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Harry's eyes fluttered open the next morning, and for once, he actually felt well-rested. Getting one full night of sleep was amazing, but getting two in a row was practically a miracle these days.
He sat up and stretched, looking around the tent. Everything appeared slightly blurry, and then he realized he didn't have his glasses on.
He put them on and jammed his wand into his holster. Harry threw off his covers and walked over to the sink. He bent down and took a drink out of the faucet.
Then, pointing his wand at his clothes, cleaned them off instantly. He supposed it was a testament to how tired he had been the previous night if he hadn't thought to do this.
Once the clothes were clean, he put them back into his bag. He was hungry, so he pulled out two pieces of bread and tore them apart as he consumed them. He refused to eat anything else though. Why would he waste his food now when he could wait until he really needed it?
He looked into the bag and saw the already meek store of food. He would have to get his hands on some more before he started to hunt Horcruxes.
He walked out of the tent and into the bright early morning sky with the backpack in his hand. Harry strung it over his shoulders in one movement.
He pointed his wand at the tent, which was folded up neatly, and zoomed into the open bag. He took down all of the protective enhancements he had put around him the previous night and closed his bag.
When everything was back to how it was before, Harry turned on the spot and appeared in the woods by the Weasley's house. He slipped the invisibility cloak over himself and disappeared from view.
Before he did anything else, he needed to get his hands on his Gringotts key. He remembered Sirius saying that he had it with him, but Harry was not sure where it was exactly.
Going to Sirius' room seemed like a good place to start.
As he approached the house, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He crept up to the open window and listened.
"He said his scar hurt. You called Dumbledore, and then when you walked outside, he said there was someone in the bush, but when Dumbledore checked, there was nothing." Lupin confirmed.
"Yeah," Sirius said, "Then he did the other scar thing when he looked at Dumbledore. Then when he woke up again, he told Dumbledore what he saw, that was the second one I told you about. Dumbledore wanted to speak with him, but Harry couldn't walk yet. Then I asked to speak with Dumbledore inside, and when we came back out, Harry was gone without a trace."
"Interesting." Lupin said thoughtfully, "How do we know he wasn't taken or something like that?"
"Well, that's what we thought at first, but then, in the woods last night, he came when Draco pressed that strange mark they both have."
"He said something to him, didn't he?" Lupin asked.
"Yes, he said he trusted Draco again, most likely because of the note Draco left for he said it was himself who he didn't trust."
"That's weird." Lupin said, puzzled. "That means he left on his own accord."
"He definitely did." Sirius agreed. "The question is how could he leave so quickly when he could barely walk. And what made him leave in the first place?"
"Could he have overheard your conversation with Dumbledore?" Lupin asked slowly, "What were you two talking about?"
"No, he couldn't have." Sirius dismissed, but then he paused. There was a beat of silence as Sirius thought about it more.
"He did. He must have!" He exclaimed suddenly.
"What were you talking about?" Lupin asked urgently.
"I was telling Dumbledore how Harry shouldn't hunt for those…thingsbecause Voldemort might see him looking for them. Both Dumbledore and I agreed it is very possible Harry is being possessed by Voldemort."
"It fits," Lupin said quickly, "It definitely fits! He would think he was protecting everyone else by going on a dangerous mission alone."
Sirius sighed heavily, "How does he always manage to overhear the conversations no one wants him to overhear? If I didn't know better, I would think he was listening to this one right now."
"Well," Lupin said, "I don't think he is going to come back here for a while, especially since you tried to trick him last night. He won't make that mistake again."
"How do we get him to come back?" Sirius asked. "I don't think there is a way he will, until he finds the objects, that is."
"How many are there?"
"Not sure." Sirius said, "Dumbledore is very vague about it, and Draco won't even talk about them."
"Something tells me we weren't told everything about that ring." Lupin said.
"I am positive we weren't." Sirius said. They both lapsed into silence, each lost in thought.
Harry decided he should move on if he was going to find the key before anyone else woke up. He moved carefully away from the window and to the front of the house.
He opened the door slowly, not wanting it to creak. Sirius and Lupin had resumed their conversation, which gave him an excellent cover. He slipped inside and up the steps as quickly as he could. It was practically a joke how easy it was to sneak into a Order member's house.
The door to Lupin and Sirius's room was open, and Harry was able to get in without a problem. He closed the door behind him and pointed his wand into the empty room.
"Accio key," He said.
There was a loud tapping noise emanating from one of the drawers, and Harry rushed over to it. When he opened it, a small box flew out and landed softly on the floor.
Harry stooped to pick it up and tried to open it; however, he found it was locked. He placed it back on the ground and pointed his wand at it.
"Confringo." A bolt of light hit the box and made it explode into a million tiny pieces, which were blasted all over the ground.
