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Chapter 11 : Tainted Trinkets

'Diary, Ring, Locket, Cup, Diadem, Nagini and Me.'

'Diary, Ring, Locket, Cup, Diadem, Nagini and Me.'

That was the list Harry kept repeating over and over in his mind. He and the others had now only one task ahead of them, and that was making Voldemort mortal. That too without leaving him none the wiser. It would be the last thing they would want to worry about - Voldemort becoming aware that his secret to immortality was out in the open. He would then certainly take steps to stop them. Which was the reason, the quest to hunt out the pieces of his soul was underway - the first being the Gaunt's ring. Harry hadn't actually yet told the others what they were doing in the quaint village of Little Hangleton. The place where Voldemort was reborn.

'Diary, Ring, Locket, Cup, Diadem, Nagini and Me.' He listed the objects once more, as though he could ever forget those dratted evil things.

Tom Riddle's Diary was already destroyed.

The Order of the Phoenix had planned to destroy the Gaunt's ring today. Harry was spearheading the group, which consisted of Dumbledore, Mad-eye, Remus and Bill. Sirius was unfortunately denied again the chance to join them and as was expected, he made no secret of voicing his displeasure. That alone took a long time to calm him down, with Sirius butting in every few seconds; until Ginny had stood up and demanded he stay quiet and not to let another peep out of him. Harry loved it when his wife would peg someone down, even if the person opposite was his own godfather.

Not to let Sirius steam for the rest of the day, Harry thought this was the perfect opportunity to let Kreacher tell his story of what had actually happened to Regulus Black while they were away to retrieve the ring. He was sure that Sirius would want to know the truth about his only brother. Although he had started out as a Death Eater, he had defected to the other side, which no one knew about. Just like Snape. After the war, Harry had taken the initiative to clear all the names who were thought to be allies of Voldemort - Sirius, Regulus, Snape and even Draco Malfoy. In taking a tremendous risk for no personal reward, his was one of the most unlikely, yet noblest sacrifices which the led the way to Voldemort's demise. The Wizarding World, or those who were against Voldemort, thought he had died due to his getting cold feet and was executed by the master he served. While on the other side, it was believed he died in some skirmish with the Aurors.

Sirius would be proud of his brother. Perhaps he would find a common ground to sympathise with Kreacher now and in turn the elf would start to sway to their side. Harry had seen Kreacher regarding him oddly this morning at breakfast. Whether it was because he hadn't reprimanded him for the use of his magic in the restaurant's loo or he had told everyone to treat him fairly kindly (Sirius pretended to ignore him), he didn't know. Though it wasn't a surprise that he was rather willing and obedient with Ginny. Perhaps it had to do something with her being Pureblood and him finally having a Mistress to serve. Anyhow, Slytherin's locket was for the time being in safe hands. Harry had decided to destroy it after getting back from Little Hangleton.

Similarly, Ravenclaw's Diadem was currently safe in the Room of Requirement. It could wait until Harry was back at Hogwarts for his fifth year.

Harry took a deep breath, as he thought about the remaining three Horcruxes.

'Cup, Nagini and Me.'

Hufflepuff's Cup. This was the most difficult to get. Harry didn't think they could pull out the same trick the three of them did back in the original future. Even if there would be a tiny sliver of hope that the security at Gringotts could be a bit milder and lax than last time, it was going to take tremendous amount of planning. One very well couldn't just waltz into bank polyjuiced as Bellatrix Lestrange like Hermione had, when the real owners of the vault were imprisoned in Azkaban. They had to tread carefully where this Horcrux was concerned.

Moving on to Nagini. Like last time, the snake could be killed in the final encounter with Voldemort. He couldn't help but feel anxious about it. The moment when he would have to face his enemy once again in the near future was a bit frightening. He only hoped this time he would be ready. He had no intention of getting himself killed - once was more than enough.

Harry squirmed, as he came to the last bit of his enemy's soul - himself. His hand automatically went to the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, rubbing it in worry and frustration. No one, even Ginny, had asked what had happened in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place on the day they came back in time. After pondering over it and the dream-like state he found himself in after fainting, Harry had a theory - he just hoped it was true.

"Harry," Dumbledore's calm and serene voice broke him out of his swirling thoughts. "We have arrived."

