And here we are... April 1st, 2022... The stars have aligned themselves to pick this date for this chapter. I'm cherishing every single one of these seconds, I'm typing this. For, this is the moment I have been waiting for a very... very long time. You could say, I have been waiting for this moment all my "fanfic" life.

I am witnessing my work unfurl in front of my eyes and it brings me great pleasure to savour this moment.

So, without further ado, let's go... Chapter 44... Enjoy!

It was a special day. And it began on a special note. It was all perfectly planned. The cake, thanks to Ron's idea and Aunt Petunia's resourcefulness, was perfect and ready for the big moment. Daisy had sneaked into the apartment without ringing the doorbell. Dudley and Ron had pretended to be asleep till Harry dozed off.

The clock struck 12, Dudley and Daisy jumped on him from either side, Ron blew the party horn for the whole neighbourhood to hear and Harry woke up with a jolt amidst laughter and screams. It was indeed a memorable midnight birthday surprise. The Quidditch themed birthday cake was probably the highlight of the night. It was an extended night for the kids as they wore themselves out with heavy dancing and singing accompanied by the occasional screams.

The late morning that followed saw Harry receive a letter and a gift attached from both Hermione and Hagrid. The kids then went out and spent almost the entire day out making it one of Harry's most memorable birthdays.

Daisy had taken an early exit and it was the 3 boys who came back to 4, Privet Drive late in the evening. And when they arrived, just before they entered, they found a package lying outside the house. Harry pocked it up and the first glance suggested it was addressed to him.

The moment he entered the house, Harry inspected the package closely.

"Who's it from?" asked Ron.

"There wasn't a note," replied Harry.

The package was quite lengthy from one side and quite short from the other, like a rectangular box. It was poorly wrapped from cheap paper. And the wrapper itself was dirty like it had been through the mud and all. And on one side of the wrapper were written the words, "Happy Birthday!". The handwriting was shabby and frankly, if not for those words, the boys would have mistaken the package for garbage.

Harry tore open the package and it indeed revealed a rectangular box. It was a paper box and similar to the cover, it too was shabby and had wrinkles all over. The box was uninspiring but it kept the boys on the edge of their seats. And all of this was completely worth it when Harry opened the box and revealed what was inside.

It was the most beautiful wand holster Ron or Harry had ever laid eyes on.

"What is that?" exclaimed Ron the instant Harry opened the box.

Harry took out the holster and examined it up close. The finish of the material, the way it felt in the palm, the gorgeous Black design with a Golden intricate design, it was the most Royal sight.

Ron and Harry took turns examining the holster multiple nights and their excitement didn't die down.

"Who do you reckon sent you this?" asked Ron.

"I have no idea... Perhaps Remus?" wondered Harry out loud, though he had another name on his mind.

"Whoever sent this picked out the best looking wand holster in the world," remarked Ron.

And eventually, the conversation fizzled out until the following afternoon when Daisy got a glimpse of the holster.

"What is that?" she exclaimed and picked up the rectangular box. A moment later, she had her hands on the holster.

"That is called a wand holster," replied Ron glancing up.

"It's to keep your wand safe..." added Harry.

"Looks fancy, who's it from?" asked Daisy.

"No idea... there wasn't a note," replied Harry. And just that instant, Daisy gave an audible gasp.

"What happened?" asked Harry perplexed.

"What... uh... nothing," lied Daisy. There was only one person who could have given this, or so she thought.

Harry glanced at Ron and he looked back at Harry at the same time and then they both stared at Daisy curiously.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Daisy looking at the boys, as she took the seat beside Ron.

But both Ron and Harry remained silent.

A few minutes later, Daisy spoke up unable to contain the excitement.

"Who do you reckon it's from?" she asked.

"I don't know... Remus perhaps," replied Harry and stared at Daisy. A second later his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a second... is this from..." he began and Daisy jumped in instantly.

"I saw him, the day before your birthday... I even told him to come here, but he refused..." said Daisy excitedly.

"That guy," sighed Harry and burst out laughing. "I knew it," he exclaimed.

It only took a few seconds for Ron to catch up with Daisy and Harry.

"John sent you this? Are you sure?" he asked.

"100%," replied Daisy.

"How do you know? Is he back?" asked Ron.

