Chapter 7: Darkest Reflections

The Dark Soldiers who had been present at the Fall of the Ministry only attended half the amount of Training Sessions as they did before. Instead, they were sent on assignments to hunt down Muggleborns and Blood Traitors. Every day was filled with apprehension. They would receive their roll of parchment containing a photo and details of a fugitive's last known location, open it, and hope against hope that it wasn't someone they recognized.

Harry trekked through a thick forest beside Ron, Seamus, and Neville. The trees were large and tall, and the floor was covered in a constant knee-high layer of undergrowth, making their progress slow.

"Why do they always hide in the wild?" Ron grumbled, irritably shaking his leg free from a forest crawler.

No one responded to Ron's complaining. Harry for one was too busy worrying about their current assignment. The name they had been given was Regulus Black, and Harry could only assume it was a relative of Sirius'. What if Sirius was here, too?

"Where is this bloody cottage?" Ron said. The cottage where Regulus was hiding was supposed to be somewhere in this forest.

"Will you shut up and just appreciate the fact that we're not in Gaunt Camp for just two seconds?" Seamus snapped.

"Oh yes! I had completely forgotten!" Ron said derisively. "Look at us! We're free! We're free to frolic in the forest! Why don't we go get some ice cream while we're at it!"

"That'd be the day," Harry joined in. "Four dark wizards walk into an ice cream shop… sounds like the start of a joke."

"We're not dark wizards," Neville said.

"Will you quit being in denial about our status as dark wizards? It's bloody annoying," Ron said.

"Guys," Harry said, pointing in the distance, where a patch of white stood out against the trees. "Does that look like a cottage to you?"

They approached and found a small one-room cottage constructed with large white stone. A crumbling chimney took up on side of the cottage, and a thin plume of smoke tumbled from the top.

"What kind of idiot doesn't put on a concealment charm?" Ron said. They rushed forwards. Harry felt the thrum of wards and stopped short. He quickly snatched the other soldiers' sleeves to stop them, too.

"Someone who's got something else in mind," Harry said. "There's an invisible ward surrounding it."

"Oh," Ron said, "Well, you remove them, Harry. You're the prodigy."

"Because Merlin knows Ron's useless," Seamus muttered.

"Fuck off, Seamus."

Harry stepped forward. He closed his eyes and crept forward until he could feel the wall of magic directly in front of him. He held his hand up to the ward.

"It's a Repellant Ward," Harry said.

"What does it matter? Just get rid of it," Ron replied.

"It matters because I'll be blown twenty feet into the air, and if Regulus is inside, he'll be notified."

Ron said, "So you better recover quickly."

Harry rolled his eyes, gave an exasperated little sigh, then stuck his hand straight into the ward. He was immediately blasted of his feet.

"Mobilicorpus!" Neville yelled, and Harry was caught in mid-air, feeling the very strange changes in gravity that made his stomach go queasy. Neville lowered him to the ground.

"Thanks," Harry said, and moved to the wards again.

There was a commotion from inside the cottage. He held up his hands to the wards and closed his eyes. Wards were created by overlapping layers and layers of magic. To get through, all you had to do was separate the layers, like untangling wires. He closed his eyes and focused on finding his way through. His fingers twitched as though he were physically sorting out the magic.

"Hurry up, Harry," Seamus shouted as the commotion inside the cottage grew.

"Shut up," Harry said distractedly. A moment later, the wards gave way and Harry ran through, quickly followed by the others. They ran to the cottage and threw open the door, where they found Regulus facing them, clutching a wand in one hand and a duffel bag in the other.

"I should have known Voldemort would send his minions after me," he said in a steady voice.

"Drop the wand," Harry said.

Regulus smiled at Harry. "Well, isn't this a pleasure. The Savior himself, come to take me to my death."

"Sorry mate," Ron said. "It's either you or us."

Regulus was the first to attack, but the soldiers were quick to retaliate. They exchanged curses. Regulus was a good fighter, but not when he was up against four Dark Wizards. He ducked behind a table.

"I know how to defeat him – the Dark Lord," Regulus shouted. "I have his horcrux. I can destroy it – I just need Basilisk venom!"

