Chapter 12
After dinner that evening, Dobby kept an eye on the control room while the rest of the household gathered in the library. The control panel was set up to record the events on the monitor, so Dobby's job was to watch the screen and report to Charles if anything unusual happened--if, for example, Voldemort had visitors or started to leave the room.
In the library, Dumbledore had returned from Hogwarts with his collection of memories. After watching two memories that took place in the Gaunt house, which had been Voldemort's mother's family, and two of Tom Riddle while he worked for Borgin and Burkes, they decided that the most likely items used for making horcruxes were a ring and a necklace that had belonged to the Gaunt family, direct descendants of Slytherin. They knew that Tom Riddle's diary had been one, but was now destroyed. They suspected Hufflepuff's cup was another one. The 7th piece of soul would still reside in Voldemort, but they didn't have any idea what the other two were. Dumbledore believed that Nagini, Voldemort's snake, was a horcrux.
"We can test that theory easily," Charles said. "We can scan the snake from the trunk to find out if there's a soul piece inside her. However, I would suggest that, if she is, we wait to destroy her last. We don't want Voldemort to know that we're searching for his horcruxes."
Dumbledore also suggested that the 6th horcrux might belong to either Griffindor or to Ravenclaw, since Hufflepuff's cup was used.
"That's possible," Charles said, "but it seems that all the others belonged to heirs of Slytherin, except for the cup. The ring, the necklace, the diary, the snake, and even Voldemort's own soul piece were owned by heirs of Slytherin. That's five out of 7. The cup seems to be an anomaly. I think we should be looking for something that belonged to Tom Riddle."
"Hang on," Harry said. "Since we're not sure of what they are, why not just look in the places we think he may have hidden them. Professor, you said he would probably hide them at places that were important to him. His mother lived in the Gaunt House and was probably born there; his father lived and died in the Riddle Manor; his mother died at the orphanage where Tom Riddle was born and he lived there for 17 years; he lived at Hogwarts for 7 years and learned magic there; the only job he ever held was at Borgin and Burkes. That's five different places that were important parts of his life."
"Intriguing," said Dumbledore. "I think you may be on to something."
"That still leaves us two more places to look, though," he said.
"There's another place," said Dumbledore. "Where the children of the orphanage went on holiday each year, there's a cave. Tom Riddle took two children in that cave and terrorized them. That could be another important place to him."
"What about the years he roamed about as a spirit?" Sirius asked. "Does anyone know where he was?"
"Not for certain," Dumbledore said, "although I think that he might consider those years similar to the ones you spent in Azkaban. If you were looking for a place that meant something special to you, would you choose Azkaban?"
"I might," Sirius said. "It wasn't a happy place, but it definitely had an affect on my life. Part of who I am today is because of the things I experienced in Azkaban."
"That's a good point," Remus said. "It seems the only place he lived where he might have had some happiness was Hogwarts."
"When he was a wandering spirit, he didn't kill anybody," Harry said. "At the other places, someone died. The last people he killed before he was vanquished were—" The color drained from his face and his eyes widen. "Godric's Hollow," he whispered. "That's where he marked me as his equal—the one who has the power to vanquish him."
Charles took a piece of parchment from the desk and began to make a list:
Gaunt House
Riddle Manor
Orphanage
Cave
Hogwarts
Borgin and Burkes
Godric's Hollow
"That's 7 places," he said. "That's two more than we need. However, we should check all of them."
He made a second list:
Gaunt's ring
Slytherin's locket
Riddle's diary
Hufflepuff's cup
Nagini
Voldemort
Probably something of Ravenclaw, Griffindor, or Slytherin
"Granddad?" Harry said quietly. "You don't think that I could be a horcrux, do you?"
Charles and Albus looked at each other questioningly. "I don't think so, Harry," Charles said. "But we can find out pretty quickly."
"That's ridiculous!" Sirius said. "Everything else has been something belonging to one of the founders or Slytherin's heir. Harry isn't any of those things."
"Actually, he is," Charles said. "Harry is Griffindor's heir."
There was silence in the room for a good minute. Harry finally broke it by asking quietly, "I am?"
"You are," Charles answered him.
Sirius frowned. "I wonder why James never told us. If he were an heir of Griffindor, he would have told us something that important."
"Yes, he would," Charles said, smiling fondly. "James would not have been able to resist bragging about being Griffindor's heir. His mother and I thought it best to wait until he was older to tell him, but we never got the chance."
"Despite that, I really doubt that Harry is a horcrux," Remus said. "Why would Voldemort make a horcrux that he intended to destroy? That would be a waste of one of his soul pieces."
"That's true," Albus said. "He was trying to kill you at Godric's Hollow, Harry. And when the curse rebounded, it was too late for him to make a horcrux."
"I want to be scanned, anyway," Harry said, his voice quivering with emotion. "I want to know for sure. If I am, that means that Voldemort can't die as long as I'm alive. To vanquish Voldemort, I'm going to have to die."
