As soon as he heard Othniel shut the bedroom door upstairs, Harry immediately began to feel the tension build up in the living room. He looked at the three other faces in the room – judging by their somber expressions, whatever they were about to tell him wasn't going to be easy for him to listen to. Sirius started off by telling Harry the story of how he, Remus, Roger, and his parents all met at Hogwarts two decades ago. Remus and Roger chimed in with a few amusing anecdotes to somewhat lighten the mood, but then all three wizards' faces darkened as they were all clearly reluctant to tell Harry about the horrors of the wizarding war they all took part in.
They assured Harry that his parents' deaths were not in vain; they were heroes that sacrificed themselves not only for their cause, but to ensure his survival. Lily's love for Harry was so great that not even the darkest of sorcerers could penetrate the enchantment she placed on her son. Despite his humiliating defeat, Voldemort was not truly destroyed as he had the cunning and foresight to place pieces of his black soul into objects known as horcruxes. These devices were considered to be the paramount power of dark magic, which would effectively render the creator immortal. As long as at least one horcrux endures, so would the sorcerer's spirit, should his or her body be destroyed physically. Only by destroying these unholy artifacts could Voldemort's spirit truly be vulnerable; the act of destroying these artifacts was far easier said than done.
Awestruck, Harry's eyes widened at this revelation. He didn't fully understand everything the adults told him, but he was more than clever enough to get the gist of it. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. For the first time since Sirius started the story, Harry spoke up, his voice trembling. "What about… what about the Orb of Exuberance? Can that destroy Voldemort, horcruxes or not?"
Remus' countenance remained impassive, but Sirius and Roger looked at each other with shocked expressions. Slowly, Roger turned toward Harry. "How in the world did you even hear about such an infernal object, Hare? Surely you know it's just a North American myth?"
Harry sighed. "It's not a myth, Uncle Roger. It's very, very real. The wizard who gave me my wand… Elder Gomer… he told me about it, and how powerful it is…"
"I'm afraid Harry's right, Roger," added Remus. "The Orb of Exuberance is not only real, but it's hidden away somewhere beneath the castle." He clasped his hands and shook his head solemnly. "The Elder Gomer's sanctuary was in the castle basement. He had to be in close proximity for it to drive him to madness. As a matter of fact, several weeks ago, he committed suicide shortly after the Orb's power compelled him to take the life of a student. It's particularly perplexing because there is no known record of faculty murdering students prior to that particular event, so whatever caused the Orb to awaken from its hibernation must have done so quite recently…"
He turned to Harry. "Yes, the Orb's powerful enough to bypass the Dark Lord's horcruxes and destroy him forever, but to use the Orb is to damn your very soul. I remember those nightmares you've told me… they very well could be visions; glimpses into your future should you tread the path of darkness."
Harry nodded. "I know I'll need help, but I just want to make sure the Orb is destroyed. All I know is that it's a weapon that should neither be used by the light nor dark."
"It won't be easy," sighed Remus. "It's going to require an exceptionally skilled mage to do so. It's possible Professor Fontaine has the capability, but if I had to place my faith in a single wizard, it'd have to be Albus Dumbledore."
"How did you come to know of the existence of the Orb, Remus?" asked Sirius. "I mean, we've heard stories as kids, but that's all they were, stories."
"Truth be told… for the longest time, I didn't," admitted Remus. "You're right, we all grew up hearing tall tales where fact and fiction might have been intertwined. "Several months ago, when I came to Ilvermorny to interview for the Defense teaching position, I spent some time acquainting myself with the castle and its history. I was interviewing at Ilvermorny and not Hogwarts, after all, so I didn't want to give myself the excuse for not having at least some familiarity with the school and its history, just because I received my magical education elsewhere."
His face lit up with pride. "In the seven days I spent in Massachusetts, I've spent many hours devouring volume after volume in their library – which certainly rivals the one Hogwarts has – and traversed miles and miles of castle hallways." He winked at Harry. "I was a Marauder, so I figured that would work to my advantage as I do need to stay at least a half-step ahead of the sneakier students…"
"But that doesn't really tell us why you think it exists, Moony," Sirius drawled.
Remus let out an impatient groan. "I'm getting there. Anyway, the Headmaster invited me to his office for tea on the seventh and last day of my excursion. He wanted to personally offer me the position, which I of course accepted. Words cannot fully express how grateful I am to Professor Fontaine, as he gave me a chance that few others would. I've regained my sense of worth, my sense of purpose."
A brief period of silence ensued. "There was a certain item on one of his shelves that grabbed my attention… it looked like an arrowhead of sorts. Fontaine explained that was no mere historical artifact – it was the very arrowhead that pierced the black heart of the dark witch Gormlaith Gaunt. He attested that every legend attributed to her was true… including the existence over the very Orb itself."
Sirius arched an eyebrow. "Does Fontaine know of your… condition?"
"He does," confirmed Remus. "I felt like I had nothing to lose, so I figured that I was up-front and honest with him, then he'd do the same with me. He also promised me that he'd keep my condition very much need-to-know. To my knowledge, only he, the Deputy Headmistress, and their Potions Master, Madam Lewandowski are aware."
