Written by Egyptian Flame
Edited by Master Slytherin
Chapter 10: Horcrux Annihilation
Harry kissed his crawling daughter on the forehead, left her in the care of Bella and Blaise and headed up to the Headmaster's office. He received a letter from Dumbledore when he awoke requesting him urgently in his office. Harry took off from his room, taking shortcuts until he arrived in front of the Headmaster's office. He could have taken a shortcut to the office itself, but he did not want the Headmaster to get ideas into his head.
Harry and the other founders had decided that they needed shortcuts to and from everywhere, in case of any emergency. Even though they could Apparate anywhere in the castle, the students and teachers couldn't.
He arrived at the gargoyle, which sprang aside as Harry neared it, revealing the stairs to Dumbledore's office. He knocked firmly and waited for the Headmaster to acknowledge him.
"Enter," said a wise old voice from the other side of the door.
Harry entered the office, his eyes roaming over every corner of the room around him before sitting down in front of the headmaster. Dumbledore sat down behind his desk with a familiar Pensieve and number of bottles filled with liquid beside him. Dumbledore waved his wand around the room, activating privacy charms and brought his attention back at Harry from his half moon glasses.
"Good morning, Harry," Dumbledore greeted with a serious expression on his face. "I brought you here urgently because I think that it is time for you to know what you have to face before battling Voldemort."
"What do you mean, Albus?" said Harry confused.
"Voldemort took a number of precautions against death, using something I'm not sure you know about," said Dumbledore gravely. Harry raised an eyebrow at the seriousness of the situation but said nothing.
"What is it?" Dumbledore sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders before continuing.
"When you came back from the graveyard after the third task, you gave me your memory of the incident. I revisited the memory several times and studied it thoroughly and came to a conclusion.
"Have you ever heard of Horcruxes, Harry?" asked Dumbledore. Harry's expression remained blank and feigned ignorance, not giving any indication that he knew. However, inside he was seething and cursing.
'Why the hell are the fates doing this to me? Leave it to Voldemort to fuck my life up!'
Harry knew what the Horcruxes are from Salazar's family library, and discussed the subject thoroughly with Salazar. The Horcruxes were the blackest part of magic anyone could ever achieve and one of the hardest, short of summoning demons. If Dumbledore discovered Harry's knowledge of the Horcruxes, he would think Harry to be a Dark Lord in training or a Death Eater.
"A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul," Dumbledore explained seriously, bowed his head for a second. He continued to explain about the Horcruxes to Harry, who sat there listening intently. Harry suddenly found himself remembering words he had heard nearly two years before: "I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost . . . but still, I was alive."
"I can't believe he did that," said Harry in disbelief after Dumbledore finished his explanation.
"I'm afraid he did, Harry. Tom was a very intelligent student and provided with the knowledge, he achieved his ultimate goal in the form of Horcruxes."
"What are you planning to do about that, headmaster?" asked Harry, sighing in annoyance.
"These are memories of Tom Riddle's childhood, which would explain and help you know your enemy, Harry. We will discuss what we shall do after you view and study them thoroughly," said Dumbledore, giving Harry several bottles filled with memories. Harry nodded his head and stood up, pocketing the bottles and heading for the door.
"Harry," called Dumbledore, making him turn to face the old man, "I want you to know that you will not be alone in this. And I hope you will be able to trust me in the future." Harry nodded his head and left the headmaster's office, thinking about the happenings of the previous few days.
He entered the room and searched for his daughter. He found her asleep in Bella's arms while Blaise was practicing with her sword in another room.
'She looks like an angel, something so pure that shouldn't be in this kind of world,' he thought with a smile as he kissed the little girl on the forehead before kissing Bella on the cheek.
"Hey, how was the little angel?" asked Harry softly. Bella bore all the trademarks of a rough day; her eyes were red and her hair disheveled. Harry felt sorry for leaving Bella to deal with the baby by herself.
"She crawled, played, giggled, and cried enough for a life time," said Bella grinning jadedly.
'Thank Merlin they're here. I wouldn't have been able to take care of her alone,' Harry thought gratefully. He spent the day with his daughter and friends, reviewing the memories later at night when both girls went to sleep.
Harry was sitting, thinking about what he saw in the Pensieve when Hogwarts alerted him to intruders in the Forbidden forest. Harry grabbed his sword and wand and headed down, taking shortcuts until he arrived outside. He entered the forbidden forest; sword raised high and wand in hand, waiting for any sign of attack. Suddenly, he felt a push on his mental shields and growled, taking an attacking stance and waiting for the vampire to show himself. Vampires used Hypnosis to lure their victim so they would be able to drink the victim's blood. A figure lunged with a sword in hand, aiming at Harry's head.
