Trinity

Katling

Story Summary:
Harry now knows what he has to do - find and destroy the Horcruxes and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione refuse to leave his side and they choose to become something that the Dark Lord will fear...the Trinity.

Chapter 13

Chapter Summary:
The aftermath of the Trinity's first mission continues as Harry has to come to the realisation that he still has many things to learn. Also a new avenue of investigation is opened.
Posted:
08/20/2005
Hits:
1,795


Chapter 13

Harry stormed up the stairs and slammed the door at the top open. He charged down the corridor, pushing past the two people standing in the hallway without looking and ran up the stairs. Once he got to his room, he slammed the door closed behind him and paced around, his fists clenched angrily.

"He can't do that!" he burst out after several minutes of pacing back and forth, his feet thudding angrily into the carpet. "Who is he to make that kind of decision?"

"An experienced Auror whom you chose to train you," came a voice from the doorway.

Harry yelped in surprise and whipped around. It was a measure of how angry he had been that he hadn't even heard the knock on the door or the door subsequently being opened. When he turned he saw Tonks standing in the doorway. He glared at her then went back to his pacing. Tonks walked further into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Remus told me what happened," she said calmly, ignoring the glare Harry directed at her. "Then I got the brief overview of what Moody said to you. He's right, you know."

Harry stopped pacing and slowly turned to face Tonks. The young Auror ignored the angry look on his face.

"And I can't believe you spoke to him like that," she continued soberly. "It doesn't matter who you are or what your role is. You handed over the responsibility of your training to Moody. It's his job to determine when you are ready for field operations. You deliberately put yourself and your team in danger. I can tell you for a fact that would get you automatically suspended from field duties in the Aurors. And not only that, you'd probably be up on disciplinary charges. You are not supposed to endanger your fellow Aurors or yourself in that manner."

Harry flinched at that then he shook his head and glared again. "He can't stop me from going after the Horcruxes!"

Tonks sighed. "He's not going to. For Merlin's sake, Harry! Stop just reacting and think! He's done exactly what would have happened in the Aurors. He's suspended you from field operations until you are a bit better trained. He's not stopping you entirely." She paused. "You need to learn to control your temper better. He won't lift the suspension until then."

Harry opened his mouth to say something scathing then the truth of what Tonks had said struck him and he closed it again. His shoulders fell and he slumped down onto the bed.

"I didn't mean to," he said quietly. "But it was Snape. And I was there when he..." He couldn't quite finish that sentence.

Tonks sighed and walked over to sit next to him. "I know you were," she said kindly. "And I think we all understand why you're angry with Snape. Hell, we are too. But Harry, if you want to be trained like an Auror, you're going to have to start acting like one as well and that means taking orders from time to time. Moody was right and I think you know that."

Harry took a deep breath then let it out. "I guess."

Tonks snorted and stood. "There's no I guess about it." She paused and looked down at Harry. "Think about it. Take your time. I doubt Moody's expecting you back down there today."

With that she walked out of the room leaving Harry to brood on everything that had been said to him that day.

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Severus woke with a start and looked around warily, a bit bewildered as to where he was. Then realisation set in at the sight of Albus Dumbledore ensconced in a chair by the fireplace, his brother sitting opposite him.

He'd come to the Hog's Head and the Headmaster's hiding place from the Gaunt's house and found the old man having difficulty breathing. After he'd found the Headmaster in the Shrieking Shack, he'd easily identified the potion the older man had drunk so copiously as the Pavidus Potion. A potion that causes a trembling, quaking fear to overcome the drinker. Normally not that dangerous but when the amount that the Headmaster had drunk was taken into consideration, well... The overdose of the potion had caused a certain amount of internal damage. The damage was not irreparable but it was debilitating while it was healing.

The emergency he'd walked into the previous night had not been life-threatening at that point in time and Albus had admitted he'd been about to summon Aberforth when Severus appeared. He'd dosed the Headmaster with potions to ease his breathing and to continue counter-acting the effects of the Pavidus then gotten the older man into bed where the Headmaster had succumbed to sleep. He'd been too tired from the meeting with the Dark Lord, the encounter with Potter and his friends and finally this little emergency to return to his temporary home so he'd chosen to sleep on the couch.

He sat up abruptly and smirked at the startled reactions from the two brothers.

"Ah, Severus," Albus said urbanely, recovering from the surprise well. "It's good to see you awake. I was a little worried. Are you well?"

Severus ran a hand down his face. "Quite well," he replied archly. "Yesterday was merely...eventful."

"Ah well, I apologise for my part in that," Albus said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Was the meeting that bad?"

