Resolutions
By Neurotica
Twenty-Three
The weather on Halloween day quite fit the mood—it was grey and cold making anyone who ventured outside the castle doors want to go back to the warmth and comfort of their bed. Luckily, the day had fallen on a Saturday this year, so those who probably would have been preoccupied had they been forced to pay attention in lessons or go to work had the luxury of doing whatever they wished.
And this suited Harry Potter just fine. He woke early with a heavy feeling in his chest and it took him a few minutes to remember why. First there was the general significance of Halloween itself; then there was what the night would bring: the Horcrux hunt with Dumbledore.
Wanting to go back to sleep but annoyingly unable to do so at the moment, Harry rolled out of bed, dressed silently and quickly—his dorm mates were still asleep—and left the dormitory. Only one person was in the common room that really mattered to Harry — Ginny spotted him, stood, and silently led the way out of Gryffindor Tower towards the Great Hall. Breakfast was a subdued affair; the only people up this early were a few professors and students who were taking advantage of the lack of classes to study. While Harry was pushing his eggs around his plate, Hedwig flew into the Great Hall and dropped a note beside his arm. Ginny fed the owl a piece of bacon and toast while Harry read the three-lined note.
Family meeting after breakfast. Guest quarters.
—Remus
p.s. Your godfather's feet are cold.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Why would you care if Sirius' feet are cold?" she asked slowly.
Harry smirked, folded the note, and placed it in his robes. "It's the password—cold feet."
"Ah," Ginny said in realization. "So I guess this rules out my keeping you for myself today, huh?"
He smiled apologetically. "It's rare that we can spend Halloween together, and Remus and Emmeline have decided to go back to Number Twelve tomorrow—Pomfrey said if she doesn't do it now, she'd be stuck here until she gave birth."
"That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" Ginny asked. "I'd rather be here during a pregnancy than there, personally."
Harry shrugged. "Sirius and Remus have done a lot of work on the place in the last few months. I haven't seen it obviously, but they said it's not nearly as grimy and depressing as it was. All that's really left is Sirius' mother's portrait."
"It might not be too bad a place to live if you could get rid of her," Ginny said thoughtfully. She glanced at her watch. "You should go. I want to see you before you leave with Dumbledore tonight."
Harry nodded and kissed her. "You will. Love you," he whispered.
She smiled. "Love you too."
"Have you ever heard the story, Harry, of how your dad proposed to your mum?"
Harry smiled widely from his spot on the floor between Sirius and Remus; Naomi's head was resting on her husband's chest. Emmeline had gone to the hospital wing, giving in to Madam Pomfrey's nagging about wanting to examine the pregnant witch. She'd chosen today to do it mostly to give Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Naomi some time with each other—they'd decided to spend the day telling stories about Lily and James, and the Marauders' days at Hogwarts.
"Yeah, I've heard that one," Harry responded to Naomi's question. "But it's definitely one of my favorites."
Sirius snorted, one arm cradling his head, the other wrapped around Naomi. Mira was asleep on a blanket between him and Harry. "I'm starting to notice a trend with you, Harry," he said half-amused, half-stern (but mostly amused). "Anything that results in our embarrassment seems to make you happy."
Remus lifted his head up and grinned at him. "You're just now noticing this, Padfoot? I've known since he was six that he enjoys seeing us embarrassed."
"Anyway," Naomi said, cutting off Sirius' reply. "So your dad decided he wanted to propose just before we took our N.E.W.T.s. He'd snuck out of school to Hogsmeade for the ring—" Harry looked at her, startled, but she only smiled and winked. Sirius and Remus remained oblivious. "He wrote this whole sappy speech, picked out his best robes, and all that. Then he decided he was going to ask her during our Transfiguration practical N.E.W.T.—why I never understood."
"His plan was to transfigure everything within wand reach into flowers and hearts or whatever else he thought would make it romantic," Sirius recalled. "I think he actually managed to make flowers grow out of one of the exam administrator's heads."
