Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JKR.

AN: Wow, this was a difficult chapter. It is quite long but don't get used to it, that is only due to Harry having so much explaining to do ... Oh, in case you did not notice it before, this contains spoilers for all the books, but especially Number 7.

Listing the Horcruxes

… Can you show me your wand?" That last question got everyone's attention. What was going on? Why would Harry want to see Dumbledore's wand?

Dumbledore slowly took out the wand he had won from Grindelwald so many years ago and showed it to Harry, but without letting go of it. It was an ingrained habit to never attract too much attention to it and to never let it out of his hand. No-one had ever guessed what it truly was, Grindelwald had kept quiet about it and very few people were stupid enough to even think about duelling Albus Dumbledore, let alone try it. Even Voldemort had never dared. Still, Dumbledore always kept his guard up. He did not want to end like so many of the former owners of this particular wand.

While the others stared fascinated at Dumbledore's wand, wondering why they had never paid attention to it before, Harry had not even given it more than a superficial look. He knew this wand well enough to recognise it on sight and even if that were not so, Dumbledore's reaction would have shown him everything he needed to know. He pulled out his own two wands and held them out for Dumbledore to see. "I assume you recognise both of them?" There was almost a challenge in his voice.

The others now focused on Harry's wands and gasped in shock. One of them was obviously the same wand that Dumbledore held. The other seemed to be quite ordinary. Nevertheless, this was the wand that attracted Dumbledore's attention, after he had confirmed that the other one was really the Elder Wand. He frowned, thought about where he had seen the second wand before. It surely was one of Olivander's … and then it came to him and he looked into Harry's eyes. "This is the second wand made from Fawkes' feathers! It is the brother of …" and he turned quiet again, thinking frantically about what this new development meant.

"Yes." As the others waited for Harry to explain these strange circumstances, but he did not seem inclined to elaborate on the topic, a tense pause evolved. Finally Dumbledore resurfaced from the depths of his mind. He had lots and lots of possible scenarios in his mind about how Harry might have gotten these particular two wands, but in the end there was a person in the room who could simply tell him the truth.

"Now, Harry, you have asked a lot of very strange questions and revealed even stranger facts about your universe tonight. I never doubted that Voldemort would one day return to power and would need to be defeated. I also assume that killing him won't be a simple matter, because he fears death like nothing else and will have taken certain steps to prevent being killed by normal means. You said that he came back in your universe and that you have managed to do kill him. Please explain to us how it happened. I imagine that would explain the meaning behind most of your questions too?"

"Explaining all of it in detail would probably take days. We may have time for it later – I hope so – but I don't want to spend so much time on it without knowing if what happened in my universe actually happened here too. My knowledge will only be of use if the differences between here and there started with what happened at Halloween 17 years ago. If it started earlier … Everything you have told me so far makes it look like what happened is very similar, but we will have to test this fast."

"Harry, I understand your need for action." This was Remus, doing the usual calming thing he was so good at. "But please understand that we need information before we can try to do anything. You don't have to go into the details, but I am sure that briefly outlining what happened will not take too long. Since nobody except us knows that you are here, I do not think that we are too pressed for time right now."

Harry repressed his impatience. He understood better than anybody the dangers of being left in the dark, especially after his fifth year at Hogwarts. He had forgiven Dumbledore for this long ago and he could see what the old man had tried to do. Still, he would not withhold information from his family and risk that they took possibly fatal decisions due to ignorance.

"All right. Well, basically the Voldemort in my universe created horcruxes to prevent his own death. The Dumbledore in my universe collected memories and guessed what was going on. He told me what he knew about Voldemort and what his guesses were about the horcruxes and the locations they would be hidden. He was killed while weakened from an attempt to destroy one of the horcruxes. I spent the better part of last year destroying the rest of them. When all of them were gone, Voldemort could be killed like any other wizard, which he proved by dying from a rebounding killing curse."

They were dumbstruck. Horcrux? Horcruxes, as in plural of horcrux? Dumbledore had been killed? Voldemort was immortal right now? But could be turned mortal again? Questions like these seemed to almost materialize between them, so strong were they. For several minutes, nobody said anything.

