Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR, I only own a few Chocolate Frog cards. When I looked at them, the pictures stayed put, which, although expected, was highly disappointing. I honestly haven't looked at them again.

A/N: Everyone, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! It really makes me want to get these out and I'll do my best to make them longer, but no promises :) Thanks for the ministry advice, too! As for Aunt Petunia, well, I'll admit that was the hardest paragraph I wrote in that chapter- any suggestions on how to make it more Petunia-like? Thanks again!

CHAPTER 4: First Night Alone

Late after the wedding, Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparated to the doorstep of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

"How do we get in?" Ron wondered. "Someone's always been there to unlock the door before…"

Harry laughed. "Easy. It's mine now, right?" And he confidently stepped up to the door and it opened for him.

The three were in a very good mood; Mrs. Weasley hadn't even yelled at them when they said they were staying at Harry's house. Ron took this as a good sign, that she was finally realizing he was of age, and that he could do as he please. Hermione rather doubted this, and suspected it was more likely that the drinks Mrs. Weasley had been consuming had a say in the matter.

The lights were off, and they promptly bumped into the portrait of Mrs. Black. "Filthy Mudblood! Blood traitors! Dirt! Enemy of my Lord! How dare you remove my house-elf!" She screamed. They sighed, muttered "lumos" and spent the next 20 minutes trying to shut the curtains that usually cover the painting.

"Urgh, Hermione, can't you curse that picture or something?" Ron begged.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You think the Order hasn't tried that yet?" But she smiled, and took it as a compliment.

They wearily walked into the kitchen. The empty kitchen.

"Excellent," Ron exclaimed. "A whole house to ourselves! Not even Kreacher is here! Hey, Harry, maybe you should ask Dobby to come and help with the house. I mean, we are supposed to be searching for the horcruxes, not doing dishes and stuff."

Although Harry was pretty sure by this point that Ron and Hermione were snogging, it certainly didn't stop Hermione from crossing her eyes and yelling at Ron. She pulled out two S.P.E.W badges from her pocket and shoved them towards Ron and Harry. They looked at her, amazed.

"Who carries S.P.E.W. badges around in dress robes?" Ron dared to ask out loud. Hermione's voice simply got louder. But Ron didn't seem to step down. Privately, Harry thought Hermione might start losing these arguments now that she didn't have the "I won't let you copy my homework" leverage anymore.

Finally, he cleared his voice loudly, sat down at the table and said, "I think we should start a plan." Now, this declaration was, Harry admitted to himself, partly so he wouldn't have to admit to Hermione that he'd tossed his S.P.E.W secretary notebook in the fire at Hogwarts. But it was mostly due to the fact that they had no idea of how to find these horcruxes.

Ron and Hermione finally stopped arguing. Harry continued, "We should decide some stuff now, because members of the Order will probably be popping in here all the time. I wonder why no one is here now?"

Ron snorted and slid into the chair across from Harry. "They're probably all passed out at the Burrow." Hermione giggled in spite of herself. Seeing Professor McGonagall tipsy was definitely a first for all of them. Of course, since Ron and Hermione were of age, they were both a bit tipsy, too. All right, Harry admitted to himself, he was also tipsy. Fred and George had supplied him with plenty of drinks, much to Mrs. Weasley's horror.

Harry's concentration attempted to slide back to their mission, but he knew when they were beat. It was just too late to make plans. After all, his head was pounding. "Okay, let's just go to bed. And tomorrow, we can head over to Godric's Hollow."

Before the conversation with Lupin at the wedding, Harry had never considered whether this would be difficult or not. But now, he wasn't sure if the house would be visible to Ron and Hermione. Harry figured, as a Potter, he'd be able to find the house. But was Hermione right? Since his parents were dead, was the secret lifted? Or was their hiding place, or at least their bodies, still in hiding until Pettigrew revealed it to someone other than Voldemort?

He mentioned these thoughts to Ron and Hermione as they were climbing the stairs. "Well, of course we can find it," said Hermione matter-of-factly. "Didn't Hagrid go to the house to pick you up? And so the secret must be gone. I'm surprised Professor Lupin didn't think of that himself."

Remembering Tonks on Lupin's arm, Harry wasn't so surprised. Lupin had seemed rather (happily) distracted.

