Harry's New Boggart - Chapter 2: Slytherin's Locket
"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place," shouted Harry, while standing in the Weasleys' fireplace. It was the day after Bill's wedding, and the four of them had decided that the sooner they check out Ginny's hunch about R.A.B., the better. Harry was uneasy about going back to the house that used to belong to Sirius (and now belonged to him), but figured that if he was willing to visit caves guarded by reanimated corpses to defeat Voldemort, he was willing to face a house with memories of a lost loved one. He stepped out of the fireplace there and looked around, waiting for the others to join him.
He didn't have to wait long before Ginny emerged from the flames, walked up to face him, and put her left hand in his right hand. "How are you feeling, Harry?" she asked, with a concerned expression on her face. I know this can't be easy for you."
Harry then grabbed her other hand and answered, "I, I half expect Sirius to walk into this room with a big smile on his face to greet us. I know it's been a year, but, I don't know. This house just makes me miss him more."
"Of course it does," assured Hermione from behind him. She was standing next to Ron. "If you want to talk about it, we're here for you."
"Yeah," agreed Ron, looking like he would rather start belching slugs than talk about Sirius.
Harry decided that needed to convince his friends that he was all right. "I appreciate it, guys, but we've got a job to do. Ron, you look for the locket. Hermione, you look for anything that might have Regulus' full name. Ginny and I will stay here and snog until you're done. I mean stand guard." Ginny chuckled and Ron gave Harry a dirty look.
Hermione suggested, "I've got a better idea. Ron and…"
"Yeah, you and Ron will snog while Harry and I…" interrupted Ginny, causing both Hermione and Ron to blush while Harry started laughing.
"…As I was saying," Hermione stated in a calm voice, trying to hide her embarrassment, "Ron and Harry can look for the locket while Ginny and I search for anything that says Regulus' middle name. We'll start with the library." When she saw the looks of disappointment on both Ginny's and Harry's faces, she added playfully to Harry, "I don't think you and Ginny will actually get any work done if you're together."
Ginny feigned anger and retorted, "I'll have you know it takes a lot of work to properly snog!" Harry's face was quickly turning red as he hid it in his hands. Before he closed his eyes, he noticed that both Ron and Hermione were turning a darker shade of red than he was.
Harry put his hands back down to his side, looked from Ron's red face to Hermione's and asked, "Is there something you two would like to share with us?"
Both Ron and Hermione suddenly became very interested in the floor. After about thirty seconds of complete silence, wherein Ginny began staring at the two of them, Hermione finally opened her mouth. She answered, "Er, you guys remember, um, yesterday after we talked. Um, you two went outside for a walk and left Ron and I, er, alone together. We, um, talked, and, er…"
"You wound up snogging each other senseless?" Ginny finished. Ron and Hermione nodded slowly while turning purple. "That's great guys! I'm happy for you!"
"It's about time!" agreed Harry, as a genuine smile lit up his face. "Why were you trying to hide it?"
Ron answered this time. "We, well, we weren't sure how you would take it. You know, Hermione and me suddenly dating. We were afraid you'd think it would affect our friendship."
"First of all, I know that we're still just as close as ever. I mean, you don't think I like you guys any less just because I'm with Ginny, do you?"
"No," answered Hermione. "It's just…"
"And secondly," continued Harry, exchanging a glance with Ginny, "It's not suddenly! We've known you would end up together for years! Half of Gryffindor is betting on when you'll finally admit your feelings for each other!"
"What?" exclaimed Ron and Hermione together, to Ginny's great amusement.
Harry started chuckling and asked, "Ginny, when we get back, remind me to owl Seamus, Neville, and Parvati. They each owe me ten Galleons!"
Ginny started laughing out loud at this, saying in between giggles, "They each owe me five Galleons, too!" At this, she and Harry lost control, laughing their heads off for a good five minutes while Ron and Hermione just glared at them.
While Harry was wiping his eyes that had watered from laughing too hard, he suggested, "Guys, we'd better get to work. We'll split up into the groups Hermione suggested, and snog when we're done, and not a moment sooner. Come on, Ron!" Before anyone could object, he'd grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him upstairs toward the drawing room. He stated, "If I remember right, the locket we couldn't open was in the glass-fronted cabinets in the drawing room. The same room as the Black family tapestry. It's too bad it only had Regulus Black without his middle name written on it."
They arrived in the room without waking the portrait of Mrs. Black, which was still stuck on the wall. When they got in the room and closed the door, Ron said, "There's got to be a way to get rid of that portrait, even if you have to take off part of the wall! It is your house, mate, so you can do what you want, but honestly, I can't stand having to tiptoe by Mrs. Black every time I walk up the stairs."
"I agree with you, Ron, but not today! We've got a specific job to do now. Why don't you quickly double-check the tapestry for Regulus' middle name while I start searching the cabinets."
"All right," replied Ron as he walked toward the tapestry.
