If love is the answer, then...:
Right after Albus Dumbledore's funeral, Harry had his girlfriend get her parents, that he needed to speak with them and her, but only them, for now. It was only a few minutes later the three red heads joined him.
Harry used some spells to stop anyone coming near him and the Weasley's, along with spells to stop anyone hearing anything.
'Just after Sirius died, Dumbledore told me about a prophecy made about me and Voldemort. Basically, it comes down to either him killing me or me killing him. Neither of us can be killed by anyone else. If I was lucky enough to kill him, which I doubt, then anyone could kill me. If he killed me, anyone could kill him. Now to the few problems that I have. One can't be shared as it could get back to him. The other is a bit problem. I haven't been trained or anything. I know less than most adults. I know Dumbledore said I'm powerful but because of what's been going on at Hogwarts since I began, I never got a chance to really learn. Dumbledore said it won't be spells, I'm still not sure but what he said about how I will kill him means we need to have a serious discussion away from here and everyone else and it has to be now.'
'Alright, then we'll head to the Burrow. We can ward the living room so no one can enter or hear anything. We even made sure the twins ears don't work. Will any of the order eventually be involved?' Arthur said.
'That depends. I want to tell you first, then we can work on the rest.'
'What about Ron and Hermione?'
'No, I don't want them involved. I can explain later but I would rather not do it here. Ginny can verify everything.'
'Alright, let me tell everyone to head home, then Molly and I will take you by side-along apparition,' Arthur said.
'We can apparate,' Ginny said, 'We realised how much danger we're in so we practice. If anything happened to the one practicing, the other could get them to Pomfrey or St Mungo's.'
'You can't apparate inside Hogwarts,' Molly said.
'There's a room in the castle that can be changed into anything you need. We used the room first to go from one side to the other. Once we had that perfected, we snuck into Hogsmeade. It was always one at a time in case we splinched ourselves,' Harry said.
It was only ten minutes later that everyone arrived at the Burrow. Except Hermione, who apparated home. She had to work on making her parents leave. When she first explained to Harry, he told her to speak with either Remus, Mad-eye or Arthur. They would be able to come up with a way to make them hide without removing their memories, which would not be able to be reversed. She finally spoke with Remus, who was going to help by using magic to make them want to hide and stay hidden using fake names. Hermione would stay with her parents until the day before Bill and Fleur's wedding. Remus had talked Hermione into staying for as long as she could since no one knew how long this war could go on for. It could be years before Hermione saw them again. He said to take the time to be with them, in case something happened, like her dying or even them.
Arthur did ask Bill and Charlie to stick around, he also said the same with the twins. He made sure Ron didn't hear as Harry already said he didn't want Ron involved. Once four of his sons said they would stay in the kitchen, he joined his wife, daughter and Harry in the living room. He then cast many spells to make sure no one could enter or hear anything.
'Alright, we're safe. Start wherever you want Harry.'
'Well, the prophecy is real. It might have been broken but the seer told it to Dumbledore. He showed me the memory. It's why Voldemort went after me as a baby. Snape heard the first part and went to Voldemort. He didn't know all of it and if he heard all of it, he might have changed his mind. That doesn't matter now. It's broken and he can't hear it anymore. Only I know what it says since Dumbledore died. When I spoke to Ginny about it, she agreed that it was safer if no one else know the full wording. If he got hold of any of you, he could easily use legilimense to find out. It's not worth that.'
'Yes, I can see how he could do that, if he got hold of us. Okay, yes, it's safer. We'll leave that but if we feel like it would be better for us to know, will you tell us?'
'Yes, you and Mrs Weasley are two people I completely trust. There isn't a lot of people I trust, but I do trust you two and Ginny, with my life.'
'You can Harry, always,' Molly said.
'What else is there?'
'I'll go onto the thing that we might not be able to share, but I would still like your opinion. Okay, Dumbledore explained this to me and only me. It's all about why he didn't die back then and why he can't die now. There are items that need to be found and destroyed before me or anyone could attempt to kill him. If someone got a lucky shot before the items were destroyed, he would end up as a spirit again like he was before. Now Dumbledore did say I could share this information with Ron and Hermione. After they betrayed me a few times now, I knew I couldn't trust them.'
'I agreed with Harry. Ron is always jealous of Harry, he also won't allow Harry to learn. He always distracts him. But Ron was mean and cruel to Harry when his name came out of the goblet of fire. Even when it was discovered that Crouch did it, Ron never apologised for swearing at Harry or calling him some terrible names. The way Ron acted, he wasn't a friend, at all. When Ron gets angry, he turns mean. We all know how lazy he can be, if he was with Harry in this, he wouldn't be helping at all. Now to Hermione, she hurt Harry twice, third year then again recently. She actually became very cruel towards Harry then called him a cheat and a liar. She was a right bitch towards Harry. I almost hit her for calling him a liar and a cheat, but I didn't. Also, Hermione refused to allow Harry his own opinion, she always wants Harry to do what she believes is right or to listen to Dumbledore. Everyone has their own belief and opinions and no one can always be right. Everyone makes mistakes, it's part of learning,' Ginny said.
'That's true, it's why couples have to learn to talk and compromise or they will never make it,' Molly said.
'Ginny and I do that already. If we have a problem, we talk and come up with different idea's on how to solve it. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes Ginny's right. Hermione always believes she's right and refuses to listen to us. She also thinks Dumbledore could do no wrong. He told me that because of who he is and how powerful he is, he can make mistakes and they could be big mistakes. Ron fancies Hermione so he always supports her whether he agrees with her or not. I knew Malfoy and Snape were up to something but neither of them would listen to me so I was stuck trying to find out what they were doing. I never found out until the other night when both of them were involved in Dumbledore's death. Anyway, if Ron and Hermione were with me on this, it would always be them two against me and we would never get anywhere. It's why I said they can't be involved, but also because Ron sometimes doesn't think before he speaks. This can't be shared because of how dangerous it is. If Voldemort finds out, we'll never be able to stop him.'
'Alright, we'll leave them out of this. So some dark items need to be found before he can be killed. Bill has often dealt with dark items when he breaks curses. This could be something Bill should have been told so he could use his expertise to help.'
'We'll talk to him later. Ginny did suggest Bill, but I still wanted to talk to you first.'
'You did the right thing,' Arthur said. 'Is there more?'
'Yes, Dumbledore said the power I have that Voldemort doesn't is love. That's part of the prophecy, he will have power the dark lord knows not. Dumbledore said it's love that will end him but he couldn't tell me how. The thing is, until Ginny, I've never loved anyone. I didn't get to know Sirius so even though I liked him and miss him, I didn't love him. I learned very early on in life to be wary of adults, to never trust them until they earn it and I also learned how to hate. The Dursley's were very good at showing how to hate. Ginny is the only person I love, she loves me as well,' Harry smiled at his girlfriend as she took his hand, 'If love is the power, we need to work out how to use it but also that Ginny will have to be with me, all the time. She will have to be involved, somehow. I'm still not sure the power he knows not is love but so far, Dumbledore's been right so we have to go with what he said unless we find it to be something else. Neither Ron or Hermione wanted Ginny involved, but she would need to be if love is the answer.'
'Staying here with Ginny will help with that and we'll try to work out what this means. Now we know we can also use Grimmauld place if there is danger which means you'll still be able to stay close to Ginny. Since Albus died, you, as the owner can redo the fidelius, which I believe should be done straight away to stop Snape getting in.'
'I didn't know I could redo it. Do you know how and who should be the secret keeper?'
'I know how so I can show you. I am going to be the secret keeper for here. We planned to do that tomorrow. Bill is the secret keeper for the house he just bought for him and Fleur. I believe you should be. Now I hate to say this, I even hate thinking this but we have to think of everyone's safety. If there's a chance you do die, just like there's a chance we could all died, maybe you should work on a will so the house can still be used as a safe house. Molly and I have so if I die, she will own everything and it will allow her to redo the charm.'
