Part 25
"Snape?" Harry exclaimed, whirling around to face Hermione. "Why, on earth, do we need to involve him in this conversation? I mean, Sirius might just kill him or something!"
"But we will be there…"Hermione trailed off, looking uncertain.
Harry sighed deeply and looked over at the teenaged Snape who was having a light-hearted conversation with his mother. The smile on his face was one of the very few that Harry has ever seen. And that smile did not diminish even when James joined the little group. It truly seemed that the relationships were already changing…for the better. But Harry was not very sure that it would remain that way.
"No, Mione," he replied, turning back to his friend. "I think we should talk to just Sirius for the time being… Maybe later…"
You have to forgive him, Harry," said Hermione abruptly, piercing Harry with a pleading look. "He saved you life."
"And made it hell too," Harry pointed out. He rubbed his hands on his face wearily. Hermione had hit the nail right on the head. In spite of Snape's many favors; Harry was still unable to forgive him totally. "I owe him my life, Hermione. I am grateful to him for saving me and helping me, so many times. But, I just can't forgive him for causing the deaths of my parents."
"It was just a mistake…"
"I know that!" Harry snapped, interrupting Hermione. "And I am not going to go around blaming him either. Not in front of all of them." Harry waved a hand to indicate the people in the room. "But, I can't forgive him. Not for that!"
"He suffered for his whole life because of that," Hermione murmured, her eyes shining suspiciously. "He worked relentlessly towards protecting you. His one mistake ruined his entire life, Harry. How can you not forgive him?"
"I don't know…" Harry mumbled back.
"OI! You two coming in or what?" Ron called out from the room. "Why are you skulking out there?"
Hermione shot a glare at Ron. "Idiot," she murmured. "So, what do we do about Severus?" she asked Harry.
Harry shut his eyes briefly, thinking hard. "Not now," he finally replied. "For the moment let's just have this talk with Sirius. I don't think that the prophecy would be mentioned before 2-3 chapters. If we want to we can have a talk with Severus sometime in between. For the moment, I think we should talk to Sirius alone."
"Alright," said Hermione, giving in. She could see that Harry was almost totally against talking to Sirius and Severus together. And maybe he was right in doing so.
"Sorry, Mione," apologized Harry taking in the pensive look on Hermione's face as her disappointment. "I promise that I will try and talk to Severus too."
I am not disappointed or anything," Hermione protested. "You are probably right. It would be difficult enough to talk to Sirius without throwing Severus in too. Better to get this one talk over with."
"You got a point!" said Harry chuckling. "Or Sirius and Ron might just get impatient and leave. And once they get to the food, it would be almost impossible to get them away from it."
Hermione laughed aloud and followed him to the room that the Room of Requirements had provided for them to hold their 'talk'.
"There you are!" Ron said, as soon as the stepped into the room. "The two of you finally managed to travel such a great distance! I was thinking that you will never get here."
Harry grinned at his friend though Hermione directed another glare at him. But she had to laugh on seeing Sirius, who had managed to salvage a bowl of cookies from the kitchen and was busy stuffing his face.
"I was hungry," he said defensively noting Hermione's laugh. "And you two were taking ages!"
"Sorry," said Harry, pulling a chair and settling down in front of his Godfather. Hermione and Ron settled down beside Sirius on the couch, and Ron promptly helped himself to some cookies.
"We need some help from you, Sirius," said Harry, broaching the subject directly. He knew that the others will soon wonder about their whereabouts, they cannot waste too much time.
"Want to play a prank on your Father?" Sirius questioned, looking excited. "That would be superb."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Not really," he answered. "This is of a serious nature."
"Nature can't be serious," Sirius said, his eyes twinkling with merriment. "That's me!"
"Shut up, Padfoot!" Hermione said in an annoyed voice, though she could not keep the grin off her face. "What we want to talk to you about is not really a laughing matter."
Their somber moods beneath the façade of laughter finally seemed to penetrate Sirius's conscience and he settled back on his seat with a serious face. "What is it about, Harry?" he asked his Godson concernedly.
Harry exchanged a quick look with his friends. "It is about the prophecy," he finally said.
Sirius frowned. "That prophecy about you and Voldemort?" he said. "The one that states you will have the power to kill Voldemort?"
"The same," Hermione confirmed. "And...Umm…Didn't you guys wonder how Voldemort came to know about the Prophecy?"
Talk about beating around the bush! Harry glared at Hermione, who gave him an apologetic look.
"Ya…We did," Sirius replied, looking at one worried face to another in some perplexity. "At least, Moony did. It has to be of the Death Eaters, obviously….Oh No!" Comprehension seemed to be drawing on his face, and was instantly replaced by a look of horror. "Please please don't tell me that it was Pete…Pettigrew. James would be devastated!"
Harry cocked an eyebrow at his Godfather and chuckled half-heartedly. "No, I can very safely say that it wasn't Pettigrew," he replied. Sirius' face relaxed visibly, and he let out the breath that he was holding.
"That's good!" he muttered. "But, then who?" he asked raising his eyes to meet Harry's.
Harry looked at his friends helplessly. The truth be said, he did not know the best way to break this news to his Godfather. And now, he was regretting the decision to have this ridiculous conversation in the first place.
"It was Severus Snape!" Harry was startled out of his musings by Ron's voice; who then conveniently ignored the shocked-cum-horror filled glare that Harry sent in his direction. Ron knew very well that Sirius reaction won't change even if they took ages to get around to the fact. At least an abrupt answer helps to save time.
"WH…What?" Sirius spluttered. "You are kidding! Isn't he, Harry?"
