The Death Eaters were camping in a small clearing outside
Folkestone, Kent. They had managed to evade the Aurors, but
unfortunately, they didn't have means of knowing what was going on
in the magical world. Security had been tightened and they were on
the run. They knew for sure that any home of theirs would be very
closely monitored, so they had to make do with forest clearings.
Thankfully, magic could make things a lot easier. They didn't want to
contact the Death Eaters who had evaded Azkaban because they
didn't trust them. There was no way to tell who was still loyal to the
Dark Lord.
"We found something that can get us off the mainland," said
Rabastan as he and his brother entered the clearing. They took the
offered food they had stolen from the Muggles. Killing those animals
would only attract attention, so they had to restrain themselves.
"What is it?" asked Rookwood.
"The Muggles have built a tunnel under the English Channel,"
Rodolphus answered. "Since it goes underground, we may be able
to avoid the sensor net. I recommend that we don't Apparate, but
use the Muggles' stupid train instead. We'll have to be extremely
careful with our disguises, though."
"It's risky," said Rowle, rubbing his face. "For all you know, this
apparent blind spot in the sensor net might be a trap set by the
Aurors to capture us."
"Rookwood is the expert on the sensor net here," snapped Bellatrix.
"And we will be going! The Dark Lord needs us!"
"I'll know more only after seeing this tunnel, but if we don't use
magic, I think we can escape. Once we reach France, cross-country
Apparition will become easier," said Rookwood. "But too many of us
will increase the chances of being discovered by the International
Magical Border Patrol. We can evade the British Aurors, but we can't
afford to have the I.C.W. getting involved."
"He's right," said Dolohov.
"Fine," spat Bellatrix. "We'll split up. Four of us will leave using that
filthy Muggle tunnel and the rest are to stay here and find out
everything you can. Once we return, the Dark Lord will demand
information. Start gathering intelligence. Cornelius Fudge is an idiot
from what I've seen during his inspection of Azkaban, but that Bones
bitch is a problem."
They decided who was to go. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan and
Rookwood were to find the Dark Lord. The rest would stay out of
sight while gathering useful information about the Ministry.
Pettigrew's Animagus form would be useful to spy on people.
A few hours later, the four Death Eaters disguised themselves and
left. Chanting the Dark Lord's name, they moved forward, letting their
Dark Marks guide them. It was time they got their master back.
The second term at Hogwarts began without anything spectacular.
Harry continued using the diadem for learning from Voldemort's
memories and had later taken to practising the spells he had learnt
in the Room of Requirement. At the end of January, Harry finally
came clean about his excursion to the cave where the fake locket
was found. Needless to say, Sirius was not happy.
"I have enough problems without you being one of them!" shouted
Sirius angrily. "Harry, what in Merlin's name were you thinking? I'll tell
you; you weren't thinking at all, that's what you were thinking!"
"Sirius –"
"No, I don't want to hear it!" snapped Sirius, cutting him off. "This is
the most irresponsible, idiotic thing you have ever done! I don't even
want to think about what could have happened if something had
gone wrong! You are keeping too many secrets from me, young
man, and I am not pleased! You are in deep trouble because right
now, I can't even think of a suitable punishment for this latest stunt of
yours!"
"Sirius, please hear me out," said Harry softly. "I knew the
protections and defences on that cave. I knew that I could take care
of them myself."
"Oh yes, that's why you were attacked by Inferi, weren't you?" the
new Minister said sarcastically. Normally, Harry was quite mature
and Sirius loved the lad with all his heart, but damn, there were times
like this he wanted to show the boy how displeased he really was.
The late Lord Orion Black would most definitely agree.
"I was distracted by finding out the fact that the Horcrux was not
real," said Harry, his eye twitching in annoyance. "Until then, I was
completely in control."
Sirius emptied a glass of Firewhisky as he sat down on his chair in
his study, hating the fact that he was also dealing with annoying
teenagers along with the incompetent Ministry. Dozens of files were
placed on either side of his table which contained reports from
different departments of the Ministry of Magic. He was really getting
short-tempered because of the amount of work he needed to get
done. He was close to smacking Fudge upside the head for being
such a useless leader.
