Gringotts, London, 6/21/1972, 15:00
Harry had arrived as requested at the bank and was now seated in Long-Blades' office facing the aforementioned Goblin.
There was a short and stubby goblin standing beside Long-Blade's desk and this new goblin looked rather... intimidating. The left side of his face had three long white scars from the corner of his eye down to his jawline and at first glance, they looked like he had been clawed by an animal. That and the scowl he was wearing that showed off his long curved teeth, making it pretty clear that this was not a friendly goblin.
Harry had barely taken his seat when Long-Blade cleared his throat, getting Harry's undivided attention.
"Mr Evans, it has been a long time since we have met like this," Long-Blade grunted.
"It has," Harry agreed.
"I recall you stating your interest in doing some Cursebreaking work for Gringotts," Long-Blade said, giving Harry a curious look.
"Yes I would be very interested in taking on curse-breaking jobs for Gringotts," Harry nodded.
"Good, there is an ancient building with a rather nasty curse placed upon it that Gringotts has been hired to remove. Due to a centuries-old treaty, Gringotts goblins cannot cross the boundaries of this property, which is where you come in," Long-Blade said, giving Harry a look to make sure he understood.
Harry was of course hoping to get a call from the bank for quite some time now, ever since Lng-Blade had mentioned the curse on the defense position at Hogwarts.
The last eight months had been peaceful (well as peaceful as a house with two small children could be). Nymmie was into everything, she was now able to walk and she was definitely a handful.
Iggy was getting bigger by the day, he was already standing against the bars of his crib, and it would only be a few short months before he was joining Nymmie in her campaign to break everything within reach.
Harry and Andromeda were quite happy with their little family, but Harry was really itching to have a little bit of an adrenaline rush. He found that while he had hated being forced into so many death-defying adventures in his youth, he actually craved a little excitement now that he was older.
Harry had promised Andromeda that he would not hunt down psychopaths for coin anymore. She agreed that him doing a little cursebreaking every now and then was okay as long as he was careful.
"Where is the dwelling? Harry asked though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
"There is a curse placed upon the position of defense against the dark arts post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. According to my cousin Filius Flitwick, the curse or more than likely a Jinx has been in place since the late nineteen fifties. Filius has finally convinced the Headmaster to do something about the curse, so he has agreed to bring in outside help. I would like you to go there and find the source of the curse and if possible break it. If you cannot break the curse, we'll see what else can be done. Smash-Nose will be your advisor on this mission," At that last statement, he gestured to the scowling Goblin beside him.
"I will be evaluating your abilities before we proceed any further, you may be a powerful wizard but that doesn't mean you know shit about curse-breaking. If you make it through my evaluation I will run you through the details of what we think the composition of the curse is," Smash-Nose took over in a growling voice.
Harry who had been paying rapt attention to the briefing nodded in the affirmative and replied.
"I have heard of the curse from my wife, she said they never had an instructor in D.A.D.A last more than a year. She also said that misfortune always struck be it illness, scandal, or in the case of two of her unlucky professor's death. I'll take the job."
"We'll see if you have the skills to complete the job first. I will not have you embarrassing the curse breakers of Gringotts'. You may not be employed by the bank but you are going there with our recommendation. This means that if you look bad, then we look bad! Now get off your ass, we will begin your Testing!" Crush-Nose barked at Him, then stood up and started exiting Long-Blades office.
Harry gaped after the Goblin for a second before rising to follow Crush-Nose, barely noticing the amusement on Long-Blades's face when he excused himself to follow the surly goblin.
'Son of a Bitch they paired me with the goblin version of Alastor Moody,' Harry thought to himself as he followed said goblin into the depths of Gringotts.
He had no idea what these tests entailed but he knew for certain he was not going to enjoy them.
/C.o.t.R\
Hogwarts School, Scotland, 8/17/1972/ 06: 22
Arriving at the gates of Hogwarts, Harry was met by two men he easily recognized.
