Author's Note:
I wanted to have kind of a pow-wow here where they discuss what a Horcrux is and what they have figured out in their respective fields. Sirius and Remus are organizing the operation for now, but they are trying to line up all of their ducks in a row before they make any real decisions on how and what to do about things. Also, I wrote this chapter before Halloween and had yet to see The Crimes of Grindelwald so my phoenix information may be a little off now, as in 1927 Dumbledore does not yet possess Fawkes, but who knows? We shall have to wait until the third instalment to find out. But this was something that I wanted to add in — not to mention, Sirius and Remus are trying to come to terms with shielding their child, while also not lying to him. They have a few decisions to make themselves.
As for how to make a Horcrux, JKR has revealed that it is rather horrible so, she hasn't shared the exact details anywhere. But from what we understand, the sum of it is as follows: The wizard prepares the Horcrux using some sort of ritual. This ritual probably doesn't involve a murder, but does involve something truly disgusting and horrible. (I've seen speculation that included cannibalism, necrophilia, or some sort of gross blood ritual.) The wizard then murders a victim. As far as we can tell, there are no specific requirements for the murder, other than that the wizard be the ultimate cause of an unnecessary kill. This murder, as all murders do, splits the wizard's soul in two. Finally, the wizard casts a charm to move the soul fragment into the Horcrux. The Horcrux is now complete, and the wizard cannot be truly killed without destroying it.
I have my own theories there and tweaked it a bit, so, here we go!
Reviews and Comments: To hills: Ginny is so courageous! She just laid it all bare before him, knowing he was going to turn her down, but wanting the air to be clear between them. She is a brave and strong woman! It definitely helps that they've been friends for years. No, you won't have to wait until canon, but it's not anytime soon either. Thanks! To WarMunger98: It is nice to see Harry and Ginny talking again, isn't it? Sorry to make your heart ache, but we will see them together eventually! It will take Harry a bit to see she's more than just an amazing friend. Thank you! To S_n_W: Thank you for finding the chapter exciting! To Steelcode: Thank you! Yes, the Chamber of Secrets bit will be interesting! To nesciamema: Thank you! It was fun to give Harry and Ginny an interaction again. To PolarWriter95: It will come good in the end lol. Thanks. To Paola1991: Harry won't see the memories collected for him just yet. Sirius and Remus will decide when to give them to him, but it's closer than you think. Thank you!
To CrazyWithABook: Thank you! I'm happy Harry and Ginny are talking again, too! To alix33: Yes, the Dementors do affect Sirius quite terribly. Yes, Sirius and Zee will be broom shopping for Harry and it will be fun. I'm glad Lucius' disgust at meeting in a Muggle pub amused you so much lol. Thank you! To teachergirl: Sirius threatened Lucius and yes, he does. To Claire Fraser: Thank you for finding the Sirius and Zee moment so touching! She is there for him and she wants him to realize he can lean on her. Thanks for loving when Harry said she doesn't owe him a life debt because she saved him by befriending him. I loved it too! I'm sorry your heart broke a little. Yes, they have a strong friendship. Thanks for finding the King of Snakes bit interesting. To Guest: Yes, it is about time Sirius opened up to Zee a little. Thank you! To RedheadLover: I hate Cho, too, and don't worry, she won't be around long despite Harry having a crush on her. Thank you! To HPforLife: Yes, the Cho infatuation will be short. Thank you for loving the friendship between Harry and Ginny. Thanks!
Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN:
The One With the FUVP Pow-Wow
Sirius greeted Bill when he came into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place that evening. He had called forth a meeting to discuss the plans for Operation FUVP and he had been pleased to find everyone available. Bill was the last one to arrive and he took his seat at the long table in the kitchen next to McGonagall, his eyes on the chalkboard wall.
"Did you have a chance to go over the notes that Kreacher brought you?" Bill asked, nodding at McGonagall in greeting.
Sirius nodded and stood up, moving to the large chalkboard. He and Remus had turned the entire kitchen into a writeable chalkboard for them to use. "I have." He turned to the group and pointed his wand to the board. "As I told you before, Bill has been researching Horcruxes and has come across some very interesting facts and theories about them."
Bill smiled when Sirius gestured to him and cleared his throat. "I found out that the term "Horcrux" was coined by the man who invented it, Herpo the Foul. He is credited with discovering the use of it over two thousand years ago in his attempts at immortality. He was a known dark wizard with a love of torture and bloodshed and after murdering his wife, he removed part of his soul and placed it into the locket that his wife had often wore around her neck. The key to creating a Horcrux is that the spell-caster must split their soul into fragments, but one of those fragments must always remain in the spell-caster's own body. When one commits murder, the act of it is so foul in itself that it is a mark against the soul, which is the first step in fragmenting it. The purpose of a Horcrux is to protect the given bit of soul from anything that might happen to the body of the person whom the soul belongs to. As long as the Horcrux is kept safe, the person will continue to exist even if their body is damaged or even destroyed."
"Which explains how Voldemort survived the night that he went after Harry," Sirius said carefully. "He had already created at least two Horcruxes that we are aware of so he was able to keep on living."
