Chapter 7

Light in the Darkness

September faded into October as plans to search for the remaining Horcruxes became more solid. Schoolwork for the seventh years was becoming more and more strenuous, especially since research and strategy were taking the majority of Harry's free time. It was amazing how quickly the head-start given during the summer could vanish. Every single teacher was assigning essay after essay that was targeted to include all previous years of knowledge in addition to the new material they were learning. Non-verbal spells were 'strongly encouraged' leaving many in a panic since they had yet to master the craft.

The seventh years weren't the only ones feeling the pressure of schoolwork. With the lack of distraction that Quidditch and Hogsmeade visits would provide, schoolwork was all the students had to consume their time. Teachers quickly noticed this and began to increase the difficulty of their assignments just to keep everyone busy. Study groups had become extremely popular, especially those that included members of the still functional D.A. 'Harry Potter's Defense Group' was still the most popular 'study group' and the most difficult to join even though Harry Potter was no longer leading the group. People still flocked to anything associated with Harry's name, much to Harry's annoyance.

Head boy duties certainly added to Harry's stress. He was expected to patrol the halls every night (with Tonks following him for his safety) and had to settle and confrontations that broke out amongst the students which were at an all time high. It was only a month into the term and everyone was starting to feel claustrophobic and stir-crazy. If something wasn't done soon, it was going to be an extremely long and injury-filled school year.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had quickly become the most talked about class at Hogwarts. All students were being taught some sort of defense. First through third year were taught the basics while the remaining years were expected to defend themselves every class period. Sirius and Remus were occasionally recruited to help supervise the duels and help those who were struggling. Sirius, Remus and Professor Shacklebolt each had a completely different style of teaching and dueling. Sirius was fast and harsh, Remus was calm and calculating and Professor Shacklebolt seemed to be a mixture of the two. Students were already asking about a possible 'demonstration' duel between the three of them.

It was a weekly debate whether to allow it or not. A duel between the three most experienced Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers Hogwarts had seen in the past decade would be a significant learning experience for what could be achieved. The problem was that the younger years wouldn't be patient enough to wait for the years of learning before attempting anything that they saw.

The 'werewolf issue' had slowly faded into the background at Hogwarts even though it was still a much debated topic in the 'Daily Prophet'. Remus was still receiving owls from publications pleading for an interview, just not as many as before. Regardless of Remus' refusals, the wizarding world still believed that Remus Lupin held all the answers concerning werewolves.

The possible locations of the remaining Horcruxes had been narrowed down significantly over the past weeks. The list of possible Death Eaters with a Horcrux in their possession had also narrowed down. There had been few Death Eaters before Voldemort's fall in 1981 that had been as well connected or as financially secure as Lucius Malfoy. The Lestranges were too mentally unstable to trust something as important as a Horcrux with and the majority of the remaining Death Eaters were mostly muscle rather than brains. The only remaining possibility was a new recruit who had no idea what they had gotten themselves into, like Regulus Black.

With the number of possible locations already low, the first place they would be searching was the place that Sirius had already searched last year: Stockwell Orphanage, the orphanage Voldemort grew up in. According to Sirius, the building was now abandoned because of funding problems and had been abandoned for over twenty years. Sirius assured everyone that he had searched every room and had found nothing but he didn't know what he knew now…

...or just how dangerous it all actually was. Sure, Dumbledore had warned him but that was before someone had actually died from trying to retrieve a Horcrux.

It didn't take much for Professor McGonagall to agree to their venture away from Hogwarts. She didn't like it but there was nothing she should do to prevent them from going, even Ron and Hermione. Both of them had made it quite clear that they went where Harry went, regardless of any responsibilities. To say that Harry was touched by their devotion was an understatement. Sure, Hermione had vocalized her decision beforehand but to hear her speak so bluntly to her role model, Professor McGonagall, wasn't something Harry ever thought he would see.

Having Professor McGonagall's approval was only the first step though. Ron and Hermione were thrown into an intense crash course in survival. Ear pieces were created for them along with protective gloves. Remus ran through all of the protective spells he had discovered over the past few months, assuring Ron and Hermione that they would be going nowhere unless the spells were mastered. "You will help no one if you can't protect yourself," he told them.

