Chapter Four
Time and Time Again
Before Christmas, 1996.
"We're so sorry... Uncle Albus," Harry said as he stepped forward and set a written apology on the Headmaster's desk. He stepped back immediately to stand between Ron and Draco. They all had there hands behind their backs, heads lowered, and were doing their best to look contrite.
"Headmaster Dumbledore..." Dumbledore said, doing his best to look stern. He steepled his fingers and sat back in his chair. "While I was pleased to allow such familiarity when you were children, here at school I must ask that you refer to me by proper title, or at the very least, Professor."
"Yes, Headmaster," The boys said in unison, still looking down
"What you have done is an affront to Professor Willoughby's dignity. He is quite angry." Dumbledore said. "I tolerate a good many pranks, especially when it is between students, and houses, and all in good fun. But, to prank a Professor in this way..." Dumbledore shook his head and breathed a heavy sigh through his nose. "I am afraid I will be taking points from Gryffindor for this, and I will inform your Head of House, that you are all three to serve detention, once you have returned from Christmas recess. Further, I will speak to Professor McGonagall, and insist this time, that setting you three to re-straw, wax and polish your Firebolts, is not in my mind an appropriate punishment."
"Yes, Sir," Harry said, sounding sincerely sorry. "Is that all Un... I mean Headmaster." The moment would have been perfect, if Draco hadn't nudged Harry's elbow and sniggered under his breath.
"No, that is not all," Dumbledore said sternly. He looked more concerned than angry. "The three of you are sixth years now, I really must insist that you begin to curb your marauding tendencies, and set a more responsible example for the younger students. Harry, Draco, you are Co-Captains of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and therefore you are looked to as leaders. Ron you are a Prefect. Please do not make me consider adjustments to those assignments." He paused, "Now, I will be sending letters to your parents about this incident, and while I know Harry, that Sirius will slap you on the back proudly, and admonish you for getting caught, I trust that Andromeda, and Molly will see things a bit differently, so none of you will escape a lecture."
This caused Ron and Draco to begin to fidget nervously.
"Now, I expect you all have packing to do before the carriages arrive?" Dumbledore asked.
The boys looked up slightly and nodded their heads.
"Okay, off you go, I suspect I have kept you long enough that the girls are beginning to worry." Dumbledore waved them toward the door with the back of his hand.
Ron and Draco turned immediately and headed for the door. Harry lingered long enough to say "Thank you Sir, and Happy Christmas Un... Headmaster."
Dumbledore chuckled as the boys hurried out the door. He leaned over his desk and picked up the apology letter giving it a quick read. He chuckled again. Why is it so impossible to be mad at those three, he thought to himself before crumpling the letter and tossing it into the bin near his desk.
At the bottom of the Gargoyle steps the girls were waiting. Hermione looked worried, Ginny looked largely unconcerned, and Luna looked her airy self. As the boys bound into the hallway from the steps, Hermione was first to speak. She stepped directly to Ron. "Was it bad? I know it must have been bad this time." She worried aloud.
"Nope," Ron said, as he took Hermione's hand and kissed her forehead. She blushed slightly. "But, he did say he is sending a letter to Mom, so the worst is yet to come,"
Ginny sniggered. "Well there goes a happy Christmas vacation." she said.
Luna walked to Draco and took his hand. "Did you tell him that the hearts and cupids boxers were my idea? Draco made a sad face and shook his head no. "Does this mean I will not get to see you during Christmas?" Luna asked concernedly.
Draco raised their joined hands and twirled Luna in front of him in to his waiting free arm. "Oh, heavens no. For you, my darling, I'll sneak out if I have to." He said melodramatically, then he dipped her and stole a kiss from her lips. Everyone laughed. "We're all going to be at the Minister's Mansion for Christmas dinner, remember?" Draco said finally. He righted Luna and kept his arm around her waist.
"Oh yes..." Luna said distractedly. "Then, I don't need to leave my bedroom window unlatched?" She winked at Draco.
"Don't you think we should all be packing?" Harry asked.
"You are quite right, as ever Harry," Draco said still gazing in to Luna's eyes.
"Let's go then," said Ron.
The two couples headed down the hallway at a quick pace, holding hands.
"Coming you two?" Hermione called back at Harry and Ginny.
"I've finished already," Ginny said.
"Well, I haven't" said Harry, as he turned down the hall to follow the others.
