Lacing his boots up, Harry gave some last minute instructions to Tonks, Ginny and Ron.

'Remember, the bugger is off chocolate and sweets for the next five days, so don't go giving him anything no matter how much he begs.'

'Sure,' Ron said easily. 'I still can't believe that you are doling out punishments. Man you are so grown up!'

Harry rolled his eyes. 'I'm doing it for my sanity, really. From now on he's only getting one chocolate on a Saturday.'

Ron gasped dramatically. 'Rules! He's setting rules!' causing Ginny and Tonks to start laughing. 'Looks like Uncle Ron is going to have to come to the rescue now.'

Harry smiled widely showing his teeth. 'Well, Uncle Ron is so nice, risking a hexing just to get his nephew some chocolate.'

'Man fatherhood has made you a grumpy old man.'

'Oh belt up,' Harry looked at his watch. 'Well, Professor Dumbledore should be coming any moment. You guys have fun! Don't let the kid on the Firebolt, and remember –'

'No chocolate or sweets,' the three chorused.

Harry blushed. 'Well, I'm off.'

As soon as he had shut the door, he saw the headmaster appear at the edge of the property.

Feeling a great deal of nervous excitement, Harry headed towards the old wizard.

'You have prepared,' the old wizard remarked, eyeing the sword strapped to Harry's back.

'I got the baldric about two days back in Whitby,' Harry said with a shrug. 'There was this shop that had a sword that was the same size as mine in this thing … I got rid of that sword. It was nowhere near the quality of The Sword of Gryffindor.'

'I should think so,' Dumbledore said with humour. 'Shall we?'

'Yeah,' Harry brushed his left pocket. The headmaster hadn't told him to get anything other than his wand, but he had taken his Invisibility Cloak just in case.

The two Disapparated and reappeared at a small clearing. A thick hedge separated them from a road.

'Now a few words before we set forth,' Dumbledore said a serious tone. 'I want you to follow my lead here. No matter what I say, you should do and do without any haste. Do you understand.'

Harry nodded.

'Understand this, Harry. No matter what. Even if my instructions are for you to leave me behind and save yourself.'

'But –'

'Do you understand?'

Harry took a deep breath. 'Yes, sir,' he finally said.

'Good. Now follow me.' Turning, Dumbledore made his way out of the patch of grass.

The passage of time had clearly made its mark on Little Hangleton. What was once a country lane in Bob Ogden's memory was now a tarred two-lane road. The wooden sign had been replaced by a modern reflective road sign. The sky, though, was just as blue as in the memory.

The impressive manor from the memory had fallen into obvious disrepair, the once immaculate lawns now overrun and the manor itself heading towards being a crumbling ruin.

Harry stopped to look at the graveyard. He had long deduced the significance of the place after he had seen that memory of Bob Ogden.

He saw Dumbledore approach from behind out of the corner of his eye. 'That's where he rose,' he said haltingly. 'Cedric died there.' It was funny how ordinary the place looked. All traces of what had happened that night were long gone now. Harry didn't really know what to expect, it had been two years since that time. Admittedly, he was looking at it from a rather great distance, so he couldn't really make out many of the minute details.

'Ah,' Dumbledore turned to look at the plot of land that Harry was staring at. He had long guessed the significance of the place, but chose not to comment.

'Let's go,' Harry said shortly, turning away from it. 'Let's finish this … and him.'

The entrance to the road leading to the Gaunt home was made nearly inaccessible by vegetation. It was only through a liberal use of the cutting charm that the two wizards could navigate the road at all. A part of Harry wanted to take the sword out and start swinging, but he desisted. It really wasn't that practical an idea.

Harry wasn't expecting the shack to still be standing after such a long time. The last he had seen it was in a memory of events that had happened more than seventy years back and it wasn't really in all that good a shape back then. He half expected there to be nothing but a pile of rubble.

And so he was surprised to see the structure still standing. While the roof and door no longer existed, the wood having long since rotted away, the four stone walls were still standing with gaping holes where the door and windows used to exist.

Dumbledore surveyed the area. 'The air is thick with magic.'

Harry nodded. The headmaster had trained him extensively in being able to detect and sense enchantments being cast on an area and the nature of the magic. He could tell with certainty that there was a lot of malicious magic cast here. Even after all these years, the trees still grew wild and free, blocking most of the sunlight. Harry lit his wand to see better through the gloom.

'Stand back,' Dumbledore said with an outstretched arm. Taking his wand out, he muttered under his breath as he paced the perimeter of the clearing.

'There aren't any charms cast at the perimeter.' He finally said. 'We can safely advance to the house.'

'That seems a bit odd,' Harry replied, making his way to the headmaster. 'I was sure he would have put as many charms as possible. I would have.'

'Ah, but you do not know of Voldemort's history as well as I do. I suspect that he was banking on the anonymity of the location.' Dumbledore said softly. 'He has, after all, gone through great lengths to bury knowledge of his origins. Few know of his birth name, and fewer still know of his relation to the Gaunt and Riddle families. I doubt, however, that we will be so lucky once we enter the house.'

They stopped once more right outside what used to be the front entrance.

