Such a long break my dear readers please forgive me. I have two chapters for you and hopefully at least another one after Christmas. I have at least now planned out the ending for this story so that will make writing it easier.

Chapter 29 Sixth Year: The Burrow

Harry sat staring out of his window at Privet Drive. Though he had only been back for two weeks it felt like Hogwarts had been a lifetime ago. It hadn't been until he returned to the Dursley's that the loss of Sirius had really hit him. Harry had spent most of the first week in his room, caught between bursts of rage and sorrow. Finally five days ago Hedwig had dragged him out of his melancholy by arriving with a letter.

Harry, I know at the moment everything seems hopeless and I know you are angry with me, but I need to talk to you. The protective charm linked to your blood has been refreshed so someone is going to come and pick you up and bring you to the Burrow.

I would like to say more, but I don't want to risk it. Suffice to say that while I may not have an answer to our problems, at least I can give it a name.

Emrys.

Harry had turned the words of the letter over and over in his head until they blurred, but he couldn't think of anything. Before they had left Hogwarts Hermione had spent hours in the library looking for anything which could prevent someone from being killed by stabbing. She had found a variety of different protective charms and talismans, but none of them she said would have been difficult or unusual enough to confuse Merlin.

With Hermione at a loss and Merlin close-lipped about the event Harry had set it aside in his mind. He was still angry, angry that Merlin hadn't been able to save Sirius, angry that Voldemort had gotten away and angry that Merlin seemed to have joined with Dumbledore with the keeping of secrets.

Despite the sorcerer's insistence that he would tell them everything as soon as he was sure himself, Harry was getting a little tired of being told that he wouldn't understand. Hermione and Ron had both tried to placate him by saying that Merlin knew magic which would confuse Dumbledore.

Hermione had eventually told Harry that he was being silly, that there were certain to be types of magic which Merlin wouldn't want them to know about. While she had been looking into invincibility spells Hermione had also started doing research on Merlin. Harry thought that they probably should have started that sooner, but as Ron said, everyone knew about Merlin. None of them had questioned the ideas which were in their minds concerning the ancient sorcerer and his long dead King.

Tapping his forehead against the glass Harry threw a quick glance at his clock. It was nearly six. This morning he had received a second letter, this time from Dumbledore, explaining that he would come by and pick Harry up.

Harry knew there was going to be a ruckus when Dumbledore, who looked more like a wizard than anyone Harry had every met, turned up on the doorstep of the very conservatively Muggle Dursley's.

Harry had packed his trunk and had locked Hedwig in her cage in preparation for the move. Though he would never be disappointed to leave the Dursley's, this time he was wary. At best he would be going to answers, at worst those answers would precipice disaster.

The clock downstairs chimed six. Harry sighed and picked up his wand, tucking it into his pocket. Picking up his trunk and hooking Hedwig under his arm Harry headed down stairs. The knock at the door came before Harry had made it halfway down.

Caught somewhere between a wince and a grin Harry hurried the rest of the way down the stairs just in time to see Aunt Petunia open the door to Dumbledore.

The headmaster hadn't even bothered to make an effort to dress like a Muggle, instead he stood in full length plum coloured robes. Dumbledore's benign smile did nothing to sooth Aunt Petunia who gave a shriek, half muffled behind her raised hand and attempted to slam the door in his face. Dumbledore however stepped quickly forward and caught the door. "Good evening Petunia. I am here to pick up Harry."

"Petunia?" Uncle Vernon bellowed as he came through from the kitchen.

Harry lunged down the last few steps, nearly cannoning into the opposite wall when his trunk followed him eagerly down. "Hello Professor." Harry blurted out, he was hoping to avoid too much unpleasantness. Judging by the colour of Uncle Vernon's face, that was unfortunately very unlikely. "WHO ARE YOU!" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Aunt Petunia immediately leapt forward to ward of a confrontation with that most effective of phrases, "Vernon the neighbours." Uncle Vernon's mouth snapped immediately shut and he started to almost literally vibrate with fury.

In the face of Uncle Vernon's anger Dumbledore smiled benignly. "Come along now Harry, we have places to be." A flick of his wand shrunk Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage down to pocket sized. Stowing them neatly in a pocket of his robe Dumbledore motioned for Harry to follow him.

Without a backwards glance Harry hurried after the Headmaster. "Professor, where are we going?" Harry asked as soon as they were several houses down from Number 4.

Dumbledore gave Harry a deadly serious look over his half-moon glasses. "Our young friend Emrys has some news for us. Judging by how often I have seen him these last few weeks and the expression on his face when he arrived at the Burrow I cannot imagine he has particularly good news."

Grimly Harry took Dumbledore's offered arm. He was so distracted that the sudden horrific jerk of apparition took him completely by surprise.

Bursting from the tight whirling darkness of apparition Harry dropped to his knees and retched violently until the desperate desire to be sick faded. Dumbledore looked down at him with a faintly amused look. "My apologies Harry, I had forgotten you have never apparated before."

