Destroying Slytherin's Locket

***

Harry stood up abruptly and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. "No," he muttered. Hermione and Ron exchanged worried looks.

The three of them were in Fred and George's room in the Burrow, which had now become Harry's.

Harry had insisted on his decision not to go back to Hogwarts, determined to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes of Voldemort, and then to destroy Voldemort himself. Ron and Hermione had decided to go with him, wherever he went, whatever he did.

Their decision was not welcome from their parents, of course. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had been about to faint when their daughter announced to them that she would quit school in order to help in the destruction of the most dangerous and powerful dark wizard alive. They tried to change her mind, to make her see the dangers of an act like this, to remind her that the thing that was most important for her was her studies. However, when Hermione calmly declared that if Voldemort killed them all then the studies wouldn't matter and that her decision wouldn't change, the Grangers understood that nothing could make their daughter change her mind. They assumed that they should have realized by now that this was coming. After all, Hermione preferred to spend half of her holidays in wizarding places as that was the world to which she belonged, whether they liked it or not.

Mrs. Weasley, when Ron told her the same thing that Hermione had told her parents, went as red as a tomato and her yells were heard until all the way to Ottery St. Catchpole. When she finished screaming, (Drop school! Outrageous!... You'll be in danger, Ron!... You can't!... You're not an Auror, you're just a child... You're not a fully qualified wizard yet!... Drop school, who would have thought... Harry mustn't either! Outrageous!) Ron, very calmly and seriously- as Hermione had advised him to be- declared that he was not going to change his mind. Mr. Weasley reminded weakly his wife that Ron was of age now and he could do whatever he wanted. When she didn't stop screaming, he asked her to calm down, and hugged her, while she was whimpering. In the end, she didn't have any other choice than to support Ron, Harry and Hermione in what they wanted to do.

Naturally, there were many people that tried to make Harry change his mind and go to school, Lupin, Mad-Eye, McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley. Their main reason was that he still had a lot to learn. Eventually, they were all forced to accept that Harry needed to fight the dark powers. Harry told them that the things he had to know, he couldn't learn at school.

In any case, Hogwarts had remained open with McGonagall as the Headmistress and many Aurors from the Ministry guarding the school, but there were just a few students that came back- those students whose parents believed they were safer at Hogwarts rather at their houses. Luna, Neville, Dean and Ginny were among them. Ginny returned only under the condition that she would be immediately owled if something important happened, in order to return home at once.

Now the trio was staying at The Burrow, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who, although members of the Order, didn't want to leave them alone.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix were using 12 Grimmauld Place as a headquarters again, but Harry was refusing to go there, refusing to go to the place Sirius had hated. It reminded him of Sirius and his unjust death too much. Besides, Harry hated the Blacks and anything that had to do with them- except his godfather of course. And now Hermione told him that...

"No," Harry said shortly. "You're wrong. You have to be."

"I might be," Hermione answered quietly, "but I think I'm not. All the evidence shows that, all the evidence shows that the locket has... has something to do with him."

Harry tangled his hand through his hair. He had decided that the first Horcrux he would search for would be the real locket. Along with Ron and Hermione, he was trying to find in books "who could be R.A.B.," the one that discovered Voldemort's secret to immortality, the one that had the ability to pass all the obstacles and steal the locket, and someone who was likely dead now. Hermione was ordering new books all the time, with biographies and information for the Founders of Hogwarts and now she had ended up with her conclusions.

"Ron agrees with me," said Hermione looking at Ron for support, but he was staring determinedly at the floor. "Ron agrees with me," she said more intensely.

"Yeah...." Ron looked sheepishly at Harry. "Yeah, mate, I agree. It all makes sense."

"Listen, Harry," said Hermione, "we've been looking for a R.A.B., right? We were searching for people who were into the dark arts or people that were Voldemort's enemies, and able to find the locket and that are now dead. When you fell asleep on the 'Biographies of Important Wizards Around the World,' Ron and I made a list with the wizards that we ended up with...." She unfolded a piece of paper. "Ruth Amanda Belldrane. She was an Auror, dead now, but she didn't seem able to find the cave and take the locket. Ralph Augustus Broadbone. Death Eater, but he was killed by Aurors. He was very faithful to Voldemort so I don't think he would ever destroy his Horcrux, even if he knew of its existence. Then Ron found Reena Ally Banet, who was very naïve though, she couldn't do something like that. There is Reynold Arnold Bundake, Death Eater, killed by Death Eaters because, while drunk, he betrayed those who they were planning to kill to an Auror. I don't think someone who gets drunk so often and reacts like that could find a Horcrux. So, we are searching for a qualified wizard, Death Eater at the start, but who then hated Voldemort and wanted to destroy him and he, R.A.B., knew it. An Auror couldn't know all these things about Voldemort."

