The chirp of crickets filled the night as a snake slithered amongst the bushes and lunged, sinking its fangs into a tall blue neck. A shroud of beautiful feathers slumped to the ground, and Narcissa looked away.
A pop rang through the room, and a house-elf appeared, her face pained. "Mistress Narcissa, Mister Rookwood is calling for you and Mistress Bella in the living room."
"Thank you." The elf disappeared, and she scowled.
With a billow of her robe, she strode past the Blackwood furniture into the hall, where Rookwood stood, looking outside the window, his hands behind his back.
"Did another one of your peacocks get eaten, sister?" A high cackle rang in her ear as Bellatrix leaned over her shoulder. "Is itsy-bitsy Cissy sad?"
"Mind your own business, Bella," she hissed. "Rookwood, what do you want?"
"I need something from the two of you, Narcissa. Bellatrix, a few years ago, you opened a special vault. Give your sister its key. And Narcissa, you're to retrieve a cup from within."
Next to her, Bellatrix tensed, her fists clenching, the humor vanishing from her face. "How do you know about the cup? Only I—"
"Because Bellatrix, I gave it to you." Rookwood turned, a crooked smile on his lips. "And I need it back. For which, I require your sister, who I am sure will help."
Narcissa felt her heart pummel into her stomach as red eyes stared at her. Beside her, Bellatrix dropped to a knee, bowing low.
"My Lord! I knew you'd be back!" Bellatrix shrieked. "I knew it! I always believed!"
"I know you did, Bellatrix." Fingers caressed Bellatrix's cheek. "I know you did. But I need the cup I entrusted to you to regain my form. Rookwood's body fights my own, even if he doesn't wish to. It is unnatural for two souls to share a body. I need that cup."
"My sister will fetch it right away, master."
"Of course, she will. And Narcissa? Ensure nothing happens to the cup. I would be most displeased if anything happened to it. And your son won't like my displeasure now, will he?"
13th July 1996
London, Britain
The faint crack of apparition rang under the cliffs of chalk, ringing over the crash of waves that burst across the jagged rocks. The cold wind bit into Harry's skin, his feet sinking slightly into the moonlit sand below.
"Botany Bay?" Harry squinted. "We're in London?"
"Indeed, we are, my boy." Dumbledore tucked his fluttering beard into his belt, his eyes twinkling. "One of Charles Dickens' favorites. And mine."
"And Voldemort, if he's hidden one of his Horcruxes here." Harry trudged through the sand, following Dumbledore, whose silver hair and beard shone in the moonlight. "What's with this place for him though? I didn't think Voldemort was a beach person."
"After we went through the orphanage and found nothing, I did a little digging. My gut said that Tom would associate something with his orphanage life. It was where his journey started, after all," Dumbledore said, staring at the limestone cliffs above. "Tom was often mistreated by his muggle peers and bullied until he turned on them with his magic. I've told you about this. But, as I found, it was here that he took his first step to it."
"He turned the tables on the bullies." Harry frowned. "In front of muggles, on an open beach?"
"No, a cave, on that side of the cliffs. I came here over a week ago and found out where it was." Dumbledore stepped into the tide, saltwater drenching the hem of his robes. A little shiver rippled through his body, and he waved his wand, steam drifting from his boots and robes. "But I waited, both for you and the right opportunity if it presented itself. And it did."
"I'm glad." Harry floated over the high tide, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Last time we went after a Horcrux, you nearly cursed yourself. And you'll give yourself a cold this time." Harry dug into his pouch and tossed a Nimbus 2000 to Dumbledore. "Why swim when you can fly? I don't think Voldemort would've ever swam there."
"I suppose," Dumbledore flew beside him, toward the depression in the cliffs, where jagged rocks rose through the frothing sea. "And it has gotten far harder to reach this cave through the years than it was in Tom's time."
Harry dropped onto a small, flat rock, feeling the magic prickle his skin. He felt a tide of fear rise in his chest, an ominous feeling bubbling in his mind.
'No.' He crushed it beneath the walls of Occlumency, shrugging off the magic.
"Wards." Dumbledore laid a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Ones to repel and prevent portkeys or apparition."
"If I was hiding a piece of my soul, I'd be a whole lot more lethal with the wards."
"While you might say that you forget that unexpected deaths would've drawn unwarranted attention, my boy." Dumbledore waved his wand, tracing faint ripples in the air. "Any person adventurous enough can get here, Harry. Even muggles."
"And mysterious deaths always attract attention. The kind you'd want to avoid if you are hiding something precious. Better turn them away."
"Indeed. I ventured only a little further, till the entrance there, where I found a huge boulder layered with wards, barring me entry."
"I'll deal with the wards then. I suppose we should've brought Perenelle too." Harry muttered, drawing the Elder Wand. "She's better at that than either of us."
"I'm certain she has forgotten more about wards than either of us know, Harry." Dumbledore smiled. "But I'd be hesitant to include her in this. Perenelle, for all her skills, is not a fighter. And I would hate to see anything happen to her."
"Fair enough." Harry ran his wand over the rocks and the boulder, feeling the magic thrum within them as strips of runes lit up on them, glowing blue and gold. "Blood wards. It requires a sacrifice to… no, wait. This isn't a sacrifice." Harry scowled. "This is a vow. A blood oath, cleverly hidden. Oh, that bastard."
"I suppose Tom wouldn't want anyone to get out with his treasure, even if they made their way through the traps alive."
"Oh no. That and more. Not only will the person who made the sacrifice be cursed, but their whole bloodline once he or she leaves."
"That's something I haven't heard of in decades," Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh. "Bloodline curses. They're obscure, tricky, and highly forbidden."
"Tell that to Voldemort, won't you?" Harry poured magic into the wood. "Stand back, professor."
Dumbledore tapped his wand on Harry's shoulder, and magic rippled over his body before Dumbledore stepped back. "A little extra protection for you, my boy. Let's not take any risks."
"Thanks," Harry muttered and twisted his wand.
'Unravel. Begone.'
White flames lanced across the boulder, burning the strips of runes and consuming the stone. They twisted and traveled like waves, enveloping the boulder, which sank in the flames, leaving the cave's mouth open as the spell dissolved into embers.
"What was that spell?" Dumbledore's astonished voice floated over his shoulder.
"It was a spell that the wand did, professor," Harry shrugged. "I just thought of what I wanted to do, and it made it happen."
"Impressive," Dumbledore murmured. "The wand's more in your hands than it was ever in mine. The power of the Peverell blood… Gellert and I had only theorized it, but seeing it— it is something beyond my wildest dreams. The cloak hides you from all. The wand does what you wish. And the stone… you haven't used the stone, have you, Harry?"
"Nope. Fleur and Daphne are certain it could be a trap. Like it was for the second brother. And they don't wish for me to risk it. The wand and the cloak are known quantities. But the stone— it is the only thing that somewhat defies death. The dead aren't meant to be summoned beyond the veil."
"A wise choice. Wiser than I would've made." A longing burned in Dumbledore's eyes. "Let's not dwell on it. We're running against time. We might not have long before Tom gets a body back. And it may be very soon if Gellert helps."
Harry nodded and trudged behind Dumbledore into the cave, keeping an eye on the uneven rocky path. The tip of Dumbledore's wand cast a glow on the moss-covered walls and roof of the cave, small puddles of seawater gleaming in the light.
"Careful, Harry." Dumbledore waved his wand, and a huge X gauged itself in the ground. "The cave may confuse us. Or seek to. Lost before we could even find what we came for."
"We could just blow the whole thing up in that case, Professor. And then dig through the dust to find the Horcrux."
"While a splendid last resort, it'd be rather inconvenient for either of us to do so. The latter part, especially." Dumbledore turned down a curve in the tunnel and the two of them arrived at a vast lake.
Green mist swirled, throwing tall shadows across the cave walls behind them, the water unnaturally still, in a way that sent shivers down Harry's spine.
"There." Dumbledore pointed toward the center of a lake, where a plinth rose, barely visible amongst the swirling green mist. "I must give it to Tom. He knows to pick his enchantments."
He walked around the lake, and Harry raised an eyebrow.
"We could fly across, you know?" Harry called after him. "I doubt there's anything scary enough in the lake to really stop us. Not unless he is holding a horde of dragons underneath. And I'm pretty sure there are no dragons who live underwater. Or like water, really."
Dumbledore smiled humorlessly. "While you're undoubtedly correct, I think Tom wouldn't leave the mist unless he had a reason. I think it is—"
"A trigger spell, I know. It's a Parselmagic ward. It is meant to hold something under stasis until breached. It was used in old times when guarding treasures. They usually held some creature— dragons, gryphons, or the parselmouth's favorite— snakes under stasis. The stasis breaks when the ward is triggered. Fortunately, I can redirect it."
Harry pointed his wand at the mist and hissed, the mist rolling away, clinging to the walls and ceiling of the cave, gathering as high as he could herd it. "See? Easy."
"Most effective." Dumbledore tugged his empty hand at the cold air, and a slimy copper chain rose from the water, pulling a boat up. "This was the way Lord Voldemort devised to cross the waters. Which, I think, should suffice as a backup now."
"I wouldn't trust anything Voldemort's enchanted, sir." Harry rose in the air, eyeing the pale bodies that were beneath the water. "Or advice going near the water."
He flew over the water, toward the small rocky plinth that rose in the center, a marble basin gleaming on it. Dumbledore landed beside him on the Nimbus before shrinking it and putting it back in his pocket.
Sparkling purple liquid shimmered in the shallow basin, a heart-shaped golden locket at its bottom. Harry's breath hitched in his throat as the serpentine S caught his eye.
"Salazar's locket."
"Submerged in a potion, which I recognize," A hint of trepidation filled Dumbledore's voice. "I suppose it is meant to be drunk."
"Or we could just fish the locket out, really. It is a shield ward. Won't let us put our hand in. We've got enough time to break through it." Harry conjured a long, metal hook. "Or do it the simpler way."
The hook bounced off the shield and Harry frowned.
"Tom's more resourceful than you give him credit for, my boy."
"So am I," Harry scowled, pointing his wand at the hook. "Confundo."
The hook sank into the potion, and Harry scooped the locket out, smirking at Dumbledore as he swayed the locket.
"Excellent. But we have another problem." Dumbledore gestured over his shoulder as pale hands broke out of the water's surface, which began to churn. "Lord Voldemort would never want someone to leave with his prized possessions, would he?"
Harry sighed as the Inferi swam out of the water and slipped the locket into his pouch.
"We've dealt with worse undead abominations, professor." Bright blue flames spewed out of his wand, reducing the nearest bodies to ashes. "This is almost disappointing."
13th July 1996
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The crack of apparition rang through the quiet office, and Fawkes opened a beady eye and ruffled his feathers before going back to sleep. Harry removed the gloves and slumped onto one of the plush armchairs in front of him, while Dumbledore sat back on his throne-like chair, popping a sweet in his mouth.
"Sherbet Lemon, Harry?"
"No, I'm good. Maybe coffee." Harry yawned. "It is four in the morning. I need to sleep."
"You're young, my boy. I'm certain you'll survive." Dumbledore stroked his silver beard. "But I concur. We should sleep. After dealing with the Horcrux. I do not think it is wise to keep it for long."
Harry gave a tired nod, putting his glove back on, and retrieving the locket from the pouch. The gold and green locket gleamed in the office's light, the shine of the silver chain reflecting bright lines across Dumbledore's desk.
"Shiny," Harry dropped the locket on the desk. "Do you want to do the honors or—"
"Is it me or can you feel any magic from it, Harry?" Dumbledore tilted his head. "There's no magic in the locket. I can't feel anything like I felt with the ring."
Harry frowned and waved his wand over the locket, which glowed a dull gray.
"That's… correct. There's no magic." He picked up the locket and pried the two halves of the heart open, a thin strip of parchment tumbling onto Dumbledore's desk. "Definitely not a Horcrux. Just great."
Dumbledore unfolded the parchment, adjusting his spectacles. "To the Dark Lord," he read. "I know I'll be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more — R.A.B."
"R.A.B?" Harry scowled. "Whoever wrote such a long note and couldn't bother to write their whole name? Who's this idiot?"
"Someone brave and clever enough to do what we just did, Harry." Dumbledore stood from his seat and walked up to the bookshelf behind him. "Do what most men wouldn't even dare. If Tom ever found the person, they wouldn't ever be found again. And if they were, it'd be in a state I shudder to even imagine."
"So, who is this R.A.B? Because if we don't find R.A.B, we won't know if the Horcrux was actually destroyed. Or ever find the Horcrux if it wasn't."
Dumbledore pulled a heavy book and dropped it over his desk. "I imagine that whoever he or she was knew Tom personally. Or, at least, in a way that Tom would recognize their initials, without having to take guesses. Like, H.J.P. Or A.P.W.B.D."
"Anyone would recognize yours, professor," Harry snorted. "No one else has five initials."
Dumbledore smiled faintly, opening the book and flipping through lumps of pages as he sucked on his lemon drop.
"Is that the admittance book?" Harry peered across the upside-down pages. "Because I don't think it'd be easy to find a name amongst… what? Tens of thousands of students?"