Harry looked at a music box, remembering how its tune had nearly put them all to sleep until Ginny had the sense to slam it shut. He smiled at that memory and wondered privately why he hadn't fallen for her at that moment. He moved on in his search until he noticed a heavy book entitled, "Natures' Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy." Wondering if it contained the 'Black' family tree, he picked up the tome and opened it. On the first page of the book was written, "This book is charmed so that it is constantly updating itself as members of noble wizarding families are born, marry, have children, and die, so that it is always accurate." He found a table of contents that listed family names such as Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin near the beginning. It also listed names of families he knew, such as Malfoy, Fudge, Dumbledore, Weasley, Potter, and Black. Upon seeing the 'Black' name listed, he immediately turned to the correct page and started scanning the names, noticing that the full names, birth dates, etc. were listed for each person. When he reached the bottom of the list, he found Sirius, as well as Regulus Arcturus Black. He shouted, "Hey Ron, look at this! Regulus Arcturus Black! Ginny was right!"
"What's that, mate?" asked Ron. Harry quickly showed him the book, and had Ron go find the girls while Harry continued his search.
"Harry, can I see that book?" came Hermione's voice a few minutes later.
"Have you found the locket?" asked Ginny's voice before Harry could answer Hermione.
Harry turned to them both and saw Ron behind them. He smiled at Ginny. "The book is over there, and no, I haven't found the locket, yet."
They all began searching for the locket. When they couldn't find it in the cabinet, they checked the cupboard where Kreacher used to sleep and hide things he didn't want thrown away, but to no avail. When they closed the cupboard, Harry exclaimed, "I bet Dung stole it!"
They decided to continue searching the house, just in case the locket was simply moved, but they all agreed that Mundungus Fletcher had probably taken it. While they were approaching the entrance to the attic, they heard a noise downstairs. Harry signaled them all to be quiet and draw their wands. They crept toward the staircase in complete silence, and saw none other than Mundungus himself stalking about with a bag, helping himself to Harry's inheritance. Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "I thought he was in Azkaban. You and Ron are of age. Would you mind stunning that thief for me so we can question him?"
In answer to his question, Hermione pointed her wand at Mundungus and thought, "stupefy." The four of them watched Dung fall to the ground and immediately Mrs. Black's portrait woke up and started screaming about blood traitors and mudbloods. Harry pulled out a pocket knife he'd started carrying after Dumbledore's death and started cutting the sides of the portrait while Mrs. Black started screaming even louder.
Harry shouted at her, "This is my house now, and I am sick of hearing you complain!" To Harry's astonishment, when he'd slashed all the sides of her portrait, it came down. She was still screaming from the canvas that was now rolled up in Harry's hand, but this time she was begging for her life.
Hermione smiled and commented, "With all the magic they used trying to remove the frame from the wall, they never thought to try something as simple as cutting the canvas! Well done, Harry! What do you want to do with her portrait now?"
"Burn it. But for now, we've got a piece of Dung downstairs we need to question. Hermione, if you'd lead the way. If you don't mind, bind him before you revive him.
When Dung opened his eyes, he knew he was in trouble. He was wandless, tied to a chair, and staring at three angry looking young people, one of which was Harry Potter, the owner of the house he'd been burglarizing. There was a red-headed boy nearby emptying his bag, examining the contents. He immediately tried to apparate, but found that he couldn't. He looked shocked.
"I see you've discovered the anti-apparition shield I put around you, Mr. Fletcher," said Hermione, sounding smug. "We have a few questions for you and didn't want you to leave before answering them."
"For starters," shouted Harry, looking ready to kill, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pulverize you where you're sitting!"
"I, I was just…"
"Taking an inventory to protect Harry's property?" suggested Ginny with a dangerous look in her face, "How touching. My question is this. Have you ever heard of the Bat Bogey hex?" Ginny was pointing her wand at Dung, who was sweating profusely. "I've been told I do that very well."
Hermione, acting like she was trying to keep the peace, said with a sympathetic tone of voice, "You're lucky they let me revive you. They both wanted to kill you on the spot. I'm sure you know about Harry's temper." She closed her eyes and shivered a little, as though remembering something. "He nearly killed Draco Malfoy a few month's ago, and he'd just insulted Harry, not stolen from him."
"R, Really?"
"Yeah," confirmed Ginny, "Unfortunately, a teacher was able to heal up Draco's cuts before he bled to death. We all thought that he'd be expelled. Thank God for Dumbledore!"
"Anyway," continued Hermione, "what we really need to know is whether or not you stole a certain locket that wouldn't open, and where it is now. Harry wants it back for sentimental reasons!"
"The locket, yes, let's see if I remember…"
Harry grabbed Dung by the hair and shouted, "Where is it?"
"It, It's in that bag! I couldn't sell it cause it wouldn't open! Take it!"
Harry turned toward Ron and asked, "Is it there?"
Ron smiled and replied, "Yeah, I found it a few minutes ago."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ginny.
"You guys looked like you were having too much fun. I didn't want to interrupt."
Everyone but Dung laughed at that, and then Hermione stupefied Dung again. Harry asked Ginny if she would floo her mother to get some Order members to take Mundungus off their hands. When she returned, Harry was looking at the now freshly polished locket with a snake on the front. Harry stated, "It looks like Slytherin's locket all right. Hermione, do you have any idea if the locket being stuck closed means that the Horcrux is there, or that it's been destroyed?"
"I'm sorry, Harry. I still haven't found a book on Horcruxes yet. I'd say the safest thing to do is assume it hasn't been destroyed."
Ron asked, "How do we destroy a Horcrux, anyway?"
"Harry managed to destroy one before," suggested Ginny. "Maybe he can do it the same way."
Harry shrugged and replied, "The only trouble is I'm fresh out of basilisk fangs."
Chapter end