Harry Potter and the Headmaster's Pensieve

Chapter 15 - It Begins

Harry could barely recall how he got from the brisk sandy beaches behind his parents' house into the warm living room, his head had been so full of thoughts. His left hand was still clutched tightly around the opera glasses, the finely cut sapphires digging into his palm. With a silent wave of his wand he lowered the wards around the house and entered through the back door, striding to the couch and collapsing on it as his friends followed. He placed the opera glasses on the table before covering his eyes with his forearm, his wand dangling limply near his shoulder. He could feel his friends surrounding him, sitting beside him or bringing chairs up beside the table, but he did not acknowledge their presence. He had thought he'd be relieved once he had found the final horcrux, but the realization of what he now had to do was bearing down on him. He felt as though he was drowning, suffocating.

"How're we supposed to destroy it?"

"Maybe we just need to break the glass...it could just float out like that-"

"No, it couldn't be that easy, remember we had to use an obscure spell on the locket.."

"But we were just able to break Hufflepuff's cup..."

"I still think we should be able to just crack the lenses, and that should release the bit of soul...I mean, isn't that all that's holding it in there?"

"I'm sure it's being held in there with magic, Ron..."

"Well then you come up with something better, 'Mione!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do, Ronald? I'm sorry if your poor excuse for an idea is so clearly worthless that I-"

"REDUCTO!"

Harry's voice echoed through the room, his wand mere inches from where the opera glasses had been sitting not a moment before. The force of his spell had reduced the worn coffee table to nothing more than a pile of splinters, and it had sent the glasses flying through the air, embedding them in the far wall. The two halves had split apart, the lenses shattering on impact. The room was completely silent as Harry stood, stepping over the pile of broken wood and approaching the wall. He wrenched the glasses from the crumbling drywall, sending bits of glass and dust to the floor at his feet. The two halves fell away from each other, splintering along the fine bronze metalwork holding the eyepieces together. A thin line of what appeared to be inky black smoke began to drift from the cracked eyepiece, spiraling upwards and floating towards the window. It seemed to sense the rays of sunlight filtering through the dusty panes of glass, and it darted past Harry, shooting upwards towards the ceiling and burning a fine, black hole as it disappeared.

"W...well, that's one way to deal with it," Hermione said softly, her voice muffled by the hand she still held by her mouth. Harry didn't acknowledge her, but walked towards Luna, holding the two halves out and dropping them into her outstretched palms.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep them intact, but I'm sure you can fix it," he said softly to her. She lifted one half to her left eye, grinning widely.

"I can see through it now. The glass is broken, but that's ok," she said dreamily, holding it out to Neville. He smiled softly at her, taking the broken barrel of the opera glasses and looking through it.

"I'll need to start training," Harry said, dropping beside Hermione. "I'm sure you can help me, 'Mione. What do I need to do to perform the Eternal Duel? How can I make sure that I'll be powerful enough?"

She looked at him apprehensively. His emerald green eyes bored into hers, and she looked away, studying her fingernails.

"Mione, please," he said softly, and she looked up at him.

"You probably wouldn't need to be powerful enough...that's part of the simplicity of the spell. But...but I don't know what you'll need to do after...and we could all probably use some training for when we go to face the Death Eaters," she mumbled softly. Harry hugged her, and she began sobbing on his shoulder. "So many people need you, Harry. We need you. What'll we do if you don't make it out of this?"

"I'll do what I have to do. You'll do what you need to. Learn to cast the killing curse...if Voldemort kills me, you'll have to kill him. You're strong, 'Mione. You're a Gryffindor for a reason. You - all of you - you're strong enough to go on without me if the worst should happen. I'm counting on you to finish what I start, if I fail," Harry said, first looking at Hermione then passing his eyes over Ron, Neville and Luna. They met his eyes then looked away uneasily, unwilling to believe that Harry might not be successful. Finally, Neville spoke.

"I'll help you, Harry. I have to. I have to for my parents, because they can't now," he said, his voice shaking slightly but his eyes locked on Harry. Luna placed an arm around Neville's waist and smiled at Harry.

"I figure, what else are we here for?" Ron asked, smiling at Harry. He moved behind Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder, and she burst into tears.

"You...you do your best, Harry. Because if Voldemort kills you, I'll make sure that he suffers for it," Hermione said, anger clear in her shaky voice. Harry nodded at her, picking up his wand and standing.

"Lets get to work."

They spent two weeks brushing up on all of the spells and curses they'd learned for Dumbledore's Army, perfecting their skills in dodging and casting until they worked together as a well-oiled machine. Harry insisted that they participate in practice bouts between each other, one person watching and critiquing as the other four participated in two on two fights. Many cuts, burns, and numerous cracked and broken bones later, Harry approached them all at breakfast.