Charles went over to Harry and knelt in front of him. "Harry, listen to me," he said, gently grasping his grandson's shoulders. "I don't think you are a horcrux. I think your mother's sacrifice would have protected you from being possessed by Voldemort's soul. Remember that he couldn't even touch you before he used your blood in the ritual? Remember what happened in the Ministry when he possessed you? He was in agony, Harry. He was forced to flee. Severus said it took him a while to recover from that. However, if we find that you are, I want you to know that there are ways to stop Voldemort without harming you. You don't have to die, Harry. Do you understand?"
"But the prophecy says 'neither can live while the other survives;' that 'one must die at the hand of the other.'"
"There are ways of fulfilling the prophecy that do not involve your death. I'm your grandfather, and I love you. I'm not going to let you die, Harry. I lost my wife and son; I'm not going to lose my grandson. Do you understand me?"
Harry stared into his grandfather's eyes which were glistening with unshed tears. "Yes, Sir," he whispered.
Charles pulled him into his arms and gave him a fierce hug. "Good, then let's do the scan so we can put your mind at ease."
Five minutes later, Harry was leaping around the library, jumping on chairs, sprinting over the back of the couch, slapping peoples' backs, ruffling everyone's hair, gently tugging Dumbledore's beard, dancing an Irish jig on the desk, and whooping loud enough to wake the dead. His family was laughing and enjoying the show. Dobby and Winky were watching in wide-eyed amazement from behind the control room door, not sure whether to be happy or frightened.
"I'm not a horcrux! I'm not a horcrux! Woooooohoooooooo! I'm not a horcrux!"
Sirius leaned over and spoke quietly to Remus. "I'm giving him one more minute of this, and then I'm stunning him."
"All right, all right," Dumbledore said, trying to comb the tangles out of his beard with his long fingers. "Settle down now, Harry. I know you're happy, but I think you're taking the celebration a bit too far."
"Can I call you Grandpa?" he asked, jumping up and down on the sofa.
"No," Dumbledore said. "Now, settle down. We've got something else we need to discuss."
Harry swung his feet forward and flopped down on the couch, landing on his backside. "All right. I'm settled."
"I think it's imperative that we begin the search for horcruxes as soon as possible. We should go at night, after Voldemort retires for the evening. We should probably start with the Gaunt house and go down the list that Charles made. I don't know how long this will take, or what time we'll begin, since it all depends on Voldemort's sleeping schedule, but I think we would all do well to rest as much as possible during the day so we'll be at our best at night. The horcruxes will be well warded. This will be dangerous. We must be able to keep our wits about us."
Just then, Dobby stuck his head out of the control room. "Harry Potter's Granddad, Sir! There be unusualness on the big portrait!"
Charles ran into the control room, followed by everyone else.
On the monitor, they saw five children about Harry's age standing in front of Voldemort. Harry recognized them as Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson.
"You have been summoned here," Voldemort said, "because your fathers failed me. However, I am going to give you a chance to make up for their stupidity. I have a task for each of you. If you succeed, I will allow you to receive my mark, despite the fact that you're only children. However, if you fail, your parents will be killed."
"Bloody hell!" said Sirius. "How are they supposed to respond to that?"
For the first time, Harry actually felt sorry for the Slytherins. They were visibly frightened, even though they tried to hide it.
"We'll take care of this right now," Charles said angrily, punching buttons into the control panel.
Suddenly, the children who had been standing before Voldemort disappeared. Voldemort stood up angrily. "Bella!" he shouted, and she came running into the room. He stopped her from kneeling. "Those children who were here—where did they go?"
Bella looked around the empty room. "My Lord, I don't know! I was just outside the door! No one left this room!"
"Crucio!"
"Sirius and Harry, stay here," Charles said. "Remus and Albus, come with me." They left the control room quickly.
88888888888888888888888888
The five Slytherins suddenly found themselves in a park. They looked around in confusion, and then Malfoy drew his wand.
"I don't know where we are or how we got here, but we'd better be prepared," he said, and the others drew their wands, also.
Suddenly three men appeared. One of them waved his hand, and their wands were gone. They reappeared in the man's hand. "Who do we have here?" the man asked.
Another man spoke, and the Slytherins recognized him as their headmaster.
"I believe we have the honor of a visit from Miss Pansy Parkinson and Misters Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Theodore Nott. Welcome, children," he said, smiling.
"What's going on, Headmaster?" Draco asked. "How did we get here?"
"We noticed that you were in a spot of trouble, so we thought we might lend a hand," Dumbledore said. "I hope you don't mind."
The teenagers looked at each other questioningly, and then turned back to the men. "I recognize Lupin," Draco said, looking at Charles. "But who are you?"
"My name isn't important," Charles said, smiling. "Let's just say that I'm your guardian angel. You do believe in angels, don't you Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco ignored him and turned to Dumbledore. "Why did you take us out of there? He's going to kill our families!"
"No, Mr. Malfoy, he's not. We can protect your families, if you so desire." He turned to Pansy. "Miss Parkinson, why don't you and I have a little talk? Mr. Malfoy, if you would go with—" his eyes twinkled, "your guardian angel, and Mr. Lupin, if you wouldn't mind entertaining our other guests for a moment?"
