A/N: Welp, I've done it. Second last chapter to Part One. I dunno how long it will take for Part Two to start to be published, but I'll get back you lot about it later. For now, enjoy? The next chapter- the Last chapter of Part One- will be out on the 28th.

ANYTHING ELSE

The year that Goku had to wait through to access the Dragonballs once more felt less like a slog than he'd expected. He spent every moment of it training his mind and body, as Mr Popo and Kami both recommend and taught.

Sometimes he'd get a call from Ri during the day, an occurrence that became rarer as the year wore on and she and Hermione stopped doing their research and preparing. When she did call during the day, they'd often simply sit in silence together- as together as they could be, being in two separate realities.

It went unsaid, the quiet worry that the plan wouldn't work. That Goku wouldn't be able to make his wish before Voldemort got to her. Because Ri had been right in that the murderer was planning something.

It was during the night, when he could talk to Ri freely, that Goku learned about what happened in Ri's year.

The first horcrux that they found, they had taken from the Come and Go room at Hogwarts, a day or so after they received the list. Immediately Voldemort had known and he put a hit on their names the moment summer started.

Very quickly Ri and Hermione had become fugitives. They were being hunted by more than just the Death Eaters too.

Through the radio, they knew that anyone that they had known had been called out to be rounded up over the summer, forcing them to go into hiding or to be on the run as well. Those who were caught and defended them were either killed, or tortured for information before being killed.

News stations and civilians alike reported missing people all throughout Britain. The numbers were growing into the hundreds. Then messages left by Death Eaters had been left in public places for the other magicals to find which kindled a slow rage in the rest of the population that began to demand for the two seventeen year old witches to be captured- thinking that would put an end to it all.

Students who had gone to Hogwarts that year weren't any safer. If they were still there at all. There had been a siege on the school when the term first started. The Death Eaters had invaded. Now all anyone knew was that no one had heard from the students or teachers since then.

It was a bleak and terrible thing. Turning Ri's thoughts away from those happenings quickly became the reason why she called him during the day closer to the end of the year. Their time spent meditating together was invaluable.

Still Goku wished that he could do more for Ri.

They needed to carefully plan their excursion around the new protective detail Voldemort had placed around his horcruxes.

Ri had Dobby bring a letter to Gringotts Bank, explaining to them how a horcrux was hidden in one of their vaults. They sent a letter back through Dobby, stating that despite wanting to rid such an abomination from their halls they were bound by their word that they would only guard that which has been entrusted to them. Other than freeze the Lestrange accounts until the item in question was removed, they could do nothing about it.

A few days later the list of horcruxes changed. It stated how the horcrux from the bank was out of it's stationary hiding place. Now it kept on changing locations, the magics around the item was being added to and replaced at random, and creatures Ri called inferius (a sort of zombie without a soul) were always present around it.

The locket that Ri had gotten with Dumbledore had been a fake, a little note left inside of it. But the locket matched the description of the horcrux that had been listed as being in Grimmauld Place. So Ri had given the dummy locket to Dobby and asked him to find the item that matched it from within the house that had been passed on to her through Sirius' will.

In the meantime, Ri and Hermione practiced their control of fire and shields without their wands so they could make an attempt on the horcrux guarded by the dead.

Day by day the year dragged on.

Goku kept a close eye on the Dragonballs. He'd caught each one in a large blanket before they could fly off across the planet so he could use them instantly the next time they were ready. The last thing he kept his eye on was the time he had left until the next world tournament.

There was still an evil of his own world that he needed to take care of. Ri definitely wouldn't be ready on time to take part in this year's tournament herself. He'd have to let her prove Kuririn wrong next time the tournament came around instead. (There was a quiet relief to this though. Goku was sure that he didn't want to give Piccolo any chance to fight against Ri. That would be more than just... unpleasant.)

There was barely a week left until the Dragonballs would be ready to make a wish. It was nearly the start of summer. Harri had no idea how the time could have gone by so fast when every other year seemed to go by at a slow crawl.

