Thrown Back: Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Chapter 35

A peculiar sight greeted the Ministry workers as they arrived for work. Bellatrix Black and Lily Evans descended from the visitor’s entrance and carefully maneuvered a large mirror out into the Atrium. As people stopped to stare curiously, they levitated the mirror against the back wall and stuck it in place. A moment after it was settled in place, Harry Potter appeared and stepped through into the Ministry of Magic. Behind him, through the glass, they could see more than a dozen dirty men and women with their hands manacled to a single long chain. Despite the whispers and stares, Harry stood patiently as if waiting for something to happen.

While the Ministry workers began to speculate wildly, all three of the golden elevators arrived with a ding. They opened to reveal an entire squad of Aurors in each. Workers waiting to get on quickly moved out of the way as they marched forward with Head Auror David Bones at the front. David and his Aurors marched right over to Harry, forming two rows on either side of the mirror, wands drawn. While Harry and David spoke quietly, the entire Atrium came to a standstill, watching curiously.

When the two men finished their short conversation, Harry turned and walked back towards the mirror. Reaching through the glass, the surface rippling like water, he grabbed the end of the chain and pulled.

“Let’s go,” he said commandingly. “Move it.”

Scowling, the men and women manacled to the chain stepped through the mirror one by one. The Aurors spread out on either side of the chain gang, their wands held out warningly. More than two dozen people walked through the mirror before the last one, Abraxas Malfoy, stepped through, drawing gasps from the gathered crowd. Malfoy scowled and dipped his head, trying to cover his face behind a curtain of long blonde hair.

Once the long line of men and women was stopped in the middle of the Atrium, Kingsley stepped to the front of the line and gestured silently for them to start moving. The man at the front glared at him defiantly. Greyson whipped his wand forward and hit the man in the hip with a Stinging Hex.

“Move it,” Greyson barked.

The man turned to glare at him, but before he could do anything stupid, the witch behind him shoved him hard in the back.

“Stop making things worse,” she grumbled.

With an angry grunt, the man started towards the elevator. The Ministry workers in the Atrium quickly stepped to the side, giving them a wide berth. Together, Harry and David brought up the rear, chatting quietly as they passed the staring masses.

~

“We cannot allow this to continue!” Chalus yelled passionately as he addressed the Wizengamot. “You-Know-Who has now openly attacked two members of this body. Four more are missing, presumed dead. I know some in this chamber may not care what happens to Muggles and Muggleborns, but now we’re talking about multiple attacks on some of our oldest families. This Dark Lord must be stopped!”

“Powerful words, but you have yet to offer a solution,” Flint sneered from across the chamber. “The Aurors are already doing everything they can. What more do you want?”

“No, they’re not,” Harry said, his voice soft yet still carrying around the room.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Francine asked.

“They’re doing what they can under the law,” Harry said, staring thoughtfully into the distance.

“We have laws for a reason,” Flint snarled.

“Of course we do,” Harry agreed absently as he stood and faced Minister Bagnold. “Madame Minister, I move that the Ministry declare war with Voldemort and any that follow him.”

There was a rumble of incredulous murmuring. It was an audacious thing to ask, and even many of the witches and wizards on his side of the isle looked at him questioningly.

“Mr. Potter, I really don’t think that’s necessary,” Bagnold began uncertainly.

“Why not?” Harry asked firmly. “Whether you recognize it or not, Voldemort has already declared war with the Ministry. He seeks to destroy those that stand against him. Lives have already been lost. With the emergency powers granted to the Ministry by a declaration of war, the Aurors will be able to combat him instead of just reacting. We need to make taking his mark illegal. Abraxas Malfoy bears his mark, and yet, even after trying to kill me, he was released. Just last night, he attempted to destroy our best chance at a cure for Lycanthropy. We need to sweep the Ministry for Voldemort sympathizers and question under truth serum. The only way any of that will be possible is if we take a definitive stand and declare war.”

“He’s right,” Jonas said, climbing to his feet. “House Longbottom seconds the motion.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore said, banging his gavel to silence the room. “The motion has been accepted. Discussion will begin once we have finished the docket.”

Nodding, Harry took his seat and let out a breath. Jonas, Charlus, David, and Francine were already whispering to their neighbors, hoping to gain support. It would take weeks of back and forth arguments before it finally came to a vote. Harry looked around the chamber, and seeing the number of frowning, concerned faces, he knew the vote would be close.

~

After the Wizengamot meeting finally ended, Harry made his way to Hogwarts. The school felt unnaturally quiet with the lack of students and staff. On his way to Dumbledore’s office, the only person he ran across was Filch, who was gleefully cleaning suits of armor with his wand while humming to himself. Harry nearly tripped when Mrs. Norris ran over and weaved between his feet. Smiling, he bent down and scratched behind her ears before continuing on his way.

Reaching the Gargoyle outside of the headmaster’s office, Harry realized he didn’t know the password. With a sigh, he turned to the Gargoyle.

“Can you let Dumbledore know I’m here?” he asked.

Several seconds passed, and just as he was starting to think it wouldn’t work, the Gargoyle hopped aside.

