Dumbledore sat in his office, contemplating his next move with input from the portraits.
"One more of those horrid things is out there, still?" Dilys Derwent exclaimed. "Perish the thought!"
"That's not going to do a bloody thing, Dilys, and you know it!" one headmaster's portrait snapped. "We need to get beyond the point of perishing thoughts and getting something actually done about it!"
Dumbledore cut off a budding argument with his next set of musings. "The problem is that I cannot just walk into a Gringotts vault and take the thing, regardless of how much harm a Horcrux can cause, simply by existing." the Headmaster looked troubled. "The goblins do not care for any of our conflicts and unless they are directly attacked by Voldemort or his minions, they would not move to help us at all..."
"You're going to need to inform your people, Dumbledore." Phineas spoke up. "Besides, doesn't one of those Weasleys that you seem to be so fond of very familiar with the workings of goblins? Use his expertise!"
"It will have to be handled very discretely as if they ever found out that Bill had a hand in this... I never thought I would actually be imagining people to commit a crime, but if it's necessary..."
"It's for the greater good, Dumbledore." Phineas ignored the pointed look that the current headmaster was giving him. "This war could have been over the last time if your side was just willing to play dirty. It's not as if he's being nice about it, is he? It's a war!"
"As I have been told that several times since Voldemort moved out into the open, I know, Phineas." Dumbledore actually sounded annoyed for a moment.
He got up and paced up and down the office, Fawkes trilling a few notes to calm him down.
"Thank you, my good friend." he smiled slightly at the phoenix, who let out a single note in reply.
"I need to get the word out to the relevant people as soon as I can. The sooner, the better. One of them will be able to contact Harry as well and get his feedback on the matter..."
He started pacing up and down again.
"This... pause will be soon be over. As soon as we can obtain that Horcrux and destroy it things will come to a head. I can only hope that Harry and everyone else is well and truly prepared for the fallout."
"Can anyone truly be prepared for a way?" Phineas raised an eyebrow.
Dumbledore ignored him as he sat down to begin to write a letter.
As soon as he finished he opened Fawkes' cage and handed it to him.
"That one is just the first of many, Fawkes. When you return, I shall have a few more prepared for you." Dumbledore said. "Safe travels, my friend."
He immediately got to writing the next letter.
"This feeling of watching... and waiting... I hate it." Harry muttered as he talked to Hermione on his cell phone.
"I don't like it either, but I can hardly just go back either, can I?" Hermione shrugged, then glanced back at Camilla, who was playing with Crookshanks in the background, riding him as one would a horse- and he seemed to actually be liking it. She allowed herself a small smile at the sight, before returning her full attention to Harry.
"I mean, Remus keeps me informed as much as he can and occasionally Dobby helps out there where he can since I can't have him here and he'd feel more useful that way, but... I really just want this to end. I want a whole year to pass without some maniacs attacking me!" Harry exclaimed.
"Just a year?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Harry, you of all people deserve a bloody lifetime of peace!"
"Don't I know it..." Harry sighed. "I do feel better about my chances against Voldemort now, but still. I'm well aware of the fact that he's got more years of experience on me. And he's willing to play dirty and cheat more."
"That just means that you'll have to play dirtier and be an even bigger cheat than he is, won't you?" Hermione spoke matter-of-factly.
"Wow." Harry's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "Hermione Granger, of all people, saying that I should cheat and break the rules?"
"We're in the middle of a war where we're at the top of Voldemort's hit list. I think we can afford to throw the rules out the window for this one." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Obviously Voldemort's not going to play fair himself, so why should you give him that advantage when doing that will get us killed?"
"I do recall a time in our First Year when you said that there was a fate worse than getting killed..." Harry teased grinning.
"I was bloody twelve!" Hermione became indignant as soon as he brought it up.
"Most twelve year olds still value being alive over being expelled." Harry pointed out.
Hermione looked as if she would have liked nothing more than to slap him in that moment.
Or at the very least, give him a lecture of some sort.
"Anyway... I've got things to go do." Harry grinned at her. "See you!"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed sharply. "Don't you da-" she was cut off when Harry hung up on her.
He chuckled. "Ah, reminded me of old times when she was about to go on one of her rants, scolding Ron and I..." he smiled wistfully for a bit, before shaking himself out of it.
He was about to start on a new essay for his MagiTech class when his phone rang.
"Damn, can't even get a moment of peace today. Getting my arse kicked by Tony and him and his cronies not letting me hear the end of it, Lucas fretting himself about the Ethics essay we all have to write, Aki nearly blowing us all sky high in Potions class..." he shook his head before reaching for the phone.
Remus was calling.
Having heard from him less than a day before he started to feel concerned. Had something happened?
He answered.
"Harry, we know where the Goblet Horcrux is." Remus spoke quickly before Harry could even get in a hello.
