HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR
Summary (Updated): Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?
Rated: M for violence, language, and sex
Disclaimer: Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I don't own Harry Potter,
And neither do you.
Note: There is a note from HBP in this chapter, copied word-for-word. It's all JKR's genius, not mine!
Chapter 3: The Hidden Clue
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Harry sat on the bed in the back of the bus and watched as they sped through the neighborhood streets leading away from Privet Drive. BANG. Suddenly they were rolling through the countryside. They passed a farm with great speed. BANG. Suddenly they were speeding through a shabby-looking neighborhood, passing a house that looked as if it were a pile of rotten wood rather than a dwelling place.
Harry sighed, looking down at the carpeted floor of the Knight Bus. He really had no clue where to go, and absolutely no idea where to start. He slipped his hand in his pocket, clutching the locket that he'd been carrying with him ever since the night of Dumbledore's death. Harry sighed once more, pulling out the locket and looking at it. There was no 'S' on the front which indicated it was not the real locket, and had never belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Harry opened the locket and pulled out the small piece of parchment inside. Harry read the small note for the umpteenth time that day:
To the Dark Lord:
I know I will be dead long before you read this
but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret.
I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,
You will be mortal once more.
R.A.B
Harry's face was screwed up in concentration. R.A.B.? Who could R.A.B. be? Harry thought to himself repeatedly. He couldn't think of anyone with those initials. Folding the parchment back up, he replaced it in the locket and closed it. Slipping it back into his pocket, Harry glanced up at Lance. He was holding a newspaper and was having a conversation with the driver of the Knight Bus, Ernie Prang. Harry inched closer to them, attempting to hear them.
"…it's as I always said, Ernie. With Dumbledore gone, all hell will break loose." Lance returned his gaze to the newspaper. "7 more killings…" he muttered to himself, shaking his head in shock. "Are there any rumors about what Dumbledore was doing before he was killed?" asked Lance, his gaze still on the paper.
"They say he was with Harry Potter," Ernie replied matter-of-factly. Lance looked at Ernie. The old bespectacled bus driver had said something else in a whisper that Harry couldn't hear. He could figure out what it was about though, owing to Lance's reaction. After hearing Ernie's statement, Lance's eyes shot over to Harry and widened.
"That's him?" whispered Lance a bit too loudly. "I didn't recognize him!" Lance looked at Harry again. To Harry's pleasure, however, Lance did not come over. He merely returned to his newspaper silently, glancing over his paper at Harry occasionally with mild interest. Harry looked at the front of Lance's newspaper. On it read the headline '7 MORE KILLED' in large, bold letters. Underneath it were 7 pictures of people's faces. Their faces were blank and moved only to scratch their nose or yawn in boredom.
As Lance put the paper down, Harry stood up and walked over to him. "D'you mind if I borrow that?" he asked, pointing at Lance's paper. When Lance nodded, Harry picked up the paper and made his way back to his bed. As he passed a witch who was in orange pajamas and snoring, Harry opened the periodical. Aside from the main story about the seven who were killed, there were the daily safety reminders from the Ministry of Magic, an article about a Muggle who had somehow found his way into the Leaky Cauldron, a review of the Weird Sisters' new album, and a few editorials, among other things.
Harry scanned the editorials, having never read any from the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet had never included editorials. Or if they did, Harry had never read them. As he flipped through, Harry's eyes widened at the title of the third editorial column. It read:
Dumbledore's Last Adventure
We've all been informed of the recent death of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a man who contributed so greatly to the world of magic that there is no way to repay him. However, it is his death that is most unusual. Killed by Severus Snape, Dumbledore had been missing almost the whole night before he was killed. He was rumored to be away from the castle with the one and only Harry Potter.
After interviewing a number of students who witnessed some of the events of the night, it can be pieced together that Death Eaters were at Hogwarts, though how they got there remains a mystery. Once Dumbledore was killed, they fled, taking Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape with them. The teacher and student are rumored to have assisted with the attack, though their allegiance remains uncertain.
