Chapter 4: Legality? What's that?
I don't own 'Harry Potter'
"Right. So. The Horcruxes. There are three left right now, Malfoy Manor, Hogwarts, and the Gaunt shack."
Harry desperately tried to stop his embarrassing rambling and act like a normal human being rather than a crazy person. (Which he might have been, but that was really beside the point. Perhaps he should stop having conversations with himself in his head?)
He was sure that Regulus wasn't really flirting with him, his brain was just making the other man's words sound like something they weren't. Regulus was a stupidly gorgeous man and a pure-blood who could easily get anyone he wanted, so what would he want with someone like Harry? Slightly off, a time traveller with no family name at this point in time, and a half-blood?
… Apparently the best way to calm yourself down was to remind yourself of your non-existent self-esteem. Great, now I feel like shit.
"Anyway," he said while clearing his throat, "I think we should split up and each go after one Horcrux each before meeting up for the last one."
Regulus frowned but didn't question his visible mood drop. "That sounds like the most efficient plan. Which ones should we go after separately, though?"
"I can get the one from Malfoy Manor, so you can decide between the other two. They each have their own issues, though. The diadem's in a hidden room in Hogwarts about the size of the Great Hall. It's completely full of random objects, so it'll take time to scour through everything to find it.
"On the other hand, the ring in the Gaunt shack is covered by any number of protections that I don't know of. I do know that the ring itself had some sort of compulsion spell on it that made whoever found it want to wear it. Which really isn't a good idea seeing as it has a curse on it that rots the flesh and kills you. Dumbledore ended up putting the bloody thing on and only survived for a year because Snape contained the curse in his hand. Even if Snape hadn't killed him he would have died within the year."
"How lovely," Regulus replied dryly.
The other man sat back with his arms crossed, looking to be in deep thought. Personally, Harry thought that Regulus should go for the diadem; it wasn't covered in horrid spells designed to kill him in a disgustingly painful manner, and the only issue would be how long it would take.
"I'll go for the ring."
Of course you will.
Harry resisted the urge to swear, instead asking Regulus, "Will you be okay with the compulsion? It's not that I doubt your abilities, I mean you could probably wipe the floor with me you wanted, it's just pretty dangerous. Will you be able to resist the compulsions?"
"My, my, Mister Potter," Regulus smirked, "it almost sounds as if you're worried about me. What, would you miss me if something were to happen?"
That smile should be illegal, and damn it why am I so pale?
"I literally just stopped you from being eaten by Inferi, of course I don't want you dead ... Besides, you're fun to be around."
He tried not to fidget and mentally urged his blush to fuck off, but apparently he had no such luck if Regulus' smug grin was anything to go by.
He. Is. Not. Flirting. Get over yourself, Potter.
"Why, thank you," he drawled playfully. "Nevertheless, I am a Black, and we have our own ways of avoiding darker compulsion spells. If it comes down to it, I'll just burn down the entire shack."
"I'd still feel better if you didn't go there by yourself," Harry grumbled.
Regulus raised an elegant brow. "Would it make you feel any better if I took Kreacher with me?"
"As a matter of fact, it would."
The Black just huffed and rolled his eyes, which was strangely hilarious on the other man. He hadn't seen Regulus Black act so informal and it was an intriguing sight. Almost like seeing an animal start acting like a different animal. (Not that he'd ever say that to his face; he had no desire to become intimately familiar with Regulus' extensive knowledge of hexes and curses.)
It was a strange situation no matter how he thought about it. He was trapped in the past, sitting in the house of one of the darkest families of magical Britain, and was sat opposite one of the most captivating men ever. 'Sinful' might be an appropriate word for Regulus Black; he wasn't shy about being a dark wizard and the fact that his mother was about to be murdered, and Harry knew full well his friends would be horrified at Harry wilfully working with the man.
He was like the biblical story of the apple: Harry knew it was wrong, but he really wanted to take a bite.
… Which brought up all the wrong images that he'd been trying to suppress ever since he'd laid eyes on Regulus Black.
As he'd told Regulus, it'd taken Harry a bit of time to figure out his preferences in terms of relationships. He could now quite happily say he was pansexual (as Luna had informed him it was called after a long and involved discussion) and he really didn't discriminate by gender or sex. Just personality.