"You really think that Severus Snape cannot do anything like that?" Harry counter-questioned, sounding a little amazed. After all, this was the last reaction that he had expected from Sirius.
"I would have," replied Sirius, still grinning widely. He, very obviously, thought that Ron was joking. "I would have easily believed it, had your mother been any one other that Lily Evans. And, as much as I hate to agree; Severus Snape may be a greasy git and a god-forsaken Death Eater, but he will never do anything to hurt Lily Evans."
Harry smiled sadly at his Godfather. "But he did!" he murmured. "Severus Snape was indeed the one who had conveyed the Prophecy to Voldemort. And this is no joke, Padfoot. I totally, completely, wholly mean it."
Harry had never seen so many emotions flirting on anyone's face in such a short while. Sirius's face was portraying a mixture of grief, guilt, horror, sadness and a myriad other emotions. Harry was reminding abruptly of something that Ron had said in their Fifth year; about a person bursting under the weight of too many emotions. Even though Ron had said it as a jest, Harry could literally see Sirius facing the same predication.
And Sirius did look close to bursting, though it was with anger. "I AM GOING TO KILL THAT BLOODY B-" Sirius cried out abruptly and lunged for the closed door.
Both Harry and Ron had to grab hold of his arms to stop him while Hermione locked the door with the strongest locking spells that she knew of. And she also summoned Sirius' wand to her as an extra precaution.
"Just calm down for a moment, Sirius," Harry huffed, trying to stop Sirius from breaking open the door.
"And why the hell should I calm down?" Sirius snapped, wrenching his hands free and shooting a murderous glare at Hermione, who held on to his wand tightly, as if she was afraid that he would try to snatch it back. "That man is the reason you have lost your parents, Harry!" He shifted his glare at his Godson. "Do you even realize that?"
Both Ron and Hermione gasped out loud! It was a really low blow, and Harry though so too because all it took for him was a moment to start yelling too.
"Of course I do!" he bellowed. "I am on orphan, aren't I? Of course, I realize that I have no parents. I was brought up by people who hated me, Sirius. I felt their absence every bloody day." Harry's voice cracked ominously, and he turned his face away trying to get his emotions in control.
"Harry?" Sirius murmured concernedly placing a hand on his Godson's shaking shoulders. He seemed to have got his emotions under control. "I am sorry," he said forcing Harry to turn around and pulling him into a hug. "I did not mean to hurt you. I am very sorry."
"S okay," Harry mumbled, pulling back from the hug and smiling awkwardly. He directed a hesitant grin at his friends too. The last thing he needed now was for Hermione to try and hug him or something. Sirius' hug had raised too many old, painful memories. And even after all these years, he still missed his crazy Godfather. "I didn't mean to lose my temper, either. I am sorry too. It was natural for you to be shocked and all…"
"Cut it out, Harry!" Sirius interrupted. "It wasn't your fault. But, tell me something, why on earth are you supporting Severus Snape? He betrayed his best friend! If it were not for him, Voldemort might not have ever pursued you."
Harry nodded resignedly. "You are right, Sirius," he said. "Severus did betray his friend. But, unlike Pettigrew, he did unknowingly."
"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?"
"I…I think it is better if we all sit down," put in Ron, rubbing his wrist that had twisted when Sirius had wrenched free his hand. "It might take a while."
"Ya…I guess," said Sirius, dropping down on the couch again. But, this time Hermione pulled Harry to sit next to them; giving him a quick hug in the process. "I am sorry about your hand," Sirius added, indicating Ron's wrist which had swelled a little. Ron waved aside his apology, promptly wincing as he used his injured hand to do so. This caused the others to break out into amused chuckles slightly lessening the tension that had formed in the room.
Harry looked at his Godfather straight in the eye. "Just…Just hear me out, Sirius, before you form any mind-set about Severus Snape." At Sirius's slightly hesitant nod he continued, "As you know, Trelawney had made the prophecy at Hog's Head. This Prophecy was indeed over-heard by Severus. But, he did not hear the entire prophecy, as he was intercepted by Dumbledore mid-way through it. And, he did go and relay this prophecy to Voldemort."
"But then…"
"Let me finish, Sirius," said Harry, stalling the interruption. "Snape didn't know nor did he realize that, this prophecy was about the son of Lily Evans Potter. It was entirely Voldemort's deduction. And Severus came to know this after the Prophecy was already relayed by him. After the damage was already done."
"I get it," Sirius said, after a moment of silence. "Snape did not know that the prophecy was about Harry Potter, the son of Lily Evans Potter. But Harry, does it lessen his offense in any way? He knew that he was sending a new-born baby to his death by conveying the Prophecy to Voldemort."
"I am not saying that he was blameless," said Harry, trying to be patient. "I am just telling that he…he made a mistake!"
"A mistake?" exclaimed Sirius. "When your actions cause someone's death, we don't…can't call it an accident, Harry!"
"But he regretted it, Sirius," Hermione interrupted. "He regretted it every single day of his life. And he tried to help Lily. He let Professor Dumbledore know about Voldemort's plans and begged him to keep the Potter family hidden. He owned up to his mistakes, and he also turned spy for the order. He was so disgusted with what his actions did cost."
"So he is a spy…"Sirius murmured to himself.
Harry gave another hesitant nod. "I can't really tell you much. You will get to know as you read the books…But, did you…umm…wonder why we wanted to speak to you about all this?"
"I did," said Sirius furrowing up his eyebrows. "And I am still not sure what sort of a help you needed from me…Other than killing Snape, obviously."