Stood outside the tent (Goku had sent back the one Harri had gifted to him to help with her new fugitive life style) Harri concentrated on what she wanted her magic to do even as she moved her body through slow karate stances. Her right hand she kept open, palm out, and moved it in opposite to her left that was closed in a fist. In front of her open palm was a red flame, it's heat licked at her skin but never touched her, which followed her movements. Around her left fist was another flame, silvery-blue in color, yet it seemed to produce no heat that Harri could feel on her own skin- though Hermione told her that it was very hot and they had seen it burn like fiendfyre only it did not come from dark magic.

Her wand was sheathed in her holster on her wrist, where it was accessible but not being used currently. Harri was working on her wandless and wordless magic, which now came to her naturally. The only time she ever used her wand now- other than for throwing off other magicals in a duel when shown that she in fact could still fight if it was ever taken from her- was when she wanted an extra boost with her shield charms.

In the air beside her the Window Wood floated, just far enough away to keep the entirety of Harri in it's line of view. She could see Goku clearly from where she was without turning her head. He had hung his own Window Wood on his bed post then moved to be in the middle of the room that he stayed in on the Lookout. He stood in the same posture as Harri, moving just as slowly to show her how to move properly.

Knowing how tight a regimen Kami liked to keep Goku on, Harri found it sweet that he still made time to stay up at odd hours to talk to her or just practice with her. Especially when he should have been getting in his hours of sleep instead. Harri knew he must be exhausted and sore but he didn't let any of it show in his movements. Whenever she showed her concern, Goku had assured her that he did better in training after a night speaking to her than he did without, so Harri didn't pester him too much about getting proper sleep and taking care of himself. She did force herself to keep track of the time though, so she wouldn't keep him up for more than one hour after sunset.

As she moved Harri winced as her hips gave protest to her steps, which had felt awkward. Immediately Goku shook his head and Harri paused in her movements, though she didn't let either flame go out or the Window fall from it's position in the air.

"Not like that- like this." He exaggerated with how he bent his knees as he showed her the foot movement again. Then did it over again with the movement of his arms included.

Harri reset herself and tried again, following how he moved closely. While she did, Harri couldn't help but admire him.

Goku had grown tall, much taller than she expected him to. While all boys seemed to get tall at some point, the fact of it had hit Harri rather suddenly- what with how uncommon it was to see him when he wasn't holding the Window Wood in his hands or sat down nearby.

What had been more subtle, less of a shock to notice, was the clear musculature that has developed from his constant practice of martial arts. There wasn't a single ounce of fat on his body. It was all muscle. And as he moved, not only was it graceful and smooth, but Harri could see how the muscles rippled and moved under his skin, merely hinting at the power and lethality he could wield. Harri found herself quite captivated with just how beautiful she thought he was, especially paired with what she knew of his personality.

Maybe it was a good thing he was on the other side of the Window during these moments where they trained together. Harri knew Goku could be distracting but she also knew that any concentration she could manage to scrounge up now would fly out the train car window and disappear faster than a runaway chocolate frog if he were physically beside her- or anywhere near her really.

What was worse is that he knew it. While she hadn't said anything out loud Goku could read her like a book.

When she'd started to stare for too long or struggle to string coherent words into proper sentences, he noticed. Then he teased her by doing it more often, which was just- in Harri's firm opinion- mean. There was hardly a night that went by these days where he had a shirt on, or his gi top. His gi pants had gotten 'mysteriously damaged' and now they were more like shorts that went down to the middle of his defined thighs. (She knew he had proper clothes though, he wore them during the day after all, and kept them on when it was clear Hermione was going to stick around and not go off to do her own thing- a fact Harri was very conflicted about as she both wanted her friend to stay so she could concentrate on what Goku could teach her and she also want her friend to leave because- well because. Harri was also starting to feel bad because she found herself unconsciously scowling at Hermione more and more when she stayed to practice with them, another thing Goku obviously noticed- that smile of his said it all- which wasn't exactly fair to Hermione who needed to practice too. But darn it all- Harri didn't like sharing!)

Harri wasn't anywhere near 'used to it' but she was slowly starting to find it easier to snap back to the present and wrench her eyes off his body to meet his amused dark hues.