"I must assume that the Dumbledore in your universe was a lot smarter than me." Dumbledore said finally. "I have assumed that he had done something to prevent himself from dying and I theorized about different methods he could have used, leaning towards a horcrux, but I never found any specific clues that would strengthen my suspicions and I would not have suspected that he would create more than one. I never heard of anyone even attempting to do so."

"Well, your other self had the advantage that I met one of the horcruxes during my second year. It was a diary he had concealed a part of his 16 year old soul in, a proof of the fact that he was indeed the heir of Slytherin and had opened the Chamber of Secrets. He had given it to Lucius Malfoy, who smuggled it among Ginny Weasley's school stuff. She wrote into that diary and it answered, slowly gaining control over her and forcing her to open the chamber again several times. It contained a basilisk, by the way. In the end, the diary-Voldemort used her life force to become … corporal. It almost killed her. I stabbed the diary with one of the basilisk's teeth and it … died. It was pure luck that I used one of the methods with which you actually can destroy a horcrux, although I had Griffindor's sword with me at the time, too, so I might have used that as well. I gave the destroyed diary to Dumbledore and told him what happened and that brought him to the multiple horcrux theory."

"You … " Lily was at a loss about what to ask first. He had destroyed a horcrux? He had gone into the legendary Chamber of Secrets? He had saved a girls life? At the age of 12? At last she concentrated on a point which remained unclear. "You found the dead basilisk in the Chamber?" When he gave her a very unconvincing smile, she started to pant for air and her voice became shrill. "You killed a basilisk when you were 12?"

"Well I had some help. Without Fawkes and the Sorting Hat I could not have done it."

Dumbledore was no less astonished than Lily, but probably less shocked as he was not mother to the boy in question and he knew how resourceful Fawkes and the Sorting Hat could be if there was need for it. He was therefore able to concentrate on other implications of what Harry had said. "So a diary from his time at Hogwarts given to an important follower was the first horcrux … Yes I think with that knowledge and careful consideration of what else I know of Voldemort I could come up with a decent guess about other horcruxes. I will have to consult my pensive and study the patterns … or I should say I would have to as you said you have destroyed the horcruxes in your universe and would have to know where they are. How many are we dealing with, anyway?"

"Originally he wanted to make seven, the most powerful magical number, but he had made only five when he went to hunt me. Therefore, it is possible that the last two, which he created after our universes split, are different things, if they exist at all. One was actually created by accident and he never new it existed. I hope that it did not happen here, because that would cause a lot of trouble for us. But I think we can find out about that one easily as we are at the right place with the right people." Harry gave a very worried look to his parents.

"He created a horcrux without knowing? How …?" Dumbledore saw Harry's look. For a moment, monstrous possibilities assailed and paralysed him, but he shook them off. "Well, let's talk about those two last, when we are all on the same page, knowledge-wise. What were the first five horcruxes and where did you find them?"

"Well, as I said, the diary was a horcrux and it was in Lucius Malfoy's possession, although I do not know where he kept it before he gave it to Ginny. They have a secret chamber under the drawing-room floor in Malfoy Manor, but since his son knows about that, he may have other and better protected hiding places. I don't understand why he has not given it to Ginny in this universe, I don't think I had anything to do with that decision in mine. I never even met him before that day he planted it among Ginny's things." That was actually something to worry about. If Lucius Malfoy had not given the diary to Ginny, what had he done with it? The best they could hope for was that it was hidden somewhere in Malfoy Manor, maybe even in the secret chamber he knew about. But what if it had been given to someone else? How would they ever find it then?

"If you had nothing to do with it, maybe we did. We were quite upset that Malfoy managed to wiggle out of Askaban and have kept a close look on him, as did many of our fellow aurors. He might not have dared to use the diary." James had a look of grim satisfaction on his face. It had always bugged him that they had never been able to make anything stick to Malfoy, but now it seemed that they had at least prevented him from doing more harm!

"That would be good, then there is a good chance that he still has it. Did you ever search his house and found the chamber under the drawing-room floor?"

"We searched Malfoy Manor three times, but we never found that chamber. There must be anti-detection spells on it. We were thorough during those searches, although the minister always ordered us to `behave respectfully towards such a charitable pillar of the wizarding community´. Malfoy always knew which hands to grease and to which causes to donate." Sirius was bitter about this. His family too, had carried considerable weight with former ministers and had used it to influence politics in whatever direction suited them. He refused to play the same game and he hated to see how other people did it.