Harry managed an amused chuckle. "I thought that you are the only one who would understand Severus's situation," he said, a little tentatively.
"What?" Sirius exclaimed yet again, raising his eyes heavenward. "You are really talking about me? You really thought that Sirius Black would understand Severus Snape's position."
"You are only one who knows who it is to commit a mistake," Ron said softly. "You will understand what it is to commit a mistake."
"Oh!" Sirius murmured, all traces of humor disappearing from his face. "So, you know about that? I thought that you might…"
"Ya, we do," confirmed Harry. "And you are the one who told us about it. Back in our third year. Well, you and Professor Lupin…Remus."
Sirius' lips quirked into a smile at the 'Professor Lupin' bit, though he was still looking tensed. "I…I did commit a mistake…a huge one, in fact. But, it didn't really harm anyone, did it? At least physically." He added this as an afterthought.
"But it could have…" Harry pointed out gently. "Don't you think that you were just…just luckier?"
"I was," said Sirius sighing deeply. He hung his head slightly. "If things had gone wrong, Remus could have been sentenced and James and Snape killed or turned into Werewolves. And it all would have been my fault. All for the sake of a stupid prank."
Harry placed a comforting hand on his Godfather's shoulder. "I am sorry, Sirius. We didn't really wish to bring that up. But…we had to. You are the only one who can remotely relate himself to Severus's situation. And he will definitely need it when the entire thing comes out."
"Yes, I can relate to him pretty well," muttered Sirius. "I was just very lucky to have escaped his fate. I just wish that part of my good luck extended to getting McGonagall off our trails." A hint of humor had returned to his face and voice. "She catches us almost every single time."
"Evading her is almost harder than tricking Dumbledore," agreed Ron, grinning widely obviously glad that the tension had passed. "It gets quite irritating sometimes."
"She is at least better than Severus," Sirius countered. "He could easily win the top place in the 'Irritating' category."
"He can be easily place in a category by himself," Hermione muttered, causing the other three to burst out laughing. "He doesn't need to compete with anyone. No one can even think of measuring up to his…creepiness!"
"I think we should get back to the reading," commented Ron, glancing at his watch.
"Yup," agreed Sirius. "But Harry, you still didn't say what sort of help you needed…"
Harry grinned at his Godfather. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I want you to stop the other two Marauders from killing Severus."
Sirius blanched visibly. "Do I look like I have a death wish?" he groaned. "Stopping Remus when he will be at the pinnacle of his temper? Do you know what you are asking of me?"
Harry shrugged casually, his lips lifting again in an evil smirk. "I think I do. You are the only one who can control them. We will have our hands full with the others."
"You will owe me for that!" stated Sirius, glaring at his Godson, who was still smirking annoyingly. "And stop smirking like an idiot!" he added.
"Thanks Sirius," said Harry sincerely. He hesitated for a moment before stepping up and hugging his Godfather. "Thanks a lot for understanding about Severus. He will really need all the support that he can get."
"I know that," Sirius replied gruffly. "I won't pretend that it will be very easy to forgive him or something. It will take time…The hate is much too prevalent now. But, I can try. In fact, I will. I can at least do this much for my Godson."
"You were a great Godfather," Harry whispered, the words meant only for Sirius' ears. "And I really really mean it."
"Of course, I was," said Sirius, ruffling Harry's hair playfully. But, Harry could see the gratitude in his eyes. "Now let's get back to the reading before Lily loses her head completely! That girl is obsessed about books."
We can totally understand!" Harry and Ron chorused, grinning at Hermione who was resolutely looking away. Ron grabbed the discarded and half-filled bag of cookies as they were leaving the room, causing Hermione to roll her eyes at him.
"Hey there you all are!" James exclaimed, as soon as they re-entered the reading room. "Where have you all been?"
"Can't I have a talk with my Godfather?" Harry remarked sounding hurt. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Sirius hesitate a little before joining the little group that had assembled around Severus. He let out the breathe that he didn't really realize that he was holding; now that he was sure that Sirius would not react too badly.
"Of course, you can," said James, ignoring Harry's 'hurt' voice. "I just hope that you all weren't planning some elaborate prank or something."
"Nothing like that!" Ron replied truthfully, though he could not resist but smirk a little. He knew that the smirk would make James think otherwise and he wasn't wrong. James was indeed looking a little anxious.
"Can we get back to the reading now?" Lily demanded. "We have wasted enough time."
"Sure, Mum," replied Harry.
In a minute or two everybody had settled down on their seats. "So, who wants to read now?" Molly asked. "The chapter must be about the Horcruxes."
"In that case, may I?" Dumbledore said and picked up the book from the table. "The Chapter's title is, very predictably, Chapter 23."
"Very Original!" James remarked, sniggering softly. "A chapter about Horcruxes, titled Horcruxes."
"It is a little funny," Arthur agreed. "Perfectly acceptable but funny."
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"You have to know how to deal with Peeves," said Remus, knowledgably. "A bit of bargaining is all it takes. He is not really a very big problem!"
"That would be Filch!" added Sirius grinning at Remus. But even that grin was the slightest bit strained, Harry observed. However he was taking everything far better than Harry could have ever hoped for.
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"They never change at Midnight!" Lily said indignantly. "And she just cannot make my son sleep out in the corridors. Even if he is able to evade the teacher; he will catch a hell of a cold!"
"I don't think she will, Lily," said Molly, chuckling. "She does that to frighten the students."
"You sure know a lot about it," said Lily slyly, causing Molly to blush crimson and Ron to groan and bury his head in his hand. That's his Mother, for heaven's sake!