Remus laughed. "I remember that now. He kept using the wrong incantations because he was so nervous, so the flowers were turning into gerbils and frogs. And of course James Potter couldn't make a proposal a private moment—he wanted the whole world to know he wanted to marry Lily. By the end of it, he'd had to shout his proposal over all the noise in the Great Hall—girls were screaming because of the gerbils, boys were laughing, frogs were croaking, professors were trying to get control. It was complete chaos... I think we—Sirius, myself, Naomi, Julia, and Peter—were the only ones still paying attention to Lily and James. Needless to say, she said yes. James got detention for interrupting the exam, but he always said was a small price to pay to marry Lily."
Harry looked over at Remus in sudden curiosity. "How'd you propose to Naomi?" he asked. To his surprise, Remus and Naomi exchanged a glance and burst out laughing. "What?" he asked Sirius, who was smiling and shaking his head.
Sirius chuckled a little before answering. "They'd had this huge fight over something," he said. "Which was weird, because they never fought. We were all at Remus' while this was going on and we were all convinced they were going to breakup—they were calling each other names, accusing one another of the most ridiculous things... Naomi yelled something along the lines of not wanting to date a worthless, jobless bum for the rest of her life—oh, she didn't mean it, not even a little," Sirius added quickly at Harry's look. "And Remus had said something horribly insulting to her before that. Both of them were just being completely irrational. Anyway, she said that, and Remus comes back with 'Fine, then marry a worthless, jobless bum!' Then he reached into his pocket, took out the ring, and got down on one knee. Harry, it was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen in my life."
Remus and Naomi were still laughing far too hard to say anything, so Harry just stared between them. "What were they fighting about?" Harry asked.
Sirius shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "They probably don't remember, either. I'm sure it was something stupid, though; I remember them both being really stressed out because of the war—everyone was on the border on snapping back then, and the smallest thing could set the calmest person off." Sirius looked at his godson a little oddly. "Why're you so curious about proposals?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "I was only wondering, no particular reason..." Sirius continued to look at him suspiciously, but Remus and Naomi had finally calmed down. Harry quickly engaged Remus in telling another story about his parents, mostly to give him something to concentrate on other than Sirius' stare.
They're going to find out sometime, said his mind,
Not today, though, he responded. The voice shut up, allowing Harry to listen to what Remus was saying.
Madam Pomfrey had finished her examination of Emmeline rather quickly, but the witch remained in the hospital wing with the medi-witch. Her main intention was to give Remus, Sirius, Harry, and Naomi time to discuss Lily and James—Emmeline had known the Potters, but not nearly as well as those four, so she hadn't wanted to intrude on their time. Of course, Remus insisted she wasn't intruding, that he wanted her to be there, but she'd left anyway. Besides, she was enjoying her conversation with Pomfrey.
The twins were growing perfectly, and Emmeline was even allowed to hear their two separate heartbeats when Pomfrey had done her charm to check the babies' health. The two witches had spent the last few hours talking about Emmeline's pregnancy, what would be expected in months to come, and everything else that came to their minds until someone rather unexpected entered the hospital wing.
Emmeline watched Snape's lips purse as though he'd sucked on a particularly sour lemon. He glanced from her face to her protruding belly, and away to Pomfrey.
"I have the potions you've requested, Poppy," he said stiffly, hading the medi-witch a crate of potion bottles.
"Oh, thank you, Severus," Pomfrey replied, taking the crate back to her office.
"Hello, Severus," Emmeline said evenly through the tension.
"Emmeline," Snape replied shortly. "I suppose congratulations are in order." His eyes shifted quickly to her belly again. "Twins, as I understand it."
Emmeline nodded. "Yes, twin boys," she confirmed.
"You and Lupin must be quite overjoyed."
