Well, looks like my writing mojo is back for the time being. Let's hope it stays that way… and I very much hope that you enjoy this chapter. Particularly the second half!
Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix
Chapter 58:- True Friends
"Harry really tried to break his wand?" Dumbledore ran a hand over his face, the news having reached the ears of Mavis Vermillion who was now relaying it to the Headmaster. "I knew that there would be strong, negative repercussions to what he learned but for him to go that far… he's always been so steadfast in the past."
"It's hardly surprising," Mavis whispered quietly. "He must feel like… he's been cursed. And not in terms of having a random spell thrown at him but as if he's destined for misfortune and evil at Voldemort's hand. The torment he must be going through… he must be going through absolute hell."
"Indeed… You sound as though you speak from experience, Miss Vermillion."
"As do you, Dumbledore-san."
"Well… we all have a past, don't we?"
"Yyyyep," Mavis smiled. "And some of our pasts are more… tragic… than others but if we hadn't pushed forward we wouldn't be where we are now."
"And yet Harry isn't pushing forwards. Not this time. He's practically giving up," Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps telling him about the Horcrux within him was a mistake after all."
"No," Mavis shook her head insistently. "No, it was the right call. If Harry found out you'd kept that from him then not only would he on the verge of giving up, he would also be furious with you. No… you did the right thing."
"At the moment it does not feel like the right thing."
"You're worried about him. And based on what's happening, I suppose that's understandable. But I'm not worried about him at all."
"You aren't?" Dumbledore raised a brow.
"Nope," Mavis smiled. "Because I refuse to underestimate his friends. I have absolute faith that Ron, Hermione and the others will find a way to snap him out of this depression he's sinking into. All of us fall low from time to time, but that's one of the many reasons we have friends… because they pick us back up again when we reach those points. Their feelings will reach Harry. Of that, I have no doubt."
"…That's a remarkable attitude you have there, Miss Vermillion," Dumbledore smiled. "But… you are quite right of course. I have no alternative but to leave this in Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger's hands… but I'm sure they'll pull through too. For now though… we must focus on getting Harry the answers he will so desperately crave when they do pull him out of all this. And… I think I have a good idea of where to start."
"Oh yes?" Mavis asked. "Where's that?"
"Now that we know that Voldemort truly did make Horcruxes, we must find out where he learned it from. And I believe that I know where that might be. And I believe the most likely place is in this book," he reached into his desk and patted the same 'Secrets of the Darkest Art' book that he'd shown to Harry before. "When I became Headmaster I had this book removed from the Hogwarts library, but it was still there when Lord Voldemort attended the school as Tom Riddle. So it's likely that he learned about it from here. And I suspect he may have discussed the subject with one other person before leaving. A man named Horace Slughorn."
"What makes you think he would have told him?"
"Slughorn was the Head of Slytherin house back then. A good man, but a little naive. I tried to warn him about Tom but he was completely enamoured by his charming facade and believed him to be an exemplary student as everyone else did. And yet after Tom became Lord Voldemort, I noticed… a change… in Slughorn's behaviour. While everyone who knew Tom was shocked and horrified by what he'd become, Slughorn seemed particularly weighed down by it. As if he carried some… deep guilt… that showed itself whenever Voldemort's name was mentioned. I always found that very unusual - Slughorn would never intentionally do anything to aid in a man in his quest to become the Dark Lord. But… Voldemort was very skilled at manipulating people even then."
"You think he may have tricked Slughorn into giving him information about these Horcruxes?"
"It is an educated guess… but it seems like a distinct possibility. Especially since Horace seems to have gone on the run ever since Harry claimed that Voldemort had returned. Horace must know something… and I've been trying to find him ever since Bickslow confirmed my suspicions when he saw Voldemort's soul within Harry's body. And now… I believe I've managed to track him down."
"Well then…" Mavis smiled. "In that case I think it would be best to pay him a visit. I'll go and get the Raijinshuu. I have a feeling they may be useful on a mission like this."
Horace Slughorn sat back in his armchair, a slightly glazed look in his eyes as he flipped the channel on the television before him. Television was truly a perk that came from hiding out in Muggle houses while their owners were away on holiday. Why wizards hadn't come up with entertainment techniques like this yet was utterly perplexing to him.
But he was only half paying attention, only listening with one ear. The other ear was straining to try and hear what was going on outside, as it had been doing ever since Death Eaters had visited his house several months ago to try and recruit him. Why Voldemort would want him around was beyond him as Slughorn was hardly a great fighter… but he had a few guesses. None of which were pleasant. And if he heard a single Apparition crack, he would either be out of there or he'd attempt to hide again by vanishing the armchair he was sitting on and transfiguring himself into one.
It had worked before. He had high hopes it would work again.
Yet he was, at that moment, completely unaware of the little wooden doll floating just outside the window behind him, staring in at him.
"Okay, we're good to go," Bickslow whispered, staring through the eyes of the wooden doll at their target.
Slughorn received one of the greatest frights of his life when Albus Dumbledore suddenly walked in through the door.
"MERLIN'S BEARD!" he cried, leaping to his feet and tripping over the armchair to awkwardly stumble into the wall. "Albus!? Is… is that you?"
"It has been far too long, Horace," Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're looking remarkably well for someone who's in hiding."
"…I… I…" Slughorn clasped at his chest, panting heavily. "I've seen better days. But… what… what in the world are you doing here?"
"Well… I believe you're aware of the fact that Lord Voldemort has returned… are you not?"
Slughorn winced at the name, as most people did, but his face also paled, and there was the ghost of fear and remorse at the back of his eyes. One which the ever-observant Dumbledore caught in an instant.
"I… am aware of what the papers say," Slughorn said slowly. "But… if you really believe that Albus then…"
"You know as well as I do that it's the truth, Horace. I cannot fathom why you would be in hiding if you weren't concerned that Voldemort or his followers might descend on you at any moment. After all, you're not a wanted man. Why else would you flee in the way you have? And I would very much appreciate it, as a favour, if we could get to the root of the matter quickly. I require your assistance, Horace. If my guess is an accurate one, as they usually are… you have a certain memory that I would like to view."
Now Slughorn was really white. He was putting polar bears to shame in that moment. "Memory, Albus? Why… I… I cannot possibly fathom what I could possibly provide you with. I mean… I have many a fond memory of course but none that you could make use of I'm sure."
"Horace," Dumbledore said gently. "I get the feeling you and I both know exactly what I'm talking about."
"…Albus," Slughorn croaked slowly. "I have never helped him. Not once after he became… You-Know-Who. You must surely know that."
"I do, Horace, but the event I am alluding to transpired before then, did it not?"
"…What event… exactly… are you talking about?"
"I want to know Horace. Did Tom ever approach you to ask… about Horcruxes?"
Slughorn almost fell back into his armchair and he immediately started shaking his head. However, paradoxically he didn't deny it. "Yes. Yes, he did," he said, and the moment he did he clamped his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that! It was as if the words had jumbled themselves on their way to the tip of his tongue. And as he tried to backtrack and deny it again, the exact same thing happened.
"He… he stayed behind one night after the Slug Club and…" he choked and closed his mouth, deciding to cut himself off from saying anymore.
"I apologise," Dumbledore said sadly. "I wish this could have been handled more tastefully, but I'm afraid these are desperate times."
"What did you do, Albus?" Horace gasped.
"An… associate of mine… has set up special runes all about this house. As long as we are within its borders, neither of us can tell a lie."
"What!?" Slughorn gaped. "But… but that's not even a thing!"
"And yet I have not spiked your drink with Veritaserum. Try and tell a lie, Horace. Anything you can think of."
Slughorn frowned and attempted to say, "My name is Gwenog Jones." What he actually said was, "My name is Horace Slughorn." He blinked and tried several more times to say something inaccurate but to no effect. He really couldn't tell a lie right now!
