A New Path
AN: Another big thank you to fangirl-friend2. Their review reminded me that I had forgotten I missed a 'scene' at the end of chapter nine. I had it planned but, because I had so much difficulty writing the rest of it, I put the chapter up before I got to the end. Then I forgot all about it when writing chapter ten. I've decided to add the scene into this chapter as a flashback because I was going to reference it anyway and it's important, in its own way.
On a related note, if anyone else notices a dangling, unfinished storyline thread, please tell me. I do forget things easily.
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CHAPTER 11 - The Hunt Begins
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The doors to the private study of the dark lord flew open in time with a fast moving blur.
"Voldie!"
Harry pounced on the studying Voldemort.
"How did you get here?" Voldemort asked, genuinely interested and showing no sign of annoyance at Harry's enthusiastic greeting. There had been no sign of Harry's imminent arrival and the dark lord hated not knowing things, but he had been missing the teen's company.
"I got Rodol and Sirius, with the help of the twins, to cause a diversion at the party after the wedding. Naturally, it turned to chaos."
"Naturally."
"I snuck away while all that happened and before Ron and Hermione could tag along. They were expecting me to go, sort of, so it's not too suspicious."
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"Uh, Hermione?"
"Yes, Ron."
"This put-outer's doing something funny."
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"We have to talk." Harry said seriously. "About what happened to Dumbledore."
Voldemort turned to face the teen full on. "Go on."
"Um, well, I..." Harry quickly looked somewhere, anywhere, else than at the dark lord's currently friendly face. "It's just, does he have to?"
"Does he have to what?"
"The stuff with the ring, well, it didn't seem real, in a way, and I, with the stuff on the tower, and, I, it's just, I'm..." Puppy-dog eyes were lifted to crimson ones.
"Does he have to die. That's what this is about. It didn't seem real until it was in front of you and inescapable."
It wasn't questions but Harry nodded anyway.
Voldemort looked away.
Harry thought, as he watched the dark lord, that he saw a hint of something distinctly alien on the man. Remorse.
"Perhaps..." Voldemort said after a long silence. "Perhaps... a different approach could be used. I do not think him dead, hiding yes, but not dead. He will, however, still die within a year should I not find him." Voldemort looked Harry in the eye. "I will offer him life."
Harry pinned the dark lord with a calculating stare.
"Not for a price. Just offer it to him." The older wizard continued.
Harry smiled thankfully. Voldemort didn't respond, he simply turned back to his previous task in silence.
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"Harry!"
Harry, in all but essence, jumped out of his skin. That voice was not supposed to be here.
"Hermione?" Harry turned around slowly, trying to locate the teen witch while wondering whether it was a miracle or a curse that he wasn't wearing his glamour and deciding what hex to throw at Sirius for not reminding him to put it back on. But then, walking in on your godfather and old potions professor would make you forget the simple things. That conversation had been Awkward.
"Over here." The hushed voice of Ron called.
Harry internally shrugged, where there was one there was both. He trotted over to his hidden friends. Once he was hidden with them he spoke. "What are you doing here?" He didn't mean to say it, it just came out.
"What are we doing here? What are you doing here? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to sneak in here?"
"'Course he does 'Mione. He snuck in here didn't he? What did you think? The Malfoys invited him in with big hugs?"
Harry fidgeted awkwardly, it almost had happened like that. Minus the big hugs. Except from Cissy.
"Ron, stop being silly." Hermione scolded.
"How did you find me?" Harry asked, deciding it would be best to find out the important stuff first.
Ron grinned. "Remember that thing Dumbledore left me in his will? The put-outer?" Harry nodded so Ron continued. "Well it just lit up and, well, led us here."
"To you." Hermione added.
Harry didn't know what to say to that. Apart from typical Dumbledore, but he couldn't very well say that in front of Ron and Hermione.
"So what are you doing here, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry thought fast. "I thought it would help me find out what I needed to find out if I could keep an eye the death eaters and, um, ..." He trailed off, knowing the excuse sounded lame.
"Living a bit close to the edge, mate. What if you-know-who spotted you?"
"What happened to calling him Vol-"
"No!" Ron clamped a hand over Harry's mouth. After a moment, he took his hand away.
"There's a taboo on his name." Hermione said.