"We are," she replied. "We're looking very much forward to becoming parents." Snape nodded curtly to show he heard. "I saw you at our wedding," she said softly. The wizard raised his eyebrow slightly, examining his fingernails. "You could have stayed if you'd wanted."
"I was under the impression that you were not particularly fond of me at that precise moment, due to the most unfortunate altercation with your dear brother."
"Yes, well, you did deserve every word that I said to you," she said coolly. "There was no need for you to announce why you needed to speak with Remus to everybody in the room. Hell, there was no need for you to come to my house at all—you could have left the potion at Number Twelve."
"I had to inform Lupin of the specific instructions in which he needed to prepare the potion, since it wasn't going to be used for a few weeks," Snape replied smoothly.
Emmeline raised her own eyebrow. "I don't recall you giving him any instructions. What I do recall, however, is your insinuating that Remus would harm me should he lose his temper."
"Werewolves are not known for their calm demeanor—"
She laughed bitterly. "You know, I was actually going to thank you for bringing him back after the full moon. Whatever it is you have against my being with Remus, you need to get over it. Is it jealously, Severus? You're bitter because it wasn't you whom I married and that it's not your sons I'm carrying? Let's get something straight right now: I left you for the simple reason that you put your work over our relationship again and again. Yes, I did love you at one point, but once we parted ways, that all changed. I love Remus with all my heart and I will never leave him. I've tried to be your friend numerous times, and every time I attempt it, you make me wonder why I ever wasted my time with you all those years ago."
Snape merely raised another eyebrow. "I will just assume your hormones are causing you to overreact."
Emmeline stood from the hospital bed she'd been sitting on and crossed the room quicker than any woman in her condition had a right to do. "I've stuck up for you when everyone in the Order insulted you and said you weren't to be trusted—I even stood up for you to my husband. But now I'm starting to wonder if he and Sirius weren't right all along about you, Severus. You are just another Slytherin."
"Exactly how I would expect the wife of a Gryffindor to act," Snape spat coldly.
"Emmeline?" said a voice across the hospital wing. Snape spun around, revealing Remus to Emmeline, who was watching their exchange with his expressionless face. "Is everything all right?"
She nodded. "Just fine, love," she said quietly. "Severus and I were just settling a few matters. We're finished now." She and Snape held one another's gazes for a moment, Emmeline carefully keeping him from using Legilimency on her, and he spun on his heel, stalking out of the room.
Emmeline's jaw was clenched in anger as Remus approached her. "I really did think he'd change," she said quietly, burying her head in her love's chest. "He and I always got along. He never treated me the way he did everyone else."
Remus sighed and held her. "I know, love," he whispered, kissing her hair.
"If he wasn't so bloody jealous of you, we might have been able to keep some sort of friendship," she said sobbing, unable to understand why this was affecting her the way it was. She'd never been bothered by Snape's attitude towards Remus before—she'd actually found it amusing that he had the ability to be jealous of any man. "I don't like being wrong about people, Remus," she mumbled into his robes.
"I know." After a few moments, once she'd calmed a little, he asked, "How're the babies?"
She smiled slightly as she pulled away from him. "They're great," she responded quietly. "Poppy says that as long as there are no difficulties within the next few months, their births will go quite smoothly—or as smoothly as any birth can go."
Remus laughed a little, kissing her forehead. "Wonderful news," he said softly, smiling widely. "We were just discussing grabbing a bite to eat in the kitchens and we'd like you to join us if you're up to it."
She nodded, still sniffing a little as she took his hand. "I'd like that," she said. As Remus led her to the kitchens, she tried to fight back the feeling of betrayal Severus Snape had given her.
At nine o'clock that night, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron met Harry in the seventh year boys' dorm room while Harry paced around, preparing for the moment his bedside alarm clock would go off and he would make his way to Dumbledore's office. He'd received a note from the Headmaster earlier in the day, instructing him to bring along his Invisibility Cloak—it was now lying neatly folded on Harry's bed.