"I want you to know," said Sirius slowly, the anger clearly evident in
his voice, "how deeply disappointed in you I am. You broke your
promise when you said that you wouldn't risk your life unnecessarily
and I can't think of a punishment that will be suitable for this, mostly
because you are not staying at home right now and I doubt
grounding you during the school year would help and considering
how you react to it, I will never bend you over my knee either, though
I am tempted. I can only hope that it means something to you."
"It does," said Harry quietly, sounding abashed, blinking the tears
away. Sirius was the only father-figure in his life and Harry really
looked up to the man. He was the first living person who had taken
an active interest in Harry's life and he did not like disappointing his
godfather who loved him so dearly. "It means I've let you down, and
for that, I deeply apologise. But I was only trying to look out for you. I
didn't want you to be in danger. You have a family now and –"
"You are also a part of that family, son," said Sirius, looking at Harry
with piercing grey eyes. "And it is my job to look after you, not your
job to look after me. You may be smart and mature for your age, but
you, Harry James Potter, are still thirteen years old and it would be
wise if you remembered that. I want you to promise me that you
won't do anything this reckless again."
"I can't do that," said Harry, looking out of the window, mentally
cringing in anticipation.
"Excuse me?" asked Sirius dangerously, his eyes narrowed.
"I have a prophecy hanging over my head, Sirius," he continued,
looking at his godfather. "The future is not certain. If there ever
comes a time when I need to act, I will do so. I'm not a person who
will shrink from responsibility in times of danger but I will do my best
to avoid it."
Sirius sighed. It was difficult to argue with Harry because the boy
made valid points. But damn, he was so infuriating! Being Harry's
guardian was really a pain in the arse sometimes. He felt like
grounding the boy for a year, but he knew it would be counterproductive.
Exhaling deeply, he said, "Where is this fake locket?"
Harry removed the locket from inside his robe pocket and levitated it
to Sirius. The older man took it and observed it for a minute. After
doing a standard detection spell, he opened the locket and removed
a slip of paper. Unfolding it, he read it, his eyes widening in shock.
"Sirius?" asked Harry curiously. "Hmm, I didn't think to open it.
What's inside?"
"See for yourself."
To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know
that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real
Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the
hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B
"Regulus Arcturus Black," explained Sirius quietly as he closed his
eyes. "My little brother stole the real Horcrux."
"But where could it be?" said Harry urgently. "Did he destroy it?"
"That, I'm not sure," Sirius whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "I
never had much contact with him after I ran away when I was
sixteen. We used to be very close when we were kids, inseparable
even, but as the years rolled on, Mother's poisonous claws latched
onto him. He was the only one in my family that I ever truly loved.
The last I knew, he had succumbed to Mother's threats and had
joined the Death Eaters and was killed on Voldemort's orders for
backing away just a few months later. Oh, Reggie, why didn't you
come to me?"
Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. This only complicated matters.
How in Merlin's name did Regulus find out about the Horcrux in the
first place? Voldemort had never told anyone. He had used a houseelf
while placing the locket in the cave, but the elf had died after
Voldemort left. There was no way Regulus could have read
Voldemort's mind, which meant he must have known about
Horcruxes and might have recognised it when the Dark Lord had
once said 'I have guarded myself against mortal death.' Yes, that
must be it. But how did he find the cave in the first place? So many
questions ...
"Do you have any information on the ring?" asked Sirius, wiping the
tears away.
"Yes," said Harry. "But we need to create a replica of the ring and put
the protections back in place. If Voldemort were to find out that
something is wrong ..."
"I don't know what the ring looks like," Sirius frowned.
"Leave that to me. The curse on the ring is called the Bothrops
Curse. It is named after a snake. The curse's effects are very similar
to the snake bite of a Bothrops asper. Anyone who comes into
contact with the curse suffers a very painful, instant death. The limb
turns black and shrivelled, causing severe necrosis and death of the
muscle tissue throughout the body. If the person puts on the ring or
even touches it, the curse is activated. Once the cell damage
reaches the heart, there is no stopping it. In fact, there is no countercurse
at all. It is a very old curse that hasn't been seen for a long
time."
"Talk about overkill," muttered Sirius. "All right. Do what you can. But
you are not going this time without me, is that clear?"