The first man was tall and thin with a long flowing silver beard, half-moon spectacles with twinkling blue eyes underneath, and a long crooked nose. To complete the look of a cliche storybook wizard, the man was wearing midnight blue robes with golden stars patterned on them. Albus Dumbledore looked almost exactly like Harry remembered him. Harry supposed that he may have fewer wrinkles but that's about the only difference he could see.
The man standing beside him was his old professor, Filius Flitwick. He was short, standing about three and a half feet tall, his curly hair was a greying brown and he appeared quite a bit younger than Harry remembered. Though his beady black eyes brimming with excitement hadn't changed at all
Harry cleared his thoughts as they arrived at the gates and opened them, allowing Harry to enter the school.
When introductions were made, Harry had to calm his mind. It was quite surreal to have two people introduce themselves when he had known them both so very well in his timeline.
"Hello Mr. Black I am Albus Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts, this is Filius Flitwick head of Ravenclaw and our Professor of Charms," Dumbledore said as he made introductions.
"I'm pleased to meet you both Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick," Harry said politely, still feeling unnerved by this whole situation but was able to calm his mind as he shook both men's hands.
"Likewise," Dumbledore beamed.
"It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mr Black," Flitwick said in a cheerful voice.
"Have you been filled in on the particulars of the curse, Mr Black?" Albus asked.
"I have heard the bare bones of this curse and I have a good idea of the effects anyway. Do you have any idea of who placed it and where in the school it is anchored?" Harry asked, giving the headmaster a curious look.
"Ah yes, of course. The anchor point is a mystery, we have been trying to locate it for years. As to who cast it, I believe it was a former student who did not take kindly to my rejecting his application to teach Defense."
"Now if you'll forgive me, I must leave for the Ministry. The Wizengamot is in session this morning and I must attend. Filius will assist you should you need anything," Dumbledore said as he stepped through the gates, gave them a nod, and disappeared with a small 'crack'.
Harry shook his head at Dumbledore, the man was always secretive and had expertly dodged the question and then left before Harry could question him any more. Admittedly, Harry already knew who had placed the curse on the post but it was just typical that Dumbledore had told him as little as possible before leaving him to figure it out himself.
"Long Blade sends his greetings, I am led to believe that it was you that finally convinced the headmaster to call in Gringotts to help with the curse?" Harry asked as he turned his attention to Professor Flitwick.
"Yes, I have been watching defense Professors come and go in that class for over a decade now and our students have been suffering because of inconsistent instruction. Albus has had no success in breaking the curse and has finally allowed me to bring in outside assistance," Flitwick explained as the two of them crossed the lawn.
"Long-Blade told me about the curse but even he is unsure as to what it actually is," Harry admitted.
"Long-Blade tells me you just completed the gauntlet course under Head Cursebreaker Smash-Nose?" Flitwick asked, giving Harry a questioning look.
Harry shivered remembering the gauntlet' course he had taken back in June when smash-Nose led him From Long Blade's office.
Smash-Nose had led him deep into the bowels of Gringotts. He had walked through all sorts of tunnels until they came to a dead end with a hole in the floor that was the ceiling of an abandoned tunnel below it. Smash-Nose had pushed him into said hole, causing him to fall ten feet to the floor of the tunnel below. The hole he had fallen through began to get smaller and smaller as Smash-Nose leered at him.
"Get through to the other side and you'll get the job," Smash-Nose had yelled down to him from the tunnel above him before the hole sealed completely shut, plunging him into darkness
This was easier said than done, the whole five-mile length of the tunnel was covered in Curses, traps, and wards of deadly intent not to mention all manner of nasty surprises. It took him thirty-six hours to make it to the other end where Smash-Nose was waiting for him.
"You have just passed your Curse Breaker certification test, congratulations. You also set a new record on the gauntlet course, we'll owl you when you are to go to Hogwarts." The goblin had said before leading a very worn-out Harry to a cart that took him back to the surface.
