Harry Potter and Ill Fated Karma

Harry Potter and Ill fated Karma

Summary:

After the events of their sixth year, Harry, Ron and Hermione set off to find the last Horcruxes. Though, with the help of our friend karma, they will all discover multiple things that will forever change the world.

Disclaimer:

Everything concerning Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. I, Runningidiot, own nothing from this story, and do not plan on making any sort of profit by selling. I do not intend to make a mockery of the epic tale of Harry James Potter, but I continue to write H.P fanfiction for the mere enjoyment of it.

Rating:

Pg 13

Genre:

Action/Adventure and Romance

Author's Note:

Chapter four's up. Enjoy!

Chapter Four:

On board once again

Days after Harry's final recovery, their research on the Horcruxes was still getting nowhere due to different circumstances. Harry attempted to leave the house to interview Dumbledore's many subordinates, but he was finding it difficult tracking them down, seeing as most of them were going into hiding.

Just now, Harry received a reply from one of them, a certain Garth Nex whose writing looked as though he had prepared it in less than a minute.

Mr. Potter

I regret to inform you that I am unable to give you any information concerning Albus. Ever since his death my family has been scared practically to death, so I have decided to quit my job and take them into hiding. Because of the threat of interception, I am unable to tell you where I am going off, but believe me when I say I wish you luck on defeating this evil. I am glad to see the responsibility present within you.

My best regards,

Garth Nex

He promptly crumpled the letter and tossed it, unceremoniously, with all the other regretful letters. The increasing number of contacts going into hiding was troubling Harry. Along with the Ministry's numerous failed attempts to bring peace back to the world. To topple everything, Harry thought Ron and Hermione would cease their meaningless arguments, but, if anything, they had increased dramatically.

Harry was surprised into laughter yesterday when the Dursleys got so fed up with their petty arguing that they got up and left, not bothering to inform Harry where they were going off to. Harry promptly told them that he was thankful that they were together finally, which made them both blush profoundly. The Boy-who-lived had not seen the two of them since, but he noticed the door to the room they shared was closed when he left for the loo this morning.

Shaking his head, he rose from his chair, cringing slightly at the sudden pain erupting from his scar's region. Automatically, he pressed one of his two hands against it, willing the pain to go away. He went to his small closet in his equally small room and looked at the piece of parchment nailed to the wall beside the two doors.

To do list regarding Horcruxes

- Contact as many of Dumbledore's affiliates and question them about Dumbledore's last activities.

- Before Harry's birthday, find a suitable location for a “headquarters”

- Think of what objects Voldemort would use as Horcruxes

A current list of known Horcruxes:

- The Ring (X)

- Riddle's Diary (X)

- Slytherin's Locket ( )

- Hufflepuff's Cup ( )

Maybe Horcruxes:

- Something belonging to Ravenclaw

- Something belonging to Gryffindor

- Voldemort's pet snake which Harry has seen in his many dreams.

- Voldemort himself (Hey, he could be!)

- If Voldemort himself is a supposed Horcrux, its also likely that … well, Harry could be one too….

After reading the list of supposed and known Horcruxes, Harry blew out some air. Reluctantly, Harry waved his hand lazily summoning one of his many quills from his nearby desk. He caught it easily, feeling pleased that there was some dry, but useable, ink on it still. He drew a long thin line right through “Contact as many of Dumbledore's affiliates and question them about Dumbledore's last activities.” Dropping the quill back onto his desk, Harry sighed and fell back on his bed, hating the shooting pain throbbing in his head at every single damn minute.

Half an hour passes slowly for the Boy-who-lived as he tries to piece together everything.

Alright, so we've got the ring and the diary. He shut his eyes, hearing Hermione's optimistic words echo inside his head.

Just think about what we've destroyed! She had said so softly, Harry had to strain to hear her. Don't beat yourself up about the locket, we'll find it eventually, Harry!

He sighed, rising from his bed, staring back at the list, willing himself to not think about the possibilities…. But there it was, stamped painfully in his mind.

