Chapter 31- The Older Dark Lord
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! All the support is as always appreciated. Thanks to my sister for editing this chapter!
I was away during the holidays and apologize for not updating.
This chapter is very long but there's a great deal of information revealed.
Enjoy!
"Wow," said Natalie, trying to maintain her balance.
Kalissa straightened out her robes. "It is a very informative memory."
"So did he find the diadem?" asked Harry, leaning on Dumbledore's desk. Natalie and Kalissa joined him on that side. Ron and Hermione were standing on the opposite side of the desk while Minerva stood in the middle. Dumbledore took his seat, his hands clasped on the desk.
"I think we have enough time to go over this memory before we see the other memory," said Kalissa, biting her lip. She siphoned off the fluid from the pensieve onto her wand, touching the wand to her forehead and letting the fluid flow back into her head.
"Yes, we do," answered Dumbledore, looking at his watch. "We're thankfully well ahead of schedule." He waved his wand, conjuring two mahogany settees in front of the desk. "Please sit – I believe we stood enough during the memory."
Harry, Kalissa and Natalie sat on one settee while Minerva, Ron and Hermione took the other settee
"Good," noted Kalissa. "And Harry to answer your question, I believe he did find the diadem, though I cannot be certain. Immediately after that encounter, I told Albus about Tom wanting to look for the diadem. As I'm sure you realized, I was not close enough to hear the specific location."
"Did you try to find it that summer?" asked Natalie, looking at both Kalissa and Dumbledore.
"I did go to Albania that summer, trying to determine from the locals there where a magical item of such importance could be hidden," said Dumbledore. "Unfortunately, Helena Ravenclaw did an excellent job of keeping the object hidden because unlike with Voldemort's 10 year residence in the forests of Albania, there were no such stories about any unusual or odd places of magic in any of the forests. Presuming that Helena Ravenclaw gave him the correct location, then we can reasonably be certain that Tom managed to acquire the diadem."
"But we should have looked more into his obsession with the founder's objects," said Kalissa in frustration. "Of course, I surmised that he did some terrible things to get the ring, but I always thought it was a way for him to feel more connected to the wizarding world and erase all memories of his Muggle heritage. Only when the diary appeared four years ago, the significance of those objects became a bit clearer."
"Who would have known he planned to use Horcruxes?" stated Harry somberly.
"Well, Horace would have, but seeing as he was and is still a vain fool, the secret would have been completely hidden," said Kalissa, smiling ruefully. Ron and Harry snickered. "Finding that diary was extremely important however."
"He was quite the charmer, wasn't he?" remarked Ron
"Yes, he was," said Minerva, her lips pursed. "Almost nobody saw the side of him that Kalissa or Albus saw – almost all of the teachers and most of the students thought him to be the ideal and perfect student."
Natalie snorted. "Must have been quite shock when it finally came out what he was along."
"Indeed, it was," said Dumbledore gravely.
"Do you know where he would hide this horcrux?" questioned Hermione, shifting the conversation back to the diadem.
Kalissa smiled at her. "Very good question – the answer is sadly no. There are many obvious possibilities, but the problem with the diadem is that there are almost no –"
"Portraits, photos or pictures of it," finished Hermione.
"Precisely," enunciated Kalissa. "In fact, if you've been paying attention in your History of Magic classes, the very existence of the diadem is in doubt because there was no concrete evidence about it."
"Then, You-Know-Who does not need to hide it anywhere because nobody will recognize the object as belonging to Ravenclaw," stated Minerva, frowning.
"It could just be a simple diadem or tiara," concluded Natalie.
"We have considered that possibility," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It is a straw to grasp as the Muggles say – there is always the chance that Tom, knowing the history of the diadem, would keep the diadem in a public place where many people pass through."
"He's definitely arrogant enough to do something like that," said Minerva in assent.
"The Ministry?" proposed Ron.
"Hogwarts would be even better," suggested Harry.
"Those are two of the major locations that come to mind," responded Dumbledore. "However, I have yet to come across a seemingly ordinary tiara in either place, though I have definitely not ruled out the possibility that others have."
"Then, really, we have no idea where the diadem is?" said Harry despondently.
Kalissa sighed. "The simple answer to that question right now is yes, but if you remember, I said that there was almost no evidence proving the existence of the diadem."
"There are pictures?" said Hermione, immediately catching onto the hint.
"And you've found them?" said Natalie excitedly.
Kalissa chuckled. "Do any of you know who is rumoured to have built the diadem?"
"Goblins? – I believe they're the ones who designed Gryffindor's sword," asked Minerva.
"No, though a good guess, Minerva," said Kalissa, clearly enjoying the extremely attentive looks the others were sporting. "In fact, the diadem is a product of elf magic."
"As in house elves?" said Ron blankly. Minerva, Harry and Natalie appeared equally as surprised while Hermione looked to be bursting with pleasure.
Kalissa smiled at him. "Yes, indeed – house elves have extremely powerful magic despite the derogatory and prejudiced views of most of the wizarding world."
Hermione bore an absolutely radiant expression on her face. "Thank you Kalissa. I don't know how so many wizards and witches fail to see the great magical ability house elves have – I mean –"
"So, the elves have pictures of the diadem?" interjected Natalie, ignoring the irate expression on Hermione's face. Ron and Harry grinned at each other while Minerva stared at Natalie in disapproval.
Kalissa smiled at Hermione. "I'm glad you share my view of house elves Hermione and I apologize for Natalie's rudeness. But Natalie, for your question, the answer is much more complicated than a simple yes or no."
"I should have expected that," groaned Natalie.
Kalissa rolled her eyes at Natalie. "The story behind the diadem, from all the information and rumors I've managed to collect ever since I realized the diadem was a Horcrux, is that Rowena Ravenclaw was extremely fond of her house elf – I believe she had stronger feelings for the elf than her own daughter which is not entirely unbelievable after seeing the daughter."
"Sounds just like Hermione," muttered Ron under his breath. Natalie laughed while Hermione elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
Kalissa laughed. "I think a comparison to Rowena Ravenclaw should be taken as a wonderful compliment. Anyway, when the house elf started to die, Rowena decided to honour the house elf by granting the elf's family the task of making a magical object that Rowena would label as the symbol of Ravenclaw. So the elf's family built this diadem, providing it with many of the powers and talents that house elves possess and that wizards and witches have no hope of acquiring. But when Ravenclaw's daughter stole the diadem, not only was Rowena crushed by her daughter's betrayal, but also was the elf's family for Rowena's house elf would not be able to give his mistress an object that could bring her satisfaction. You see, elves, because of the obligations to their masters and mistresses imbued in their magic, place immense value on not only serving but ensuring that their master or mistress is completely happy. The house elf's family, believing that the diadem, and not Helena Ravenclaw, was the source of Rowena's devastating sadness, wanted to distant themselves as much as possible from the diadem. All evidence of the diadem's creation was promptly destroyed including Ravenclaw's own records as well as all house elf records."
"But?" continued Natalie, watching Kalissa intently.
Kalissa's eyes sparkled. "Yes, there is a 'but.' You see the house elf – Rowena's house elf, was different than most elves in that he wanted the rest of the magical world to recognize and acknowledge house elves as equals as I believe we should. But this house elf saw the diadem as a crucial step for elves to achieve this equality. Realizing that Rowena could not bring herself to tell the other founders or anyone else about the diadem, he drew an extremely accurate image of the diadem, describing all of its magical attributes and powers. And in the hope that if this image was spread around the wizarding world, then wizards and witches would come to better appreciate the magical talents of house elves, he decided to give it to a wizard who he felt would have both the will and power to disseminate that information. The wizard of course was the man Rowena Ravenclaw loved for most of her life: Salazar Slytherin."
A shocked silence followed Kalissa's statement. Except for Dumbledore, everyone glanced at one another with astonished, befuddled expressions.
"The exact opposite of her daughter," noted Natalie, finally breaking the silence with a dry laugh.
"Why Slytherin though?" asked Hermione desperately. "The elf must have known that Slytherin had nothing, but contempt for anything other than a pure blooded wizard."
"You are right, Hermione," agreed Kalissa with a sad smile. "Slytherin, when given this image by the elf, had no plans or desires about spreading word of the incredible magic of house elves."