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"That's superb!" Alice squealed. "Harry can show him the memory right now! He does not even have to wait till the morning."
"But Harry needs his sleep too…" Lily mumbled half-heartedly, almost smirking at the indignant look that crossed her son's face.
"The memory was more important," protested Harry. "And I could always take a nap in the classes." He sniggered at the looks of outrage that passed through his Mother's and Hermione's faces.
Dumbledore chuckled genially before continuing with the chapter.
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"He means the Headmaster!" Sirius snapped. "Why on earth would Harry wish to know about the Slytherin ghost's whereabouts!"
James frowned a bit at Sirius' reaction. "Nick didn't know that, Sirius," he said. "That wasn't anything staid. Just a stupid comment."
"Extremely stupid," murmured Sirius, managing a small grin. James pierced him with the concerned look for a moment more, but did not comment.
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"She is not supposed to shriek the password for the whole hallway to hear!" Minerva said indignantly. "It no longer remains a secret!"
"I don't think it does anyways," Frank pointed out. "Remain a secret, that is. Not with half the house population discussing…even screaming about it at the Great Hall."
"That's true too," Minerva conceded.
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"Wow," Remus praised. "You actually managed to take the Headmaster by surprise. I would have never thought it to be possible."
Dumbledore smiled at his student. "I can assure you that it has happened quite often, Mr. Lupin. Every time I think that the Marauders have reached the height of their imagination and innovation; you prove me wrong by conducting an even more innovative prank."
Remus blushed slightly at the comment, while James and Sirius grinned proudly.
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"It still seems unbelievable that he killed his own Father and Grandparents at that tender age," Lily murmured, looking slightly nauseated.
"Tom Riddle Sr. wasn't exactly a saint, Lily," Severus pointed out. "He abandoned his baby."
"Maybe he wasn't," Sirius cut in curtly. "However, he is not the first person who abandoned or neglected his kid! But, you don't see all those other kids murdering their fathers for that reason!"
Snape frowned at Sirius. "I wasn't justifying Voldemort's actions," he said. "Obviously, there is no justification for murder!"
"Says the person who would join the Death Eaters!" Sirius hissed, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. A stunned silence met his comment, and Sirius could see Harry shooting him pleading looks.
"Mr. Black!" Minerva snapped. "That comment was totally uncalled for and I believe that an apology is in order."
"What's wrong with you, Padfoot?" Remus murmured, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Severus has not yet gone over to the Dark side. You can't blame him for what happens in the future."
Sirius raised up his eyes to meet Severus' and physically recoiled on seeing the hurt and defeat etched on his features. He felt like an utter prat now for saying those things. "I am sorry," he apologized softly. "I shouldn't…"
"You didn't say anything wrong!" Snape retorted, his eyes moving up to meet Sirius's. "You just reported a fact! I will be a Death Eater! And I will probably murder innocent people. That certainly gives me no right to justify or protest against anyone else's actions."
"I don't think you have done anything to blame yourself," Lily stated, throwing a glare at Sirius. "And we can't expect you to answer for something that you supposedly do in the future."
"Sorry," Sirius mumbled yet again, shooting apologetic looks at Harry too. But, Harry smiled slightly and waved aside his unspoken apology. He could not place blame on his Godfather. After all, he himself has not been able to forgive Snape till now. Even after, all those things that the man had done for him. He was not proud of it; but he could hardly judge someone else's reactions in this regard.
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"This was one of the parts that he changed in the previous memory," remarked Alice. "He did not wish to show his 'flattery-loving' self."
"That was one of Horace's more serious faults," said Dumbledore, shaking his head. "Horace is not a bad person, but he absolutely bakes in his own comfort. That matters the most to him."
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"I think that most of his Death Eaters are well aware of Riddle's background and parentage," said Ron. "They just choose to ignore it or something."
"Or maybe they love the idea that he has…has pr…pruned his muggle-parentage," Molly commented, stammering a little. "Wi…Wiped all traces of it."
"Of course!" said Lily bitterly. "They would just love that, won't they? After all, they are just as eager to get rid of the filth part of their own families!"
"Muggles and Muggleborns are not…." James started to protest but was interrupted by Lily.
"According to them, we are," she said soothingly, grinning at her future husband. "But they really not someone whose opinion holds strength, are they?"
"Not by a long way…" James agreed, grinning back.
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"Who in their right mind made him a Prefect!" Frank grumbled.
"They didn't exactly know," Arthur pointed out. "Riddle did not broadcast his intentions openly. If anything, he was supposedly a model student."
"That he was," confirmed Dumbledore. "Secrecy was and is one of Tom's strongest attributes. And regrettably, mine too." He added under his breath.
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"Is that man off his rocker?" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Was there any chance in heavens that 'Horcruxes' would be a part of the DADA project?"
"Mr. Black!" Minerva snapped, though it was seemed to be a little half-hearted. "You should not use such comments against your Professors…even if what they did say is extremely stupid."
Sirius directed a smirk at the Transfiguration Professor who actually grinned back.
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'This boy is a pro," the Marauders chorused.
"He can trap just about anyone, in his web of flattery," Remus added.
"That's precisely what I thought," Harry said. "Riddle had his 'Talents' all brushed and polished out."
"No doubt about that," remarked Frank, his expression grim. "After all, Riddle was very clear about what he wanted to do in life. Kill people and gain power. Jolly way to live a life!"
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"WHAT?!" The cry echoed in the suddenly silent room. Utter incredulity and disbelief was evident on the faces of the Teenagers (other than the Trio).
