Trinity

Chapter 3

The trip to the Leaky Cauldron was mercifully short; Ernie Prang's driving had deteriorated and Harry wondered if that had anything to do with the arrest of Stan Shunpike. The new conductor was surly and brusque and all in all Harry was glad to get off when the bus screeched to a halt in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

He quickly made his way through the pub and out the back, tapping the bricks to open the portal into Diagon Alley. As he walked briskly to Gringotts he noticed he wasn't the only one moving in that fashion. Most of the people there only seemed interested in getting their shopping done and getting home. Harry understood how they were feeling and he was glad that the goblins were as quick and efficient as always. He was glad to escape out into Muggle London and he immediately headed for the Underground. He knew where he needed to go from Aunt Petunia's frequent visits to shop for both herself and Dudley.

He got his shopping done as quickly as possible. Hermione was right, until they really knew what Voldemort was doing they were at risk every time they left Grimmauld Place. So he just went after the basics: underwear, t-shirts, jeans, shirts, jumpers. The only non-essential item he bought was a long black overcoat that he fell in love with the moment he laid eyes on it. It took him just over an hour to finish then he ducked down an alley and called the Knight Bus again. He ignored the snide comments from the conductor and settled down as best as he could for the ride back to Grimmauld Place. As soon as they got there he grabbed his parcels and hurried inside. He walked up the corridor and stuck his head inside the library. He smiled to see Hermione still sitting in the comfortable armchair, surrounded by books and deep into her reading. Ron was walking along the bookshelves, frowning and occasionally pulling out books and adding them to the piles on the tables.

"I'm back," he said quietly.

Ron and Hermione jumped then gave him looks of relief.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Diagon Alley's pretty tense."

"I'll bet it is," Ron said grimly.

Harry headed up to his room and quickly put his clothes away. He then headed back downstairs to join Ron and Hermione.

"So how long have we got before your parents start panicking?" he asked as he walked back into the library.

"My parents won't," Hermione said. "I mean they're worried but I managed to convince them that this is something I have to do." She paused and grimaced. "It sort of helped that I'm already considered of age in the wizarding world and I'm only a couple of months off being of age in the Muggle world. I basically shoved it in their faces that I'm an adult now."

"That can't have gone down well," Harry said.

Hermione bit her lip. "Not really. They're scared; scared that I'm going to get hurt or killed, scared that they're going to get hurt."

"I told Aunt Petunia that it might be a good idea for them to go away on a holiday," Harry said.

"Will they believe you?" Ron asked sceptically.

Harry paused. "Aunt Petunia probably will," he said slowly. "She knows who Voldemort is and what he's capable of. She doesn't like to admit it but she knows." He looked over at Ron. "What about your parents?"

Ron looked down at his shoes and slumped down into a chair. "They...they don't know I've left."

Harry looked over at Ron in shock as Hermione yelped, "Ron!"

Ron gave them an exasperated look. "What was I supposed to do? Tell Mum I was running off to throw myself in the way of danger? You both know what she's like! She'd have had me in the full body bind for the next ten years!" He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I left a note in my bedroom. If she hasn't found it by now, she will around dinner time."

Harry sat down in one of the chairs, thinking furiously. "Alright. We need to find a way of convincing your Mum and the others that we're doing what has to be done. Okay...we'll give your Mum a day or two to calm down a fraction then we'll send her a letter with Hedwig to let her know we're safe. We'll also ask her to call an Order meeting at..." He paused and thought for a moment. "...at Hogwarts, I think. We can explain ourselves then." He looked over at his friends. "How does that sound?"

"Well, I think you're being optimistic about Mum calming down any in just a couple of days but other than that it sounds fine," Ron said glumly.

"Why Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"It's the safest place until we can let everyone know that Headquarters is still available," Harry explained. "Remember they can't find this place anymore until I tell them where it is."

"Oh, yes, of course," Hermione said, looking chagrined. "With the new Fidelius going up, it'll hide again even though they knew its location under Dumbledore's Fidelius." She paused. "That's very neat, you know. The creator of that spell thought it out well."

"So that's the plan then?" Harry looked over at his friend. They both nodded then Harry reached for one of the many books on the table. "I guess we'd better get to work then."

Ron and Hermione both sighed and also turned to the books on the tables.

*******************************************************************************

For the rest of the week they continued their research, not just into the problem of the Horcruxes but, when Harry brought down the potions book, into the spells that Snape had created when he was a student. Hermione spent hours pouring over the scratchy notes and comments, writing out the spells and their counters in her neat handwriting and writing out the various potion instructions with their updated and improved techniques. She intended to establish a potions laboratory in the cellar for them to use, saying that if they intended to carry out their plans they were going to need it. They no longer had access to a Potions Master, however unfriendly.

