A Familiar Bond

The jolly visage of his godfather greeted the pair as they disembarked from the Hogwarts Express. Quickly spotting them, he made his way forward and grabbed his godson in a firm hug, clapping his back before holding him at arm's length.

"You've no idea how long I waited to do that," Sirius said emotionally, and Harry smiled at seeing his eyes moisten a bit.

"Cut it out, you," he chuckled and hugged his godfather again.

"You've already met her, but this is my girlfriend Valerie," Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her beside him. A small shadow crossed over Sirius' face before his normal cheerful smile resurfaced.

"Nice to meet you again, Mr. Black," Valerie greeted with a small smile.

"Please call me Sirius," he said, before grinning at Harry, "you make me proud, Harry, snatching such a pretty bird already, way to go!"

The blushes on their faces had the older wizard chuckling.

"I'm kidding, relax. Just be happy, you two, that's all I would want for you."

"Thanks Sirius," Harry said with a smile, and Valerie nodded.

"Now come on, the new house awaits," Sirius declared, and turned around. They followed him through the barrier and outside the railway station. The trio made their way to a side alley where Sirius fished out a muggle pen from the pocket of his coat.

"Here, grab on."

"A portkey?"

"Yeah, better than apparating the two of you," Sirius shrugged. The couple grabbed the pen, and with a tap of his wand, Sirius sent the three of them flying away in a swirl of colours. Harry stumbled slightly when they reached their destination, and Valerie grabbed his arm to steady him. Harry gave her a soft smile and thanked her before grabbing her hand.

XXXXX

As he looked around, he saw they had portkeyed in an alley beside a park. The area was surrounded by tall brick-walled buildings that gave off vibes of an upper-class heritage.

"This way," Sirius led them out of the alley and toward a particular row of buildings. However, when they came to a stop, Harry looked on confused.

"Umm... where is the Number 12?" Valerie asked the question on his mind.

"Here," Sirius fished out a piece of parchment from his pocket, "read it."

Harry took the parchment and held it between him and Valerie, and they both read it silently.

'The ancestral house of the ancient and most noble house of Black is situated at #12 Grimmauld Place'

Suddenly, the buildings shifted to the side, and an additional one popped out of nowhere.

"Fidelius?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, handing the parchment back to his godfather.

"Yep, Dumbledore insisted, what with you residing here from now on," Sirius pocketed the parchment and the trio started walking ahead.

"I see."

"Don't worry, Harry, I am the secret keeper."

Harry nodded, relieved.

"That's good then."

"I won't make the same mistake twice, Harry," Sirius remarked solemnly as he held the door open. Harry gave his shoulder a soft squeeze with his free hand as he and Valerie entered. Sirius shut the door behind him.

A small gasp had Harry looking at Valerie, who was looking around the house with wonder in her eyes. Harry gave her hand a soft squeeze and Valerie turned to look at him. 'Later' he mouthed, and she nodded with a smile.

"This is very nice, Sirius," Valerie remarked, turning around to look at Sirius.

"I know, right! You should've seen this hovel earlier, I had to pay twenty-five percent above the market rate to make this place habitable, worth every Knut though,"

They made their way inside, and Valerie took in every bit of the house. Gone were the old tapestries, paints, and decorations; the new house was renovated in an entirely modern British design. The walls were painted in light cream colour, the floor tiled white, and the lamps hanging off the walls emitted a fluorescent glow. The entire house was an antithesis to the name of the family, and Valerie smiled. It seemed that her cousin had levelled up his rebellious streak against his family. Oddly this didn't bother her in the slightest.

Her younger self might not have been a pureblood fanatic, but she still took pride in the fact that she belonged to a house as esteemed as the house of Black. However, that was before this very family sold her off like livestock to that vile family. If only her grandfather Arcturus hadn't passed away back then. His passing had given her aunt Walburga the ultimate power over the house since Orion was a spineless coward who did nothing to keep his harpy of a wife in line.

Valerie shook her head to clear it off those ill thoughts. It didn't matter now. She was free of those shackles, she had a great life now, she was married to someone she respected and liked a lot, and she couldn't ask for more. A soft squeeze of her hand brought her attention back to her husband who was looking at her in concern.

'Nothing,' she thought and shook her head. Harry nodded, but she could tell he was not entirely convinced.

"Well, if what you had told me of this house was true, I'd say it was a discount," Harry remarked. Sirius chuckled. "Too true," he nodded.

The next half an hour was spent touring the house, and it was a big house. The living room was easily the size of the Gryffindor common room, the kitchen was modern and sleek-looking, and the bedrooms were renovated to suit the tastes of an upper-class lady. The decorators had done a tremendous job.

