Disclaimer: In literal translation, the last disclaimer meant, "I want Harry Potter, but I do not have Harry Potter." However, it could also be taken to mean, "I love Harry Potter, but I do not own Harry Potter." Ah, I love Spanish. It's my future major in college!
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The Final Quest
Chapter Eight: The Locket
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Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny accompanied Fred, George, and Verity on the way to St. Mungo's. The Healer that Ron and Hermione brought back with them had conjured three stretchers for the twins and their employee with her wand.
They were now walking the unusually deserted streets of London. A few Muggles still roamed the town, but in the rain and darkness, they took no notice of the four pedestrians surrounding the stretchers that rolled along without being pushed (along with the older woman who lead them, wearing bright green robes).
Harry glanced up at the slowly rising full moon. He briefly wondered is Remus Lupin had taken any Wolfsbane Potion where he was staying, at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry figured that werewolf transformations must be wilder than usual these days, with all of the events that had recently taken place in the wizarding world. All of the deaths and attacks had to be taking a toll on the Order members. Harry hoped that Lupin wasn't cooped up, alone in that dreadful house.
He took his eyes off of the moon and glanced at his friends. They walked in silence with their breath coming out in small puffs of steam, but Harry knew that each of their minds were racing. Hermione had a tight hold on Ron's hand, and looked down every dark ally for any sign of danger. Ron was staring at his unconscious brothers with a grim expression. Ginny, who walked in between Harry and Ron, kept twirling the locket that Harry had given her between her fingers.
The locket. The locket that was reminiscent of Albus Dumbledore's death, but which also gave some sort of comfort. The locket that should have been a Horcrux, if the mysterious R.A.B. had not gotten to it first.
The group had finally reached the street of the old department store that disguised St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. As they began walking toward it, Harry thought, Who could R.A.B. possibly be? He highly doubted that it was somebody he knew, but everywhere he searched, in every book he, Ron, and Hermione looked through, they met dead ends.
At the entrance to the hospital, the Healer kindly assured Ron and Ginny that their brothers would be perfectly fine, and that they should be able to talk to them about the attack in the morning. While she continued to talk with the other three, Harry's mind lingered on the subject of R.A.B. It was only after she had taken Fred, George, and Verity inside the concealed hospital that Harry realized something he thought he should have noticed a long time ago.
"We were right all along…" he whispered, after they started treading back to the Leaky Cauldron.
Ginny, who was beside him, looked at him oddly. "What was that, Harry?"
Ron and Hermione stopped in their tracks and turned to face him, as well.
Harry glanced around and noticed a small park to their right. The iron gate had chains wrapped tightly around the middle bars, a giant padlock holding them together. Harry grinned and pointed towards it. "Let's go sit down in there."
Hermione ran forward and pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Alohomora!"
Ron laughed. "I had a feeling she would do that," he said quietly so that only Harry could hear him.
They walked across the street without even bothering to look for cars; they hadn't seen one in hours. Harry and Ron pulled the chains off of the gate and it creaked open.
The grass was slightly overgrown, but the park was still inviting. The moon shined on the sandbox, which still held several half-built sandcastles. The silent wind pushed a few of the child-sized swings, making them squeak. A dull red picnic table sat at the very corner of the park. The four teenagers made their way to it and sat down; Harry and Ron on one side, Hermione and Ginny on the other.
Hermione rested her wand on one of the cracks in the old table. "Now, what were you saying, Harry?"
Harry sighed. "We have to tell Ginny about the locket first."
And so they told her. They told her everything that had happened from the moment Harry had left with Dumbledore to seek one of Voldemort's Horcruxes to when he, Ron, and Hermione had read the note that was left inside the fake locket. After they finished, Ginny's mouth was slightly ajar.
"Wow," she breathed. "R.A.B. could be anyone…"
"Or," Harry said, finally getting to his point, "it could be someone so obvious that we never even considered before."
He let them all think for a moment. Suddenly, in quick succession, Hermione gasped, Ron slammed the picnic table with his fist, and Ginny breathed the surname that Harry was waiting to hear.
