Unofficial Portkey Archive

Thanks for your patience everyone. Here's chapter three! Enjoy!

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Without You

Chapter 3: Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of

U2

I'm not afraid
Of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me
That I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find
A decent melody
A song that I can sing
In my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling look at you
You gotta stand up straight
Carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere baby

I will not forsake
The colours that you bring
The nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing

It's just a moment
This time will pass

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"I'm pretty sure we've looked in every book there is, Hermione. We're not going to find any more clues."

"No, keep looking, the both of you," Hermione said as she shuffled through pages. "I'm certain I've found something in one of these books but I just overlooked it."

"Hermione, the thing we might be looking for probably isn't even in a book," Harry said closing the book he was holding. "Tom Riddle's diary, no text would ever have a record of that."

"And his father's ring. Dumbledore didn't get that from a book, Hermione."

"But the locket we could have found from a book. Nagini, no," she continued to thumb through pages. "I think we should go back to the history of horcruxes to get an understanding of what Voldemort might have done with his."

"Here we go again," Ron mumbled under his breath.

"Shh, listen: according to The Golden Bough, there is a Hindoo story that tells how a magician called Punchkin held a queen captive for twelve years, and would fain marry her, but she would not have him. At last the queen's son came to rescue her, and the two plotted together to kill Punchkin. So the queen spoke the magician fair, and pretended that she had at last made up her mind to marry him.

`And do tell me,' she said, `are you quite immortal? Can death never touch you? And are you too great an enchanter ever to feel human suffering?'

`It is true,' he said, `that I am not as others. Far, far away, hundreds of thousands of miles from this, there lies a desolate country covered with thick jungle. In the midst of the jungle grows a circle of palm trees, and in the centre of the circle stand six chattees full of water…"

"What the fuck is a chattee?" Ron asked and Hermione tried to ignore his foul language.

"It's something that holds stuff, now will you let me finish?" Ron sat back with a humph and Hermione turned back to the book. "'In the midst of the jungle grows a circle of palm trees, and in the centre of the circle stand six chattees full of water, piled one above another: below the sixth chattee is a small cage, which contains a little green parrot;--on the life of the parrot depends my life;--and if the parrot is killed I must die. It is, however,' he added, `impossible that the parrot should sustain any injury, both on account of the inaccessibility of the country, and because, by my appointment, many thousand genii surround the palm trees, and kill all who approach the place.'

"But the queen's young son overcame all difficulties, and got possession of the parrot. He brought it to the door of the magician's palace, and began playing with it. Punchkin, the magician, saw him, and, coming out, tried to persuade the boy to give him the parrot.

`Give me my parrot!' cried Punchkin. Then the boy took hold of the parrot and tore off one of his wings; and as he did so the magician's right arm fell off. Punchkin then stretched out his left arm, crying,

`Give me my parrot!' The prince pulled off the parrot's second wing, and the magician's left arm tumbled off.

`Give me my parrot!' cried he, and fell on his knees. The prince pulled off the parrot's right leg, the magician's right leg fell off; the prince pulled off the parrot's left leg, down fell the magician's left. Nothing remained of him except the trunk and the head; but still he rolled his eyes, and cried, `Give me my parrot!'

`Take your parrot, then,' cried the boy; and with that he wrung the bird's neck, and threw it at the magician; and, as he did so, Punchkin's head twisted round, and, with a fearful groan, he died!*'" She stopped reading and looked up at the two. "Harry, in your dream, after Voldemort killed Frank, he had to have transferred the last of his power into Nagini, right?"

"I suppose so."

"So all we need to do is…"

"Find all these hidden objects, evade Voldemort once again and then kill his pet snake, all while dodging surprise attacks by Death Eaters." Harry looked at Hermione doubtfully. "Piece of cake."

She blushed, "Well, it's not going to be that easy…"

"You call that easy, Hermione?" Ron said with a bit of a raised voice.

"Look, both of you," Harry put his hands up between them before they went at each other's throats. "Hermione's got a point here. The only problem is that Voldemort keeps that snake guarded as if…well, since his life depends on it."

