Voldemort's Strongest Weaknesses

Viopathartic

Vee-o-path-ar-tek

Disclaimer: Haven't we gone over this already?

I'm back! Gives malevolent laugh I have many things planned and since I've just been promoted to status as a full-fledged freshman, I may be able to go on with my plans. Summer time is full of opportunities for me to continue writing this story. I just hope I can actually complete the whole plot. But with encouragement, words of advice, I might do that.

I've changed some stuff in the plot so I suggest you should read the whole story again so you can remember and not get confused.

All I ask is that you read and review and of course...ENJOY!

Chapter seven: Meetings

"Professor Dumbledore…you're here," whispered Harry. He's here. He's in front of me.

"Yes, Harry. Did you not expect to see me here, hanging in a frame but instead sitting right in front of you?" the deceased headmaster smiled, nonchalantly. Like every wizardry painting, Dumbledore has been realistically portrayed so that Harry felt as if he was talking to him in person.

"Well no- I mean yes, but it's just…weird." finished Harry, lamely. Albus Dumbledore continued to smile down at him.

"Er…Headmaster, where is-?" asked Hermione uncertainly, but her question was immediately answered when Headmistress McGonagall rushed in the room.

"I would think you two would have been in my office but I suppose this is considered my office from now on I…ah, Potter and...Miss Granger, you have seen Professor Dumbledore again. Although it...may be different, we cannot change it…in any way. Beg your pardon, but at my age a woman cannot talk so much after running." McGonagall plopped herself down onto the throne-like chair and picked up a feather pen.

In his mind's eye, he found the picture of a woman such as her running in a cloak, rather amusing. So he laughed. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs to stop him and ordered him to stand up straight like she was doing. Harry rolled his eyes and slumped down, lowering his regular composure. Hermione glared at him. It seemed like she was trying to impress the two school officials since she had never been up here.

"Is there a problem?" asked a stern McGonagall. She was eyeing the two with the same look she used to use when Harry and Ron used to get caught doing something.

"Now, now Minerva, the two were just inwardly arguing with each other. Now what is the purpose of this delighting meeting?"

"Well, Professor, I was wondering when Hogwarts will open…"

"Ah, very good question Miss Granger and yes, Hogwarts will be available for the attendance of all students." smiled the witch.

"Is there any objections?" She eyed Harry.

"Er…Headmistress McGonagall," croaked Harry who eyed Hermione. "Before Professor Dumbledore…left us, he gave me a mission to do and I- I mean, Hermione and Ron and I- may need extra time outside of Hogwarts to complete them."

"The mysterious mission from last term…I'm not sure if it is important enough to skip school for."

Harry let out an exasperate sigh. "Let me just tell you that it is important."

"Harry, I think it's very necessary for Minerva to know what you are doing in order to allow you times away from the school." reasoned Dumbledore. He turned to the portrait and inwardly argued with himself. What if I don't want her to know? What if I don't even want to return to school? Why do I have to listen to Hermione? It's not like I'll live to use all of my education…

Hermione, who was excellent at knowing what Harry was thinking, punch his arm hard. Harry recoiled in surprise and gave her a look.

"Harry James Potter, you better not be thinking what I think you're thinking. Education does matter, you prat. And you will not die, as long as I'm alive and by your side. Now just tell her about the damn mission." ordered Hermione, agitatedly. Then, realizing what she had said out loud, Hermione gasped and glanced nervously at the two teachers. She bowed her head in shame.

"Er…I'm sorry professors…"

Harry smirked and whispered in her ear, "Ha!" Hermione getting caught! That's a first. His friend's face quickly turned pink with embarrassment.

"Well, yes…that's alright, Miss Granger. Now Harry, can you explain the 'mission' to me." asked McGonagall in a polite tone quite different from her regular. Harry was a bit hesitant in giving her such touchy information about Horcruxes. Will she let him go on the missions? Will she stop him in some way?

"Okay, um...where should I start? Basically it's Horcuxes that I need to find."

"H-Horcuxes? B-But they don't-do they-?"

"Yes, they exist and are not myths. But Minerva can you please not interrupt. What Harry is about to reveal is beyond importance to saving our world." said Dumbledore lightly. Headmistress McGonagall gave a curt nod and said no more.

"From what Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn-I explain later- had said, a Horcux is a magical object created through the use of the Dark Arts by evil people who are afraid to die and are imbeciles. Yes, you know who I am talking about. Voldemort."

Minerva McGonagall appeared as if she was about to hurl. Harry eyed her carefully but she just waved her hand for him to continue.

"Horcruxes are created by…killing. The soul of…er You-Know-Who must be torn into at least two pieces to conceal within the object. He murders someone; ripping apart his own soul and puts it into an object that he chooses. We're not sure how he did it but he created a total of, I believe, six Horcruxes." Harry waited a moment for his teacher to regain her composure and then continued with his explanation.

