Chapter 3 – Harry's Confession
The next morning Harry awoke at about 9:00 to his aunt getting ready for work. He walked into the kitchen and saw that she had made him pancakes.
"Good Morning, Harry. I'm sorry if I woke you. I made you some pancakes and there's more mix if you want to make yourself more."
"Okay, thanks Aunt Petunia. Have a good day at work. When do you get off?" Harry asked couriously.
"At 4:00 so I'll be back at about 4:30 or so. Ok good bye," and with that his aunt left out the front door.
Harry did not know what to do with himself. He walked into the sitting room and turned on the television and just flipped through. He eventually got bored and turned it off. Harry decided to write to his friends and tell them how strange everything was at Privet Drive. So Harry went upstairs to get parchment and a quill and ink. Harry took his supplies into the conservatory and opened the door to let in a breeze. He wrote to Ron first and then wrote to Hermione. In Hermione's letter he was sure to put in a thanks to her parents for giving his aunt a job. Before he sent Hedwig off he debated whether or not to send Ginny a letter explaining himself and for her to take him back. Harry decided against it for now. If he were to send her a letter he wanted it to be a trip just for her and not a trip for both her and Ron's letters. Harry gave Hedwig the letters and she was on her way. Not having much to do he took his trunk to his room to unpack a little, which he was too tired the night before to bring up. Harry took a shower and brushed his teeth and went to the kitchen and clean it (on his own accord no doubt). At about 11:30 Harry thought he'd go visit Mrs. Figg. Arriving at Mrs. Figg's home he knocked on the door and almost getting knocked over by her cats running out the door when it was opened, Harry was surprised to see that Mrs. Figg had not opened the door but Remus Lupin. Harry could see many others in the room: Tonks, Mrs. Figg, and Professor McGonagall.
"Hello Harry, is anything wrong?" questioned Lupin in a voice of concern.
"Oh hello Moony. Er, no nothing's wrong I just was bored and thought I'd say hello to Mrs. Figg, but I can see that you're in the middle of something so I'll just leave."
Turning to leave Lupin said, "No Harry come in, this actually concerns you."
"What doesn't nowadays?" Harry said exasperated.
Lupin made a little laugh at this and led him into the sitting room where the other adults were.
"Hello Tonks." Harry said greeting his older friend with a wave.
"Wotcher, Harry."
"Hello Mrs. Figg, Professor McGonagall."
"Hello Harry."
"Hello Potter."
Harry sat down on the couch and looked around at the adults. It was Professor McGonagall that spoke first; "Potter I still am pressing that you tell the Order what it is that you and Professor Dumbledore left the school for that…that night. Now I know you are going to say the same thing the last time I asked you this. However I have…well, I have discussed it with Professor Dumbledore's portait and he said that it wasn't his place to tell anymore and that it was up to you to decide to inform the rest of the Order. He also said that you will need much assistance with this mission and that he encourages to tell the Order."
Harry thought over his professor's word and thought that if he can tell Aunt Petunia this that he can tell the rest of the Order. Now that he knew Dumbledore didn't have a problem with him –Harry- saying anything he thought it was okay.
Taking a deep breath Harry began, "Well Professor what it is, well the reason Dumbledore and I left that night was because we were searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes."
Everyone gasped at this. Moony spoke first, "Horcruxes you mean Voldemort has more than one?"
Harry nodded and then continued, "During our private lessons we would look at memories that Dumbledore said would help in his demise. He said that knowing his past is very important in finding his weakness. From what we came up with is that we suspect that Voldemort made seven Horcruxes, well six and the seventh is in his body. We know for sure two are destroyed and we only can guess at what the others are. That night we went to retrieve a suspected Horcrux: his mother's locket that was an heirloom from Salazar Slytherin."
"Did you obtain it, Potter?" McGonagall asked quickly.
Harry shook his head and pulling out the fake one out of his pocket showed it to them and said, "No, but this was what was in the real one's place. Go ahead open it. Read the note."
Opening the locket Lupin read aloud,
" 'To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.' "
Mrs. Figg turned to Harry and asked him, "Do you have any idea who this 'RAB' character is?"
Harry shook his head for the second time, "No idea. Do any of you recognize the initials?"
McGonagall shook her head thoughtfully but Lupin and Tonks shared a quick glance.