"We've done all we can alone. It's time to go to the Order, see if they can help us, then destroy Nagini. The longer we wait, the more powerful he'll become and we can't risk it," Harry said. "The Order needs to know what we're planning, and I'm sure they'll be able to help us."

"Mum won't be pleased," Ron said, grimacing. "She's been having kittens as it is with us gone so often," he added.

"She'll understand. Luna, Neville, if you want to go home for a bit and explain what's going on, just meet us at the Burrow this evening," Harry added, tossing their books and numerous training objects into his school trunk. Neville nodded and stepped into the hearth, disappearing in a flash of green flames. Luna followed, smiling wistfully at Harry as she spun away. Ron and Hermione stood behind Harry, holding various objects as they hastily tried to pack everything they'd brought to Godric's Hollow. Harry moved to close the trunk, then remembered something he'd left upstairs.

"Go on ahead, I'll be there shortly," he told them, heading for the stairs. They nodded and stepped into the roaring fireplace, Ron's call of "the burrow!" smothered by the crackling of the embers. He continued on up the stairs, making his way towards the old, dusty nursery and the handsome wooden box nestled in the broken down bookshelf. He knelt on the floor, placing the box before him and lifting the lid, his eyes drawn to the swirling silver pool of memories resting in the bed of purple silk. Dumbledore's letter to him was tucked underneath the worn stone pensieve, and Harry found himself rereading the words he'd pushed from him memory in his efforts to fulfill Dumbledore's task. Dumbledore's voice echoed in his mind as he read the words "you will make me proud, Harry. You always have." A single tear rolled down his face as he crumbled the note in his hand, dropping it beside the pensieve.

"I won't fail you," Harry said, snapping the box shut and carrying it out of the room.

Harry arrived at the Burrow, secure under his silvery invisibility cloak, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The sky above him was a brilliant, blinding red, the lines of thin, silver clouds slicing along the blood red twilight. He paused for a moment, taking in the sight of the dilapidated broom shed in silhouette against the blazing sky. He recalled the conversation he had with Dumbledore in there, the memory now a bit fuzzier with the time past and the overwhelming memories of the last few months bearing down on him, but struggled anyway to recall the exact words exchanged. It was there that they spoke of Sirius, there where Dumbledore encouraged him to rely on his friends, let him help him through the trials to come. Had he known just how invaluable they would be? Had he known how much they would come to teach Harry, and help him gain the strength and knowledge necessary to do what he intended to do in just a few hours? It was there that Harry had promised Dumbledore that, should he die to the Death Eaters or to Voldemort, he would go down fighting. It had taken perhaps a bit longer than Harry had realized to get to the point he was at now, but he realized that it was now time to fulfill that promise.

Harry pulled out his wand and conjured a patronus, recalling his godfather's rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs," from the Christmas holidays his fifth year. The silvery white stag burst forth, galloping effortlessly through the magical barriers surrounding the Burrow. It sprung gracefully through the glass paned window, the worn curtains fluttering slightly as it passed through. Harry started towards the door, reaching out to knock just as it swung open. Pulling back the hem of his cloak, he revealed his unkempt hair and bright green eyes, blinking at the bright light pouring out of the tiny kitchen as Mrs. Weasley ushered him in.

"Come inside, quickly," she said, her voice weary and strained. Harry noticed that she was significantly thinner, her ginger hair streaked with far more gray. He followed her in, hastily pulling the door shut behind him. Harry tugged at his cloak, pulling it off and tucking it under his arm as his eyes scanned the cramped kitchen. While the Weasley's kitchen would have looked crowded with less than half of the Weasley children, Harry could clearly see that the Order had suffered losses in his absence. Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher and Sturgis Podmore were all missing, and those that remained seemed older, thinner, drawn. All of the Weasleys, minus Percy, of course, sat around the worn table. Tonks, her hair a dull greyish blue and brushing against her jawline, was perched on a stool at the corner of the table, nestled between Arthur and Fleur. Lupin stood behind her, looking older than ever, his slender arm draped protectively over Tonks' shoulders. Mad-Eye Moody, Dedalus Diggle, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hagrid and Professor McGonagall stood along the back wall, their posture's rigid, their eyes focused on Harry.

"I've finished the task Dumbledore asked me to do," Harry started after a moment of strained silence. "It's time to end this war," he continued, his voice firm.

"And do you think you can explain whatever it was Albus had you doing now? Surely now that it's complete, you can share those details?" Professor McGonagall's harsh voice crackled against the tense silence. Harry's eyes met hers, surprised by the barely surpressed fury he saw etched on her face. Taking a deep breath, he pursed his lips before responding.

"Dumbledore had me...well, he had us," Harry started, motioning to his friends, who were clumped together near the stove, "tracking down and destroying horcruxes that Voldemort created, to keep him bound to our world."