"I already know that the first two Horcruxes are destroyed. The first is a ring that once belonged to Marvolo Gaunt who claims that it has been in the Gaunt family for centuries. He was Tom Riddle's grandfather. After an unfortunate event, Marvolo Gaunt and his son, Morfin were arrested and placed in Azkaban. Years later when he was a teenager, Riddle killed Morfin in order to retrieve the ring. That's murder one. Professor Dumbledore managed to destroy it last year obviously." Harry gestured toward at his own hand.

"How are you sure of all this?" exclaimed McGonagall, who looked as if she was about to have a heart attack in seconds. Harry ignored her inquiry.

"The second Horcrux was the diary of Tom Riddle, destroyed in my second year. As you know he preserved his teenage self into the book and controlled Ginny in her 1st year to do his evil acts. This will never happen again since…well, you know."

"Do you have any idea where what the other Horcruxes are?" McGonagall asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Hermione stood by her, listening intently even though she was already informed of this.

"A possibility of a horcrux could be some sort of article belonging to either Godric Gryffindor or Rowena Ravenclaw but we are not sure which it is. Another is a cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff; we're sure of that. The only problem is to find the current location of the cup because Riddle apparently murdered the inheritor, Hezbiah Smith. The other horcrux is Nagini, which is Riddle's precious pet snake."

Harry stopped speaking for a second; McGonagall wondered if he was finished. "Slytherin's locket is another Horcrux." Harry croaked. He tried to continue but found he couldn't bear it. Hermione looked at him with concern and took the liberty to continue explaining details.

"Professor McGonagall…they retrieved a locket the once belonged to Salazar Slytherin except it wasn't a real locket. The authentic one is believed to be hidden some where else. Now the thief or a death eater had said this in a note placed the fake locket." Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes, scrutinizing her face in order to remember.

"To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B."

"It was a fake. We risked everything so that we would receive the fake locket. Y-you gave your life for this stupid locket…"Harry said suddenly with uproaring emotion. Hermione, her heart filling with sorrow, unabashedly took his hand, squeezing it to let him know that she was there for him, whenever needed. Then with a determined look plastered on her face, she continued strongly.

"Professors, we still don't know who he is, but we do know one thing. He was a death eater since he had addressed Voldemort as the Dark Lord. We don't' have enough resources to continue our research. So we do want to continue or education but at the same time destroy all of the Horcruxes. But then we would need certain privileges."

Harry could see that Hermione was nervous about asking them for something so Harry took over.

"Privileges such as?"

"Well we may have to go on occasional trips, searching for the Horcruxes. And we might need supplies that are banned from Hogwarts. For example Fred and George Weasley's toys. They're brilliant in fact and can be very useful. And I'm also thinking about restarting Dumbledore's Army except for a different reason. We need to learn how to fight." said Harry, strictly business.

"Professor McGonagall…before you say anything, I ask you to listen to my reasoning." He paused for a second and then blurted out in a firm voice, "We are not children anymore, even though you may think we are. The wizardry world is going into war and yes people will get killed. I think it's better for people to die fighting then an agonizing death." Harry finished simply. Hermione stood in awe. It seemed very weird for him to act like that. It's like…he sounds like a new person, one who is ready to except his fate in the world. A true leader.

The professor seated behind the mahogany desk was gazing at the young man in front of her with same expression as Hermione. Her eyes probed his and suddenly Harry felt a little uncomfortable. Taking her glasses off, she began slowly, "You're right, Mr. Potter. I am very aware of the dangerous tasks that lie ahead of you and after what you've done since you came her at the age of eleven…I say that You-Know-Who….Tom Riddle should run." Harry and Hermione exchanged a victorious grin while the Headmistress stood up and strode over to the glass case which that held the sword. She carefully lifted it up and taking the old remnant of Godric Gryffindor, she offered it to Harry.

He stared at the sword and his reflection gleaming off from it. It was same sword he had used to slay the basilisk in second year. There were still traces of blood that crusted at the edge. McGonagall's hold was a bit shaky and from her expression both of them could tell that she was indeed nervous.

He reached out for it. Harry let out a surprised gasp. Immediately a surge of beyond belief power emanated from his fingertips to his right arm, to his whole body. He felt sweet content warmth rooming through and suddenly, the feeling disappeared. Everything was silent in the room except for the soft snores of the portraits other than Dumbledore and the slight ticking of the clock. Why does it feel so…right?

Harry continued to stare at the weapon, oblivious to the headmistress and his friend's confused looks. "Harry?" asked a tentative Hermione. He snapped out of his gaze and asked almost breathlessly, "Huh?"

"I believe you can hold it now." McGonagall let go of the sword and his arm dropped at the weight of the sword. What the-?

"Is it too…heavy?" Hermione continued to look dumbfounded. She attempted to take the sword in her hand but gasped in surprise when it started floating in mid-air. Yes, floating!

"H-Harry," she began in a shaky voice, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know."

"Well make it stop!"

"I don't know how!"

"Just try something!" shrieked McGonagall. The blade flew across the room, swaggering dangerously in random directions. People painted in the portraits ran into other delineations for cover.

"Your bickering is not helping the situation." pointed out a serene Dumbledore.

"You tell them!" encouraged another outraged subject.

