Disclaimer: I do not have any rights of ownership for the characters used except the OC's. All the credit goes to the authors. Only the plot belongs to me.
Chapter 2
~ Hermione Granger ~
As luck would have it, her accidental apparition along with Ron Weasley, had proven to be more troublesome than being in that tent, because they landed straight in front of a group of Snatchers. The group of low-level Death Eaters had been tasked with capturing muggleborns and delivering them to the Ministry's doorstep. But the fools had no idea that they had captured the two most important people associated with their Master's mortal enemy.
At least, Hermione hoped they were still the two most important people in Harry's life.
Thankfully, they managed to escape just in the nick of time before they could have been reported to a higher-ranked Death Eater or a Ministry Official, who would end up identifying them undoubtedly.
But that did nothing to calm Hermione down.
"How could you do that?" Nymphadora Tonks questioned them, as they sat in front of her and Remus, a look of pure fury etched on her face. She was blazing with rage, and her angry red hair colour showed it.
"You not only abandoned him all alone, the person you two claim is your best mate in the whole world, but also insulted him, his purpose and his parents! I have half a mind to curse you before Voldemort does!" Tonks continued, pausing slightly to catch her breath. Remus was sitting beside her; a mask of indifference set on his face.
The teens were lucky that Lupin had shared with them the address of his safehouse in Central London, away from the eyes of Wizarding Britain. They could rest and recuperate here for a while before going on their search for Harry.
"I-it was an honest mist-" Ron began explaining, but Tonks would have none of it. She simply whipped her wand out and began twirling it around her fingers. That shut Ron up pretty quickly.
Looking at her playing with her wand like that she could see the resemblance between her and Bellatrix. That made Hermione shiver a little.
"Dora, I think you have made your point," Remus began saying calmly. "In your condition, I don't think it's good for you to be raging at two foolish teenagers."
That made Hermione wince again. Remus was mad at them too.
The werewolf leaned forward on the table and addressed them both directly. "From what you have told me, you regret abandoning him. Good for you. But you forget this is not the first time Harry has been abandoned by the ones he thought would be there for him."
Looking at Ron, he said, "Did you not learn your lesson during your Fourth Year?" That made the redhead look down in shame again, as he fidgeted on his seat.
When it was her turn, he simply said, "You have assured me that it was purely an accident that you apparated alongside Ron, but you have to understand that is not the way that Harry will see things. I made the same mistake as you guys but not having any contact with him during 13 years of his life. And it took Sirius to help mend our relationship after he found out I was a friend of his parents."
He looked down at that last part and Tonks began rubbing her hand up and down his back. The ring on her finger catching Hermione's eye.
Remus held his wife's hand for comfort before he addressed them again. "You have allowed him to now believe that he is truly alone. And that is the worst thing anyone could have done for him. Not even Voldemort would have hurt him as much as you two leaving did."
Their former professor stood up all of a sudden, turning his back as he spoke his parting words for the night. "Both of you are very welcome to stay here. However, I cannot, in good conscience, allow the two of you to go back out there. I will contact Kingsley and alert everyone else as well, regarding the situation with Harry. Let's hope they have some luck finding him."
As soon as everyone retreated to their bedrooms, the muggleborn couldn't hold it in anymore and began sobbing as she slid against the door of her room, landing on the floor as her mind screamed at her for abandoning Harry.
She only hoped she would have a chance of begging for his forgiveness before it was too late.
~ Harry Potter ~
"Master will be healed in no time!" Winky claimed as she changed the bandages around Harry's left arm. Dobby had wasted no time in bringing Winky and Kreacher into the fold. Thankfully, Grimmauld Place was still uncompromised due to the wards and charms in place still holding strong.
Once Harry was done with this he had planned to retire there.
"Master Harry, Kreacher has brought the books you asked for from the Black Library," the old elf said, bowing in front of him. Harry thanked him as well and the elf decided to go about cleaning the tent they were all in.
The Black family elf's attitude had done a complete 180 when it came to Harry. The moment Dobby had brought him to Harry, the first thing Kreacher had seen was the destroyed locket in Harry's hands. He had then proceeded to weep and hug Harry's legs as he sullied them with his tears and snot.