"There is?"
"Yes."
"But what about his followers and, " me, "other people?"
"Think about it, all the death eater call him master or dark lord. It's only the order who dare to call him by his name." Harry nodded.
"And you insist on calling me Voldie. Plus it doesn't work for parseltongue."
"Sometimes I call you Vols." Harry said sweetly, then added. "It's for finding Dumbles, isn't it?"
"Of course. Mostly. Partly."
"Harry? Harry?"
"You drifted off again there, mate."
Harry shook his head. "Sorry. Just thinking." Hermione gave him a studying look but Ron smiled happily. "Look, you're right. This is silly. Me being here. You go find a way out, I'll get my stuff from my, hideout and meet you in a bit."
Ron nodded. "You're gonna let us help?" He asked.
Harry plastered a smile onto his face. "Sure. Guess I'll probably need it."
Hermione was still silent. "How'd you get in anyway?" Harry asked.
"Dobby."
Harry's smile was genuine. "Awesome." "Told you."
"No you didn't. Anyway, that part of the manor is Lucius' problem."
Harry chuckled.
"I know, right?" Ron said, thinking Harry was chuckling at their use of Dobby. "Who knew house elves could go through anti-apparition wards?"
"I did and I told you they could. It's not my fault you don't listen."
Harry grinned at the popular argument brewing. "Come on, we should get out here while it's still quiet." He told the two teens.
"Yeah, right. See you in a minute, mate. Call Dobby when you're ready. He'll bring you to us."
Harry nodded and turned to make off towards his and Voldemort's private quarters.
"There's something he's not telling us." He heard Hermione say to Ron as he raced away from them.
"Come on, Hermione, there's a lot he's not told us. The stuff Dumbledore told him, for a start."
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"You are leaving."
It was a statement. The man knew it was true so he wasn't asking.
"Yes." Harry answered.
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Flashback
/Are you going to tell me?\
/Tell you what?\
Harry rolled his eyes.
/About whatever it was you wouldn't tell me earlier. An offer that would distract me?\
/Oh that.\
/Yes, that.\
/Not important.\
Harry laughed causing Dean and Seamus to give him strange looks, Neville to chuckle and shake his head and Ron to look at the snake-Voldemort and shiver.
/Yeah right. Is little Voldie-woldie too scared to ask me?\
Voldemort pointlessly tried to narrow his eyes. /You know what I was going to say?\
/Nope. But I've got a pretty good guess. Come on. Try me.\
Voldemort stared at the teen for a moment.
/I was intending to offer to adopt you.\ The snake said simply.
Harry choked.
And fell over.
A few minutes later, after professor McGonagall had retreated, declaring Harry fine, and Ron and Neville were only watching him, with concern, occasionally, Voldemort spoke. /What did you think I was going to say?\
/You want to adopt me?\
/Harry...\
/I thought you just wanted me to move in after school.\
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"Hey, pup."
"Hi Sirius." Harry raced over to the older wizard.
In the doorway, Voldemort smirked. Sirius caught his eye and returned it.
"You know!" Harry accused Sirius.
"I asked him first." Harry turned to look at Voldemort.
"He thought it best to make sure I wasn't planning to lay claim to you." Sirius added. "I take it you agreed."
"It was most amusing."
Harry glowered. "You have got to let that drop."
"Never. Shall we?" Voldemort led the trio to the room set aside for the ritual. It was a simple thing, the ritual, but, to make it official, and keep it out of public knowledge, a goblin of Gringotts was required.
Harry walked into the room, slightly behind Voldemort, and smiled nervously at the goblin waiting there.
"Lord and heir Black, Lord Riddle." The goblin bowed, sharp teeth on show as he grinned in a shark-like welcome. "My name is Hagtenskloc and I shall be assisting you today in this adoption ritual."
Harry looked at Voldemort. "Lord Riddle?" Voldemort didn't answer.
"Shall we begin?"
The ritual, Harry found, was simply he and Voldemort drinking a pre-prepared potion each while a few words were said, all in view of a preferably related witness, Sirius. Simple. After, there was no flash of light, no profound and godly omen, nothing.
Voldemort gave Sirius a look.
"Come on, pup." The Black lord said, walking out of the room.