"Yes, and I think it's safe to assume that Voldemort is keeping part of his soul in that snake. I think we should make a check list of all the horcruxes that have been destroyed, and the ones still out there."

"All right, Marvolo Gaunt's ring," Harry started naming them off as Hermione's quill scratched the paper. "Tom Riddle's Diary, Salzar Slytherin's locket, Nagini…"

"Wait, Harry. Nagini hasn't been killed yet."

"Oh right, sorry. So just the ring, the locket and the diary have been destroyed."

Scratch scratch. "All right, now what are we putting on our search list?"

"Oh, right. Nagini, uhh," scratch scratch went the quill. "I think Dumbledore said something about a cup that Helga Hufflepuff had."

"Yes, I remember you telling me about it. I've all ready looked up some of the history behind the cup and taken notes about it." She still didn't look up from the paper. "What else, Harry."

"Oh, well Dumbledore didn't really tell me about any other objects, but he did say that Voldemort is trying to use objects that are close to him, ones that symbolize his place at Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World."

"That makes sense. So the Locket was Slytherin's, the cup is Helga Hufflepuff's, what could we find that is Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's?"

"Wait, Harry," Ron interjected. "What about the sword you pulled out of the hat? Do you think that could be…"

"No, Dumbledore said it hadn't left the hat since Gryffindor stowed it there, and that hat has been under the headmasters' eyes for centuries."

"But Harry, Tom Riddle also found the chamber of secrets on his own," Hermione looked at him pointedly. "He showed a lot of expertise when it came to Hogwarts. I think Ron's got a point here."

"You're damn right I do," Ron said puffing up his chest.

"Oh sit down Ron." Ron sulked back into his chair. "Harry, did you see anything strange about the sword…feel anything weird when you held it in your hands?"

He shook his head. "I didn't notice anything about it, but then again, I'm sure there wasn't anything strange about that ring either, and his journal seemed like something normal until I wrote in it."

"But the locket you couldn't open," she pointed out. "Harry, were there any strange carvings on it, anything missing?"

"Wait…" Harry said suddenly, forcing his mind to reel back to the last time he held the sword. He remembered feeling a circular patch of jagged metal pressing into his palm as he raced through the Chamber…

And then it came to him. There had been a place for seven rubies…"One of the rubies on it was missing."

Hermione and Ron sat up with enthusiasm. "What did it look like, mate?"

"I dunno, it was about this big," He held up his hand, curling his finger into a small circle. "And had cuts around it like any normal ruby would have. It would have to be impossible to find."

"Not necessarily, Harry," Hermione said beaming. "For you to fit the prophecy, you had to have been born at the end of July to parents who have defied Voldemort three times…"

"Hermione," Ron said in awe. "You're not suggesting…"

"Harry, I think you might know what I'm going to ask you, and I understand if you don't want to, but…"

"No," he said right away. "It's time I went back."

Hermione smiled. "It's settled then. We're off to Godric's Hollow, tonight."

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"So what exactly is it you three are looking for?" Tonks asked as she walked in between Remus Lupin and Hermione.

"Well, that depends. Professor…"

"I'm not your professor anymore dear."

Hermione blushed. "Yes, of course, er-Remus."

"Yes?" Tonks sniggered into her hand as Remus Lupin gave Hermione an amused grin.

"Did Harry's mother by any chance have a necklace with a red stone in the middle of it?"

Remus stopped suddenly, and everyone hesitated a moment before they had realized what had happened. Tonks was the first to speak. "Remus, what?"

"How did you know about that mission?"

"What mission?" Harry stepped in to stand right next to Hermione.

"Harry, I would have assumed that if you knew about the necklace you knew about-"

"What mission!" Harry yelled at his former professor. His face was steaming, his fingers clenching and unclenching.

Lupin looked around and saw a bench nearby, summoning them all to follow him. "Harry, it was twenty years ago, before your mum even knew she was pregnant with you."

"What happened? Dumbledore sent them, didn't he?"

"Harry they were Order members, it was their duty," Tonks said lightly.