'I already worked on a will, Ginny gets everything. If I die before she's an adult, then it will be up to you as her parents.'
'Alright, we'll keep that information between just the four of us. It will keep Ginny safer if anything happens to you. We all hope nothing does but we do know how real the chance of death is. Alright, I think while Molly works on dinner, you and I will go to Grimmauld place. We'll take Bill and Charlie with us, in case we need extra wands. Ginny, I would suggest you as I do know you are a powerful witch, but you are still underage. Harry is but this is different, he is the owner of a home that is working on safety wards, that is allowed.'
'I'll stay here but I'm glad you're taking Bill and Charlie.'
'We should not be longer than half an hour. After dinner, we can speak with Bill about these cursed items. What I also believe, if you agree Harry, the information should also be put under the fidelius charm. Even though none of us want to think about this but if one of us gets captured, nothing will be able to make us give up the information. Again, only the secret keeper can.'
'That works well and it means we can tell Bill, Charlie, the twins and I believe a few others. Fleur, since she will be Bill's wife, they shouldn't have secrets. Mad-eye and maybe Kingsley. I don't really know them that well so your opinion on them or should it be others?'
'Mad-eye has been fighting these people for a long time. He has learned how to keep secrets and he doesn't always believe death eaters should be stunned. If its a fight to the death, then you do whatever you have to so you will survive even if they don't. Molly and I agree with that. Now Kingsley is an auror, he is a senior auror so he knows what he's doing. He did admit that when they all went to the department of mysteries, it was the only time he had gone up against death eaters. He learned a lot that night and he has been secretly training in case he comes up again them again. Also, Kingsley lost his older brother during the first war with Voldemort. He will do whatever he has to, even cross the line. When you are fighting death eaters, we all know how it could go.'
Harry sighed, 'Yeah, we do. Alright, we'll include Mad-eye and Kingsley as well.'
Arthur and Harry were able to floo directly into Grimmauld place. Bill and Charlie followed. The twins were staying at the Burrow to protect their mother, sister and brother. Molly did send Pig and Hedwig to Kingsley and Mad-eye. Bill was going to floo Fleur as soon as he returned.
Harry found the charm easy to do. The four of them went through the house just to see if anyone had been in there, anyone like Snape. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Harry did give Kreacher very strict and specific orders. One order, he had to clean the place and he had to remove Mrs Black from the wall or Harry planned to burn the house down. The three Weasley's knew Harry wasn't serious but Harry knew Kreacher would believe him. He said he would return the following day to see if the portrait was gone.
While they were gone, Molly instantly got the Percy's old room ready for Harry. Since he was on the outs with Ron, it would be best for them not to share.
Even though Harry tried to act normal during dinner, he kept thinking about the meeting a few of them would be having after they ate. Ginny kept making Harry eat, because most of the time he kept playing with his food.
Ron was eating but he kept glancing at Harry. He had already been upset that Harry was dating Ginny. When he tried to stop them snogging, he got hexed, by both of them. He was also angry that Harry hardly spent any time with him. Because Ron fancied Hermione, even if he hadn't told her yet, Harry was angry with Hermione, so Ron stayed with her which meant Harry didn't talk to him. He knew something was going on, something to do with Voldemort but Harry seems to be talking to his parents instead of his friends. He wished Hermione would hurry up and arrive, she would know what to do.
Right after dinner, Harry, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, Arthur, Molly, Fleur and the twins went into the living room. They had to wait for Mad-eye and Kingsley but they also didn't want to say to Ron he wasn't allowed in. They did not want to alienate Ron. So they made it seem like they were just talking, but not about anything important or serious.
It only took ten minutes for Ron to leave the room and head upstairs. It was only five minutes later that Mad-eye and Kingsley walked into the room. Arthur left the door opened but sealed the room but made sure they could hear anything from outside the room. They wanted to see if Ron came towards the room, then he could remove the charms and they could act like they were just talking again.
'Alright, we'll do the fidelius so that anything we speak about from the moment is done can't be shared without Harry's permission. Do you all agree with that?'
Everyone nodded, so Harry did the charm making himself the secret keeper of the information he was about to share.
'Tell us what these items are and what you know about them,' Arthur said.
'Have any of you heard the word...horcrux?'
'Oh bloody hell,' Bill shouted, while Mad-eye growled and looked furious.
'It seems Bill and Mad-eye know, so you will have to tell the rest of us,' Arthur said.
'A horcrux is just an item, it's what you do with the item that is dark. Dumbledore said it's the worst dark magic there is. A person will kill an innocent with the intent of splitting a piece of his soul from the whole and placing it in the item. Having a piece of soul outside your body guarantee's that you never fully die. Voldemort made six horcruxes, two are destroyed, one by me, one by Dumbledore.'
'There's still four of those foul things out there?' Mad-eye asked.
'Yes and apart from some guesses from Dumbledore, we have no idea where they are or even if he was right with his guesses, they might not be.'
'Start with the two that were destroyed,' Bill said, 'Tell us what they were and how they were destroyed. I can go through my books later.'
'The first was the diary that possessed Ginny so she would open the chamber of secrets. That's when Dumbledore figured out what Voldemort did. I destroyed it with a basilisk fang. The teenage Voldemort was almost solid, he screamed when I stabbed the diary. I have it, it's in my bag.'
'How did you get hold of a basilisk fang?' Charlie asked.
Harry glanced around and noticed everyone looked curious. He looked at his girlfriend who just kept shaking her head. They realised that the Weasley family wasn't told about the basilisk.
'By the look of it, Dumbledore didn't tell you,' Harry said but the others there all shook their head, 'I killed the basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor when I went to save Ginny. It did bite me, but Fawkes, the phoenix used his tears on my arm. Fawkes had blinded the snake before bringing me the sorting hat which is where I found the sword. The fang I used was the one that pierced my arm.'
Harry felt Ginny shudder so he wrapped his arms around her before kissing the side of her head.
'Dumbledore never told us that this involved you-know-who or that it was a basilisk. He only said that you saved Ginny from the monster,' Arthur said with a growl.
'Did he know it was a basilisk or about you-know-who?' Molly asked but she forced herself not to yell.
'He didn't know for sure Voldemort was involved, not until I told him but he believed it had something to do with Voldemort since it had been open during his time at Hogwarts. As for the basilisk, well, Dumbledore was around the first time the chamber was opened and killed Myrtle. He knew at the time it was a young Tom Riddle that opened the chamber then made it look like it was Hagrid that did it. So he knew Voldemort was involved, in some way. Anyway, Hermione found the information on the basilisk fairly quickly. But I can't say if he knew what the monster was, only that the heir could open the chamber. It didn't mean you had to be related to Slytherin, you just had to be a parselmouth to open it.'
'But Fawkes went to you, he could have taken Albus,' Charlie said, 'The phoenix can bypass any type of wards unless they are specifically for the phoenix. Not many people would even know where to find that information.'
'I thought that Fawkes could have taken him down after Colin was petrified. I never got a chance to ask him once it was all over. Lucius Malfoy tried to kill me not long after and all I wanted to do was see Madam Pomfrey.'
'Let's leave that for another time. So the diary was a horcrux and you used a basilisk fang. We might need to get some of those so we can destroy the items if we find any,' Bill said. 'Horcruxes are difficult to destroy and there are only a few ways to do it. Did Dumbledore tell you what those ways were Harry?'
'No, he didn't, nor did he tell me how to check to see if an item is a horcrux. I only thought of the basilisk fang after I remembered using the one to save Ginny. We can sneak into Hogwarts using one of the tunnels.'
'We'll work that later. What was the other item that was destroyed and how did Albus do it?' Mad-eye asked.
