible to think about!"
She nodded in agreement.
"It looks like two have been destroyed; the ring and the diary," McGonagall stared into the distance and continued, "Albus and Harry were probably on a journey to find another the night he was killed. They returned to the astronomy tower. Harry said Albus was weak and defenseless. So he must have found one. What else would have made him that way? Snape could not have overcome him if Albus had not been hurt. And what of the object? Does Harry have it? Is that why he's trying to hide from us?"
Lupin glanced at the portrait above and behind her. "What does it matter? It doesn't bear thinking about. We know that Harry knows. He will go after Snape and after the other objects, however many there are. You know it and I know it. I only hope I can find Severus before he does."
"Do you think he knew about Lily and Severus?" McGonagall asked.
"No," Remus said thoughtfully, "No, I think not." He jumped to his feet and began the restless pacing again. He stopped at the shelf where the Sorting Hat rested and stared at it for a long time. "Minerva what is missing in this room? Who has been here?"
McGonagall looked up and frowned. "The house elves have strict orders to touch nothing. The Ministry has taken some of the portraits in for questioning, which is useless." She stood and stared around the room. Dumbledore's various trinkets and tools remained on their polished tables, some still emitting little puffs of steam or smoke. Her hand glided over them as she searched with her eyes.
"My god! The sword!" she mumbled. "Remus, Gryffindor's sword is gone!" She stepped to the wall and placed her hand on the empty spot where it had hung. "It's gone."
Lupin stepped over and glanced at her once before leaning in and sniffing, much like a dog, where the sword had hung. Harry watched in fascination. Can he smell me? he wondered.
"Yes...yes," he said and smiled wanly, opening his eyes to stare at her. "Harry took it. His essence remains in the room and it is stronger then any other. I didn't pay attention, his smell is so familiar to me. But I can tell now that he took it not long ago."
McGonagall glared at him. "He must know something about the sword that we don't. Can you track him? Is it too late?" she asked.
Remus searched the room with his eyes and his nose twitched. The gleam in his eyes was preternaturally animalistic and Harry drew in his breath as he watched. He had never seen this side of Lupin. He had seen him transform-yes- but he hadn't realized that in his everyday behavior the wolf lie just beneath the surface. He suddenly remembered Fenrir Grayback and how he had delightedly told Dumbledore that he was murdering and eating children even when the full moon was not out. Harry stared at Remus and shuddered. He spun to the shelves at his back and read the labels once more.
He will find me, he thought. Something to disguise my smell... He frantically searched the shelves.
"His scent is all over the room but strongest here," Lupin said as he neared the cupboard. "No one else seems to have been in the room since the end of term, other then you and the Ministry wizards. The other scents have faded." The gray eyes cast about the room. "Let me go to the hallway and perhaps I can follow his trail." Lupin quickly left the room and McGonagall followed.
Harry waited for ten minutes and heard nothing. He'd found the Death Camases in among the ingredients for potions, the seed pod when broken would give off a horrid odor. He had no idea if it could disguise his scent or if the smell alone would kill him. He could wait no longer as he heard their returning footsteps. He broke the tubular root and held his breath. The odor had a visible greenish gas that was filling up the cupboard.
Lupin came near and sniffed. "Ooh, yipes. Albus' potions cupboard stinks. I think something has broken inside and it smells like Death Camases. You might have the house elves come up and clean it before it kills someone. Come let's get out of here. Take the Pensieve down to the Library."
"The smell always reminds me of mountain troll," McGonagal was saying as they left the room.
Harry burst from the cupboard and ran to a window, flinging it wide so he could hang his head and gulps in deep breaths of fresh air. He followed in their footsteps, wary of their reappearance, until he was in the corridor on the second floor. He knew, without having to have the Marauder's Map, of an escape route under the humped-back witch. This time he was going to take it, not to sneak away to his friends in Hogsmeade, but to avoid a confrontation with Remus and McGonagall.
He exited through the candy store just as he had years before wearing his invisibility cloak. The village was quiet and there were few people on the streets. He was thankful for that.
He wandered out of the village and when he was safe he once again stuffed the invisibility cloak into his satchel and exchanged it for his wizard's cloak and continued on his journey. Periodically, he would pull a map out and study it and then continue walking. When he was sure that he was not followed and was in the countryside, he called to his broom. Acio, broom!
It took several minutes for the Firebolt to come sailing over the trees and stop waist high within reach of his hand. He would never have thought it possible to call his broom to him if he had not had the experience during the Triwizard Tournament. He touched the broom handle fondly and threw his leg over it. The broom shivered, much like a horse when it is mounted. He took off into the cobalt blue sky and headed North. Once in the air, he knew that Remus could not follow his scent, even if he managed to track him to this point.
Harry thought about the scene in Dumbledore's office with the portrait of Dumbledore's fiancée and then of Lupin and McGonagall. He had learned a great deal from Margaret and something that might come in useful from Lupin and McGonagall. He wanted to travel for a distance during the day and find a spot where he could wait until evening. Harry was fast learning how to avoid meeting up with wizard's and witches. His face was too well known in this world and he needed to remain anonymous.
He used the Disillusionment charm to conceal himself as he flew and then he found a small village and the safety of a tiny attic room at one of the inns. He dropped onto the bed and closed his eyes without sleeping. Good, I've made it this far, he thought. By early evening he would again be on the road after he had found a place to post his letters. Then he would find his way to Godric's Hollow.
His hand touched the three letters that lay on the comforter. One addressed to Hermione, Ron and Ginny. He'd written them the day he got off the Hogwarts Express.
Harry held his wand in his hand. He rarely went anywhere without it and took every chance he could to practice his spells. He opened his eyes and stared at the sword left lying on a table in his room. Squinting slightly he pointed his wand and the sword immediately transformed into a pocket watch. He smiled slightly. Professor McGonagall might have been surprised at his skills now. He was clearly doing much better at transfiguration.
