It was the morning of the meeting with Bloodaxe that Dobby came back with Othello who was holding a letter from Hermione. Harry quickly took the last bite of his breakfast before he took the letter from the owl sitting in front of him.
To Othello he said, "Why don't you go and visit Hedwig? She is still in the owlery with the eggs and could use some company." Othello hooted his agreement and flew away to the owlery. Harry watched him go for a moment before he turned back to the letter. He opened the seal and started reading.
Dear Harry,
Hedwig has laid eggs?!
Harry, I am so sorry! We really thought that Othello wasn't interested in a mate. The shopkeeper assured us that he wouldn't want to mate if he hadn't already.
Are you able to take care of the chicks for this summer? Do you need any help? Is Hedwig alright? Is she staying on the nest? Do you know how to take care of the chicks? I can sent you the books necessary. My parents wish me to convey their apologies. They've also agreed that they will take care of any expenses made for caring for the owl chicks. I know you don't need that Harry, but just take it. They're Othello's chicks too.
Did you know that with magical owl breeds you can only see what kind of owl they turn out to be by looking at the egg shells? Apparently magical owls can cross-breed. I will sent you a book about it. It's all so very interesting!
Yes, of course I will come. My parents are busy at their practise again most of the summer so I've got time and Ron hasn't invited us back to the Burrow yet anyway. This, what you're doing seems important. Dobby can pick me up as soon as is possible. When will you go there next?
I've missed you.
Love,
Hermione
She missed him. Maybe, no, that couldn't be true. He was her best friend. Harry was resolved to answer her after the meeting with Bloodaxe. Most importantly, she agreed to come! Harry couldn't wait to see her reaction to all what changed. Harry wanted to invite her for the training session of tomorrow. He also hoped that she has a book about baby owl care ready that she could give to him because he did not know how to care for owl chicks and it was Hedwig's first nest too.
Hedwig seemed to do very well with some help from Othello but one never knew with an animals first nest. He knew from animal documenteries that one has to be happy already if the bird stayed on the nest to brood. So much could go wrong. Harry wanted to be sure the owl chicks would be as well cared as possible.
As Hermione said in her letter, Harry didn't think it likely this year that Ron would invite them to the Borrow. Last year had been awkward enough with the three of them. Ron had clearly just invited them because his parents and Dumbledore had expected him to. Harry had mostly hung out with the twins and Hermione with Bill when they were not hanging out together. She'd been fascinated by Bill's knowledge of Runes as had he really.
But it had been quiet this vacation, no letters yet from Ron since Harry left the Dursleys. Just before Harry left he got a short note telling him the usual stuff. Quiddish, chores, Molly nagging at him to do said chores etc. Not that his friend had ever been very good at writing long letters. Not like Hermione who could write whole novels in her letters if you let her. Harry wouldn't mind visiting the Burrow when it was safe again but at most for a day or two or if somebody caught him decided he'd need watching by the Weasleys.
They've always been kind to him and he appreciated that kindness still.
This time it was going to be Kreacher who would take him to Gringotts. The cranky Elf didn't really like the goblins but he wanted to do something with his Master that wasn't cleaning or cooking. Which Harry could understand. It wasn't nice to be only useful as the housekeeper and he didn't want that for his House-Elf friends.
Perhaps they could start with a hobby? Something relaxing and not related to cleaning. What did House-Elves like to do in their spare time? Harry would have to have a talk with them about it.
So when the time for the appointment came Harry took Kreacher's hand and they popped to the same meeting room in Gringotts where he had been the last time.
This time it was only Bloodaxe who sat behind the big desk and Harry could see that on the desk stood the Rune covered box that the Cursebreaker goblins had used to contain the locket. Now there were even more runes carved into the box. Harry wondered what those did to the thing inside.
Voldermort's Horcrux.
Bloodaxe stood up from behind the desk as Kreacher popped away again and greeted Harry with a for a goblin very polite greeting, "Welcome, Lord Black, to Gringotts. May your gold grow and may our enemies die regretting ever meeting us."
