"Do you have to do this every morning?" Harry grumbled a few days after his birthday. Tonks loved to wake him by jumping on his bed.
"Of course, I do." She grinned unrepentantly, "Kingsley is here so hurry."
Harry was in the kitchen within ten minutes, "Morning everyone."
"Morning." The four others replied.
Hedwig shifted her wings to get Harry's attention. He went and stroked his beloved owl, they'd gotten her during their trip to the alley. Andromeda had taken him into Eeylops and he just couldn't resist getting her despite her attention getting appearance. After giving her attention he turned to his breakfast.
"Breakfast looks amazing Andromeda." Harry took his seat, "I swear you're trying to make me Dudley sized."
"Not quite." She knew how big the pants were, "Just a healthy size."
"What are the plans for today?" Harry asked between bites pushing his new glasses up a bit further.
"Kingsley is going to borrow you for the day." Ted told him, "Tonight I'm making spaghetti."
"Yes!" Harry cheered.
"I'm glad you're so excited to spend some time with me." Kingsley teased.
"Ha, more spaghetti less auror." Harry grinned back, "Unless perhaps you are hiding some chocolate in your cloak to temp me into going with you. You are my kidnapper after all."
"Ms. Tonks did you have to teach him your ways?" Kingsley turned toward the teen.
"Yes, yes I did." She smiled and turned her hair green with pink tips, "We're working on this now."
"No, I hate pink." Harry shuddered, "Nothing that girly."
"You're wearing girl's pajamas." Ted pointed out with a chuckle.
"They were probably in the boy's section to begin with." Harry looked down at the snitches, bludgers and quaffles, "If they had been unicorns or pink you would never have got me in them."
Soon enough Harry was ready and he left with Kingsley who waited until they were well away before speaking, "Do you know where the Black residence is?"
"Yes." Harry answered, "Grimmauld Place in London. I can apparate us there."
"Alright, we'll go there first then Moody wants us at his house." Kingsley explained, "We'll head for the ring next. It will just be a glance today so we know where it is and what we're facing before we try to enter."
"Good idea, Kreacher should be our biggest obstacle in Grimmauld." Harry shrugged, "He's the house elf."
With a pop they were in an alley down from Sirius' old house. Harry led Kingsley down the sidewalk to the house in question. He pulled his wand and paused, "Do I still have the trace even though I'm an adult?"
"Yes. For emancipation you have to request it to be removed." Kingsley explained, "But I'd hold off on that. You are fine unlocking the door. They can't tell who is doing magic just that a minor is near. Since you don't live here no one will think it's you."
Harry unlocked the door and pushed it open. Kingsley led the way searching for traps and spells as he went. When they found nothing in the hall but elf heads and a troll umbrella stand Kingsley turned to him and was about to speak.
"What is yous doing here?" a dirty elf popped in, "Yous not allowed."
"I am Lord Slytherin and Heir to the House of Black." Harry stood straight and gave the elf a slight glare, "You should be able to sense the bond."
"Filthy…" was all the farther Kreacher got.
"No mumbling." Harry ordered, "I would like you to please bring me Regulas' locket."
"How does little master know?" Kreacher eyed him.
"I have come to finish the task he gave you." Harry told him, "Bring me the locket now please. I will take it and destroy it."
Two quiet pops and the locket was in Harry's hands, "Would yous like tea?"
"Not today." Harry shook his head, "However the Lord Black will be home in a few months. I would like this place looking like a proper House of Black not this grimy dank mess. I will burn her portrait off the wall if you do not have it clean by the end of October."
"Yes, little master." Kreacher popped away presumably to clean something.
Harry walked over to a portrait hanging on the wall, "You heard all that?"
"Who are you really?" the woman looked down her nose at him.
"I really am Lord Slytherin and Heir Black." Harry answered, "As long as you behave you can stay. You start yelling and I'll remove the wall at your back and put you in the vault."
"This is my house!" she began.
"You are a portrait and own nothing." Harry told her, "You are at my mercy and I do not have much for you."
"Spoken like a true Black." She sniffed at him with pursed lips.
"I know." Harry smirked, "I'm headed to Hogwarts soon so I won't be here. You had best make sure your elf cleans this place. It's a disgrace."
He turned on his heel and stomped back to Kingsley. They left but only got as far as the park before Harry burst out laughing. Kingsley had to steer him to an alley and wait for him to get himself together.
"Better?" He asked when Harry was bent over gasping but not laughing any longer.
"Loads." He chuckled, "I always wanted to say that to her."
Kingsley offered his arm and Harry held on as they disapperated and reappeared outside Moody's house. Once the rigorous security questions were out of the way they left again and arrived near the grave yard in Little Hangleton.
"The house on the hill is Riddle Manor." Harry pointed it out, "That Tom's paternal home. His maternal… home is this way. By the way his father's grave site is in this graveyard. If we don't get him, switching the bones out for someone else's might mess up his attempt to return. At the very least there should be some kind of alarm that alerts you to it being disturbed."
"Good idea lad." Moody's eye was looking back at the grave yard.
Harry had made a trip to this house after battle. He'd wanted to see if anything was left of the place after Dumbledore's trip. He found the shack was falling in on itself, he now wondered if it was any better being seven years younger. When they broke through the hedge Harry sighed.
"It looks almost identical." He murmured to himself.
"What's that?" Moody grumbled.
"I said it's not changed much." Harry spoke more clearly, "You'll find the ring in the section where the roof is still in place but nearer to the back wall. It's under a floorboard and may have a compulsion charm urging you to put it on. Don't go alone and don't take Dumbledore."
"I've got enough of a look, let's go." Moody turned after gazing at the place for more than ten minutes, "We're meeting with the Goblins next. They've already offered a set of curse and ward breakers. We'd be fools not to use them. I'll be with them while you go with Shack and watch him remove the thing from the locket."
They walked a little way from the ruin before apparating to the alley near The Leaky Cauldron. Kingsley led the way though the bar and into the Alley with Harry jogging along beside him. Moody brought up the rear keeping an eye out for trouble. They made it to the bank and into the lobby without incident. Two armed goblins met them there. One of them led Harry and Kingsley off one way while Moody was taken another direction. Harry soon found himself in a stone room.
"This is the same place we did the last one." Kingsley offered as they waited on the rest of the goblins to arrive, "They let me use the spell that I want to use on you. It went fine. The cup had to return to the vault but as soon as Tom is gone for good, we can get possession of it. We'll repeat the spell on the locket."
"Then on me?" Harry asked watching as the goblins set up the room.
"There are still more items." Kingsley shook his head, "I should practice it more."
"Why?" Harry asked still not looking away from the goblins, "If it's successful today then remove mine. The sooner the better I say. "
"The boy has a point." Bogrot agreed, "If it works well do his, sometimes putting something off makes you more nervous."
"I'm sure you can do it." Harry smiled showing his confidence in the auror, though it was mostly faked, "Unless it takes too much from you."
"Good you haven't started." Moody clunked in with Andromeda behind him, "She needs to witness this for when we do his."
"We're ready Auror Shacklebolt." A goblin approached.
Kingsley nodded and followed the goblin across the room. Bogrot pulled Moody, Harry and Andromeda back behind a glass panel.
"I thought you were meeting with the curse breakers." Harry stated as they watched Kingsley get ready.
"They're looking the place over." Moody answered, "We'll talk when they get back."
"He's starting." Bogrot pointed out causing them to quiet.
"Longe insuper animam." Kingsley waved his wand in a circle over the locket and continued to chant the same set of words.
"It basically means remove the extra soul." Bogrot explained the words to Harry.
"How does it know which one is the extra?" Harry asked.
"We are not sure it will." Bogrot frowned, "You will have to shove it out to stay in yourself."
"What?" Andromeda hissed.
"I'm a horcrux for Voldemort." Harry spoke quietly, "So is that locket. We're going to use the same spell to remove it from me. We can't tell you everything that's going on but just know it's more than we have already told you."
"We do not have the full story either." Bogrot admitted.
Andromeda watched in horror as a piece of soul was pried from the object Kingsley was working on. Once it was done Kingsley was given some time to rest.
"An anchor." Andromeda blurted out as she turned to the goblin, "He needs an anchor to help him stay, someone who means a lot to him, whom he will fight to stay for.
"I'll go get your Weasleys." Moody started to leave.
"Which ones?" Bogrot asked pulling the old auror to a stop.
"Ron and George, Fred will want to come too and that's fine." Harry agreed, "How are you going to get them away?"
"Curse breaker Weasley can get them quick enough." Bogrot nodded at another goblin that slipped out the door.
"Can you meditate?" Andromeda asked uncertainly.
"I am an Occlumans." Harry comforted her, "I'll be able to find the thing."
Kingsley was grateful for the extra time to rest before he had to do the spell again. But within the hour Ron, Fred and George arrived with Bill. Andromeda, Bill, and Fred took vows not to speak of what was happening. Ron and George knew not to speak of it but they also knew they may have to at some point so they didn't take the vow. Just before they began the removal Harry turned to Bogrot.
"I want you to swear on your honor that if my soul is taken instead of Voldemort's you will kill this body." Harry demanded.
"I swear on my honor as a goblin, on my family's name and on Gringotts that I will destroy that body if your soul departs today." Bogrot swore.
"Kingsley, Neville is the other child of the prophecy. If I die you are to protect him from Dumbledore." Harry continued his demands.
"I swear I will protect him with my life." Kingsley agreed instantly.
"The rest of you must swear to finish him off." He looked at Ron, the twins and Moody, "If I'm dead and the other horcuxes are gone anyone can do it."
"I will if I must." Ron growled, "But I think it would be better to go get a time turner, undo this and do something else if that is the case."
"It must work then." George looked around, "Because he's not here to stop you."
"Right let's do this." Harry jumped up on the same stone table that the locket had sat on when its horcrux was sent on. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
"Who is the closest to Harry?" Andromeda asked.
"Me." Ron held up a hand.
"You stand near his head so that you can talk to him." Andromeda positioned them, "Twins hold his hands and put your free hand on his shoulder like so."
"Andy how do you know about this?" Harry asked in a whisper hoping she had a good answer.
"There is a cleansing ritual that is similar." She put her hand on his forehead, "These positions work for that one."
"Are they safe from harm?" He opened his eyes and almost sat up as he thought of that.
"We'll be protecting them." Bogrot told him, "Nothing to worry about but shoving out that small piece of filth."
"Hey Harry how will we know it's you and not him?" Fred asked.
"Shall I crack a joke Gred?" Harry closed his eyes again.
"Sounds good." He agreed.
"Do it." Harry tried to relax.
As Kingsley prepared to begin Harry sunk into his mind space and began to look for the foreign soul piece. He had been able to perfect his occlumancy shields after the battle. He had made two buildings in his mind space, Hogwarts for all the good things and Privet Drive for the bad. Making his way to the Privet Drive house he began to search. He found lots of bad memories and experiences but no piece of soul. Leaving that house, he sighed and headed for Hogwarts. Before he made it to the front door, he heard a noise. Whipping around he saw what he had been looking for. The form was the same one he saw at the Kings Cross station when he had died the first time.
"What have you been doing?" it sneered, "Everything is different."
"Not a lot. Just working on occlumancy shields and performing a cleansing ritual." Harry smiled down at it ready to push it out, "We're removing the extra baggage."
In just a few seconds a willow tree grew into his mind space and picked up the piece of Voldemort as it grew. Thick roots formed in the ground securing it to his mind. Harry lifted one eyebrow at it when the tree quit growing.
"I did not mean to tell you that, I wanted to keep you in the dark." Harry frowned as every thought was stated as speaking, "Oh well."