"What happened to the diadem then?" asked Ron, patting Hermione's back consolingly. Hermione looked completely devastated and disheartened by the story.
"That's where it gets interesting," said Kalisa. "It turns out Rowena Ravenclaw's love was not entirely unrequited. In an extremely odd gesture, Slytherin had his house elves write the entire story about the creation of the diadem in honour of Ravenclaw and her elf. The story was written in the highly complicated and almost indecipherable language of the elves; the story quickly evolved into one of the more famous tales that only spread between house elves. Slytherin, in a great act of kindness, buried the image of the diadem with the elf seeing that despite all of his abilities, he was unable to determine the location of Helena Ravenclaw and find the diadem."
"Beautiful," breathed Hermione, a pleased smile returning to her face. "So Slytherin wasn't that bad at all."
"No, he wasn't," commented Kalissa, smiling as well.
"Wait," said Natalie, trying to grasp Kalissa's story. "So you're saying that the story is pretty much well known among house elves?"
"Yes," replied Kalissa, winking at Natalie.
"Then to know about the diadem, all anybody had to do was just take the time to ask an elf," deducted Harry, shaking his head.
Kalissa nodded. "But you have to remember that even the most open minded witches and wizards would not assume that the diadem was in fact created by house elves merely because of the way we have made it almost fact that elves are inferior to humans. Moreover, most elves were not willing to talk about the diadem because like the house elf's family, they viewed the diadem as a terrible object that caused great, unnecessary distress to a great witch."
"In fact," continued Kalissa. "The way I learnt of the role the elves played was through one of the house elves at Durmstrang –"
"Pipey?" said Natalie with a knowing smile.
"Yes," replied Kalissa fondly. "After some prodding, she reluctantly relayed the entire story to me. Of course, she didn't know the location of the image – I had to ask many of my historical contacts to determine which elves Slytherin had ordered to write the story."
"So those were the trips you took over the past three summers?" asked Natalie. "You weren't actually attending to Malkae family matters."
"Yes, though I did have family matters to deal with," said Kalissa. "Anyway, once I'd found the descendants of the original elves who wrote the story and were in contact with Slytherin, I was able to find out from them what exactly happened to the image. And then, it just became a very arduous process of finding the grave of Ravenclaw's house elf. For that, I used a couple of people I taught at Hogwarts who I knew I could trust and who were absolutely obsessed with finding the founder's items – of course, not in the same way as Tom but in a purely historical sense. They have informed me as of last week that they are almost certain about the location of the grave and now are just seeking and convincing a few house elves to help them to open the grave and find the image. To not alert Voldemort, I have told them that the diadem is very important to Voldemort and he will readily kill anybody who reveals evidence about its existence. As you might imagine, they have agreed to publish the information when Voldemort is gone – in any case, the image is rather useless without the actual diadem to prove it so I'm pretty certain they won't publish the diadem."
"Then you'll know what the diadem looks like soon," said Minerva, looking at her friend in wonder. "Kalissa, I have to say that you have outdone yourself this time. That was quite brilliant."
"I only looked past the conventional and unfair prejudices of wizarding society," said Kalissa simply though her cheeks had turned a faint pink.
"How much do you think it will help knowing what the diadem looks like?" asked Natalie.
"It will at the very least help in recognizing the diadem if indeed Voldemort has chosen to place it in a place many pass through," replied Dumbledore pensively. "But of more use, we can enlist the help of our house elf friends – seeing that the image describes all the specific magical properties of the diadem, then I believe it is reasonable to conclude that other house elves may very well be able to detect that magic."
Kalissa nodded. "And if Tom chose a location such as Hogwarts or the Ministry for the Horcrux, then detecting that magic and finding the exact location of the diadem should not be too difficult."
"So then you're well on your way to finding the diadem in fact," concluded Harry delightedly.
"We believe so," answered Kalissa cautiously.
"Then there's only the locket and cup to find out about," said Hermione, biting her lip thoughtfully.
"So you have an idea where the cup and locket are?" asked Natalie, looking first at Kalissa and then at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded. "Harry, if you remember the memory I showed you when I went to inform Tom he was a wizard, Mrs. Cole at the orphanage informed me that there was an incident in one of their excursions at a cave by the sea in which young Tom used his magic to terrify other children. Being likely the first instance in which Tom was able to successfully manipulate his talents to inflict harm upon others, I had a hunch that the cave would be a location he would treasure."
"That does make sense," agreed Natalie. "Have you found the cave?"
"She wasn't very specific about the cave though," recalled Harry, frowning.
"No, she wasn't," admitted Dumbledore. "However, I finally managed to obtain the Muggle records from that orphanage a few months ago – finding Muggle documents, especially ones from 50 years, are extremely time consuming and difficult regardless of how much magic one knows. The location and time of that excursion wasn't clear on that document but I've managed to pinpoint a few sites. I imagine that I'll know the location very soon – I'm presuming that only one of those sites will show signs of magic."
"Amazing," said Harry in admiration. "So that's one Horcrux there."
"What about the orphanage or at least the spot where the orphanage used to be?" posed Minerva.
Kalissa smiled. "Actually, that was something I wanted to point out in the memory. You saw the way he reacted when I mentioned the orphanage?"
"That was bloody brilliant by the way – how you stood up to him," breathed Ron, gazing at Kalissa in awe.
"Language, Mr. Weasley," admonished Minerva though Natalie could detect a faint touch of amusement in her voice.
Natalie laughed. "Kalissa, I was absolutely frightened for you – with his eyes and that sneer, he looked terrifying. I have no idea how you didn't flinch," noted Natalie, patting her guardian on the back.
Kalissa waved off Natalie and Ron. "With him, I was always particularly vicious – some of the things I said were pretty cruel too. In retrospect, knowing that he had already used the Killing Curse by that point and now knowing how fast his wand is, provoking him like that wasn't the smartest of decisions."
"But he needed to know not everyone was either scared of him or falling for his act," said Minerva sharply.
"Yes, I suppose," said Kalissa with an embarassed shrug. "But you did see how he reacted when I mentioned the orphanage?"
"He seemed to want to distant himself from it," commented Hermione thoughtfully. "He said he was 'ashamed', but after you mocked the orphanage, he seemed more willing to divulge his plans of doing something more than being Minister and about having grander ideas. It's almost like he wanted to justify himself to you when you, er, mocked his Muggle background."
"Exactly," said Kalissa, beaming at Hermione. "I would have loved to teach you. But yes, Hermione, he wanted nothing to do with that orphanage. For that reason alone, I was very skeptical that he would be willing to hide a Horcrux in the orphanage. The orphanage was long ago destroyed, but I have checked the location – there appears to be no signs of magic."
"That's not a location then," stated Natalie.
Harry scratched his chin. "So to sum everything up, you said that you're pretty sure where the locket is, but what about the cup?"
"Ah, thank you Harry for reminding me," said Kalissa brightly. "Your question can be answered by the second memory."
All eyes, including those of the portraits on the wall, returned eagerly to Kalissa. She tapped the wand once again to her forehead, letting the silvery strand of memory seep onto her wand and quickly dropped the strand into the pensieve.
"Alright, you all know the procedure by now," said Kalissa. "But I have to warn you that this memory is the far more unpleasant of the two."
"How so?" asked Hermione anxiously.
Dumbledore's eyes fixated on Harry. "The memory involves the capture and torture of Harry's parents and Kalissa by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is indeed not one of my favourite memories to watch," answered Dumbledore solemly.
Harry stiffened beside Natalie, swallowing as his hands fidgeted with the sleeves of his jumper. She gently intertwined her hand with one of his, giving him a slight squeeze.
Kalissa smiled at Harry before fixing her gaze on the others. "The Death Eaters, if any of you are interested, were Marcus Dorphin, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange as well as Tom." Kalissa's eyes flickered momentarily to Natalie before resting on the pensieve.
"Er, Kalissa," said Natalie, realizing that Kalissa believed Ron to be oblivious of her identity. "There's no need to be so clandestine – Ron knows who my mother is – I told him a couple of weeks ago."
"Oh, really," said Kalissa, stunned. "You never told me, Natalie?"