At least she could get back at him, for his mean ways. Harri found that if she wore shorts and form fitting tops- some being crop tops for when she's training, showing off her flat stomach- she could provoke a similar reaction in him. It wasn't nearly as obvious as her own, but Harri had noticed when his gaze would be a bit sharper or linger a bit too long and when his words came to him slower.

After her experience in school Harri was sure that she hated that sort of attention from males. Yet, with Goku, it was different. Instead of inducing an icy dread or shiver of disgust, Goku's attention was somehow empowering and thrilling to feel all at once. It felt good (after she had the time to get over her initial nearly-lethal dose of embarrassment anyhow). With that in mind, Harri also knew that there was no way that she'd ever try and get anyone's attention in this way- Goku being her sole exception.

There was smile on his face now, it lit up his features roguishly. "Do you want me to show you again?" His tail curled about behind him, much like how Crookshank's did when the half kneazle was deeply concentrated on a hunt.

Caught again, Harri did her best to ignore how her face felt like it was now covered with the magical fire rather than just her hands. Breath in. Breathe out. This was only the fifth time tonight, it wasn't like her embarrassment continued to build as the night went on...

Not in the least bit calmer, Harri instead felt her heart rate spike. While digging her own grave, she might as well make the death worth it. If Goku wanted to show off- she wasn't going to stop him (though one of these days it was bound to kill her. Death by embarrassment most certainly was a thing, as Harri was sure she'd been on death's door step several times already thanks to it). At the same time, Harri was also guilty of encouraging him. (When the embarrassment eventually does kill her all the way, her death would be her own fault.)

Swallowing said embarrassment she didn't let herself think on it. "Maybe if you turned a bit?" Harri asked, trying to focus on the task at hand. Maybe she should try to summon images of something else while she did this- like those awful dwarfs from Valentine's day in second year that had been dressed up as cupids. "The new angle would probably help."

She tried to keep the appalling image in her mind as she looked at Goku then- dwarves in diapers, dwarves in diapers- and managed to keep her eyes firmly on his own. Her heart beat even louder in her ears at the sight of his gaze. Mind suddenly blank- she hadn't said anything odd had she?

"With which part?"

For a second Harri couldn't understand his question. Then she moved to reset herself again, remembering that she was supposed to be learning. She tried to do the step by step again, then moved the Window around so he could see what she meant as she twisted her hips. "With this part. It doesn't feel right."

"Do it again- stop! There, see, you have your ankle wrong. It's like this-"

Harri watched as he did the move again for her, actually remembering the movement this time, and tried it out with him.

"There ya go, Ri. Better?"

With a sigh of relief, "yeah." Harri agreed, glad that there wasn't any twinge of pain this time.

"Great! Let's go at the same speed again to make sure you got it." Goku moved one arm up so his closed fist would be over his opposite shoulder, the other arm held in a fist at a downwards angle. "What was this used for again?" he quizzed even as he showed her the move and it's follow ups in slow motion.

"Redirection," Harri answered seriously.

Most magicals didn't bother trying to learn anything that had to do with self defense. Then again, most magicals weren't preparing to go up against an army of dead puppets that could not get destroyed by anything except for fire- fire that burned so hot nothing would be left. As for Harri, she hadn't stopped learning self defense from Goku since she could remember- there had only been really long pauses between when she could actually practice.

All thoughts flew out of her mind, once again. Originally Goku had been facing the Window head on. Now he turned to his left just enough for Harri to see his right side better as he preformed the gedan barai for her. As his right arm went from a straight position back into a proper punch his musculature from his wrist all the way up to his shoulders and sides followed the movement with eloquent finesse.

Absently Harri nodded her head, then blinked when she realized that Goku hadn't moved for a while now. When she finally met his gaze, she knew instantly that she had been gawking. Again. On one hand she wanted to find the nearest hole and hide in it for the rest of her existence. On the other- hadn't he just asked her something? What did she just nod to!? By the growing smile on his face Harri knew that he had seen her realization and found it immensely amusing.

The flames she had conjured had long since gone out. She used her hands to cover her face. Harri groaned with the pain her embarrassment was causing, "Gokuuu!"