"VOl…Voldemort used something like that to store his soul?" Sirius asked his voice laced with incredulity. "Is that even possible? Does that mean that he walks around soulless?"
"That can't be possible…" Lily murmured. "A person can't be soulless."
Dumbledore chuckled softly at his students' comments. "Tom is certainly not soulless. A Horcrux stores a 'part' of a soul…not the entire soul."
"A…A part?!" James repeated, looking and sounding sickened. "We…The soul can be cut off or something?"
"I think you all will get your answers as I progress with the chapter," Dumbledore said. "I never ever wanted you all to know about such dark objects…but I don't think that there is a choice now. I can just hope and I am fairly confident that none of you would ever be lured by the Dark."
"Lured by something that Voldemort's interested in?" Arthur scoffed. "Big chance of that happening!"
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"But does that mean that he is immortal?" Alice queried, her voice holding barely withheld tremors. "And Riddle actually made that Horcrux…"
"Yes, he did," Hermione replied. "But immortal… No, Riddle is not immortal. Horcruxes can be destroyed. And once a Horcrux is destroyed, the part of the soul in it dies too."
"But, isn't the soul supposed to be indestructible?" Frank asked, looking at Dumbledore curiously.
"Not when it is split," Dumbledore answered. "Only the part that remains in the body is indestructible. But, it is very difficult to destroy a Horcrux. Especially one that has been made and obviously very well protected by Voldemort." He sighed heavily and continued with the chapter.
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"Does that mean that he had already made a Horcrux?" said Lily. "I mean, when he killed hi…his Father and Grandparents."
"But, he didn't really know about them did he?" Snape retorted. "If he did know about them, why would he question Professor Slughorn?"
"I don't think that Voldemort would like to give away any of his plans, if he could help it," reasoned James, frowning at the book sitting in Dumbledore's hands. "Either he didn't know about the Horcruxes or he wanted something else from Slughorn…"
"Don't you all think that it is better to let Professor Dumbledore read the Chapter instead of just speculating wildly?" Harry asked slyly causing James to glower and Sirius to snigger loudly.
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"Has that man totally lost his mind?" Frank yelled out. "Even a remotely sane person wouldn't even think of splitting his soul into so many pieces.
"I wouldn't incorporate Voldemort and sane in one sentence," Arthur said wryly. "But, splitting his soul seven times seems to be an exaggeration…even for him."
"Maybe he was just being curious?" Alice suggested. "It is possible," she defended herself noting the skeptical looks that her friends were giving her. "Even Voldemort is allowed to feel curious about some things. Just because he had a whim, doesn't mean that he followed it."
"It could be possible," Dumbledore acknowledged and continued reading.
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"You wish!" Lily murmured, bitterly. "This is VOLDEMORT we are talking…reading about!"
"But if Voldemort already knew about the Horcruxes, then Professor Slughorn isn't to be blamed all that much," Remus reasoned.
"I don't think that we can...or should blame Prof Slughorn even if he did provide some valuable information to Voldemort," commented Ron, peering up at the others. "He can't really be blamed for having a few favorites. And Tom Riddle was indeed a brilliant student. And any teacher would be inclined to answer the queries posed by their students; especially if they are academically inclined. Professor Slughorn's only fault was his failure to judge Voldemort's intents."
"And that obviously wasn't all that easy," Hermione added. "Voldemort was an expert in curtaining his real intents. Only someone adept at Legilimency would have been able to judge his intents."
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"I don't think that any twisted sense of happiness ever augments up anybody's features," remarked Arthur.
"And even the thoughts of a 'happy' Voldemort is scary," added Molly, grimacing and leaning back against her boyfriend.
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"But Professor," James interrupted Dumbledore and questioned. "Even with the Horcrux or with more than one Horcrux, Voldemort is not exactly immortal, is he? You did say that it was perfectly possible to destroy the Horcruxes… So, as soon as they or it is destroyed…"
"Voldemort will be just a mortal," Dumbledore confirmed. "But, as I said earlier, it is tremendously difficult to destroy a Horcrux. Especially to get through the protections that Tom would have definitely placed on and around it. That makes him near-about invincible. He could be killed, of course, but it would be tough…exceedingly tough."
"Is a Horcrux dangerous by itself?" This time the question was posed by Snape. "If they get near any person, can they cause any serious harm?"
Dumbledore held Snape with a piercing look. "It is, Mr. Snape," he replied. "A Horcrux is very, very dangerous. Even without any protection spell around it. A Horcrux is a piece of a soul and acts the same way. If you get too close to the Horcrux…more emotionally than physically…it can affect and manipulate your way of thinking. It can affect you to the extent that you do things against your will. Emotional dependence on the Horcrux can result in strengthening of the part of the soul concealed in that object and it can even start possessing the user."
"Bloody hell!" Sirius swore under his breath. "This th…thing even sounds repulsive! And I thought that it was harmless by itself."
"It is not the darkest object ever for nothing, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said, chuckling darkly. He shook his head, as if to clear his mind of the depressing thoughts and resumed reading.
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"He did make seven Horcruxes?" Lily stated, glancing at the Trio with fear and worry evident in her eyes. "And that just makes the fulfillment of the Prophecy so much more difficult!"
"I don't think that Professor Dumbledore will let them get near the Horcruxes," Molly said confidently, though Harry could detect the tone of doubt underneath. "You all don't, do you?" she added worriedly, looking at the Trio.
"Can't say," Ron prompted, grinning cheekily at his Mother. "But if someone has to destroy Voldemort then they have to face the Horcruxes too, don't they?" Molly groaned, the implication of her son's words striking her.
