Harry was nervous for a lot of different reasons, as he has been for the last two weeks, and for once, his schoolwork wasn't the cause no matter how much he was currently stuck with. The first reason for his nervousness was the fact that he finally found the time to get Fleur, Tonks, and Penny together as their individual schedules and work made it difficult, so he was very worried about how that was going to go. Also, though, he was on edge ever since he told the founders about how he found Crouch's body and the dreams about Voldemort he has been having all year as their reactions were troubling, especially Salazar who looked pale and horrified. He tried asking them what was wrong, but they kept evading his questions and have been rather distant from him ever since, making Harry even more lonely than he already was.
Harry was currently in the chamber's practice area trying to master a new spell that could easily tip almost any battle in Harry's favor once used, Fiendfyre; however, Harry has been very reluctant to use it because it is technically Dark Magic and is incredibly difficult to control. The founders, though, have been adamant these last two weeks to make it Harry's number one priority and he had a suspicion there was more than meets the eye here as he has never seen them look so panicked. Harry didn't know what the Third Task actually entailed, only that it was apparently going to take place in a maze of some kind where the objective was to find the Triwizard Cup before one of the others did, but he was determined to do whatever it took to get out of this alive.
Harry eventually showered before making his way to the study where he saw the paintings conversing in a whispered tone and each had grave looks on their faces. Harry decided enough was enough and sought answers.
"Okay, what is going on? You guys have been acting really weird these last few weeks and I want to know what's up. I already have enough people who keep secrets from me.", he said.
The founders look at each other with hesitation written all over their faces before they all eventually turn to Salazar who looked so tired, even though that was kind of impossible since he was a painting, but he did.
Salazar waited a few moments before speaking, "Harry, what do you know about what happened that night almost fourteen years ago when Voldemort killed your parents? Do you know how you survived?"
Harry was caught off guard by the question but eventually answered, "Well, my parents were marked for death by Riddle for taking a stand against him like some others did during the war. Eventually, he found them hiding in Godric's Hollow thanks to Wormtail and personally sought to dispose of them along with me. After killing my parents, he attempted to kill me but my mother had apparently placed some sort of magic on me that prevented Voldemort from ending my life and in turn, ended his…or at least somehow made him without a body."
Salazar nodded, "All true, Harry; however, we believe that they may be more to the story than you or perhaps anyone else is aware of, though it is likely Dumbledore knows but to what extent we do not know."
He took a breath and continued, "Harry, when you told us about finding Crouch's body, your recurring nightmare, and all of the instances when your scar burns during your confrontations with Voldemort and his followers over the last four years, we came to realize something. Something we had hoped was just us being paranoid, but after much deliberation and our knowledge of what Tom was planning to do, we agreed that our worst fears have been realized."
Harry went silent and wide-eyed as Rowena asked, "Harry, I doubt you know what a Horcrux is, correct?"
He nodded and she continued, "I'm not surprised, and for once, I'm glad your inept government decided to bury all knowledge of what they considered Dark Magic. A Horcrux is an object where a person has split a piece of their soul into to be housed to not only prolong their life, but also keep that person alive should anything happen to their body. In layman's terms, you cannot die."
Harry went wide-eyed, "H-How…is that even possible?"
Rowena looked down and said, "There are a few things required to complete the process of making one, but the most important aspect is committing murder and feel no remorse after. I take it you know where I'm going with all this?'
Harry came to a shocking realization, "That's how he did it, isn't it? That's how Voldemort has remained alive ever since that night. He made a Horcrux!"
Salazar said, "He planned on making seven. The first one he made you have already seen and destroyed, right here, in this very chamber."
Harry knew what he meant, "The diary of Tom Riddle."
Salazar nodded, "It was created when Tom had the Basilisk kill poor Myrtle in the bathroom upstairs all those years ago. We were all furious at him for that and Godric, Rowena, and Helga all stopped teaching him as a result; but I…couldn't let him go. He was my only remaining family and in my ignorance and hatred for muggles, I wrote off Myrtle's murder as an accident since Tom didn't know she was in the bathroom. However, the following term, when he told me he had killed his own father over the summer and made another Horcrux using the Gaunt ring, my wife's ring, I knew there was no hope for Tom left. Therefore, I told him to leave and never return to this place again. I'm so sorry, Harry."
Harry just sat there stunned, "It's not really your fault. You couldn't exactly stop Tom as you are, but I still don't understand what this has to do with me."
