Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.

When You Have Nothing Left to Lose

Chapter 16:

"Pup!" Sirius greeted Harry with a hug as soon as the young man emerged from the floo into the living room of Grimmauld Place. Thankfully, his skill at wizarding travel followed him back from the future, and he did not land on his face.

"Hey, Sirius. It's great to see you." Harry smiled, allowing only a normal amount of joy to seep into his voice. The former prisoner of Azkaban had no idea how much he missed his godfather. He didn't even break the hug until Sirius did. "Did Dumbledore fill you in?"

"He just said that you needed to see me and that we'd be going to Gringotts for me to gain the Black lordship." Sirius looked at Harry oddly. "What is all of this about?"

"Stopping Voldemort. We have it on good authority that he has hidden objects responsible for his powers throughout the country. I need you to get us into the Lestrange vault for one of them. Before we go, though, can you call Kreacher?" The time traveler replied as casually as he could.

"Why did he send you, then? No offense, Pup, this is your war as much as anyone's, but Dumbledore has been pretty insistent on giving you a childhood." The last Black could tell something was off.

Harry chuckled. "I just finally was able to convince him that I've progressed enough in Occlumency to start using the… link I have with Voldemort against him to our benefit."

"Link? What do you mean?" Sirius's face fell in concern.

"My scar. Whatever happened… that night… it left a connection between us." He paused, seeing the man's face unchanged. "Don't worry. Dumbledore has assured me it's safe, and I have it under control. Let's just get this done, okay?"

His godfather sighed but nodded with reluctant acceptance. "Kreacher! Get your arse over here!"

A small crack sounded, and the surly house-elf appeared between the two wizards. "Blood traitor calls on Kreacher. Oh, how Mistress would be ashamed."

"Yes, yes. I know. I know. Blood traitor, muggle-lover, yada yada. Kreacher, I need you to listen to what my godson here has to say, understand?" Before Kreracher could reply, Sirius added in a sharp tone, "And no tricks!"

The house-elf growled but said, "Kreacher obeys." He then turned around to face Harry.

The young man knelt down to look straight into the creature's eyes. "I know you hid a locket here for Master Regulus." Kreacher and Sirius's eyes both widened in shock. "He told you to destroy it, but you couldn't, right?"

Then, shocking the dog animagus, Kreracher broke down in sobs as he nodded. "Yes! Kreacher is a bad elf! Couldn't fulfill great Master Regulus's last wishes!" The elf continued to sob, and Harry frowned in sympathy.

"What if I told you I could help you with that, and eliminate it right here and now? Would you bring it to me?"

Immediately, Kreacher was broken from his wailing and looked at Harry with, what looked to the young man, to be admiration. "You can?" His words were filled with pure shock.

Harry nodded and removed the vial containing a basilisk fang. "Basilisk venom is one of the very few things that can do the job, and the other methods are just as rare. You should not feel ashamed for having as much trouble as you have had. So, what do you say? Can you retrieve it?"

Instead of verbally answering, Kreacher snapped his fingers, and Salazar's locket popped into existence, hovering in the air between the two magical beings.

Gratefully, the time traveler grabbed it as he expressed his thanks and set it down on the ground. "Both of you need to back up. I'll make this as quick as possible, but, once I open this thing, a lot of dark magic is going to pour out."

"You mean most of it is contained? Just standing here, it's already making me feel sick." Indeed, Sirius's face was a shade of green, affirming the truth of his words.

Harry grimaced. "Unfortunately, which is why I need you both to get away. Okay?" As he spoke, he released the fang from the vial and the sponge it was embedded in.

Kreacher obeyed and actually helped force Sirius out of the living room and around the doorframe. Both their heads poked out from beneath it to watch what would happen next. Seeing them in relative safety, Harry took a deep breath, steeling himself. He remembered clearly the effect it had on him and his friends back in his past.

"Open!" He hissed in Parseltongue.

The locket immediately obeyed, and the golden front inlaid with glittering emeralds forming a serpentine S swung up and back to land against the floor. Black smoke rolled out of it, but Harry focused and saw the two glass windows holding Riddle's eyes before they were red slits.