"…Black…"
Ron looked confused. "I know…but which one?"
"Sirius's brother, Regulus. R.A.B.," Harry stated, his expression turning grim.
Hermione looked up in awe. "Oh, my goodness…" she muttered. "But does his middle name start with an 'A'?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Sirius did say something about having an Uncle Alphard…"
Ginny clapped a hand over her mouth. "Harry!"
"What?" Harry said, turning towards her.
"We have to go to Grimmauld Place."
Ron looked at her as though she had grown another head. "Why?"
"Remember two summers ago, when we were tidying up the place? We found that locket…"
"Of course, none of us could open it!" exclaimed Hermione, with a look of dawning comprehension. Then, she gasped. "What if Regulus never succeeded in destroying the Horcrux?"
Harry had never contemplated going back to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. He looked down for a moment, thinking. It was the last place on Earth he wanted to go. Harry would have to see the ancient house that was like a prison to his godfather, the house that was almost as horrid as Azkaban itself. But then again, he needed to return. They all needed to concentrate on the task at hand. We need to destroy the Horcruxes… Harry thought. When he lifted his head, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all staring at him. "I guess we really do have to go back, then."
Harry rested his hands on his knees and waited for one of them to say something. However, Ginny did something that meant more to him than words. Unknown to the others, she reached under the table and took Harry's hand. She squeezed it gently, giving him an understanding smile at the same time, and he squeezed back in return.
Hermione grabbed one of Ron's hands and pulled it towards her, but only to read the time from his watch. "We have to get to bed," she sighed. "It's past midnight already."
Harry nodded, glancing up at the moon again. "We can leave tomorrow morning…we'll just have to tell Tom we're staying another night. That is, if he's still awake."
"Nobody goes to the Leaky Cauldron anymore, so it should be okay," said Ron. "He'll probably jump for joy when he sees we're back."
"But Harry, what about Godric's Hollow?" asked Hermione concernedly.
Harry's expression turned serious, and he frowned. "It'll have to wait."
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When they arrived back at the pub, Harry and Ron grabbed a cot for Ginny that was in a closet at the end of their hallway.
On their way back to the room, Ron turned to Harry. "Ginny's coming with us, isn't she?"
Harry nodded slowly. "Yes."
Ron nodded, as well. "You know, I wasn't going to cave in."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"But then, Ginny took out those dementors like it was nothing…" Ron continued.
Harry grinned. "Ron, she's going to be okay."
"Yeah," he said. "I think so, too."
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The next morning, they all took turns cleaning up and getting dressed in the bathroom. It turned out that Ginny had magically shrunk a bag of clothes, and kept them in her pocket.
"I used it, figuring that I wasn't going back to Hogwarts. I learned the spell last year," she told Hermione. "I found it in Shrinking for Schmucks, by Shirley Schroder."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You'll have to teach me!"
Ron gasped in horror. "Hermione…correct me if I'm wrong, but…there's a book that you haven't read?"
Hermione swatted his arm.
Harry laughed, hoisting his back onto his shoulder. "We should head out," he said. He and Ron picked up their brooms as the girls checked the room for anything they may have forgotten.
"All set," they said in unison, and followed the boys out the door.
They tiptoed until they got outside, for it was very early, and they did not want to wake Tom.
After Harry and Ron tied the bags to their brooms, they mounted them. Hermione joined Ron, and Ginny, looking awkward for a moment, hopped onto the back of Harry's Firebolt.
Ginny relaxed, and asked if Harry and Ron were sure they knew the way back to Grimmauld Place.
"Except for the people who don't know about it, I don't think anyone could miss it," Ron replied. "It's not exactly ordinary."
As Harry prepared to kick off, his feet crunched the fallen autumn leaves. It was only then that he realized how much time had gone by since they left the Burrow. The seasons had changed so quickly, and he didn't want to waste any more time. He glanced at Ron, giving him a quick nod, and then they were off.
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Several hours later, their landing was far from graceful.
When they finally spotted Number Twelve, Ron had challenged Harry to a race. Whoever touched down last had to hand-wash everyone's clothes for a week. Unfortunately, Ron lost control of his broom, and he and Hermione ran straight into a large, rather macabre-looking tree.
