Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 59 – Year 3
The following Sunday Harry was busy checking up on his potions when he heard someone knocks at his door. Sighing, he brushed his hands and went to greet his visitor. As he walked down his stairs, all he could think about was 'Here we go again'.
Outside of his door was the grim face of Dumbledore. No smile graced his lips, this time.
"Harry" he greeted, curtly.
"Headmaster, welcome. Come in" said Harry, moving aside. The man walked inside, briskly, and sat down uninvited on the couch. Harry gave him a blank stare, and followed him in the living room. 'Play time is over, I guess', he thought with a small sigh. On the table he had left tea and cookies, but neither of them sacrificed more than a single glance towards the food.
"It's been months since we last met, Harry" started Dumbledore. "I tracked your activities through your godfather and professor Lupin, but you must have been happy to notice how you have been left free to damage yourself. Since you insisted so much."
Harry took this declaration with silence, unsure on how to answer without starting another argument. Eventually, he shrugged. "Yes, I noticed. Much appreciated. What are you here for, headmaster?"
"The only project that binds us, lately. There is one of the items we talked about still to be found, and I need to consult you on another."
"Consult me" repeated Harry, puzzled. "Why, what happened? I doubt I could do a better job than you in destroying them."
"Of course not" said simply Dumbledore, one eyebrow ironically raised. "But that is only if I can get them. One of your leads was faulty, Harry. The Locket hidden in Riddle's grotto, it was a mere copy."
Rummaging inside his pocket, Dumbledore fished out one piece of parchment. "Inside it, I found this message. I want you to read it, and give me your opinion."
"Let's see" said Harry, picking the message up. "To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read this…" started Harry, reading aloud the full text. Done that, he stared at the headmaster.
"Well, whoever wrote this was not a fan of Voldemort. Shouldn't it be one of your old friends?" asked Harry.
"If it was, I assume he would have told me of this item or asked for my help on how to destroy it. I assure you, destroying the others has not been an easy feat" answered the Headmaster.
"It is still a possibility. Otherwise, if it was one former follower of Riddle, it must have been someone with a grudge to settle. Like Snape" concluded Harry, spitting the last name like it was poisoned.
"Possibly. Assuming that the letters in the signature, that RAB, are the initials of his full name it is easy enough to restrict who could have been. I have one candidate already" said Dumbledore.
"Who?" asked Harry.
"Regulus Arcturus Black. Your godfather's younger brother. He was suspected of being a Death Eater, and he died in unknown circumstances. It is highly likely he is the Rab from this message" said the headmaster.
"I see" commented Harry, quietly. "It does make sense. What do you need my help for, then? The first thing to do would be to search Grimmauld's Place for hints, something Sirius would hardly deny if you explained the situation to him."
"Mr. Black is not my closest friend lately, Harry" said Dumbledore, frowning. "He seems to harbor some resentment against me, and from what I heard from professor Lupin you carry some blame for his disposition towards me."
At this Harry snorted lightly, with a dismissive shrug. Dumbledore frowned, but moved on. "Nevertheless, he would probably cave if I insisted but I am reluctant to push the issue without some certainty. Can you tell me anything more about this Locket, or Regulus Black?"
"Now that I think about it" started Harry, slowly "I might offer some insight. There is something that bothered me for a while, and it could be the explanation we need."
"I am all ears" said Dumbledore, focusing on him.
"For what I know" started Harry, pushing down on the last word "Riddle tested the defenses in the cave on Kreacher, Black's house elf. And Kreacher should have died in the process, or so Riddle believed. Obviously he survived, and if it did…."
"Then he must have fled back home" concluded Dumbledore, his eyes shining with understanding. "He might have told everything to Regulus Black, who then learned of the Locket. Do you know if he was fond of this Kreacher?"
"I don't" said Harry "But I assure you that Kreacher seems to be in awe of Regulus, or all the previous Blacks anyway. Maybe some of that affection was reciprocated."
"Maybe" said Dumbledore, laying back against his couch. "Even before searching the manor, interrogating this Kreacher might be the right path. He could confirm Regulus was the one who took the Locket, and could confirm if he managed to destroy it."
"He is a sneaky little fellow, and he really hates Sirius" added Harry. "I suggest you make sure Sirius prevents him, with the strictest orders, from either lying or escaping."