As soon as he spotted his target, he rammed his right fist down, the tip of the fang poking out from his fist and pointed towards the locket. The air around the locket seemed to fight him, but Harry pushed with all of his might and after a few moments, the makeshift weapon impacted the piece of glass containing the base of the locket. A loud screech sounded through the house, and the air around the locket became violently turbulent, similar to a mini tornado made of black smoke. With the wind whipping his entire body, Harry growled, and reared his fist back once more.

Glaring at the unbroken glass of the locket, the Shadow Wolf used his entire body and strength to slice through the storm. In an instant, the fang pierced the other half of the horcrux, and the smoke disappeared. The cursed object did not even have time to screech out in its otherworldly voice.

Sirius and Kreacher had to shield themselves fully behind the door frame to the room, so when the storm ended and they poked their heads back out, they saw Harry panting as he put the basilisk fang away.

Sirius hurried towards his godson to make sure he was okay, while Kreacher slowly approached. The dog animagus grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, inspecting him critically.

"I'm all right, Sirius. That thing just had some kick to it. The cup in the vault will be much easier to deal with after we get the goblins to disable the traps." Harry smiled before wrapping him in a hug. "I appreciate the concern, though."

Kreacher by then was standing over the locket, transfixed. He reached forward and picked it up. Feeling nothing from it anymore, the house-elf dropped it in shock before running to Harry and wrapping his leg in a hug.

"You did it! You did it! Oh, Master Regulus's last wish fulfilled! You good Master! Master Harry!"

Sirius looked down at Kreacher in shock, breaking the hug before looking up at a just as shocked Harry. "Well, I don't believe it…"

Getting over his surprise, Harry leaned down and gave the house-elf a short hug back. "Thank you, Kreacher. I am honoured. Do you think you could help Master Sirius out a bit more around here for me? I'll try to see what I can do on straightening him up in return." Seeing Kreacher not entirely convinced, he added. "I'm not saying you two need to agree on politics and all of that, but don't you think you should help uplift the house of Black when it is so few compared to its previous greatness? I know he can be a bit ill-mannered, but I'm sure we can work on it together.

"So." Harry presented his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Kreacher muttered under his breath while fiddling with his chin, quietly conversing with himself. Finally he looked back up. "On one condition." He looked past the Shadow Wolf's shoulder at Sirius. "Master Harry becomes the Black heir." His tone held room for no argument.

Sirius was surprised for a moment but quickly grinned. "I only wish I thought of it first, Kreacher. We're heading to Gringotts right now; I'll make sure it's taken care of."

The house-elf remained serious but nodded and turned back to Harry. "Deal." He quickly shook Harry's hand before returning his arm to his side.

Now, Harry grinned. "Thank you, Kreracher. Would you mind starting to get a deep clean going on this place? If you need any help, you can call my house-elf, Dobby."

Kreacher nodded eagerly and disappeared with another snap of his fingers. Suddenly, the room around them was returned back to its previous condition before the horcrux was opened.

"Did that really just happen? I haven't seen Kreacher so obedient since…" Sirius's smile broke as he remembered his brother. He quickly replaced it with a much faker one after a few moments. "Well, looks like we have a couple things we need to do at Gringotts, huh?"

"I guess so. Go ahead and change into Padfoot. That should get us into the bank. Once there, we're on foreign soil. The Ministry can't do anything." Harry smirked.

"How are we supposed to get out? Aurors could be waiting for us at the exit." Sirius asked, concerned.

Harry's smirk grew wider. "I can imagine the goblins would be willing to let us use their floo, for a price. Even if the Ministry spots us inside, there won't be anything that they can do."

Black guffawed. "Oh, you're certainly the son of a marauder!" The time traveler's heart bolstered at that.

Once he got himself under control, Sirius transformed into a grim and walked with his godson to the fireplace. Grabbing a hold of the fur at the base of his neck with one hand, Harry used the other to fetch some floo powder and pop it into the fire. "Diagon Alley, Gringotts."

A few moments later the two appeared in the street right outside the bank. They walked quickly up the steps. Once Harry opened the door, he used his body to block the view from the outside. Sirius returned to his human form in front of him and rushed inside with one large stride. Harry followed calmly inside before leading his godfather to the nearest available teller, an older male goblin in a pinstripe suit.