Which was why he and Ginny had stayed apart after the war. She hadn't dealt with all the crap he had for seven years straight (which didn't even get into his crappy childhood) and hadn't understood his apathy towards a serious relationship so soon after all the fighting. She'd wanted to marry and pop out kids as soon as possible, but honestly the time apart had showed Harry that she was kind of clingy and too hot-headed for Harry.
It wasn't necessarily the idea of marriage and kids that turned him off, but it was the idea that he was supposed be a 'proper' man and get a Ministry job and provide for his wife and kids. Apparently his own desire to take some time for himself before finding a job and look after any possible children instead of their mother was irrelevant, and he should do everything that Ginny wanted just because.
How about no.
To be honest Ginny had turned him off women for the most part. He was still attracted to women but he wouldn't be going anywhere near a woman like Ginevra Weasley any time soon. Women like Luna were more his thing; open-minded, funny, and smart. And calm. Calm was key.
Of course that didn't really cover physical attraction, and once he'd opened himself up to the reality that was his attraction to men he'd started to realise there had been loads of men he'd been looking at through his teen years, some appropriate and some wildly inappropriate.
Bill, Charlie, Cedric, Oliver, Roger Davies, Adrian Pucey, Viktor, Sirius …
He wondered what it said about him that every single one had been a Quidditch player at one point or another.
And now his eyes wandering over Regulus had seemingly added another Quidditch player to the long list of men he'd ogled lustfully. Not that anything would be happening from said ogling. They were partners for destroying Voldemort and ridding the world of his madness, nothing more, nothing less. Once he was gone he'd find some way to live a life here. Somehow.
"Well," Regulus said, grabbing Harry's attention, "no time like the present."
He stood up and Harry joined him.
Time to break the law again.
Little Hangleton was a rather quaint village for having been the scene of three murders that had ended in the creation of a Horcrux, Regulus mused.
It was incredibly ironic that the Dark Lord – Tom Riddle – had done something so moronic as to murder his relatives in such a high-profile manner. He'd killed his paternal relatives and spelled his maternal uncle into confessing for the crime.
The man didn't want anyone knowing about his origins yet he had done so many things to drop hints about his true heritage. Aside from the stupid murders that he hadn't bothered to cover up, he hadn't changed his name and started over, or even hidden the Horcruxes in locations unrelated him.
He'd been so arrogant to assume that nobody knew anything about him. Even though Regulus didn't like him, Albus Dumbledore was a formidable wizard and had been a professor of Riddle's. Did he really think the man wouldn't be able to figure out anything from his life? According to Harry, Dumbledore had been the one to bring Riddle his Hogwarts letter so clearly Dumbledore was aware of who Voldemort truly was. Riddle had to have known his secrets weren't truly hidden, so why had he not been smarter in his actions?
Though it could have been a fervent belief that the Headmaster wasn't determined enough to go after him and end things. From some of the things Harry had let slip, Albus Dumbledore was someone who much preferred to play the puppet-master rather than take definitive action.
Regulus scowled at the idea; Harry might not have recognised the man's actions for what they were, but to Regulus they were nothing but grooming. He'd groomed Harry to be a perfect little self-sacrificing soldier and the Potter had done his job perfectly.
He'd bet that Harry's survival hadn't been part of the plan.
The man still hadn't told him how the Horcrux in him had been destroyed, but the vile things were only destroyed after the receptacle was destroyed beyond repair.
Which meant Harry had died.
He had a feeling Harry had done it willingly, too. It was a good thing he'd graduated already; he didn't know if he'd have been able to sit in the school and look at the manipulative bastard without doing something that would have gotten him arrested.
Regulus wandered down the pathway to the Gaunt home and found the shack hidden amongst a plethora of tree trunks crowding the dilapidated building, blocking it from the sun. Moss covered the walls, nettles grew up the sides of the building, and more than a few roof tiles had come loose and fallen off over the years. The small windows were also covered in a thick layer of dirt, and Regulus wrinkled his nose at the mess. It was strange to think his home would have become somewhat similar in the future because of a mad Walburga, though considering her personality perhaps it really wasn't that strange.
He pulled out his wand and tested the outside of the shack. There were a few wards up that would be fairly difficult to destroy – if he weren't a Black, that is. His family had always been dangerous, and he supposed that at least one part of his mother's 'education' would prove to be useful.
Waving his wand, he walked around the property chanting under his breath, pushing more and more magic into the spell. After a few minutes all the external wards were down and he breathed deeply as he lowered his wand.