Ginny's hand reached toward Harry's as it swayed at his side, but she pulled it away before their fingers touched. Harry didn't notice. Ginny frowned. "Race you to the common room," she said as she slapped Harry's shoulder and sprinted past him.
The two of them zipped past the others at a full run.
Back in his office, Dumbledore, still chuckling over the boys, stood up and cleared some of the student files from his desk and walked to a cabinet. He opened the wooden cabinet front and placed the files on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf there was an old looking lock box covered by a thin layer of dust, amidst a haphazard stack of books and papers. It caught his eye and seeing it he stiffened slightly. He looked toward the bin where he had just tossed Harry's apology letter, and then back at the lock box.
With sudden haste Dumbledore pulled the lock box out and took it to his desk. He unlocked the box with his wand and started rummaging through the jumble of papers inside it. Finally he found an old envelope addressed to Sirius Black and pulled out the letter. He laid the letter flat on his desk and then retrieved Harry's letter from the bin and carefully flatted the crumpled parchment. For a few moments he looked back and forth from Harry's letter, to the scrawled note at the bottom of Sirius's.
"No," he breathed in disbelief. "It can't be." he said aloud, "It simply can not be... Unless..." He sat heavily in his chair the letters still side by side in front of him.
In the Headmaster's office Dumbledore fussed over a brass caldron, dropping in a few last ingredients and giving it a quick stir.
A pale wispy vapor began to rise from the caldron and Dumbledore leaned down waving it toward himself and inhaling deeply. Seeming quite satisfied he ladled a small amount of the potion in to a waiting tea cup. With saucer and cup in one hand and wand in the other he retreated to his desk.
Sitting comfortably he set down his cup and wand and took up the two parchments that had occupied so much of his thoughts over the last several weeks. He had formulated a theory and this would be the test. A very dangerous road to travel, but if he was correct, it would be the only way to know. He set the parchments down, lifted and drained the tea cup. He then took up his wand, pointing it at himself and muttered an incantation. He stiffened slightly as though frozen, then after a minute his body relaxed, his arm and wand falling slowly to the desk. The wand slipped from his relaxed grasp and he slumped on the chair as though he had suddenly fallen in to a deep sleep.
Harry stood in the corner of the office, leaning against the wall, waiting.
Dumbledore woke slowly, taking several moments to get his bearings, he looked around his office. It was odd, everything was there, just as it should be, but it all seemed, somehow insubstantial.
"Hello Professor," Harry said, obvious pleasure in his voice. "I presume you can hear me?"
"I can indeed," Dumbledore said. He stood, leaving his corporeal self, still slouched in the chair. He looked down upon himself. "I expect this will take some getting used to," he said with a grin. He stepped around the desk, wondering suddenly if that were quite necessary now.
Harry approached with outstretched hand and shook Dumbledore's. "It is quite wonderful to talk to you Professor," Harry said, "But you do realize you are breaking about a half dozen Wizard laws, and I suspect at least one of nature's,"
"Yes, well, I had to know the truth," Dumbledore replied.
Harry looked at the Headmaster's body still in the desk chair. "You know this is very dangerous." Harry stated worriedly.
"Why don't we take a walk, you and I," Dumbledore said, as he touched Harry's arm and headed him toward the office door.
A moment later they were walking through Hogwart's busy halls. Students of all ages were moving hurriedly on their way to classes. The two walked leisurely along waiting for the clamor to cease as students found their classrooms. A small boy came rushing around a corner and ran directly through them, then bound through a classroom door, held open by a waiting Professor.
"Dumbledore spoke. "Oh, that is an odd sensation."
"You get used to it," Harry replied resignedly. After a long pause he spoke again. "I suppose you have many questions, Professor?"
"I do indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "But first let me indulge my own curiosity. I have known you Harry, or rather, your younger self for his entire life. I have always sensed a magical presence surrounding him. I am correct in assuming that was you?"
"Yes, I imagine that would be true." Harry answered.
"I didn't understand it for the longest time, until the day I realized that his handwriting was an exact match for that at the bottom of the letter left for Sirius by his brother Regulus." Harry nodded. "When I realized that little fact it seemed obvious that the only explanation was that you had somehow travelled through time?"
"I did," Harry said wanly.
"So, it was you that night in Godric's Hollow. You killed the snake, and you faced Voldemort... and you died doing so."