Helga decided to step in now all concerned, "Harry, everything you told us about how you share this strange connection with Voldemort as you can peek into his mind and how your scar hurts whenever you encounter him or his men, it all points to one conclusion. Somehow, likely due to the sacrificial magic that your mother used to save you that she imbued with her love, the killing curse did touch you that night but it seems that it rebounded at Voldemort and seemingly killed him but not before a part of his soul had apparently latched itself, not on an object, bit on the only living thing it could find…You. We believe you are a Horcrux, Harry and it's in your scar."
Silence reigned throughout the study and Harry didn't speak, move, or even blink as he just stared at them with an expressionless face for nearly five minutes until he started shaking and his breathing stated getting heavy. Eventually, he just fell to his knees when his legs gave out and he just looked down on the floor as he felt his eyes water. He had been violated and toyed with his whole life and he didn't even know it. There was always a nagging feeling within him that his magic was being leeched off of and held him back from having a clear head, and now he knew why. A fragment of Voldemort, the man who killed his parents and made his life hell, had left a piece of his dark and vile soul within him.
Harry eventually spoke without looking up, "Is there a way to destroy it?"
Godric said, "On an object, one can definitely use Basilisk venom or Fiendfyre. However, using either of those on a living being who holds a Horcrux within them would be impossible without killing them. We have been trying to think of a solution since we discovered your…condition."
Harry felt even more defeated and now he just suddenly broke down sobbing and punching the ground. "Why Me?! Why can't I just live my life? I just want to be free and happy", he thought.
It took perhaps fifteen minutes until he finally stopped and looked up at the founders' remorseful faces and finally spoke to them.
"So…I'm gonna die?", he asked.
Rowena hesitated, "Well, in short Harry, yes you will have to die to remove the Horcrux; however, we believe there may be a way for you to survive the killing curse like you did thirteen years ago. The sacrificial blood magic that your mother used all those years ago was successful because of the love she had for you, and we believe it has continued to aide you since then, but should Voldemort resurrect himself using your blood, that defense might no longer be viable. The principal, though, of using a pure love entwined with magic from someone who loves you and is magically connected to you could in theory, combined with Occlumency pushing the Horcrux to the forefront of your mind and soul, prevent death as that person's love could latch on to your soul and separate it from the piece of Riddle's soul that is leeching off of you."
Harry went wide-eyed and started getting hopeful, "Really?"
Salazar nodded, "It would require a few more things to prepare, but in theory, it is plausible. But remember this is a one-time deal as this is possible because you have two souls residing in you and the killing curse can only take one at a time. Once the Horcrux is removed, your magic should finally return to the levels it was meant to and you will be much healthier physically and mentally, but no one escapes death Harry and if you get hit with the killing curse after that, it will be the end no matter how loved and protected you are."
Harry solemnly nodded, "Wait, how am I supposed to be magically connected to the people I love without blood relation like my Mum? I seriously doubt my love for the Dursley's will change that much in the next four months."
The founders exchanged nervous glances before Rowena said, "We have an idea Harry, but it is rather radical and perhaps downright ludicrous. However, it could be your only hope."
In life, there are many awkward moments; your first day at a new school, your first kiss, walking in on your parents shagging (hopefully no one has to go through that). But now, three young women were currently in the most awkward situation of their collective lives as Penelope Clearwater, Nymphadora Tonks, and Fleur Delacour all stood just outside the abandoned girl's lavatory waiting for Harry. Each of them has been waiting over two weeks to find a time to sit down and talk with Harry about their feelings and future and each of them have been drowning in their thoughts.
Penny thought about how drastically her feelings for Harry has changed over the course of the year as she did have feelings for him prior to the World Cup, but she was or believed she was deeply in love with Percy. However, over the summer, Percy changed for the worst as he went from strict to uncompromising in his beliefs and blind to the corruption and bigotry of his beloved Ministry of Magic. While she knew that he still loved her, she also knew that he loved the Ministry more and would do anything to uphold any legislation they passed, even their anti-muggleborn laws that would affect her. After Harry saved her at the World Cup and she saw how mature and kind he had become this year, her feelings for him blossomed and that kiss they shared, along with her aching heart when they weren't talking missing him, all but confirmed that she was indeed in love with Harry Potter. A week ago, she wrote to Percy to say that she couldn't marry him and was in love with someone else in a letter with his ring inside but that she would always care about him. She wanted to confess to Harry everything, but there were still two obstacles in her way: Tonks and Fleur; she didn't hate either of them, she was actually quite friendly with both, but Harry said he also loved them, and she could tell they felt the same way. She could only hope that this day wouldn't end in heartbreak for her as her Ravenclaw mind continued to go through scenario after scenario.