Tonks looked at Harry and said, "Harry those are Sirius' brother, Regulus' initials. But, it can't be him he has been dead for years. He joined while he was still in school but then killed by Death Eaters when he couldn't handle the pressure to kill people. It's a shame, he didn't even know what he was getting into."
"Well, that certainly reminds me of some one." Harry immediately thought of Draco with all that Tonks had just said.
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at Harry's last statement, "And who exactly, Mr. Potter, is that?"
"Well Draco Malfoy of course. It's almost the same thing with him and Regulus. Both have families who believe in 'pureblood is better blood' and both Draco and Regulus were forced into the Death Eaters at a young age. Both couldn't go through with what was expected of them." Just thinking over what he just said he remembered something Dumbledore had said to Draco on the Astronomy Tower: 'He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine.' Then an idea struck him what if Dumbledore made the same offer to Regulus, but Regulus accepted.
"Er, Professor? I am thinking of a theory about this R.A.B. and Regulus. What if they are the same person? What if R.A.B. is Regulus? While it was just Draco and Dumbledore on the tower Dumbledore made Draco an offer. He said, 'He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine.' So what if Dumbledore made the same offer to Regulus after Regulus secretly found the Horcrux. I mean isn't it possible that Dumbledore faked Regulus' death and hide him away somewhere?"
Looking uncertain on how to answer him Professor McGonagall said, "Well it's possible, but then how is it that you inherited Grimmauld Place? Those types of families would make sure that it would be inherited to the living blood family."
"Well Professor, all due respect but Dumbledore wasn't said to be the greatest wizard in the world because he liked the attention. I mean isn't impossilbe is it?"
Still looking uncertain she said, "Well, I guess it is prossible but most likely not probable. However it is a theory and we can look into it and speak to his protrait."
Tonks turned to Harry couriously and asked, "Harry did you and Dumbledore have any ideas on what the other Horcruxes are?"
"Well we know for sure: a ring that was an heirloom of Slytherin that belonged to his grandfather Professor Dumbledore destroyed that before school started. Then I destroyed one without knowing it. -"
"Which one was that, Harry?" asked Lupin.
"It was the diary that Voldemort used to possess Ginny to open the Chamber of Secrets. I didn't know it was a part of his soul, at the time I thought it to be just a memory. Then there's the locket. Dumbledore also explained that Voldemort wanted them all to have a connection with Hogwarts. So he all ready has two objects from Slytherin and he did aquire a cup the once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. The last two are more complicated because we didn't know of anything that is still in exictance that belonged to Ravenclaw and the only known object of Godric Gryffindor is the sword, which is in the Headmaster's office and has been there for years. Dumbledore then guessed that if Voldemort couldn't find anything else that was Gryffindor's he would use his snake, Nagini."
"So you can use living things?" asked Tonks.
"Well, Dumbledore thought so," said Harry. "So then after the Bill's wedding I'm going back to school, I'm going to go search for the Horcruxes."
After Harry said that there was a burst of objection.
"Harry you can think of not going for your last year! What are you thinking?" yelled Tonks.
"Potter you will not be experienced enough to go find and destroy these things. You can't do this by yourself. You will need a lot of help with this, the Order will help you while you're in your last year of school," argued McGonganall.
"But I won't be doing this by myself Ron and Hermione said they're coming with me."
"Oh won't Molly be thrilled about this." Said Tonks sarcassticly
Lupin looked at Harry disappointed and said, "Harry, your parents wouldn't want you to throw away your whole Hogwarts career. You can't do this."
"You don't understand! The sooner I can find and destroy the Horcruxes then sooner I can destroy him. Too many people have gotten hurt so I think the sooner the better."
"But Potter if you go out there undertrained and not prepared you are just playing into V-Voldemort's hand," said Professor McGonagall exhasperated.
"She's right Harry. If you if you go out there before your ready you'll be a sitting duck," Mrs. Figg chimmed in.
Remus began gently, "Harry, you have the entire Order at your desposial. I know you want to get this done sooner rather than later. So whole your in school, training and becoming more knowledgable the Order will get the Horcruxes for you. We'll destroy them-."