"Well, yes... I suppose I did.. at least my body did." Harry said, "But, a part of me did not... I am afraid I have never understood it."
"Perhaps I can help," Dumbledore said encouragingly. "Tell me Harry, when exactly did you travel back in time?"
"It was May second of next year," Harry responded.
"Well there you have it," Dumbledore said brightly. "When a wizard travels through time they remain in time until the instant they originally travelled, at which point the timelines converge and time rights itself. Though, such a long journey through time, such as you have made is unprecedented. I cannot tell you what will happen when you reach the end of your journey."
"You suspect that when I reach that moment I will simply cease to be?" Harry asked with trepidation.
"I cannot say with any certainty." Dumbledore said, "But I am reasonably certain, something will happen."
"I don't understand," Harry said finally. "Voldemort killed me, I let him, I had to. I was ready to die... I failed to save my parents, and I wanted nothing more than to join them in death, and yet I found myself still walking around. At first I thought I'd become a ghost, but I soon realized that even ghosts could not see me. I cannot say what I have become."
"Here is my suspicion..." Dumbledore began. "You recall Harry, what Voldemort had done to try to achieve immortality?"
"Of course," Harry said. "He created Horcruxes. Six of them. Meaning he split his soul between seven vessels. Seven being a magical number that he felt would have some powerful meaning. The result was of course that until all aspects of his soul had been eliminated he could not be killed."
"A task which you undertook to achieve, and did." Dumbledore said, pride for Harry evident in his voice. "But in your own time, before you journeyed back, I suspect things unfolded quite differently."
Harry chuckled. "Very differently... In my time, on the night my parents were killed, There was no one there to save me. Voldemort cast the Avada Kadavra upon me, and protected by my mother's great love, the spell rebounded upon him and ripped away his corporeal existence. Because of his Horcruxes his soul was protected and he continued as a disembodied spirit. Unfortunately a part of his soul was torn away by that event and attached itself to me, giving me this." Harry pulled his hair from his forehead showing Dumbledore the jagged lightning bolt scar.
"Curious," Dumbledore said. "And, that is why you had to die that night. Because you too were in a sense a Horcrux."
"Yes sir," Harry answered.
"Harry, when a Wizard travels in time, he forces two of himself into a single time stream. But, as two of a single person cannot co-exist, I have long suspected that they must in some way be a single person. I have theorized that they must share a single soul between them in that time." Harry looked as though he was ready to protest, but Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him and continued. "I believe this is the case here. You were killed that night, but your younger self survived unscathed. In a sense you became your own Horcrux, leaving you a disembodied spirit, tethered to your younger self until such time that you reach the proper moment and time can resolve itself."
Harry was contemplatively silent.
"I suspect when that moment is reached we will see if I am correct." Dumbledore said. "Until then, as I have now devised a way to visit with you, I would very much like to hear the story of your time... will you indulge the curiosity of an old man, Harry?"
After a moment Harry nodded.
"Good, tell me everything, begin at the beginning," Dumbledore said.
"We should stop this Albus," Harry said in protest. "Each visit makes you worse in your real life. I hated to see you have to step down as Headmaster."
They both stood in the Hogwart's hospital wing as Headmistress McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey fussed over Albus Dumbledore apparently asleep in the hospital bed.
"Nonsense Harry," Albus said calmly. "Who is to say which is real?"
"But look what it is doing to you!" Harry raised his voice.
"Harry," Albus continued with irritating serenity, "The damage is already done, there is no going back now. The potion and incantation are no longer necessary, I am more in this place than in my own physical existence. I have made my choice, and repeatedly asked you to respect it."
"Yes, Sir," harry said resignedly, "But I hate to see them worry so, and witness what is happening to you."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Harry, at this point in the tale of your time, I have already died. And, as your time occurred first, relatively speaking, it is the correct time, so I feel there is a balance here, one I am perfectly honored to strike... so please, let's not worry about these meager events, I am far more interested in your tale.. So please do continue." Dumbledore directed Harry from the room, and Harry, somewhat reluctantly turned to walk with his friend.
"So, please do continue. We have arrived at the divergence, what happened after you grasped Death's watch?"
Harry shot Dumbledore a final look of disapproval, then after a long moment continued his tale.