To create a Horcrux, it was necessary to commit to ultimate crime of ending another person's life. All throughout his life, Harry had seen quite a few miracles performed throughout it. Who's to say that a Horcrux can be created from a miracle?

The realization actually came to him during one of his dreams (he didn't even bother calling them nightmares anymore, seeing as those are the only dreams he ever has these days). The dream was of that fatal day all those years ago at Godric's Hollow, in which both his parents died and Voldemort was reduced to ashes.

Though he was reduced to ashes because of a killing curse, Avada Kedavra, or as Ron likes to call it: A.K. This would normally do anybody in the blink of an eye. But Harry had survived, and now, at the age of seventeen, he was wondering if a freaking Horcrux was created then.

And if he was that very Horcrux.

“HARRY!” Ronald Weasley's voice brought him out of his reverie. “HARRY, MATE, COME QUICK!” Literally leaping from his bed, Harry rushed down the stairs, wincing at the creaking noise and automatically reassuring himself that the Dursleys were not present within the house.

He arrived at the living room, finding his estimation of Ron's location to be correct. He was staring at the fireplace, which was a wonder because Harry knew the Dursleys had an elec-

His theory was proven wrong when Arthur Weasley's head was grinning up at him from the middle of the fire.

“I've hooked up the fireplace again, Harry.” He said, answering one of the questions in Harry's mind. “Molly just reminded me of the date and I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming an adult in the Wizarding world.”

“I didn't get any congratulations….” Harry heard Ron mutter from the side of the fireplace, if his father heard it, his face said otherwise.

Harry was surprised at Arthur Weasley, who he had always looked up to as a councillor, a confident, or even an actual father. Harry had only glimpsed the eldest Weasley the last year; no doubt it was because he was paying more attention to another member of the Weasley family. Though now, looking at Mr. Weasley, it seemed at least ten years had passed since he had last seen him.

His red hair looked as though it was beginning to fade and his aura, which was usually fairly pleasant, seemed to add to more of Harry's piling misery.

“So now that you are of age, Harry.” He continued, his voice sounding odd as it travelled across connected fireplaces of, no doubt, the Burrow and the Dursley residence. “What do you plan on doing?”

Harry honestly couldn't find an answer. He had told Ron and Hermione not to tell anyone about the quest they were going to embark on. Eying Ron for a moment, Harry struggled with his answer. “N - nothing really different, Mr. Weasley. I'm planning on going back to Hogwarts and … and hopefully….”

“Find out a way to kill You-Know-Who?” Mr. Weasley suggested wryly. Harry was rendered speechless. “I've been talking with McGonagall a fair bit; she's worried about you, Harry. I'm told she sent you a letter a while ago…?”

“It was yesterday.” Harry said equally, if not more, wryly.

Arthur Weasley paid the tone no mind. “Regardless, she was expected a prompt reply, I have to tell her that you're planning on going to Hogwarts for your final year. But I know for a fact that she would rather hear it from you.”

“So this is it huh?” Harry said challenging, forgetting all about proper ness. “I turn seventeen to have a teacher and a father of one of my best friends nag me?” Harry regretted saying this much as soon as he was finished.

“Call it whatever you like, Harry.” Once again, paying the tone no mind, Harry found himself thinking of truly how great Mr. Weasley was. “But I know that my wife's also, as always, worried about you. Remember that you're all always welcome at the Burrow, McGonagall's been telling me that the three of you are planning something and by the atmosphere of the two of you, I can see that claim is true.

“I won't pester the two of you into telling me what's going on. You are all of age now and you are all now responsible for your own lives. But I will tell you this much, you have friends. While the Order is disbanded until a new leader is elected, you are always welcome at the Burrow.”

With that said, the head of Arthur Weasley disappeared from the fireplace with a resounding pop. An eerie silence followed in its wake.

“I've got breakfast going….” Both Harry and Ron wheeled around to see Hermione wearing an astonishingly pink apron with multiple white flowers floating around it. Harry recognized it as one of his Aunt's cooking aprons and he smiled at the thought of her reeling at the realization that someone she considered inferior wearing it.