Bill nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. "Precisely. As for creating the Horcruxes themselves, Herpo the Foul was able to pinpoint the exact spell to create one. The ritual to prepare the device itself is pretty straight forward, but actually putting the Horcrux inside of it, is the real danger. It is extremely difficult magic to procure and can be explosive if done incorrectly. Once the piece of soul is removed from the body, its like a ticking time bomb, it needs to be placed inside of the Horcrux device quickly and efficiently. If it's done incorrectly, the person could die or even maim themselves," he explained. "The soul is a very powerful piece of magic on its own and to sever it and then remove it — along any lines — is extremely dangerous, but to remove it in pieces: It's explosive. There have been documented attempts at creating Horcruxes for centuries and very few wizards have ever succeeded in even creating one."
"Once the soul fragment is removed from the body, how exactly does one place it into the Horcrux?" Remus asked, leaning back in his seat.
Bill let out a slow breath. "It's incredibly disturbing on many levels. At this point, the wizard has already killed someone and their death is on his hands. The wizard must then turn his wand upon himself, slicing across his heart, and draw the energy of his soul from the heart itself. A curse breaker that I spoke to from Shanghai, Kun Fei, found notes in the tomb of a Chinese Emperor who explained the process. He claims that a white light flows through the veins of the body and that light seeps out into the blood and into the wand, hovering on the tip like a ball of light. As the soul is fragmented, that white light turns darker, and with every life someone takes — the darker the soul itself becomes. That light is contained on the tip of the wand as long as the wizard focuses on it, if he loses that focus, for even a second, the soul will break away from the wand and attach itself to the closest living organism in the room — like a parasite."
"So, a Horcrux can be inside of a living thing?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes blank. "It is possible to reside there?"
Bill nodded. "Possible, but not ideal. The soul piece would attach itself to the host's body, but it was never officially turned into a Horcrux as the task of doing so was interrupted which means that that particular piece of the soul has no power over the host. It can give the host a connection to the witch or wizard who's soul jumped ship, but it doesn't possess the darkness and the power to harm like the soul can accomplish inside of an actual Horcrux."
"The dark memories it brings up when you are close to it and the way the diary interacted with Ginny, chipping at her fears and doubts, it wouldn't have that power," Tonks said carefully as she nodded in understanding.
"Exactly," Bill said. "So, as I was saying, the wizard moves the soul carefully into the object it has chosen to hold the Horcrux. As for the object itself, it is washed in the blood of a dead virgin and must rest in…" he swallowed. "It is very dark magic as I said, and it must rest in the intestines of a child. It specifies that the child must be alive as the Horcrux is tied around the child's intestines and it burns them from the inside; taking the child's life, sealing the Horcrux closed, and protecting the soul fragment."
"So, to create one Horcrux is essentially taking at least three lives: One to fragment the soul, one for the blood of a dead virgin, and one for the death of a child," Zee explained, adding the points to the board as Bill nodded.
"The ritual is very detailed in that sense and like I said it is extremely volatile and hard to perform. There have been countless witches and wizards who have died, blown themselves to pieces in attempting to create just one Horcrux. Once it is inside of the object and wrapped in the living intestines, it still amplifies magic and heat and the wizard must urge the fragment to bond with the object, to create the safety for it, and it is only when that child dies that the Horcrux is complete. Until that final death, which can be minutes to hours depending on the strength of the child, it can explode at any given moment — one false move, and it's all over."
Remus sighed and closed his eyes. "And we know for a fact that Voldemort succeeded in creating at least two."
"He was one of the brightest students that Hogwarts has ever seen and one of the most powerful wizards that I have ever taught," Dumbledore said quietly. "There isn't a question that he created more than two."
Bill swallowed. "Each Horcrux must be destroyed before you can go after the original soul piece, otherwise he will just keep returning to life. You really think that he made seven of them?"
Dumbledore sighed. "It's a theory that he planned on making seven whether he actually got around to creating seven is something else entirely, but the number seven is a very powerful magical numeral. The intent would have been there."
Sirius rubbed a hand over the rough stubble on his face. "Herpo the Foul?"
Bill nodded. "Ironically, he is also the dark wizard credited with creating the Basilisk so it only makes sense that he would have figured out the Horcrux."
Sirius nodded and added the information to their board. There was an entire section labelled: Horcrux with bullet points detailing how it was made and what it was. He wanted all of the details there to fully process them.
675 BCE: Herpo the Foul, credited with creating the first Horcrux by murdering his wife; first known wizard to successfully breed the Basilisk, ironically one of the only known creatures with venom able to destroy a Horcrux; one of the earliest known Parselmouths.
575 CE: Herpo the Foul believed to have died around this time, living almost 900 years with one successful Horcrux.
HORCRUX:
➾ Invented by Herpo the Foul (also credited with creating the Basilisk).
1. Murder (unnecessary aka not in self-defence or to protect another)
2. Choose an object for the Horcrux, bathe object in blood of a dead Virgin.
3. Turn wand upon self, slice across heart, draw soul energy from the heart to wand top.
4. Move soul piece into chosen object to hold Horcrux
5. Seal in intestines of living child until child's death seals the Horcrux
➾ Need THREE lives to create ONE Horcrux:
1. The unnecessary murder of someone.
2. The death of a virgin.
3. The death of a child.
Sirius finished adding the points and dates of origin before he turned his attention to his former Headmaster.
"What have you found out, Albus? Have you narrowed down a timeline on his life? Any other ideas of what objects he could have chosen?"
