After a couple of days in the hospital, Ron was finally let go after a final onceover by Madam Pomfrey. It was free period and everyone was socializing more or less in the Great Hall. Most of the Cullens were in the Great Hall, making sure that nothing was going awry, plus Ella didn't want to be too far from Harry. She feared that something was going to happen, despite all of Alice's reassurances that nothing will happen anytime soon. For a moment, Ella saw a several white flakes come down from the ceiling when she heard Hermione say, "Stop it, Ron. You're making it snow."
Ron looked up and saw what he was doing. He hadn't realized that he made it happen because he was too busy wondering why Lavender was staring at him and gripping a fork, "Tell me how I broke up with Lavender again."
Hermione wasn't sure as to how to respond and Harry was just sitting there because Ron had asked Hermione and not him. "Um, well, she came to visit you in the hospital. And you talked. I don't believe it was a particularly long conversation," she said, trying to generalize what had happened.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm bloody thrilled to be shot of her. It's just she seems a bit put out," he said and the three of them had turned to see her muted anger expression.
"Yes, she does, doesn't she?" she asked but no one answered the question. The three of them turned to each other and Hermione asked, "You say you don't remember anything from that night? Anything at all?"
Ron was thinking back to the hospital and vaguely remembered something, "There is something," but wasn't sure if what he remembered was true, "But it can't be. I was completely boggled, wasn't I?"
"Right, boggled," Hermione agreed. What she didn't know was that Ella was looking at Edward, who in turned just sighed but looked at him as if to say that some guys are just too slow, which of course made Ella giggle. A group of girls walked past and Hermione leaned down and whispered, "Harry. That's Katie. Katie Bell." Harry looked up and saw who she was talking about and got up from his seat and walked towards her.
When he finally got to her, he spoke, "Katie. How are you?"
Katie looked at him and immediately said, "I know you're going to ask me Harry, but I don't know who cursed me. I've been trying to remember, honestly. But I just can't."
"Katie?" Leanne called out.
Harry turned around and saw Draco had just entered the Great Hall and froze for a moment when he saw Katie Bell. He immediately left with Harry following him. Ella had figured out what was going to happen without Alice there. She looked at Edward, who in turn had left towards the back door to get Snape. Ella walked as fast as she could without startling anyone. She managed to find out where they were at and stayed outside of the boys bathroom. She was listening in the conversation, Harry said, "I know what you did, Malfoy. You hexed her, didn't you?" At that moment, Snape had shown up with Ella motioning for him to stop for a moment. Then she heard, "Sectrumsempra!" Snape immediately went inside the bathroom to see what damage was done. He saw Draco on the ground, bleeding to death. Blood spurted from Draco's face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backward and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.
Snape hovered over him and said, "Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur" as Harry walked out of the bathroom. Ella grabbed him and carried him out of the castle to their home.
As soon as they got into the house, Ella pushed him onto the couch, Harry was out of breath, and "Do you even realize what you've done?" Ella growled quietly.
"I have an idea," Harry said, unsure of how to react to this side of Ella. This was new to him and couldn't help but feel somewhat betrayed by her actions.
"Do you know what came out of your mouth?" Edward and Jasper were hovering over Ella as Emmett was crouching in front of Ella, just in case there was an attack. Esme was standing by the stairs, upset at Ella's behavior yet full of sympathy towards Harry.
"I know what I said," Harry replied.
"Where did you learn it then?" she asked.
"Nowhere," he commented.
"Don't lie to me!" Ella raising her voice.
"I'm not lying," Harry said, for the first time he was frightened of Ella.
"Do not ask me again," she hissed. Edward grabbed her arm and held on firmly. He knew that if she did anything to harm him, she was going to regret it.
"If I tell you, you're just going to take it away from me," Harry explained.
"Damn right am I going to take it away from you! I did not make the Unbreakable Vow with your mother, so that you can become a Death Eater," she barked out. Harry was startled by what he had just heard.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely surprised by what he just heard. Ella took a moment, looked at him and listened to his heartbeat.
"He's confused, I think we all are," Edward said.