"When I woke, I was laying on the snow in the exact spot I had been, but of course in a different time. I was a bit confused at first, not even aware of the cold, and for the longest while I just sat there in a daze. Slowly, my mind righted itself and the weight of what had happened pressed itself upon me. I had no plan, and a quick check of my person told me I had come back with only the clothes I was wearing. Interestingly, my clothes were exactly like new again, not a tear, not a thread out of place."
"I got up and made my way to the castle, firstly to escape the cold. It was still before dawn. After getting warm, It occurred to me that if I was to seek out and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, I should start with the closest one at hand. It was a simple matter in the pre-dawn hours to make my way to the room of requirement undetected."
"I entered the room and easily found the hiding place of Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem. I found an old coat and knapsack, tucked away the diadem and made my way back out to the woods, all before sunrise."
"Once I walked far enough into the forest, I apparated to London. There I learned from the date on a discarded Newspaper that I had journeyed back in time to January of 1980."
Dumbledore interrupted. "But Harry, that was seven months before you were born?"
"Yes, it was." Harry replied. "But Death did say that I could journey from one beat of my heart to any other."
Dumbledore nodded.
Harry continued. "I had no money, no food, no wand, and no real plan. I felt certain it was important to make no contact with my parents, though I sorely wanted to."
"For that entire day I wandered through London trying to devise a plan. Eventually I concluded that I would have to make contact with someone, but I wanted to choose a person whose knowing would do the least amount of damage to the future."
"Unfortunately, cold, hungry and tired, I could think of no one. So, I determined I would simply have to trust someone and thought the best someone might be my god-father Sirius Black. I made my way to Grimmauld place– having forgotten completely that Sirius would not be there at that time."
"It was cold and snowing by the time I arrived. Having learned it's location in my own time, it was easy enough to find the house, so I simply went up to the door and knocked."
"To my great surprise it was Regulus that opened the door. He met me with his wand drawn and he was in an obvious panic. He demanded to know who I was and what I wanted. I told him that I was a traveler and a friend of the Black family. He looked around nervously and finally pulled me into the house. He asked if I was a Death Eater, and when I said I was not he demanded to see my left arm."
"There was a hideous groan from somewhere in the house and Regulus, left me briefly. By the time he returned I had put it together and guessed I had arrived on the very night when Kreacher had returned from the cave by the sea, where Voldemort abandoned him."
"I knew it was a huge risk, but I decided to trust Regulus. I followed the sounds and found him cradling Kreacher in his arms in the upstairs hallway. The Elf had been forced to drink the foul potion as a test, and then left to the Inferi in the dark cave. It was only because Regulus had ordered him to return afterward that Kreacher was able to Apparate home."
"I explained that the Elf had been forced to drink a potion and asked Regulus if he had a bezoar anywhere in the house. Regulus ran off to find one and I ordered Kreacher to empty his stomach. I don't know why he obeyed, but he sat up then and vomited the foul potion. Regulus returned and ordered Kreacher to swallow the small stone. Kreacher fell unconscious and I helped Regulus clean him up and return him to his cupboard."
"That night I explained what had happened and what Kreacher had been made to do. When Regulus questioned how I knew all of this, I was honest and told him that I had travelled back in time to see to Voldemort's destruction. It took some time to convince him, but as my knowledge agreed with the scraps of information he had already gathered, eventually he admitted I knew too much to be lying."
"Regulus agreed to let me remain at Grimmauld place. He was there alone, as his ailing mother had recently been moved to a room at St. Mungos. He even gave me a wand that he had collected from one of the Death Eater's excursions. He was not able to tell me to whom it had belonged."
"In the days that followed I told him everything I knew about the Horcruxes. He ordered Kreacher to stay hidden and reveal to no-one but Regulus and myself that he had not perished in the cave."
"Regulus continued to serve Voldemort, doing his best to remain on the sideline and out of Voldemort's direct attention. He continued to gather information and he and I began planning as best we could."
"The first Horcrux we targeted was the Locket, knowing as we did just what to expect. We went to the cave with a supply of bezoars, two jugs of water, and a broom. Regulus and Kreacher went in the boat and I followed low and slow on the broom. We got to the island without incident. We had fought over who should drink the potion, but in the end Kreacher volunteered to do it again."
