# # #
The previous night it was discussed whether or not Harry would reunite the Hallows in public. Or, reunite them beforehand and deal with Riddle in public. Harry, though he was loath to hideanything, eventually agreed he would reunite the Hallows in the presence of those who were with him, and use the recombined Hallows later, in the Great Hall. As it was 'home ground', they decided to hold the press conference in the Great Hall while the students were at morning classes.
Harry argued that Riddle had to be dealt with in public so that the wizarding world saw for themselves that the threat of a return of Voldemort was over. So, that part was going ahead.
Harry said, "Hermione promised, the other day, we would give a media conference. She did not, however, promise them why it would be called."
"You mean, we said we would call a press conference," said Susan. "It was, after all, our media release we sent out."
"Yes," said Neville, "but it was a quote attributed to Hermione, remember?"
"Ah!" said Susan, understanding what he meant.
They drafted the media release that night, in private, and owled it out immediately. The conference would take place the morning of two days hence, at 9.30am. Access to the grounds would not be granted until 9.00am. The release also invited the Minister, the Heads of the seven departments - including the Department of Mysteries - and the other Members of the Wizengamot; plus, Mister Albus Dumbledore. Amelia and Augusta were notified immediately via mirror.
Harry expected about thirty people, total. He was in for a rude shock.
# # #
Early down to breakfast the next morning Harry was reading that morning's Daily Prophet, with its article on the release of both Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge from the clutches of the DMLE, and how moves were afoot to have the Minister ousted from his position. There was little covered about what the actual charges were, but there were a couple of quotes from Amelia. Amelia had just said, as the matters were still under investigation, she wasn't prepared to release details of the matter to the media.
There was, not surprisingly, no comment attributed to the Minister or Umbridge. The Daily Prophet, however, was making guess left, right and centre as to why both had spent the time in the DMLE's cells.
Harry had just finished reading his copy when he was joined by a couple of Second Years, who had managed to beat the First Years down to breakfast. "Good morning, My Lord," said one of the Second Years, quite chirpily.
Harry looked up and asked, "Okay, what's got you so happy this morning?"
"Everything is so much better, this year, My Lord," replied the boy, Horace Urquhart. "Everyone is so much happier with the changes you have made so far."
A Third Year that had joined them as Mister Urquhart was speaking, Henrietta Vaisey, said, "Yeah, there are very few incidents where the Gryffindorks try and provoke us, any more. I think, even the Weasley twins have called a truce; though, they haven't told anyone."
Harry was listening while more students were entering the hall, heading for seats and preparing their own breakfasts. He was in the process of lathering a couple of slices of piping hot toast with butter and marmalade and eyeing off the locations of the containers of bran, sugar and milk.
"I don't think the peace is going to last long, though," he said, mindful of the glorious prank he'd set up with rune stones and charms in the grand staircase, just waiting for the right conditions to be triggered. "Those two are never inactive for long. And when they are, it usually means something big is in the offing."
"Uugh!" shuddered one of the Third Years, listening in. "Last year they pranked our whole house by changing our robes to Gryffindor's colours. That wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't also taking pictures of everyone and sending photos of us in Gryffindor colours back to our parents. My Mum sent me a howler about that one."
Harry snorted as he was about to take a bite of his toast and said, "Well, that's the sort of prank I don't mind. No one is hurt and everyone is embarrassed a little, equally."
Another Second Year, Terrence Higgs, stared back and asked in shock, "You don't mind them doing that to us?"
Harry shook his head and said, "I don't mind pranks where no one is hurt or excessively embarrassed. But, the prank also has to be well executed. That is, it can't just be jinxing someone in the hallways; which I would consider bullying, by the way. And, you'd get in trouble for pointing a wand at someone."
Shaking his head he said, "No. Use runes, potions or charm an item. So long as none of them are harmful. Or, as I said, could be construed as bullying."
He then listened as the, now, collection of Third, Second and First Years looked at what they could do, and who they could do it to. He even suggested they make their main target the current self-confessed reigning prankers of the school, the Weasley twins. And continued to eat his breakfast.
He was enjoying the discussion of and with the lower Years when Sirius, as he was wont to do, arrived late to breakfast. He wasn't a morning person and was generally a bit of a grouch up at his end of the table. The Seventh Years had already learned not to antagonise him at this time of the day.
Professor 'Old Grumble Bum' Black sat carefully loading his plate with his usual morning fare. Harry acknowledged his godfather's arrival but otherwise didn't say anything to him.
After about ten minutes, Sirius's hair turned a shocking shade of lipstick pink. All his hair - his long locks, his little goatee and thin handlebar moustache, and it even looked like the hairs on the back of his hands and wrists - had also changed colour.
"Errr... Professor?" said Simon Montague, one of the seventh years. "Your hair's gone pink!"
Sirius dropped his cutlery and looked at the backs of his hands, then he pulled a lock of hair from the side of his head around to the front to try and get a look at it. He dropped it and glared straight at Harry, who was engaged in conversation with the lower years, and hadn't looked up.
Sirius bellowed down the length of the table, "Harry James *Woof!*" as he suddenly transfigured into his animagus form. A now, all pink, Irish Wolfhound.
The bellow had all heads in the room suddenly swivel towards Sirius, including Harry's.
"Harry James Woof?" called Harry, quite amused.
Very quickly after that, the long shaggy hair of the hound was suddenly frizzed and a whole lot dropped to the floor with a *poof*. What was left was a crazy person's interpretation of an Irish Wolfhound with a 'poodle cut' trying to stay seated in his chair at the end of the table. And then a large pink bow appeared tied into the hair between his ears.
One of the seventh year girls said, "Awww...!"
"Up at the head table, Headmistress McGonagall,watching what had happened to one of her Professors, said with a small smile, "Oh, dear!"
Harry, trying and being very successful at, keeping a straight face, turned towards Neville and called, "My Lord Gryffindor; I would have words with a matching brace of your red-headed troublemakers!"
"It wasn't us..."
"...My Lord!"
"We'd admit it..."
"... if it was!"
Sirius, however, believed he knew exactly who had done it to him. He half fell out of his chair to land on all four feet and galloped down the length of the table between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, growling as he came. Some of the girls from both houses tried to pat him as he dashed past.
Harry saw him coming, said "Oh, crap!" bolted out of his own chair and ran down the length of the table on the other side. Sirius didn't see him go until he arrived at the head end and, with a rump-sliding turn bolted back down the other side after Harry.
Harry had already reached about two thirds of the length of the table passing by the fifth years against the wall. He was yelling, "It wasn't me, Sirius!"
Knowing his godfather had rounded the corner at the other end and was barrelling after him, he did the only thing he could do, given the situation. He suddenly jinked left, put his left foot on a spot of bench between two fifth years, and vaulted over the table passing between two other students with his robes billowing out behind him. He landed on the floor between the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs and bolted for the door.
He was cheered on by the Hufflepuffs and cat-called by the Gryffindors. As he made it to the double doors, he cried, "Cassie! Slam the doors shut!" And the big double doors to the Great Hall suddenly closed before Sirius could reach them.
With a second rump-sliding move Sirius tried to stop, but ended up smacking into the closed doors. All Harry heard was angry barking as he bolted for his apartment in the owner's section. Neither he nor Sirius noticed Hermione and Susan smirk at each other from their seats at their respective tables.
An hour later, a no longer pink and no longer wolfhound, but very miffed Professor Black, stormed into his Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. He was, however, sporting the afro mohawk from Hell. Cut hair, even magically cut hair, does not grow back in an hour.
"Today," he snarled at his Third Year combined Gryffindor Slytherin DADA class, "we discuss the use of pranks in seeking revenge on those who dare attack you!"
Sitting up the back, the Weasley Twins looked at each other and said, "Cool!"
"Did you have a specific target in mind, Professor?" asked Lee Jordan, with as much innocence as he could muster.
"Who!?" barked Sirius. "Lord-bloody-Slytherin, Harry James Potter; that's who! And you're going to help me!"
The twins and Lee Jordan all looked at each other and grinned.
# # #
Knowing his godfather was running a Third Year class, Harry felt it safe to exit the owner's suites and go in search of just who had set him up. He headed directly for the kitchens.