Natalie's stomach squirmed guiltily, hearing the slight disappointment in Kalissa's tone. "I meant to the last time we met, but I was so happy at the time to see you and we were talking about so many things –"
Kalissa raised her hand to silence Natalie. "Don't worry about it – I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me, but also very happy that you feel comfortable sharing your secret." She held Natalie's eyes for a moment, signaling that she wanted a thorough explanation of why Natalie decided to confide in Ron and how Ron reacted.
Kalissa smiled warmly at Ron. "I believe I must thank you for keeping her identity to yourself."
Ron shrugged his shoulders, his ears turning red. "It doesn't change who she is even if her mother is Bellatrix Lestrange."
Minerva raised her eyebrows at Ron. "I must say, Mr. Weasley, that you handled that knowledge very quickly and very well."
"Much better than I did," concurred Harry proudly.
"I don't know if I've already told Natalie this, but I'm very happy that she has found some tremendous friends at Hogwarts," said Kalissa, staring at Ron, Hermione and Harry in gratitude. "And of course, in you Harry, something a bit more."
Harry blushed. "It's not all us – she's great by the way."
Dumbledore cleared his throat, relieving Natalie of her embarrassment and Kalissa of her sentimental outburst. "As much as I agree with Kalissa, we do have a memory to observe."
Minerva chuckled. "Albus, how ironic that it is you who brings us back to topic."
Kalissa nodded. "Yes, Albus is right – I've warned you lot about the memory so let's gather around and enter – the same order as last time."
They all plunged themselves one by one into the silvery fluid of the pensieve. After enduring the nauseating drop, they landed in what appeared to be a cellar. A dank, musty smell filled Natalie's nose. An unnatural, jagged assortment of rocks, undoubtedly attached to one another by magic, formed the four walls of the room. Several candles located within small spaces between the rocks illuminated the cellar. Alongside the back wall, a young man with the familiar combination of messy, black hair and spectacles writhed under the chains holding him in place, but unfamiliar hazel eyes. Next to Natalie, Harry gulped; the man under the chains was undoubtedly James Potter. A few feet away from him, Natalie noticed a younger version of Kalissa, also bound by the same chains, but instead of struggling frantically like James, she merely looked around the cellar with a sad expression on her face.
"Haha! Here comes the Mudblood!" exclaimed a harsh, piercing voice. Natalie's insides froze. She knew exactly who that person was. Telling herself that this was only a memory, Natalie tried her best to slow her breathing even though she sensed what would happen.
Natalie felt Harry's hand slip into her own hand. She squeezed his hand, realizing that he needed her assurance and presence as strongly as she needed his support.
Bellatrix emerged from the shadows below a staircase that likely led to the upper floors of the building. Under Bellatrix's arm, Natalie detected a slender, pale young girl with a rich mane of red hair. When the girl's face appeared, Natalie's suspicions were confirmed; it was the same face she saw in Harry's album and Severus Snape's childhood photo.
Leaning into Harry, Natalie could almost feel his heart thrashing against his chest. Drops of sweat began to make their way down his neck.
"Leave her alone!" shouted James, struggling more violently against the chains.
"Bellatrix, she doesn't know much," said Kalissa quietly. "I do though."
Bellatrix released a terribly, cackling laugh, eerily similar to that of Voldemort. "Potter, you're a pathetic blood traitor. You must know by now that I find playing with Mudbloods to be a very enjoyable pastime."
She threw Lily roughly onto the stone floor. Her body landed with sharp crack. But amazingly, Lily lifted herself onto her knees.
"So tell me Mudblood, what is it that they discuss in those Order meetings?" said Bellatrix, licking her lips as she prowled around Lily.
"The pieces of scum that ruin this world like yourself," spat Lily, staring defiantly at Bellatrix.
Bellatrix clapped her hands in delight. "Oooh, the Mudblood has a fast mouth. Well, let's exercise those vocal chords, shall we?"
"Crucio!"
Lily's body twisted and contorted viciously in mid air. A shrill, horribly drawn out scream filled the room. Harry released Natalie's hand, heading frantically for his mother. Natalie grabbed his arm, using all of her strength to hold him arm back.
"LILYYY! LILY! LILY!" bellowed James, pounding the chains against the stone wall.
"Harry, it's just a memory – she'll be alright. She escapes," whispered Natalie into his ear, rubbing his arm.
Ron and Hermione, whose faces were absolutely pale, had also turned to Harry in surprise. Dumbledore's eyes rested on the two of them, sad understanding spread across his features. Minerva shook her head at Bellatrix in disgust.
Kalissa glanced worriedly at both of them. Natalie nodded assuredly at her, silently telling her that both of them would be fine.
"This is only the appetizer my dear," hissed Bellatrix, a devastating smile on her face.
"Crucio!"
Lily's body again lurched in the air as another heart wrenching scream pervaded around the room.
"NO LILY LILY!"
Harry's head fell on Natalie's shoulders, his body convulsing. Natalie stroked his hair, pressing a kiss onto his forehead. "Harry, it's a memory, it's a memory. They escape from this."
"Bellatrix – she doesn't know anything," said Kalissa, staring solemnly at Bellatrix. "I know you want to torture me."
Bellatrix pointed her wand at Kalissa. "The Dark Lord wants you for himself." She motioned her head to a table in which a knife, laced with a sickly, purple substance, lay along with three wands that Natalie supposed belong to Lily, James and Kalissa.
Before Bellatrix could place another Cruciatus curse on Lily, two more robed figures entered the room from the staircase. The older Kalissa motioned for them to move closer to Bellatrix and the two Death Eaters. With an arm around Harry's slumped shoulders and bowed head, Natalie guided the two of them to her actual mother.
"What?" hissed Bellatrix.
"It has been delivered to your vault – I personally accompanied the goblins- one or two required some persuasion," said an older, thin grey haired with a disgusting sneer on his face. His eyes hungrily roved over Lily's limp figure.
"Good," said Bellatrix, a maniacal happiness disseminating her face. "The Dark Lord will be pleased."
"I never thought of the day when we would bear something of Hufflepuff," muttered the other man who much younger with brown hair and a brown beard, but horribly dark eyes.
"Rodolphus, it is the Dark Lord's possession!" screamed Bellatrix, grabbing the man by the collar and pushing him against the wall with surprising strength. "We are honoured to be trusted with such an object."
She released Rodolphus, still glaring at him furiously. He dusted off his clothes, rubbing his arms, eying her wearily.
Harry nudged Natalie, startling her. She looked at him, seeing that his head was raised, gazing intently at the younger Kalissa. She had managed to cut herself with the rocks and appeared to be mumbling out of the corner of her mouth to James. His struggles under the chain became slightly less vehement and energetic as his eyes narrowed.
"You always treat your husband like that, do you Bellatrix?" said Kalissa conversationally.
"Shut up, you filthy whore," snarled Dorphin.
"Haven't changed much then Dorphin?" said Kalissa, rolling her eyes at him. She smirked at Rodolphus. "The way she fawns over her beloved 'Dark Lord', you must wonder whether they've slept together."
"Always with the cheeky comments," leered Rodolphus though he did not meet Kalissa's curious gaze.
"Haven't you wondered though Rodolphus?" continued Kalissa, winking at him. "Bellatrix would certainly be willing and from our school days, I remember Tom never to be one to not take advantage of the opportunity."
"How dare you say his name, you filthy blood traitor!" shrieked Bellatrix, waving her wand. A whip flowed out of the wand, striking Kalissa's face with a resounding crack. A large gash appeared on her cheek, blood oozing out of the wound. Seeing the satisfied way in which Kalissa's eyes sparkled and the defiant smile on her face, Natalie pondered whether Kalissa planned for Bellatrix to inflict the wound.
"Leave her, Bellatrix," commanded Dorfin, stepping in front of her. "The Dark Lord said not to touch her."
Bellatrix roughly pushed him away, walking towards Lily with an absolutely deranged and savage look in her eyes. "Let's play more with the Mudblood – that small body does move around nicely with the Cruciatus curse. Rodolphus, let's have some fun."
