The Source of Magic

Chapter 9 ~ Never Say Die

In Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin told them he would be teaching them a recently discovered spell that was new to the wizarding world. He did not explain where it came from, and guessing it was probably from Jason, Hermione did not put her hand up to ask about its origin.

"You were in your third year, I believe, when Hogwarts was guarded by the Dementors of Azkaban. I doubt that many of you will have forgotten them. Dementors are perhaps the foulest creatures in existence. They are soulless and evil. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, and glory in decay and despair. They drain peace, hope, and happiness from all around them. If they get near you, they suck out every good feeling, every happy memory you ever had, until eventually you are left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life.

"The Ministry of Magic," continued Lupin, "was foolish enough to believe the Dementors could be trusted as obedient servants to guard Azkaban for them. It should have been obvious that only Voldemort could satisfy their disgusting appetites, and only he was evil enough to command their obedience. For almost two years they have been under his control; and although he has used them occasionally, his primary interest appears to be in breeding the loathsome creatures to produce a fearsome army.

"It has always been assumed that Dementors cannot be destroyed, that they can only be repulsed, using the Patronus Charm. This is what your textbooks say. The good news is: The textbooks are wrong. A new charm has recently come to light that destroys Dementors; it consumes them, devours them. In fact, some of you may have witnessed it in action when the Hogwarts Express was attacked recently. Did anyone see the Dementors being destroyed?"

Neville Longbottom was one of the first to raise his hand. "Yes, Neville," said Lupin. "Please tell us what you saw."

"Well, there were all these Dementors hovering outside the train, professor, maybe twenty or thirty of them. It was really scary. Then these tiny creatures appeared from nowhere -- there were maybe a hundred of them. They had feathery sort of wings, and their bodies were almost transparent. They sort of glowed."

"What do you think they were, Neville?" asked Lupin.

"W-well, they sort of looked like ... err, like angels, sir." Professor Lupin nodded encouragingly. "And they seemed to, err ... to eat the Dementors."

"Thank you, Neville. Ten points to Gryffindor. The spell I am about to teach you does in fact produce tiny creatures that look in many respects like angels, as described in religious folklore. They feed on Dementors and devour them. Interestingly, the Dementors, rather than fearing and fleeing them, appear to be attracted to the angel-like creatures. Perhaps they are mesmerised; they simply float about and allow themselves to be devoured."

"The spell is called the Angelus Charm. The incantation is Emanio Angelus. I would like you all to repeat it after me, 'Emanio Angelus'. Very good, but that was the easy part. To produce the tiny angels, you need to wave your wand, say the incantation ... and feel Love."

This was greeted by immediate laughter and giggling, particularly from the girls.

"Do not worry if you do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend or even someone you secretly admire. You can think of anyone for whom you have feelings of love. It could be a parent, brother, sister, favourite aunt, uncle, grandparent, your best friend, even your pet Kneazle. Think carefully before making your choice; the stronger the love, the more successful the spell, and the greater the number of angels produced. Remember, you just need to think of the person and feel the love; there is no need to say the person's name. Rest assured: no one will know who you are thinking of."

This was greeted by muffled, nervous-sounding giggles.

"What's a good number of angels?" asked Pravati anxiously.

"This is not a competition or proof of your undying love, so please relax. If you can produce even one angel today, I will be satisfied; two or three would be excellent. I will not be marking you on the number of angels you produce. If you are unsuccessful with the first person you think of, try someone else. Who knows, you may just surprise yourself," said Lupin with a grin.

When the giggling died down, he continued. "Please spread out around the room and aim your wand at a bit of empty space. If you do manage to produce angels, end the spell immediately with Finite Incantatum and continue practicing."

Harry had no doubt that Ginny would do the job for him, but he was stunned when at least twenty angels erupted from his wand.

"Your attention please," said Professor Lupin, pointing to the three angels Hermione had just produced. "Can you all see what they look like? Very good, Hermione, another ten points to Gryffindor. Finite Incantatum. Alright, please carry on everyone."

Luckily, everyone's attention had been directed to the front of the classroom by Professor Lupin, and no one had noticed the flock of angels bursting from Harry's wand at the back of the room. Harry quickly ended the spell and the angels disappeared while everyone was still looking at Hermione's angels. Harry suspected his spectacular success was due to more than just the way he felt about Ginny; it was probably also a consequence of his growing power. He was using the secret route to visit Jason several nights a week, now, and doing the meditation exercise every night by himself before drifting off to sleep.