"Yes, and it was horrible," Harry said, shaking his head at the unpleasant memory.
"I have heard it is one of the most grueling examinations there is," Flitwick chuckled.
"It is especially when you have no idea the instructor is going to spring it on you," Harry snorted.
"That is traditional for a goblin exam," Flitwick admitted.
"That does not surprise me," Harry muttered.
"I wish you the best in breaking the curse," Flitwick said genuinely as they climbed the steps leading up to the castle.
"Thank you. I am hopeful that I can find this Curse before your students arrive for the start of term. If you would be so kind as to show me the way to your tallest tower, I'll start from the top down," Harry said as he followed Flitwick through the castle doors.
"Very well follow me and be mindful Hogwarts can be quite dangerous. The staircases move at random moments, there are trick stairs, an annoying poltergeist, and sometimes rooms appear in and out of thin air," the professor lectured in his squeaky voice as they began climbing endless steps leading to the seventh floor.
"What floor is the D.A.D.A classroom located on?" Harry asked more to make conversation than anything else.
"Third floor, classroom 3C.The Defense office is adjacent to the classroom, but we have thoroughly searched both and found no signs of anything untoward in either room," Flitwick answered while opening the door to the Astronomy Tower.
"Then I'll just have to go about this the old-fashioned way," Harry shrugged as he drew his wand.
"I'll leave you to it from here. I have to prepare for the upcoming school year but if you need anything, just call for Tippy Good Luck, Mr. Black," Flitwick said before he headed back the way he came.
Hours later and Harry knew he was closing in on the anchor for the curse. Harry had started on the seventh floor.
He was employing a Curse-breaker's spell that worked similar to muggle radar sending out a cone-shaped distortion of air from the tip of his wand in a constant wave. The spell changed color depending on what kind of magic it touched letting a curse-breaker search a large area very quickly.
He was currently standing in front of the tapestry of dancing trolls and the spell was almost pitch black, letting him know that there was very dark magic close by.
Smiling to himself, Harry paced back and forth three times while thinking, 'I need to find the source of the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.'
On the third passing, a door appeared in the wall with an audible 'pop
Upon opening the aged oak door, Harry's heart sank and he groaned out loud.
It appeared he had a very long day ahead of him, the room that appeared was mammoth and packed to the ceiling with a thousand years worth of Junk. He remembered this room well as it was a version of the room he had encountered twice before in his timeline.
It looked like the Room of Hidden Things was going to be his own private hell today. Sighing to himself, he recast the detection spells and walked into the room.
The room of hidden things was filled with all sorts of objects varying from priceless antiques to useless garbage. He knew that many things would set off the spell such as dark potions, dark books, cursed weapons, and of course the diadem Horcrux. Finding the anchor point for this curse was going to be an exercise in patience.
Four hours later and he came to the stained cabinet with the bust of an ugly warlock on it. He canceled his detection spell and pulled on his dragonhide gloves.
Carefully removing the tarnished tiara that was hidden in the bottom-most drawer, he held it in his right hand and turned so he could read the quote etched into its tarnished silver headband.
Wit Beyond Measure is Man's Greatest Treasure.
With his left hand, Harry thrust the blade of his dagger into the diadem, the blade cutting through the metal crown of the diadem like a hot knife through butter.
The Basilisk venom that the goblin-made silver was impregnated with immediately began to burn a hole around the gash caused by the dagger.
Seconds after he had stabbed the diadem, an ear-splitting shriek reverberated around the cavernous room as a black cloudy smoke burst from the. Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. The black hovered in front of him, the smoke forming a giant image of Voldemort's noseless face glaring at him before the cloud exploded into dust and seemed to evaporate into thin air.
Harry was planning to wait on destroying the Horcruxes until he knew that they were all in place. He wasn't sure if all five had even been created yet or not.