'A ring that belonged to Voldemort's ancestors. It was the Peverell ring but it shows that he was related to Slytherin. That's what cursed Dumbledore's hand. He said he forgot it was cursed and put the ring on. It had a withering curse attached to it. He used the sword of Gryffindor to destroy it.'
'Fool,' Mad-eye said, 'What items did Albus tell you about that we still have to find?'
'A locket that belonged to Slytherin. Also, the woman that Voldemort stole the locket from and killed, she also had a goblet that belonged to Hufflepuff, he stole that as well. Dumbledore has no idea where they are. We went to get one the night he died, the locket, but it turned out to be a fake. Someone took the real one with the intent of destroying it,' Harry pulled out the fake locket from his bag, opened it and took out the note.
'That looks like the locket we found in the drawing room at Grimmauld place. Everyone tried to open it but couldn't,' Molly said in a shriek.
'Let me see the note,' Mad-eye said.
Harry handed him the note then everyone listened as Mad-eye read it.
'If the locket Molly mentioned is the real one then the person that took it was Regulus Black. He was a death eater but he was very young. Sirius once told me that he knew his brother didn't want to join but his parents forced him.' Mad-eye said.
'Does his middle name start with a?' Harry asked.
'Arcturus, after his grandfather. You and Ron slept in his room when you stayed there.' Mad-eye said.
'Kreacher might know where it is. He kept taking things and hiding them. Sirius did tell me that his brother was Kreacher's favourite.' Harry said.
'We'll speak with the elf later. The goblet, did Albus have any idea's about that?' Mad-eye asked.
'No, no idea at all.'
'What are the last two?' Bill asked.
'He thinks something that belongs to Ravenclaw. He said there is a small possibility that it could be an item that belonged to Gryffindor but he was leaning more towards Ravenclaw.'
'And the last?'
'He thinks it's the snake, Nagini.'
'Can you make a living thing into a horcrux?' Kingsley asked.
'Yes, but it's not advisable. A snake or any living creature has a soul, or that's what everyone believes. If the snake had another piece of soul, the stronger soul will take over.' Bill said.
'Okay, Bill, since you know more about these, will it be dangerous for Harry to destroy one?' Arthur asked.
'It will depend on if he added any other curse. A horcrux itself is not dangerous but the darkness will make you feel terrible. It will make you get angry as well. The ones I've heard about, the person always put curses on them to keep them safe. Harry destroyed the diary yet he was fine so I don't think there were spells added to the item, I just can't be positive about that. What I believe is, the basilisk venom is the reason, it would have burnt out any curse that was on it. The fang had pure venom. The sword that Harry used to kill the basilisk took in the poison but it wouldn't be like pure venom. Either way, we need some fangs because the other way is either fiend fyre or the killing curse. The killing curse will only work on the snake, not the other items. Fiend fyre is too hard to control. We would need some type of sealed underground bunker that could contain it.'
'So it's best to get some fangs but fiend fyre will be a back up if we don't have another choice but to use it.. We will have to tell McGonagall that we need to get in. I know we can sneak in using the tunnels, but she might see us,' Harry said.
'I think while I speak with Minerva, you, Bill and Charlie go to speak with Kreacher. You can keep him with you by ordering him in case he tries to lie. Bill and Charlie can search for the locket,' Mad-eye said.
'Wouldn't it be best if there is more of us since the house is very big?' Kingsley asked.
'How about me, Ginny and the twins also go since we did spend a lot of time at the house,' Arthur said.
It wasn't long before the six Weasley's and Harry arrived inside the living room at Grimmauld place. Arthur had all apart from Harry go to different parts of the house, ready to search. Harry waited until Arthur and Ginny went to the kitchen, while the four boys went to different floors.
Harry called Kreacher then ordered him to stay in front of him and stay silent. Harry then went on to explain about the locket they found that they planned to destroy but it turned out to be a fake. Just as Harry was going to ask Kreacher if Regulus took the real one, Ginny yelled that they found it. Harry stunned the elf before his girlfriend and her father hurried back into the room. Arthur was levitating the locket in front of him. Bill, Charlie and the twins hurried into the room.
'Bill, can you check it safely?'
Bill cast his spell then nodded, 'It's definitely a horcrux. Where did you find it?'
'On Kreacher's bed behind the boiler,' Ginny said, 'I remember Sirius mentioning it when we were cleaning this place.'
'We better get those fangs,' Bill said.
'I want all of you to return to the Burrow. Harry and I will go to Hogwarts. All the staff are still there so it should be fairly safe, for now,' Arthur said.
'Dad, I know more about creatures like the basilisk. I think I should go with Harry. You said it earlier, everyone has different skills, we should use them. This is one I can. I've removed teeth from poisonous creatures before. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll be dead within a couple of minutes,' Charlie said.
Arthur sighed, 'Your right, you have the knowledge and skill. Mad-eye would have spoken to Minerva by now, so you two go, we'll head back to the Burrow.'
Harry kissed Ginny before he watched her and the rest of the Weasley's head through the floo. He woke Kreacher before he followed Charlie out the door. They both stayed on the front step so no one would see them. The step was inside the fidelius charm. Harry left first, Charlie followed.
Arthur was quietly telling Molly, Kingsley, Fleur and Mad-eye about the locket and what Harry and Charlie were doing. Bill has the locket but he's protected it so it doesn't hurt him or anyone else, just until they could destroy it.
'We still have no idea where the goblet is or the other item. We don't even know if it belonged to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor,' Mad-eye said.
'Ginny, did Dumbledore figure out where the diary was before you got it?' Arthur asked.
'Harry told me after he worked it out. See, that night, the chamber night I mean, after we came home, Harry was in Dumbledore's office when Lucius Malfoy came in, with his house elf. Dobby had been warning Harry all year about some danger. It was Dobby that sealed the entrance to platform nine and three quarters. Anyway, when Harry saw Dobby was Malfoy's elf, he figured it out. Malfoy was there that day in Flourish and Blotts. Harry reminded me that he picked up the book in my cauldron and he was being a smart arse about it being the best you could afford. Harry went over his memories of that day using Dumbledore's pensieve. He saw Malfoy slip the diary into the cauldron when he put my potions book back. That's why Malfoy tried to kill Harry that day. He worked it out and decided to help Dobby. He took the diary, put one of his dirty socks on it then shoved it into Malfoy's hands. Malfoy instantly gave it to Dobby.'
'So the owner handed his elf a sock even if he didn't know it,' Bill said, 'Smart. Alright, we'll get Harry to question the elf to find out how Regulus Black got the locket. We know Malfoy had the diary, that could mean old snake face gave another item to a death eater. It could be the goblet or the item from Ravenclaw. It would have to be an older death eater. I doubt he would give it to a young one.'
'I'll dig out my files. I have the names of all the ones from back then,' Mad-eye said, 'There is one problem, with some. After what happened to people like the Longbottom's and the McKinnon's, some of the death eater homes were set alight and burnt to the ground. Also, we never found out where some of their homes were.'
'What if they didn't hide this item at their homes and hid them somewhere else?' Kingsley asked.
'That is a possibility but if they were told how important the item was to...him, they would know it would have to be somewhere secure. The only other place that would be safe enough that no one else can get to would be a vault at Gringotts,' Bill said.
'Which would make it impossible to get into,' Arthur said. 'The goblins won't help anyone especially with this as it would put them in danger from...him As he would see it as they were siding with us.'
'Yeah, there is no way they would help,' Bill said, 'If there's one at Gringotts, we're screwed. Also, those items are goblin made. They will take possession of it if they find it. They would never give it to anyone.'
'So all this could be for nothing,' Molly said sounding worried.
'It might be but we plan for everything,' Mad-eye said.
'Thinking about all this and how we may never find the items, it could mean we're always in hiding. We're all going to need to work yet if he ends up in control, that would be impossible,' Arthur said.