Dumbledore tapped his fingers on the table before he spoke. "I have and the more I have discovered about his life, the more I think that there is still more to look into. As Sirius is aware, Tom Riddle is the last known heir to the Slytherin bloodline. His mother was Merope Gaunt, the only daughter of Marvolo Gaunt. From the information that I have gathered, it seems that Merope was besotted with a rich Muggle who lived nearby named Tom Riddle. He was engaged to be married to another woman when apparently there was quite a scandal and he ran off with the poor daughter of the Gaunts. There is a marriage license for them from March of 1926 and within six months, Riddle has returned home to his family and abandoned Merope. To me, this sounds like she was giving him a love potion."
As Dumbledore spoke, Remus's wand added the new information to the wall.
31 March 1926: Merope Gaunt marries Tom Riddle.
31 December 1926: Tom Marvolo Riddle is born; Merope dies in childbirth and abandons her son to an orphanage in London called Wool's Orphanage.
McGonagall nodded, her lips pursed. "Foolish girl probably thought that once she was with child he would have no choice but to stay with her."
"It's what I gathered," Dumbledore told her. "She's nineteen years old and pregnant and alone now. Her father died and her brother is in Azkaban for crimes against Muggles, so, she has no where to go. She arrives at a Muggle orphanage called Wool's and gives birth on New Year's Eve, only to die an hour later, after naming her son — Tom Marvolo Riddle. When Morfin returns home after his three-year-sentence in Azkaban, his father and sister are both dead and he has no idea that his sister has given birth to a half-blood child, so Riddle is raised in the orphanage where his mother died. Mrs Cole, the woman who I spoke to at the orphanage, was intimidated by Riddle, even a bit fearful of him. She told me about a pet rabbit that had been strangled that she was convinced he was responsible for and that the children were quite afraid of him."
1928: Morfin Gaunt is released from Azkaban and returns home to find his father and sister have died.
1936: A pet rabbit is strangled in Wool's Orphanage and Mrs Cole strongly suspects Riddle is responsible.
Tonks nodded. "Harming animals is one of the signs that Muggles use in their own Mind Healing. They claims it's a sign that could determine them to become a violent individual as a teenager or an adult."
Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that idea has merit, Miss Tonks, especially in the case of Riddle. There was an incident at a seaside cave about a year before I had approached Tom about coming to Hogwarts. He coerced two children into going into the cave exploring with him, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop. Mrs Cole claimed that the children were never the same when they came out of the cave."
"What happened in the cave?" Zee asked, her eyes wide.
"I wondered that myself and I looked into the minds of the two children in an attempt to discover just that," he said carefully. "It seems that he coerced them into the cave with the idea of exploring. Benson remembers him pushing her down into an alcove, shoving her inside and locking her in there so that she couldn't get out. He shoved Bishop in the water, attempted to drown him, laughing it off as just playing a game. There were bats in the cave and he managed to catch one, bit the head off and chased them with the body. When they screamed and begged him to stop, he told them that they were cowards. Benson said that he made her rub the bloody bat all over her body and then made Bishop lick the blood off of her. They were obviously extremely traumatized. Benson took her own life five years later and Bishop died in France during the big Muggle war in the 1940s."
Zee shivered and Sirius took her hand in his. "How old were they?"
"Eight or nine years old at the time of the incident," Dumbledore supplied. "I urged Mrs Cole to have them speak with a counsellor, but they wouldn't talk to anyone. They were too terrified of Tom."
"When did you delve into their memories, Albus?" McGonagall asked, her eyes on her friend. "The same day you spoke to Tom about Hogwarts?"
"No, it was after Tom had been at Hogwarts almost a year," he told her. "He was a bright student and all of the teachers adored him. He was very different from the scared, manipulative child that I had first met in the orphanage, I was trying to figure out if I had seen the real him or if his Hogwarts persona was more accurate. When I met him in August of 1938, he was bossy and hostile, calculating and strongly independent. He was known for terrorizing the other orphans and when I spoke to him he was convinced that Mrs Cole had called me in to come and take him away; to lock him away in a psychiatric institution of some kind. He was completely delighted when he found out that he was a wizard as if he had always known on some level that he had powers. I told him that Hogwarts didn't stand for bullying and that authority and discipline were to be taken very seriously. He demanded that I show him some proof of magic, so, I set his wardrobe on fire with a simple revealing charm that shook all of the objects to whom did not belong to him. He kept trophies, even then. He assured me that he would return the stolen items, and I explained about how to get his school supplies. He was very independent, determined to go about it alone and insisted that he did not need my help when I offered to take him. He then told me that he could speak to snakes."
"A gift from his Slytherin bloodline," Remus added, smiling at Kreacher as he set them up with a fresh pot of tea and served potato bacon cheddar soup and fresh bread.
Dumbledore put his spoon into the soup, inhaling the smell with a smile. "This smells, heavenly, thank you." Kreacher beamed at him as he served everyone else before taking his leave. "Yes, though I did not know that he was part of the Slytherin bloodline then. He got his wand from Ollivander's and the Garrick wrote to me to let me know the contents of his wand."
"Why?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow as he broke off a piece of the fresh bread that Kreacher had provided. "Why would he tell you about his wand?"