There were students from all houses in the seventh year classes, and Harry didn't want any of the Slytherins reporting back to their Death Eater parents that Harry Potter was madly in love with someone ... it would be too easy to guess who. Harry tried again, this time thinking of Hermione, and again he produced a lot of angels, maybe eight or nine, but still way too many. He got rid of them before anyone noticed and tried thinking of his owl, Hedwig. That was better, only four angels that time.

Hermione seemed to be consistently producing three or four angels. Harry wondered if she was thinking of Ron -- no, probably not, he decided. Ron seemed to just make her angry these days. Perhaps she was thinking of Crookshanks. Ron was having no luck at all. His face was screwed up in concentration, but it looked like he was feeling anger rather than love. He must be thinking of Hermione, thought Harry.

"Why don't you try the Chudley Cannons," whispered Harry. Ron glared at him, but Harry noticed Ron looking a lot more relaxed and producing a couple of angels pretty soon afterwards. Then he noticed Anthony Goldstein produce three angels and smile meaningfully at Hermione, who blushed and turned away. When seven angels burst from Hermione's wand, Harry thought, Oh dear, this is not good. "I hope you weren't thinking of Anthony Goldstein," he whispered.

"Don't be silly, Harry," she whispered back, "I was think of one of our Professors."

"Which one?"

"I'm not saying," she replied.

Harry suspected it might be Jason. But it didn't necessarily need to be romantic. After all, he wasn't in love with Hermione or Hedwig in a romantic way. Hermione respected and liked Professor McGonagall a great deal, so maybe it was her, or even Professor Flitwick -- everyone liked him.

Five angels came shooting out of Neville's wand. Now that was bad news! Harry looked away. He did not want to meet Neville's eyes -- he was certain Neville was thinking of Ginny. The other night, when they'd sneaked off together, Ginny told him she was worried Neville was getting too attached to her. She had modified the original plan, and instead of telling Neville she was secretly with Harry, she told him she still really liked Harry and wanted to get back together with him, but that Harry wasn't interested. This was safer because if Neville talked and it got out, there would be no point in targeting Ginny to get to Harry. She had told Neville she just wanted to pretend to be with him to try to make Harry jealous.

The plan seemed good to Harry, but Neville had fallen for Ginny even though he knew she really liked Harry. To make matters worse, seeing Neville with Ginny had not stirred Luna's interest in him. Ginny's idea was a good one -- and, in fact, it worked a treat, but unfortunately with the wrong wizard. Seeing Ron with Hermione had suddenly revived Luna's interest in Ron. Harry had always suspected that Luna fancied Ron.

As they were leaving the classroom, Professor Lupin asked Harry and Hermione to wait a moment. "Close the door, please, Harry," he said.

"Hermione, I want to thank you personally for the wonderful Wolfsbane Potion you brewed. I know how notoriously difficult it is to make and the huge effort involved. I just want you to know that it is the best brew I've ever had. The last full moon was the easiest I ever experienced. Jason -- err, Professor Trolove, was kind enough not to tell me it was brewed by a student, rather than himself ... until afterwards. But from now on, I will be very happy to know that you brewed it. I have awarded Gryffindor fifty house points."

Hermione blushed with pleasure. Harry wondered if maybe it was Professor Lupin who had inspired Hermione's seven angels.

"Harry, your first attempt at the Angelus Charm was very impressive -- too impressive -- at least twenty angels, I think. Fortunately, I managed to distract the class so no one saw them, and you obviously realised your mistake because you managed to tone down your subsequent attempts. But you need to be very careful; not only in this class, but also others, like Transfiguration and Charms, where you are called upon to demonstrate your magical power. There are children of Death Eaters in all of those classes, and it would be best if they remained ignorant of your growing power. One simple trick would be to use this," he said, handing Harry a wand. "It's not actually a wand; it's just a piece of wood that looks very much like your wand. No one will notice the difference. Essentially you'll be doing wandless magic when you use it."

"Thanks," said Harry, pocketing the fake wand.

"I don't know what kind of training Jason is giving you, Harry," said Lupin, looking at him thoughtfully. "Your magical power is constantly increasing. Aside from Dumbledore and Voldemort, I cannot think of anyone with the kind of power you have developed. I suppose Jason must be powerful too -- but if he is, he hides it well -- apart from the performance on the Hogwarts Express. Not that he's admitting to it, but he taught me the Angelus Charm, so it's a bit of a dead giveaway, really. He has asked Tonks and me not to tell anyone about your growing magical power, even members of the Order. If you are able to keep it secret, it will be a great advantage. You need to be very careful, Harry, whenever you do magic in front of others."