Severus shook his head then gave Aberforth a thankful nod when the older man summoned some tea and toast. "No, the new potion I gave Nagini was perfect. I merely had to listen to the Dark Lord's usual ravings. No, it was after the meeting that matters became...interesting."

"Do tell," Albus said with a raised eyebrow.

Severus paused long enough to drink some tea and eat the toast, secretly enjoying the Headmaster's amused impatience.

"As I was leaving Riddle Manor, my eye was caught by light coming from the ruined house on the opposite hilltop," he began, leaning back on the couch, his tea cup in hand.

"The Gaunt's house," Albus murmured, looking intrigued. "I take it you went to investigate."

Severus nodded. "It was Potter, Granger and Weasley. Dressed in matching duelling robes and with matching symbols at their throats."

"Really?" Albus said, his lips twitching with amusement. "They do seem to be getting into the spirit of the thing, don't they?" Both Severus and Aberforth gave him looks of exasperation as he continued. "Do you know what they were doing there? Obviously they did not see you; you would have undoubtedly been a little more...riled last night."

"I have no idea why they were there," Severus replied, scowling at the Headmaster's last comment. "But they did know I was there." He paused and frowned. "I believe Potter had a snake with him. It scented me even though I was hiding."

Albus looked both intrigued and worried as he looked over at his brother. "A snake? Interesting. I believe that is a question best left for you to obtain the answer, Abe." He turned back to Severus, his expression settling completely into worried. "What happened, Severus?"

"Nothing," Severus replied bluntly. "I decided it was best not to respond in any way to the boy's provocation."

Albus sighed. "And I daresay he tried very hard to provoke."

Severus sneered. "Yes, your Golden Boy tried to provoke me in his childish way."

"He has cause," Abe said sharply. "He thinks you killed Albus. And you've been treating him unfairly for years."

"I am aware of that and there were reasons behind everything I did," Severus replied equally sharply.

"Enough!" Albus said firmly. "Severus? Do you intend to tell Voldemort what you saw?"

Severus shook his head. "No. It might alert him to the fact that Potter is aware of the existence of the Horcruxes."

"He's not aware of Albus and Harry's little trip?" Abe asked.

"No," Severus replied. "He has not checked on any of his Horcruxes since they were hidden. He trusts in the protections and does not wish to draw attention to the hiding places by potentially being seen."

"Then I take it he also doesn't know when they've been destroyed," Abe said.

"No," Severus replied. The next was said carefully. "While I am sure he does not know of the destruction of the ring, I merely suspect that he does not know of the destruction of the diary."

"What?" Albus said sharply. "Lucius did not tell him?"

"From what little the Dark Lord has said on the matter, I gather he is not aware that Lucius possessed the diary," Severus replied. "And Lucius would not admit to a failed attempt at disrupting matters. How much the Dark Lord knows of what happened that year is unknown but certainly he has made no mention to me that he is missing a Horcrux." Severus glanced at the Headmaster's still injured hand; he'd yet to find any solution to that problem. "Missing two for that matter. He has always spoken of having six Horcruxes and that he has only created one since his return, that being Nagini."

"Good," Albus said with deep satisfaction. "Let us hope he remains ignorant on that score for some time to come."

Severus and Aberforth nodded in agreement.

"Now Severus, could I prevail upon you to show me your memory of your run in with Harry and his friends?" Albus asked, waving his hand towards a large, empty pensieve that was sitting on a table in the corner of the room.

Severus nodded and stood, walking briskly over to the marble bowl. He paused for a moment then pulled his wand out and gently drew the memory out, placing it into the pensieve. Albus and Aberforth joined him and the three of them plunged into the memory. They chose a place halfway between the three students and the hidden Severus and watched the drama play itself out until the trio disappeared.

The Headmaster was silent until Severus reclaimed his memory and the three of them were seated once again.

"I must commend you on your restraint, Severus," Albus said thoughtfully. "Harry was quite angry and very thoughtless. I had hoped the two of you might move past this animosity..." He sighed and waved his hand. "Well, nevermind that for now. Did you see the snake wrapped around his wrist?"

Abe nodded. "Mmm, an adder of some kind."

Albus nodded. "And oddly familiar. I believe Harry and I have seen that snake before in another man's memories. Curious that it survived so long. I believe that snake once belonged to Morfin Gaunt."

Suddenly Abe chuckled and the other two men looked at him curiously.

"Moody's going to be mightily unimpressed with young Harry," he said in response to their curious glances. "He's been quite serious about their training and I've no doubts he's going to want to do a full debriefing this morning. Pity I'm not there. Between Harry's temper and Moody's temper, it should be quite the showdown."