Hermione shrieked and hid behind Harry. The sword switched directions, darting straight towards them. He felt Hermione grabbing clumps of his shirt and burying her head against his back. If he didn't do anything, they might get seriously hurt. Hermione might get hurt.

Deciding quickly, Harry pushed Hermione to the ground and stood in front of McGonagall. But then he forgot what exactly he was doing. How was he to stop this?

Harry feverishly felt for his wand and pointed it at the flying weapon. The tip was aiming right at him. "FINITE INCANTATEM!"

His stomach sunk in huge disappointment. It didn't work. Now the sword was just a few feet away from piercing through him. He heard Hermione whimper below him. Harry felt furious towards the sword. And it was weird since his anger was cast towards an object.

Harry threw down his wand and placed his holding hand in front of his face, palm to the closing sword. He closed his eyes while inwardly thinking, "Please stop. Stop, Stop, Stop. STOP" His heart stopped, expecting the painful incision of the sharp tip. Nothing. He painstakingly opened one eye then the other and jumped back in alarm.

The sword was close to hitting its target. In his original position, the tip was just centimeters from gouging the spot between his eyes, floating in its spot. Harry reached up a finger moving in to touch the sword except it moved away as if alarmed by any sudden touch.

"Harry. Tell it to stop floating."

"Tell it?" What is it, a dog?

"How'd you think you stopped it? Command it to fall." Feeling rather stupid, Harry cast one look at Dumbledore. His expression was unreadable; focused on the sword. So much for help. Harry cast his gaze on the floating sword, directed his right hand and concentrated. Fall. Stop floating. Fall to the ground. He felt his arm shake from holding it up so long and was just about to give up until the Gryffindor Sword gave one last visible shake, and then dropped to the floor with a clunk. Whoa.

Harry knelt down, grabbed its leather hilt, examining the object that he just managed to "command". It looked the same as in second year except for some damage from the slaying of the basilisk. Engraved on blade back was the name of its owner, Godric Gryffindor. He remembered something about Dumbledore saying that, "only a true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the Sorting Hat". He remembered how when he retrieved the sword, he was extremely surprised. He remembered how the sword had saved his and Ginny's life.

Without notice, intense beam of light ricochet from the sword and contacted with Harry's chest. With the wind knocked out of him, he flew backwards, his back colliding the desk. Harry heard Hermione scream.

"Harry! Harry, are you alright?" No.

"Ugh…."

"Potter!" It was McGonagall.

"I'm fine! Just back away from the sword. Now!" The two did as they were told. The pain of the impact caused some major sore spots; Harry struggled to pull himself off. He was able to get a good look at the source and the sight was blinding.

Light illuminated off the sword, reboundingon every portrait (to much of the peoples' annoyance). The sword itself was quivering convulsively as if there was a violent earthquake. In the fact the whole room was shaking. Portraits screamed as their frames slid down from the wall, valuable artifacts, shelves, and candles were knocked off of their resting area. Harry was able to Dumbledore's look of horror with a mixture of curiosity before his frame fell to the ground. He was sure Dumbledore was not harmed. But they might be in a matter of time. Hermione pressed herself against the wall, eyes closed with McGonagall's arms around her.

With a pitiful attempt, Harry aimed a Stunning charm at the now known Horcrux. The condition of the sword did not change. He was too weak, he decided.

I can't stop it. How could he stop the sword before? Why can't he do it now? Harry yelled out loud. "Damn it!" A glass, unharmed by the "earthquake", shattered above him. The shards fell on top of him, but Harry ignored the pain. He fired a series of charms but no effect. That only annoyed him even more. God, if I can't stop this then how can I defeat that son-of-a bitch?

A surge of magic ran through his veins, spreading around his body. His wand and his hand felt as if they were stuck together by a sudden force; he couldn't release it. Abruptly, a powerful shaft of green light (similar to the Killing Curse's description) fusilladed from the tip of his wand, impinging with the Horcrux. Another explosion erupted, forcing Harry against the side of the desk once more. This time both McGonagall and Hermione shrieked, deadly afraid.

Even with his eyes glued shut, he could still feel the dynamic heat striking the surface of his skin until it dwindled and he was allowed to open up. The after effect of the room was nothing compared to the sword's condition. Once with a blade of luster, it was know half the size before and the shine was no more replaced with the ashes of fire. The tip of the sword was more of a blunt curve.

Harry approached it, despite Hermione's protests, until he was right above it. The sword didn't look as dangerous…he grabbed it quickly. Again he was knocked off his feet, figuratively speaking, when the sword healed itself. The blade grew to its original length and the ash dispersed, leaving a blade of shine. This time there was no blood.

Sensing that it was safe once more, Hermione and Headmistress McGonagall went to Harry's side, peering at the sword.

"Harry? What the bloody hell happened?" Hermione asked angrily.

Harry regained his grip on the handle and turned to her.

"The destruction of the third horcrux."


A/N: Yea! claps hands enthusiastically My seventh chapter is finally complete. It's alittle longer than usual just saying, so I hope you enjoy this one. Read and Review!