章 35: Chapter 35
Life at Hogwarts went on as normal. Harry continued to study and practice duelling at a furious rate. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team won the Quidditch cup thanks to Harry's spectacular performances as the team's seeker. The exams approached and Harry and Daphne sailed through them without any problems, although they had heard rumours that Hermione Granger had tried to sit for all the exams and her burned out. It seems even though she couldn't attend classes, she submitted the homework assignments for Muggle Studies and Divination as well, and so much work finally made her crack. Harry shook his head when he heard that; he just couldn't understand the girl's obsessive need to do homework and always be one who knew everything in books. While he understood that knowledge was very important, reading what was given in books and what was reality were different. Granger had already made quite a few enemies by her constant belittling of the magical world, which tended to annoy all of the purebloods and many half-bloods.
The results of the exams came out, and Harry and Daphne were tied for first place (Harry may be far ahead of Daphne in knowledge and duelling, but she was no slouch). Hermione Granger was shocked that she was not the first, even though she had taken more subjects as compared to Harry and Daphne. In fact, Granger had dropped to the fifth spot in their year, something which infuriated the girl.
But what else happened was that Remus Lupin was ousted as a werewolf. There was an uproar about that and Harry was sure that Dumbledore had something to do with it. While he couldn't forgive Remus Lupin for his inaction, maybe they could form a tentative friendship now that the man knew that Dumbledore was only using him. Harry went over and knocked on the door of Lupin's office. When he heard a come in, he entered.
"Hello, Harry" said Lupin in a weird voice. "Come in, take a seat."
Harry looked at the room and shuddered. "Something wrong?" asked Lupin, from where he was packing his stuff.
"Nothing" said Harry stiffly. "It's just the last time I was here, I was molested by Lockhart. And that's not a memory I want to remember."
"I heard that you resigned" said Harry quietly.
Lupin shrugged. "It was better than being booted out. Pretty soon the letters will start to arrive and parents wouldn't want me to be teaching their children. It's better this way" he said.
Harry stayed quiet. "Remus, I hope you realize now that Dumbledore - "
He was interrupted when he heard a growl. Lupin stared at Harry in anger and snarled "How could you, Harry? How could you expose me for being a werewolf? And now, you're trying to pin the blame on Dumbledore, thinking I would spy on him for you, aren't you? Well, if that's your intention, you can forget about it!"
Harry's expression went cold and the temperature dropped. "You think I was the one who exposed you?" he asked quietly. "That I would want you to spy on Dumbledore for me? I don't need you to spy on him for me. You're too blinded to figure out that Dumbledore is using you as his pawn. Once he saw that you were of no use, he exposed you and kicked you out as the Defence teacher. And yet you blame me? I came here hoping to somewhat mend our relationship, at least because of my father's memory. But I've changed my mind. It's just not worth it. And it looks like Sirius has figured out the same as well. Have a good life, Mr Lupin" said Harry, and he walked out of the room.
"I've become soft" he whispered to himself as he walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. "I won't make the same mistake again. I've forgotten the lessons I had learnt at the Dursleys."
After Ravenclaw was once again declared the winner of the House Cup, Harry and Daphne climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, done with their third year at Hogwarts. Harry was especially happy, as the year had been very peaceful, not to mention he was able to take revenge on many of the students who had targeted him the previous year; all of them were repeatedly pranked and publicly embarrassed throughout the year, courtesy of Harry, Fred and George, the latter two who were more than pleased to help him out. He smiled and looked out of the window of the train. He was finally returning to Potter Castle for the summer.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
In the North Tower of Hogwarts, in a dingy classroom, a thin woman covered in beads and shawls suddenly looked up from her crystal ball. Her eyes were unfocused and she seemed to be having a seizure as she spoke –
"It shall happen tonight" rasped Sybill Trelawney. "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant shall finally re-join his master and the Dark Lord shall rise again with his help, more terrible than ever before. Only the Lightning Lord can stop the Dark Lord and should he succeed, he shall be blessed by Death and bring about a golden age for the magical world that would last a hundred millennia. But should the Lord of Lightning fail, it shall be the beginning of terror and destruction that will wipe out all life on Earth. Tonight, before midnight, the servant shall finally re-join his master . . ."
Trelawney coughed violently and sat down on her chair. She was feeling terrible; maybe she overindulged in cooking sherry. Oh well, might as well retire for the night.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Harry was pacing the floor in the enormous formal drawing room at Potter Castle. He had invited Sirius and Amelia to tea and had finally decided to come clean about the Horcruxes. The wards alerted him that the two Blacks had flooed to the castle and were on the way to the drawing room. Once they hugged him, tea and snacks were served.