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

"Time for a Horcrux hunt," said Jason. Harry and Hermione were sitting in his office in comfortable bean bags he had conjured for them. He had sent them origami bird messages at the evening meal, asking them to come to his office dressed in warm Muggle clothes beneath their Hogwarts robes, and for Harry to bring his Invisibility Cloak.

"Where is the Horcrux?" asked Hermione.

"In London, in a time capsule, buried deep within the foundations of the Nat West Tower. When the foundations were poured, they buried a time capsule, for posterity, containing an assortment of items reflecting the popular culture of the day. The Horcrux is inside the time capsule."

"But, the Nat West Tower is a skyscraper. The foundations must go down hundreds of feet." said Hermione.

"Then it's not possible to get to it," said Harry, shaking his head.

"Well, Voldemort certainly thought so," said Jason.

"The time capsule will be set in tons of concrete, hundreds of feet underground. There won't be any empty space around it, so you can't get at it by Apparating or Materialising," said Hermione. "No one can get to it until the building is demolished; and that won't happen for hundreds of years. I suppose Voldemort intends to recover the Horcrux if they ever dig up the time capsule -- assuming he's still alive."

"I'm sure he's assuming just that," said Jason, "since he believes himself to be immortal. However, we cannot wait until the building is demolished to destroy Voldemort, so the only option is to get his Horcrux before they build it," he said, picking up what looked like a time-turner from the desk behind him.

Hermione smiled. "Clever! But won't it be dangerous going so far back in time? I mean, changing time is meant to be really risky," she said anxiously. "You might do something that makes everything in the present time change; you might even cease to exist."

"Relax, Hermione," said Jason in that calming, almost hypnotic voice he sometimes used. "Nothing material or significant needs to be changed. The item in which Voldemort's Horcrux is concealed will simply be exchanged for another identical item. You and Harry will be moving about Muggle London at a time before either of you were born; there is really no risk of any material change."

"Hermione and me?" asked Harry. "What about you?"

"For reasons that will become apparent, I cannot accompany you."

"When are we going to do this?" asked Hermione, her eyes fixed on the golden Time-Turner in Jason's hand.

"Right now," said Jason. "Please stand up and remove your Hogwarts robes. I'll transfigure your Muggle clothes to look more like what people were wearing back in the winter of seventy-seven." Hermione and Harry soon found themselves wearing bright, psychedelic jerseys. Their blue jeans had been turned into brightly-coloured corduroys, flared at the bottoms. "Throw the Invisibility Cloak in here, he said handing Harry a khaki-coloured canvas shoulder bag. You'll find a purse with some Muggle money of the era in the bag."

He handed the golden hourglass-shaped Time-Turner to Hermione. It was on a long golden chain. "I believe you've used one of these before. This one may work a little differently, however. It's designed for long-distance time-travel -- going back years. You will notice it has five small rings around the centre. If you look carefully, you will see they are marked respectively with years, months, days, hours, and minutes. I have already set it to midday on February 10^th, 1977. All you have to do is press the star-shaped button on the top. It will memorise the present date and time and take you to the day and time to which it is set. To return to when you left, simply press the crescent-shaped button on the bottom. Your physical location will remain the same."

Jason gestured towards his desk where a map of London suddenly appeared. "In a minute, I'm going to take you to the Shrieking Shack. You will use the Time-Turner to go back to 1977, then Apparate to this little lane off Portobello Road," said Jason, pointing to the map. "Cover yourselves with the Invisibility Cloak before Apparating from the Shrieking Shack, and do not remove it until you are certain you are unobserved. Then walk up the lane and turn right into Portobello Road. A little way along, at number 231, you will find the Magic Caravan music shop, where you will buy a popular rock album by Black Sabbath, called Never Say Die. Leave the record in the paper bag, return to the lane, and put the Invisibility Cloak back on. Then, Apparate to this little side street -- here; it's off Old Broad Street and runs along the construction site where they will soon be laying the foundations of the Nat West Tower.