"Again, I apologise," Dumbledore said. "But I assure you it is paramount that I find out what you know. Please, you cannot hide this any longer. I am already aware that Voldemort has created a surplus of Horcruxes. I need to know what he discussed with you that day."
"I can't, Albus," Slughorn shook his head. "I… I can't. It's my fault. I'm the one who… I should have… I didn't think he would ever…"
"I know, I know," Dumbledore said soothingly. "You are far from the only person he ever tricked and, to be honest, I suspect he already knew what he needed to know before he ever came to speak with you about it. But I must know what he discussed with you."
"If he found out I told you…"
"I will ensure your protection, Horace. I will organise a place for you to stay at Hogwarts if you so desire. And not only that, but your information will be of paramount help to young Harry. It could help him on the path he needs to take in order to defeat Voldemort at last."
"Harry… Potter?" Slughorn asked, and suddenly he had just a tiny glint in the back of his eyes. Dumbledore smiled - it seemed that Slughorn's fondness for associating with well-known individuals who were likely to rise high in society had not changed in the slightest. And that was the ultimate secret weapon he intended to use for this very meeting.
"Indeed. If you agree to share this memory with me, I will see to it that you are introduced. And not only that… but I will allow you to meet some of the most remarkable people I have ever encountered in my life. I will allow you meet… Fairy Tail."
"What!?" Slughorn reeled back in shock. "You mean… those terrorists!? The ones that are supposedly from an entirely separate universe? Why in the world would I ever want to come face to face with any of them?"
"Come now, Horace. You know that the newspapers aren't telling the truth about Voldemort. What makes you so sure they're telling the truth about the Fairy Tail mages? I can assure you that Fairy Tail are far from terrorists. They are… headstrong certainly but they are also kind, altruistic and quite frankly rather dazzling. Not to mention extremely powerful. I am getting to know all of them reasonably well and they are all alike and yet somehow all very diverse at the same time. You would love them. Of that I have no doubt."
"…You're serious?" Slughorn asked slowly.
"I cannot lie anymore than you can right now," Dumbledore smiled. "Even I don't have the power to oppose Freed's runes. And Fairy Tail are actually on my side, trusted comrades in the fight against Voldemort. Think of all the power they possess… stood before you and defending you from Voldemort. And what unique members of the Slug Club they would be."
Now Slughorn was beginning to look almost greedy, as if he'd just discovered he'd won every lottery in the world all at the same time. "You promise me, Albus? You're not pulling my leg?"
"Not in the slightest. In fact I brought three of them with me. It was one of them that set up the runes around your house. Would you like to meet them?"
Before Slughorn could even reply purple symbols seemed to creep in through the window and cluster together, transforming themselves into none other than Freed himself. The green-haired man stood with his hand over his face, the green symbol of Fairy Tail boldly jumping out into the astonished Slughorn's line of sight.
"The pleasure is all ours," Freed said by way of greeting. "Greetings, Horace Slughorn. I would be most interested in hearing more about this… Slug Club of yours."
"Despite the rather unflattering sounding name, that is," Evergreen said as she emerged from the same door Dumbledore had walked through, fanning herself lightly.
"KYA-HA! Sounds like a riot to me!" Bickslow cried as he actually somersaulted through the same window as Freed. "My babies and I are itching for a party. Doesn't feel like we've had one in ages!"
"Party, party!" the wooden dolls cried as they swirled around Bickslow's head.
"My… my goodness…" Slughorn gaped. "You are… all three of you… members of Fairy Tail?"
"That's us. Drink us in," Evergreen smirked. "We're quite something, aren't we?"
"Showing modesty as ever, Ever," Freed chuckled lightly, both at Evergreen's reaction and the fact he'd just repeated the same word twice. "And yes, we are Fairy Tail. And Dumbledore is correct. We mean know harm to the people of this world."
"Unless they wear skull masks and black hoods," Bickslow snickered. "In which case we mean plenty of harm!"
"…Remarkable!" Slughorn cried, hurrying forwards to shake all three of their hands one after the other. "Absolutely remarkable! You must tell me everything. What kind of magic do you use? How powerful would you say you are? What's you're world like? Are you among the elite of that world or…"
"Much as we would love to answer all of those questions for you," Freed interrupted. "I'm afraid the mission comes first. Are you willing to give us what we came here for, Slughorn-sama? We will tell you all you wish to know, if you do."
Slughorn's face fell and he looked from the Raijinshuu to Dumbledore repeated. "…I… I don't…" he croaked, but Dumbledore raised a hand.
"If he so wanted, Master Bickslow here could force you to give us that memory," he said. "He has… a way with people. But I would prefer not to appeal to you instead, Horace. You're a kind person who was taken in by a charming young man. You have nothing to feel ashamed of with regards to that memory. If you would be so kind as to give it to us, we will not only protect you, but you could be providing the key to Voldemort's downfall. If that were to happen… would it not entirely absolve you of all that guilt? Do what's right, Horace. For Lily's son?"
"And for the whole damn world," Evergreen chimed in.
Slughorn stood frozen upon the spot for a good half a minute before finally he sighed and took out his wand. "I hope you can forgive me when you have seen it," he whispered.
"I am sure there will be nothing to forgive," Dumbledore assured him. "And I have forgiven others for far worse, believe me." And he watched with a smile as Slughorn slowly withdrew the silver memory from his head and sent it whistling into one of his own potions vials, which promptly capped itself to seal the memory inside. Slughorn sighed heavily, as if a truly tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders before he turned to engage the Raijinshuu in almost rabid conversation. Dumbledore lifted the vial and stared at the memory within with a sense of complete satisfaction.
With this, they were one step closer to stopping Voldemort for good. And, with any luck, helping Harry to regain sight of that very goal.
For the Minister of Magic, it had been a rather slow couple of weeks. As the battle between Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart, Morgana and the Death Eaters had taken place a considerable way offshore on an island with no inhabitants, it was one of the few large scale brawls that had broken out recently which Wizarding Public had not noticed at all. And as a result, as far Fudge was concerned, Fairy Tail had completely gone to ground since the Azkaban outbreak.
It was an unnerving quiet. He'd expected them to go tearing through other villages and towns left, right and centre but… nothing.
Every so often it did make him wonder… was it possible that those Spirits were telling the truth about them? That they really weren't a threat? …No… no they had to be. Or… maybe they'd just upped and gone home somehow!? That would be magnificent.
But whatever the case, the Ministry still had to continue their relentless search for the mages, and that was why Cornelius was driving to Aurors to make any arrest they could if there was even the slightest evidence that someone might be conspiring with the Fairy Tail guild. Of course, Scrimgeour and the vast majority of his Aurors already knew the truth and were putting on a front to make sure they weren't suspected when they were really searching for Death Eater activity instead… but there was nothing on that front either.
Whether they suspected Fairy Tail or Voldemort as being the main enemy, both Scrimgeour and Fudge were convinced that this was the calm before the storm. But what that storm would be… neither of them could be sure.
Nevertheless, to keep up appearances, both of them agreed that arrests had to be made, albeit for different reasons. Which was why the Wizengamot was currently in full session, interrogating a man that had been overheard drunkenly declaring that some of the Fairy Tail girls that he'd seen were 'actually kinda hot' in the Leaky Cauldron the previous night. That was the only reason he'd been arrested… and it was the best reason out of five arrests that had been made that week. But the only way to show that the Ministry was even doing anything was to at least make some arrests.
"You deny any involvement with Fairy Tail even after what you said?" Fudge asked, leaning forward expectantly.
"Please… I promise I don't know anything about them," the wizard whimpered. "I don't even know their names. I just… I just said that because I saw them when they broke into the Ministry the first time and… and… well, you know…"
"Yes," Amelia Bones coughed, raising a hand to keep him from carrying on. "Thank you… I think we all know what you were thinking. There's no need for the details. Minister, this is ridiculous. There's absolutely no way this man knows anything whatsoever about the Fairy Tail mages. He probably knows less about them than any other person in this whole room."