Ever since then he had acknowledged Harry as a true wizard. The wizard who fulfilled his master's final wish.
Harry was about to get up when his head began throbbing with excruciating pain. And that could only mean one thing. Voldemort was pissed.
Clutching his forehead and grunting in agony while his elves looked on in worry, Harry focused on what had Voldemort throwing another fit like a deranged toddler. Snape was never a good teacher for Harry, but having his mind forcibly split open by the greasy git had helped Harry navigate his mind better. And the books on mind arts from the Black Family had been great at helping him fortifying his mind. Before he could only feel what the Dark Lord was feeling. But now, he could see things through his eyes but they were too few and barely lasted seconds.
He managed to catch glimpses on what had his fated enemy so agitated and he managed to latch onto a few words.
"The Elder Wand," Harry murmured to himself, panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath after Voldemort's latest tantrum.
"Master Harry's scar be bleeding!" Dobby noticed as he conjured some paper towels to clean the dark red, borderline black liquid that was oozing out of Harry's scar.
While Dobby helped him clean up, Winky, who was close enough to hear what Harry said, asked him, "Did Master Harry say 'Elder Wand'?"
Harry turned his attention towards her as he asked the female elf, "Do you know what that is Winky?"
The elf nodded rapidly, her ears flapping about, big googly eyes focused towards him. "The Elder Wand be a magical wand from the Tale of the Three Brothers. Winky be reading it to Master Barty as a child."
Harry frowned at that, his face marred with confusion. Why in the world would Voldemort be so riled up over something from a children's fairy tale?
"Winky, tell m-"
"Master Harry!" Kreacher interrupted whatever Harry was about to say, his face even more ashen than usual as he and Dobby looked at Harry with shock and something akin to fear.
"Kreacher detects Dark Magic in your scar. The same dark magic that stained Master Regulus' locket," the elf said as he snapped his fingers, scanning his scar.
Harry's face paled immediately after hearing that. Turning towards Kreacher, he knelt down at face level and asked him, "Are you certain, Kreacher?"
Running another scan, Kreacher nodded once more. Harry couldn't doubt the elf. After all he had spent nearly two decades trying to destroy the bloody locket. Of course he would know what kind of magical signature a Horcrux would emit.
'Neither can live while the other survives…'
The end of the blasted prophecy started to make sense to Harry as he slid down and sat against his bed, his mind racing with what that meant.
'You can speak Parseltongue, Harry, because Lord Voldemort – who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin, incidentally – can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm mistaken, and I very rarely am, he transferred some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar.'
Dumbledore must have had his suspicions about Harry's scar once it was revealed that Harry too, just like Tom Riddle, was a Parselmouth. It made sense why Harry was never given any formal training. Why he wasn't told he housed a literal piece of his mortal enemy's soul inside his forehead. Maybe even why he had to go the Dursley's every vacation, regardless of how they treated him.
Starving him of love and affection had left him craving genuine human connections, and had developed his hero complex. Maybe that was the old wizard's master plan. Raise the boy who lived as a pig to be slaughtered, and then defeat the broken-down Voldemort himself.
Harry was a sacrificial lamb. Nothing more.
A Horcrux that Voldemort himself would have to destroy.
While Harry spiralled, his elves gathered in a circle around him, hoping to find a way to comfort and help their master. Winky immediately leapt towards the destroyed locked, hoping to find a way to help her master. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't detect anything.
"Winky will keep trying, Master Harry! Winky will search everything about Horcruxes and Slytherin's locket so Master Harry doesn't die!" Winky claimed, as Harry raised his head up and smiled at the little elf who was trying her best to look serious while saying it.
He rubbed her head affectionately, about to tell her that it was no good when he finally registered what she said.
"What do you mean when you say 'Slytherin's Locket', Winky?" Harry looked curiously at the elf.
With a proud look on her face, Winky explained, "Winky be teaching Master Barty about Pureblood History sometimes."
Pointing at the 'S' on the locket that looked like a pair of snakes, she continued, "This symbol be the crest of House Slytherin. Winky is sure of that."