Natalie wanted to vomit after hearing the seductive note in Bellatrix's voice. The notion that this very woman gave birth to her flooded her with abominable hatred. She desperately hoped that Bellatrix passed nothing onto her. Though Natalie was appeased by the fact that the hatred was not self directed.
"It looks like you certainly have had some fun," drawled Rodolphus, walking around Lily. He picked her up, lifting her chin so that their faces were only inches apart.
"LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU SCUMBAG!" bellowed James, throwing himself against the chains.
"Tut tut Potter, didn't Mummy and Daddy teach you some manners?" cooed Bellatrix, giving a high pitched laugh.
"Very, very desirable," hissed Rodolphus. "A Mudblood but definitely a nice shag, eh Potter?"
Lily, with what strength she had, spat in his face, causing Rodolphus to drop her to the floor.
"Why, you little slut!" shouted Rodolphus. "Crucio!"
Lily's body once again contorted and twisted in extremely disturbing positions. Harry looked away, burying his head in Natalie's hair. She rubbed his back, feeling tears making her hair wet. She exchanged a grimace with the older Kalissa, who looked very upset by Harry's reaction.
"LILY! LILY! LILY!"
"She is very flexible," said Dorphin, laughing.
"My turn!" cried Bellatrix like a little child waiting to play with an irresistible toy. Natalie turned her head away waiting for Lily's next scream. She saw Minerva do the same. Ron and Hermione were shaking, holding each other's hands. Ron had a look of silent horror on his face while Hermione wiped at her eyes, attempting to stem the flow of tears.
"Bella, you can wait," said a higher, colder voice that Natalie instantly recognized.
Everyone in the room turned their heads to the foot of the staircase where Lord Voldemort stood. None of them, except for the older Kalissa and Dumbledore, heard him approach.
Natalie gasped at the sight before her. He looked completely different than the dark haired, handsome boy that had charmed and deceived the Grey Lady. Years of immersing himself in the Dark Arts burned and blurred his features together. A powdery white splayed itself over his skin as if the sickly, white underside of a reptile had been excised and pressed thoroughly over his body. He bore none of the lines that defined a face, the border between cheek and forehead, the creases that underlined the eyes and surrounded the nose. Gone were the dark hair and the pale, attractive face to be replaced by something more akin to a round mound with two red dots as eyes and a narrow, barely discernible pipe for a nose. Judging by the way in which his robes hung loosely over his body, Natalie gathered that the rest of the figure had hollowed out in the same manner with no bones and muscles to flesh out and carve any noticeable sort of undulation or curve in his physique.
Despite the nauseating appearance, he appeared to be the most terrifying person Natalie had ever seen. Whereas the 17 year old Tom Riddle unnerved her with a disdain and selfishness that hinted at a ruthlessly, menacing person, this version of Voldemort froze Natalie with the ease in which he epitomized utter, abominable evil. A small, yet malicious and loathsome curl of the parched lips along with the persistent hungry red gleam in his eyes suggested that the maniacal happiness, which briefly contorted the younger Riddle's face, permanently coalesced itself into the object resembling the older one's features.
Harry's body tensed in her arms. He swallowed again; evidently he had not yet encountered Voldemort at the peak of his powers. Ron looked like he was ready to vomit. Hermione kneeled down, her mouth wide open and a glazed look in her eyes as she stared at him.
Lily, who was barely holding herself on the floor in the middle of the room, let out a terrified gasp. James stared at Voldemort in absolute repulsion, his struggle with the chains momentarily forgotten. Only both Kalissas and Dumbledore remained calm and unsurprised at the gruesome and horrifying image of Lord Voldemort.
Bellatrix rushed over to Voldemort's side, prostrating herself at his feet. "My lord, we have captured Kalissa Malkae as you requested and two members of the Order: James Potter and the Mudblood, Lily Evans," breathed Bellatrix, absolute reverence filling her voice.
"You have done well, Bella," said Voldemort softly. He raised one of her hands, pressing a kiss to it.
"And you, Rodolphus and Marcus," added Voldemort, looking towards the two of them who also inclined themselves to their master.
"Now, I believe I have to make some introductions," said Voldemort, his voice low and dangerous.
He walked over to Lily's slumped body on the floor. She instantly moved back as he approached her. "Miss Evans, is it? I've heard a great deal from my Death Eaters about your many talents. If you weren't a Mudblood, I daresay you'd be a valuable resource."
Bellatrix lifted her head slightly, her eyes flashing. Natalie perceived that she was not too pleased at the compliment towards the Muggleborn.
"Never," said Lily, breathing heavily and wincing as she spoke.
Bellatrix instantly moved towards her, a wand at her throat. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE DARK LORD LIKE THAT?"
"No, Bella," whispered Voldemort, pushing away Bellatrix's wand with his hand. "You can have your fun later with her. The bravery is admirable I have to say, but such a waste to be a Mudblood." He ran a long finger down Lily's face and chin, watching her intently for her reaction. Lily averted his eyes from him, refusing to cringe under his touch.
"Get away from her!" cried James, resuming his struggle against the chains.
Voldemort slowly rotated his head to face James, moving quickly towards the raven haired man. "Mr. Potter, I believe? I knew your father in fact – an annoying nuisance at the very best. It does annoy me how so many of the wizarding families now have tainted their pureblood heritage with those Mudblood whores."
"Look who's talking," hissed Kalissa.
Voldemort finally turned his attention to her. He reared back his head, a terrible, cackling laugh that echoed across the cellar. "Kalissa, how I very much wanted to see you."
"I can't say the feeling's mutual."
"Do you know where we are?" asked Voldemort, sweeping his hands dramatically across the room.
"Yes, in fact, I do – torturing me in the celllar of the house I grew up in does strike me as rather arrogant and naïve, even by your standards," said Kalissa.
Natalie exhaled. This room was the cellar of Malkae Manor, the house that she knew Kalissa detested immensely. Natalie noticed with a startle that the blood from the gash on Kalissa's cheek had somehow smeared the chains attached to both of her hands. And the blood also seemed to outline a path along the wall to the points where James' chains attached to the wall. She elbowed Harry, pointing at the path of the blood.
"That is very odd," muttered Harry.
"I see your wit has not changed all those years, my dear," sneered Voldemort.
"Not at all though I'm curious as to how you managed to enter the house. There are some extremely powerful wards cast around the manor after all," said Kalissa curiously.
"Surely, it can't be random," whispered Natalie, her eyebrows raised.
"You think it's an escape plan?" murmured Harry, hope filling his eyes.
"Maybe – let's see," answered Natalie. She looked towards the older Kalissa whose eyes were flickering back and forth between the blood on the wall and Voldemort.
"Your father," answered Voldemort, clearly enjoying the moment. "Such a generous and kind man to invite us into your house."
"Oh, so he's joined your inner circle or whatever the hell you call it, " said Kalissa distastefully.
Voldemort's smile widened. "You see Kalissa, that was the problem I faced. He was promised a place among my closest Death Eaters, but after he'd allowed us entry in this house, I realized that he was still your father – the resemblance is quite striking."
"And?" asked Kalissa, the defiant tone in her voice faltering.
"And so I killed him," finished Voldemort, his smile as large as ever. The other three Death Eaters in the room roared in cruel, hideous laughter.
The impassive expression on Kalissa's face vanished. She clenched her fists, her body trembling. "You are a cowardly bastard."
Natalie glanced sideways to the older Kalissa whose eyes dropped to the floor, her head bowed. Minerva cast an arm around her, looking sadly at Natalie. With a sharp pang of sorrow, she realized why Kalissa almost never wanted to discuss her parents.
Voldemort leaned over Kalissa. "I always thought that you hated your family – I was under the impression that I was doing you a favour."
"Get the hell away from me!" hissed Kalissa through gritted teeth.
"Sensitive, aren't we?" commented Voldemort, his eyes flashing.
Kalissa took a deep breath. Her body stopped convulsing, the wild fury on her face reduced to a very sour, angry scowl. "You've seen the house then, have you Tom?" said Kalissa in a much more civil tone though her fists remained clenched.
"Yes, I have," said Voldemort, appearing slightly disappointed at the change in attitude.
An arrogant grin spread over your Kalissa's face. "Much better than your orphanage, isn't it? Have you seen my room – I expect it could contain 20 of the rooms in that orphanage?"
