The Ring

Over the course of the next few days, despite Ginny's best efforts to get him to relax, Harry assembled an assault team. The team's objectives were to travel to Little Hangleton, retrieve the ring from beneath the floorboards of the Gaunt's cabin and return to Hogwarts. The goals were to do all of this without alerting any of the death eaters in the area to their presence and without alerting Tom to the fact that they even knew about the horcruxes. The problems lay in the fact Tom was using Riddle Manor as his headquarters; that several dozen death eaters, under strict orders not to bother the muggels, were living in the area, helping Tom plan their Halloween assault on the magical world; and that Tom had placed several wards both in and around Little Hangleton designed to detect magic. The most powerful of these wards were around the cabin itself.

As a result, Harry's team was extremely small. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna were going to be blending in with the locals as best they could to provide a cover story for the youngest member of their team. They would be dressed as muggels and would have their wands. They would not, however, be allowed to use their wands unless absolutely necessary. Ginny would be with Harry in a small cops of trees on the opposite side of the valley from Riddle Manor. She was in charge of the emergency portkeys back to Hogwarts and would be carrying a medical kit just in case. Harry would be using his remote viewing abilities to monitor all aspects of the situation. If things started going south he would initiate a communications charm, teleport directly to the cabin, find the ring, grab the seventh member of their team, teleport him to safety and then return to join the fight.

The seventh member of their team was Mark Evans. He was chosen because he was young, relatively small and could get away with the act of being a curious little boy from Greater Hangelton who was just out exploring the woods. He would not have his wand with him because they didn't want to take the chance that the wards Tom had placed on the cabin might be triggered by the presence of a wand. In addition, Mark would be wearing a pair of plain leather gloves to protect himself from any curses that might be on the ring. He was also being given a leather pouch to place the ring in for transport as soon as he retrieved it.

Even though it was something of a rush job Harry felt comfortable with their preparations. He had pulled these six out of their regular afternoon and evening classes and activities so that they could spend most of their time in the Room of Requirement working in a mockup of Little Hangleton and its environs. He also gave them daily briefings on the goings on in Little Hangleton so that they it would not be too difficult to blend in. True, they would be outsiders and the locals would know it but with all of the activity at Riddle Manner, and all of the strangers that had been passing through lately, they might get a few curious glances but it was unlikely anyone would question them too closely.

As a final precaution, two days before their mission they all went into Edinburgh for muggle haircuts. In addition to their haircuts Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Mark all had their hair and eyebrows dyed.

Ron couldn't wait do get the mission over with because he didn't like the dark, chocolate brown color Hermione chose fore him. Hermione, by contrast, was enjoying her bright blond hair. True, she knew that she would have to wash it out as soon as they got back to Hogwarts but she was enjoying it while she could. Neville and Mark wound up receiving the same color hair as Ron as the three of them would be posing as brothers. And Luna, going against type, became a brunette. With Harry's help she even went so far as to purchase a pair of brown contact lenses to change her the color of her eyes. Their cover story was going to be that Ron and Neville, using the aliases of John and Brain, had been asked by their parents to take their little brother, Mark, exploring and that Mark had insisted upon walking over to Little Hangleton. Hermione and Luna, using the names Rachel and Joyce, were their girlfriends who had agreed to go along to keep them company.

And so it was that immediately after their run and breakfast on July 31st the seven members of this team left the castle grounds, walked into Hogsmeade and, with Harry's help, teleported to the little cops of trees Harry and Ginny would be using as their base of operations. The fact that it was just off the road to Greater Hangleton was a plus because it made their cover story more believable..

The air was cool and clear when they arrived. A misting rain was making its way down the valley but, if all went according to plan, they would be long gone before it arrived.

As the others made their way out to the road and down into Little Hangleton Harry and Ginny settled down to monitor the situation and wait. While Ginny, using as little magic as possible, lay out their medicinal supplies and prepared for an emergency evacuation Harry made himself comfortable in a nest of roots and dropped into the proper meditative state for remote viewing. It would take the others a few minutes to reach the village so he decided to do a little poking around to see what Tom was up to.

