A New Start Keeperoliver Chapter Twenty-One Sirius and Harry

The next morning saw Remus and Selena leave for their Honeymoon. They didn't tell anyone where they would be, except for Luna. In case it was an emergency.

Luna went home with Ginny when she left the party the night before, and Harry and Sirius were the only ones in the house. Narcissa and Draco were with Andy. Narcissa had worked her way back into Andy's trust. Draco loved being around his cousin Tonks, even if she was a Professor at school. It was now a full time position for her and Draco was thrilled about it. It meant that History of Magic no longer would be boring. He also liked the idea of her seeing Charlie Weasley. She looked so happy when he was around.

It was nothing serious yet, but you could see where they were once very close and it wouldn't take much to get them closer. With Charlie joining the staff this upcoming year, along with Hagrid, it looked to be a fun year.

However, things would take a turn for the worse and the year ahead would not be as fun as Draco thought.

Sirius and Harry took turns playing housekeeper, and Sirius took it seriously by wearing a little apron when it was his turn. "I might as well look the part when I do it. Kinda cute don't you think Harry?"

"There is no way I am going to wear it Pads. You can keep it and admire it all you want to. Someone would probably walk in when I was wearing it. Everyone expects you to be silly, so seeing you in it, they wouldn't think anything of it. Well, if Remus caught you wearing it, you would never live it down, but there is little chance of that."

Sirius also had the duties to keep the paper going and it came down to Harry to help him. Luna should be there to help as well, but she got out of it by going with Ginny. She would stretch it as long as she could.

It took a couple of days more than normal for the two to get the paper out, but the delay was explained with a full page apology by Sirius. With the issue finally released, the two sat back and relaxed for a few hours before they started supper. Sirius decided it would be a good time to listen to some of his music. He got nostalgic and listened to some of his sixties music, like the Beatles, The Stones and his favorite from that era, The Animals. Harry had never heard them before, and liked what he heard. He favored the Beatles over the Animals though. They had a sound that captured the imagination. Mostly love songs in their early music and Harry's favorite was (While My Guitar Gently Weeps).

The music kept playing as they started their dinner. They had Dobby and Kreacher cleaning up No. Twelve so they were not there to cook for them. Harry did most of the cooking though as Sirius had a tendency to leave the stove and burn the food. He did help more than Harry for the cleanup though.

It was after dinner and cleanup that they received a floo call from Professor Dumbledore asking to come through to talk.

It always made Harry shiver when he had to listen to the Professor. It wasn't always a good meeting with him. This one would turn out no different.

"Ah Harry, Sirius, good to see you both. I didn't come at a bad time did I?"

"No Albus, we just finished dinner and cleanup. Sorry about not having any leftovers. If we knew you were coming we would have set some aside for you."

"No need. I ate before coming over. Now Harry, could we go someplace and talk in private?"

"You can talk in front of Sirius sir. He will know what we talked about after wards anyway. No sir, I wouldn't tell him. He just has ways of knowing what is said if he wishes to know."

Albus looked over to Sirius and saw a huge grin on his face. This told him it was a true statement from Harry. "Very well, then. What we talked about at the end of the year, I believe I found one of the hidden items Harry. I thought you might like to go with me to find it?"

"I would love to sir. Do you know which one it is?"

"Yes, I believe it is the Locket. But it is in a very bad place, where one wrong step and it could mean ones death. It also means someone has to be poisoned. That will be me."

"WHAT? One of us has to be poisoned to get the locket?"

"I told you I would be the one to be poisoned Harry."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Hold up a minute. What locket are we talking about, and why does someone have to die to get it?"

Albus looked to Harry, but Harry was one step ahead of him. He went with the truth. "The Locket belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and it contains something that is keeping Voldemort alive."

Sirius gasped with this, "You mean it's a Horcrux? And you said one of the items. Does that mean he made more than one?"

Albus sighed at the knowledge that Sirius had of this dark object. "I'm afraid so, Sirius. We believe he made five, maybe six."

"Shite, that would make him less than human. How many have you found so far?"

"Two. A ring and a crown."

"And then there is the locket, so what else is there and do you know what they look like?"

"Well, no we don't know what they all look like. As a matte do fact we are not surd what else is out there. However, the locket is easy to describe." Rather then explain it, Albus drew a picture of it.

