DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling
Cassandra & Mizzrazz- you will soon get the answers
This was written by many writers, I am just adding my own version
Chapter 9- What they saw
Goblin healer Sharpeye, looking rather imposing in his flowing white cloak and pointed white beard looked at the tall witch who entered the room and bowed to him in greeting "May you continue to be successful in your work as always and keep your reputation, healer Sharpeye."
He smiled at the respectful greeting and replied "May you continue to prosper in life, Madam Tonks. Let me then come to the point, you had come to our healers five years ago and here I am to fulfill the promise of the Goblin nation. The core of the boy would stabilize at this age, earliest we could perform the operation. You have got what I recommended then, the blood anchor?"
"I myself can be the anchor; I am related to the boy. On your recommendation, I also volunteer to be the love anchor. So, can we take preparation for the ritual and begin it?"
"Is your feeling of love genuine for the boy? Else, the love anchor will not work, it will be a weaker bind."
"I assure you that the feeling is genuine. What do I have to do to on my part begin the ritual?"
"It is very simple. You will be directed to a bathroom, you have to bathe yourself and clean your body using the cleaning paste left there. After that, you will not wear any sewn cloth but draped ones, with a necklace of amulets. If you cannot drape the dress yourself, one of our female goblins will help you."
Fifteen minutes later, Andromeda came out of the bathing area draped in the white cloth, assisted by female goblin Ruby. Sharpeye looked at her and nodded "Good. Now you have to drink this potion that will calm your mind. Then, we can proceed to the ritual room and begin the task."
They walked through the tunnels to the ritual room- a domed chamber with walls of polished rock, with enough sigils and runes etched in stone on the floor and the surrounding pillars. It would take a lot of study to understand what they mean, not to mention what spells were anchored.
Sharpeye gestured to the floor- Harry was already lying there on a selected spot, in a deep sleep. The boy was not wearing anything except an amulet and a white sheet draped round his waist like a towel; his head was resting on a makeshift pillow of coarse wool. Sharpeye pointed to another pillow, kept above Harry's head. If any person kept the head there, it would form a straight line with Harry.
"You lie down there madam, then try to feel motherly affection for the boy. Soon, you will feel as if your heart is being pulled by strings, but do not panic. I will handle the rest. Go and lie down."
Andromeda did as she was instructed, soon her face became blank and her eyes took on a glazed look. Sharpeye looked at her in satisfaction and nodded to Ruby and another male goblin, they nodded in return. The experienced goblin healer then took out his athame dagger and felt pride.
He knew what abomination was residing in the boy's scar, he had experience with it when he was working in Egypt under his superiors then, he was now the best Gringotts had to offer.
It can be got rid of, but there were a series of procedures and parameters to be met beforehand if it is to be done properly. He would do it now and live up to his reputation.
The preliminary steps were already done. The boy had a healthy body, so could tolerate the stress and the nervous shocks, plus had some mental strength- it would come in useful and make it safer. The blood and heart anchor, be it the same person, would keep the boy's own soul bound to the earthly plane, not letting it go easily under certain spells. All had gone properly.
He walked around the room, touching specific spots with his dagger. The symbols glowed and activated, creating a ward that the abomination will not be able to escape out of. He then touched the amulets that were in the necks of the five beings present in the room, activating the spells so that the thing would not be able to possess anybody once it left the host. He would take no chances.
He then looked at the boy and the woman who volunteered to be his anchor, pointing his dagger and muttering an incantation. Some symbols on the floor glowed and then, two slivery strands of light proceeded from the head and chest of Andromeda and entered into Harry's body on the same places. A soft glow of light soon wrapped the two of them in a cocoon.
The place and lives were warded off, the boy was anchored. Now the actual process can be started. He pointed his dagger at the boy's scar and began to mutter a complex incantation. The lightning-shaped scar began to glow a dull red, a thin black tendril of smoky thing began to rise out of it and began to point in all directions, as if looking for something.
The abomination, a split soul could be destroyed only when the anchor or host itself is destroyed. The boy's head was the current host and the most simple and brutal method is to behead the boy and then smash the head using a reductor curse on the bones. The other humane way was to transfer the thing to another suitable host, living or inanimate and then destroy it using suitable means.