The few wizards and witches inside stared in shock at the escapee. None realized who he was with, the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Hello, sir. Sirius Black and Harry Potter would like an audience with the Black account manager. Would you kindly see if he is available?"

The goblin nodded. "Yes, Mr. Potter." He departed and came shortly back with another goblin. "Sharphook here will bring you to Account Manager Barchoke. Have a good day."

"Thank you for your assistance, teller. May your enemies fall to your blade." Harry bowed his head slightly before him and Sirius followed Sharphook to the manager's office. Once they were led in they saw Barchoke, an even surlier looking goblin in a fine black suit behind a broad desk.

"You're dismissed, Sharphook." The goblin said with a wave of his hand.

The younger goblin bowed and quietly made his exit.

"Well? Have a seat." Barchoke raised a brow.

"Thank you, Manager Barchoke, for taking the time to see us. My godfather here had some business to attend to, and I have a matter which I think you and the Goblin Nation need to be aware of." Harry spoke as he and Sirius sat.

"What kind of matter?" The goblin's eyes narrowed.

"I am sure you are aware of the Dark Lord's return. We are here to weaken him." The Wolf replied.

Barchoke's eyes narrowed further. "It is the stance of the Goblin Nation not to take sides in wizarding wars. It has never turned out profitably for us. If that is your intention, I advise you save your breath Mr. Potter."

"Sorry if I disappoint you, but that's not what I had in mind. What if an anonymous source informed you that he had a horcrux resting inside one of your vaults here at this very moment?" The Wolf grinned.

The goblin's face revealed his shock for a moment but quickly recovered, steepling his fingers together. "As… heinous… as that would be, our options would be limited depending on whose vault it is."

Harry's grin grew wider. "The Lestrange family vault. Bellatrix is the one who placed it. Specifically, Bellatrix neé Black, the same Black family that Sirius is here to claim his lordship of."

"Very clever, Mr. Potter." Barchoke grinned back. "I see why you approached me. Let us take this one step at a time, starting with your godfather."

Sirius looked between the other two occupants of the room in confusion and shock. "Wait, what am I missing here? What's a horcrux? Is that what we just destroyed, and how does my Lordship change anything?"

"There is more than one?" The goblin's tone held more than a little accusation.

"Several, unfortunately. Already a few have been disposed of, but after this one, there will still be three, not including Voldemort himself." Harry grimaced. "We are working on destroying them all, but one of them does not leave his sight."

Sirius watched on, lost, but Barchoke frowned. "How do you know so much?"

"I have my sources."

"Reliable sources?" The goblin quickly countered.

Harry chuckled. "I am confident in the knowledge I've gained from them, yes."

The account manager paused for a few moments, thinking. "It is normally not Gringotts place to disturb its clients' vaults, but if there is truly a horcrux inside and Mr. Black is deemed worthy of the lordship…" He sighed for a moment, understanding the weight of his decision. "Then it is in the Goblin Nation's best interest in its destruction."

"Wait. What is going on? What is a horcrux, and how does me becoming Lord Black make a difference?" Sirius was clearly frustrated with his lack of information.

"It's a piece of the Dark Lord's soul, Padfoot, some of the worst magic ever created."

Barchoke nodded. "Indeed. It goes against the very laws of magic herself. Placing such an object inside a vault at Gringotts is punishable with complete repossession of held assets, though the nearest kin are allowed to make claims on items held inside… for a price of course."

"And the Black Lordship?"

"It will fulfill the condition of nearest kin, as the lord of Bellatrix's former house… Besides, how else are we going to pay for it? I don't have access to the Potter family vault yet, and I doubt I have enough inside of my trust vault to adequately compensate the Goblin Nation." Harry replied with a shrug.

The goblin cackled slightly. "I would not be so sure of that, Mr. Potter." Upon seeing the young wizard's curious gaze, he elaborated. "You have shown incredible good will with what you have shared with us today. If you can destroy it here on Gringotts grounds, I think we could part with the object in question for say… a galleon?" He grinned. "Of course any other objects would have to be negotiated in a more traditional manner."