Sirius looked closely at the picture and it somehow looked familiar. Then it struck him. "Kreacher, could you come here."

"You wish to see me Master?" The words were there before Kreacher arrived.

"You're a sneaky little devil Kreacher."

"One has to be when working or living around you Master."

This got Harry laughing and Albus smiling. It left Sirius sour. "Never mind the snide remarks Kreacher. Have you seen this item in the house?"

Kreacher jumped back when he saw the picture, "How did you know about this locket Master? Kreacher promised Master Regulus he would tell no one."

"Reg knew of this Kreacher? How?"

Kreacher didn't say a word until Harry stepped forward, "Kreacher, the only reason your master would want this was to destroy it. It hasn't been destroyed, has it?"

Kreacher dropped to the floor sitting there crying from the memory of his favorite Master. He told the story between tears and hiccups. Regulus died to keep at least one of Voldemorts secrets from him. The dummy locket in the bowl in the cave looked the same as the one he took. It may be enough to fool him if he ever went back to it. Sirius then had Kreacher go home and get the real locket so that it could be destroyed. Kreacher was more than happy to get it and see it destroyed. When he returned, he placed it on the table between the four of them.

Albus was ready to pick it up when Harry stopped him. "Kreacher, do you know how to create Fiendfyre?"

"Yes Master Harry, but it is very difficult to control."

"It is also the only thing we have available that can destroy a Horcrux Kreacher. If you wish to fulfill your masters last request, it has to be done this way."

Kreacher looked up to the three and they all thought he was about to cry. Instead he looked at Harry and said, "Thank you Master Harry. I will do it for Master Regulus. I will concentrate real hard to control the fyre." He started the chant when Harry stopped him, "Kreacher, perhaps we should take the Locket outside to do this."

Kreacher took on a silly look, "Of course you are right Master Harry. Please forgive me."

"It's quite alright Kreacher. No harm done. Now, let's go outside and you can do your task."

Once outside, Albus placed the locket on a large rock so that Kreacher could destroy it. Harry used his Parslemouth ability to open the locket and when he did, a picture of Regulus arose from it. "Kreacher, if you destroy this locket, you will destroy me as well. You don't wish to do this, do you?"

Kreacher was taken back by this and stepped away from the locket. Harry saw this and took Kreacher's hand, "You have to do it for your Master Kreacher, no matter what the locket is telling you. If you are looking at Regulus, then you are looking at a false image. It is not him, but Voldemort trying to make you think it is him. It will try to stop you from doing what Regulus wished you to do."

Kreacher looked at Harry then at the locket and stepped forward again. He started the chant when the picture or Regulus spoke again, "Why are you doing this Kreacher? Don't you love me?"

This was the deciding factor and Kreacher launched the Fiend fyre and destroyed the locket.

Sirius knelt down to hold the shaking elf. "What caused you to change your mind Kreacher?"

"He asked me if I loved him."

"I thought you said you did love him?"

"I did love him, but he would never ask me that. He was still a very proud man and would never allow a house elf to confess to love him."

Sirius sighed, "I know too well of his pride Kreacher. It was probably what got him killed. But you did carry out his request, and it is now over. Your part of it is anyway. Thank you very much for your help. You may return home now." but Kreacher did not move. Instead he picked up the destroyed locket and put it around his neck. He then looked at Professor Dumbledore.

"There is more of this evil out there, isn't there Master?"

"Yes there is Kreacher, and we don't know how much, what they are, or where they are. Why do you ask?"

"Because Master Regulus kept a book he hid from everyone. Kreacher found it after he died, and he has kept it hidden for his Master. I think I should turn it over to you three now." That was when Kreacher left, but soon returned carrying a well worn and somewhat scorched book. He handed it to Sirius and waited for anything to happen. Sirius thanked him and opened the book and began to read what Reg wrote in it. It was a diary of his days as a death eater and why he became disenchanted with them and most of all Voldemort. He learned that he was a half blood and that he loathed pure bloods more than half bloods. He felt Half Bloods were more powerful and smarter than pure bloods. That was why he went after Harry when he was a baby. He thought Neville being a pure blood was nothing more than a weak wizard. Potter was the more dangerous to him.