Tickling the pear to get in, he made his way into the inner workings of one of the busiest places in the castle. He made it only a dozen feet in before an elf popped into place in front of him. "Yes, Master Slyth'rin, Sir?" it asked.
Harry could see all the house elves were wearing the uniform he'd designed for them. It made them look like a well-oiled army of machines.
Hesitating just a moment he said, "I need to know if someone slipped a potion, or potions, into the food on the Slytherin table for breakfast, this morning."
"Oh, no, Master Slyth'rin, Sir!" the little elf said, almost in shock someone might have done such a thing. "No one allowed to do that! House elves protect students and staff from that."
Harry frowned and, thinking a moment, asked, "What about table condiments, such as... No. That wouldn't be it, either."
"No one can touch the food until it leaves here, Master Slyth'rin, Sir," said the elf.
Still frowning, Harry asked, "Does the food leave from here and go directly to the tables in the Great Hall?"
"Yes, Master Slyth'rin, Sir," said the elf.
"Then, if it's not the food," said Harry, before understanding dawned. "What about the crockery and cutlery?" he asked.
Frowning, himself, the little elf replied, "They be all collected after each meal. They be brought to the kitchens and cleaned before being stored in the kitchen store. We not bring them out until just before the meals be served. Then, they be sent directly to the Great Hall."
Nodding, Harry said, "Show me the kitchen store."
The little elf grabbed Harry's hand and led him through the kitchens, through the cleaning area, and into the large storeroom containing all the castle cutlery and crockery.
"Is there any other way in here other than the way we've just come? Is there another access?" asked Harry.
"Oh, no, Master Slyth'rin, Sir!" the elf replied.
"Can a student, or staff member, get in here alone?"
"No, Master Slyth'rin, Sir!" the elf replied.
Thinking for a moment, Harry nodded. "Then the answer must be the cutlery and or plates while they sat on the tables within the Great Hall."
Turning to the elf he asked, "Has the crockery and cutlery from this morning's breakfast been cleaned yet?"
"Yes, Master Slyth'rin, Sir!" the elf replied.
"Damn!" said Harry to himself. "That would have been the 'smoking gun', if they hadn't."
Again, to the elf he said, "Then, I thank you for your answers and the impromptu tour. I'll be leaving your domain, for now." And Harry left through the way he came in, wiser as to how the prank had been pulled, literally, from under his godfather's nose. Mind you, he could also use it to prank others who sat in specific seats the same way, such as the other heirs, the House Counsellors and the head table.
"Ingenious," thought Harry. "At least, very smart."
It was impossible to make anything foolproof because fools can be just so bloody clever.
He decided to head back to the owner's suites common room to await his godfather. He just hoped he could tell him what he believed had happened before his godfather managed to hex his butt off.
Sirius, however, had not decided to head right for the owner's suites common room. He had plans of his own to make, based on the ideas he was given by his class. Plus, he had homework parchments, handed in early by the Ravenclaws, to mark. He remained in his own private apartment off the new DADA classroom, he felt it safer to move to another classroom, due to the old curse on the old classroom.
Harry had completely forgotten about his own prank ready to be triggered, given the right circumstances. And those circumstances were soon to occur.
# # #
Harry, after waiting in the owner's suites for a while, and there being no sign of Sirius - though, Remus turned up shortly after his own class - left to have an early lunch. He was pretty sure that, if he was in the Great Hall with a crowd of people around him, his godfather wouldn't hex his butt off.
Harry was deep in conversation with some Fourth Year Slytherins - who had sent the First Years down to the middle of the table claiming it was only fair they got to talk to the Lord of their House for at least one meal - when Sirius arrived. His godfather merely glared at him for a moment before he smiled and gave the boy a nod; as if to signify 'Let the prank war begin'. Harry shuddered but sent his godfather a note protesting his innocence of the prank and what he had discovered from the elves in the kitchen.
After Sirius had read the note he looked down the length of the table and, catching the eye of his godson, gave him a nod. 'Maybe the lad wasn't responsible for the prank, after all,' he thought.
Harry left soon after and headed back to the owners' common room, making sure he walked between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables as he did so. He didn't want to be in reach of his godfather until he had a chance to talk to him, one-on-one.
As Harry was heading for the owners' suites he passed through the grand staircase area. He didn't even think about the prank he had set up a couple of days earlier.
# # #
Remus approached Sirius and asked if he wanted to join him. He was heading for the owners' suites and wanted to ask Harry what had been decided about uniting the Hallows.
Sirius gave a shrug and, rising, said, "I need to talk to the Pup, anyway. I think I may have judged him unfairly in thinking it was he who pranked me, this morning."
About to exit the Great Hall, they were approached by Professor Flitwick. "Oh, Gentlemen," called Filius, "mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," said Remus. "Heading for the Ravenclaw Tower?"
"Of course, of course!" replied Filius. "And where might you be heading?"
"For the owners' suites," said Sirius just as they entered the bottom of the moving staircases. "I need to see, His Holiness, Lord..."
Loud music suddenly began drifting down the tower through the stairs.
"... Sliittthhhh...!?"
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)."
The paintings all started to sing and dance.
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
All three stood there, completely stunned. There were also quite a decent number of students on the stairs above them looking around.
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
Filius scurried over to one of the paintings, pulling his wand out as he went.
"When the party was nice, the party was jumpin' (Hey, Yippie, Yi, Yo)"
"And everybody havin' a ball (Hah, ho, Yippie Yi Yo)"
"I must say," he said, waving his wand over the bottom of the painting and calling back, "that's some impressive charms work!"
"I tell the fellas 'start the name callin'' (Yippie Yi Yo)"
"And the girls report to the call"
"The poor dog show down"
Some of the students were also beginning to dance.
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
A couple of the, clearly mundane-raised, students were beginning to sing along to the chorus while dancing.
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
"You do realise," said Sirius with a straight face, "the boy must die."
"I see ya' little speed boat head up our coast"
Nodding, Remus replied, "The prank war has been declared!"
"She really want to skip town"
"Get back off me, beast off me"
"Get back you flea infested mongrel"
Hearing those words, Sirius growled.
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
"Who let the dogs out? (Woof! Woof! Woofwoof!)"
Harry, about to enter the owners' suites and had the door open, heard the music and singing coming from the grand staircase. He froze for a moment and, dropping his head to his chest, moaned, "Oh, God. I forgot about that."
Hermione was already inside. She came out when she heard the music and said to Harry in a sing-song voice, "Ooooh, you're in trah-ble!"
"Oh, God!" moaned Harry. "Sirius is gonna kill me; if Remus doesn't reach me first." Before heading in to the owners' suites common room.
Harry spent a good part of the morning being chased around the common room of the owners' suites with his godfather throwing minor hexes his way. Remus was munching on, of all things, a bowl of popcorn he had a house elf bring him while Sirius was chasing his godson.
Harry, however, wouldn't have minded that so much if his 'second uncle' hadn't also been offering suggestions on hexes to his godfather while he was doing the chasing.
# # #
Harry had gathered the other heirs and, together, they sat in their common room. It was time for Harry to unite the Deathly Hallows. Before him, on the coffee table were the folded True Cloak of Invisibility; and the Resurrection Stone, still attached to its horcrux-bearing Head of House ring for Gaunt.
"Are you ready to do this, Harry?" asked Neville.
"It needs to be done," replied Harry. "I do this today, and tomorrow we end Riddle's existence. It's going to save many lives."
"The downside," said Hermione, "is that it places you in even further danger. Wizards and witches from around the world are going to want that wand."
"And that's where I lie through my teeth!" said Harry. "It'll be 'bonded' to me. Through some wandless summoning charms I can make it seem like it cannot be taken from me. I'll also be telling people it's bonded to me through blood, bone and magic. If anyone else tries to use it after taking it from me through force, magic will turn on them and kill them."
"That'll do it," said Neville with a shrug and a chuckle.
"Okay," said Harry. "Are we ready for this?"
Sirius shrugged and said, "Now's as good a time as any, Pup. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"No," replied Harry. Then he sighed and stood. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it on my feet. No doubt someone will want to... I don't know... write something down for the history pages, I suppose."
Neville just snorted in amusement.
"Hey!" said Harry. "It is something... momentous... is it not?"
Susan said a bit smirkily, "Maybe you should say something grand as you begin."