Blazing, white anger showed on Voldemort's face as the hideous smirk evaporated. "I'm the one who has the advantage now," hissed Voldemort.
Kalissa turned to Bellatrix with a malicious sneer on her face. "He hasn't told you that he's a half blood? In fact, you should know that he grew up in an extremely poor Muggle orphanage."
Voldemort slapped Kalissa across the face. "You're the one who's in chains, you filthy little blood traitor!" shrieked Voldemort, his teeth bared.
Seeing the blank shock on his three Death Eater's faces, his anger aggrandized violently, radiating waves of magic that destroyed the staircase. Natalie instantly moved away as many stones cascaded to the floor near them.
Voldemort stepped away from Kalissa, summoning the knife on the table towards him. "Let's teach Miss Malkae a lesson. Her two young friends can find out the true meaning of a painful death."
Rodolphus nodded, leering at Kalissa. He swept his wand over her, causing the chains to disappear. As soon as the chains were loose, Voldemort immediately swiveled his body to face Kalissa, pointing his wand at her. She was hurtled across the room against the opposing wall, crashing into it with brutal force. When Kalissa picked herself from the crash, her face and legs looked absolutely bruised.
Voldemort strode over to Kalissa, the knife in hand. Before he could reach her, though, Kalissa crawled along the wall at a surprisingly fast pace.
Voldemort laughed madly. "Where are you going? We've only just started, my dear."
Kalissa gasped in pain when her hand grasped a loose stone in the wall. Natalie narrowed her eyes; Kalissa never gasped in pain.
"Sadly, I really am not enjoying myself," said Kalissa as she pulled out the loose stone.
Suddenly, the floor under Dorfin vanished, causing him to fall into the subsequent. He screamed in anguish as blood spurted from the hole.
"Dorfin!" screamed Rodolphus.
Faster than she thought possible, Voldemort twisted his body around, firing a Killing Curse at the spot James was chained. However, James had already untangled himself from the chains, narrowly avoiding the jet of green light and diving to the table where the three wands lay, avoiding another Killing Curse shot by a shrieking Bellatrix. He snatched the wands, ducking from Rodolphus' curse before firing spells from all three wands at the pair of Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Bellatrix sidestepped the jets of blue and red light, allowing them to throttle a shocked Rodolphus, knocking him unconscious to the ground. Bellatrix and James started dueling at lighting speed, firing spells that illuminated the dungeon.
As soon as Voldemort's back was turned, Kalissa threw the stone in her hand at the back of Voldemort's head. It struck its target with a solid crack, causing Voldemort to stagger.
"MALKAE!" shouted Voldemort, turning his body around. Kalissa had already moved away from that position with nimble agility, throwing herself at Voldemort's back and hitting him hard with a more jagged stone. A sizeable cut appeared on Voldemort's head, blood oozing out. The knife in his non wand arm dropped to the floor. Kalissa kicked him once more in the groin region, causing a sharp intake of breath from the man.
He blindly pointed his wand backwards, shooting a jet of green light that Kalissa barely dodged. Before he could find her again, Kalissa grabbed the knife and thrust it into his chest. She caught the wand James' threw at her, sidestepping the curse Voldemort fired at her as he fell to the floor.
"AHHHHHH!" screamed Voldemort in anguish, dropping to the floor. His eyes were now glazed over, his mouth wide open. The sickly, purple fluid on the dagger disseminated over his chest, causing his robes to disintegrate and sprouting the growth of severe and painful warts on his chest. Apparently, the dagger rendered him petrified while the searing warts grew over his body.
Kalissa clutched his head, slamming it directly into the ground.
"MASTER!" shrieked Bellatrix, shooting another Killing Curse at a ducking Kalissa while warding off James' spells. Realizing her predicament, Bellatrix summoned Lily to herself before James could reach her.
Kalissa waved her wand in a complex, sweeping motion. Smoke billowed out of her wand in the shape of a giant eagle that wrapped its wings around Bellatrix and Lily. As she tried to ward off the advance of the eagle, Bellatrix temporarily let go of Lily. Kalissa used this moment to cast a banishing charm that sent Lily hurtling towards James who gracefully caught her.
Bellatrix fired another Killing Curse at James and Lily. James, with those expert Quidditch reflexes, rolled out of the way, pulling Lily alongside him as he sent jets of red, blue and white light at Bellatrix. Kalissa also started her onslaught of spells at Bellatrix. She motioned with her eyes for James to join her on that side of the room.
"Others will come soon!" snarled Bellatrix, frantically slashing her wand through the air. "The Silencing charm can only last for so long."
"We won't be here, I trust you for that," said Kalissa, a delighted grin on her face. Winking at Bellatrix, she banished Rodolphus' limp body to a spot directly in front of Bellatrix before firing a Killing Curse at his body.
"Rodolphus!" screamed Bellatrix in terror, pulling him barely out of the way but in the process, stopping her barrage of spells at James and Kalissa. James took advantage of the opportunity, sending a Stunning Spell that struck Bellarix squarely on the chest, careening her into the remains of the staircase.
"Alright," breathed Kalissa in relief. "You should have killed her James."
James shrugged. "I've never done it before. Where are we going to go?"
Kalissa smiled at him. "Follow me. How's Lily doing?"
James picked up Lily from the pile of rubble he had hid her behind.
"I'm fine, Kalissa. Honestly James, I can go by myself," said Lily weakly.
"No, love. I'm here," said James softly, guiding her to the position where Kalissa stood
Kalissa placed her finger onto the gash on her cheek, ensuring that it was smeared with blood before she placed that finger on a triangular shaped stone. Immediately, the stones in that region of the wall disintegrated to reveal a narrow passage
"Let's go," said Kalissa. "I think the Silencing charm is wearing off." They could hear the frantic movement of footsteps above.
The three of them moved into the hidden passage. As soon as all three entered, Kalissa smeared the triangular rock with her finger. The rocks immediately reappeared, closing off the passage.
Once the passage closed off, the room became very blurry. The older Kalissa nodded. "I think it's time for us to go. The same order as before."
In the same groups, they left the memory, flying through that weightless darkness before they returned to Dumbledore's office.
Once they all had regained their balance, Ron let out a wolf whistle. "HOLY –"
"Language Mr. Weasley," reprimanded Minerva.
"Sorry about that," said Ron, blushing. "But wow, that was blo – amazing."
They all returned to their positions on the two settees. "The blood cut James' chains?" inquired Natalie, looking at Kalissa.
"Yes it did," said Kalissa, smiling. "An old trick of my father's – he felt that if we were ever in trouble, all we needed was our own blood."
"Pretty smart idea," stated Harry, looking immensely relieved. "It saved my parents' lives."
"Yes, my father was a brilliant thinker despite his ideals," agreed Kalissa sadly
Natalie slid over to Kalissa's side, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sorry," whispered Natalie, rubbing her back.
Kalissa smiled weakly at Natalie. "I don't think I ever had a civil conversation with him, but he was my father. I still don't know why he would let Tom enter the house so easily."
"Voldemort is very persuasive," suggested Harry.
Kalissa sighed. "I suppose so and moreover, my father agreed with Voldemort's desire at the time to purge the wizarding world of all Muggleborns. But he was a careful man nevertheless."
"Do you think that the cup is still in the Lestrange vault then?" asked Natalie, deciding to return the topic back to Horcruxes.
"I've thought it over and I can't see any possible way for it to be taken out of the vault," answered Kalissa slowly. "Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan were in Azkhaban until a year ago and now are Azkhaban escapees – they are the only ones who can open the vault and obviously walking directly into Gringotts is not a safe option."
"And Tom would want to keep a Horcrux in Gringotts," added Dumbledore.
Harry nodded, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully. "Seeing Gringotts would have probably been his first experience in the wizarding world."
"Precisely," assented Dumbledore brightly.
Natalie smiled warmly at Harry. She knew the comment was based on his own experiences upon entering Diagon Alley.
"Then to get the cup, you will have to either persuade the goblins to open the vault using their magic or break into Gringotts?" said Hermione, twirling a strand of hair.
"Persuading the goblins will be very tricky," said Kalissa. "Unlike house elves, goblins are very wary of wizards and witches – even though we have a very legitimate reason to acquire the cup, they will be at the very least extremely reluctant to even consider opening the vault."