In addition to everything else, Ron and Hermione were also given the basics of Auror field tactics. No matter what happened, Ron and Hermione needed to follow orders. If they were told to abort, they couldn't hesitate. If they were told to fight, they needed to act immediately. If they were told to leave someone behind, they couldn't object. To say that Ron and Hermione were uneasy about the rules was an understatement but they refused to be left at Hogwarts so they had no choice.

It pained Harry slightly to witness everything his friends were going through. He didn't agree with some of the regulations either but he knew nothing would be gained by arguing. Sirius, Kingsley and Tonks were trained for war. It would be stupid not to utilize their expertise. If the mission didn't go smoothly, Harry had a feeling that they would probably have to make some difficult decisions in the heat of the moment.

It was the final week in October when the party of seven was ready to leave Hogwarts. Their disappearance would be declared as a 'training exercise' and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody would cover Kingsley's classes until they returned. Their departure was difficult to accomplish unnoticed with all of the secret passages blocked and Aurors patrolling constantly. The Floo Network was monitored for the school's safety and a Port Key was too risky for traveling into a populated Muggle city. Apparition was more controllable for the more experienced Apparators and could be performed in smaller groups for discretion.

It took several Disillusionment Charms, Silencing Charms and Camouflage Spells to hide the majority of the group. To the observer, it appeared that Sirius, Remus and Kingsley were on their way to Hogsmeade. They slid out of the castle after speaking briefly to the tall and thin Auror on guard. Even though Kingsley was a teacher, it was obvious that the Aurors still believed that he was their superior. Few questions were asked and even less attention was paid to the four camouflaged figures that followed Sirius, Remus and Kingsley to the grounds. The Auror was too busy saluting Kingsley to see anything out of the ordinary.

They all walked down the stone steps in silence, grateful for the dark clouds covering the half-full moon and bright stars that would have easily exposed those in hiding. The only sign that Sirius, Remus and Kingsley were being followed were the four sets of footsteps appearing out of nowhere on the damp, cold grass but one had to look closely to notice it. It wasn't long before they reached the black gates and the three Aurors guarding them. Kingsley approached the nearest while Sirius and Remus held back, blocking any view the Aurors could have of their disillusioned companions.

Harry glanced around nervously before closing his eyes and trying to reach out to Hogwarts for help. He immediately met powerful waves of reluctance and understanding. Hogwarts once again didn't want him to go but she knew this was something he felt he had to do. A flash of intense warmth struck his face forcing Harry to open his eyes quickly only to come eye to eye with an overprotective Phoenix.

"Fawkes," Harry whispered. "What—"

Before Harry could continue, Fawkes grasped Harry's jacket with his claw and flames and warmth surrounded them, blinding Harry until the quick journey was over. Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Fawkes vanish in another flash of flames and return a moment later with a form that seemed to blend with the surroundings. Glancing around, Harry noticed that he was standing in the middle of a dark alley that looked like it hadn't seen any sort of life in a good number of years.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice echoed softly off the walls.

"Over here," Harry answered as he pulled out his wand and canceled all of the spells placed on him. After a moment, Hermione appeared a few meters away just as flames filled the alley again with another figure that could barely be made out. Once Fawkes vanished again, Hermione pointed her wand at the figure and silently canceled out the spells to reveal Ron looking slightly aggravated.

"Bloody hell," Ron said through his teeth. "You think the bloody bird could give a little warning."

Harry stared at Ron incredulously. "Fawkes took us before you, Ron," he pointed out. "How much more of a warning do you need?"

Ron glared at Harry as Fawkes appeared with a disillusioned Tonks and vanished once again. Tonks appeared a moment later and cast Harry a suspicious glance. "I hope you realize that your godfather is trying to do everything in his power not to panic at the moment and the Aurors are demanding to know why Dumbledore's phoenix is appearing and disappearing," she said dryly.

A large burst of flames appeared causing everyone to jump back in surprise. The flames extinguished quickly to reveal Sirius, Remus and Kingsley with Fawkes perched on Sirius' shoulder. The three wizards looked far from pleased while Fawkes looked amused at the entire situation. Harry had to wonder what exactly had happened at Hogwarts after he had vanished that would cause such a reaction.

Fawkes let out a low trill before flying over to Harry and nudging him towards the entrance of the alley. Everyone took the hint and started walking with Sirius leading the way. Stepping out of the alley, they found themselves in the middle of a rundown spot of London. Buildings were boarded up or looked like they should be torn down. Various rusted street lights flickered slightly before turning off completely only to turn back on and repeat the process a few moments later. It was eerily silent except for the sirens and occasional honking of horns in the distance.

