High in the sky there was sun shining warmly on small group of people in black with pointed hats, long cloaks and with wooden sticks in their hands. There was an annoyed squirrel sitting on the branch watching them carefully as they stood before old, damaged castle. Then they started to walk forward. After a few meters they entered into the thick column of smoke ascending from smoulder and never got out on the other side. Squirrel hopped to another branch and kept watching for another minute then she lost interest. It was common for people with wooden sticks to just disappear here or pop up there. Often it was really annoying to wait if they will not appear nearby suddenly and our squirrel was really tired and hungry. She was not able to sleep whole night because of all that loud sounds that humans made while fighting instead of sleeping as every sane animal in forest did. Or was trying to. And now? They just disappeared. What should one squirrel think of humans? They were really strange. It will be better to find some food and rest before they start fight again.
Harry felt uneasy pressure as he was traveling through tight tube of apparition and in next moment he was standing in Diagon Alley.
"First team is already here waiting in strategic places and disguised around our intended walk path," said Shacklebolt slowly and quietly.
"They will cover us, however we should be ready for sudden attack anyway. They can't be everywhere. Don't forget what happened to Longbottoms after last war ended."
Harry glanced at his friend Neville, he and his grandmother were with them. He did not speak, his face harder than ever. And Harry knew that he will do everything in his power to not be surprised by enemy. As they walked, people were stopping and making them space, then they started to follow as they saw body of You-Know-Who levitated by grim looking Weasleys. As their group reached high, marble white Gringotts building with missing roof and two goblins guarding front door, there was already crowd of people watching.
Kingsley Shacklebolt stopped before goblins as they crossed their pikes and the one with black eye-patch growled: "Bank is closed!"
"We request identification service, we will pay double fee." Deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt had enough power to be easily heard by crowd around.
Goblins looked at each other before looking back and one eyed replied with one word: "Triple."
Leader of Order of Phoenix was watching him few seconds and then nodded once: "Very well."
Both goblins smirked at that and one of them disappeared inside for a moment before returning to his position: "Someone will come in a minute."
And goblin clerk came through white doors soon and snarled sulkily: "Who is to be identified?"
"This one." replied Kingsley Shacklebolt as stunned body of their mortal enemy was levitated forward.
"All right, I can examine him and tell you," clerk moved glasses up his nose, "where are my galleons?"
"Here," pouch flow through air at him and galleons clinked as goblin caught them. He quickly checked contents and hid pouch. Clerk cautiously came forward until he was near Riddle's body, then he drawed his knife and grinned ferociously. Quick cut into the finger and vial in his other hand was full of blood. Then goblin muttered few words and waved with knife above the vial and nodded.
"This was Thomas Riddle before and now is partly Thomas Riddle, partly snake, so called Dark Lord Voldemort, mostly known as You-Know-Who."
Crowd behind them started to murmur and goblin got out paper out and poured vial contents on it murmuring some more words in Gobbledok and blood transformed into the words. Goblin clerk rolled the paper and raised hand to give scroll to Shacklebolt but did not let it go.
He snarled loudly:
"On behalf of Gringotts bank I hereby request criminal who attacked our bank!" He was pointing his bloody knife straight at Harry, "give us Harry Potter, he has crime against us to pay for!"
Boy-Who-Lived grimaced and did not know what to say. Yes, he was guilty. He broke into the bank and robbed it. He needed Horcrux inside and there was no legal means to get it. He took something which was not his. He was at war with Voldemort, however goblins were trying to stay neutral in that war. Their property and their pride was seriously damaged and goblins wanted compensation.
Shacklebolt made slow step towards goblin and said clearly and without fear: "No, we will not!"
Harry let his breath out. He had irrational fear that they will give him to them. Wizards need goblins, to be able to access their gold. And without that gold, they could not buy anything... so it seemed easier to give Harry to them. However Kingsley Shacklebolt stood behind him. "Then you are as treacherous as him, " cried angrily goblin, "give him to our justice now!" He demanded.
"No!" Said Shacklebolt again, "he is not going with you now. He will stand before our court first and we will give him to you only after that and only if we decide it is right thing to do." Large wizard was standing before small goblin using all his height to intimidate him.
Goblin seemed unconcerned, he just cursed in Gobledook and said angrily: "On your head it will be!" Then he let scroll go to Kingsley Shacklebolt, turned and disappeared behind white, marble doors. Guards crossed their spears again. Wizards waited for a moment for something to happen, perhaps goblin assassin attack or rebellion, however it did not came. After a minute Kingsley Shacklebolt slowly turned to crowd of wizards and started to speak.