Their only break had come when they composed the note to Mrs Weasley. It had taken five rewrites and the combined work of all three to get something they were all happy to send off with Hedwig. The letter had been polite but firm:

Dear Mr and Mrs Weasley,

We wanted to let you and everyone else know that we are fine. We are safely protected by the Fidelius Charm at Headquarters and are being well-looked after by Dobby and Kreacher. We're sorry that you have been so worried but this is something that we have to do. Harry made a promise to Professor Dumbledore that he would see this finished and that is why we have done what we have done.

We would like to ask you to assemble the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts this Saturday evening at eight pm. We will arrive by Floo into the Headmaster's office. We feel that we ought to tell the Order why we have done this and what we still need to do. It seems only right.

Thank you.

Love,

Harry, Ron and Hermione

Hermione had also rather nervously presented them with a symbol she had drawn to represent their new Trinity. She had been relieved when both Harry and Ron had liked it thought that had turned into exasperation when Ron suggested they get tattoos of the symbol. Harry had pretended to like the idea to tease Hermione but had finally given up the game by laughing. Hermione had spent most of the rest of the evening scolding the two boys. She had then, in a tart response, transfigured one of the old golden candlesticks into three cloak pins in the shape of the symbol. The two boys were delighted and immediately pinned them to their shirts, making Hermione blush and smile.

When Saturday evening arrived they all dressed neatly and used Hermione's cloak pins to secure the long black cloaks they had found in a room upstairs. Dobby had been thrilled to adjust the cloaks for their use and the three of them felt they would make an appropriate impression on the adults they were about to face. They then walked into the kitchen and, one by one, flooed through to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. They emerged to find Professor McGonagall and Alastor Moody waiting for them.

"Potter," Moody growled, his false eye roving over all three of them. "Tell me something to prove you are who you say you are."

"At the celebration for Ron and Hermione becoming prefects, you showed me that photo of the original Order of the Phoenix," Harry said promptly. "You told me that Elphias Doge used to wear a stupid hat and that you'd only met Aberforth Dumbledore once and you thought he was a strange bloke."

Moody gave a rough laugh. "You're Potter alright. Come on, we're all down in the staff room."

He turned and stumped out of the office, with Ron and Hermione on his heels. Harry paused and waited for Professor McGonagall and they walked down together.

"How are you really, Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked. She looked tired and weary.

"I'm fine," Harry said softly.

McGonagall nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder briefly. They walked the rest of the way down to the staff room in silence then Moody ushered them into the room. The moment they stepped inside, Mrs Weasley descended upon them and opened her mouth.

"Mum! Don't start," Ron said firmly though he was a little green around the edges. "We are not playing games. This is something we have to do." He took a deep breath. "We can't just pretend everything's alright anymore and that the most important thing that's ever going to happen to me is becoming Prefect. I think this is the most important thing I'm ever going to do."

Mrs Weasley stared at Ron for a long moment then she pulled him into a fierce hug and wept into his shoulder.

"Mum...don't..." Ron said weakly, gingerly patting his mother on the back.

Mr Weasley walked up to them with a sad but proud smile and pried his wife off their son. "It's alright, Ron. We're very proud of you. Your mother was just worried."

"I know and I'm sorry that I left that way," Ron said sheepishly. "I just thought if I tried to tell her she'd lock me up for the next ten years."

Mr Weasley chuckled as he guided his wife to a chair. "You're probably right there, son."

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Moody said gruffly and everyone began to shuffle into seats around the table. Finally only Harry was left standing and only one chair was left empty, the chair usually inhabited by Professor Dumbledore, and everyone looked expectantly at Harry.

Harry frowned at them. "What's going on? Who's leading the Order now?"

"Dumbledore left instructions," Moody growled. "He was very specific. You lead the Order now."

Harry's jaw sagged. "What?" he yelped.

"Professor Dumbledore was very clear," McGonagall said with a tiny waver in her voice. "In the event of his death, you were to take over the leadership of the Order of the Phoenix. He wrote that it was your right and your proper place."

"Will you accept the job?" Moody said sternly.

Harry stared at everyone around the table and was shocked to see only expectation and encouragement. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"Yes," he said as firmly as he could manage. "I accept the leadership of the Order of the Phoenix."

The moment he finished saying the words there was a flash of fire in the middle of the table and a scarlet and gold phoenix appeared. For a moment Harry thought it was Fawkes but then he realised the pattern of scarlet and gold feathers on the bird was different than those Fawkes had worn. The phoenix leapt into the air and circled the room, singing its beautiful song. Harry could see everyone's shoulders straightening a bit and their heads lifted as the phoenix song worked its magic. The phoenix circled the room one more time then came to land on Harry's shoulder.

Moody was the first to break the silence that had fallen when he chuckled roughly. "Good sign, boy. Now let's get this meeting going."

The grizzled ex-Auror's rough words seemed to break everyone out of their trance and Harry grinned and sat down. The phoenix moved to perch on the back of the chair.

"I wasn't quite expecting this, so I'm not exactly prepared," Harry said with a wry half-smile. "I actually asked for this meeting to tell why Ron, Hermione and I have taken the actions that we have and what we are going to be doing."

"Why you?" Mrs Weasley burst out.

"Because this is what I have to do," Harry replied. "Professor Dumbledore showed me that. And since Ron and Hermione refuse to leave me, I figured they should be as well-trained and well-informed as I intend to be. It seems to be the only way to protect them.

Mrs Weasley subsided, looking nervous and unhappy but Harry could see the pride lurking in the depths of her eyes.

"Has this got something to do with the prophecy?" Remus asked softly. He was sitting next to Tonks and they appeared to be holding hands under the table.

Harry nodded. "I gather that Professor Dumbledore hasn't told very many of you about the prophecy. Well, that's probably a good idea. What you don't know, you can't tell Voldemort."

"Good thinking, Potter," Moody growled his approval. "Do you believe the prophecy?"

"Does it matter?" Harry countered. "That's one of the things Professor Dumbledore taught me this year. It doesn't matter whether or not I believe in the prophecy. Voldemort believes in it."

People shifted nervously around the table.

"So what exactly are you after?" Moody asked.

"Training, first and foremost," Harry replied. "Proper training. Auror kind of training. Stuff that will keep the three of us alive." He paused and looked the old Auror squarely in the eye. "We were kind of hoping you might be willing to do that."

Moody smiled, a rather intimidating sight, and chuckled. "Course I will, Potter. Bout time you realised what you're going to need."

Harry relaxed a little. He'd thought he might have to argue the point with Moody.

"Are you going to ask us to fight?" an elderly witch asked nervously.

Harry shook his head. "No, not if you can't defend yourselves to the fullest. I guess for now I'd like you to continue your old jobs. Keeping an eye on known and suspected Death Eaters and recruiting for the Order." He looked around and made a snap decision. "In fact if anyone doesn't want to do more than that, I might ask you to leave now. Not because I don't value your contribution, in fact your contribution will be vitally important. But I do want to protect you as much as possible. It's probably best if you don't know our plans and whatnot."

Heads nodded around the table and after a short burst of discussion, a number of people stood and left. When the door closed behind them, Harry looked around at those who remained. Ron and Hermione had moved to sit on either side of him. Mr and Mrs Weasley had stayed, along with Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Fred and George. Remus and Tonks had stayed as had Moody and Professor McGonagall. Kingsley Shacklebolt was still there along with Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge and Dedalus Diggle. Sitting at the other end of the table was an elderly man that Harry did not know but he did recognise from the photo Moody had shown him. The elderly man stood and moved around the table to a nearer seat.

"We've never met," he said amiably. "But I have heard a great deal about you, Mr Potter. My name is Aberforth Dumbledore." He stood and held out his hand.

Harry shook the older wizard's hand solemnly. Aberforth looked tired and grim though there was a twinkle in his eye that reminded Harry a great deal of the Headmaster. "Welcome, sir," he said politely.

"None of that," Aberforth said with an airy wave of his hand. "Call me Abe, Mr Potter."

Harry smiled. "Then call me Harry."

Abe returned the smile then Moody caught their attention.

"I think it's time you called all of us by our names, Harry," he growled. "Seems stupid for our leader to be using such formal titles."

Harry grinned wryly. "I'll try."

"Do that," Moody said. "Now, what's this all about?"

Harry sighed and sat down. "First of all, anything you learn here is going to put you all at terrible risk. Are you sure you wish to stay?"

"None of us are going anywhere," Fred said soberly.

"We're in it for the long haul," George agreed.

Harry nodded once. "Alright. Professor Dumbledore spent some time showing me various key points in the life of Voldemort and his parents through memories in his pensieve. It was all really leading up to one memory, a...corrupted memory."

"Corrupted? How? From whom?" Minerva asked.