"Understood," said Harry with a small smile. He went over and gave
his godfather a tight hug. "I didn't mean to disobey you or make you
worry about me, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I'm really
sorry, Sirius."
Sirius sighed. He remembered his own teenage years. Running
around with a werewolf every full moon night was not something any
sane wizard would do.
"I know how you feel."
In mid-march, Harry put down the book he had just finished reading.
It was the journal of Godric Gryffindor. Once he had claimed the
family ring, he had received information that Godric had hidden the
family fortune somewhere at Hogwarts. Knowing the general
location, he had searched for it until he had struck gold, literally.
Using the Sword of Gryffindor and the Gryffindor Headship ring, he
was able to get the secret chamber opened, only to gape in shock.
The secret chamber was clearly Godric's personal chambers at
Hogwarts, but it was filled to the brim with gold, silver and precious
jewels. Mountains of gold could be seen and a small pile of
diamonds, rubies and other gems was placed in a corner. He had
seen something similar in the high-security vaults deep under Potter
Castle and also in the Potter family vault at Gringotts, but the amount
of gold in here was staggering. He had immediately called his houseelves
to transport the contents to a high-security vault at Potter
Castle. Slowly, over time, he would transfer a bulk of the fortune to
Gringotts where he could begin investments.
Gold wasn't the only thing he found in the place. On a table was a
journal penned by the Founder himself. After using a translation
charm, Harry had taken to reading it every spare moment he got.
The revelations were astounding.
Godric had been the firstborn son of the Gryffindor family. The
Gryffindors were an old family, dating back to the time of King Arthur
and Merlin. In fact, they, along with the Potters and Slytherins were
members in King Arthur's court hundreds of years ago. It was once
during their childhood that Godric had met Salazar, a boy five years
younger than him, but they didn't have much contact since.
He was taught magic by his parents and other tutors, and once he
was an adult, he travelled abroad to learn various branches of magic
from tutors. While touring Magical Italy, which still carried its
traditions from the Ancient Roman Empire, he met a woman who
was a year older than him who wanted to go abroad and learn all
about the intricacies of various forms of magic as well. Her name
was Laurentia who was the daughter of Godric's instructor in Rome.
The two had forged a friendship and several months later she joined
Godric in his tour of the world and the pair travelled extensively for
many years, learning various branches of magic.
In Egypt, Godric won the friendship of the Goblins; a warrior race
known for their expertise in banking, warding, warfare and creation
of weapons from magical metals that only their race could work with.
He spent a lot of time with them, learning about their culture and how
to wield a sword. Once, he saved a bunch of goblins from a mob of
Muggles who wanted to kill them, so the leader of the Goblin
community finally accepted Godric's request and made a special
sword for him as a reward; Godric still had to pay for it, of course. It
was a three-foot-long blade, made of Goblin silver, making it very
conductive for magic use. While he was quite good with his wand, he
couldn't help but be at home with his new sword. He spent many
years enchanting and enhancing the sword to his style. By the time
they finished their tour of the world, he and Laurentia had fallen in
love and had decided to get married.
After talking to her parents and returning to Britain to talk to his
family, it was finally decided to hold the marriage ceremony in Rome.
Once they were married, Godric and Laurentia returned to Britain,
hoping to create a better life for the people of their country. But there
were problems as witch hunts grew in popularity; if Muggles detected
witches and wizards or even magical creatures, they would be
attacked in their sleep and killed in their beds. The Muggles would
then drag the mutilated bodies for all to see. These instances
horrified Godric, but he felt that once they could explain to the
Muggles that magic wasn't evil but a blessing from the Goddess
herself, everything would work out and both magical and Muggle
humans could coexist in peace.
It was a few short months into their marriage that Laurentia found
herself pregnant. The couple was ecstatic and nine months later,
Laurentia gave birth to a girl who they named Geraldine Gryffindor.
When Geraldine was only a year old, tragedy struck; Godric's entire
family had been targeted due to them being witches and wizards. His
parents and siblings were all killed by a large mob of Muggles.
Godric was filled with rage and wanted vengeance but Laurentia
managed to calm him down. It was then that Godric decided to
rethink his plan for Muggles and magicals coexisting with each other.
Clearly, Muggles did not tolerate the existence of magic.