He knew of three for sure, the Diadem of Ravenclaw which he just destroyed. Then there was the Gaunt family ring which he was certain was still in Little Hangleton in the Gaunt's Ancestral Home, and of course, the Diary of Tom M. Riddle that he had the pleasure of meeting in his second year.
Harry knew the diary was created when Voldemort was sixteen. He also knew the diary was entrusted to Lucius Malfoy but he didn't know when that had occurred. He was was pretty sure that hadn't happened yet considering Lucius Malfoy would just be entering his sixth year this fall.
Still, he couldn't pass up the chance to destroy a Horcrux when it practically fell into his lap. Harry wasn't worried about Voldemort learning this horcrux had been discovered and getting rid of it would make searching for the curse that much easier.
Removing his gloves, Harry slipped the destroyed diadem into his robe pocket and recast the detection spell, getting back to the job he came here to do.
It was another hour before he hit pay dirt, he had come upon an utterly hideous silver candelabra that had been hidden under a large dining table in the very back of the room
It looked like it was made as a table centerpiece and stood about a foot and a half tall. It had seven arms that looked like serpents, their open mouths pointed upward and were intended to hold candles,
After a cursory inspection of the item, he found an intricate array of runes etched into the metal base of the candelabra. Harry was able to figure out that the candelabra was enchanted to enact the curse. The curse was able to draw power from the school through the base which rested on the floor meaning it would last indefinitely.
Drawing a calming breath, Harry started testing the defenses and found a nasty curse that would activate should anyone tamper with the candelabra. It took an hour and a string of parsletongue to disable the protections before he could start unraveling the enchantments on the gaudy decoration.
Starting at the top, Harry unwound the runic array, channeling the power backward from rune to rune until he reached the power rune on the underside of the candelabra's base.
Once he had the magic contained in the power rune, he switched his wand to his left hand. Holding the spell that stopped any magic from moving past the power rune, Harry removed a goblin rune-stopp from his robes and pushed it into the rune that was next in the sequence to the power rune.
A rune-stopp was a solid gold instrument that resembled an ice pick and when pressed into an uncharged rune would heat up hot enough to distort the rune, making it incomplete therefore stopping the flow of magic from mving into the next rune in the sequence kind of like an electrician shuts off the power before working on the lights.
Sighing he gradually released the pressure on his spell and the rune lit up bright red before slowly losing its light as the power it contained bled back into the castle since the rune was severed from the main array and could not operate independently.
Now technically he was done since the curse could no longer draw power to maintain itself and would fade on its own in the next month. Harry was nothing if not thorough and decided to go ahead and destroy the curse itself which was as simple as incanting the counter curse for the year of misfortune curse.
"Mal fortuna finite," Harry muttered as he went through the wand motions.
With a flash of bright light and the sound of shattering glass, he was done. Harry quickly gathered up the candelabra and left the room in search of Professor Flitwick.
Finding Flitwick was easy enough with the help of Tippy, who was able to lead him down to the Charms classroom on the third floor.
Flitwick was sitting behind his desk going over his lesson plans for the upcoming year if Harry was to guess. Upon hearing Harry walk into the room the professor looked up at Harry expectantly.
"Well, I was able to locate the anchor of the curse. It was relatively simple enough to break the curse after that. The post is curse-free now so you should be able to keep a professor for longer than a year," Harry said as slid the candelabra across the desk to Flitwick.
"Good heavens, that is the ugliest decoration that I have ever seen," Flitwick muttered as he looked over the burnt-out runic array on the base of the candelabra.
"Unfortunately I have some bad news," Harry said in a bracing voice.
"Oh?" Flitwick said, looking up from the candelabra.
"I found a XXXXX Sentient Dark Artifact in the room while searching for the anchor," Harry explained.
"What kind of dark artifact?" Flitwick asked warily.
"Are you familiar with a Horcrux Professor Flitwick?" Harry asked while setting the diadem next to the candelabra on Flitwick's desk.