"Well, I suppose not corrupted," Harry said with a grimace. "Perhaps a better word would be altered. The memory had been deliberately altered by the person who owned it because he didn't want to admit to what he'd done. One of the tasks the Headmaster gave me last year was to get an unadulterated copy of that memory."

"Obviously you succeeded," Bill observed. He seemed mostly unchanged except for the terrible scars on his faces though Harry did notice that he seemed somewhat leaner than before. "Whose memory was it?"

"Professor Slughorn," Harry said, much to nearly everyone's surprise. He took a deep breath before he continued. "The young Voldemort seemed to be a member of Professor Slughorn's 'Slug Club' and one night after everyone else had left, he asked Professor Slughorn a question. A question the Professor answered and later wished he hadn't hence his attempt to change the memory. It was a question about...Horcruxes."

Several faces paled around the table and there were audible gasps.

"Why did Voldemort ask about Horcruxes?" Moody growled dangerously.

"He wanted to know how to make them, something Professor Slughorn didn't know," Harry answered. "And he wanted to know whether it would be possibly to split one's soul between more than one Horcrux."

The pale faces paled even further.

"That's how he survived, isn't it?" Mrs Weasley whispered. "After the Killing Curse rebounded off you and hit him. Because he'd already made a Horcrux."

Harry nodded grimly. "Not just a Horcrux. Professor Dumbledore believed, and I agree with him, that he'd made five Horcruxes by that time and he was planning on creating his sixth and final Horcrux that night...using my death."

Silence reigned in the room and Harry saw that all of the others except for Ron and Hermione were wearing horrified and frightened looks, even Moody looked seriously discomposed.

"He wanted to create six Horcruxes? Why?" Remus whispered.

"He wanted to split his soul into seven parts," Harry explained. "He felt that seven was a magically powerful number."

"But he failed," Tonks said.

"Temporarily," Harry replied. "Professor Dumbledore believed that he created his sixth Horcrux after he recreated himself at the Third Task."

"You're meant to destroy these Horcruxes, aren't you?" Charlie said, his freckles standing out sharply on his pale face.

Harry nodded. "I have to, otherwise there's no point in trying to kill Voldemort. The same thing that happened after the Killing Curse rebounded would just happen again. All of the Horcruxes must be destroyed before Voldemort can be destroyed."

"How are you supposed to find them?" Minerva said, sounding appalled.

"Two have already been destroyed," Harry said firmly. "One...has been found but I think it still needs to be destroyed. So there are still three left."

"Do you know what they are?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded. "One, and I think it might have been the first one he created, was the diary that Lucius Malfoy slipped into Ginny's books five years ago. The Tom Riddle who emerged from the diary was about the same age as the Tom Riddle in Slughorn's memory. So that one's been destroyed. The second one was the ring that I'm sure many of you saw Professor Dumbledore with this year. He was able to destroy it though you saw what it cost him. The third..." His voice broke and trailed off and he ducked his head.

"Harry?" Mrs Weasley said with concern.

Harry raised his head and they all saw the tears standing in his eyes. "The third was a locket that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin. It had been in the family of Voldemort's mother. It...We...went after it, Professor Dumbledore and I. That's why we weren't at Hogwarts...that...night." The tears started to trickle slowly down Harry's face. "But it wasn't until after it was all over, when I took the locket from Professor Dumbledore's pocket that I found out it was a fake." He clenched his hands into fists. "It was a fake!" he growled. "He died for nothing!"

"No, he didn't." Abe's stern voice stopped them all. Harry raised his head to look at the Headmaster's brother. "He did not die for nothing," Abe repeated firmly. "Did you know it was a fake when you found it?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then he died believing he had achieved a goal," Abe said quietly. "He died knowing you were safe and able to take up his mantle. He did not die for nothing."

"So there is one missing that we have to find," Moody said, breaking the silence.

Harry shook his head. "No, there was a note tucked into the fake locket. It was signed R.A.B. It was Regulus Black. He didn't back out of the Death Eaters because he was a coward. He somehow found out what Voldemort was up to, he somehow found out about the Horcrux. I think he knew about the locket and not any of the others. He took the real Horcrux and left the fake. I think he intended to destroy it somehow but he was killed by Voldemort before he could do that."

"Then where is the locket?" Moody asked.

"I have it," Harry said. "It was Hermione who worked out where it was. Regulus hid it in plain sight. It was tucked away amongst all the other Dark objects in those glass-fronted cabinets in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. The ones we cleaned out last summer."

The others gaped at Harry and he smiled grimly at them.

