Story: Swallowed by Shadow
Summary: When Harry begins his search for the Horcruxes, a mysterious man appears. Is he friend, or foe? Can Harry finish his task and beat the Dark Lord, or will he be Swallowed by Shadow? HP? HGRW RLNT
Date: 29 May 06
Chapter 3
The Potter Mansion
"Harry!" his friend called. Strange, that after the relationship they had, he couldn't be called anything more. Sirius was his godfather, and took it to his death. Remus couldn't be that, and he wasn't technically an uncle, but he felt better thinking of him as one anyway. Uncle Remus, he thought. Bet he'll love the sound of that.
"Yes, Remus?" he said, walking up the steps to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
"Where have you been?" Remus demanded.
"Oh, no where," Harry responded, beaming at his two friends.
"Harry!" Remus said dangerously.
"What?" he asked, faming innocence. He could tell by the look in his eye that Remus didn't buy it.
"Oh fine," he said. "Let's go inside and I'll tell you."
The older wizard glared at him a minute longer, before stepping aside and allowing the trio through. They went together to the kitchen, where they found a couple of the remaining Order members sitting around.
"Hey Mad-Eye," Harry greeted, looking at the others. There were only a few members there tonight, and he greeted each. "Minerva, Kingsley," he said, before taking a seat.
"Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
"Out," he tried. He was enjoying stringing them along.
"Out where?" she asked through her perched lips.
"In a graveyard," he said nonchalantly.
"Harry," Mad-Eye growled, cutting off McGonagall's next question. "What is that cup?" He gestured to a lump in Harry's robes.
"This?" he asked, pulling it out. "Oh, it's nothing, just the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, and one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
The usual winces at the name were delayed as the shock of it hit the assembled group.
"What?" Remus demanded. "How?"
"Hermione found an entry in Hogwarts; a History about the founders of Hogwarts," he responded. "The entry said that one of the last known relics of Helga had been buried with her, in Scotland."
"But didn't you say that, that woman had it?" Remus asked.
"Yes, Hepzibah Smith held the cup and some of the others for awhile," Harry responded. "Though I think she took it from the Hufflepuff tomb in the first place."
"Then how did yo--" Remus tried to ask.
"Because Tom Riddle is a lot of things, but he is no profaner of the great founders," Harry responded. "I thought he would return it after having made it a Horcrux, and, indeed, he had." Harry set the chalice on the table quietly, allowing them to absorb what he was saying.
"So the three of you decided to go and find it?" Remus demanded. "Without so much as telling us where you were going?"
"Er, well, not exactly," Hermione began. At the prompting looks she got from the rest of the table, she continued, "Harry tried to go and find it, and Ron and I followed. He told us to go back when he found out, but we wouldn't."
"You shouldn't have come," he said quietly. "You could have gotten killed."
"And so could you!" she retorted.
"This is my fight, Hermione, not yours," he said coldly.
"No," Kingsley said, speaking for the first time that night. "You may have to deal the final blow, but it is still our fight. All of us will help you, Harry. You're not going to face him alone, and you're not going to have to prepare to face him alone, either."
Harry looked at the fierce determination in the man's eyes, and then looked at the others. They all had the same look. For the first time since Dumbledore's death, Harry smiled. He wasn't alone.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch forever, before Remus said, "Anyone know how to destroy this thing?"
"How about Reducto?" Kingsley asked.
"I doubt it, but it's worth a shot," Remus replied, taking a step back from the table and drawing his wand.
"No!" Minerva practically screamed. "Not here," she said, slightly calmer. "The last thing we need to do is level our headquarters from one of his wards."
Remus sighed and nodded. "Where then?" he asked.
There was silence for a minute, then Harry spoke up. "My dad's house in the Americas," he said. "It has a bomb shelter that they warded."
"I remember it," Remus said quietly. "They used to use it for practice. Nothing, not even Voldemort's spells, could break through those walls. The wards are the strongest I've ever seen."
"Then it's settled," Minerva said.
The rest nodded. "Let's go," Mad-Eye said.