Harry left Voldemort and the goblin talking, something about previous rituals and personal links, and followed Sirius.
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Voldemort was sat in his study, in the dark, beside the fire, nursing a glass of indeterminable alcohol, when Harry found him.
"So, you're my dad now." Harry flung his arms around the dark lord's neck and sat on his lap, head on his chest.
"No."
Harry sat up. "What?!"
"The ritual failed."
"Why would it fail?"
Voldemort looked at him.
"Because the ritual we used is a sort of bonding ritual. It can only work on unbonded individuals. Because, it appears, you are my horcrux."
There was silence.
Then: "So that's Dumbledore's plan!"
End Flashback
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"I don't want you to leave."
"I don't want to leave."
Voldemort sighed. "You are my horcrux. You were supposed to be my son. I am supposed to keep you safe." He turned to face Harry fully. "How am I supposed to do that when you're running around all over the place pretending to be my enemy?"
"You are meant to trust I can take care of myself." Harry answered softly.
Voldemort looked away. "I don't know if I can." Harry began to scowl. "Oh, I know you can take care of yourself." He continued without looking 'round. "I just don't know if I can."
Harry didn't speak. He walked up to the dark lord and flung his arms around him.
At first, Voldemort froze, but then, after a fragile moment, he melted into the hug. They stayed there like that until they were interrupted by Nagini complaining about her dinner getting away because it turned out to be an animagus.
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Harry casually walked around the corner, having totally forgotten he still wasn't wearing his glamour. That was until he saw who was standing there and then it came back to him like a stray boomerang.
"My prince." Rodolphus bowed.
Harry's eyes widened. "You told them!" He screamed mentally.
"YOU!?"
Harry's eyes flicked back to the Malfoys standing opposite. It was Draco who spoke.
"Prince?" Bella asked, her gaze was jumping back and forth between Harry and her husband.
Sirius walked out from behind a statue smirking. "Yes, dear cousin. Prince." He stopped beside the barely still Narcissa. Despite her pureblood training, she was fighting not to laugh at her husband, son and sister's shocked expressions.
Draco, who hadn't known about Sirius, dropped his years of instruction and simply gaped.
"Guess the cat's out of the bag." Harry said awkwardly, hand rubbing the back of his head while he avoided all direct eye contact.
"Prince?" Bella asked again.
"You?" Draco repeated.
Harry nodded for both.
"You cursed me."
Both of Draco's parents turned on Harry suddenly, glares more fierce than anything he had seen before, excluding Voldemort that one time he had walked in on him in the bath. Not alone.
Bella, Rodol and Sirius were glaring too.
"I, um, it wasn't meant. I, um, did try to apologise."
Draco blanched. "I thought I dreamt that."
Cissy turned to her son. "Dreamt what?"
"Um, while I was in the hospital wing. -"
"I went to visit him while wearing my glamour." Harry said for him.
Draco turned on the teen. "Yeah, with the dark lord around your neck!"
"I told you. I was the one in trouble. He was keeping an eye on me. Not you."
Draco raised a challenging eyebrow.
"Really. Besides, he was there when it happened. You do not want to know how angry he was with me. It was scary."
Bella grinned.
"I can imagine." Lucius and Sirius commented in unison. They exchanged looks.
Harry ignored it and turned to Rodolphus. "How did you know it was me? Did Voldie tell you?"
Rodolphus smirked. "You were a little obvious in your lies, my prince. I merely took in what I knew and made an educated guess." He said. "I am glad I was right. It would have been somewhat embarrassing had I been wrong."
Harry laughed. "Definitely. Although I probably would have tried to play along. Might have got me out of being tortured."
Rodolphus conceded him.
"Perhaps we should inform our lord that you are here." Bella offered, coming out of her shock. Harry noted she had dropped calling him by one of her many nicknames for him or brother, it saddened him a little.
"He already knows." Harry said, hiding his feelings.
"Indeed I do."
Harry turned around to see Voldemort striding down the hall behind him. "Are you stalking me?"
Voldemort grinned a predatory grin. "I wanted meet your friends." He said in fake innocence.
"You've already met them."
The dark lord didn't answer but merely continued grinning.
Harry turned away. "Well, I have to go. They're expecting me and I've already taken too long."