Albus chuckled while Severus sneered.

"And who do you think will win?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Moody," Abe said decisively. "His is the voice of experience after all."

"What is the meaning of the symbol at their throats?" Severus asked Abe curiously.

"Trinity," Abe replied. "They decided that since Albus is dead they needed to give Voldemort something else to fear. They thought the Trinity would do nicely."

Severus sneered though there was a certain amount of interest and perhaps even respect in his eyes. "The Dark Lord already hates and fears Potter," he said sourly.

"Ah but this is not designed to make Voldemort fear Harry per se," Dumbledore said wisely. "They wish to make him fear the Trinity. Harry, Ron, Hermione."

Severus looked dubious but nodded anyway.

"When do you have to return to him?" Albus asked, changing the subject slightly.

"Tonight," Severus replied with a sigh. "The potion I gave Nagini last night should be showing some signs by then. This potion will induce some slight improvement before sending her into a gradual decline."

"And what price will you pay when she dies?" Abe asked bluntly.

"Nothing that I am not prepared for," Severus replied flatly.

Abe grunted, concern flashing in his eyes, before pushing himself to his feet and heading upstairs without another word.

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Harry spent the morning in his room but retreated up to the attic when he heard people moving around downstairs at lunchtime. It was Dobby who brought him his lunch and returned for the dishes but the little house elf was uncharacteristically quiet. Harry wondered why but suspected Dobby had been warned not to bother him today.

His thoughts kept going round and round in his mind but always seemed to come back to the same conclusions. Moody was right. He had been reckless. He had endangered not only himself but his friends. And he did have a problem with his temper. In the cold light of day he was even feeling a tiny bit ashamed to have used that horrible nickname that his father and godfather had invented. His thoughts might have continued to spiral downwards if two warm bodies hadn't sat down on either side of him.

"We weren't in that much danger," Ron said casually.

"Mmm," Hermione agreed. "If Snape was going to hex us, he'd have done it from the start. I wonder why he didn't."

Ron groaned comically, drawing Harry out of his introspection. "You're not going to start that again, are you?"

"Start what?" Hermione said tartly, folding her arms across her chest.

"The whole odd thing you had going last night," Ron replied.

Harry looked between the two of them, the strange conversation having successfully distracted him. "What odd thing?" he asked in a baffled tone. Then he blinked. "Why are you having odd conversations?"

Ron snickered as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I just mentioned to Ron that I thought it was odd that Dumbledore pleaded with Snape," she said in a long-suffering tone and with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But it is odd that Snape wouldn't take the chance to attack you, Harry. I mean you did give him ample opportunity."

Harry groaned. "If you two have come up here to give me yet another lecture, you can go back downstairs right now," he said firmly.

"Come on, mate. Would we do that?" Ron asked lazily.

Harry was silent for a long moment. "Do I have to answer that question? Ow!" He grabbed his arm where Hermione had smacked it and swallowed a smile. "Hey! That hurt!"

"Serves you right," Hermione said tartly. "And no, we did not come up here to lecture you. We came up to make sure you were alright."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I guess I am. I just...I don't know." He sighed again. "I owe him an apology, don't I?"

"He...was...right," Hermione said tentatively.

"You've got to remember there's a bigger picture, Harry," Ron said equally tentatively. "We've got to get the Horcruxes and destroy them then destroy Voldemort. If we get Snape along the way then that's good but if we don't, we don't." He paused and shrugged his shoulders. "We can always get him later. It's not like there's not going to be people out after his blood after all."

"The Order will take care of him if nothing else," Hermione added.

Harry drew in a deep breath then let it out gustily. "I know and...you're right. I'm sorry. I guess I just lost my mind a bit out there last night."

"You had good cause but you've got to learn to control your temper," Hermione said. "I suspect Moody could give you a few tips going on what he said to us today."

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"He kind of implied that he'd had problem with his temper when he was younger as well," Hermione said.

"Is he still here?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head. "Nah, he left about half an hour ago."

"I'll speak to him tomorrow morning then," Harry said almost grimly.

"Don't take long," Ron warned. "The wedding's tomorrow afternoon. We've got to be back at the Burrow by eleven."

Harry groaned. "I'd almost forgotten. So how many Aurors are going to be there for this thing?"

"Most of them to hear Tonks tell it," Ron said with a grin. "And the place is warded to a fare-thee-well. Dad, Kingsley, Remus and Tonks have spent most of the week there putting them up."