“Thanks,” Harry said, patting the statue as he made his way onto the spiral staircase.

Riding the stairs to the top, he found the door already partially open. He pushed it open the rest of the way and spotted Dumbledore at his desk, slowly making his way through a veritable mountain of paperwork.

“This is always my least favorite part of the job,” Dumbledore said, reading a sheaf of parchment over the top of his half-moon glasses. “Which is why I will gladly take any opportunity to put it off for as long as possible.”

Harry chuckled and took a seat while Dumbledore set down his paperwork and looked at him expectantly.

“Is this about the Wizengamot?” Dumbledore asked. “I must admit. I didn’t expect you to request a declaration of war.”

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I’ll let you and Charlus deal with that. I hate politics.”

“Understandable,” Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

“Actually, I came to talk to you about two things,” he continued, reaching forward to snatch a ginger snap from the bowl on the headmaster’s desk. “First, we’re nearly ready to put our mirrors on the market. I’d like to set up one dedicated Transportation Mirror in case we ever need to evacuate the school, one for regular transportation, and offer one of our products to the professors who want them. I already know Flitwick wants one of everything.”

“Indeed,” Dumbledore smiled. “He’s been quite excited since he visited your shop. I’ll ask the others and see what they’d like. Perhaps we could schedule another discussion early next week?”

“That works,” Harry nodded.

“Excellent,” the headmaster said, jotting down a quick note. “And what else did you want to discuss?”

“Voldemort,” he replied.

“Ah,” Dumbledore said knowingly.

Leaning back in his chair, he drew his wand and gave it a wave. The door closed, the lock clicked into place, and the portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses froze in their frames.

“We need to deal with those Horcruxes soon,” Harry sighed. “Have you had any luck?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Dumbledore said, folding his hands on the desk and leaning forward. “I made some quiet inquiries, but no one has seen Hufflepuff’s goblet since Hephzibah Smith died.”

Nodding, Harry took another ginger snap from the bowl.

“I took a look at the cave. I’m pretty sure the locket is there,” he told him. “Ravenclaw’s Diadem is almost certainly in the Room of Requirement, and I know the location of another.”

“And yet you still refuse to tell me the identity of this mystery object?” Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Harry shrugged. “It’s best if you leave that one alone. As barmy as you drive me at times, I’d much rather keep you around for a while.”

Dumbledore chuckled and popped a ginger snap in his mouth before leaning back in his seat.

“So, we know the location of four,” he said thoughtfully. “We’re missing the diary and Hufflepuff’s cup, correct?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “In my time, he didn’t make Nagini a Horcrux until my fourth year, but we should keep an eye out just in case.”

“Hmm. We need to exercise patience,” Dumbledore said. “If we destroy the others, and Tom discovers it, he will make finding the rest far more challenging.”

“Unless we found a way around them,” Harry pointed out.

Dumbledore looked at him sharply and leaned forward on his arm.

“You’ve discovered something?” he asked hopefully.

“No, just a thought,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Herpo the Foul invented them, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Dumbledore nodded. “He was an ancient Greek Dark Arts practitioner, though not truly a Dark Wizard. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he committed some truly horrible acts, but Herpo was always in search of knowledge to further the Dark Arts, not his own power. Thankfully, his research on Horcruxes was destroyed when the library of Alexandria was burned. Some scholars believe it was done intentionally, but there’s no evidence to support the claim.”

“So, how did other people find out about them?” Harry asked curiously.

“Herpo had many assistants,” Dumbledore explained. “One of them was more interested in power than academic knowledge. Unfortunately, her name is lost to the pages of history. What we do know is that she started a school for the Dark Arts in the Middle East. It moved constantly to avoid being discovered and only held a handful of students at a time. Their knowledge was passed down by word of mouth for generations. Fortunately, the students of this school were so busy attempting to stab each other in the back that they never threatened the wider world. It wasn’t until the Crusades.”

Sighing, the headmaster sat back and cleaned his glasses as he continued.

“In 1098, when the Byzantine Empire was attempting to take control of Jerusalem, a wizard named Godfrey of Bouillon discovered the school by accident,” he said, placing his glasses back on his nose. “They practiced magic like he’d never seen before. Godfrey attempted to trade gold for their secrets and was soundly rebuffed. When he tried to take the information by force, it resulted in quite the skirmish. Of course, the school was severely outnumbered. By the time the dust settled, only two were still alive. One teacher and a single student. Both of them were taken back to Italy, where their secrets were rather painfully and brutally extracted over many years. The end result was this book.”

Reaching into his desk, Dumbledore pulled out a small, black book with a worn, tattered cover. Harry could feel the dark magic soaked into the pages. It caused the hair on his arm to stand on end. Taking it carefully, he read the golden letters on the front.

Secrets of the Darkest Art

By

Owle Bullock

“That book is the only known source of written information on Horcruxes,” Dumbledore told him.

“Do you know how Voldemort got a hold of a copy?” Harry asked.

“No,” Dumbledore replied. “I assume he discovered it along his travels.”

Harry shook his head slowly.