Harry and Ginny pulled up next to them, laughing.
"You know, we could use a bit of help!" Hermione squeaked from a lower branch. Her hands were slipping off.
Before Harry and Ginny could swoop down, Ron quickly climbed from where he was to reach Hermione. He grasped her wrists and pulled her up, but he did it so fast that they both ended up toppling out of the tree.
Hermione screamed. Ron quickly wrapped his arms around her and turned so that he would hit the ground, which he did, with a great "Oof!"
Harry and Ginny landed next to them, dismounted, and knelt down beside them.
Hermione, who was on top of Ron, now slid off. Ron's arms were still fastened around her.
"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked.
Hermione narrowed her eyebrows. "Ron! Are you okay?"
He shrugged. "I think so…"
However, just as he began to sit up, the forgotten broom came tumbling out of the tree. Everyone looked up.
"Uh oh," Ron whispered.
The broom landed smack on his head. He was knocked back to the ground, the blow forcing him to release Hermione from his grasp.
"I…I'll have a bottle…of…of that, please…" Ron muttered, pointing to her. Hermione's expression was indescribable. Ron's eyes rolled back, then closed. His head fell to one side.
"Ron!" Harry, Hermione, and Ginny said at the same time.
"We need to take him inside…" Ginny told them.
Harry grabbed Ron's arms. Hermione and Ginny carried the bags and brooms, and they dragged everything over to the entrance of the old house. They didn't even need to knock on the door once before it was opened rather hastily by Remus Lupin.
"I saw what happened, come in and lay him down…"
He led them to the bedroom that Harry had shared with Ron the summer before their fifth year at Hogwarts. It was very plain, with two beds, a wardrobe, and a portrait hanging on one of the walls.
"Ah, I see someone's hurt…" said the portrait's occupant, Phineas Nigellus.
"Go away, Phineas," Lupin snapped. He turned to Harry. "Here, let's get him on the bed…"
Together, Harry and Lupin lifted Ron and placed him on one of the room's old twin-sized beds. Hermione and Ginny started to unpack, casting nervous glances over at Ron every few seconds.
"He'll be okay," said Lupin calmly, trying to reassure them. "He's just been knocked out. He should be up and about sometime in the next few days. Shall we talk?" Lupin asked, gesturing for them to exit the room.
Hermione walked to Ron and nimbly placed a blanket over him. "I think I'll stay in here for a bit," she said, her voice quivering.
"If you're sure," said Lupin, and he walked out.
Hermione nodded, and Harry and Ginny followed Lupin into the foyer.
He was already sitting down in a chair when they entered. Harry and Ginny sat on the couch opposite him, and it was only then that Harry noticed a particularly long scratch on Lupin's cheek.
"What happened?" Harry asked him.
Lupin sighed. "I had a rough night."
Ginny frowned. "You didn't take any potion?"
"Unfortunately, the only person who could make the Wolfsbane Potion the correct way has turned against us," stated Lupin, his quiet words tainted with hatred of Severus Snape. He sighed again. "But that's enough about that. Anyway, I knew you three…or four, rather…would be coming to visit soon enough."
Harry gave him an odd look. "Why?" he asked loudly.
"Shh!" Lupin whispered. He pointed at a piece of cloth that was covering a large portrait. Harry nodded; he definitely didn't want to hear from Sirius's mother any time soon.
Lupin picked up something shiny and round from an end table and held it out to Harry. "You'll be wanting this, I suppose?"
It was the ring that had belonged to Voldemort's grandfather, Marvolo. The band was gold, with a black stone. It gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.
Harry took it from Lupin's outstretched hand. "The Horcrux that Dumbledore destroyed…"
Lupin smiled sadly. "Yes. I figured you'd be wanting it. Professor McGonagall, who is our new Secret-Keeper, left it in my possession."
"Well, that's actually not why we came…but thank you," said Harry.
Lupin looked at Harry and Ginny questioningly. "Oh?"
"We need to find something," said Ginny.