"He never went anywhere... He was just avoiding us," replied Daisy.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry. "Why is he avoiding us?" he added.

"I have already said enough... please don't ask me more?" she begged and proceeded to hold Harry's hand.

"I get it," sighed Harry in response. And that was the end of that conversation.

However, Ron brought up the subject of John's identity later that night when he was alone with Harry.

"What's the deal with John?" asked Ron bluntly out of nowhere.

Harry remained silent. In the hurry that they found themselves in just after Ginny's disappearance, John had fed Ron a few things to keep him focused on the task at hand. And now that things had turned out the way they had, it'd seem like the appropriate time to come clean. As far as Harry was concerned, Ron should have known everything all along. And that part of him convinced him that perhaps it was the night when Ron found out the whole truth.

After Ron made a few promises of silence, Harry began telling Ron everything he knew about John. And it was the story of the past couple of years. The narration was incoherent and disjointed, but by the time Harry finished, Ron got a fairly decent idea of what was going on behind his back.

"This is way too much," sighed Ron in the end.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier... he made us promise not to tell anyone," said Harry.

"He killed someone in the forest? And You-Know-Who was there?" asked Ron.

"That was when we found out. You should have seen him that night... There was something in his look, the confidence with which he spoke, the way he handled the whole thing, the duel he had with the other wizard, it was all terrifying yet mind-blowing to witness," replied Harry reminiscing in the memory.

"He always knows way more than the rest of us do... it all makes sense now," remarked Ron.

"You have him to thank for your wand," said Harry after a few seconds. "Him and Jane..." he added.

"My wand? That was him?" asked Ron, shocked. And Harry nodded in response.

"He took the fall for me with the Hermione incident, he got me a wand when I was struggling with my broken one, he protected you against You-Know-Who in the forest and then Jane..." sighed Ron and paused his sentence midway indefinitely.

A few minutes later, the boys called it a day and fell asleep. The following afternoon, as planned, Ron went back to the Burrow after his lengthy stay at Harry's place. Daisy, Dudley, Harry and Aunt Petunia were all there just like they were when Ron arrived at 4, Privet Drive. Harry's wish to give Ron a magnificent break had been fulfilled and if he were to believe what he was witnessing, then there was definitely something brewing between his 2 best friends.

One thing was sure, these days that they had spent together would remain close to each one of their hearts for the rest of their lives, for some more so than others.

"You look pathetic," said Jane.

"I could say the same about you," replied John looking at his sister through his 2-way-mirror.

"I was afraid you'd never contact me," said Jane after a few seconds. John made a face that suggested he was considering it.

After a few seconds, he replied, "Where are you?" he asked curiously. There was something familiar about Jane's background. The colour of the walls, the floor beneath, it all felt a little too familiar.

He picked up his wand and placed his small pocket-sized mirror in front of him. And with a swift motion of his wand, the mirror grew bigger in size and flew across the room and stuck o the wall like a portrait. He then proceeded to look closely at the mirror.

"I'm home," replied Jane with a smile.

"Home?" asked John, surprised and looking behind instinctively.

"I'm not there John..." replied Jane with a chuckle and after a few seconds she added, "I'm home," with an emphasis on the word home.

It took him a few seconds, but when it came to him, the look on his face was worth it. A mixture of happiness, joy, surprise, and confusion all at the same time.

"Home? You mean... our home?" he repeated.

"Yes," replied Jane and picked up her mirror and showed him around the house.

"How is that even possible?" asked John.

"It was abandoned... And in a bad shape... I did a bit of remodelling and here it is," replied Jane.

"Wow... that is fantastic!" replied John. His enthusiasm seemed a bit forced.

"It's the outskirts of the city and as far as I know, mostly surrounded by muggles," she sighed in relief.

"How are you?" asked John, this time genuinely.

Jane maintained silence for a few seconds and then replied, "I'm fine... surviving," she replied.

Something came over John the moment she said surviving and he started shaking his head in anger and disapproval. Jane noticed this and immediately jumped in, "I thought I didn't have a choice," she said.

"We are not doing this," retorted John, annoyed.

"Why? Don't you want to know why I did what I did?" snapped Jane angrily.

"You don't get to talk to me like that... not after what you did," came back John strongly.

"It was Ginny, John... That bastard had all this planned to perfection," said Jane.