"When Fawkes first came to me, Garrick approached me about using some of his feathers for making wands. I resisted at first, but then I asked Fawkes and the phoenix gave me two feathers to give to the wand maker. I asked him to tell me who the students were to obtain a feather from my phoenix merely out of curiosity. Tom was the first student, almost a year after I had given him the feather, to take the wand. I was intrigued by that. Phoenix cores are very powerful. They have the greatest range of magic and they show the most initiative, sometimes even acting of their own accord at the mental behest of the witch or wizard when the wand is out of reach. They are very picky about their owners and the wand is very hard to tame and to personalize like the phoenix itself and it takes a lot of effort to win the allegiance of the wand. Even after disarming someone, the wand will not work until it deems the person holding it worthy," Dumbledore explained, digging into the soup with enthusiasm. "Imagine my surprise, when over fifty years later, Garrick wrote to tell me that the second wand had finally chosen its wizard."
Sirius swallowed slowly, his eyes on Remus. "Harry."
Dumbledore nodded. "Garrick was most interested in that fact; that the wand had chosen the same wizard who had killed the boy's parents and yet then gave its brother's allegiance to the boy. I admit, it intrigued me as well and it's one of the reasons why I was so interested to see what Harry would be capable of when he came to school."
"He's very intelligent and he picks up on things quickly," McGonagall said with a smile. "I credit that to Remus, he was a wonderful teacher to him in his youth."
Remus smiled at her. "I did my best, but Harry did the work. What does that mean that they share a core from the same phoenix?"
Zee spoke now, putting her spoon down. "Their wands won't work against the other."
Sirius' eyebrow rose. "He can't hurt Harry?"
Zee shook her head. "No, he's more than capable of that. But if they were to duel, the wands would protest because they are brothers."
Bill leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide. "Fascinating."
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "It is indeed. As I was saying, I kept my eye on Tom, suspicious of the change in his behaviour. Two cats went missing in November of his first year, but no one ever claimed Riddle did it, but I suspected. I believe that Riddle was in his second year when he discovered the Chamber of Secrets. I used to constantly find him out of bed and near the girl's bathroom that year and now knowing that it is the entrance, it makes sense that it was the year that he discovered it and probably spent a great deal of his personal time down there. It was the summer before his fifth year that the Riddle family was murdered in Little Hangleton. It is here I believe that he used magic to steal Slytherin's signet ring from Morfin Gaunt, framed him for the murders of the Riddle family, and wiped his memory. I explained to Sirius that I did what I could to look into Morfin's memory, but the man confessed to the murders and ultimately died in Azkaban."
1937: Riddle terrorizes Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop in a seaside cave.
August 1938: Dumbledore meets Riddle at Wool's Orphanage and tells him he's a wizard and accepted into Hogwarts; Riddle reveals he can speak to snakes.
November 1938: Two cats go missing from Hogwarts; both found dead and mutilated by Hogwarts groundskeeper.
1939-1940: Riddle learns about the Chamber of Secrets.
July 1942: Riddle murders his father and grandparents in Riddle Manor and uses a memory charm to convince Morfin Gaunt that he did it.
August 1942: Morfin Gaunt is accused of the Riddle murders in Little Hangleton.
September 1942: Riddles turns Marvolo's ring into the first Horcrux.
"You had no proof of it," McGonagall said quietly. "But it all makes sense. He would have been what fifteen or sixteen when he killed his father and grandparents?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, fifteen. Sirius and I believe that he might have used the signet ring to create another Horcrux. But at school, he charmed his professors and was a very excellent student. Headmaster Dippet made him a Prefect that year. I spoke to Horace Slughorn about Tom's time at Hogwarts and he gave me a distorted memory of his Slug Club meeting that year. Riddle was sitting with Titus Avery, Linus Lestrange, Abraxas Malfoy, and Wendall Selwyn, who were all Slytherin fifth years with Riddle, Selwyn only a third year. In the memory that Horace gave me, Riddle asks him about Horcruxes, asking if theoretically one could make more than one, maybe even seven. Horace's memory edges here and I suspect that he's attempted to hide the fact that he might have helped Riddle on this quest unknowingly. In at least May of Riddle's fifth year, he opened the Chamber of Secrets and I'm assuming that by this time he had learned how to control and release the Basilisk because there was an attack and Myrtle Warren was killed. As we know, he went to Headmaster Dippet and accused Hagrid, who was later expelled in June of 1943, and Dippet presented him with an Award for Special Services to the School. Thanks to the events from last term, I was able to reverse that expulsion and finally expunge Hagrid's name from the record. It is somewhere here that I believe he turned the diary into a Horcrux and quite possibly the ring as when he came back for sixth year, he no longer wore it and Miss Weasley and Mr Potter claimed that the diary was a preservation of his sixteen-year-old self."
May 1943: Riddles asks Slughorn about making Horcruxes, hints at building more than one.
13 June 1943: Riddles learns how to open the Chamber of Secrets and releases the Basilisk, killing Myrtle Warren and framing Rubeus Hagrid who is expelled.
September 1943: Riddle turns his diary in the second Horcrux.
McGonagall let out a slow breath. "A fifth year student… it… he would have already committed multiple murders by this point, at least three if Bill's information is right, he would need three per Horcrux… Merlin, Albus, he fooled so many people!"