'Arthur, Tonks, Hestia and me work at the ministry. Once he has control we're either dead or forced to make some type of magical vow so we don't rebel against him,' Kingsley said.
'So, what do we do?' Molly asked.
'Let's think on this seriously. We could find the items but because of the prophecy, only Harry can kill him. As he told Molly and me earlier, he hasn't been trained in any way so how would he be able to kill him. Harry believes it will be him that gets killed by you-know-who. Going on what Harry said, only they can kill the other, which means none of us could kill him even if we had the chance. Yes, we can work on training Harry but by the time he knows enough, he would have thousands of supporters. We're safe for now but as Kingsley said, we have to work or we won't have money. So what do we do?' Arthur asked.
Everyone fell silent until Harry and Charlie walked into the room. Charlie was holding a large leather bag.
'I got the main fangs but I was able to empty the sake's of pure venom. We can destroy the locket any time but it could still cause some type of backlash,' Charlie said.
'Before we do,' Mad-eye turned to Harry, 'Did Albus tell you where he found the ring?'
'Yes, in the old Gaunt shack, they where Voldemort's uncle, grandfather and mother lived. It's in Little Hangleton. He didn't tell me any more about that.'
'That's enough for us to do some research. Now, did he tell you when each item was made? I mean in what order?'
'The diary was made while he was still a student. He was a prefect when I saw him in the chamber, so fifteen or sixteen. Some of the memories I saw explained about him and his life. He made the ring around the same or not long after. He was around sixteen when he went to see his Gaunt relatives. His grandfather was dead at that time but his uncle, Morfin was at the old shack. He took the ring from his uncle. We didn't know which was made first, only that he spoke with Slughorn about horcruxes while still at student at Hogwarts. Now he did find out about them while he was a student and a prefect, so again, he would have been either fifteen or sixteen. The goblet and locket was next. After he left Hogwarts as a student, he did ask Dippet if he could have the defence against the dark arts position. Dippet turned him down only because of his age. The next thing anyone knew was that he went to work for Borgin and Burkes. He used to visit this woman, who owned the goblet and locket. He made it look like her house elf killed her. The family realised the goblet and locket was missing after they went through her home. He could have been anywhere from eighteen to twenty five years old when that happened. Dumbledore couldn't narrow it down any further.'
'What about the item that might belong to Ravenclaw?' Mad-eye asked.
'We're not sure, but while he was in his early twenties to late thirties, he went to Hogwarts to ask Dumbledore for a job as the defence against the dark arts teacher. Dumbledore believed that he used that visit to either find an item or hide one as he would have known Dumbledore would never give him a job. Going on the memories, that was his fifth one made. This was not long after Dumbledore became headmaster. For all we know, he made another from the time he spoke to Dumbledore to when he disappeared. Dumbledore couldn't find any information at all if he did and he couldn't find any other missing items. The snake was made before he returned but we're not sure when only that it would have been within a year or two at most.'
'How many times can someone split their soul?' Kingsley asked.
'The most anyone ever did was three, it sent the woman crazy until she was locked up. She died while still locked up,' Bill said.
'He made six but he asked Slughorn about seven since it's the most powerful magical number. Now Dumbledore didn't know if that meant seven pieces as horcruxes or six pieces with the seventh piece still inside him. So really, we have no idea if there is another out there or not. We don't even know if it's an item belonging to Ravenclaw,' Harry sighed. Ginny put her arm around him.
'This could be impossible which goes back to what we were saying before Harry and Charlie returned. This could take years or we may never find them, especially if one is hidden at Gringotts. We have to live, but with him in control, that would be impossible,' Bill said.
'We take some time, while we can. We destroy any we find but we make plans for when he does end up in control. Even though the fidelius charm in powerful, they could eventually get through,' Mad-eye said.
'How would someone get through without the secret keeper giving permission?' Harry asked.
'If me along with another two or three curse breakers could work on the property, we could break it in about two days, maybe three depending on how powerful the secret keeper is. No ward is perfect. Sometimes they can be broken easily, in an hour, others need days and more people who know how to break curses,' Bill said.
'So what do we do if we begin to run out of money or he ends up breaking through the wards?' Ginny asked.
'We plan on leaving,' Molly said. She saw how surprised everyone looked, she expected it, 'I would rather not leave my home or the country but we could end up killed or captured if we stay. I'm not saying we leave now, but we make plans in case we have no choice.'
'I think that is wise Molly.' Arthur said giving his wife a smile.
'I should empty my vault. If he does end up in control, he's bound to go after Gringotts. Even though he would know the goblins will fight, he doesn't like non-human's.'
'Do that first thing tomorrow along with speaking with Kreacher. We need to know where Regulus Black found the locket,' Arthur said.
'I also think having this wedding is dangerous,' Mad-eye said, 'The rat lived here for twelve year. He would know some of the landmarks around here so he could work on roughly where the house is. If they use curse breakers, it could make their job easier with the information from the rat.'
'We could have a quick ceremony but plan a reception at your family's home Fleur. What do you say?' Bill asked.
'As long as we marry, I'm fine with that.'
'I'll speak with old Griselda Marchbanks, she can still perform weddings. I know Minerva will be able to if she officially becomes headmistress but that has yet to be decided. I think the governors are stalling, waiting for him to be in control,' Arthur said, 'We need to destroy that locket then I think we should all get a good nights sleep. We're stressed and we have a lot of plans to make.'
'Does Harry have to destroy it, because of the prophecy?' Kingsley asked.
'No, not as far as I know and Dumbledore never mentioned that. He also destroyed the ring so that means anyone can. I just have to kill him,' Harry shrugged. 'Sure, he ended up cursed but that was because he put the ring on.'
'I think we should all stay together and do it down in the orchard in case there is any type of backlash. There was nothing on the diary but that could be because he was young when he created it. The ring had a curse attached but again, he was still young at the time. He was older when he made the locket, so we have no idea if there is any type of curse attached to it,' Bill said.
'Then lets get this over with,' Mad-eye said.
Everyone filed out of the house and down to the orchard. Ron was staring at them through his window. He knew they were up to something but he had no idea what. He was angry that his sister, his younger sister is involved and he wasn't.
The group around Bill held their wands, ready. Bill stabbed it but nothing happened. He cast the spell to reveal a horcrux, which glowed.
'It is one but why didn't that work?' Charlie asked.
'It's Slytherin's locket and lockets usually open, yet none of us were able to open it,' Ginny said staring at Harry.
'Parseltongue,' Harry said, Ginny nodded.
'Alright, let's try it. Every be ready. Harry,' Bill nodded.
Harry stared down at the snake on the front of the locket, "open" he hissed.
It was instant, the face of Voldemort came out of the locket, telling Bill things, his worst fears. Bill instantly brought the fang down. The image of Voldemort screamed before it exploded.
'That's the same scream the young Voldemort did when I stabbed the diary.' Harry said.
'So if we find others, it might mean Harry needs to be around so it can be destroyed,' Kingsley said, 'It doesn't have to be a locket but he might have some spell on it that can only be ended using parseltongue.'
'I'll be here, with the Weasley's, whether it's here at the house, Grimmauld place or if we have to escape.'
After talking for a few more minutes, everyone either drifted into the house or left to go home.
Harry showered, then went to kiss Ginny goodnight. After a few minutes of snogging, he got into bed. Even though there were a lot of things to plan and a lot to do, he ended up falling asleep straight away.
Bill and Charlie went with Harry and Ginny the following morning. Arthur wanted to empty the family vault as well but he had to go to work. He had no idea how long he would be working and they would need the money. Bill and Charlie remained in the lobby while Harry and Ginny went down to the vault. They had both taken bags that Bill had charmed so no matter how much money went into it, the bags will never be full and they would remain light.
