A/N: Wow, thank you again for all of your kind words! When I started this journey, it was an attempt to try and satisfy my own selfish desires to see the right people together. Now, I can tell that so many of you feel the same way! It has been amazing to see how many hits my story has received, and how many reviews I have read. I appreciate every single one of them, and feel that I have become a part of a community that truly understands my obsession. As long as you are out there, I will continue to write. I know that I haven't thanked you lately, my dear Beta, but you know how much your friendship and words of wisdom have affected me. This whole experience has been life altering. Enjoy this chapter and leave a review on your way out! I would love to hear from all of you!
Okay, and now the legal part: I don't own these characters, someone else whose name happens to have the initials JKR does. Bummer.
Chapter 41
Finding a Locket
The silence in the room was broken only by the occasional sniff from Hermione.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"She took several spells in the fight. They think that the last one was too much for her. Neville's being patched up, he's taking it pretty hard, poor blighter. His great aunt and uncle are coming to look after him." Mr. Weasley said.
Mr. Weasley glanced behind him and then back towards the solemn teens.
"I need to go. Molly's arrived and she wants to go see Neville."
After he was gone, Harry untangled himself from Hermione's sobbing embrace and leaned against the fireplace, staring into the grate, but not really seeing. He had told Neville that she would be okay, comforted him, but it had been a lie. It was because of him that Neville had lost his grandmother. He slammed his fist against the fireplace, ignoring the pain as the rough rock dug into his hand. He hit it again as he thought about how he was going to face Neville, and again as he realized that Voldemort wasn't going to quit until he attacked and killed everyone he knew.
"Harry!" Hermione cried as she grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her, and she could see the anger and pain in his eyes.
"It's my fault," he said as he pulled away and sat at the table.
He pounded the table with his fists, wincing in pain as the cuts on his hand made contact with the hard surface. He stared at the patterns his blood made on the table.
"If Voldemort hadn't got that information from me-"
"He would have found it elsewhere," Hermione finished. "You can't blame yourself for this."
She sat down beside him and gently took his hand in hers, turning it over and gently cleaning the cut with the cloth Luna handed her.
"He's evil, Harry, with no remorse for his actions. You didn't create that, he did. We're just trying to stop it."
Harry didn't say anything more; he just nodded. The room was silent as the three friends watched him try to deal with the added grief.
"I'm going to take a shower. Will you be okay?" Hermione asked quietly after a moment.
Harry nodded again, just wanting to get away and be alone for a bit.
"I think I'll go up to the library, find something to read," he said as he suddenly stood up.
"We'll come with you, mate," Ron said.
Harry turned and forced a smile. "I'll be okay, I just want to think a bit," he said as he left.
He entered the library and aimlessly scanned the books on the shelf. He pulled a few down and took them to the chair in front of the fire. He sat and stared at the flickering flames, willing himself to feel nothing. Hermione found him there when she came down.
"Harry, you can't blame yourself for this," she said.
"I promised him," Harry said.
"Promised him what?" Hermione asked.
"I promised him that she'd be okay," he said.
"Harry, you couldn't have known," Hermione said as she hugged him.
Harry didn't return her hug, even though it felt good to be comforted. He felt like he should be punished for lying to Neville. They sat together, quiet, each trying to figure out what they should do next. Hermione leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, trying to get him to open up to her. She was worried that he was going to pull back from her again.
"I'm going upstairs to bed," Hermione finally said, as she yawed and stood up. "Do you want to come?"
Harry looked up at her and gave a sad smile as he recognized what she was trying to do. He appreciated how much she cared for him, and he wasn't about to give her up,
"I'll be up in a minute," he said.
"You should get some rest," Hermione said as she ran her hands through his hair.
"I will," he said. "Just not yet."
"Harry, I…" Hermione trailed off as he took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
"I'm not letting you go," he said. "I promise. It's just hard sometimes."
Hermione smiled, leaned down, and gave him a gentle kiss.
"We'll get through this," she said as she pulled away. "Don't stay up too late."
Harry was lost in his musings after she left, when he heard muttering in the dark corner of the room.
"Filthy Blood-traitors and Mudbloods, what would Kreacher's Mistress say? Their filthy fingers all over my mistress' house…"
"Kreacher!" Harry said.
Kreacher stopped and came to bow in front of Harry. "How may Kreacher serve his master? Filthy blood traitor…"
Harry ignored his mutterings. "What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning," came the simple answer.
"More like hiding more of your Mistress' things," Harry muttered.
"Master is wise. Kreacher is only trying to preserve the history of the most noble House of Black."
"Kreacher," Harry said suddenly, "Have you seen a gold locket with an `S' on it?"
Kreacher averted his eyes, "My mistress has several gold lockets," he muttered.
"I'm talking about the one that was in the cabinet, the one that was thrown out with some of the other items. I know you were taking things from that bag, Kreacher. Did you see it?"
Kreacher's eyes shifted back and forth and he hopped from one foot to the next.
"Yes, Kreacher has seen that one," he finally admitted.
"And do you know where it is now?" Harry asked, beginning to feel excited.
Kreacher began pulling on his ear, and Harry could see him struggling not to say.
"Yes," he finally squeaked.
"Kreacher, I want you to bring me the locket. I want you to bring that one to me, the Slytherin locket, not a different one."
Kreacher thought for a moment, trying to get around Harry's instructions. Finally, with a scowl, he disappeared. Harry sat waiting anxiously, scarcely believing that he would soon have the dreaded Horcrux in his hand. Considering the antics that they had to go through to get the other Horcruxes, this was easy. After ten minutes, Kreacher returned, clutching the locket in his hands and muttering under his breath.
"Master treasured the locket, `keep it safe Kreacher,' says he. `Do not let it be lost. Do not tell where it came from.' Kreacher kept his word to his master, even after the blood traitor tried to get rid of it. Kreacher is a good house elf, he is…"
He approached Harry with a reproachful look. Harry held out his hand and Kreacher placed the chain across his palm. As Harry pulled it towards him Kreacher let the chain play out, until only the locket was left. He grasped the locket, yanking it and stopping its movement, causing Harry hiss in pain as the chain cut into the wound on his hand.
"Master is not throwing the locket out?" Kreacher asked.
"No," Harry said as he pulled the locket from his grasp. "That's the last thing I want to do."
Kreacher backed away, eyes glowering as Harry sat looking at the locket rotate on its chain. So many memories came flooding back as he watched it catch the firelight. The trip with Dumbledore, the battle at the castle, the slow arc Dumbledore made as he flew backwards off the turret…
Harry shook his head. He didn't need to wallow in the past right now. He noticed the blood on the chain and realized that it would have bonded to him. Knowing what as to come, the battle his friends world have to go through while he was immobilized, caused a jolt to go through his stomach. After the loss of Neville's grandmother, Harry was uncertain. What if they were not strong enough to fight Voldemort off? The thought of losing his best friends because he wasn't there to help them caused his stomach to churn. He couldn't bear to lose them if he was unsuccessful. As he sat there, Albion arrived and settled on to the armrest beside Harry.
`I heard about Neville's loss,' Albion said.
Harry nodded as he brushed the locket with his thumb.
`You've found the locket,' Albion said, surprised.
"Kreacher had it," Harry said.
`Ah! The infamous RAB?'
Harry nodded again. "Regalus must have brought it back here after he got it from the cave. But who helped him? He couldn't have done it himself. Was there another Death Eater involved?"
Harry trailed off as he caught sight of Kreacher watching him and the locket from the corner of the room.
"It was you, wasn't it Kreacher? You went with Regalus to the cave."
"Master is wise," Kreacher cackled as he bobbed his head.
Harry looked at the locket again. Maybe it had already been destroyed…He tried to pry it open with his fingers, but no luck. He held it up, letting the firelight play around its edges.
"The soul piece is still in there," he said absently.
`You remember that you need the help of your friends,' Albion warned.
Harry nodded his head, not really listening, watching the locket slowly spin on its chain.
`Perhaps you need to put it somewhere safe and get a good nights rest. Would you like me to look after it?' Albion asked, concern in his thoughts.
Harry hesitated a moment, tempted to try and deal with it tonight, while no one was around, but then he realized how tired he was, and knew it would be foolish to attempt it when he wasn't at full strength.
"Okay, but I want it back tomorrow morning," Harry said as he reached out to hand the chain to Albion.
"No!" Screeched Kreacher, flying out of the corner. "Master is not giving it to the bird!"
He tried to pull the locket out of Harry's hand as he shouted.
"Traitor! Liar! Destroyer of master's treasures!"
"Kreacher! Stop! Harry finally yelled, pushing him away. Kreacher stood in front of him, panting and staring at him belligerently.
"Okay! I'll keep hold of it! I wasn't going to get rid of it."
"Kreacher does not trust this bird," the house elf muttered.
Albion snorted. `The feeling has always been mutual,' he said, and Harry tried not to laugh.
`I'll return tomorrow, Harry. Try to get some rest and don't worry about Neville. He will be okay. There's a reason he's a Gryffindor.'
Albion spread his wings and soared out the window that opened for him. Harry watched as the window shut itself again.
"Night, Kreacher," he said, yawning, and with the locket in hand he made his way out of the library, Kreacher's beady little eyes following him all the way. He was tired, and he knew better than to try anything tonight. Tomorrow would be a better day. He crawled into bed and placed the locket under his pillow next to his wand, clearing his mind as he did so. He was asleep in minutes.
Harry had a fitful night. He slept, but it was a restless sleep. He finally got out of bed and padded to the window, watching the sky become lighter with the start of a new day. He returned to his bed and dug the locket out from under the pillow. He held it up, looking at it again. He was still worried about what would happen if he wasn't there. He had the most interaction with Voldemort, so wouldn't it stand to reason that he would be able to fight him off easier? He sat pondering his earlier fears for a moment, and then came to a decision. He quickly got dressed and headed back down to the library with the locket. He could do this, and save anyone else from having to battle Voldemort. He would weaken him, and remove the piece of soul himself. He sat down at the desk and laid the locket out in front of him.
"Master appreciates the fine treasure," Kreacher said from behind him, making him jump.
Harry turned to look at the old house elf.
"Did Regalus ever try to open this locket, Kreacher?" he asked.
"Master treasured the locket. He would not be prying into things not concerning him," Kreacher said. "My mistress was proud that he was given the honor to retrieve it, yes she was."
From the sounds of it, Harry thought, Regalus hadn't truly explained what he had been doing, and obviously Kreacher never knew about Regalus' attempt to destroy it. Harry turned and looked back at the locket.
"I wonder if you really knew what you were getting yourself into," he murmured as he turned the locket over. He thought about what he would have to do to activate the Horcrux. He knew that he would have to be receptive to the piece of Voldemort's soul entering his body, that much he could do. But if anything went wrong…
"Kreacher, I want you to keep an eye on me. If anything out of the ordinary happens, I want you to tell Ron and Hermione. Is that understood?"
"Kreacher is to watch for anything strange," the elf said as he bobbed his head. Harry was determined to do this. It was imperative that he protect Ron and Hermione from having to deal with Voldemort, especially after what happened to Neville's grandmother. He carefully slipped the chain over his head and held the locket in his hand, studying the delicate etchings. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing himself to relax and let down his barriers. He felt himself getting drowsy, and his eyes felt heavy. He let his arm fall back down on to the deck, the locket hanging from the neck.
"Ostendo Vestri Veneficus," he murmured.
The locket glowed and gave a little shake. Harry felt himself falling, images flashing through his mind of family and friends, before everything went black. As Harry lost consciousness, he slid of the chair and collapsed on the floor.
Kreacher stood looking at the crumpled form on the floor for a moment, before shuffling off.
"Nothing strange," he muttered as he straightened a picture frame on the way out of the room. "Kreacher always sleeps on the floor by his beloved mistress. Kreacher would be there now if the house wasn't infested with blood-traitors and mud-bloods. My poor mistress must be lonely…"
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