A collective shudder flickered across the room as Harry said Voldemort's name, and Professor McGonagall let out a short, shocked gasp as she absorbed what Harry said. "Horcruxes? More than one? Potter, it's extremely rare that anyone could have had the power to create even one of those vile things...and you claim that You-Know-Who created more than one of them?" she asked, astonished.

"He created six. All but one are destroyed, and I'm going to destroy the last just as soon as we're done here," Harry told her.

"But, how did you know? Where did you find them?" She continued, still perplexed.

"Luck, and help from Dumbledore. He put all the information he knew into his pensieve, which you know he gave to me in his will. We'd already destroyed two before he died, and knew that Voldemort had made six total horcruxes from something Professor Slughorn had told us last year. Dumbledore had hunches as to what the remaining ones were, and now we've destroyed them all...all but the last one," Harry explained, his eyes moving to the entrance of the kitchen, where Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna were huddled. He cast them a quick, grateful grin before returning to McGonagall. Her eyes were narrowed, but now in thought, not disapproval.

"And you know what this final one is?" She asked.

"Well, we have an idea. Dumbledore believed that his snake, Nagini, acted far more loyal to him than a normal snake would, and he believes that Voldemort was still one horcrux short of his intended six when he found her. He killed Bertha Jorkins shortly before the triwizard tournament, and we believe that it was that death he used to create the final horcrux." Harry glanced around the room nervously, hoping that there were no spies among the Order members present. They all watched him with round, astonished eyes, amazed at his tale.

"But how will you destroy the snake? Surely Voldemort will have protections on her now, not to mention she's nearly always by his side. I doubt he'd let you just walk up and kill his pet snake, even if she wasn't carrying a piece of his soul," Shaklebolt asked.

"I...well, I'm not sure. I figured I'd see what I had available once I found her," Harry started.

"Nonsense, Potter, wherever Nagini is, Voldemort is. You'll need backup if you go on this suicidal mission," Moody said, thumping forward.

"No, it's best if I go alone...one person will be able to hide easier than a group," Harry said hastily over the murmurs of assent. "I'll send for you as soon as Nagini is dead - no doubt her death will alert Voldemort to my presence and he'll be eager to kill me. I know how I'll deal with him, once Nagini is dead, but I'm sure there will be more than a few Death Eaters eager to start a fight."

"But Harry, what if you can't kill Nagini on your own?" Hermione asked, her voice colored with worry.

"I'll have to. I'll think of something...but if you don't hear from me more than an hour after I've left, I'll probably have...well, someone will need to kill Nagini, then kill Voldemort. But I'm fairly certain that I'll be able to kill Nagini," Harry said. "But there's one thing I don't know, that I was hoping the order could help me with - do you know where Voldemort is right now?"

"The Death Eaters have taken over the ministry, so the Aurors haven't been focusing on tracking down Voldemort, but I have noticed a lot of magical activity around the old Lestrange Manor - They've got acres and acres of land that's been dormant since they were carted off to Azkaban, and since the mass breakout, it's lit up like they're holding a Quidditch World Cup all year long there. The exact location's unplottable, but the general vicinity has been on a watch list for decades. I'd wager that's where they've got their base of operations," Shaklebolt volunteered.

"I'll try there, then. Where is Lestrange Manor?" Harry asked him, moving towards the door.

"It's in the southeastern countryside, near a peninsula close to France. If you apparate to Lade beach and head inland you should come across it fairly quickly. Though be careful - there are some muggles residences close to the shoreline," Shaklebolt said. "They're mostly vacation homes, and should be vacant this time of year, but it'd be a good idea to use your invisibility cloak."

"I will, thanks," Harry said, moving to wrap his cloak around his shoulders. He reached for the door, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him.

"Harry, please sit down for a little bit, I'll make you some supper...there's no need to rush off right away, is there?" She asked, a note of panic in her voice. Harry turned to her, smiling sadly.

"I'd love to stay, but this needs to end, now. Surely you can understand that, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked gently.

"Molly, you know this is practically what he was born for. You can't delay his destiny, regardless of how much we all want to keep him safe. He's stronger than you give him credit for, and there will be plenty of time to feed him once he's completed his task," Lupin spoke up from the table. Murmurs of agreement came from the back wall as Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna made their way over to him.

"Be safe, Harry. I know you'll be great," Hermione said, hugging him.

"Killing a snake should be easy, compared to all we've been through," Ron said with a conspiratorial wink as he shook Harry's hand.

"Let us know when you're ready for us, we'll come back you up," Neville said eagerly.

"I'm fairly certain that there's nothing you can't do, Harry, but take this, just for good luck," Luna said, pulling off her butterbeer cork necklace and draping it around his neck. Harry smiled at his friends.