'The doorway and windows are spelled to repel any living thing,' Dumbledore murmured. 'Those enchantments are too complex and varied to risk breaking down without alerting him. The doorway is also not a doorway either.'

He paced around the small abandoned dwelling. Since Harry wasn't told to stay put, he followed the headmaster. He noticed, as they circled to the back of the house, that there was a clear line around the house where the foliage just stopped growing. It certainly explained why nature hadn't fully claimed this structure.

'I do believe I have found our entrance.'

Harry looked at the wall uncertainly. With the light of his wand he could make out the faint carving of a snake set into the wall.

'It needs a password,' Dumbledore said helpfully. 'In Parseltongue if I'm not mistaken. So if you could...?'

'I wouldn't know what password he would have set,' Harry said nervously.

'Calm yourself, Harry,' Dumbledore said soothingly. 'And think. I am sure you can guess what he will set as a password.'

Taking a deep breath, Harry centred himself. As he let the anxiety he did not know he was feeling fade away, he began to realise things that he had not thought about.

Looking at the faint carving of the snake one more time, he suddenly realised what the password would be.

'I see you guessed right,' Dumbledore said proudly as a section of the wall slid out, leaving an opening. 'May I ask what it was you said?'

'Open,' Harry said simply. 'Voldemort would be sure that he is the only Parselmouth in Britain at least. And this is the same password used for the Chamber of Secrets.' He frowned at the opening in thought. 'Come to think of it, this set-up is kind of like the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Man someone's missing school a lot.'

'Such crude methods,' Dumbledore said in a disappointed tone. 'I have oft said that his arrogance will be his undoing. And with the way things are going, my words are proving to be prophetic. Now, after me, Harry.'

If the exterior of the house was dark, it was nothing compared to the interior. Thanks to the light from their wands, Harry could tell that they were in what was once, in another lifetime, the kitchen.

'Watch your step,' Dumbledore said, gingerly picking his way through the rotted floorboards. He stopped somewhere in the middle of the house. Holding his wand over his head, the headmaster intently scanned the floorboards beneath his feet. Suddenly his eyes snapped to a spot.

'An elementary notice-me-not charm,' the headmaster scoffed. With a flick of his wand, two boards were ripped out of the floor, revealing a golden box.

As the box was being levitated out, the general sense of uneasiness that Harry had not been acknowledging so far intensified to full-on dread. His heartbeat started quickening when the lid of the box slowly opened.

Perhaps it was the light reflecting off their wands, or perhaps it was because of the enchantments Voldemort had put on the ring, but the stone bathed the headmaster's face in an unhealthy green light.

'Professor?'

But Dumbledore did not seem to have heard Harry.

Harry did not like the way the headmaster was staring at the stone. The look of longing was alien on his face. Slowly, as if in a trance, the headmaster lifted his free hand up to the ring.

It was when he was holding the ring in his hand that Harry knew, beyond a doubt, that Dumbledore was intent on wearing it.

'Professor, don't put it on,' Harry said urgently. He had a horrible feeling that Voldemort would have accounted for someone having found this place and finding the ring and so would have placed one last measure of protection. A little piece of very malicious magic, just in case.

But Dumbledore did not give any indication of hearing him. Desperately, Harry did the one thing that came to mind.

'Expelliarmus!'

In his desperation, Harry had overpowered the spell, causing Dumbledore to go flying off into the wall as his wand and the ring sailed towards Harry.

Grasping the wand, Harry cringed away from the ring, nearly touching the thing as it skittered off about a foot away from him. Pocketing the wands, he drew the sword.

With a yell, he brought it down on the ring right at where the stone was set.

There was a long wailing screech as the soul fragment of Voldemort's housed within was evicted.

Breathing heavily, Harry prodded the ring with the point of the sword, half expecting it to jump up at him. When nothing happened, he slowly sheathed the sword.

A groan from behind reminded him of his companion. Whirling around, Harry rushed to his headmaster.

'Professor, are you alright?' he asked. Lighting his wand to better see, he looked the headmaster over.

'Well, this wall isn't soft,' Dumbledore said faintly as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. 'Nor is the floor for that matter.'

Harry blushed. 'Sorry about that,' he said sheepishly. 'Got carried away.'

'No need to apologise, dear boy,' Dumbledore said with a groan. 'Your intentions were noble. Besides, this is a minor discomfort compared to what would have happened if I had put on that ring. Although, perhaps next time could you use a little less enthusiasm?'

Laughing nervously, Harry helped the aged wizard up.

Shaking his head, Dumbledore looked in the direction of the ring. 'Is it –?'

'Destroyed, sir,' Harry said, pulling the wizard's arm over his shoulder.

The two hobbled over to the ring.

'No,' Dumbledore said softly when Harry bent to pick up the ring. 'Leave it here. There is no need for us to take it …' the old wizard stared at the ring for a very long time. 'No need at all…'

'Erm, right,' Harry said. He had a feeling that the headmaster had taken a real knock on the head. Perhaps a bit of fresh air would do the man some good. There was really no reason for the old wizard to sound nearly so … weepy about that ring.

With a hissed command, the portal constructed by Voldemort slid open, bathing them in the relative brightness of the blazing summer sun.

