Chapter 7- Drums of War
Gryffindor Common Room- 0600H
Dobby found it rather exciting to sneak up on the Boy-Who-Lived. Ever since the Chamber fiasco, the house-elf has had a soft spot for the green-eyed boy. Seeing him being treated no better than his fellow house-elves by his own so-called family in Privet Drive made him empathize with the kind-hearted child.
Now though, this mission was for an altogether different reason. The old headmaster specifically tasked Dobby with delivering this urgent message to Harry.
He deftly avoided the various objects littered across the Boys' Dorm and snuck a peek at each of the beds. He found that the first four were in deep sleep, leaving behind the last one at the far end of the dorm.
'This must be it!' he thought gleefully.
He silently entered the bed, careful to avoid rousing the young boy from his slumber. The house-elf casted a 'silencing' charm around the bed to avoid waking his dormmates.
Dobby slowly placed his right hand on Harry's arm, shaking him lightly.
"Master Potter, sir. You have to wake up." He urged silently.
Harry was not waking. In fact, Dobby assumed he was having a rather risqué dream of someone that sounded familiar. He could have sworn he had heard the name of Harry's Wheezy's sister tumbling out of his mouth, but now was not the time to think on it.
"Master Potter. Master Potter. HARRY POTTER, SIR!"
As if electrocuted by an open wire, Harry woke up thrashing and breathing heavily. He was suddenly very conscious of himself, having just dreamed of a certain redhead doing things one would think were border-line illegal.
Devoutly thankful that Ron and Dean were not Legilimens, he groped for his glasses on his bedside table. Once he managed to put them on, he nearly screamed at the sight of the creature he least expected to visit him early in the morning.
Dobby's presence also put Harry on high alert. The last time he was visited by the house-elf on his bed was during the Chamber incident.
"H-hello, Harry Potter, sir." Dobby squeaked.
"D-Dobby? What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?" He asked him, both concernedly and exasperatingly.
He saw Dobby acting jumpy, and he witnessed the elf pull out and offer him a piece of parchment. His stomach dropped at the handwriting as he received it.
With a resolve not seen in all his years in Hogwarts, he left his bed and pulled out his wand, Map and Cloak. He was half-tempted to just go on ahead to Dumbledore's Office and keep his friends from getting involved.
He mentally chastises himself for thinking that. They will not only get mad at him for it, it will also disregard Dumbledore's instructions.
'And also make the lessons even harder without their input.' He thought wryly.
With a breath, he knelt in front of the nervous-looking Dobby.
"Dobby. I need you to wake up Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood in Ravenclaw Tower. Tell them to go directly to Dumbledore's office," he whispered.
The house-elf went wide-eyed at this and nodded. He disappeared in a snap.
Harry then woke up Ron and Neville. After telling them of Dumbledore's message, the trio swiftly washed up and gathered their things for the meeting with the headmaster.
They didn't stop to eat breakfast, instead, they waited by the Phoenix staircase to Dumbledore's office for the three girls.
After a few minutes of waiting, they saw the final three jogging towards them.
Seeing that all of them were present, Harry faced the Phoenix.
"Lemon drops."
The Phoenix revolved and lowered the staircase, granting them passage.
As they reached the door, Harry took a breath and knocked thrice. A muffled 'Enter' was heard, then Harry turned the knob and led his friends inside.
Once they entered, they were shocked at the amount of books stacked on Dumbledore's desk and were somewhat apprehensive of the floating Pensieve before them.
Dumbledore gazed at the six of them, pleased that they had arrived quickly. He stood and gave them a genial greeting.
"Good morning to you all. Have you eaten any breakfast?"
The six of them looked at each other, and Ron spoke for them, "No, Professor Dumbledore."
"We came as quick as we could, Sir." Harry added.
Dumbledore nodded and summoned seven plates of food for them.
He offered them the plates and said, "It is best if we have ourselves a hearty meal before we begin. I will not lie to you, today's lessons will cover everything up to the most vital memory that I will show you. Dig in, please." He told them kindly but with a seriousness that warranted no discussion.
The sextet dutifully ate their breakfast and once they finished, the wizened headmaster began his briefing.
