CHAPTER 3:

DARK DEEDS AND DARKER ARTIFACTS

"It's true, then, isn't it?" Lucrezia said. "Sephiroth…is dead."

"Sephiroth died a long time ago," Vincent said, as he held Lucrezia to him. "What we destroyed…it wasn't your son. Just a monstrous madman."

The young-looking woman with the brown hair sobbed gently. Vincent found it strange how she seemed to be dressed in little more than diaphanous robes that left little to the imagination(1). Eventually, she said, "What of Hojo? That…creature told me that she killed him."

"She did. Jenova was, perversely enough, one of our best allies." Vincent chuckled bitterly. "The irony was not lost on those present."

"And who else fought with you?"

"Many." Vincent began to talk of how he was found by a group of seven adventurers, who told him of Sephiroth. The eight grew to nine with the addition of Cid, and at the City of the Ancients, Harry made a tenth. Jenova became the eleventh, with Rufus, Reeve, and the Turks joining them after Scarlet's betrayal, and Sirius coming from another world.

Lucrezia listened to his admittedly abridged version of their adventure. For a time, she was quiet. Then, she said, "You blame yourself for what happened with Hojo and myself, don't you?"

"Is there anyone else to blame?"

"Me," Lucrezia said, without hesitation.

"You? I'm not sure what you saw in Hojo, but even so…"

"Remember that time when I broke up with you? When I couldn't be with you? Do you remember why?"

Vincent thought back, and his eyes widened. "My father…Grimoire…that report I saw…"

"He died in this very cave. We were investigating my theories…and something killed him. I brought him here…" She shook her head. "But it's more than that now."

"Why?"

"After Hojo shot you, and experimented on you, your body began to deteriorate. You were dying. I couldn't bear to see that happen, so I tried something desperate. I channelled the very essence of Chaos into your body. It barely saved your life…but condemned you to something worse."

"If it's all the same to you," Vincent remarked dryly, "I'd prefer to be alive than dead."

"Don't joke about it!" Lucrezia snapped.

"I'm not joking. Much," Vincent admitted. "I am grateful that you saved my life. At least it meant more than Hojo using me as an experiment."

"That's what he said I was using you for," Lucrezia said bitterly. "He said that I was using you as little more than an experiment to further my theories. The perverse thing was, he sounded like he was congratulating me, not demeaning me."

"Hojo was a bastard," Vincent said. "He used me, he used you, he used everyone he could. He wasn't a scientist. He was a sociopath and a megalomaniac who used science as an excuse to commit twisted crimes against nature and morality. Maybe if you had been allowed to raise Sephiroth, this whole mess wouldn't have happened. He may have grown up to be a fine soldier, and a better man."

"Instead, he became a monster. An abomination," Lucrezia said quietly, as if scarcely believing it.

"That wasn't your fault, Lucrezia, any more than it was mine. It took me a while to see that my sins were those of inaction, and not because I actively participated. Yours was agreeing to participate, true, but…you didn't turn Sephiroth into what he was. Shinra, Hojo, and the madness of Genesis Rhapsodos, they turned Sephiroth into a monster."

"And my own influence," Jenova said quietly, entering the cave. "I have to admit, to my shame, that I began calling to my son, to set me free, and to take vengeance on my gaolers, when I sensed him in Nibelheim. I encouraged his madness to some degree, only to have him turn on me. At least Genesis and myself are trying to make up for our sins."

"You have a long way to go," Vincent said. Not with any anger or hatred. Just a cold statement of fact. "Please…I want to be alone with Lucrezia."

Jenova nodded, and left the cave once more. Neither Vincent or Lucrezia saw the tears dripping from her eyes…

Sirius never thought he would ever again be in his ancestral home of 12 Grimmauld Place, and yet, here he was. It was still dark and infested with curses, pests (both mundane and magic) and dark magic that he would need to spend time cleaning out, as nobody had been here for years. And, of course, there was that portrait of his mother, that old screech owl. He had to be quiet at times, lest he woke her, and had her shouting the house down with her screams of blood-traitors and Mudbloods. But he now had a purpose.

During their last discussion with Minerva, it was decided that they could return to the Planet via Floo that she managed to connect to the church in the Midgar slums. The Burrow, Grimmauld Place, and Hogwarts were the only places connected so far. To travel, one had to use the Floo powder as normal, call out 'the Goddess' Gate', and step through. Which meant that, if necessary, Sirius could beat a hasty escape from any Aurors after him.