"Who are expecting you, my prince?" Cissy asked.
"Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley." Voldemort answered for him causing Harry to slouch sideways and make puppeting gestures with his right hand.
Sirius swallowed his laugh.
Voldemort playfully slapped the back of Harry's head.
"They think Dumbledore's got some plan for me to get rid of this guy." He pointed over his shoulder. "He has, but I don't plan to follow it. The problem is that those two want to help."
"Why don't we just kill them?" Bella asked.
"We aren't killing them."
Harry and Voldemort looked at each other. They had spoken in unison.
"You better be off, Harry." Sirius said, and Harry nodded.
"I don't know when I'll be back or when I'll see any of you next. So, sorry if it's while I'm pretending."
Harry quickly darted into another hall, away from the cluster of magic-folk, before calling for Dobby. The house elf appeared, as happy as ever despite being back at his old family's home. Dobby gripped Harry's arm and, in a pop, they were standing in a forest beside a tent.
"Harry."
"You took your time."
"Sorrys Miss Hermiones. Harry Potter was verys close to Malfoys when Dobby founds him."
Hermione nodded. "Alright. That'd explain it."
"Trust you to almost get caught." Ron teased.
Harry grinned.
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"So, what have you got so far?" Ron asked as they sat around the tent's kitchen table.
Harry blushed. "Um... not much really." He said sheepishly. The truth was he knew all about Voldemort's horcruxes. It had taken several weeks of pranks, masses of adorability and a fair pinch of sneakiness, but eventually the dark lord had decided Harry would need to know the basics if he was to stall Dumbledore's plan. Of course, basics quickly turned to most of everything, but that was beside the point. "Vol- you-know-who didn't talk about them and the death eaters clearly know nothing."
"I thought as much." Hermione said.
"That would have been too easy." Ron agreed.
"I guess you already know what I was listening for, don't you?" Harry asked.
"Horcruxes." Ron said with a wide grin. "Hermione worked it out."
"Why didn't you tell us?" The girl asked.
Harry hesitated. What to say? "I didn't want you to know because then you'd try to help me and it's not exactly going to be a safe journey."
Hermione shook her head, amused.
"Don't be an idiot, mate, we were going help no matter what. You couldn't stop us."
"Thanks." Harry said, not sure whether he meant it.
"I've been studying that locket you came back with on the night Dumbledore died." Hermione said.
"He's not dead. Wait! What?"
"I, um, borrowed it when you were asleep and showed Hermione." Ron told him guiltily. "Wait. What do you mean 'he's not dead'?"
"He means Dumbledore's not dead." Hermione pushed in. "Now, the initials on the letter were RAB and I looked into who that could be but it wasn't until Ron and I went to Grimmauld Place that I discovered someone who made sense." Hermione stopped because Ron was staring at her with his mouth open. "What is it Ron?"
"Dumbledore's not dead?"
Harry shook his head.
"Seriously, Ron, you must think more. If even Harry noticed, you must have had an inkling?"
"Hey!"
"Sorry Harry, I didn't mean it like that."
"What made you realise? I mean, I think it. I don't know for certain but, well..." Harry asked.
"It was at the funeral. And of course some of the eye witness accounts make for an interesting read."
"Well no wonder I didn't notice!" Ron burst out. "Did you really expect me to read to find out?" He demanded from Hermione.
Hermione laughed and shook her head again. "No Ron. I expected you to think. There was more than just what people said to the aurors. It was what people said to one another, how it all happened, -"
"There was something, just, off."
"Yes, thank you Harry. You didn't have to read Ron. Really."
"About the locket?" Harry asked. Voldemort had instructed Harry to actually allow and help the teens to search for the locket because, thanks to some unknown person, it was no longer where he thought it should have been. Immediately after Harry had informed Voldemort of the fake locket, the dark lord had checked on all his other horcruxes. All safe and where he left them, apart from the diary which Harry was amazed he still hadn't suffered any punishment for.
"Right, yes. We were at Grimmauld because it seemed like a good place to stay. We're set up there now but because you were in Malfoy Manor we, I set up the tent here."
"We didn't know how to get in at first." Ron added.
"Well, RAB is Sirius' brother, Regulus."
"That boy is dead. ...If he's not already."