"No no... nothing was planned to any perfection... you just panicked and made a hasty decision, admit it," retorted John. "You know what a long shot that was? Nobody in their right mind would have blamed Ginny for opening the chamber, especially considering how she has ended up... And not to mention Voldemort. Somehow after all that has happened, guess who nobody is talking about? Voldemort... This was our perfect opportunity to bring him into the light..." he added angrily. "... ON OUR TERMS," he emphasized.

"Dumbledore would have never let that happen... he likes peace way too much," retorted Jane.

"Who cares about Dumbledore? When was the last time we did something taking his or anybody else's permission?" retorted John.

All the shouting and then suddenly there was silence for a few minutes that felt like an eternity.

"I'm sorry," she said breaking the silence. "I truly am... All of it happened so quickly... The Room of Requirement, what happened in the chamber, seeing Voldemort, Harry... and then those Aurors," she added.

"What about the room of requirement?" asked John, confused.

"When we went into the room, we saw a bunch of mirrors," replied Jane.

"Yeah and you said the room gives you what you need," added John.

"Whatever you wish for, will be fulfilled," said Jane. "When we went to the Room, yes, I wanted something to kill the basilisk... but I wanted something more... We both did... we wanted to save Ginny," she added like it was supposed to be self-explanatory.

"Yes, we did," said John, confused.

"You said the mirrors were there, as a way to kill or at least neutralize the basilisk... guess what? It failed... it did not do anything to stop the basilisk," said Jane.

"I mean... come on Jane... Basilisks are powerful magical creatures. We tried something, it failed, hardly a surprise... Hardly something to get upset by," replied John, perplexed.

"Yes, it isn't. But the Room showed the mirrors. I do not know what it meant. But at that moment, when I made the decision, I remembered what the room showed us. Mirrors! And more importantly, what the mirror reflected, me. Something told me that was the way to save Ginny," she replied.

John remained silent for a few seconds and replied, "Boy, you had a really bad day, didn't you? I mean... one long shot after another," he said with a chuckle. "Occam's Razor... the simplest solution is likely the right one and you complicated the hell out of what you found yourself in," he added.

The twins lingered at the moment for a few minutes before Jane changed the topic.

"How is Ginny?" she asked.

"I don't know," replied John nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" asked Jane shocked.

"I know that she is stable, but isn't conscious... But I don't know anything more," replied John calmly.

"Haven't you spoken to Ron or Harry?" she asked.

"No"

"Why?"

"I haven't been myself, you know? What with my sister being a fugitive and me being responsible for it... the guilt was through the roof," replied John with a chuckle.

"Stop this, you weren't responsible for what I did, it was my call," replied Jane.

"It shouldn't have been you inside the chamber... besides, we are in this mess because I wanted you by my side," said John.

"No, I would have been here even if you hadn't asked, I'll always be there for you," said Jane with a smile.

"I often wonder how different and easy our lives would have been if we hadn't travelled with her back in time... my obsession with her is what started all of this didn't it?" sighed John and fell back on the mattress behind him.

"Easy? Yes... Different? Yes... but I don't regret any of it," replied Jane. "Besides, look on the bright side... we have officially changed time," she added.

"Yeah, not so sure if it's the bright side or not. Ginny was better off dead... I can only imagine the pain Molly, Arthur and everyone else must be in," replied John.

"That isn't the bright side dummy... the bright side is, however small, we have made a change now... which means, we can change other things too... like saving Harry for instance," retorted Jane.

"Hmm... let's see," sighed John. "Speaking of which, what happened to him in the chamber?" asked John, curiously.

And he saw Jane's expression turn serious quickly. After a few seconds of silent contemplation, she spoke up.

"Now... I want you to listen to me carefully. And I want you to trust in my ability," she began.

"I have always trusted you... What is it?" asked John.

"This may sound far-fetched, but I know what I saw," she added. After a few seconds of dramatic silence, she continued, "I think... I think... Harry is a Horcrux... It is the only explanation that connects all the dots," she finished.

"He's a what?" asked John, his mind going numb.

"I think Voldemort has split his soul and I'm positive one of them is in Harry," she replied.

"Jane... you are not making any sense," replied John. Though his words didn't seem to carry the same weight.