When Harry thought about it, it made sense. Voldemort had a fascination with Hogwarts' Founders and their history. Hogwarts was his first true home. Harry understood that. More than anyone else probably.
Getting up he rushed towards the pile of books that Hermione had left behind and began going through her copy of Hogwarts: A History. Coming to the section about the Four Founders of the magical school, Harry managed to spot an excerpt that spoke about certain artifacts they held dear.
"Godric, brave and prideful, carried an exquisite sword. Helga, caring and gentle, held the goblet dear. Rowena, intelligent and beautiful, wore her diadem with grace. And Salazar, cunning and ambitious, his ancestral locket his faithful companion."
Godric's sword wasn't a horcrux. Harry had wielded it himself. There is no way Tom would ever get his hands on that. Plus, it was missing from what Rufus Scrimgeour had informed him of. Slytherin's locket was in his hands, taken care of. That left Ravenclaw's Diadem and Hufflepuff's goblet.
He had already destroyed Riddle's Diary. Dumbledore had dealt with the Gaunt Ring. And then there was Harry himself.
There were 6 confirmed Horcruxes that Voldemort had made. Six pieces of his soul, split into different objects. The thought itself made Harry feel uneasy. To mutilate your soul willingly, so many times, was nothing short of insanity.
Then again, Tom Riddle had lost his sanity long ago.
Sitting with his elves, Harry pondered on where another Horcrux could be. Hogwarts surely housed one of them. It was the one place on Earth that Tom Riddle was truly himself. It was his sanctuary. There is no way he wouldn't leave a piece of himself in those halls.
But that could only be dealt with later. He had no way to get inside Hogwarts with Snape at the helm. Voldemort would know of his arrival faster than the world could say 'Harry Potter'.
"Master Lucius had one, he could have another!" Dobby chimed in, a smile full of hope on his face that was soon squashed by Kreacher saying why would he give someone who already lost a horcrux another one.
And that made sense to Harry. Lucius was Voldemort's right hand. But he wasn't his most loyal. Voldemort himself knew that. The only one who was deranged enough to completely devote themselves to a murderer was the lunatic witch that was responsible for the death of Sirius and the reason Neville's parents were in the hospital.
"Bellatrix could have one," Harry mused to himself, while the elves bickered amongst themselves. But where would she keep it? She wouldn't keep it in her house, because she had nothing. 15 years in Azkaban would make sure of that. Voldemort wouldn't keep two horcruxes close by.
Besides Hogwarts, where was another place safe enough to not trigger Tom's paranoia?
As he was thinking of that answer, something that Hagrid told him during his first moments in the magical world, surfaced in Harry's mind.
"Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it. Safest place; except for Hogwarts."
Gringotts.
The goblin bank was safe enough to have the trust of the Flamels with their most prized artifact and the secret to their immortality. There could definitely be one there.
He himself was meaning to go there. Since he had come across House Potter being labelled as one of the Noble Houses of Wizarding Britain, he wanted to understand his roots and his family background.
"Winky, get me some parchment and quill. Kreacher, be ready to deliver this to Gringotts. And Dobby, please get me some food," Harry instructed and his little helpers leapt into action.
It was going to be a long day for him.
~ Narcissa Malfoy ~
Pacing up and down the length of her room, she waited for her elf to come back with the reply from the goblin representative of the Black Family. She had been in constant touch with the manager of their accounts and estate and according to him, she couldn't just reclaim her Black heritage. It required the permission of the Lord of the House.
And that shattered Narcissa's hopes because every living male member of her house was dead.
Regulus had died during the last war. No one had any idea where. No one knew how.
Sirius… Bellatrix had blasted him through the veil. Everyone in the Dark Lord's Army knew that piece of information due to how much she had bragged about the same, singing a tune, cackling like the crazy bitch she had become.
But there was supposed to be a silver lining.
Apparently, Sirius had named an heir before he passed away. She understood that Draco had a claim but she knew as well as anyone, her son had lost his path.
She was waiting on Gringotts' confirmation so she could meet with this mysterious new lord.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Tilly who passed Narcissa the message from the goblin nation.
It simply stated, "15th December, 1998. 6 pm." Along with the message lay a portkey that would take her directly to the goblin's chambers, allowing her to move undetected by the Death Eaters strolling around Diagon and Knockturn Alley.
