Chapter 4: Jobs and Horcruxes

Another Weasley entered Grimmauld Place. "Percy?" Harry asked. "How're you doing?"

"Fine." Percy simply answered. "After that blunder with Mr. Crouch I would have been fired but with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return the Ministry of Magic decided that the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes needed more people. I'd rather join Dad in his new office but beggars can't be choosers, I guess."

"New office?"

"Upon suggestion of Rufus Scrimegour, Head of Auror Office, Minister Fudge created a new office located in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement: the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects." Percy explained. "Dad heads the office and has twelve people working under him. He misses working with Muggle Artifacts but understands the need to keep the world safe from Death Eaters."

"Don't feel so bad, son." Arthur said. "Minister Fudge used to work at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes before becoming the Minister of Magic." That made Percy extremely happy.

"May we stop talking about the Ministry?" Sirius Black added. "We need to clean up the house and make sure Narcissa and Draco aren't keeping any dark object for themselves."

Speaking of the devil, Draco could be heard. "Mother, why did you never tell me we descend from Salazar Slytherin?"

"Draco, where did you get the idea we have this honor?" A confused Narcissa Malfoy asked.

"From this!" Draco answered while showing a locket. "I found Salazar Slytherin's locket among the stuff those blood traitors tried to cast away."

"Malfoy, how can you be so sure this locket belonged to Salazar Slytherin?" Harry demanded.

"Every Slytherin is taught what his locket looks like, Potter." Draco explained. "This is undoubtedly his locket."

"Did you know the locket was in this house, Sirius?" Narcissa asked.

"I had no idea, Narcissa." Sirius answered.

"Then let's ask Kreacher." Narcissa suggested.

"Hah." Sirius scoffed. "I bet one Galleon he won't know."

"Make it two, cousin." Narcissa snapped.

"Deal."

"Kreacher!"

The house-elf poped on. "Yes, Mistress?" Kreacher eagerly asked.

"Do you know how this locket came into this house, Kreacher?" Narcissa asked and then noticed Kreacher's reaction. "I order you to tell."

Despite Regulus' orders not to tell anybody, Kreacher saw no choice but obey his 'Mistress' and tell his tale. Both Narcissa and Sirius got the shock of their lives.

"Why didn't you destroy it, Kreacher?" Sirius asked.

Kreacher started crying. "Kreacher wasn't able to. The locket can't be destroyed unless it's opened and Kreacher couldn't open it. Kreacher is a bad elf!"

Sirius and Narcissa, for some reason Harry and Draco wouldn't understand, asked the two kids not to be around when they talked to Dumbledore about the locket. "Sirius, Narcissa, you were right. This locket is a Horcrux."

"How do we destroy it, Headmaster?" Sirius asked.

"Dobby!" Dumbledore called and Dobby appeared. "Did Headmaster Dumbledore call for Dobby, Sir?"

"Dobby, bring me Godric Gryffindor's sword."

"Headmaster, why did you ask for the Malfoy family's house elf?" Sirius asked after Dobby left.

"Dobby is no longer bound to the Malfoys, Sirius." Dumbledore answered. "He now works at Hogwarts."

Dobby then brought back the sword. "Now all we need is to open the locket and then I can use Godric Gryffindor's sword to destroy it." Dumbledore said.

"Impossible, Headmaster." Sirius replied. "Salazar Slytherin charmed his locket so it'd not open unless commanded in Parseltongue to do so."

"No problem." Dumbledore replied. "I'll just talk to Harry."

"What does Prongslet have to do with it?" A confused Sirius Black asked.

"He's a Parselmouth, Sirius." Dumbledore explained. While Sirius was recovering from the shock, Dumbledore approached Harry to ask him to open the locket.

"Headmaster, do I really need to speak Parseltongue again?" Harry asked, not wanting to do something considered dark.

"I'm afraid so, Harry." Dumbledore sadly replied. "This locked contains a curse similar from that diary and I need it open so I can finish it."

Thinking about that diary and Ginny was enough to convince Harry. One swift move from Dumbledore and the locket's curse is history. The Headmaster then went to Sirius to relay the good news. "Do you mean Voldemort can be killed now?" Sirius eagerly asked.

"I'm afraid not, Sirius." Dumbledore answered.

"But we've already destroyed his Horcrux." Sirius pleaded.

"That one, perhaps. But I wonder how many others he made."

"Somebody made more than ONE of them?" A shocked Sirius asked.

"I'm afraid so, Sirius." Dumbledore sadly replied. "I've found one on a way that already suggested he made more and I'm afraid the diary and the locket weren't the only ones."

"What can we do then?"

"I'm looking for more clues, Sirius." Dumbledore answered. "But first, I have to meet the other professors to pick the prefects."

"I'll be certainly picked, right, Headmaster?" Draco asked with his usual arrogance.

"Haven't your mother told you, Draco?" Dumbledore asked. "To keep you safe from Voldemort's influence, your Mother decided to keep you from returning to Hogwarts and hire some private tutors."

"SHE CAN'T DO THAT!" Draco angrily replied.

"I'm afraid she can, Draco." Dumbledore replied. "She hired Severus to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Charms and Remus to teach Transfiguration, History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures."

"But Lupin is a werewolf!" Draco exclaimed in horror.

"There's no need to worry, Draco." Sirius said, making Draco feel relieved until Sirius added, "I've managed to keep Umbridge from passing that stupid anti-werewolf legislation that would have made it criminal to hire werewolves."

"You actually defended those filthy creatures!" A horrified Draco asked.

"Twenty points from Slytherin for this insult, Malfoy." Sirius said with a teacher-like tone.

"I'm no longer a student of Hogwarts, Professor Black." Draco maliciously said. "Nothing I do or say can be used as a reason to make Slytherin win or lose points."

"Fine. Slytherin gets the points back."

POP The twins apparated in the room. "Are you giving…"

"…Slytherin House points?"

"Just giving back points I technically couldn't have taken from Draco Malfoy since he'll no longer attend Hogwarts." Sirius explained.

"Are you serious?" The twins asked.

"Yes but my name has nothing to do with it." Sirius replied, making the twins laugh.

"Yes, another reason to…"

"…complete our education."

"Excuse me?" Sirius asked.

"At first, since we became of age and therefore could no longer be forced to attend school, we thought about devoting our time to the joke shop." Fred said.

"A noble cause, I admit." Sirius replied.

"But, we couldn't resist the temptation of knowing what a year without Snape is like." George said.

"And knowing Malfoy won't be back either makes Hogwarts sound even better." Fred added.

"I understand the feeling but pranksters need targets." Sirius said.

"There are other Slytherins…"

"…and some prats from other Houses as well."

"Good point."

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