"Alright" said Harry. "This isn't a social call. I called you here for a reason. And that reason is Voldemort."
Sirius and Amelia stiffened. "Voldemort? But he's been dead for nearly thirteen years. What do you want to talk about?" asked Amelia.
"He's not dead" replied Harry. He flicked his wand and a destroyed diary flew towards them, suspended in mid-air. "This is the reason why he's alive. And until we destroy every last one of them, Voldemort cannot be killed."
Sirius looked at diary which was suspended in mid-air. "What exactly is that diary?" he asked softly. Harry looked directly into his eyes and replied softly. "It's a Horcrux"
Sirius gasped, and fell back against the back of the sofa. He knew what that was but Amelia was confused.
"What's a Horcrux?" she asked. While Amelia was the Head of the DMLE, that didn't mean that she knew what it was. Horcruxes were a taboo subject and there were very few books on the subject and people didn't talk about it. Sirius only knew about it because he and Regulus had accidently found a book on the subject in the Black Library. Orion Black had been furious when he found out that his sons were reading such a book. Needless to say, both boys had been grounded by their father.
"A Horcrux is a piece of someone's soul which has been severed" answered Harry quietly, looking at the diary. "Once the piece of soul is put into an object, a person cannot die. In such a case, the person is in a sense, immortal."
"Voldemort actually created one?" asked Amelia, looking at the diary with dread.
"Not one, no" said Harry quietly, still looking at the diary. "He created six."
"Six?" yelled Sirius. "Was he insane? Tearing your soul goes against the laws of nature; against the laws of magic. To create not one, but six Horcruxes is more terrible that I can ever imagine. How do you know all this? Do you have any idea where they are?"
Amelia realised that this was the reason Harry had called her; she was the Head of the DMLE, and thus was under her purview to eliminate the threat. She curiously waited for Harry to continue.
Harry took a deep breath. "Out of six, four have been destroyed. I need Sirius's help to retrieve two more and destroy them. These are the Horcruxes I've already destroyed."
He flicked his wand and multiple objects appeared in front of them, slowly rotating in mid-air next to the diary. "The diary of Tom Riddle" said Harry quietly. "I destroyed it using Basilisk venom down in the Chamber of Secrets. The ring which belonged to the Gaunt family; I destroyed it with the sword of Godric Gryffindor which has been imbibed with basilisk venom. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, long thought lost; I destroyed it by using the Killing Curse. An unintentional soul piece which was lodged in my scar; my elves used their brand of magic to destroy it."
Sirius's hands were shaking. "There was a Horcrux in your scar?" he whispered.
"Not any more Padfoot" smiled Harry, giving his godfather a tight hug. "It was removed and destroyed when I was seven years old. But I did gain Riddle's memories, which were transferred into my subconscious mind" said Harry. He then went on to explain to them how it worked, and how he came about Riddle's memories of him creating his Horcruxes.
"You said there were six of them" said Amelia after a few minutes of silence. "What are the other two?"
"The two are Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Salazar Slytherin's locket. The cup is stored in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts, and the locket was stolen by Regulus Black in an attempt to bring Voldemort down" said Harry softly, looking at Sirius.
Sirius's head shot up. "Reggie?" he whispered. He looked at the slip of parchment which Harry handed to him. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of his little brother. Regulus had only been thirteen when Sirius had run away from home. When they had met again at Hogwarts, Regulus had sadly told him that their parents didn't want him to talk to his brother any longer. Since Regulus was now the Heir of the Black family, he had to abide by such rules relating to family laid down by their mother, Lady Walburga Black. The brothers had hugged each other, and that was the last time Sirius had spoken to Regulus. He had wanted to speak to his little brother after that, but he didn't want Regulus to get in trouble with their mother. Last he heard, his parents had forced Regulus to join the Death Eaters and had died in their service, and now, it looked like his little brother had died a hero.
"Alright, Harry" said Sirius in a shaky voice. "I'll help you. In memory of my brother, let's destroy those contraptions."
Harry turned to Amelia and but before he could say anything, she said "Harry, as the Director of British Magical Law Enforcement, I have the right to keep such delicate information to myself. After all, there have been cases when the Director has been personally involved and not informed the rest of the department. As far as anyone is concerned, this was a case of highest security, and I handled it personally after receiving intelligence regarding the continued existence of Voldemort, which was a high threat to the people of Magical Britain."