Like he wasn't a dry sponge soaking up said embarrassment, "what?" Goku responded innocently. By tone of voice alone Harri would have thought he really didn't know what was being asked of him. But Harri knew Goku. She glared at him through her fingers.

"You know what!" Harri glowered accusingly. For a second she worked her jaw, struggling to string together what she should say all the while trying to fight her furious blush. "What did you just have me agree to?!"

He rolled his eyes at her, "just that you like what you see."

Suddenly that idea to live out the rest of her existence in a hole in the ground was feeling like a real possibility. Harri crouched in a ball and hid her face. She could feel how the heat in her face had spread over her ears and down her neck to burn brightly in her chest.

"Aw- Ri, don't be like that!" Goku protested, "I like what I see too!"

Harri knew instantly that he meant it. Goku didn't lie. But while he clearly said it to help her, his brutal honesty only made her embarrassment grow at the moment. How can he just say stuff like that? Harri didn't know but she felt sort of envious of the ability- even if it killed her every time he did it.

There were a few seconds of silence. "Ri?" It was the worry in his tone that had Harri push down her embarrassment enough to look up at him again. He stared at her with concern, clearly worried he'd pushed her too far. "You okay?"

Just as Harri nodded there came the sound of two pops from within the tent. A loud shout followed- one Harri knew hadn't been from Hermione- which had Harri's attention snap to the tent door on time to witness something the size of a child dart out seconds before something within exploded. With a gasp Harri dodged as sharp pieces of wood flew in her direction, calling down the Window Wood instinctively to be within reach, only for the dodge to have been needless. The first figure came to a stop in front of her and held up a hand. Each piece of wooden shrapnel froze. Harri's eyes widened in surprise as she finally recognized the figure as Dobby.

Harri had sent Dobby off to Grimmauld place a few months ago to search for the real horcrux. Harri hadn't thought it would take Dobby this long to come back but it did, and he seemed to have brought an angry something with him.

(While Dobby had been away, Goku had taken it upon himself to make meals for her and Hermione with the help of Mr Popo. Harri didn't bother to tell to Goku that Dobby had stashed two years worth of food away for her and Hermione out of Dobby's worry for them going hungry while he was away. Instead Harri just thoroughly enjoyed Goku's cooking, which was improving with each meal. Hermione had gotten in the habit of swapping Goku's meals for Dobby's, so Harri didn't bother to tell the brunette how quickly the meals were improving. So what if there was too much salt one night, or that it was too sweet another, or even that the rice might get a tad chewy every once in a while? Harri loved the fact that Goku made a dish for her, period.)

"You does not hurt Mistress Harri Potter!" Dobby declared angrily at the tent.

As though on cue, Harri watched as another house elf emerged, so old and leathery that he looked like he should have keeled over ages ago. He wore a filthy old rag around him that clearly hadn't been washed even once, eyes bloodshot, and nose much more akin to a snout.

It took a second for Harri to recognize him as Kreacher, the house elf who had told Harri that Sirius hadn't been home (Dobby told her later that it was a lie but that didn't really matter since he got the message to Sirius for Harri anyways).

The pieces of wood that had been suspended midair turned abruptly to face the opposite direction, they were then thrown at Kreacher as though they were spears. But the old elf threw up his hands, moving a lot quicker than Harri ever expected him to. The wood suddenly exploded into clouds of dust that blew away in the gentle outdoor breeze.

"Give it back!" Kreacher barked darkly at Dobby in return, "is not yours to take!"

From behind Kreacher Harri could see Hermione's form. There was a crazed half-asleep half-terrified look in her eyes as she gazed about for more danger even as she kept her wand trained on the old elf.

"That's enough!" Harri butted in before anything else could be said or done. She felt how both of the elves froze, their angry magic simmering down almost instantly.

Harri gave Hermione a wave of her hand so the brunette knew that they hadn't been attacked or ambushed- much to the burnette's mixed relief and annoyance- before she finally turned to the two house elves. (Too tired for any of this, but assured that they were not in danger, Hermione turned and went back to bed. She'd find out what happened in the morning- Harri was a very good with her verbal reports.)