"Do you not know that what you said was a Dark Arts Curse?" Ella asked. As soon as he heard what she said, Harry looked at her sharply, not knowing what she meant. At that moment, Rosalie walked in with Ginny. Ginny looked around and wasn't sure as to what was going on but she suspected that it was related to the book that Harry had.
"It's about the book that Harry had, isn't it?" Ginny asked, trying to diffuse the situation.
Ella looked at her and asked, "What book?"
Ginny looked at Harry, "Didn't you tell her about the book?" Harry looked away, not sure what to say.
"Is that where you got the curse from?" she asked. Harry didn't respond. "Answer me!"
Harry knew that he couldn't lie to her, "Yes," he said quietly but he knew that she heard him.
"Ginny, do you know where the book is?" she asked.
"No, but I could ask my brother to get it since he is Harry's roommate," Ginny responded.
"Alice, could you go and get Ron to help you get the book and then ask him and Hermione to come?" Ella asked as Alice had just arrived into the living room, knowing that she had heard and seen everything.
"Of course," she said and ran to Hogwarts with the typical vampire speed.
"Ginny, when Alice comes back with Ron and Hermione, would you please go with Harry and take the book to the Room of Requirement? Make sure that he doesn't know where you hid the book," Ella requested.
"No," Harry interrupted. Ella looked at him brusquely and he shrank back onto the couch.
"Of course," Ginny responded. It wasn't until moments later where Alice had shown up with Ron and Hermione. Hermione had given the book to Ella since she didn't trust Ron to hold it.
"Hermione, I know that you've tried to tell Harry to return the book to Professor Slughorn or Professor Dumbledore, correct?" Ella asked.
"Yes, I did but he never listened and Ron was encouraging him to keep, per usual," Hermione answered.
Ella looked over to Harry and said, "Even she knew that it was wrong to keep the book. Why didn't you listen to her?"
"Why should he not keep it?" Ron asked.
"Because he learned something from it and nearly killed someone," Ella responded starkly. Ron stood there, mouth agape because of what Harry did and Ella's behavior.
"You need to turn the book in now, mate," Ron said.
"Now, look who's talking sense?" Hermione retorted.
Ella held her hand out for the book opened it and a grave expression was on her face. Edward looked over her shoulder and saw the name but was somewhat puzzled. Ella opened her mind and told him who it was. In a moment, Edward and Ella looked years older than they really are.
She gave the book to Ginny who looked at Harry and said, "You have to get rid of it. Today. Take my hand." Harry stood up and held onto her hand and left the house and into Hogwarts. Ginny led them to the one area where they knew that the door would reveal itself and when it did, they both entered the room. "We need to hide the Half-Blood Prince's book. Where no one will ever find it, including you."
They heard a noise and looked behind them and simultaneously said, "What was that?" After the noise stopped, Ginny said, "See? You never know what you'll find up here. All right, close your eyes. That way you can't be tempted," she waited for Harry to close his eyes but he didn't. She gently encouraged him, "Close your eyes." When he did, she managed to hide the book where she knew that he wouldn't see it then went back to where Harry was standing and kissed him, "That can stay hidden up here too, if you like." When Harry opened his eyes, Ginny was gone and left the room. He went back to his room and laid down in his bed, thinking about the kiss.
During that whole time, the Cullens were amongst discussion themselves. "In my hundred years with you, I've never seen you react like this, Ella. What's going on?" Carlisle asked.
"The book belongs to a Half Blood Prince," Ella said.
"Who's that?" Alice asked.
"The one and only Dark Arts Teacher and the Head of the Slytherin House, Severus Snape but the thing is that Harry hasn't made that connection yet. I fear that Harry will go down that path," Ella explained.
"You don't know that," Carlisle said. "None of us do."
"Alice?" Ella inquired.
"I can't see his future," she simply responded.
"That should tell you that he's close to going down the dark road, Carlisle," she responded. She felt vulnerable but she might as well as confess to her family, "I don't know what to do. I can't make sense of my thoughts."
"Okay, let's start at the beginning," Carlisle said. "You said that the word that Harry said was in the book that belonged to the Half Blood Prince, which is Severus Snape?"
