After a long drawn out battle of Rock – Paper – Scissors, between JKR, DC Comics and myself, I lost spectacularly and have been told I still don't own any of the properties I'm writing about, and due to losing I have to wear this pink tutu until I finish this chapter.

Chapter 8 – Where's Mundungus?

"Fletcher, where is he," the Dark Knight asked as he held a scruffy looking thief against a brick wall.

"Don't 'urt me. I'll tell yer wotever yer want ter know," the thief pleaded.

"That's right you will," Batman growled and then thought, 'It's good to know thieves fears do not change across the Atlantic.'

"He's in Kensington. He's meetin' some bloke there ter sell some nicked goods, right, he got from some dead lads 'ouse," the thief babbled.

Batman nodded as he dropped the thief on the ground, dropped some smoke bombs and appeared to fly off into the night.

As he 'flew' to Kensington, he mused, 'I wonder what is so important about a locket. I will have to talk to those three about it, but first I need to find Fletcher.'

As Batman was heading to Kensington, the teens were in the drawing room of Number Twelve looking over the books Dobby and Kreacher had brought them.

"Blimey Hermione," Ron groaned, "I need a break before my eyes fall out."

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione began, "We need to find out everything we can about Horocruxes. Otherwise we might end up like Professor Dumbledore." As she finished saying this a sharp intake of breath was heard.

Turning quickly to Harry she said, "Harry I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. I meant his arm, how it was dying."

Nodding at Hermione he said, "It's all right Hermione. Let's get back to work."

The mood of the room became much more somber as the three teens looked over various books.

"Nothing here in Saving your Soul, though I am about put off lunch after reading some of these rituals," Ron said.

"I think I might have something," Harry said.

"What book is that Harry," Hermione asked.

"The Cost of Immortality by Salazar Slytherin," Harry responded. "It says here, there is a ritual which requires the caster to murder a person in order to cleave a portion of their soul into an item. However, by doing this the caster becomes less human and slightly less sane."

"No one ever accused V-V-Voldemort of being sane," Ron said.

Smiling ruefully at his friend, Harry continued, "This process creates a horocrux which will prevent the person from dying if their body is killed or destroyed."

Hermione listened intently and began writing furiously. Harry and Ron looked at each other and waited patiently for her revelation.

She looked up at the boys and was about to interrupt them but saw them waiting for her to speak. She smiled slightly and said, "Harry how many times have you defeated Voldemort?"

Looking at Hermione oddly because she should know, he began, "When I was one-year-old, when I was eleven with the Philosopher's Stone, twelve with the diary, fourteen in the graveyard, I escaped, but wouldn't call that defeating him, in the Atrium of the Ministry, Dumbledore defeated him and I think that is it."

Hermione looked at her list and smiled then asked, "Do you remember how I said Voldemort used a horocrux the night he was defeated?"

"Yes," Harry said wondering where she was going.

"Harry, in first year you destroyed the body he was possessing, he had a horocrux then. So that is two down, then the diary making three, then in the ritual, his body was destroyed creating his new one, he had to use another one then," she continued. "Plus there was the ring that Professor Dumbledore destroyed last year."

"So you are saying all he has left is only one horocrux and himself," Ron asked.

Nodding at Ron, she then said, "If that book is accurate and judging by the author I would think it is. Harry does it say how to destroy a Horocrux?"

Quickly looking through the book, Harry sighed and said, "It says right here that a horocrux can only be destroyed by the person who created it. If someone else tries there are severe curses and magical backlash that can occur."

"Harry you destroyed one though," Hermione mused. "Maybe it is the connection from your scar. Voldemort and you are linked through it; perhaps that connection causes the protections surrounding the horocrux to think you are him. It is probably that fact that protects you from the side effects."

"It is possible I guess," he said, not happy about the fact the horocruxes considered him Voldemort. "That would qualify as the power he knows not, his own."

In Kensington, Batman was hunting for Fletcher.

The Dark Knight entered a seedy bar and walked to the barman and said, "You have once chance to answer, otherwise in five seconds you won't be standing, in fifteen the three men behind me will be unable to walk and in one minute I will be the only one still standing in the entire bar. Now where is Mundungus Fletcher?"

At a nod from the barman, one of the men behind him swung hard at his head with a cudgel, only to find he wasn't there anymore and the barman was. Batman grabbed the middle man after kicking him in the knee causing a satisfying crack and threw him against the one who swung, causing him to lose his balance as his knee was wrenched by the body. The third and smarter of the three tried to run away but was stopped when he fell over after his legs were tied together. Batman turned to the rest of the 'patrons' of the bar as they screamed and either ran away or at him. Within 45 seconds he was the only one standing in the bar.

"I'll ask you again," he growled, "Where is Fletcher?"

"Down th' street, he's meetin' Binns th' Fence," the stunned barman mumbled holding his broken nose.

"Thank you for the information," he said as he walked out of the shambles that was once a bar.

Fog seemed to be rolling in as Mundungus Fletcher waited for Binns to show up.

'I need ter get rid of this locket, right, before Potter roasts me,' he thought.

"Where is Binns? I don't want ter be 'ere any longer than I 'ave to," he said in a half whisper.

"Why is that Fletcher," said the voice from the body rising from the fog.

"The Demon," Fletcher screamed as Batman quickly pressed his forearm against his throat. "Don't 'urt me, right, I don't 'ave anyfink worffwile"

"Oh but you do, Fletcher," Batman said. "You have a locket, and probably quite a bit more that doesn't belong to you."

His eyes shifting nervously Fletcher said,"Locket, Wot locket."

Batman darkly chuckled and pulled Fletcher up into the sky as he 'flew' up the wall. "Are you sure, you don't have it," he asked. Fletcher nodded that he didn't have it and Batman said, "Well then I won't need you," and dropped Fletcher five stories back to the pavement.

Dung screamed as he saw the pavement quickly approaching and suddenly stopped four inches before his face met the ground.

"Next time I won't stop you, now give it here," Batman demanded.

Shakily Mundungus reached into his robes and gave him the locket while saying, "Here, here take it just let me go."

Quickly tying Dung up to be found later by the authorities, Batman 'flew' off to go set up a meeting with Harry Potter.