Since he and Dumbledore were the only ones who knew the area, they had taken the others via side-along apparition - Harry taking Bill, while Dumbledore Remus and Mad-eye. A hot summer wind greeted them as they appeared in the outskirts of Little Hangleton. Dumbledore led them past a small, beautiful church, that looked vacant at the moment, toward a narrow lane. Settled a couple hundreds to the west was the town of Little Hangleton. Harry recalled one of the trips through the Pensieve when he and Dumbledore followed Bob Ogden to the Gaunt shack, and remembered a sign that informed him Little Hangleton was one mile down the lane. So, he figured they just had to walk down the lane in the other direction until he discovered something familiar.

The five travellers went silent as they continued down the lane. Soon, Harry saw the familiar hedgerows and a lane that turned off in the direction of Riddle House. They walked down it before they came up on a dirt road that Harry recognized. Tall, wild hedgerows surrounding a lumpy, rocky and potholed dirt surface welcomed them. Down the dirt path, there were a group of trees, and Harry instantly realized that was his destination. He led them toward it, and found their destination.

The Gaunt shack, a wooden building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks, sat there, old and rundown. The walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and covered in grime, dirt and dust.

"What a dump!" said Mad-eye, his mechanical eye surveying the surroundings.

"So Harry, what is it we have to do?" asked Remus.

Harry regarded all four of them, "This is the Gaunt Shack. This is where Voldemort's mother, uncle and grandfather lived. Inside is a ring Voldemort has hidden. We have to destroy it."

"If you need to destroy it, why don't we set the shack ablaze?" questioned Bill.

Harry shook his head. "The ring cannot be destroyed with simple magic. However there is the option of using Fiendfyre, but I'd rather not - it is very volatile and not to mention, Voldemort would find out about it." He stressed the importance of their mission a secret. "We have to keep this quiet.

"Last time, Professor Dumbledore was the one to destroy it. He did it alone. So I don't know for certain, but I am sure, that there will traps placed around every corner."

"I can already sense a strong Muggle-Repelling Charm around the area. No wonder the Muggles left it still standing," said the Curse-Breaker. "May I?" he asked, taking his wand in his hand.

When everyone agreed, Bill started walking around, muttering under his breath. Harry slyly pulled out his own wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on all five of them. Now other than them seeing each other, no one else would be able to see them. Mad-eye and Dumbledore nodded at this action, while Remus had a proud look on his face.

"It seems that repelling Muggles was the only thing set on the outside of the Shack," commented Bill, finishing his inspection.

Harry said, "Alright then. So - "

"It is rather fitting that I go in," interrupted Dumbledore. "Seeing as I have already done it."

Harry's first impulse was to deny. That was how Dumbledore had gotten cursed. But even if he was an Auror, he wasn't an old, wise and great wizard like Dumbledore. He knew how to curse, not how to break advanced curses and traps. With no other option in sight, he agreed.

"I will come with you," said Harry firmly. He saw Remus about to say something, so he said, "The three of you can wait outside and stand guard."

"Something to worry?" asked Bill.

"No. But it never hurts, does it?" answered Harry.

Harry and Dumbledore slowly walked forward to the door, armed with their wands. The leaves rustled under their feet. The air changed. Harry could feel it. He glanced at Dumbledore, who was striding ahead, signifying nothing was yet amiss. A strange sort of foreboding settled around them. It was very compressing.

Dumbledore moved toward the shack's front door first, his wand pointed at the door, Harry followed him, their wands pointed out different directions as they looked around for any possible signs of more defenses. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the door then followed it up with other spells that Harry knew next to nothing about.

"There is a Sticking Jinx combined with a hex of some kind. No doubt dangerous. Give me a bit of time," said Dumbledore, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

After some time had passed, he finally said, "I think it has been broken." He touched the doorknob, turned it slightly. The door creaked open and the two stepped inside.

"Wand at the ready, Harry," he advised.

"The ring is apparently hidden under some floorboards," Harry said.

"We then need to look for traces of magic in a section of the house. It would be there."

It was very dark and dusty. The only light came from slivers of holes from the windows, and the natural light of day, though that wasn't much under the heavy cover of trees. Luckily for them, it turned out to be not so difficult. The floorboards in the middle of the shack were radiating with Dark Magic. It was as if Voldemort wanted someone to find the ring. Before Harry knew it, Dumbledore sat down on his knees and ripped open the rotting floorboards and pulled out a golden box from the ground.

"Professor wait," cautioned Harry.

The lid of the box was opened and inside the lay the object of their pursuit - a gold ring inset with a black stone, engraved with what Harry knew was called the Peverell coat of arms, the Deathly Hallows.