Lily's face turned ashen at the thought of her son and his teenaged friends facing the foul object and she turned and buried her face in James' shoulders though her attention did not waver from Dumbledore's reading.
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"NO!" Molly shrieked out, her face becoming ghostly pale. "Ginny was possessed by a Horcrux? She was just 11, for heaven's sake!"
"The diary that po…possessed Ginny was indeed a Horcrux," Hermione stammered. She was one of the very few people to whom Ginny had confided the details of her 'possession' by Riddle. And after dealing with the locket herself, she could personally feel the anguish that Ginny must have gone through during that entire period. And she was so much younger too…
"Holy heavens!" Arthur murmured, draping an arm over Molly and pulling her into a comforting hug. "Did Malfoy know what that thing was?" His voice held cold rage; something that was extremely rare.
"No, he didn't," Ron answered his Father. "He obviously knew that it belonged to Voldemort but he had no idea that it was a Horcrux. Not many people knew that Voldemort had made Horcruxes." Arthur gave a tiny nod. This information didn't act at all to lessen his anger but at least he can restrain himself from finding him and killing his right now!
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"That means Voldemort's Horcrux is probably much more deadly than any other Wizard's," Snape remarked.
"Absolutely," Harry confirmed. "While others would have just served as safe-keeping, Voldemort's Horcruxes were some sort of weapons themselves!"
"The diary was probably the worst one…followed by the locket," Ron murmured to his friends.
Hermione nodded. "That's true," she said. "But, the protection was probably the worst on the ring. After all, its effects did prove fatal for Dumbledore."
"Just wait till you hear the full story about that 'cave incident'," Harry muttered darkly. "You will be forced to change your opinion." Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried look but did not probe further.
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"That means you destroyed a Horcrux when you were just 12!" James exclaimed, looking proudly at his son. "Now that must be some achievement!"
"As if killing a Basilisk was any mere feat!" said Sirius teasingly. "We just have to agree that the three of them are still more than your ordinary teenagers. I really doubt that an 'ordinary' teenager leads such an action-packed school life." Almost identical blushes adorned the faces of the Trio at Sirius' comment.
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"He talked about the Horcruxes in front of his death-eater pals?" Snape remarked, sounding curious. "I had the idea that he didn't want anyone to know about them."
"His Death Eaters did not know about them," Harry replied. "At least, that's what Professor Dumbledore told me. And they did seem ignorant about it!"
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"That's how he got his weird appearance," Molly murmured to herself. "In the process of fragmenting his soul, he also managed to distort his features."
"Every time he fragmented his soul, the 'human' part of him somehow died," said Hermione, looking a little disgusted. "And all that is left beneath is the evil and twisted mind and shell."
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"Now that is a really good question," Remus said. "It would have been much…much safer. And a whole lot less sickening; not that Voldemort really cares about that."
"He must revel in the sickening part," Sirius commented, stretching languidly. "The more sickening…the better. Nevertheless, he did try to steal a Philosopher's stone in Harry's first year, didn't he? That means he wasn't exactly against the idea." Remus nodded slightly, showing his agreement to Sirius's words.
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"Weird!" the Marauders chorused. "That Voldemort is not even happy with just being immortal…he actually craved for the right way to do it!" added James, shaking his head exasperatedly.
"Voldemort's actions do strike to be a bit funny," Lily confessed grinning slightly. "Though their outcomes are most certainly not so. They are absolutely horrific."
"One cannot really hope for normal stuff from an insane person, Lils," remarked Alice, smirking slightly. "And Voldemort surely defines and constructs new heights of insanity." This caused everyone to break out into peals of laughter.
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"Seven!" murmured Hermione, her voice dripping with venom, but she took care to keep it low. "I still can't believe that Professor Dumbledore didn't let you know that you were the last Horcrux! And how can he just expect you to sacrifice yourself? That is one thing for which I don't think I will ever be able to forgive him." Ron slung an arm around Hermione trying to calm her down.
"It wasn't his fault, Mione," Harry tried to reason with his friend. "You know very well why he did it. I was a Horcrux and…"
"…and you needed to be destroyed?" Hermione finished, sarcastically.
"He saved me," Harry prompted again. "He knew that if I didn't put up any resistance, only Voldemort's soul would die. That was the only way that Voldemort could have been destroyed, Mione."
"I know all that, Harry!" she snapped. "You know what…Just forget it! You will not understand." Hermione turned her face away from him but not before Harry had caught the glimmer of tears in them.
"Hey…What's wrong?" Harry asked her, pulling her into a warm hug. "Things worked out at the end, didn't they?"
Ron sighed heavily and fixed Harry with a mild glare. "Harry, do you realize how bloody awful it was for us when we caught sight of your 'dead' body?" he asked softly. "Our whole world, sort of, came crashing down on us. Did you really think that we could forget it so soon?"
"M sorry," Harry mumbled and pulled both Hermione and Ron in an awkward hug. "I promise I will refrain from doing anything like that for a while."
"I will kill you if you even think of that!" Hermione's said, her voice muffled due to Harry's jumper. Harry chuckled and kissed dropped a kiss on her head, earning a sharp jab in the ribs from Ron.
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"Wow!" Sirius cheered and was joined by the others. "That's just brilliant! But, which one was it?"
"Two down!" Lily murmured, under her breath. "That means that only four more are left! That's certainly good progress!"
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"And the curse destroyed his hand!" Alice exclaimed. "That doesn't look at all well."
