Hi,

here's the third chapter. I'm a bit disappointed, that no-one reviewed my story. Isn't there anyone out there reading this?

For the disclaimer please look into the first chapter.

Now on with the story!

ooooooooo

3 The Locket

There had been an order meeting at Grimmauld Place the evening after their arrival and the next morning Harry was sitting in front of the living room fire place with Remus, Ron and Hermione. Remus told them about the meeting while they were relaxing in comfortable arm chairs. Kingsley Shacklebolt was made the new order leader, which seemed to be a good choice, as he was a very capable auror and strong wizard. He was well-known and eminently respectable. And last but not least he was on the light side with no doubt.

There had been some members, who felt that Grimmauld Place 12 was no longer safe as headquarters after Snape's betrayal. The nature of the fidelius charm however was that after the death of the secret keeper the secret could not be revealed. The grim old place was better hidden than before.

During the following days Harry enjoyed spending time with Remus despite all the hurtful memories of his godfather, the place held. The last of the Marauders (as Wormtail could no longer be called one because of his betrayal) told Harry many stories and tales of his parents during and after school. The werewolf, being the last living Person, who knew Godric's Hollow not being a ruin, offered Harry to accompany him thereto, as the Boy-Who-Lived had no memory of it himself.

One afternoon the Golden Trio and Remus wanted to watch Dumbledore's memories in the Pensive, when Ginny joined them. She was still denying to be left out. They all dived into the swirling mist within the basin and watched the few hints they had to the Horcruxes. After that Harry let his friends watch his own memories of his conversations with his mentor as well as the painful reminiscence of their attempt to retrieve the locket. The attempt, which brought death for the headmaster. The Boy-Who-Lived did not have the strength to watch this particular retrospection with them, as it was much too fresh and painful for him to re-live.

As they surfaced out of the white mist, that was his memory, Harry was surprised to see, that one of the four watchers was not as sad as the other three but very excited. "Did he really smile? How could Remus be smiling at Dumbledore's death? How could he?" Harry thought and was just about to start yelling at him, when the Marauder asked: "Do you know, who R.A.B. is? Have you started thinking about this? Do you have an idea?"

As fast as the anger had started to rise within Harry as fast it vanished again. "Could it be possible, that Remus would know the mysterious person, who had or possibly had destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes?" he thought.

"Remus, don't tell me, you know who R.A.B. is! Spill! Don't tantalise us! Do you know him or her? Who is this person?" he asked. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were electrified as well. Remus became serious (no, not Sirius…) again and answered, "I'm not sure, if I know the one R.A.B., who took the locket, but I have an idea. You see, it must have been a Death Eater, who took it. They call him the "Dark Lord" and only they could have known about the locket and Horcruxes at all."

"Right!" Harry said, "Almost the first thing Voldemort asked his Death Eaters two years ago on the graveyard after his re-birth was '… how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death?' (1)

I did not know, what it meant then, but now it makes complete sense… But… I don't know any Death Eater with the initials R.A.B.."

"That would be, because you have never heard the middle name of this particular one. And it is complete coincidence that I happen to know it. I understand this message that way, that R.A.B. is a renegade Death Eater. That would mean, his treachery must have cost him his life, as Voldemort is not likely to allow anyone to leave his entourage."

Hermione's eyes lit up at these words, she seemed to understand: "Remus, you don't mean…?" "Exactly!" the werewolf answered before she could finish her question. Ron started looking from her to Harry and Ginny and asked "Does someone care to enlighten me?" as he saw realisation dawn in both their faces as well.

Remus grinned and answered, "Regulus Alphard Black. I only happen to know his middle name, because Sirius once mentioned, that he had inherited everything from his uncle Alphard, except for the name, which his not very lovely brother got. And we know that Regulus was a Death Eater and that he tried to leave them. I never knew that there was more to it, than him only becoming afraid. But being Sirius' friend could not lead to a very impartial opinion towards Regulus. Perhaps he was not only stupid and a coward, maybe he actually changed to the better. But he paid with his life for it…"

"That seems to be absolutely logical. Why didn't it occur to me?" Harry murmured, while Hermione was one step ahead again: "Given that Regulus is R.A.B., what do you think, where could he have left the locket? Did he manage to destroy it? Did Voldemort withdraw it from him?" While they pondered about her questions, Ginny suddenly said: "Harry, I need to see that memory again, where Tom visits the old Lady." "Why would you want to do so?" Harry asked. "Please, Harry, I'll explain afterwards." And with that she dived into the Pensive.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed emerging from the mist. "I just knew!"

"WHAT?"

"He did not destroy it and Voldemort did not retrieve it."

"How do you know?" the strain was showing in Harry's voice.

"I have once seen exactly such a locket. But…"

"But…? What? Spill!"