Charlie went to his vault next to do the same, then Bill. While Bill was in his vault, an idea came to him. It was a crazy and dangerous idea to get into some of the vaults. Being employed by Gringotts means he could open a vault, he could see if a horcrux was in one, then have someone stun him, like someone else was the one to get inside a vault. He would talk it over with his father, Mad-eye, Kingsley and Charlie. See if they could work out some plan that just might give them a chance to search some death eater vaults. He decided to leave a few sickles in the vault to keep it open so he would have an excuse to come back down.
After Harry cleaned out his vault, he did change a lot into muggle money. He explained to Charlie and Ginny that if they need things to help them hide or escape, it would probably be in the muggle world.
After they left Diagon alley, they went to Grimmauld place. Harry told Kreacher that the locket had been destroyed. He then ordered Kreacher to tell him where Regulus found the locket.
Kreacher told the story of his master, Regulus Black and how he died while trying to stop the dark lord. Ginny whispered in Harry's ear, he nodded, then asked Kreacher what he wanted. Since he protected the locket for his old master, his new master, Harry, would grant Kreacher anything he wanted, within reason. Kreacher wanted to die and have his head mounted on the wall. Harry grimaced but when Charlie said he could mount the head, Harry decided to give Kreacher what he wanted. Since the house was under the fidelius charm, the ministry would not be able to pick up any magic Harry did. He stunned the elf first then used a severing curse on Kreacher's neck, to separate his head from his body. Once Charlie worked on mounting the head, Harry and Bill did some cleaning spells.
Once they were back at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny worked on a few bags of money to hand out to people like Ginny's parents but also others that might need to escape. They only planned to hand them out if they had to. If they left the country then Harry could basically pay for that. Ginny suggested buying tents like the one they used at the quidditch world cup. If they did end up having to leave in a hurry, they would have a place to live, until they could work on long term plans.
'Hey, I just thought of something. If we end up staying and we do destroy those or maybe even most, if you did get a shot at him but he doesn't die again, he would have to be resurrected again, right?' Ginny asked.
'Yeah.'
'Just as a way to stop that, couldn't we remove all the bones from his father's grave?'
'Damn, that's a good idea. Okay, let's speak with your brothers about that. They can use magic, we can't.'
'You can soon. You're birthday is only a few weeks away. I still have a year.'
'I know but at least if there's danger, you can and we can all say it was us, not you. I doubt they would be able to find the exact person who did the spell.'
'But they did with you, with the patronus charm.'
'Yeah, but I was the only magical person in the area. I think that's how they do it and why, it's to stop the muggleborns from using magic. I remember when when Malfoy conjured that snake, I had no idea there was that type of magic around. It wasn't in any of the second year books so he must have learnt that at home.'
'Now that you mention it, I know the twins have use magic here before they turned seventeen and they never got any type of letter from the ministry. So you think with so many adult witches and wizards, they can't tell who does the magic. They only can in muggle areas or they see an underage doing magic?'
'That's what I think but maybe we could test it. We could ask Bill or Charlie if you can use their wands. You cast a spell and if for any reason someone from the ministry turns up or sends a letter, we'll have proof that it was one of your brothers that cast the spell. It's just for safety Ginny. If you were worried about being caught, you could hesitate if something happens.'
'I'll ask them in the morning after we mention the bones. What if we can't find all of them, do you think someone can send him back to a spirit?'
'I don't know. He's damn powerful and has skills. Watching that fight between him and Dumbledore left me speechless, then I felt nothing could stop him.'
'What about a muggle gun, if he was caught by surprise?'
'If he was shot in the head or heart, which would probably kill him straight away, then yes, that could work. It would need to be quick so he doesn't conjure a wall or something. If he didn't see it, then bullets are quick so it could work. We'll talk it over with your parents and brothers tomorrow.'
Harry and Ginny went for a swim while they had the chance. The Burrow was now protected by the fidelius charm so they knew they were safe for now. Arthur also disconnected the fireplace and worked with his sons on a few escape tunnels. They decided to do two from the house, one from Arthur's shed and one from near the middle of the orchard. If for any reasons the death eaters were able to break through the fidelius charm, they would have time to get to one of the tunnels. They could collapse them once they were through. The twins suggested setting passwords on the tunnels that way if someone was late, they could still use the tunnel once the death eaters left. The twins explained about the tunnel inside Hogwarts and how it had a password. All of them liked that idea and worked on something that only they would know but would not be easy to guess, even for someone like Peter Pettigrew, who lived there for years.
After dinner, Harry and Ginny spoke with Bill, Charlie and Ginny's parents about their idea of removing the bones. They also mentioned Ginny's idea about a muggle gun.
'It will have to be Harry but I think that's the way to go and it would be the easiest way. He would never expect a gun, so he wouldn't be able to shield or bat it away, as long as he didn't see it before you fired,' Bill said, 'The prophecy said the power Harry has that he does. It could be as simple as a muggle gun.'
'Harry could easily learn to shoot over the next few weeks. It would take him years to learn enough magic to kill that bastard,' Charlie said.
'Between us and Mad-eye we can research horcruxes and also ways to be resurrected. If that is the only way a person who uses horcruxes can be resurrected, then we could basically stop him, if Harry can get a shot at him.' Arthur said.
'So we remove the bones?' Ginny asked.
'Yes, first thing tomorrow. All of us will go in case he has death eaters watching the place,' Arthur said.
Mad-eye was able to speak with one of his contacts who was able to get him a hand gun and plenty of ammo but he also got a rifle. Mad-eye thought maybe Harry could shoot him from a distance which would keep him safe. Now Harry just had to practice and hoped he got a shot at Voldemort. All of them couldn't help smiling at Ginny who came up with both idea's, the bones and the gun.
The group now included Remus and Tonks. They all went to the graveyard where Voldemort's father was buried.
'What if he could modify it to instead of bone of the father, it could be bone of a blood relative. His grandparents, the riddles are here but woman change their names when they marry,' Harry said staring at some old graves.
'It looks like we're going to remove all the bones. There might only be three relatives here, but we can't take the chance of an uncle, aunt or even a second cousin. He had no siblings and he killed his father and grandparents when he was still a teenager but that doesn't mean there isn't more blood relatives here,' Arthur said.
The group spread out and went to different graves. Harry and Ginny were the look outs. They might not be legally allowed to use magic, but they could keep watch and warn everyone if they saw anyone coming their way.
It took most of the day but they ended up removing the bones from every grave in the cemetery. Now it was time for Harry to learn to shoot.
Ron began to spend more time downstairs, trying to find out what was going on and why he wasn't being told anything. He finally decided to speak with Harry.
'Harry, why aren't you talking to me?'
Harry and Ginny looked at each other before they turned to face Ron.
'You fancy Hermione, right?'
'What's that got to do with anything?'
'Just answer the question Ron,' Ginny said.
'Yeah, you know I do.'
'Well, I don't trust Hermione, at all. If we told you what was going on, you would feel the need to tell her since you like her. She turned on me if you remember, that was the second time, I only forgive once.'
'Hermione was a right bitch to Harry. She called him a liar and a cheat. We spoke with mum, dad, Charlie, Bill and the others, they all said Harry did nothing wrong using the notes in that book. Many parents, including ours pass their books down. I mean I used great Aunt Tessy's charm books and she wrote notes in the damn thing. Using her notes is no different from Harry using the ones in the book. Hermione just didn't like the fact that Harry ended up better than her. She needs to get over herself and stop believing she right about everything.'
'I spoke with your parents and the few order members I knew could be trusted. I told them after the way Hermione treated me and how you fancy her, I didn't want you involved. I'm sorry Ron but it has to be this way, at least while you still like her.'
Ron sagged then sighed but he nodded. He knew sooner or later Harry wouldn't put up with the way Hermione spoke to him. Now it would mean he couldn't stay friends with Harry just because he liked Hermione. He nodded again before leaving the room and going back upstairs.
'Do you think your dad has told Ron that Hermione won't be staying here now?' Harry asked.