"We managed to capture You-Know-Who!"
He was looking around the crowd as if he wanted them to say they accept it as truth.
"He will no longer threaten us and he will pay for his crimes against out people."
Harry suddenly had strong feeling of dejavu and felt really uneasily. Again who was going to pay for his crimes? It was no surprise, when someone called: "Harry Potter!"
Really? He thought unbelievably. Didn't they catch Riddle? Wasn't he on victorious side this time? Shouldn't Harry hunting stop finally? Someone else cried his name again and then someone else and then suddenly crowd was chanting: "Ha-rry Potter! Ha-rry Potter! Ha-rry Potter!"
Boy-Who-Lived did not feel danger from them, chanting was rather happy, however he did not understand what they wanted. He looked at Kingsley Shacklebolt who was just looking speculatively at Harry. He came nearer and asked:
"Would you?"
Harry dropped his jaw and then managed to say: "Would I?"
"What?"
Kingsley looked at him and probably understood that Harry didn't know what was going on.
"Can you tell them few words?"
"What?" Replied Harry and this time not only his mouth was wide open, his eyes too.
"They want to hear it from you, not from me." He said in his reassuring voice like it was easy to say something that will make crowd happy.
"What?" Asked Harry third time. "But,... I don't know what to say..."
"Just say, that he is responsible for many crimes and that justice will be served. You can also say that he was captured due to effort of many good people. Don't worry." "And that's all?" Harry was utterly bewildered.
"Yes, Harry, nothing too difficult. You can do it. They just need some assurance." Smiled Kingsley Shacklebolt as he put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
Harry slowly nodded after long seconds of thinking with blank mind. Then he turned towards crowd and made one step forward. He was looking at all those eager and unknown faces and didn't know what to think. His emotions were bubbling beneath surface and he felt sick. He did not know why. He made quick glance back and found Hermione's eyes and she silently moved beside him and that made him feel better. Crowd slowly stopped their chanting and Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, spoke.
"Hi," he said nervously.
"Er, ... " what Shacklebolt wanted him to say?
"We got him, and..." what else was he supposed to say?
"... and justice will be served..." crowd was listening to his every word, why he can't just say it seamlessly?
"... thanks to many, many people's effort. He, ... he did many evil things. He killed my parents." Suddenly something snapped into the right place and he was speaking easily, with slowly growing anger behind his word spreading inside his body and through the crowd as well.
"Voldemort caused death and suffering to many others by spreading hatred and his mislead ideology between people."
"Voldemort killed my father James and then my mother Lily."
"Voldemort did not hesitate to kill my fellow student, fair Cedric."
"Voldemort caused death of my godfather, Sirius Black."
"Voldemort caused death of Albus Dumbeldore."
"Voldemort caused death of Alastor Mad-Eye Moody."
Crowd was accepting this with angry murmur after each statement and Harry himself felt really angry now.
"Voldemort has caused death of Dobby, the house elf. I honor his memory."
Sorrow was overwhelming him now.
"Then at Hogwarts battle, Voldemort took away my best mate, Ron."
Lump in his throat was greater and greater and he felt tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Crowd was silent by now. He took one more breath of air to continue:
"Voldemort also took brave Ginny from me, ... my girlfriend Ginny."
He slowly turned to his nemesis, full of pain and anger which needed to get out. He did not know what happened, but he knew what he had to do.
"And he will pay for that all!" He cried with anger and started to walk towards red heads of Weasley's who were watching him with mix of sorrow, horror and hatred in their eyes. They parted to let him come to the unconscious Dark Lord.
"He will pay now!" He exclaimed and wand in his hand pointed at Snake man.
"Harry, no!" Screamed Hermione behind him as he said the incantation, remembering Bellatrix Black: "Crucio!"
This time he felt it, felt full of hatred and need to cause pain. He wanted him to feel all the pain in his body. He wanted Tom Riddle feel same as he was feeling. He wanted justice. Body writhed in pain for a moment before Hermione reached him and put his wand arm down. Spell was interrupted and after of moment of frightening silence crowd exploded.
Also Tom's red eyes opened. Harry tried to aim his wand on him, but Hermione was still holding his arm and looking at him unaware of danger.
