The next day Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the study talking about the remaining Horcruxes. It had taken a while for them to find some time to themselves so that they could discuss this because Luna and Susan were always around. Due to Hermione's revelation the previous day Harry had arranged for them to train with member's of the order as well as him. He reasoned that if all three of them had to be there to defeat Voldemort together then they had to be trained as much as he did, if not more. So Luna and Susan were taking lessons with Professor McGonagall this afternoon, leaving Harry, Hermione and Ron blessedly alone. They spent a while playing wizards chess, eating junk food and laughing as friends do. Harry thought that it almost felt normal, if he hadn't been feeling terribly guilty and if Ron hadn't kept looking awkward whenever Hermione tried to joke around with him. Eventually they decided to get back to work and went over the Horcruxes they had to destroy and their possible locations.
"So do you think he could have hidden another one at Hogwarts then?" asked Ron whilst absentmindedly looking for a bishop he had dropped on the floor somewhere.
"I doubt it," said Hermione "Doesn't seem to interesting to have three Horcruxes in one place."
"Yeah," agreed Harry "Doesn't sound like Voldemort at all. He likes to be a bit dramatic…"
"So where else then?" asked Ron finally retrieving the bishop "He hid two at Hogwarts, one in that cave, one in the place where his grandfather lived…"
"Where else is important enough to Voldemort to want to hide something so special?" asked Hermione. They all sat in silence for a while thinking before Harry finally spoke.
"What about the Orphanage he grew up in?" asked Harry
"Well it doesn't hold great memories for him though does it? He was abandoned there by his mother and had the lonely life of an orphan until Dumbledore came and offered him a place at Hogwarts." said Hermione.
"But it's also the place that he discovered he had magic. It gave him great pleasure to bully and torment all of the children there. That's the place it all started for him," said Harry, wondering if he sounded like an idiot or not.
"Bet he wouldn't expect anyone to look there either," said Ron "Who would really know enough about Voldemort to go back to the orphanage he stayed in as a kid for a part of his soul?" Hermione was still looking thoughtful and Harry was beginning to wonder if she was asking herself what she was doing with a bloke that wasn't nearly as smart as her. Finally she spoke-
"I think you may be right Harry. We should find out where this Orphanage is and take a look at it the next time Luna and Susan have another lesson." Harry grinned and felt a little lighter. He didn't know why he was so worried about what Hermione thought of him. Probably because he was used to everything he loved being taken away from him and was expecting her to join them. He suddenly realised what he had thought and felt himself panicking again. He excused himself to get a glass of water and sat in the kitchen for quite a long time.
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A few days later the trio were walking along a street in London on their way to the Orphanage. Harry was leading the way, but the landmarks he had remembered whilst in Dumbledore's Pensieve last year had all gone. After quite a while Hermione and Ron were getting rather impatient.
"Maybe it's round here," said Harry hopefully. Ron rolled his eyes and followed Harry. He had heard him say this quite a few times this afternoon so he didn't have his hopes up. They passed a Marks and Spencer's and rounded the corner. They walked through a car park and stopped at the end, Harry looking around anxiously while Ron looked at all the cars.
"Harry," said Hermione "Do you think we could ask directions? I'm sure that there can't be many orphanages in this area of town." Harry nodded and turned around…then stopped abruptly with a smile on his face. Opposite them he could see large metal gates, but unlike when Voldemort lived there they were almost entirely hidden by surrounding trees and bushes.
"Guess we won't need directions after all," said Harry happily and led the way to the steel gates.
They went through the gates and entered the courtyard. This had a little more greenery also, but it still looked rather barren. The square building, Harry noticed, hadn't changed at all. The high railings still surrounded it and made it look more like a prison. Harry walked up the few steps leading to the front door, Hermione and Ron following closely behind. Harry knocked on the door, and a series of loud bangs and crashes could be heard from inside. A harassed looking woman opened the door. She had strikingly black hair and unbelievably dark eyes. Her skin was pale to the point of sickliness, she would have been quite pretty of not for her nose that was a little too large for her face, and her chin that was a bit too pointy. Harry smiled at her and asked if they could come in for a moment.
"Why? You got friends in 'ere or somefing?" she said suspiciously.
"No," said Harry "We're here to see a Mrs. Cole actually. We were hoping that she wouldn't mind having a quick chat with us." The woman's eyes lowered and she looked at the floor. She took a while to speak, and when she did she sounded very quiet and a little frightened.
"She's dead," she said "They found her hanging from the rafters. Police tried to say she killed herself, but I don't believe 'em."
"Do you think she was murdered?" asked Hermione. The woman suddenly looked up and acted as if she had just noticed they were all standing there.
"It don't matter. Either way she ain't here so you lot 'ad better clear off." she said sounding a little angry. She went to shut the door but Hermione pushed her hand against it and then shoved her foot between the door and the frame.
"Please," said Hermione "You don't have to talk to us, but we just wanted to see our friends old room. We think he might have hidden something in there that we need."
"No one's hidden anything anywhere. We may not 'ave the best looking place but it's clean. I'd never miss something hidden in any room…" she said rather defensively.