"The first Horcrux caused the Chamber of Secrets to open and the second caused the destruction of Albus's hand!" said Minerva sarcastically. "Destroying Horcruxes are indeed costing a lot."
"It is far far worse!" Harry whispered to his friends. "If they think that this bad…I don't know what they will say when they get to know the whole extent of the damage caused by the Horcruxes."
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"At least I was of some use," said Snape grumpily. Lily directed a grin at the frowning boy, shaking her head at his sullenness.
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"I seriously doubt that Voldemort would use anything so flippant," remarked Frank. "He seems to have a fascination for important things…You know, like heirlooms."
"Yeah, he does!" Remus agreed. "After all, this is Voldemort! He hates common stuff, remember? He will make sure that his Horcruxes are also genuinely fascinating and rare magical objects."
"Fussy man!" Sirius murmured, breaking out into a chuckle, though the others shook their heads at his childishness.
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"And it aided in the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets," Lily pointed out. "That must have been quite special to Voldemort."
"That Horcrux was pretty powerful too," Ron added. "And the addition of Ginny's power helped to increase its strength considerably."
"So…Our little girl will be a powerful witch," said Molly, her face breaking out into a delighted smile. "That's great to hear."
"Her magical powers are indeed very powerful!" Harry confirmed with a reminiscent smile on his face. He was really missing his girlfriend; he hardly noticed the teasing smile that Sirius was directing at him.
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"House Heirlooms!" Lily shrieked out. "Voldemort is collecting house Heirlooms!"
"But, he doesn't have anything that belongs to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor," said James, his brows furrowing up. "Or maybe he does have those too."
"He is mostly using objects linked to or belonging to Slytherin," Remus pointed out. "The diary belonged to him, and the ring was a Slytherin heirloom. And, if the locket was made into a Horcrux then it will be the third Slytherin object to be used."
"That makes sense," commented Minerva. "He is the last heir of Slytherin; obviously he would prefer objects belonging to that house. And all the three things are, after all, his inheritance."
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"That's not the only Gryffindor relic!" Arthur exclaimed, looking at Dumbledore with confusion evident on his face. "The Sorting Hat was also Godric Gryffindor's. Even that's a Gryffindor relic!"
"It is!" Dumbledore agreed. "My future self did get that bit of information wrong. The Sorting Hat is indeed a Gryffindor relic. However, it is not possible to turn it into a Horcrux. The hat ids protected by a great many number of ancient spells that will prevents it from being turned into a dark object. And it would be stupid to try and destroy the Sorting Hat, because I am almost sure that it would be impossible to do so."
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"A living being could be used as a Horcrux?" Snape cried out, sounding shocked. "That's just…just…"
"Appalling?" Dumbledore suggested lightly. "It indeed is. It is totally possible to use an animal and even a human being as a Horcrux!"
"A human too?" exclaimed Remus, sounding as horrified and shocked as Severus had. "You can actually replace someone's soul with a bit of your own?"
"Not replace," corrected Dumbledore. "It just stays as an addition! It is nearly impossible to replace any being's soul. And I doubt that even Voldemort could do it."
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"That…That twisted, evil git!" Lily yelled, her palms fisting up. "His warped intents didn't just stop at trying to kill my baby! He also wanted to use that murder in order to create more Horcruxes! I am going to kill him for sure. And I don't CARE if he has made a HUNDRED HORCRUXES!"
"Calm down, Mum," said Harry in a soothing voice. "Voldemort failed to kill me, remember? It's alright!" Lily gave a tiny nod to Harry, though he noticed that her hands didn't relax one bit.
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"Harry!" Lily groaned. "You just love jumping into dangers, don't you?"
James squeezed Lily's shoulders comfortingly. "He will be alright," he said. "He will be with Professor Dumbledore. No harm can possibly befall him while he is with the Headmaster." He directed a small grin at the Headmaster; though it was clear to all that even he was very worried.
"James, can't you really understand why Professor Dumbledore is showing Harry all these memories?" Lily whispered. She did not want anyone else to overhear. "And why Dumbledore asked him to share things with Ron and Hermione?"
James looked Lily in the eyes and smiled slightly. "I have my suspicions," he said. "And I also know that they are most probably correct. I almost know for sure that Harry will have to destroy Horcruxes in the future. And that Ron and Hermione will also be with him. But, I am not worried. I know that he will come out of it safe and sound."
"We can see that, James!" Lily murmured indignantly. "But, his eyes do not hold complete happiness. He will probably have to go through a lot."
"You are right, Lils. He will have to. But, he is your…our son. And an incredible human being. I have full confidence in him. He knows what he has to do and he will. And don't forget, he has got some amazing friends who will support him and be by his side through thick and thin. They will be okay." Lily nodded slightly and leaned back against him and tried to concentrate on what Dumbledore was reading. Though, her eyes often strayed to her son and his friends.
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"And who cares about him!" Sirius snorted. "And if Harry really has to kill Voldemort or something, he will need all the training that he can get."
"Can we please not talk about my son passing that git, Sirius?" Lily said pleadingly. "It's not something I want to reminisce upon."
"Sorry," Sirius apologized, grimacing slightly. He would really have to start thinking before speaking anything.
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"Serves those Malfoys right!" Frank snapped. "Especially Lucius Malfoy. Imagine giving an 11 year old kid such a dark object!"
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"More than believed, he hoped that Voldemort was dead," Harry pointed out, grinning cheekily. "He is too big a coward to exactly live up to his Death Eater duties. He loves his life too much."
"Shouldn't everybody?" asked Remus, his eyebrows rising up considerably.
"Not everybody does!" Harry pointed out. Remus chuckled at his words, shaking his head slightly.