"Last night, I was informed of the Dark Lord's recent actions and plans. It is as I have feared, worse than expected." He told them grimly.
The sextet grew pale at this, even Luna was not her airy self.
Dumbledore's gaze softened at their reactions, but he pushed on.
"The Dark Lord has managed to secure the assistance of heavily-armed and well-trained Muggle mercenaries of Eastern European descent. This adds complications in our efforts against Him. With their presence, I expect the Dark Lord's forces have acquired some knowledge on the basics of muggle warfighting. In addition, our negotiations with the Giants and werewolves have failed. The dementors have sworn their allegiance to Voldemort (Ron, Neville and Hermione slightly whimpered at the name), along with the Giants. The enemy has also been seen using Inferi."
"Inferi?" exclaimed Hermione, stunned.
"Yes, Ms. Granger. Very dangerous should you come into contact with them, as they are basically walking corpses whose only goal is to follow whoever controls them. They can only be defeated by fire." He informed them.
Harry was horrified upon hearing these updates. Voldemort has amassed what could be a vast army under his command. He saw that his friends were pale and stunned as well.
Dumbledore, having sensed the mood, quickly moved on to his next agenda.
"This was not the main reason why I asked you all here today." He stood up and walked to his desk.
"These recent developments have forced me to recalibrate our lesson plan. We shall spend this entire day, poring over the key memories of Voldemort's life, how he came to power and how we can defeat him once and for all. Now that we are all fed, it is time we begin the next memory." He grabbed a phial of wispy threads and poured them into the pensieve.
Harry stared at the threads swirling into the Pensieve. He gasped suddenly, his eyes widening at the realization that he had failed to do the one task given to him beforehand.
"SLUGHORN'S TRUE MEMORY!"
This stunned everyone. But Dumbledore simply chuckled.
"Not to worry, dear boy. While you were all in bed, he and I had little chat over a bottle of mead. It was quite illuminating, seeing the jovial Potions Master as drunk as I was back in the day." He remarked cheerfully.
Harry visibly relaxed at this, but felt ashamed of his perceived failure.
He made to apologize, but Dumbledore put up a hand to stop him.
"Do not be ashamed, Harry. These were unfortunate circumstances which led me to accelerate our plans. I do not believe you failed me. Don't be too hard on yourself." The wizened headmaster advised him sincerely.
Harry's expression calmed further, and he nodded. "Thank you, Professor."
Albus' eyes twinkled and he gestured for the rest of the group to come near the basin, "Come now, and let us delve into the mystery of Tom Riddle. Prepare your parchments and quills should you need to take notes."
The group gathered their things quickly. Ginny felt a certain fear of looking into the young Voldemort's life, as it reminded her of the very boy that had haunted her in her first year.
Harry looked at her and offered his hand, giving her a small smile. She gulped and nodded, her lips thinning as she held his hand.
Harry whispered to her, "You're okay. We'll be with you."
She gazed at him, her brown eyes staring into his green ones.
They turned to the Pensieve, and together, they entered the abyss.
Some Time Later
It was slightly past noon by the time they finished all the memories. Dumbledore allowed the group to process what they had just witnessed.
Harry was breathing heavily, his stomach churning. He saw that Ginny was no better, so he rushed to hug her. She hugged him back, refusing to let go. He then saw that Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna were leaning into each other.
It was horrible.
Enlightening, but horrible.
Voldemort had most probably made at least seven Horcruxes. SEVEN.
It was magic most vile, achieved through senseless and brutal murder, all for the alluring prize of immortality.
For some reason, Harry felt a tinge of anger towards Horace Slughorn, their newly-hired Potions Professor. He just couldn't help but balk at his audacity for sharing that kind of knowledge to an unknowingly sadistic sixteen year old. But then he understood why it would be difficult to resist the charisma of the handsome Tom Riddle. It would have been funny seeing old Sluggy's nervous face if it wasn't for the Chamber, the Diary and the decaying right hand of Dumbledore.
His musings were cut short as he focused on his surroundings. They can't afford to stay whimpering every time something horrible is shown to them. So, he spoke to Ginny, who was already giving him a hard, yet determined look.