With a flash, Harry's sword met the incoming one with a reverberating clang. The vampire leapt again; faking an aim at Harry's hip and slashing upwards. Harry avoided the incoming fatal blow and swung his sword at the opening defense of the vampire, severing its left hand.
"You will die today, mortal, as will the whore of a princess you're protecting," growled the vampire. Harry's eye widened as he thought about what the vampire meant.
'These are the hunters? Vampires? Why would they kill their princess?' Harry thought as he dodged an incoming attack. At the same time, Harry and his attacker's swords collided, each one trying to force his power over the other. Harry suddenly fell backwards, making the vampire almost fall on top of him, and grabbed a sharp piece of wood nearby, piercing the vampire's heart with it.
'Amateur,' thought Harry, before he realized something. His blood ran cold and a boiling fury erupted inside him.
"Oh God! Natasha!"
Harry ran angrily all the way back to the castle, and as he entered the wards of the Hogwarts, he heard the school screaming a warning of other intruders inside. He ran through shortcuts until he reached the door to the vampire princess's room and entered in time to see one of the vampires raising his sword and another restraining Natasha, whose tears were spilling down her face and her robes torn. Harry thought quickly, as he could not use his wand in fear of killing Natasha, he settled for a sword fight. He threw the stick he used before at the other vampire, which hit the vampire's hand that held the sword, disabling him.
"Not so fast boys, you've made a terrible mistake by laying your hands on her. I would advise you to step away from her quietly and I might let you go," said Harry, sneering in disgust. He had always hated the vampires, but he forced his mind to calm down and concentrate on the task.
"You insolent mortal, you will pay for what you've done," hissed one of the vampires and slapped Natasha, bringing blood to her face before turning to Harry. Harry's eyes flashed angrily and his aura flashed around him like a blanket.
"You will regret ever doing that," growled Harry as his hate fueled his determination to kill these vampires. The two vampires attacked at the same time, bringing their swords down at Harry.
"Oh! By the way, the junior says hello from beyond the grave," said Harry as he dodged incoming slashes and attacked back. He used his wand to conjure sharp sticks and banish them towards the vampires. One of the vampires managed to make a deep cut on Harry's arm, which was a bit of a mistake.
"Wrong move, boys. Spiritus cruentus," growled Harry furiously, pointing both hands at the attackers. It was a very old blood magic spell he learned while staying with the vampires. The vampire attacker had to hold hate for you and vice-versa and he had to shed your blood for the user to cast this spell. Both vampires screamed loudly as the spell hit its target and pain erupted in their bodies. His hate for bullies added to what the vampire did to Natasha fueled the spell hundred fold. The last thing both vampires saw was Harry's furious face before both of them were beheaded.
Harry couldn't use the same spell on the vampire he fought in the forest since the emotions the vampire had was superiority and excitement at having to prove himself to his elders by killing a powerful wizard. Both vampires had not expected anybody to know that particular spell since it was old and forgotten and this was their bane. The spell also took a lot out of him so doing it twice would have exhausted him too much to fight.
Harry found himself in a hug by a crying Natasha, who was shaking from head to toe at having been near death moments before. Harry cursed mentally at having to wait for Rowena and Salazar so he would be able to re-activate the wards, which included wards against Dark creatures. He waved his wand in a sweeping motion, making everything in the room fly back to its place and every broken glass repair itself. When he was satisfied, he took the crying princess and laid her on the bed where she held to his arm until she fell asleep. He healed some of the bruises on her so that they were not as serious until Madam Pomfrey could see to her.
He untangled his arm from her and stood up in the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and began chanting softly, imagining every part of the room in his mind and waving his wand. Seven runes appeared in the air in front of Harry, four of them applied themselves in every corner of the room. The three other runes glowed brilliantly before transforming into three balls of light. The balls had threads connecting between them and the runes in the corners, glowing softly before Harry finished his chant by pointing the wand at the sleeping Vampiress and muttering softly.
"Celo polleo presentia."
The room glowed and two of the balls formed into one and sank in the ground while the last one disappeared into the sleeping Vampiress. Dizziness overtook him as he finished applying the ward just as Dumbledore entered the room, followed by McGonagall and the other professors.