Harry sighed in relief. He had hoped that Amelia would not insist on involving the rest of the Ministry and it turned out that his concerns were unwarranted.
"Thanks, Aunt Amy" said Harry, smiling at her. "Now, Sirius, I want you to get that cup from Gringotts; I'm sure you'll have no problems getting in. My grandmother's portrait informed me that you can disown Bellatrix and reclaim all her wealth; classifying her as a blood-traitor is just an added bonus. As for the locket, Voldemort used the services of Kreacher to place the Horcrux in a cave where it was protected. At first, I didn't make the connection; it was only after I realized that R.A.B was Regulus did I realize that Kreacher was the elf which Voldemort thought he had sacrificed in that cave. Ask Kreacher if he knows anything about the real Horcrux. Once you find both, don't do anything to it. Bring it here. I don't want such treasures destroyed" said Harry.
The next evening, Harry and Sirius were in the Lord's study at Potter Castle. In front of them were a golden cup and a silver locket.
"It's done. Bellatrix has been disowned by the Black family and is now considered a blood traitor. It was tricky to gain entry into her vault with old man Lestrange still out and alive, but the Goblins managed to do it without alerting him about my movements" said Sirius. "So, how do we destroy them?" he asked.
Harry didn't answer. Instead, he focussed on his anger and hatred, and once he felt that he was ready, he pointed his wand at the cup and said "Avada Kedavra"
When he said the incantation of the Killing Curse, Sirius yelped and moved away. A green jet of light flew from the tip of his wand and impacted the cup, which shrieked loudly and rattled. He looked at the locket and said "Open"
The locket opened, and it said in Riddle's voice "I've seen your heart, and it is mine."
"Oh, please" muttered Harry, rolling his eyes. He pointed his wand and said "Avada Kedavra". The curse hit the locket, and the glass shattered leaving a wailing locket behind, which trembled and went silent.
"You can perform the Killing Curse?" asked Sirius, looking at Harry with wide eyes.
Harry shrugged. "It was necessary in this case, Sirius. Don't look so surprised. You know that I'm not the epitome of goodness. I have a dark side as well, but I ensure that it is kept in check."
"You would have made a picture perfect Heir of the Black family" muttered Sirius.
Harry laughed. "Don't think the Potters were any different Padfoot; you and my dad had a dark side too. Everybody does, but it just depends on how you control it. As long as you're in control, it's fine. But if your dark side controls you, you're in trouble. That's why I do my best to not use dark spells; I don't like the negativity it needs to power them."
Sirius nodded approvingly. "As long as you know that and know what powers those spells, you'll turn out alright. Just promise me that if you ever feel like you're losing control of yourself, you'll talk to me. Understood?"
Harry smiled and nodded. Finally, all of Voldemort's Horcruxes were destroyed. He only hoped that Voldemort himself was gone, but he held out little hope in that regard. He would have to face his destiny someday, and he would be ready for it.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Peter Pettigrew left the room where his master resided and shuddered. He hated dealing with that large snake but it had to be done. He didn't know how his life had become so miserable. It was going quite well until a few years ago when that blasted son of James had discovered him. He hadn't like Harry as a baby and he didn't like him now either. And Peter was sure that the feeling was reciprocated; both by baby Harry and by the teenager now.
Once Peter had faked his death, he had arrived at a wizarding house hoping to stay as a rat and listen to the news. But once young Percy Weasley had decided to keep him as a pet, Peter reasoned that this was a better life than Azkaban. And so the years went on, without him arousing suspicion; until one day he was attacked while in Gryffindor Tower. The next thing he knew, he was in the Wizengamot chambers, having Veritaserum being poured down his throat. He was very confused as to how that came to be but didn't have any time to ponder what had happened as he had been tossed into Azkaban. He had been there for two horrible years.
But one night, he was able to slip through the cracks in the anti-animagus ward, and this had allowed him to leave. He had stolen a wand that was in the hands of a sleeping guard and he had used that to find his old clothes – ones that secretly contained his Master's wand. The DMLE seemed to have missed it (he wasn't sure how, but he was so glad that some incompetent fool had checked his clothes) and once he had his master's wand, he escaped the dreaded island.