By the time they were out of that dreaded place and back on the road leading towards Little Hangleton, squinting their eyes against the sunlight once more, Dumbledore seemed to have regained his bearings.

Rolling his shoulders, Harry noticed, for the first time, that his wand felt unfamiliar somehow.

'Ah, I do believe I have your wand, sir,' he said, holding out Dumbledore's wand. In his haste to tend to the headmaster, he had taken out the wrong wand and hadn't noticed till now. 'Sorry,' he said sheepishly.

Dumbledore took the wand and examined it. 'No need to apologise, Harry.' He said gently. 'There has been no harm done.'

'Right, well…' Harry trailed off awkwardly. Now that the task was done, he had no idea what to do.

Dumbledore looked over his wand one last time and stowed it. 'Indeed, that leaves one final Horcrux.'

'And then he will be mortal.' Harry breathed, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

'It is not going to be easy,' Dumbledore said warningly. 'Nagini is well-protected due to her proximity to her master. I have a feeling that we will have to deal with those two at the same time. Additionally, Voldemort himself won't be easily destroyed. He still retains his power and talents.'

Harry stared at the graveyard unseeingly for a long moment. 'That isn't necessarily true,' he finally said. 'We can destroy the snake before engaging him.'

He looked at Dumbledore in the eye. 'At this moment, he thinks that all his Horcruxes are safe, with nobody knowing of their existence.' Suddenly a plan began to form in his mind at a speed so great that he had trouble following it. 'We could make it look like an accident or frame another Death Eater for the snake's demise. That way he may remain unaware of the destruction of his other Horcruxes. Not that it would matter … I suspect that should he find his insurance plan destroyed, he will be so angry that he will seek revenge. Of course, he will be confident that nobody will have ever found that diadem, so the chances of him going into hiding are minimal. His pride certainly won't allow it.'

'But that leaves the school open,' Dumbledore said pointedly. 'He is sure to go to Hogwarts as soon as he can to check. I wouldn't put it past him to use force, if necessary. This is part of his soul, after all.'

'Yes, but we know that he will go after the school. We can prepare. Hogwarts was built to withstand sieges, after all.' Harry licked his lips. 'We must act quickly, professor. The sooner the snake is killed the better. The moment he suspects that Nagini is his only Horcrux, it will become nearly impossible to kill her.'

Dumbledore hummed. 'That is not going to be easy,' he commented. 'We do not have ready access to Voldemort's place of residence.'

'But you do,' Harry said softly. 'Doesn't the Order have a spy in the Death Eater ranks? At least, a person who claims to be a spy… killing a snake is a one-man job, after all.'

'Professor Snape would have to put his life at great risk.'

'But it isn't an unnecessary risk, professor.' Harry said earnestly. 'And from what I gather so far, Snape is a careful man. You don't convince two powerful wizards on two opposing sides that you are on their side if you aren't cunning. I am sure he will find a way to kill the snake and not only that but either pin the blame on another Death Eater or make it look like a tragic accident. Even if he were to die in the process, think of the lives we will save!'

'Ah, the "greater good" argument.' Dumbledore said, his voice sounding unusually sad.

'Very well.' The headmaster finally said. 'I will see what I can do. In the meantime, I must congratulate you on a job well done today. You might have very well saved my life.'

Harry blushed a little. 'I did what anyone would have done, professor.'

'Your modesty is endearing, but I highly doubt that.' Dumbledore said with a smile. 'Few would have shown such presence of mind or such courage. I am very much in your debt.'

'Thank you, sir,'

'No, Harry, it is I who should be thanking you,' Dumbledore replied. 'Now, I think you can Apparate back home. Go and rest. Have some fun with,' with a twitch of his beard and a twinkle in his eye, he uttered the next two words. 'Your son.'

'Dobby spoke to you, didn't he?' Harry said flatly. He sighed exasperatedly.

Dumbledore only smiled enigmatically in response.

Shaking his head, Harry bade his headmaster goodbye and prepared to Apparate.

'One last thing, Harry,' Dumbledore said, as Fawkes appeared over their heads and landed on his shoulder. In the light of the late morning sun, the aged headmaster with the magical bird on his shoulder struck quite an impressive pose. 'After recent events, I think we can dispense with formalities. I feel you have earned the right to address me by my first name.'

Dumbledore's words had floored Harry who somehow managed to Disapparate properly to his house.

Albus smiled sadly at the spot Harry recently occupied. The boy had grown so much, especially recently. It was always bittersweet to know that the students you first saw as children grew up to be adults. A part of the old headmaster wished that they could stay young and innocent forever.

With a sigh, he turned to look once more at the entrance leading to the Gaunt Shack. The temptation to return there was high. He then cast his gaze upon the wand he held in his hand. He knew immediately the moment he took it back from Harry that it was no longer his. Funnily enough, that fact wasn't as distressing as he first thought it would be.

'Let's go home, Fawkes,' he finally said, closing his eyes.

He would meet her once more. But it would be done properly with no shortcuts. Harry's experience had proved that such a meeting would happen one day.

Meanwhile, he had a lot of preparations to make, and one surly man to meet.