"Or perhaps he is simply a brilliant actor," Fudge declared. "Perhaps we should try him under Veritaserum."
Amelia wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste, remembering well the incident at Levy McGarden's hearing. "That would be… in poor taste, Minister. I motion that this man is innocent of all charges put against him. All those in favour?"
Every hand in the room was raised except for Fudge's himself, who grunted in frustration. "Very well," he said. "But take him back to the holding cells for the rest of the night. Perhaps that will teach him to watch his tongue next time he goes out drinking."
The man was led out gratefully, and Fudge rubbed his temples. He just didn't have anything to go on and if he didn't start making actual imprisonments soon he'd be labelled incompetent by the people. What was he to do? Dolores might have some good suggestions… but Fudge wasn't quite willing to trust her state of mind right now. Not after her recent hallucinations.
"My, my. Things don't seem to be going terribly well for you, do they?"
Fudge's head shot up, as did many other heads. And sure enough, there was Loke, leaning against the doorframe and smiling amicably with arms folded. His presence caused an instant stir amongst the Wizengamot, many of them remembering him from when he'd shown up in the middle of the attempted Dementor's Kissing of Sirius Black. Amelia Bones was one of them, and she immediately got to her feet.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"And how do you keep managing to get past all of our security?" Fudge shouted.
"Why would I tell you that exactly?" Loke asked with a slight roll to his eyes. "But to answer your question, Madame Bones," he dipped his head in respect. "I'm here to make another attempt to persuade your Minister to see sense when it comes to Fairy Tail. Only this time I decided to attend when the entire Wizengamot was present since I'm beginning to doubt Fudge-san is ever going to actually listen to what I have to say."
"Of course I'm not going to listen to you!" Fudge declared. "I don't even properly know what you are and you keep breaking into our government building? Why should I trust anything you have to say about anything exactly?"
"A fair point, I admit," Loke shrugged. "But the astonishing lack of olive branches I'm seeing you try to extend to Fairy Tail compels me to keep trying. But… I've pretty much given all the evidence I can that they're not bad people so today I'm here to resort to a different approach. I figured that maybe if I can convince you to change your views on me - on the Spirits who side with the mages - maybe you'd be more willing to open up your mind to Fairy Tail as well."
"And what exactly do you want us to think of you?" Amelia asked.
"I want you to see us as we are, dear lady," Loke winked at her, which actually flustered the woman just a little bit. "Yes, we are powerful and yes, we don't come from your world. But we're also kind, caring, fun-loving and unendingly loyal. We may be different species, but we are almost exactly the same as humans in a great many ways. And we're most certainly not evil."
"You think a few simple words is just going to make us believe you after you broke out the most notorious Death Eater in existence!?" Fudge scoffed.
"No," Loke shook his head. "But I'd like to introduce you to someone who I think can at least make you think twice about us. May I introduce… the Harp Spirit. Lyra."
*Poof*
A puff of smoke and suddenly a girl with long, honey blonde hair, wearing a blue dress, a pink bonnet small, wing-like extensions poking out of her back and a massively wide smile popped out of thin air next to Loke, and with her she brought a large, greenish blue harp. She waved enthusiastically at the crowd of gaping wizards and witches.
"Hiya, hiya, hiya," she cried excitedly. "It's wonderful to be here. Oooh, is this my audience for the day, Leo? Quite a big one. It practically looks like a full house."
"I suppose it is, in a way," Loke chuckled. "Though might I remind you we are on something of a tight schedule, Lyra? Play them one of your most wonderful songs and maybe I'll take you out to dinner later. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Lyra's cheeks, which always came with a natural blush, darkened a little. "Oh Leo, don't let Lucy hear you say that. But I'm just so HAPPY!" she squealed excitedly. "It feels like aaaaaages since I've been summoned for anything and now I get to actually be useful! HOORAY!"
"I'm sure," Loke smiled. "So what do you have for us today?"
"One of my absolute favourites!" Lyra beamed. "I was saving this one for when Lucy came back from her imprisonment in time, but since it's not looking likely we'll actually be having that party for a while I'll sing it now!" she knelt by the harp and strummed it rhythmically, and the melodious noise that rippled forth from the strings seemed to wash over the entire audience. The tenseness in their muscles was almost immediately soothed even before Lyra opened her mouth and her beautiful voice floated into their ears.
"Old friend, I can see you
You're right there
Old friend, I swear
The bond between us will never be broken
You start walking, in the infinite wilderness
Hold back tears, and move towards tomorrow
I'm the star that's meant for you,
So I shine bright
This song is meant for you,
So show me your smile."
The song was slow but unimaginably sweet, and Lyra took her time, seeming to give each and every syllable of the song a true meaning. And it had quite a dramatic effect on the audience. They sagged back in their chairs as if Lyra's voice eased all of their wordly worries away by the end of the first line. Many of them closed their eyes to focus all their attention on their hearing. Even Fudge was completely and utterly captivated, staring at Lyra's fingers as she tugged and stroked lovingly at the strings of her harp. It was as if he'd never heard anything so pure in his life. Even several Aurors that rushed into the room just ended up standing by the door, not wanting the song to end.
Lyra held their attention as well as any Veela, but for entirely different reasons.
Amelia Bones was one of the few that didn't slip completely into a daze. Even she was utterly blown away by the song but she was able to keep just enough lucidity to notice Loke turning around to leave the room. She watched him go even as her ears demanded more of Lyra's singing, which was why she was able to notice Loke turning back at the last second to nod at her meaningfully before he left entirely. Now Lyra was alone, playing her song, and nobody even thought about trying to arrest her.
Sadly though, the performance couldn't last long. As before, Loke and Lyra had been summoned out of the Spirit World by Gemini, who was fast approaching the end of her five minute time limit in Lucy's form. By the time Lyra finished her song, there was only twenty seconds remaining. So the Harp Spirit simply stood, curtsied and then cried, "Hope you liked it everyone! Can't wait to perform for you again!" before she vanished into the Spirit World once more.
Gemini also disappeared a few moments later, but Loke remained since he had the ability to hold his gate open without his owner supplying the power. He quickly gathered up the Invisibility Cloak and gathered it over himself, crouching low and listening in to the reaction of the Wizengamot.
It was more or less exactly as he predicted.
"That… that was… beautiful…" said one of them.
"Beautiful doesn't do that justice… at all," said another.
"I can't believe that something that sweet is on the same side as people like Fairy Tail."
"…Maybe we've misjudged them. Maybe we've been misjudging them the whole time."
"There's no way any of You-Know-Who's followers could be that sweet, right?"
There was a distinct ripple effect as everyone in the audience began to wonder the same thing. Even Fudge took some amount of time to finally pull his head out of the clouds and try to regain control of the situation.
"…No… no, you mustn't think that. You must not be deceived by a simple… albeit wonderful… singing performance. Think back to the sirens of Greek legends. A beautiful song does not always constitute a good person!"
"Perhaps not," Amelia Bones said tersely. "But we all know that had that Spirit wanted to, he could have launched extremely powerful attacks our way, and yet instead he chose to have one of his fellow Spirits provide us with entertainment. It would be foolish to just assume that we know everything about these people when clearly we don't, Minister."
"…I… I suppose not," Fudge conceded, a little gratingly.
"Maybe we should at least consider reaching out to them somehow," suggested a witch near the back of the hall. "Offer them terms… a parley maybe."
"No, no we can't do that," said a nearby wizard. "They're too dangerous - they can't be trusted."
"But you know, even in all their attacks they've never actually killed anyone as far as we know."
"What about down in Chagford?"
"We don't have any proof that was them."
Loke smiled as he listened to the Wizengamot began to argue amongst one another. Lyra's song was hardly about to turn everything completely around, but it had at least planted the seed in many minds that maybe there was more to the mages than they'd initially thought. Fudge might be the leading power of the Ministry… but he wasn't the only one with influence. And maybe his subordinates could make him see sense where an outside source could not… maybe.