Harry bowed his head slightly as Gran had taught him to do and said, "Same to you, sir. So mote it be." As an answer to the respectful blessing Bloodaxe had spoken.
When Harry walked closer to Bloodaxe so he could take a seat, both he and the Black accountmanager noticed how the Rune covered box was shaking on the desk. Harry had a nasty feeling as to what the shaking of the box meant and even Bloodaxe looked a bit resigned.
Harry asked just to be sure, "Does that mean what I think it means?"
Bloodaxe looked a bit sorry for him as he nodded, "I fear that that means that what we suspected is, in fact, the reality. You, Lord Black, are a Horcrux. The new runes we placed on the box proves it. It would only act that way in the precense of another Horcrux."
Harry was not even shocked anymore when he heard it confirmed. It was just his luck. It explained so much. His nightmares, the connection with Voldemort, Dumbledore's plans and even the Prophecy made more sense now. Why hadn't he seen it before?
He just really hoped that there was a way to destroy the Horcrux in his scar without it needing to be his death. He didn't want to die. He had just started to hope that he might survive this war. He had some good allies who were willing to help him, he finally escaped the Dursleys and had made a home for himself where he could train and live the way he wanted.
Harry took a deep breath and asked the most important question on his mind, "Is there anything the goblins of Gringotts can do to take the Horcrux safely out of me?"
The account manager of the Black Family nodded firmly at his question and Harry felt a bone deep relief. He didn't want to die at only sixteen years old. There was so much he wanted to do and before this reveal it had seemed like he'd actually get to live past his sixteen years of life.
But Bloodaxe seemed sure that they could safely remove the damn thing out of his scar. That was good. If anyone could do it, it was gonna be the goblins.
Bloodaxe explained, "We had our suspicions after we found the first Horcrux in the Black Town House that this was what might have happened when Voldermort attacked your family that Halloween night. Though it seems like the Horcrux was unable to posses you fully as they are supposed to do with their hosts. This might have something to do with the ritual your parents made to protect you against the self-styled Lord Voldemort since the Horcrux is a part of the man the ritual was meant to protect you against."
The goblin continued with, "And so we have searched for a ritiual to get the Horcrux out of you without it needing to be your permanent death. This situation was more common in ancient Egypt before they discovered how utterly catastrophic making a Horcrux was for ones magic, mind and body. Riddle seems to have reached new hights of stupidity with his actions."
Ha! Harry couldn't agree more. Why on earth did the man continue making so much Horcruxes after it became clear that it was dimishing his magic and his mind even. But that might just have been it. His mind kept getting worse after every Horcrux made. Voldemort probably didn't even notice it.
Wait, permanent death? That seems a bit of a strange thing to say. Does that mean Harry would only need to die a little bit?
So he asked, "I'd like to stay alive for a bit longer but what do you mean with it not being my permanent death? Does that mean I will only be a little dead?" He was only a tiny bit worried but he trusted the goblins. They were very honest with him and he really respected them for that. Binns had infuenced his thoughts on goblins more than he'd thought before this summer. Goblins were so much more than it was taught at Hogwarts. They didn't deserve the prejudice Binns spread about them over the generations the ghost taught at Hogwarts.
Bloodaxe hooked his fingers under his chin as he explained, "I shall explain the ritual to you since it is important to get it out of you as soon as possible as not to leave pernament damage. You're lucky we found it before your seventeenth birthday. After it would have left permanent damage to your magic. After you have agreed to do it, we will take you to our Ritual Room deep in Gringotts, there you will drink the Draught of the Living Death so that the Horcrux will think you are dead and search of another host to possess."
Bloodaxe took a moment to breath before he continued, "Since you will be in a closed ritual circle it will be impossble for the soul shard to escape. We will then trap the Horcrux in a smal object which we will destroy. Then you will get a dose of the Wiggenweld potion to wake you up again and be checked over by one of our healers."