'I don't know, I just know I would have ended up hitting her if she came here. She has her own family and being muggles, she can at least help keep them safe. I don't get why she spent so much time here when she hardly saw her parents.' Ginny said.
'You know, maybe they weren't as close as Hermione led on. I mean you lot spend most of the summer holidays with your parents and even though Ron complained a lot, I know he wouldn't want to stay somewhere else where he couldn't eat as much or play quidditch. When we stayed at Grimmauld place, he complained a lot about not being able to go outside to fly his broom. But I'm sure he would have missed the family if he only spent two weeks a year with them. Your older brothers try to get home a lot so they can see your parents and all of you, yet she hardly spends any time with her parents.'
'I know I would drop in all the time if I didn't live here. I know when I first move out, I'll be busy doing whatever I can but eventually I can see myself dropping in at least twice a week to eat mum's cooking. I know she's teaching me but I doubt I will ever be as good as her.'
'I know, you're mum is the best but sometimes it just takes practice, years of practice to get as good as your mum. Well, at least Ron knows now why were not explaining what we're doing. Onto something else that is related. If we have to escape but none of us really want to leave the country, could we find somewhere to hide say in the muggle world?'
'It would be safer in the muggle world but we also have to stay away from the muggles. If he begins to make trouble for the muggles, then we can decide to stay or leave. If we stay, you and I could easily blend in if we need to buy stuff from there, but mum, dad, Mad-eye, none of them could, they stick out.'
'Remus and Tonks could. Tonks' father is a muggleborn and Remus spent a lot of time in the muggle world. Anyway, while we've got time, maybe we could find somewhere. I've seen the odd abandoned farm the one time I was taken somewhere by the Dursley's. I heard that there are lots of old abandoned buildings. If we find one that suits us, we could easily use magic to make the muggles forget about it. We use the fidelius charm then only us will know where it is. You wouldn't have to worry about the rat either.'
'We can do that while we're here. I mean, apart from you learning how to shoot, there's nothing we really need to do.'
Harry and Ginny spoke with her mother about their idea. She was like them, she didn't want to leave the country. They would if it got too dangerous but she also liked the idea of finding somewhere to hide in the muggle world. They could get Mad-eye to make them portkeys to another country if they were found.
Harry, Ginny and one or two adults would work on going through some council offices to find information on old abandoned places. It would be better if Remus and Tonks went with them, or even Bill and Charlie. Those four knew how to dress and act like muggles.
Every day, twice a day, Harry would go down the back of the property and practice shooting. He started with the hand gun and found that easy enough to do. Bill would charm the targets to move so it would be like aiming at a person who moved. Harry always got the target and normally around the head or the heart. They decided that Harry should switch to the rifle, if he could shoot Voldemort from a distance, none of the death eaters would be able to see Harry and kill him. Ginny also practice, she figured if she was beside Harry, she could use the hand gun if anyone came closer that way Harry could concentrate on Voldemort. It only took them two weeks before they always hit the target, whether it was still or moving.
Just as everyone sat down to dinner, Mad-eye walked in with Kingsley and Tonks.
'He took control,' Mad-eye said.
'All of us have wanted posters in the ministry and places like Diagon alley and St Mungo's,' Kingsley said. 'I went to see the muggle prime minister so he would know what is going on. He said he'll make sure none of us are arrested.'
'From now on, apparate or disapparate from the line on the boundary. It won't be safe to spend any time away from the wards, not anymore,' Arthur said.
'Remus sent word that Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Rolanda and Poppy, cleaned out the library, along with the hospital and potions room. They have hid all of that in a secret place. All of them know but it's under the fidelius charm. Filius worked out a charm that will send a letter to us, any of us, if they all die, that way we will know where the stuff is,' Tonks said.
'Harry, Ginny, Bill and Charlie believe they found the perfect place. It's a large farm that has been abandoned for over twenty years. They checked the files, no one owns it. They remove all information on the farm. It has a large house but it also has buildings for workers to stay in, along with things like stables, which could be converted into cabins,' Arthur said.
'So the question is, do we stay or leave straight away?' Bill asked.
'I believe the sooner the better. But we can start packing our things, anything we don't want to lose. Harry, I think you should pack up all the books from Grimmauld place. They might eventually get in and we don't want them having those books. Many of them are old and not around anymore.' Mad-eye said.
'I'll do it first thing tomorrow.'
Bill gave out the information on the farm, they would wait for all of them to arrive before putting it under the fidelius charm. They had one week to get things sorted but if anything happened, they had to leave straight away. Arthur explained everything about the farm to Ron so he could begin to pack his things. Ron instantly said he would go see Hermione so she could stay with them. Arthur told Ron that Hermione would be best staying with her parents, to protect them since they were muggles. Hermione is of age and could use magic if they were attacked. Ron still said he wanted to tell Hermione personally and since he was an adult, he was going right then to explain. Arthur knew there was nothing he could do so he nodded then told his son to be careful.
The following morning Bill and Charlie decided to see if Bill's idea would work. They had their plan and Charlie was a good actor. The goblins knew Charlie was Bill's brother, so it wouldn't look suspicious if the two brothers went down to the Bill's vault. While they were doing that, Harry took Ginny by side-along apparition to Grimmauld place. They went inside and hurried up stairs. They went to the attic first, to get all the old trunks. They were able to fit all the books from the Black library into the ten trunks. Harry called Dobby to ask him to take the trunks to the farm and hide them in one of the stables. Harry also told Dobby he would like Dobby to stay with them since they were going into hiding soon. Dobby instantly wanted to belong to Harry. After Harry and Ginny spoke, they decided to give Dobby what he wanted. He then asked about Winky, she was dying. Ginny decided that Winky could become the Weasley family elf. Then Dobby and Winky would have each other apart from Harry and the Weasley's.
By the time Harry and Ginny returned to the Burrow, Bill explained what he and Charlie had done. They were able to explain to the goblins that someone posed as Bill, using polyjuice potion, then the impostor stunned Charlie. By the time Charlie was found, which was two hours later, Bill had been searching some death eater vaults. He found a horcrux. The goblet that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.
Harry was shocked, Ginny congratulated her brothers on pranking the goblins but also getting one of Voldemort's items.
It was as everyone was having lunch that Ron sent word that he was going to stay with his girlfriend to help protect her parents.
'Hermione would be better off making them move somewhere else, make them fake id's, which could pass any muggle test. She's of age now so she could easily make them and just doing that will keep them safe and away from any of this danger,' Harry said, 'Staying in the house that is registered in the wizarding world is just too dangerous.'
'Charlie and I can make a quick trip there to try to get them to understand how much danger they could be in now he has control. Hermione's wanted poster is among ours. All it would take is someone to spot her then the death eaters will turn up.'
'We'll destroy that the moment you get back. But just be careful, both of you,' Arthur said.
'Once they get back, we're going to the farm house. Check your room Ginny, make sure everything you want to keep is packed. I put a bag on your bed with an undetectable expansion charm and a feather light light charm.' Molly said.
'We'll do that while we're waiting for Bill and Charlie,' Ginny and Harry ran up the stairs, Harry stopped half way up, 'Oh shit.'
'Harry,' Ginny said as she turned to see why he swore, 'What is it?'
'I think I know where the diadem is.'
'What! Where?'
'Hogwarts, in the room of requirement. After I almost killed Malfoy, I went there to hide the book. I admit that I might want to find it again so I made sure I could. I sat this ugly busk on top of a wardrobe and put a very elaborate tiara with a big blue stone on the busk. Dumbledore said that the four founders always used the same colour on things like swords or jewels.'
'We might only have now to find it. Let's go see dad, then we can sneak in there before death eaters. Get the map out so we can make sure it's safe.'
Harry and Ginny ran back down the stairs. The twins were now sitting at the table. Harry and Ginny explained about the room of requirement and what Harry believes is the diadem.