Reg went on to talk about how he learned of the Horcruxes from Bellatrix and Lucius. He wrote about the dairy and the cup. He wrote about the locket and the diadem and the ring as well. He also told of a possible one that was a mistake, but he wasn't quite sure about it. He didn't think it was possible to make a Horcrux out of a living being.

When Harry and Albus heard this, they knew what was written was the truth. Harry had been that Horcrux Regulus spoke of. It was one that he and the Professor forgot to add to the list. It would soon be taken care of.

When Harry put the diary down, he looked to Kreacher to ask him a question. "Kreacher, since you helped Regulus with his Horcrux search, would you like to help us as well. You can get into more places than we can and since you know what we are looking for, it will speed things up. Don't take this the wrong way now. You can say no if you would rather, and we will not feel any different about you. It was very brave what you did for Regulus and you should not have to go through that again unless you want to. What do you think?"

"Thank you Master Harry, but those days are over for me. I watched as Master Regulus died, and I do not wish to see that again. I wish you all good luck Sir and Master Sirius. Master Harry, stay safe for everyone's sake." and with that Kreacher left for #12 and Dobby.

"Well, where do we start? I have no idea where they could be hidden." Sirius threw out for suggestions.

Albus thought on it for minute then, "Since Bellatrix and Lucius were the only names mentioned, I suggest we start there. Since Bellatrix was put in Azkaban, I would think she would place hers in the safest place she knew. There is only one place I believe she would consider. Gringotts. Lucius on the other hand would want to keep it close as it would get him in worlds of trouble if it were found. I don't think Gringotts is safe enough to him, as many of the Death Eaters had access to his Vault due to the need for money. He didn't like this but he could not say no to his Lord. Luckily there was a limit anyone other than a Malfoy could take and the number of visits they could make. It also took a letter of authorization from Him to enter. I know all this because of Ragnok, who is the Manager of the bank. He wouldn't give me names or amounts as that was confidential, but during the inquisition he was required by law to give out information about access to Lucius' vault."

"So. You think one is in Gringotts and one is with Malfoy. Do you think we could force Lucius to panic if we started a search of all Known followers of Voldemort's looking for dark objects?" Sirius wondered.

"Perhaps. Yes, that does sound like a good start. I can't say how long it would take to get him to that point, but it is better than what I had in mind."

"And what was that?" Harry asked with trepidation, not knowing if he would like the answer.

"I believe I shall hold off on that should it become necessary to follow through on it. I don't think you two will like it very much."

"I was afraid of that. Thank you Sirius for coming up with your plan." Harry sighed. He didn't fear any plan Albus would come up with, but it was the fact that it may upset Luna, Ginny, Remus and mum.

"Not a problem Pup. I do have my moments of brilliance still. Not many mind you. I still like to act dumb. It keeps people on their toes, or their butts. I still haven't figured out how Lily knew of my pranks before I even pulled them. You know how they say mums have eyes on the back of their heads, well I think Lily had them on the back of hers, and mine and Remus and James as well. Ears too. She was really spooky. It may be why I loved her so much. I could never get anything over on her. Minnie is the same way, but I did learn how to sweet talk her. It never worked on Lils."

Albus didn't respond to this statement Sirius just made, but he did know why Minerva acted like she did. She had a soft spot for the marauders and Lily Evans. She often wondered why they continued to care for Peter though, He was not smart. He was not brave, and with this she wondered why he got into Gryffindor house. He was more cunning than brave and should have been in Slytherin. It was with that thought that Albus pieced together what happened all those years ago. Peter was a plant from the beginning by Slytherin House to get information from it's members. It worked so well, it continued after school was over for them. Albus felt like a fool after he realized this.

He didn't mention this to Harry and Sirius as it would have made Sirius feel bad. Knowing they were taken in from the start. Lily and Minerva were the only ones to question Peter from the start. If they knew how deep it went, they would have dropped him long before the end of school. Well, it is all in the past now as Sirius and Remus were alive and Peter was dead.

With the Locket now gone and the last two Horcuxes remaining to find, Harry could relax a little and hopefully make up some time with Ginny. With their second year two months away, he found ways to fill the time with Ginny, Luna Draco, Hermione, Fred and George. Trips to the beach, Muggle movies (the twins, Draco, and Ginny loved these as they were new to them). Amusement Parks, (Another thing they all liked as they were new as well). There were many things new to the Weasleys that Harry and Luna showed them. Hermione already knew of them but never thought much of them as Magic was new to her and still held her interest.