"This guy's nuts," Seamus said.

They slowly crept around the table. Regulus sprang to his feet and ran to the door, but Neville's trip jinx sent him hurtling to the floor. Ron hauled him to his feet.

Regulus said to Harry, "The Dark Lord can be defeated. Let me go and I promise you I will find a way to destroy his horcrux."

"What is a horcrux?" Harry said. He thought he had heard that term before.

"It's an object that contains a part of Voldemort's soul, so that he cannot die."

"What a loud of Griffin-shit," Ron said. "Don't listen to him, Harry, he's off his rocker."

"I'm not crazy," Regulus said firmly. "Why do you think he's so confident going into battles? It's because he knows that he is about as close to immortal as you can get. Here, I have it." He reached up to his neck and pulled out a locket on a long chain. "Take it. Keep it safe. Destroy it. Voldemort will be mortal once more."

Harry reached out to take it despite Ron's huff of indignation. The second his fingers closed around it, he could feel a change, like an electrical shift in the air.

"You feel it, too," Regulus said. "Don't wear it for too long at one time – it'll send you mad." Regulus turned to Ron. "You can take me to Voldemort now."

Ron made to pull him along, but Harry stopped him, still clutching the horcrux.

"No," Harry said. "Let him go."

Ron replied, "Harry, we'll get our asses kicked if we do that."

"I don't care, he's helped us. He doesn't deserve to die," Harry said firmly.

"You believe him?" Ron spluttered.

"You know what Rodulphus will do if we go back empty handed," Neville said.

"I told you, I don't care-"

"Potter," Regulus said. "It's fine. I've done some pretty terrible things in my life. I'm going to have to pay for them one way or another. I'm ready to face Voldemort. Just promise me you'll find a way to destroy that horcrux."

Ron continued to take Regulus out of the Cottage and to the edge of the anti-appiration wards.

"Oh, and Harry," Regulus said. "If you ever see Sirius again, tell him that he was right all along, and I'm sorry."

Harry nodded resolutely. The group disappirated and landed in the underground cells of the Ministry. They dutifully left Regulus in a cell, and returned to Gaunt Camp.

The first thing Harry did was to rush to his room in the Barracks and stash the horcrux underneath a loose floorboard.

• − ○ ◊ ○ − •

Hermione sat between Ginny and Tonks as the Order meeting began. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood at the head of the table. He had taken leadership of the Order after Dumbledore's death.

"Good Evening, everyone," he said. "In light of recent events, I've called this meeting to discuss what our next moves should be. As you all know, it appears that Voldemort has been using the kidnapped children as an army, who are currently being used to hunt down Blood Traitors and Muggleborns. I propose that we continue to search for Voldemort's horcruxes as we have been, as his defeat will lead to the liberation of the Dark Soldiers."

"We've been looking for those horcruxes for two years," Mad Eye Moody said gruffly. "We've got no leads. Nothing. You-Know-Who's got them hid well."

"We need to make contact with the Dark Soldiers. They could have knowledge that we don't," Remus suggested.

"Again, we've been searching for the soldiers for two years and found nothing," Mad-Eye Moody replied.

"Well, that was a short meeting," Sirius grumbled.

"We couldn't find them because we didn't know what we were looking for," Kingsley said. "We know now that Voldemort is using them as soldiers. He must be training them, which means he must be keeping them in some kind of training facility."

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," Hermione suggested. "Maybe instead of us finding them, we should let them find us. Voldemort kidnapped our children, so why don't we kidnap his soldiers."

Ginny sat up beside her. "Voldemort's using the soldiers to hunt down Muggleborns. We could create a fake hideout somewhere and then booby-trap it."

Fred began, "Sounds like a job-"

"For the Weasley Twins," George finished. They high-fived.

"Boys, if you wouldn't mind noting the serious nature of topic at hand and changing your behavior accordingly, that would be appreciated," Kingsley said. "However, this trap may be our best option. Hopefully, we will catch a soldier who is willing and ready to help us. Excellent idea, Hermione."