'Tomorrow,' Narcissa mused as she carefully hid the letter in her underwear drawer, knowing well that Lucius wouldn't dare go near it.
Tomorrow she would either be free, or she would lose her hope to live.
~ Harry Potter ~
As the clock struck midnight, the portkey activated, whisking Harry away from his shelter to his scheduled meeting.
He took a moment to stabilize himself. Magical travel was still not something he was extremely proficient at.
Looking at his surrounding, Harry found himself in an office of sorts. Quite grand for a normal worker, as Harry guessed it was easily as big as the Gryffindor Common Room at Hogwarts. The walls were decorated with murals depicting goblin might and what Harry assumed was their history.
Armed guards with heavy armour and rather dangerous looking weapons stood at every corner of the room. Now, Harry wasn't a criminal. Nor was he here to make any trouble. But he did not let his guard down, keeping his shoulders tensed and his wand well within a moment's reach.
"You can relax Mr Potter. As long as you do not point your wand towards anyone here, you have nothing to worry about," a voice boomed, making Harry look up at the high table in the room.
A goblin, one with a little more age than the ones Harry had seen before, sat atop something that resembled a throne, looking down at Harry. A questioning glint shined in those aged keen eyes, assessing Harry from top to bottom.
"Allow me to introduce us formally Mr Potter. I am Director Ragnok, the one that commands this bank and the goblins that run it," the old goblin said, making Harry realise the position of the one he was about to ask for help. "The letter your elf bought was handed to my deputy. However, bearing in mind the turmoil currently our world is facing, I thought it best to address you myself."
Bowing, Harry spoke up, "Thank you for this meeting, my lord. I do not have much time and with your permission would like to address matters at hand directly."
Nodding his head in agreement, Ragnok said, "Speak freely Mr Potter."
"Thank you, director. As for why I'm here, I'd like to begin by saying that I've not been hiding for the past few months without anything to do, regardless of what the papers claim. I'm searching for things that will ensure that the Dark Lord that terrorises us will soon be defeated. Tom Riddle's destruction is param-"
"Who is 'Tom Riddle', Mr Potter?" interrupted Ragnok, frowning at the boy. He had never heard that name before.
Harry smiled thinly. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, the bastard son of the House of Gaunt, is the resident Dark Lord who is currently after my blood."
"Gaunt?" Ragnok flung his head back and let out a booming laugh, which was a really unsettling sound. "His name change is understandable. The Gaunts were the nation's most repulsive and shunned family. Despite their centuries-old bankruptcy, they claimed to be the descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Gringotts deemed them insolvent, thus they were forced to close their account."
Harry nodded, hoping that putting his faith in the goblins was the correct thing to do. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is because Riddle made some things that allowed him to avoid dying. In order to destroy these devices before Riddle knows what I'm doing, I'm trying to locate them. Are you familiar with the term 'Horcrux'?"
Ragnok's expression was thunderous. All magical species believed the soul to be sacred. It was the very core of life and death, and magic as they knew it. To tamper with it was a cardinal sin in the eyes of everyone who knew about this foul piece of magic.
"We are, Mr Potter. A certain filthy mage made the first one a millennium or two ago, and since then we have had a trail of sycophants who have tried to emulate his work," Ragnok began, his voice calm, but his expression betrayed what he was truly feeling. "Gringotts employs curse-breakers from all around the world. And we have had the misfortune to stumble upon them every once in a while."
Leaning forward, Ragnok looked straight into Harry's eyes, "Am I correct in assuming that Tom Riddle has managed to make one?"
Harry shot him a grimace as he answered the Goblin Lord. "Not just one, my lord. I have already destroyed three of them. And I have reason to believe there are at least 2 or 3 more."
The goblins present inside the chambers were appalled. To split one's soul more than once? The person would lose all his sanity. It's a wonder that Voldemort could still command his own body, let alone his army of idiots.
Then Harry revealed the biggest surprise of them all. "I have reason to believe that one of them would be in your bank."
Outrage!