Harry bent down and picked up a small gold key with a large G engraved on it. It was completely unharmed.
Harry heard footsteps, and he walked over to the door to wait. He ducked to the left just as it was opening and was able to slip out just after Sirius and Lupin ran in.
"What happened?" Sirius asked Lupin, confused. "What's that?"
Harry ran down the stairs and out the door, no longer bothering to be silent. He had gotten what he needed already. He continued on all the way to the woods and then disapparated without so much as a glance back.
He reappeared inside of a dingy-looking bar. This was especially odd considering he had meant to apparate to Diagon Ally.
There were only two other people in the entire bar. One was an old bartender who was idly polishing an already shiny glass, and the other was an old-looking warlock who looked completely absorbed in a book. Neither of them had looked up when Harry appeared.
"Uh, excuse me." Harry said.
The bartender glanced up and then looked around in confusion. How could he have missed Harry? He was standing directly in front of him.
Then Harry looked down and realized he was still invisible. He quickly ripped off the cloak, suddenly becoming visible once bartender jumped about a mile.
"Sorry," Harry said hurriedly, "Can you tell me how I get to Diagon Ally?"
"O-Of course." The bartender said, still obviously shaken at Harry's sudden appearance. "It is just through there. Do you know how to get in?"
"No," Harry said. "When you go outside, you will see a trash can. From the trash can, go three bricks up and two across. Are you foreign?"
"What?' Harry asked, "No."
"How come you don't know how to get into Diagon Ally then? You must be nearly out of Hogwarts." The bartender asked.
"I never went to Hogwarts, and I am eighteen. I have never been to Diagon Ally before."
"But the wand you have there is one byOlivander. I would recognize one by him anywhere." The bartender pointed to Harry's hand, where he still held his wand.
"That does not mean I have been to Diagon Ally. It merely means I once purchased a wand fromOlivander." Harry turned and walked out of the door before the man could ask him anything else.
He entered a small alley area, where he found two small trash cans. He counted three up and two across. He tapped it with his wand and waited.
Nothing happened.
He tried it again, but there was still no result. He should have just taken Floo powder from the Burrow. He was sure it would have been much easier, but he hadn't thought about it at the time.
He heard the door start to open, and he whipped around. There was a good chance he was about to have to fight someone. However, out walked a boy who looked about Harry's age.
"Hi," He said pleasantly, with a bright smile to match his tone.
"Hello," Harry said, turning back to the wall. Then he turned back to the boy.
"Do you know how to open this?" Harry asked. "I have been trying what the bartender told me, but it doesn't seem to be working."
"You have to tap in a circle." The boy demonstrated with his wand.
The bricks started to shift and move, creating a small hole. They continued to shift until they formed an archway that was big enough for the boys to exit from.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" The boy asked, "Did you go to Hogwarts?"
"Uh, no." Harry said, turning to the boy. "You probably don't know me; I never went to Hogwarts, you see."
"I could have sworn I know you from somewhere." The boy said, shrugging. "I'm NevilleLongbottom."
He offered his hand for Harry to shake. Why was that name familiar? Where had he heard it before?
Harry took his hand and said, "Harry Po—" He stopped mid-sentence. Something overNeville'sshoulder had caught his eye.
"Over here," Harry said quickly, pulling Neville down a deserted street and forcing him to crouch behind a wall.
"What the—?" Neville asked, but Harry silenced him quickly.
A Death Eater by the name of Avery walked past them without giving them a second look.
"That was close." Harry said, more to himself than Neville.
"Who was that?" Neville asked.
"Death Eater." Harry replied.
"Why hide from him, though? Can't you just blend into the crowd? He wouldn't do anything in broad daylight."
"Well, let's just say the Death Eaters don't exactly tolerate me as much as they tolerate everyone else." Harry said.
"Who are you?" Neville asked. "Oh yes, I'm Harry Potter." Harry said, shakingNeville'shand this time.
"Wait, really?" Neville asked, surprised.
"Yes." Harry said, a bit confused.
"Harry Potter?"
"Yes," Harry said slowly.
"Named after the child of Lily and James?"
"No, I am the child of Lily and James."
"Wow," Neville looked stunned, "I had heard rumors, but I didn't think…"
"What do you mean rumors?" Harry asked. "What are they saying?"
"Everyone in the Order is saying that you were raised by Voldemort and switched sides."
"Yes, that's correct," Harry said.
"Well, good to meet you," Neville shook his hand again and let go."What are you doing in Diagon Ally?"
"Listen, Neville, you seem nice, and I would like to answer all of your many questions, but I have a lot of things to do at the moment, and I'm afraid I'm rather short on time, so if you don't mind, I'll be off. See you around sometime." Before Neville could say anything, Harry took out the cloak and disappeared under it.
"Harry, wait." Neville said.