"We'll beat him. We've done it before, and we can do it again." He told her.
She took a breath and stood up with him. The other four also stood up. Harry had never felt such pride for his friends, seeing them ready to face their fears.
Dumbledore was in awe at their strength and love for one another. He cleared his throat, ready to address them.
"You are all a credit to your Houses. I have only seen such bravery in the rarest of times. Stand proud, all of you. Once you are finally ready, we shall discuss the memories presented." He finished.
The Ministry Six sat at the center of the office, forming a semi-circle facing Dumbledore. He brought out a ring and a book with a gaping hole on it.
"The Diary." Ginny rasped. Harry held her hand as he remembered how he destroyed it.
"Precisely, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore confirmed.
He turned to them all, "With the recent memories, my suspicions have been confirmed that Voldemort did create more than one Horcrux. This Ring belonged to the Gaunt Family. It proved very difficult to….destroy, as it was difficult to find." He showed his decaying hand, much to the horror of the group.
He continued, "These objects, Horcruxes, require much more dangerous methods of destroying them. Fiendfyre or cursed fire is one method, and it has proven successful in destroying the Ring. But it is too dangerous a spell to be casted, as failing to control it will consume countless lives."
The group grew solemn at this realization.
With some lunch being brought to them, Dumbledore continued his discussion, "The Diary was destroyed by a Basilisk fang, correct?" He asked Harry.
Harry swallowed a spoonful of roasted chicken and said, "Yes, Professor."
Dumbledore nodded at this, "Basilisk venom also has properties that can destroy a Horcrux. With this, I believe you are all aware that the Basilisk still remains in the Castle's underbelly."
Ginny's eyes grew and said, "Of course! We can grab the Basilisk fangs from the Chamber!"
At this, everyone stopped eating. They all looked at Ginny and were concerned of the implications if she were to go back to the Chamber.
Ginny frowned at their concerned looks and said, almost impatiently, "I know that I had a terrible year there, but if the opportunity to go and grab something that can beat V-Voldemort can be found in that Chamber, I want in. Professor." She told them him, determinedly.
Dumbledore stroked his beard at this. He then chuckled. "Indeed you are correct Miss Weasley. However, I must make sure that you are certain of your decision to re-enter the very place that caused you so much anguish?"
Ginny ducked her head. She licked her lips and clenched and unclenched her hands nervously. Finally, she faced Dumbledore and nodded. "I am."
"Good." The headmaster said, with a twinkle in his eye.
Harry then spoke up, "If you're going, I am too."
"Harry. You and I have a different task to attend to for today. Let Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger go down the Chamber. It is necessary for Miss Weasley to come to terms with her fears." He finished.
Harry looked at his friends, their eyes imploring him to understand. He nodded.
"Okay."
But Harry realized something. "Wait, how will you enter the Chamber? You need a Parselmouth to enter."
The rest of the group frowned at this, but Harry felt that he can still help them out. It was Ron that ultimately dashed his hopes.
"I actually remembered a few words in Parseltongue after hearing you talk in your sleep." Ron sheepishly admitted.
This amazed everyone, especially Hermione. "T-That's brilliant, Ron." She told him brightly.
Ron blushed at the praise but looked awfully chuffed with himself.
Even Harry was amazed. He trusted his friend enough to understand that once Ron picked up on something, it tended to stick. He nodded to his best friend, "All right, mate."
Hermione then gasped, "Wait, Harry. Didn't you once say you used the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the Basilisk?"
Harry gaped at Hermione and came to the same realization.
"Are you saying-?"
"I am! I've read somewhere that the Sword is Goblin-made, which means it absorbs that which makes it stronger. The Sword itself is impregnated in Basilisk venom!" Hermione chattered excitedly.
Everyone was in awe.
"Blimey Hermione, that was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.
Hermione blushed at this and muttered something about extraneous details.
The mood was suddenly lighter now. A grinning Harry looked at Dumbledore, who was solemn. He frowned at this. Isn't this some good news? Now they didn't have to go down to the Chamber.
The next revelation crushed their hopes.
"That was an extremely brilliant deduction, Miss Granger. I intended to pass on the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry upon the time of my death. But I regret to inform you all that the Sword has gone missing." He finished grimly.
