Chapter 24: End of HPB

The next morning Hermione woke up to pouring rain. She got dressed and quietly went downstairs. Nobody else was up, so she decided to start making breakfast for everyone. She was almost done when James came down the stairs with Harry, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning 'Mione." James yawned.

"My 'nee." Harry gurgled. Hermione spun around in surprise. James was looking down at him in shock as well. He had hardly spoken since Hermione had arrived, preferring to gurgle and make random noises. Hermione beamed at him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey there Harry." She cooed. Then she returned to serving the breakfast, wiping away a stray tear. She had just set James' plate down when Lily came into the kitchen.

"Morning Hermione." Lily smiled and sat down. "You made breakfast? Thanks."

"Yeah. I figured you have been making food for us since I arrived and deserved a break." Hermione smiled at her and set down a plate of food in front of her. Just then Sirius and Remus arrived together, sitting down in the remaining seats.

Once everyone had eaten, they all traipsed into the front room and sat down, Harry on James' knee. They waited a few more minutes and then all three professors came through the fireplace. Sirius and Remus sat on the floor to make room for them.

"Right, hopefully we will be done tomorrow. So, Harry spent a long time trying to work out how to ask Slughorn for the memory he needed. One afternoon we got a report back from Kreacher and Dobby that Malfoy was spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement with various different guards outside."

"Why would he need lots of guards? What's wrong with Crabbe and Goyle?" James asked.

"It would look suspicious if the same two were hanging around there all the time." Remus pointed out.

"Well, Harry suspected that he was only using Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy just stole some polyjuice potion from the dungeons. They were all the girls hovering in the corridor."

"He has his mates transforming into girls?" Sirius laughed.

"If they were girls, could they not have given that cursed necklace to the Gryffindor chaser? Malfoy may have been at the castle but that doesn't mean Crabbe and Goyle were." Lily said slowly. Everyone turned to her looking horrified.

"If only people believed Harry." James sighed.

"Harry spent a lot of time trying to get into the room without success. He had no success with Slughorn either. During one attempt to get into the room, Harry met Tonks. She said she needed a word with Professor Dumbledore. Then we had a note from Hagrid saying Aragog had died and he wanted to give it a funeral."

"That thing almost killed Harry and he wants you to go to a funeral for it?" SIrius asked incredulously. Hermione nodded.

"Hagrid is insane." James sounded awed.

"While discussing it, we turned back to Slughorn and Ron had the idea to use Felix Felicis."

"Genius." Lily smiled.

"That's a great idea." Remus nodded.

"Ron and I had our apparition tests that afternoon so there were only a couple of people in the potions lesson. Harry tried once again but he still failed, so he decide to use the potion."

"Did you pass?" Sirius asked.

"I did. Ron left half an eyebrow behind."

"That's so unfair. Half an eyebrow?" James groaned.

"Harry took the potion and decided to go to the funeral for Aragog."

"What? But he needs Slughorn's memory?" Lily looked confused.

"Yeah. Apparently Felix told him he needed to go to Hagrid's. On the way down he went the long way through the greenhouses. There he saw Slughorn with Professor Sprout. Once they were finished talking, Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and spoke to Slughorn. He told him about the funeral and Slughorn decided he would come as well. He wanted some acromantula venom."

"Convenient." Sirius smirked.

"Slughorn grabbed a couple of bottles of mead, he had them tested, and joined them for the funeral. He got a couple of bottles of venom and then said some nice words as they buried him. Both Hagrid and Slughorn got very drunk and Harry managed to convince Slughorn to give him the memory."

"Nicely done Harry." Remus smiled.

"He went back to the castle and gave it straight to professor Dumbledore. It showed Tom RIddle asking Slughorn about horcruxes. He explained that a horcrux was an object in which a person concealed part of their soul." Everybody was watching Hermione, open mouthed. "It means that you split your soul by killing someone and then trap part of it inside an object. That way if your body is destroyed, you still live."

"So that's why he came back when he attacked us. My protection around Harry destroyed his body but another piece of his soul was somewhere else?" Lily asked. Hermione nodded.

"Slughorn said that you must kill and then use a spell, which Slughorn didn't know to encase the part of the soul. Riddle wanted to know about splitting the soul more than once."

"He made more than one horcrux?" Sirius asked, looking revolted.

"He wanted to make seven." She sighed.

"Seven? He wanted to rip his soul into seven pieces?" Remus gaped.

"He has killed more than enough people to do so. His soul is in more than seven pieces. He killed three family members by the time he even asked this question of Slughorn." Hermione reminded them.

"I knew he was evil, but this…" McGonagall said, her hands over her mouth.