He and his friends had spent the day trying to imagine where the Horcrux might be—Ron brought up images of a cave guarded by fierce fire-breathing dragons; Hermione was convinced it would be a secluded wooded area; and Ginny had decided it was in a wide open area where one would be least likely to find it. For himself, Harry had tried not to think of where the Horcrux might be; however, not thinking of that left him wondering what it would be.
Dumbledore had explained about the other Horcruxes (the diary, locket, ring, and cup), and his theories on what the last two could possibly be. Somehow, though, Harry didn't think they'd be going after Voldemort's snake that night.
A knock on the dormitory door startled Harry out of his pacing. The door opened and Harry had never been more relieved to see his guardians enter a room—vaguely he realized there'd been many other times that he'd been a lot happier to see his guardians, but those didn't matter in the least right now. "Come to join the party, eh?" he said with a weak smile as Sirius and Remus closed the door behind them.
Remus smiled. "Well, Sirius was pacing in our quarters, so I figured I may as well bring him up here where we can at least keep you company while he paces."
"Did you want us to leave?" Hermione asked.
"No," Remus said, shaking his head. "The more people in a room, the less likely Sirius will be to let his over-protectiveness float to the surface and try to kidnap Harry before he has to go to Professor Dumbledore's office."
The kids laughed, but Sirius turned and glared at his best friend. "Don't pretend you're not worried about this, Remus," he said rather sharply. "You're as much of a worrier as Molly Weasley—no offense, Ron, Ginny."
"None taken," Ginny said, hiding a smile.
"So do either of you know where we're going tonight?" Harry asked in an attempt to stop an argument between his guardians.
"'Fraid not," Remus said. "Then again, I'm none too surprised; Albus Dumbledore has a tendency to be a master of secrecy."
Harry sighed and nodded.
"Nervous, Harry?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the edge of Dean's bed.
"Something like that," Harry answered, smiling suddenly as Sirius' eyes caught sight of the poster over Dean's bed of the West Ham football team. Remus rolled his eyes as the Auror stood and started poking the players with his wand.
"I've already tried that, mate," Ron said, glaring at the poster.
"Muggles..." Sirius said, shaking his head.
Before anything more could be said, Harry's alarm clock went off, signaling the time had just turned to nine-thirty. Harry looked over at Sirius whose wand arm dropped to his side limply, though he was still staring at the Muggle poster.
"We're to walk to you to Dumbledore's office, Harry," Remus said quietly, his face suddenly becoming the blank mask Harry still hadn't gotten used to seeing.
Harry nodded wordlessly and turned to his friends. Hermione stood from where she sat on Ron's bed and caught Harry in a tight hug. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Remus trying to hide a smile. "Honestly, Mione," Harry said, patting his best friend on the back rather awkwardly. "I'm not leaving forever; I'll be back in a few hours."
Hermione pulled away, nodding. "Do promise to be careful, won't you?"
"Marauder's honor," he replied, holding up his hand and grinning a little—this seemed good enough for her.
Ron stepped up next, handing Harry his folded Invisibility Cloak. "You'll be needing this, I reckon," he said gruffly. Harry nodded and took the cloak from him. "I expect a full detailed report tomorrow when you get back."
"Naturally," Harry said, shaking Ron's hand. Lastly was Ginny. The two of them just watched each other for a few minutes. Harry glanced over at his guardians—Remus had joined Sirius at the poster of Dean's bed—and pulled Ginny to him in a deep kiss. "I want to talk to you when I get back," he whispered in her ear. "Just you and me, alright?"
Ginny smiled and nodded. "It's a date. See you when you get back. Love you."
"Love you." Harry turned from his friends to his guardians, both of which had small smiles on their faces. "Lead the way," he said to them.
The walk to Dumbledore's office was a rather silent one. Every so often, Harry would glance over at Sirius who seemed to be on the verge of speaking but not quite able to get the words out. Dumbledore was clearly waiting for them when the wizards arrived in his office.