Filius listened to Mr. Black speak and he cheered internally at the news of the curse being lifted, only to pale in horror at hearing of a Horcrux inside of his school.
"Yes I am, they are a disgusting abomination of magic," Flitwick exclaimed angrily.
"They are," Harry agreed.
"Did you able to dispose of it?" Flitwick asked, his eyes boring into Harty's.
"I was able to destroy the horcrux but I am afraid that the vessel was priceless and I apologize for its destruction," Harry told the professor sadly.
Hearing this Flitwick glanced down at the artifact he hadn't paid any attention to in light of the news of a Horcrux being hidden in the castle.
Filius gasped in horror as he recognized the lost diadem of Ravenclaw that had a sickle-sized hole in the front portion of the crown and was burnt black around the edges of the hole.
"Who would taint something so pure with this disgusting magic?" Flitwick asked not expecting an answer.
"I don't know but whoever placed the curse on the defense job also created that, the magical signature is a match," Harry stated.
"Well, I am very grateful for what you have done for Hogwarts Mr. Black. Get some rest, you look dead on your feet," Flitwick told him and sadly went back to work. His life's dream to find the diadem ruined, just as the diadem itself was irreparably ruined.
Nodding Harry wished the Professor, "good day," not that the man seemed to hear him so lost in his thoughts as he was.
Gringotts, London, 8/17/1972, 14:24
Arriving in Long-Blade's office, Harry collapsed into the chair in front of said goblin's desk.
"So is the job complete or is Smash-Nose going to have to run you through more testing?" Long-Blade asked, smirking at the horrified look on Harry's face at the threat of another test with Smash-Nose.
"It's done, the curse has been removed. I also found a Horcrux made by the same man that placed the curse on the post. It was actually in the same room that the anchor was placed in. I destroyed that as well so you can add it to the bill you're sending Hogwarts," Harry reported, a bit surprised at Long-Blade's reaction.
Long-Blade's eyes had widened almost comically and his face seemed to drain of color at this revelation.
"You're certain it was a horcrux?" Long-Blade asked, his voice sharp and much higher than usual.
"I am," Harry assured him.
"Very well, I am pleased you were able to complete the job satisfactorily. Your payment will be deposited as per usual," Long-Blade said sounding a bit distracted.
"Thank you," Harry nodded, rising to his feet.
"Good day, Mr Black," Long-Blade said as he removed wroting supplies from his desk
."Good day to you Long Blade," Harry nodded before leaving the office.
Just like with Professor Flitwick, Harry got no response from the Goblin who was busy writing a hasty letter to inform the Manager Ragnok of a Horcrux being found and destroyed in Britain. This was the standing order if any were found by Curse Breakers.
Goblins really hated Horcruxes and made it their business to destroy any they found.
/C.o.t.R\
Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade, Scotland, 2/17/1973
Harry and Andromeda were currently sitting at a table in the Three Broomsticks having a quick bite to eat before they began their actual date.
Andromeda insisted that the two of them go out at least once a month so they could have a date night.
They would usually leave the children in the care of her grandmother Melania who was thrilled to have children to spoil (and spoil them she usually did).
Unfortunately, they had not anticipated that the town of Hogsmeade would be crawling with students. Though they probably should have as it was the Saturday after Valentine's Day.
They still managed to be seated at a two-seater and had a nice lunch without having to scold Nymmie for causing mayhem which she loved to do.
Andromeda excused herself to the ladies' room before they were to leave for the muggle cinema to find a movie (she had to change out of her wizard robes.)
Harry was looking around at other couples dining when something caught his eye. Four tables over was a much younger Lucius Malfoy who looked like the spitting image of his future spawn.
What caught Harry's attention was the fact that he had just seen Lucius strike a young blonde that Harry immediately recognized as his sister-in-law.