At any rate, this was a start.
But then he became aware of heeled shoes making their way towards the door of the courtroom and it was not long before Madame Bones stepped through it. She looked about at the seemingly empty hallway for a moment before whispering, "I am guessing you're still here right now, aren't you?"
"Quite correct," Loke chuckled, but he didn't take off the Cloak.
"Hmm… so… tell me truthfully, Master Spirit… what is your end game here? You seem to speak on behalf of Fairy Tail? What are they doing here in our world? And what do they want? The blue haired girl - Miss Levy - seemed very lost when we questioned her in this very hall. And it took quite a while to repair what happened to it, even with magic."
"I can assure you that Fairy Tail ended up in your world as a result of a complete freak accident within their own. All they want is to go home… and to help those that need helping wherever they can, even here. If the Ministry was to call off this manhunt for them… you would surely benefit from their support."
"I see… so… who attacked Chagford then?"
"A man named Bluenote Stinger. He is from the same world as Fairy Tail but he is not one of them. He comes from a Dark Guild known as Grimoire Heart, who were locked in battle with Fairy Tail before the accident occurred. There are other member of Grimoire Heart in this world too. Fairy Tail are no threat, but those guys are."
"Why did Fairy Tail attack Gringotts then?"
"That was mostly done by the three Dragon Slayers. Despite their name, they have a deep respect and love for dragons and refused to sit by when they heard about what the goblins did to dragons down there."
"Very well. I understand why the attack on Azkaban may have taken place, but why attack Malfoy Manor?"
"Because the Malfoys were holding two Fairy Tail members. Prisoners that Lord Voldemort was hoping to sway to his side before others arrived and busted them out."
"…Then it is just as I suspected."
"You believe me?"
"Honestly, even I am having a tough time with all this. And I am not quite ready to believe that You-Know-Who has returned without more evidence to point it out. The same goes for the alleged innocence of Sirius Black. But… I suspected Fairy Tail's motives for all their attacks were purely altruistic ones. What you say lines up with that?"
"Then you believe us?"
"…For now, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. There are many decisions that the Minister has made recently which I do not approve of. The whole smear campaign against Dumbledore and Mister Potter is one of them, but labelling Fairy Tail as enemies without trial or attempting to get to know them better is, in my view, an even bigger mistake. But I am willing to believe that they are not our enemies. I am the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I have a few strings I can pull myself. So, Master Spirit, please pass this message along to Fairy Tail. I will try and smooth the road as best I can towards a future where the Ministry and the mages can meet with one another and hammer this all out. As long as Fairy Tail is willing to play ball on that day, perhaps this whole mess can indeed be resolved."
Loke smiled. "That is excellent. Thank you, my dear lady. I will indeed pass on that message… and may I add before I go that you look particularly ravishing in those elegant robes. Farewell."
Madame Bones almost choked on her own saliva at that comment. "Careful now. You wouldn't want me to reverse my decision now would you?" she tried to say with dignity, but the reddened face somewhat lessened the effect. However Loke wasn't around to see it. He'd already vanished into the Spirit World, taking the Cloak with him to deliver it back to its owner.
But this was a big step forwards. They hadn't got the Minister on their side, but it seemed they'd gotten the next best thing within the Ministry. And perhaps that was all they would ultimately need.
It seemed that almost everyone had heard about how Harry had tried to break his own wand by the following day, and Harry found that he had almost no appetite. He barely touched his breakfast, and he hadn't exactly been able to do much work during his morning lessons without his wand, which Ron and Hermione had refused to give back to him in case he tried it again. The teachers has been left at a loss as to what to do about it. They could hardly punish him for it… it didn't feel fair to any of them to heap more punishment on top of Umbridge's torments… so they'd ended up just leaving him there, staring into space while everyone else tried to get on with their work.
Now Harry was at lunch and he still wasn't eating much. He poked his fork into his mashed potatoes absent-mindedly. Ron and Hermione were sitting by him, both of them trying to encourage him to eat, to talk to them… to do something! But Harry responded to them only with mild grunts and little sighs.
Their concern for him was touching, but as soon as they learned what Harry really was… what he had lurking inside him…
He couldn't bare to think about it.
"Hem, hem."
Harry's entire spine seemed to try and jolt out of his back at that sound. His gaze tracked upwards to see that Umbridge had apparently decided to waddle her way over from the staff table to speak with him. "Mister Potter," she said. "What's this I'm hearing? Is it true that you attempted to break your own wand last night?"
"…What if it is?" Harry asked, wrinkling his nose in irritation.
"Well now… that won't do will it?" Umbridge's oily smile was enough to make Harry feel ill all on its own. "How do you expect to pass your O. and proceed with your education if you don't have your wand?"
"I don't."
"And whyever not?" Umbridge put on a faux look of shock. "Have you perhaps realised at last that nobody in the Wizarding World with any sense is ever going to take you seriously again if you keep spreading all these lies about the Dark Lord?"
Harry's face burned. Ever since he'd learned he was a Horcrux Umbridge's smear campaign and denial against Voldemort's existence infuriated him even more than usual.
"Even if that's true, Mister Potter, I must insist that you take up your wand once again. As your teacher, it is my solemn duty to do my best to make sure you pass through your fifth year and…"
"Oh, is it!? Is it really!? Quit telling such bare-faced lies, you bitch! Everyone here knows what you're saying couldn't be further from the truth so why not just say what you really think!"
Harry's eyes widened in shock… for it had not been him that had spoken. It had been Hermione! She had surged to her feet and shouted at Umbridge loud enough for at least half of the Great Hall to hear, and a flabbergasted silence crashed over that half like a fifty ton weight. But nobody looked more stunned that Umbridge. This was hardly the first time she'd harassed Harry but nobody else had intervened in such a manner before. She hadn't expected anyone to this time either.
"…How dare you…!?" she blustered. "How… how dare… Miss Granger, hold your tongue! How dare you speak to your teacher in such a manner! One-hundred points from Gryffindor… and detention for the rest of the week!"
"Oh, what are you going to do?" Hermione growled. "Carve up the back of my hand like you've been doing to Harry?"
"I thought you had more sense than this, Miss Granger!" Umbridge snarled. "I am your teacher and you would do well to…"
"Teacher!?" suddenly Ron was on his feet as well, and he towered quite considerably over the short woman. "What do you mean teacher? You're not trying to teach us anything except meaningless crap!"
"Silence Mister Weasley!" Umbridge shouted.
"No, you silence!" Ron bellowed, and now everyone in the Great Hall was looking their way in shock. "Shut your damn mouth, you little insult to toads! Nobody wants to hear anything you have to say anyway, nobody wants you here, so why don't you just go away and leave Harry alone."
"Guys…" Harry croaked.
"Another one-hundred points from Gryffindor!" Umbridge screamed. "And…"
"You think we care about points!?" Ron shouted. "The House Cup means jack compared to how much we care about Harry, and you're totally screwing him over with all your smarmy undermining."
"There's only so much we can take, Professor," Hermione agreed, spitting out the last word like it was the most vile thing she'd ever had in her mouth. "I'm not going to just sit there and watch you degrade my friend anymore."
"And neither am I!" Ron agreed.
"Your friend is a glory hound!" Umbridge snarled. "He's a liar, a fraud and an attention seeker. I am simply doing my duty to the Ministry and to the innocent students of this school in my attempt to silence his idiotic stories about the Dark Lord. I am doing what is necessary!"
"You're just doing what Fudge wants you to," Hermione growled. "And you're enjoying it to! You love messing with Harry's life. It makes you feel important and powerful, doesn't it? And you're enjoying messing with Hogwarts too. You're a leech on the wall of this school!"
"Yeah, and I can't wait for the day I don't have to look at your ugly face anymore," Ron agreed. "Whether that be when I graduate, when I get expelled or when you're forced to leave when everyone finds out Harry's not actually lying!"