It was this interest that gave Harry and Sirius access to another Horcrux. Hermione had visited Diagon Alley one Saturday when she spotted Lucius Malfoy heading for Knocturn Alley. She knew it was Lucius by the description Draco had given her and the rest of their group. Because of Draco and Luna getting close, Draco had been included in all of their activities. Draco didn't realize how fun being a muggle could be. He thought them dull and boring. He knew so little about them, he decided to try to learn more about them. When Arthur found out about this, he approached Draco and asked him to keep him informed of his findings. Draco copied all his documentation and turned it over to Arthur. Arthur could not believe how much it helped him with his job.

But, like all good things, the summer was coming to an end. It was not before Sirius and Harry made a trip to Knocturn and found what Lucius tried to rid himself of. The diary of Tom Riddle was sold to a small bookstore with many other volumes. If the store keeper knew what it was, he would have got rid of it himself. If he knew what it caused, he would never have taken it. If Lucius knew what it would cause he would have found a way to hide it. He lost his wife and son because of his following the Dark Lord. That was the least of his problems because when then other inner circle members gathered for a update on certain articles in their care and when Lucius was asked about a certain diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle and he couldn't comment on it, they asked why. When Lucius told them he got rid of it, ten Crutiatus spells hitting him at one time was enough to kill him.

Albus had taken the diary and tried to learn something from it. He had a conversation going with Tom that really didn't get anything. Tom was not in a giving mood. They talked and all it did was waste time.

Albus learned nothing from the diary and shoved it in his desk. He would do it again later when he had time to think about the right questions to ask.

Albus left the office and headed down to dinner with the staff. Once he was gone, Fawkes flew to the desk and got the drawer open and the diary out. He got it opened and dropped a tear on it's pages. All at once, the figure of Tom Riddle rose out of it's pages and was staring into the eyes of Fawkes. There were no words from Tom until Fawkes blinked his eyes. "What is it you wish to know?" Fawkes looked into Tom's eyes once again, then he blinked. "I care nothing about those fool Pure Bloods. They are a useful tool to get what I want." Fawkes blinked again. "I want respect at a grander level. I want people to bow down before me. Worship me. I don't care what it takes to get this." Blink. "Why should I care if all these people die? I have the others to bow down to me." Blink. "I never thought of that. After all I am one of the most powerful wizards living. Harry Potter could be the same. And if we are this strong, then other Half Blood or Muggle born could become this powerful as well. With the Pure Blood Population depleted, they will have to turn to each other." Blink. "Why are you asking me all this? What is it you hope to gain?" Blink. "You want me to understand what I may be creating? I am creating nothing, I am destroying things." Blink. "Do you have these conversations with Dumbledore?" Blink. "And he is still sane? Unbelievable." Blink. "That was uncalled for. I do not have to stay here and take that kind of talk." Blink. "What do you mean you aren't talking?" Blink. "It was all in my mind? How did you get me to answer?" Blink. "A tear? Really? Amazing."

Fawkes quit using his mind on Tom and all of a sudden Tom felt alone. "Are you still there? Hello. Speak to me." Blink. "Anything. This is the first real conversation I have had in years. Malfoy wanted to know how I became so powerful. Dumbledore wanted to know what I did back in my fifth year. It starts to gets lonely in this book." Blink. "How was I to know it would take so long for someone to find it. How ever even then the talk we would have would be stupid at best. Children are not easy to talk too." Blink. "Of course I thought of that when I created it. Why am I even Trying to explain myself to you?" Blink. "Yes, I know I asked you to speak, but your questions before were more like a talk. Now they sound like an inquisition." Once again Fawkes went silent, and Tom took this as the right time to end contact with this creature. He collapsed back into the book.