Harry blew her a raspberry.
Hermione, already with a quill and parchment before her, asked quite sugary sweetly, "Would you mind spelling that for me?"
Neville snorted in amusement again.
"Comedians; the bloody lot of you!" said Harry.
Bending forward he picked up the invisibility cloak and held it before him. He didn't need to check the words of the summoning or the ritual, as he had them already memorised.
"I, Harry James Potter, true heir of the brothers Peverell; summon that which is mine by birthright; through blood, bone and magic I summon for the Ritual of Reunification, the wand fragment known as the True Cloak of Invisibility. So mote it be."
The cloak began to float free of his hands before him. Harry then moved his hands to each side just apart from the edges of the cloak. He began to pump magic into his hands and, from them, into the space between them.
"I, Harry James Potter, true heir of the brothers Peverell; summon that which is mine by birthright; through blood, bone and magic I summon for the Ritual of Reunification, the wand fragment known as the Resurrection Stone. So mote it be."
The joined ring of the Head of House Gaunt and the Resurrection Stone levitated a moment above where it rested on the coffee table. The ring suddenly dropped free back onto the tabletop and the stone suddenly disappeared from where it hovered to suddenly reappear floating above the cloak.
"I, Harry James Potter, true heir of the brothers Peverell; summon that which is mine by birthright; through blood, bone and magic I summon for the Ritual of Reunification, the wand fragment known as the Elder Wand. So mote it be."
A few moments later the Elder Wand, last seen still in the possession of Dumbledore, suddenly reappeared floating above the cloak with the end of the handle of the wand almost touching the Resurrection Stone.
"I, Harry James Potter, being in possession of the three wand fragments known as the Deathly Hallows, call to magics old and new to heed my request and reunify that which was torn asunder. So mote it be. So mote it be. So mote it be!"
On the last 'be' Harry felt his magic surge down his arms and into the space between them, into the three Hallows. He found he couldn't move as the three Hallows began to slightly glow. He felt magic surging through him as if it was truly alive and was... testing him; testing his worth.
The three Hallows became encased in a field of almost pure magic and Harry felt his hands being pushed a little further apart. The effort he took from him in magic was so strong it almost hurt.
The Resurrection Stone and Elder Wand moved together with one of the points of the stone connecting solidly with the base of the handle of the wand. The dark, murky green of the stone gave way to become what appeared to be an emerald. Then the two joined items began to spin down the length of the wand; gaining speed. A few moments and it was spinning so fast the edges of the stone, and the grain on the wood became a blur.
The cloak spread out below Harry's hands and began to unravel. The finest of threads came up and began to wrap itself around the wand. Very quickly the wand and stone, spinning rapidly, began pulling at the thread of the cloak faster and faster. The light coming from the joining of the three was almost too bright to look within. The length of wood began to be encased in the thread of the cloak, like a sewing bobby being wrapped in cotton thread.
After what felt like a near eternity to Harry, but was really no more than a few seconds, the thread had ended and the cloak was gone; now encasing the full length of the Elder Wand. The wand started slowing down its spinning. A few moments later it stopped. Then the sphere of magic between Harry's hands began to contract. As it did the light coming from within brightened until it was too bright to look directly within.
Harry, not being able to turn away, had to tightly close his eyes.
With an almost audible snap of magic the light was gone. Harry opened his eyes.
There, before him hovered a black wand with an emerald focus stone in the base of the handle. It was a touch thicker than Harry's own, but not too much. And slightly longer, too.
Harry reached out and grasped it by the handle. It almost felt like a wave of magic surged down his arm as he grasped it. Magic poured through him.
Holding it upright, he gently cast a Lumos Charm. A very bright light burst forth from the tip of the wand. With a Nox he cancelled the charm.
Still holding it in his hand, he lowered it to his side looking quite stunned.
The other five in the room - the other three heirs, Sirius and Remus - were staring back, also quite stunned.
"Whoa," said Harry softly.
"I'll say," said Remus. "That is one powerful wand. I can feel its... energy... from here."
Harry still hadn't moved. He seemed slightly dazed and was staring off into the distance.
"Pup?" called Sirius, the first to notice.
"I know," said Harry.
"Know what, Pup?" asked Sirius.
"I know how to defeat Voldemort. I know how to recombine his soul. I know how to banish him from this plane of existence... or just end him forever," replied Harry, still with the same soft voice of awe. "I know."
"So," asked Neville, "we're ready for tomorrow morning, then?"
Nodding his head slowly, still staring off into space, Harry replied as a grin slowly spread across his face, "Oh, yeah."
# # #
After breakfast, the next morning, the house elves reconfigured the Great Hall. The students were already on their way to classes or were told they weren't to enter the Great Hall until the press conference was complete.
Harry had the elves set up a small hip-height table on the dais where the staff table was normally located. And, at the leading edge of the dais, he had Hogwarts set up a powerful multi-layered ward to block magical attacks. Sitting at one end of the table he had the Gaunt ring hidden under a Notice-Me-Not Charm.
About ten feet behind the table in the middle of the dais was one of the big portable blackboards. No one could see what was written on the board from the front, just as they'd done with the prophecy the other day.
Looking at the dais from the doors there were a half dozen comfortable chairs against the side wall, near where the door leading to the Hall's antechamber was located. Harry wanted the other three heirs and the Grangers on the dais with him, where they'd be protected by the ward from attack.
In front of the dais, where the House tables normally sat, he had the elves configure the Hall with a row of low benches and chairs for the journalists to sit on one side, giving them an uninterruptible view of the dais. The rest of the Hall was filled with normal seating on tiers similar to the Wizengamot chamber, but much lower to the ground. The front row were at ground level.
While he had been conversing with the elves Neville entered the Hall and approached. Having been instructed to ensure the ghosts within the castle did not enter the Hall, the elf popped away.
"There's quite a large crowd outside the gates, Harry," said Neville. "It's almost time."
"Have Sirius and Remus gone to get the Grangers yet?" asked Harry.
"Yeah," replied Neville. "They left about fifteen minutes ago."
Nodding, Harry said, "Okay. When they arrive back in our common room, have them head directly here."
However, no sooner were the words out of his mouth, when Dan and Emma entered with Hermione, Susan, Sirius and Remus. Dan and Emma were wearing a large ring each on their left hands. The rings were manufactured the night before by Harry to allow the two Grangers to see everything a magic user could see. It brought them up to the level of a squib.
Dan and Emma were looking about in wonder and awe at the majesty of the castle, especially the ceiling of the Hall, like First Years do when they first arrive. To hide their identity both Grangers were dressed in fine robes rather than mundane clothing.
The small party joined Harry and Neville just in front of the dais.
"Bloody hell, Harry," said Dan. "This place is..."
Harry grinned and said, "I know. Words cannot describe it."
Thinking a bit Harry then tilted his head slightly to the side while looking at the Grangers. It was Emma who noticed it first.
"What?" she asked, before Dan also looked back.
"Thank you," replied Harry simply but softly.
"For what?" she asked.
"For, again, opening my eyes to the wonder that is magic," replied Harry with a smile. "When you're around this..." he gestured about, "... all the time, you forget just how wondrous it actually is."
Emma surged forward and enveloped Harry in a hug. "You're welcome," she said.
Susan entered and called, " It is 9.10am. Hogwarts has opened the gates and people are approaching up the walkway."
Breaking her grip on Harry, Emma stepped back to stand with Dan.
Harry said, "If you two would like to take seats I'll need to go to the front doors to greet our... guests."
Harry waited a moment to watch Dan and Emma take seats along the side on the dais against the side wall.
"We have to go, Pup," said Sirius. "Our classes will be getting... raucous with us not there."
"Okay, Sirius," replied Harry.
"Good luck, Cub," said Remus, before he and Sirius left to head to their own classes.
Harry, with Neville and Hermione, headed for the front doors of the castle to join Susan.
As all four heirs stood just inside the Entrance Hall with both front doors wide open, they watched as the procession of wizarding adults made its way towards the castle. Harry could see Amelia leading the procession with two aurors either side holding back the small tide of humanity from rushing forward.
The four heirs were soon joined by the two aurors nominally stationed within Hogwarts but who rarely made their presences felt at other times. Harry had nearly forgotten about them. He figured they were normally using invisibility cloaks.
