Chapter Forty One

"This? The ring was a Horcrux?" Harry asked, picking it up, "Where did you find it?"

"I travelled to the ruins of the Gaunt's hovel." Dumbledore told him, "I stumbled across the ring there. It seems that once Voldemort had sealed a piece of his soul in there he didn't want to wear it any more. He had hidden it, of course, protected by several powerful enchantments. I doubt he thought anyone would travel back to the tumbled shack where his mother was born."

"Does… does this have something to do with your hand, sir? You have been wearing it." Harry asked.

Dumbledore gave Harry a small nod, "Yes. It had a rather nasty curse on it and if it hadn't been for my own prodigious skill, and for Professor Snape's timely action when I returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured, I would not have lived to tell the tale. However, a withered hand does not seem an unreasonable exchange for a seventh of Voldemort's soul. The ring is no longer a Horcrux and perfectly harmless."

"But just your hand, right?" Harry asked, "You're all right otherwise?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Of course."

Harry didn't believe him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something not quite about the way Dumbledore had said it and the way he was sitting, and holding himself. Harry didn't mention it though, choosing instead to let it go for now.

"So, two down, four to go, which could be anything." Harry said, the impossibility of the task weighing heavily on him.

"You are thinking of Portkeys, Harry. Which can be made of simply anything." Dumbledore corrected, "I think we can look back and prove that Voldemort had a fixation with collecting trophies. The ring and the diary were both of great importance to him after all."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, yeah… so things that were important… the locket?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, I think that we can be most certain that the locket would have been something he wished to use."

"Three down… three to go…" Harry mused, wishing his friends were with him, it would have made this a hugely easier; they were very good at puzzles.

"Hufflepuff's cup?" Harry asked, "That went missing at the same time as the locket right? It would make sense that Voldemort stole that as well."

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, I think it is most likely. We have seen that it went missing at the correct time and we have also seen that Voldemort had an affection for Hogwarts that I think we could safely say would extend passed just the relics of Slytherin."

"So he could have something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's as well?" Harry asked.

"Ravenclaw's… yes, I'm not so certain about Gryffindor." Dumbledore mused, "There is only one known relic from Gryffindor, you see, it is a rather spectacular sword that was placed in the sorting hat, much as Slytherin's scram sax was. It could have only been removed by someone from Gryffindor, the embodied Gryffindor spirit and I don't think he would have been able to find someone who fitted that description, as anyone who did wouldn't of given him the sword."

"Seems unlikely." Harry agreed, although he doubted there wasn't a single Gryffindor who didn't agree with Voldemort and what he wanted.

"So, something of Ravenclaw's." Dumbledore nodded, "I also believe that Voldemort was one short of his six Horcruxes when he attacked your family that night."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort seems to have saved the horrific business of Horcrux making for important kills, people who mean something to him." Dumbledore explained, "I think that you would have been that for him. It would have meant the end of the prophecy that was doomed to destroy him in his mind."

"And the chance to complete his life's work of having six Horcruxes at the same time was just too good a chance for him to pass up." Harry nodded, it made sense, it fitted with what he had seen over the past year, although it was a horrible thought, "So what could he have gotten hold of since that night… something from the Lestrange manor?"

"Perhaps…" Dumbledore nodded, "I think, however, we should be looking closer to him… what does he always keep with him?"

Harry racked his brain, "His wand?"

Dumbledore shook his head patiently, "No, turning a wand into a Horcrux would have destroyed its power, it would have corrupted the magic far to much for it to have been of any use."

"He doesn't seem to carry anything else." Harry said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice. Dumbledore clearly knew, or at least suspected, so why wouldn't he just tell him?!

Dumbledore seemed to pick up on the frustration however, "I think we should be looking at Nagini, his snake."

Harry frowned in confusion, "What? I've never seen her wear a collar or anything."

Dumbledore gave him a kind smile, "No, you misunderstand Harry. I mean Nagini herself is the Horcrux."

"She's more of a who that a what." Harry grumbled, "Wouldn't it be very difficult to make a living thing into a Horcrux?"

"It isn't advised." Dumbledore told him, not brining up the fact that Harry knew it would be difficult somehow, "But it is possible. Placing a Horcrux inside a living thing… it is unpredictable. However we must look at the facts. It was a way that Voldemort could keep her nearby, even if someone managed to take her, she could make her way back to him. There is also the fact he has a remarkable level of control over her, far more than could be explained by his Parseltongue ability."

"She's venomous." Harry added, "She looks like a python but when she bites someone, they can't stop bleeding, that's… not normal."

"Your sister's love of reptiles coming through once again?" Dumbledore smiled.

Harry nodded, "Yeah… she had a giant book on snakes, made me read it to her over and over again. Nagini looks like some sort of python, which strangle their prey. Add that to the fact she's too big really to be any sort of normal venomous snake."

"So…" Dumbledore smiled, "You agree it seems likely? She could have gotten her venom from the Horcrux, the corruption seeping into her victims and stopping their blood from working as it should."

"Yeah… yeah I think so. So we've got, the Diary, the Locket, the Cup, the Ring, Nagini and something that was once Ravenclaw's… the Diary and the Ring are gone… Nagini will be with Voldemort but we have no idea where they others are, or what the last one is for sure." Harry sighed.

"An admirably succinct and accurate summary, yes." Dumbledore said, bowing his head slightly.

"Do you think he came back to Hogwarts to find something to make the sixth one? Something else that belonged to the founders?" Harry asked, "I mean that must have been years before he had Nagini, or even heard the Prophecy." Harry thought of the room full of junk. It was more likely than not that Voldemort could have found something he liked in there.