"Yeah. And that couldn't be Raphael Alexander Billan, 'cause he loved You Know Who until the very last moment of his life," Ron added.

"You remember you found him, Harry," Hermione said. "You remember that you were the one that found him, in the book with the wizards of the last century and you rejected him at once. Regulus Alphard Black. Sirius's brother."

Harry stared at the garden. All this made sense. And, true, he was the one that had found Regulus's name in a book, but he didn't want to give his attention to him. From what he could tell though, Hermione had done her own research.

"He was a Death Eater. He must have been good, from what we know," she said.

"Sirius had said that Voldemort killed him when he wanted to leave him, when he got panicked from the things they asked him to do," Harry said.

"These were the rumors," Hermione sighed. "But I think, judging from what the books say- books that would be in the Restricted Section... that he panicked when he learned so many things about Voldemort, when he learned about the Horcruxes. He wanted to leave. He knew that the Death Eaters would kill him so he turned against him and stole the locket."

"And even if that's not the way it is," Ron said, "even if we're wrong, it's a start. At least we'll shut out Regulus."

"And if R.A.B. is Regulus, where could he have gone after stealing the locket except his own house that was protected so well?" Hermione went on.

Harry started tapping the windowsill nervously. "And if he returned to his house, which would be a better place to hide the locket than there? Since it was protected so well."

"Exactly!" Hermione said.

"He might have already destroyed it though," Harry said. "That was his intention anyway."

"He might have. But he might have not," she said quietly.

"That means we must go the Grimmauld Place," Harry summed up.

Hermione nodded. "We have to find out, Harry."

"But I don't want to go there! It reminds me of Sirius and Sirius hated it and-"

"We know, mate. It's too depressing, that house. But it's the first place we have to search. Besides... after Dumbledore, Hermione and Mad-Eye are the only people that are right most of the time."

Hermione smiled at him and he smiled back. Harry, noticing this "romantic" scene, smiled. "Uh oh. Fluff moment."

Hermione and Ron protested at once.

"Come on, Harry!"

"What fluff moment!"

"You're delusional!"

"I'm delusional? I'm just waiting to see when you two will... well... Anyway."

It was a common secret between the trio that Ron and Hermione fancied each other, but no one discussed that openly since Ron and Hermione hadn't admitted it straightly yet. Harry was just waiting to see when they would eventually decide to kiss. He now knew that even if his two best friends got together, they wouldn't leave him alone wanting to snog each other all the time.

Seeing them now staring at him impatiently, waiting for his response on whether or not they would go to the Grimmauld Place made him feel uncomfortable. He had a strong feeling that he was being ungrateful, after all that searching he was so negative to go to the only place that might be a good start to his fight against Voldemort. He should be the one pleading them to go, not the other way round!

"We'll go tomorrow to the Headquarters to search the house," he said. And to their relieved looks, he added, "It's not like I have a choice."

***

That same night at dinner, Harry announced to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley -and to Lupin and Tonks who had come by for a visit- that the following day they would go to the Grimmauld Place. Mr. Weasley said that he and Molly would go with them. Lupin and Tonks were rather pleased and, as Tonks said, "Cheers, we'll eventually eat some proper food in that place!"

***

When Harry entered the house at 12 Grimmauld Place next day, his mood became as gloomy as the walls of the living room. Fortunately we won't have Kreacher muttering curses every time he sees us, he thought.

As Harry and Ron were unpacking their stuff in their room, Hermione came in.

"Mrs. Weasley went immediately to clean the kitchen," she said. "It was a mess."

"So, where do we start the searching?" Ron asked.

"I say we start from the drawing room," Harry replied. He wanted to avoid two rooms, two rooms that he never wanted to enter in them again: Sirius's -since it reminded of him and it would be far too emotional for now, Regulus's- he was Voldemort's follower, guilty until proven innocent by finding the Horcrux.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

"Erm... And if you find a locket, don't touch it... It might be cursed."