Life went on and Laurentia befriended a witch from Scotland named
Rowena Ravenclaw. She was several years older than Godric and
Laurentia, and had come back to Britain from Albania, where her
husband's family was nobility. Godric was very impressed with the
older woman's sheer intelligence and talent with her wand. The
Gryffindor family slowly got to know Rowena, who became close to
Laurentia and thus, as an extension, her husband Godric.
But unrest in the Muggles soon found its way to strike again. One
night, when Godric was away on business, the Muggles attacked his
home. An entire mob of Muggles managed to overpower Laurentia
and burned her at the stake after torturing her, while her six-year-old
daughter was badly injured. Luckily, Laurentia had managed to send
a message to her friend Rowena, who arrived quickly and managed
to save Geraldine, but was unable to save her friend.
Laurentia Gryffindor was brutally killed.
Rowena then sent a message to Godric, telling him to come back to
Britain as soon as he could, while she took little Geraldine to a wellknown
healer of the time – Helga Hufflepuff. Although Geraldine was
badly injured, Helga was able to save her life. Godric returned to find
his wife dead and his only daughter wounded. Rage filled him in a
way he had never felt before. He headed back to the village where
his family had lived and slaughtered the Muggles; every single one
of them. The village was a bloodbath, and no one would forget the
sight of Godric Gryffindor holding a sword in one hand and a wand in
the other, killing everyone he could find, magic radiating off of him in
waves, his face in tears. If the Muggles wanted to see death so
badly, he would show them what death really was.
Godric then spent his time raising his daughter. It was during this
time that he had met his childhood acquaintance, Salazar Slytherin,
who, Godric had heard, was in a similar predicament. Salazar's
family too was murdered when he was just a child and he had grown
up as an orphan, using his cunning nature to survive and manage
his fortune. But unlike Godric, Salazar was more in control of his
emotions and used his sly and cunning personality to win. He was
not a battle mage like Godric but he was very knowledgeable in
obscure magical arts. When Godric found himself very troubled with
his past, Salazar taught him how to control his thoughts and
emotions using Occlumency. Godric also taught Salazar many spells
which he had learnt during his travels. It was during this time that
their friendship deepened.
The two men realised that the witches and wizards were in grave
danger, with the knowledge of magic dying in their beloved country.
The Muggles seemed to have forgotten the time when King Arthur
ruled their land hundreds of years ago when Britain's population of
both magicals and Muggles coexisted peacefully. It was then that
Rowena came up with the idea of a school. The idea was accepted
by Godric, Salazar and Helga, who had by then become Rowena's
friend.
They chose a remote location in Scotland, in the middle of a forest,
away from prying eyes. They had to ensure that no one trespassed
and attacked innocent children. They pooled all their money and
constructed a large castle where they were to have the school.
Having already befriended the Potter family who had constructed a
castle with a heavy amount of protective enchantments and a stone
fortress around it so that no one could enter their home and kill them
in their sleep, Godric realised that their school had to be well
protected. They collectively used their knowledge of magic to erect
various wards around the place, to make the castle a magical
fortress, something which Godric remembered the Potters had
insisted was important. Once construction was complete, Helga
named the school Hogwarts . The four then spread the message
among the magical community so that parents would send their
children to the newly constructed magical school. Godric personally
went to Potter Castle to talk to them and soon, Alan Potter was
among the first students enrolled at Hogwarts.
As knowledge of Hogwarts spread, many more parents sent their
children to the school so that they could learn from the four learned
witches and wizards. Godric specialised in Battle Magic and
Transfiguration; Rowena focussed on Charms, Runes and spell
crafting; Helga specialised in Healing and Potions, while Salazar
specialised in Rituals and other obscure arts of magic. Rowena even
developed an open ward which was so large that it could detect
magical children born anywhere in the British Isles. It would later be
known as the Book of Admittance of Hogwarts.
It was some years later that Godric found out that his daughter and
Alan Potter were seeing each other. He was quite happy with the
union, and with the blessings of their parents, the couple got
married. Rowena too had a daughter named Helena who grew up at
Hogwarts with her parents, as Rowena's husband shuffled between
living at Hogwarts and going to Albania to take care of his family
business. Helga had several children with her husband, who was the
Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. Although he remained unmarried,
Salazar too wanted children so he blood-adopted a young boy, who
was also surprisingly a Parselmouth, and gave him his own name –
Salazar Slytherin.