"Kreacher."
His faithful elf popped into existence next to him and bowed. "What can Kreacher be doing to help Master Regulus?"
"Kreacher, there's something in this shack that I need to destroy. It's similar to the locket, but I've been told it has a spell on it that will make me want to wear it. If you see me trying to put the ring on you need to stop me, even if that means throwing me against the wall. Do you understand?"
The elf looked torn at the idea of hurting him but he eventually gave a begrudging nod. "Yes, Master Regulus."
He braced himself and strode in the shack deliberately, taking care not to touch the door or walls. Who knew what traps were littered about? Once inside he scanned the building, finding a single cluster of protective spells focused under the floorboards in the kitchen.
Trying to levitate the floorboards proved ineffectual and he was loathe to use something as blunt as a blasting spell. After a moment he remembered the lack of protections against non-human magic in the cave and he turned to Kreacher.
"Kreacher, can you move these floorboards for me?"
The elf clicked his fingers and the planks of wood slowly raised into the air and moved to the side, revealing a hole in the floor filled with a box. Kreacher thankfully got the box out and opened it slowly, giving Regulus time to brace himself for the spells Harry told him about.
Once the lid was removed Regulus was very grateful for his extensive Occlumency training; if he hadn't been prepared he probably would have been dead now. He could feel some sort of force emanating from the ring, trying to entice him, telling him to wear the ring.
He could keep standing there and let the vile thing wear down his defences or destroy it.
A quick flick of his wand and the shack was filled with a small but powerful ball of fire focused on the box, disintegrating the contents into nothingness. He smiled grimly at the sound of the wailing scream emanating from the flames, watching as the black mist rose from the fire and dissipated into the air.
All at once the attack on his mind ceased and he slowly pulled back the cursed fire until the shack was empty of flames once more. The silence seemed deafening and he smirked with satisfaction.
Another one down.
With the one Harry was destroying now there were two Horcruxes left, and then they could kill the monster once and for all.
After sweeping his eyes around the shack once more, he turned on the spot and Disapparated.
Harry really hadn't been lying when he'd told Regulus he didn't give a crap about dark magic. Having had a Horcrux in him for over a decade and a half, not to mention having fought in a war, his perception on what was acceptable in terms of magic had certainly evolved and warped from when he'd been a wide-eyed eleven-year-old who thought all Slytherins were evil.
He knew that he was more willing to carry out actions that would earn him a one-way ticket to Azkaban than he had been before, and the idea that he was casually doing something so illegal in broad daylight simply didn't faze him one bit. Apathetic, blasé, indifferent … take your pick of synonyms, because they were all appropriate for Harry's current attitude.
Legality was the least of his concerns when it came to Voldemort.
Perhaps it was worrying that he was so much more concerned about fixing this time's problems instead of trying to find a way back to his own time, but this was a situation that he had a plan for. Where he was from he'd been floundering on a daily basis; he might have been staying with Andromeda half the time but he hadn't really had a purpose. For years he'd grown up having the idea of fighting Voldemort being shoved down his throat and when the wanker had finally bit the dust Harry had been left with no purpose.
Fighting against Voldemort was truly the only thing he'd ever known. He might have been good at Defence and had muttered about being an Auror, but he'd never really known what to do with his life. The primary thought in his mind had been being killed by Voldemort, and in comparison to that how important was a fifth-year careers meeting?
Ending up in the past had dumped him in a time when Voldy was alive and everything he'd ever learnt about the bastard had somehow become useful again. Was it his 'saving people' thing? Or was it just that he wanted to seem useful again?
… The more he thought about it the more he realised Dumbledore had really fucked him up.
Well, the old fart had gotten what he wanted in the end. A dutiful little pawn that cheerfully went and martyred himself and saved the day.
As much as he didn't want to leave everyone to suffer the insanity that was Voldemort he had no desire to get fully embroiled in the mess of a war. He was tired damn it, and he honestly wanted to have a quiet life and a family to look after.
He'd had Teddy but the baby hadn't really been his. He could admit in his darkest moments he'd considered leaving and trying to get pregnant via a one night stand so he could have someone of his own to care for. The only problem with that was how bastards were treated in the magical world, not to mention his own issues from the war. He could at least hope for a simple family in the future.