He was also amazed at the attitude change of Kreacher. Once the wizened, ancient house elf had been told by Sirius that he could help finish what Regulus started, the house elf became a little less cranky and bitter. In fact, he seemed pleased, in a surly, acerbic way. Oh, he still called Sirius a blood-traitor, and muttered imprecations against Mudbloods and the like, but there was a faint glimmer of respect in the old house elf that wasn't there before.

"Does nasty, blood-traitor master think he can destroy the horcrux?" Kreacher asked, after he had set the locket down on the table in front of Sirius. Despite his words, he actually seemed vaguely hopeful.

Sirius frowned as he examined it. "I will try. And if not, we can try Dumbledore." He had found a wand that suited him amongst the family collection. He didn't like it, but it was the best suited to his magic, and it might be too risky to try Ollivander, or any of the shops in Knockturn Alley. He pointed the wand at the locket, and spoke two words that he thought he'd never say. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Green light lanced out, and hit the locket. Unfortunately, the net result seemed to be sending the locket skidding across the table and onto the floor. Kreacher ran over, and checked the locket. "Nasty, nasty magic is still there!" he snarled.

"Damn!" Sirius yelled. Shaking his head, he said, "Kreacher, we're not giving up. I'll be damned if I let my brother's death be in vain." He used a Levitation Charm to bring the locket back onto the table. He wasn't going to touch the thing if he could help it. As he went for the Floo to contact Dumbledore, he thought to himself, I should've known it wouldn't be this easy…

The next morning, Harry was regaling Ginny and Ron, along with the twins, with a story of his adventure. Now he was talking about what had happened in Icicle Inn, and on the Great Glacier. They hung onto his every word.

It was after he talked about the Snow-Woman that Ron frowned. "Hang a moment. What is a Limit Break?"

Aerith, who was banned by Molly from helping in the kitchen (Aerith had helped her mother out in the home back home), chose to answer that. "It's difficult to explain, even for someone who has used them often. A Limit Break is a powerful ability innate to a person. During the heat of battle, when someone takes enough damage, the surge of emotions brings forth a personal power. For most people, it is a devastating attack. My Limit Breaks, however, are generally more around healing and protection. The first one I discovered was Healing Wind, which allows me to heal myself and my allies of all wounds. Another one, Fury Brand, actually allows me to transfer my Limit Break power to my allies, allowing them to use Limit Breaks. One that I learned not long before meeting Harry was Great Gospel. Not only does it fully heal myself and my allies, it actually makes us invincible from harm for a brief period."

"You should see Cloud's ultimate Limit Break," Harry said with a grin. "Omnislash is basically Cloud slashing at the enemy with his sword a lot of times. Fifteen times, isn't it?" he asked Aerith.

"It was," Jenova said with a wince. "I felt it myself, remember? Very painful, and so was Tifa's Martial Arts Chain(2)."

"But…Cloud was nasty to you," Ginny said to Harry, her face showing confusion. "You're talking about him like you are friends now."

"We are friends. Keep in mind, Cloud was in a bad way," Harry pointed out. "He had memories from another guy, and Sephiroth was influencing him. Once you got that out of him, he's pretty nice when you get to know him. A bit cold, but a decent guy. You met him, Ginny, didn't you?"

Ginny nodded. The young man had been somewhat aloof and quiet, but had smiled at Ginny. She had liked Tifa, the woman who seemed to be his girlfriend, more.

"There you go." Harry smiled. Then he became solemn. "That was the first time I killed someone."

"Excuse me?" Jenova asked, raising an eyebrow. "You did destroy my first form, you know."

"You were a monster then," Aerith said. "Sephiroth set you on us, and you attacked. That was before we knew you were anything other than a monster."

"I've mellowed," was Jenova's only response.

Harry nodded. "But the Snow-Woman, she actually looked human. And I saw her die in a very horrible manner in front of my eyes. But if I didn't do that…well, Aerith and Elena would have died. I sometimes still have nightmares about that. And of Scarlet."

Aerith grimaced, remembering that day. Scarlet was holding Harry hostage, and was making no secret of the fact that she wanted them all dead. Sirius had tried to use a Summoning Spell (as distinct from an actual Summon) to rip Harry from Scarlet's grasp, but failed, and only Harry doing an instinctive Apparition allowed for a chance to stop Scarlet safely. Barrett had shot her with his gun-arm, effectively eviscerating her, a traumatising thing for a ten-year old child to watch.