"Once they had seen the memory, Professor Dumbledore explained that the diary from Harry's second year was a horcrux. As was the Gaunt ring that Professor Dumbledore had. They thought he had made seven in total."

"He actually made seven?" Remus asked.

"Well, the diary and the ring. Dumbledore thought he had made Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket horcruxes. As he had shown Harry through his memories, Voldemort collected only valuable objects and was most likely to use those as Horcruxes. He didn't know if Voldemort found anything of Ravenclaw's and was certain the sword of Gryffindor wasn't a horcrux."

"I should hope not." James cried, disgusted.

"Professor Dumbledore also thought he had made Nagini, his snake, into a horcrux."

"Is it not dangerous to make another living creature a horcrux?" Sirius asked.

"It would be Mr Black." Dumbledore answered.

"So, if he did make seven...the locket, the cup, the diary, the snake, the ring, maybe something of Ravenclaw's. That's only six." Remus summarised.

"The other piece of his soul remains in his body." Dumbledore said.

"Harry asked if Dumbledore was searching for horcruxes when he left the school. He wanted to go with him if he found another one."

"No Harry. That's way too dangerous." Lily cried.

"He would be with professor Dumbledore." James argued.

"The professor agreed he could go." Hermione informed them.

"Professor!" Remus scowled.

"Albus!" McGonagall scolded at the same time. "He's just a boy. A boy who has been through too much already."

"Harry told me and Ron the next day what had happened. Thankfully Ron had broken up with Lavender, she really was annoying. Ginny and Dean had broken up too, so Harry was happy."

"Yeah, go Harry." James grinned.

"One day, Harry heard Malfoy crying in a bathroom and turned to confront him. Malfoy tried to use the cruciatus curse on Harry,"

"He did what?" James roared.

"But Harry used Sectumsempra."

"No!" Lily gasped. "He shouldn't ever use that spell. How does he even know it?"

"He has Snape's potions book. He read it there. Snape came in and mostly fixed Malfoy."

"Of course he did. He made that damn spell up." Sirius scowled.

"Snape took Malfoy to the hospital wing and then came back. He used Legilimency to see what book Harry learnt the spell from."

"Of course. He recognised it and knew it had to have come from his own potions book." Lily said bitterly.

"He sent Harry to go and fetch all his school books. Harry borrowed Ron's to give to Snape and hid his own copy in the room of requirement."

"Good thinking." Remus said.

"Snape gave him detention every Saturday until end of term."

"Oh because he got in trouble when he use that spell on me." James growled sarcastically.

"He used that spell on you? When?" Lily asked him.

"Seventh year. As soon as he found out you were going out with me. He caught me from behind on the way back from Quidditch practise." James said.

"That's why you were in the hospital wing. You told me Sirius had been messing around?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe that he started it. I didn't want a argument with you about him." James sighed. Lily took his hand sadly.

"Harry had to miss the last game of the season."

"NOOO!" James cried.

"He was sorting out old files of detentions. He made Harry sort out all the ones with James' and Sirius' detentions."

"OF course he did." Sirius growled angrily. "And I didn't think I could like that git any less."

"When he got back to the common room it was in full celebration. Gryffindor had won the cup and as soon as he walked in Ginny ran over and kissed him."

"Woooooooo!" James and Sirius chanted, jumping up and down in the middle of the room.

"Calm down." Lily called, but she too had a smile on her face. Once they had calmed down enough to return to their seats, James pulled Harry back onto his lap and began celebrating with him.

"Anyway, so soon after ,Harry got a note saying professor Dumbledore wanted to see him. He found that the professor had found another horcrux. On the way he ran into Professor Trelawney who revealed that the Death eater who had told the prophecy to Voldemort was Severus Snape." There was a stunned silence.

"He sent Voldemort after Lily and James?" Sirius choked out.

"I'm going to kill him." James whispered.

"Snape didn't know that the prophecy meant Harry. It could also have meant Neville. Voldemort just chose to go after Lily and James instead of Frank and Alice. He also only overheard the first part."

"I'm still going to kill him." James uttered. Lily looked ready to help him, although a tear was trickling down her face.

"Back to the horcrux. Dumbledore agreed to take Harry provided Harry promised to obey him without hesitation. Which he did only reluctantly. He ran to get his invisibility cloak, which is when he told me and Ron what was going on. Now he thought Malfoy was going to try something that evening. Professor Trelawney had heard a boy celebrating in the room of requirement. He gave me and Ron the map and what was left of the Felix Felicis, telling us to keep an eye out."

"But, I know you're really skilled, but you're still only kids." Sirius said.