The mood soured upon learning this. Hermione, Ron and Ginny looked at each other nervously.
It was Neville who cheered them up. "At least we know of one option. We still have those Fangs down the Chamber. It's not the end of the world yet, guys."
Everyone was slightly cheered up by this.
"Mr. Longbottom is right. Better we know of one more option available to us. Let use make do with the cards fate has dealt us." Dumbledore advised them.
The professor then clapped his hands together, "Good. Now, let us enumerate the potential horcruxes. We have one in Hufflepup's Cup, and an artefact belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw. Miss Lovegood, you may have some insight on this." He addressed Luna.
They all looked at her, eager for her advice.
Luna was still humming a tune by the time she saw them looking her way.
"Oh! Sorry Professor, the Wrackspurts are awful plenty today."
Dumbledore chuckled at this. "Not to worry, Miss Lovegood. I was just asking for your insight on what potential artefact may be made into a horcrux. It has to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw."
Luna was thinking, nodding to herself, and then,
"I remember! There is Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem. My daddy told me all about it while he was investigating the Rotfang Conspiracy. It was quite famous back then."
"When was it lost?" Ron chimed in.
"Centuries, I heard." Luna supplied.
Groans were heard from the group at the realization.
"Are there any other Ravenclaw artefacts that could be a horcrux, Luna?" Hermione asked desperately.
Luna wracked her head again, but said no.
They turned to Professor Dumbledore. "Sir, if it's not the Diadem, then what else could it be? Could it belong to another Founder?" Hermione asked.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger. As you all know, Riddle is a prideful person and he prefers his magical containers to be that of prominent Magical figures; to showcase his superiority among all magical beings. That being said, the Diadem is to be worn like a tiara. It allows the wearer to experience increased intellect, wisdom and so on. I am confident it is this diadem that Tom Riddle intended to use as a Horcrux." The old headmaster explained.
Neville then broke his silence, "But sir, if it has been lost for centuries, where else could it be?"
"We could ask the Grey Lady. I usually visit her from time to time whenever I lose my things." Luna said cheerfully.
"People can't treat like you that, Luna!" Neville exclaimed, aghast at Luna's experience of having her things stolen.
Luna smiled brilliantly at a blushing Neville, and she squeezed his hand.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled so brightly that you could have sworn it glowed white.
"Excellent suggestion, Miss Lovegood. Might I suggest you bring Mr. Longbottom with you in speaking with the Grey Lady? I believe we may be able to find this lost artefact quicker through her guidance." He supplied.
Luna smiled once more at Dumbledore and Neville couldn't help but smile back.
'I can't believe I'm actually going to help Harry out!' Neville thought happily.
Harry couldn't help but feel nervous. On one hand, he was glad all his friends were tasked with their assignments. It was a sign of progress and one step closer to beating Voldemort. On the other, he is wondering what assignment he will be tasked with. Realizing that he will be alongside Dumbledore, the danger level is presumably high.
He shifted his gaze to his mentor, whose features were more pronounced than ever. He looked wearier, older and his beard had lost its shining bluster, not to mention the ever-worsening condition of his right hand.
Dumbledore once again spoke, "With that out of the way, we shall discuss the other two potential Horcruxes: Slytherin's Locket and Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini."
Upon hearing the snake's name, Ron and Ginny stiffened. Harry understood why. They had not forgotten what had happened to Arthur Weasley last year.
"Let us first discuss the Locket. This was another possession belonging to the Gaunt family. It makes sense, since the Gaunts are descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself. This artefact is an obvious candidate, as it represents Voldemort's belief that he himself is a descendant of the Founder."
The group's silence was deafening. The next horcrux was Nagini.
"Finally, we have Nagini. The only known living Horcrux we have identified. The snake usually remains at Voldemort's side and until such time the Dark lord becomes aware of our plans, the snake must be the last to be destroyed." He stressed this point rather well. The group nodded at the parameters.
Dumbledore breathed out a sigh. The group may have noticed the strain this discussion may have put on him. It was nearing three 'o' clock in the afternoon.