"This is a subsection of the book. It contains the name and basic information of every student to have passed through these halls in the twentieth century only." Dumbledore smiled. "Thus, there are barely six thousand names in this book." Dumbledore's face fell. "The number would've been higher had two wars not decimated Britain's population in the latter half of the century. And this one will only result in more death."
"That is… a lot less than I expected," Harry muttered. "I would've thought that more students would've come in eighty-five years."
"It is unfortunate, my boy. The number of witches and wizards are not what they used to be. The magical— ah here— no, 1929." Dumbledore flipped through the book, skimming through the pages. "The magical world, as I was saying, is shrinking. Largely due to the constant conflicts. We had barely recovered from the losses of Gellert's war when Voldemort happened. Thankfully, he remained confined to Britain largely."
"Small mercy."
Dumbledore hummed, and Harry rose from his seat, stretching and cracking his knuckles. "We should do this—"
"Regulus Arcturus Black." Dumbledore cut in, his eyes twinkling. "R.A.B. Sirius believed that he had joined Voldemort before he went missing, presumed dead. And since he went missing…"
"There's a good chance he died in the cave," Harry muttered. "If he sank with the locket, I'd be pissed."
"We need to find out then."
"There's an easy way to find it. If there's anything that Regulus would've hidden, it would've been at Grimmauld Place. And when we cleaned it, we put it in a trunk and checked them. Except for the things a certain someone squirreled away." Harry scowled. "Sirius shouldn't have taken pity on the nasty bugger."
"Who might that be?"
"Kreacher!"
A sharp pop rang through the office, and Kreacher appeared, bowing slightly, giving Dumbledore a disdainful look. The Headmaster waved his wand and the portraits froze, curtains covering them.
"Kreacher." Harry glanced at Dumbledore who nodded. Harry dangled the locket in front of him and Kreacher's eyes went wide. "Do you recognize this?"
"Master Regulus's locket." Kreacher croaked, his skeletal thin fingers wrapping reverently around the locket. "Master Regulus made it. He—"
Kreacher shut his mouth with an audible click.
"I order you to talk, Kreacher. Hide nothing." Harry leaned forward. "What did Master Regulus do with the other locket? And where is it?"
13th July 1996
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The broken pieces of an emerald locket lay on the ground, the sword of Gryffindor gleaming next to it. The lights in the room flickered back on, and Harry stumbled back, breathing heavily, feeling bile burn down his chest.
"That was… foul," Harry spat. "And to think there are more of these. It's sickening."
"Indeed, my boy. Indeed." Dumbledore took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. "There's one more which we've to find as soon as we can. And if your hunch is true, we're standing right where it should be."
"I tried asking the room to just give me the Horcrux. It didn't work," Harry muttered. "Probably because I didn't know what I was searching for. We don't know which Horcrux he has hidden here, and I can't ask the room for something I don't know."
Dumbledore pushed the spectacles up his nose, wrinkles creasing his forehead. "If Tom did hide a Horcrux in here, it would be someplace that couldn't be easily found."
"The room's a secret to most. The challenge is to configure the exact room that Voldemort did when he hid his Horcrux. Or, wish for the exact object. But, if the object isn't there, it'll just conjure replicas."
"Tom wouldn't have had a lot of time to hide the Horcrux here. He would've just needed a place to hide. What if we wanted the same? To hide something forbidden, which we never want to be found?"
"It could work. It could fail." Harry shrugged. "Worth a try, I reckon." Harry levitated the pieces of the locket into a bag. "If it doesn't work, we'll continue later. Preferably after we've had some sleep. Or use the time-turner to sleep. Either one."
Dumbledore nodded, and they walked out of the room, the door disappearing behind them.
"Well, here goes nothing," Harry muttered, pacing across the stretch of the wall.
'I need a place to hide a Horcrux. I don't want it to be found by anyone else. I need to hide it. I need to hide the Horcrux.'
The wall melted into a tall set of doors, and Dumbledore pushed them open. Mountains of objects stretched endlessly in the room, shafts of sunlight filtering through high windows, lighting up the alleys between them. Broken and graffitied furniture lined alleyways, and thousands of books could be seen.
Some winged catapults and Fanged Frisbees hoovered halfheartedly over the mountains of other forbidden items, There were chipped bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, cloaks; there were what looked like dragon eggshells, and corked bottles whose contents still shimmered.
Harry spotted a pile of rusting swords, upon which a heavy, bloodstained ax rested, raised like a flag.
"Bloody hell. Bloody fucking hell."
"For once, I'm right there with you, my boy. I am right there with you."