Yet as he followed the bickering pair into the kitchen (yes they had conjured up an argument that quickly) he couldn't help thinking how anyone could feel that Hermione Granger was inferior to them.

~*~

The rest of the summer passed far too quickly for Harry's liking. They had visited the Burrow twice, both times were excruciating awkward for Harry and he could tell it was just as awkward for his two best friends as they each tried to pass the time as quickly as possible by playing as much Quidditch and Chess as possible. Harry had even spotted Hermione strolling around the expansive land of the Burrow while reading, to Harry it looked so peaceful, yet again he felt envy of his friends swell inside of him, Ron had grown up surrounded by beautiful landscape and didn't even know it.

And best of all, both of them were brought up by actual human beings. Harry thought venomously as he threw the tattered Quaffle at Ron harder than he had intended to, nearly knocking his best friend off his broom.

Another thing that made visiting the Burrow so damn awkward was seeing Ginny moping around. While in previous years, all of the Weasleys would mention Ginny babbling about Harry non-stop; it appeared this year she had finally stopped.

I wonder why. Harry thought sarcastically as Ron threw the Quaffle back at him. I'm doing this to defend her, not to … to kill her. His heart seemed to break every time he saw her, her seeming enchanting aura was gone, replaced by one full of misery and contempt.

“She doesn't talk anymore, really.” Mrs. Weasley said to Harry when he was helping her clean up in the kitchen. “Ginny I mean….” He didn't need to hear the addition to know who she was talking about.

“I wonder why?” Harry replied, trying his best to sound innocent.

“She sent me a letter during the year.” With a resounding crash, the plate Harry had been attempting to dry crashed onto the floor. “Oh, Harry! This is why you use magic to clean up!” She quickly repaired the plate and went about her business, halting any discussion on Ginny.

Harry tried his best to put the contents of the letter off his mind as much as possible, after all, he didn't need the woes of his ex-girlfriend to weigh him down when he, as Hermione said to him, needed to be as optimistic as possible.

He had meant to tell her about that encounter some time, so after Ron made another spectacular save (Harry's arm was getting too tired, he wasn't built as a chaser) he called it quits and sped off to Hermione while Ron was left to put away all the equipment.

“Hey, Hermione!” He called out as he stepped off his broom. Hermione looked up from her book to see Harry rushing towards her.

She closed her book with a snap as soon as he caught up with her. “Hey, what's up?”

“Just wanted to tell you something….” Her eyes narrowed as she begun to walk once more, her book held firm at her side. “Its abou-”

“Ginny, right?” Yet again, Harry was amazed at her perception. He nodded, looking at the relatively tall grass as he adjusted his walking speed to match hers. “What'd you want me to know?”

“Mrs. Weasley just said … the other day that … that, um … Ginny sent a letter home during the year.” He was starting to feel awkward again; he wasn't supposed to get awkward with Hermione.

Its just Hermione … and we're just talking about girls…. Don't worry about it….

“So?” Harry stopped and stared at her honey coloured eyes for a moment.

He didn't say anything for a moment; he couldn't seem to formulate any coherent sentence as he stared at the two brown eyes looking right back at him. “Well, well … what if she said that I - I broke up with her!”

“You did though…. Nothing can change that.” Hermione said bluntly.

Now Harry was starting to feel really uncomfortable. “No, no I meant it …. Like, I don't know….”

“Harry,” The girl said calmly, Harry froze. “Just take a deep breath, and breathe…. There you go. Now just say whatever's on your mind.”

Taking another breath for good measure, Harry told her his suspicions. “She might've said that I threw her away, you know…. That explains the awkwardness in the Burrow doesn't it?”

Hermione shrugged. “I don't know … I thought the whole feeling of risking our lives might've set off the awkwardness….” Harry did admit that she had a point.

“I don't know then!” He screamed out in frustration, tossing his Firebolt to the grass unceremoniously. Though when he saw Hermione's seemingly frightened expression, he softened his tone. “I - I can't take this, Hermione…. I ju - just can't…. She … She was so perfect, you know?”