Harry took a moment to process all this information before he said, "Very well, lets do it."
It was not like there was any other option. He had to die so that Voldemort would be a step closer to being mortal again. And since it wouldn't be a permanent death, he'd gladly do it. He'd take his fate in his own hands.
Bloodaxe looked satisfied and send a notice to alert the others to make the Ritual Room ready for the Horcrux extraction. He thought the boy was a brave one for his kind. Goblins always liked children, even wizarding children. It was the adults they had a problem with. But maybe that would change. The boy in front of him was different and Bloodaxe had the feeling he'd bring change to all of them.
Then the Account Manager of the Black Family stood up and motioned for Harry to follow him. They walked for a while through some parts of Gringotts Harry had never seen before and some time later they stopped in front a a big door made of what looked like marble.
Bloodaxe turned to look at Harry and said, "This is where I leave you. After you entered you need to completely undress and put on the robe that we put there for you. You'll be magically cleansed and after that you need enter the Ritual Room and to lay on the big stone altar table in the middle of the room and wait for the healer to arrive with the potion."
Harry nodded that he understood and said to the goblin, "Thank you, Bloodaxe, for all your help. I can't imagine what would have happened if we never found out about the Horcrux in my head."
Bloodaxe looked a bit grumpy at being thanked but still said, "No need to thank me, Lord Black. After all you are still a child and even goblins will help a child in need, no matter their race. And since you are one of our best clients and we wouldn't want to lose your money, so there really are no thanks necessary."
The last thing felt more like a thing Bloodaxe said as not to lose the tough reputation of stoic goblins. Harry found it kinda funny that the tough warrior race had a weak spot for children in need. He wasn't used to people helping him but he could really get used to it. There were quite a few capable adults helping him lately. It was nice.
Harry said goodbye to Bloodaxe and walked through the door. Inside was a small changing room with a white cotton robe hanging from one of the hooks on the wall. Harry quickly changed into the robe and neatly folded up his fancy clothes.
The robe was kinda cold and Harry hoped that it would be over soon so that he could change back into his actual clothes. The robe felt uncomfortably naked since he wasn't allowed to wear any clothes underneath it. Why couldn't they have made pants out of this fabric? Surely it wouldn't make a differece if it were pants and a shirt instead of these dress-like robes?
Then after putting it on he had to walk through what looked like a shower area, just with out the showerheads. As he walked through it he felt like he got showered with magic. It was all around him. Covering him, cleansing him. By the end of it he felt strangely refreshed.
Harry walked through another door and there was the Ritual Room. No one was there yet so Harry could take all the time he needed to look around. It was made of dark stone with golden veins running through it, giving of a slight glow. In the middle of the room stood a a stone table made of a strangely familiar looking stone. The ritual altar he was supposed to lay on soon. It looked a bit like the stones from Stonehenge. Were those actual magical stones, Harry wondered, he should ask Hermione. She'd know.
Around the altar was a wide circle carved in the ground with Runes running around it the edges of it. Harry recognised a few of the Runes that meant Strength, Health, Power, Success, Mind and Body. There were a few other ones that he didn't recognise but Harry resolved to himself that he would look up those he didn't know later.
After hearing Bill talk about them last summer, he still found Runes very interesting. So interesting even, that he had decided to study it on his own. He had made some vague plans in his head for perhaps even taking his NEWT in Runes, if he could take his OWL in them anyway. Harry had found he was good at them so hopefully he would be ready to take them on time with the rest of his year group.
He went to sit down on the surprisingly comfortable stone altar and waited for the healer to arrive. Soon the door opened and four goblins walked in. They too, were all wearing a robe and they went to stand around the circle. Harry was unfortunately aware that they were all naked under it.
Really, what's wrong with pants?