"SHUT UP!" Umbridge lost any semblance of cool she had left. "SHUT UP! SHUT… UP! THE DARK LORD IS NOT BACK!"
"YES, HE IS!" Ron roared straight into her face. "YOU-KNOW-WHO… VOLDEMORT… IS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD PLOTTING HIS NEXT MOVE AND YOU'RE JUST RAGGING ON HARRY AND PUTTING YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR EARS WHENEVER HE MENTIONS IT! YOU ALL ARE!"
Even Hermione was momentarily stunned that Ron had actually used Voldemort's name. Of the three he was definitely the one most scared by its use, but in his moment of anger he'd overcome it with flying colours.
"YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT!?" Umbridge yelled. "YOU REALLY BELIEVE THE WORDS OF THIS DELUSIONAL BOY OVER THAT OF YOUR MINISTER FOR MAGIC!"
"Damn right I do," Ron growled.
"And we're not the only ones either," Hermione chipped in. "You can deny it all you want Umbridge, but the truth will get out eventually and you will look like the bloodsucking moron you are when it does."
"You little…!" snarled Umbridge, but before she could say anything else…
"I believe Harry too."
Umbridge's words died in her throat and everyone's attention turned to Neville Longbottom, who was now also on his feet a short distance down the table. Neville looked scared, terrified even to be in the spotlight like he was, but he didn't back down. "Harry's never lied about anything like this before and he's not stupid enough to start spreading such a big story if it wasn't true. And he's sticking with it, no matter what you do to him. So… yeah… I believe him. And I have from the start."
"Return to you seat at once, Mister Longbottom, before I…"
"Why don't you return to your seat?" Ginny suddenly stood up as well. "Nobody wants to talk to you anyway. And nobody with a lick of sense about them is going to believe you over Harry anyway!"
"Shame there are a lot of people without a lick of sense," Fred said.
"But those of us who do have it are definitely on Harry's side," George agreed.
As Umbridge tried to find the right words to get the situation back under her control, suddenly she found herself under attack by other Houses as well when Ernie McMillan stood up too. "Even if Harry was lying, which I don't believe he is, you're just a joke. We learned more when we were being taught by a bloody Death Eater than we've been learning under you."
"And Harry wouldn't lie about this," Cho Chang rose up, her face awash with tears. "He's too good a person to use Cedric Diggory's death to bolster attention to himself!"
"Yeah, so leave him alone!" Colin Creevey cried.
"Go back to the Ministry!" shouted Terry Boot.
"Give us someone who will really prepare us for You-Know-Who as our teacher!" Padma Patil yelled.
It seemed Ron and Hermione had started a movement. Dozens of other students started getting to their feet. Almost all of the Dumbledore's Army members and even a great many students who actually weren't in the DA were all rising to come to Harry's defence. Harry didn't know how many of them believed him or how many of them just happened to dislike Umbridge, but either way… he felt a warm feeling spreading through his chest. A feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time… not even when teaching the DA. He spotted Zacharias Smith looking surly, but he also spotted Seamus Finnegan looking very uncomfortable with the fact that everyone around him, including Dean, was also now yelling at Umbridge…
…until eventually he too stood up and joined in the yelling.
"SILENCE!" Umbridge screamed, magically enhancing her voice until it rose above the din of the amassed Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. "QUIET ALL OF YOU! I'M STRIPPING YOUR HOUSES OF ALL THEIR POINTS! IF YOU DON'T BE QUIET NOW THEN ALL OF YOU WILL JOIN MISTER POTTER IN DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!"
"You can tell us to shut up all you like, Dolores," Hermione glared openly at her. "But it won't make a damn bit of difference. We'll always stand by Harry! No matter what he says, no matter what he does, even if he tries to push us away we'll stand by him!"
"Yeah," Ron nodded vehemently. "Whether it be against you, against the Ministry, against… Voldemort himself… we'll do it! So push off and leave him alone cos nothing you do will silence us."
Those words were met with applause from the rest of the yelling students and Umbridge spun around wildly, trying to single out a face from the crowd to yell at but now feeling massively overwhelmed…
…and it was in that moment that she spotted the werewolf again! She gasped and fell backwards as it stalked its way slowly towards her on all fours over the top of the Gryffindor table, picking its way slowly over the amassed plates and ignoring the students completely as its burning eyes focused on her. She screamed and immediately fled, turning around and dashing towards the back of the Great Hall. She didn't look back once, meaning she didn't see the werewolf not even chase her. She just bolted through the back exit and disappeared, leaving a mass of students jeering and laughing in her wake.
Harry looked round at those around him in wonder, most especially at Ron and Hermione. He'd never been so moved in all his life. It was hardly the first time that the students had rallied behind him. Many had cheered for him many times before, but that was usually only after he'd done something that was actually worthy of applause, like winning the Quidditch Cup in their third year. But this time they'd come to his defence, even after he'd spent the last week or so hating himself. Even after he'd stepped down from the DA, which had doubtless left many of them feeling betrayed, even after he'd tried to push everyone away… they'd all come to his side.
And Ron and Hermione had been at the forefront. Harry could practically feel his heart swelling and for the first time in days he actually smiled.
"…Thanks guys," he whispered.
"We meant it Harry. We really will stand behind you. Every step of the way," Hermione promised.
"No matter how angsty you get about it too. We're your friends mate," Ron nodded. "Even if you don't want us there, we're going to be there. End of story."
Harry bit his lip. They said that now… but would they feel the same if they learned the truth? Would they really want to hang out with someone… back someone… who had a piece of Voldemort inside him? He didn't want to find out… and it was too personal to him for him to put himself in their shoes and try to analyse what they'd think of him.
But considering what they'd just done… maybe… just maybe… Perhaps what convinced him the most was Ron finally gaining the courage to use Voldemort's name to help defend him. If he could do that… then maybe…
"Can you guys meet me in the Room of Requirement after school?" he asked quietly. "There's… something I think I should tell you."
Ron and Hermione beamed and immediately promised they would be there. And they weren't the only ones who smiled. Mavis chuckled from where she was hovering over the table, invisible to all except Pantherlily, who was already on his way back to the Room to rejoin the others after she'd summoned him.
"Well done, Ron and Hermione," she smiled. "I knew you could do it."
Harry paused at the door of the Room of Requirement, his fist clenching. He was beginning to wish that he'd waited until the lessons were over before asking Ron and Hermione to join him here. His nerves had built up over the rest of the day now that they knew he wanted to talk.
He could always back out… but how could after what they did for him at lunch? And even if their reaction was a negative one… he had to know. He had to know for sure what they would do when they found out the truth. He had to know if their words in the Great Hall had any weight to them or not.
So before he could lose his nerve entirely he pushed open the door and marched right on in. Ron and Hermione were already there waiting for him on the cushions of the DA practice room. And immediately they surged to their feet when he appeared.
"Harry, please," Hermione said before Harry could even think of what to say. "What's been going on with you recently? You haven't been acting like yourself at all and everyone… everyone's so worried about you."
"Hermione, give him space," Ron said quickly, and Harry was a little reminded of when he'd first seen them at Grimmauld Place that summer, back when they'd been keeping secrets from him on Dumbledore's instructions. The situation they were in now was about as reverse from that as it was possible to get, seeing as this time Harry was the one keeping secrets against Dumbledore's advice.
"We… need to take this somewhere else," Harry murmured. And just like that a door appeared on the opposite side of the room from the Fairy Tail training hall. Harry immediately made for it and pulled it open to reveal a small space beyond with three armchairs, and a little cosy fireplace like a smaller version of the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Hermione filed in after him, the latter closing the door behind her.
"So yeah," Ron coughed awkwardly as they settled down into their armchairs. "You've got to spill the beans, mate. Whatever's up with you is destroying you. It almost destroyed your wand for real and if you keep it up… heck, we don't even want to think about it."