"Stay close and keep your wands at the ready," Sirius said quietly as he pulled out his wand. "This really isn't a good part of town anymore."

That was certainly an understatement. The pavement was cracked and chipped, making it difficult to walk on without tripping. It looked nothing like the memory Harry had seen with Professor Dumbledore. A lot could certainly change in nearly sixty years but Harry never thought the change could be this drastic. There was nothing left of the old-fashioned London street that seemed to welcome visitors.

It wasn't long before they reached a set of rusted iron gates that were partially opened. One by one, they slid through the opening and continued on past a courtyard that was overgrown with weeds. Just beyond the courtyard stood the square building surrounded by high railings that looked to be one moment away from collapsing. Windows were broken or missing, bricks were crumbling and large pieces were actually missing.

Sirius led the way up the few steps leading to the front door and slowly slid it open. A loud creak echoed through the empty building. One by one everyone stepped into a dark hallway that appeared to be caving in on itself. Letting out a shaky breath, Harry felt Fawkes nudge him gently before taking off and flying down the hallway. His first instinct was to follow the phoenix but remained with the group. Harry trusted Fawkes with his life but he didn't want to send Sirius into a panic just yet.

"Glasses on and earpieces in everyone," Sirius said softly but firmly then looked directly at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Don't go wandering off alone. Make sure one of us is in your line of sight at all times, all right?"

Everyone slid on their pair of sunglasses that was charmed to lighten everything in their line of sight to make it easier to search in the darkness without attracting attention from the outside. Earpieces were pushed into place and everything suddenly seemed to echo loudly in their ears. Closing his eyes, Harry waited for a long moment until the sensation passed. Once it had, Harry opened his eyes and looked directly at Sirius.

"I'll follow Fawkes," Harry said quietly. "He may have found something."

"I'll stick with Harry," Tonks volunteered as she moved towards Harry. "We'll let you know if we spot anything out of the ordinary."

Sirius looked like he wanted to argue before he reluctantly nodded. "Stay in contact and notify us immediately if anything happens," he said then looked directly at Tonks. "Anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

Harry and Tonks rolled their eyes at Sirius' feeble attempt to pull back on his overprotective nature before leaving the group to find Fawkes. They walked down the hallway and carefully up the stone stairs in silence. That was the downside of the earpieces. No one could say anything without everyone else hearing it, including commenting on anyone else in the group. Harry didn't doubt that it was taking all of Tonks' willpower to remain silent. It was clear by the concentrated look on Tonks' face.

Stairs creaked and crumbled under their feet making the journey an extremely slow one. Tonks had nearly lost her footing twice and Harry hadn't faired much better. He just had quicker reflexes. To say that they were relieved to reach the second landing was an understatement. Now they just had to worry about getting back down.

Stepping over a piece of ceiling that had fallen, Harry wasn't surprised to see the first door in the long corridor partially opened and had to fight the sudden feeling of déjà vu that washed over him. Of course. If the Horcrux would be anywhere in the orphanage it would be in the room that Voldemort had spent his nights in, the room Voldemort had learned about the wizarding world in.

Cautiously, Harry pushed the door open a little and was immediately hit with a faint wave of darkness that seemed to wrap around him like a glove. It wasn't as powerful as it had been in the Chamber of Secrets or in the cave but there was still enough to proceed with caution. With his wand in hand, Harry stepped into the room with Tonks on his heals. The room was even smaller than what Harry remembered. It looked like the room had actually caved in on itself.

Fawkes' soft, soothing trill filled the air from the windowsill he rested on. Intense light battled against the subtle darkness allowing Harry to relax and breathe easier. With his wand at the ready, he motioned for Tonks to take one side of the room while he took the other. Tonks immediately started sending detection spells every step she took while Harry depended on his senses. Floorboards groaned loudly every time they moved while others were too rotted away to handle any pressure whatsoever and broke.

Slowly, Harry moved towards the far side of the room. It was almost like he felt something pulling him while something else was screaming at him to stay away. The desire to leave suddenly became overwhelming but Harry fought against it to remain where he was. He forced himself to think only about finding one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. "Something's here," Harry whispered.

"Did you find something, Harry?" Sirius asked urgently through the earpiece.

"Nothing yet," Harry answered, "but I keep getting the sudden urge to go back to Hogwarts and finish my Transfiguration essay."