"What is going on?" Harri demanded of them. At once they both spoke up, much like two children who had a disagreement, and started to yell over one another. "Stop, stop!" Both shut their mouths with a click, as though with no choice, but continued to glare at one another heatedly. "I can't understand when you speak over one another like that."

For a second Harri eyed them both. Dobby clutched two golden things in one of his hands like his life depended on it. There was a glare on the elf's face as he eyed the older elf- an expression Harri had only ever seen be directed at his previous employer before.

On the other hand Kreacher trembled, his old body shook rather alarmingly as he glared back at Dobby as though Dobby had done a personal wrong. Kreacher's tennis ball sized eyes jumped up to meet Harri's green and she knew immediately that he wasn't listening to her by choice.

It took Harri a moment to realize that with the ownership of Grimmauld Place came the ownership of everything that went with it- which included Kreacher. All at once she remembered how Sirius had complained about the being- how Sirius had wanted to fire the elf but had been sure that the shock of going out of a job would kill him.

"Kreacher." Harri breathed. Tried to calm from her initial harsh tone. It was clear the old elf wanted to be here as much as Harri wanted him to be. She reminded herself to be kind in her orders, "please... tell me why... you are trying to kill Dobby."

"Took it!" Kreacher spat through gritted teeth at her. Then he turned to Dobby with a deadly glare. "No right! Not yours! Belongs to Master Regulus that does!"

"Okay! Enough." Harri turned to Dobby as Kreacher's jaw shut tight again. The old elf shook horribly as he stared, something both desperate and furious in his gaze. Harri didn't take her eyes off Kreacher as she asked, "Dobby, what did you take?"

He turned towards Harri but kept his own tennis ball sized eyes on Kreacher as well. In his hand he revealed the two golden things to be identical lockets. Emerald green stones glittered at Harri in the form of a serpentine S. "Only what Harri Potter asked of me, miss."

At the sight of them Harri grimaced. Now that she had her attention on them, she could faintly feel how one of them had dark magic on it- something Voldemort had tried very hard to mask. She looked between the locket and the old elf who seemed very attached to it with suspicion.

"Kreacher... why did you call this locket Regulus'?" At once Kreacher's glare hardened into utter hate and defiance as he looked at Harri, not uttering a word. She made her tone firm, "Kreacher. Tell me, did Regulus order you to keep that locket safe? Speak only the truth to me."

As though it hurt him to say, "no."

"Then... what did Regulus ask you to do with the locket?"

Kreacher whimpered at that. As though the words had been ripped out of his throat- "Kreacher has failed his orders!" he screeched.

At once the old elf lunged himself at a nearby stone and Harri knew immediately that he planned to bludgeon himself with it. She acted on instinct alone, jumping forwards and tackling the half-human-sized creature to keep him from harming himself. Her own shout of worry mixed with Goku's and Keracher's.

"Be still!" Harri ordered, to which Kreacher immediately complied. Slowly Harri lifted herself from the stiff old elf who's eyes were now watery with tears. She stayed knelled down beside him, "Kreacher. You are not to harm yourself." Like she'd just given him a death sentence, a low keen left him at that.

Harri glanced up to the Window. Goku watched with concern, but shook his head when he noticed her stare. Dobby watched from the spot that he had stood in front of Harri without having had moved a muscle, face very white.

"Kreatcher," Harri swallowed, "you are to tell me everything you know about that locket and how it is related to Regulus."

He did. In a sort of dead voice that was muffled by the ground but quite distinct in the quiet of the outdoors. Harri and Goku both listened in a horrified silence as Kreacher told them the tale of how Regulus had joined the Death Eaters at sixteen, had been proud to serve under Voldemort for an entire year, until the night in which Voldemort required an elf to set his deadly trap around his horcrux. At just seventeen years of age Regulus Black had been dragged into the black waters of a cave by the army of inferius that had called that place home, his last order to Kreacher being to destroy the locket that he had given his life to obtain.