"It can't be anything we know about," Hermione surmised. "If you were just being bothered by all the same old stuff you'd be powering through, pushing yourself on regardless, but you've ground to a complete halt. No, scratch that, you're going backwards. So tell us, Harry. We're here to help you."
Harry sighed, burying his face in his hands. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought, taking a moment to compose himself before eventually asking, "Have… have either of you heard of a Horcrux… before?"
Ron frowned and looked to Hermione, and seemed incredibly shocked when she too looked bemused. "A what?" she asked.
"It's… Dumbledore told me about them… last week. It's a really… really Dark piece of magic. Basically… a Horcrux is made… when a Dark Wizard splits their own soul, removes part of it from their body and… puts it into something else."
"…Say what?" Ron gaped. "That's real? That's a thing?"
"Yeah," Harry said miserably. "And when you create one, then you can stay alive even if your main body is destroyed."
"Oh Merlin," Hermione placed a hand over her mouth. "There's only one reason you could be telling us this isn't there? Voldemort… you're saying that he made one of these… Horcruxes… didn't he?"
"Oh yeah," Harry nodded dryly. "He made more than one actually. You remember Tom Riddle's diary, with the memory of Voldemort inside it? Apparently that wasn't really a memory, that was a piece of his actual soul. The diary was a Horcrux… and it wasn't the only one Voldemort made. If it had been…"
"…Then he would have been destroyed when you destroyed the diary," Hermione quickly surmised, her mind working quickly even in the midst of her obvious horror at what she was hearing. "Since that was before he regained his body. Oh… oh jeez…"
Ron looked similarly ill. "He splintered his own soul into pieces? That's just… I mean, I know we know people who can do things like merge their souls with animals or beasts but splitting it? That's just wrong."
"Tell me about it," Harry groaned. "The only way to create one is through murdering someone apparently."
"Damn… no wonder you've been in such a funk," Ron whispered. "If You-Know… I mean… if… Voldemort…" he choked out the word even though he still flinched. "…has got these Horcrux things then that means all of them need to be destroyed before we destroy the actual him. Damn… how the hell are we supposed to do that? He's… he's freaking immortal!"
"Something like that, yeah," Harry muttered dryly.
"But why wouldn't you tell us that?" Ron asked quickly. "I mean, its scary. It's really… really scary to think about that but you could have told us that, surely."
"…Yes, he could have," Hermione whispered. "But that's not all there is to it is there?" she leaned forwards slowly. "If that was all, then I could understand why you'd feel depressed for a while, but it wouldn't explain why you stepped down from the DA, or why you tried to break your own wand. There's got to be more to it than that… got to be a deeper, more personal reason why you would… do… those… things…"
Hermione trailed off, her eyes growing wider the quieter she got until they looked like ping-pong balls. Harry bit his lip. It seemed like he hadn't even needed to say the words. Hermione's clever mind had taken the one piece of information he'd given her and worked out the rest on the spot. And she went white a sheet, leaning back in her chair and staring at Harry with appalled horror.
"Oh Harry," she breathed, her voice barely audible.
"What?" Ron looked from one to the other sharply. "What is it?"
Harry couldn't barely to look at either of them in that moment. His face just disappeared into his hands again, leaving Hermione to reveal the truth on her own:-
"I think… Harry… has got a piece of Voldemort's soul… inside his own body."
"…What!?" Ron snorted. "That's nuts, Hermione. How could Harry have a piece of V… Voldemort… inside him. That doesn't make any sense…" But one look at Harry's haunted face made Ron shut up immediately, blink several times and declare, "Wait… are you serious!?"
"Yeah," Harry croaked, actually fighting back tears of despair at this point. "Dumbledore thinks… that his soul was so damaged when he tried to kill me… that part of it split off and entered my body accidentally when his own body was destroyed."
Ron drew back a little in horror. "You… what? You've got… that… inside you…?"
Harry winced at his reaction, and Hermione wasn't responding much better. But now that it was out in the open, everything came spilling out at once. "It explains… everything… absolutely everything seems to make sense now. Why the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, why my scar hurts whenever Voldemort feels strong emotions, why I can speak Parseltongue, why I can sometimes even look through his eyes and see what he's doing when I'm asleep! All these things which have haunted me since I learned about Voldemort - all of them add up now! It's because I've got a little piece of him glued onto my own soul, just… gripping my like… like a… I don't know what like! A piece of my parents' murderer! Inside me ever since the night he did it! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THAT!?"
Ron and Hermione couldn't thing of anything to say, watching as Harry surged out of his armchair to pace around the limited space, tugging at his hair as he unloaded all of his grief and fear at once. Needless to say they had both been rattled, Ron more so than Hermione. Their best friend was carrying around a shard of the soul of the most evil man to grace the world in thousands of years, possibly ever. It was a struggle just to process the fact, let alone figure out how they actually felt about it.
"Harry…" Hermione eventually whispered. "C… calm down…"
"How can I calm down!?" Harry shouted. "You're scared of me now, aren't you? I can tell by that look in your eyes. This is exactly what I thought was going to happen. How could anyone stand by me, the precious Boy-Who-Lived, when they know the truth about what I really am. I'm a bloody Horcrux! I'm part of the reason that guy's still alive. When you made friends with me, you made friends with a piece of him too. How messed up is that?"
"No… no, Harry… you… you can't think like that," Hermione gasped, trying to regain control of the situation when she realised that Harry was beginning to panic. "Think of everything you've done to try and stop Voldemort…"
"Yeah, and a fat lot of good that's done!" Harry yelled, his emotions on a rollercoaster as tears streamed from his eyes. "Everything I'd done against him and I've been supporting some of his life force the entire time. This bit of him inside him… this horrible connection with him… it's influenced half the decisions I've ever made, I'm sure of it. Even my wand probably chose me for him!"
"That's why you tried to break it," Ron whispered.
"Well, how could I keep it after that!?" Harry was practically pulling his hair out. "This is all so messed up! So go ahead and hate me if you want. I wouldn't blame you at all. I don't deserve to be the leader of the DA. I don't deserve any praise. I don't deserve you guys sticking up for me like you did earlier. Cos I'm a damn life support machine for that homicidal…"
*KABLAM!*
"AAAAAAAHHH!" Ron and Hermione both screamed as the door was smashed in with a burst of fire and a plume of smoke, while another voice roared, "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Harry stumbled backwards in shock as Natsu thundered out of the smoke with eyes ablaze, strode across the room and reared back his fist. Harry barely had a moment to comprehend what was about to happen before said fist crashed into his cheek, snapping his head backwards and sending him crashing to the floor with a strangled gasp.
"Natsu!" Hermione shrieked.
"The hell are you doing man?" Ron agreed, but Natsu just glared down at the gasping Harry.
"You moped around for days," he snarled. "You tried to break your wand… you pushed away your friends… because of stupid reason like that? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"
"…What?" Harry blinked, stunned at Natsu's reaction.
"Sorry!" cried another voice as Ginny stumbled into the room through the disappearing smoke, pulling one of Fred and George's Extendable Ears out from her own. "I tried to stop him but he charged in before I could."
"What were you two doing listening in like that?" Hermione cried.
Ginny shrugged. "I wanted to help Harry just as much as you guys but I didn't think you'd let me in. And Natsu saw me listening so… I gave him my spare Ear."
"Yeah, and it's a damn good thing I was listening too," Natsu growled. "I can't believe I heard what you just heard. I was expecting to hear a much better reason for withdrawing away from everyone than that crap you were saying."
Harry, having recovered from his shock enough to glare back at Natsu and nurse his smarting cheek, yelled, "How is me toting around part of the soul of my parents' murderer, a man who's murdered countless people, a bad excuse to feel depressed?"