"We will be traveling to our destination, Harry, by portkey," the headmaster said, holding up an old biscuit tin.
"And where are we going, sir?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore sighed, averting his eyes from Sirius and Remus, and busied himself with the fastenings on his cloak. "I suppose Sirius and Remus will hear of it eventually and I am certain they are just bursting with curiosity. Our destination is 76 Lion's Den Circle, Godric's Hollow."
It took Harry a minute to understand the significance of this address and only when Sirius gripped his shoulder for support of his seemingly weak legs did he fully understand. "Is that... my mum and dad's house?" he asked quietly.
"Indeed it is," Dumbledore said.
"Why there?" Remus asked, his tone bordering on desperate as though he wanted Dumbledore to change his mind. "There can't be any Horcruxes there."
"I am not nearly as confident of that, Remus," Dumbledore replied. "But until my theory has been proven either true or false, I think it best if you were not involved with this."
"I think we have a very damn good reason to be involved with this!" Sirius said heatedly. "You're taking the boy we've raised as our own son into a situation that has the very high possibility to become very dangerous. And it just happens to be the location where two of our best friends were murdered, and where Voldemort came back to power. And need I remind you, Dumbledore, that it's exactly sixteen years ago tonight that this mess started?"
For once, Remus didn't look as though he was feeling the urge to slap Sirius for speaking to Dumbledore in the way he was.
"There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for why tonight must be the night for this excursion," Dumbledore said calmly. "You have my assurances that Harry will be as safe as any outing these days can be. Please trust me, Sirius, when I say there is a reason for my secrecy in this matter."
Sirius and Remus looked at one another for long moments as though having a mental conversation and finally seemed to reach a decision. "Of course we trust you," Remus said quietly. Harry was quite sure that had Sirius been the one elected to speak he would have said something much different. "But our concern for Harry has always been and will always be of the utmost importance to us. We understand he's of age now, and that he's always been able to handle more than many adults we know, but we sincerely hope you understand that Harry's being in Godric's Hollow tonight of all nights leaves us both a bit uneasy."
Dumbledore inclined his head. "Your concerns are duly noted," he said gently. "We will return in good time, but if you will please excuse us, we have business to attend to..."
Very reluctantly, Sirius and Remus nodded and took a few steps pack in unison, causing Dumbledore's lips to twitch and Harry to grin. "See you in a bit, then," Harry said as Dumbledore held out the biscuit tin for him to touch.
"See you," Remus said very hoarsely. With a final nod from Dumbledore, Harry felt a tug at his navel and watched the room disappear in a sudden whirl of colors.
Sirius collapsed in a chair and buried his head in his hands. Remus sighed. "Dumbledore won't let anything happen to him," Remus said quietly.
"That's not even it," Sirius said dully, looking up. Remus was quite startled to see something in his best friend's eyes he hadn't seen in years—the deadened look he'd left Azkaban with. "Harry's never been there. The only memories he might have, and I highly doubt he even has those anymore, are of when he was just over a bloody year old. I know he's dreamed of the place, but..."
"How about a drink down in Hogsmeade?" Remus said suddenly. "Just you and me, get our minds off all this?"
After a few moments, Sirius nodded and stood. "Sounds like a plan, mate," the Auror said. "Lead the way."
The moment Harry's feet slammed into the pavement, he heard an odd clicking sound. He turned to see Dumbledore had retrieved what looked like a silver cigarette lighter from his robes, and with about half a dozen clicks, the lights from all the lamps that hadn't been broken around the street disappeared.
"Merely a precaution," Dumbledore said softly, putting the Put-Outer back into his pocket. "If you would be so kind, Harry, please put your Invisibility Cloak on until we are indoors—the less that can be seen, the better."
Harry did as he was told and looked around the neighborhood. He honestly couldn't see much point in Dumbledore's removing the light around them. The place was completely deserted. The windows on all the houses were boarded up and it seemed as though nobody had lived there in many years.