Tom was currently holding court on the manor's main gallery. Maps of Wizarding Britain were laid out on a long table and the remaining members of his inner circle, in addition to several of the recent escapees from Azkaban, including Draco Malfoy, were pouring over their plans. One thing Harry noticed about Draco was that, while he had been an evil spoiled brat before his stint in Azkaban, his stay in the wizarding prison, had changed him. He was now just plain evil. There was a wild, calculating glint in his eye that spoke volumes about the unhinged mind currently in possession of Draco Malfoy's body. As he watched his former classmate flit from map to map, unable to concentrate on anything for more that a few minutes at a time, he wondered how the purgatory charm would affect him.

Turning his attention back to his friends as they entered the village Harry watched as they played their roles as smoothly as an acting troop might after six weeks of rehearsal. Ron and Neville quickly grew tired of Mark's incessant demands to go explore, Ron preferring a visit to the local pub while Neville opted for a stroll through the village square to examine the plants. Leaving their boyfriends to their devices, "Rachel" only after extracting a promise from "John" that he would not drink too much, set out to explore the shops which left Mark free to explore the surrounding woods.

Given their time limit of two hours, to make their visit convincing, Mark began by walking in the general direction of the stand of trees where he knew the cabin to be located. Harry had coached him not to take a direct route because that would be too obvious. Instead, Mark was to begin by exploring the fringes of the forest nearest the village and gradually work his way in. When he was safely out of site of the village he would be able to take a more direct route to the cabin, but not too direct just in case there were any death eaters patrolling the forest. They wanted it to appear, for all intents and purposes, that he had stumbled upon it by accident.

Mark took his time, playing his part convincingly, and slowly worked his way into the woods, scaring up a few small game animals in the process. Forty-five minutes into their allotted time he was within sight of the cabin and was, with the feigned curiosity of a child his age, making his way towards it with due speed. Harry could tell that Mark was being ever watchful for any signs of death eater activity because not only was he being careful in the placement of his feet, to make as little noise and leave as little sign as possible, but he was pausing every few seconds to listen for any signs of human activity in the area.

When he was within striking distance of the cabin Mark stopped and listened even more intently for several seconds before approaching one of the side windows. Peering through the dusty glass all he could see was a dimly lit room with a thick layering of dust on the floor. After checking all of the other windows, being careful not to touch any of them so as to leave as little evidence as possible, Mark put on his gloves and pulled out the small can of oil Hermione had insisted he bring and oiled the door's hinges as thoroughly as he dared. The goal was to relieve them of their squeak but not to leave any evidence of the fact that they had been oiled. So, using one of Harry's old socks as a rag, he oiled each hinge, catching the runoff with the sock, and waited for the oil to do its work.

At one hour into their allotted time – things were still going according to plan – Mark carefully opened the cabin's front door. It was stiff and groaned slightly but it was nothing too drastic. Once inside he closed the door, leaving it unlatched in case he need to make a run for it, and moved to the loose floorboard in the back right-hand corner of the front room. Working his fingers under the edge he carefully lifted the board out of the floor and set it aside.

After taking the leather pouch out of his pocket and laying it aside, Mark reached into the darkness and felt around for the ring. It was exactly where Harry had placed it in all of their drills. He wrapped his gloved fingers around and was about to withdraw his arm from the hole when a sudden noise coming from outside caused him to freeze in place.

Harry had been so focused on Mark's progress that had he had inadvertently blocked out everything else. Zooming out he checked the perimeter but couldn't sense anything amiss. Checking Tom's wards he was relieved to find that none of them had been activated. At the same time he was terrified that he had missed something and that something would happen to Mark and he would be powerless to stop it. He couldn't activate the communications charm because that would alert Tom to their presence and that was the last thing he wanted to do. So, all he could do was wait and pray.

He could tell that Mark was moving even more carefully than he had been. At the same time he could tell that Mark was determined to complete his part of the mission. As Harry returned his attention to Mark his cousin was tightening the pouch's drawstring, closing the ring inside. He tucked the pouch back into his pocket and carefully lifted the floorboard to put it back. He was in the process of returning the floorboard to its original location when he heard something skittering across the roof, which caused him to freeze again.