"Yes, but Harry doesn't know that yet, I believe," she said. "Edward?"
"He hasn't made the connection yet but he's trying to find out who the book belongs to and who the Half Blood Prince is," he said.
"For one thing I want to keep him in the dark as long as possible but Dumbledore asked me to do something that I cannot delve many details to any of you except for Edward. I do need all of you to be prepared," Ella said.
"What is it that Albus needs us to do?" Esme asked. At that time there was a knock on the door, Esme went to open it and Dumbledore showed up.
"Professor," Ella greeted.
"I am glad to see all of the Cullens gathered but it saddens me to hear what had happened," he said.
"Did Professor Snape talk to you about what happened to Draco?" Ella asked.
"Yes, he did. That is one of the reasons why I am here," he said. As soon as she heard him say that, she knew it was time."
"Albus, I was just asking Ella what you needed us to do," Esme said.
"I will allow Ella to explain but I am here to inform you that the time is near," he said. "You and your family needs to prepare."
"What is he talking about?" Jasper questioned.
"It's time to produce the antidote that Sirius gave us," Ella replied. A small, collective gasp came out from everyone. "I need Carlisle and Jasper to focus on doing that and when the time comes, Carlisle will be the one feeding it to me. I need Esme, Alice and Rosalie to prep the medical lab as well as aide Carlisle when it's time. Emmett, I need you and Jasper to be on guard and I hate to test your tolerance right now, but I need you to prepare the refrigerator with blood."
"What about Edward?" Esme questioned.
"He'll be with me," she said. She looked over to Edward and said, "You know what to do." Edward nodded.
"Ella and I will need Edward to travel with us. There will be an upcoming trip, in which I cannot give away too much and I will not be able to handle Ella alone," he explained. "I fear that this will be the last you will see of me." Ella went up and hugged him and whispered something in his ear. She knew that her family had heard.
Ella was standing with Edward, quietly outside of Hagrid's Hut. They knew that they wouldn't be seen. Plus they needed to get out of the house after giving specific instructions to the family. Esme was against this because she didn't want the people she loved to die but she knew that it had to happen. The family was trapped against the wall with no other choice but they promised each other that they wouldn't give up without a fight and that's what they were going to do. Ella was listening to Harry, Hagrid and Slughorn in the house and Slughorn was talking about life and death, "Poof. It was a student who gave me Francis. One spring afternoon I discovered a bowl on my desk with just a few inches of clear water in it. And floating on the surface was a flower petal. As I watched, it sank. Just before it reached the bottom, it transformed into a wee fish. It was beautiful magic. Wondrous to behold. The flower petal had come from a lily. Your mother. The day I came downstairs, the day the bowl was empty was the day your mother… I know why you're here. But I can't help you. It would ruin me."
Harry just looked at him with his blue eyes and knew what he had to say in order to convince him to give up the memory, "Do you know why I survived, professor? The night I got this?" he asked as he pointed to his scar. "Because of her. Because she sacrificed herself. Because she refused to step aside. Because her love was more powerful than Voldemort."
"Don't say his name," he said, terribly afraid.
"I'm not afraid of the name, Professor. I'm going to tell you something. Something others have only guessed at. It's true. I am the chosen one. Only I can destroy him, but in order to do so, I need to know what Tom Riddle asked you all those years ago in your office, and I need to know what you told him. Be brave, Professor. Be brave like my mother. Otherwise you disgrace her. Otherwise she died for nothing. Otherwise the bowl will remain empty forever," he said.
"Please... don't think badly of me when you see it... you've no idea how he was like, even then..." he begged as he withdrew the memory and put it in the glass bottle that Harry provided. Harry took the bottle and went back to his room and slept. He had to meet with Dumbledore the next morning. It was while Harry was sleeping that Ella did the same with some of her memories for Harry.
"When it's time, you need to give these to Harry," she explained to Carlisle.
"Why couldn't you give them to him yourself?" he asked.
"Inasmuch as I would like to explain everything now, I can't. This upcoming trip with Dumbledore, is full of questions that I can't answer and it's something that not many people need to know," she said.