"This time he swallowed a bezoar first, Regulus ordered him to drink the potion and after switching the lockets ordered Kreacher to vomit. We were careful to stay clear of the lake surface and used fire spells to keep the Inferi at bay as we made our escape. Once out of the lake cave we gave Kreacher fresh water, another bezoar and Apparated back to Grimmauld place."
"Later that summer, just before my actual birth, we journeyed to the Gaunt House, in Little Hangleton. There, after working carefully to dismantle the many wards and curses left to protect it, we were able to recover Marvolo Gaunt's ring. Here again, Kreacher was invaluable– It was he who pulled the ring from its burial place beneath the floor boards. Only under a direct order from Regulus was he able to handle the ring and overcome the compulsion curse to put the ring on a finger. We were able to return to Grimmauld place, and now we had three of the six Horcruxes. The Diadem, the Locket and the Ring."
"After that there were problems. We had the Cup, the Diary, and the Snake left to find, and while I knew exactly how I had dealt with those objects in my own time. In this time... Well, all I knew was that at some point Voldemort was going to give Lucius Malfoy the Diary and Bellatrix Lastrange the Cup, presumably for safe keeping. I was not sure that, that had yet happened or if they would be told what they were really being given."
"The other problem of course was that we were amassing these Horcruxes and did not have a way to destroy them."
"We had little choice but to lay low and watch. Regulus was informed that September, that his mother would be returning home, from St. Mungos, I convinced Regulus that keeping the Horcruxes, and me, at Grimmauld place would be far too dangerous. So, he provided me with enough funds to take a flat in Muggle London. I conjured false papers and assumed an identity as Evan James."
"I found that as an unknown and unsuspected presence, I could move around quite easily in both the Wizard and Muggle worlds. I went to a Muggle Salon and had my hair color lightened, I even got Muggle contacts."
"Contacts?" Dumbledore asked, "Oh yes, we have those now in the Wizard world. Quite popular with the youngsters."
"By late Fall, Regulus was struggling to care for his mother and maintain his position as an apparently devoted Death Eater. I, on the other hand, was taking odd jobs and doing my best to stay aware of everything that was happening around me. Death Eater attacks were increasing and the Wizard world was becoming a dim and frightened place as Voldemort's power and influence increased steadily."
"Our first big break came when one day I happened into the Museum of Magical History and discovered that they had a large display of Magical creature skeletons. Among the objects on display was a large collection of Basilisk fangs."
"With a bit of luck, I was able to get a job there as a security guard. It was quite easy, after I had worked there a couple of months, to gain access to the storage vaults and acquire a couple of the, newer, stored fangs."
"It helped that some of the guards had formed a black market ring and were selling various artifacts from the Museum's stored collection."
"Once I had the fangs, I went to a secluded forest area, and used them to destroy the first three Horcruxes."
"Regulus reported that Voldemort did not seem to be aware of their destruction, but he was becoming increasingly paranoid, and consequently was directing more and more attacks. He also was pressing Lucius to increase efforts toward gaining political control of the Ministry."
"Regulus, finally overheard Lucius bragging to his own circle of Death Eater confidants about being given a great assignment, and a token from their Master. Making him, so he said, Voldemort's most trusted servant."
"That worked well for us as Lucius began spending less time in Voldemort's direct presence and more time at the Ministry currying political favor and organizing the pure blood families."
"By December it was common knowledge that Lucius would be hosting an invitation only Christmas gala at his home and inviting the political and monetary power elite of the Wizarding world. As the only remaining members in good standing of the Black Family, Regulus, and his mother received an initiation in due course. While I, through my contacts with some of the more unsavory museum guards, managed to get my alias on the list as temp wait staff for the catering service."
"We had only figured that the party would be used as reconnaissance. We had no idea if the Diary would be at Lucius' home, but we could not pass on the opportunity to case Malfoy Manor."
"The gala turned out to be exactly as expected, a bunch of stuck up rich elitist Pure-Bloods, mixing with greedy, power hungry politicians, dishing out false praise and flattery, all while securing favors and making empty promises. Despite open eyes and ears, there didn't seem to be anything to be learned there, and the whole thing was quite boring. That is, until mid-way through the evening when I was asked to go to the cellar to find a House-Elf and ask him to retrieve a special bottle of Brandy from the Malfoy's private stock."