This time Harry was prepared and zoomed out in time to see a squirrel jumping from the roof to a low-hanging branch. Breathing a sigh of relief Harry returned his attention to Mark who was in the process of gently tapping the floorboard into place. Harry had no way of knowing what Mark was thinking but was relieved when his second-cousin stood up and began tip toeing across the room to the front door.

Mark waited, listening at the door for almost a minute before slowly, carefully and gently easing the door open. When he was through he closed the door again, this time making sure to secure the latch, and carefully made his way off the porch and back into the woods. Twenty minutes later, five minutes behind schedule, Mark emerged from the forest and began walking back into the village where he was to meet up with Neville and Luna before going to the book store for Hermione and the pub for Ron. He seemed to know that he was running behind schedule but if there was one thing Harry had drilled into all of them it was not to do anything to draw too much attention to themselves.

When Mark walked into the village square Neville looked up, his concern evident in his eyes, and Harry could tell that he was struggling to remain calm as he walked over to his "little brother".

After a brief conversation, during which Luna asked if he was alright and Mark assured him that he was and surreptitiously let them know that he had been successful, the three of them made their way to the book store where they me "Rachel" who was in the process of buying a trilogy of fantasy novels. From there they went over to the pub to find "John" who was sitting in a darkened corner where he could safely observe the front door as well as most of the pub's patrons.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief when they walked through the door and almost leaped from his chair as they approached his table. When they were safely outside and walking along the road to Greater Hangleton Ron asked the question that was on all of their minds. "What happened?" ha asked.

Mark let out his breath and ran his fingers through his hair in a show of relief. "Everything was going fine until I heard some noises," he said while rubbing his forehead, still anxious from the uncertainties he had endured less than an hour earlier. "I had to listen and wait until whatever it was had passed. That slowed me down. I'm not sure what made the noises but I think it was animals."

"Did anyone see you?" Hermione asked.

Mark shook his head. "I don't think so. I did what Harry told me and played it cool. That may have slowed me down a little bit as well, but if anyone was watching me I don't think they had any reason to suspect anything."

"Any problems finding the ring?" Neville asked.

Mark looked up the road and took a deep breath. After letting it out he said, "No. it was exactly where Harry said it would be. The only problems I had were with the noises and taking my time to make sure I was not being followed."

They walked along the road for a few minutes in silence when Luna asked, "Did the oil help? I know it was Hermione's idea but I've never oil before because everything at the Quibbler runs on magic and was wondering if it did what it was supposed to do."

Mark grinned at Luna's naiveté where muggels were concerned then smiled thankfully at Hermione. "Yes, it did," he said. "The door was still stiff and groaned a bit but at least it opened."

Hermione smiled at the other's recognition of her seemingly minor contribution to the success of the mission. She already knew that Harry appreciated her suggestion because he had taken her aside the night she had suggested it and thanked her for correcting his oversight but it still meant a lot to her that the others recognized her contribution. They were, after all, three pure bloods – Mark being the exception as he was, like herself, a muggle-born – who had very little experience with anything non-magical.

When they reached the cops of trees where Harry and Ginny were waiting for them Harry immediately took Mark aside and, shaking his head in wonder, said, "Mark, I'm glad you're on our side. I don't think anyone else could have done it. You have got nerves of steel and …" Harry hesitated a moment then smiled and pulled Mark into a heartfelt hug. "Thank you!" he said.

Mark blushed at the praise. "You're welcome, Harry," he said. "I understand why you couldn't activate the communications charm so, when I heard those noises, all I could do was freeze and wait. I didn't think you would let yourself get captured so when you didn't come I had little choice but to complete my mission."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "Like I said, nerves of steel."

Reaching into his pocket Mark pulled out the leather pouch with the ring inside and handed it to Harry. "Do you mind if I ask why leather; why not dragon hide?"

Harry accepted the pouch and tied it even more securely before putting it in his own pocket. "It's the wards," he said. "I don't know how sensitive the wards around that cabin are and for all I know, the combination of dragon hide and your own magical energies might have set them off. We were taking a chance sending you in as it was; I just didn't want to push our luck."

Mark smiled and nodded his understanding. "Thanks."

Harry reached out and shook Mark's hand. "No," he said honestly. "Thank you, Mark. You don't know how proud I am of you and I know that your parents and sister would be proud if they knew what you have done."