After that there was another goblin that came through the door. Harry looked at the goblin and was surprised to see that this goblin was female. At least it seemed that way since she was wearing a dress and apron instead of a Ritual robe like the others in the ritual room. Harry hadn't met a female goblin before.
The goblin in the dress walked briskly up to him and introduced herself as Healer Diamondaxe. Then she told him gently to lay down so she could spell the potion in his stomach so he wouldn't have to taste it.
Once again Harry was taken aback by the thoughtfulness of goblins. They were kind. He really needed to find a way to thank them all after this was over.
Perhaps he'd find a way to banish Binns ghost for them so that they could get an unbiased history teacher in Hogwarts? They were really a lot kinder and smarter than Binns would have his students believe.
Harry laid down on the altar and saw Healer Diamondaxe pull out a potion vial from out of her pocket. Then she made a few movements with her hands and the potion vial slowly emptied.
Harry could feel himself slowly falling asleep but just before he actually went under he felt a clawed hand patting his hair softly while saying, "Good luck, Mr. Potter and we will see each other soon again."
She then stepped away from him, out of the circle and the ritual room so to wait for the ritual to finish.
Each of the four goblins pricked their finger with their Ritual Knives and put a bleeding finger on a rune on their side. They'd spread around and stood in the place of each of their elements fire, earth, water and air. All facing the altar the boy was laying on. Looking the other three in the eyes to see if they were all ready, the lead goblin began the ritual.
The circle closed and the four goblins started chanting in their own language while they waited for the Horcrux to come out of the boy sleeping like death on the stone altar. It was a important day for each and every one of them. Horrible yes, but also a very important day to get right. Today they would get rid of a abobination. A Horcrux. That on itself was bad enough but that there was one inside a child, that was just horrifying. They'd safe a child today.
The boy's mother had protected her child well. They could see her magic lovingly protecting, containing the soul shard away from her son. The only way for the Horcrux to go was out. They knew as soon as the Horcrux noticed that the heartbeat of the boy had stopped, that the Horcrux would leave his current host and try to latch on to a new one.
Soon after the boy had completely stilled as if he were actually dead, they saw that the scar had started to bleed. The skin on his forehead started moving like a bug was moving under the skin and then suddenly the skin burst open. There was a black toxic looking sludge coming out of the boy's scar along with the blood. Disgusting, horrifying smoke started pouring out of the child and the four goblins knew it was time.
There sounded a screech and the Horcrux burst out from the boys forehead, looking furious. The Horcrux took the form of a humanoid skull and seemed to look around for another host.
The lead goblin of this ritual took out a clear crystal out of his robe pocket and threw it in the middle of the circle under the skull. The crystal glowed for a moment and then the Horcrux was slowly getting sucked in by it. It only took a moment but then the Horcrux was completly absorbed in by the crystal and the once clear crystal had turned an inky black.
The goblins, satisfied that the ritual had gone well, dismantled the circle and took the crystal to put in another rune covered box to be destroyed later. After all, they could hardly use Fiendfyre while the boy was there sleeping like the living death. Soon they started quickly cleaning up the rest of the circle and went away so that Healer Diamondaxe could treat her patient.
They were relieved, the boy would live.
Harry woke up alone in the Ritual Room. It was completely silent around him and Harry could feel that something was very different with him.
He felt so light. As if he had unknowingly carried a few extra pounds on his back that were now gone. He also felt his magic and the magic around him a lot better then ever before. He felt free.
The door on the side of the room opened and the Healer stepped through. She looked glad to see him awake again.
When she walked up to the altar the first thing Harry asked her was, "Is the Horcrux gone?"
Immediately after that, "Oh sorry, it is nice to meet you, Madam Diamontaxe. My name is Hadrian Potter-Black and I am very grateful for your care." With a blush because Gran would have made him do the most difficult dance she could think of if she heard about this slight misshap in manners.
The female goblin laughed softly at his words and answered him, "Lord Black, I am very glad to inform you that the Horcrux is gone and destroyed. Since the soul shard is now truly gone I ask you to take it very easy today so that your magic can get used to being without it. So no casting any magic today, young man."
Harry wondered why all the Healers he knew like Madam Pomphrey, Andromeda Tonks and now Healer Diamondaxe all acted the same. Like he was a child they really wanted to cuddle and surround in bubblewrap all the while scolding him.
Still, she was his Healer and had been very kind to him so he said, "I understand, Healer Diamondaxe." Like the mature young man he naturally was. Healers kinda scared him if he was being honest. Not that he'd tell them that. They'd probably like it way to much. He would never live it down.
She cleared him for leaving and Harry went quickly to the changing room to get dressed in his own clothes. He had felt a bit naked sitting there on the ritual stone with only a dress on. Oh sorry, with only the ritual robes on.
Pants. They needed to make pants of it. He'd take it up with his account manager in case he'd ever need another ritual done.
Then he was escorted back to the meeting room by another goblin where Bloodaxe was waiting behind his desk.
"I was very glad to hear that the Ritual succeeded in extracting the Horcux from you." The goblin said as he looked at Harry's forehead. Harry wondered how long he had been here, how his scar looked now. It felt like anything between a minute and a day could have passed by.
Harry nodded and said, "Yes sir, it went very well. The ritual was quick and Healer Diamondaxe was very kind to me."
Bloodaxe looked proud as he said, "Ah yes, you met my daughter didn't you? Such a good healer isn't she? She does very well in her chosen craft."
Harry nodded and quickly agreed with the clearly very proud father.
Then they talked a bit more about the rest of the Horcruxes. Now there were four destroyed and another three were not. Yet. The goblins were pretty sure that one of them was the snake named Nagini that Voldemort kept close to him at all times.
That one would be difficult to destroy but the goblins would leave it for last. They didn't want to alert Voldemort to them destroying the Horcruxes.
The other was somewhere they didn't know just yet since it seemed to have been moved recently.
The last one was in an unknown location in Hogwarts and Bloodaxe would ask Professor Flitwick for help with that one. He also asked Harry if he knew any places where someone could hide a Horcrux inside Hogwarts.
So Harry told him of the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement. Bloodaxe was shocked to hear about the size of the Basilisk Harry killed in self-defense and told him that in exchange for a liter of the venom they would render the snake in parts for him and sell everything he didn't want.
Bloodaxe told him that is he estimated the size correctly that Harry could expect to receive around 800.000 Galleons for such a rare creature.
Harry was shocked but agreed to the deal. Harry then asked the Black account manager to start the process for finally disowning Bellatrix Lestrange. The goblins would take care of the paperwork but before that was done Harry had to disown Bellatrix magically as to make it permanent and not just legal.
Which he did on the spot since he didn't want her anywhere close to him. Harry stood up from the desk and took out his wand so he could chant, "Ego autem dominus dederit ter Nigrum Domus hæc mulier nomine Domini sustentor adflixisti ut proximam sanguinis sui Bellatrix Lestrange nee Nigrum propter scelus. Sit nigrescere faciam quæ numquam iterum animabus nostris."
Which meant something like: I, Lord of House Black disown this woman, Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black for the crime of kinslaying. May she never darken our lives again.
It felt very satisfying to expel that woman from the family. She'd never receive anything from House Black ever again. He expected that Sirius would agree with his decision.
Then he broached his very important question to the goblin, "Bloodaxe, do you think it's possible to make some pants out of a ritual robe?"
The goblin took one look at his red face and started laughing. Yet no answer came forth from the laughing goblin. Harry decided that it migh be time to leave. He could get used to the ritual robe if he had to.
Since that the last thing Harry wanted to talk about and there was nothing left Bloodaxe wanted to speak to him about it was time to conclude the meeting. Harry called for Dobby to pick him up so that they could get to Longbottom Manor even if it was almost dinner time by now.