Hermione's cheeks glowed at the praise, then she got embarrassed that she was putting so much weight on someone's approval of her, causing her cheeks to go even hotter. She could see Ginny grinning at her in her peripheral vision, but refused to look at her. The meeting was dismissed shortly after, with various people being assigned jobs to begin scouting possible locations.

Hermione and Ginny went upstairs to their shared bedroom. Hermione picked up a book and Ginny lay on her bed staring at the roof. Ginny thought of Ron. Where he was. What he might be doing right now. She wondered if their thoughts had ever crossed – that Ron had thought of Ginny at the exact same moment that Ginny thought about Ron.

"Hermione?" Ginny said quietly. "Do you think he'll remember me?"

"Who?" Hermione said distractedly.

"Ron. Do you think if we met, that he would try to kill me?"

Hermione looked up from her book. "I hope not."

Ginny frowned at the wooden slats in the ceiling. She'd hoped for a more definitive response.

"Why did he only kidnap them?"

"What do you mean?"

Ginny flipped over onto her stomach. "Why did he only kidnap boys? What was wrong with us?"

Hermione bit her lip. Ginny hadn't grown up in the Muggle world like Hermione had. Hermione would be the first to admit that sexism was far less prominent in the wizarding community than it was in the muggle one, but it was still there.

"Does Lord Voldemort seem like the kind of person who would be open to the idea of inclusion and openness and equal rights?" Hermione said.

Ginny cocked her head and feigned ignorance, "Hm, now that you mention it…"

Hermione smiled. "We should just be glad that he isn't, otherwise we'd be in that training facility, too."

Ginny returned Hermione's smile. "He underestimates us," she said with bright, knowing eyes. "Let's make him pay for it."

• − ○ ◊ ○ − •

Harry and Ron patrolled lazily up and down the main street of Hogsmeade. Masks down, wands drawn. Their presence meant that the street was nearly empty. Just the way Voldemort would want it.

Having Dark Soldiers patrol popular wizarding locations was a constant reminder to everyone else, of the hold Voldemort had on the wizarding world. The soldiers themselves just found it a dull waste of time.

Hogsmeade was, superficially, just as Harry remembered it. All the shops were the same as they always had been, but the jolly wonderment and feeling of magic in the air that had been present during Harry's school days was gone. He wondered whether it was because Hogsmeade had changed, or he had.

"I'm stating for the record that I think the locket is a useless piece of junk," Ron said quietly next to Harry as they walked.

"Noted," Harry said dryly. He stared at the ground moodily. "But what if it really is a disgusting little shard of Voldemort's soul? We need try and destroy it."

"Harry, souls don't exist. Definitely not in a corporeal form. You can't just pick it up and tear it in two. Besides, how in the hell do you destroy a soul?"

"Basilisk venom," Harry said. "Weren't you listening to him?" Harry stopped and turned to look up at the ruins of Hogwarts that stood over Hogsmeade.

"On no," Ron said. "Don't even think about-"

"Come on," Harry said, walking away.

"No! We're on duty. We'll get into trouble."

"You already know my position on trouble," Harry snapped without stopping.

"What has gotten into you? Go on your own," Ron shouted after him. "You better hope Voldemort doesn't think to use the Locating Rune!"

Harry ignored him. The way to Hogwarts was longer than Harry remembered, and it was filled with painful nostalgia. He still remembered hiding under the Invisibility Cloak on his first trip down to Hogsmeade.

The wards around Hogwarts were completely gone, and Harry hurried up the grounds.

Hogwarts was barely recognizable. Several of the towers had fallen, and large gouges had been taken out of castle walls as though someone had come and taken huge bites out of the castle.

Harry entered through the Main Entrance, and peered into the Great Hall. The roof had caved in, revealing the real cloudy sky above. Among the wreckage, weeds and moss had already started to grow. Harry scowled at the wreckage.

He should be in his Seventh Year of Hogwarts right now. Playing quidditch, bickering about quidditch, dragging Hermione away from her studies to watch quidditch. All of that was gone forever.

Harry precariously walked up the marble staircase and through the maze of corridors. Some places had been completely blocked up, forcing Harry to find a different route.