Then few things happened at once and chaos broke. Masked figures in black with white masks attacked from two sides with loud cries and colorful spells filled the air. Order members started to cast defensive spells that stopped first barrage excusing Unforgivables. Few bodies hit the ground. Gringotts gates opened and group of goblins tried to get to Harry Potter. Harry saw incoming spell and instinctively dived, taking Hermione with him and she unfortunately landed on him and he was not able to act. Voldemort sat and then stood up. People started to scream, shout, run and disapparate.
Those few seconds were painfully slow. Harry was looking at standing Voldemort, saw goblins running to them while Hermione was getting up. He pointed his wand at Voldemort's leg and cast Stupefy! Narrow red beam hit and Voldemort was again going down. "Take us away!" He cried at Hermione, who spun on spot to disapparate. Harry cast quick Accio on Voldemort and then he was again unpleasantly squeezed into tight apparition tube away from chaos.
They appeared to the Forest of the Dean and suddenly he was breathing fresh air. In and out. In and out. He was looking around wand high, but no enemy was there. Hermione stood beside and similarly was looking around before looking at him. "We should, ... we should go back and help them," she said.
"We can't," he replied looking at Voldemort's body hatefully. He quickly let him and then made few steps back, his wand pointed at the Dark Lord. "No!" She cried. "Harry, please don't do it!"
"Why?" he shouted angrily, "Bloody hell, why should I let him? He killed them all! And I can have him feel same, worse. I can make a justice!"
"No! It will not be justice. Not without trial!"
"What trial? Bloody hell! I saw him murder in cold blood! He deserves all of it! And more."
Hermione started to cry after that, pleading with him: "Please, Harry, don't do that... Yes, he deserve that and more, much more. But, but... you.. you do not want to do that... wait at least. Wait until you are calm and then do whatever you want to him. But don't do it now..."
Harry's brain stopped. Single purpose there in his mind was fighting with words of his friend. He stood with his wand aimed at his nemesis and didn't know what to do. Finally something clicked in his mind to place, where it belonged and he lowered his wand with growled: "Fine!"
Hermione came to him crying more than before and embraced him. "Th... Thank you, Harry. I... I want to hurt him too... Hurt him very much. I really want to do it... I swear. But torturing people is... is... is not how I want... to live my life. I, ... I want to build something, ... create things, not destroy them, ... use magic to make wonderful things happen. Please Harry, think what you want, before. Take your... time and choose... well."
She had great problems to say those last words as she was crying and then he did not know what to say. He embraced her too and so they stayed there. In the middle of the forest, Voldemort lying on the ground. Harry did not know, what was happening to him. Tears were again flowing freely down his face. He was hot head, yes, but he thought that he learned his lesson that day, when he met Malfoy in bathroom and cut him with Sectumsempra. He again saw red blood and water flowing and felt horror inside his Mind. What have he done? What have he become? He knew very well that feeling, when someone more powerful took on you and you could not defend yourself. He lived through that many times being hunted by Dudley's gang. Then he done worse to Malfoy. He was like Dudley. Not thinking what he was doing to others. He could say, that they were fighting, but he could escape, leave him. He could go away and do not fight. He could do other things.
And now? Now he was torturing another human. All right, he was not human anymore. He was monster. But Harry was not, right? Or was he too? Was he like Dudley? Or worse, same as Voldemort? Those questions were rightful. Pity they did not help with that burning desire, to hurt Tom Riddle, he had. To make him suffer, to make him feel same as he felt now. He stood there and cried. He felt her standing there with him and he knew she felt same. He was not alone. She also felt same desire. She also lost boyfriend and best mate. She could understand that. Why this was so difficult!
They stood there listening to sounds of forest birds singing and they were calming slowly. There it was, nature. Cruel and simple. Beautiful and soothing. And he held her close to him, felt her feminine shapes, her soft skin. And suddenly he felt desire, to hold her and be with her. And he again saw that image of himself and her, naked. Vision from cursed Locket of Slytherin, but this time it was tormenting him and not his best mate. Dead best mate.
He slowly stepped away from her, he did not want to take her from him. And she surely could not allow that too. He was lost in his mind, looking somewhere into the forest, somewhere here, where Ron found him and this vision too.
"Thank you, Hermione," he said at least very slowly and shook his head to let those thoughts away.
"You are right, we should deal with this later." He hesitated: "What do we do now?"
Taking them away on instinct was right decision. They were targets and they could not afford to loose Riddle. Right. But what now?