Tonks thought about how drastically different her world view has changed over the last seven months since she came back to Hogwarts, since she started out being the usual aloof, but hardworking Auror who was kind but unattached to anyone outside her parents. Then, she met a guy who she could actually get along with outside of any physical stuff as he shared many of the same hobbies and tastes. She spent months trying to deny her feelings, not only because of the age difference and people's reactions, but really because she was scared, and it pained her to admit that because Tonks wasn't scared of nothing until now. She was scared of how close she had gotten to Harry because, quite frankly, she was scared of love, as she was always on guard despite her carefree persona and bright smile due to how people who were looking for more than a casual hookup were usually only interested because of her morphing abilities or to see if she could access to the Black family money or spells. However, she knew Harry was different as he didn't care about either of those things and only about her, but it didn't change the fact that her feelings for him were conflicting; she felt like he needed to reassure her, but of what, she couldn't really say. "Things were so much easier when I used to just hit it and quit it, but now, I want more. Mum and dad said that I shouldn't be afraid of these new feelings and should embrace them, although they have no idea who I was referring to when I asked them. I wonder what Penny and Fleur are thinking about right now?", she thought.
Fleur thought about how she got into this convoluted love subplot that she felt belonged in a young adult novel that her sister likes to read and how it was all going to end for her, with her either likely finding love or heartbreak. Fleur used to think her finding actual romantic love was a naïve fantasy that she put out to pasture years ago as every boy she ever met was either a drooling neanderthal or a pureblood bigot, both of whom might as well have been in the same category because they only wanted her for pleasure of the flesh and nothing more. However, that of course changed when she met Harry Potter, as she was only going to use him as a stand in for a real date for the Ball once she found out he was immune to her allure. However, the more time she spent with Harry she saw how many of her sister's fairy tales and father's stories about the Boy-Who-Lived actually seemed to be true as he was brave, kind, wise, and a little cunning as the stories suggested. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't refuse that she was falling for Harry and for the first time in her life, she felt that she had finally found the person that she could be happy with. However, when he confessed to her that he was in love with, not only her, but also Penny and Tonks, she was quite shocked and confused; Veela might be sexual creatures, but they could also be territorial with their loved ones, and the only way to avoid such things was for the Veela to take on her avian form and "accept" any other female in their love's orbit through a very short bloodless ritual. She won't do anything though, until Harry talks to them.
The three girls were brought out of their thoughts when the door to the bathroom opened and they saw Harry emerge, but they all immediately noticed the state he was in. His eyes were bloodshot red with bags underneath them, his unruly hair was even more disheveled than usual, and his facial expression was stoic, but they could all tell he was sad and was likely trying not to show it front of them. They all went up to him and started inquiring about his health and what had happened to him to make him this way, but he just smiled sadly at them.
"I'll explain everything, but first, you need to follow me. It's time I shared everything with you three because you all mean too much to me to lie anymore.", he said.
The girls all glanced at each other before turning back to Harry and nodding. Harry turned and went back inside the bathroom and motioned for them to follow, which confused them, but they obeyed. Once inside, Harry walked up towards the sink and spoke in Parseltongue, which was followed by a sink detaching from the rest and revealing a hidden passageway that suddenly gained stairs after Harry spoke snake once again. They followed Harry down the entrance and were very concerned when the area was littered with bones and a giant snakeskin, but Harry just waved it off and said it was safe, so they followed him to a large door that opened after Harry muttered in Parseltongue one last time. Upon entering, they were in awe of the large room that was littered with snake statues and a giant face engraved in the center; Penny and Tonks also realized upon entering that they were in the legendary Chamber of Secrets, which only raised more questions. Eventually, after walking past the basilisk corpse which freaked all three of them out, they entered a large study where they saw four paintings engaged in conversation until they noticed the four students and all of the girls recognized them as the four founders of Hogwarts.
"Welcome girls, it's nice to finally meet you. Harry talks about you often.", said Helga.
The girls were all stunned silent until Tonks just gaped at Harry and said, "Explain. Now."
And so, for the next two hours, Harry divulged all of his secrets to the three girls as he put all of his cards on the table. He talked about his entire childhood with the Dursley's and the physical and mental abuse he suffered, his first three years at Hogwarts and the adventures at the end of each year, this past summer with his visit to the Goblins and the truth about his heritage, to his training and tutelage under the founders this year, and finally, about the Horcruxes with the one inside him needing to be destroyed for Voldemort to die.
"That's everything. I just told you three every last secret I had that no one else on the planet knows about. I'm sorry for keeping this from you.", he said.