"Well we couldn't exactly tell a teacher. Nobody would believe us or else they would think Dumbledore's protection would be enough. Anyway, Harry and Dumbledore apparated to a horrible piece of rock by the sea. They made their way to a cave and had to swim part of the way. The place required blood to enter."

"That's gross." Lily wrinkled her nose. Everybody was watching Hermione with rapt attention, both eager to hear and afraid of what might happen.

"Inside was a gigantic lake. Harry did try summoning the horcrux but nothing happened except something jumped out of the lake. Dumbledore found a boat that had been magically hidden and they sailed to the middle of the lake where there was an island. Harry saw a body in the lake."

"It's guarded by Inferi!" Sirius exclaimed, looking worried and disgusted. Hermione nodded.

"Oh no." Lily whimpered, hiding her face in James' shoulder.

"Don't worry Lils. He is with Dumbledore. Harry will be just fine." He comforted her. Dumbledore beamed at him.

"On the island they saw a basin with a potion in it. The only way to get rid of it was to drink the potion."

"Not a good idea." Remus moaned. "But it has to be done."

"Yes. Professor Dumbledore drank the potion. I'm not sure exactly what it did. Harry said it made him relieve his worst memories. Kind of like a dementor I think."

Dumbledore had closed his eyes a grimace on his face as if reliving it now.

"Once it was all done, Harry grabbed the locket. The professor was asking for water, but Harry couldn't conjure any. Every time he did it disappeared."

"Meaning he has to use the , no, no." Sirius mumbled.

"As soon as he did the inferi started attacking. Thankfully professor Dumbledore used fire to get rid of them and they made it out of the cave, but the professor was really weak. Harry managed to apparate both of them back to Hogsmeade."

"Oh thank goodness they made it out ok. Well, alive." Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

"They borrowed broomsticks from Madam Rosmerta as the Dark Mark was hanging over Hogwarts."

"Oh god. Not now. This can't be happening." Lily was muttering frantically.

"How did Death Eaters get into Hogwarts." McGonagall gasped. Flitwick and Dumbledore were exchanging worried glances.

"They got to the astronomy tower, Harry had his cloak on, and Dumbledore asked him to fetch Snape. He was about to go when Malfoy came in. He disarmed the professor as Dumbledore froze Harry with a non-verbal spell."

"But Harry could have gone to get help!" Sirius cried.

"Why would use freeze him?" Lily asked frantically.

"Malfoy admitted he had been repairing the vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement. It had a counterpart in Borgin and Burkes, which is how the Death Eaters got in. Madam Rosmerta was under the imperius curse and gave the necklace to Katie. It was her who alerted Malfoy to the fact Dumbledore had left the school as they had to go to Hogsmeade to apparate away."

"The little slimeball is smarter than he looks." Sirius spat.

"Professor Dumbledore offered to hide Malfoy from Voldemort and Malfoy was lowering his wand when other Death Eaters arrived. The Carrows, Greyback,"

Remus gave a wolfish snarl at his name.

"And Bellatrix." Hermione spat out the last name. Everyone scowled. "Then Snape arrived." Hermione was struggling now. Tears were threatening to spill over. Sirius noticed and pulled her off the couch and into his lap, stroking her hair softly. "He...he." Hermione started sobbing. "Snape killed Dumbledore." There was a stunned silence. Lily quickly picked up Harry and left the room with him as the marauders and McGonagall started shouting expletives and threats.

"That lying little scumbag." James scowled

"Dumbledore trusted him!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Snape is going to die." Remus said in a quietly, carefully controlled voice.

"Oh, Albus." McGonagall sniffed. Dumbledore patted her arm, muttering,

"It hasn't happened yet Minerva." Lily came back in without Harry, tears on her cheeks. Sirius was still holding Hermione in his lap, and James pulled Lily to him.

"We are going to fix this. The first Death Eater I take out is going to be Snivellus." Sirius said. Hermione took a few minutes to calm down and the called for everyone to listen again.

"I just want to get this over with." She said. Everyone nodded. "Well, the freezing charm on Harry broke so he started chasing after the Death Eaters. He put a full body bind on Greyback and stunned one of the Carrows. Then he took off after Snape. By the time he caught up, they were already at Hagrid's. They set his hut on fire and Bellatrix used the cruciatus curse on Harry while he was duelling Snape."

"I really am going to kill my cousin too." Sirius said mildly.

"Snape and Malfoy managed to disapparate from outside the grounds. Harry helped Hagrid put out the fire on his house. Harry told Hagrid what had happened and why Snape was with the Death Eaters. Hagrid took him back up to the castle. People were coming out of the castle and gathering by Dumbledore. He had fallen off the astronomy tower when the spell hit." Hermione mumbled the last bit.

