Soul Heavy
June rapidly progressed into July and Harry was beginning to get antsy. Dumbledore hadn't let him leave Grimmauld Place since he'd arrived there at the end of the term and was beginning to get irritated.
"Can't we just go out back…it's protected. No one would see. I just want to go outside…I feel like I'm back at the Dursleys, being cooped all the time," he complained to Sirius one morning over breakfast.
"Fine with me. I won't tell him if you won't."
"Brilliant."
"So…do you want anything special for your birthday. It's coming up and…well I want to get you something special."
"Not really…seeing Irlynn would be nice. I haven't seen her since she was at St Mungo's." Sirius looked a little disturbed by the idea.
"Alright. I suppose I'll talk to Snape and see what he says. If all else fails, we'll just snatch her in the night and bring her here."
"I don't think Snape would take too kindly to that…and honestly I wouldn't either. I don't want her taking my head off…" Sirius looked embarrassed. The concept of what he'd just suggested had finally dawned on him.
"Right…sorry. Don't know what I was thinking. Maybe being locked up is driving me mental."
"No…that's probably just Kreacher." The two lapsed into silence as they turned their attention to the food in front of them.
"So…how have your lessons been going?"
"They're going alright. I think I'm getting better at it but this whole wordless spell casting thing is hard."
"Blimey, he's teaching you that? We didn't learn that until sixth year. Guess he wants you to be prepared though."
"I haven't felt Irlynn at all…I'm worried…what if because of what Voldemort did to her, she can't do Occlumensy anymore?"
"Stop thinking the worst. You talked to her not that long ago and she was fine. Said she was doing well."
"I still have dreams about seeing what he did to her." Sirius gave his godson a sympathetic look. They finished their meal in silence, both lost in thought. Harry finished and set his plate in the sink. Without a word he pulled on his shoes and walked out the back door. He just paced the back yard for a while, enjoying the fresh air and the summer heat on his skin. Normally he would have hated the oppressive weather but he'd been inside for so long that it felt like heaven.
Sirius watched him from the window in the kitchen. He knew that being cooped up was making Harry go crazy and it didn't do any good in the long run. He couldn't figure out what had made Dumbledore keep him under lock and key. As if on some mental cue, the fireplace blazed with emerald fire and Dumbledore stepped out.
"Good morning, Sirius." Sirius turned to look at the Headmaster, trying not to convey any emotion.
"Morning, Dumbledore. I didn't think you had a lesson with Harry today."
"Not an Occlumensy lesson but I need to speak with him."
"Oh…alright uh I'll get him. You can use the den." Dumbledore nodded and started for the stairs. He glanced out the window to see Harry pacing. He made no comment that he noticed. Once Dumbledore was out of sight, Sirius raced outside.
"Harry!" The teen stopped walking and waited for his godfather to join him.
"Dumbledore's arrived. He says he needs to talk to you. You better go inside. And don't worry I didn't tell him you've been outside." Harry let out a breath. Couldn't he get just one day in peace? Harry took his time walking back into the house and down the den. He found Dumbledore sitting at the table, a book laid out in front of him. Harry sat down without saying a word.
"I'm sorry to pull you away from your free time, Harry but I'm afraid we must begin the task I mentioned some time ago." Harry wracked his mind, trying to remember what Dumbledore had said.
"The dangerous one?"
"Yes." Harry leaned on his elbows, looking at the book. The title was nearly worn from the front cover as well as the book's spine.
"Do you remember two years ago in the Chamber of Secrets when you destroyed Tom Riddle's diary?"
"How could I forget? I thought I was dying."
"Do you remember what I told you about it?" Harry shook his head in the negative. He didn't remember a lot that happened two years ago, except that Voldemort had tried to kill him for the third time in his life.
"I told you that Voldemort had created a Horcrux out of the diary."
"Oh…right…" Harry's blank stare gave away his confusion.
"Voldemort split his soul into pieces, trying to gain immortality. And he succeeded. What he didn't count on was you surviving the Killing Curse all those years ago."
"So…there's more of those things out? More diaries?"
"In a sense, yes. Though they aren't all diaries. I believe Voldemort chose objects that had strong significance in his life to turn into vessels for pieces of his soul. It takes a great act of evil to rip one's soul in half. You could imagine what it would require to do it multiple times." Harry visibly cringed.
"So…do you know hat he did? What he made into Horcruxes?"
"I have been reviewing certain memories of the time when I knew him as a child. I will show them to you some time but not now. I believe I have determined one or two of the objects he may have used to create his Horcruxes." Dumbledore pulled the book towards him and flipped it open. Harry caught the title page and noted it was a very old copy of Hogwarts: A History. Hermione would have been proud of the books' condition. It was well read. He had no doubt her copy would look like this one some day. Dumbledore flipped pages as if they were lighter than air until he found what he was looking for. There on the page were images of the four founders.
"I believe that Voldemort knew that he was descended from Salazar Slytherin. There are several objects he could have chosen. I also believe he believed possessions of the other founders would serve as appropriate bearers."
"Do you think he got anything of Godriic Gryffindor's?"
"No. He would have viewed Gryffindor as not worthy. If you remember, Slytherin and Gryffindor were at odds when Slytherin left the school." Harry nodded. He had blocked most of Professor Binns' lectors out. Harry pulled the book closer to him, examining some of the next beneath the pictures. It appeared that all four founders had objects that were significant to their influence on the school.
"So what do we look for first?"
"We will need to examine Voldemort's memories more closely to determine when and where he could have obtained these objects." He paused. "In the meantime, I believe we should start with Salazar Slytherin's possessions. They would hold the most value to Voldemort and they may be the start of forcing him back into the mortal coil." Harry cringed at the imagery that popped into his head.
Upstairs, Sirius lounged in the sitting room. He was lazily scanning the Daily Prophet when a sound caught his attention in the kitchen. He threw the paper aside and got to his feet, muttering under his breath as he went.
"Kreacher what the bloody—" He walked into the kitchen to see Remus standing there.
"Oh, Moony sorry about that."
"That's alright, Sirius. You didn't know." The two men shook hands and sat down at the kitchen table.
"How are thing?"
"Alright. Harry's been working with Dumbledore. He's still have nightmares about Irlynn. I wish there was something I could for him. How about you?"
"Things are alright. I've been infiltrating some of the underground werewolf groups. They're beginning to align with Fenrir Greyback." Sirius noted the venom that dripped form Remus
"Not a surprise really." Remus just nodded, tugging on the hem of his shirt.
"I'm worried about Dumbledore, Sirius."
"Why? He seems fine to me."
"I have a feeling he is going to get into something he shouldn't…something he might end up dragging Harry into." Sirius' eyes narrowed.
"That's a load of rubbish, Remus and you know it. Dumbledore wouldn't put Harry in danger. He's trying to protect Harry." The Anamagus shook his head in disbelief at what Remus was proposing.
"He's down right now talking to Harry…probably giving him information he'll need to stop You-Know-Who."
"That's just it, Sirius. Harry's only fifteen. He shouldn't have to fight for the world. He shouldn't have to be the Champion for everyone. That's too much to bear for someone so young. Do you think James and Lily would have wanted this for him?" Sirius shook his head. He didn't even have to think about that.
"They'd want him to do his best though. And if that means he's got to face some dangerous things, then they'd want him to do it."