"Simon, what happened?" asked Dumbledore urgently, raising his wand in alarm. Harry sighed and looked at Dumbledore, sending him a mental message through Legilimency.
"The hunters attacked and I killed them." Dumbledore managed to hide a gasp of surprise at the easiness that Harry spoke when he said that he had killed the hunters.
"You didn't have to kill them, Harry," replied Dumbledore through the same method.
"They were vampires," said Harry loudly this time. Gasps echoed through the room but Dumbledore's gasp was not for the same reason. The same question that went through Harry's head was running through Dumbledore's mind.
'Why would vampires kill their princess?'
The group left the room, leaving Dumbledore and Harry to walk behind, talking quietly.
"This ward is very old and powerful Harry, I never thought you would know them," said Dumbledore conversationally. Harry shrugged and replied tiredly.
What he performed was a variation of the Fidelius charm, though it worked on emotions. No one with negative emotions would be able to enter the room, including those who were masking their emotions through Occlumency.
The difference between this one and the one Dumbledore evoked at the Dursley's home was that the one Harry had cast could be taken down by another wizard, although it would take several powerful wizards several hours to do so. However, Dumbledore's wards could not be taken down except by Dumbledore himself and they were based on blood.
"I would advise you to not underestimate me, headmaster. Voldemort underestimated a child and ended up as a spirit for 14 years," was the last thing Harry said before going to sleep.
"Today, we are going to talk about the history of one of the best magic users of this century," began Harry, clearing his throat. Excited whispers broke through the students as they anticipated a history lesson about their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Some were confused as to why they were learning about Dumbledore and why all the students would learn about him in the same lesson instead of a history lesson with Binns.
He asked Dumbledore's permission to teach this specific lesson to all the students, with no exceptions, so they gathered the students in the great hall. All of Hogwarts including teachers, ghosts and house-elves, gathered to listen to what the new professor had to say. Harry and Dumbledore decided that, in order to unite everyone, they had to understand what was happening around them and learn to fight their fears.
"We will not be learning about Headmaster Dumbledore. You can find his history on any chocolate frog cards." Laughter rippled through the students, and Harry motioned for quiet and continued the history lesson.
"He was an orphan boy, born to a muggle father and a pureblood mother. He never knew his mother since she died giving birth to him and he was sent to a muggle orphanage. His father abandoned his mother when he learned that she was a witch leaving his mother virtually penniless.
"His childhood was not a happy one at the orphanage. Tom Marvolo Riddle grew up hating the muggles around him, vowing one day to have his revenge on those who wronged him."
Three gasps echoed through the silence, which made most of the students look their direction. Hermione and Ron paled and gasped while Ginny Weasley had gone extremely white when she heard the accursed name that brought her nightmares.
"Miss Weasley, If you do not want to attend this particular lesson, you may be excused," said McGonagall quietly to Ginny. She shook her head and replied with a glint of determination. "No professor, I will be fine. I was just surprised." McGonagall nodded her head and went back to her seat, motioning for Simon to continue.
He had forgotten that Ginny would be attending and guilt welled up in him at the thought that he caused her to remember the pain and experience with the Diary. Harry cleared his mind from these thoughts and continued with his lesson, which was proving to difficult to continue.
"Tom Riddle was extremely cunning and intelligent, perhaps one of the most intelligent students to ever attend Hogwarts. He knew from a young age that he had power and that he was special. He practiced that power on animals and the other boys at the orphanage, attacking and hurting them with his magic. It was not until he attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry that he found the means to have his revenge.
"He was a handsome, polite student and the best in all of his classes, following the rules and urging his few acquaintances to do the same. Tom was sorted in Slytherin and was most teachers' favorite student, except one teacher, who had visited him at the orphanage for the first time. Professor Albus Dumbledore, the transfiguration teacher at that time was suspicious of young Tom Riddle, and had kept an eye on him after the death of a student named Myrtle.
"If Tom Riddle was afraid of anything, he was afraid of death and of Albus Dumbledore. He delved into the more obscure and powerful branches of magic, learning all he could about battle spells and forbidden curses. After years of gathering followers and performing dangerous rituals, young Tom Riddle began killing people, fashioning himself a new name, one that all people fear today." Harry finished his speech, wrote with his wand 'Tom Marvolo Riddle', and waved it so that it rearranged itself to 'I am lord Voldemort'.
Several gasps echoed through the Great Hall, when the information dawned on them. Harry nodded to a witch at the back, who was writing what Harry said during his lecture, at his invitation. Rita Skeeter smiled as she finished the article about the History of the Dark Lord, which would be a shock to the magical world.