"We can come up with possible hiding places of Lucius Malfoy and plans on how to search them later. Let's first hear about the other horcruxes." Dumbledore wanted to have an overview over all the challenges they faced first.

"Well, the second horcrux is an heirloom of the Gaunts, the family of Voldemort's mother. It is …" Harry hesitated for a second, then he looked directly at Dumbledore. "It is the Resurrection Stone."

Dumbledore had thought that nothing could shock him anymore tonight. First the question about Ariana, than the identity of the young man, than his sheer unbelievable answers and questions. But this … is was like – no it was worse than – being struck by several stunning curses at once. He could hear the surprised and questioning exclamations of the others, could see the searching look in Harry's eyes, but he could not bring himself to react in any way. He was well and truly shell-shocked. Harry watched him for long seconds; then, as no reaction came, he returned his gaze to the others and continued his explanation, carefully leaving out the location of the Stone. He did not expect Dumbledore to jump up and make a run for it, but he wanted to make sure that he was aware of all the dangers and implications before he told him where to find this most desperate of all his ambitions.

"I had nothing to do with the search for, and the destruction of that horcrux. I know where my Dumbledore found it and that he cracked the stone with the Sword of Griffindor. I also have to tell you that the stone is cursed and that the curse infected Dumbledore and ultimately caused his death. Professor Snape managed to confine the curse to his hand, but it would have killed him within a year. When he was killed, it was not merely because he was so weak from hunting another horcrux, but also because he knew he could not live much longer. He had asked Snape to kill him at a fitting occasion and that occasion presented itself. He might – would probably – have made it out of that situation alive otherwise."

He looked at Dumbledore again, who still seemed dazed. "Do you understand? Your other self told me that you had been so overcome with emotions that you forgot the likelihood of a curse. I know why you want it so much and I think I understand it better than anybody. Everyone in this room could understand it at least partly. But it is vital that you don't make that mistake. Your life depends on it literally and we need you alive. Not only to destroy Voldemort but to deal with what comes after. I have killed him once, only to loose everyone important to me to his scattered followers banding together in one desperate last attempt. I do not want that to happen again. Please?"

Dumbledore seemed to come back to himself at those words. His eyes did not show even a spark of their usual twinkle, but were dead-serious. "I failed you, didn't I? I left you alone to deal with all of this, because I could not let go of the past. I am sorry, Harry."

Unexpectedly, Harry smiled at this. "It took me some time, because you usually seem to know everything and to do all the right things, but I finally accepted that you are only human, as are the rest of us. You did so many good things; you are entitled to make a few mistakes now and then. Even if, as you once told me yourself, your mistakes usually have worse consequences that the mistakes of others."

Lily, James, Remus and Sirius looked at each other with big eyes at these words. They were more than twice as old as Harry and rationally, they knew that Dumbledore was not unfaultable, but deep in their hearts they still looked at him as a little more-than-human. He always knew exactly what to do. The idea of him making such an elementary mistake, of being so caught up in feelings that he forgot to think … they could not imagine it. What could have so much power over Dumbledore? Hagrid knew him longer than the rest, but he had even more hero-worship in him than they did.

For Dumbledore, Harry's words were another shock he had not thought possible. Usually he would have either bristled at being told it was ok for him to make mistakes by an 18-year-old, or he would have wondered what had made the same 18-year-old so wise (depending on his current mood and on the 18-year-old in question), but his mind was not yet working as usual again. "Thank you, Harry", was the only thing he could manage.

Harry gave them a few more seconds to process what had been said. He himself had needed months to really lay it to rest. Then he continued his listing of the horcruxes. "The third horcruxed that was destroyed was a locked which had originally belonged to Slytherin and was handed down in the Gaunt family to Voldemort's mother. Voldemort hid it in a cave where he had frightened some children when he was still at the orphanage, before he found out that he was a wizard. But the locket was removed even before Voldemort vanished." Here, Harry looked at Sirius. "Regulus Black stole the locket, paying with his life for it. He gave the locket with the order to destroy it to Kreature before he died, but as neither of them really knew what it was, Kreature did not know how. If the differences in our universes started only with the fall of Voldemort, the locket should be at Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