"Hogwarts," Harry softly called, "Are there any within the approaching crowd who are secreting upon their persons anything considered a dark artefact, or something that is likely to be used against us?"
He received an affirmative impression.
"Apparate those persons to the main street of Hogsmeade and refuse them any further access," he instructed.
Harry didn't see it but... felt... five people from within the crowd suddenly be apparated out. The crowd seemed to shudder for a moment before it continued forward.
"Is Albus Dumbledore within the crowd?"
Another affirmative impression.
"If he's under some sort of glamour or invisibility artefact, don't strip it from him; just place a sunflower on his hat or in his hair where it can be easily seen. Don't allow him to notice it."
An impression of satisfaction.
"Is anyone carrying a portkey?"
Another affirmative impression.
"Deactivate them on their persons, but leave them in place."
Satisfaction.
Harry thought furiously looking for any other risks. He couldn't think of any.
Hermione then asked, "Are any of them carrying a non-magical firearm or other form of explosive?"
A negative impression.
One of the aurors stationed with them looked at Hermione curiously.
Harry smiled back and said, "I'm not taking any chances. If there's anything you can think of, I'd love to hear it."
The auror frowned for a moment before glancing at his partner, a female auror. Both shook their heads. Neither were the loquacious sort.
"In that case, I think we're ready," said Harry.
Harry then led the other three back into the Great Hall and all four mounted the dais to stand side by side. The Grangers were already sitting in the chairs off to the side. They'd no sooner reached the raised platform when Amelia led the crowd into the Hall.
"Do not approach the dais!" she commanded over the crowd. "Take a seat and keep your noise down! Anyone who disregards these orders, or thinks the rules do not apply to them, will be apparated directly back outside the gates. You have been warned."
Neville then called out, "Journalists will sit over there," and indicated the chairs and desks set aside for them.
Even though the crowd was still far enough back it heard the instructions in plenty of time, one female journalist disregarded them and raced to the dais. As she got within a foot of the dais she suddenly disapparated with a loud crack and was gone.
Others, who saw the first journalist race forward and were about to do the same, suddenly skidded to a halt and reeled back in shock.
"You were warned, people!" bellowed Susan. In a quieter voice she said, "Go and take a seat where you were told or you will be joining your colleague in Hogsmeade, unable to return." The journalists, though not liking it very much, did as they were told.
The crowd then made a more-or-less orderly effort to find seats and be seated. Most kept looking back at the four heirs as they were finding seats. The only ones still standing were the Aurors, who were standing along the walls and out beside the doors leading in to the Hall.
Harry looked around and saw an elderly woman wearing a large sunflower in her hat transform a simple chair in the second row next to the centre isle into a far more elegant one with arms and all, before sitting in it.
Harry couldn't help but share a smirk with the others. No matter what form Dumbledore took, his actions always easily identified him for who he truly was. The man couldn't help himself. Harry wondered why almost everyone else was completely oblivious of it.
As the last people were in the process of taking their seats, one of the reporters, who had already found a seat and had a dicta-quill running, called out asking, "When did you discover you were one of the heirs of the founders; and who was the first?"
That set other journalists trying to ask questions.
None of the four answered.
Hermione held up her hand in the stop gesture and waited until she had a modicum of silence before saying, "It is not yet 9.30am. At 9.30am we shall begin. Until after you are given the... presentation... we have arranged for you, none of your questions will be answered."
That set forth a whole rush of demands from mainly the journalists. "The people have a right to know!" yelled one. "You called this press conference..."
Suddenly, the entire collection of journalists went silent. They were all still trying to yell questions and demands but there was no sound. "You were warned," said Hermione.
Harry turned to look at his fellow heirs when Susan gave a knowing smile and looked to the ceiling. 'Ah!' he thought. Susan had called on Hogwarts to silence them.
As the last few stragglers rushed in to take seats, nearly filling the front half of the Hall, Harry looked out across the gathering. He saw journalists from across the magical world all filling in the journalist's area. He saw many workers from the Ministry, some fellow Lords and Ladies - including Madam Marchbanks -almost every Head of a Department, and not a few who were clearly Unspeakables. The Unspeakables sat right at the back.
At 9.30am, Neville led Hermione and Susan off to the side of the dais and, like the gentleman he was, seated them either side of himself with Hermione sitting next to her parents. As anticipated, no one was sitting in front of Dumbledore where he was sitting. None of the four heirs wanted the old man to miss a second of this. Harry was left, alone, at the centre of the dais.
"Greetings; and welcome to Hogwarts," he said with a slight amplification to his voice. "For those who attended school here, or were members of staff, welcome back."
"Today, I hope to solve a major problem for wizarding Britain. But, before I do that, for those who don't understand about a prophecy concerning myself and the person you know as Voldemort..."there was a collective gasp as Harry mentioned the feared name, "... you need to learn what part of it states."
Harry then spun the board about. On it was the first four lines of the prophecy. That which was on the middle board that Dumbledore thought was probably the entire prophecy until Harry and the others disabused him of that notion. He then read it out for those who couldn't read it clearly for themselves.
After he finished he gave them a moment to digest it all. Then he said, "The thing the prophecy does not make clear is that Voldemort is not a Lord. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, born the half blood bastard of a near-squib witch by the name of Merope Gaunt, and a non-magical by the name of Thomas Riddle. Both lived in the village of Little Hangleton."
As he was speaking he 'fire-wrote' the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' in capitals in the air, then allowed each letter to drop into its position for 'I am Lord Voldemort'. He left it there a few moments.
As he watched the audience watch the last of the shifting letters, one of the aurors jumped forth and, drawing his wand, yelled, "You lie! Avada Ked..." The auror was suddenly hit from the ceiling by a bolt of energy and dropped dead where he stood, the killing curse dying on his lips.
Harry waited a moment as people reeled back and gasped in shock, before saying almost conversationally, "I wonder why he thought it was a good idea to attempt to attack a Lord within his own home. Clearly, the man was suicidal."
Amelia sent two of her other aurors over to levitate the corpse and take it from the Hall. She turned to the audience and glared before saying, "If there's anyone else here thinking of doing something so stupid, you'd better leave now."
No one moved. Harry doubted anyone dared.
Pausing for a moment, with a clap of his hands to draw everyone's attention back him again, Harry said, "Okay, where were we?... Oh, yes. Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"So, Tommy was... is... a half blood bastard who pulled the proverbial wool over the eyes of pretty much all of his followers, leading them to believe he was some powerful pureblood Lord. As you can see; he wasn't. You will find information concerning Tom Marvolo Riddle in your own Ministry records, as well as up in the Trophy Room, here, in the castle.
"So, I'm left wondering, as should you all, just why the prophecy states 'Dark Lord' when it should state 'Dark Wizard'." Harry just shrugged.
"Now, that's the background information. I encourage the media to do their own further research into the truth of what I've said here today. And that brings me into what I'm about to do now."
"Please be assured that there's a very powerful ward in place around where I currently stand. It covers the entirety of the dais. If you attempt to approach from now on, or interfere in any other way, you... will... die! You may only approach with my direct and freely given permission. You have been warned. And you are all otherwise perfectly safe where you are."
A few murmurs arose from the audience, but no one attempted to interfere.
Harry then drew forth from his sleeve his new wand, the Wand of Magic. He approached the table from behind and removed the Notice-Me-Not Charm on the ring.
"This is the Head of House ring for the Most Ancient House of Gaunt," he said. "It contains within it one part of the fractured soul of Dark Wizard Riddle. I'm going to draw it forth and contain it. Then, I'm going to summon the rest of Riddle's fractured soul and reunify it. He will not have a body and will be unable to harm anyone; except, maybe, swear a lot. Please, do not attempt to interrupt what I am doing. Doing so may prove... catastrophic."
Harry then pointed his wand tip at the ring and, with magic's help, stripped from it all the enchantments Riddle had placed upon it in his attempt to keep it safe. With the last one gone he was left with just the soul fragment within it. This he drew forth. It was in the form of a black wraith.
Drawing his wand tip back he moved it to one side, his left, with the wraith attached to the wand tip. There were quite a few gasps of shock or fear from the audience.