“No,” he said. “It had to be earlier. He created the diary using Myrtle Warren’s death while he was still at Hogwarts.”

“Really?” Dumbledore asked with alarm. “Then there must be another copy somewhere inside the castle. That is most concerning.”

“It’s probably in the Chamber of Secrets or the Room of Requirement,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Indeed,” Dumbledore nodded, then sighed a moment later. “It appears I’ll have to deal with the Basilisk this Summer.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Harry agreed. “I could go with you and try to talk to it, but it seemed pretty mad the last time we met.”

“You’ve seen for yourself how the mere presence of a Horcrux can wrap a person’s mind,” Dumbledore said. “There is still a chance it can be dealt with peacefully.”

“I doubt it, but I’ll give it a go,” Harry said, setting the book on the desk.

“Excellent,” he smiled briefly. “But this gets us no closer to a solution. I’ve read that book many times, and there’s no information on how to circumvent a Horcrux.”

“It’s a bit of a longshot, but I’m hoping Slytherin or Ravenclaw might have done more research,” Harry said. “If we can find the book, we might be able to find more information.”

“It’s certainly possible,” Dumbledore admitted. “Has the Elder Wand given you anything?”

Harry shook his head.

“Not really,” he said. “I know, in detail, how to create one and a few spells to destroy them, but that’s about it. I’ll admit that I never did well in history, but it seems like Horcruxes were more prevalent in the past. What gives me hope, though, is that there’s very little magic that can’t be countered. Soul magic is rare, but it’s been studied for centuries. There has to be a way to affect all of them at once.”

“Interesting,” Dumbledore murmured, stroking his beard. I’ll admit that’s not a solution I’ve considered. Then again, even if I had, I have no idea how to do such a thing—or if it’s even possible.”

“Theoretically, it should be,” Harry said. “It’s all the same soul. We just have to find a way to bridge a connection between them so that when I kill Voldemort, they go with him rather than stay here.”

“A task made more difficult by the fact we need to connect them without having them in our possession,” Dumbledore pondered. “I’ll have to think on this. In the meantime, I’d like to deal with the Basilisk before the next school year starts.”

“We can take care of it when I come back next week,” Harry offered.

“Very well,” the headmaster nodded. “I’ll ensure the castle is empty, just as a precaution.”

Nodding in agreement, Harry looked around and noticed something missing from the office.

“Where’s Fawkes?” he asked curiously.

“Making an important delivery,” Dumbledore replied.

As if summoned by those words, Fawkes appeared in a flash of bright orange flames. Swooping over the headmaster, he dropped a heavy, brown paper bag with the word ‘Honeyduke’s’ written in big purple letters on the front. Harry snorted and shook his head.

“Important, huh?” he asked.

“It’s essential if I want to get through this paperwork,” Dumbledore said.

Opening the bag, he took out a peppermint toad and popped it into his mouth before offering it to Harry. With a shrug, he took one and ate it while getting to his feet.

“Have fun with your paperwork, professor,” he said as he left.

~

By the time he got home, Harry felt utterly exhausted. Stepping into the living room, he headed straight over to the couch and collapsed onto it with a sigh. His muscles ached, and a pained groan escaped his lips as he lay on his back.

“You sound like an old man,” Sylvia giggled as she came in from the kitchen.

“I feel like one,” Harry grumbled. “It’s been a long day. Where’s everyone else?”

“Lily, Narcissa, and Bellatrix slept for a while after they got back, but they left for the Wolf’s Den a little while ago,” Sylvia replied. “Amanda’s still asleep upstairs. I don’t think she slept a wink last night.”

“I can imagine,” Harry sighed. “She wasn’t too scared, was she?”

“About the Werewolves?” Sylvia asked. “No. She was much more worried about you. Every half an hour, she asked me where daddy was.”

“Oh,” Harry smiled.

Opening his eyes, he grabbed Sylvia by the hand and pulled her on top of him. She laughed as she settled on top of him, her arms on either side of his head.

“And what did you tell her, mummy?” he asked.

“That he’d be home, safe and sound before she knew it,” she smiled, leaning down to kiss him softly. “Now, how about we go upstairs, and you can get some sleep?”

“Sounds good,” Harry said.

Sylvia climbed off of him and helped him to his feet. Stretching, his shoulders and back popped loudly as he let out a wide yawn. Just then, a brown barn owl flew in through the kitchen window. It landed lightly on the back of the armchair and looked at Harry expectantly.

“What now,” Harry groaned.

Walking over to the bird, he quickly untied the letter attached to its leg, and it went on its way. His eyes skimmed over the letter, and slowly, his lips turned up in a smile.

“Good news?” Sylvia asked.

“For once,” Harry replied. “Arthur and Molly got engaged, and they invited us to dinner at their new house tomorrow.”

“I don’t think I’ve met them yet,” she said thoughtfully. “Arthur’s the one that likes to watch you have sex with his girlfriend, right?”

“You could say that,” he said.

“Well, since you have plans for tomorrow, you’ll be taking care of me tonight,” Sylvia grinned, kissing him. “After you’ve gotten some sleep.”

Harry smiled softly as she dragged him towards the stairs.