"Of course!" exclaimed Hermione. "Repelling Charms. That's probably why this place hasn't been demolished yet. The moment someone examines the room Harry's in they are forced to think about something else, just like the protective measures against Muggles for the World Cup."

"I'm feeling it too," Tonks added as she moved to Harry's side. "Muggle Repelling Charms on the exterior and Wizard Repelling Charms on the inside. Someone certainly didn't want anyone looking around." She waved her wand a few times before frowning. "That's odd. There are quite a few spells in this room but I can't find the center point."

"You wouldn't be able to if the center point was charmed to be undetectable," Remus offered. "Where are you two?"

"Second landing," Harry answered. "First door on the left."

"We're on our way," Sirius said quickly. "I don't know how I missed it last time."

Tonks and Harry shared a look. "I would have missed it if Harry hadn't pointed it out, Sirius," she said honestly. "It's a subtle spell that slowly influences you. I've never seen anything like it before."

"I have," Kingsley said as he carefully entered the room. "It's a borderline dark spell. It's a mixture of a Repelling Charm and the Imperious Curse. Too much exposure can alter the task to a hidden desire that the person will do everything in their power to complete, no matter what is in their way."

Harry winced at the thought of people giving into their ultimate desires with no self control whatsoever. He sincerely hoped that something like that was never released at Hogwarts or everyone would be in a lot of trouble. "Is there a counter curse?" Harry asked hopefully.

Kingsley shook his head and motioned for Harry and Tonks to leave the room. "The best we can do is search the room in shifts although I don't think it would take too long," he said as he glanced around the small room. "Whatever was here is probably now under the debris."

"Regardless," Sirius interjected as he entered the room followed by Remus. "We'll search everything from top to bottom. We can't start making assumptions this late in the game."

Before Harry could even protest, Tonks pulled him out of the room and into the hallway where Ron and Hermione were waiting for them. Harry noticed a difference the moment he left the room. The presence of darkness vanished along with the invisible forces that had been pushing and pulling him. He was in control now and could only let out a relieved sigh.

"You all right, Harry?" Tonks asked as she eyed him cautiously. "No urges to go snog the life out of anyone?"

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. Sometimes Tonks' sense of humor made you want to jinx her. "Not is the slightest," he said through his teeth. "How about you? Any urge to go to Charlie?" Tonks scowled at Harry but remained silent. Point to me. "How long should they be in there?"

Tonks shrugged uncertainly. "We were only in there a few minutes," she said as she glanced in the room.

"Did it really affect you two that much?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

A loud cry from Fawkes halted any answer. Harry rushed into the room and instantly noticed Sirius, Remus and Kingsley were rubbing their foreheads as if they were starting to get a headache. Or starting to succumb to the spell's affects. "I think it's time to switch," Harry offered.

"Harry—"

"—is right, Sirius," Tonks interrupted firmly. "Step outside and clear you head." When no one moved, she raised her wand and pointed it at the three wizards. "Don't make me do it. You may be the mission leader but my job is to protect Harry from any threat, even is that threat is you." Without another word, Remus and Kingsley pulled Sirius out of the room. Tonks waited until they left before turning to Ron and Hermione. "It appears that it only takes a few minutes for the spell to affect someone. Work fast but carefully. The moment you feel anything out of the ordinary, leave."

With a nod, everyone started looking. Ron moved debris, Hermione and Tonks relied on spells and Harry went back to following the darkness to the far side of the room. Step by step, Harry moved forward even though something kept screaming at him to back away. He was nearly there. He could feel it. Just a little further…Just one more step…

WHAM!

Without warning, some invisible force slammed into Harry's chest, sending him flying backwards into the far wall that crumbled around him. People screamed but Harry barely heard them as he slowly sank to the floor. Confusion and shock had overpowered any sense of pain. He didn't notice that he was being carried out of the room and checked over for injuries. It wasn't until Fawkes started to softly sing that Harry snapped out of it and met his godfather's gaze. However, it also awakened the shooting pain down his back.

"Are you with us Harry?" Sirius asked worriedly as he helped Harry sit up.

Harry nodded, holding back a wince as the pain in his back increased. Waves of fear and concern poured off of everyone giving Harry a headache to add to his backache. "I got too close," Harry said then smiled. "It's in there, Sirius. "We just have to figure out how to get it."

Sirius let out a long breath as he ran a hand over his face. "That's easier said than done," he admitted. "How can we take something when we can't see or get near it?"

