Chapter six

Harry came out of the last memory, then listened to the old man explain what it all meant.

'So he made horcruxes and you think those items that went missing are the vessels?'

'Yes. I only put it together when you handed me the diary and told me what happened.'

'So how many have you found?'

'The ring, which had very powerful compulsion charms on them,' Albus sighed as he stared at his hand.

'It's taken you all this time to only find one. This war is going to go on for years, I doubt there will be many of us left.'

'I'm sure we will use our time wisely to work out where the items are.'

'What did you use to destroy the ring?'

Albus gestured to the sword, 'Since you stabbed the basilisk, it will now destroy a horcrux.'

'Let's say I can't get hold of the sword, what else will work?'

'Fiend fyre, which is extremely difficult to control so I would not recommend it. The killing curse will work on a living vessel, like the snake. That's all, as far as I have been able to work out.'

'Then let's take a trip down to the chamber of secrets. The snake bit me as I killed it, it has venom on it's sacks, we can take the venom to use, maybe even a few teeth.'

'That is a very good idea Harry, I should have thought of that. How about we do that tomorrow morning.'

'Alright, then we can talk over these items.'

'Harry, this information cannot be shared. I will allow you to tell Mr Weasley and Miss Granger as I believe they can assist you.'

Harry glared, 'You're a bloody idiot, I don't trust them and I told you I won't allow them to be involved. Ginny will know and no one will stop me telling my girl. If you tell them or they find out, then you can go to hell old man but I'll be gone and they can deal with him all by themselves.'

Harry didn't give Dumbledore time to say anything, he just hurried back to Gryffindor tower. He found Ginny alone in his room, she was once again doing her homework.

Harry finished telling Ginny what all those memories meant, 'Let me tell Bill.'

'Why?'

'He's a curse breaker, he studied dark curses. He might know something that could make this search easier.'

'Alright, you make sense Gin. He just has to know how dangerous this information is.'

'Bill is used to keeping things to himself, he has to for Gringotts. But has he told anyone else?'

'No, he said it was too dangerous.'

'he's dying, does he expect you to do all this alone?'

Harry shrugged, 'Yep, which is not going to happen. He even told me to not tell you. But he wanted me to tell Ron and Hermione. I told him to go to hell. You will know everything I know or I walk and he knows you will leave as well.'

'Do you think he will tell those two anyway?'

'I have no idea, but I told him I won't allow them to be involved or I'll be gone. I have a feeling he's been using them to spy on me. Hopefully he now knows I will leave if they try to force themselves to join me in this. So Bill, send him a message, we can met up in the shrieking shack that way no one can overhear us.'

'I'll do that now so he's got time to work on when he can get here.'

Harry sat thinking about everything Dumbledore told him and showed him. Something kept nagging at him and he wasn't sure what. He knew if he tried to figure it out it would allude him. If he tried to put it out of his mind, it might finally come to him.

It was only a few days later that Harry and Ginny used the invisibility cloak and map to sneak out of the castle and to the shrieking shack. They had seen Hermione and Ron's name on the map, they had been trying to follow Harry and Ginny. They made it seem like they were heading up to the seventh floor. When they got a minute without anyone seeing them including portraits, they slipped the cloak on then went another way down through the castle. Just before the stopped the whomping willow's branches, they saw Hermione and Ron on the seventh floor and it seemed like Hermione kept pacing back and forth. Harry and Ginny knew she was trying to figure out what type of room Harry would use. So far she wasn't having much luck.

Bill was waiting for them, 'So what's so urgent?'

'The old man finally explained things and it's not good. First, he is dying and he is only telling me how to destroy Voldemort. I told Ginny and we both believe others should know after they are questioned using veritaserum.'

'This is dangerous Bill and it's why he never died back when he tried to kill Harry as a baby.'

'He's basically immortal, so even if his body ends up destroyed, he will be able to return, again.'

'Did that idiot make a horcrux?'

Harry and Ginny grinned, 'This is why Ginny said we should talk to you. He made six, two are destroyed. One by me to save Ginny, the diary. The old man destroyed the ring but not before it cursed him.'

'Horcruxes are a myth. They won't make you immortal, they only extend your life. Now the more you make the weaker the other horcruxes become. If there were such things as horcruxes that could make you immortal then all the old pharaohs would still be around. They were the first lot wizards to try it. It was an Inca witch that tried more than one, she made three, she lived until she was one hundred and forty five. If she made four, then she may have lived until one hundred and twenty. If she made just one then she could have lived anywhere from one hundred and eighty to two hundred and forty. But the more you make the weaker the others become. It literally drains the others every time you make one.'

'So, even though they won't make him immortal, he has extended his life, so we still need to find and destroy them.'

'All you need is one, I know a ritual that will bring the soul pieces together where they will be encased in a crystal. Dumbledore knows I'm a curse breaker, he should realise I've dealt with them before.'

'We're still not sure he's in his right mind, or he wants Harry dead,' Ginny said.

Bill stared at Harry, but not into his eyes, he stared at the scar, 'He thinks you have to die, doesn't he?'

Harry nodded then looked at his girlfriend, 'I didn't want to mention it until I spoke with Bill.'

'What's going on?'