"Yes?" Harry asked, poking his head out from beneath the cloak.
"I don't know what happened to you or anything, but I know that your parents are dead. I just want to say I'm really sorry. I can relate to growing up without them."
A memory triggered in the back of Harry's mind. Bella proudly telling him and Draco about theLongbottoms, a husband and wife she had tortured into insanity because they were part of the Order.
He felt sick at the thought, though he had never known they had a son. It made the whole thing much worse.
"I really think you have it worse than me." Harry said quietly, "I am sincerely sorry about your mum and dad, Neville."
"How did you know— not many people know." Neville started, "Are you part of the Order now?"
"Not quite. I'll explain it if we ever meet again."
"I hope we do." Neville said.
"Same here," Harry smiled and disappeared under the cloak again. However, just as he was leaving, he said, "Neville, don't worry, we are going to get revenge, I swear."
"Yes," Neville said, "We will, in the end."
Harry ducked out into the crowded streets, taking care not to hit anyone. He had never been to Diagon Ally before, so he did not know what the bank looked like; however, he was fairly certain he would know it when he saw it.
Sure enough, as he neared the end of the street, he saw a huge marble building. It had grand steps and large pillars. There was a sign at the entrance, but Harry didn't have time to stop and read it.
Surely, Sirius and Lupin knew what had been in that box, and they would know where he was headed. He had to get in and out as quickly as he could.
When he entered the bank, the first thing he noticed was that the workers were not wizards, in fact they were not even human. They looked like goblins.
Harry had only met a goblin once before, and that time he had ended up drenched in chocolate milk, so he was not looking forward to interacting with another one.
He was not sure what exactly he was supposed to do, but he noticed a line snaking through the hall and to a large desk at the back of the room. He glanced around and then pulled his cloak off carefully.
He stuffed it into his bag and looked around again before joining the back of the line. He kept a close eye on everyone in his surroundings, making sure it was impossible for someone to sneak up on him.
Now, not only the Death Eaters and the Ministry were after him, but also the Order.He knew he stood out.
Though he was not particularly tall, he still stood higher than some. He had also been told before that he draws people's eyes to him just from his confidence.
Voldemort used to praise this aspect of him, telling him it was a strength to be able to draw the attention of the entire room. Now Harry wasn't so sure.
Someone got into line behind Harry, which helped to make him blend in more but also decreased his scanning abilities. Eventually, after what felt like three hours' worth of waiting, he reached the desk.
"Next." The goblin at the desk called.
"Hi, I would like to make a withdrawal." Harry said.
"Key?" The goblin asked, without looking up from his papers. Harry handed it to him, and he examined it.
"Griphook!" he called. Another goblin appeared from a door to the right of the desk.
"Take this man down his vault." The goblin instructed, handing Griphook Harry's key.
"Follow me," Griphook said, and Harry followed him through the door on the goblin's left.
Just as the door was swinging closed, he heard the goblin at the front yell, "Next."
Harry followed Griphook down a narrow stone passage lit with flaming torches. It sloped downward until they eventually met a track. Griphook whistled, and a cart came zooming towards them. Harry climbed in with some difficulty, and then they were off.
The speed took Harry completely by surprise. The cart was rocketing along so quickly that Harry had trouble distinguishing between different tracks or empty tunnels.
The cart performed a series of zigzags and sharp turns, and Harry was starting to get ill when it finally skidded to a halt. Griphook climbed out of the cart, and Harry followed him, slightly dizzy after the ride.
The goblin pushed Harry's key into a small hole in the wall and then pushed open the door.
"Here you are." The small cavern was lit with torches, just like the hallway far above. Inside were mounds of gold Galleons, columns of sliver Sickles, and piles of bronzeKnuts.
"Wow!" Harry said, running his hands through his hair. He was unable to believe that he could possibly possess so much money.
"Whistle for a cart when you are finished." Griphook instructed, "Don't dare go anywhere but up though. We will know!"
"Great," Harry said, but the goblin had already climbed back into the cart and zoomed away.
Harry took his key out of the lock and pocketed it. Then he entered the vault and glanced around it. With a smirk, he opened up his backpack and started to load it with a pile ofGallions, which were lying not too far from the door.
He would most likely not be able to come back here, so he needed to plan accordingly. Over the sound of coins falling into his bag, he thought he heard something.
He whipped around and saw the door closing. A figure slipped inside just before it closed, and the door was locked. Harry fired a spell at the door, but it missed whoever had just entered.
"Show yourself!" He called, his voice commanding and his wand hand steady. Whoever had entered didn't make a sound.
Harry turned on the spot, intending ondisapparating, but it didn't work. They had sealed the room with ananti-apparitoncharm.
Harry spun around, his wand trained, ready to fight.