He knew that it would be very difficult to leave England, so he had to figure out a way to move without triggering the sensor net. Finally, he decided to use the Imperius Curse on a muggle who owned a small boat to ferry him across the English Channel, to France. It was very dangerous since he didn't know if the ward around the borders could detect if he hid as a rat and crossed the borders on a small boat, but he managed to reach France. He had to move quietly between various countries and avoid the magical and muggle governments, so as to not arouse suspicion. It had taken him a long time, but finally, he reached Albania, where his master was rumoured to be.
When he had stopped at an inn one night, he thought he was surely caught when he saw a British witch Bertha Jorkins, but that woman turned out to be incredibly stupid. His glamour charms were nothing exceptional, but Bertha didn't suspect him at all. Thinking that she might prove useful for his master, he overpowered her and brought her to his master's wraith. He then used a newborn infant and followed his master's instructions which enabled Voldemort to gain a rudimentary body. They had returned to Britain by a means unknown to Peter. Bertha had revealed a great deal, and now he was tasked to find out more about Barty Crouch and about the Triwizard Tournament. Oh well, anything was better than touching that damn snake. He shuddered when he remembered the incident when the snake swallowed that old muggle man. Oh, how he hated snakes!
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Harry finished getting dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. "You look handsome dear, I'm sure you'll impress your lady" said the mirror, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He was dressed in a white shirt, jeans, and wore a black leather jacket while sporting his dragon hide boots. Today was the finals of the Quidditch World Cup, and the teenager in him couldn't wait to get there. He could watch the game on the E-Mirror at home like he had done for rest of the matches, but since he had been able to get tickets in the Top Box for the finals, he couldn't resist.
He went down to the Entrance Hall, stepped into the fireplace and said "Greengrass Manor". Emerald flames enveloped him and he stood a few seconds later in the Entrance Hall of the very familiar Greengrass Manor. He flicked his fingers involuntarily and the soot disappeared. He climbed up the stairs and went to Daphne's room when he heard a whistle.
He turned to see Daphne smirking at him. "Looking very good, Harry. Dressed up to impress the Veela, huh?" she asked.
Harry smirked and slowly went over to her until he had cornered to the wall. She was looking stunning as well with black jeans; blue top, a jacket and the dragon hide boots which he had given her for Yule. Her wavy dark blonde hair was beautifully styled. He pinned her against the wall, putting his arms on either side of her to prevent her from trying to escape.
"The only Veela I see is the one standing in front of me" he said huskily, kissing her jaw. "In fact, I would go so far as to say that you're more beautiful and sexy than any woman alive, Veela or not. And I look good just to impress you, Milady."
Daphne moaned slightly as his lips found his way to her neck. "Thanks for the compliment, Harry, I appreciate it." But she found herself unable to form any coherent thought as Harry grabbed her and kissed her passionately. But their make out time was interrupted when they heard someone clear their throat. They turned to find a smirking Elizabeth Greengrass holding a smiling and giggling Dylan in her arms.
"There's a baby around, you know" she said, smirking further at the beet red faces of both teenagers. "Some would consider your display inappropriate."
"But Dylan's only a baby!" retorted Daphne. "He's too young to understand anything."
"Maybe so" replied Elizabeth. "But it's time for us to have a mother-daughter talk, don't you think Daphne?"
"Oh no" whispered Daphne, her eyes wide. "You aren't going to give me another lecture about sex are you?" she asked.
"You'll find out soon enough" replied Elizabeth with an amused expression on her face, walking away with her son.
"This was all your fault!" whispered Daphne furiously.
"How was this my fault?" whispered Harry defensively.
"You're the one who started it!" said Daphne.
"Did not"
"Did too"
"Did not"
"Did too"
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
It was noon when Harry, Daphne, Cyrus and Astoria portkeyed to the place where the World Cup was held. Harry and Cyrus were excited about the game and were talking furiously about the previous matches and how the teams would perform during the finals.
"Remind me why I'm here again?" grumbled Daphne.
"Because Daddy and Harry forced you to come" said Astoria, looking around with curiosity.
"Still, that doesn't mean we had to listen to them" said Daphne. She would never voice out loud or admit to anyone that Harry could get her to do pretty much anything when he pouted cutely and looked at her with those big green eyes. She just couldn't refuse him! She idly wondered how James Potter had handled his wife when she had those green eyes as well. She hated the smirk on Harry's face every time she cracked under those mesmerising green eyes. Well, she had a puppy dog face too that made Harry crumble, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Harry had made her come to a Quidditch match, one where he wasn't playing! It was going to be torture.