"And if you start asking about the vault, it might leak out to Voldemort that you're after the cup," said Harry with a slight frown.
"Harry, breaking into that vault will also alert the goblins," countered Hermione.
Natalie breathed in frustration. "It was a smart idea to hide the Horcrux there because either way, he can almost immediately know if it's gone."
"It is a bit of conundrum – Albus and I have talked about that," said Kalissa.
"And as you may surmise, we've come to the conclusion that we should only go after the Horcrux once we have destroyed all the other Horcruxes except for maybe Nagini," explained Dumbledore.
"Breaking into Gringotts isn't a walk in the park," noted Ron with a rueful smile.
"No it isn't," agreed Minerva. "The goblins have some very severe protections, especially on an ancient vault like the Lestrange vault."
Kalissa exhaled. "I agree with both Ron and Minerva, but Gringotts has already been broken into."
"By Voldemort," stated Harry glumly.
"But it's not impenetrable," said Natalie. "And it's not like we don't have powerful wizards and witches on her side."
"Yeah," said Ron, unabashedly looking at Kalissa and Dumbledore.
"Thank you Ron," said Kalissa, flashing him a disarming smile. "But it's best we focus on finding and destroying the other Horcruxes first and when we have to worry about the cup, we'll make the appropriate plans."
"Anything else in the memory that's important?" asked Natalie, looking at Kalissa expectantly.
Kalissa shook her head. "No. I wanted to let the four of you see the rest of the memory to assure you that we did escape. I am sorry for how distressing it was." She looked apologetically at Natalie and Harry.
Harry smiled grimly. "It's not everyday that I see my girlfriend's mother torture my mother."
Kalissa and Ron laughed heartily while Dumbledore gave an amused smile. Hermione and Minerva bore slightly appalled expressions.
"It was a very disturbing memory though," conceded Natalie, cringing at the way Lily's body had twisted under the Cruciatius curse.
"Yes," said Kalissa. "I was worried about showing the two of you specifically that memory, but it's important that we know where the cup is."
"Brilliant the way you escaped," said Ron, still looking awestruck. "You-Know-Who had no idea what was hitting him when you came with that stone."
"I've never seen curses fired so fast," said Hermione in admiration. "And Harry's father was so fast with his reflexes to dodge all those curses."
Kalissa smiled fondly. "Escaping from Tom like that does still give me quite a bit of satisfaction. Lily was incredibly strong and James – well I've never quite seen Quidditch reflexes like his, though I'm told Harry that you've inherited the talent."
Harry frowned at Kalissa, looking as if a thought had struck him. "You used the Killing curse to distract Bellatrix, didn't you?" said Harry slowly. "And then you –"
"Asked your father why he didn't kill Bellatrix," finished Kalissa. "Of course, I am grateful now that your father did not use the Killing curse for I never would have been blessed with Natalie."
"You used an Unforgivable though," stated Hermione, looking at Kalissa uneasily.
Ron continued to stare at Kalissa in awe while Dumbledore and Minerva had expressions mirroring the look on Hermione's face. Natalie herself rocked nervously on her feet. Though she knew of Kalissa's willingness to use the Killing curse, watching her cast the Killing Curse was far more unpleasant and unnerving than she had anticipated.
Kalissa sighed. "I was afraid this would come up. Yes, I did and I do not apologize for the fact that I tried to kill Rodolphus Lestrange," asserted Kalissa fiercely.
"I have killed many Death Eaters in the past and I will likely continue to do so in the future," continued Kalissa, fixing Hermione and Harry with her most vehement, insistent stare. "Casting the Killing curse is a very unpleasant act, but I'm of the opinion that some people are beyond saving and if it's my life or their life, I will make sure that I am the one to survive. I feel that the most powerful deterrent to becoming a Death Eater is the knowledge that there are others on the opposing side willing to end your life. I know many members of the Order, including your parents, Harry, were extremely reluctant to use the Killing Curse or any Unforgivable for that matter. However, if we are fighting Death Eaters bent on killing us with the most malicious Dark magic, then I have accepted the fact that I will have to resort spells and actions that I would otherwise explicitly condemn."
"If we use Unforgivables, how are we any different than them?" asked Harry, trying to meet Kalissa's firm gaze. Natalie remembered Hermione posing the same question to her in Diagon Alley.
"We are different because of what we're fighting for," answered Natalie calmly. "Kalissa's using the Killing Curse to prevent those Death Eaters from attacking innocent people."
"Still, you're trying to kill another person," stated Harry, raising his hands in frustration. "Isn't that what Crouch tried to do at the end of the first war and it didn't work out too well? I mean, how do you know when to stop?" Natalie raised her eyebrows at Harry, starting to understand his argument.
Dumbledore nodded at Harry. "You are correct, Harry. At the end of the last wizarding war, Barty Crouch did give Aurors the freedom to use the Unforgivables. However, many of the Aurors abused their freedom, casting Unforgivables on many suspects who were innocent as well as on those under the Imperius Curse. On the other hand, I have never known Kalissa to use torture as a means of interrogation."
Kalissa gave Natalie a warm smile. "Thank you my dear and also to you, Albus. Harry, you must not think that I am blindly casting Killing Curses at every Death Eater I see. It's only those who I know are beyond reform and who are definitely not under the Imperius curse. For example, I would not have sent a Killing Curse at a young Death Eater who had just joined their ranks."
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "The decision to cast an Unforgivable remains with the individual. Many people simply cannot live with themselves, knowing that they sent such a terrible curse at another person regardless of how deranged and dangerous that person is."
"I have never used an Unforgivable for that very reason," stated Minerva. "Yet my respect for Kalissa does not diminish by even a fraction because she's killed Death Eaters."
"But Harry is saying something slightly different," began Natalie, looking cautiously at Harry who motioned with his eyes for her to continue. "Many people, if they think they can fight Death Eaters with Dark Magic and Unforgivables, will completely abuse the power because of all the paranoia in a war. I mean, take somebody like Stan Shunpike – the Prophet's reported him to be a Death Eater sent to Azkhaban, but he's probably under the Imperius curse. And somebody who's not well connected to the Order will see him as a Death Eater and because they will want to take all precautions to protect their family, Unforgivables will be thrown at a person like Stan."
"Exactly," stated Harry, giving Natalie a small smile.
"Oh, I see now. Well you make a good point, Harry," said Kalissa, her gaze still fixated on Harry. "I do not recommend that the general public fight back with Dark Magic – it's too dangerous as Natalie has accurately explained. But the Order, consisting of morally conscious, trustworthy people who pretty much are aware of who's being used and who's not, should be able to use Unforgivables. At the very worst, it's practical in scenarios when it's either you or the Death Eater who survives. Nevertheless, every person is different. And as such, I do not hold it against anyone if they do not have the desire to cast an Unforgivable."
Harry sighed. "I suppose then you do have a point but they're dangerous curses still. I guess when it's either life or death, you have no choice."
"Have you used the Killing Curse, Professor?" asked Hermione, staring in mild trepidation at Dumbledore.
"Sadly, I have," replied Dumbledore, his expression looking far more weary. "I do not hold as strongly as Kalissa to the viewpoint that we should retaliate with Dark Magic. However, I have found myself in a few instances in the past where I have had to use the curse to save my own life. Although summoning the pure anger and hatred to execute the curse is a horribly dark experience, I do not regret my actions."
"So you've killed," stated Harry darkly, not looking at Dumbledore. His eyes clouded slightly in anger, his fists clenched. Natalie touched her hand to his arm, realizing how unsettling it must be for the man he most admired to essentially be guilty of murder.
"I see the logic," muttered Hermione. "It's just hard to watch in reality. I mean Remus tried to kill Rabastan Lestrange in Knockturn Alley and I still can't get it out of my head."
"Remus?" exclaimed Ron, his eyes almost popping.
"What?" said Harry loudly, staring at Natalie. "He used the Killing Curse? Remus?"
"Yes," said Natalie, meeting Harry's blazing gaze. "Lestrange was trying to kill Tonks and I suppose Remus was extremely angry with Lestrange, but also wanted to protect Tonks."