The girls' brains just shut down after what they were told over the last two hours. Penny was saddened at how she long suspected many of the horrors in Harry's past, but never did anything to help besides being there for him; she promised she would do much more from now on. Tonks was fuming at everyone who hurt Harry physically and emotionally, and she swore that the Dursley's, Voldemort, and Dumbledore were going to get a steel boot straight up their arse. Fleur was somewhere in the middle of wanting to comfort Harry and exacting vengeance on his behalf. However, there was one shared thought between the three and they decide to speak up together.
"How do we remove the Horcrux?", they asked.
Harry smiled slightly at their overprotectiveness and said, "Well, there is apparently only one solution to get rid of it…I have to die."
Three sets of eyes widened comically, "WHAT?!"
That was when Rowena stepped in, "Yes, technically speaking, Harry will have to get hit by the killing curse from Voldemort himself in order to remove the Horcrux. However, we believe there may be a way for Harry to survive it in a similar fashion to how he survived thirteen years ago."
It was then that the girls noticed Harry fidgeting in his seat and avoiding eye contact, while all of the paintings looked like they were trying not to laugh for some reason except for Rowena, who looked annoyed at the other paintings antics. Fleur just asked, "What is it?"
Rowena just sighed, "That Halloween, Lily Potter sacrificed herself for Harry by using blood magic in which she imbued her love into the spell and so, Voldemort is incapable of harming Harry directly because he carries her blood. However, it is possible that Voldemort has found a way to circumvent that by now and we will need a new defense for Harry; preferably, one that also destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul within him as well. As you now know, Harry is the heir to House Potter, Black, and Hogwarts, as such, we believe if Harry were to take up the lordships, he could create a magical bond of love through marriage which could latch his soul on to yours and separate it from the Horcrux."
Silence reigned in the chamber and all that could be heard was the dripping water as the three girls were once again stunned into quiet as they had to process what they were just told. For each of them, marriage seemed like a massive step to take even if they loved Harry, because they have not even formally started dating yet. Something like this was not completely uncommon, as most purebloods, and even some Half-Blood families used marriage contracts with no love involved.
Harry, sensing their unease, decided to speak up, "I know this is not what any of you wanted and I'm truly sorry that my problems came crashing down on you like this. I want you to know though that under no circumstances will I force you into anything you don't want to do. My life is not worth you all spending your lives in misery."
Penny narrowed her eyes and spoke up, "Enough, Harry; stop saying things like that about yourself. I always hated how you did that, no matter how much people adored and cared about you, always putting yourself down and now I know why. Harry, you are so loved and not for your fame or money, but because you are kind, sweet, smart, brave, loyal, and loving, which I can't believe after all that's happened to you. I used to think my feelings for you was just a silly crush, but I know now that they're real and you make feel warm and loved. I love you, Harry."
Tonks decided to speak next, "Harry, I spent my whole life with one stigma, or another attached to me, and I used to think attachments were for suckers. Then, I met you and you changed my life as in you, I found a perfect partner; one who shared my interests, life goals, insecurities, and personality quirks. I tried to deny my feelings, but nearly seeing you die twice this year has made me realize that I don't want to live without you, and I don't care about the dangers, opinions of others, or even the other girls. I love you, Harry Potter."
Fleur steeled her resolve and said, "'Arry, I spent my entire childhood thinking I would never fall in love despite how beautiful or cheerful I was or how many men tried to court me. Then, when I met you, not only were you the first boy completely immune to my allure, but you were also the first person to truly understand me and my loneliness. That, and all the other qualities Penny and Tonks listed, made me fall for you and I don't care if other witches and wizards hate me for being with you or say I seduced you. You saved my sister, and, in a way, you saved me, so you are a hero…my hero. I love you, 'Arry."
Harry just sat there in shock at their confessions and had tears streaming down his eyes, "I-I love you girls too. Penny, you are the wisest and most mature person I know, always helping me and never asking for anything in return or berating me and I love you for that. Tonks, not only are you kind and brave, but also loving and you feel like my best friend and girlfriend all in one and it made me fall for you like a goof. Fleur, you more than anyone else understand my isolation and how its affected me and the work you have done to help me through it these last few months have meant more to me than you could ever know, and I wish for that bond between us to last forever. So, will you…marry me?"
The girls looked at each other and struck up a silent communication before walking up one a time and kissing him before whispering an emphatic yes to him. Everyone just began celebrating the new couple or couples, until Rowena spoke up one last time.
"Now I know you are all happy, but we still have much to prepare for before the Third Task, which is when Voldemort will likely strike, and we need each of you up to snuff. Also, we now have a trip to Gringotts to plan.", she said.
Everyone just nodded and plans began to form that day as Harry, along with his girls, took the next step towards happiness and his freedom.