He shot out his left hand and 'grabbed' the wraith by its 'chest' where its heart would be if it was human. And drew the wand back without it. Harry then stood there holding the wraith with his left hand.
Some of those in the audience had tried to flee but found themselves unable to move from their seats. Neville calmly stood and, catching Harry's attention, turned to the audience, held his right hand aloft and bellowed, "Gryffindor!" The sword appeared in his hand. Lowering and holding the sword to his chest, he bellowed, "Silence!"
Nearly everyone in the audience stopped in mute shock.
"You people were told to be silent!" he continued. "Now, calm down!" Then, after a glare directed across the audience, calmly turned around again and sat down allowing the sword to fade away again.
Harry gave him a nod and turned back to face the wraith. He aimed his wand to the centre of the wraith before him and intoned, "I, Harry James Potter, acting as Herald of Magic, call on magics new and old. I seek to recombine the soul of the one known as Tom Marvolo Riddle. I ask of magic to bring his soul together. I need of magic to bring those portions of his soul to me. So mote it be!"
On the table before him, next to the now de-horcruxed ring, Harry saw five artefacts appear; the diary of T.M. Riddle, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, the locket of Salazaar Slytherin, and the cape broach of Godric Gryffindor. Just as suddenly, in the air above the table, appeared a second wraith.
Harry stabbed it with the tip of his wand. It silently screamed. It was easily the smallest of the fragments.
With an almost gentleness, Harry dragged the second wraith sideways, and pushed it into the first, merging the two into a single whole.
With the merging of the two, instead of a black wraith, there and held by his left hand, writhed a dark grey ghost. Harry recognised it for what it was, part of the soul of Tom Riddle.
He then pulled the wand tip away leaving the wraith ghost held by his left hand through its chest.
The audience was utterly silent as it watched. Their fearfulness dissipating.
He pointed the wand at the first item, the diary. There was a compulsion charm enchantment placed on it for the bearer to write within it. And a curse that enabled the soul fragment to use it to start to take over the mind of the bearer. He stripped those away.
Using the wand tip, he then pulled from the diary the largest of all the fragments. It was the first horcrux Tom had made, so it contained a full half of Riddle's soul. This time it definitely screamed. It was heard by everyone in the Hall. Some of the female attendees, and possibly even a male or two, fainted. Harry noticed a couple of aurors moving to help them.
He pulled from it a second dark grey ghost and pushed it into the first. As they merged it was clear he was holding a good portion of the soul of Riddle. It looked just like Voldemort did just before he died on the Thirty First of October, 1981.
"Potter!" it screamed at him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm righting a great wrong, Tom," replied a calm Harry. "Magic is not happy with you. You desecrated its gift."
"I'm going to kill you, Potter!" the ghost screamed.
"Yeah, yeah," replied Harry. "Take a number and wait in line."
Turning to the audience, he calmly said, " As you folks can now recognise, I hold within the grasp of my left hand part of the soul of he you know as Voldemort."
"You'll die a death of extreme agony for this, Potter!" the ghost screamed at him again.
Aiming his wand at the artefacts before him, Harry calmly asked the shade, "Do you recognise these, Tom?"
Though it couldn't do such a thing, the ghost attempted to rear back in shock. "Where did you get those, Potter?!"
"Magic gave them to me, Tom," replied Harry, starting to carefully remove the enchantments and curses on the next item, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Frowning, Harry realised there were much deeper, and more powerful, enchantments on the item that predated its use as a horcrux. He decided to leave them alone, for now. He only wanted to strip away the curses that Riddle had placed upon it.
After removing the compulsion charm to don the diadem, and the one to allow the soul piece within to take over the mind of the wearer, he was left with the soul containing enchantment. Again, he drew the soul fragment partly out before stabbing it with the wand tip.
"Potter!" screamed the ghost in his left hand. "Stop that, or I will torture you for eternity! I will never allow you rest or respite. You will beg me over and over again for release!"
Ignoring the ghost, Harry continued to drew the fragment out of the diadem with his wand piece. Once completely free, he pushed it into the ghost in his hand.
Riddle screamed in agony as the soul fragment was returned to him. Once more it fused. More and more the darkness of the colour of the ghost faded.
Harry then repeated the process on the next item, the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff.
What he didn't see, as he had no attention to pay to anyone else, was one of the aurors from along the wall pulling a large knife from a hidden area within their robes.
The man then charged forward with the knife and attempted to jump onto the dais. He hit the ward and was flung backwards; dead before he hit the floor. The knife clattering away across the stones.
Nobody moved to check on him.
As the soul fragment from the Cup was rejoined to the part in Harry's left hand, the ghost of Tom Riddle screamed again.
Harry moved on to the locket and, finally, onto the broach.
As the soul fragment from the broach, the final piece - except for the small fragment that Myrrdin destroyed five years earlier in real time in the pocket dimension - finally turned the ghost into the full corporeal silvery white form everyone recognised as ghosts. There, in Harry's left hand, writhed the form of Tom Riddle.
"How dare you, Potter!" the ghost screamed in hate, loathing and no little amount of fear. "How dare you!"
Harry then held the wand tip to what little remained of his scar. With a little bit of conjuring, he made it appear he drew from his scar a small piece of wraith, and flung it at the ghost. As it hit, he banished it.
'That should silence anyone Dumbledore might have confided in about my scar,' he thought.
"Okay, Tom," said Harry in a calm voice. "I, Lord Harry James Potter, Head of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin, Head of the Most Ancient House of Gaunt, do hereby strip from you all your worldly possessions to claim as my own. So mote it be."
A flash shot from the ghost of Riddle into Harry.
"No!" screamed the ghost in shock. "I am the heir of Salazaar Slytherin. I am Head of the House of Slytherin. How dare you!"
"You're dead, remember, Tom," replied Harry. "The dead lose their Headships at the moment of their death, remember? And, silly ghost, I wear the ring."
With that, Harry held up his right hand showing the ghost the ring showing his Lordship over the House of Slytherin.
The ghost stared at the ring in shock.
"I am Lord Slytherin, I am Salazaar's heir, you can no longer make that claim," said Harry.
The ghost still stared at the ring before he locked eyes with Harry.
Harry said, "As your Head of House I command you to answer my questions."
"I'm going to kill you Potter!" the ghost screamed. "I'm going to kill you a thousand times over!"
"No, you're not," replied Harry. "Now, who taught you how to create soul anchors?"
The ghost struggled anew in Harry's grip. It continued to struggle until it suddenly screamed. The ghost of Riddle suddenly spat, "Albus Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore showed me when I was a student!"
Harry, though suddenly stunned into immobility for a moment, snapped his head to look right at Dumbledore where he was posing as the old lady. Neville moved almost as fast and was out of his chair and drawing a wand. However, Hogwarts was far faster.
From where he was trying to draw his original wand while in the process of standing, having already broken the enchantment holding him to his own chair, Dumbledore was slammed back into his seat. Iron bands flashed into place about his chest, lower arms and lower legs pinning him in place to his own configured chair.
He only gave a muffled, "Oof!" before he was also gagged.
Seeing Dumbledore secured, Harry turned back to look at the ghost of Riddle.
"How?" he snapped.
Riddle tried not to answer but with a near scream he blurted, "He murdered Myrtle Malone. A Ravenclaw student in my fifth year! In 1943!"
"Myrtle Malone?" asked Harry.
Hermione piped up and said, "I think he means Moaning Myrtle, the ghost in the second floor girls' bathroom."
Harry looked back at Riddle and asked, "Was Myrtle Malone, Moaning Myrtle, the girl killed the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened?"
"Yes!" screamed Riddle.
"Did Albus Dumbledore open the Chamber of Secrets?" demanded Harry.
"No! I did!" screamed Riddle.
"How did she die?" snarled Harry.
Moaning and sagging in Harry's grip, Riddle replied, "I was bringing Slytherin's giant basilisk from the Chamber. Malone was in the girls' bathroom and saw the reflection of the basilisk's gaze in the mirror while she was washing her face. The basilisk petrified her! I had to hurriedly order the basilisk back down the passage into the chamber. While I was closing the entrance Dumbledore walked in. He killed the girl to cover it up. And he told me to blame Rubeus Hagrid for it!