Harry sat back quietly, and Remus assumed it would be safe to continue. "Dumbledore never knew about this mission, Harry. The last time Lily and James had encountered Voldemort, Lily managed to rebound a spell back at him, and nearly hit him. She said that he was wearing this necklace, and she couldn't help noticing because of its colour. I remember, she said it was blood red, just like his eyes…

"I told them it was worthless, that it was just a sentimental piece of jewellery that he had kept from childhood, but I guess they really were onto something if you three are asking about it."

"Voldemort doesn't have any sentiments unless it will keep him alive," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"And you're absolutely correct, Harry. That necklace obviously holds something in it that Voldemort is adamant on keeping." The trio gazed at each other, silently promising not to share the news of the horcruxes just yet.

"So your parents set off one night; I have no idea how the hell they knew where Voldemort would be, but they found him. When they came back here, Sirius and I were waiting for them, almost ready to jump them for going off on their own." Harry looked over at Hermione who seemed to have turned ten shades of pink. They were both obviously thinking about the library incident.

"I still don't know how they did it; they never told us, but they found that necklace and hid it somewhere. A few days later your mum started getting sick." Harry's eyes went wide.

"What was wrong with her?"

"She was pregnant with you," Hermione finished for Remus.

"Yes, quite right, Hermione. That was when Dumbledore forbid your parents from going on any more missions."

"But why did you never tell Dumbledore about the necklace? Even after my parents had died?"

"They were intent on keeping it a secret, Harry. They forced Sirius and me to perform a Fidelius charm on ourselves to keep it from Dumbledore."

"But why would they want to keep it from him?"

Remus gazed at Harry for a few seconds. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'd almost forgotten about it until now."

"So where is Godric's Hollow?" Ron asked as he stood up.

"Oh, that reminds me," Remus started to sift through his pocket and produced a piece of paper. "Don't look at it until I tell you to. It's just over that street. Destroy the paper when you've seen what's written on it."

"Is it hidden?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes. Dumbledore made sure the house would look a wreck, just as it had been when Voldemort came that night so that no one would think twice on it. When you look at that paper, the house will be transformed to our vision, and be just as it was when you lived there."

The thought of what the house would look like sent a chill through Harry's body. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see the place his parents had been murdered; the place where he had almost been killed the first time…

"Are you all right, mate?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't have to come in if you can't, Harry. Ron and I can look for it."

"No," Harry said determinedly, "I'd like to go in.

"That's good, because here it is. Look to your left, Harry."

The trio stopped and looked in the direction Remus motioned to. Enormous weeping willows covered the lot, and Harry found it almost ironic that they should be so large and wilted.

The house itself had shutters hanging on by nails; shattered windows that were boarded up. The paint was chipping, but had clearly been white at one point in its better days. There were large columns that propped themselves up in front of the door, but nothing left on the front step. No dead flowers, nothing, just concrete and wood.

"Take out the paper, Harry," Hermione whispered close to his ear. It sent a surge through his blood, but he pushed it down as he fetched the piece of paper form his pocket.

"This house you see in shambles is plain old, but handsome Godric's Hollow. Domus hospito, Harry. Welcome home, Harry." Harry recognized the writing to be Rumus' neat scrawl.

Ron took the paper and destroyed it when Harry didn't move and a tear made its way down his cheek. Hermione squeezed his shoulder as the house took form before their eyes.

An invisible, but nonetheless present force swept around the house, trimming the lawn to a perfect length, re-painting years of degrading wood, and nailing in lost shingles. It took place so slowly that Harry believed it was a dream; that it happened in an entire night. He was pulled back to reality by a tug on his arm from Ron.

"Come on, mate. Let's go find that necklace."

Harry didn't want to move; his feet felt like they weighed more than they ever had in his entire life. He managed to drag himself up the steps and with shaking hands, was given the honour of turning the knob to open the front door. It creaked as he slid it open, and felt Hermione take his hand and give it a squeeze as he gradually stepped inside.

It was dark; there were sheets over all the furniture. Hermione let go of his hand to allow him to trace the intricate design on the mantle above the fireplace. So many emotions filled him that he didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or start throwing things out of rage.

He looked towards the stairs, then staggered over to them, grabbing the railing and forcing himself to move upstairs. Voices rang through his head; painful voices he pushed down so deep, yet couldn't let go because they were all he had left of his family.