"Sirius has a point, Harry," Remus added as he knelt down beside Sirius. "Having everyone being thrown across the room will solve nothing."

"There has to be something we can do," Ron protested. "Can't we just override the dark magic with light?"

The answer hit Harry like a ton of bricks. Ron was right. Intense light could destroy intense dark. Fortunately for them, a creature that was the epitome of light was with them. Harry shifted his gaze to Fawkes who let out a soft understanding trill. This was why Fawkes was here. Fawkes had somehow known that he would be needed. Determination flowed through Harry as he forced himself to stand. "Where's my wand?" he asked.

Sirius quickly rose to his feet. "Harry, you take it easy," he protested. "You could have a concussion at the very least."

Hermione handed over Harry's wand, earning a grateful nod from Harry. Before anyone could protest, Harry conjured a vial, knelt down in front of Fawkes and held the vial under Fawkes' right eye. Several gasps filled the air as Fawkes started to cry, his tears flowing into the vial like drips of water from a leaky faucet. Harry felt a comforting hand on his shoulder but remained still until the tears stopped coming when the vial was nearly half full.

"Thank you, Fawkes," Harry said sincerely as he conjured a cork and pushed it on the opening of the vial. Fawkes let out a soft trill as if to say 'you're welcome' before taking flight and vanishing in a burst of flames. Letting out a breath, Harry stood and turned to the room when he felt the hand on his shoulder tighten slightly.

"Harry, I don't think it would be wise for you to go back in there," Sirius said uncomfortably.

Harry immediately turned around and stared at Sirius in disbelief. "You can't be serious!" he said and continued as Sirius opened his mouth. "Don't even say it. I know I got hurt but the fact is that I got closer than anyone else. I can feel where it is, Sirius. I'm the logical choice."

"Harry does have a point," Kingsley offered thoughtfully. "We can't risk wasting those tears because of fear. Each of us knew this would be dangerous and that we would most likely be risking our lives, Harry included. If he can actually find the barrier, he should do it."

"You know I'll be careful, Sirius," Harry added. "Give me two minutes. If nothing happens by then you can pull me out and try something different." Sirius closed his eyes and reluctantly nodded. Harry didn't waste any time. With his wand in one hand and the vial of Fawkes' tears in the other, he entered the room and slowly approached the darkness. It seemed easier to fight now that he had a possible antidote in hand.

Step by step he moved until he nearly reached the spot he had been before. Nervously, Harry shook the vial of tears before throwing it at the concentration of darkness. He quickly dropped to his knees and cast shield charm after shield charm just as the vial came into contact with some sort of invisible barrier. The explosion shook the entire room as white light shined brightly. Harry instinctively covered his head only to hear objects flying everywhere a second later. He waited for something to hit him but nothing ever did. My shields are actually holding.

When the objects finally stopped falling, Harry raised his head and looked around. The floor (except for a small area around Harry) was covered with gold cups identical to Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. Harry seriously wanted to laugh. He had no doubt that the cups that weren't the Horcrux were spelled or cursed in some way. There had to be at least fifty cups. Picking the correct one out of the bunch was nearly impossible.

"Bloody hell!"

Looking over his shoulder, Harry realized that he wasn't alone. Sirius, Remus and Kingsley had forced themselves into the doorway and Ron was peaking over them from behind. It was then that Harry noticed the three wands pointed at him and realized that was the reason the shield held. Sirius, Remus and Kingsley had helped him out.

"You all right, Harry?" Sirius asked as his gaze slowly shifted around the room.

"I'm fine," Harry answered truthfully. "Any ideas on how to find out which one is the real Horcrux?"

Sirius raised his wand but Remus quickly jumped it. "No spells, Sirius," Remus said urgently. "At least not until we know what we're up against."

Sirius stared at Remus incredulously. "Harry's in the middle of a mine field and you want to wait?" he asked loudly.

"It's better than rushing into it and causing permanent damage!" Remus shouted back.

"Boys!" Tonks interrupted as she pushed her way between them. "This is solving nothing! We need answers. I think it's safe to assume that all but one of these objects have been transfigured from something else." She turned her gaze to Harry. "You were able to sense where they were hidden, Harry. Can you determine which one's the actual Horcrux?"