"You will find a high wooden fence running all the way along the building site. Look for a doorway marked Excavation Access and wait nearby under the Invisibility Cloak. It will be a Saturday, so the building site should be mostly deserted, apart from the odd security guard. At around one in the afternoon, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange will Apparate into the side street and head for the doorway. Hit them with Impediment Curses before they reach it -- take out one each. One of them will be carrying an identical record to the one you just purchased, right down to the paper bag from the Magic Caravan music shop. Lucius Malfoy will know where the items that are to go into time capsule are locked away. They will probably need to deal with security guards, but that's their problem, not yours. They plan to replace the copy of Never Say Die that is to go into the time capsule with their own. But in fact, they will be replacing it with yours, because, after stunning them you will swap their record with your own."

"How did you find all this out?" asked Harry.

"I didn't," said Jason. "Severus did. As you know, he's been working on a potion to allow him undetected access to Voldemort's mind. So far, he has had only limited success and has not dared to try it on Voldemort. However, he decided to surreptitiously test his best effort to date on Bellatrix Lestrange, who is no great shakes as an Occlumens -- she's far too emotional and excitable, and thus most unlikely to detect his skilful Legilimency. Severus slipped some to her to see how well it would work, and he took the opportunity to learn as many of her secrets as possible. Among other things, he learned about the record that she and Lucius Malfoy exchanged for the one destined for the time capsule twenty years ago. Of course they didn't know it contained Voldemort's Horcrux, as he almost certainly did not confide its true contents in them -- or anyone else. They were merely following their master's orders. Severus, however, immediately realised there must have been a Horcrux concealed within the record, and he carefully noted everything that Bellatrix remembered about the incident."

"So that's why you asked me to research Memory Charms," said Hermione. "After we switch the records, I need to memory charm them so they don't remember being stunned."

"Exactly," said Jason. "I hope you did more than just research. I hope you practiced and know how to blot out just the desired memory."

"Don't worry," said Hermione with a grin. "I've been practicing on Ron, and I'm sure I've got it right."

"How did you manage to practice on Ron?" asked Harry. "Did he agree to let you?"

"I didn't ask him, did I? I did it when we were sitting together in the common room. I'd say something really provocative, like: 'Quidditch is a ridiculous game' or 'Anthony Goldstein has a much nicer nose than yours'. Then, just as he was about to explode, I'd memory charm him to forget what I'd said. I did it using a nonverbal spell, pointing my wand at him from inside my book bag."

Harry and Jason both laughed. "Ingenious, Hermione," said Jason. "You have done your homework diligently, as always. So, after swapping the records, use Finite Incantatum to end the Impediment Curses and then immediately memory charm them, so they don't remember. They should just carry on into the building site with your record, and you'll Apparate back to the Shrieking Shack with theirs and use the Time-Turner to return to the time you left. I'll be there waiting to bring you back to Hogwarts. Now, there's one more thing I need to do before we go," said Jason, picking up a piece of parchment and scribbling a brief note on it. He folded it and handed it to Hermione. "Put this in your pocket for now, and give me your hand. You too, Harry. Are you both ready?" he asked, taking their hands and dematerialising with them before they could ask about the parchment.

It was weird; Harry felt no sensation at all. One moment they were in Jason's office, and the next, they were in the pitch-black Shrieking Shack. Jason lit some candles on the walls with a wave of his hand. They were standing in the dusty hallway a few yards from the front door.

Hermione reached inside her jersey and removed the Time-Turner. Standing next to Harry, she stretched the chain to reach around his neck. But before she could press the star button to activate it, Jason said urgently, "Wait a moment!"

Harry and Hermione were surprised at the sudden emotion in his voice. They both stared at him. Why was he acting so strangely?

"There's something I haven't told you," he said apologetically. "I didn't want to tell you until now because you would have found it very distracting and disturbing, particularly you, Harry. I doubt you would have heard a word I said about what you need to do in London."

"What is it?" asked Harry, apprehensively.

"After you activate the Time-Turner and go back to 1977, do not immediately Apparate to the lane off Portobello Road. Instead, wait in the Shrieking Shack for a few minutes. It will be a Hogsmeade weekend, and two students will enter the Shrieking Shack. I want you to let them see you. That's all you have to do. Under no circumstances, should either of you say anything to them. If they ask you questions, you may nod or shake your heads, but you must not give them any information about the future -- do you understand?"

"Who are they?" Harry and Hermione asked together.

"You will know them," said Jason thickly. "And they will understand why you are there and why you won't talk to them. Don't worry, they won't stay long. As soon as they've gone, Apparate to London and follow the plan. Oh, and Hermione, when they come through the door, please give the piece of parchment to her. OK, it's time to go. Good luck and see you soon!"

Hermione activated the Time Turner. The candle-lit hallway dissolved. Harry felt like he was accelerating backwards at breakneck speed. Unrecognisable shapes and a kaleidoscope of colours rushed past him, and his ears were pounding; then he felt solid ground beneath his feet again. He was standing next to Hermione in exactly the same hallway, but now weak, wintry sunlight was shining through the cracked panes on either side of the front door. Motes of dust danced in the rays of sunshine. Hermione removed the chain from around Harry's neck.

"It's going to be my mum, I'm sure of it," said Harry nervously. "And maybe my dad, too. Do you know how old they will be?"

"In February, 1977, your parents must have been in their seventh year, so they'll be about the same age as us. Harry, this is really weird. It may not even be your parents. I think we should draw our wands, just in case. It's not like Jason to spring something like this. I wonder why he did it and what it's all about."

"I don't know, but it sure feels weird. Stay here near the door, Hermione. I'm going over here," said Harry, drawing his wand and moving down the passage out of the sunlight and into the dark shadows. "I want to see who it is before they see me. I feel really, really, strange about this."

They remained silent, wands at the ready, listening. After several minutes, they heard footsteps approaching, and then voices. "Are you sure it was the Shrieking Shack, Lily?"

"Yes. In the vision a voice kept whispering over and over, 'Go to the Shrieking Shack at midday, on the next Hogsmeade weekend; there is someone you have to meet.' But, what I didn't tell you before is that the voice was yours."

"My voice? Wow, weird! Draw your wand, Lily, just in case. Ready?"

The door slowly opened and a tall boy walked in, followed by a red-haired girl. Hermione recognised him immediately. "Jason?" she said, lowering her wand. It was so weird seeing him as a seventeen year-old.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Remembering she was supposed to remain silent, Hermione handed the piece of parchment to the girl.

"What does it say?" asked Jason, suspiciously.

"Dear Lily, You wanted proof. You wanted be sure that your vision would come true. Here is your proof. He and his friend have travelled back in time, twenty years. They will not talk to you or tell you anything about the future. Please do not ask. Some things are best left unknown --"

"But who's it from?" asked Jason.

"Let me finish," said Lily. "I have returned to help him defeat Voldemort, just as you foresaw in your vision. I have missed you more than words can tell. Love, Jason."

"Me?"

"Yes, you my dear," said Lily thickly, squeezing his hand. "You survived, just as I've seen in my visions. But where is he?"

Harry stepped forward into light. There was a tear on his cheek.

"James?" asked Jason.

"No, you're not James, are you? You're James' son," said Lily gently.

Harry nodded.

"I have seen you, so many times in my visions. I would recognise you anywhere, even if you did not look like James, even if you did not have my eyes. You are my son."

Harry nodded again. Tears were streaming down his face; he had never felt such emotion in his life.

Lily, too, was crying. She held her arms open, and Harry stepped forward and embraced his mother.

Hermione looked up at the young Jason as he observed them hugging each other. She saw the look of utter despair in his face. In that moment, he knew with certainty that he and Lily were finished, forever. Lily had her proof at last; she was holding it. Her decision was finally made. She would leave Jason and go to James Potter. Hermione felt an unbearable sadness; she wanted to comfort Jason and tell him he would one day find the answer to the burning question of his life; he would become an amazingly powerful wizard. But she knew she had to remain silent.

Jason looked at her for a moment. Hermione tried to smile at him comfortingly through her tears. He let out a long, sad sigh, then quietly turned and walked out the door.

Lily was standing with her hands on Harry's shoulders, holding him at arms-length. She seemed to be drinking him in with her eyes. Hermione had the eerie feeling that Lily knew she would never see her son grow up, that there would never be another chance to see him like this. She kissed Harry on the cheek and said, "I have seen the future. You will be victorious."

Turning, Lily saw that Jason was gone and shook her head sadly. She understood. A tear ran down her cheek. She turned to Hermione and whispered softly, "When you return, please tell him I will always love him, for as long as I live." Then she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Harry dropped to the floor and sat leaning against the wall, trying to control his emotions. All his life he had dreamed about her -- the mother he had lost as a baby, the mother he had longed for, but had never known. Somehow, it felt as if the aching gap in his life was finally healed. He had met her; she had held him in her arms. His mother was no longer a vague image or some fearful apparition whose final words tore through his mind when the Dementors got too close. She was real, and he would carry her memory with him all his life.

Hermione, too, felt overcome with emotion. The whole scene had been so unexpected and come upon the four of them so abruptly -- it was impossible not to feel emotionally drained. She realised she had witnessed a pivotal moment in time -- the moment in which Lily Evans made the choice that saved the wizarding world from Voldemort. She had seen her son from the Future of Hope and received confirmation that Jason had returned to help him. She could no longer doubt her vision or what she must choose. In fact, Lily no longer had a choice; she knew in that moment it had already been made -- she had seen its fruit. Hermione wondered whether Lily thought back to this meeting in that terrible moment when Voldemort killed her. It would have been a great comfort to realise that Voldemort would not succeed in killing her baby, because she had already met him and embraced him as a seventeen year-old. Not only would her son survive, but he would eventually destroy her murderer.

"Harry, we've got to go," said Hermione, taking his hands in hers and gently pulling him to his feet. They hugged each other and dried their eyes. "Maybe we should take a few deep breaths and focus on our breathing to steady ourselves," she said. Harry nodded.

"I'm alright now," said Harry a minute later, sounding calmer. Standing next to Hermione he threw the Invisibility Cloak over them. "Come on, Hermione, let's get that Horcrux!"

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

They Apparated to the deserted lane and after checking they were alone, Harry pulled off the cloak and shoved it into the bag. They walked to the end of the lane and emerged onto Portobello Road to look for the music shop. It felt weird being in London of twenty years ago. The main thing Harry noticed was how different people looked. In the record shop, almost all the males had long hair, and a lot of the older ones were sporting beards. The clothes were bright and mostly psychedelic. Hermione found the Black Sabbath record, fished the purse out of Harry's bag, and paid for it. She seemed a lot more confident in Muggle London than he did. Hermione gave him the purse and the record to put in the shoulder bag and they headed back to the lane, where they threw on the Invisibility Cloak and Apparated to the building site. The side street was empty and it didn't take long to find the entrance the Death Eaters would use. The doorway was blocked by high iron gates, which were chained and padlocked.

The waiting was the hardest part. It was half-past twelve, and they had thirty minutes to wait. It was a cold, damp day in London, and they were both shivering until Hermione thought to cast a heating charm beneath the cloak, which kept them both warm as toast.

At last Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange appeared. They Apparated into the side street about twenty yards from where Harry and Hermione stood hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak and began walking cautiously in their direction. Lucius Malfoy must have been about twenty-five; he looked more like a taller version of Draco than the Lucius Malfoy Harry remembered. Bellatrix was extraordinarily beautiful, but it was lost on Harry who could not look at her without loathing, as he remembered how she had killed -- or at least would kill -- his godfather, Sirius. When they were only a few feet away Harry and Hermione hit them with Impediment Curses.

Hermione had decided they should remain under the Invisibility Cloak because the Death Eaters would still be able to see and hear -- even though they could not move -- just in case the Memory Charms did not work properly. Silently, they circled around behind them. Bellatrix had a large, black leather bag slung over her shoulder. Hermione was able to open it without having to remove it from Bellatrix's shoulder, which would have been difficult in her frozen state. The record was in an identical pink paper bag from the Magic Caravan music shop. Hermione swapped it with theirs, and then refastened the catch on the bag.

They stepped back a few paces and together ended the Impediment Curses with Finite Incantatums. Hermione immediately memory charmed them. Lucius Malfoy looked around to check that no one was behind them, and Bellatrix Lestrange patted her large leather bag reassuringly. For a moment, they seemed to have a slight sense of unease, but quickly dismissed it. They were obviously unaware of what had just happened.

"This way," said Lucius Malfoy, pointing to the doorway. He flicked his wand, muttering a spell and the chain and lock crashed to the ground. He pushed open the gates, and they disappeared inside.

"Time to go," whispered Hermione, giving Harry's hand a squeeze. They Apparated back to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. As soon as they arrived in the dusty hallway, Hermione pulled the Time-Turner from her jersey, placed the chain over Harry's head and pressed the crescent-shaped button on the bottom.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Harry found the return-trip back to their own time just as unpleasant as the first leg of the journey, except instead of feeling like he was hurtling backwards, this time it was forwards. When the sound and light show was over, he found himself, once more, standing in the candle-lit hallway. Jason was right where they'd left him.

"Everything go alright in London?" he asked.

"Yes," said Harry. "But what happened here, before we went --"

"It took you by surprise, I know," said Jason, "I remember. I was there with you at the time -- twenty years ago. I thought it might be best to simply let it happen, rather than try to explain it beforehand. I remember the encounter was as much a surprise to you as it was to us."

"So that's why you said 'we meet again', when we first met at The Burrow; you'd already met me, here, twenty years ago," said Hermione. Jason nodded. "But what would have happened if you hadn't sent Harry back?"

"It sounds a bit strange, I know, but I had to send you both back, because ... well, it had already happened when I was seventeen. If I hadn't sent you, then, I don't know ... I suppose reality would have changed. Lily was the Seer, and I have faith in her and the future she chose. Knowing it was what she wanted me to do, how could I have done otherwise?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. Then holding out his hands for them to grasp, he said, "Come on, let's get back to Hogwarts."

Back in his office, Jason transformed Harry and Hermione's clothes back. He took the record from the canvas shoulder bag, and cleared a space on his bookshelf so he could stand it up, as if it were on display. Then he sat on his desk and contemplated it silently. Harry and Hermione flopped down onto the bean bags. Although they had only been away from Jason's office for five or ten minutes in their time, a lot had happened. Harry was still coming to terms with meeting his mother in the Shrieking Shack.

"What are you going to do with it?" asked Hermione, looking at the record on the bookshelf, still in the bright pink paper bag from the Magic Caravan music shop.

"Treat it with a great deal of caution," said Jason. "I believe there was a terrible curse on Marvolo's ring, which almost killed Dumbledore. In fact, despite the quick action taken by himself and Severus, it severely damaged his hand and was slowly killing him. I plan to be very careful. We know the record is safe inside the paper bag."

"Professor Dumbledore said that Voldemort liked to collect trophies and that he preferred objects with a powerful magical history," said Harry, looking at the record, dubiously. "He thought Voldemort would be pretty choosy in deciding what to use as a Horcrux."

"Well, the title of the rock album, Never Say Die, would have appealed to him," said Hermione. "He was obsessed with immortality, and the whole point of the Horcruxes was to make him immortal. Voldemort is French for flight from death, which is almost the same as Never Say Die."

"Yes," said Jason. "I think both the name of the record and the name of the band, Black Sabbath, might have appealed to him; although I doubt very much he was up on Muggle rock music. However, Professor Dumbledore was probably right: Voldemort would not have used something as common and banal as a Muggle rock album for his Horcrux, despite its title and the name of the band."

"What? Then why the hell did we go to all the trouble of getting it?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it's a Horcrux; but it's not what it appears to be," replied Jason, rising to his feet and walking over to the bookshelf. He stared at it intently for a moment. Suddenly it disappeared, and standing in its place on the shelf was a small golden cup with two finely wrought handles. "Don't touch it!" warned Jason as Harry and Hermione hurried forward to get a better look.

"So, Voldemort concealed his Horcrux in this cup and then transfigured it to look exactly like the rock album that was going to be put into the time capsule," said Hermione, inspecting it carefully from a few feet away. "Look! There's a badger engraved on it."

"It's Helga Hufflepuff's cup," said Harry. "Voldemort stole it, along with Slytherin's locket, from Hepzibah Smith. He murdered her and framed her house-elf."

"Yes, Helga Hufflepuff's cup would be much more Voldemort's style," said Jason. "But how to destroy the Horcrux? Do you know how Dumbledore destroyed the one concealed in Marvolo's ring, Harry?"

"No idea, but I destroyed one in second year; it was concealed in Tom Riddle's diary. Of course, I didn't know anything about Horcruxes then. I just thought Tom Riddle -- Voldemort -- had somehow hidden a memory of his sixteen year-old self in the diary. When Ginny wrote in the diary, it possessed her, and eventually came to life by draining the life from her, down in the Chamber of Secrets. I stabbed the diary with a basilisk fang, which killed Riddle, and, according to Professor Dumbledore, destroyed the Horcrux."

"A most impressive feat, Harry, especially as you were only twelve at the time. Remus told me the whole story. However, we are rather short on basilisk fangs, and I doubt that one would work on this cup."

"How about the Avada Kedavra Curse?" asked Hermione hesitantly. "It wouldn't be Unforgivable to use it on an object, would it?"

"No, I don't suppose it would," replied Jason, "but I'd prefer not to use that curse."

"No," said Harry, looking at Jason and realising they both wanted to avoid using the curse with which Voldemort had murdered his mother.

"In any case," mused Jason, "I doubt the Killing Curse would work on a Horcrux because it acts on the body."

"What we need," said Hermione, "is something like a spell or ritual that exorcises the soul or spirit. Such things have always existed in Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism. Even today there are priests who practice the ancient traditions of exorcising evil spirits."