Hermione nodded not saying anything. She pointed to the grass to her right side and Harry obediently lay down on the grass there, hearing Hermione lie down next to him.

“We never got in arguments…. It was like … like I entered a dream world. I remember only a couple of things from our first year, one of them being you telling me about friendship and bravery beneath Hogwarts, the whole Philosopher's Stone ordeal, meeting Hagrid, meeting Dumbledore and seeing Hogwarts for the first time.

“Seeing the castle, with its many blinking lights and … and just … just the aura made me feel right at home, like I entered a dream world. It was the same with Ginny, you know? I finally found someone who actually cared about me rather than f I made the news again or not….”

Hermione smiled slightly up at the fluffy clouds high above them. “It wasn't anywhere near that with Ron.” She said simply, while Harry felt taken aback, Hermione and Ron rarely spoke of their relationship with him at all.

They didn't even bother asking me if I was comfortable at all with it…. He thought bitterly, rising from the grass, suddenly feeling a yearning to be alone.

“Harry?” Hermione rose along with him.

Without saying another word he left, leaving Hermione looking more than a little disappointed.

~*~

Now that the summer holidays had passed, Harry was a little more anxious to get on the hunt for the Horcruxes. Hopefully Hogwarts would prove to be a suitable place to both research for them and actually hunt for them.

Who knows? Maybe Voldemort even left a Horcrux here.

The end of the summer holidays brought the usual Hogwarts owls, soaring into the kitchen of number four Privet Drive with their last letters informing them that Hogwarts would be reopening this year and all previous students plus new year students were welcome to attend. Harry and Hermione (much to her glee) had also received respective Head Boy and Head Girl badges. Hermione had actually thrown her arms around Harry's neck, which created an awkward atmosphere between Ron and him while he looked on with obvious contempt.

Now Harry was speaking to all the newly elected Prefects.

“I don't know if it's come as a surprise or anything, really…. But the fact that Hogwarts is open means more than just … school.” He said, leaning against the slide door which marked the entrance of the compartment. “Hogwarts has always served as a real home for me, and I want to keep it that way.

“Your jobs are more important than you know. Laughter and glee is going to be … scarce throughout the year…. You as Prefects have to keep the … the … whole “hole” atmosphere intact!”

This was followed by mere staring from most of the Prefects, though some were looking at the floor uncomfortably.

“McGonagall has chosen all of you, because she thinks you are suited for this task, this task of a Hogwarts morale boaster and the normal, rather boring, duties of any prefect. Now go and patrol the halls, two to each car.”

Dutifully and silently they filed out while Ron and Hermione stayed behind, smiling slightly at Harry.

“You should have been Prefect in fifth year, mate.” Ron said simply as he clapped his back. Harry smiled uncomfortably before he led them back to the cart which Luna, Ginny and Neville were all waiting at.

“Where were the three of you?” Neville asked as each of them sat down. “Oh, Slug Club…. I always thought Professor Slughorn would get bored of me eventually…. I mean when I was invited to that par-”

“We weren't at the freaking Slug Club, Neville.” Ron said exasperated. “Prefects' meeting….”

“Oh,” was all that Neville said.

In reply to this fascinating conversation, a heavy silence weighed heavily on the entire compartment. Harry sat next to the window while Hermione and Ron were together at the other side of his row. He found it uncomfortable that Ginny was seated right across from him, not only did he notice her staring at him more than once, but every time she did Harry could sense the sadness within her and the small, but hopeful, feeling that they could return to it.

Harry didn't want to think about it, really…. After talking to Hermione about it he seemed to loose all interest in Ginny. His relationship with the youngest known Weasley was eccentric and, as he had said to himself before, he had felt like he was living in someone else's person. Yet after Dumbledore's death, the light that was his love for the girl had all but extinguished only to be replaced with blackness so dark that he couldn't feel anything anymore.

With these depressing thoughts solidified in his mind, he continued to stare out at the window as the many plains of grass and beautiful trees whooshed by, leaving their own stories behind.