Sirius hugged her a bit tighter, murmuring comforting words in her ear.

"Harry opened the locket and saw a note. The locket was a fake. It said that someone had found the horcrux already and planned to destroy it. It was signed R A B."

"No." Sirius' eyes went wide with shock.

"What?" James asked him anxiously.

"Those are my brother's initials." Sirius whispered.

"He did something good." James smiled slightly.

"He switched back." Sirius grinned to himself. "We just have to keep him alive this time."

"We will." Hermione promised him. "The order gathered in the hospital wing. Bill Weasley had been attacked by Greyback."

"No!" Lily and Remus cried together.

"It wasn't a full moon so he didn't turn into a werewolf. He just had bad scars and a few wolfish tendencies." Hermione assured them. "Nobody on our side had been killed in the fight below. Harry had to tell them what happened."

"Why is it always Harry who has to witness the worst events." James groaned. "If people had just believed him sooner, this may never have happened." He added angrily.

"Yeah, I want to know just why you trusted Snape so much." Remus added, Looking at Dumbledore.

"I do not know. As far as I am aware, Severus is a Death Eater. I would not have trusted him without some solid proof." Dumbledore said.

"Yeah. Some good it did." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Molly and Arthur Weasley arrived then as well. Harry explained how the Death Eaters got in. Ron and I felt impossibly guilty for not believing Harry when he said Malfoy was up to something in there." Hermione hung her head.

"'Mione, not even the order believed him. It's not your fault. Nobody expected a sixteen year old kid to get even half as close as he did." Sirius assured her.

"Yeah. You're still one of the best witches I know." James smiled at her.

"Thanks guys." She gave them a watery smile. "Ron explained that he, Ginny and Neville went to keep watch on the room of requirement. Malfoy used Peruvian instant darkness powder to get passed them. By the time they got out of it, they found some members of the Order and told them what had happened."

"At least they found someone quickly It probably saved a few people's lives." McGonagall said.

"Meanwhile, Luna and I had been keeping tabs on professor Snape as Harry instructed. Around midnight Professor Flitwick came running down shouting about Death Eaters and fetching Snape."

Flitwick held his head in his hands. "I actually fetched him." He muttered miserably.

"It's not your fault Filius." Dumbledore assured him.

"All of us trusted Snape. We were probably pleased he was coming to help." McGonagall told him.

"Well Luna and I heard a thump and Snape came hurling out saying the Professor had fainted. So we went to take care of him and let Snape go."

"Good. If you had tried to stop him he would probably have cursed you." Remus told her.

"Just then, Molly, Arthur and Fleur arrived. Fleur declared that she didn't care about Bill even if he became a werewolf, she still wanted to marry him. Tonks then turned to Remus and used Bill and Fleur as an example, saying she didn't care if he was a werewolf."

"Back up. Back up. My little cousin has a crush on Remus?" Sirius asked in astonishment. Remus simply stared at Hermione as if he had never seen her before.

"Bit young for you isn't she Moony?" James asked with a grin.

"Remus did try to argue with her, but you loved her Remus. You didn't need to push her away." Hermione told him. "She didn't care you were a werewolf. Or that you were older, or anything. She loved all of you."

"But…" Remus seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Sirius was eyeing him through narrowed eyes.

"No making a move for a long time yet Mr. She is way too young at the moment." Remus just glared at him. Hermione hit Sirius over the back of the head.

"Be nice. He obviously isn't going to start a relationship with her just because I said it happened in the future. They aren't the same people right now." She pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah, well. I'm just saying." Sirius muttered.

"Well, we had an end of term feast and all lessons suspended, exams postponed. A lot of students stayed for the funeral. The professor was buried at Hogwarts. The Minister tried once again to get Harry on his side and tell him what Dumbledore had been up to. He broke it off with Ginny."

"He what? Why would he do that?" James asked angrily.

"Harry wasn't going to Hogwarts for his seventh year. Me, Harry and Ron were going Horcrux searching. Harry didn't want news of him and Ginny to reach Voldemort and him try to use Ginny against Harry." Hermione explained.

"You three are going to search for bits of Voldemort's soul, which could be anywhere, alone?!" Lily asked, looking incredulous. Hermione nodded.

"Are you insane? At least take someone with you." James said.

"The less people that knew, the better. We weren't going straight away. We had to wait for Harry to turn seventeen. We also wanted to go to Bill and Fleur's wedding so we were going to spend some time at the Burrow first. Preparing.