"Yes, of course! I've seen African witchdoctors doing much the same thing. When a person dies, sometimes their soul attempts to remain with their family or tribe by possessing a person or sometimes inhabiting an animal -- snakes are much favoured -- or even a tree or a rock. I cannot recall any of the exorcism rituals clearly, but I don't need to. They are merely a means of connecting to the Source, which I can do directly," said Jason, staring in absorbed concentration at the cup, which began to vibrate. A small, wispy cloud of white vapour rose from the top of the cup and floated slowly upwards. It hung together for a few seconds before beginning to dissolve and finally disappeared.

"Was that the Horcrux?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Jason. "It was smaller than what I can remember seeing in Africa, but then it was just one seventh of a soul."

"Where has it gone?" asked Hermione.

"Back to the Source."

"What? Something as evil as Voldemort's soul?" asked Harry disbelievingly.

"I don't know if souls are good or evil. But the Source is neither good nor evil, it is beyond all qualities. The Source is everything; it encompasses everything, including what we call good and evil."

"But you said it was like love."

"No, I said the closest word we have for how it feels is love."

"But isn't that the same?" asked Harry.

"No, not at all. When we truly connect to the Source, the feeling is a lot like the feeling of love, because that is what love is -- connecting deeply with another. When you love someone or something, you feel close, connected, even part of them. Hatred is the exact opposite; it is feeling separate, different, alienated, and estranged."

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Harry let Hermione return first to the Gryffindor common room, as they did not want to be seen arriving together. When he entered, there was a ding-dong fight raging between Ron and Hermione. They were standing ten feet apart, yelling at each other. They had the complete attention of everyone in the common room. No one even noticed Harry climbing in through the portrait hole.

"I don't know why you're bothering to deny it!" yelled Ron. "I saw you get a message from him at dinner tonight. You've been off snogging him senseless, what the --"

"How do you know who the message was from?" demanded Hermione. "It could have been anyone. And how do you know what I've --"

"Well, obviously I can't prove it was Goldstein you were snogging, but it's pretty bloody obvious the way the useless git drools every time he sees you. And anyway, even if it wasn't him, you were snogging someone -- and it wasn't me!"

"And it never will be -- ever!" screamed Hermione angrily, stamping her foot before turning and running up to her dormitory.

Harry noticed a look of grim satisfaction on Ron's face. He caught his eye and nodded towards the stairs leading up to their dormitory. Seamus and Dean were playing Exploding Snap, and Neville was sitting with his arm draped around Ginny, which infuriated Harry and made him even blunter with Ron than he'd intended once they were alone in their dormitory.

"You're a bloody idiot, Ron! Hermione and I were off doing stuff with Jason -- it was Jason who sent the origami bird to Hermione. If you weren't such a stupid, suspicious git, you might have noticed that I got one too, and that I was missing from the common room as well as Hermione. What exactly did you expect her to say when you launched into your jealous rave? That she'd been doing stuff with the Potions Professor -- or, worse still, that she'd been off with me?"

"Well, she could have told me where she was going," grumbled Ron. "It was her own bloody fault if I put her on the spot. And how come the pair of you are always going off doing stuff with Trolove? I thought he said he would just be training you, by yourself, and sometimes Hermione and me might join in. I don't seem to be part of anything, any more," he said resentfully.

"Yeah, well, mostly I am training on my own with Jason. You know Hermione's brewing the Wolfsbane for Lupin, so she's often down there working on it, and when she's finished she sometimes sits in with us. But the reason Jason never includes you is because he knows how upset and angry you are about Hermione. He doesn't trust you to act rationally, right now -- and I don't blame him! What happened before down in the common room just proves it."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, mate; it's bloody obvious that you don't trust me either! Well, you can both stop worrying about me acting irrationally because of Hermione. The act is over, and it's a bloody relief, it's been driving me crazy. Now I can concentrate on more important things -- like winning the Quidditch Cup! I'm going to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team the best house team in the history of Hogwarts ... just you wait and see," said Ron, his eyes shining with religious fervour.

Harry wondered if it was worth pointing out to Ron that there were more important things than Quidditch: like destroying the Horcruxes ... and then Voldemort. Maybe once the novelty of being captain wore off, Ron would get his priorities sorted out a bit better. In a way, Harry was relieved that the Ron and Hermione pretence was finally over. It was obviously a huge relief to Ron, and Harry suspected Hermione would feel the same way once she calmed down and got over the injustice of Ron's accusations in the common room tonight.