Unofficial Portkey Archive

Lies and Illusions chapter 15
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling and don't own Harry Potter, so suing me won't do any good.

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Chapter 15
Slytherin's Locket

It was a familiar scene: he was walking through the halls of his family's home with his mother as he had countless times before. Nothing was out of place except for the fear in her eyes and the feeling of dread in his heart.

The Killing Curse erupted from his aunt's wand just as his mother jumped in front of him. Then, just as her body was bathed in green light, Draco felt a sharp blow and heard....

"Get up, Malfoy! You and I are going to talk."

Now awake, Draco Malfoy remembered that he'd been dreaming, and what happened after the point where the dream had ended. The look in his aunt's eyes as she rolled her sister's body off of him. Her hand on his arm as she hauled him to his feet. Him struggling against her grasp while desperately fumbling for his wand. The curse he'd used to get free and then, almost accidentally, grabbing his mother's ring....

Rolling over, Draco opened his eyes and screamed. Mad-Eye Moody was standing no more than two feet away from him, giving the bed another kick with his good leg. Instinctively checking the exit, Draco saw the ragged (but no less frightening in his opinion) shape of Remus Lupin standing guard over it. Being locked in a room with this particular Auror and a werewolf definitely wasn't how he wanted to start the day.

**********

On Moody's orders, Remus had taken over the responsibility for Draco Malfoy. This freed up Harry, Hermione, and Ron to spend more time working on the Horcrux with Bill.

As they watched the Curse-Breaker preparing to tackle Slytherin's locket, it was clear that Bill was both very good and very careful when it came to his chosen profession. After selecting the formal dining room to work in, he began to unpack his equipment. Before long, the Horcrux was suspended from a stand placed inside a group of plate glass barriers. Hermione commented on their fragile appearance, Bill smiled and whacked the side of the table with one. It left a deep gouge in the oak, but the glass was completely unharmed.

Bill laughed. "I said the same thing the first time I saw one of these, until the witch handling my indoctrination whacked it against a limestone block. Don't worry, Hermione. I used these all the time when I was in Egypt and have never seen anything get through them yet."

"It still seems like an awful lot of trouble for one stupid locket," Ron commented.

"I take it that you never got a good look Dumbledore's hand last term," Harry replied, shuddering at the memory. "It was all shriveled, blackened, and dead-looking...."

Bill winced at the description. "That sounds like something that happened to one of my colleagues once. As I remember, he spent over a month in Cairo getting it reversed. All the more reason not to take any unnecessary chances," he said firmly, returning the last shield to its full size and securing it in place.

"Careful" was the watchword as they went about systematically testing the effects of various spells and incantations on the locket. Most of them did little if anything, and some of the more energetic sorts of magic violently ricocheted off the Dark enchantments -- thus proving the wisdom of placing the protective barriers between them and the Horcrux. Then, on the third day of their work, Hermione said that she had an idea. After a few minutes of explaining, they spent a day and a half jumbling arcane words and phrases. Eventually, under Bill's guidance, a long, complex incantation took shape.

"There....I think that should do it, assuming that you're right about this," Bill finally said.

"Do what?" Tonks asked, coming in with Remus.

Hermione read the spell over Bill's shoulder. "Break the Horcrux charm, we hope. This is so exciting! I never tried to invent a spell before."

"Well, we're not really inventing -- more like mixing some existing spells together." Bill looked up and saw the tired expression on Tonks' face. "What's the matter, Tonks? Long day at work?"

"You could say that," Tonks answered, but she didn't elaborate on it. "So, you think that you've finally got it?"

"There's only one way to know for sure," said Bill. "Harry, if you care to do the honors..."

With a nod and a deep breath, Harry stepped forward. Hermione gave him a quick hug and whispered, "You can do it. I know you can," to which he replied, "I know you do". Looking up, he added, "Remus, Tonks -- I'll need your cooperation with this. Try to think about something that makes you feel good and hold on to that feeling."

Harry waited for a few minutes. When everyone was ready, he took a deep breath and started casting the spell.

For a minute or so there was no reaction. Then, slowly, a halo of golden light began to form around the locket. The light grew brighter as Harry continued to mutter the incantation and circle it with his wand, flickering slightly as it closed in on the Horcrux. Sweat beaded on his brow, and he felt his wand vibrate in a particular way. Finally, nothing could be seen dangling from the stand but a ball of magical energy.