"I... I can't believe it. Harry, why didn't you tell me this before! The dream. Finally," murmured Dumbledore, a sort of glaze coming over his expressions. He turned his whole body to face Harry, and tears sparkled in his brilliantly blue eyes.

"Professor -"

"My parents, Ariana," his voice wobbled with emotion, "they can return. I can apologise and ask for their forgiveness."

Harry clutched his wand tightly in his hand and gripped Dumbledore's arm tightly. The ring had a Compulsion Charm on it, forcing the person to wear it. Adding Dumbledore's youthful obsession of the Resurrection Stone only stoked his passion further. Harry's hand got shirked violently as Dumbledore reached forward to pick up the ring. Necessary to snap him out of his daze, Harry quickly did what he had to do and yelled, "Stupefy!"

The spell hit him cleanly in the back, and he slumped over on the floor. This wasn't a time to reason with Dumbledore or heaven forbid duel him.

"I am sorry Professor."

Harry walked closer toward the hole in the floor and could feel a sudden, tiny desire in the back of his mind. He ignored the feeling. He shut his eyes and concentrated his mind - 'Don't wear the ring. It has no use for you.' He then slowly put a finger on the ring. Nothing happened.

He pulled out a pouch he had brought with him for the purpose of storing it. He carefully deposited the ring and tied the pouch. Pointing his wand, he cast a spell so only he could open it later. He stowed it in his jeans. He exhaled, not realising he was holding a deep breath for quite some time. Shaking his head in despair, he cast the Reviving Spell on the target he had stunned earlier. Dumbledore groaned and steadily sat up.

"Professor -," Harry started.

Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him. "I couldn't stop myself. It hooked me in. You did the right thing, Harry. Thank you."

"It is natural to see them again. There is nothing wrong with that."

"You know whom I -"

Harry nodded. "But it contained a very strong curse that would have slowly killed you."

"Is that how I died?"

"In a way."

"Where is it now?" Dumbledore asked, standing up. His eyes still held the desire.

"Not to worry," Harry assured him. "It wouldn't work, sir. The Resurrection Stone. Not in the way you want it to. Remember the Tale of the Three Brothers."

Harry then reminded him of what he had once said to him, in a time when the fascination to reunite with their missing loved ones was stronger, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, right sir?"

Dumbledore chuckled lightly, "Quite right. Lucky for me you were here Harry."

Harry counted on fact that the Resurrection Stone no longer held any attraction for him. He had long ago grasped the death of his parents and eventually of Sirius and Remus'. He was once the Master of Death. By some miracle he had gotten another chance with his parents' best friends. The void left by his parents' absence would continue to be there, but he had Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys, friends and mentors and most importantly Ginny, whom he loved the most. And soon he would have a baby. Another Potter. His own flesh and blood.

"Only have to destroy it now. Along with one more," said Harry.

"We are making quite the progress here, Harry."

"Could you reinstate the protections sir? In case Voldemort comes looking."

"I can. But wouldn't he assume us to be the root cause of his Horcrux missing? We are only ones against him," remarked Dumbledore.

Harry said nothing but pulled out a fragment of parchment and handed it to him.

"What is it?"

"Misdirection," Harry said simply.

The parchment read -

To the Dark Lord

It took painstakingly research into your past to discover your secret. I have stolen the Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I will continue to strive to make you what you once were and will always remain - a mere mortal.

R.A.B.

"Ingenious. Very ingenious," commented Dumbledore reading it, eyes widening in surprise.

"It was Ginny who suggested it to me. Sooner or later Voldemort is going to find out and as you said he is going to stake us out. But it could buy us time in a moment of need and we could be perhaps out of his eye, especially as there is one Horcrux that remains under the strictest security."

Dumbledore waved his wand to make the hiding place as it was before they had disturbed it. They walked out of the shack and saw their companions standing in attention, eyes peeled out for any sense of disturbance. Dumbledore walked ahead to report that their mission was successful.

Harry was in great spirits, which was why he didn't notice large vines crawling and writhing across the ground like snakes, straight toward his legs. He yelped in surprise as he was hoisted in the air by his ankles. His wand was in his back pocket, unable to reach it. The vines were stealthily twisting around his body.

The other rushed to help him. Remus quickly fired the Severing Charm at the root of the vine, while Dumbledore slowly made him hover a few feet off the ground, then allowed him to safely make his descent until his feet were touching the solid earth.