"I don't imagine that you would," said Hermione quickly "But we just want to take a look for ourselves. It won't take a moment." The woman stared at them for a moment longer before reluctantly opening the door. They quickly stepped inside before she could change her mind. Inside Harry noticed that there hadn't been too much improvement. The floor was still tiled in black and white, though the walls now had a new kind of paint on them that made it look a little nicer.
"What room are you looking for then?" the woman asked.
"I don't know the number exactly," said Harry "but I know the way to go, he gave me directions you see." She nodded her head in agreement and followed Harry up the stairs, which now had a cheap green carpet on them rather than the stone that Harry remembered. Behind them Harry could hear Hermione talking to her.
"I'm Hermione," she said "It's nice to meet you. And your name is?"
"Emma," she replied and smiled shyly at Hermione.
"I'm awfully sorry to hear about the death of Mrs. Cole, it must have been quite a shock for you," said Hermione, hoping to hear more about the suspicious death. Harry had just reached the door to the room that Dumbledore had entered all those years ago. The conversation behind him suddenly stopped and Harry looked around. Emma was staring at him as if he'd just grown a second head.
"Y-you're friends wiv 'im?" she asked sounding very frightened now. Harry shook his head but she didn't seem to be paying much attention.
"No one goes in that room anymore," she said, her eyes looking wild "not since 'e left. Kids don't like it in there, even the ones that don't know nothin' about 'im. They used to wake up screamin' so we just don't use it anymore. 'orrid room, gives you the chills just walking by it." Harry noticed that this part of the hallway did seem a lot colder than everywhere else they had walked, but decided to keep quiet.
"When you say 'he' do you mean Tom Riddle?" asked Ron in a whisper, looking like Voldemort might leap out at them any moment. Emma nodded her head and looked anxiously around her, as if she were feeling that way also.
"I think 'e's the one that killed Mrs. Cole. He came back 'ere you see, when 'e was a lot older. She told 'im to get out coz 'e didn't belong 'ere no more. She started talkin' about these kids an' this rabbit. Then she was quiet and went upstairs wiv 'im. Shortly after 'e left. The next mornin' we found 'er hangin' from the rafters…" she broke off and began sobbing. Hermione felt sick to her stomach and Ron was still looking around expecting an attack.
"We're not friends of Tom's," said Harry "I can't tell you why we're here, but just trust me when I say you're safe with us. But now we have to go into Tom's old room, and I doubt you want to follow us." Emma smiled at Harry and went to walk down the stairs. Just before Harry opened to door she called out -
"Be careful!"
Harry opened the door with a loud creak, a cold draft swept in his face and he stepped inside the room quickly. After Ron and Hermione were inside he closed the door quickly. The room was unbelievably cold in comparison with the rest of the orphanage and they all drew their coats around them to ward of the chill. There was an unpleasant and musty odour to the room, that seemed to become more pungent the longer they were in there. Harry looked around the room and saw that it was in the early stages of decay. The wallpaper was peeling and there were black spots all over from the damp. The wardrobe looked like it was about to fall apart and was covered in a thick layer of dust. The metal frame on the bed looked like it was rusting, and there was a simple bare mattress on top. Harry looked at the floor and saw that there were only patches of carpet left, showing old rickety floorboards beneath. Harry was surprised that they hadn't fallen through the floor the moment they stepped in the room.
He headed over to the wardrobe and opened the door. There was nothing inside but more dust and quite a few spiders. Ron gave a rather feminine screech at this and moved away quite quickly. Hermione went to the bed and gingerly lifted up the old mattress. There was nothing concealed under there, and they could see straight through the gaps in the metal frame to the wooden floorboards. Nothing under there either. They all looked at each other wondering what to do next. There was nowhere else to look… Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, he was sure he had been right about this.
They walked through the room listening to the creaks under their feet. He examined the walls to see if there might be a hiding place there, but could see nothing. He turned around to tell them that maybe they should go when he saw Ron doing something peculiar. He was walking around in a circle and making the floorboards creak in agony, then he stepped into the centre of the circle and there was silence. He did this a few times, seemingly oblivious to Harry and Hermione's worried glances. Finally he looked up and spoke -
"I think there's something in the floor…"
Harry moved quickly to where Ron had been standing and stepped on the floor. It felt much firmer here than in the rest of the room. He suddenly stamped hard on the wood it cracked. He did this over and over, until finally he could see it had split. He knelt down and grasped the splintered wood, tugging with all his might until it broke away in his hands. A ragged hold was left and he thrust his hands inside it withdrew an old black box. Hermione and Ron knelt beside him as he slowly opened the box. Inside were simple items, a whistle, an old children's book, a little silver hair comb, a fine looking fountain pen and an old wooden recorder.
"No cup from Hufflepuff then," said Ron sadly "What would he want with this junk anyway?" Harry quickly told Ron of the box of simple items that Voldemort had taken from other children when he was younger.
"Obviously Dumbledore didn't break that habit then, eh?" said Ron. "Wonder if the recorder still works, I can play twinkle twinkle little star you know." He reached towards the recorder, Hermione and Harry quickly shoved their hands in the box to stop him in case it was cursed…and they all had their hands either on the recorder or each other. Harry felt the familiar tugging behind his navel and his mind filled with dread. The recorder was a portkey, and it was undoubtedly taking them to a trap that Voldemort had set…
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