'The four of us will go, that way Fred and I can keep them safe while they look.,' George said.
'You two need to stay here and wait for Bill,' Fred said to his parents.
'Harry has the map, the twins can keep an eye on it while we're in the room,' Ginny said.
'Alright, but check the map before you get near Hogwarts,' Arthur said.
Harry opened the map then between all of them they went over it.
'There's no one there except filch and he's in his office,' Harry said.
'Then move quickly,' Molly said.
Harry and the three Weasley's ran from the house. All Molly and Arthur could do was wait and hope the death eaters nor Voldemort turned up while they were there. They knew Harry had been keeping the gun on him and bullets in his pocket. If anyone turned up, between their wands and the gun, they should be fine. But they still couldn't help worrying about them.
Just as Bill and Charlie walked into the house, Harry, Ginny, Fred and George also walked inside.
'We got it,' Harry said gesturing to the bag he was holding.
'We found a lot of wands along with jewels, we decided to take them as well. We might need money,' Ginny said.
'But you got the horcrux,' Arthur said.
'What, where did you find it and which one?' Bill asked.
'Ravenclaw's diadem.'
'Harry remembered seeing it when he was in the room of requirement,' Ginny said.
'I used it to mark a spot so I would be able to find the spot again. I remembered that Dumbledore said all the founders always used the same colour for things like jewellery. The tiara has a big blue stone. Also, I saw an inscription, Ravenclaw's inscription.'
'Then we do the two at once, but do we do it now or at the farm house?' Bill asked.
'We're leaving now. Fleur is already there, waiting for us with the house elves. Ron knows where it is right now but once we do the charm, someone will have to go see him. You can tell us what happened with them once we're settled,' Arthur said.
Everyone grabbed their bags and walked sadly out of the now empty house. The moment they got to the boundary line but still inside the fidelius charm, they all apparated within seconds of each other. Bill and Arthur going last.
The Weasley family along with Harry, Fleur, Remus, Tonks and Kingsley checked out the farm house along with the workers rooms. All of them were in decent condition. They decided to do the fidelius charm, then destroy the two horcruxes before giving their new home a good clean. Molly stayed in the house, organising the kitchen with the house elves. They had already begun to clean but Molly thought the house elves could help by making gardens. If they couldn't work, then would need to grow as much food as they could. The elves had already brought over the chickens and built them a large pen so they would always have eggs. Harry also had the house elves take a lot of food from Hogwarts, but left plenty for the house elves that were still there. Molly knew having a garden will help with money. It was easy to grow vegetables, along with fruit. The house elves could use their magic which will have the vegetables and the fruit growing faster than normal. They would also need a garden for all the potion ingredients that could be grown. They had to have potions in case anyone got sick or hurt.
'It just leaves the snake,' Arthur said as he walked into the house with the others following.
'How do we find his snake though?' Charlie asked as he sat down.
'It has to eat but it's finding where they are hiding that's going to be difficult,' Bill said.
'He's staying at Malfoy manor and he uses the snake to kill prisoners. He feeds those people to his snake,' Harry said with a grimace.
'How do you know that?' Charlie asked.
Harry rubbed his scar, 'I see things, a lot. It's like how I saw your dad get attacked. But I've seen him curse people, even kill. He does that a lot when he's angry.'
'That's usually when Harry gets pain in his scar. I always know when he's seeing or feeling something from him. Harry will grimace then rub his scar,' Ginny said.
'If we can get the snake, then send him back to spirit or kill him properly, that should stop,' Molly said, 'Potions will ease the pain but taking them to often is not good for you.'
'Normal pain potions only eases it, it doesn't get rid of the pain completely. I've always had the pain in my scar, it just got worse when I began at Hogwarts. It puts me on my knees when I'm near him. That's what happened when me and Cedric ended up in the graveyard. The moment we arrived, I collapsed in pain. Cedric was so worried, he stood there with his wand in his hand but in front of me, like he was trying to protect me. He was killed just because he was there.'
No one knew what to say so they didn't say anything. Ginny just wrapped her arms around Harry and held him. She knew how much Harry hurt over the death of Cedric and how he still blames himself for not being able to prevent it.
'So what did the Granger's say?' Arthur asked his two oldest sons.
'The Granger's own a country home. After we explained how easy it was for anyone in the ministry to find their address, they decided to leave their home and go to their country home,' Bill said.
'Hermione tried to argue, saying with her and Ron, they should be able to keep her parents safe. She is one stubborn girl,' Charlie said, 'But her parents said they were leaving. Hermione chucked a bit of a tantrum and refused to leave the house. By the time we left, it was decided that the adult Granger's would go to their country home, using their car, Hermione and Ron would stay at the house. If they change their mind, Hermione could apparate Ron to the country.'
'We could tell Ron thought it was best to leave but he didn't say anything to Hermione,' Bill said.
'She is stubborn and when she believes she's right, nothing will change her mind. If Ron tried to argue with her, she would tell him to leave. She should be thinking about how much danger her, Ron and her parents are in, instead of arguing. It's why I didn't want her involved in any of this,' Harry said.
'She was impossible most of the time. It's why no one but Harry and Ron spent time with her. That is until Harry got sick of the way she acted, then he stopped having anything to do with her,' Ginny said.
'We can check in on them from time to time. At least her parents are leaving. They would not stand a chance if they were there when the death eaters attacked,' Arthur said.
'We explained to them that if the death eaters turn up, the first thing they do is put up anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. With muggleborns, they normally seal the house then set it alight. If the people in the house run out because it's on fire, they begin their torture,' Bill said.
'If they see Hermione or Ron, they will torture them but not kill them in the hope to get information on Harry,' Ginny said.
'Ron knows where this place is,' Charlie said.
'I'll go tonight with a few of us. I'll remove that information from Ron. I never gave him the parchment with the information on it so he could not have given it to Hermione,' Arthur said, 'It could mean we don't see Ron for a long time but it's better than all of us being put in danger if Ron and Hermione get caught. We can send them the occasional owl, of a night just to make sure they're okay.'
'The girl is not thinking about others, just that she believes she can handle this herself,' Bill said.
'Even if we don't want either of them hurt, Ron will never leave Hermione alone and she won't listen to reason,' Harry said with a sigh.
Everyone was tired and stressed so they decided to just have dinner. They all plan to sleep in the house for the night and work on everything else the following day. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Remus and the twins were going to see Ron right after dinner.
It only took the group an hour before they were back but the good news was, Arthur and Remus were able to convince Hermione to join her parents. Hermione was able to take Ron by side-along apparition. They left before Arthur and the others returned to their new home. They still removed the information about where the farm is from Ron's mind, just in case they got caught. They felt terrible but there were too many lives at stake. They plan to send pig to Ron, that way if they had to escape they could at least send the owl with a letter. If that happened, they could work on meeting somewhere else, in case it was a trap. If it was clear, they could bring Ron and the Granger's to the farm.
After breakfast, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, Remus, Tonks, the twins and Kingsley decided they could all take one of the rooms used for workers. Bill and Fleur took the biggest one but all the rooms were a decent size. They used magic to add their own bathrooms and also to enlarge them enough to make them just big enough that they wouldn't feel cramped. They made a few other changes, like changing the single beds into doubles. A few cleaning charms and some transfiguration and those cabins were now suited to the people living in them.
Arthur, Harry and Ginny went to the stables. With a few spells, those stables were now turned into ten small apartments. They had a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. For now, everyone would eat in the house. If they stayed longer than a few months, many said they would see about adding their own kitchens. They only converted the stables into apartments in case others needed to escape. Between the farm and Grimmauld place, they would hold a lot of people.
Mad-eye would drop in every day but people like Kingsley, Remus, Tonks, Fleur, Bill and Charlie would go out a lot. They would sometimes buy things, sometimes they would go to Malfoy manor to see if they could see the snake. Harry and Ginny went to the nearest muggle town and bought things that they might need. They even bought things like muggle pens and notebooks. They weren't sure if they would be able to get things like ink and quills so buying muggle things worked better.