Harri felt like she'd be sick. She held a hand over her mouth, eyes screwed shut. The way that Kreacher cried echoed painfully within her as he declared himself a bad elf despite going to every length possible to try and follow through with his last order from Regulus. Only when his sobbing became so bad any further words were completely incoherent did Harri finally turn to Dobby. Harri could not read Dobby's face as he watched his fellow elf. When she called his name softly his eyes snapped to her as though startled. Dobby shook slightly as he handed Harri both lockets.

Without waiting any further Harri opened her coin purse. From within she retrieved a curved dagger, it's pommel engraved with the Potter House crest. It was part of a set of Goblin made blades that had been in her family vault.

(Back at Hogwarts, as soon as they read what they needed from the parchment, Harri had summoned two of the daggers from her coin purse. Both blades they had let absorb basilisk venom from the one that Harri had killed in second year. Then Harri gave one to Hermione and kept the other for herself. Neither of them were proficient with a blade, much less a dagger, but that didn't mean that they couldn't stab a horcrux with it. Goku told them how he knew several people who could teach them how to wield a sword but it would both be inefficient and dangerous to do so through the Window.)

Putting the horcrux down on the ground, Harri turned to the prone Kreacher who watched her listlessly. She ordered Dobby to stay back at a safe distance as she turned to Kreacher and showed him her dagger.

"This is a blade that has absorbed basilisk venom. It will destroy the locket without fail." Harri told him honestly. Kreacher's eyes widened. "You may come take it if you wish. See, I can open the locket for you."

A hand came up underneath Kreacher and pushed until he was half way on his hands and knees. He listened to her with rapt attention. Gaze flickering between Harri's face and the dagger almost hungrily. Harri knew right away that this was the right decision to make.

"With this blade, you can finally fulfill your last order to Regulus and you can stop punishing yourself. Kreacher, once the evil within is destroyed, you may keep both lockets for however long you wish." Harri continued and witnessed how a silent determination seemed to fill the old elf. It made it look as though Kreacher were regaining his lost years. His hand slowly came to close around the dagger's short handle. Harri let the elf take it and he watched her with reverence, a complete one-eighty to the glare he had on before. "I warn you, Kreacher. As soon as I open this, it will try to kill you with all of it's power. You understand?"

There was no ounce of hesitation. He held the dagger so tightly his fingers were bone white. "Yes, Misstress. Kreacher will not fail this time."

"You won't," Harri agreed with a nod.

She got up, held the locket down by the chain under her shoe. Planted firmly, she checked for a moment to be sure her Window Wood floated at a safe distance before she glared down at the locket. As though it could sense it's eminent doom, the thing had begun to shake. Kreacher unsheathed Harri's dagger and let the sheathe fall at his feet. Seeing how he was ready, Harri turned her attention back to the locket. She imagined the S to be an actual serpent.

"Open." Harri hissed at it angrily.

With a little click the locket doors opened wide. Perfectly fitted glass was inside, made to hold small pictures. Only, instead of pictures, two handsome living eyes blinked back at them, their color dark brown. At once Harri knew them as the same she'd seen on seventeen year old Tom from the diary in second year. They were the eyes that Voldemort had had, before he turned them scarlet and slit-pupiled.

Under her shoe the locket wiggled frantically, desperate to get away. The chain dug into the dirt as it tried to slip free. Harri felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as wave after wave of sick twisted magic emanated from the thing. If she had to put a substance to it, Harri would link it to a thick sludge or goo- like a slime mould- that wanted to attach itself to anything with magic nearby and consume it. Harri wanted nothing more than to get far away from it.

A loud wailing cry caught Harri's attention then, snapping her gaze up to it. It was Kreacher as he jumped at the locket, dagger held firmly with both hands and a deadly gleam in his steady gaze. Just before Kreacher would have stabbed the locket, a wall of dark magic was released (as opposed to the waves that had washed passed Harri before), which knocked the old elf back and had Harri yelp under the cutting pressure.

She could feel how the dark magic wanted to latch onto her own pure magic, consume it. Then her scar burned like someone had taken a hot poker to her head, the pain of it blinding her. There was no registry of when it happened, Harri was simply on the ground, one of her hands clawed the dry earth while the other clutched at her forehead above her right eye.