When they returned to Hogwarts the rest of the students were still running through their morning drills. To the seven, however, the stress of the morning's activities was more than enough to make up for the two-and-a-half hours they had missed. Even Hermione didn't protest when Harry suggested they take the rest of the morning off and join him in the Chamber of Secrets to witness the destruction of the ring.

After reporting in to Albus, who asked to look at the ring and subsequently studied it for several second before handing it back, they made their way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and, from there, down into the Chamber of Secrets. With Hogwarts' help Harry had removed the parseltongue requirements and replaced the chute with a rickety lift that would hold up to ten adults. It wasn't a final solution to the problem of accessing the chamber but it was a start.

When the lift opened at the end of its downward journey Ron let out a low whistle. "I like what you've done to the place, Harry," he said.

Harry looked around the small antechamber. The floor was a polished sandstone. The walls were polished as well with a continuous bench running the length and breadth of the room, being interrupted only by the lift's doors and an archway leading into the depths of the secret chamber. The ceiling currently radiated natural sunlight. Harry's goal was to recreate the charms used in the Great Hall throughout the chamber so that if they ever had to use it as an evacuation center the people would not have to contend with stifling darkness but that would take time and, even with Hogwarts' help, would require at least three additional witches and wizards to sequentially cast a number of charms, many of which needed to be cast simultaneously. For now he was satisfied with the warm, glowing light he had been able to create with Ethrindell's coaching and Hogwarts' help.

After mumbling something about it being a work in progress Harry led his friends out of the antechamber and into the main cave. This part of the chamber was wider and higher than it had been in his first year. The walls and floor were not as polished as the antechamber but they were relatively smooth, with the occasional bump or indentation to mark the imperfections. A narrow stream of water wound its way along the length of the cave, occasionally wandering off into the shadows only to reemerge several yards later as it approached the chamber proper. Harry's goal for this part of the underground sanctuary was the creation of a large garden area where the people could relax and get away from each other for some alone time.

When the reached what had been the entrance to the chamber proper Harry reached out and took Ginny's hand. When she looked up into his eyes he smiled reassuringly and nodded his head towards the narrow opening. Where a circular, serpentine vault door had once stood there was now a roughly hewn set of stone steps leading down into the subject of many of Ginny's nightmares.

A small waterfall tumbled down a depression in the steps, pooling at the bottom before the stream continued a winding course toward the small lake at the far end of the chamber. All of the serpentine pillars had been permanently transfigured and replaced with simple support columns. The statue at the far end of the chamber had been destroyed and replaced with a simple arched entrance. To get to this entrance, however, they had to cross a narrow footbridge that arched over the moat.

The chambers beyond this archway were filled with the bottled, jarred and packaged remains of the basilisk. Harry led his friends to small room at the end of the long corridor. In this room, on a raised dais along the back wall of the room were five large mason jars filled with the basilisk's venom. Picking up one of the jars he moved it over to an empty workbench and took the lid off. As he removed the leather pouch and ring from his pocket he said, "I've only destroyed one horcrux before and it was not a pretty sight so you might want to stand back because I have no idea what is going to happen when I drop it in the venom."

When everyone else was a safe distance away Harry opened the jar, loosened the pouches leather ties and, upending the pouch, resigned its contents to the venom of the king of snakes. At first nothing happened. Then, slowly, the venom began to boil and steam. Moments later an almighty scream filled the room, echoing from one end of the chamber to the other, causing all present to clap their hands over their ears.

When the scream had faded away and the ringing in his ears had stopped Harry walked over to the workbench and examined the contents of the jar. Apparently the venom had worked as an acid. There was nothing left of the ring save a thin, smoldering film on the surface of the liquid that was rapidly being eaten away by the venom's magical properties. When even this film had completely vanished Harry put the lid back on the jar, sealed it, labeled it as having been use to destroy a horcrux and locked it in a cupboard on the other side of the room. He didn't want anybody using it ever again. At the same time, however, he didn't want to destroy it because there was always the possibility that some day someone might need it to destroy another horcrux. His plan was to use four of the jars to destroy the smaller horcruxes. He still didn't know how he was going to deal with Nagini but the fifth jar would somehoe be used in her death and destruction.