"Of course, Manager Barchoke. I would expect nothing less from the cunning Goblin Nation. As soon as we finish our business here with you, it will be my pleasure to destroy it." Harry shook the goblin's outstretched hand. "You have a deal. One galleon to eliminate a horcrux. Probably the best galleon I have ever spent."

"Agreed." Barchoke grinned with a toothy smile that unnerved Sirius before he shifted gears. "Now then, onto the next business. Are you ready to assume the Black Lordship?"

With a reassuring look from Harry, Sirius sighed and nodded. "Yes. I suppose I've been running from the family name for long enough."

The goblin merely nodded before handing forward a lone sheet of parchment. "Your signature in blood."

Without a second thought, Sirius signed the papers, the magic of his blood and signature ensuring his identity. Anyone else's blood or signature would nullify the contract.

Barchoke nodded as he took the parchment back and set it on a clean place on his desk. Then he reached down to one of the drawers behind his desk before pulling out a small, dusty old box made of ebony wood. Placing it cautiously atop his desk, he motioned for Sirius to proceed. The last Black in name slid the box closer before taking a deep breath and opening it.

Inside a platinum banded ring adorned with an onyx gem resided atop a black silk pillow. A howling grim was etched into the precious stone, marking it as the ring of the house of Black. Sirius picked it up by the band and read the words inscribed on the interior side. "Toujours pur."

After one last final inspection, he slipped it onto his right ring finger. A soft light glowed around it as it resized itself to fit perfectly. "Well, now that it's official, I'd like my first act to be making Harry my heir. When my time comes, he will lead the family."

Barchoke chuckled. "As you wish, Lord Black." He then turned to Harry. "You are quite an interesting character, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Manager Barchoke, and please. It is Harry."

"Harry." The goblin nodded with a toothy smile before getting another parchment out from his stacks. "Same procedure. Your signature."

The young man's eyes narrowed at his memory of torture at a blood quill but nodded before penning his mark as quickly as he could.

"Not a fan of them, I take it?" Barchoke inquired at the display.

"Let's just say I think I had a bad experience in another life."

The goblin merely quirked a brow but moved on pulling a less dusty box from the same drawer. Soon Harry repeated the process of adorning the ring, but the flash of light around the much smaller onyx ring was barely visible.

"Anything else that Gringotts can do for you today, Lord and Heir Black?" Barchoke spoke.

"I appreciate the courtesy, Barchoke, but it is still Harry for you."

"And Sirius for me. Never liked titles anyways."

The account manager took a moment to get over his surprise but nodded contentedly. "In that case, is there anything else I can help you with today, Sirius, Harry?"

"Just a warning that the items inside the Lestrange vault have been put under the flagrante and gemino curses, so your curse breakers are aware, and request for use of goblin floo services to leave the bank. You know how incompetent the Ministry can be." Harry answered, sitting straight in his chair.

"Bargaining with more information, Harry? Quite like a goblin." Barchoke grinned.

The young man grinned back. "There is something to learn from every being possessing magic. I would be a fool to ignore goblin traditions. Your price?"

"For both of you… another galleon." The goblin offered.

"Ten sickles for us both. You will make more than a small profit." Harry countered.

Barchoke revealed his much more common grin once again. You have yourself a deal. I'll let the goblin who will escort you to the Lestrange vault know. May your gold ever flow."

"And may the blood of your enemies flow just as swiftly." Harry bowed his head before getting up, Sirius following right after him.

The two were met at the doors to the office by another goblin who silently led them to the rail system and down into the depths of the bank. Once disembarked, they passed several goblins surrounding the familiar white dragon, using their noise-makers to keep it at bay. Harry was thankful he did not have to face it again.

Finally, the unnamed goblin brought them in front of the already opened vault doors. Inside, Harry saw the various treasures as he did before but quickly singled out the Hufflepuff cup. Getting the goblin's attention, he pointed towards it. "That's it there, the golden cup with the badger engraved in the side."

The goblin nodded and called a couple others who were already inside in their native tongue. The three exchanged some more words before the two curse breakers returned inside, clearing a path carefully towards the cursed object.

Minutes later, they returned, and the first goblin held his hand out expectantly. Harry nodded and wordlessly passed over a galleon before the other two goblins placed the cup on the ground and backed away hurriedly.