"Does Ginny like her dress? She was rolling her eyes about it last week," Harry said as the atmosphere calmed around the three friends.

"I think she's complaining just for the sake of complaining," Hermione said with a smile. "She looks beautiful in it. So does Gabrielle for that matter."

"Where are Fleur's family staying?" Harry asked.

"Hogwarts," Hermione replied. "Minerva offered since none of the students are there." She paused and shook her head. "Does it feel strange to you to call our teachers by their first name?"

"A bit," Harry replied with a grin. "Better not get used to it. We won't be able to call them by name during class."

"Remus wouldn't mind," Ron said.

"Probably not but Minerva would," Harry said. "Can you imagine her reaction?"

Both Ron and Hermione blanched a little at that then Hermione got briskly to her feet.

"Come on," she said to the two boys. "It's not that long until dinner. Mrs Weasley won't be happy if we're late."

The two boys grumbled and nodded but got to their feet and the trio headed downstairs.

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The next morning Harry was up early and was the first downstairs. He pulled himself up on one of the tables to wait for Moody and tried to get his nerves under control. In spite of Ron and Hermione's assurances that the ex-Auror was not angry with him, he wasn't feeling very confident about this. His head jerked up when he heard Moody's distinctive thumping footsteps coming down the stairs and he jumped off the table and fidgeted slightly as he waited.

The door opened at the grizzled ex-Auror stumped into the room, one eyebrow going up when he saw Harry waiting for him.

"Potter," he growled in greeting.

Harry licked his lips nervously. "Professor Moody, I'd...like to apologise for what I said to you yesterday. I was wrong and I should never have spoken to you like that. You're right, I do need to learn how to control my temper."

Moody stared at him for a moment then gave a bark of laughter. "Apology accepted, Potter. I see I was right about you. You are a damned sight smarter than I was."

"Huh?" Harry said, a little startled that he seemed to have gotten off so lightly.

"You're hardly the first person to go off at their trainer like that, Potter," Moody said with amusement. "I did the same thing when I was a touch older than you. Took me three days to come to my senses."

"Well, I...a few people did speak to me," Harry admitted.

"A few people spoke to me," Moody countered. "I didn't listen to my advisors. Looks like you did." He chuckled again. "I'm not angry at you for what you said, Potter. One of the hardest things we can ever face is our own flaws. Admitting they exist is never easy but it's the first step towards overcoming them. You've got a problem reigning in your temper at times. But that can be overcome. I did it and so will you."

Harry nodded. "How?"

"By trying to provoke you during our training," Moody explained. "While losing control here has its dangers, it's nothing like the price you can pay in the field. So, I provoke you here and you learn to ignore it." Moody paused and looked sharply at Harry. "You've got to remember they're just words. Words can only hurt you if you let 'em. Snape calls you an arrogant brat, so what? You know you're not, you're friends know you're not and that's all that matters."

Harry nodded as Moody continued.

"You're angry at Snape for what he did and you want him dead," Moody growled. "Well, join the club. There's not a single member of the Order and hell of a lot of people outside the Order who wouldn't hesitate to strike the man down at first sight. What you've got to learn is whether it's the right time for you to strike. You've got a priority. Voldemort. You've got to learn how to calculate whether it's even worth going after Snape or whether doing that is just going to get you into trouble. Ultimately, and at its most objective, Snape is just a sideline for you. Leave him to the Order. Concentrate on your priority."

Harry sighed and his shoulders sag. "I guess you're right," he said slowly. "It's just...I was there."

Moody's expression became regretful. "I know, Potter...Harry. It was a hell of a thing for you to go through and I wish you hadn't had to. Hell, I wish it really had been me there in your Fourth Year. You shouldn't have had to go through that either. But you've come through both well; stronger too, I think."

Harry shrugged one shoulder. "It doesn't feel like it sometimes."

"It shows though," Moody said as the door opened again to admit Ron and Hermione. The two teens looked between Moody and Harry and the ex-Auror chuckled. "I haven't eaten him. Come on. I want to get as much done as I can before we all have to head off for the wedding. Get moving."

The trio rolled their eyes and started their morning ritual of stretching and running. Once that was done, Moody motioned for them to join him around one of the table where he had a map of the Little Hangleton area and he had them run through what happened at the house. He picked apart what they did and what they could have done. It wasn't a difficult task until they got to the moment when they left the house.

"How did Snape know you were there?" Moody asked.

"I'd say he saw the light from our wands," Harry said. "But how can we avoid that?"

Moody glanced at the three teens and raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting one of them to know the answer.