"I heard you killed him."
"I remember who I kill, Imi."
"Imi?"
"I'm testing new nicknames for you since you're so fond of using them on everyone else."
"Keep trying."
"Sirius' brother?" Harry asked in an attempt to pretend his moment of silence was from the surprise.
"Yes."
"So do you know where it is? What did he do with it?"
Hermione grimaced.
"It's gone, mate. Kreacher threw a fit when we tried to ask him. Said something about thieves and... you know the rest, but, yeah, thieves. We think it was at the house and then Mundungus stole it or something."
Hermione nodded.
"Have you talked to Mundungus?"
"On to it."
"Not you."
"We haven't found him yet to try."
Harry nodded and fell into thought.
"He says that foul witch called Umbridge confiscated it."
"What? How? Stop that! How am I supposed to tell them I know that when I didn't know the bit before."
"You'll think of something."
"Um, there's, uh..."
"Is Mundungus okay?" Harry quickly asked Voldemort.
"He's fine. All I did was say hi and he beat himself up for me. I've never known someone so capable of running into multiple walls in under one second without being cursed."
"I've, uh, Vo- you-know-who has, Umbridge's got it."
"What?" Ron and Hermione asked together.
"I just saw it. Think Mundungus might need new pants but, um, he told, Him that Umbridge took it."
"So, He's looking for it too?" Hermione asked.
"Guess so." Harry answered apologetically. "I guess he knows that one's not safe or something."
"We better get a move on then."
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"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hermione?" Harry asked as the trio walked through the crowds entering the ministry.
Voldemort, as the light expected, had named Harry, and, by extension, Ron and Hermione, as undesirable number 1. They were currently polyjuiced to resemble three randomly picked ministry workers who were, at this moment, unconscious and hidden somewhere without their clothes and, if Hermione was right, soon to be feeling very ill.
It wasn't long before they got separated. As Ron went to sort out the job his disguise was being bullied into dealing with, and Hermione was grabbed by Umbridge herself to join her at work, Harry travelled to the witch's office.
As he stepped off of the elevator, Harry almost hit himself. Umbridge had been wearing the locket. He turned around and travelled down to where he knew Umbridge had taken Hermione.
The pink-loving witch was leading the trials against muggleborns. Her most popular verdict was to claim the muggleborns must have stolen their magic, something that seemed to make even Voldemort a little sick of pureblood-supremacy.
Unable to stealthily take the locket from the witch, since they had discovered she wore it constantly, Harry and Hermione were forced to play along and wait through the next trial.
That was when Harry's 'hero complex' kicked up a fuss.
The locket snatched, the muggleborn saved, Umbridge hexed and the ministry in uproar, Hermione and Harry fled. Ron met them in main hall, his disguise already falling.
Harry spotted Voldemort on the other side of the hall.
There were Death eaters streaming towards the trio now.
Across the crowd, Voldemort smirked.
Harry waved the locket in front of him with a superior smirk of his own.
Voldemort scowled.
"Harry! Come on!" Hermione was pulling him towards the exit.
Death eaters and ministry guards were piling in on them from all sides. Ron had already gone through, Harry was the last. He watched Hermione disappear and then followed her through.
The second they were all in muggle London, the trio apparated. As Harry disappeared he felt a hand grab the back of his clothes.
They landed back in Grimmauld Place in a heap. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Avery.
Harry was the first to get to his feet. Followed soon after by the death eater. Avery reached for his wand. Ron tripped him. The death eater rolled, his hand landing on his fallen wand. Hermione smashed a heavy looking book on his head. Avery fell still.
The three teens stood around the unconscious death eater panting from exertion.
"We're going - to have to - leave." Hermione said after what seemed like several long moments but was probably only a very short time.
"Tent?" Harry panted.
"Tent." She agreed.
Tying Avery up with a quick spell, Harry and Hermione walked towards the door to go pack. Ron didn't move from beside the fallen death eater.
"There's something that's been nagging me since you told me about Dumbledore." He said slowly. Harry and Hermione stopped in their tracks and looked back to him. "If Dumbledore's not dead then who's in his grave?"
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AN: This took a little longer than expected because, at the last minute, I got a spot of writer's block. Please consider reviewing to tell me what you think.
Happy new year.