"Then I followed him back to the Headmaster's office. He froze all the paintings so they couldn't watch and drew out a phoenix fresh from a burning day he had locked under a stasis field. He then performed the rite to fracture his soul and stuff part of it into the phoenix. It bound the phoenix to him."
Harry turned to glare at Dumbledore with hate filled eyes before turning back to Riddle's ghost.
"So," he asked, "Rubeus Hagrid was completely innocent of the charge of both opening the Chamber, and of causing Myrtle Malone's death?"
"Yes!"
Harry then asked, "Did you use that knowledge to then create your first soul anchor?"
"Yes!" replied a beaten Riddle. "I killed my birth father, a muggle, and used my own diary for my first one."
"How did you know you could create more?" asked a seething Harry.
"From Professor Slughorn," replied Riddle. "He hinted that more than one could be made under specific circumstances. I picked six as it would mean seven pieces of soul. Seven being a prime magical number."
Glaring at the ghost of his mortal enemy, Harry thought for a few moments. He then asked, "The dark mark. How is it unable to be removed?"
"Only a parselmouth, using parseltongue, can unlock them," replied the ghost. "The spells are linked to the magical core of the bearer using part of their own fractured soul. If the mark is destroyed the soul is destroyed along with it. Only I have control, in every sense, of the mark."
"Fractured soul?" asked Harry. "How do their souls become fractured?"
"They have to commit murder of an innocent," replied the ghost.
"Innocent?" asked Harry warily. "What do you mean by the term 'innocent'?"
"Someone whose own soul is undamaged by evil acts," replied the ghost. "Such can usually only be found in a small child."
Thinking a bit, Harry then asked, "And how does it fracture their own soul if they were under the Imperius Curse or some other form of compulsion, such as blackmail?"
Dolefully, shaking his head, Riddle replied, "That won't work. If they were under compulsion, such as the Curse, then it is the evil act of the person casting the curse, not the person committing the act. You can only fracture your soul if you commit the act of murder willingly. Of your own free will."
While focussing on Riddle's ghost, Harry didn't see Amelia signalling her remaining aurors forward. Nor did he see the aurors place Lucius Malfoy, Bevis Mulciber, Hamish MacFarlan and a few others under wand point, before stunning them, placing magic resistant manacles on them, tying them up with the Incarcerous Charm and placing a black bag over their heads where they sat unable to move.
Nodding his head, Harry then asked, "What are the names of all your Death Eaters, both marked and unmarked?"
And Riddle started listing them all down. He took a few minutes to list them all. The list included a few names of existing aurors; one unspeakable, Rookwood; and a couple of Healers from Saint Mungo's.
"And, what are the names of the people who are not Death Eaters you know support you?"
Riddle listed another dozen names.
Thinking a bit more, Harry then turned to look for Amelia. He saw her finishing up cuffing and incarcerating someone from within the audience. His left arm was beginning to ache a bit from holding it out the way he was.
"Madam Bones?" he asked. "Any questions of this scumbag before I cast sentence as his Head of House?"
Amelia strode forward and stopped short of the ward. "No, Lord Slytherin, I think I have everything I need."
Neville stood and stepped forward. "I do," he said.
Turning to look at his friend, Harry asked, "Yes, Lord Gryffindor?"
Glaring at Riddle's ghost, Neville demanded, "How did the Imperius Curse cause my parents to stay in a coma?"
Harry turned back to the ghost, waiting for the answer. Riddle just glared back at Neville.
Wondering why the ghost wasn't answering it took Harry a few moments to figure out why. Neville had no control over the ghost and had no authority to demand answers of him.
Harry gave the ghost a shake and demanded, "Well? Lord Gryffindor asked you a question. How did the Imperius Curse cause his parents to fall into and stay in a coma?"
Being 'bodily' shaken upset the ghost. Riddle wasn't accustomed to be treated so roughly. He glared at Harry and snarled, "It couldn't!"
"Then why are they still in a coma?" demanded Harry. "You will tell me what you know or suspect! Now!"
The ghost glared back and snarled, "Bellatrix used family magic from the House of Black to lock them into a coma state! As it was family magic I could not delve into her mind to find out how she did it."
"And what do you suspect she did?" asked Harry snarling right back. "What sort of magic are we looking for to learn how she did it?"
The ghost replied, "It's a form of mind magic. When I asked Bellatrix how she did it she even gave me the name of the book."
"What is the title of the book?" asked Harry
"'Mind Arts and the Darkness'," snapped Riddle.
Turning to Neville, Harry instructed, "Get Sirius to go through the Black family library for you. Tell him what we learned here and what he needs to look for."
Neville gave one short, sharp nod, spun on his heel and bolted.
"Neville!" called Harry.
Neville skidded to a halt and spun back to face Harry.
"Send a house elf to get him here," suggested Harry.
Realisation dawning on Neville, he grinned back a bit sheepishly and blushed. Harry didn't wait to see what Neville would do. They now had a lead to bring Neville's parents back to him. He returned to his seat.
Turning back to Riddle, Harry asked, "Any last words before I sentence you, Tom?"
Knowing his torture was coming to a close, Riddle snarled, "You can't stop me, Potter! I'm a ghost now; and you have to release me some time. Then, I'll just find a willing host, possess them, and come after you!"
"There is no coming back from what's about to happen to you, Tom," said Harry. "Goodbye."
Harry raised his wand and pointed it next to his hand with the tip just inside the ghost of Riddle's chest.
He intoned, "I, Harry James Potter, Head of the Most Ancient House of Gaunt and Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin, hereby strip you of all your magic," he intoned. Before then snarling out, "So mote it be!"
Immediately, Harry felt a surge of magic surge back up his wand arm as Riddle's magic began to be stripped from him; sucked out of him like a fire hose. The feeling was like a burning sensation up his arm and out the back of his shoulder.
Riddle arched his back and snapped his head back as the pull on his magic surged out of him and into the tip of Harry's wand. He screamed.
As the magic continued to pull from his spirit, Riddle was able to lower his chin and grit his ghostly teeth as the magic continued to pull. He stared back at Harry in fury.
What no one else saw was the Death Eaters in the room who were still conscious, or had returned to consciousness, try to hold their arms against their chests to lessen the pain they were feeling. Not even they knew what was happening to them, only that they must have been feeling their master's pain.
Harry didn't see that the magic he was drawing from Riddle was spraying out like a hose from the back of his shoulder. Or where it was going. It hit both Granger parents full on, with not a little also striking Hermione. Neville and Susan had both been able to dive forward and away and were not struck. Hermione, after a few seconds, toppled over to the side and out of the stream, out cold. Her parents were not so lucky. They were pinned in place by the force of the spray.
Harry was still pulling magic from Riddle's spirit form, surprised by just how much he was drawing, or the pain it was causing in his hand, arm and shoulder. He wondered how the hell Riddle had developed such an exceptionally large core. He put it down to dark rituals. However, he just gritted his teeth and didn't stop drawing it out.
As the last of the magic, finally, was being drawn from Riddle, he didn't notice the marked Death Eaters in the room pass out. No one did.
With his wand almost glowing, so filled with magic it was, Harry also didn't notice he had burned his right hand where it gripped the wand. And he didn't notice the residue magic in the wand instantly healed his hand and the magical channels in his arm and the back of his shoulder.
The ghost of Tom Riddle was sagging in his hand.
"Harry!" cried Susan.
Harry, panting with the effort it took to draw the magic from Riddle, turned his head to look at where the other heirs and Susan were sitting. There, he saw Hermione on the ground with her parents also lying on the floor. He didn't know what had happened but it looked bad. Susan was cradling Hermione's head while Neville was checking on the Granger parents.
"Dobby!" called Harry.
*Pop* "Yes, Master Harry Potter, Sir?" asked the elf standing to Harry's side.
Harry gestured towards the Grangers with his chin and said, "Get the Grangers and Lady Ravenclaw to infirmary immediately! They're hurt!"
"Yes, Master Harry Potter, Sir!" exclaimed the elf.
He popped over to the Grangers and then immediately popped with the three of them out of the Hall.
Stilling looking over to where the heirs and Grangers were sitting he could see what appeared to be ice crystals in a spray pattern on the wall. The only missing part where the two outlines of the adult Grangers and the three chairs.