Suddenly there was a sound like cracking glass and an inky vapor started pouring out. Harry stumbled back as the mist formed a shadowy head and torso above him. A face also appeared -- not that of the young Tom Riddle who had attended Hogwarts or the face of Voldemort Harry had seen on the back of Professor Quirrell's head at the end of his first year, but one somewhere in between them. The soul fragment tried to reach out to Harry, but its hand began to dissolve into nothing even as it was raised. The rest of him vanished a few minutes later.

Hermione and Ron rushed to Harry's side, with Remus a couple of steps behind.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked Harry as they helped him to his feet.

"Yes, I think so," Harry said unsteadily as his friends guided him to a chair. "Just a bit drained, is all."

Tonks stared at his ashen face. "We can tell. What kind of spell was that?"

"It definitely wasn't one I've seen before," Remus said, holding out a chair for Harry.

"Light magic, for lack of a better term," Harry answered as he sat down. "Just the sort of thing that Voldemort would never think of."

Bill took over from there. "Basically the spell we wrote surrounds the target with raw magical energy. As it strengthens, the spell erodes the Horcrux charms until they collapse and the soul fragment is released. Though you never explained why it's important for us to 'think happy thoughts' before starting this."

Now it was Hermione's turn to speak.

"I'm sure you know that certain kinds of magic are intrinsically linked to emotion."

Tonks nodded. "Of course. That's one of the reasons why the Unforgivibles are...well, unforgivable."

"It's also why a witch or wizard can actually lose the ability to use magic if they suffer a severe emotional blow," Hermione added before getting back on track. "Harry told Ron and I that he was briefly possessed by Voldemort during the battle in the Ministry of Magic, but his feelings were too much for Riddle and drove him out. Yesterday, it occurred to me that there might be a way to magically duplicate that effect.

"What we came up with is a spell derived from the Patronus Charm. So, in addition to what Bill said, the spell bathes the object in positive emotions. The Horcrux becomes unbearable and the soul fragment is forced to leave. It takes total concentration. So we had to be sure that nobody would distract Harry while he was casting the spell."

It was a good explanation, as far as it went. The truth was that the spell wouldn't have worked as well as it did if Harry wasn't an Empath. In her reading, Hermione had come across the idea that Empaths could not only sense other people's feelings but, under the right conditions, channel those emotions into their own magic. From there, it was a simple matter of enlisting Bill's experience to help turn that theory into a practical approach to disposing of the Horcruxes.

"Assuming that it actually worked," Harry asked, regaining his strength. "What do you say Bill?"

Bill smiled at him. "Believe me, it worked. Look here, not a trace of Dark magic left on the locket. You wrecked the latch, but that's repairable." Taking a few tools from his kit, Bill started to carefully pry the locket open.

Sitting in Harry's lap, Hermione gave him a joyful hug.

Ron whispered in his brother's ear, "What did I tell you, Bill? Give them slightest reason and then they get so snuggly it's revolting!"

"Why don't you go snog Luna?" Hermione snapped, having overheard the comment.

"I'd like to" Ron shot back. "Can we go home now?"

Bill and Tonks snickered at the exchange, while Remus stood there lost in thought. Noticing this, Harry asked him what was wrong.

"I was just wondering if Voldemort can sense the destruction of his Horcruxes."

"Professor Dumbledore didn't think he would, not until he's on the verge of death. Although the professor made mistakes and believed a little too strongly in people's better natures, I see no reason to doubt him on this," Harry said.

Lupin nodded, accepting Harry's reassurances.

Back at the table, Bill finished gently prying the locket open. Examining it, he called out, "Hey, take a look at this."

Sliding the locket to where he could see it better, Harry saw that there was what appeared to be a tiny, and very, very old, painting inside. Four people depicted in it, two witches and two wizards -- none of whom needed any introduction.

"I've seen this image in Hogwarts: A History," Hermione said excitedly. "It's of the Founders celebrating the opening of the school. Slytherin must have had this made to commemorate the event, and kept it even after his falling out with Godric Gryffindor."

"You have a real gift for understatement, Hermione," Tonks said. "The only reason Slytherin left Hogwarts after their 'falling out' was because Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff sided with Gryffindor, and he couldn't stand against all three of them at once."

Ron muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear, "With all the trouble they cause, I still don't understand why Hogwarts doesn't just get rid of Slytherin House all together."

"Unfortunately, they really don't have much choice in the matter," Lupin explained. "The house structure is integrated into the school's very nature. Removing any one of them would undermine the magic that holds the castle together. Slytherin would be especially bad because he supposedly did most of the work on the foundations."

"So that's why the Slytherin common room is in the dungeon," Ron said, "and how he was able to slip in the Chamber of Secrets without anyone knowing."