What made it worse was that Harry, in the space of that day, had thought his godfather had died, was forced to flee from a mutated Hojo, and was forced to kill Diamond Weapon. Scarlet's brutal death was merely the capper to a long and traumatic day.

To their credit, Ron and Ginny looked sympathetic. They had heard a little about Shinra's one-time Head of Weapons Research, and temporary President. And Sirius comparing the blonde-haired woman to the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange helped give them an idea of what she was like.

Any further thought on the matter was interrupted when the flames of the fireplace flared green. Aerith, Jenova, and Harry jumped in fright. They were still unused to the concept of Floo travel, though they knew they'd be using it a lot to go between Earth and Gaia, and here.

"Harry? Miss Gainsborough? Miss Calamitas?" Dumbledore asked, his face floating eerily amongst the flames.

"We're here," Aerith said, going to the fireplace, taking Harry with her. Jenova strode over as well.

"Good. Would you mind coming through? We have a matter of some delicacy to discuss."

Harry felt bad about leaving the Weasleys out of this, but Dumbledore had impressed on him the very delicate nature of dealing with horcruxes. Not just because they were not well-known, but also because if Voldemort learned that his horcruxes were being targeted, he might take measures to hide them elsewhere.

Gathered in the rather grim kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place was a fairly motley group. Harry, Jenova, and Aerith were there with Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, and Kreacher. They were all looking at the locket.

"So…" Harry said uncertainly, "you think I can open it?"

"It's a possibility," Snape said, looking down at the locket grimly. "Mr Potter…I mean, Gainsborough, I am an expert in the Dark Arts. And it is easy to discern that handling this locket would be a considerably bad idea. It is steeped in dark magic, and not just that of the horcrux. It is resistant to spells, as Black has found out. The house elf has already attempted to open it physically. If this is indeed the Locket of Salazar Slytherin, then it may be possible that it cannot be opened, unless it is commanded to do so in Parseltongue."

Jenova nodded. "And it would be difficult for me to try and extract the soul now. Opening the locket may make it vulnerable, one way or another."

Harry bit his lip, somewhat uncertain. "But…I haven't used Parseltongue that often. I've tried it out occasionally, but…"

"Harry," Sirius said gently, "just try. See that sigil on the front? It looks like a snake, doesn't it? Pretend it's a real one. Just say…'open'."

Harry nodded, gathered himself, and then said, "Open."

Snape sighed. "That was English, Mr Pot-Gainsborough. Concentrate. There is a considerable amount at stake here."

"Severus…" Dumbledore rebuked quietly.

Harry closed his eyes, then opened them again, concentrating on the sigil, the strange 'S' shape like a snake. Once more, he said, "Open." But now, he realised, given the looks on everyone's faces, that he had managed it.

The locket suddenly snapped open. And behind the door, in picture windows, were a pair of eyes. Only one of those present, Dumbledore, recognised those eyes: the eyes of Tom Marvolo Riddle, before they were mutated by his transformation into Voldemort.

Everyone present recoiled at the waves of dark magic coming from the locket, but Jenova recovered most rapidly, darting forward and gripping the locket. Her jaw seemed to distend grotesquely, and a dark smoke was drawn into her mouth from the locket. Accompanying this was a faint, thin scream, inhuman and fearful. Then, it was gone, and Jenova's jaw was back to normal. She licked her lips in grim satisfaction. "Nasty."

"Did…did you just destroy the horcrux?" Snape demanded, his eyes comically wide.

"I ate the horcrux. It's what I did to the one in Harry's head," Jenova said. She belched quietly. "Excuse me. It's repeating on me." She blinked. "Oh my, this is new."

"What is?" Aerith asked.

"I know another of his horcruxes. A diadem."

"The Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw?" Dumbledore asked.

"I think so," Jenova said. "I know where that one is too. Hogwarts. Somewhere called the Room of Requirement."

"I know that room," Dumbledore said. "It's one of the best-kept secrets of Hogwarts. We'll go there later, once the term starts. Did you learn of any others?"

"The memory's hazy. A book of some kind." She shook her head. "I don't know exactly what. I think he's deliberately obscuring some of his memories with this fragment."

"Occlumency," Snape muttered.

"Occlu-what?" Aerith asked.