In my opinion, I think Dumbledore was getting very close to discovering something, or had already discovered something either Malfoy or Snape needed to be kept secret. Dumbledore will be sorely missed. Just recently he has been working against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and has helped proved the innocence of Sirius Black, the accused murderer who happens to be Potter's Godfather.
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Harry read the editorial once more. It really wasn't about anything, but was merely stating obvious facts that no one could piece together to form the events that transpired that night. But something was sticking in Harry's mind. Sirius Black… Sirius Black… Something about Sirius felt important, felt familiar. Harry narrowed his eyes in thought. Sirius' family was pureblood. They had many Death Eaters in their family – including his brother Regulus! Maybe, Harry thought to himself, Regulus is R.A.B.! He could be, since he was involved with Voldemort. Maybe he went and got himself killed because he stole Voldemort's Horcrux. Harry stared blankly out the window. Harry now knew where he needed to go, but didn't know if he would be allowed to change his destination.
Standing up, he rushed to the front of the bus. "Lance," Harry said quickly. "I need to change where I'm going. I need to go to…" Harry said, trailing off. There wasn't a number twelve, Grimmauld Place to those who weren't told by Dumbledore that it was there. "I need to go to number seven, Grimmauld Place," he said, thinking this was safe enough. Lance eyed Harry suspiciously.
"Why are you changing where you're going? The Leaky Cauldron is usually one of the only stops we make in London," Lance said, still eyeing Harry.
"I just… Please. Can you take me there?" Harry asked. Lance turned skeptically to Ernie.
"Ernie. Go to Grimmauld Place. Potter is changing where he wants to go."
BANG. They were suddenly speeding down the familiar street full of grimy houses with broken windows and paint that was peeling. Harry looked around. As they passed the fifth heap of rubbish, the bus stopped hard. Harry was flung forward and hit the floor with a yelp of pain. Getting up, he saw Lance already holding his trunk. As Harry stepped off the Knight Bus, Lance followed him and set his trunk down. Looking at number seven, Grimmauld Place, Lance raised an eyebrow and asked, "Um… Do you want me to… er… carry it in?" Harry shook his head and muttered a word of thanks to lance. A minute later, he watched the Knight Bus speed out of sight as a lamppost repositioned itself to dodge the bus.
Harry looked back at his trunk and heaved it up, walking over to number eleven. Music was blaring from the house, though it was about 4 in the morning. Harry watched as number twelve pushed its way out of nothing and appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen. Harry walked up the stairs, dragging his trunk. As he reached the door, he had a sudden thought. While Sirius had given Harry the house, Harry had never received a key. Looking down at the doorknob, he remembered that a key wasn't needed, seeing as how there was no keyhole. Harry remembered Lupin taping the door with his wand two years ago. Harry pulled out his won wand and tapped the door once. Metallic clicks were heard for a second, and then stopped as it swung open. Harry walked into the house, hauling his trunk behind him. He closed the door and sighed. It was as dark as ever. As Harry took another step forward, he heard a slight hissing noise as a gas lamp turned itself on magically. The peeling wallpaper was familiar, though not welcoming. He walked over to a set of curtains that were all too familiar to him, though his memories of what was behind the moth-eaten curtain were most unpleasant. He stood in front of them for a second and sighed heavily. He reached forward nervously and clutched the velvet curtains for a second and closed his eyes. With a sharp inhale, he wrenched the curtains open, revealing a huge portrait of and old woman in a black cap. The woman's eyes were wide opened and seemed to be filled with fury as she glared back at Harry. Harry sighed softly, glad that she hadn't reacted as she had last time he was in the house. However, he had been relieved too quickly. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream.
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A/N: Well I just wanted to thank you all like mad for reviewing. I'm really pleased that you all like it. I also want to note that I didn't mean to fall into the common view that Regulus is R.A.B., but I searched for 8 flippin' hours and only found him with the initials of R.B. so I had to stick with him. I'm 99 sure it is not a new character. Enjoy! R&R!