Godric had, however, years later, always suspected Salazar to have
had a biological child of his own; a girl, whom Salazar was very fond
of and also possessed the man's vibrant green eyes. Unfortunately,
Godric never found out if the girl was indeed Salazar's daughter or
not.
Salazar Junior grew up at Hogwarts raised by his father, but he
tended to be very arrogant and treated everyone as his inferior. The
boy also hated Godric with a passion, which annoyed his father as
Salazar and Godric considered each other brothers in all but blood.
The two men, of course, had their differences because of their
clashing personalities as Godric was loud and brash while Salazar
was calm and cunning, but they both counted on each other as
family. This slowly created a rift between Salazar and his son.
Several years later, when Salazar Junior did something unforgivable,
the founder banished his son from Hogwarts, telling him to never
come back ever again.
By this time, the founders were not their youthful selves. Rowena's
husband had passed away, her daughter had disappeared and so
had her diadem. While witches and wizards lived much longer than
Muggles, emotional distress tended to make them age a lot faster in
their later years rather than physical problems. Rowena was dying,
and there was nothing Helga could do to prevent it. Even on her
deathbed, the once proud woman craved and cried for her daughter,
begging Godric to bring her back so that she could see her one final
time before she died. But by the time Godric had found out that
Helena Ravenclaw had been killed by the Baron, Rowena had
breathed her last.
It had been a sorrowful time at Hogwarts after they lost Rowena. But
the other three decided to move on and ensure that Rowena's name
would live on at the school. After a span of a few years, whispers
began to reach the school that Salazar Junior had started killing
various witches, wizards and Muggles alike so as to become the
ruler of Magical Britain. Salazar finally had enough of his son's
actions, so he decided to go confront him and end his life once and
for all. Godric had wanted to come along with him but Salazar
refused, stating that this was an internal matter between father and
son. Salazar left Hogwarts so as to stop his son from killing any
more people, against Godric's advice. That was the last time Godric
saw his friend. There was no news of his death but Godric had used
an arcane spell to check if he was alive. Godric was devastated to
find out that Salazar Slytherin had been killed by the latter's own
son.
By this point in time, Godric was old and all the hardship that he had
endured had weakened him. Salazar Junior launched a massive
offensive at Hogwarts, hoping to take the castle by force, but was
thwarted by the wards and the combined forces of Godric Gryffindor
and Helga Hufflepuff. Helga was the one who finally fought Salazar
Junior and killed him but she later succumbed to her injuries while
Godric dealt with Salazar's forces. The battle had severely
weakened the aged warrior and he soon left to spend his remaining
days at Potter Castle with his family.
Harry was sitting still, his face blank as he explained the story to
Daphne. They were in the Room of Requirement.
"It is so ironic," said Harry softly, "that the man everyone believes to
have been a Muggle-lover slaughtered an entire village of Muggles
when the said Muggles murdered his wife, and everyone vilifies a
man who actually died while trying to stop his son from killing
innocent witches and wizards. Who wrote our history books again?"
Daphne nodded. "It was Salazar Junior who wanted to wipe out
Muggle-borns, not Salazar. History is confused and clouded and
everyone thinks the founder was the one who was evil. How sad.
What is actually ironic is the way they all died, did you observe that?"
she asked.
Harry nodded. "Godric was a warrior who died of depression and old
age; Rowena was highly gifted and intelligent but died of heartbreak;
Helga was a healer and her House is said to be non-confrontational
and are widely called duffers but she died a warrior's death after
duelling and defeating Salazar Junior; Salazar was widely known for
his cunning nature, but he let his heart overrule him and rashly
decided to confront his son and died in a duel with him. It's
completely contradictory to their given traits but it shows that while
they were great men and women, they had their share of flaws too."
"I'll set history straight," muttered Harry as he picked up the journal.
"They deserve to be remembered in their truest form, not the way
they are now."
"Report," said Amelia.
"Ma'am, as you know the Muggle Prime Minister has also informed
the heads of all the other European countries about the missing
Death Eaters," said Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. "A Muggle couple in
southern Italy apparently called the police when they saw someone
they thought looked like Bellatrix Lestrange. The Ministry of Magic of
Italy began sending their Aurors all over the country to track them
down but there have been no leads yet."