Unlike the locket, the cup put up no resistance and was easily pierced by the basilisk fang. Returning the tooth to its vial and his robes, Harry nodded. "Another one down. Three to go. Thank you for the time, goblins. May your gaults fill with gold." Here, he turned back to the one who led them down there. "Would you kindly show us to the nearest floo? I have arranged with Manager Barchokefor its one time use for us both."

The goblin nodded, and, once more, the three were rocketing through the underground of the bank on a rail cart. Finally, minutes later, the two emerged back into the living room of Grimmauld Place.

"Are you going to tell me what all of this has been about? You're acting… different. It can't just be this link or whatever you want to call it with Voldy shorts." Sirius immediately turned to his godson once they appeared.

"Sirius. I promise you, everything is fine. I've had a lot of growing up to do lately. Since I went back to school, I've been doing my best to get ready to face 'Voldy shorts' down. Last year, he got the upper hand. I'm not letting that happen again." Harry tried to assuage the man.

Sirius's grey eyes stayed locked with Harry's emeralds for a few moments before sighing and looking away. "I know I haven't always been there for you, pup, but I hope you know I am now. Whatever is going on with you… I just ask because I care. I'm always here to listen if you need."

A small smile grew on the time traveler's face. He missed these few moments of compassion between them. He reaffirmed his vow to make them more numerous this time around. "I promise, I'll explain everything more when we have time. I'm already going to be missing for too long, and there's still one last thing I need to do."

Relief at Harry's words was quickly replaced with confusion at his latest sentence. "Dumbledore only mentioned the trip to Gringotts?"

Harry nodded. "Let's just say that the next one's location I'd rather keep secret. Only those able to speak Parseltongue will be able to get in without any danger."

"Harry…"

"Don't worry, Padfoot. Like I said, Parseltongue will get me in with no risk." He carefully backed up his lie. He was not about to chance his godfather or Dumbledore putting the ring on and shortening their lifespans. He had the location, and, with his knowledge of "dark" wards and curses, he wasn't concerned. "Now, wish me luck, and I'll owl you soon."

Begrudgingly, Sirius accepted and wrapped his godson in a remarkably tight hug, trying to convey as much support as he could through the act. "Remember: I don't care where or what's going on, call me if you need help. I'll be there."

Harry smiled into the hug. "I know, Pads. I appreciate you more than you could ever know." Finally they broke the hug. "I'll see you soon" A small smile was on the young man's lips.

The dog animagus had a similar expression on his own face. "See you soon, pup."

"Dobby."

The elf appeared with a pop.

Harry and his friend linked arms before he waved one last time to his godfather."Let's go."

With another pop, the two disappeared.

Shaking his head, a sad smile still on his face, Sirius turned towards the kitchen and a much-needed shot of firewhiskey.

Meanwhile the other two had arrived in a thicket of woods, a dilapidated shack barely visible through the many trees despite the lack of leaf cover.

"Thank you, Dobby. I'll call you when it's time to go back to Hogwarts. Hopefully, this won't take long." The Wolf spoke as he changed out his clothes for his battle robes and mask. Better not to leave any clues as to his true identity here.

As the house-elf popped away, the time traveler made his way slowly forward, constantly scanning for wards or any other traps. Thirty minutes later, after dismantling over a dozen of Voldemort's protections, he arrived at the door to the Gaunt Shack. He neutralized another set of wards before he finally gained access inside. Turning the knob, Harry slowly crept inside, closing the door behind him. Despite the light in the sky, none reached the house anyway. Summoning a ball of light and ignoring the filth revealed, he quickly spotted the floorboard he had first seen in Dumbledore's memory.

The plank of wood was easily lifted out of place with a simple charm, revealing the golden box. Fifteen minutes later, its defenses fell. Another levitation charm removed the box from its hiding place and had it set on the floor nearby. Harry quickly removed the lid with another swish of his wand before removing the vial and then the fang inside.

Already, he could hear the ring calling to him, telling him to claim his lineage, a part of his soul. The otherworldly voice pervaded his mind, but the Wolf was prepared. He would not fall for the same trick Albus had. He already was already returning many from the dead with his actions. The Resurrection Stone and its curse held no real sway over him.