"Do you remember, two years ago, we cleaned this place with Sirius and my Mom? We found a locket, which looked exactly the same. It had this snake shaped letter S on top. We tried to open it, but it would not let us. And then … we disposed it…" Ginny informed them and recognition dawned in everyone. They had managed to identify one of the Horcruxes. It had been directly under their noses and then it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. A frustrating thought.

During their stay at Grimmauld Place Hermione spent a lot of time in the library, no-one had expected anything else from her. But Harry received the impression she was again hiding something from him. She seemed to look for more than clues to the Horcruxes, when he surprised her in there. Though she had had a private talk with Remus and she seemed to have told him what she was searching in there. The others joined her in there sometimes searching for any hint to bring them closer to the Horcruxes.

One particular afternoon during their research Dobby appeared out of thin air. The little house-elf was all excited and wanted to tell Harry his wonderful news. The Golden-Trio were startled about the sudden appearance first but soon welcomed Dobby, who told them about his dialogue with Prof. McGonagall and that she of course would pay him the same as Prof. Dumbledore had done before. He was so happy, that he couldn't wait to tell Harry. Harry congratulated him and the little elf disappeared with a pop. But this episode had the effect that the Boy-Who-Lived remembered, that he himself owned a house-elf. Kreacher!

"How could I have forgotten about this creature? He always tried to save items of the Black heirloom", Harry thought and called the horrible house-elf he had inherited from Sirius. And Kreacher appeared at once. Ron and Hermione mused, what Harry's intentions for calling the creature could be, as he profoundly detested it because of its involvement in the plot that led to Sirius' death. But their speculations were solved immediately, when Harry started questioning Kreacher.

"Kreacher, I command you to answer my questions truthfully."

"Kreacher not wants to answer the scum befouling my mistress' house."

"I know that, but you have to. I am your owner, you have no choice. Kreacher, have you ever seen a piece of jewellery in this form with the same ornament on top only bigger and heavier?" Harry asked pulling the fake locket out of his pocket.

"Kreacher has see the trinket."

"Do you know where the locket, you know, is?"

It was obvious, that the creature tried its best, not to answer this question. He clapped his hands on his mouth; he fought but had no choice: "Yes, Kreacher knows."

Everyone in the room started breathing again; this was a trace, which brought them nearer to one of the Horcruxes. So Harry asked: "Where is it?"

"Kreacher not wants to tell the blood traitors and scum. No, Kreacher not wants!"

That was a true answer that much was clear. But Harry had learned his part:

"Kreacher, I command you to tell me, where the locket you know is located at the moment"

And again the creature with the snout-like nose fought against the magic which forced it to obey a direct order of its owner. It hedged, it tried not to answer but again the magic resulting from the house-elf's enslavement was stronger so he burst out at last: "In the attic, in the rear closet, in the lowest drawer."

Harry ordered the creature back to Hogwarts and Hermione thanked him. That only resulted in being called "Mudblood!" once again before Kreacher vanished with a pop and Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Remus and Ron started to the attic to look for the locket.

And really, they found the locket exactly where Kreacher had told them. There it had lain with many other items which should have been dumped years ago, when Sirius had still owned them. Harry could not believe that the horrible creature had really been of any use. But he was absolutely sure, that this was exactly the locket he had seen in the memories, Dumbledore had shown him.

Happy that they were so lucky to actually get hold of one of the Horcruxes the five friends returned downstairs and seated themselves in front of the living room fire. Now that they had a Horcrux they needed to find out, how it could be destroyed. Hermione started back to the library to look for a way to destroy it. The others just sat there deep in thought. Harry pondered, if he should owl Prof. Dumbledore, when he realised, that this would not work. The owl would not know where to find the headmaster, because he was dead and the portrait would not be able to open, read and answer the letter. Suddenly he jumped up and ran to the room he had slept in two years ago. In there was the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, Sirius' ancestor, who had probably been Hogwarts' least liked headmaster of all times. But nevertheless he had been a Hogwarts' headmaster and therefore happened to have another portrait in the headmistress' office. Dumbledore had used Phineas to give messages to Sirius, as he was able to visit his other portrait at will.

"Phineas," he said, "please be so kind and visit your other portrait. Speak to Prof. Dumbledore in private and inform him, that I found the original and now I need to know, what I have to do to destroy it."

"Boy", the old Slytherin answered, "I am not your personal messenger. And I really do not appreciate to pass such half information around. What original are you talking about?"

"Look, I can't tell you, I'm not allowed. I found it on Dumbledore's orders and I was told not to tell anyone about it. I am just working on the headmaster's orders", the teenage boy told the old portrait, hoping, that mentioning Dumbledore's orders would help persuading Phineas. And as the old Slytherin knew that Dumbledore and Harry were close, he went into his other portrait at last.

When he re-appeared a few minutes later Harry asked impatiently "What did he say?"

Smirking arrogantly Phineas answered: "No patience, today's youth has, no patience… Spoiled brats! Prof. Dumbledore says to destroy this special item it is sufficient, that you hold it in your hand and open it. But you have to do it by yourself, because no-one else would be able to. – What is it, that is so special about you?"