"What a pleasant duty" commented the headmaster, sighing. "Nevertheless, this is still progress. Thank you, Harry."
"You are welcome" answered Harry, nodding. "Now, you said there was more you wanted to ask me."
"Yes" continued Dumbledore. "It is about the very last of the remaining items. The Ring of the Peverells, right?" he added, with a barely hidden glint of greed in his expression.
"Right" confirmed Harry, frowning. "Last seen inside the house of the Gaunts, cursed to kill whoever wears it. Please remind that, at least."
Dumbledore nodded, focused. "I most certainly will. Harry, I might need a favor out of you."
Harry said nothing, so Dumbledore continued. "I wish to borrow your Cloak for this final search. You said that the Locket and this Ring are the most protected of Riddle's Horcrux, and this last one is close to a muggle city."
"What a surprising request, sir" said Harry, a hint of mockery in his voice. "You are the last person who would need my Cloak just to avoid the attention of muggles, and I doubt it would help against magical traps."
"Who is the one who insisted, time and time again, that I should take these protections seriously?" countered Dumbledore. "Now I am, and I am asking for your help. Will you grant it?"
"I will" said Harry "but only if you are honest with me. I can tell when I am given a flimsy excuse, and that you don't need my Cloak just to raid that shack."
"What other reasons might I have?" said Dumbledore, disdainful. "Your Cloak is a powerful object, but one I can do without if I really need to. And I was the one to return it to you on your eleventh birthday, as you might recall."
"True, true" said Harry, slowly. He thought it over for a second, before shrugging. "I'll be blunt. I have the Cloak, you have the Wand, and this should be a ring from the Peverell family. A ring carrying a stone with, so thought Riddle, the Peverell symbol on it. I am sure you understand already what I mean."
Dumbledore frowned at the mention of his Wand, then scoffed. "You have a way of raising the most uncomfortable topics, Harry. Very well. Yes, there might also be a chance the stone on the ring is that stone. A small chance."
"And if that is the only reason you want my Cloak, my answer is no. I don't think reuniting the Hallows could really turn anyone into something as pompous as the Master of Death, and yet…" he stopped.
"I just want to study whatever could happen once those three old items are reunited. Nothing more" complained Dumbledore.
"I'll be happy to carry my Cloak to your office, then, and we can check the results together. Should that ring truly be the third Hallow, of course. But the Cloak will remain with me for now" stated Harry, icily. Dumbledore glared at him, but remained silent.
"That will be enough" he conceded, eventually. "Besides, we could be just be chasing shadows. As most people chasing the Hallows ended up doing, to be precise. Destroying the last Horcruxes is far more important."
"On that, I agree" said Harry. "A necessary step, before taking on Riddle himself. And by the way, did you hear any rumor about him?"
"No, nothing. Not even the vague voices I used to hear in the past. Even the Wizengamot is dead quiet, which is surprising" said Dumbledore, puzzled. "I assume he must still be searching for some vessel that can be convinced or forced to host him, but those kind of wizards are quite hard to find. Fortunately."
"Hard is not impossible" argued Harry, grimacing. "We should probably assume that he will succeed, eventually."
"Absolutely, but how long will that take?" asked Dumbledore. "Unless something forces him to hurry, I can't imagine him putting speed over his own safety. He has certainly been very cautious so far."
"He picked flight from death as his title, poor little Tom. Though he must consider his considerable sense of preservation as cunning or something" stated Harry with a smirk, as he shared the first smile of the meeting with the headmaster.
The mood slightly lightened, Harry picked up his cup of tea and waved at the other one as an invite for Dumbledore, who accepted. They sipped their tea in silence, before Dumbledore sighed and relaxed on his chair.
"There is something more, Harry. Due to the reasons we just discussed, it is probably premature to worry about it but I wanted to warn you anyway" he started.
"I am listening" commented Harry, picking up one cookie.
"I studied the ritual you described that could restore Riddle's body. It's old magic, and there are plenty of details that remain obscure to me, but it should work" said Dumbledore, frowning, as Harry remained silent.
"The old books that mention it say it is meant only to regrow limbs or heal otherwise deadly injuries, though. If Riddle plans to use it, then he must first procure a starting body. A willing vessel, maybe, or some other kind of construct."
