Chapter 51: The Ring

The holidays rushed by and before Harry was quite ready it was time to return to Hogwarts. After a hearty lunch, they all pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January afternoon. Harry was reluctant to leave. He did not know when they would next see each other and with all the attacks being reported in the Prophet he worried that the wards on Bramble Cottage might not be enough. Before he could think of what to say, however, Sirius had beckoned him and Lissa to his side.

'I want you two to have this,' he said, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback novel into Harry's hands. 'I only just found it. It's a mirror that James and I used to communicate when we were in separate detentions. I've got the other one. Just say my name into it and I'll appear in yours.'

'Okay,' said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket.

'Take care,' said Sirius, giving him a brief, one-armed hug.

'Goodbye, Harry, Lissa,' said Emily, hugging them. 'Look after each other.'

*Don't forget to try that Glow in the Dark Slime,* said Ben across their bond. He was so practiced at communicating this way by now that he relayed his message with a straight face.

Lissa blinked back tears as she clung to Sirius. 'You all be careful, too.'

Next moment, they were stepping into the fire and stumbling into Professor McGongall's office.

'Mind you don't traipse soot onto my new rug, Mr Potter, Miss Black,' she said, barely looking up from a pile of parchment stacked on her desk.

'No, Professor,' said Lissa.

They trooped out of McGonagall's office and off toward Gryffindor tower.

Harry found it challenging to settle back into schoolwork after two weeks of family life. He felt a pang of longing whenever he thought of Bramble Cottage. There was something about having a place to call home that made him never want to leave. While he had enjoyed his time with his family and the Weasleys over the summer, he had never considered Grimmauld Place home.

He went about his schoolwork in a rather distracted way for the first few days back; if not for Hermione's help on his essays, Harry had no doubt that he would have earned himself several detentions for sloppy work. Lissa seemed to be in a similar state, although she dealt with the stress by throwing herself into homework, pranks and whatever else she could find to keep herself busy.

Fred and George went out of their way to try cheer them up. They held demonstrations for various joke shop merchandise in the common room several times a week. While Harry appreciated the sentiment, their antics meant the common room was constantly packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement. The noise did nothing to help his homework situation. Each night he retreated to the peace and quiet of his dormitory to tackle each new assignment.

With so much to worry about and so much to do – startling amounts of homework that frequently kept the fifth-years working until past midnight, secret training sessions and regular classes – January seemed to be passing alarmingly fast. Before Harry knew it, February had arrived, bringing with it wetter and warmer weather and the prospect of the first Hogsmeade visit of the year.

On Saturday morning he and Ron arrived at breakfast just in time for the arrival of the post owls. Hedwig landed neatly beside Harry's pumpkin juice, holding out her foot and waiting for him to remove the letter she bore.

Harry unrolled the scroll of parchment and recognised Dumbledore's writing on it; he was to meet the headmaster in his office directly after breakfast. After choking down a cup of tea and some crumpets, Harry made his way along the seventh floor corridor until he reached a spot where a single gargoyle stood against the wall.

'Acid pops,' said Harry. The gargoyle leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart, and a moving spiral stone staircase was revealed, onto which Harry stepped, so that he was carried in smooth circles up to the door with the brass knocker that led to Dumbledore's office.

Harry knocked.

'Come in,' said Dumbledore's voice.

'Good morning, sir,' said Harry, walking into the Headmaster's office. He was surprised and pleased to see Sirius was sitting opposite Dumbledore in the seat that Harry had occupied on several occasions.

'Ah, good morning, Harry,' said Dumbledore. 'I hope you've had an enjoyable week back at school?'

'Yes thanks, sir,' said Harry, taking the seat next to Sirius, who clapped him on the shoulder.

'So, Harry,' said Dumbledore, in a businesslike voice. 'I expect you're wondering about the reason for this impromptu meeting.'

'Yes, sir.'

'I have found another Horcrux. Sirius has consented for you to accompany us to destroy it.'

'Really?' Harry was thoroughly taken aback. He wasn't sure what had surprised him more: the discovery of the Horcrux, or the fact that Sirius was actually allowing him near it.

His godfather looked at him gravely. 'Do you want to come with us today, Harry?'