"I'll contact you as soon as it's done," he said, reaching for the door once again, but he was pulled into a gruff hug from Hagrid, who had made his way over to Harry with great difficulty in the crowded kitchen.

"I'll tear 'em all to pieces if they hurt you, Harry," he said roughly, dropping fat tears on Harry's head. Harry smiled at him, then stepped over to Mrs. Weasley and hugged her. She had crossed her arms across her chest at Lupin's interjection, but dissolved into tears as Harry twined his arms around her.

"You're the closest thing I've ever had to a mother, Mrs. Weasley. I can't thank you enough, and I promise you I'll be as careful as I can," he said softly. She only wailed louder, clinging to him for a few moments until Mr. Weasley gently pried her away. Harry walked towards the door, reaching for the handle until a slender hand closed around his wrist.

"Come back to me," Ginny whispered, kissing him with that blazing fire he'd always loved about her. He blushed, embarrassed that she would show such affection in front of the entire Order. But he kissed her back, hard, losing himself for just a moment in her warm, fiery softness. She pulled away, reluctant, her cheeks flaming, but a satisfied smile on her face.

Harry waved farewell to the remnants of the Order, then pulled his invisibility cloak over his head and stepped into the steadily darkening night. Closing his eyes, he focused on Shaklebolt's words, mentally picturing a map of the UK and focusing on the general area he was aiming for. He felt a hard pressure, as though he was being squeezed through a gigantic rubber tube, then smelled the fresh, salty air.

He'd apparated right into the middle of high tide, and found himself knee deep in ice cold sea water just off of a gray beach. The darkened houses that lined the coast were thoroughly muggle, their drives empty and kitchen lights off, despite the early-evening darkness. Splashing irritably towards the shore, Harry muttered "Lumos" under his breath and sent a small circle of white light on the foamy waves battering the sand. He continued inland, shaking off most of the water off his trouser-legs as he walked, searching for any sign of magic. He noticed a slight buzzing west of where he stood, though he could see nothing in the inky blackness. Walking past the road and abandoned houses, he could sense the source of the magical protections drawing nearer, but there was still no sign of Lestrange Manor. He continued up the road a fair ways, coming across a cobbled driveway framed by an intricate wrought iron fence.

The fence itself seemed to radiate magical energy, but Harry wasn't dissuaded. He stepped through, and though he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, nothing happened. He continued up the winding driveway, casting the light of his wand over the low bushes lining the cobblestones. The air was silent, only a touch of breeze off the sea, but Harry was concentrating so hard on his surroundings that he heard every insect chirp, every pebble skittering away from his feet as he walked. So, it was no surprise that he heard the low, whispered mutterings of a small man with a gleaming hand as he wandered the grounds of Lestrange Manor.

"Why am I always the one that has to tend to Nagini? The wretched snake can take care of herself, and I'd bet he just wants her to attack me, oh yes, I'd make a lovely meal for his precious snake. And of course it's not as if I can control where she goes, of course she'd dart away from me as soon as she's let out of the house...she'll only come if he calls her, I have no effect on her at all. I think they just want me out of the meetings, away from the real business because I was the one that led him to his downfall, no one recalls that I was the one that gave him the Potters, what he wanted above all..."

"Wormtail!" Harry whispered, astonished, pointing his wand at the balding, pudgy man. Wormtail gave a frightened squeak, fumbled for his wand, then dropped it.

"I'll call him! He'll kill you in two seconds once he knows you're here!" Wormtail said, his voice shrill. He tugged up the sleeve of his robes, his silver fingertips about to press against the inky black tattoo on his forearm.

"You will not," Harry said, sounding braver than he felt. "I saved your life, now you must help me. You won't call your master...return to the house if you must, but you won't send me to my death when I saved yours. Now, tell me where Nagini is."

"S-She's hunting. Won't be back until she's found enough food, or unless he calls. She only answers to h-him," Wormtail said, dropping to his knees and fumbling for his wand. Harry kept his wand trained on Wormtail's face.

"Does he call her using Parseltongue?" Harry asked.

"O-Of course. It's the only way she can hear him," Wormtail stammered.

Harry dropped his wand and pictured the long, black snake in his mind. The image came freely, and as he imagined her violent yellow eyes, his mouth produced an eerie hissing sound.

"Come," he beckoned the snake.

For a moment, nothing happened. Harry looked at Wormtail, who fidgeted horribly under Harry's gaze. Then a heavy slithering sound approached, and Harry saw her eyes gleaming in the darkness, her poisonous fangs dripping, eager.

"Leave if you must, but I will kill this snake," Harry said to Wormtail. He needed no more encouragement, and ran clumsily up the drive.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry cried, just as the snake reared back to strike him. She froze for just a moment, all life gone from her eyes as the flash of green light brightened the grounds. As she fell, searing pain as he had never felt before shot across his scar.