"I know, Minerva," Dumbledore said carefully. "He knew that I suspected him of foul play with Hagrid, and he was very cautious around me. He was a natural Legilimens and I never could get a clear read on him. I said as much to Armando, tried to prevent him from expelling Hagrid as we both knew that the Acromantula wasn't the monster that killed Warren, but the creature was still very dangerous and Hagrid had committed a crime by possessing it illegally. I was suspicious of Tom happening upon Hagrid's pet, but he was a student, a prefect at that, and until I had proof, he had technically done nothing wrong. It was only my thoughts that made him guilty at the time. He spent his last two years of school fully engrossed in the school's history, asking questions to Bathilda about the Hogwarts founders and I assumed, trying to gather more information on the Slytherin bloodline. Dippet made him Head Boy in seventh year and some of the Slytherins by then were already referring to him as Lord Voldemort. I remember thinking it was interesting that he wanted to be known as a lord. He was a model student and everyone was speculating about what kind of amazing Ministry job he would find when he finished school."
Remus nodded as he finished his soup, reaching the for red wine that Kreacher had provided them. "Did he ever work at the Ministry of Magic?"
"No, and I think that we can all agree that is a good thing," McGonagall said, her eyes on Dumbledore.
"He wanted to stay at Hogwarts actually."
Sirius' mouth open in surprise. "Why?"
"He wanted to teach. Dippet told him that he was too young and that he couldn't hire a teacher at only eighteen years old and that there were no teaching jobs available at the time anyway. He surprised everyone by taking a job at Borgin and Burke's."
"That antiquities store in Knockturn Alley?" Zee asked in surprise.
"More like dark antiquities," Sirius supplied, his eyes narrowed. "Nothing they sell there is exactly safe to purchase."
"Agreed," Dumbledore said, sipping his own wine.
"So, he worked as a store clerk? Why?" Tonks asked, eating her own soup. "If he was so bright, then why take a job that didn't utilize his talents?"
June 1945: Riddle asks Dippet for a job at Hogwarts and his denied.
July 1945: Riddle begins to work at Borgin and Burkes
"That is something we will have to look more into; why he chose that job in particular. Remember, I said that he had taken an interest in the Hogwarts founders? Eight years after he finished school, one of the last remaining members of the Hufflepuff bloodline was murdered by her house elf, but — she had been visited quite a lot by a handsome store clerk from Borgin and Burke's. Smith was known to be an avid collector of magical objects including the locket of Salazar Slytherin. It was astonishing that a house elf had killed her owner, as it's almost unheard of for house elves to act out in such a way, and the elf was beside herself with grief. Soon after news spread of her death — Riddle disappeared. For ten years, no one knew where he went or what he was doing. I took over as Headmaster and Riddle showed up in 1967 asking to apply for the open position of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He insisted that I call him Lord Voldemort and it made him uncomfortable when I called him Tom. He told me that he had spent the last ten years travelling, teaching himself all he could about the subject of the dark arts so that he could teach. I told him that I had heard rumours that he was involved in more than just research with the dark arts. He evaded my questions. I refused him the job and he left my office. Since that day, I have not been able to retain a professor for that post for longer than one year."
"He cursed it," Sirius said under his breath.
Zee smiled. "Maybe not intentionally, but that is very interesting."
August 1945: Riddle travels internationally to Eastern Europe for Egyptian canopic jars owned by a count who then goes missing.
1957: Riddle kills Hepzibah Smith (rumoured to collect the have Locket of Salazar Slytherin); Riddle disappears.
July 1967: Voldemort returns to Hogwarts and asks Dumbledore for a teaching job and is denied.
"Within three years, the name Lord Voldemort was making itself known. He was rising to power and his reign of terror had begun. People began disappearing and his followers, calling themselves Death Eaters, struck just as much fear in witches and wizards everywhere. The violence escalated; riots broke out, and Jenkins stepped down as Minister in '75. I was asked to be the Minister that year, but I declined. I have no interest in politics, not then and not now. I enjoy being Headmaster. We know from Kreacher that it was in 1979 that Voldemort hid the locket in the very same seaside cave he had once tortured his peers in and soon after, Regulus Black stole it and died trying to destroy what was inside of it."
1968: Giants begin to follow Voldemort.
1969-1981: Voldemort rises to power in Great Britain
1975: Dumbledore attempts to get the Phoenix Initiative off the ground in the Ministry but is unsuccessful; Minister Eugenia Jenkins forced out of office because of rising threat of Voldemort; Harold Minchum takes over as Minister of Magic when Dumbledore declines position.
"You started the Order of the Phoenix in '77," McGonagall stated. "I remember lecturing you on recruiting students."
"We were your best damn soldiers, Minnie, and you know it. If Peter hadn't turned hat we might have even…" Sirius trailed off and nodded at Dumbledore. "Halloween '81, Harry defeated him, and he vanished for another ten years."
1977: Dumbledore's attempts to get the Phoenix Initiative off the ground are still unsuccessful so he instead forms the Order of the Phoenix behind the scenes.
December 1978: Peter Pettigrew is kidnapped and held hostage by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
1979: Kreacher and Voldemort hide the locket Horcrux in a seaside cave; Augustus Rookwood is stalking Peter Pettigrew; Regulus Black goes to the cave with Kreacher, switches out the locket for a fake and dies; Peter Pettigrew starts passing information to Voldemort; Elaine Ryan, Order of the Phoenix member, is raped and killed by 8 Death Eaters when she refuses to help Voldemort.