Harry looked around the various tents and finally found the one. "Aha. Here we are" he said. He went in and saw Sirius watching the semi-finals on the large E-Mirror. Daphne and Astoria looked at the men discussing Quidditch and rolled their eyes at them. Astoria spotted many of her friends, and after informing her father, went with them.
Daphne was bored, so she went out to look at the various stalls. She idly noticed that the International Statute of Secrecy was blatantly being violated when she felt someone slap her bum and put an arm around her waist. In a second, her wand was pointed at the boy's face.
"Hey, take it easy Daph, it's only me!" said Harry.
"We're in a public place, Harry. Behave yourself" hissed Daphne.
"Someone's in a bad mood" muttered Harry. "What's with the long face? We're at the finals of the Quidditch World Cup! Aren't you excited?" asked Harry, smiling at her.
"Not particularly"
"Oh, come on" said Harry. "Let's turn that frown upside down". He used his fingers to move her mouth in a way to make it seem like she was smiling. Daphne just growled.
"Ah ah, it's not very lady-like to growl, Daphne" said Harry cheekily. "Who's a good kitty? You are, yes you are!"
"If anyone else had dared to say something like that I would have cursed them into oblivion" snarled Daphne. "You're forgetting that I have sharp fangs and claws, Potter. I can snap your neck in one stroke."
"But you love me too much to do that, don't you?" asked Harry, playfully pinching her cheek. He kissed her forehead and said, "That's my girl."
Daphne shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn't help but smile at her fiancé. It was very rare for Harry to be this carefree and happy, as he was usually quiet and serious. She would watch a thousand Quidditch matches if only to make him smile and laugh. But she would never tell him that of course; he would probably drag her to very match possible.
They bought Omnioculars and several other goodies and went back to the tent. On the way, they met several of their schoolmates and spoke to them, and finally returned to the tent to find Cyrus, Astoria, Sirius and Amelia talking.
"I need a vacation" said Amelia, rubbing her forehead. "This World Cup has been one big nightmare. I'm so glad my department isn't involved in that another nightmare at Hogwarts."
Harry snorted. "I don't like the fact that they're doing it in the first place. It was discontinued for a reason. I think it's too dangerous; a disaster waiting to happen."
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Astoria curiously.
"Sorry Tori, but we can't talk about it yet" said Cyrus with a smile. "Only Wizengamot members and people at the Ministry know about it as they wanted it to be a surprise for the students at Hogwarts. Suffice it to say, you'll have a very interesting year."
"Then how come Harry knows about it?" she asked stubbornly.
"Harry is a member of the Wizengamot" answered Cyrus patiently. "While he cannot sit on the body until he is seventeen, he is to be apprised on what goes on in there by his Regent, who in this case is his godfather. Now come on, it's time for the game."
They entered the gigantic stadium and climbed all the way to the very top. They found themselves in a box which had several purple and gilt chairs. They all sat down, and soon many important witches and wizards arrived. When Minister Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister of Magic arrived, Fudge loudly introduced Harry to the other Minister. Harry was quite amused that Fudge had not used the translation potion; really, it was quite expected for the Minister of Magic to do so. He calmly shook the Bulgarian Minister's hand and conversed with the man in his native tongue, much to the shock of Fudge. Harry and the Bulgarian Minister spent several minutes talking until finally, Lucius Malfoy arrived with his family. Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at Lucius. He wished he could perform Legilimency on Draco to find out what they were up to because he felt something was fishy, but he didn't want to risk it in front of so many high-level witches and wizards.
Ludo Bagman soon began the commentary and the Bulgarian team mascots were revealed to be Veela, just as Daphne had suspected. Harry felt a small pull towards them, but he reinforced his Occlumency shields and gripped Daphne's hand tighter. When Daphne saw that her fiancé wasn't affected by the Veela, she was incredibly happy and gave him a kiss on the cheek in appreciation as there were very few men who could stand their allure. Once the Irish team mascots were announced, the match began.
Harry was very impressed with Victor Krum, especially his Wronski Feint; the enormous mirrors provided by Miller's Magic Mirrors showing the manoeuvre in slow motion. The mirrors were a hit all over the world, especially in the field of sports and entertainment. Branches were soon being opened in various countries and Harry was making a killing because he owned half the company. Finally, Ireland won 170-160, with Krum catching the snitch. With a smile, Harry and the rest of the group returned to the tent to pack up and leave home for the night; well, everyone except Amelia, as she still had a lot of work to do. But all in all, Harry thought it was an outstanding match.
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