It was a week later just on dinner time when Mad-eye stomped into the room.
'One of my informants said that a huge snake has been seen in the graveyard at Godric's hollow.'
Everyone turned to Harry, 'If it's there, then Voldy must believe I would be going there at some time. It might be the best time to kill the snake. Then all I have to do is shoot him, if I see him.'
'Let us deal with the snake. You can be there acting like you are just visiting your parents graves. The snake will probably stay hiding until it see's you, or senses you. Snakes use their tongue to smell and it could be a good distance away but the snake will smell it,' Charlie said.
'If Ginny was of age, I would say she should be with Harry, to make it look like Harry taking his girlfriend to visit his parents graves. She can't use magic outside these wards so it would be too dangerous. I believe it should be Harry, me, Charlie, the twins, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and Mad-eye go. But I think it should be Harry with Remus who go to the grave. It would make it seem like the Potter's old friend is showing their son where their grave is. Mad-eye, you can see through things like headstones. You'll be able to tell everyone where the snake is or if anyone else is hiding there. Bill, Fleur, Ginny and Molly can stay here in case wands are needed. Fleur is also part veela, which might be needed if this place gets discovered,' Arthur said.
Between all of them, they worked on their plan. When they were ready, Harry kissed Ginny before following the others out of the house.
'Let's hope they kill the snake quickly. If it is a horcrux, it could link to him to let him know Harry's there,' Bill said.
'I think between all of them and Alastor's eye, they should see and kill the snake fairly quickly,' Molly said.
The four left at the house fell silent. They could not stop thinking about what the others were doing and hoped it went as planned. But they knew that sometimes plans fail straight away.
It was nearly an hour later that the group, minus Kingsley and Tonks walked into the house. Some of them had a few injuries, which Molly instantly went to work on. But one thing Molly, Bill, Fleur and Ginny noticed, they were all smiling.
'What happened? Bill asked.
'It went better than we hoped,' Arthur said.
'The moment Harry was seen, the snake started hissing,' Remus said.
'I got the snake before it got close to them,' Charlie said.
'Then the death eaters appeared, only ten of them,' Mad-eye said.
'But Voldemort arrived,' Remus said then looked at Harry who was quiet, 'Harry didn't hesitate, he just pulled the gun from his pocket and shot him, right between the eyes.'
'He's dead?' Molly asked as she sagged into a chair.
'Yes, he is,' Arthur said putting his arm around his wife's shoulders.
'We dealt with the death eaters, which included Snape, Malfoy, Bellatrix, Dolohov, Rodolphus, Rabastan, McNair, Rowl and the Carrow twins, his most dangerous death eaters,' Mad-eye said.
'Tonks and Kingsley have gone to contact some others so they can deal with the ministry. I'm going to join them, I just hope it goes smoothly. I'll speak with you in a few days,' Mad-eye said before leaving the house.
'We'll all stay here for a few days, until we know if it's safe to return home,' Arthur said.
'Harry, are you okay?' Ginny asked. She was worried, he was quiet even though he had killed Voldemort.
'Yeah, it's just killing someone. It's also seeing my parents names on that headstone. I've asked so many times to visit their graves but Dumbledore refused to tell me where it was. Its just seeing their names, makes it all the more real. I don't remember them, the only memory I have is thanks to the dementors. I'm fine, it's just hard to see.'
'Why would Albus refuse to tell Harry where his parents were buried?' Charlie asked.
'He believed I could be seen which would put me in danger. I think he's mind was going as some of his decisions didn't make sense. I mean, he left me with those muggles for safety, yet he tells everyone I look like my father, I have my mother's eyes and I have a lightning shaped scar on my head that I got for destroying Voldy. There were many instances when strangers bowed to me or got all excited when they saw me. I was this little kid, wondering what was going on. Then I'd get punished for something I had no control over. Then you have the times when the Dursley's had visitors so I was sent to the local park for the night. I lost count on how often I spent the night in that park. But they were my parents, I had the right to visit their graves, but no one would tell me where they were buried.'
Arthur gestured to his daughter to take Harry outside for a while.
'Remus, did Harry ever ask you where they were buried?' Molly asked.
'No, he did ask what they were like and what their best subjects were. Albus did tell me not to tell Harry too much, but basic things like that was fine. It doesn't make sense and it wouldn't have hurt to have some of the order take Harry to Godric's hollow.'
'Harry did ask some of the teachers…' Fred began.
'...about his parents,' George said.
'They all said the same thing,' Fred said.
'That it was best to live for the present, not the past,' George said.
'Albus kept Harry on a tight leash, yet he stopped Harry having a normal life or knowing about his parents. That was wrong,' Arthur said.
Ginny made Harry lie down with his head in her lap, then she just ran her fingers through his hair.
'I'm fine Gin, you don't need to worry about me.'
'I do and you can't stop me. But think Harry, he's dead, it's all over.'
'Yeah, I know and I am happy about that. It's just killing someone, it's hard to deal with. But seeing my parents named and their age, they were so young and their lives were taken from them.'
'They were young. There is nothing I can say or do to make you feel better about that. All I can do is be here for you. But think of this. Everyone says that the dead watch over us. I'm sure your parents are and they would be proud of you. Also, now that it's over, you can sit at your parents graves and tell them about your life. You can also introduce your girlfriend.'
'We can do that. If they are watching over me, I hope they are proud. Anyway, I might go into the house. The old man said he sealed it using my blood so only I can open it. I would like to get some things, like pictures. I wouldn't mind finding the small broom Sirius bought me when I was one. But do you know what I've been thinking about since we came here to the farm?'
'That this could make a nice home,' Ginny smiled down at Harry, 'I thought the same thing. It's got room for us to fly. The house is big enough that if we want rooms to just sit and read or do a hobby, it won't annoy the other if the hobby is noisy. This small pond is nice, we could put a covering of some kind with a path from the house. We can talk to the others about it and see if they will allow us to have it. But think of this as well. There are plenty of rooms for when we eventually have our own kids'
Harry smiled, then pulled his girlfriend down beside him. They ended up snogging a lot but they also talked about what else they could do with the property to make it their home. Now that Voldemort was gone, out of their lives, they could start planning for the future.
A few people worked out why Voldemort turned back to spirit. He must have another horcrux out there, otherwise he would have died normally instead of once again becoming a spirit. This is what happened before. All they could do is keep a look out to see if they could figure out what the last horcrux was. Harry did say he asked about having a seven part soul, now they knew he did split his soul seven times, yet they had no idea what the last piece was. There was no hurry, his death eaters were dead, or his most deadly were dead. The rest will be rounded up. The bones of his family were gone so he could not be resurrected again. It meant they were truly free of Voldemort even if he did have one more horcrux hidden somewhere.
There was one person who thought he knew what the last horcrux was. Bill had studied horcruxes when he was learning to become a curse breaker. He had read up on everything he could about them, including what could happen if a person made an animal or human into a horcrux.
Bill was not going to tell anyone what he figured out, not even Harry. He knew it was safe now that Voldemort couldn't use his families bones, so there was no use saying anything. He got to know Harry and knew the boy would kill himself if he thought others were in danger because Voldemort was still out there. There was no need, but Harry always worries and always believes that anything to do with Voldemort meant he had to deal with it.
No, Bill Weasley would keep this secret. But he also knew that spells and potions got invented all the time. He knew that is something Voldemort could do, which could mean he might find something else to resurrect him. He didn't think that would be possible while he was spirit and had no death eaters to help him. If things changed, he would talk to his father, but Bill was confident that all of them had seen the last of Voldemort. He wanted to start a family, he wanted all his family to finally have the lives they deserve. Part of that was Harry making his sister happy.
This secret would go with him to the grave.
The end:
