Unofficial Portkey Archive

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Riddle and the Orphanage

`Did you know the note book was Ravenclaw's?' Harry asked Dumbledore's portrait, as he stood in the Headmistress' Office the following Thursday afternoon. Learning the note book was Ravenclaw's was important, as it was something of the founders, and therefore, a possible Horcrux. Dumbledore seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Harry's thoughts.

`I had some idea, yes. Don't worry Harry, it is not a Horcrux. It has not left this office in at least one hundred and eighty-six years, much longer than Voldemort has been alive' he reassured. Harry relaxed a bit with this news, but his head was still swimming with all the new information, with the ancient magic, this book, and the Horcruxes.

`Dobby searched the entire castle, and couldn't find Hufflepuff's Cup' Harry informed. Dumbledore pondered on this for a moment, then nodded.

`That makes sense in some manners. I never expected Lord Voldemort to place one inside Hogwarts. It's much too busy, and if he did find a good hiding spot for it, it would have to be good enough not to be found for thousands of years, rendering it fairly useless.'

`So where should we look next?'

`The Riddle House, and the orphanage. Although much like Hogwarts, I doubt the Horcrux to be in the Riddle House, it would be best to check just in case. The house and its grounds will probably cause your scar to burn terribly, so I would advise you to bring companions, and perhaps some of the Order. I have been discussing with Minerva, and right now it is unclear where Voldemort is exactly, so be very weary if you venture outside Hogwarts' grounds' he advised. Harry nodded, and was not exactly happy with the prospect of returning to the Riddle House, where he had his nightmare of that muggle man being murdered, and then the graveyard next to the house where Voldemort came back. Those two areas were forever imprinted on his mind.

`Don't worry Harry, just check for the Cup. If it is not there, then do not linger, and come back to the castle as quickly as possible.'

`When should I go?' Harry asked. He didn't want to make his absence that noticeable.

`I believe this weekend would be best. It is a New Moon, and you would be best hidden from attackers in case problems should arise. Again, bring help Harry if you go, and be cautious.' Harry nodded, and decided to change subjects.

`Topher told me about his research, and the Book of Thoth.' Dumbledore smiled, and nodded.

`And?' the late Headmaster asked, tilting his head forward in his frame.

`And?' Harry wondered.

`What do you think of it?'

`Oh, well, it's um . . . it sounds good, but it's just that . . . we don't know if . . . `

`If it exists, I know' Dumbledore finished. `Topher will find where the scroll is. Have faith Harry, he is fighting this war as much as you are.' Mentioning the war again, Harry was reminded of what Hagrid said about Topher, and a friend.

`Professor, someone told me about Topher having a friend, an odd friend or something' Harry started, hoping to encourage Dumbledore to go ahead and finish. Unfortunately, Dumbledore didn't.

`Hagrid let something slip now didn't he? Well, I think you can agree that is not surprising. However that is something you must ask Topher. I know of this friend, if he would call him a friend anymore, but it is not my place to tell you. Topher trusts me as I trust him, so I must abide by that' Dumbledore explained calmly. Harry understood, and decided it was time to leave. He stood up, and smiled.

`I'll come back here before leaving on Saturday for the House. I'll Floo Remus and a few others just in case.' The two bid farewell to each other, and Harry returned to the East Tower.

Harry went and told Hermione of the venture, and she was just as worried as Harry. They went to Gryffindor Tower, since they had to post a notice on the message board about being in the halls after hours, and told Ron about the trip. He reacted worst than Hermione.

`This weekend!' he said loudly, Harry and Hermione shushing him. They went into Ron's dormitory, and locked the door; casting a Silencing Charm on it as well.

`Yes, this weekend. Dumbledore said it's the best time. Besides, we've been stuck in this castle too long. We need to go searching' Harry assessed.

`Yeah, but going to You-Know-Who's childhood house isn't exactly my idea of a first trip' Ron admitted nervously.

`Don't worry. We're just searching, and Dumbledore suggested getting some Order members. I just don't know what excuse I'm going to give them' Harry said.

`Maybe you could ask Topher to help. He was there with the other Order members at The Burrow. Maybe he could ask them, so it wouldn't be so conspicuous' Hermione suggested.

Harry decided to ask Topher, and telling him a tiny amount about why they were going. He insisted that Harry didn't have to tell him anything, but Harry felt he had the right to know at least something. The chance of Death Eaters being there would be high.

`We're going to look for something' Harry declared to Topher, while sitting in his office on the Thursday afternoon. He had a free period, and asked Topher at breakfast that morning if he could talk to him.

`Let me guess: a cup, right?' he speculated. Harry nodded, and Topher chuckled.

`Something important about this cup now isn't there? Alright Harry, I'll contact Remus and Moody. The three of us should be alright. When are you going?'

`On Saturday, after dark. I'm hoping it won't take that long, but it's a big house' Harry professed with a hint of grimness.

`Don't worry Harry. I'll contact those two, and I'll get them to meet us outside the gates at seven pm.' Harry left, giving a sigh, and could tell looking around for Horcruxes would not be an easy task.

On the Saturday, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all finished their supper quickly, and got their cloaks. Harry and Ron took both of their invisibility cloaks as well, and just as they were exiting the Entrance Chamber, and starting off towards the gates, Filch yelled from behind them.

`Where are you three going?' he shouted, stomping towards them. Harry sighed, and looked towards the gate, seeing the Auror guards, along with two other people.

`We're going somewhere. We have permission from Professor McGonagall' Harry responded. They needed to leave soon, since they were late. Filch however, was uncompromising as usual.

`Permission? We'll see. You're all coming with me to the Headmistresses Office, and we'll see if you have "permission."' He sneered, pointing towards the staircase, and Harry's blood began boiling at how this was working out. Just as he was about to take a step forward, rescue came.

Professor Terrwynebas came out of the Great Hall, just finishing tying his black traveling cloak up, and looked up to the odd scene. A few straggling students were watching the three seventh years, who were still in the doorway, and Filch, who was staring down the students down.

`Com'on, let's get a move on!' Filch stated loudly again. Topher glanced at Harry, and stepped forward.

`Mr. Filch, don't worry. These three are coming with me to the Forest. Are you three ready?' he asked, looking at them. They all nodded, and Harry smiled thankfully at Topher. He smiled back with one side, and looked at Filch, who was still waiting for the students to accompany him.

`Thank you Mr. Filch, there's no need' Topher said politely. Filch looked livid at the four of them, and Topher turned and started out before he could do anything. Harry and the rest didn't hesitate, and followed him outside, and into the grounds.

The frosty early February air bit at Harry's cheeks as the group briskly made their way down the incline towards the gates. No one talked-as they were all focused on getting their quickly, and soon enough, they reached the gates. Two black cloaked Aurors stood guard on the inside, and on the outside stood Remus and Moody.

`Sorry for being late there. Mr. Filch seemed to suddenly gain an interest in Harry's whereabouts' Topher said to the two men on the other side. They nodded, and the two Aurors looked at each other questioningly.

`Alright, firstly the questions. Remus, why did you say I was meant to join The Order?' Topher asked.

`Because of your father, and what happened to him. Dumbledore knew then you would join The Order. Of course, Voldemort was defeated soon after, but when we started up, he knew you would join' Remus answered easily.

`And Moody, what'd you tell be about taking the DADA position?' Moody shifted on his leg, and his electric-blue eye swiveled around behind his head, checking behind them.

`I told yeh it was a good choice, just to focus on practical work. It's more important for them to learn spells than study history of dementors.' Harry looked to Topher, and he nodded showing it was the correct answer. Hermione smiled a little, and leaned in towards Harry.

`I just read on the history of dementors' she whispered into Harry's ear, making him smile at her, and a slight shiver run down his spine from feeling her breath in his ear.

`Alright, you can open the gates' Topher instructed the guards. They looked at each other again, and stayed in their spots.

`Where are you going? Does Supervisor Umbridge know about this?' one of the men asked. Harry was wishing he put the invisibility cloak on earlier, so the Aurors wouldn't see them. If it was only Topher leaving, they would have opened it with no problems.

`We have permission from Professor McGonagall. Plus I am supervising them, and these are the Heads of the school, and a Prefect. Heads are allowed to leave the school when needed, even in these times. Now open the gate' Topher demanded, sounding level but with a tinge of force. The guards looked at each other again, and one of them unlocked the gates.

The four moved out of the protection of Hogwarts, and Remus shook Harry's hand. Only Harry, Hermione, and Ron knew where they were going, so they all looked at him in wonder.

`Alright Harry, where are we taking our nice stroll?' Remus asked. Harry only noticed now he had his wand out, along with Moody and Topher.

`We're going to an old manor to find a cup. My scar might burn, and I won't lie, there may be Death Eaters around, but we need to search the house' Harry explained. Lupin looked worried, and glanced at Moody and then Topher.

`OK. If there's any trouble, any at all, you are to Apparate back here. No fighting, alright? If any of us' Topher said, motioning to himself, Moody, and Remus, `gets hurt, don't try to help, we will be alright.' Harry nodded, knowing the gravity of the situation if Death Eaters attacked.

`Well, lets get moving, the night's not getting any younger. We'll all side Apparate together, since you guys are the ones who know where we're going' Remus said, stepping forward. Hermione looked a little uncertain.

`Um, actually, only Harry knows. But it will still work' she commented quietly. Remus was not making a happy face over the news, but went ahead and motioned everyone to hold on to each other.

`Just think of where you're going hard alright Harry?' he told Harry. Harry nodded, and thought as hard as possible of the lawn in front of the old manor on the hill; next to the cemetery he would never forget.

`One, two, three-` Remus said, and with a twist, he felt Hermione bumping into him slightly as the feeling of being passed through a tube engulfed him. The siphoning continued to push against him on all angles, and just as he felt his head becoming light, his feet his hard dirt road, and the group arrived at their destination.

The sight made Harry's chest cringe, remembering that horrible night over two years prior. They landed on the dirt road that passed between the graveyard and the hill that the house stood on-the darkness of the night intensified by the lack of any lights in the area. The night sky was sparkling like an ocean of stars; the moon vacant from the sky because of its newness.

Slowly turning his head, he stared at the graveyard, which stood at a slight distance, and his scar seared as the memory of seeing the form stepping out of the cauldron entered his mind. The images flashed before his eyes, of Voldemort's first night returned, of being tortured on the cold grass, and of seeing Cedric fall lifeless to the ground.

`Harry' he heard dimly. His scar gave another burn as the memory continued to play, and he came back to the dirt road when he felt a hand on his upper arm.

`Harry, are you alright?' Hermione asked, looking out at the graveyard, then at Harry worriedly. Harry closed his eyes, and tried clearing his mind. Hermione gave his arm a gentle squeeze in support, and he found himself falling into the memory of them on Christmas. His scar subdued, and he opened his eyes, and took hold of Hermione's hand, looking back up at the graveyard.

`This is where Voldemort came back, when Cedric died' he explained. She gazed at the graveyard again, and Topher brought them back to their task.

`Harry, Hermione, Ron; let's get going. There's a disturbing feeling in the air; we should be quick' he instructed. Remus and Moody agreed, the latter's electric blue eye swiveling in every direction, and the group made their way cautiously towards the gate of the property. Ron made to open it, but Moody pulled him back forcefully before laying a hand on the gate.

`Don't be stupid boy! Ostendo Incantatem' Moody spoke gruffly, his wand pointed towards the gates. The black old gates seethed and a black, tar-like liquid started seeping down all parts of it, bubbling. Ron looked horrified at the liquid, and Moody grabbed a twig on the ground, and pushed against the gate. Once the twig touched the black liquid, it started moving up towards Moody's hand. Moody dropped the twig instantly, and before it even hit the ground, it was encompassed in black. Everyone jumped back, and looked at the twig carefully, and just as they thought it was safe, the twig burst into flame, and vanished after a few seconds. Ron was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick.

`Thanks' he whimpered. Remus blasted the odd tar covered gates open, and the group carefully walked onto the pathway that led to the house. Harry walked over the threshold, and felt his scar hurt again. Some memories from the Pensieve, of the young Tom Riddle came to the front of his mind. He shook his head, and continued on with the closely packed group towards the derelict manor.

It was old, and very large. It was a country manor, and would have been a beautiful place to live, perhaps a few decades earlier. Some of the windows where shattered, or boarded up, the roof was loosing tiles, and ivy remained unchecked against the walls, as it sprawled across its face. It was damp, and in the earliness of February, the dead trees nearby and brown and dry grass that showed in the patch-worked snow made the house seem dead in itself; something from the past that should have been buried long ago.

As they walked up, Remus stopped, and turned towards Harry. `Harry, what's the importance of this house?'

`Yeah Harry, even I have to ask. This place screams darkness' Topher added. The group was three-quarters to the house, and stopped, turning towards Harry. He sighed, and decided to just tell them.

`This is the Riddle House. It's Voldemort's father's old house.' The reaction, was as Harry expected.

`Voldemort's father! Why in the world do you need to come here!' Remus said, loosing a bit of his calmness. Moody placed a hand on his forearm to calm him down, but it didn't work that well.

`We're searching for something really important, and Dumbledore thought it might be here' Harry answered quietly. The house was so close, and yet they were standing in front of it arguing about why they were there. Remus was upset, but closed his eyes and took a huge breath.

`Alright, alright. We didn't come all this way to turn around. I want each of you to stick closely to one of us though, understand? No one goes anywhere alone' he ordered. Everyone nodded, and they once again moved closer to the front doorway, which was boarded shut. Remus swished his wand, and the wooden planks flew off and passed over the group.

`Alright. Harry, you'll come with me on the first floor, Ron with Topher on the second, Hermione with Moody on the third. Take things slow, and we'll meet back up on the ground floor. Be careful.' Everyone nodded, and Moody once again placed the Revealing Charm on the door, and nothing appeared to happen at first. Remus waited for a few seconds, and waved his wand to open the door, but still nothing happened. Topher gave an unhappy sigh, and levitated one of the boards that were on the door.

`Move' he stated. Remus moved out of the way, and with a flick of his wand, Topher sent the board crashing into the door, opening it fully. The board hit a wall inside the house with a crack, and hit the wooden floor loudly. Harry looked at Topher, but he was already making his way inside.

`We don't have the time. We need to be quick; cautious, but quick. Let's go' he stated, entering the house with his wand brandished. The three students followed after, and Remus and Moody followed closely. They walked into a long and wide hallway that had rooms branching off from it on both sides. The house inside was pitch black, and all six of them had to cast light with their wands to see.

At least an inch of dust covered every surface, and the floor told Harry no one stepped in the house in decades. The walls were all covered in red patterned wall paper, faded from all the years. Victorian-like paintings hung the walls, and walking up to an old cabinet, old black and white pictures of family sat on top. They all slowly walked farther into the dark and hauntingly-empty house, and stopped at the stairwell.

`A gold cup with two handles, and a badger right?' Ron asked quietly in the wandlight. Harry nodded, and Ron looked up at the stairwell, then around the floor they all were on.

`This is going to take some time, more so in the dark' he uttered. Harry forgot to tell them of one more helper he was planning on asking to come.

`Just wait. Dobby?' he called quietly. A fantastically loud crack occurred near them, and all three older men turned instantly towards its source, to find a shivering and scared house elf.

`Please sirs! Don't curse Dobby! Harry Potter called for Dobby's help, and Dobby came with quick speed!' He crouched low, and only stood up after the three wands pointing at him lowered, and resumed their cautious scanning of the house.

`Dobby, we're still looking for that cup, we think it's in here. Can you help us search for it?' he asked. Dobby scurried over quickly, and nodded excitedly.

`Oh yes sirs! I can help find Harry Potter's cup!'

`Good. Start on the top floor, and work down' Harry instructed. Dobby nodded happily, and with a snap, he disappeared.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron bid each other farewell, and they moved to their floors. Remus and Harry stayed very close, and moved back up the corridor, and started in the first room.

Checking the old sitting room, Harry had to be very meticulous with his search. So many trinkets littered every surface, all still covered in massive amounts of dust. Remus kept watch around the room, and notice Harry's problem.

`Here, move back' he said. He swished his wand, and all the dust vanished from all the surfaces, including the floor, and Harry thanked Remus. His task was much easier now, since he could actually see the colour of the items.

Moving along into the dinning room, and found a large hard wood table, with chairs set out. Eeriness crept through the air, as their wandlight fell on the surface of the table, and Harry found table setting for three set. Some bowls, and other items for dinner were placed, all full of decomposing remnants of food. Harry took careful look at all the cups on the table, and he and Remus were startled by creaking above them, but remembered the others in the house.

The kitchen took a long time, but Harry couldn't find a cup that looked like Hufflepuff's. Coming back into the hallway, they met up with Hermione and Moody, who couldn't find anything. Dobby was moving through the second floor, since he finished the third, and he didn't find the cup either. Moving into the last room, the drawing room, Remus entered first, and stopped in the doorway stiff.

`What's wrong Remus?' Moody asked, his eye still swiveling in all directions.

`Something terrible happened here' he answered gravely. He moved in slowly, and when Harry entered, his scar burst into immense pain. He was on his knees before he even remembered where he was, as his knees sunk through the heavy dust and blew it into his face, making him cough as his face screwed up in pain.

`Harry, Harry what is it!' Hermione asked frantically, moving over and preventing Harry from falling over. Remus was already turned around, and trying to get him out of the room. Moody kept watch, and Topher and Ron came down the stairs quickly.

Harry could hear distant laughing, and the screams of three distinct people, and he tried to use his Occlumency. Feeling his mind as its own, and focusing once more on some happy memory, the pain from his scar subsided, and when his memory of the hug from the summer pasted though, the pain stopped completely.

He opened up his eyes, and found himself kneeling on the dusty floor, with Hermione holding onto his side. Remus was giving orders to get out of the house as fast as possible.

`That's it, we need to leave now. Ron, come help me with-`

`I'm fine Remus. Someone was murdered in this room, and it just hurt a little. I'm fine, really' he asserted. Remus was not convinced however.

`I don't care Harry, this is too dangerous. Let's go.' He moved over, and pulled Harry up, but Harry shrugged him off.

`No, we need to find the cup. Did you have any luck?' Harry asked Ron. Remus stopped his exit, and stood in the room, still very attentive to any sounds.

Ron shook his head. `No, nothing. Dobby was just finishing, and then coming down here.'

Harry turned, and still holding his Occlumency strong, started looking around the drawing room. Keeping the cup in this room would make the most sense now to Harry, remembering this is Voldemort. Hiding it in the room he killed his father in would be expected by Voldemort.

Harry started going over the room closely. Hermione and Ron both entered, and everyone remained quiet. Over the fireplace, Harry noticed some cups sitting, and his heart leapt when he noticed a gold, double handled one.

`Ron, Hermione!' he called, as he moved forward, and dusted off the cup with his wand. It was a gold cup like he was looking for, except the sides were bland; no badger. Hermione cast a Revealing Charm on the cup, and nothing happened. Harry looked at both of his friends hesitantly, and carefully picked up the cup.

Topher and Remus were both watching on quietly. Harry looked at the cup, but found it was just a normal cup. He sighed, and just then a green mist lifted off the cup. Ron was horrified, and Hermione screamed as the mist rose, but it simply disappeared, and everyone kept still. Harry looked back at the cup, and found something sitting inside it.

`There's a note' he claimed, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. He carefully unwrapped it, and moved his wand over so he and the others could read it.

I know what you seek,
a vessel of old,
brave you must be,
to be looking so bold.

So go and find this trinket,
and tempt your precious fate,
for the faithful are now coming,
and will make hard, your easy escape.

It was at this moment, when the three students read the last line, that they turned to the doorway of the room, as something began pounding outside the house.

`We need to leave, now!' Remus ordered. Just as Moody walked into the room with the rest of them, the front door burst open, and flew down the hallway, smashing into the wall Moody was just standing next to. Topher took to the doorframe, and shot a Stunning Spell down the hallway, as shouts and orders could be heard outside the house, and down the hall.

`Get everyone back to Hogwarts!' Topher bellowed, as he again threw a spell down the hallway. Remus told them all to Apparate away, and everyone except for Topher turned on the spot, and vanished; everyone except Harry.

Harry turned, but just spun out, and fell over. He Apparated many times before, and couldn't understand. He tried again, but once more, he just continued to twist on the spot. Topher was still desperately trying to hold off the Death Eaters, and make time to Apparate away himself.

`Harry, what are you doing, get out of here! Stupefy!' he yelled, casting a Death Eater down the hallway to fall over.

`I don't know, I can't!' Harry responded frantically. The darkness didn't help the situation, as Topher was only visible when a spell would crash into a nearby wall. He gave off a volley of several different curses, then slammed the door, and performed numerous silent charms on it. Pounding on the outside of the door came loudly, but the door stood its ground.

`We need to go, now. Let's go, we'll side Apparate. One, two, three!' he said quickly, grabbing Harry's arm, and twisting. Harry tried hard to concentrate on staying with Topher, but neither of them left the room. They both twisted around, and almost fell over.

`They must have cast an Anti-Apparation Charm on the house. We need to get out' he exclaimed. Harry's mind began to sink as he realized getting out of a room that they purposely locked themselves in, surrounded by Death Eaters could only lead to capture.

Topher was thinking quickly, glancing out a very small window, when the door began to budge. It was not being pounded anymore, but instead hit with a Blasting Curse.

`The charms must be failing. Prepare yourself Harry, put your cloak on!' he ordered forcefully. Harry pocketed the letter and cup, took out his wand, and draped his cloak over him. The door blasted open, flying off its hinges, and smashing against the fireplace on the other side. Everything was quiet for a moment, when the outline of a dark cloak entered the room quietly. It was dark in the far part of the room, and it was hard to tell if anyone was actually there. Topher stood ready, when a cold voice yelled out.

`Expelliarmus!'

Topher's wand was lifted out of his hand, and flew into the darkness. The room was put into total blackness for a moment, before a noise of something slamming into the wall came, and a fire was started in the hearth. A hand came into sight on the far side of the room in the darkness, holding a dark coloured wand, and it whisked at the door, locking it.

`Ah Toph, I have been waiting for this reunion for a long time' the voice said darkly, still remaining in the shadows. Topher looked beyond rage.

`Waiting to face me without a wand, right? Just like last time. Never tough enough to face me like a man' he voiced, drenched in a hatred Harry thought he could never possess. The man in the shadows laughed, and finally took a step forward into the firelight to reveal his face.

A tall and slender man came into view, wearing the darkest of robes. The hood hung over his face, and contrasted greatly with his skin, which looked as if it had not seen the light of day for years. A small portion of the man's brownish-red hair was visible in the front, and his silver eyes bore into Topher's with a vengeance. Topher stood motionless for the time, but when the man in the cloak smirked, Topher's hands balled into fists.

`I am facing you equally Toph. Just like your father faced his equal when he died' the man charmed evily.

`You know nothing of being equal Lesath' Topher responded. He moved his hand over slightly, and nudged Harry in the shoulder. Seth couldn't see Harry, so he didn't notice the move.

`We'll see. You were dumb enough to try and steal my master's item. Of course, you must have noticed that you can't Apparate. How easy you forget your father's teachings-`

`Stun him' Topher whispered. Harry shot a Stunning Spell at the Death Eater, and he easily fell over before he could understand. Topher ran over to the man quickly, and grabbed his wand. Harry pulled off his cloak, and watched Topher aim at the man.

`Expello Per Sentia' he said aggressively. The man immediately vanished, and Topher turned around to Harry quickly.

`Where's the cup?' he asked, as shouting was still going on, and the door was once again being hit with curses. Harry pulled the cup out of his pocket, and Topher hastily took it from his hand, and threw it across the room.

`What are-`

`Back to Hogwarts. One, two, three!' he yelled, as the door was beginning to break down again. He grabbed a tight hold of Harry's wrist, and Harry gave a twist, and felt the siphoning envelope him. Topher was moving along next to him, and they quickly hit the ground outside the gates of Hogwarts, where Remus, and the others were all standing around worriedly.

`Thank Merlin! What happened?' Remus expounded joyfully, coming over and giving Harry a hug. Harry accepted it, and comforted his father's old friend, reassuring him he was alright.

`The cup Harry had was cast with a Disapparation Charm. Anyone holding it couldn't Apparate. When you guys left, he was still there with me. Now, lets get back inside the gates before anything else happens' Topher informed. They all quickly moved to the gates, and when they opened, Harry's face fell as he found a not-so welcoming welcome committee there for them, which consisted of Professor McGonagall, Mr. Filch, and of course, Umbridge.

`Where were you all at this time of night, and . . . wait, is that a scorch mark! What have you been doing!' Professor McGonagall questioned sternly, noticing a burn on Harry's cloak that must have come from the fire when he approached Topher. Filch was positively glowing at the scene, and Umbridge was her usual chipper self, wearing a confident smirk.

`I can explain Professor' Harry started, loosing his confidence in an instant, when the Professor looked at him. Filch was looking ready to dance with Umbridge he was so happy.

`Shall I get the whips ready Headmistress?' he asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together. McGonagall stared at Harry and the others for a second, before looking to her side, and remembering Filch and Umbridge.

`No Mr. Filch, that won't be necessary. You six will come with me to my office, now' she commanded. The three students started their way up to the castle, and the adults followed. Filch grumbled his way back to the castle, muttering about students getting away with everything, and Umbridge stayed at the gates for a moment thinking.

`What yeh thinking about Supervisor?' one of the guards asked. She turned, and looked back up at the group heading for the castle.

`I think it's time I called in a friend to help with Mr. Potter' she said to herself, starting her way up to the castle herself.

Harry and the rest made their way into the Headmistress's Office, and immediately knew they were in for trouble. Professor McGonagall came around her desk, and rather forcefully took her hat off, and sat in her chair, looking over the Order members, and her students.

`Where were you? And don't tell me you can't tell me' she added. Her voiced told Harry she was uncompromising with answering, and did so truthfully.

`We went to the Riddle House' he answered.

`Why did you go there, and why did it require your fellow students, a professor, and two Order members?' she asked exasperatively. Harry looked to Dumbledore's portrait for help, and he was relieved to see the former Headmaster smiling at him.

`I asked him to Minerva. He has that task I told you about to do, and the Riddle House was a place he needed to check' Dumbledore put simply. Harry watched McGonagall's reaction carefully, and breathed a sigh of relief when her shoulders relaxed.

`Alright, but next time tell me where you are going, and when. I don't want Dolores getting wind of this, and causing unneeded trouble. Now, you three to your dormitories. Remus, Moody, if you could wait outside for a moment, I need to talk to Topher alone, then you two afterwards.' Harry and the rest bid McGonagall goodnight, and Harry received a meaningful wink from Topher. Remus and Moody bid the three of them goodnight, telling them to just Floo if they need help again, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione started off.

`So what happened when we left? Remus wanted to go back, but Moody kept him with us. You should have seen it, I thought they were going to duel about it' Ron informed. Harry told them about the cup, and more particularly, the Death Eater that knew Topher. They all started off towards the East Tower, when Harry stopped at the base of the staircase.

`What's wrong Harry?' Hermione asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

`Topher wants to talk to me, and I have questions' he said. The wink told Harry he wanted to speak to him.

`Well, he'll come by this corridor, so you'll see him. At least we know the cup isn't in the Riddle House' Hermione pointed out with a sigh. `Hey' she added, with some worry, `did Dobby get out?'

`I don't know. Dobby?' Harry voiced, and with a crack, the many socked house elf appeared next to them.

`Oh Harry Potter has called on Dobby again! Dobby is ever so lucky!' he squeaked.

`Are you alright? We didn't know what happened to you?' Hermione asked. Dobby looked horrified at her, then began to sob; his cries echoing in the large hallway. All three tried to shush him, and succeeded slightly.

`I is sorry miss. Dobby is still trying to get used to being asked if he's is OK' he said, sniffing loudly. `But Dobby is good. Dobby put charms on the back door, and other door to the drawing room for his friends.' Dobby smiled up at Harry and the rest, and they smiled back.

`Thanks Dobby. Why don't you go and get some sleep' Harry suggested. The house elf gladly accepted, and vanished. It was then that footsteps could be heard, and Topher came around the corner looking tired.

`Oh, there you are. Thank you for staying up. I thought it would be best if I explained what happened' he said. Hermione and Ron started up the stairs, but Topher said it was alright.

`You'll hear it from Harry anyways. Let's go to my office.' The group went to his office, and lighting a few candles, they all relaxed in the quiet room, and sat down for a moment or two before going on.

`You see, firstly, as I said, the cup inhibited you from Apparating. When the man said to remember my father's training, he was talking about foreign objects, and how if something is going wrong, it's more than likely because of them. I thought it was the Death Eaters casting a charm on the house, but I was wrong. Harry threw the cup away, and we came back.

`Now, as for the man that came in the room, he is a Death Eater. His name is Lesath, and he . . . used to be my best friend.'

`Your best friend?' Harry asked in surprise. Topher nodded, and continued.

`Remember the first memory I showed you, about how I was at a friend's house; he was that friend. We grew up together, and were friends for years. He was home schooled as well, so we got along great with that. My dad taught him some things on defence, and his mother taught me some things on potions.

`When we became older, around your ages, he began to change a little. He told me that some of his uncles and relatives were Death Eaters, but for the longest time he hated them. He wanted nothing to do with them. He was pretty normal back then; liked Quidditch-pretty good size for a Beater actually-and he was looking at going into Magical Law Enforcement. We thought we'd be great, since I was hoping for Auror training.'

`So what happened?' Hermione asked. Topher lowered his head, and sighed.

`Once day, after I hadn't talked to Lesath in a while, he left. Didn't know where he went, and I was worried. I tried search for him, but couldn't find anything. My father helped, but no one knew; not even his own mother. We were coming back home for a search outside Thirsk, when we found him; standing outside our house.

`He changed a lot. Looked like he did tonight; pale, skinny, almost unnatural. He was in a black cloak, and I assumed the worst; he became one of them. My father took out his wand, and approached him, but at least ten more black cloaked figures Apparated around us, and both our wands few out of our hands. He laughed, and told us how wrong we were to fight against Voldemort; how he was the true leader. He said my father's redemption was impossible, but mine wasn't. I had to watch as my father was tortured, then murdered by my best friend.'

The three students sat motionless in their seats at the utter disbelief at the memory. Harry couldn't imagine having to watch someone like Ron or Hermione kill his parents right in front of him. Hagrid said Topher lost his father, but never mentioned he actually had to watch him die. It did explain the mystery behind his friend though.

`It was that guy that was there tonight, he murdered your father?' Harry asked, trying to be as patient as possible. Topher looked at the three of them, then nodded back to Harry.

`Yes, Lesath did that. He's deep in Voldemort's circles now. I wouldn't like anything more than to kill him, but I know I won't. I could have done that tonight, but I just put him in a bad spot for the time.'

`Bad spot?' Harry questioned.

`Yeah, it's a spell I'm going to teach you next weekend. It's called the Destination Charm. You just think of where you want to send someone, and banish them there. It's hard to do, and it's not polite to do it to friends. But for enemies, it works easy. Like tonight, I sent him to the middle of the Pacific. He'll get wet, cold, and all that other stuff, which is good enough for now.' Topher actually smiled this victory in this, and stood up.

`Well, you should all be getting to bed. It's late, and if the Headmistress found you here, she'd have my head.' They all agreed, and left for their dormitories.

`Well, there's only one more place left to check' said Harry. Ron gave a sigh, and looked up towards the stairwell that lead to Gryffindor Tower.

`Only one more place, with Death Eater's appearing out of no where, and almost getting killed. Shouldn't be a problem now should it?' he said with a chuckle. He bid the two Heads goodnight, and went up to his tower.

With Ron gone, the couple walked slowly back hand in hand, and when they entered their common room, Hermione held Harry in a tight embrace, clinging on to him like she was the only thing keeping him there.

`I was so worried tonight. Promise me you'll be more careful when we check the Orphanage?' she stated. Harry knew it wasn't a question, and nodded, giving her a kiss. They went to their dormitories, and Harry took the riddle that he found in the cup, and put it in his trunk for safe keeping.

*

Harry went and talked to Dumbledore's portrait the next day about the whole trip, and expressed his sorry about the incident that occurred.

`I am sorry to hear it did not go well, but at least we know the cup is not there, and no one was hurt. This riddle, can you say it to me?' he asked. Harry dictated the riddle back to Dumbledore, and he nodded after a few moment of stroking his beard.

`And what do you make of it?' he asked Harry. Harry looked at the riddle, and tried to figure things out. He was never good at riddles.

`Er . . . the cup isn't in the Riddle's House . . . um, it's being guarded . . . it's were it shouldn't belong . . . and it's in a chest, in a room with a clock. That could be anywhere though' Harry concluded gloomily. Dumbledore nodded again, but was not convinced.

`Look at the wording Harry. "Orphaned by its keepers, where it should not belong" . . . `

`What, the Orphanage?' Harry wondered. Dumbledore nodded again, and Harry tilted his head in confusion.

`We already thought that. Besides, how do we know this is even talking about Hufflepuff's Cup?' Harry asked

`It says "a vessel", and "a doubled chalice, grazed with the golden brock." A brock is a badger, so I'm sure it's talking about the cup in question.'

`So . . . so when should we go to the Orphanage? Should we wait, or get more Order members this time?' Harry asked. Dumbledore thought once more, and surprising to Harry, shook his head.

`No, no more Order members. In fact, only you, Ron, Hermione, and Topher if you wish. Keep it to a minimum. As for time, I think you should go tonight.'

`Tonight! We just got back last night, and really, we just got back.'

`I know Harry, but I have been conversing with my fellow portraits, and they have found that things are getting worst. St. Mungo's is starting to become over crowded, and soon they won't be able to keep up. The Auror Department is scattered everywhere, and the Ministry in general is in chaos. We need to move fast Harry; faster now than ever.' Harry was of course worried on many fronts about this endeavor, since Professor McGonagall said to tell her when they would be leaving the grounds, and the idea of telling her the next day of another trip did not bode well in Harry's mind.

`Professor McGonagall probably won't let us go' Harry mentioned.

`She's already given you permission' Dumbledore asserted, nodding towards her desk, where a sheet of parchment was sitting, giving he, Hermione, and Ron permission to be escorted by Topher off the school grounds that night. Harry sighed, realizing he really had no choice in the matter now when they would be going to the Orphanage. He pocketed the note, and agreed with Dumbledore.

`Just be careful Harry. Be weary of others, and keep watch of Death Eaters' he advised. Harry said goodbye, and joined Hermione and the others in the Great Hall for lunch. He got Hermione and Ron alone in the East Tower, and explained their trip for that night. Hermione protested about going that night, but Ron surprisingly was for it.

`One of Luna's neighbors was killed on Friday by Death Eaters. Luna's a little shaken, but alright' he explained, seeing Hermione's response, `but we need to get moving with these Horcruxes. Are we meeting Remus and Moody again?' Harry lowered his head, and started pacing around, and Ron grew nervous. `Harry? They are coming, right?'

With a sigh, Harry elaborated. `No, they aren't. It'll be us, and Topher. Dumbledore thought it would be best if we lessen how many people go. He said it would be less impact, and less people to worry about.' Ron was not convinced, as was Hermione, but they both nodded.

`We'll be fine guys, don't worry. We'll Apparate back like we did last night if there are troubles' Harry said, trying to sound encouraging and mask his own discontent. He thought they would have had at least a few days, maybe a week, or even a month before trying the other place; not one day.

`When do we leave?' Hermione asked.

`Same time as last night; seven.' They all started off on their homework for their classes, however Harry found it hard to concentrate. He wrote a few lines in his transfiguration essay, but did not get close to the foot and a half he planned too. When seven came close, the three once again donned their cloaks, and quietly exited the Entrance Chamber. Luckily this time, Filch was not around to bug them.

They reached the gates, where a different set of guards were waiting, along with Topher. He was talking to them about some matter, and when he saw Harry and the rest, he bid the guards goodnight.

`Hello everyone. I know you're worried because of Remus and Moody not being here, but don't worry. Apparate if there is trouble, alright?' Topher encouraged. They all nodded, and the guards opened the gates. Harry assumed Topher got them to be more accommodating to them tonight. They all walked out of the grounds, and turned towards each other.

`Alright, everyone hold on to each other. Same as last night; Harry, you know where we're going?' Topher asked. Harry nodded, and taking hold of Hermione and Ron, he thought hard of the Orphanage he saw in the Pensieve. They all gave a twist, and Apparated away.

Once their feet hit the ground, they looked around the dark night, and found themselves standing in front of an old and dilapidated square building, surrounded by high iron railings. Stone stairs lead up to an old set of grey wooden doors, and an empty courtyard bordered the building. They looked around the empty darkened street, and slowly started up towards the front steps.

`What is this place?' Topher asked quietly, as they moved forwards.

`This was the orphanage that Voldemort grew up in' Harry answered. Topher looked astonished at Harry, but kept moving after a second. He wiped the front door, and it revealed an old bronze name plate.

Perdita Orphanage
Founded September 1897

Hermione cast the Revealing Charm on the door, but nothing happened. Topher kept watch of them from behind, and Ron slowly opened the door.

Once he budged it open, it gave an all-mighty creak, that echoed around the entire neighborhood. They all cringed with the sound, and Ron forcefully opened the door the rest of the way, hoping to dampen the impact, but the damage was done.

`Well, if anyone's here, they know we're around' Ron droned. They slowly made their way in, and lit their wands.

The inside of the orphanage was much like that of the Riddle House: covered in a large amount of dust, and damp beyond words. The walls were bare, and the white of the drywall was stained grey and yellow. The wooden floor boards creaked with every step, and the group stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

`We're looking for a room with a chest, and a clock. Look everywhere, but be careful' Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

`Hermione, you go with Harry, I'll go with Ron' Topher stipulated. They all nodded, and Ron and Topher started up the stairs, while Harry and Hermione started moving around the bottom floor.

As they walked through some of the small office-like rooms, and the common rooms, Harry felt something was not right in the building. They heard Ron and Topher moving around upstairs, and were kept on their toes with every creak.

Moving into the kitchen, they continued to check, but Harry was feeling there was no chance it was on the bottom floor. They didn't find any chests, or even a clock in any of the rooms. As he finished checking through a cupboard, he turned and found Hermione looking worried at him.

`What's wrong?' Harry asked quickly, moving over and placing a hand on her shoulder.

`There isn't any noise coming from upstairs' she pointed out. Harry listened, and realized it was true. He hadn't noticed that Ron and Topher's footsteps stopped sometime in the last while, and fear gripped his mind.

`Let's go check' he told Hermione, taking her hand, and moving around the house, and to the stairwell. They stopped at the bottom, still straining their ears to hear something, but there was no sound. They cautiously moved upstairs, and tried as hard as possible to lessen the groans of the stairs. Once they reached the top, they heard the sound of a chair being moved in a nearby room, and both of them raised their wands in that direction.

Silence again filled the house, and Harry's mind was thinking the worst; that Death Eater's had caught Ron and Topher. In a house like this, it would be easy to catch someone off guard. They slowly moved down the hallway, and stopped when they noticed a small amber light coming from one of the rooms. Harry looked at Hermione, and she nodded to continue.

They moved down the hallway, pass a few old and moldy smelling bedrooms, and came closer to the lit room. They were close to it, when a sound of an opening door groaned behind them. They both turned around fast, but found nothing moving. They moved back towards the stairwell to find the source of the sound, and stopped when one of the doors moved.

Standing completely still, Harry looked at Hermione, and took one step forward, his wand still pointed at the doorway.

Suddenly, a blast of red light came from behind them, and hit Hermione square in the back. She slowly fell over, and Harry panicked.

`Hermione!' he yelled, crouching down and checking Hermione. He pointed his wand, and shot a Stunning Spell in the direction near the lit room. He saw he missed, but saw the face of his attacker. His rage boiled to overwhelming levels, and he was about to send a barrage of spells at the man, when a Stunning Spell hit him from behind, and Harry fell over next to Hermione.

Unable to move-anger swimming through his veins-he watched as the two men he wanted nothing more than to banish from the Earth walk up from opposite directions.

`Move them into the room with the others' the taller man stated, who came from the lit room. The other nodded, and levitated Harry and Hermione to the room at the end of the hallway. Looking around as much as he could, he found Topher and Ron bound and gagged in one corner, next to an old and heavy looking wooden chest. The light in the room emanated from a small fireplace on the opposite wall, and the blonde haired man dropped Hermione and Harry down on the floor.

Harry, anger running through him like violent river, summoned his non-verbal spell, and he was released from the bind, but he found his wand was not in his hand. Anger still hot on his mind, he resorted to jumping on the nearby younger man.

He was in mid air when the dark haired taller man bound him around the sides with a white chord that shot out of his wand. Harry fell to the floor hard, and was unable to move.

`I'm going to kill you!' Harry raged at the two men. The younger man in black looked at the other, and the taller man walked over to Harry.

`I'm sure you want to, but you won't Potter. You will sit there, and listen' the man answered evenly. Harry was still trying to work against his ropes, but to no avail.

`I'm going to listen to you, you rat! You're a bloody murderer!' Harry yelled back. The tall man was loosing patience.

`I am not a murder!' he yelled back. Harry laughed sarcastically in response.

`You killed Dumbledore! And you are just as guilty you slime!' he spat at the other man. The taller man pushed Harry back against the wall, so he was sitting next to Hermione, who was bound by ropes as well, and gagged like the others.

`I know why you came here Potter' Snape said, changing the conversation.

`Oh do you?'

`Yes, I do. Looking for a cup I imagine. I'm surprised your small mind was able to solve my riddle.' Harry's mind was twisting in both rage, and hopelessness in the words. If Snape had the cup, the chances of finding it were gone, let alone destroy it.

`You won't find it here though Potter' he added. Harry's mind was burning with being told this whole trip was now wasted, and he could have lead all of them to death.

`Then why won't you just kill us?' Harry responded.

`Because that is not my plan. We are enemies of Voldemort, and such, your allies' he divulged, pointing to Malfoy behind him. The room was silent for a moment, then Harry laughed again.

`Allies? You have to be kidding! I can't believe you, and Dumbledore was a madman to believe you before!' Snape was getting aggravated by this, and stood forward.

`You want to know why Dumbledore trusted me? I'll show you why!' he yelled, reaching into his dark robes, and throwing two objects on the dusty floor. They hit with a thud, and skidded across the floor, so they sat right in front of Harry. He looked at them in shock.

It was a gold cup, with two handles, but broken entirely in half. The gold badger was parted right down the middle, and Harry's face was shocked as he looked up at Snape.

`You won't find Hufflepuff's Cup, because I destroyed it seventeen years ago!'

Spell / Name Meanings:
Ostendo Incantatem - L. ostendo: show, incantatem: the art of enchanting (Ostendo Incantatem = show the enchantment)
Expello Per Sentia - L. expello: banish, per: through, sententia: thought (Expello Per Sentia = banish through thought)
Perdita - L. Perditus - lost, name of Hermione's daughter in "A Winter's Tale"
Brock - older term for badger (Old English brocc)

A/N - Alright, there you go! Now com'on folks, and take 5 seconds to review! It's all I ask!

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