~*~

Harry had found the ride to Hogwarts foreshadowed the year quite well; depressing, far too long and really, really, gloomy. Conversation was never really initiated in their compartment, not because there was nothing to talk about….

I mean, they could have discussed their plans on the Horcruxes, but those were to be kept secret.

Oh, they could have talked about their conflicts relating to jealousy the previous year! But that would just make four occupants uncomfortable and the rest even more uncomfortable.

Well, then there was the whole issue with people going into hiding all over the world? Harry tried bringing this up, only to hear Luna's story of how an individual had gone into hiding and was never found, well, wholly that is. Apparently an off duty Muggle policeman in the Americas had discovered an arm hanging off a branch of his willow in his backyard; apparently it had frightened his kid to death. Luna said this was due to the man in hiding forgetting everything about Wizarding procedures, thus, when he tried to apparate properly….

Harry tried to ignore the images his mind was conjuring up about the rest of his limbs.

Well, that topic was thrown overboard, and not an hour had passed, which meant that the half-way point was not even close.

So what else can we talk about? Harry thought to himself. There's always the summer holidays….

“So how was everyone's summer?” Harry asked abruptly. Neville shrugged, not brandishing a birthday present from his parents like he did two years ago. Luna merely said that it was alright, nothing too exciting had happened in the two month period according to her. Of course, Harry already knew what Hermione and Ron's summer was like, since he had spent the whole of it with them. And Ginny wasn't talking to anyone.

So much for that…. Harry thought wearily.

~*~

Arriving at Hogwarts changed nothing. Even though Hagrid was present, guiding the first years into the boats docked just behind him, he had lost the joyful, springy, tone that Harry had become so accustomed to whenever he spoke to Hagrid. In addition, he was ignoring him seemingly on purpose, Harry couldn't really blame him. The last year had saw little of the half-giant and no doubt he had noticed Ginny's quiet demeanour and contrasted that to her abundant cheerfulness at the end of last year. Hagrid wasn't stupid, no matter what people thought, he could put two and two together, much to Harry's displeasure this time.

Seeing the Thestrals dragging the carriages this year only made him feel gloomier, he wondered if seeing more than one murder would make their shape more defined, but found them quite the same, their eerie eyes staring at him no matter where he stood.

The feast was scrumptious of course, conversation wasn't made there either. Harry found it extremely odd that he could talk with Ron and Hermione when it was just the three of them, but now that he had returned to this place, and all its glory….

When the first years filed in, Harry wasn't surprised in the least that there were so damn few, the death of Albus Dumbledore had shaken the trust in the school and its staff members it seemed. Looking at Hermione, Harry knew she was equally, if not less, surprised as him. McGonagall brought out the sorting hat; it seemed she was still acting as the Deputy Headmistress even when she had been promoted to head.

Surprisingly enough, when she let the hat be, it did not sing a song, but rather, just talked conversationally, as if he were reading a letter to his pals.

“Hogwarts, much to my glee, has reopened. And I know very few students return, but as long as one student files into this school, I shall place him or her in the house I deem worthy of him or her, though when no student walks through those gates, that, that is the point I shall lay myself to rest. And only at that point shall I refuse to let a child wear me.”

Saying nothing else, McGonagall read out the first student's name.

“Richard Drifus.” A small seemingly tawny boy stepped forward, placing the hat on his head.

“Hufflepuff!” The hat screamed out, its yell not even close to being reminiscent of the “GRYFFINDOR” it had shouted for Harry in his first year.

“Illyana Nix!” It seemed to Harry and everyone else in the entire hall, that she was skipping quite a lot of letters.

No students were sorted into Slytherin, whether this was the hat's own doing, or the first year's innocence, Harry could not tell. But when he had finally finished showing the first years where his own room was (The Head Boy and Head Girl actually shared a separate part in the castle, which came with a common room, two bathrooms and two bedrooms) so that they could ask him questions any time, he bid Hermione a good night and fell onto his soft queen sized four poster.

Relishing the feeling of nausea in him, he cast away any thoughts about the sorting and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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