31 July 1980: Harry James Potter is born.
1981: Learn of a spy within the Order of the Phoenix and the Potters go into hiding; Marlene McKinnon and her family are murdered; Mary McDonald is murdered.
September 1981: Potters use Fidelius Charm and name Peter Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper.
29 October 1981: Dorcas Meadowes is murdered by Voldemort.
31 October 1981: Death of James and Lily Potter; Voldemort turns Harry into accidental Horcrux
1 November 1981: Arrest of Sirius Black; "Death" of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius sent to Azkaban; Frank and Alice Longbottom tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Junior.
"What made him come out of hiding in the first place?" Zee asked. "I know that Sirius told me about him possessing the professor in '92."
"My friend Nicholas Flamel informed me that someone had attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone. No one had attempted to take it from him in decades. He and his wife have lived happily with the Elixir of Life in France and suddenly he was worried that they might return to try to take it from him again," Dumbledore explained. "He's obviously a very old man and hasn't been involved in any action in decades. He asked me to hide it for him in Hogwarts. I had some reservations about it and asked him to store it in Gringotts instead. He agreed, but soon became nervous about it being there, insisting that he trusted me more than the goblins so, I had Hagrid remove it, and bring it to the school. I only told Minerva of what I was undertaking, and while she agreed that it was foolish to hide it in the school, we had heard that someone had broken into Gringotts — and had taken nothing. We both agreed that it was the best idea to hide it in the school after all, as someone was clearly after it, and Hogwarts was most likely the safest location for it at the time."
"We wanted it to be protected," McGonagall continued. "We knew that if anyone was going to attempt to come after it, that we would need to have obstacles so that we could stop them before they got to the stone. It was my idea to have the different professors build obstacles. When Quirrell came back to Hogwarts that year to teach his new position as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I immediately told Albus that something was wrong when he came to the staff meeting in July. He was different, terrified of his own shadow, and we both agreed that something had changed about him. But we tested him for Polyjuice and checked his blood and he was the same professor who had taught Muggle Studies a few years before. Albus and I both agreed that we had to keep our eye on him."
"Severus approached me first of his suspicious behaviour, especially after a mountain troll somehow managed to find its way into the castle," Dumbledore said, breaking off a piece of bread. "We questioned him about the troll and he claimed that they must have wandered in looking for their brothers as he had requisitioned two mountain trolls as an obstacle for McGonagall. Snape immediately demanded of him how he had brought two mountain trolls in as an obstacle, but had fainted at the sight of one. Quirrell claimed that he had been in shock, not expecting to find himself face-to-face with a troll."
"I had approached each professor with an idea for an obstacle, claiming that it was going to be a test for the seventh year students at the end of the year. Everyone was thrilled with the idea and had immediately began to brainstorm a test for their seventh years to pass," McGonagall explained. "As you know, Pomona provided a massive Devil's Snare, Filius enchanted a thousand keys with only one to unlock the door, Quirrell provided two mountain trolls to get past, Severus, a test of the mind with potions and a riddle, and I created a chessboard. Albus decided to use the Mirror of Erised and before we had even finished creating our obstacles, Albus had Hagrid put a giant three-headed dog upstairs to block the door."
"And Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed your seventh years' test with flying colours," Remus said with a smile. "And Harry stopped Quirrell from getting the stone. Why would Voldemort want the Philosopher's Stone if he had indeed already made Horcruxes?"
Dumbledore sighed. "I believe that he was looking for a way to get himself stronger, to find a body to reside in. He cannot die, but what he is now is hardly living and while the Horcruxes provide him with a tie to the world, they are not sustaining him."
"That's why he was drinking the blood of unicorns," Bill said slowly. "He's trying to make himself strong so he possessed Quirrell and had him feed on the blood in an attempt to make him stronger."
"Exactly."
Sirius let out a slow breath as he used his wand to build the timeline on the board.
31 July 1991: Voldemort fails to obtain the Philosopher's Stone in Gringotts.
31 October 1991: Quirrell lets a mountain troll into Hogwarts as a distraction to attempt to get to the stone.
May 1992: Voldemort drinks unicorn blood to sustain himself.
June 1992: Harry defeats Quirrell and Voldemort is expelled from the dead man.
August 1992: Ginny Weasley finds a diary with her school things belonging to Tom Marvolo Riddle (given to her by Lucius Malfoy, taken from the vault of Abraxas Malfoy).
31 October 1992: The Chamber of Secrets is opened again; Mrs Norris is petrified.
November 1992: Peter Pettigrew is captured and held in the Ministry of Magic to await trial.
January 1993: Peter Pettigrew stands trial and is sentenced to Azkaban for 831 years and 6 months in Azkaban prison for his crimes.
29 May 1993: Harry destroys the diary Horcrux with Basilisk venom, saves Ginny Weasley, and closes the Chamber of Secrets.
August 1993: Abraxas Malfoy breaks Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew out of Azkaban.
"So, at this point we know that he made a Horcrux from the locket and from the diary," Sirius said. "We believe that he made one out of the ring, and possibly found something belonging to the Hufflepuff family, am I right?" At everyone's nod, he continued. "We know that Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre can destroy a Horcrux. As to the locket, Albus, did you use the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy it?"