He was inturrupted by Harrry's hands shooting up in defeat while saying, "Alright, I just don't want anyone getting hurt on account of me. Also I have been thinking for a while on this: I think I am the only one who can destroy the Horcruxes without getting seriously hurt. I noticed after Professor Dumbledore destroyed the ring that he became weaker. In addition to his injuried arm, which might have been from the protection placed on the ring and its hiding place. So I want to be the one who destroys them."
The adults nodded in agreement and looked satisfied with themselves.
Tonks turned curiously to Harry and asked, "Harry do you have any idea where any of these items are hidden?"
A question in which Harry has been asking himself since he discovered the truth about the Horcruxes.
"Well I have my theories. Both the ring and the…well fake locket were hidden in places that had a personal affect on Voldemort throughout his life. The cave in which he tortured two orphans during his childhood and the Gaunt House, the house of his recent relatives. I think Hufflepuff's cup is hid at his old orphanage. The real locket, probably with 'R.A.B.' or…" Harry was sidetracked by a memory that suddenly popped in his head. It was a memory of two summers ago while he was at Grimmauld Place. While cleaning out one of the rooms they came across a locket that no one could open.
He looked up at the adults, who all had worried faces from his abrupt stop, with a face of hope.
"I remember that summer at Grimmauld Place, the summer before my fifth year? Well one of those days we were cleaning, you remember Remus? We were cleaning all the time. Anyway I suddenly remembered that when going through old Black Family heirlooms we came across A LOCKET NO ONE COULD OPEN! Don't you see maybe Regulus was killed by Voldemort after he, Regulus, discovered the secret about the Horcruxes. However not before he had a chance to hide the locket in Grimmauld Place!" Harry jumped up in excitement with the new realization that a Horcrux could be just at Grimmauld Place. Harry started pacing while in deep thought about the heirlooms until he remembered something that just crushed him.
He turned to the adults and said, "Oh no! What if Mundungus Fletcher stole that locket with the other things he was stealing and selling from Grimmauld Place! Oh Merlin! A possible piece of Voldemort's soul is floating around somewhere on the black market!"
"Now Potter just calm down. The stolen items he had on him at the time was taken by Aurors when he was arrested and are being held at the Ministry. Now since they are rightfully yours now you can go to the Ministry and pick them up. I don't know if it wasn't we can go to Azkaban and have a little chat with him." Said Professor McGonagall reassuring him.
Sighing Harry sat back down and asked, "When can we go find out?"
"Well Harry I can take you tomorrow. If you'd like." Offered Remus.
Harry nodded his head, "Okay, Thanks Remus," Glancing at Mrs. Figg's wall clock saw that it was almost 4 o'clock. Getting back up he said, "Well my aunt will be home soon. So I better get going."
"Yeah you better go, you don't want you aunt and uncle to get upset that you werent locked up and miserable all day." Said Remus bitterly.
Suddenly realizing he never told them about what had happened at number 4 Privet Drive over the past year, dived into the whole story about revilations, divorce, and forgiveness.
All the adults had expressions of shock on their faces.
"Wow that's unbelievable," breathed Remus.
Harry nodded in agreement, "I know and it's only the second day of summer holiday." Harry then said that he'd owl him tomorrow about going to the Ministry. McGonagall would plan the visit to Azkaban if the locket wasn't at the Ministry. After agreeing to that Harry left for number 4. When he was walking up the street he was about a house away his aunt pulled into the driveway.
She got out of the car and said, "Harry, hello. How was your day? Where were you?"
"I was at Mrs. Figg's house. I was speaking with her, Tonks, Professor McGonagall and Remus Lupin."
When they got into the house Harry told his aunt what was discussed; R.A.B., the theory about Regulus, the possible Horcrux, and the trip to the ministry and possibly Azkaban.
At the mention of Azkaban Aunt Petunia put on a worried expression and said, "I don't want you to go to Azkaban. Aren't those De-mean-tors still guarding?"
"No their not anymore because they left to join Voldemort. It's only Aurors protecting the prison now. Plus I'll be with an auror or two, an old professor, and the new Headmistress. I'll be fine." Harry informed his aunt.
Relaxing her expression a bit, she sighed, "Alright, I suppose if you have all this protection then you'll be safe."
With all that said Harry helped his aunt make dinner, while they discussed the good things about Hogwarts. Mostly Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, but also Harry told his aunt about the DA and how horrid Umbridge was. Aunt Petunia was outraged when she saw the back of Harry's hand. Otherwise the night was relatively peaceful.