"I have seen your heart..." A voice hissed, one Harri recognized all too well. It sent a chill of dread down her spine. The voice had come from the locket and at the sound of it a whimper sounded nearby. "I know your deepest desires..."

Harri could barely move, let alone think, as she tried to process the pain in her head- only wishing for it to go away. Muddled sounds around her was all that she could process of any further words that were or weren't spoken. It felt like an eternity passed before the pain disappeared as suddenly as it came- just as the sound of something being shattered suddenly registered with stark clarity.

Eventually Harri opened her eyes, immensely grateful that it was not daylight. (The darkness did not sting her throbbing eyes nearly as much as daylight would have.) In front of Harri lay the broken locket, both pieces of glass within it's frame shattered. Beside it was the dagger, the blade stabbed a good three inches into the earth. A few feet away sat Kreacher, his back straight as tears fell down his leathery face that was upturned to the sky. His expression felt peaceful and satisfied to Harri.

When he noticed that she was looking, Kreacher got up and held something out to Harri. "It is done, Mistress." he told her with his toady voice. Any trace of malice was gone from him entirely.

Harri blinked at the Window Wood that was being passed to her, it's surface blank. She quickly received the item and gently smoothed her hand over it's surface. It must have gone blank when the pain had overwhelmed her.

"Thank you, Kreacher." Harri gave the elf a smile, "this is very important to me."

"Kreacher knows." While the elf nodded to her, Harri felt her smile slip. Harri always kept the Window Wood close and made sure to know where it was always. She knew he could not have seen it before tonight. Her question must have been clear as day on her face for Kreacher soon continued, "Kreacher recognizes the item. The Dark Lord has gathered more just like it to fufill his plot."

At that, all coherent thought slipped right out of Harri's mind. Instead her mind jumped from one fact to the other- how Voldemort had three horcruxes left (which includes herself), how he has an army of inferius, how he doesn't leave bodies behind, how he currently holds Hogwarts student's captive, and now, how Voldemort has more wood exactly like her own Window Wood. Face steadily loosing color, Harri stared at Kreacher with widened eyes.

"Mistress?"

"Kreacher," Harri spoke very softly. She could barely even hear herself. "Please follow me in the tent. Dobby?"

Promptly said elf appeared, glanced between herself and Kreacher uncertainly.

"Please fetch Hermione and have her meet me in the sitting room."

"Right away, Harri Potter, miss." Dobby disappeared to do exactly that.

Shakily Harri got herself to her feet and entered the tent. The first thing she saw was Crookshanks sat on the counter in the kitchen, his orange fur calling her attention. To tired to even bother chasing him off for the thousandth time, Harri instead eyed one of the stools. There was a fire lit in the pit and Harri promptly set herself down on said stool to warm herself.

As Hermione exited of the second bedroom (it had been added to the tent when Goku had given it back, Hermione had insisted to have her own room so Harri simply used the one that was in the tent already) her unhappy expression had quickly changed to one of alarm at the sight of Harri.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked immediately, like it was a reflex. She sat down opposite of Harri on a stool.

"I..." Harri shook her head. She felt sick again. Then she looked down at her Window Wood, "Goku."

As the image of her oldest friend appeared on the face of the Wood, Harri let the Window Wood levitate with only the thought of what she wanted her magic to do for her.

"Ri?! Are you okay?" Was the first words out of Goku's mouth.

"What's he mean?" Hermione cut in shortly, tone saturated with worry. She scanned Harri with her eyes, "what happened?"

"Well a horcrux is officially destroyed." Harri started, finding strength at knowing both Hermione and Goku were present. She gave Goku a strained smile, "I'm okay." Then her eyes fell onto Kreacher who had obediently followed Harri into the tent and now stood nearby quietly, pointedly not acknowledging Hermione. Harri took a steadying breath. "Kreacher, please tell them what you told me outside, in regard to the Wood you recognized."

Kreacher looked to Goku with suspicion but did as he was told. "Kreacher recognizes the wood. The Dark Lord has gathered much exactly like it."