"No."
"Why not?" Sirius demanded.
"That is a question," Tonks said her brow furrowed. "Why haven't you destroyed it yet? You've had it for months, knowing what it is?"
"I want us to study it," Dumbledore said carefully. "I want to see if it is possible to remove the Horcrux from within the object without destroying the holder itself. The diary was completely decimated by the Basilisk venom once the Horcrux inside of it was destroyed."
"Why does it matter about the objects? I mean, it sucks to destroy them as they are of great historical value, but we're talking about lives at stake here, Albus," Remus insisted, crossing his arms in front of him.
Dumbledore hesitated, putting his tea cup down as he spoke. "What if I told you that I believe that Lord Voldemort put a piece of his soul inside of another human being?"
Sirius snorted. "I'd say that would be ridiculous. If anyone in the world was to trust someone else enough to hold a piece of their soul inside of them, it would not be that mental asshat!"
Remus nodded. "I have to agree with Sirius on this, Albus. He would never willingly do that."
"What if it wasn't willing?"
Bill froze, his eyes widening. "You think that he lost control and that the soul fragment latched onto someone."
Dumbledore closed his eyes. "I'm not sure of it. I can't be positive but… I've suspected for a few months now."
Sirius was staring at Dumbledore, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He was wrong, he thought, Dumbledore wasn't saying what he thought he was.
"No. No fucking way!"
Dumbledore sighed, his blue eyes turning on Sirius. "He can speak Parseltongue, Sirius. A gift like that… it passes down through the bloodline and only through the bloodline. The only reason that he can speak it, is because Voldemort can speak it. I told him after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets, that I believed the night Voldemort attempted to kill him, the rebound latched onto him and gave him a part of Voldemort. He put a part of himself inside of Harry. That's why the scar won't heal or disappear. It would also make sense as to why his wand chose him, not only is he immensely powerful on his own, but to have that connection with the brother wand… I don't think that it's merely a coincidence."
McGonagall stared in horror. "And the pain he feels… when he first touched the diary, when he touched the locket…"
"I think that's Harry's soul telling him that something dark is nearby — something terrible — and it is his very soul that feels the energy more keenly because part of that darkness has tried to attach itself to Harry and the two souls are… reacting to each other."
"It's not a real Horcrux, Sirius," Bill said carefully. "It's like… a parasite that lives in his scar; that infects him, but doesn't possess him. It's not like the diary with Ginny. It can't control him."
Remus was staring at the board straight ahead reading Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre and swallowed. "'Neither can live while the other survives'… ultimately, Harry will have to sacrifice himself to destroy the last remaining piece of Voldemort or he'll live forever… is that what we're saying that means?"
Sirius threw his wineglass across the kitchen as it smashed against the wall.
"No! NO! I will not let this fucking bastard win like this! I don't care if it was fucking intentional to put the fragment there or not! Harry will not be sent after him like some goddamn bloody sacrificial lamb! There has to be a way to remove the sodding fragment from him without it killing him! There has to be!"
Zee jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around Sirius, ignoring him when he tried to break free. "Sirius! We will figure this out! Do you think that we're all just sitting here waiting to give up? We don't want Harry to die! We're not going to let him die!"
"I'll keep researching, looking into the Horcruxes that latched onto the nearest living thing. In most of the cases that I've come across, the only wizards who have done it, killed themselves in the process — but there has to be a way to find out why it latched onto Harry, and how," Bill said firmly, his face pale. "There has to be a way to remove it. Even a mind healer, or someone who specializes with the brain might be able to take a look at it and remove it safely. We are not giving up, Sirius. This isn't just Operation Fuck Up Voldemort's Plans, this is Operation Kill the Sodding Bastard — and none of us are going to back down from this mission."
Sirius clenched his hands into fists as McGonagall reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly. Zee's arms were still wrapped around him, her head resting over his heart, trying to calm him. Remus and Tonks were holding each other's hands at the table and Dumbledore was staring at Sirius.
"I was going to mention it when we first talked, Sirius, but I didn't want to believe such a thing was truly possible until Bill mentioned it today and confirmed my worst suspicions. It was… it was too horrifying of a thought — and I had desperately hoped that I was wrong," Dumbledore told him.
Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee, resting his chin on the top of her head. "And the pain that he feels… it's not… Voldemort can't possess him the way that he did Ginny, the way that he came from the diary?"
"No," Bill said clearly, standing up. "He put a memory of his sixteen-year-old-self into that diary and that was the ability to rise up and possess her. The thing that has latched onto Harry is only a soul fragment on its own — not one that is encased inside of a Horcrux. It can't hurt him like the diary hurt Ginny, not really, but it does connect him to You Know Who… on a level that we don't understand."
Sirius nodded, his eyes closed as he took a deep calming breath. "Remus and I met with the Malfoys the other day," he said quietly, quickly reiterating the conversation. "Cissa believes that this potion is how Voldemort will be coming back, but we don't yet know the details nor how long it will take — if it will even work — and what will happen with the attempt."
"As far as I'm aware, there is no set potion able to do so," Tonks said, her brow furrowing. "We studied regenerating and life-giving potions pretty thoroughly in A1 training."
Sirius nodded. "I didn't think so either, but we have already said it more than once, he is an intelligent man and a powerful wizard — and who knows what kinds of things he's concocted in his quest on gaining immortality."