"Harry," continued Natalie softly. "It's very unsettling – I'm bothered by seeing Kalissa use the curse even though I understand what she's saying. But this is war and people have to do things that they do not like as long as they don't lose sight of what they're fighting for."
"And neither Albus or myself have ever lost sight," said Kalissa firmly.
Harry placed his hand atop Natalie's hand. "You're right, but it's going to bother me for some time."
"It's the same here, mate," agreed Ron. "But what's the Muggle saying – we'll jump that bridge when we get to it."
"Cross the bridge," corrected Harry, laughing.
"Honestly, Ron, who in their right mind jumps a bridge?" asked Natalie.
Natalie noticed Kalissa was looking at Harry and her with a very strange expression on her face.
"Kalissa, you alright there?" said Natalie warily.
"Oh no, everything's fine," replied Kalissa with an excited twinkle in her eyes. "I'm thinking that you and Harry make a very sweet couple."
"I have to agree," said Hermione, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Natalie does seem to know Harry's mood swings better than the rest of us."
"You're making him sound like a hormonal girl," said Ron, snickering.
Harry glared at Ron.
"Ah, young love," mused Dumbledore wistfully.
Harry and Natalie's faces could not have been redder as their hands dropped away from one another.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed," said Minerva, an amused smile on her face. "But as a synopsis of what we have learned, we know what all the Horcruxes are: the diary, ring, locket, Nagini, the cup and the diadem."
"Yes, thank you Minerva for bringing us back to topic," said Dumbledore, beaming at the Transfiguration professor. "And we also are close to knowing the locations of all those objects except for the diadem."
"Once Kalissa gets the picture of the diadem along with the information about all its powers and enchantments, you'll be able to properly try to find it," added Natalie.
"Yes," asserted Kalissa. "We've got most of the information we need – now we just need to make plans to destroy the Horcruxes while making sure Tom remains completely oblivious."
"Once I find out where the locket is, I will alert all of you as soon as possible," said Dumbledore. "Harry, you will certainly be coming with me to destroy that Horcrux. The number of people I take along will depend upon how many Tom will allow past the enchantments he has cast around the Horcrux."
"Really?" asked Harry eagerly.
Minerva frowned at Dumbledore in disapproval. "Surely, Albus, it's a very dangerous endeavor –"
Dumbledore raised his hand to stop her. "I think Harry has earned the right to accompany me and I have full confidence that he is capable enough to handle the danger."
"As do I – Harry needs to see how to destroy the Horcrux," agreed Kalissa. "Though I can't imagine more than two people would be able to get past some of Tom's wards anyway."
Upon seeing the deflated expressions on Ron, Hermione and Natalie's faces, Dumbledore smiled at them in encouragement. "You three will have your time to deal with the Horcruxes."
"There are plenty as it is," noted Kalissa. "It will certainly be a difficult task, much more than one or two people can handle by themselves."
"And it will be impossible to explain the disappearance of half of the Gryffindor sixth years for one evening," said Minerva with a slight scowl. "Surely, your classmates will not find it very believable that I again handed the four of you a detention together."
"Of course, Minerva makes an excellent point," said Dumbledore, clasping his hands upon the desk. "It would be simply impractical for too many people to come with me."
"So then, let's say, the Horcruxes are destroyed without Voldemort knowing so – of course, Nagini and the part of the soul residing in his body will have to be destroyed last," said Natalie, listing the steps in her mind, "After the Horcruxes, that we can obtain without alerting Voldemort basically, are eradicated, then the connection between Harry and Voldemort must be eliminated."
Dumbledore unclasped his hands on the desk, looking at Natalie through one of his most intense, scrutinizing gazes. "You are correct, Natalie, though eliminating the connection is not as easy as it may sound."
"That involves circumstantial magic, doesn't it?" posed Minerva, gazing at Kalissa expectantly.
Natalie, who had her eyes focused on Dumbledore, noticed the smallest traces of a sigh appear on his features. His calm, ebullient smile faltered slightly, the twinkle in his eyes fading.
"That's all the Arithmancy about Harry's mum?" said Ron.
"The situation surrounding Harry's mum at her death – the Arithmancy describing that situation, otherwise known as circumstantial magic, helps to explain the connection between Voldemort and Harry," said Hermione, sounding as if she was reciting a passage from her Charms textbook.
"Yes, Hermione, you are absolutely correct," said Kalissa with a small smile. "Though the Arithmancy is immensely complex and at times, can be considered highly subjective." Natalie noticed her eyes flicker cautiously over to Dumbledore.
Harry, who had been following Natalie's gaze, nudged her. "Er, Professor Dumbledore, what do you think?"
Kalissa blinked at Harry while Natalie looked at him in alarm. She had relayed Kalissa's suspicions about Dumbledore's discontent with the circumstantial magic explanation, but had not expected Harry to be so forward.
"About the circumstantial magic?" said Dumbledore, his eyes boring into Harry's green ones.
"Yes," said Harry nervously.
Dumbledore's gaze lingered on Harry for an extended moment before he smiled in amusement at the intensely curious looks Natalie and Kalissa were sporting. "It is an intriguing and quite possibly a very accurate explanation. I have seen Kalissa's calculations and they certainly seem to adequately explain the connection."
"Oh come on Albus," said Kalissa irritably, crossing her arms against her chest. "I know you don't believe my explanation."
"Why would you believe that, Kalissa?" said Dumbledore in surprise though the smile on his face started to look less cheerful.
"Because I've known for you fifty years and I know when you're not taking something seriously," said Kalissa scathingly, abruptly standing from the settee and beginning to pace around the room.
"Kalissa," began Dumbledore, his expression more grave. "You must not think that I do not value your –"
"Then what about this explanation, Albus?" interrupted Kalissa, her voice rising as she placed both her hands on his desk, staring at him. "You barely paid me attention when I presented my theory and now you want me to believe that I have your full support."
"Kalissa," said Dumbledore with a note of finality that sent shivers down Natalie's spine. Kalissa retreated from the desk, crossing her arms against her chest. "You realize that I trust you more than anyone else. I have been preoccupied with Order dealings in the past few months to give my full attention to the possible reasons for the connection between Harry and Voldemort."
"It doesn't change the fact that you are not convinced that circumstantial magic explains this connection," Kalissa stated defiantly. Natalie marveled at the way she maintained Dumbledore's deep, penetrating gaze.
Dumbledore sighed, his facial expression finally falling. "I confess that I have my doubts about this circumstantial magic explanation."
"What doubts do you have, Albus?" Minerva asked quietly.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "It's not the subjectivity of the calculations as you may have presumed Kalissa, because I have complete faith in your abilities and you, yourself, said that the magical power conveyed by Lily's situation could create the link between Harry and Riddle within a large range of error."
"Then what is it?" asked Kalissa, her tone much softer.
Dumbledore's gaze flickered over all of their curious faces, his eyes thoughtful. "Harry, the connection between you and Tom is unnaturally strong. Although he has blocked his mind from you this year, last year if I recall correctly, not only could you have full, uninhibited access to his thoughts, but you actually shared the emotions he was feeling at the time; whether it be anger or happiness. Moreover, I assume you could feel the actual strength of those emotional reactions?"
"Yes," answered Harry, grimacing. "I remember when the Death Eaters broke out of Azhaban, this wild happiness just seemed to consume me."
"He was cackling like a maniac," noted Ron with a grim smile.
Dumbledore nodded. "And similarly, when Nagini attacked Arthur –"
"It was like I was the one attacking him," said Harry, swallowing. "I could feel that hunger for blood, the desire to kill, exactly how much she was looking forward to sinking her fangs into Mr. Weasley." He shook his head, closing his eyes.
Natalie squeezed Harry's hand. "Nagini has Voldemort's soul, doesn't she? So that wasn't you in the snake; it was him who wanted to kill Ron's dad."
"I don't blame you at all mate," said Ron fervently. "My dad would be dead if you weren't in the mind of that snake."
"Then, Albus, what's your point?" asked Kalissa.
Dumbledore gazed at her with a contemplative expression before speaking. "Circumstantial magic offers a way for a mental and emotional connection to be established and maintained between Harry and Tom for all these years, yet it does not explain the full range of their connection. As Harry has said, he knew the exact strength and sharpness of emotion Tom feels within his own body or as part of the Horcrux within Nagini."