That was the only way Harry could describe the scene in front of him. Even the guards that had barely made a sound since Harry walked in here, were now cursing in their tongue and shouting for what he assumed was Voldemort's blood.
With a raise of Director Ragnok's hand, the chambers quieted down again.
"Mr Potter, I hope you realise what a dangerous statement you have just made. It is highly illegal to bring such a filthy device inside goblin territory much less store it in one of our vaults!"
Harry gulped. He had never interacted with goblins, except for the few times in his early Hogwarts years when he had to take money from his vault. Binns' class was utterly useless in preparing him on how to deal with goblins.
"I apologise, my lord, but isn't Gringotts the safest place to store a priceless artefact? It makes sense that Riddle would keep it in the vaults of one of his most trusted Death Eaters. Possibly Bellatrix Lestrange. If there is one here, please let me destroy it. I do not seek any benefit for myself; I am here solely to destroy the Horcrux. I have no future. He will kill me in the end, but all I'm trying to do is take him with me. If I can manage it, when he kills me, it would kill him too," Harry pleaded, his tone highlighting his sense of urgency.
Ragnok eyed the boy speculatively. Truthfully, their scanning devices should have picked up something like a Horcrux, but he knew that it was possible for a goblin to have been forced or even bribed to keep the Horcrux in the vault during the last war. Harry Potter also seemed unusually determined that he was going to die; there was something strange about his tone.
"Why do you say that you are going to die, Mr Potter?" asked Ragnok curiously.
Harry took a deep breath. "I can only answer that to quench your curiosity because there's no help for me. But please, will you help me retrieve the Horcrux if it is indeed in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange? I have a hunch that it is here. If I am correct, it would help you understand my answer to your question better."
Looking down at one of the men standing guard, Ragnok nodded in acknowledgement, prompting the other goblin to hurry out of the room.
"Please be careful. It is bound to be cursed," Harry shouted after him, hoping the goblin heard him.
Within minutes, a golden goblet lay in front of Harry, free from the Dark Lord's cursed existence.
"Thank you, my lord. You have no idea how much you have helped the people of Magical Britain," Harry said, bowing his head in gratitude. Without the aid of the goblins, this would take him months and he was sure the goblins would be out for his blood too.
"To answer your question, on the night Voldemort attacked my family, my mother's sacrifice protected me from his curse. It rebounded and destroyed him instead. In that moment, his soul was so unstable, it latched onto one of the first things it could find. He willingly or unwillingly made me a Horcrux as well," Harry said, looking down as he was once again reminded of his destiny. "I house a piece of his soul in my scar. The only way for him to die, is by letting him kill me as well."
Ragnok was silent.
After a while he finally muttered under his breath, "That complicates matters."
"Since I have to die anyway –"
"Not necessarily," Ragnok interrupted, taking Harry by surprise. "We have encountered Horcruxes before in Greece and Egypt while recovering treasures. We have an ancient goblin ritual that destroys the Horcrux while leaving the container unharmed, but it has never been performed on a living being."
Harry's eyes sparkled with a bit of hope. He had some time to get used to the idea of his death. But was it possible that he wouldn't have to sacrifice himself?
"How does it work?"
"It is a ritual that destroys the soul piece by force, as it is not in a body that is its own. But since you have two souls in your body, the initial stages have to be done very carefully and there is no guarantee that you will make it through alive. I'm also positive that it will be painful," Ragnok answered, making Harry understand the severity of what he was about to do.
"I am willing to try it, my lord. I had come to terms with dying, but if there is a chance, I wish to make it through this," Harry said, his vulnerability and earnestness making the goblin lord pity the poor kid.
"Before we do this Mr Potter, it is better that we do everything to make sure your soul is at its full strength," Ragnok said, confusing the young wizard. Soul strengthening?
"Forgive me, director. How would we do that exactly?" Harry questioned, making the old goblin flash him a crooked smile.
"You are of age now, Mr Potter. It is time for you to claim your lordship."
His what now?
Author's Note
Next chapter will see the introduction of Narcissa. Smut will take a couple more chapters.
Go check the poll on my page for updates.
You know where to find more: p@tre*n.com/LuciferFF
See ya.
Chapter Posted: 27/07/2025