Dumbledore began to walk forward and Harry followed, stopping almost immediately as he set eyes on a place he'd only ever seen in his dreams. I'd always hoped it'd be something more than just a bunch of rock and dirt, he thought, following Dumbledore up the front walkway.
What had once been the home of Lily and James Potter wasn't much of a sight, and Harry was starting to agree with Remus—why would Voldemort leave one of his precious Horcruxes in this place?
"Come along, Harry," Dumbledore said softly, holding open the rusted wrought-iron gate. "We've much to do."
The Headmaster led the way up the front path, not at all phased by the state of what was once a beautiful cottage—he's probably been here loads of times, though—and crossed the threshold of what Harry assumed was once the front door. He could almost see the house in its original form—the white walls lined with magical photos of Lily and James' friends and family. He could almost smell the smells of freshly baked biscuits from the kitchen and see where the dining table would have been. Then Dumbledore stopped so suddenly that Harry ran into him.
"Sorry, sir," Harry said hastily.
Dumbledore turned and smiled at him. "No harm done, Harry," he said. "Now, if my memory serves me correctly, our destination is somewhere around... here..." Using his wand, he moved a rather large piece of what was once a wall aside, revealing a small wooden door hidden in the floor with a rusted latch. The Headmaster tugged on the door a few times without much luck. He stood, his brow furrowing, and turned to Harry. "Perhaps you could..." He gestured to the door.
"Oh, right," Harry said, shaking back the arms of the Invisibility Cloak so it didn't get in the way. He pulled on the latch with all his strength, but obviously hadn't needed to—the door opened easily for him. As a result Harry found himself on the ground as the door opened. Dumbledore chuckled as Harry stood, wiping dust of the cloak.
"I should have known..."
Before Harry could ponder what this meant, Dumbledore lit the tip of his wand and descended the steps of what seemed to be a cellar. "If you could just close the door behind us, Harry," Dumbledore said as he walked. "You may light your wand if you wish."
Harry did both and carefully went down the steep wooden steps. When he reached the bottom, he couldn't help but gawk. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was in absolute pristine condition. It was full of chests and old portraits and what seemed to be family heirlooms.
"What do you know of the history of this house, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, looking around in interest. "Oh, you may remove the Invisibility Cloak."
Still looking around, Harry took off the cloak and tucked it safely in his robes. "Only that my mum and dad lived here with me," he replied.
"This house has been in the Potter family for many centuries, since the village of Godric's Hollow was founded, I believe," Dumbledore said. "The name of the village is no mere coincidence, either. Godric Gryffindor lived here for many years with his own family in a house just down the street. Godric's eldest daughter met, fell in love with, and married a young man by the name of Charles Potter."
At this, Harry's jaw dropped. "You mean... Gryffindor... he's related to me?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "This information is not known to the public, so it does not surprise me that your guardians were not even aware. Your father knew, of course, but it was the one thing he did not boast about." Dumbledore smiled at Harry's grin.
"There have been numerous items passed down through the Potter family, things that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself—oh, not your Invisibility Cloak," he said when Harry reached for the cloak in surprise. "No, I believe that was a more recent acquisition. The item we are looking for this evening, Harry, is a dagger that Gryffindor used in many battles many centuries ago. It resembles the sword I keep in my office, one you are quite familiar with, if I recall correctly. It will have the Gryffindor crest on the hilt, and a small ruby embedded into it. It will possibly be a long search, so I will waste no more of our time."
"Couldn't we just summon it, Professor?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully. "Certainly we could," he said. "Why don't you do it?"
"Me? Oh... okay..."
Harry hadn't expected Dumbledore to suggest that he should be the one to attempt the summoning charm, but he raised his wand, cleared his throat and said, "Accio Horcrux!"
