Three days later.
The poor children who had been petrified were finally cured.
"Harry, look over there—The Grey Lady's watching you again," Hermione whispered.
Seated far off at the same long table was a tall, ghostly figure of a woman.
The Grey Lady was a ghost of exceptional grace and beauty—arguably one of the most beautiful among all the women at Hogwarts.
She was quiet and somber, always appearing lost in thought.
Unlike most other Hogwarts ghosts, whose names and histories were well-documented, the Grey Lady remained a mystery. She never revealed her past and only referred to herself by that name.
Despite combing through the genealogies of magical families, no one had found a "Grey" who matched her description.
Hogwarts kept a dedicated book recording the identities, stories, and causes of death for its many ghosts. But for the Grey Lady, the entry was bare—just her name.
Naturally, many tried to uncover her identity, but no matter how persistent the questioning, she never gave the slightest clue.
The most anyone got was a sorrowful sigh: "I'm a sinner who committed a grave mistake."
Some refused to give up, deducing only from her elegant gown that she must have come from a very noble background—but beyond that, nothing.
Noticing Harry and Hermione looking her way, the Grey Lady turned her head calmly, raising her chin just slightly in a haughty manner—
As if to say, I wasn't looking at you.
…
When no one was around, Harry unfurled a piece of parchment and wrote:
"Eight soul fragments: one original, seven Horcruxes."
He drew a line through the "original."
"The one that possessed Quirrell last year—that was the main body. Completely dead now."
"Seven Horcruxes left. One fragment was hidden inside me—already dealt with."
"What remains are—"
Riddle's Diary
The Gaunt Family Ring
Slytherin's Locket
Hufflepuff's Cup
Ravenclaw's Diadem
Nagini
The diary had already been destroyed—Harry struck through it.
The Diadem of Ravenclaw was in his possession. He'd destroy it shortly.
Nagini... no, she wasn't a Horcrux yet. That only happened a year or two later, when Voldemort's main body split again and used her.
Man, that's messed up, Harry thought. He really had to choose a woman-turned-snake to house his soul fragment. If he ever came back, would he be a drag queen necromancer?
(Note: Nagini was a woman cursed with the blood malediction, able to switch between human and snake form—eventually stuck as a snake, becoming Voldemort's pet.)
But since Voldemort's main body was already toast, it looked like Nagini wouldn't become a Horcrux after all.
Harry crossed that one out too.
So... only three Horcruxes remained:
The Gaunt family's heirloom ring
Slytherin's locket
Hufflepuff's cup
Harry frowned in deep thought.
"The ring's probably still hidden at their old house. The locket... I remember that one being especially annoying. The one Voldemort hid in that cave was a fake, and Dumbledore almost died retrieving it. As for the cup, where was that again…"
He just couldn't remember.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
How could I forget the Diadem of Ravenclaw! It's a legendary artifact that boosts intelligence!
He pulled the marble crown from under his bed. It was thick with dust from being stashed down there for so long.
He blew on it, sending dust swirling into the air.
Engraved on the diadem were tiny words: "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
Harry suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
What if Voldemort's soul fragment inside this Horcrux wakes up? That'd be a disaster.
But then he recalled the state of the diary—soul fragments were very weak when revived. They couldn't hurt anyone unless they consumed another person's soul first.
Just as he was about to put it on, Harry cringed.
He imagined Voldemort's freaky soul brushing against his scalp. Goosebumps rippled down his arms.
"Better deal with him first."
With a quick Apparition, Harry zipped into the Forbidden Forest.
Destroying a Horcrux was simple: just have the basilisk spit venom on it. Basilisk venom could destroy even soul-bound magic.
But since Harry still wanted to use the diadem, he'd have to take a more complicated approach.
He needed to eliminate Voldemort's fragment without damaging the crown.
In the dark forest…
Crackling sparks, poison smoke, explosions, curses, and counter-curses lit up the trees.
Harry carefully dismantled the Dark magic Voldemort had infused into the Horcrux.
After half an hour, the chaos finally died down.
The diadem lay still in the grass, scorched and blackened.
Harry casually picked at his ear with his wand and said impatiently, "Stop pretending. Come on out already. Got any last words? Now's your chance—tell me stuff like, 'I'll be back! The tides will turn! Don't look down on the Dark Lord!' I won't hold it against you. You're dying anyway."
The soul fragment was feeble to begin with—especially so when forcibly awakened.
A dim, transparent spirit drifted into view, barely coherent.
This Voldemort seemed to be in his twenties. He looked around, recognizing the Forbidden Forest.
His life now lay in the hands of this strange young man.
A cunning glint flashed in his eyes, and he smiled. "Child, would you like to learn powerful Dark magic? To be feared by all? To wield power and rule the world? Would you like to learn the secrets of immortality?"
"I'm good, thanks," Harry replied calmly.
"No—you do want that!"
"Dude, with sales pitch skills like that, you'd starve in a pyramid scheme. Bye-bye, Mr. Voldemort."
Harry raised his wand.
"Wait! I've got a fortune hidden in Gringotts! Let me live and I'll tell you the vault password!!"
"Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that."
The soul fragment continued to fade, eyes burning with hatred. "What's your name?!"
Only his head remained.
"I'm…"
Voldemort stared intently, trying to memorize the answer for his future fragments.
Harry met his gaze and continued, "...your daddy. Haha—hic—"
"AAARGHHHHH!!" Voldemort exploded.
His stunned expression at the end was priceless.
Harry conjured a floating ball of water, tossed the diadem in, and waved his wand in a circular motion.
The clean water spun like a magical washing machine, scrubbing away the scorched residue.
Soon, the diadem was sparkling again.
Harry placed it on his head.
Instantly, his thoughts became sharper.
It was like his entire being had been placed in a fridge—cool, calm, stable, and wise.
This buff is insane.
Harry suspected it should be renamed The Crown of the Sage.
His memories felt clearer than ever. He focused and thought about the location of Hufflepuff's cup.
And finally remembered—
Voldemort had hidden the cup in Gringotts.
Robbing a bank… that sounded tough. Voldemort had tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone two years ago and failed.
Harry was stronger than Voldemort, sure, but robbing a bank solo was still no joke.
This wasn't like those muggle robberies where you wave a gun and politely ask the clerk to fill a bag.
Still, there were ways to handle this—like getting the Ministry involved.
As for the ring, it was in the Gaunt family's old house. But if you asked Harry where that was, he'd have no clue.
And the locket?
That one was the biggest mystery. It seemed to be connected to Sirius Black's family somehow.
Guess he'd figure it out when Sirius showed up.
…
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⚡🪄 THE REBIRTH OF HARRY POTTER
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