Harry wasn't allowed to do any magic today but he could still do his lessons with Gran. Tomorrow he'd continue with the combat lessons with Amelia, Susan and Neville. And Hermione.
Dobby appeared and together they popped away to Longbottom Manor.
Still embarrassed, Harry tried to will away his red cheeks before Gran of Neville could see him and ask what was wrong. Luckily, both Gran and Nev were waiting for him in the living room of the manor. This was a private space for only the members of the family and Harry was honored tha the was allowed to join them here.
Nev and Gran both looked up when he entered the room and ploffed down on the comfortable couch with a sign. While he had tried to project a brave front while at Gringotts, he was quite shaken by all he had learned. There had been a Horcrux, a piece of Voldemort in his scar!
Neville and Gran looked surprised but they quickly went to sit next to him. This wasn't normal behavior for Harry and they knew it. When they sat down, Harry started explaining how the meeting went. Both Neville and Gran gasped loudly when he got to the part where they found out about his scar and Gran grabbed his hand in a thight grip.
That grip didn't relax until Harry got to the part where Healer Diamondaxe declared him Horcrux-free. His poor Gran was pale and Neville didn't look much better when he stated in a shaky voice what they were all thinking, "Merlin, why is it always you mate?"
Harry gave his friend a slight puch on the shoulder with his free hand but could only agree, "Thank Merlin for goblins though." Harry really didn't want to know what would have happened if the Horcrux had stayed in his scar for much longer. What little Bloodaxe had told him about it didn't sounds good.
Gran finally let go of the thight grip on his hand to put her hand on his shoulder, "Are you truly alright now?"
"Yes, Gran. I feel so much better already. It feels like a weight has lifted of me, like my magic is truly free and my own now." And he did. He felt so much better than ever before. He still had a lot of healing to do but his magic felt better than ever before.
"Good," Said Augusta Longbottom with a fierce nod, "Would you boys care for a cup of tea?"
Neville and Harry looked at each other and said simultantaneously, "Sure, Gran."
Gran smiled at them and called for a House-Elf to bring them some tea and biscuits. It was a nice moment for them to relax together after the trying day. After finishing it Harry asked if he could use some parchment to write Hermione a letter.
Behind Grans back Neville smirked at him. Harry tried to calm down his sudden warm cheeks but not before he saw the tiny smirk around Gran's mouth. Oh no, did they all know about his crush for his female best friend? He thought he had hidden it so well!
"Of course you may, dear. Follow me to my study." Harry obeyed and followed her to a stately room with a big desk in front of a even bigger window.
Sitting down in the big chair behind the very fancy and beautifully carved desk, Harry went to write a letter for Hermione.
Dear Hermione,
Great! Dobby can pick you up tomorrow morning. I've missed you too, Mione.
No, I don't know much aboutowl breeding. I'd be grateful for some books about it if you don't mind. Thank your parents for me? It's nice for them to offer but I don't need much. The books will be handy but otherwise they seem to be able to take care of them themselves. Othello hunts for Hedwig when she needs it, so maybe he could stay here a bit more often?
Love,
Harry
Short and sweet. It would have to do. He saw her tomorrow anyway. He called for Dobby to bring the letter to Hermione which he did with a big smile on his face. His friend was still on his high from speaking with Tessy. Soon after he came popped away he came back with Hermione's agreement. Harry took his friends hand and Dobby popped them back home. He had an exhausting day and needed to rest. After a quick dinner he went upstairs and fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
The next morning found Harry standing nervously in the Entrance Hall. He was waiting for Dobby to bring Hermione. Neville and Susan were already in the training room with Amelia warming up for what would be a another difficult day in which they would practise their spellwork, duel and train some more. Madam Bones liked to exhaust them with training but first, before beginning she wanted them to warm up their muscles.
Harry meanwhile was warming up in the form of pacing from one side of the room to the other.
Then he heard a pop announcing Dobby's arrival and a shocked, "Harry?" He turned around and there she was, Hermione.