"Italy," Sirius frowned heavily. "What are they doing in Italy?"
"I'm not sure, Minister," said Kingsley. "In fact, I'm still trying to figure
out how they got out of Britain in the first place!"
Amelia pursed her lips. "Thank you, Shack. Dismissed," she said.
With a nod, the tall Auror left the room. Sirius sat down at his desk,
thinking hard as Amelia sat down on the chair in front of him.
"Why would they go abroad at all, Sirius?" asked Amelia, frowning.
"It serves no logical purpose!"
"Maybe they are trying to find Voldemort?"
"Voldemort has not been sighted since that night he attacked James,
Lily and Harry," said Amelia, shaking her head. "Even if they try to
find him, how do they know where he is? They have been in
Azkaban for twelve years! Voldemort may not be dead but who
knows what form he is in? No, we're missing something."
The wards informed Sirius that someone was at the door. Pressing a
rune on his table, he opened the door while retaining the other wards
around the office.
"Ah, Director Croaker," said Sirius. "Please come in."
"Minister Black," said Algernon Croaker, Head of the Department of
Mysteries. He nodded at the witch, "Amelia."
"Any leads?" asked Sirius.
"My people have been keeping a constant watch on them all," said
Croaker. "Not one of them seems to be doing anything suspicious
although Lucius Malfoy has attempted to find the escaped Death
Eaters. So far, no luck. It seems the prison escapees don't trust
those who evaded Azkaban."
"Damn, so there goes tracking them to lead us to the Death Eaters,"
muttered Sirius.
"I also have some good news, though," said Croaker. Seeing Sirius
nod, he said, "The intelligence wing of my department was able to
figure out how Bellatrix was able to sneak past the sensor net. It
seems the Muggles have built an underwater tunnel that connects
England to France."
"Oh, Merlin," muttered Amelia. "How deep?"
"About two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet below the seabed,"
replied Croaker. "We were not informed about it, so the sensor net
has not been applied to the area."
Sirius narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Fine," he said quietly. "There is
nothing we can do about it now. But what we can do is ensure that
we are prepared. Get the sensor net down to that level. If Bellatrix
does return through the tunnel, we'll be able to catch her. Amelia,
inform the French Ministry of Magic about this discovery. They've
probably not done it either."
"If Bellatrix is abroad, what about the rest?" asked Amelia.
"My guess is that they are still in Britain," said Croaker. "Though I'm
surprised they have not attacked anyone yet. It is getting difficult to
judge their actions. They're quiet; too quiet."
Sirius nodded. Once Croaker left, he began pacing. "Amy, why did
Alastor Moody retire?" he asked curiously.
Amelia scowled. "Fudge," she spat, "decided that he wasn't needed
anymore. Alastor's paranoia was getting the better of him and I
heard rumours that Malfoy might have pushed for the retirement.
Rufus Scrimgeour tried to keep him in the Auror Academy as an
instructor but it was shot down."
"Well, I think it is time we brought him back," said Sirius. "Give him
all the help he requires. Merlin knows he is more than qualified in
capturing those Death Eaters considering he put them there in the
first place."
"Understood," said Amelia as she got up to leave. "I need a vacation,
Siri; between the issue with the Death Eaters, taking care of Rigel
and the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, I'm running myself ragged."
"You think the World Cup is bad?" exclaimed Sirius shaking his
head. "You don't even want to know the stink the Triwizard
Tournament is causing. No one in Europe wants to come to Britain
right now with ten high-security prisoners on the loose. I'll be leaving
tomorrow morning for a meeting with the I.C.W. Triwizard Committee
in Paris. I'll have to convince them that we'll take care of any security
issues."
Amelia nodded. "I'll let you know of any updates."
Harry Potter twisted his wand slowly, his face scrunched up in
concentration. In front of him was a ring on which a black stone was
placed. He was trying to create a replica of the Gaunt ring which he
was trying to recall from memory. He had been working on this for
more than two months and it was finally ready. He didn't know what
that symbol meant, but it was the only design on the ring so it had to
be perfect.
"Done," he breathed. Picking up the ring, he turned around and
asked, "How does it look?"