"If Narcissa is correct in that her father-in-law is looking to bring Voldemort back, through this mysterious potion or through any other means… then once he comes back, he might be able to take control of Harry. If he was made aware of the connection, but I don't think that he knows that part of his soul has latched onto Harry," Dumbledore said calmly. "I think only once he has regained his strength and power would he able to make a connection with the fragments of his soul. I wonder if he even knows that any of them have been destroyed."
"Would he not feel it?" Zee asked, her eyes on Dumbledore. "Would you not feel a piece of your soul being destroyed?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but I imagine after cutting his soul up so consistently, he might not feel anything at all, for it was already grievously damaged."
The room was silent for a few moments before McGonagall cleared her throat.
"Remus, what did you mean earlier when you said, 'neither can live while the other survives?'" she asked, her own fingers tightening around the stem of her wineglass.
Dumbledore leaned back in his seat. "Sybil made a prophecy, Minerva."
McGonagall snorted. "That doesn't sound right."
"It's one of the reasons why I hired her," he continued. "Not only because of what she said, but to keep her safe from Voldemort, for if he ever found out about her making the prophecy — he would hunt her down. The night I interviewed her in December of 1979, she went into a trance and told me a prophecy about a child that would have the power to defeat the dark lord."
"And you believe it to be Harry?" McGonagall asked, her voice almost a whisper. "He's a child — that's preposterous!"
Remus swallowed. "Voldemort chose Harry, Minerva." McGonagall's eyes whipped to his, demanding that he deny it. "The prophecy stated that the Dark Lord would choose his equal and by going after Harry in October of 1981 — he chose him. He marked him with a lightning bolt scar."
Zee tightened her grip on Sirius. "Merlin… how long have you two known?"
"I told Sirius about it in June after the incident with the Chamber of Secrets," Dumbledore said carefully. "Before that, only I was aware of it."
Sirius let out a slow breath before reciting the words that had been haunting him since June. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."
The room was silent as everyone simply stared at him, their eyes wide and mouths slightly open. It was almost two full minutes before Bill spoke up.
"So, You Know Who, in trying to stop the prophecy from happening, ultimately set it in motion by going after the Potters that night?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said carefully. "A Death Eater was eavesdropping on me that night in the Hog's Head and heard the beginning of the prophecy, but he was removed from the pub before he could hear the rest and therefore only gave part of the information to Voldemort. If Voldemort had known the entire prophecy, he might not have chosen to go after Harry, to kill James and Lily, and ultimately… he may have won the war."
McGonagall pounded her hand on the table. "I won't look back and think that if James and Lily had survived the war would have gotten worse. If Harry is truly destined to kill him in the end, to best him… that means that he must come back. He must find a way to… return?"
"We're not going to let that happen," Sirius said angrily. "We're going to deal with this son of a bitch one sodding Horcrux at a time, and when that moment comes that Harry is forced to… he'll be ready. I will prepare him to the best of my ability, teach him every goddamn fucking curse that I can imagine, and show him how to put Voldemort in the bloody ground for good!"
Remus nodded as Tonks linked her fingers with his. "And we'll find a way so that he won't… he's not going to sacrifice himself, Padfoot. We're going to help him. Operation FUVP, remember?"
"And then Operation KSB will move into effect," Zee added.
Sirius still had his arms wrapped around Zee, the warmth of her helping to keep him calm. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they were clear and blank.
"I can't keep all of this from him any longer. I promised him that we would never lie to each other and… I need to tell him… everything."
Remus nodded, his eyes meeting Sirius'. "I agree. But before we do that, Padfoot, I think that we need to go down to the Chamber of Secrets. We need to find out if Voldemort left anything down there or if he left any clues as to what he may have made Horcruxes into. If he found it in his second year, that's a long time to make it his own place."
Tonks nodded. "I think that you're right. We need to go down there and check it out."
Sirius sighed as Zee stood on her toes and kissed his chin. "Friday night after dinner, we'll go down there. And then, Rem — we need to talk to our boy."
Remus nodded, his eyes sad. "No more secrets, Padfoot."
Sirius nodded. "No more secrets."
End Author's Notes:
This is the timeline they have created so far, some things are missing as they won't discover them later and some things may be incorrect because they don't know for sure. But this is my Operation FUVP timeline for now.
As to the students and first Death Eaters. I decided to make up names as to whom I thought could have been at Hogwarts with Voldemort so this is who I decided knew him as Tom Riddle.
More information will be provided on the characters below as the story goes on…
Hogwarts Class of 1938-1945:
Abraxas Malfoy (father of Lucius, grandfather of Draco)
Titus Avery Senior (original first name)
Boris Burke (father owned Borgin and Burke's)
Cassia Shafiq (marries Linus Lestrange, mother of Rodolphus and Rabastan)
Linus Lestrange (father of Rodolphus and Rabastan)
Tabitha Nott (marries Titus Avery Senior)
Tulia Travers (marries Roman Yaxley, mother of Corban Yaxley)
Roman Yaxley (marries Tulia Travers)
Myrtle Warren (killed in 1943 by Riddle's actions with the Chamber of Secrets)
Hogwarts Class of 1940-1947
Rubeus Hagrid (expelled in 1943 because of Riddle)
Wendall Selwyn
Thanks for reading and please review!