Harry got unsteadily to his feet and swallowed the last few shudders. "I don't think I want to do it again." He admitted.

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly. "It does take some getting used to." With that Dumbledore led the way up the winding garden path towards the crooked house of the Weasleys.

Harry had mixed feelings about his return to the Burrow. So much had happened in the last year, and while his head said that the crooked house was no longer the sanctuary it had once been, his heart was filled with delight to be back. To Harry the Weasley's strange little house was exactly the home he had always longed for.

As Dumbledore knocked politely on the door Harry found himself smiling, happy to be back. When the door opened Mrs Weasley greeted Dumbledore warmly and then swept Harry into a hug before the inevitable statement came out. "Harry dear come into the kitchen you look half starved."

It took only minute for Mrs Weasley to set Harry up at the kitchen table with a plate piled high with food. Harry tore the corner off a piece of bread and tried to peer into the next room. While Harry had been getting set up at the table Dumbledore had vanished further into the house to locate the others.

It wasn't long until Hermione and Ron came thundering down the stairs.

By the time Merlin stumbled down from the attic rubbing his eyes everyone was halfway through the enormous dinner Mrs Weasley had produced.

The smile the sorcerer sent Harry was tired and worried. He slumped into a chair and began to pick at the toast Hermione handed him.

Mr Weasley looked over at Merlin. "Well now. Harry and Albus have arrived. What news?" All heads turned to Merlin who grimaced and looked them over.

"Well...I'm not sure how easy this will be to explain, because I'm not sure what legends you have all read of...well Camelot and its inhabitants." Merlin sighed. "Most of them mention this though...sometimes it is called the Holy Grail, but I always knew it as the Cup of Life."

Harry frowned. "The what?"

"The Holy Grail." Hermione jumped in immediately. "Some legends say that it was the cup used at the Last Supper, magical stories say it was a powerful magical artefact. Most agree that it is a myth." She peered over at Merlin.

Merlin chuckled dryly. "It isn't a myth. I don't know much about where it came from, it is old magic so old it's origins are lost in time. It's magic is very real though, painfully real. A sip from the Cup can heal any wound, restore life even after it is lost." This last was said with an expression of painful sadness.

"What does that have to do with Voldemort?" Dumbledore probed gently.

Merlin leant back in his chair. "The ability to restore life is a difficult one, but I suppose you could essentially say it is good magic. But like I said the Cup is old magic and the Old Religion doesn't separate good and evil. There is another side to the Cup's power. If you place a single drop of your blood into the cup then you become immortal."

"You think Voldemort has managed this?" Dumbledore asked, Harry recognised the look in his pale blue eyes. Worry.

Merlin met the old wizards gaze steadily. "I'm almost certain of it. Up until a few days ago I was sure I knew where the Cup was. It was placed somewhere for safekeeping after it was used to nearly bring Camelot to her knees. I don't know how, but somehow Voldemort has gotten his hands on it. I thought I recognised the power that prevented Voldemort from dying when I attacked him in the Ministry, so I went and checked on the Cup. It's gone. I've tried to find it, but the Cup's power prevents it from being tracked. Voldemort could have hidden it anywhere."

"Isn't there some spell you can do to fix it?" Ron asked.

Merlin gave a dry chuckle. "No. There are only two ways to solve this. One way is completely impossible, that power no longer exists. The other is to find the cup and spill the blood out of it."

"And that will kill him, Voldemort?" Harry asked eagerly. Finding a cup didn't seem too hard given all the trials he had been through before facing Voldemort.

"It will make him mortal again and then he will be easier to kill." Merlin shook his head and look down at his hands. "It isn't going to be easy. Voldemort will have hidden the Cup well and as I said, it isn't easy to track down anyway." He looked around the table. "At this stage I am open to suggestions..."

Harry had nothing. It seemed like such a simple task, find a cup and empty it. However as Merlin had said, this was a single cup in the whole world. Voldemort could have hidden it anywhere.

Finally Dumbledore spoke up. "Perhaps it would be wise for all of us to consider this and pool our ideas later. For now, I will assume you would like this kept secret?"

"Yes...the Cup's magic is very powerful. It isn't something that the world is able to cope with now. You can fill in members of the Order you trust, but no further." Merlin's bright blue gaze slid over everyone in the room. The gravity of the situation was clear in his expression.

They sat in silence around the table for several long minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Harry, however wasn't turning their current problem over in his head, he had other thoughts. Melrin had mentioned another way to defeat Voldemort, a way that no longer existed...what could he mean by that? Catching Ron's eye Harry could see that his friend was thinking along the same lines. Ron grimaced slightly and Harry repressed a smile. He got the feeling they were going to be spending a lot of time in the library this year.

Thank you for reading everyone and for sticking around through the long gaps between updates. The next chapter will be up in the next week or so.