"I think it likely." Dumbledore nodded, "However, he was turned away before he had spent even an hour in the school, he wouldn't have had time to search for anything."

"You're looking for them, aren't you? That's where you're going when you leave the school?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded once again, "Correct Harry. I have been looking for a long time and… perhaps… I may be close to finding another one. There are hopeful signs."

"Can I come with you?" Harry said quickly, not thinking for a second, "If you find it, can I come with you to help you destroy it?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment, "Yes."

Harry was surprised at the answer, he'd expected the headmaster to put up at least some of a fight.

"I think you have earned that right." Dumbledore continued, "You have put in excellent work over these lessons, and it hasn't effected your school work, or even your extra work. I've been very impressed with you, and most proud."

Harry smiled, feeling very touched, "Thank you, sir."

The headmasters and mistresses around the room seemed far less impressed, but didn't say anything. Dumbledore cast a quick look to Phinius, who had another picture at Grimmauld Place, but neither said anything.

"Does Voldemort know when a Horcrux is destroyed? Can he feel it or… just know?" Harry asked, more thinking to himself than a direct question to Dumbledore.

"A very interesting question Harry. I believe not. I believe that Voldemort is now so immersed in evil, not to mention that he has been detached from these parts of himself for so long, he cannot feel it any more." Dumbledore said.

"You seem very sure." Harry frowned, "It seems weird that he wouldn't feel anything."

"The diary would have contained the largest piece of his soul, possible even larger than the piece that is left in him." Dumbledore said, "I am told his anger was terrible to behold when he found out that his Dairy had been destroyed and robbed of its power."

"But I thought he wanted it to end up in the school?" Harry pointed out, "He must have known that it had failed as soon as he met up with Bellatrix."

"Voldemort has never been one for logic where his anger is directed." Dumbledore smiled, "I think he knows that creating more Horcruxes would be very difficult, in fact we have no evidence of him trying to replace the Diary, so I think we can safely assume that he cannot create any more. Whether this is due to the number he has created, or the spell used to bring him back from the dead, we have no way to tell."

Harry nodded, "Which one do you think you've found?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment, "I… I wouldn't wish to jump to conclusions. I think I can safely say it is not Nagini."

"Ok…" Harry nodded, "Just thought I'd ask."

He was tired, the clock had somehow managed to creep round to nearly two o'clock in the morning once again. Harry was sure that time passed very strangely in pensives.

"You are getting sleepy." Dumbledore said, very matter of factly, "I will not take up much more of your time but you understand what now must be done."

"I've always known that Voldemort had to die, just didn't think it was going to be so difficult. It's bad enough that he is a very powerful wizard but until we get rid of all of the Horcruxes, he's immortal. Even if I 'kill' him, he'll just come back again… right?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded, "Precisely."

"Great."

Dumbledore smiled kindly, "I know it seems like a rather impossible task at the moment, but I am sure you are more than up to the task. And you are not alone."

Harry sighed, he knew that he wasn't alone, he was in fact very far from being alone; he also felt awful for leading them into danger.

"I will always be there to help you in anyway I can." Dumbledore smiled.

Once again, throwing Harry a little. He hadn't been thinking about Dumbledore, he'd been thinking of his friends and his family.

Harry smiled, feeling a little guilty for forgetting Dumbledore again, "Thank you sir."

"I think you should head to bed Harry, it has been a long evening after all." Dumbledore said, standing up and placing the pensive back in it case. It was the first time Harry had seen him put it away, although he did think it was unlikely it sat on the desk all time.

"Goodnight Harry." Dumbledore said, opening the door for him.

Harry stood and stretched, "Goodnight Professor."

"Six?" Draco said, stunned, "SIX?!"

Harry nodded, taking a deep drink of his hot chocolate, "Six."

They had theorised about there being six Horcruxes before, but this was confirmation, it was real. Soon, possibly within the next year even, they were going to have to leave school and set out trying to find six Horcruxes.

"It's horrific." Daphne said, curling in on herself, "It's bad enough to think of splitting the soul once, but six times…"

"But two of them are dead, right? Only four to go?" Pansy said, trying her best to stay positive.

Harry nodded, "Yes. And we know that Nagini is number three so kinda half way down."

Draco chewed his lip, "You said… you said that You-know-who read about Horcruxes?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah… he didn't get many details though, he was asking Slughorn if you could do it more than once."

Pansy sat up a little straighter, "Wait, so he read that he could do it once?"

Harry frowned in confusion, "I guess, why?"

"Because when we were looking in the library we couldn't find any reference that wasn't 'Horcruxes are bad'." Draco pointed out.

Harry paused, "Well… it was a long time ago, maybe they got rid of the books? Slughorn mentioned that Dumbledore was very against people even mentioning Horcruxes, maybe he got rid of them when he took over as headmaster?"

"It's possible." Draco nodded.

"But unlikely." Daphne put in, "When have you ever seen anyone throw anything away in this place?" she laughed.

"I know where they might be." Harry said quickly, "Dobby showed me this room, it's filled with junk."

"Really?" Pansy asked, "Where is it? Is it on the Marauders' Map?"

"It's in the Come and Go room." Harry explained, "It had so much stuff in it, it would make perfect sense for the books to be hidden in there."

"We'll go tomorrow." Draco said, draining the last of his drink, "With Neville and Hermione."

Harry nodded, "It's got to be worth a look."

"Time for bed then?" Pansy said, with a yawn.

Harry nodded, his exhaustion weighing heavily on him. There was a big part of him that would have been very happy to just curl up there and then in the common room.