"Susan," he called. "Can you go up to the infirmary and see if they need help, please?"
Susan gave a quick nod of her head and bolted from the room. She was chased out the door by Madam Bones and an auror Harry recognised as the auror corps's in-house healer.
Harry turned back to look at the ghost and said, "There, Tom. No more magic for you. You're not even a squib. If you had been alive when I did that, it would have killed you. But, as you're already dead, you're even 'deader'."
The ghost just looked up and let out an ethereal snort. "Funny, aren't you?" he snidely asked.
"Maybe," replied Harry. "But I'm not finished yet."
More wary, the ghost asked, "What more can you do to me?"
"You threatened that you would find a way to come back and possess someone," replied Harry. "I cannot, I will not, allow that to happen."
The ghost frowned back at Harry. He lacked even the ethereal energy to be angry at the boy standing before him.
"There will be no 'Next Great Adventure' for you, Tom," said Harry.
Realisation dawned in the expression of the ghost of Riddle. "No!" he begged. "Please, no!"
Ignoring the ghost's pleas, Harry stood up straighter, aimed his wand back at the centre of the ghost, and intoned, "I, Harry James Potter, call on magic old and new, to end from all existence, the entity known on this plane as Tom Marvolo Riddle. I judge his crimes so great, he not be allowed to exist for ever more. So mote it be; so mote it be; so mote it be!"
A beam of pure magic shot forth from the tip of Harry's wand and struck the centre of Riddle's chest. The force of the energy being directed at Riddle forced the ghost off Harry's left hand to hang suspended just out of his reach. The emerald focus stone glowed with an intense green light. With some relief, Harry dropped his left arm to his side while continuing to pump magic into the wand.
Riddle struggled in the beam, screaming. He continued to scream as the magic suffused his whole being. It built until it appeared he was surrounded by an aura. With a final scream from Riddle, the ghost literally and silently exploded into twinkling motes of silver. Then the motes faded out of existence.
Harry folded over at the waist. And rested the palms of his hands on his knees. He didn't even notice the wand floating in air where he had let go of it.
"So endeth the dark wizard Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort," he panted out loud.
After a few moments to catch his breath, Harry thought, 'Where's my wand?'
He looked up and was a little surprised to see the wand hovering in the air about his shoulder height. "Oh," he said, looking at it.
Neville came forward and rested his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I need to get you to Madam Pomfrey," he said.
Harry shook his head and said, "No, I've got Dumbledore and his soul anchor to deal with yet. I can't delay that."
"Then, Harry James Potter, you will take at least one revitalising potion and one rejuvenation potion, first!" he growled back.
"Yes, Sir," replied Harry with what he hoped was a suitably chastised expression on his face.
Neville just glared back for a few moments. Harry even noticed the corner of his mouth twitch slightly in what he sincerely hoped was a sign he was trying not to smile at him.
Spinning around he called, "Dobby!"
*Pop* "Yes, Master Neville, Sir?" asked the elf.
"Harry's going to need to get his strength back before he continues," said Neville. "But, he must continue, so we can't rush him off to the infirmary just yet!"
"Yes, Master Neville, Sir!" exclaimed the elf.
"Can you get for me one rejuvenation potion and one magical core rejuvenation potion from our personal supplies, please?" Neville asked.
"Yes, Master Neville, Sir!" the elf replied before popping away.
Neville passed his own wand over Harry's front and his right arm a couple of times before saying, "You're damned lucky you didn't blow your own core or something equally bad, when you did that."
It was then Harry felt a slight draft on the back of his right shoulder. Reaching up and across with his left hand, and turning his head to as far to the right as he could, he pulled his robes down on his right shoulder. He saw a ragged hole about as round as a tea cup rim torn out of all the layers of material.
Harry, still looking at the hole through his robes and school uniform underneath, wondered aloud, "How did that happen?"
"Harry," replied Neville. "When you were pulling the magic out of the ghost of Tom Riddle, it burst out the back of your shoulder like a spraying hose and sprayed the wall and the Grangers," replied Neville. "I think it's crystallised pure magic."
"Huh!" said Harry looking back at the wall, "I truly hope they're going to be alright."
Not having heard the little house elf's return, Harry was surprised when Neville said, "Lord Slytherin!"
Turning back to face him, Harry asked, "Yes?"
His friend held out two potions and said, "Drink these."
Knowing it was pointless to argue, Harry took both uncapped potions, one in each hand, and downed them as quickly as he could. "Ack!" he exclaimed. "Yuck!"
Neville just snorted in response before saying, "As soon as you're finished here I'll want you in the infirmary. Don't make me tell Madam Pomfrey to come looking for you, Lord Slytherin."
"Yes, Sir," replied Harry as contritely as he could.
Neville just snorted in amusement.
Harry then straightened up and said, "'Nev, I need to get this done. Can you return to your seat, please?"
Neville gave him one last manly shoulder clench before saying, "Be more careful this time!" And hurried back to the side of the room.
Standing up a little straighter, Harry then looked across his audience. Most were just staring back in mute shock or glancing back at him every now and then while softly talking between themselves. The journalists, in the area set aside for them, had their dicta-quills still running flat out. Not a few of them had quite a significant stack of parchments already filled and set aside.
Taking a deep breath and giving his left elbow and wrist a bit of a rub while the potions were taking effect, Harry looked up and said, "Hogwarts, reset the ward in front of the dais." Then, only thinking it this time, thought, "And, as soon as Fawkes shows up in here with me, instantly put in place an anti-phoenix ward. I need the bird unable to flash out again.'
Harry received a mental assurance it would be done. He also felt concern from the castle.
'Don't worry,' he thought. 'I'm not going to hurt the overgrown flaming chicken.'
He received the feeling of reluctant acceptance.
Again holding his wand forth in the centre of the dais, and with his left hand held in front of his left breast ready to snap forward in a grabbing motion, Harry intoned, "I, Harry James Potter, acting as Herald of Magic, call on magics new and old. I ask of magic to bring me the phoenix known as Fawkes. I need of magic to bring to me those portions of the soul of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore that do not inhabit his own, mortal, body. I seek to recombine the soul of the one known as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore so that it may, again, be whole. So mote it be!"
With a sudden flash just in front of him, Fawkes appeared. Harry snapped his left hand forward and grabbed the magical bird by the neck.
Fawkes, with a startled squawk, attempted to flash away, multiple times. Each time, he burned Harry's hand with a quick sear of flesh. Harry held on. Over and over a half dozen times Fawkes attempted to flash away.
"Fawkes!" bellowed Harry at the bird. "Quit it, right now!"
Fawkes made a couple more attempts but then suddenly stopped. It glared back at Harry and squawked at him in indignation.
Harry's hand now had what felt like second degree burns but, as with when he destroyed Riddle's soul, he refused to relent. He just gritted his teeth for a few moments while trying to will the pain away into a back corner of his mind.
"Sorry, Fawkes," said Harry between gritted teeth. "But, you know I need to do this."
Harry then raised his wand and passed it over the bird's body. He found what he was looking for in the bird's head.
Turning to point the tip of the wand directly between the bird's eyes, Harry gently placed the tip just above the bridge of the beak. Holding it for a moment, he pushed his magic through the wand and had his magic grasp the soul fragment within. Slowly, and as gently as he could, he ran the tip up between the bird's eyes and lifted the tip away. As he did so, he pulled the soul fragment away. Fawkes was squawking the whole time but didn't attempt to flash away again.
He was surprised to feel the bird helping him as much as it could. Both with holding still and with using its own mind to force the fragment out. Clearly, Fawkes now knew what was going on, he thought.
As he finally pulled the fragment free it coalesced into the form of Albus Dumbledore. Letting go of Fawkes's neck, Harry shot his left hand forward and up and grabbed the fragment through the chest, as he'd done with Riddle. Fawkes dropped free from his grip, and Harry felt the castle drop the anti-phoenix wards and reset them at the boundaries of the Great Hall.
Fawkes began to flash and popped all over the place around the ceiling trilling with a great deal of happiness and pleasure. He was quite loud and spectacular flashing all around. However, not many people watched him. Their eyes were affixed to Harry on the dais.
Harry didn't have any spare attention to place on the now free phoenix's antics. He was focussed entirely on the dull grey ghost grasped in his left hand.