"Rudolphus, I want that ring found," hissed Voldemort angrily. The Death Eaters gathered in a circle in front of Voldemort, bowing, and each of them hoping to avoid the Cruciatus.
"I will find it my Lord," said Rudolphus, bowing low. Voldemort turned to Wormtail who was shaking in front of him.
"Wormtail," hissed Voldemort. The rat-like Death Eater shivered convulsively with fear and bowed lower.
"Y-yes M-master," stuttered Wormtail.
"I want you to find the blood traitor and bring her to me. Kill Bella if you encounter her, but I need the Zabini girl alive," hissed Voldemort.
"Y-yes master," said Wormtail, turning to leave.
"Did I give you permission to leave, Peter?" Voldemort said grinning maniacally. "Crucio!"
"These would be impossible to find Dumbledore," said Harry, sitting in the Headmaster's office the next day. Madam Pomfrey treated Natasha from the bruises and hits of the vampires and the Potion Mistress was up and healthy. She thanked Harry profusely for saving her life and for the ward that he applied the day before. Harry and Dumbledore sat in the headmaster's office discussing the memories Harry viewed and the Horcruxes.
"You've already destroyed one of the seven, Harry," mentioned Dumbledore, drinking mead from one of the cups in front of him. Harry had a confused expression on his face that allowed Dumbledore to continue.
"The Diary," said Dumbledore. Realization dawned on Harry and he sighed mentally with relief.
'That's one less object to search for.' Harry thought gratefully.
"I suspect that there are six other Horcruxes, one of which is in Voldemort's body. I've managed to locate one but I will need to get it from where it is." Harry nodded his head in understanding and relief. At least they knew about the Horcruxes and the location of some of them.
"I also have another Horcrux, the ring of Slytherin," said Dumbledore, showing Harry the case, which held the cursed ring. Harry suppressed a gasp at seeing the Slytherin family ring, which he had only seen once in a memory that Salazar showed him of the Slytherin family.
"I need your help to destroy it," asked Dumbledore thoughtfully. Harry frowned but nodded his head and took out his wand.
'Why would Dumbledore need my help in destroying it? He is very well capable of doing so alone,' Harry thought with a frown but said nothing.
"I'm ready when you are, headmaster," said Harry, mentally cursing his fortune and cursing Voldemort for making his life harder than it already was.
"We need to find a suitable place to destroy it as I'm afraid the magical backlash from destroying a soul would be enormous," explained Dumbledore, rubbing his beard.
"How about using the Chamber of Secrets? It is far under the school and it is well protected," suggested Harry slowly.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he gave a small tired smile.
"That is an excellent idea, Harry. Shall we?" Harry nodded and they left the office, heading for Myrtle's bathroom. They talked casually until they reached the bathroom, where both of them entered. Harry searched for the tap where the snake was engraved and hissed, "Open"
The taps formed a pipe and with another hiss, it formed stairs for them to descend, something that Harry missed the first time he was there. They proceeded until they reached the statue of Harry's blood brother under which the basilisk's corps still lay. Dumbledore was looking around in fascination since he never visited the chamber after Harry's adventure.
Harry stood between the two lines of snakes on either side and hissed, "Shut up Sal."
It was an amusing password, which Harry chose, but it was effective. Every entrance and exit of the chamber closed and a barrier appeared on the walls, floor and ceiling. It was a security measure that Harry and Salazar installed, when they needed a place to duel or do something dangerous as it allowed them to not be disturbed by the outer world. Salazar was not amused by the password but did nothing to change it.
"How did you do that, Harry? You've only been in this chamber once," asked an astonished Dumbledore, with a suspicious glance.
Harry shrugged and replied, "A lot more than once, Headmaster, and it does not matter. We have a matter to attend to, I believe." Dumbledore nodded and they placed the ring on the floor. They took a few steps back and pointed their wands at the ring, which lay on the floor of the chamber, glittering in the murky light.
"Attero concutio substantia immundus Animus!" shouted Harry and Dumbledore together, letting go of the raw power needed to perform the spell. An inhuman scream echoed through the chamber before both wizards were flung back by the backlash of the destroyed soul. Although they raised powerful shields, the force was enough to send them flying through the chamber. Dumbledore was able to cushion himself in time but Harry was not as lucky as he hit the wall at a sickening speed, dislocating his shoulder and knocking him out.