"Ah," said Hermione, leaning forward excitedly. "Arithmancy may be used to define different types of emotions, but it cannot quantify the extent of the emotion."
Natalie's eyes widened at her brown haired friend, also remembering the important detail from one of their assignments.
"Very good, Miss Granger," noted Dumbledore, a glowing expression spreading over his face.
Kalissa let out a heavy breath, returning to her seat on the settee. "I forgot to consider such a possibility," muttered Kalissa, snapping her fingers. Natalie winced as she knew especially with regard to Arithmancy, the woman handled any mistake on her part very seriously.
"You never knew about that part of the link," said Dumbledore sincerely.
"Then why am I able to sense how angry or happy he is?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore clasped his hands upon his desk. "I am not yet sure, Harry though, I have many theories as to the reason."
"Do you care to share any of those theories?" Kalissa asked with a trace of annoyance.
Dumbledore's eyes again wandered over each one of them. "From the last memory, I trust all you of remember Riddle's appearance?"
Natalie shuddered. "How could we not? It was like he had no bones."
"And he had this horribly pale colour," added Hermione, revolted.
"The appearance is due to far too many experiments with Dark Magic and not just the magic involving Horcruxes," Dumbledore explained. "For years after he left Borgin and Burkes, he tinkered and subjected himself to many potions and curses, which have horrible effects on the mental and physical aspects of the human body, in an effort to maximize his immense magical talents and power. With some of these extremely powerful and dangerous curses, the magic of the curse continues to intertwine itself with the victim's magical aura, long after the curse has been cast. Then Tom, who used countless of these curses and potions on himself, eventually mutated his magical aura so that while it still contains the original magical signature he developed as a child, there are also very significant remnants of the Dark Magic he had immersed himself in."
"What does that have to do with the link between him and I?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore nodded. "As Kalissa has determined, the link was effectively established because of the Arithmancy underlining the context surrounding your mother's death. However, as Riddle is one of the 2 participants of the connection, an unnatural magical aura could also play a part in not establishing the connection but in mutating it."
Kalissa frowned. "I've never heard of something like that, but he had so much Dark Magic within his body and I would not be surprised if his aura could have enough fragments of Dark Magic to morph the connection."
"It's certainly possible," agreed Minerva. "But then, I imagine you would have to look at the Arithmancy underlining the curses he cast on himself."
"Albus, I don't suppose you know the exact spells he used?" said Kalissa.
Dumbledore shook his head. "No. The information I was able to procure were from the few survivor of his experiments who by the time I reached them, were completely mad. I imagine he's ensured every witness to his experiments were either sworn to secrecy in his inner circle of Death Eaters or killed."
"Then it would be almost impossible to accurately describe the Arithmancy behind those curses," said Kalissa sourly.
"Do you need to know the Arithmancy to reverse the effects of the Dark Magic on the connection?" asked Hermione.
"Excellent question," stated Dumbledore. "And the answer to that is –"
"No," answered Kalissa, twirling a strand of hair.
"Then how?" asked Natalie in puzzlement.
Kalissa stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I assume you would have to offset the effect of the Dark Magic in him – effectively, weakening him through battle would be the most practical option I imagine."
"Not the easiest of feats," said Minera ruefully.
"No it is not," remarked Dumbledore. "However, we should remember this is still only a theory. I do not have enough evidence to fully say that Tom's own experiments explain why Harry can feel the exact extent of emotion Tom feels."
Harry sighed. "Alright so about this link, we still have to, how do you say it, undo the circumstances around my mother's death so the connection is gone as well as find a way to offset the reason behind my ability to sense how strong he feels something."
"That summarizes our situation quite concisely," noted Dumbledore.
"Wait," said Ron, a confused expression on his face. "With this link or whatever it is, then basically if let's say either Harry or You know who are hit with the Killing Curse, then –"
"Theoretically, neither one of them should die," replied Kalissa. "The connection effectively tethers each one of them to life – once we eliminate the link, Harry still has his protection because of his mother's sacrifice. Any curse Tom sends at Harry then should rebound at him."
Natalie noticed the smallest trace of a frown cross Dumbledore's face, his eyes momentarily clouding into some unreadable emotion. Glancing at Kalissa, she saw her twirling of her hair become more pronounced at the barely discernible change in Dumbledore's expression.
"I thought I explained that to you," said Natalie, frowning at Ron.
"Probably forgot. You know, my memory's not the best," Ron answered sheepishly.
"The connection's a pain, if you ask me," said Harry darkly.
"It definitely is," agreed Kalissa. "If we didn't have that problem, Tom would stand no chance against you."
"Now he has just a fraction of chance," noted Ron, a snide grin on his face.
"Can you be serious?" cried Natalie in exasperation. Ron rolled his eyes at her.
"So to explain that connection, more work has to be done then?" said Hermione, looking at Kalissa and Dumbledore.
"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore as Kalissa nodded.
"Are we done then tonight?" asked Minerva briskly. "As intriguing as this discussion has been, there are four students in this office well past curfew."
"Blimey, it's one o clock in the morning," exclaimed Ron, looking at his watch.
"I actually don't feel that tired," commented Hermione lightly.
"We should be going, Miss Granger," said Minerva sternly. "I trust that the other students in your dormitories have already started to become very suspicious as to why I have kept the four of you at detention for so late."
"She's right," conceded Natalie, not realizing how tired she was. "If none of us return to our dormitories, I know Parvati and Lavender will have a boatload of questions, at least for Hermione and myself."
"Minerva, you haven't changed as a teacher, have you?" said Kalissa with a smirk.
"Did you honestly expect me to?" said Minera, her lips twitching.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Very well then. I trust that this has been an informative evening – I have certainly enjoyed myself. When I find the location of the locket, I will make sure to inform all of you – Harry, you will be coming with me as I said before."
Natalie turned to Kalissa with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Am I staying with you?"
Kalissa laughed lightly. "Sadly, not this time my dear. Aberforth is away from the Hog's Head and I'd rather not take the risk, especially since we would only have a few hours together given how late it is."
"Oh, I suppose I was expecting too much," mumbled Natalie as she lifted herself from the settee with the others. "Then I'll see you in the summer, then?"
"We'll have much more time together and not just fleeting evenings," said Kalissa, beaming at her.
She drew Natalie into a bone crushing hug, whispering in her ear, "I'm so proud of you. You have such wonderful friends."
Once they pulled apart, Natalie had to glance away, noticing Kalissa's glistening eyes. All it took was one look at Kalissa for Natalie's own eyes to become very wet.
"It was nice meeting you," said Harry warmly. He squeezed Natalie's shoulder, giving her a gentle smile.
"As it was for me. You seem just as wonderful as Natalie says you are," replied Kalissa, wiping away the tears on her cheek. "And I'm glad she has such great friends in Ron and Hermione as well."
"Thanks for showing us the memories," said Hermione earnestly.
"You were amazing," said Ron with a goofy smile.
"Very well. We should be leaving now," said Minerva in her typical business like tone. "Kalissa, I will see you later."
"Oh no, you don't!" cried Kalissa, jumping over to Minerva and pulling her into a very stiff hug.
"Honestly, Kalissa," said Minerva in exasperation though a fond smile curved across her features.
After Minerva managed to extricate herself from Kalissa, she efficiently cast Disillusionment charms upon Ron and Hermione. Following one last desperate hug for Natalie, Kalissa let Harry drape his invisibility cloak over both him and Natalie.
Dumbledore finally stood up from his desk. "I will be escorting Kalissa back to her residence – we will have to be quick Kalissa as I believe I have only loosened the wards to allow for a portkey until two'o clock."
"Thank you Albus," said Kalissa softly. "I'll see the rest of you soon and take care of yourselves. You may be in Hogwarts, but remember there's a war raging outside."
With that resounding statement, the four teenagers and their Transfiguration professor departed the office.
A/N: How did you like the chapter? I decided to make the locations of all the Horcrues known earlier (still have to find diadem though). And of course, for Dumbledore, we all know what his explanation for Harry and Voldemort's connection is.