"Aren't there spells that can stop light escaping from a particular area?" Hermione said with a frown. "I'm sure I've read about them but I don't think there was an incantation included."

"There wouldn't have been," Moody replied. "And you're right, by the way. The knowledge of that spell is kept as quiet as possible for obvious reasons. I'll teach it to you within the next week."

The debriefing continued with Moody giving a harsh critique of their performance, particularly Harry's effort, and prodding them into coming with ideas of how they could have done better.

"We should have just used the portkey from inside the house, shouldn't we?" Ron suggested with chagrin.

Moody chuckled and nodded. "Got in one, Weasley. There were no wards on the house to prevent that. You always take the easiest option when getting the hell out of somewhere. You should have just activated the portkey from the bedroom."

The three teens exchanged chagrined looks.

"I didn't even think of that," Harry muttered.

"Neither did I," Hermione admitted reluctantly.

"Don't kick yourselves too hard," Moody advised. "Half the reason I let you go on this mission is because it was very low risk. It was really an ideal training mission. I didn't quite expect Snape to show up but he did prove useful since it seems he wasn't in the mood for a fight."

Hermione blinked. "Maybe he wasn't in any condition for a fight?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked then realisation hit him. "Oh, of course! He was probably coming from Riddle Manor which means there may have been some kind of meeting. He might have been hurt already."

Moody nodded. "Good. I was waiting to see if you would think of that. I doubt it was a full meeting. More Death Eaters would have seen you lot. Abe told us that Snape is now Voldemort's right hand man. It was probably a private meeting and likely he either said something wrong or didn't deliver what he was meant to. Snape being injured in some way is the most likely explanation for his restraint."

Moody then folded the map up and looked at Harry.

"Now, once we've got your temper under control, what was your next objective going to be?" he asked.

Harry leaned on the table and sighed. "I want to work some more on the proto-Horcrux and the locket. We've got the finish deciphering the Headmaster's notes and I'd like to make an attempt at the destroying the locket Horcrux before we go back to school." He looked over at Hermione. "How likely is that?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Bill's given me a whole lot of his notes on warding and protective spell. I wanted to go through them as well before we start. Remus was going to help me examine the proto-Horcrux." She bit her lip. "I think we might be able to make an attempt at the locket in the week before we go back to school."

"Good," Harry said as he settled himself a little more firmly against the table. "The biggest problem we face is finding the damn things. We know Nagini is probably in Riddle Manor which puts her off limits for the moment. But I don't where the others are."

"Didn't you say something about thinking that the memories that Professor Dumbledore showed you were important for more than just learning about Voldemort?" Ron asked. "That you thought they might show you where the Horcruxes are hidden?"

Harry nodded. "So?"

"What the orphanage?" Ron suggested. "Voldemort didn't like the place but it was fairly important to him. He grew up there and he did go back there every summer. Do you know where it is?"

"London, somewhere," Harry replied. "But I didn't recognise the street."

"Put your memory in the pensieve when we get back from the wedding," Moody suggested. "I'll have a look and get some people on to finding the place."

Harry thought for a moment. "Hermione, we also need to find some way of identifying the Horcrux because I don't know what the Ravenclaw artefact is." Hermione nodded as Harry continued. "But the orphanage might be a good place to go looking."

"Well done, Weasley," Moody said approvingly causing Ron's ears to go red.

Harry opened his mouth to say something then he paused as something occurred to him. "I wonder..." His voice trailed off.

"Harry?" Hermione said with concern.

"How difficult would it be to find someone who was at the orphanage?" Harry asked.

"They'd have records of all of the children who stayed there and where they went if adopted," Hermione said. "It may not be easy to track them down but it would be possible. Why?"

"I just wonder whether it would be worth talking to some of the children who were there with Voldemort," Harry said thoughtfully. "Maybe they could shed some light on other places he might have considered important when he was younger."

"Do you have any names?" Hermione asked. "It would be easier if we had somewhere concrete to start."

Harry nodded. "There were three children who had been directly affected by Voldemort when they were all children. They might be able to shed some light. There was a Billy Stubbs whose rabbit was killed by Voldemort. Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop. Voldemort did...something to them in that cave. The matron at the orphanage said they were never quite right after they came out of that cave."

Moody had been scrawling the names down on a piece of parchment. He walked over to the table which held the Headmaster's pensieve and tucked the parchment half under it.

"We'll get some people onto that," he growled as he glanced up at the clock on one wall. "It may be a dead end but it's worth checking out. Now get out of here. We've got a wedding to get ready for."

The three teens laughed and headed upstairs to get changed, Moody on their heels.