***

After some hours of searching in every possible place in the drawing room, they didn't manage to find anything that was like a locket.

Ron collapsed in an armchair. Hermione continued looking around without moving from her place, biting her lip.

"There are more rooms..." Harry said wearily.

"What is it, Hermione?" asked Ron, who was observing her. "What are you thinking?"

"Remember when we cleaned the house with Sirius? We had thrown away a lot of things... And I'm afraid we might... we might..." She looked at Harry.

"We might have thrown away the locket as well?" he completed her sentence. "Great."

Ron started tapping vaguely on the armchair. "Cleaning... I remember that we had found a music box...Some pictures...Nah, I can't remember what else."

"Neither do I," Hermione said.

"That old stupid house-elf might remember, it kept on coming and nicking things..." Ron said annoyed.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other abruptly.

"What?" Ron protested. "Yeah, I said 'stupid house elf,' don't start me with the spew nonsense!"

"Ron! You just said it!" Harry shouted.

"What?"

"Kreacher!" said Hermione brightly.

"...What?"

"It might be in Kreacher's room!" Harry explained impatiently. "It belonged to Slytherin himself, he surely didn't want to leave something like that to be thrown away! Come on!"

Ron stood up and the three of them went quickly to the kitchen.

Hermione let out a chuckle that she couldn't restrain, Harry sat speechless and Ron grinned slyly. While Mrs. Weasley was cooking, Lupin and Tonks, sitting near the table, were kissing. The moment they saw Harry, Ron and Hermione, they stopped, embarrassed.

"Er... excuse us," said Lupin and stood up. Tonks gave him a look of adoration and stood up as well.

"Oh, go on, don't mind us!" Ron said grinning broadly.

Lupin held Tonks' hand and they left.

"So, she eventually convinced him that they're meant to be together, huh?" Ron commented.

"Oh, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said, "you know how Remus is. He tries to live a normal life, but he just doesn't feel normal enough. He really likes Tonks, though."

"How did she convince him that they can be together?" Hermione asked with interest, while giving Mrs. Weasley a carrot that the latter was searching for with her eyes.

"With this and that... She showed him how much she cared; she kept repeating that she didn't mind his condition at all... And in fact, she declared that she would make Wolfsbane Potion for him for the rest of her life, to make him harmless and help him suffer less. Knowing how clumsy Tonks is, of course, and how difficult Wolfsbane is to make, none of us would ever trust her with such a job. But she managed to make it!"

"She made it? Seriously?" Ron asked stunned. "It's so difficult and-"

"She's in love, Ron," Hermione interjected. "She would do anything for the one she loves."

"Like confunding people and conjuring attacking canaries?" Harry whispered to her very low so that Ron wouldn't hear.

Hermione ignored him.

"She searched many books," Mrs. Weasley went on. "Cut the ingredients very carefully and measured the doses very precisely, she was so concentrated and careful... And she made it successfully and Remus drank it and he was a quiet werewolf with complete sensibility, sitting in his room. And then..."

"Yes?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Tonks went into his room and sat with him. At first he tried to scare her to make her leave, but she knew that the one who was trying to scare her wasn't an uncontrollable werewolf but a sensible Remus so she, ignoring him, sat comfortably on a chair and starting reading a book, patting him on the head!" Mrs. Weasley finished with a small chuckle.

"That's so sweet!!" Hermione shrieked. Ron gave her a look that showed either sarcasm or interest.

"Eh, you know, after that she freed him; she made him feel comfortable with her."

"Naturally," Hermione said smiling.

Harry cleared his throat. "Erm... We should..."

"Oh, right," Hermione said, coming out of the romance.

Mrs. Weasley continued to cook and Harry, Ron and Hermione kneeled in front of Kreacher's house.

Harry took a deep breath and stuck his head in the opening. It smelled worse than ever. Looking around, the only thing he saw was Kreacher's tattered blanket and some photographs, the biggest of all being Bellatrix Lestange's, sniggering at him.

"Nothing," he said getting his head out again.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"No," Harry said taking big breaths, "but I suffocate in there. I think I might cast a spell to-"

"Move over," Ron said. "What are you, some hyper-sensitive-" he stopped talking the moment he put his head in Kreacher's hole and starting coughing from the unbearable smell.

Harry sniggered.

"Ron, be careful..." Hermione said nervously.