"Because you're not Voldemort," Natsu stated, getting straight to the crux of the matter instantly. "You're not this Dark Lord guy any more than the rest of us in this room. You're Harry Potter. And you've never been anyone else but Harry Potter. So why the hell should this be affecting you so much?"
"…But… he's inside me!" Harry protested. "Don't you get that? Inside me… my body!"
"Yeah, and have you ever felt like him?"
"…What?"
Natsu folded his arms. "Have you ever got up in the morning and felt like murdering someone you don't like? Have you ever decided to just walk into the grounds and have a chat with a snake? Have you ever decided to hideously torture someone for the hell of it?"
"No, of course not!"
"Well there you are then! Like I said, you're Harry Potter. Yeah, maybe the part of Voldemort inside you has influenced your decisions sometimes, but only in regards to how you're going to stop the rest of him! It's never made you go off your rocker and it's never made you anyone other than the person you were born as. So why the hell are you so cut up about it?"
"…" Harry stared at Natsu in disbelief. "Because… because… it's HIM! Inside me…"
"So? Big deal. I don't really get it all, but as far as I can tell it's not doing anything to you other than giving you a couple of extra abilities maybe. And that doesn't determine who you are, just like my Fire Dragon Slayer magic doesn't determine who I am. I'd still be kicking bad guy butt if I was a Maker Mage like Gray or a Celestial Mage like Lucy. It's what you do that defines you. And from what I hear, you've been nothing but a stand-up guy until you started this bull. And you know what I'd do if I learned I had a piece of Zeref or whoever inside me? I'd figure out how to get it the hell out of me and then go punch that guy in the face instead of feeling sorry for myself about it. So why don't you do that with Voldemort!?"
Harry blinked several times. Natsu's words were an echo of the words that Dumbledore had told him in his second year, about how it was a person's choices that demonstrate who they really were.
"You'd really be able to shrug it off that easily?" he whispered. "You wouldn't be afraid of how your friends would react at all?"
"Nope," Natsu smirked. "Cos I know that a real friend would help me figure out how to deal with it. I don't think there's any good reason in the world to push your friends away. But what you're saying right now, that definitely isn't one."
"…Maybe you're right," Harry sighed. "But you… you don't understand. You don't have a connection to this Zeref guy like I do with Voldemort. This guys murdered my parents, Natsu. My mum, my dad… he killed them. And now… inside me…"
This time it was Ginny that spoke up. "But it's not like you're keeping him alive by yourself, Harry. He'd still be alive even if you hadn't become a Horcrux if he made others like you said, right?"
"Well… yeah… but…"
"And if it helps at all," Ginny said, her face totally straight. "I, for one, am glad that you're a Horcrux."
Whatever Harry had been expecting to hear, that had been right at the bottom of the list. His brain went almost completely blank, and he gaped up at Ginny in wide-eyed astonishment. And the only sound that he could muster from his voice box was:-
"…Huh?"
"Yeah, huh?" Ron echoed. "What are you talking about, Gin?"
"You should be glad he's a Horcrux too, Ron," Ginny smiled. "Because if he wasn't a Horcrux then I'd be dead right now."
"You would?" Harry blinked, but Hermione gasped.
"That's right, she would!" the brunette breathed. "Because that's what allows him to speak Parseltongue!"
"Exactly," Ginny said, kneeling beside Harry and putting her hand over his own, squeezing it comfortingly. "Even if you hadn't been a Horcrux, Tom Riddle's diary would still have found its way into my cauldron. I would have still been possessed by You-Know-Who, I would have been taken down to the Chamber of Secrets and I would have died there. But you saved my life, Harry… and the only reason you could is because you're a Horcrux."
Harry's eyes widened, shock rippling through him. Why had he not thought about that before!? "You… you're right," he whispered. "I would never have been able to get into the Chamber and save you if I wasn't a Horcrux."
"And that's why I'm glad you are one," Ginny said firmly. "You may have a piece of You-Know-Who's soul in you, but that allowed you to save me from another piece of him. And while I totally think you should get it out of you as soon as physically possible, I'm damn glad it was there when I needed it to be."
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered. "That's just nuts… but I agree. I'm glad you're a Horcrux too, Harry. And every Weasley alive with any sense whatsoever would tell you the same thing. See? You don't need to push us away! You're still the same Harry that saved my sister and killed You-Know-Who's pet and another piece of his soul, Horcrux and all! You've got no reason at all to be in this funk, mate!"
"Yeah," Hermione nodded firmly. "That one little piece of darkness inside you is far outshined by all the good stuff you've done, Harry. You think this is going to change our opinion of you? You couldn't be more wrong!"
Harry could barely understand the swelter of emotions swirling through him. "I just… felt so tainted," he whispered. "Like I had this… dark stain… coating the inside of my body like… tar. I couldn't handle it… but now…" he placed a hand over his chest, his heart thrumming as his other hand squeezed Ginny's own as it felt like the entire weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders. "Jeez… now… I'm actually glad I am too. Merlin, I never thought that would happen!"
"Well believe it now," Natsu smirked, pounding his own chest. "And even if all of this bozo Voldemort was inside you, it wouldn't change what anybody thinks of you. All it would mean would be that we'd all just pound on you until we forced him out! Plain and simple. So… you ready to stop moping around and actually be a friend to everyone again? Or do I need to punch you again?"
Harry grinned. He actually grinned. "No… but I think I deserved that first one. Thank you… thank you so much, you guys… seriously I can't thank you enough."
"Then don't bother trying," Natsu extended his hand down, allowing Harry to take it so he could haul the Chosen One back on his feet. "Just apologise and get on with being the guy everyone here knows you to be."
"…Yeah… thanks Natsu," Harry nodded, lifting up his fist and bumping it against Natsu's own. He then hugged the other three in turn; Ginny first, then Hermione, then Ron. "And you guys… you're the best. The absolute best. I hope you know that."
"I don't know about that," Ron shuffled awkwardly even as he patted Harry's back. "But we got your back all the same."
"So," Hermione coughed, and she pulled Harry's wand from out of her robes and offered it to him. "You think that you can take this back without trying to snap it again?"
Harry stared at the wand for a moment… yet another thing connecting him to Voldemort. But he no longer felt revulsion to it. Now he remembered how that connection had saved him in the graveyard, how it had allowed him to briefly talk to his parents again. Just how low had he sunk that he'd forgotten that in his own self-loathing? But that made it all the more impressive that his friends had managed to turn him around the very next day!
Without a word he took the wand from Hermione's hand and felt a warm glow seeming to spread through him, almost as if his own wand was sending him a signal that it was forgiving him for trying to break it. There was no anger there now. In fact, he actually felt whole again.
"Thanks," Harry smiled. "Thanks so much, all of you. But seriously… please don't tell anyone else about this. Not yet anyway. I'd still rather this didn't become public knowledge. I do not want Voldemort to actually find out about what I am so the less people who really know the better. The only others who know are Makarov, Mavis, Dumbledore, Laxus and the Raijinshuu. So… nobody else, okay?"
"Aye sir!" Natsu saluted with a grin. "Good thing Happy's not here. He's terrible at keeping secrets."
"Let us hope you're not the same, Natsu," said Mavis, which made everyone jump because none of them had noticed her presence in the doorway - largely because she had not wanted them to until that moment. "But now do you see, Harry? You have an extraordinarily hard burden to bear, knowing there's a piece of Voldemort inside you. But friends are the pillars that make supporting those burdens much easier to bear. I hope, that if something like this happens again in future, you won't try to keep it to yourself again."
"…I think I can safely promise you that I won't," Harry smiled, which made the others beam.
"Good. And with that in mind, Dumbledore would like to see you in his office. He believes he may have acquired something that you ought to see. The rest of you can accompany him, if you so wish. I'll use my illusion magic to cover you, Natsu."
"Awesome!" Natsu pulled his scarf over his face and crouched low, eyes flicking left to right wildly. "Like a ninja!"
"Yes, like a ninja," chuckled Mavis. "Come on, let's go."