As soon as the fang was released from its spongy prison, it once more penetrated a horcrux, this time the ring. The black smoke screeched as it released and the magical curse was fully broken. The psychological trap of the stone would always remain. Satisfied, the Wolf returned the fang to its vial and the vial to his robes before removing another unbreakable vial.

Using his wand, he removed the black stone from the gold ring and dropped it into the empty vial before sealing it away and also returning it to one of his pockets. He easily then replaced the lid of the box before levitating it back into the recess in the floor. With the plank then replaced, Harry began making his way out of the accursed building, then the area, reactivating the defenses once he was at a safe distance.

The Wolf grinned as he returned his clothes back to jeans and a shirt, an inconspicuous black robe hiding his figure. "Didn't even need to use Parseltongue…" Shaking his head, he refocused. "Dobby."

He felt rather than saw the elf appear before he was deposited back into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor. The Wolf recognized it as the safest place to appear without drawing needless attention.

Another soft pop, and Harry felt Dobby disappear. Quickly, he made his way to a particularly familiar gargoyle.

"Harry Potter to see Headmaster Dumbledore." Thankfully, it moved out of the way almost immediately, and the time traveler took the steps up to the door leading to the office.

"Come in, my boy." Albus called from the other side.

Grateful, he opened the door to see the wizened wizard alone with his phoenix familiar.

"I take it you encountered some trouble? I was expecting you back almost an hour ago." Despite his casual tone, the headmaster's eyes were not twinkling with their usual mirth.

Taking a seat and grabbing a lemon drop, Harry shook his head. "Actually, no. Salazar's locket was destroyed. The goblins granted us access to the Lestrange vault, where the cup was immediately disposed of." Here the Wolf popped the candy into his mouth with a grin.

"Then what was the delay?" Albus's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"The Gaunt ring. I took a detour to eliminate it as well. If Parseltongue was needed to gain access more easily, I wanted to take care of it before removing the horcrux in my scar."

"You mean…?"

The wolflike grin grew further. "Yes, Albus. There's only two left now, then Riddle is mortal. I'll take care of the one I have and tell you when it's done, but I will need our resident potions master to kill Nagini."

"You sound… more accepting of him than I expected." Dumbledore replied cautiously.

Harry shrugged. "Let's just say in my timeline, he proved himself at the very end. He died a hero, and since then, I've had a lot of time to come to grips with it all."

Albus nodded. "I am pleased to see the wisdom you have gained through your experiences, though I do regret the circumstances."

"Well, that's why we're doing what we are. We can stop so much before it even begins." The time traveler chuckled. "We're already way ahead of the curve. At this point in time originally, only the diary was destroyed. What do you say we get Snape in here and work on ending this before my sixth year even starts?"

"A most excellent idea." A few minutes later after a floo call to the potions professor, the man walked into the office through the door.

"Headmaster, what is all of this about, and why is Potter here?" He sneered.

"Harry, here, requested your help in eliminating the Dark Lord once and for all."

Immediately Snape looked at the boy in shock. "Why?"

"Because your status as a spy and a potions master places you in the best position to do so. Nobody else has a chance compared to you." The Wolf replied respectfully.

"Was that a compliment, Potter?" The teacher sneered again, trying to don his normal mask.

To his surprise, though, Harry nodded. "It was. If you weren't an agent of subterfuge, I'd say nobody could deny your talent, but that would eliminate the entire purpose of being a spy, wouldn't it?" The Wolf grinned.

"What do you want from me?" Snape asked, suspicious.

"We need you to kill Nagini, preferably subtly to avoid blowing your cover. If you can blame another, even better, but be warned, she is not a normal snake. A simple poison won't work."

Snape's brows furrowed. "How do you know so much, and what purpose does this even serve? Are you trying to piss off the Dark Lord?"

"Tommy has tied some of his power to her. If we eliminate her using fiendfyre, basilisk venom, or even a killing curse, he'll be one step closer to being mortal. As for how I know this… well…" Harry paused. "I've come into possession of a lot of knowledge, including the sacrifices you have made."

The potions master paled before his face turned red and he turned on the leader of the light. "You told him!"

"No." The Wolf replied. "I can make a vow if necessary, but he did not. I can't tell you who did, but I assure you, professor, that you have my silence as well as my respect."