"The dairy... Tom Riddle's diary... A fascinating dark object, you agree? You said so yourself, the properties it had were astonishing. It's indestructible nature, quite unique, unlike anything we have seen, you agree?" replied Jane, sounding more and more confident with every passing word. "Artificial Intelligence you called it... And I'm saying, I know where it got the intelligence from," she added.

"Jane!" gasped John. "You can't throw multiple nukes on me at the same time... what are you saying? If what you are suggesting, and God I hope you're wrong... If what you are suggesting is true, then how the hell have we not found out about it till now?" he asked, his tone a little shaky.

"Don't ask me... and that is not even the most shocking revelation... it is that Harry could be one of his Horcruxes," she replied.

"What evidence do you have of that?" asked John.

"When I destroyed the diary with fiendfyre, the moment the flames hit the diary, Harry fell on the ground unconscious," replied Jane.

"That is hardly evidence, Jane... Voldemort creating Horcruxes to stay alive is an insane theory, backed by very little evidence with the chances of it being true being slim. Harry being one of the Horcruxes, it's just too much. There has to be another explanation for this," said John.

"You know Harry more than I do, you tell me," suggested Jane.

And then there was silence again. This one lasted for a few days. The next time the twins connected, John had a lot of things to say.

"There are a couple of Aurors outside my house, waiting for you," he said.

"It was always going to happen," sighed Jane.

"I did some thinking..." began John.

"Hmm"

"There are 3 things... The prophecy, Harry's wand and the 3rd, he is a Parselmouth," said John.

"I'm aware of the prophecy backwards, John... we practically heard it every day growing up... the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... it went," replied Jane.

"Mark him as his equal, well, that's the scar... What about the power? What do you think it is?" asked John.

"You think it's that he is a Parselmouth? How's that going to help us defeat Voldemort?" asked Jane.

"I said 2 other things... His wand... that is going to help us defeat Voldemort," replied John.

"His wand? What about it?" asked Jane, surprised.

"I bring you a piece of trivia, not many know... Harry and Voldemort share the same wand core. Harry said so himself... Ollivander told him apparently when he sold his wand," replied John.

"Twin wands?" remarked Jane.

"Yes... I have been doing some reading... Priori Incantatem is going to be our secret weapon," replied John. "Twin wands battling each other," he added.

"So, what? Does that mean Voldemort can never defeat Harry in a duel?" asked Jane.

"Well, Harry can't defeat him either..." replied John. "Not that anybody expects him to," he added with a chuckle.

"That helps us how?"

"Knowledge is Power... We keep Harry's wand a secret, et voila... Make them face each other, while they battle it out, we kill Voldemort," replied John calmly.

"You're getting way ahead of yourself..." remarked Jane.

"Until we have more evidence, I'm not buying the Horcrux theories," replied John. A few seconds later he added, "neither of them."

During John's final mirror conversation with his sister, he brought up this conversation again.

"Oh and by the way... I gave a wand to Harry," he said.

"A wand?"

"Yeah... the other one I had," he replied.

"He doesn't even use his wand properly, he's now going to have a second?" asked Jane.

"That has to change... I'm thinking of asking Remus to train him," replied John.

"John... John? Are you listening to yourself? Harry's a kid... you are not going to prepare him for a duel against Voldemort," said Jane in a concerned tone.

"Well, he's going to die in one... We are here to change that, aren't we?" replied John calmly.

"Don't overextend yourself," warned Jane.

"I'll be fine... One more thing before I leave... Uncle Sirius, what are we going to do?" asked John.

"He is innocent... But there's nothing we could do for him," replied Jane.

"Surely there must be... I mean, even Remus doesn't believe in him... I feel like we are the only 2 people in the world who believe in his innocence," replied John sulking.

"I'll do some searching... But I can't promise anything," replied Jane.

We are being watched. Don't write to me. Padfoot near the school.

Without Wax
21815

John knew the odds of finding Sirius would never be better. He flicked his wand at the words he had penned down and in an instant, they rearranged to gibberish. He sent out the letter to Jane.

And with that, Halloween night ended for John.

However, the night had only begun for someone else. Someone who knew it would soon be too late to get out. When the chaos died down, Ron would realize that Scabbers was gone.

PS - {*** Silence filled with anticipation ***}