She led the way out of the little room, but as they proceeded to the door Harry gripped Ginny's arm and pulled her back a bit so he could whisper something to her. "You know, when I asked for that Room, I was expecting it to be completely soundproof when it appeared. I was not expecting anyone outside to be able to hear what I was saying, even with Extendable Ears. I can't help but wonder whether the room ignored that part of my request… because it knew I needed to hear what you and Natsu might have to say. I won't forget this, Ginny. Thank you."
"It's really no problem," Ginny whispered, though an ever-so-faint blush appeared across her cheeks. "No problem at all. Come on quick. We're falling behind."
Harry smiled as Ginny ran to catch up with the others. She'd definitely come a long way since he first met her. First an excitable little child, then a nervous fan, then a quiet and reserved girl, but now she was becoming quite the cool and confident young woman. More so than Harry had really thought she had. But even after he'd saved her in the Chamber, she'd been more or less just… there. More in the background of his life than anything.
But he had a feeling after today, he was going to end up a lot closer to Ginny than before.
It turned out what Dumbledore wanted to show Harry was a memory, and when Harry withdrew from it, the first thing he gasped was, "Seven? Are you serious? He wanted to create that many?"
"So it would seem," Dumbledore murmured gravely. "I suspect he already knew most everything about Horcruxes that poor Horace told him in that memory. The entire conversation was most likely centered around that one question - could he create seven Horcruxes?"
"Jeez," Harry rubbed a hand over his face. "Do you think he succeeded?"
"That I cannot say for sure, but I am certain he created many," Dumbledore nodded. "He had many years after that to make more, and I suspect he at least got close to that number. That is why his soul was unstable enough to fracture when he was hit with his own Killing Curse, enough for some of it to try and seek shelter inside you."
The rest of the room was crowded with those who were actually in on Harry's secret, which wasn't many in the grand scheme of things but still felt like a lot. "Seven?" Ron whispered. "That's just mad. And these Horcruxes? They could be anything, right? Any object in the world?"
"I wouldn't think so, Mister Weasley," Dumbledore stated calmly. "Voldemort would not simply place part of his soul into an old tin can or a kitchen knife. I believe he would be very picky with his choice of Horcrux container. Voldemort is not one for sentimental value, but in this case I feel he would make an exception. Or alternatively he might have choose objects of great value if there is no sentimentality behind it."
"So that narrows down our search," Evergreen mused. "But it doesn't really give us any indication about where exactly we're supposed to be looking."
"I have a few theories," Dumbledore stated. "But now at least we have a number to work for. I doubt even Voldemort would risk splintering his soul more than seven times on purpose."
"Why seven?" Ginny asked with a frown. "That's quite a specific number."
"And a very prominent one," Hermione said. "Seven is believed by experts to be the most powerful magical number. Wizards and witches generally start using magic around that age, it's the number of years someone has to attend Hogwarts for. The school has seven floors, there are seven players on a Quidditch team… so many examples in the Wizarding World where the number seven is used."
"Correct, Miss Granger," Dumbledore nodded, he said with a twinkle in his eye. "And I might add there are seven Weasley children too."
"…So there are," Ginny blinked. "Wow, I never even thought about that."
"Seven," Natsu whispered to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's always seven…"
Harry blinked at the suddenly somber look on his face. "Natsu, are you okay?" he asked quickly. "Does… does the number seven mean something to you too?"
"…Yeah… yeah, it does," Natsu sighed. "My dad… the Fire Dragon Igneel… he disappeared without a word on July 7th, in the year X777. Just a bunch of sevens all lined up. And seven years after that is when I met Gajeel and Wendy, who's dragon parents disappeared on the same day. That number… it just keeps popping up out of nowhere."
"Perhaps it is quite a powerful number in your world too, Mister Dragneel," Dumbledore said. "But as you can see Harry, it is a most important factor here. I suspected Voldemort would try and create a number like seven… he most likely believes it will offer him extra protection somehow to have seven Horcruxes. But you have already destroyed one. That means there is a maximum of six left to destroy, not including the piece inside yourself. And now my mission is to find out exactly what the rest of them might be. I have a few theories. But I will need to chase them up and as soon as I know the answer, you have my word, you will be the first to know."
"Good," Harry nodded, his fist clenching. "And then… we'll destroy them all of them. And maybe then, finally… we can destroy him."
"That would be quite the start," Dumbledore nodded.
"Who knows, it could even be fun," Bickslow cackled. "Like a treasure hunt spanning the entire country. But one thing's for sure, as soon as I set eyes on a Horcrux, I'll know what it is. All we have to do is find them."
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "Now run along everyone. I have a great deal of thinking to do, and as important as this all is you still have studies."
Harry nodded and filed out of the office, with the others right behind him, except for the Raijinshuu who left via the window. Harry noticed that Natsu was still quite silent and contemplative, a peculiar look on his face given he was usually either grinning or snarling depending on the situation.
"Don't worry, Natsu," he said quietly. "I'm sure you'll find Igneel again. I dunno when… but one day."
"Yeah… yeah… one day," Natsu's fist clenched. "I'll definitely find you Igneel. If it's the last thing I do."
"Oh Merlin!" Hermione suddenly gasped. "Harry, I just realised, you're missing your detention with Umbridge! She's not going to be happy with that!"
"So are we," Ron pointed out. "She gave us detention at lunchtime as well, remember?"
"…Oh yeah."
"Screw her," Harry growled. "I'm not going to her detentions anymore. I'm not going to play any of her dumb games, and I'm not going to let her get to me."
"But Harry, she could still have you expelled…"
"Not for long, she can't," Harry declared. "Cos we're going to make sure she's not in the school much longer. I may have been preoccupied recently, but I was still listening when you guys told me what you'd been doing against her. It's brilliant, and now she's got practically the whole school rising up against her thanks to what you guys did in the Great Hall today. The whole school except the Slytherins that is. But the point is, she's losing her power. She's losing her authority. Now we just need to come up with something that will make her lose it completely. Something that will force Fudge to have her removed."
"That might still be a tall order," said Ginny. "Even though he's not exactly on board with her right now, Fudge still wants her here to do all her interfering. It'll take a lot to strong-arm him into pulling her out."
"That guy's a nutjob," Natsu grunted. "He needs more of a walloping to the face than you did, Harry. Way more! Lucy told me he was just as stupid when he met with Loke earlier today. Apparently he got some Bony woman on their side though so…"
"Wait, Bony?" Harry frowned. "You mean Madame Bones? Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Well that's good," Hermione smiled. "If she's on Fairy Tail's side now that's a massive step."
"No… no, it's more than good. It's great!" Ron cried. The others paused to look at him, and it looked like his mind was racing nineteen to the dozen.
"Ron, what are you thinking?" Harry asked.
"It's like a game of chess," Ron said. "Umbridge is the enemy King and we're backing her into a corner. What we have to do now is come up with a strategy that will force her to stay in that corner. We need to make sure all of our pieces in the right place at the right time and then… checkmate."
"Do you have an idea?" Harry asked quickly. Ron might not have been as intellectually smart as Hermione, but he knew from countless games of Wizarding Chess that when it came to strategic thinking, his friend was top notch… though he'd still like to beat Ron one day.
"I… I might have," Ron murmured. "But to pull it off… we'd need someone on our side that Umbridge would trust. Someone that she wouldn't think for a second would be against her or trying to deceive her… and that's not exactly easy considering what happened at lunch. Like we said, most of the school rose up against her there… so we need someone that she thinks is unquestioningly still on her side."
"…Are you saying what I think you're saying, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"What was the name of that girl you were talking about the other day?" Ron asked. "The one you thought could make a good member of the DA before Harry quit?"
"Daphne Greengrass," Hermione said.
"That's the one," Ron nodded. "You might want to get in touch with her. I can't believe these words are about to come out of my mouth… but I think we need a Slytherin."