"What -," Harry panted.

"A final trap to ensnare the one who was inside the place so that the person wouldn't be able to leave. It wouldn't have killed you. Voldemort would have wanted to interrogate before killing." Dumbledore then continued seeing Harry's worried look, "I don't think this would have alerted Voldemort of a possible intruder. He only wishes to leave the person hanging until he decided to come for a visit. Sort of how Gringotts does it with their high-security vaults."

"Sounds like something he'd do," Harry muttered.

"I heard you were an Auror boy," grunted Mad-eye in disapproval. "Tell me, am I dead?"

"What?"

"Am I dead in this future you come from?" Mad-eye enunciated.

"Uh, yes," answered Harry uncomfortably.

"Good. Because if this is the state of the Aurors in the future even after Voldemort, I would have killed myself. What have I always drilled into the heads of everyone?"

"Constant -"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted the retired scarred Auror. "And keeping your wand behind in the pockets. That's as good as cursing oneself in the back. You understand? CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Harry jumped and nodded vigorously. Mad-eye gave him a look-over and then strode ahead, the same way they had came, leaving the others in amusement. Remus patted his shoulder. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, while Bill was trying not to laugh at the lashing Harry was given.

"Oh shut up," Harry implored. "Just don't tell Ginny."

When the party returned to the headquarters, they found others in the living room sitting in a circle. No one was speaking. On the table right in the middle room lay the Slytherin's locket. The only sound was coming from a corner. Kreacher stood there in the shadows, sobbing.

Harry glanced at his wife, who returned his look with a smile, communicating that the intervention had gone well. Sirius sat in the armchair, his eyes unfocused.

"Sirius?" Harry called tenderly. He understood what he must be going through. His entire wrong belief about his younger brother had come crashing down.

"Let's just destroy the thing," he said.

"Sir? Could you possibly have Fawkes bring the Sorting Hat please?"asked Harry.

A few minutes and a flash of flames later, the Sorting Hat lay limply on the worn table along with a heavy, ugly gold necklace with emeralds imbedded in the shape of a snake on its front. The witches and wizards just stood in a loose circle, staring at the unattractive piece of jewellery.

"That's it?" Remus asked. Ginny nodded.

"You are quite sure?" Dumbledore probed. Harry snapped his gaze to the old man.

"Yes. I spent many months around that thing. I know what it is," he said bitterly. He hated the locket with practically every fibre of his being. He had had that thing around his neck, had it mess with his thoughts, had had it plant dark images in his mind, had the cool metal press against his skin. The locket had caused him to loose his best friend for a while, had nearly made him attack his friend, before it had fused with his own flesh and had to be severed off his skin.

Yes, he hated that locket.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it tightly. She knew how he was feeling, could sense it in the rigid way he held his body. The thing that lay before them had nearly destroyed him and she would be glad to see the end of it.

The twins snorted. "Can't say I'd give that to my girlfriend at Christmas." George commented. Fred nodded his head eagerly in agreement. Molly glared at them.

"What did you need the hat for?" Charlie asked. Harry dragged himself out of his thoughts as it took a moment for him to register what he had said. When he made sense of his words, he grinned at him.

"Watch and learn," he said, before picking up the hat.

"Harry, can I do it?" Ginny asked quietly. He almost didn't hear her. He snapped his gaze to his wife, who had a fierce look of determination on her face.

"You sure?" She nodded.

"Ginny -," her mother started.

Harry bit his lip in contemplation, before handing the hat to her.

The people surrounding the table watched in fascination and a little bewilderment as she shoved her hand inside the brim and furrowed her brow in concentration. A few moments later, she pulled her arm out from the hat, but instead of being empty handed, a gleaming silver sword encrusted with rubies on the hilt came from the shallow depths of the Sorting Hat.

Harry smirked at the goggling faces that stared at the sword in her hand with amazement. Although Ron and Dumbledore had seen the sword and knew where it came from, they still couldn't help but marvel at what Ginny had just done.

"Whoa." Fred and George whispered in unison. That seemed to break the stunned attitude everyone had.

"But that's… that's… what is that?" Remus stuttered.

"It's called a sword, Moony," Sirius mumbled distractedly. He received a half-hearted glare from the werewolf.

"I can see that. But where did it come from? Who does it belong to?"

"This," Ginny said as he held the sword up for all to see. "came from the headmaster's office at Hogwarts and it once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. This is how my dear husband killed the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and saved my life."