Hermione let out a gasp, quickly covering her mouth, while Goku listened intently. (He was now sitting on his bed, a red blanket somewhat wrapped around him. With the proximity of the Window Harri could tell he was holding it in his hands.)

With a nod, "thank you. Kreacher, please tell us anything else you know of Voldemort's plans."

The old elf looked at Harri for a long moment. Then, "the Dark Lord has made a Doorway and plans to travel to the other side with his abominations."

Yup, Harri was sure she was going to be sick now. At least it's confirmation of what Voldemort has done with the dead bodies. "The inferius?" She managed to ask him. While he looked repulsed by just the thought of it Kreacher still nodded. A chill went down Harri's spine. She swallowed. "...How many..?"

"Kreacher did not count." The old elf shook his head. "Kreacher stays away from those things."

Silently Dobby appeared to hand over cups of tea. Hermione took hers absently as she asked, "what about the people he's captured? The students? What does he do with them?"

Kreacher did not answer, in fact he looked like he hadn't heard Hermione speak at all.

Harri let out a sigh as she accepted her own cuppa. Silently lifting her coin purse from around her neck, she put the third cup inside it (already charmed by Dobby to keep it from spilling) before she sent it through the Window to Goku. It was always interesting to watch how the coin purse would disappear into the face of the Wood, as the image would ripple and bend like cellophane being pushed too far before the object was simply absorbed.

"Kreacher, please answer Hermione's question." Harri saw the immediate revulsion in his eyes- "and without insults please. Insults regarding muggle-borns and their blood purity is forbidden. Besides, I consider Hermione as my sister in all but blood so I expect you to treat her with some respect."

Soundlessly Kreacher worked his jaw, no doubt listing all the terrible things he'd like to call Hermione but could no longer do so aloud. With a growl to his tone, "the Dark Lord has uses for all with magic, and even some without. If they do not follow the Dark Lord then, when their mind is gone, their magic is taken to build the passage. All bodies were kept to be made into more abominations later."

A cup shattered as it hit the floor beside the fire- which hissed angrily at the sudden liquid being thrust upon it- breaking the silence. (Dobby snapped his fingers and the cup fixed itself then flew into his hands. He went back into the kitchen to refill it.)

"Oh Merlin..." Hermione muttered as she brought up her hands to cover her face. Harri could see the start of tears in Hermione's eyes.

For her part, Harri was far too horrified to even contemplate crying. Not only would there be inferi, but they would bare the faces of those they knew too? Of children they had gone to school with? Their teachers? Her own cuppa burned her palms as she absently held it tighter.

"How long?" It was Goku who spoke, expression grave as he looked out at them all. Kreacher turned his attention to Goku with a suspicious gaze. "How long until that door's ready?"

"...Kreacher can feel Mistress' magic all over you but Kreacher knows not what you are..."

"You are a bad elf!" Dobby suddenly stated with venom and when Harri looked over at him in shock she could see the utter disgust on his face. He turned away from Hermione (who now held a new steaming cuppa) and pointed at Kreacher accusingly. "Dobby will tolerate this no more! First Kreacher chases Dobby for doing what is asked by our Mistress, then Kreacher insults Mistress' close friend, and now Kreacher does not answer Mistress' intended-mate when asked simple questions! As Head Elf, Dobby tells Kreacher to apologize properly and answer simple questions before Kreacher is to give himself punishment and Dobby will then give Kreacher his Time!"

At the accusation the older elf flinched, then paled. Harri watched, stunned, as Kreacher got down on his knees and bowed towards them all so deeply his snout-like nose was squished to the floor.

"Kreacher gives apologies, Kreacher did not know your importance to Mistress. Kreacher does not know how much longer it will take. Kreacher does know that the Dark Lord said it was ' almost ready' the last time Kreacher was there." All of it was spoken to the tent floor, which made the words slightly muffled. A silence followed as each person present slowly registered both what had happened and the sudden deadline that hung over their heads.

Carefully Kreacher looked back up at them. "...Do you wish to know anything else?"

A/N: Kreacher: *squeals like a Bokoblin in LOZ*