"Kreacher had stolen out of the rubbish bag and hid it in his things," Harry continued. "I ordered him to give it to me. Told him that I knew what Regulus wanted done with it and that I would see it done." He sighed wearily. "I just don't know how to destroy it. We've been searching the library all week in the hopes there might some mention of Horcruxes in some of the Dark books in there."

"I'll search Albus' belongings and papers," Abe said firmly. "He may have left some information somewhere in all his rubbish." He shook his head fondly. "Honestly, the man was like a magpie."

"I'll help you," Minerva said.

"There may be another way," Harry said tentatively. "We're fairly sure we're on the right track with this though only time will tell. I told you that Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow not just to kill me but to use my death as a way of creating his sixth and final Horcrux. Well, we've speculated that an object that is going to become a Horcrux must be prepared in some fashion."

"That makes sense," Bill said. "Any object that is going to be used as a reliquary for magic has to be prepared or it can be broken or warped by the magic."

"That's what we thought," Harry said. "Well, then we can assume that when Voldemort's body was destroyed, the object was left behind. Does anyone know what happened with my parents' things at Godric's Hollow after I was taken and the smoke cleared?"

"Not much was left," Minerva said slowly. "The house was mostly destroyed. I believe the Aurors took Voldemort's robes and wand but I think everything else was just...well, thrown into crates and put in the Potter vault."

"Oh, I do have a family vault," Harry said suddenly. "I didn't know."

"You'll get access to it when you come of age," Minerva said. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you hadn't been told."

Harry nodded. "That's okay..."

"You think the proto-Horcrux is among the stuff that was taken from your home," Moody said bluntly.

"Yeah," Harry said. "That's the theory anyway."

"And if it's there, we can maybe work out how to destroy a Horcrux by working out how it was put together," Hermione said.

"Because I'd really like to keep my hands intact, thank you very much," Harry said dryly.

"I can make some enquiries with some of my more...dubious contacts," Abe said thoughtfully. "Some of them might know something about Horcruxes...or might know where to start looking."

"So what are the other Horcruxes?" Moody asked.

"Okay, we've done the diary, the ring and the locket," Harry said, counting them off on his fingers. "The others are a cup that used to belong to Helga Hufflepuff, something that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw and Nagini, Voldemort's snake."

"How do you know it's something that belongs to Ravenclaw?" Charlie asked.

"That was Professor Dumbledore's theory," Harry explained. "That Voldemort used significant things for his Horcruxes. Specifically objects that used to belong to the Founders. He has Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. The Headmaster was sure that the only known relic of Godric Gryffindor is the sword so that left something from Rowena Ravenclaw. Is there any list of remaining relics of the Founders?"

"Gringotts might have something," Bill said thoughtfully. "I'll ask."

"We might have a list here at Hogwarts. I'll see what I can find," Minerva added.

"So 'ow will you find ze missing 'Orcruxes?" Fleur asked.

"That's a very good question," Harry said wryly. "Nagini is easy enough to find but the cup and the Ravenclaw artefact are probably hidden like the locket was."

"Abus may have had some clues," Abe said. "I'll look."

Silence reigned for a moment as they considered the immensity of the task in front of them.

"Where do we start?" Bill said firmly.

"Training," Harry replied firmly. "We need training if we're going to get those Horcruxes. So that's the place to start along with research." He paused then gave a sheepish laugh. "Oh, we've put Grimmauld Place back under the Fidelius so we can still use it as Headquarters. It's probably more convenient than Hogwarts." He looked around. "Headquarters is located at Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London."

"Who performed the charm?" Minerva asked.

"I did," Hermione said. "But Harry's the Secret Keeper."

"Well done, Miss...Hermione," Minerva said approvingly.

Hermione blushed and smiled. Harry grinned at his friends then looked down at his watch.

"Look, we ought to get back to Grimmauld Place," he said. "Prof...Alastor, when do you want to start our training?"

"I'll come 'round tomorrow afternoon and we'll sort out a schedule," Moody said with a grin.

Harry nodded then collected Ron and Hermione with a glance. They said goodbye to everyone, with Mrs Weasley giving them all fierce hugs. Bill and Fleur made sure they would be attending the wedding then Minerva took them back up to the Headmaster's office. She stopped them before they could Floo back.

"Do you all know how we used to communicate with each other?" she asked.

"You use your Patronus, don't you?" Harry said.

Minerva nodded. "Concentrate on the message you want to send and who you want to send it to then cast the Patronus spell. You can send the same message to more than one person using the one Patronus."

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded then they said goodbye and Flooed back home.