'Yes,' said Harry at once. 'What about Lissa and Ben? Will they be coming?'

'No,' said Sirius. 'They can't defend themselves to the same degree you can. We need to get in and out quickly so the fewer people the better. Besides, Lissa's Muggleborn. Voldemort would have wards to harm her. It's best they sit this one out.'

'Oh,' said Harry. 'Right.'

Sirius studied him intently. 'Okay, then: listen. I will allow you to come with us on one condition: that you obey any order Dumbledore or I give you at once, and without question. Any order, Harry, even if we tell you to leave us behind.'

'I –'

'Harry?'

Harry and Sirius looked at each other for a long moment.

Finally, Harry nodded. 'Yes, sir.'

'Good, but first I want you to go and fetch your Invisibilty Cloak and meet us by Hagrid's cabin in ten minutes.'

Sirius stood up and grabbed his traveling cloak off the back of his chair. Harry walked quickly from the office and down the spiral staircase. He met no one on the way to Gryffindor tower, nor did he expect to this early on a Saturday morning. A few sleepy students lounged around the Common Room as Harry dashed up the stairs and into his dormitory, where he flung open his trunk and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. Then he sped back down the stairs and out of the portrait hole toward the Entrance Hall.

Dumbledore and Sirius were waiting beside Hagrid's hut. They looked up as Harry came skidding around the corner of the gravel path, panting hard, a searing stitch in his side.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his state, amused. 'Alright there?'

Harry nodded, breathless.

'You can leave your Cloak in your pocket for now, but keep it handy,' said Dumbledore. 'Shall we go?'

Dumbledore set off at once down the drive. The air was full of the smells of wet grass, lake water and wood smoke from Hagrid's cabin. It was difficult to believe that they were heading for anything dangerous or frightening.

'Sirius,' said Harry quietly, as the gates at the bottom of the drive came into view, 'how will we be getting there?'

'We'll Apparate,' answered Sirius. 'You'll side-along with me so stay close.'

They turned out of the gates into the deserted lane to Hogsmeade.

'This will do. We have passed the wards,' said Dumbledore. 'On the count of three – one... two... three...'

Sirius turned on the spot, pulling Harry with him. At once, there was a horrible sensation that he was being squeezed through a thick rubber tube, he could not draw breath, every part of him was being compressed almost past endurance and then, just when he thought he must suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst open, and he was standing beside a long winding dirt path, blinking against the rising sun. They seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. All he could see were the high, tangled hedgerows that bordered the lane and the blue sky overhead. Dumbledore began walking briskly down the lane. The path was crooked, rocky and potholed, sloping downhill and it seemed to be heading for a patch of dark trees a little below them. Sure enough, the track soon opened up at the corpse, and Sirius and Harry came to a halt behind Dumbledore, who had stopped and drawn his wand. He muttered a string of Latin under his breath.

Despite the cloudless sky, the old trees ahead cast deep, dark, cool shadows and it was a few seconds before Harry's eyes discerned the building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. It seemed a very strange location to choose for a house, or else an odd decision to leave the trees growing nearby, blocking all natural light and the view of the valley below. He wondered how it had ever been inhabited. Its walls were mossy and rotten; so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime. One had a sizable hole, as though someone had thrown a rock through it.

Dumbledore lowered his wand and turned to them. 'The wards are down, but there may be more. Stay close and touch nothing.'

Sirius walked beside Harry as they approached the house. They stumbled up the overgrown path, tripping on rocks and tangled weeds.

The house seemed to contain three tiny rooms. Two doors led off the main room, which bore signs of once being a kitchen. There was a grimy black stove on one wall and a crumbling fireplace directly opposite. The ceiling was thick with cobwebs, the floor coated in filth.

Out of nowhere Harry felt as though an icy fist had clamped itself around his heart. He stiffened in surprise.

'The Horcrux is near,' Harry told the adults, looking around. The icy fist tugged at him, and he allowed it to draw him toward the fireplace. He knelt on the hearth and reached into the fireplace, running his hand across the cold stone walls. When he touched a stone partway up the chimney, it vibrated under his hand.

'Open!' he hissed, unconsciously falling into Parseltongue.