Somewhere to their left, there was a dull sound like metal hitting metal. "Very good, Harry," Dumbledore said approvingly, taking a few long strides to where they'd heard the noise.
"Somethin' I can help you with?" said a muffled voice behind one of the chests. Dumbledore turned to Harry questioningly and then back to the chest where he pulled out a rather large portrait with ornate decorations around the frame. Only when the Headmaster leaned the portrait against the trunk did Harry get a good look at the person who'd spoken. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore, it's you!" said a man who looked a lot like Harry, only years older—his untidy hair had mostly turned grey.
"Harold, it has been a long time," Dumbledore said cheerfully, turning to Harry. "Might I introduce you to your grandson? Harry, this is Harold Potter, your grandfather."
"Grandson?" Harold said in pleasant surprise. "If you hadn't said anything, I'd have thought that was James! 'Course, I know what happened to my boy... Such a tragic shame…" Harold sighed very sadly. "Well, who'd my boy decide to settle down with, then?"
"Lily Evans," Dumbledore answered as though he spoke with Harry's dead relations on a daily basis. "I'm sure James spoke of her to you many a time."
Harold thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, I remember now. Sirius and Naomi used to tease James about how she despised him. He always did seem rather hurt with how she wouldn't give him the time of day. Anyway, Dumbledore, what brings you and my dear grandson here tonight?"
"We've come looking for a particular item, Harold, one that I am certain is in this cellar," Dumbledore explained.
"And what might that be?"
"The dagger of Godric Gryffindor."
Harold scowled. "Oh yes, it's here alright," he said darkly. He pointed a finger to the other side of the room where Harry and Dumbledore had heard the noise. "Voldemort's been here a few times—couldn't understand how he got down here, only a Potter can open that door you just came through—"
"That is easily explained, Harold," Dumbledore said. "Eleven years ago, Harry was kidnapped and used in a ritual that would have brought Voldemort back to power—he now has Harry's blood in his veins."
Harold sighed heavily. "Well, yes, that'd do it, I suppose. Anyway, your dagger is in the wall—sixth brick form the bottom, fourth from the left-hand corner—not really a brick of course, more like a metal plate. I'd be careful, though; Voldemort put some curses and enchantments over it."
Dumbledore inclined his head. "Thank you, Harold," he said. "If you wish, once we've finished our task, we may relocate your portrait to a more desirable location."
"I wouldn't mind that one bit," Harold said, beaming.
Dumbledore crossed the room, counting stones carefully. "This one, Harry," he said, pointing his long forefinger at a brick—it didn't look any different than the others.
"Doesn't this seem a bit... too easy, Professor?" Harry asked cautiously. He'd thought this little search would be more exciting than just getting the needed information from a portrait of his grandfather.
"Indeed it does, Harry," Dumbledore murmured quietly, staring intently at the brick. Harry said no more, allowing Dumbledore to keep his concentration in whatever it was he was doing. "But why wouldn't he have thought...?" the Headmaster muttered with a frown. "It's as though he never expected it..." Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Do you have the time, Harry?"
"Oh, yes, sir," Harry said, glancing at his watch. "Ten minutes after ten, Professor."
"Then we shall wait."
"Er, for what, sir?"
"The night your parents were murdered, Harry, the estimated time of Voldemort's arrival was 10:15. Judging by this, it would have been around fifteen to twenty minutes between the moment he broke down the front door and began his duel with James, to when he turned his wand on you. If my theory is correct, at approximately 10:30, we should be able to retrieve the dagger without too much complication and return to Hogwarts."
Harry still didn't really understand. "Why then?"
"Because this particular Horcrux was created just after Voldemort's return three years ago tonight," Dumbledore said. "A Horcrux is created when a witch or a wizard commits the ultimate act of evil—murder, Harry," he said when Harry looked at him blankly. "A spell is used to encase a portion of the soul into an object of the caster's choosing. The murders committed to create this Horcrux were those of your mother and father. I believe Voldemort had intended it to be you, but his plan to murder you was quite unsuccessful, as we both very well know."
