Luckily, they were soon joined by Dumbledore, who was followed closely by Hermione who had also turned back to herself. Seeing her in the pink suit seemed very strange to Edmund.
"Thank god, you're all alive!" She said when she saw them.
"We need to hurry, Hermione." the young king replied. "Gaunt won't last long. Where's the necklace?"
She searched her bag and open the small lead box she had locked it in. the wizards and the young man shivered, and a heavy silence fell down.
"Albus, what is this thing?" McGonagall asked.
"It's a piece of the dark lord's soul. It will fight not to get destroyed."
"Then don't take too many risks." Edmund said. "I'll do it. Can you create a shield around the horcrux?"
"Of course, we can." Flitwick replied.
"Great. In that case, Hermione, put it down on the floor. Next to Gaunt."
"Are you sure about what you're doing?"
"Do you want my help or not? Trust me. If it's Aslan's will, I will destroy this thing."
So Hermione put the necklace on the ground, gave Edmund his sword, and stepped back.
"Shield!" She ordered.
The professors formed a circle around Edmund, who was clearing his mind. They cast a shield all at the same time, and held it steadily. Edmund knelt next to Morfin Gaunt.
"Ask it to open." he whispered. "Help me destroy it."
He got back on his feet, and got in position. Gaunt hissed, and the medallion opened up. A giant noseless face with no eyelids got out of it. It stormed around the young king, and tried to attack the shields.
"Hold tight!" Hermione yelled.
And they held on. The face then turned to Edmund, slowly circling him.
"Ooooooooh..." he whispered in a sugary tone. "I can see in your heart, little king. I can help you make your desires come true."
"I desire nothing but Justice. And the victory of Good."
"Really? But there is something else in your heart, little muggle. You had a taste of power, and dark magic, and you loved it. Don't lie to me, this is a part of you..."
"The face turned into the Dark Edmund."
"I don't deny it." Edmund said. "But I have redeemed, and I won't let you win!"
He put his sword upright above the necklace, and in a swift strike, destroyed the medallion. The medallion let out a screech, but the Dark Edmund didn't disappear. Hatred was distorting his face. He pulled out his sword, and attacked Edmund.
"You are the one who won't win." he hissed. "You will lose everything. Everything you hold dear will be gone for ever. Once I'm done with this world, I will take yours back. And then I will go on, world after world, after world, until every single universe is mine!"
He was punctuating his speech with attacks, which Edmund always parried, before he started taking advantage.
"I am Edmund the Just!" he stated. "And Edmund the Old! Lord protector of Narnia! One of the Four of Cair Paravel, and my legend was passed through the centuries and through the universes! And you are nothing! You are no one! You're just a shadow, and you are not me! All the wrong you did, I undid it ! And I will undo you as well ! Go back where you came from, and leave this world alone!"
"Because this world is protected." Hermione concluded.
And she lowered her wand, thus ending the shield.
"As an old wise man once told me, when darkness tries to surround you, all you have to do is turn on the light. LUMUS SOLEM !"
And the five other wizards cast the same spell. The Dark Edmund was pierced by the light, let out a scream, and disappeared.
"Thank you..." Ed whispered.
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked in a worried tone.
"I think I am, yes. Do you think we've destroyed it?"
"I'm afraid you destroyed nothing but an extension." Dumbledore replied. "This thing, whatever it is, will come back sooner or later."
Meanwhile, Madame Pomfrey had dashed to Morfin Gaunt. To the questioning look Hermione sent her, she replied by shaking her head. The man was dead. Edmund proposed a moment of silence, which they all respected.
"What are we gonna do about the ring?" He then asked.
"You don't need parseltongue to destroy the ring." Dumbledore explained. "I suggest you visit my old friend Newt Scamender. I think he might have in his possession a creature with a strong enough venom to destroy the horcrux, without damaging the stone."
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione replied. "Do you know where he is?"
"If my informations are correct, miss Granger, which they often are, he is currently living in Paris, with his wife."
"In Paris?"
"Yes. In a safe place... the old house of a gold seeker..."
Hermione took a moment to think, and then nodded.
"Well, Dumbledore said. If you don't need us anymore, we will say goodbye. We all have to go back to school."
"One moment, please." Edmund interfered.
All eyes turned to him.
"What about Gaunt?" He asked. "What do we make of him? We can't just leave him there."
"We will take care of him, young man." McGonagall offered. "We will make sure his nephew can never find him."
"Very well. Thank you, my lady."
"Come on, Ed." Hermione gently said. "Let's not waste our time."
And she offered him her hand. As soon as he took it, they disapparated.