The stone scraped against the mortar then clattered to the hearth. Harry peered inside the hole. A hand touched his shoulder and he looked up.

Sirius was holding out some dragonhide gloves. 'Put these on. The Horcrux might be Cursed.'

Harry pulled them on and reached a hand into the hole left by the stone. It was a tight fit, especially with the thick glove. He felt around until his fingers closed around a small object. He extricated his hand with some difficulty and opened his fist. There lay an ugly gold ring set with a large black stone.

Dumbledore reached into his robes and withdrew a black drawstring pouch. He held it out to Harry, who dropped the gold ring inside. Dumbledore closed the drawstring tightly and tucked it into his robes once more.

'We should leave quickly,' he said. 'Put the stone back into the fireplace. Best not to leave any trace of our visit.'

Harry obeyed swiftly and they were soon stepping outside once more, blinking in the sunlight. They set off back down the lane, only pausing long enough for Dumbledore to reset the wards. Harry looked around, his senses seemed more alert than usual. He couldn't help but feel that this excursion had gone a little too smoothly. Sirius seemed to have similar thoughts, as he nudged Harry to walk faster.

They came to the end of the lane and Dumbledore nodded to Sirius, who grasped Harry's arm and they Dissapparated. The usual tightness engulfed them; Harry's feet parted company with the dusty ground, then slammed hard onto the gravel road to Hogsmeade. They were silent as they walked back up the path to Hogwarts. It wasn't until they were back in the Headmaster's office that Dumbledore finally spoke.

'I think it best to destroy the Horcrux promptly. We gain nothing by delaying what must be done.'

Dumbledore reached into his robes, pulled out the black drawstring bag and tipped the ring out onto his desk. He peered intently at the ring, his crooked nose almost touching it.

Harry couldn't understand why the ugly ring warranted such close observation; it was far from impressive, and they already knew it was a Horcrux.

Dumbledore's eyes suddenly widened and he made to pick up the ring.

'Stop!' Harry cried, reaching out to knock Dumbledore's hand away. He needn't have worried, as a sphere of white light had appeared around the ring, preventing the headmaster from touching it. Harry relaxed; Sirius must have cast a protective spell.

But both men were staring at Harry, who began to feel uncomfortable. 'Sorry,' he said sheepishly. The white sphere flickered and disappeared.

'Did you mean to cast a Shield Charm?' asked Dumbledore, looking dazed.

Harry blinked. 'What? You mean that was me?'

'Yes,' answered Dumbledore slowly. 'I am very lucky that you are here, Harry. There is a serious Curse on the ring. Had I touched it I would have been Cursed instantly.' He blinked, still dazed. 'I'm not sure what came over me.'

Sirius cleared his throat. 'How will we destroy it? Do we need Lissa and Ben?'

Dumbledore shook his head. 'No, that won't be necessary. Harry was instrumental in obtaining this Horcrux; it is he who ought to destroy it.'

'Right,' said Harry, staring nervously at the ring.

Dumbledore approached the portrait of Armando Dippet and pulled at its side. It swung forward, revealing a hidden cavity behind it from which he took the sword of Gryffindor. He offered it to Harry, who took it without hesitation. The other Horcruxes had put up quite a fight and he thought it would be best to destroy this one before it could rally itself.

Harry raised the sword above his head and plunged it down with all his strength. There was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream. Then there was silence. He lowered the sword but remained alert. The ring lay broken on the desk, smoking slightly. The Horcrux was destroyed.

'Well,' said Sirius, sinking into a chair in relief. 'That one seemed easier than the others.'

'The Headmaster's office is heavily warded,' explained Dumbledore, retrieving the sword and placing it back in its hiding place. 'It comes in handy from time to time. Unfortunately, it is rarely practical to bring a Horcrux here.'

'Well, that's three down,' said Sirius bracingly.

'Four, actually,' corrected Dumbledore. 'Harry destroyed Riddle's diary in second year.'

Sirius swore under his breath, looking at Harry incredulously. 'Second year? Merlin, Harry! When all this is over, we're going on a long holiday.'

Harry managed a weak grin. A holiday sounded amazing, but he had a bad feeling that things wouldn't be over for some time.