Harry finally found the third-floor girl's bathroom. It had been spared from the wreckage of the rest of the school, and remained largely unchanged. Harry opened the door and waited. After a moment he realized that he was expecting Moaning Myrtle to burst from a toilet. She didn't. Could ghosts die?

Harry stepped up to the basin and hissed open in parceltongue. The entrance revealed itself, and Harry entered the Chamber of Secrets.

He trudged along the tunnels until he came to a long corridor with a high ceiling that disappeared into darkness. Harry remembered how terrified he had been when he walked along here for the first time, with the statue of Salazar Slytherin looming down over him.

And lying before it, with a great crack through its skull, was the skeleton of the Basilisk Harry had killed. It suddenly occurred to Harry how absurd it was to have such a legendary monster living beneath a school.

Harry approached the skeleton and peered into its gaping mouth at the neat rows of pearly fangs. He picked one, grabbed firm hold of it, and pulled. After some effort, it broke away from the skull with a sickening crackle.

"Right," Harry said to no one in particular. He reached beneath his collar and took off the locket. He dropped it on the ground, and immediately he could feel the weight of it leave him. He suddenly felt lighter than air. He knelt in front of the locket, gripping the Basilisk fang in his hand.

"Right," Harry said again. "I'm going to stab a harmless-looking object with the most potent venom known to wizard-kind. And I am not crazy."

He lifted the fang in preparation, and hissed open. The locket snapped open and a black fog erupted from the locket. Harry was blown onto his back as the mass swirled above him and took shape.

Harry was staring up at himself. He had red eyes and the same discolored skin as Voldemort's. He held his arms out as though to embrace Harry, and he saw that his alternate self was free of shackles and runes, and bore only the Dark Mark.

His darker self laughed and stared down at him.

"You're pathetic," he hissed in parceltongue. "You cower on the floor. You spurn the Dark Lord, but you and he could be so much more. Stop denying your true self. We're killers. We're Dark Wizards. Embrace it!"

Harry got to his feet. He couldn't help giving his supposed darker self a derisive smile. This was the best defense Voldemort's soul could come up with?

"Admit it, Harry. We crave the darkness. It's where we belong. That's when we feel the most alive. We love that feeling, don't we Harry? Being alive."

Harry found the locket at the source of his evil self's apparition. He plunged towards it with the fang raised.

"Our friends have already given up on us!" Harry's apparition shouted. Harry paused despite himself. "They all hate us. We're the disgraced savior! They looked up to us as their last hope, but now they've given up on us. Sirius Black wants us dead. He thinks we're just like Peter. Worse than Peter, in fact. Hermione refuses to speak our name."

Harry just stood there with his apparition circling him in the air.

Harry.

"We mean nothing to them now – we never did. We were always a tool – a weapon to be used against the Dark Lord."

Harry!

"It's time we took our fate into our own hands! Join the Dark Lord. Embrace the Dark Wizard inside us. Show the world that we will not be controlled by anyone any longer!"

HARRY! Hermione's voice shouted in the back of his head.

Hermione. His best friend who was like a sister. Hermione, who had believed in him and saw him as a friend above all else. Maybe the real Hermione had given up on him. But the one in his head hadn't.

Harry held the fang tighter. He saw the locket and lunged for it, fang raised.

"YOU ARE WEAK! YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THE DARK LORD-"

Harry plunged the fang into the locket, and a thick black substance oozed from the puncture. His evil self screamed and contorted and dissolved to blackness.

Harry stayed there for a moment, holding the fang to the locket and breathing heavily. He was slightly unnerved by the sudden stillness. He'd done it. He picked up the locket. The charge in the air that the locket had previously exhibited was gone. Now it was just a piece of metal.

Harry suddenly wondered if Voldemort would know. If having your soul destroyed was something you could feel. He wondered what Voldemort would do to him if he knew. Harry suddenly realized that he didn't care. Voldemort was mortal. The next time he saw Voldemort, he was going to kill him.


Nothing like a bit of dramatic irony. Just to be clear, Voldemort still has seven horcruxes, Harry just doesn't realise it yet.