Harry blinked. "Well, that's a nice change from the update you had to give me yesterday. Where is it?"
"In Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts' vault."
Harry swore. "It would just have to be somewhere that heavily guarded, wouldn't it?"
"You Know Who isn't exactly known for making things easy for his opponents as I'm sure you're already aware," Remus spoke wryly.
"I know that..." Harry put his head in his hands. "It's just... how are we going to get this one? The goblins aren't exactly co-operative, from what I know of them so we'd pretty much have to break into the place to get the damn thing and that's pretty much impossible..."
"You have been known to do the impossible before..." Remus pointed out.
"That is true." Harry nodded. "Either way, leaving school to go rob a bank on another planet is kinda against regulations and would certainly get me expelled, so I can't do it myself. Besides, I'd need to have inside information on how the bank works. Security systems in place, layouts of the various levels, the amount of staff- goblin and wizard alike at any given time..." Harry counted them off on his fingers.
"Get Bill to give me whatever details he can get. I'll try to see if I can find a solution to this dilemma on my end. If necessary I will come back there myself to do it! Either way, as soon as we make a play for this last Horcrux, he's going to know what's happening and come knocking with a vengeance..." Harry said.
"Likely against Hogwarts too, since it's the biggest refugee camp- regardless of its protections and the presence of Dumbledore..." Remus pointed out.
"Aye. We're so close to the end now. I can hardly believe it..." Harry said.
"You'd best believe it. I don't want Teddy to grow up in a world like this where he'll have to fear for and constantly be fighting for his life simply because of his heritage. I'd rather like to actually see my son grow up and eventually have a family of his own."
"I'd like to see that too." Harry nodded in agreement. "Perhaps maybe with a family and children of my own for him to play big brother to." he looked as if he were daydreaming for a moment.
"Looking for a wife sometime in the future?" Remus asked a teasing grin forming on his features. "Princess Roxy perhaps?"
"Stuff it, Remus." Harry reddened.
Remus rolled his eyes. "Your parents were only a year older than you are now when they got married and only two years older than you are now when they had you. I wouldn't say that's too young at all..."
"That's too young for me. I'd like to enjoy life without Voldemort for a few years, at least. Do some travelling, have some fun for once in my life..."
"Who can blame you? I'm just saying that you may want to let your girlfriend in on those plans of yours."
Harry face palmed.
"All kidding aside, it's great that the end is in sight and Voldemort's days are numbered. Peter's as well." A shadow of the wolf crossed Remus' face as he scowled for a moment.
"Voldemort's mine, but when it comes to Peter, whether it's you or I who takes him down in the end, then there'll be no complaints from me." Harry said.
Remus was about to speak again when he heard a loud exclamation from Tonks in the background and the sound of a baby's loud giggles.
"I'd better go. It looks as if I have my own battle to fight right now. I swear, if Teddy takes after his mother..." Remus ended the call as Harry chuckled.
He took a few minutes to compose himself again, returning to the more serious matter at hand.
"The end is near. I can't believe it."
Harry started pacing up and down.
"The end is actually so close that I can almost see it. But will I be ready for it?" he asked himself.
"Be ready for what?"
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Aki's voice and glared at him as the other teenager chuckled.
"You've faced down tons of scary things and people and yet I can startle you like that?" Aki continued to laugh.
"Sod off, Aki. I've got important things to think about. Like taking down Voldemort for good. I got some good news on that front just now, but there's something that I have to figure out about it before I can actually do it..." Harry muttered.
"Anything that the crew can help you out with?" Aki asked, immediately going into business mode.
"I'm not sure you'd want to. What I'm thinking of is rather illegal, war or no war and I'm not sure you'd want that on your record..."
Aki raised an eyebrow. "What is it? I mean, in war sometimes you do have to take actions that would be illegal in regular life, but are necessary to survive and actually end the dammed thing..."
Harry nodded. "True. But this stunt involves breaking into a highly secured building, guarded by beings that are extremely cruel when you try to take something they view as theirs and have no idea what the meaning of the word 'mercy' is..."
Aki winced. "Yikes. Can't help you there. At least, not alone. You should probably call up the other two and see if they can give you any insight..."
"I suppose that's better than just standing here and feeling useless. Besides, isn't Lucas' father supposed to be doing this sort of thing for a living?" Harry asked.
"I don't know if he can help you there. Apparently, whatever it is that General Roxspar used to do in his younger days is so highly classified that not even his own family knows what it is he used to do..." Aki shrugged.
"Either way, as soon as Lucas and Darian get in from wherever they are, we need to have a chat. Even if I have to do this on my own, I need some ideas on how to actually pull it off..." Harry sunk into his chair and put his head into his hands.
This was going to be a tough one.
He knew that with the right help, he could pull it off, but still...
And once that was done...
The end would come.