Harry asked this himself as well. Why him? Voldemort had never heard of Harry's existence when he made this Horcrux. He could not divine, that there would once be a Boy-Who-Lived. Why in Godric's name would he put a part of his soul into a container, only Harry would be able to destroy? Destroy by simply holding and opening it… Harry thanked the old Slytherin, left and went back to the living room to inform his friends about Dumbledore's answer.

He sank back into his armchair and back into his thoughts. Argh! He got a headache from all the circling around the locket his thoughts did. From the circling and the attempt to figure out how the brain of the worst dark wizard of all times worked. The lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead ached.

The scar, which symbolised the connection between Harry and Voldemort. The scar, with which Voldemort unknowingly marked Harry as an equal. Which fulfilled the first part of the prophecy. The scar which witnessed, that the dark Lord had already tried to kill him when he was just a small child. The scar, which was proof of his mother's sacrifice. His mother's sacrifice… The ancient magic, the protection of her love… The love, which made it impossible for Voldemort to possess Harry's body.

Merlin's beard, wait! Reminiscence of the occurrence at the Ministry of Magic a year ago, just after Sirius' death, awoke in Harry. This could be the solution. It made sense. What had Dumbledore said: 'It is the power … that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. … That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests.' (2)

"Right!" Harry thought, "Voldemort can not exist inside me. And I bet the part of his soul, which is the Horcrux, will also not be able to exist in my hands once it is freed. That's it! This should be sufficient to destroy the Horcrux. That is what Dumbledore thinks at least. I only hope he is not mistaken with this. The consequences could be fatal."

But first there still was the fact, that he did not have the smallest clue, how to open the locket. His mentor had been unambiguous about that, too. He had to do it himself. Why? Harry thought it to be highly unfair, that fate (or Tom Riddle) had again chosen him to handle all unthinkable difficulties. Why in Godric's name could not someone else be the Chosen-One for a change? Had it really to be him time and time again? He was so tired of it all.

Harry retired early that evening attempting to find rest and peace. Tomorrow was another day to worry about all the injustice in the world, Voldemort and the condemned locket. The blasted locket! There it was again ruling his brains. Goddamned!

He took it in his hand again and examined it more closely. The S-shaped snake remembered him of something, but he could not recall where he had ever seen such ornament. "Had it been in the Slytherin common room, where Ron and I tried to find out, if Malfoy was Slytherin's heir, who threatened the school in second year?" he pondered, "No, I can't remember that there had been an ornamental snake on a metallic item. They had been upon carpets, paintings and hangings, sure, but on metal?" He was also sure he knew no-one wearing a Slytherin trinket.

Harry tried to dig his fingernails into the narrow gap between the locket's top and bottom part to drag it open, but it was useless. They had tried to do so two years ago before they threw the locket away. Useless! That way there was no chance advancing on the matter. He wanted to put away the locket and go to sleep at last, when realisation hit him. Suddenly he knew where he had seen the same ornamental snake on metal. In Moaning Myrtle's toilet. On the tap which opens the entrance to the chamber of secrets.

The Boy-Who-Lived looked at it more closely once again and thought: "Yes, the snake ornaments are totally identical on second view as well. Thinking of it, both were made by Salazar Slytherin himself, so it is not to strange, that they are identical. But, does this mean that they will also function in the same way?" That would explain, why only Harry would be able to open the locket. Only Harry and Tom Riddle himself, naturally. Slytherin's heir, famous for being the only living Parselmouth. Parseltongue, the ability to talk to snakes, was a capability Voldemort had passed to Harry, when he tried to kill him as a baby.

"Open!" the Gryffindor hissed in Parseltongue without thinking, if it would possibly be reasonable not to be alone, while trying to open Voldemort's Horcrux. But it already happened: the locket snapped open and Harry's hand became cold as ice. For a few seconds the iciness crept over his hand into his arm. Then suddenly a burning pain flashed through his forearm. He cried out loud without noticing it and let go of the locket. The pain intensified to a degree Harry had only known from the Cruciatus curse before. He yelled in pain and passed out.

Alarmed by his yelling in the otherwise very quiet old house Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Tonks ran to Harry's room to help him, wands ready. His face contorted with pain was enough evidence that something happened to the black-haired teenager. But what had happened? Hermione, who always had a keen perception and was a very good observer saw the burning marks on Harry's arm and told the others about them. Ginny ran there at once to see, if she could do anything against them, but stopped short, when she saw the open locket on the floor. "Look, he did it! He opened it!" They all gathered around it and Ron bent down and picked it up, before anyone could stop him. The others held their breath and were relieved, when they saw that Ron was not hurt by the Horcrux.

As Tonks came out of her trance she examined his arm and said: "Lucky, Aurors have to learn healing spells. I try and ease the burnings, but I'm not to sure, if I am able to heal them…"

oooooooooo

(1) JKR GoF, p. 562

(2) JKR OotP, p.743