And it was this wish for a simple life that made it more logical – to Harry – to do things completely illegally when it came to getting the diary from Lucius Malfoy. He honestly wanted to get things over and done with as quickly as possible, so his plans were made based on ease rather than what was 'good'. He could have disguised himself and tried to sneak into Malfoy Manor, or tried to break in unnoticed, or many other covert plans that weren't so illegal.
Instead he decided to Imperius Lucius Malfoy with the Elder Wand.
Said wand was essentially unbeatable, and when using this certain Unforgivable it became something not even Albus Dumbledore would have been able to resist. Harry knew well that casually using one of the three worst spells in existence probably said something not so great about his mental state but it was the most viable plan he had.
Running into Lucius in Knockturn Alley had been a bonus as nobody even cared if someone ended up the victim of stray spells in the disreputable area. Even if he had been seen nobody would have batted an eye, even if his victim was Heir Malfoy – everyone knew if you walked into Knockturn Alley you could be in danger, and it was your own fault if you didn't pay attention enough to look after yourself.
Harry had surreptitiously drawn the most powerful wand in existence and jabbed it at Lucius Malfoy's back, quietly telling the man to follow all his instructions perfectly and silently before Apparating with the man to just outside the Shrieking Shack. (It had been the first deserted place that had sprung to Harry's mind.)
From there Harry had questioned the blonde man to ensure his manor was empty, and instructed him to Apparate home and bring him the diary without anyone seeing it, even his house-elves and portraits.
Now he was stood outside the 'haunted' building with a Horcrux in his arms and a dazed peacock in front of him. He had so much potential for revenge …
"Well done, Malfoy. Now, I want you to take this," he said, pulling out a transfigured replica of Riddle's diary, "back to Malfoy Manor with you and put it back in the same exact spot where the original diary was. Then I want you to forget everything that happened with the diary today and go and take a nap. If anyone asks, you went shopping in Knockturn Alley, browsed the stores for a while then went home to take a nap."
Harry looked at the Malfoy and remembered hearing about the man only wanting one child because it was easier to have just one heir. Oh well.
"Also, if your wife ever asks for more children you will oblige her. You wish to make the Malfoy family stronger by having as many children as your wife wants."
Narcissa had saved his life after all, and it wasn't her fault her husband was a tosser who hadn't wanted to bother with more than one child.
"You will also not spoil your children, instead ensuring they understand how their actions have consequences. They will also need to understand not to insult people in public. It is not proper to call someone a mudblood."
Maybe he was laying it on too thick, but Draco Malfoy really did need a kick up the arse.
Harry went to lower his wand before he smirked, remembering a theory that Andromeda had had about muggle-borns and their heritage. This is going to be hilarious.
"You will also begin setting up a research project, paying for muggle-borns to take inheritance tests at Gringotts. You will test fifty muggle-borns with their permission before taking your findings to the Wizengamot. If it is proven that muggle-borns are descended from half-bloods in the muggle world or Squibs, you will put forth a bill to advocate for the testing of all muggle-borns in order to help them reconnect with their families. You will also mention how none of this would be happening if pure-bloods hadn't thrown Squibs out their own families."
"Yes," came the dazed reply.
"Finally, you will forget every single thing you know about me. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now go home and sleep."
The blonde man gave a mechanical nod before Disapparating with a sharp crack, leaving behind a Harry Potter cackling at his antics. Lucius Malfoy was going to piss off a lot of people with that project. At least Harry wouldn't be caught, having made sure to wear a glamour beforehand.
He turned to the shack and made his way inside, looking around at the scratches and mess from Moony. Harry felt a twinge at Remus not knowing who he was before he shook off the thought, pulling out the cursed diary and dropping it on the floor.
He raised his wand, and a moment later the ruined room was filled with an intense heat from the cursed fire devouring the book. Harry was more focused on the screaming black mist rising from the flames, and he grinned a little maniacally as the scream cut off abruptly.
One left to go.
Harry pulled back the flames and checked his watch. He was supposed to be meeting Regulus in Diagon Alley right about now.
"Well then."
He put his wand away, and with a loud crack the Shrieking Shack was empty once more.
A/N: Hello again :)
I know a few people have been asking about other characters from this era like the Marauders appearing, but this story is primarily just Regulus and Harry. It's not about Harry being the stereotypical hero and fixing things and mending broken relationships. I wrote this out of boredom, and I quite like the idea of Harry growing a backbone and being a bit selfish for once.
Let me know what you think :D
Until next time!