"I went as directed and found a small unlocked cell where Dobby was cowering, severely beaten and bruised. I told him what bottle was needed and he popped off to retrieve it. After delivering the Brandy I returned to Dobby's cell and against his protests healed some of his bruises and generally tried to make him more comfortable. I didn't dare tell him how I already knew him, or what he had come to mean to me, but I talked with him and listened to his complaints about his situation– And, tried to prevent him from inflicting any more pain through self punishment."
"I went back several times during the night. Finally, I took a huge risk and told Dobby I really wanted to be his friend and asked him to trust me. I told him I was an enemy of the Dark Lord and that just knowing me could be dangerous. Dobby seemed to find that idea exciting and he promised he would try to help me if he could. So at that point, I simply asked him about the Diary."
"Immediately he talked about a foul dark empty book that Lucius kept trying to leave in the Baby's nursery. He had heard his Master and Mistress arguing about it. Lucius insisted that the book's presence would have an appropriate influence on his son. But, apparently the Mistress was frightened by it. Consequently, Dobby had, several times, moved the book away from the baby to a side table in the hall. It had lead to his most recent beating. Dobby told me that his Master had now forbidden him from ever touching the book again. But smiling, Dobby simply said that he didn't need to touch the book to move it."
"I told Dobby that if he needed to come to me he could, and I left him."
"Finding the Diary then became extraordinarily easy, It was right out in the open outside Draco's room, an ordinary looking blank journal was of no particular interest to anyone. I was able to scoop it up easily after arranging to deliver a tray of refreshments to some of the house security stationed in that part of the Manor."
"I knew the snake would have to be the last Horcrux to deal with, so that just left Madam Hufflepuff's cup to find. And I still had a full ten months left to find it.
"Are you sure you are alright Professor?" Harry asked.
"Yes, Harry, I don't know what to say to assure you." Dumbledore replied.
"It's just that, you don't seem to be able to control your transitions." Harry observed, delicately. "Last visit you disappeared quite suddenly and you haven't returned for nearly six months, and I am afraid, watching you, you are not entirely yourself when you are not visiting me. I can tell everyone around you is terribly concerned."
"Not to worry, m'boy," Dumbledore said reassuringly, "I feel I have things well in hand, and I have asked you not to concern yourself with what you have observed."
"Yes Sir," Harry said finally after a long thoughtful pause.
"Now, I know it has been some time," Dumbledore said, "do you remember where you left off? I am quite excited to hear the rest of your tale."
Harry chuckled a bit at Dumbledore's intent expression, and then pressed forward with his story. "I believe I left off telling you how I was able to get the Diary from Malfoy Manor."
Dumbledore smiled and nodded, as he began walking slowly down the corridor.
Harry matched the older man's relaxed stride and continued with his story.
"After I managed to get the Diary, I started to feel a sense of urgency about finding the cup. Based on the ease with which I was able to acquire the Diary, I concluded that Voldemort had not told Lucius or Bellatrix, the true significance of the objects they had been given. However, because in my own time, I had to retrieve the Cup from the Lestrange's Gringotts vault, I was not at all eager to try such a thing again."
"Most understandable," Dumbledore interjected.
Harry continued. "Voldemort's war was getting worse, and it was becoming much harder to meet with Regulus. Consequently our planning had stalled. I could tell that he was very uncomfortable with the things he had to do to maintain his cover. Also, his Mother, having overextended herself to attend the Christmas Gala had immediately thereafter become bedridden. Every day I scoured the papers for news of further attacks and lists of the missing."
"In late April, Regulus was finally able to get away and he came to my flat unannounced. He had been summoned by Bellatrix a week before to a sort of family meeting. It turned out that as Voldemort's plans were proceeding, there had been a number of changes within the ranks of the Death Eaters and there was lots of distrust and accusations as various Death Eaters were vying for favored position."
"Bellatrix wanted to make sure that the core of family were equally committed and would hold together to maintain their high status within Voldemort's graces. The way he described it, she was convinced that they would emerge with great power if they held true to the Dark Lord's plans. She was equally convinced that there were spies and deceit among the Death Eaters and she was determined that they should focus on rooting out anything that could threaten Voldemort's plans, and of course her's, for the family."
"He reported then that he had seen the Cup at the Lestrange's home, proudly displayed in a curio cabinet in Rodolphus' study."