"Humph?" asked Daphne as she looked up from the book she was
reading. "Oh, yeah, it looks perfect, but the ring itself is quite ugly
looking."
Harry's eyes twinkled in amusement. "We're not going for aesthetics,
Daphne. I wanted a replica of the ring."
"Still, it's ugly. You're leaving now?"
"Yes," answered Harry as he put on his leather cloak. "Sirius is back
from Paris and he wants to get this done. There is still that locket
which we are searching for, but one step at a time. Damn, why
couldn't that bastard have died when that curse rebounded on him
all those years ago? It would have saved us a lot of trouble."
Daphne smiled sadly. "My grandmother always says that life isn't
fair."
"It never is," said Harry grimly. Kissing her goodbye, he made his
way to the Shrieking Shack to get out of Hogwarts. With a crack, he
Disapparated from Hogwarts.
Two cracks could be heard in the middle of a clearing in Little
Hangleton. The two hooded figures were walking towards a forest
which they could see in a distance. After walking for five minutes,
they stopped.
"There is a barrier that deters people who come too close," said
Harry. "It really is a wonderful piece of magic. You wouldn't even
recognise it until you have walked for about ten kilometres. By then,
you'll probably be fatigued and wondering why you are tired of
walking just a few short meters when you have in fact walked for
about two hours."
He then went to a specific tree in the forest and began feeling the
magic around it. Concealment charms always left traces. Tapping the
knot on the tree with his wand, he hissed in Parseltongue. The air
seemed to shimmer for a few seconds until the wards dropped.
"Come on," said Harry as he and Sirius walked forward. "Those
snakes would be just around the corner. Any second now ..."
A dozen poisonous snakes suddenly crawled all around them. Harry
removed the Sword of Gryffindor from inside a bag and began slicing
them clean off. Sirius used a modified fire spell and burnt them. With
a flick of his wand, Sirius vanished any traces of the snakes.
"That's it?" asked Sirius, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, no," said Harry, shaking his head. "The wards around this place
are very advanced but since I am a Parselmouth and I know all the
passwords, it is much easier to get through. Even someone like
Dumbledore would be stumped here for a while."
With that, Harry began hissing in Parseltongue as he waved his
wand in a delicate pattern. Ten minutes later, the wards finally came
down, revealing a rundown shack in the distance.
"The door also has a curse placed on it," said Harry as he opened
the door, careful not to touch it.
"Hmm, he does take the security of this place seriously," said Sirius.
"But I wonder why he didn't put a piece of his soul in a small stone
and dump it at the bottom of the ocean."
"Let's be very glad that he didn't," said Harry grimly. Looking at the
badly concealed portion of the floor, he began scanning.
"That's another trap, isn't it?" asked Sirius. "If someone enters the
shack, they can find the ring easily and once they do, it is a quick,
painful death."
"Yup," said Harry as he blasted the floor open. "I can't help being
impressed by his diabolical mind."
" Avada Kedavra !"
A pale jet of green light flew from the tip of Harry's wand and
impacted the ring. There was a loud screeching sound as the ring
stopped moving. Carefully levitating it into a dragon hide pouch,
Harry placed the fake ring in its place.
"I still cannot believe you can perform the Killing Curse like it is
second nature to you," said Sirius, looking alarmed and worried.
Harry maintained his silence. Unlike Sirius, Harry did study the Dark
Arts after all and he knew the taboo on most of it was unwarranted.
Sure, some of them should never have existed, the Horcruxes for
one, but they did not fall under the purview of dark; that was black
magic, which was highly illegal and dangerous.
Flicking his wand in a complicated gesture, muttering under his
breath, the ancient Egyptian curse slipping easily from his lips, he
finally pointed his wand to the ring as a ripple of magic impacted the
ring, making it glow.
"There, it is done," said Harry as he put the ring back in place and
repaired the damage done to the floor. "Now all we have to do is
take care of any evidence that would lead us to believe we were
here at all."
Sirius nodded as he began waving his wand and clearing the
evidence. One hour later, the stone which was on the Gaunt ring was
placed in the high-security vault at Potter Castle. The golden ring
was melted with Fiendfyre to get rid of the curse placed on it.
Another Horcrux down … Now, if only they could find that blasted
locket!