Harry reached out with his senses for a long moment before shaking his head. He could only sense a faint hint of darkness, nothing like what he had felt when Krecher had handed over the locket. The Horcrux was definitely in the room. It just wasn't near him which made sense. Voldemort would never make it that easy…unless…Closing his eyes, Harry pictured a snake in his mind and concentrated on talking to the snake. "Reveal yourself," he said.

Several gasps filled the air forcing Harry to quickly open his eyes and see a cup near Sirius glowing intensely. No one said a word as Sirius readjusted his gloves and carefully picked the cup up. The glow around the cup intensified for a short moment then died away. Sirius wasted no time hurrying out of the room, no doubt to begin the process of destroying the Horcrux. Before Harry could even mention his current predicament, he found himself being magically lifted into the air and pulled towards the doorway.

One by one, the members of the team vacated the room until Remus, Tonks and Harry remained. As soon as Harry was close enough, Remus canceled the spell and reached out to catch Harry with Tonks' help. Unfortunately, Tonks wasn't exactly stable on her feet. The moment Harry's feet touched the floor, Tonks stumbled and accidentally kicked one of the decoy cups. Harry and Remus froze as the moving cup hit the nearest cup which seemed to set the defenses into action. The room started to shake causing all of the cups to move. One by one the cups began to explode, sending Remus, Tonks and Harry into action.

"RUN!" Remus yelled.

No one wanted to stick around when the ceiling started to fall around them. Everyone covered their heads while spelling away the large boulders of falling ceiling while hurrying down the unstable stairs. The entire building was crumbling around them and every piece seemed to be targeting them. Ron had nearly fallen off the staircase when a large piece of ceiling hit him from behind. Luckily Hermione had been at his side and helped him down the remained of the stairs.

Entering the hallway, wands were extended into the air, sending beads of light off so everyone could see where they were going. The ceiling was still crumbling and falling but at least now they were running on even ground. No one stopped running when they reached the front door or even when they reached the courtyard. It wasn't until they had passed the rusted iron gates that everyone finally stopped and turned around to see what remained of the former orphanage.

The building looked even worse than before. It was as if the deterioration process had been pushed forward at least fifty years. The majority of the second level had caved in and first level could easily join it at anytime. It was obvious that someone had been in the building which meant the available time to find the remaining hidden Horcrux had decreased exponentially. As soon as Voldemort heard about the damage to his former residence he would begin checking all of his Horcruxes

"We should keep moving," Kingsley said quietly. "Someone was bound to hear that. We don't want to be here when the Muggles start investigating."

Remus reached in his back pocket and pulled out an old wallet. "Does everyone have everything?" he asked looking directly at Sirius who nodded and held up the Hufflepuff Cup to prove that he did have it still. "Good. Grab hold." Everyone gathered around and touched the wallet. "Sanctuary."

With a tug behind their navel, the group of seven vanished in a swirl of colors only to land shakily in front of the fireplace in Black Manor. All it took was a look shared between Sirius, Remus and Harry to know what the next step was. The basement was currently the most protected location to attempt to destroy the Horcrux without putting a large number of lives in danger and not be detected by Voldemort or the Ministry.

"So what do we do now?" Ron asked, breaking the silence. "We have to destroy the cup, right?"

Sirius, Remus and Harry shared another look. Technically, they could probably handle disposing of the Horcrux but doubted Ron and Hermione would just go back to Hogwarts now. "I know you all want to help but having too many people in the room will just get someone hurt," Remus said gently.

"We're not going anywhere," Kingsley said in a tone that left no room for discussion as he enfolded his arms across his chest. "The three of you have a routine. That's fine. If Ron and Hermione want to go back to Hogwarts then we'll take them back and return to monitor your progress. 'We don't do anything without backup.' Wasn't it you that said that, Sirius?"

Sirius glared at Kingsley for a long moment before giving in. "Fine," he said shortly. "If you and Tonks want to stay outside then go ahead." Sirius turned his gaze to Ron and Hermione. "What about you two?"

"We'll stay," Hermione answered instantly with Ron nodding in agreement. "We're going to see this through the end, no matter what."

Harry smiled appreciatively at Ron and Hermione. He could feel their disappointment in not being able to actively participate in the actual destruction of the Horcrux but their determination to help overpowered any bitterness that they may have felt. Both of them would have put up more of a fight a few years ago. For Harry, the entire situation was another reminder at how much had changed in a short amount of time.

None of them were kids anymore.

A/N: I'll be out of town for the weekend so I thought I'd update early. Hopefully I'll be able to write more on the long drive.