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"He wasn't," Ron said wryly. "He may be a git, but he cared for his son. And I don't think that he preferred sitting around in Azkaban while his son had to work for Voldemort."
"You have got a point," Arthur agreed. "We can just hope that this teaches him not to mess around with other's kids."
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"Of course you have, Harry," Hermione snapped, glaring at him. "You just have to take a look at your records to know that."
"I have just got an amazing amount of luck and some brilliant and great friends," Harry replied, shrugging. "Things simply work out for me at the end."
"Stubborn git!" Hermione murmured sarcastically in a stage whisper, causing Harry to glare at her. "He will never ever accept his own achievements. He will go on ignoring them even when they come and kick him from all sides! After all, the great Harry Potter just can't have any good qualities! However, he is to be blamed for every single thing that goes wrong. What a perfectly balanced equation."
"Stop it, Mione!" Harry grumbled under his breath, pointedly ignoring the grins and chuckles and sniggers that were being directed at him owing to Hermione's little 'speech'. "And if it pleases you…'I am one of the bravest and worthiest human beings in the whole world!" Harry announced to the room at large, placing his hand on his heart in a manner of oath taking.
"Much better! Just do that once every day, and maybe you will finally believe it," Hermione said smugly, causing the room to explode in laughter and Harry to bury his head in his hands with a strangled moan. It was quite some time before Dumbledore to continue with the chapter.
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"It is a… a very big deal!" Harry almost gasped out in surprise on hearing these words from none other than Severus Snape. The last person from whom he had expected them. "Do you really believe that it is anything less than a miracle, that you have faced so much and have still turned out to be a… a good individual, a caring person? You did not become all surly and angsty and everything! You never turned to dark arts or craved for any sort of power! That itself indicates the strong power of love within you."
"You mean that he didn't turn out like you…" Sirius stated, with a touch of malice in his voice.
"That's exactly what I meant, Sirius," replied Snape, his eyes holding Sirius' in place. He could sense perfectly well that Sirius' behavior had undergone a change ever since he had disappeared for a talk with the Trio. He didn't know what it was all about; but it was obviously due to something that he would do in the future. And that was getting him much too worried.
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"He won't understand it, even when he turns a hundred…or two hundred for that matter," Ron remarked smirking. Though the smirk was wiped off his face when Harry smacked him hard with a cushion.
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"Of course he is!" Molly scoffed. "Anybody would, if they hear that they must be the one to kill the most evil wizard to walk on the face of the earth. It must make you feel so…so pressurized."
"I think Professor Dumbledore wants Harry to find his own reasons to kill Voldemort," said Frank. "Not just because there is a stupid Prophecy about him, but because he really wishes to do that."
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"He was right," Harry muttered to his friends. "Voldemort caused his own death. Literally and figuratively. His own actions proved to be fatal for him."
"Thank goodness that he made so many mistakes," Hermione remarked, frowning slightly. "Even though you are one of the biggest prats of this world, I don't think I was quite ready to lose my best friend."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "No chance of that happening," he said. "Not when even Voldemort failed."
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Lily let out an involuntary sob on hearing this. "What's wrong, Lils?" James asked, looking at her in concern. He was surprised to see her eyes glistening with tears, several of which had already made their way down her cheek.
"I…I can't…don't want to believe that I will never get to bring up such a wonderful son," Lily choked out, scrubbing at her cheeks in frustration. "I know it's stupid but…"
"Of course it's not stupid," Molly snapped getting out of her seat and kneeling in front of the red-haired girl. "It's not at all stupid," she continued in a softer tone. "It is completely natural to feel like this. I am feeling so proud every time Ron and my other kids are mention. Even when they are doing something stupid." She turned to smile at Ron, who blushed slightly. "Harry is indeed a very remarkable boy. Obviously, you are upset that you will be unable to raise him."
"He will have such a horrid childhood…." Lily muttered thickly, her voice heavy with tears. "He won't ever know love till he's bloody eleven!"
"That won't happen, Mum," said Harry from Lily's other side. Something in between, he had come and kneeled beside Molly. "We are changing the future, remember? I won't be brought up by the Dursleys. We are going to try our hardest so that you and Dad don't need to die. That Sirius doesn't get to go to Azkaban. That…That things sort out this time around! And, I am totally confident that we will be able to do it."
Lily smiled at this reassurance from her son and tried to compose herself to listen to the rest of the chapter. Though, she wrapped both Harry and Molly in a tight embrace before letting them go back to their seats.
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"Anybody would, Harry," James murmured softly. "But, you have the resources to actually make that happen."
"But, killing Voldemort…" Lily started to protest but was interrupted by James.
"Is going to be very excruciatingly difficult," James finished. "But, Harry has to do it! Not because of the Prophecy, not even because he wants to do it…Harry will have to finish off Voldemort because otherwise Voldemort is going to kill him!"
"And our son is no coward to sit around and wait for it to happen," Lily murmured, finally getting her mind around to it and accepting that Harry will do anything to thwart Voldemort. And all that she can really do is read about it and try to do something so that her son might have a better childhood.
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"That's the end of the chapter," Dumbledore announced, setting down the book on the table. "Do we go on to the next chapter?"
"Hey, Harry!" Hermione whispered, prodding Harry on the back. "I think that you are missing Ginny too much." Harry blushed crimson while Ron put his hands in his arms and groaned. "You want to bring her in? I know you wanted her to come for your Seventh Year…but it's okay to bring her in now."
"I am not sure, Mione," Harry murmured. "Won't Seventh Year be better?"