"That brings us to six Horcruxes. It would be safe to assume that the seventh piece resides in Voldemort himself. Splitting your soul once would already damage it greatly. To do so seven times, would practically destroy you. Due to the unstable composition of Voldemort's soul, I am confident that this was the reason for his disappearance in Godric's Hollow. I must remind you all: It is absolutely imperative we destroy all these "soul anchors" before we eliminate Voldemort himself. I cannot stress this enough. If we fail to do so, then Voldemort will continue to exist until he finds another vessel, and then he may well decide to create more subtle horcruxes."
The group shuddered at this, fearful of the implications of failure.
"Before we go off to perform our tasks, I must ask Harry to come with me." Dumbledore said this genially as he left his seat.
Harry looked at his friends, who shrugged or muttered, "Go on."
He then went to Dumbledore's side, his friends were busy discussing how to grab the fangs and deal with the Grey Lady.
"Harry, once again, I must ask too much of you." The wizened wizard spoke solemnly.
Harry gulped but remained steadfast. "What are we doing, sir?"
Dumbledore faced him. "I may have found the location of one of the horcruxes. It is off the coast of Dover, in a cave. You and I shall enter this location and bring the horcrux back to the school for its destruction."
Harry's eyes grew wide. He was breathing quite heavily and felt a cold sweat over him. But he ignored the aching fear in his heart and asked for the mission parameters.
"This mission shall be extremely dangerous. We have no idea what enchantments or security measures the Dark Lord has placed around the Horcrux. I have considered Muggle military assistance, but the logistics and the risk of revealing our intentions to the enemy are too high. Thus, I have decided, with your consent, to bring you along on this quest. Are you willing to do this with me, Harry?" He asked him sincerely.
Harry knew that all his life was basically avoiding death. But seeing an opportunity to rid Riddle once and for all strengthened his resolve. His jaw tightened and his lips thinned.
"Yes sir. What shall I do?"
Dumbledore smiled, and nodded.
"The plan shall be to apparate to the location. We shall do so outside the boundaries of Hogwarts. I trust that you haven't got your license for Apparation?"
"No, sir. We were supposed to take the exam this term."
Dumbledore pondered this, "Nothing to it then. I shall assist you via Side-Along Apparition."
He paused for a moment and looked at Harry in the eye. "Before we embark on this quest, I must ask that you swear to me: to do whatever it is I ask of you. Should I tell you to run, you run; should I tell you to hide, you hide; should I tell you to abandon me and save yourself, you must do so."
He stared deeply into the emerald green eyes of the young man before him.
"Do I have your word?"
Harry was stunned at the bluntness of his request. "B-but sir-"
"Your word, Harry."
A brief silence followed this. Harry hesitated, but eventually, he agreed. "I swear it."
Dumbledore nodded at this. He then turned to Harry's friends, who have already teamed themselves up for their tasks.
"Good luck to you all, then. It is time we go on the offensive. Here is a parchment that will excuse you from any patrolling Muggles, Staff and Aurors. They have been ordered to prevent any loitering in the halls on school days." He offered the two teams a signed parchment.
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said gratefully.
"The pleasure is mine. Now go. Harry and I will begin our quest. You all must be ready once we return." He ordered.
The two teams were concerned and a bit curious as to what their task was, but ultimately, they steeled themselves and left the office after embracing and wishing Harry luck, Ginny lingered and hugged him tightly as well.
"Good luck." She kissed his cheek and left.
Harry touched the spot where she kissed him and blushed as he saw Dumbledore give him an amused smile, his eyes twinkling.
"Are you ready?"
Harry turned to his old mentor, all teenage proclivities gone. "I am now, Sir."
The old wizard gave his young protégé a single order. "Let's go."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The part where Dumbledore made Harry swear was taken from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Film and book. Hopefully I won't end up updating the story after multiple months. Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews. Stay safe.
I know that this not a proper method of avoiding copyright strikes, but, bugger it. The characters and other trademarks are not mine. They belong to their respective owners (J.K. Rowling).
P.S. (09/06/2021, 11:33 PM): As you may have seen, I have initially failed to consider an important plot point. I'm so sorry. Which is why I just re-uploaded the entire chapter. Thanks for putting up with me.