Lupin asked no more questions. "Well, you are obviously welcome to stay as long as you like, though I daresay your mother will be checking in on you," he said, talking to Ginny.
Ginny winced. "She…erm…thinks that I'm at Hogwarts. That is, if she hasn't been told that I never arrived there…which she probably has. I suppose I should talk to her later tonight…"
Lupin merely nodded in agreement.
"So the school's open, then?" Harry asked, looking up at them.
Ginny nodded. "Mum left me at Platform 9 ¾, but I hopped off the back of the train just as it started moving to go off and find you three. I followed you for a while, you know."
"Ah," said Lupin, who seemed to understand what had occurred. "Well, I'm going to go down to the kitchen and help Tonks with dinner."
"Tonks is here, too?" Harry asked.
Lupin grinned, looking happy for the first time since they got there. He stood up and began walking towards the staircase. "Yes. She comes to visit and help out during the day. She's incredibly stubborn," he said, and went downstairs.
Ginny turned to Harry. "Shall we start looking?"
"Yeah…wasn't the locket in the drawing room when we were cleaning? Hopefully it wasn't thrown away…"
"No…I'm pretty sure I saved it, and left it in one of the cabinets."
"Well, let's go." Harry stood up and held his hand out. Ginny took it, and he led the way up to the drawing room.
When they opened the door, a puff of dust came out, making them cough. After it cleared, they walked in and went right to the menacing-looking glass cabinets. Harry and Ginny each took a deep breath, and started opening each of the cabinet doors.
"If you find it, don't touch it, okay? It might be dangerous," Harry warned. "We were all wearing gloves that day, while we were cleaning…"
After only a moment of rummaging, Harry heard a sharp intake of breath. He turned to look at Ginny. She pointed to the top shelf; the locket was hanging from it, unmistakably Slytherin's.
Harry reached out toward the locket, but Ginny pulled his hand back. "Harry, be careful!"
"Don't worry about me," Harry said. He stretched his hand out again, closed his eyes, and then snatched the locket from the shelf. He half-expected it to shock him, or hurt him in some way. But nothing happened; the locket stayed stationary, and Harry was perfectly fine.
He opened his eyes to find Ginny peering into them. "Harry?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," he said. "I think…I think that Regulus destroyed the Horcrux."
"Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed quietly, and threw her arms around Harry's neck.
Harry hugged her back. After she let go of him, he pocketed the locket. "I think I'll bring this along with us, and the ring, too. Just in case."
Ginny smiled. "Sounds good. I'm going to go check on Ron, okay?"
"I'll go with you," Harry replied.
He followed Ginny back down to their room. They were just about to enter when they saw an adorable sight through a crack in the door. Hermione lay next to a still-unconscious Ron, her head resting sweetly on his chest. She was breathing evenly.
"She's asleep," whispered Ginny. "Oh, how I wish I had a camera right now!"
Harry laughed quietly. "I think we're needed in the kitchen…"
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A/N: Sorry for the late update! I wanted this chapter to work, and it took a while for me to get it to flow alright. Plus, my life is crazy. End of story! Hah, no pun intended. Anyway, chapter nine should be up soon!
Jeefus: I try to throw in some surprises here and there, hehe. I apologize for not updating as quickly as usual!
Mei fa-chan: Thank you!
GinevraTheJediElf: You are absolutely right. May the force be with you, as well!
Wolf's scream: Yes, she's a bit sneaky, but not in a Slytherin way. And Harry's approach with Bellatrix actually happened very quickly. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear…he had to get rid of her so that he could help his friends, who are much more important to him than she is.
Dinatius: Thanks! I tried to put more description in this chapter. I hope you like it!
bewitchedquill: Everything with Harry and Ginny needed to be rushed; the others were in trouble, and needed their help. Haha, and yes, Ron's Patronus is a Jack Russell terrier…it's in Order of the Phoenix, I promise!
Elmire: I like Ginny, as well! Thank you for the review!
Rosie5: Yes, Bellatrix is a rather disgusting person. And I think 'crafty mix' is perfect to describe Ginny! Hehe, and I translated the last disclaimer in the disclaimer of this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
By: SammyLynn