"Good," Harry said. "Then first thing tomorrow, I think we should head over there. They were standing in front of his bedroom door. "So one last thing. The horcruxes. There was supposed to be seven, including Voldemort. So that is six objects. But Dumbledore thinks number six was supposed to involve me. So that means five. And the diary (Harry's heart beat a bit faster thinking about Ginny) and the ring are both destroyed. So three horcruxes. The Hufflepuff cup, the Slytherin locket, and something from either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor." He paused, and he finished, "and then Dumbledore thought that he replaced what should have been my horcrux with Nagini. So four."

There was a pause. Yes, they knew what they had to find, but how would they find it? "So, I think we need to figure out who R.A.B is, firstly," Hermione said, business-like. "And then that may lead to the cup and locket, and the unknown one. We'll tackle Voldemort and Nagini, last, of course."

"Right," Harry said, in what he hoped was a confident voice. "Good plan." Truthfully, he felt about as calm as he did in those days leading up to the second triwizard task, and just as hopeless. Maybe they should ask Dobby to stay, he mused. He certainly helped out that time. But Hermione would probably force him to wear that S.P.E.W. badge.

Thinking back to his actions leading up to the merpeople task, he gave himself a mental reminder to remember to eat this time around. His pounding headache was beginning to take over, so he muttered good night and opened his door.

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Harry had returned to his bedroom with the portrait of Phineas Nigellus. Nigellus looked at him. "Back, are ya boy? Probably running off and trying to save the world. Good luck if even Dumbledore can't do it." Harry sighed and didn't answer. He suddenly wasn't sleepy anymore. He kept running over the plan in his head. They weren't missing anything, were they? How would he find the locket, cup and the unknown third?

He twisted aimlessly in bed, and firmly resolved that he must remember to sleep as well as eat everyday. He wondered if this was how Hermione felt before exams. He sighed again. He decided it was remarkably cold for a late July night. He grumbled and found an old blanket in a dresser drawer.

A fire sure would be nice, he thought presently. He laughed. Dobby just kept looking better and better. And Dobby would be overjoyed to help him… He wondered if Hermione would insist on S.P.E.W. badges if Dobby came. He re-resolved to go to sleep, and maybe call Kreacher the next day and ask him to bring Dobby to the house tomorrow. The company would be nice. He crawled back into bed.

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Hours later, still not asleep, and sighing for what he thought must be about the four hundredth time, Harry decided to get a glass of water. He walked down the darken hall, too lazy to bring his wand. Ron was snoring softly. Harry smiled, comforted by the familiar sound.

He walked down the stairs and softly cursed that he'd left his wand in his room when he couldn't find a glass. A few desperate minutes later, he found one, and he blindly turned on the water tap. He found some food in a pantry and decided he was glad it was dark after all, since it was probably old and moldy.

He turned to head back up the stairs when, from behind, he heard "lumos". He turned, startled, and dropped his water. Glass shattered on his bare feet. He didn't feel it.

Rage, pure, white-hot rage boiled in Harry. He opened his mouth to scream, but "silencio" was whispered in an oily voice, and Harry's mouth opened and closed pointlessly. He squeezed his fists, ready to fight Snape with his bare hands, but with a flick of his wrist, Harry's feet were frozen in place.

"Really, Potter, nearly a full-aged wizard and you still can't remember to carry a wand?" Snape's mouth curled. "Potter, you're pathetic." They stared at each other for a full minute, Harry full of rage and Snape in his controlled calmness.

Finally, ever so slowly, his wand raised again until it was steadily pointing at Harry's chest. Clearly, Snape was enjoying himself. Harry stood silent, waiting.

Snape softly voiced, "crucio". Harry fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in his head.

Snape released the unforgivable spell. "I know what you are thinking. You're wondering why I don't kill you. Perhaps even you are smarter than I give you credit for, and managed to wonder why am I here? No, Potter," he snapped, " it is not occlumency, you are just very transparent." Snape's eyes gleamed.