Ginny giggled outright at the astounded expressions that flickered on their faces.

"But how is it going to help?" Molly inquired, puzzled.

"Oh, I know!" Hermione gasped out. She ignored the 'of course!' that came from the Weasley children and Harry. "It's impregnated with Basilisk venom, which has only one known and rare cure; Phoenix tears!"

"How the…," Sirius began, before he shook his head. It was useless asking such things - he would get no response or answer from any of them.

"Correct, Miss Granger," Dumbledore smiled at the bushy haired girl. "From what I know of Horcruxes, the Basilisk venom that lies within the sword will indeed destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul for good."

Harry nodded in agreement. It was quiet again as people looked from Ginny to the sword, and then to the locket.

"It will try to put up a fight," he said.

"I am ready," replied Ginny, armed with the sword.

"Open."

"English," Ginny said.

Something clicked in his mind, and he felt relieved, highly relieved as he comprehended what the loss of his Parseltongue skill meant. But everyone's focus was directed at Ginny and the locket. Fortunately for them, Harry had retained the knowledge of the important word in the snake-language.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to remember the language that used to lay dormant inside him, before he let out a hiss of that caused the rest of the room to shiver slightly. The locket's hinges clicked before it opened slowly, exposing two small window panes that were filled with a black cloudy substance. Harry stared at the locket's interior for a brief moment, half expecting a pair of red eyed to appear like they had last time. Sure enough -

"I have seen your heart, Ginevra Weasley and it is mine."

"No it isn't. You have no control over me," Ginny said, "And I am Ginny Potter, you bastard."

But before it could work its Dark Magic, Ginny brought down the sword with a great clang. A high pitched scream of sheer pain filled the room of number 12 Grimmauld Place before it died down, leaving behind nothing but a few furls of smoke that escaped from the ruined pendant.

Harry picked up the ruins of the locket and handed it to Kreacher. "Regulus' unfinished work is done Kreacher."

Kreacher clutched the now cleansed locket in his tiny hands, gave a shriek between delight and sadness and disapparated.

"One more to go," said Harry.

Harry set the pouch down in the center of the floor, and the others backed away against a wall. Harry opened the pouch with his wand, then kneeled down to quickly set the ring down on the floor. He opened his eyes, grabbed the sword with both hands, then looked up at Ginny.

She nodded and smiled.

Harry turned back to the ring, and forced the sword down into the body of the ring, away from the stone. Immediately, he backed away from it as quickly as he could. Loud, high-pitched shrieks filled the air. The shrieks soon died down and black ooze spurted from the ring and puddled onto the floor.

Harry crawled back over to the ring and picked it up, then examined it. The stone was intact and unmarked.

"Horcrux is destroyed," he confirmed.

Ginny leapt into a hug, as Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her. The others heaved a breath in relief.

"So was that all?" Hermione questioned.

Both Harry and Ginny shook their heads and the faces of the rest fell.

"We have made remarkable headway into weakening the enemy, but -," began Ginny.

"This is just the beginning of the end," completed Harry.

Sirius put forth the question that he wanted desperately an answer to, "So, when we are going to get the whole story?"

Harry was about to reply, when Dumbledore spoke up, "I am afraid that must wait for awhile. Not too long. I am sure it will be full of both tragedy and fortunes."

He concluded before standing up. "Now, I must bid you all farewell as I have other matters I must attend to. One more thing, Madam Pomfrey is coming over to check you tomorrow, Mrs Potter. She has naturally been informed of your condition, except the time-travelling bit. This has been kept in complete confidence. She is shocked to say the least.

"However, I must warn you Harry; she is going to have a chat with you about what I assume is generally known as 'The Talk'," he turned to the black-haired teenager.

There was a cackle of laughter in the room, with Ginny being the loudest.

"Oh Merlin, that will be a scene to watch. Receiving the talk at your age," laughed Ginny.

"Ha-ha. If I remember correctly, it was you who jumped on me that day which led to the baby, not me. So, you will suffer with me," Harry retorted. All the Weasley brothers groaned at this information.

Dumbledore before parting said, "Of course, Sirius, you must not be seen." Sirius grumbled but acquiesced. The Headmaster nodded at them all before leaving the room.

"Now, everyone must be hungry. How about lunch?" Molly asked. Shouts of joy rang in the room as they tumbled out of the room to the kitchen.

Harry remained behind; he fixed his gaze on the stone that lay in the palm of his hand. He quietly pocketed it.