Harry nodded again, grabbing a pot from the counter. "Portkey," he said, as Ron and Hermione raised their eyebrows.
Remus took it and muttered, "Portus," then held it out for the others to grab a hold of. "3, 2, 1," he counted, and they all felt the familiar tug on their navel.
"Welcome home, Harry," Remus said as they all tried to keep from falling.
They were in the front yard of a large home, with fountains and a beautiful garden in the front. Harry noticed that there were quite a few lilies in the garden, and smiled slightly.
Noticing his gaze, Remus said, "Your father did that just before he asked Lily to marry him."
"He did it by hand?" Harry asked, curious.
"Oh no," Remus chuckled. "Your father never did anything with his hands that he could have done with his wand."
"Then how?" Harry asked. "I didn't think you could make flowers from nothing."
"He didn't," Remus said. "He transfigured those that were already there into the pattern he wanted."
"What pattern?" Harry asked. He couldn't see any pattern in them.
"You'll see," Remus responded mysteriously as they continued to walk toward the door of the mansion.
Harry wandered at the man's antics, but questioned him no farther.
When they reached the door, Remus gestured to Harry. "It's your house, Harry," he said.
Harry looked at him oddly, never having really thought of it like that before. He reached his hand out, and grabbed the handle. Almost afraid of entering the home, he turned the handle and pulled open the door.
The house was huge, bigger than anything he had ever seen. He could have fit an army in there with room to lie down.
They must have used a charm, he thought, as he walked in and looked around. Pictures of all of the Potters lined the walls, dating back centuries. He'd never realize just how far back the Potter line had gone.
A large fireplace was off to one side of the room, and in front of it were two sofas and some lounging chairs. The kitchen was off to his right, and he went over to explore it. It, too, was huge. There were multiple stoves and every appliance that could ever be needed, not that a wizarding family really needed many. He counted at least three refrigerators and a huge number of cabinets, with enough counter top room to prepare a hundred meals at a time.
"Why would they need all this?" he asked Remus.
"They wouldn't," he responded. "But they didn't make it. This is the Potter Mansion, Harry. It dates back to before your great great great grandfather's time."
"Wow," he said. "Then why's it in the Americas?"
Remus seemed to think for a moment, before saying, "I honestly don't know. Maybe they knew what was coming for England."
"Where's this bomb shelter?" Mad-Eye asked, his blue eye spinning wildly.
"Over here," Remus said, turning to walk towards a door leading out of the kitchen. The others quickly followed as he approached the door.
"Harry," he said, again gesturing to the door.
Harry stepped forward and opened it easily, muttering Lumos as he walked down the steps.
He could hardly see anything with his faint wand light, but he wasn't sure why. "Remus, why isn't Lumos working?" he asked.
"One of the affects of this place, Harry," Remus said, coming down beside him. "To perform spells properly here, you must be confirmed of the Potter blood or confirmed by one of the Potter blood."
"So how do I get 'confirmed'?" he asked.
"By spilling blood and reciting the Marauder Oath," he said.
"Got a knife?" Harry asked. He didn't particularly like the idea of using a cutting curse to try and spill a small amount of blood.
"Here, Potter," McGonagall said, handing him a transfigured hair. It was actually a rather beautiful knife, with nicely placed gems around the guard and a silver hilt.
"Thank you, Minerva," he said, striding to what he hoped was the middle of the room.
"I, Harry James Potter, son of Lily and James Potter, do solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, cutting his hand. As the blood trickled down his hand, he was afraid nothing would happen. But as the first drop hit the floor, he felt it.
The room became a part of him, an extension of his will. The entire house was his, and his alone. With a thought he turned on the lights in the house, and in the bomb shelter.
As the place lit up from some charm, Harry gasped at the size of it. On one end rested five human shaped dummies in a row, with lines on either side of them extending to a stopping point 10 feet away from them. It reminded Harry of nothing so much as a shooting range.