'Harry's scar and how he see's things from you-know-who. He has a bit of his soul behind his scar. It all makes sense now, especially how you were able to see dad get attacked. He wanted you to die, or needs you to die, that is his way of thinking.'

'Then call an emergency order meeting,' Harry said, 'Explain to him he's wrong. You know he won't listen to me, but you are the expert.'

'I'll call one for tonight. Is Snape still banned from the house?'

'Yep, Mundungus had to make a magical oath and return everything he stole. But I don't care about Snape so I didn't want him in Sirius' house.'

'Good, then we don't have to worry that someone might slip this information to him. I won't go into details about everything, just that I know how to destroy them and it's easier that what Albus told you. Don't worry, I will be careful what I say. He still doesn't believe any of us should be questioned using the truth potion or take an unbreakable vow. I've spoken with Kingsley, dad and Charlie. We believe everyone in the order, bar Snape, is trustworthy. What we have to do is make sure no one has used polyjuice potion, so they have to be kept at the house for an hour. I can use some rare spells to seal the doors for an hour.'

'Just let us know. But you said before you only need one. Can I be the one or would you need an inanimate object?'

'I could use you, but sorry about this, it will be painful. I have to force the one behind your scar out, then encase it in a crystal that I have to charm. I place that inside a runic circle then use another old curse to call the rest. Ginny won't be able to stay with you during this either, it's too dangerous if the soul gets away. I can do it here, unless you want to use headquarters?'

'No, here's fine and it's easier for us to get to. Ron and Hermione have taken to following us, but we can get away from them. But they might find out if we leave the ground,' Harry sighed.

'We think Dumbledore is having them spy on us,' Ginny said, 'I've hexed them both a few times, but they still try.'

'I would leave, but I won't leave Ginny, not when there are death eaters inside Hogwarts.'

'What are you talking about?'

'See, the old man doesn't care about people's safety. Snape told the old man which older students in Slytherin took the mark, I even sent him a letter, anonymously, telling him who was marked. He's not doing anything. We've warned some friends from the other houses, they know not to travel around the castle alone.'

'Okay, I'm going to talk to dad, it might be safer if Ginny and Ron leave. I mean headquarters is under the fidelius, you can use magic there without the ministry picking it up.'

'If your dad agrees, then I'll stay there as well. Since it's now mine, I planned to live there so I'll be there anyway. The others can always floo into the house every day to keep training.'

'I'll let you know, which will be after I call the meeting. I won't be telling the old man what I'm going to suggest to my parent's because he will try to talk them out of it before I say anything. It's late, you two should head in. Just know I can deal with it Harry.'

'Thanks Bill.'

Harry shook bill's hand, Ginny hugged her brother before they left the shrieking shack and headed back into the castle. They kept the map open under the cloak and walked slowly back to Gryffindor tower. They saw Ron and Hermione's names, they were now down on the fourth floor. Harry and Ginny knew why. Ron and Hermione thought Harry and Ginny had snuck out using the passage way to Honeydukes.

Harry, Ginny and Neville were again studying in Harry's room when they saw on the map that Ron and Hermione were outside the door. Harry had already cast a silencing charm so no one could hear anything. He also made sure the twins extendable ears would not work either. Ginny kept saying Ron and Hermione were stupid. They knew Harry had the map, they knew he was powerful. They should realise they would never be able to sneak around or follow them without Harry knowing.

Harry and Ginny laughed as Neville opened the door making Hermione and Ron jump and try to pretend they weren't trying to listen.

'We'll let you know Neville.'

'Hopefully it won't be long mate.'

Harry glared at his old ex friends before shutting the door, 'They are really thick.'

'They are. We all know Hermione is intelligent, yet right now she's acting worse than Ron. Anyway, do we wait up, see if Bill contacts us?'

'I'm not sure what he will do. But he knows we can't do anything until he's ready. Let's believe he will contact us tomorrow sometime, so we'll spend a few minutes alone, then try to get some sleep.'

'Before we do, what would you have done if Bill didn't know a way to get that out of you?'

'If I got a shot at him I would, send him back to a wraith. The thing is, we would need to make sure he had no supporters left that could bring him back. We could sabotage his ritual, remove all his father's bones from the grave. If he had one death eater then he had the servant and anyone on the good side will be an enemy. But without the bones, it would fail.'

'Why don't we do that anyway, in case something goes wrong, or he has some other type of way to extend his life that needs his father's bones?'

'We'll work it for a weekend. Let's wait and see what Bill has to say first. But I would never do what the old man expected. I will have you with me, even if I have to remain in hiding. I wouldn't put it passed people like Snape and other order members to kill me if the old man said I had to die. I'm not talking about your parent, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, the twins, even Remus and Tonks wouldn't. The others, no I wouldn't trust them, not even Ron and Hermione.'

'Good, but I think you're right. With the way you are, he knows you don't trust him so he might have organised for some of the order to kill you. We'll talk it over with mum and dad, maybe the twins as well. Since you plan to live at Grimmauld place, for now, the twins will have stuff you can use to trap the place in case someone was able to get passed the charm.'

'Good idea. Now kiss me.'

Harry and Ginny spent a few minutes snogging. Right at that same time, Bill was explaining to Dumbledore exactly how he could destroy those items, including the one he didn't mention. He made sure to say "he" didn't have to die. It was a simple ritual that any good curse breaker would know.