Harry nodded, grimly – he was fully aware of what Dumbledore was hinting at. The malformed, half baked body of Voldemort before his full resurrection was not something he could ever forget. With a grimace, he pushed the old memory away.
"I have no more hints to offer on that side, I fear. But I have no doubts he found some ways of building temporary hosts for his soul, since an Horcrux was his master plan to survive" said Harry.
"Most likely" agreed Dumbledore. "And yet, in a temporary body, I doubt he could face any wizard directly – and therefore be a real danger for anyone. Something else worries me."
"What?" asked Harry, simply. Dumbledore grimaced, and spoke on.
"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken" he chanted. "And it must be fresh, too, which imply capturing and extracting the blood while said prisoner lives. Also, full success of the potion requires someone that is truly an enemy. A mere opponent among many would offer inferior results. I certainly fit the description and, Harry…."
"I fit it too?" asked Harry, receiving a nod from Dumbledore in return. "Yes, I expected that. Returning to life over my defeat would create a certain mystic symbolism."
"It would and, no offense meant, capturing you and stealing your blood would be much easier than taking mine" said Dumbledore. "If he finds some competent help you could be its very first target. There will not be any warning."
"Probably" said Harry, grimacing. "I assume you are not saying this just to scare me."
"Obviously. Of course, I think coming back to Hogwarts would be best" started Dumbledore, eyes rolling in irritation "but I won't even propose it anymore. What I could do, is to place some extra wards here if you accept them."
"Wards…" murmured Harry, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "What would they even do? Not even you can turn this house into a fortress."
"What they can do is to give you ample warning in case anything hostile approach your house and prevent anyone to cut off apparition, at least for a while. If you are smart, you will use the warning to flee instantly to somewhere safe" said Dumbledore.
"Fleeing is not really my first choice" commented Harry, grimacing. Inside, he also scoffed at the idea of giving the headmaster access to his house's wards. "But it's true that there are better moments to start a fight then when one is awaken in the dark of the night."
"Is that a yes?" asked Dumbledore, receiving a slow, uncertain nod from Harry. "Good. I am glad you can see reason, about this. I was having considerable second thoughts about leaving this path open to him, anyway. The risks are considerable."
"What alternatives do we truly have? This way we know what he need and so will aim for. If we go through with your idea…" countered Harry.
"Yes, I know. We went through this already – destroying all the remains of his relatives would be a temporary reprieve at best. But that temporary would means years of peace, and a chance for you to grow up" said Dumbledore, frowning. "Harry, we are still in time to do that. Literally tonight. Why such hurry?"
"As I said already, I want to settle the matter and move on" answered Harry, shrugging. "Also, you are not so young anymore. And even as an adult, I will never be a full match for him."
Dumbledore remained silent for a while, but then shook his head. "No sense in debating this again. We will proceed as planned. Is there anything left you need to share today, Harry?"
"No, I am done. Are you too?" asked Harry.
"For today. I need a couple weeks to prepare, but I will come back in two Sundays from now and place my strongest enchantments on this house" stated Dumbledore. "Should I need more of your insight into our Horcrux hunt, I will write to you. Otherwise, I'll have professor Lupin relay some small updates. If all this is acceptable to you."
"It is" said Harry, standing up. "Good luck, headmaster."
"Thank you, Harry. See you soon, and stay on your guard from now on" said Dumbledore, standing up himself.
After a couple of final greetings exchanged between them, the headmaster left the house leaving Harry quite troubled.
Cleaning up the living room after the headmaster's visit, Harry felt quite nervous. No matter what he and Dumbledore said, he feared that this would the year Riddle would come back, full force, just like it happened in his youth.
'Pettygrew is no longer around' thought Harry 'but will that be enough to change things? What I would do, in Riddle's place?'
Placing the empty tea cups in the sink, Harry washed his hands – still thinking.
'I could possess muggles. I could possess any local wizard. And there must be old contacts he still has, around the world' considered Harry.
'Maybe he will really lay low for the next decade, until another Quirrell pass by him' thought Harry, with a grimace 'but what are the chances? He was capable of interacting with people already, two years ago… how long can a self styled dark lord accept such a miserable existence as a shade?'
'No' thought finally Harry, while walking out of the house. 'What is surprising is that he stayed hidden for years in my youth. In his place, I would have instantly searched for any help and create a new body. Restart his whole revolution.'
