The Mind of Harry Potter
by Roff

FOUR

After thinking about it while they discussed the evil Voldemort was willing to do, Sirius had an idea.

"Bella would likely want to keep something like that in her vault at Gringotts, especially if she needed to keep it secret from her husband and brother-in-law. Seems to me that would be the safest place for it," he told them.

"That's not good because the goblins are not going to be willing to let us look around in the Lestrange vault and check to see if she hid one there," Dumbledore replied.

"Not necessarily. I found out recently that my grandfather left the headship of the family to me. I just haven't been able to take up those duties while on the run. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm interested in being the head of the Black family. I've been at odds with most of my family practically my entire life."

"As the head though, you would have the authority to turn the Black family around and make it as you see fit," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Yes, and I would also have authority over all the Black vaults. The one Bella is likely using would be her personal one which is definitely a Black vault. This would grant me access. I could also kick Bella out of the family and take her vault back since she will no longer be a Black. Either way, I will have access. However, if she put it in the Lestrange vault, we'll be out of luck."

"Yes, that would be unfortunate," Dumbledore agreed. "So, I take it you've now found a good reason to take up the headship of the Black family?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, I believe I have a very good reason now," he said with a grin. "Not to mention, I need to change my will so it reflects that. I've already named Harry as my sole beneficiary. No way am I letting the Black fortune fall into the hands of the Malfoys."

While they were in the library at Grimmauld Place discussing all this privately, Harry kept feeling something familiar to him. When he figured out that it felt evil he was clued into what it might be. He rose while Dumbledore and Sirius continued to chat together about the horcrux that was likely in Bella's vault and how to go about retrieving it.

Crossing over to some shelves that surrounded the room, he slowly walked around near them to see if he could detect where the evil was coming from. It wasn't until he came to a curio cabinet with glass doors full of knickknacks that he stopped and felt it the strongest.

Opening the case, he drew the attention of Sirius and Dumbledore.

"What are you doing, Harry?" asked Sirius. "Some of those things could be imbued with dark magic. It's best to be very careful around stuff like that in this house."

Harry had figured out recently how to talk in people's minds so he could communicate easier rather than struggle with talking. It wasn't all that difficult for him to figure out given everything else he could do. It was actually fairly easy for him once he thought about it. He decided to use that ability now and shocked both men. Neither knew he could do that.

"I felt something evil and it's evil that I've felt before. I was wondering if it might be another horcrux."

Both men were shocked that he could communicate like that but hearing what he said had them scrambling to join him. When they were standing next to him, he pointed to a gold necklace with a locket sporting a stylized S on the cover of it.

"I believe that is Slytherin's locket and the one we found in the cave was made to look like it," he told them while pointing at it.

Dumbledore's eyes grew wide as he realized that was likely another horcrux. He then turned to Sirius.

"Sirius, we went to a cave and found a necklace a lot like this one, but it was a fake. Someone removed the real horcrux and replaced it with the fake. There was a note in it signed by RAB. What was your brother's full name?"

"Regulus Arcturus Black. Do you mean to say that Regulus, my Death Eater brother, turned on the dark lord and stole one of his horcruxes?"

"It appears to be the case, Sirius. Let me check and make sure it is definitely a horcrux before we go any further though."

Sirius nodded in agreement while Dumbledore cast a spell that told him if the necklace is a horcrux. When he finished he turned back to Sirius and Harry.

"This is definitely another one."

He then conjured a container for it and began floating the necklace and locket into the container. While doing so they heard a loud crack and Kreacher the house elf appeared in the library with them.

"You mustn't take Master Regulus' locket!" he cried. "Master Regulus commanded Kreacher to destroy it but Kreacher has failed," he said then broke down into sobs.

"Kreacher!" Sirius spoke to him. "It's alright. We will destroy the locket for Regulus. You are relieved of this burden."

"You know how to destroy the evilness?" Kreacher asked hopefully.

"Yes, Kreacher. I do," Dumbledore assured him.

"Master Regulus will finally get his last wish fulfilled," Kreacher said with a smile.

"Kreacher?" Sirius asked as he knelt down to the elf's level. "Would you please tell me about Regulus and what you helped him do that led to him telling you to destroy that locket?"

"Yes, master. Kreacher will tell of his brave Master Regulus and how he turned against the evil dark lord."

All three of them listened to Kreacher's story before Harry and Dumbledore left to go back to Hogwarts. Sirius was surprised that his brother actually turned against Voldemort but he guessed when Regulus figured out he made a horcrux that was a line he was unwilling to cross.

The Black family is a very dark family and they know about horcruxes. They also know that is something you never, ever do. Sure it will allow you to live longer but splitting the soul destroys you mentally. What is the point of living past what is normal if you are too mentally unstable to enjoy it?

Dumbledore had spent a lot of time going over all the information on the man known as Tom Riddle and explaining all about him to Harry. They did this before and after the horcrux retrievals. This caused Harry to start thinking on this himself.

While Sirius and Dumbledore were busy trying to collect the horcrux they believed was in Gringotts in the Black vault given to Bellatrix, Harry decided that Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Voldemort, would likely have left one in the castle. This caused him to seek out his elf friends so he question them about any rooms good for hiding things. He figured if anyone knew, it would be the elves.

That's when he found out about a room called the "Room of Hidden Things." It was also called "The "Come and Go Room" because sometimes it was there and sometimes it was not. One of the elves took him to the spot on the seventh floor and showed how he had to walk three times in front of a picture where a wizard was teaching trolls to dance ballet. While walking he had to think about what he needed in a room.

The elf showed him the Room of Hidden Things which when Harry walked in and sent out his feelings to see if one was in there, he felt it, but very faintly. He thanked the elf, who popped off, and he then proceeded to look for the horcrux. However, the place was so large and full of junk that he was sure it would take him days to search it, even if he can feel it when he gets closer to the Horcrux.

Thinking about it, he decided to wish for the room to only show him the evil horcrux. Suddenly all the junk disappeared and the room became a lot smaller. Then in the middle of the room there appeared a pedestal with a sculpted, but chipped, bust of a witch. There was a short wig on top of the head of the bust and sitting on top of the wig was Ravenclaw's diadem.

Harry walked over and was positive it was a horcrux. He conjured a box for it like Dumbledore did for the locket and then reached over and picked it up. It immediately compelled him to put it on his head. Harry said "no" to it like it was crazy and placed it in the box.

Leaving the room with a parting thank you, Harry headed to Dumbledore's office to share in his discovery.