The abomination was looking for another host, sensing danger in its old one. Sharpeye looked at the other goblin, who nodded and used the latter's own athame to levitate a chalice of platinum, containing a durability charm, towards the tendril. When the chalice touched the abomination, it sensed the good quality of a probable new host and became thicker as it tried to leave the old anchor.
The boy began jerking and would have risen to the air, but the sticking charm held his body firmly in place. Now, the dark soul was between two hosts, the old and the new. Sharpeye now touched a specific rune with his dagger, it and the tip began to glow red. It was a heating rune.
When the scar would be gently scraped with a hot metallic instrument, the abomination would sense damage being done to its earlier host/ anchor and have no confusion, it would seek refuge in the new, safer and better anchor. The other way to damage the scar was by using basilisk venom, but the poison could diffuse into the flesh and cause damage to tissues, so it was ruled out. The scar would be damaged, but the boy would live, with the injury to be healed with time and potions.
When Sharpeye was satisfied that the dagger tip was hot enough, he went towards the boy, ready to scrape the scar, but something strange happened. The smoky filament suddenly began to rise out of the scar, completely into the platinum chalice. It was soon completely transferred to the chalice, leaving a raw wound on the place of the scar.
The boy and his anchor, both were breathing normally- that was good news. His mind noted what was to be done- the chalice was to be kept somewhere safe and the wound has to be treated. After that, the spells have to be removed and both restored to normal consciousness.
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Harry was having an odd time. When he was shown how to travel using the floo station, he had gone to the venue named Gringotts in seconds, to find Lupin arriving moments later. Lupin quickly led him to a huge room filled with many people and from there, a short odd-looking humanoid (but definitely not human) person who was a goblin as said by Lupin guided him to a smaller room.
He was told to bathe, using a special paste as soap and then come out wearing the towel. He was then given two different-coloured and odd-tasting liquids to drink. He had no reason to trust the strange-looking goblins but Lupin was there, the man told him it was vital for his health check up. He then remembered drowsiness overcoming him and falling off into a deep sleep.
He awoke suddenly. He could not make out where he was for a few moments, but soon made out what was happening to him. He was stuck from his waist into some kind of mud and something sticky was clinging to the right side of his face and also wrapped around him like a snake, it was very irritating- that was the first thought.
In a surge of irritation, he tried to pull the thing away from his face but with no result. He then tried to use both hands and his full strength, the thing pulled only a little away from his face and was now sticking to his hands. Suddenly, help came out of somewhere right at the very moment.
He could suddenly sense two persons appearing and then they began to pull the thing away from him. He felt relief and looked at the irritating thing and was stunned at what it was. It was like a serpent which he felt was wrapped around his body. The two people pulled the creature further away from him.
He suddenly saw that it was not a snake. The body was like a serpent, but where the face would be, was a human skull with red eyes and a beastly expression. He could not know how long it was, parts of it was below the mud, like his pelvic region and legs. When it was dragged away by his mysterious helpers, it snarled one last time and fell through the mud, vanishing from the place.
It was then that he turned his attention towards his helpers. Seeing their faces, he was shell-shocked, he now knew who they were. He then looked all around the place, it was even more shocking. He felt a mixture of joy and sadness as he seemed to realize where he was.
The place was like so large that he could not sense if he was inside a room or outside in the open. A mist was present that cannot let the eyes see for a long distance, the mist was glowing with a soft white light. He could not feel heat or cold, but something else- too much silence and peace. He looked at his waist, it was stuck in some kind of marble floor but that too seemed to glow with the soft white light.
As he looked at James and Lily, he was dumbfounded. He did not know what to say to them, he never thought of meeting them. He knew by now that the dead never came back so felt really stupid.
He grinned stupidly at his smiling parents and said "So, this is heaven? Pull me up, this place really feels good. If you two are here, I don't need anything else. Come on, pull me up, I am stuck at the floor."
Both James and Lily smiled and then knelt down on the floor in front of him. James was just smiling, but tears were falling down Lily's face, her smile was even brighter. They placed a hand on his each shoulder and held both his hands with the spare hands. It was the touch he always craved for secretly.