Entering inside his greenhouse, he gave a wary look around his house. No one was in sight, but that didn't really calm him down.
'Maybe I should have really asked for Dumbledore's help in my first year, damn the consequences' he thought with a sigh. 'Well, this will be it. All or nothing.'
Inside the greenhouse, Harry started working on his plants. Only his darkened expression revealed his thoughts.
"You have it so easy, Harry. Maybe I should quit school too" commented Ernie, even as his smile showed how sincere he truly was.
The boys of Hufflepuffs had gathered again at the Three Broomsticks, and were drinking some butterbeer amid the chaos of the old pub. The girls were missing, this time around.
"Yeah, some kind of girls-only study group with Ravenclaws" had commented Wayne. When Harry asked why Ravenclaw only, the boys had snorted.
"For what I heard, the original plan involved all four houses. But Gryffindor and Slytherin started bickering immediately" said Ernie.
"Oh, yes" added Justin. "I think that Parkinson made some comment on Granger, you know, her teeth and hair."
"Very snidely and subtly, I am sure" said Zacharias, sipping his drink.
"Granger didn't like it anyway" spoke on Ernie. "She answered how she and Greengrass were only decorative dolls being primed for some snotty pureblood, and if they were not meant to talk then they should just shut up."
"Ouch" commented Harry, sniggering lightly.
"Yeah, you can imagine the rest. In the end it's only us and the 'claws. Studious and hardworking are practically the same thing at school, anyway" said Wayne, dismissive.
"The exams are pretty close, true. Good luck to everyone" said Harry, smiling.
"I am pretty confident this time around" said Justin, smirking arrogantly.
"I can't imagine why" commented Zach, without even looking at him. Justin sent back a glare, but did not comment otherwise.
"We are all studying a lot lately" said Wayne, shrugging. "Some of the girls even more. Hannah hasn't even stopped giving classes to the younger students."
"There are those that study hard, those that study less" started Ernie, his grin widening at each new word "and then there is Harry, of course."
"Hilarious" was Harry's dry comment. Justin slapped his shoulder in mirth, while a round of smiles was seen around the table.
What followed was normal small chat. The next Sunday there would be the final match for the Quidditch cup, Gryffindor against Slytherin. The two teams had been surprisingly even this year, but Slytherin had kept some edge and was the favorite to win the match and the tournament. The other boys invited Harry to sneak in and watch the game, but Harry refused.
"It would be fun, but I can already imagine the faces of Sprout, Snape or Dumbledore if I got caught trespassing" he commented, amused. No one managed to change his mind.
Eventually, the group split. Zacharias, Wayne and Justin went back to the castle – to "perfect" their homework a little before dinner, or so said Justin. Judging by Zach's eye roll, perfect was probably a byword for completing them in the first place. Ernie remained in Hogsmeade, but he soon said goodbye to Harry claiming he had some stuff to buy.
Harry followed him with his eyes, only to notice – surprised – how he went inside Madame Puddifoot's place. Tempted, even if only for a second, to approach the store window and check what the boy was even doing there he soon shook his head and walked away.
Hogsmeade, especially during the school year Sundays, was quite a nice place to visit anyway, even alone. Harry walked around, looking at all the faces around him. Sometimes he still received some curious stares, especially from the younger years, but he still mostly blended in even without school robes. Only other students from the third year at Hogwarts greeted him, or stopped to exchange a couple words.
Walking around he saw the two Patil sisters, with which he exchanged a wide smile and some short gossip. In the distance he saw some Gryffindors, including both Ron and Neville walking out of Zonko's, Neville carrying some items in his hands. Smiling, Harry walked inside the old joke shop himself, enjoying the cheery atmosphere.
After going out of Zonko's –where he bought nothing, but got quite a lot of snorts and smiles for free – he passed by a group formed of 3rd year Slytherins, without Draco. He greeted them cordially and it took some steps before he stopped, slightly frowning. No one had answered him back.
Turning around he saw how they too had stopped to look at him. Crossing his stare for a second, they soon turned around and walked away but, with Harry's considerable surprise, it seemed like they all did following a word from Crabbe. Or was it Goyle? 'Hard to tell' thought Harry.
Shrugging, he moved on. There were some places left for him to visit, before going back home.