Albus led Pansy to one of the tents while Charles took Malfoy to another.
"Well, boys," Remus said, turning to the other three. "Have any of you ever ridden a paddleboat?"
The three boys looked at each other, then at Lupin. They shook their heads, and Remus grinned. "Well, let me show you what to do, then."
88888888888888888888888888
Inside the tent, Charles asked Draco to sit, then sat down across from him. "Mr. Malfoy, I know the situation you're in, and I want to help you."
"Why do you want to help me?" Draco asked. "What do you care?"
"I care because I don't want to see anything bad happen to you, Draco. I want to protect you. I know that your father's in Azkaban and that Voldemort has threatened to kill him and your mother. Do you want to be a Death Eater, Draco? Do you want to kneel before a man who turns on those who were loyal to him?"
Draco looked uncomfortable. "My father made a mistake," he said softly. "The Dark Lord doesn't allow mistakes."
"Do you ever make mistakes, Draco? I know I do. I don't know anyone who hasn't made a mistake, do you?"
Draco shook his head.
"I can protect you and your parents, Draco. I can bring them here where they will be safe."
"Where is here?" Draco asked.
Charles smiled. "I can't tell you that. Let's just say that it's the safest place on Earth. There is no way that anyone can come here without my personal invitation, and I'm not going to give that to Voldemort. He can't find this place, Draco. I promise you that."
"Why should I believe you? I don't even know who you are." He hesitated. "You look like Potter," he said in disgust.
"Which Potter would that be?"
Draco huffed. "Is there more than one? The Potter. The boy-who-lived. The Chosen One. Saint Potter the Griffindor who can do no wrong."
"Ah, you must mean Harry Potter, then. You don't like Harry Potter?"
"He's the bane of my existence," Draco said, and Charles laughed.
"Well, putting the bane of your existence aside, what do you want to do, Mr. Malfoy? Do you want to stay here under my protection? Allow me to bring your parents here? Or do you want me to obliviated you and send you back to Voldemort?"
Draco looked thoughtful. "Are those my only choices?"
"I'm afraid so," Mr. Malfoy.
"You can bring my father here?"
"I can bring your mother here, and I can move your father to a protected area. He will still be in a cell, but in a more humane place than Azkaban. He'll have 3 meals a day, books to read, 45 minutes of sunshine a day; he'll be able to take showers, and if he's sick, he'll receive medical treatment."
"Would I be able to visit him?"
"Only with another person present."
"Such as?"
"Someone like Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Lupin, or me."
Draco sighed. "I'm afraid my father would kill me if I did that," he said.
"Why is that?"
"Because he would want me to follow the Dark Lord."
"Is that what you want?"
Draco hesitated. "I don't want to follow anybody," he whispered, and then spoke louder. "I don't want to kneel in the dirt and wonder when someone's going to crucio me for breathing wrong. I just want to live my life."
"We all want that, Draco. However, none of us will be able to live as we wish until Voldemort is gone."
Draco leaned toward him. "I want Voldemort gone," he said. "But I don't want to be a part of Potter and Dumbledore's little band of do-gooders any more than I want to be a part of the Dark Lord's."
"Why is that?"
Draco looked at him as though the answer was obvious. "Because they're Griffindors," he said. "They rush into things without thinking. They think everybody is the same. They don't think that purebloods are any better than mud-bloods. They make friends with half-breeds and werewolves and do all that hero stuff. How can I follow someone like that?"
"Why would you have to follow them, Draco? You're free to make up your own mind about things. You don't have to follow Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore. But just because you don't want to follow them doesn't mean you can harm them."
"I don't want to harm them," Draco said. "Well, I wouldn't mind throwing a hex or two at Potter, but I don't want to kill him or anything." He sighed. "How long would I have to stay here?"
"Only until it's safe for you to leave."
"How long will that be?"
"I don't know, Draco. I wish I did. When school starts back, will you feel safe at Hogwarts?"
Draco thought a moment, and then nodded. "I think so."
"If you decide to accept my protection, I'll give you a medallion to wear. If you find yourself in danger, the medallion will bring you back here. Would that make you feel safer?"
Draco nodded.
"All right, then. What is your choice?"
"I want you to protect me and my parents."
Charles nodded and started to stand. "I'll have your father moved immediately. How can I find your mother?"
"She's at Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire."
Charles nodded. "I'll have her here before the night is over. In the meantime, why don't you choose a tent for you and your mother?"
Draco grinned. "My mother's going to hate this," he said, standing up and following Charles out of the tent.
Like Draco, Crabbe and Goyle accepted the protection. Pansy and Nott wanted to be returned to the Dark Lord. Charles took them into a tent, obliviated them, and transported them to the Leaky Cauldron. There was no way he was going to send them back to Voldemort.
"I hate this!" he said. "They're just children, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"Don't worry," Albus said, patting his back. "I have found that sometimes people have to make a few wrong choices before they decide to make the right one. There will be other chances for those two."
"I hope so," Charles said. "I just hope they don't wait until it's too late."
"It's never too late to make the right choice," Dumbledore said.