"I'm fine," Ron replied and scrabbled around. Moving the photographs a little, he noticed that behind them was something like a metal cupboard. "There's something in there," he said putting out his head and taking deep breaths as Harry had done.

"What are you three looking for?" Mrs. Weasley questioned them, making a knife cut a lettuce.

"Something we lost, mum," Ron said hastily. "There's something in there," he repeated to Harry and Hermione in an undertone. "Behind the photographs, it's-"

"You touched a thing in there?" Hermione demanded in a high- pitched voice. "You touched photographs? Ron, they could've been cursed, I told you to be careful!" Her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Get a grip, Hermione, they're just pictures. Anyway, there's something in there," he told Harry. "Something like a small cupboard, I dunno, something."

"Let me see." Harry was about to put his head in the hole, but Hermione stopped him.

"Wait, Harry!" she shouted. Mrs. Weasley threw them a suspicious glance. Hermione smiled at her, embarrassed.

"Wait," she said lowering her voice," There might be something dangerous-"

"I'm not worried. If something happens to me you'll find a way to reverse it," he replied and stuck his head in the hole.

"What do you mean I'll reverse it, I'm not a genius you know!" she shouted at the back of his head.

"You're not?" Ron asked. Hermione frowned, trying not to look too pleased with herself. "Come on, what is he supposed to do? There might be something important there."

"I know, but we should have made a plan..."

Harry located the small metallic cupboard. It had the size of a small box and it was carved into the wall.

"Alohomora!" he muttered with his wand, trying to breath from the mouth so as not to smell the awful tang that made him sick. The cupboard opened at once and Harry was taken aback by surprise. Something gold was shining in there.

"Give me a piece of paper!" he shouted and Ron gave him one immediately. Harry took the golden object with the paper and brought it close to his face to see it better. It was a golden locket. Happy, he thumped his head as he was trying to get out quickly. "Ouch!"

"What's- it-..." Ron stuttered looking the locked at Harry's hand.

Throwing a quickly glance at Mrs. Weasley, who had her back turned to them, they left hastily.

***

Some minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting on Harry's bed, looking at the locket with awe.

"It must be this," Hermione said.

"It is," Harry said steadily. "It has Slytherin's mark on it. And it's exactly the same with the one that Merope was wearing."

"Wow... Imagine that this belonged to Voldemort's mother..."

"What are we going to do now?" Ron asked nervously.

"No idea," Harry answered. "I'll have to see if I can open it."

"It's dangerous to touch it," Hermione said at once.

"Hermione, if you say the words 'dangerous' or 'be careful' one more time this day, I swear I'll... I'll...jinx..." Ron stammered.

"Me?" she asked with a sarcastic look on her face.

"No," he replied defiantly. "Your books!"

Hermione frowned.

"I know it's dangerous, ok?" Harry said. "But I have to do something, anything! I'll touch it in the edge... If something happens to me... Well, do whatever you think. Or just drag me away from that thing," he added on a second thought. He reached out to the locket

Hermione held her breath and Ron pushed back subconsciously.

Harry touched the locket with shaking fingers and... nothing happened.

Hermione breathed properly again.

Harry blinked, bewildered. He took the locket in his hand, observing it. "Well... I'd expect something more dramatic to happen..."

"Maybe Regulus has already destroyed the Horcrux," Ron said shrugging.

"Maybe..." Harry was looking carefully every little detail of the locket.

"Let's see what's inside."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, the other gripping the blanket on the bed, and watched, terrified, Harry's attempt to open the locket. Ron, who noticed it, held her hand. Harry struggled for a while, vainly. He couldn't open it. He eventually gave up, breathing heavily.

"You know what this means, right?" he asked them. "The Horcrux isn't destroyed. Regulus hasn't destroyed it."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, still holding Hermione's hand.

"If it was destroyed the locket would open now, wouldn't it? It means something that it can't be opened. Obviously that the Horcrux is still here."

Hermione nodded.

Harry tried to open it again. For some minutes, Ron and Hermione had been observing Harry and the locket in complete silence, when Mrs. Weasley opened the door abruptly, making them jump and gasp. Hermione even let out a weak shriek.

"Ginny just sent an owl, she says- ... What's wrong with you?" she questioned, seeing that they were goggling at her.

"N-n-nothing, you just scared us," Harry said, throwing the locket on the bed.