James spoke first "Son, this is not heaven but the way. Why should you come here, your time has not come yet. You will come only when you will live a long life as every parent wishes of their child. You have to go back, but both of us have so much to tell you, but we cannot. Time is short."
"What was that thing which was wrapped around me?" asked a curious Harry.
Lily made a sobbing sound and spoke "Don't worry Harry, it is gone and will not bother you again, even when you go back. You will go back, then study and work hard, be happy, have good relations and live a long happy life- I don't wish anything more as a mother. When the monster killed me, I was pregnant with your sister. Her soul was not attached too much yet and could thus easily move on."
James looked at his wife and said in a comforting voice "Dear, the boy has to know something more before he goes back. Someone is holding him as anchor; it will be stressful for her. Be quick."
Lily spoke again "Harry, you will soon meet a man, he was my childhood friend. You will tell him that I am happy that he realized his mistake. Also, tell him that I know that he can teach you everything that you need to know, or tell you where to learn. He may not appear kind to you at first sight, but I know that he actually loves you. If he cares for you, he will teach you. Ah, I am at peace by telling you all."
James spoke now "My son, I have something to tell. You are a Potter, remember that. You may not understand what I mean right now, but will get it in future as you know more. So, I think you have to fall back now, you know all. Maybe you are thinking of this as a dream, no? It's real."
Lily suddenly blurted out "Harry, you will meet my friend's children at Hogwarts. One is in your year, the other will join next year. Try to be friendly with them. I have nothing else to say. Goodbye, my son. Be happy. Remember that we always watched over you from here. " She gently stroked his head and then let go of the hand she was holding.
Harry suddenly screamed "Wait, what about Mr. Lupin?" as he felt a sudden downward pull.
James said "He is just a good boy with a little problem. Go back and continue living your life. We are not as selfish to pull you up to have you now. We have told you everything that we should in this small time. Goodbye, my son." He then let go of the other hand and the downward pull increased.
Harry yelled "Don't worry, I will try my best." Seconds later, he fell through the floor, into pitch blackness and back to deep sleep.
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Later that day, goblin king Ragnuk the sixteenth sent for healer Sharpeye at his own private room. When the aged healer entered, he just bowed and asked the aged healer to take a seat and have a glass of ale.
"So, how much did you charge for the healing, my good man?" asked the king.
"Nominal, my king. I just charged for the cleaning herbs, the tainted cup is with us. Actually, Albus Dumbledore should be the one paying for his criminal actions, but both you and the wizards told me to be silent. I kept quiet because of this, I don't understand politics. Thankfully the magical core of the boy was bound, else it would have fed on it and grown stronger over years."
"I have just one order for you, keep silent. You recommend destroying the tainted object?"
"Not now. There could be a maximum of seven such objects, we must gather them all and destroy those at the same time, else the main soul would sense and the person will be alerted. I believe it bears the aura of Tom M Riddle, it's too obvious anyway. Both parties- three of us in the room and the involved wizards have taken an oath of confidentiality in the chamber, my king. "
"So that explains why the Chief Warlock claimed the dark one will return later? He did not bother to explain anything to not only us, but even their ministry as far as I know. None of the wand carriers have approached us with any request regarding our concerns."
"Yes, I am quite certain. There is no need to inform the wizard ministry anything for now. The boy need not know anything about it now, but we actually did something good to him, not just vacant claims."
Ragnuk nodded, then dismissed the healer and was deep in thought. Could the dark wizard or his followers have kept a similar object within the vaults of Gringotts? He would start a secret search.
Ragnuk never liked the old wizard with a long beard. Whenever he approached the man about any concerns for the nation, he always got the reply "Issues will be considered with utmost sympathy" and then, nothing more. Now he found that the little boy, heir to an old house, was left like this by the same Dumbledore- what sort of man is he? Not someone reliable at best, a criminal at worst. He should have known or even sensed something when he saw the boy, he had publicly claimed to know where the boy was but did not tell anything more to the press.
When the self-styled dark lord appeared on the scene twenty-one years ago, Ragnuk had followed a path of neutrality, wizard civil war was of no concern to the goblins. However, when the man massacred the small colony near Nottingham, his views changed- this wizard was worse and would pay for it. However, he would prefer to stab from the back rather than open confrontation.