Snape could only stare in shock at the young man, speechless. Was this truly James Potter's son?

"If you need basilisk venom, I currently have quite a bit thanks to the carcass resting down in the Chamber of Secrets, though we will be losing access soon." Harry continued, unfazed and slightly enjoying the man's reaction. It was satisfying seeing him on the backfoot.

"I could use a fang's worth…" Severus was still in shock.

The Wolf grinned, and called, "Dobby."

His loyal friend appeared in an instant with a pop. "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Would you mind grabbing another basilisk fang and putting it in a vial like you did that other one?" Harry smiled.

"Of course, sirs!" With another pop, he disappeared.

"That was the former Malfoy elf." Snape deadpanned.

Before Harry could reply, another pop sounded, and Dobby reappeared holding a basilisk fang inside a vial, the tip embedded in a sponge. "Here you go, great Harry Potter sirs!"

"Thank you, Dobby, that's all for now." The house-elf gave a smile before disappearing with a final pop.

"One basilisk fang as requested. Just let us know once it's done." Harry handed the vial over. "And Professor Snape? Thank you."

The potions professor could only nod in response, staring at the vial in shock. Turning to the headmaster, Harry grinned. "Only two more, sir. I'll get to work on the last steps."

Without another word, the Wolf silently left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Albus… who was that?" Snape spoke once he finally snapped out of his reverie.

"The one to defeat the Dark Lord, Severus. He understands his responsibilities and is acting accordingly." The headmaster's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"So, how did it go?" Daphne asked, her back to the entrance of the Room of Requirement as she continued casting at the training dummies to her front.

The Wolf smirked at her observation skills. "We only have two left to deal with. Snape has been given the tools and knowledge to kill Nagini, and I'm a ritual away from eliminating the one in my scar."

The blonde Slytherin turned towards him with a raised brow. "You have been busy. Wasn't the plan to just take care of the cup and locket today?"

"Last time, Riddle wasn't aware of the destruction of his anchors until he was told, but destroying so many so quickly may alert him. I didn't want to take the chance. Besides… I now own two of the Deathly Hallows." The Potter smirk was across his face.

"The Resurrection Stone." Daphne realized.

"Exactly." The smirk did not falter.

"What are you going to do with it?" She asked, apprehensive. He had informed her of the fate of many who had possessed the Hallow.

"Hide it." Harry shrugged. "It does me no use. I just couldn't let anyone else figure out what it was. The fewer people who know, the better."

"Is the headmaster aware?"

"Not yet, but I do plan on giving him the opportunity to use it once things have calmed down."

Daphne furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why? Why risk him trying to take it for his own?"

A soft smile grew on his lips before he walked forward and hugged the woman he loved. "Because of the goodwill he's shown me. He returned the invisibility cloak to me. A man obsessed with the Hallows wouldn't even if he wanted to."

The blonde sighed but nodded. "Bloody Gryffindor."

He couldn't stop the chuckle escaping. "You love it. Don't pretend. Besides, I'm pretty confident that he will be handing over the Elder Wand to me."

"I thought the Dark Lord stole it last time?"

He nodded. "He did, but we've already stopped the headmaster from cursing himself with the ring." Breaking the hug, Harry gave another grin. "Now, want to help me with a 'dark' ritual to get rid of this scar? I'm getting pretty sick of keeping that bastard alive."

"My my my… Someone is feeling ambitious today. Trying to get rid of four in one day?" Daphne smirked, causing the time traveler's stomach to twist into knots as it always did.

"I have to show you I'm more than just a Gryff, don't I?" He grinned

The Slytherin rolled her eyes but was counteracted by the smile still on her face. "I suppose so. Go ahead. Change it to what you need, but do you have what you need?"

A vicious grin replaced the kind one on the Wolf's face. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be getting the last ingredient very soon. Just better to set everything else up first."

"And what is this mysterious ingredient?"

The wolflike smirk grew wider. "Oh, just Andrew Kirke."

AN: Another chapter, and things are picking up! Doing my best to get this and my other stories finished, especially for the people who have been reading since the beginning. All my readers deserve it! Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review with your thoughts if you did!

As Always,

Occidere Prima Vel Occidi