"Oh. Ginny sent an owl... She sends you her love, dears, and says that she's very frustrated she's not here and that the school has been safe so far.

"Good..." Hermione said weakly.

***

"Do you know any books on how to open a locket that stubbornly refuses to be opened? Alohomora didn't work, as you saw."

Two hours later, after Harry had tried to open the locket in every way he could think of- he cast spells to make it open, to make it blast, to make it explode, but nothing happened. He threw it on the floor, he wore it, he tried to open it speaking in Parseltongue- he decided to quit temporarily and go have some dinner.

"No," Hermione answered. "But, Harry," she added in a low voice as Mrs. Weasley was passing near them to leave bread on the table, "maybe you mustn't open it, maybe-"

"I thought we agreed that the Horcrux is in there," Ron said.

"Yes, but..."

"What?" Harry asked her impatiently.

"That's too easy!" she said leaving her fork fall on her plate.

"What's easy? You saw that I couldn't open the damn thing!" Harry told her, irritated.

"You'll destroy the Horcrux just by opening it? It sounds too simple!"

"Ok, let's give it a rest, shall we?" Ron said sheepishly. "We'll think of something."

Harry nodded.

***

Later that night, while Ron was sleeping, Harry felt wide awake. He was lying flat on his bed, toying with the locket in his hands.

I've got to think of something, I've got to do something! he thought.

He was afraid that he had to go in the rooms that he never wanted to enter. It was a great possibility that he could find something interested in there, maybe books of Advanced Dark Magic with information on how to use Horcruxes.

If Sirius was here, everything would be easier, he thought bitterly. He knew the house, he knew his brother, he would help me in some way. "I don't know what to do, Sirius, will you help me, please?" he said loudly, in a tone half sarcastic half hurt. He didn't expect anyone to answer, but he sat still in case he heard an answer- feeling slightly stupid for doing this- and then, while looking the shadows on the ceiling, he choked on surprise. He had thought that he heard barking. He tried to listen carefully. A dog was barking somewhere near.

Harry sat up on his bed. "Ron? Do you hear that?" he said nudging Ron.

"M-hm?" Ron murmured without waking up.

Harry tried to listen again. This time, everything was totally quiet. The only thing heard was Pigwidgeon, who was trying to eat a big cracker. Harry sighed. It must have just been a stray dog, he thought. Or I might even have imagined it.

Some time later, the locket fell on the floor as Harry fell asleep. He dreamed of dogs barking, wearing golden lockets, out of which came snakes.

***

Next morning Harry woke up abruptly. Trying to realize what had woken him, he heard it again: a dog was barking. It was a rather weak bark, but he heard it clearly and he was sure it wasn't coming from the street or from his imagination, but from somewhere in the house. Could someone have brought a dog? He stood up from his bed and tried, vainly, to wake Ron.

"Ron, wake up! D' you hear that?"

"What, Harry?" Ron said without opening his eyes.

"A dog is barking!"

"Some stray..."

"No, it's in the house; the sound is coming from somewhere in here, I swear it is!!"

"Don't be silly, no one would bring a dog here... Go to sleep..."

Harry left Ron sleeping, dressed up hastily, took his wand and went to Hermione's room.

Hermione was sleeping, cuddling a pink pillow, while Crookshanks was curled up in the end of her bed.

Harry nudged her. "Hermione, wake up! Wake up!"

"What's going on?" she asked, pushing her particularly matted hair away from her eyes. "Death Eaters? Voldemort?"

"No, no, it's just... Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? Any voices again?" Hermione asked nervously.

"No, the-... A dog is barking," Harry said awkwardly.

"That's what dogs do, Harry."

Harry didn't answer. The barking had stopped again. He rose and went to the door.

"Harry?" Hermione said.

"Go back to bed," he replied and left.

***

I'm not mad, Harry thought, reaching the stairs. A dog was barking and it is here, in the house! And then he heard it again. Curt, squeaky barking.

With his wand at the ready, Harry tried to follow the sound. He went down the stairs and turned right. Now the barking was heard louder, and Harry realized that he was standing in from of the door of Regulus's room. He was sure that the barking was sounding from in there; there was a dog in that room. For how long had it been locked in? And who brought it?

"Hello?" he shouted at the closed door. The barking became louder. Harry was hesitating to enter Regulus's room, but he had to see what was in there, he just knew he had to. Clutching his wand in his right hand, he opened the door.