"Don't forget Ana," chimed in Harry. "She figured it out on her own."
Remus chuckled. "She's unusually bright, but perhaps not the most shrewd. She took a bit of a chance sharing her findings with you three rapscallions."
"We also promised not to tell anyone," said Harry. "And we haven't, except for you. And we're going to keep it that way."
"I'm glad to know that you take your promises seriously," agreed Remus, "but sometimes, those you think you count as friends can one day stab you in the back. You can never be too careful." He shook his head at Roger and Sirius, as all three of them knew the feeling all-too-well.
"Speaking of, we probably should get on with our story," said Sirius. He backtracked a little bit, and told Harry about his falling-out with his family as he never bought into their blood-supremacist ways. Although his immediate family was officially neutral in the war, they certainly favored Voldemort's side as they shared the same anti-Muggle and Muggle-born views. In heart of hearts, he always respected his father and loved his mother, even though he vehemently disagreed with their ideals.
As his mother passed away about a year before he was released from Azkaban, he admitted that one of his biggest regrets was not being able to tell his mother that he loved her, and that he was sorry for breaking her heart. That wasn't to be mistaken as an apology for joining the Order of the Phoenix, but he could freely admit that his reasons for joining had nothing to do with her.
He finally told the story about what happened at Godric's Hollow – how Peter Pettigrew sold out to Voldemort and framed him for the death of twelve Muggles, plus his own supposed demise. Sirius was thrown into Azkaban without a trial, one that took over four years to materialize.
"You seem to be doing well for yourself, despite being disinherited," remarked Remus.
"It's a complicated story," grumbled Sirius. "Disinheritance is more ceremonial than anything. I was able to navigate some loopholes, you see. Not only was I able to transfer quite a few galleons to an account in Canada, but I also managed to liquidate some… undesirable assets."
"You mean, 12 Grimmauld Place?" asked Roger.
"That dump is no longer my concern, mate," replied Sirius with a laugh. "It's kind of an eyesore if you ask me; I never had much of an emotional attachment to it." He then turned to Harry and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "As for you, pup, I've gone ahead and named you sole heir of the remainder of the Black estate. There might not be quite as much as had I not been disinherited, but there's still enough for you and your future children to live comfortably. Not that you'll likely need it, of course."
"Wow, thanks Padfoot," replied a stunned Harry.
Sirius chuckled. "Don't mention it, Harry. As I have no offspring – at least that I know of – it's only fitting that my godson should be the rightful heir."
It was then Roger's turn to detail his own falling-out with his family, and his decision to leave Britain in the middle of a wizarding war. He admitted he felt guilty and ashamed for turning his back on his friends in the middle of a war, but both he and Rhonda desperately wanted a fresh start after grappling with the pain of having lost custody of their daughter; not to mention neither one of them were on particularly good terms with their respective families. With heavy hearts, the two fled to western Canada and vowed never to return to Great Britain.
Less than a year before Lily and James Potter's deaths, Roger learned of an opening at Ilvermorny – a teaching position for Defense Against the Dark Arts for the upcoming term. It was a calculated risk for the young couple –– but only Merlin knew how long it would have been for the next opportunity to arrive.
He then went on about how he found out about the deaths of James and Lily, and how he was tasked with raising Harry. For the boy's safety, he agreed to voluntarily restrict his use of magic so as not to draw unwanted attention – there were no magical wards to keep the boy unharmed, and most in Magical Britain were under the impression that he never left for North America; the Dursleys' only purpose was to serve as a decoy while Harry's true whereabouts remained under wraps.
"I know you were already aware of some of what we told you," Roger continued, "but now you know the whys behind them. We don't expect all of this to make sense right now; in fact, there's more to the story that we don't think you're quite ready for, but I assure you that you'll know when the time is right."
"You're a special wizard, pup," added Sirius. "All three of us would give our lives for you – no questions asked."
"I know you would," Harry replied softly. "And I'm grateful for all three of you." His eyebrows furrowed together. "I do have a question, though."
"Of course, what's on your mind?" replied Remus.
"You three mentioned something called horcruxes that can basically make a dark wizard invincible. If we're not meant to use the Orb to destroy this Voldemort demon, then how do we destroy the horcruxes so his spirit is destroyed forever?"
"That's a terrific question," murmured Sirius. "However, you'll probably need a few more years' of that Ilvermorny education under your belt before we can dive into that one."
"And they don't teach the dark arts at Ilvermorny – just how to defend against them," replied Harry. "I don't know how he found the knowledge to create something like that, but it sounds really dark and terrible…"
"That's putting it mildly, Harry," said Remus. "A terrible price must be paid to perform the vilest of black magic… either at the cost of oneself, or another. There's a reason why light wizards and witches cannot cast dark spells nearly as effectively as dark ones – in fact, some of them cannot be cast at all!"
"Hunh," Harry hummed. "Is dark magic… more powerful than light magic?"
"Not at all," Sirius blurted without any hesitation. "Dark magic may seem more powerful because it can be very destructive, but an experienced wizard can repel and overcome many of the darkest curses."
Roger looked at Harry. "I think we should end this here, Hare. It is getting rather late, after all. I hope we've answered at least some of your questions…"