Now it was Sirius' turn to be shell-shocked. His relationship with Regulus had been complicated at the best of times. After Peter's betrayal, he had slowly learned to appreciate that Regulus had in the end renounced Voldemort and had almost forgiven him that he had joined him in the first place. There was still the favourite son / pureblood fanatic thing, sibling rivalry, Griffindor vs. Slytherin and similar issues, but Regulus had regretted the worst of his actions at least. Now Harry said that he had not only renounced Voldemort (which showed a good deal of Griffindor recklessness in itself), but had actively worked to destroy him! He looked so shocked, that Remus, who was sitting next to him, put an arm on his shoulder to reassure him.

"To destroy the locket, we will have to deal with Kreature first, and it would be great if we could gain his support instead of forcing him", Harry continued. "I know that the two of you never had the best relationship, but I inherited him from you in the other universe, and I can assure you that he is not actually bad, it is just the circumstances that make him act so spiteful. If you treat him correctly and respect what is important to him, he is ok."

Usually, Sirius would have laughed about the idea that Kreature could be `ok´, as the mere idea seemed crazy to him, but he was still occupied with digesting the information he had received before. And if Regulus could have Griffindor characteristics, maybe Kreature could be ok? He would need some time to accept both ideas.

"The fourth horcrux we destroyed was a cup which had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. Voldemort gave it to Bellatrix Lestange for safekeeping, as he gave the diary to Lucius Malfoy. In my universe, she kept it in her Gringotts vault, probably on Voldemort's direct orders, as I think the idea of an old family vault of a pureblood family would have appealed to him as a hiding place for a part of his soul. Maybe Malfoy kept his horcrux in his vault, too? It is a possibility we can look into."

Here Remus interrupted him. "How did you get to that horcrux, if she kept it at Gringotts? Did you trick her to take it out?"

Harry actually blushed as he answered. "No. We, err … we broke into Gringotts and stole it."

This answer brought Sirius as well as Dumbledore, who had still been thinking about the Resurrection Stone with a small part of his mind, back into the present. Harry had expected shouting, at least from his parents (which parents wanted their son to rob a bank?), but he got shocked faces and absolute silence. Lily and Hagrid, at least, looked suitable horrified. Dumbledore seemed to be very impressed. James, Remus and Sirius were alternating between shock, mad grins and strange looks of pride. They had changed since their Hogwarts times, but they were pranksters at heart and to hear that James' son had actually managed to break into Gringotts was … great.

Since no-one seemed to want to say anything about his Gringotts break-in, Harry hurried to continue. "The fifth horcrux is Rawenclaw's Diadem. Voldemort learned about its hiding place while he was still at Hogwarts from the Grey Lady, who used to be Helena, Rowena Rawenclaw's daughter. He retrieved it after finishing school and turned it into a horcrux. Later, when he applied as a teacher and came to Hogwarts for a job interview, he hid it in the Room of Requirements. It was still there in my universe."

This astonishing solution of one the greatest secrets in magical history would have lead to astonished exclamations and other signs of surprise and shock from his audience under any other circumstances, but, as things were now, it left almost no impression other than a mild "That should be easy to get then", from Dumbledore.

"To sum up" he then continued, proving that he was back to his usual self, "from the five original horcruxes which existed in your universe and are very likely to exist here, one is just waiting to be picked up at Hogwarts, one should be accessible with a little diplomacy towards Kreature, one is at a place you know, but has to be handled carefully, one is probably at Gringotts, but inaccessible under the current circumstances and the last is very probably in the possession of Lucius Malfoy at a yet unknown location, but we have some ideas for where to look. For his horcruxes, Voldemort likes old items, with connection to the founders of Hogwarts or his own ancestry, and he hides them at places which have some connection to his former life or seem otherwise worthy to him. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Now, let's talk about the two horcruxes that Voldemort created after his fall in your universe. Please tell us what they were and then we can throw together our ideas about what has happened in this one."

"One was a big snake Voldemort seemed to have a curious connection to, Nagini. I think he found her in Eastern Europe after he had tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone. She kept him alive before he recreated his body and he used her as a weapon and as an execution method. The last horcrux …", Harry hesitated for a second, "… was me."

I hope you liked this chapter and would very much appreciate reviews!