On the opposite side stood three more dummies, each holding a wand. Harry wondered what they were for as he looked to the side opposite the stairs, where there was one dummy surrounded with rack upon rack of weapons. Harry couldn't even name half of them, but counted at least ten swords and almost a hundred more weapons.
"Wow," he heard Ron whisper lightly.
"You could say that again," Harry said.
"Er…Wow?" Ron asked.
Harry smiled faintly as he closed the door with a thought.
Six wands went out and aimed at the door as it closed.
"Sorry, my doing," Harry said quickly as Mad-Eye began to charge up the stairs.
The wizards shot questioning glances at Harry, except for Remus, who nodded and walked to where Harry stood.
"You can feel the house, can't you, Harry?"
"Yes," he responded. "It's like it's another limb or something."
Remus nodded and said, "I need you to focus on this room of the house, and on us. Can you see the magic around us, Harry?"
"Yes," he said, his eyes closed. "But there are two magics there. One is coming from you, trying to push out, and the other is surrounding it, holding it in."
"I need you to focus on each of us, Harry, and take the outer field away," he said, watching the boy's face as he worked. It had taken James weeks after he'd built the shelter to be able to control it, and that was with Lily's help. Remus only hoped Harry would be a quicker study so they could get to work on the Horcrux.
There was silence for a minute, as Harry's face contorted with concentration. No one said a word as he worked, afraid to disturb him.
Finally, he opened his eyes and nodded. "Try a spell," he said.
Each of them tried a spell and found their magics fully restored.
"Good job," Remus commended, summoning a stone stool to place the cup on.
The wizards stepped back and formed a semi-circle around the chalice. "Alright, the walls of this place are fully magic proof, so there shouldn't be an issue there," Remus said. "But watch yourselves. After every spell, I want everyone to summon a shield, just incase."
When everyone nodded, he pointed his wand directly at the goblet. "On three, then," he said. "1, 2, 3!"
Seven cries of "REDUCTO!" went out, immediately followed by "PROTEGO!"
The spells hit the goblet dead on, and it glowed a strange red color for a moment, before all of the spells were sent back at their casters.
The shields barely saved them, throwing the spells harmlessly away at the walls or floor.
"Alright then, Reducto isn't going to work," Remus said. "Anymore ideas?"
Before anyone could respond, Harry swayed on his feet.
"You OK, Harry?" Kingsley asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Just a little worn out."
"Alright, maybe you three should go get some rest," Remus said.
"No, I'm fine," Harry lied.
"Bed, Potter," Minerva said, her eyes leaving no room for argument. "Now."
He locked eyes with the old woman for a moment, and he seemed about to argue, when he collapsed into Kingsley's arms.
Remus jumped forward and helped Kingsley set Harry on the floor.
"That was quite a lot of magic for him to wield," Minerva said. "I can't imagine what it must have been like to try and get past Voldemort's wards, or to do whatever binding he just did with this house."
"Taking on an army of Inferi wasn't a walk in the park either," Ron said indignantly.
"No, of course not," McGonagall said, even as Hermione elbowed him for his tactless remark. "To bed with all of you, then."
"But Professor," Hemione said.
"I've told you before, Hermione, I'm not your professor any longer. Call me Minerva," the old woman said softly.
"Right, er, Minerva," Hermione tried. "Where are we to sleep?"
"I'm sure Harry won't mind if you stay here," Remus said. "The rest of us need to work on the Horcrux, so I think it might be best if we all stayed here for now."
Together, McGonagall and Remus led the three young wizards up to the spare bedrooms, of which there were many.
"It's going to be a long night," Remus said, gazing again at the chalice.
"Try a long week, boy," Mad-Eye growled, standing next to him.
"Let's hope we figure it out by then," he responded.
"If Dumbledore did it in a night, I'm sure we shall manage in a week," Minerva said quietly.
Together, the four began to work, much like 4 others did many years ago to found a castle. But in these four, there would be no traitor. Or would there?
A.N--Mwahahaha. How do you like my ending? The mysterious man comes back next chapter, so keep sending me your guesses!
Oh, new guesses on who those other 4 were for the same bonus as before.
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