"When he returned home that night he discovered that Grimmauld Place had been broken in to, and much of the house ransacked. Fortunately, there was nothing there to incriminate him as a traitor, with the possible exception of Kreacher. He found Kreacher in his mother's room, The Elf had successfully barricaded the door so no one had been able to enter, but the fright had caused his mother to fall into a catatonic state and she had to be returned to St. Mungos."
"When I asked how anyone had been able to locate the house, I learned that while the house remained hidden from Muggles, unplottable and heavily warded, the Fidelius charm had never been renewed after his father's death for lack of a trustworthy secret keeper. Regulus was certain this all meant that he was suspect and he was now being watched. We took the risk to Apparate to Diagon Alley and floo into Grimmauld Place from a public floo grate. Once there Regulus cast a new Fidelius charm and made me secret keeper. This protection eased his mind somewhat, but he knew that when his family figured out that none of them could access the house, speak, or even write the address, he would fall under further suspicion."
"That night we decided that he should write a letter to Sirius with all the information he had concerning Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and he would visit the family's Barrister to arrange that his brother would be the inheritor should anything happen to him."
"Two days later Mrs. Black, passed while still at St. Mungos. I visited Regulus one last time. He showed me the letter and the lists he had prepared, and it was then that I added my short note. He gave me a huge amount of funds he had withdrawn from the black family vault, and when I protested he told me that he would not allow me to fail in my mission for lack of money. He sealed the envelope for Sirius, told me he had an appointment with the Barrister the following morning and said that he feared he would not see me again. Before I left that night I took the silver dagger from a cabinet in the Dinning room. At the time I think I just wanted some sort of memento."
"I secretly attended Mrs. Black's burial, remaining at a distance. I had thought that I might get a glimpse of Sirius, but he did not attend. Instead, Lucius, Narcissa and Bellatrix were there with Regulus. That was the last time I saw him."
"So, then I was alone, with two more Horcruxes to destroy and no real plan as to how to accomplish the task."
"Mrs. Black's death weighed on me, as I knew that in my time, she had lived several more years, so her's was the first death I could directly attribute as a direct consequence of my presence."
"I turned all my concentration to devising a plan to acquire the cup. By the end of May, with still no viable plan, I was becoming quite worried. There didn't seem any possibility of my being able to break in to the Lastrange home on my own. Finally it occurred to me that what I really needed was a thief, and though I knew I could not completely trust him, it occurred to me exactly who I needed to find."
"Under cover of Polyjuice potion and an old tattered cloak, I began to visit some of the more unsavory places of the Wizard world. Finally, one night in mid-June, in a disreputable little pub off of Nocturne Alley, I found him– Mundungus Fletcher."
"Really Harry," Dumbledore chuckled, "How could you seek out Mundungus for any help, Dung was a member of the Order, but I never really trusted him."
"Well, I had the advantage of knowing exactly what I needed to know about him. First, I knew him to be a crook. Second, I knew, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he had no ties to any Death Eaters. And, last, I knew that he could be easily influenced by money."
"I introduced myself to him as a representative of a foreign antiquities collector, and offered to buy him a drink. After showing him my arms to prove I was not a Death Eater I let him tell me a few of his more colorful tales until he seemed at ease. Then, I told him that the collector I represented had learned the location of a particularly valuable artifact. One that was known to be stolen. I told him that if he would entertain the possibility of acquiring the object, I would pay a very generous finders fee. After planting that seed, I got up to leave. Before I departed, I told him, if he was interested in learning more, he could meet me in the same place in two nights time."
"At the appointed time, disguised exactly as before, I went back to the pub, and was pleased to see Dung, there to meet me. He had a friend with him, a wiry young man he introduced as Fitz. It didn't take him long to get right down to business. He wanted to know what I needed stolen, from where, and of course, how much I was willing to pay."
"I told him I was not comfortable discussing the matter in the pub, and the three of us left to find a more secluded place. They followed me out of the pub, and out of Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron to a deserted Muggle alley. I cast obscuro and Muffliato, before I would speak further."
"I told him that the object in question was the golden cup of Helga Hufflepuff. I was pleased that he knew of it. He recited that it had disappeared from the estate of Hepzibah Smith, many years before. It seems it had become an object of some legend among those who deal in stolen artifacts. His eyes seemed to light up at the prospect of its worth."
"When I told him that I knew it to be located in the home of Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lastrange he balked, saying that only a complete idiot would try to steal from that household."