NO! Harry screamed in his head. I'm thinking about destroying you! He no longer saw Snape, he simply saw Dumbledore, falling over the battlements, over and over again. He began screaming the killing curse in his head with all of his might. But Snape merely continued, "You know very well that the Dark Lord wishes to be the one to defeat you. I merely have a proposal for you. Well, Potter? What do you say?"

Harry hadn't realized one person could hate so much. It consumed him. He lifted his head from the floor, and realized that silencio had been lifted. "I'll NEVER fall for that, Snape! You killed Dumbledore. YOU killed my parents!" Snape laughed, "Crucio".

"Never been one for thinking much, Potter? Actions are never as black and white as you make them." Harry fell back to the floor. He tried to stand, clutching the back of a chair. He gripped the chair leg so hard it twisted and broke. Still writhing in pain, he picked up the splinted wood and threw it at Snape.

Snape lazily flicked his wand and it fell to the ground as helplessly as Harry had. "You are still weak. Weak in mind and body. How can my Lord have a proper battle with you if you fall so easily?"

"You fools. You honestly believed that I could turn my back on the Dark Lord? He, who is the greatest master of Legilimency ever known? No, Dumbledore was too gullible. Some might call it," he spit out the word, "noble" and continued, "but look at him. Dead because he believed too much in people, in good. People consider him the greatest wizard of our time, yet he never considered testing my mind! Too weak, blinded by his love of . And, his love of love. He even tried to save the student sent to kill him!" Snape laughed a cold, high laugh reminiscent of Voldemort.

He suddenly turned, hearing footsteps on the stairs. "Well, Potter, we'll continue this later, shall we?" And with a turn of his cloak, he had found the door and was leaving London.

Moments later, Hermione and Ron came thundering down the stairs.

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That morning, still sleepless, Harry re-told Hermione and Ron about the encounter for the third time, while they attempted half-heartily to eat the breakfast Ron had made.

"But what would his proposal be?" Hermione kept asking, to which Ron replied each time, "He's a nutter. Complete nutter. He's just trying to trick us to walk into You-know-who's—"

"Voldemort" Harry corrected automatically.

"Fine, Voldemort's trap," Ron finished, angrily.

Hermione shook her head doubtfully. "It must be more than that. He walked back into the Orders' Headquarters!"

"Let's forget about for now," Harry said, "And get to Godric's Hollow."

Just then there was a pounding at the door. They looked out the curtain. It was Mrs. Weasley. Ron groaned. "She's never going to let us go. Let's not let her in."

Harry smiled and said, "She's a member of the Order- they can all get in without a key. Nothing I can do, mate."

They sat as they allowed Mrs. Weasley to cook them breakfast, and didn't mention they had already eaten, as they all silently agreed Ron's "breakfast" was wanting.

Over breakfast, they learned that Mrs. Weasley too had had a sleepless night, although her night had been spent in tears of joy that her eldest son was so happily married. That and the fact that she'd decided to clean the entire party up that night.

While they ate, Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet arrived. She hastily opened it and scanned for news, and said, before Ron could ask his usual question, "No, everyone we know is still alive. Although Mrs. Malfoy's requests to find Draco are now a full page long." She showed it to them, and said, "Let's get out of here."

As they rose from their chairs, they heard, "Where do you three think you are going?" Mrs. Weasley said with a frown.

Ron began to shout angrily that he was of age, but Harry firmly pushed him back into his seat.

Harry took a deep breath and stood. "Mrs. Weasley, I really appreciate everything you've done for me these past few years. You've made me feel like part of your family. But," he looked her firmly in the eyes, "Dumbledore gave me a mission. Just me. And I have to complete it."

Mrs. Weasley frowned again. "Harry, you're too young-"

"No," Harry emphasized. "He has been training me for this all year. My whole life, really. And I may be young, but it is my job to do. And I will do it, or die trying." At this, Molly's eyes widened, but Harry continued, "I need Ron and Hermione with me while I do this. Please don't force us to go into hiding, and please accept what we have to do. What we were born to do."

Hermione looked at Harry with confidence. It gave him confidence. She said earnestly, "Mrs. Weasley, Ron and I were given an opportunity to help defeat him! Don't make us live knowing we could have made a difference, but weren't allowed to do so."

For once, Mrs. Weasley was speechless, and taking this as a cue, Ron got up, gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, and headed out the door.