"Lily, take Harry and run. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

"Mghhhh," Harry groaned, clamping his hands over his ears. Hermione and Ron were by his side in an instant.

"Are you all right? What's wrong?"

"Can you get up, mate?"

Harry pushed them off him half-heartedly and stood to continue up the stairs. At the top of the landing there were six rooms. He chose the one directly to his right as if he had lived there his entire life.

He walked through the door, not seeing a cradle as he anticipated, but a toy chest in the corner, and a baby changing table.

"No, not Harry. Take me instead."

"Aghhhh." Tears were streaming down his cheeks now and he didn't care anymore who saw him cry. He didn't bloody give a damn.

Harry gave another aggrieved shout as his arm came in contact with the bookshelf lining the wall, and all his childhood books fell with a resounding thud. He didn't stop, and pushed his way out of the room, making his way over to the large door at the end of the hallway. It was locked, and Harry didn't even bother with an unlocking spell. The anger he felt for Voldemort blew the door off its hinges as he pushed his way into his parent's room.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled as everyone chased after him.

"Where is it?" He shouted as he sifted through drawers, dumping things out onto the floor, not bothering to pick them up. "Where the bloody hell did my mum put the damn thing?"

"Harry, look," Ron pointed to a lump taped to the underside of the dresser drawer. Harry shoved his hand into the hole, and felt around for the parcel. He ripped it off the wood and unwrapped it, wasting no time and not caring that he shred the paper that was covering it. A moment later, a rather large velvet black box was sitting in his hands. Now that it was here, he didn't want to open it.

"I can't. You do it, Hermione," he choked, shoving the box into her hands. She, too, was hesitant, but after a moment finally pulled the lid up to uncover a deep red ruby situated in the middle of a pennant on a heavy gold chain.

"Bloody hell, mate," Ron said in astonishment. "We found it."

Harry wasn't listening, however. He had situated himself on his parent's bed, another box in his hand, open, and he was looking at the most beautiful ring in the entire world.

"Harry, what-"

"That was your mum's ring, Harry…" Remus said solemnly. "Or rather, it was James' grandmother's ring. He kept it until he met Lily, then he put it on her finger."

Harry took his glasses off his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stayed like that for a moment, and took a deep breath, closing the box before putting it in his pocket. "I want to go home now."

"Hermione will take you, mate. We'll clean up here and leave afterward."

Harry nodded blankly before he let Hermione take his arm as she apparated them both back to Grimmauld Place. He was in no shape to apparate himself.

When they landed in Harry's room, Hermione took his cloak and shoes off, and pulled him over to the bed. She kissed his scar and ran her hands through his hair affectionately. He let out a sob and pulled her tightly to him, clenching one fist in her hair; the other gripped tightly to her back.

"Oh God, Hermione. I-I," he sobbed uncontrollably into her hair, knowing she would never judge him. She wouldn't care if he cried over spilling his ice cream cone on the ground and she wouldn't care if he cried over his dead parents; he just needed to hold her; hold onto her with every last ounce of hope left in him.

"Harry?" she sniffed. He pulled back and realized she was crying too. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached up and wiped her cheeks. She grabbed his wrists and held his hands there. "Do you want me to read you a story?"

He looked at her quizzically, until she pulled something out of her cloak, and he immediately recognized it as one of the dusty books he had knocked over. A new wave of emotions blew over him at that moment as he choked on a laugh and nodded, sinking back into the bed and let her crawl in next to him, pulling her tight against his side. She opened the book and began reading.

"A mother held her new baby and

very slowly rocked him back and forth,

back and forth, back and forth.

And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be."

Harry closed his eyes and rested his head against Hermione's shoulder, listening to her voice rocking his conscience back and forth, lulling him to sleep.

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Wow, that took me a while. Poor Harry…I don't want to imagine what his life is like…

*Story taken from Wikipedia online dictionary. For more history on horcruxes, go to this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horcrux#Known_Horcruxes

*For more history of Godric's hollow, go to this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godric%27s_Hollow

*For more information on Lord Voldemort:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Voldemort#History

*For more information about the Gaunt family:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Gaunt

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