Harry bit his lip, wondering if he should as the question he'd wondered for weeks, the one Sirius had asked him when he first heard about the Horcrux hunt. When Dumbledore sat down on a chest and began examining an old photo album he'd found at his feet, Harry decided to let his curiosity get the best of him.
"Why did I have to come here, Professor?"
Without looking up, Dumbledore answered, "I believed that would have been obvious." He turned a page in the photo album smiling slightly at whatever he was seeing. "The blood of a Potter is required to reach the item we seek. Only a wizard with Potter blood running through his veins could have opened the cellar door, and only a wizard with Potter blood will have the ability to reach through the brick to retrieve our dagger."
If possible, Harry was even more confused by this. "As I explained to your grandfather's portrait," Dumbledore went on, "Voldemort would have protected his Horcrux with his blood. If he had indeed created it the night of his return, the blood used would be the same that runs through your very veins. If any other were to attempt the retrieval of this Horcrux, it is quite possible they would be cursed. You, however, have an advantage that I do not. Do you recall, Harry, when you retrieved your prophecy from the Department of Mysteries? You know, of course, that had Sirius, for example, been the one to pull it from its shelf, he would have been irreversibly harmed—you had no trouble whatsoever. The same theory applies to this situation."
"And how will I retrieve it, Professor? That wall is solid brick."
Dumbledore looked up from his photo album and smiled. "As is the barrier of Platform 9 ¾, but at certain points in the year, it opens, allowing students to pass from the Muggle world to the wizarding world."
Harry's brow furrowed. "So at 10:30, I should be able to reach through the brick and just... grab it?"
"That is indeed what I hope will happen," Dumbledore said quietly. "In the meantime, feel free to explore. Technically, this is your home."
Harry nodded slowly and turned, finding the portrait of his grandfather studying him with a smile. Harry smiled back and wandered over to a trunk with the initials J.P. embossed in gold on both ends. "Was this my dad's?" he asked the portrait.
"That it is. I remember the day Rose and I—Rose is your grandmother—bought that for him. He was quite excited," Harold recalled. "So tell me, Harry, who're you living with now? I, of course, know about my boy..." He seemed suddenly quite sad. "Such a good boy, James was. Bit of a troublemaker at times, but a good boy nonetheless."
"I'm living with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin now," Harry answered. "They've raised me since I was little."
Harold smiled widely at the names of Harry's guardians. "Yeah? How are Sirius and Remus these days?"
"They're well," Harry said. In the back of his mind he knew this was only partly true—they were probably both stressed and worried out of their minds.
"Good, good. And did Remus ever marry Naomi?"
"Er, not exactly. They broke up. Sirius is actually married to Naomi now, and they have a daughter. Remus married a witch called Emmeline Vance, and she's pregnant with twins."
Harold chuckled and shook his head. "Sirius and Naomi, eh? Never saw that one coming..."
Harry continued to talk to the portrait until Dumbledore called him back to the wall. "Two minutes, Harry," the headmaster said quietly. "Now, I want you to be cautious. The dagger will be sharp, and there may be other things protecting it. If you feel as though the protections are too strong, I want you to pull your hand out straight away. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor," he said dutifully. Inwardly, he had no intentions of pulling his hand out until he had the dagger—this was far too important to pass up.
At 10:30, the wizards were still staring intently at the brick. Right before their eyes, there was a single ripple on the brick as though it was made of water. It only lasted a few seconds before it became seemingly solid again.
Harry looked at Dumbledore briefly, waiting for the headmaster's nod. Biting his lip and taking a deep breath, Harry thrust his hand through the brick. And just like when he was eleven and going to the Hogwarts Express for the first time, instead of hitting solid wall, his hand went right through, as though there'd never been a brick there at all.
AN: I disclaim the lines in this chapter that appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They, of course, belong to J.K. Rowling.