"Do you think that if the rest of us knew, we'll be tortured or something of that nature?" Jasper asked as he came in.
"Yes, that is why I am keeping all of you, except Edward, in the dark. The less people that know, the better," she said. "I promise to tell all of you the secrets when it's time but it is not now."
Harry was in Dumbledore's office with Ella and Edward standing by. Edward was ready to translate what was happening since Harry was going to see Slughorn's memory in the Pensieve. "Professor, I was wondering if I could say something before we start?"
"Hmm, of course," he said.
Harry turned to Ella and was a bit apprehensive to get this off his chest but he needed to do it, "I just need to apologize for my actions lately. I shouldn't have behaved the way I did. It's just I didn't know where else to turn or even who to talk to. Please forgive me."
Ella sighed and went up to him and gently took him into her arms, "Apology accepted. I do forgive you, my brave boy." If anything, Harry wasn't comfortable with being called a boy but he realized at her age, he was truly considered a boy.
Harry poured the memory into the Pensieve and Ella held onto the bottle as he stepped into the memory. He was standing in what looked like Slughorn's office and Tom was looking at Slughorn. "I was in the library the other night in the Restricted Section and I read something rather odd about a bit of rare magic. It's called as I understand it a Horcrux," Tom said.
Slughorn was genuinely surprised as to what Tom just said, "I beg your pardon?"
"Horcrux," Tom repeated, "I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."
"I'm not sure what you were reading, Tom, but this is very dark stuff, very dark indeed," he explained.
"Which is why I came to you," he informed him.
"A Horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul," Slughorn described.
"But I don't understand how that works, sir," Tom commented.
"One splits one's soul and hides part of it in an object. By doing so, you're protected, should you be attacked and your body destroyed," Slughorn said, unknowingly providing information to him.
"Protected?"
"That part of your soul that is hidden lives on. In other words, you cannot die," Slughorn replied.
"How does one split his soul, sir?" Tom inquired.
"I think you know the answer to that, Tom."
"Murder," Tom said once he figured out what Slughorn meant.
"Yes. Killing rips the soul apart. It is a violation against nature," Slughorn uttered.
"Can you only split the soul once? For instance, isn't seven-?" Tom questioned.
"Seven?" Slughorn was in shock by his question, "Merlin's beard, Tom. Isn't it bad enough to consider killing one person? To rip the soul into seven pieces… This is all hypothetical, isn't it, Tom? All academic?"
"Of course, sir," Tom said as he lied. "It'll be our little secret."
Harry came out of that memory as soon as Tom finished speaking and saw Dumbledore sitting, "Sir."
"This is beyond anything I imagined," Dumbledore stated.
"You mean to say he succeeded, sir, in making a Horcrux?" he inquired.
"Oh, yes, he succeeded, all right. And not just once," Dumbledore answered.
"What are they exactly?"
"Could be anything. Most commonplace of objects. A ring, for example. Or a book," Dumbledore responded as he picked up the diary.
"Tom Riddle's diary," he said.
"It's a Horcrux, yes. Four years ago, when you saved Ginny's live in the Chamber of Secrets, you brought me this. I knew this was a different kind of magic. Very dark, very powerful. But until tonight, I had no idea just how powerful," Dumbledore replied.
"I don't think any of us knew how powerful any of it was until tonight, Professor," Ella added.
"Quite right, Ella," Dumbledore agreed.
Harry noticed the ring on the desk, "The Ring."
"Belonged to Voldemort's mother. Difficult to find. Even more difficult to destroy."
"But if you could find them all, if you did destroy each Horcrux…" Harry strayed off.
"One destroys Voldemort," Ella finished.
"But how would you find them? They could be hidden anywhere," Harry commented, looking back and forth between Dumbledore and Ella.
"True. But magic, especially dark magic… leaves trace," Dumbledore described.
"It's where you've been going, isn't it, sir? When you leave the school?" Harry asked, finally figuring out why Dumbledore was leaving so frequently this year, compared to the past.
"Yes. And I think perhaps I may have found another," he said and then stood up, walked around his desk and faced Harry, "But this time, I cannot hope to destroy it alone. Once again, I must ask too much of you, Harry."