Harry could see the red handprint forming on Narcissa's left cheek as tears began flowing from her eyes from the pain. He could feel a stirring inside him that he had come to recognize as the pull from his betrothal contract urging him to protect his kin.
Rising from his chair, Harry stalked towards their table, passing through a privacy charm when he got within ten feet of Lucius.
"...no more arguing Narcissa! You will come to my chambers this eve and lay with me, do you understand?" Lucius' grating voice was heard as Harry closed the distance to their table.
Lucius who was facing away from him didn't notice him approach but Narcissa noticed him almost immediately and gave him a pleading look.
Harry simply nodded to her before reaching over and jerking a very surprised Lucius from his chair by his collar.
Harry spun the boy around to face him before sinking his right fist into the blonde's face with considerable force. Harry heard a satisfying 'crack' as Lucius' nose broke before he released his hold on the pampered pureblood.
Lucius grunted and fell to the floor in a heap, bringing his hand to his nose where blood was pouring copiously. Lucius' watery eyes tracked upward and found Harry standing over him.
"Do you have any Idea who I am? I am Lucius Malfoy, just wait until my father hears of this!" Lucius exclaimed reminding Harry even more of his future son.
"So you're man enough to raise a hand to your betters, but when the brother-in-law of your intended takes offense to your treatment of a daughter of the house of Black, you run to daddy," Harry snorted, feeling quite pleased at at the shade of pink on Lucius' face as people all around whispered to their neighbors.
"It is no business of yours what I do with my betrothed," Lucius snapped, glaring daggers at the man standing over him.
"I assure you that it is. If you ever lay a hand on her again, I will call an honor duel between us," Harry said in a chilling voice as his eyes bored into Malfoy's.
"How dare you threaten me!" Lucius hissed as he clambered to his feet and drew his wand.
The whole bar went deathly silent as the other patrons watched the confrontation with bated breath.
Harry hadn't noticed Andromeda hastily dragging Narcissa away from the table, nor the fact that they had an audience as all of his focus was focused on the Malfoy heir.
He would love nothing more than to end Malfoy here and now but unfortunately he could not afford to, especially in such a public setting. Still, he could rough the little shit up a bit if it were under the guise of self-defense.
"Put that away boy before you get yourself hurt," Harry taunted as his wand slipped into his hand.
"How dare you!" Lucius thundered as he cast a nasty cutting curse at Harry's throat.
"Pathetic," Harry smirked as he redirected the spell into the wall over the crowd's head.
Harry didn't hesitate and sent his rebuttal, casting the same spell he had cursed Bella with in Diagon Alley, only aiming a bit... lower.
The underpowered bludgeoning hex connected with the Malfoy Heir's family jewels with a sickening 'crunch'.
Malfoy hit the ground screaming at a very high pitch, and almost immediately succumbed to unconsciousness, most likely from the pain.
Malfoy wouldn't be sterile, unfortunately, that would be considered line theft. Still, Harry took solace in the fact that Lucius wouldn't be able to use his equipment for several months.
With that unpleasantness over, Harry went to find Andromeda so they could get back to their date, after consoling his sister-in-law, of course.
/C.o.t.R\
Hogwarts School, Scotland, 6/24/1974, 12:00
There was no doubt now that Mr. Black was able to break the Curse on the defense post. Professor Cambell had just completed her second year of teaching with no incidents.
Albus was a little annoyed that the young man was able to solve the problem in an afternoon when he was unable to figure it out for over a decade!
That however was the least of his worries as he now had conclusive proof that Tom had made at least one Horcrux. Even more irksome was the fact that Mr. Black had destroyed that too!
The signs were there, war was coming. Attacks had begun in isolated muggle villages and at muggle-born residences all over the country.
The glowing green symbol of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth floating like a billboard over the properties of the murdered people was happening more often, it was Attracting ministry attention as well since they had to deal with it before muggles took notice.
'Yes, things were looking pretty dark indeed.' Albus thought sadly.