Snape sighed, and turned to her. "Legilimency and Occlumency are related magical arts relating to the mind. Occlumency requires guarding the mind against attack. Legilimency is a means of attacking the mind, usually in order to gain information through the person's memories. Skilled Legilimens are able to interpret the complexities and layers of a mind and its memories to discern the truth." His nose wrinkled in a sneer. "The Muggles call it 'mind-reading', but a mind is not a book, but a blizzard of thought and memory and emotion."

"Horrible," Aerith said. "So Voldemort used Legilimency?"

Snape gave a sardonic smirk. "It often pleased him not only to rip enemies' secrets from their minds, but to cause them great pain in doing so, sometimes inserting hellish visions or even false memories. Legilimency doesn't just involve magic, however. Most of it is rather mundane: learning to read body language and facial expressions. An intelligent Muggle should be able to learn that, or Occlumency, which involves ordering the mind in such a way to prevent intrusion."

"Hmm," Jenova pondered. "I wonder…"

"What?" Snape asked.

"Snape, am I right to believe that you know something of these arts?"

"By many standards, Jenova, I am considered an expert," Snape said airily.

"As am I," said Dumbledore.

"I've never used actual magical Legilimency," Sirius said, "but the Marauders learned Occlumency as soon as we could."

"Well…Dumbledore, then," Jenova said. "Please, try and use Legilimency on me."

Dumbledore frowned, bringing his wand out cautiously. "Are you sure, Jenova?"

"Not at all. This is an experiment." Jenova shrugged. "And as Hojo would've said, no experiment is without risk. I believe the colloquial term back home is 'come at me, bro'."

"Very well. Legilimens!" Dumbledore pointed his wand at Jenova, whose eyes widened, she staggered back, only to stare back at Dumbledore, who stumbled back.

"Well," Jenova said, rubbing her head. "That was interestingly unpleasant. Different to how Sephiroth tried to attack me mentally. Very different. But easier to intercept. And not because of the power of the attack."

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sephiroth has attacked me with less powerful mental attacks, but they worked more effectively. Whereas your Legilimency was more powerful, but it didn't get far enough before I could push it back. Has your attack ever been repulsed like that?"

"Not quite like that, no," Dumbledore said.

"Maybe it's an innate mental defence for Jenova cells. Being creatures that can manipulate thought and memory, perhaps we have innate defences to any attack other than that inflicted by other Jenova organisms." She indicated Harry. "Try him, I want to see if the Jenova cells within him will help keep him safe."

"Jenova…" Aerith said warningly.

"No…" Harry said quietly. "I'll try. I mean, it's an important thing to have, this Occlumency, isn't it?"

"It was certainly important to me," Snape said softly. "When dealing with anything to do with the Dark Lord, Mr P-Gainsborough, Occlumency is certainly an excellent skill to possess."

"It's not something to do lightly, however," Dumbledore said solemnly. "To invade someone's mind is a very dark thing to do."

"I'm willing," Harry said quietly.

Dumbledore nodded, before aiming his wand. "Legilimens."

Harry felt a spike of stone seemingly enter his head. It wasn't painful, but it was far from pleasant. He reeled back. His mind, almost instinctively, pushed back against the intrusion.

Dumbledore staggered back, before nodding. "It seems that your supposition was correct, Jenova. Harry was easier to use Legilimency on, but he was still able to repulse me easily."

"Hmm. And there may be reasons for him being easier to attack," Jenova said thoughtfully. "It may be because, unlike me, he only has a small amount of Jenova cells within him. Or it may be because he has less experience with mental defence. When I first entered his mind, I did do some reinforcing to make sure he didn't fall under Sephiroth's influence, or at least not easily."

"It'd still be a good idea to have him trained in Occlumency," Sirius said quietly. "We can't guarantee that Voldemort will be kept out. And since we're going after the horcruxes…"

He left the sentence hanging in the air. But everyone present knew what was at stake. They needed to go after Voldemort hard and fast, destroy the horcruxes, and render Voldemort mortal and vulnerable. Or else things would get ugly…

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, Vincent and Lucrezia have a reunion, and another horcrux is destroyed.

Not much more to say here. And I can't think of anything for the soundtrack for this chapter.

1. Seriously, why is Lucrezia in the Mako crystal (in the cutscenes of Dirge of Cerberus) wearing those weird diaphanous robes?

2. That's my own name for Tifa's Limit Break. It's a chain of martial arts moves.