He moved it to the side in the same place as he held Riddle's spirit and gave it a little shake. All the while the fragment was cursing at him and in pain.
"How dare you manhandle me!" it bellowed at Harry. "I am the great Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, Holder of the Order of Merlin First Class, and Headmaster of Hogwarts!"
"Liar!" replied Harry calmly.
"What?" spluttered the grey ghost fragment.
"I said, 'Liar'," repeated Harry.
"I assure you..." it tried to splutter again.
"You don't," interrupted Harry.
"Pardon?" the ghost fragment asked.
"Your other half,..." said Harry, indicating where Dumbledore in the flesh was sitting, "... was fired as Chief Warlock, was fired as Supreme Mugwump, was fired from even holding a seat on the ICW and was fired as Headmaster of Hogwarts. I think you... that is, he... will very soon find yourself... himself... stripped of the Order of Merlin, as well."
"I'm the Leader of the Light!" it spluttered.
"No, you're not," replied Harry. "You may have been, at one time, when you had everyone fooled as to what you really were. However, the fact I pulled you from that poor bird you had enslaved with the most vilest magics, magic that requires you to commit cold-blooded murder, proves beyond any shadow of a doubt to our audience here..." Harry gestured to the room, "... that you are, in fact, inherently evil. Someone as evil as you could not possibly be considered the Leader of the Light."
"You lie!" it screeched.
Harry just shook his head at the shade before then looking over at 'mortal' Dumbledore. "How could you, Albus?" asked Harry. "You had everything going for you, and you do this."
As mortal Dumbles was gagged, Harry knew he wasn't going to get an answer from him. And probably wouldn't even if he wasn't gagged.
Instead, Harry just looked back at the shade and said, "Now, half-ghost-Dumbles, I'm going to ask you a few questions. We can do this the easy way - meaning you'll just answer my questions truthfully and wholly, without trying to dodge answering - or we do this the hard way - meaning you're going to feel excruciating pain. Which is it to be, half-ghost-Dumbles?"
"I do not have to answer your questions," huffed the shade.
Harry suddenly squeezed his left hand into a fist.
"Arrrggghhhhh!" screamed the shade in agony, until Harry relaxed his hand slightly.
"Would you like to try that again, half-ghost-Dumbles?" asked Harry in a pleasant voice.
"H-How could you do this to me?" wailed the shade.
"I can do it because I currently hold dominion over you," replied Harry. "Now, did you fracture your soul to create this abomination by committing the cold-blooded murder of Myrtle Malone?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" huffed the shade.
*Squeeze!*
"Arrrggghhhhh!" screamed the shade in agony again.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" asked Harry.
"H-H-How can you justify doing this to me?" wailed the shade.
"It's For the Greater Good! And because I need answers and you're going to give them to me," replied Harry. "Again! Did you fracture your soul to create this abomination by committing the cold-blooded murder of Myrtle Malone?"
"I refuse to..." began the shade.
*Squeeze!*
"Arrrggghhhhh!" screamed the shade in agony for a third time until Harry relaxed his hand a little. "Please, stop!" it begged.
"It will not happen each time you answer, truthfully," said Harry still using a calm voice. "It's For the Greater Good, after all."
"Please, don't torture the man!" one of the women in the audience begged.
"This is only a soul fragment of Albus Dumbledore," replied Harry. "It is not even living tissue."
"Yet, you are still torturing it," she responded.
"Well, I'm only going to ask one more time. After all," said Harry in best impersonation of Dumbledore, "It's for the Greater Good.
"If it doesn't answer, then I'm going to banish it to Hell. The only way for the soul of Dumbledore to then be reunited as one, whole, spirit is for the remaining part of him, that part still residing in his mortal body, to join it in Hell after Dumbledore's physical body shuffles off this mortal coil."
Turning back to the shade and not bothering to hear a response, Harry asked again, "For the third and final time. Did you fracture your soul to create this abomination by committing the cold-blooded murder of Myrtle Malone?"
"Yes!" the shade sobbed.
"Did you enslave a phoenix in an attempt to show you were a light wizard?"
"Yes!"
Nodding and turning away from the soul fragment to face the entire audience, Harry sought out an auror. Finding one, he asked, "Auror, do you have enough information to now charge Albus Dumbledore with cold-blooded murder?"
Nodding back, the auror replied, "Yes, My Lord, I believe we do."
"Good," said Harry.
Turning back to the shade, he said, "Now to deal with you."
Not in a little fear, the shade begged back, "You said you wouldn't banish me to Hell."
"I'm not," said Harry.
He then pointed his wand at the still bound physical body of Dumbledore and levitated it. He caused it to come forth from where it was and brought it up onto the stage next to where he was holding the shade. Physical-Dumbledore struggled within his bindings all the way, even when Harry caused the chair to settle onto the floor of the dais.
Then Harry poked his wand back into the chest of the shade and withdrew his left hand.
After withdrawing his hand he pulled the shade forward a bit. Both physical and ethereal forms of Dumbledore realised what was about to happen. Both struggled mightily in their bindings.
Harry caused the ethereal form to practically sit in the lap of the physical form. Then he... pushed. The ethereal form sunk into the physical form and, calling on magic again, Harry caused the two forms to merge back into a whole.
In his physical bindings, the now whole and physical Dumbledore slumped forward.
"There you go, Dumbledore," said Harry. "You're now mortal, again."
Harry turned to look at the auror before hesitating and turning back again. "Oh," he said. "In case it escaped your attention, if you manage to not be thrown through the veil or be kissed by a dementor, and only thrown into Azkaban for the rest of your natural life, the only title you now hold is 'Mister'. I doubt very much the public is going to recognise you as either the Leader of the Light, or allow you to keep the Order of Merlin. You disgust me, you piece of desiccated dragon dung!"
"Errr... Lord Potter?" asked the auror.
Turning back to look at her he asked, "Yes, Auror; you can come forward and slap magically resistant cuffs on this waste of good air."
"Thank you, My Lord; but, that's not it," the auror said. She pointed to a space on the dais behind him.
Harry turned and, standing less than ten feet away, was the ghost of Myrtle Malone.
That surprised Harry. He thought Hogwarts and it's ghosts knew not to approach.
"Yes, Miss Malone?" asked Harry.
Myrtle gently curtseyed before standing back up. "Thank you, Lord Slytherin, for finally seeing the man who killed me, brought to justice."
"You're welcome, Miss Malone," replied Harry. "Are you ready to... move on... now?"
"Yes, My Lord," she replied with a soft smile.
"Do you need my help with that?" asked Harry quite gently.
"No, thank you, My Lord," she replied. "I just wanted to give you my thanks in person... so to speak... before I... left."
"Then, again, you're welcome, Miss Malone," replied Harry. And Myrtle simply began to ascend with a smile while blurring and fading out.
Giving his head a quick shake he turned back around to face the auror.
She was looking up into the ceiling where Myrtle had ascended.
"Auror?" asked Harry snapping his fingers, trying to recapture her attention.
Looking back down at Harry she said, "Oh! Yes! Magical restraints." She snapped her own fingers and one of the other aurors came forward.
Hogwarts removed the iron straps that were holding Dumbledore's lower arms to the chair, allowing the auror to manacle the old fool. Once attached, Hogwarts removed the rest of the restraints.
The two aurors dragged the old man to his feet and shuffled him off the dais back up the aisle towards the main doors. They were not being particularly gentle.
Harry looked up to see Fawkes had calmed down and was circling inside the ceiling. Harry instructed the castle to remove the anti-phoenix ward completely.
Fawkes obviously felt it. He banked tight and suddenly flew out through the main doors in a gentle glide.
Addressing the audience, once more, Harry said, "I think that's enough for one day. Quite frankly, I'm exhausted! I ask the aurors to escort you out of the building and back out the gates. I need to attend my peer and her parents. If you desire, we will reconvene here in two or three days. Hopefully, we'll be able to answer your questions then."
Turning to the journalists, he said, "I apologise we will not be able to answer your questions, either. Please, come back in two to three days. We'll send out another media release with the details as soon as we can."
And, with that, Harry strode from the room with Neville hot on his heels. Neville had re-summoned the Sword of Gryffindor and held it in his hand. Nobody dared bother them.