He had thought there was only one person in the room; however, there seemed to be multiple. The noise was coming from all around him. A shuffling here, a slight metallic clink there.
Harry did not think it was the Ministry or the Death Eaters. Both parties would have just fired at him, not trapped him.
It was most likely the Order, which would explain why he was not yet stunned. But why had they done nothing yet? Sure, they had trapped him, but they had not done anything worthwhile.
He could still escape.
Maybe they wanted him to start talking first? It was possible, but Harry was not willing to play any of their games.
"Come out, now!" Harry called again, but still, no one responded. If they would not come out on their own, he would have to persuade them, but how?
Then it came to Harry, the one thing they all couldn't stand: him in pain.
He looked around again before he seemingly crumbled to the ground, letting out an extremely convincing cry of pain.
He made sure to keep his wand tightly clutched in his hand as he let out another cry of false pain, a hand springing to his scar. Just as he had suspected, four figures came out from their hiding spots and approached him cautiously.
"What is wrong with him?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"Scar, do you reckon?" Sirius asked, turning to Lupin and Draco.
"What do you mean?' Hermione asked, "What is wrong with his scar?"
Harry let out another yell and tried his best to look in pain. He felt them approaching him and knew this was his chance. Quick as a flash, he jumped to his feet and sent a spell flying at them.
Before they even knew what had happened, they were all on the floor, tied up and gagged.
"Not at all up to your usual standards, Draco." He said with a smirk. "I expected more of a fight from you or for you to at least be wary of me falling to the ground when faced with the threat of enemies."
Draco tried to say something, but his words were drowned out by the gag.
"Glad to see you are around again, Lupin." Harry said, walking over to him. "I would have thought that by now, you and Sirius would have stopped having conversations about me, considering what happened last time, but judging by this morning, I guess you didn't learn."
Lupin looked surprised for a moment and then nodded his head as though to say that he should have known.
"To answer your question, Hermione." Harry said, turning to her, "Nothing is wrong with my scar at the moment, but if you wish to find out more, talk to Sirius or Lupin, both of whom seem to have no problem talking about me."
Her eyes seemed to bore into Harry's, but Harry turned away from her and to Sirius instead.
"Sirius, you really ought to be more careful where you have conversations about me. The kitchen has proved time and time again to be a remarkably bad spot."
He could see Sirius trying to say something, but Harry no longer cared about what he had to say. Harry wasn't going to change his mind and come back. He knew he would only put all of them in danger if he did.
Harry walked back over to the pile ofGallionsand started to load his backpack again. When he had taken a considerable dent out of one of the many piles, he closed his bag and slung it back onto his shoulders.
"I believe this will be the last time I will be seeing any of you for quite a while." Harry said, walking to the door. "I wish I could have company, but it is much safer for all of you if I don't."
He walked to the vault door and found it tightly locked. It really did not matter much, though. He could simply blast it open. However, just as he was taking aim, he heard something.
"Harry!" He turned around and found that Draco had managed to remove his gag. "Harry, please, we just want to talk."
"I'm sorry, Draco." Harry sighed, "I can't take you, or anyone else, along with me. It wouldn't be safe."
"Don't you trust me?" Draco said, "I said I was sorry. I really am Harry. I shouldn't have tried to stop you in the first place. I was worried about you though."
"I know," Harry said, "I read your note, and I forgive you. But this is about so much more than that. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Lupin and Sirius. They know all about it and much more. I'm sure they would just love to answer any questions you have, seeing as they have no problem talking about me any other time. I have to go now. See you around, Draco."
With that, Harry took aim and said, "Reducto." The stone cracked but didn't break. He did the spell again and again until it finally crumbled. Outside, Fred and George were waiting for them.
"Don't try anything if you value your lives." Harry said fiercely, pointing his wand at them.
"Easy there, mate, we just want to talk," Fred said as he and George raised their hands in surrender.
"We mean no harm." George said with a smirk that would suggest otherwise.
Harry tied them up as easily as the others and was just about to leave when he heard Draco once again.
"Harry, please don't do this. Just untie us, and we can go together. You don't have to…"
"Draco!" said Harry angrily, whipping around to face him. "You still don't get it. I don't want to do it like this; I have to. Voldemort took the choice away from me. I have always had to do this, but now, I have no choice but to do it alone. I know that doesn't make sense; how could it? But I really don't have time to argue with you. I have to go."
Harry turned on his heels and walked out of the room. He made his way past Fred and George and stopped at the tracks.
There was no cart in sight, but Harry whistled, like Griphook had, and one came flying towards him. He hopped in, and the cart sped off back down the tunnel.
However, once he was far enough away, he forced it to come to a stop, and he jumped out once again.
He took the invisibility cloak out of the bag and wrapped it around himself, becoming completely hidden from view for the third time that day.