Hermione nodded. "Exactly. Each Founder was responsible for designing a different part of the castle, though they all participated in the actual building. Along the way, each of them chose a place in their 'area' for what would become their House. It's all in Hogwarts: a History, for anyone who would bother to read it." She gave Ron one of her dirty looks.

Harry only half-listened to the conversation going on around him. He was too occupied squinting at the picture in the locket, trying to see the tiny details. Bill gave him a nudge and handed him a brass jeweler's loupe that was part of his tool kit. Holding it up to his glasses, Harry went back to scrutinizing the image.

After a few minutes, Harry felt Bill nudge him again. "Looking for something?" he asked.

"You could say that. There are three Horcruxes left, and we don't have a clue what one of them is except that it most likely belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Maybe, if we're lucky, this picture will give us some idea of what we're...." Something caught Harry's eye, causing him to stop in mid-sentence. "Hermione, does this look familiar to you?"

Hermione took the tiny magnifier and leaned over for a better look. Harry tightened his arms around her middle to make sure she didn't slide off his lap.

"Not to sound stupid," Tonks said, "but if this picture is in Hogwarts: A History, why didn't you check this earlier?"

Harry, who was leaning over Hermione, said without looking up, "We tried, but couldn't make out any details."

"A problem that we don't have with this picture," Hermione finished for him. "Amazing -- I can see facets of the rubies on the hilt of Gryffindor's sword almost as if it was sitting right in front of us. As for Rowena...." She studied the image for a few minutes before spotting what Harry had found. "Her necklace...."

Ron took the locket next. "All I see are a bunch of white gems around her neck."

"Yes, opals perhaps?" Hermione said.

Harry explained, "Like the necklace from Borgin and Burkes that Malfoy tried using to assassinate Dumbledore, but almost killed Katie Bell with instead."

Tonks looked at them in shock. "That makes no sense. By all accounts, Rowena Ravenclaw hated the Dark Arts! There's no way she would have placed a deadly curse on her jewelery," she said.

"She wouldn't, but Voldemort would," Lupin said quietly. "Especially if he wanted to hide one of his Horcruxes in a shop known for dealing in Dark artifacts. Harry, didn't you say that Voldemort hid his Horcruxes in places that were important to him?"

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore told me that he found Marvolo's ring in the ruins of the Gaunts' home, and this locket was originally in the cave where a young Tom Riddle once tortured two other children from his orphanage. Nagini is with Voldemort, which makes sense since the most important thing in the world to him is himself." Harry snapped his fingers. "Tom worked at Borgin and Burkes after finishing Hogwarts, which is how he found the locket and Hufflepuff's cup."

"Sounds like we have a couple of leads to follow up on," said Hermione. "The shop would be a logical place to look, simply because it's connected to Tom Riddle. I have no idea what's become of the necklace...."

"Minerva might. At the very least, she could inquire about it without raising suspicion," Remus supplied.

Harry thought about it. "We'll have to ask her about it when we return to school. I'd rather not use owls unless it's urgent. There's too big of a chance of them being intercepted."

They all got to work cleaning up. As he was putting the locket in its box, Harry heard Bill say, "Tell me something: Am I the only one who's noticed that Hogwarts always comes up whenever we talk about Riddle's little trophy collection?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all traded a surprised look. Surely, they couldn't have overlooked something as obvious as that?

"Almost as if the school was at the center of everything," Ron said, thinking out loud.

Harry needed to sit down again. His mind was racing so fast that it made him dizzy, or maybe he hadn't quite recovered from his struggle with the Horcrux. It was hard to tell.

In a flash, Hermione was at his side.

"I'm all right," Harry told her. With a hollow laugh, he said, "It's starting to look like we would have had to go back to Hogwarts whether we wanted to or not."

"So it would seem," Hermione said with a smile. "Come on. We're just about done here, and you still look awfully tired."

"Why are you always looking after me?" Harry asked her as she helped him back up.

Hermione answered lightly, "Everyone needs a hobby." Glancing at the others, she said, "Excuse us, please," and Disapparated with Harry.

Tonks looked over at Ron. "Did Hermione just make a joke?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Ron said with a straight face.

Remus came up with the next question. "What did Harry mean about going back to Hogwarts whether he wanted to or not?"

"Oh, that's nothing." Ron looked uncomfortable for a second. "After Dumbledore died, Harry didn't plan on going back to school this fall. But Hermione talked him out of it."

"I assume that you never mentioned this to Mum," said Bill.

"Are you kidding?" Ron asked his brother. "I may be thick, but I'm not stupid!"

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end chapter 15