"Fortunately, his young friend was either that stupid, or that bold. Because he quickly pointed out that such a pure-blood family, who rested so much on reputation as the Lestrange's did would make the job far more dangerous if they were caught or in any way detected, but that the job itself might actually be easier to pull off. He and Dung began quietly arguing the task."
"I excused myself then, saying that if they were unwilling to pursue the matter, I would look elsewhere. But if they would reconsider, I would pay a finders fee of, one hundred thousand Galleons, in the form of Gringott's international, paper notes, payable upon delivery, and one hundred Galleons a piece for expenses."
"Fitz, then asked me how they could contact me. I asked if he knew how to use a Muggle pay phone. He nodded and said, with a smile, that he was Muggle born. I handed him a slip of paper with my number, and he said they would give me an answer within forty-eight hours. I nodded and simply Apparated away. It didn't take them the full time to make their decision. I received the call before sunset the very next evening."
"It was obvious that Dung was uncomfortable on the Muggle phone, but he managed to get through the conversation all right. He said that they would do the job for the finders fee, but that it would involve he and four associates, all of whom would need expenses. I attempted to negotiate a bit, thinking it would be more convincing and finally agreed to pay them four hundred galleons up front."
"I told Dung, that the job would have to be completed within two and a half months, and once they received my payment, backing out, or failure, was not an option. I suggested that they should nick anything else they wished as cover for the real target, and whatever else they got was of course theirs to keep. Then I assured him that I would know the true object, and any deceit would be met with deadly consequences. That seemed to make him chuckle nervously, but he agreed. I instructed him to send Fitz to King's Cross the next morning at nine to collect payment. I said I would know when it was received and that they were not to attempt to contact me thereafter, until they had the Cup. Once they had it, he should ring me immediately, to arrange to meet and complete our transaction."
"I am curious Harry– whom did you impersonate with Polyjuice potion?" Dumbledore asked.
"Oh," Harry hesitated at the unexpected question. "No one really, just a nice, older, Muggle gentleman I met in London. I helped him on with his coat outside a coffee shop and retrieved a number of hairs from his scarf as I did so."
Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"The next morning I got to King's Cross before nine and placed the four hundred Galleons, inside a Muggle back pack, in a storage locker. When I saw Fitz arrive I found a boy passing outside on a skateboard and offered him a fiver to deliver the locker key to Fitz, whom I pointed out. The boy agreed and afterward returned happily to collect the money."
"I watched as Fitz opened the locker and retrieved the bag. I returned then, to my flat, with nothing left to do, but wait."
"From then on, every time I read a report of Death Eater attacks I hoped for a call from Dung. The war was getting really bad, and I began to doubt my plan, but I held onto hope. I took a job at a Muggle coffee shop near my flat to help pass the time."
"Finally, when the two and a half months had nearly passed, on a terribly stormy night, I received the call. It was four in the morning by my alarm clock that the telephone woke me up. I picked it up and Dung sounded frantic on the other end. He said they had managed to get the Cup, but two of his lads had died in the process. He wanted to deliver the cup and get paid so he could get out of the country. I told him I would meet him alone at the middle of the Muggle Tower Bridge in exactly ten minutes."
"I got up, downed the prepared Polyjuice potion, threw on the old cloak, grabbed the suitcase full of Gringott's notes and apparated to a spot near the bridge that I had chosen weeks before. By the time I arrived at the middle of the bridge, Dung was already there pacing nervously. He didn't say anything at first, he just handed me a small cloth bag. I could tell immediately, without even looking, that it was the Horcrux. I handed him the suitcase and said, 'good luck Dung.' He looked at me queerly and said, 'nice doing business with you," and he Apparated away."
"I did the same, Apparating to my flat where I changed, grabbed my pre-packed nap sack and Apparated to the woods where I had destroyed the other Horcruxes. I pulled the cup from the small bag and set it on the ground. Without ceremony, I retrieved my last basilisk fang and jabbed it into and through the golden cup. It howled an unearthly wail, as green smoke billowed from the jagged tear in the gold, and then it was done."
"I dug up the Horcrux remnants, which I had buried in a Muggle plastic bag, added the damaged cup to the collection of broken, artifacts, and Apparated to Godric's Hollow."
"There, with the last of the funds Regulus had given me, I paid in advance for five weeks in a Muggle Bed and Breakfast, and began quietly waiting for Halloween."
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Chapter Five
One Moment in Time