Fawkes went to the trinkets Albus kept in his case and turned the one off he used to record the talk between Tom and himself. He then waited for Albus to return and to inform him of his talk with Tom. It was another hour before he returned and Fawkes was able to tell him, and once he listened Albus had an idea of the thinking of Tom Riddle. As he made his Horcruxes, he was also losing his mind. The study on Horcruxes was lacking due to the seldom use of them. The knowledge used to create them was very hard to find, and the difficulty to accomplish one was hard to explain. Since a death was needed and the degree of pleasure needed to go further with the making of the horcrux made it hard to finish what one started. It took a very cold, dispassionate person to create one. Albus figured it took several murders before Tom was able to create one. But one he started, it became easier for him.

Albus also considered his state of mind after he was defeated by Harry at such a young age. He must have been furious because of it. With this fury, he lost even more of his humanity, if that was even possible. Any semblance of being human had to be long gone. He was now a shell of a human being with no caring at all. Not even for his own followers. He no longer had a goal. His only concern was killing and destroying property. This made him a very dangerous person as one like this could not be counted on to make any sort of plans that could be countered. His attacks would be completely random with no pattern to follow.

How could you plan for something like this. No idea as to where to look next. No idea on what would happen next. No idea on who it would happen to next. How do you tell Harry he had no idea what was happening or where or to who. He always thought Harry would always be the main target for Tom, but now he was not so sure this was the case. Just random acts of violence.

He thought on this for days, and the only thing he could come up with was to catch Tom where he stayed. Albus knew where he lived, but it had to be heavily guarded and the wards around the building had to be difficult to breach. However, he thought this was their only chance. Once the last horcrux was found and destroyed, that would be their next step.

His thought on deceiving people into believing Harry and Sirius were dead was still a possibility. It would allow them to move around with out fear of being discovered. But now it was made difficult as it would be when they went after the last horcrux. Deep in the bowels of Gringotts.

ANL-}

The train ride back to Hogwarts was filled with talk about what the group did during the summer. Trips to the Continent. Visit with family members. Beach parties. But when the Twins talked of muggle movies, Amusement parks and Malls, it gathered the most listeners. The majority of the students didn't know of such things and it made for many pleasurable moments for them all.

Harry had let the twins do the talking as he was trying very hard to become closer to Ginny. He made some progress during the summer, but it still felt like there was something between them that he could not tear down. Like a barrier. It wasn't that she didn't respond to his advances, but more like she didn't respond the way Harry thought she would. Almost like he wasn't trying hard enough. He didn't know what she was looking for from him and it was frustrating him. Even Luna couldn't help him as Ginny hadn't confided in her.

When the train ride was over, and the carriages brought them all back to the castle, Harry was told right away that Dumbledore wished to see him. It sounded like this year was not going to be any different than last year to him. After dinner was through, he headed for the Headmaster's office and was allowed entry. He was surprised when he saw that Sirius was there as well.

When Albus told them of the talk that Fawkes had with Tom through the diary, and his thoughts about what their next step would be after they found and destroyed the last Horcrux, they both knew this would be the year that the showdown would take place. There would be no Chamber incident that took place in Luna's other life time. Ginny would not have to face Tom Riddle or the Basilisk, nor would Harry. He would be facing Voldemort and his followers, along with Sirius and Albus. Three against who knew how many. But in order to keep everyone safe, it had to be this way. No one could know what plans they were making. This also meant that Ginny would be seeing less of Harry once again, and any progress he made during the summer was going to be lost.

He knew there were going to be questions and he wondered how many he would be able to answer, if any. Albus said that the Basilisk would have to be taken care of, but that he could do this with the help of Hagrid. Harry would have to accompany them since Parstlemouth would be needed, but he would not be entering the chamber. Sirius in the mean time would try to get entry into Bella's vault legally but secretively. His friendship with the Manager would be of great help if it worked. The chance of this working was less than 20% favorable. Even being friends with a Goblin didn't guarantee success when it came to entering a vault that you had no access to.

In all, there was little chance of anything going right for the three destined to fight this battle. Little hope of their succeeding in destroying Voldemort and his followers. Little hope of putting an end to this threat over the wizarding world.

A/N: I would like to explain my thoughts on Peter before I get some bad feedback. We know that the hat does take request if presented to him. In this story I feel Peter made such a request saying he wished to be with his new found friends. True the hat should have seen through that, if Peter wasn't protected. But if he had a spell put on him that took away any thoughts connecting him to Slytherin or Voldemort, then it would work. Once he was sorted, he could be returned to normal. As always, Ollie the Keeper.