"I will be the one staying." The thing rasped out, "They will not know it is me until it is too late. My roots will hold. You are mine Harry Potter."
Harry gave him a half smile/half smirk before pointing his finger at the base of the tree, "Radicitus tollo."
The roots pulled up a bit from the ground as a vortex cloud started to spin in the stormy sky. Harry stuck his feet to the ground as the winds began to tug at his clothes while he continuously repeated his spell.
"How can you do this? Where did you learn?" the thing screamed, "You are only eleven."
"Do I look eleven to you?" Harry replied not needing to yell to be heard, it was his mind after all. His mental picture of himself was at the age he was before he came back in time, "Radicitus tollo."
The tree began to wave in the wind and took to swinging at Harry like the whomping willow at Hogwarts. The lump of flayed flesh in the tree's limbs tried its best to stay and distract the young man who was uprooting him. Harry didn't unstick his feet for fear of being the one sucked out, he ducked and twisted out of the way of the flailing limbs most of the time but they did get him occasionally.
"Come on Harry, you can beat him." Harry heard Ron's voice cheering for him, "You've kicked his slimy butt once and you can do it again. Hermione's counting on you. I promise to quit cheering for the Cannons if you kick him out. Win or I'll sick Ginny on you."
Harry chuckled at the continuous stream of cheers, promises and threats as he continued to uproot the tree little by little. When the roots broke free from the ground, they tried to wrap around Harry to either hold them there or to drag him along. In the end neither attempt was successful, the vortex sucked the tree and soul piece up and out. Harry sat on the ground before he remembered to unstick his feet. Once they were free though he lay back on the cool Hogwarts grass and let darkness take over.
Ron almost fell over when the black cloud screamed its way out of Harry's head. It began to dissipate right away and the group looked at each other in confusion.
"Did anyone else see the screaming tree shaped black cloud?" Fred asked.
"I heard it but my eyes were closed." Ron gave him a half grin.
"He should be waking soon." Bogrot approached with a wicked looking dagger in his hand, "Clear the area around him so I won't have to hesitate."
"Just make sure first." Ron gave the dagger a fearful glance.
"We're quite sure it was Voldemort who left." Kingsley waved Ron and the twins over, "This is just precaution for Bogrot. He did swear on his honor, family and Gringotts."
The goblin climbed up on the table and positioned himself for a quick kill, "Mr. Potter, are you awake?"
"Hmmm." Harry's eyes blinked open, "I'm fine Bogrot."
"Very good." Bogrot didn't move, "Prove it to me."
"I am Lord Potter and the heir for the Black family." Harry began, "You've already destroyed his cup. Gred, why don't clams give to charity?"
"I don't know." Fred grinned, "Why?"
"Because they're shellfish." Harry chuckled at the groans from those around him.
"Very good." Bogrot removed the knife from sitting at Harry's throat and climbed off the table.
"Thank you for doing that." Harry grinned at the goblin as Andromeda approached and began to wave her wand.
"My pleasure." Bogrot grinned back, "It's not often I can hold a dagger at someone's throat and they thank me for doing so. Usually they thank me for removing it."
"He's just weird that way." Ron shook his head.
Bill looked at Ron with a curiously calculating look. Ron leaned up to his brother and whispered, "Don't think about it. We can't explain for at least a year, maybe more."
"Will I get answers at some point?" he asked.
"I'll do my best to answer your questions in the future." Ron shrugged, "It's his life on the line. No one can have the answers right now."
"Later." Bill agreed with a nod.
"His magic is fluxing a bit but I don't detect anything harmful." Andromeda pronounced the verdict, "I'd say rest and a good meal will calm his magic down."
"How are you feeling Harry?" Ron approached.
"Fine." Harry answered and allowed his eyes to sweep the room trying to tell Ron without words that he didn't want to explain with so many people listening. Instead he decided to give his friend some trouble, "I remember you promising not to cheer for the Cannons any longer. So, what is your new room color going to be?"
"You just had to hear that part didn't you." Ron grumbled.