"And this... is your bedroom," Sirius remarked as he opened the white door, and they made their way inside. It was a spacious room with a king-sized bed in the middle. The walls were painted soft blue with a white ceiling and cream tiles on the floor, giving the room a welcoming ambiance. Valerie loved it.

"Now listen," Sirius began in a serious voice, "I know the two of you are dating and all, but sharing a room is a big thing. I'm not telling you to do anything or not, I'd be a hypocrite if I did that, but whatever you do, remember your responsibilities,"

Harry smiled at his godfather.

"Don't worry Sirius, we know," he assured him and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. Valerie wrapped her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. Sirius chuckled.

"My job was to give you that boring disclaimer, the rest, you're more than smart," he shrugged.

"Noted, mutt," Harry chuckled as he leaned back and Sirius' harmless swipe of his hand went through the air. Valerie poked him in the stomach and Harry winced.

"Hey, no abusing the boyfriend."

Valerie and Sirius grinned at him.

"Now if you're done, put your trunks away, and follow me, there's the upper floor left," Sirius walked out of the room. They pulled their shrunken trunks out of their pockets and enlarged them. Stowing the trunks near the wall, they walked out and joined him.

"This is the topmost floor of this house, and here we have things that my lovely family held dear,"

"What do you mean?"

Sirius didn't answer and opened a door.

"The Black library, there's no dark tome you won't find in there. You two can access it, but I'd advise caution. You never know what disturbing piece of crap you might find," Sirius shut the door and walked ahead.

They reached another door, and Sirius pulled it open but didn't enter.

"And this," he started with a sneer, "is the Black family ritual room. Always gave me the creeps. You see that window? That's for natural sunlight or moonlight to enter the room. Apparently some rituals require them,"

He shut the door closed before they could look properly inside. Harry had a distinct feeling that Sirius didn't like rituals very much.

They walked ahead and reached the final room, and Valerie started getting a bad feeling. Suddenly her eyes widened, but before she could do anything, Sirius pulled the door open and walked inside.

"And this is the room that holds the family tapestry," Sirius remarked, and they slowly entered. Valerie hoped with all her being that she was wrong, but one look at the tapestry where her name should've been dashed all her hopes away.

"You know, you're directly related to the Black family," Sirius began, looking at a particular name. He beckoned Harry forward.

"See this, that's your grandmother. She was my grandfather's youngest sister."

Harry was looking at the name with a wistful expression on his face.

"Dorea Potter," he whispered.

"Yep, and there's James and Lily, and below them..." Sirius' voice trailed off.

He slowly turned around to look at them, his eyes wide.

"You... you're... you're MARRIED!?"

They winced at his shout, and Harry looked at him with pursed lips.

"Uh... yeah... I guess so..."

"You guess so!? You guess so!? When? How!? Merlin..."

Valerie looked at the name on the tapestry right beside Harry's and released a small breath.

'Valerie Potter'

She had feared that her birth name would be visible, but it seemed the ritual she had undergone had worked perfectly.

She recalled the time when they had discussed the matter with Dumbledore. The headmaster had been the one to suggest she undergo the Abjiciat Familia Ritual to discard her previous relations, familial and even her birth name. That would ensure her new identity remained ironclad. As she looked at her name beside Harry's, a small smile bloomed on her face.

"Let's go downstairs, we can talk there," Harry suggested. With a sigh, Sirius nodded. They made their way down to the living room in silence. Had they looked at the tapestry in its entirety, they would've seen the name of one Bellatrix Lestrange completely greyed out, signalling she was dead.

XXXXX

Harry was going through what he would say to his godfather. It wasn't as if he could admit who Valerie was in reality. There was no guarantee Sirius would take it well, and there was also the fact that they had decided not to tell anyone the truth unless they had no choice.

Valerie was also wondering what they would tell Sirius. She could see it had come as quite a shock to him, which was quite understandable as his godson was married in his teens. She bit her lower lip in anxiety.

The trio entered the living room and took their seats. Sirius sat on the lone sofa while Valerie and Harry took their seat on the wider one, sitting close to each other with their hands clasped. Sirius levitated two bottles of butterbeer in front of them and procured a firewhiskey for himself. Valerie looked around with a frown. Wasn't Kreacher supposed to be here?

"Okay Harry, why don't you tell me now?"

Harry took a deep breath.

"Believe it or not, it was an accident," he began, and Sirius snorted.

"You're telling me you got married by accident?"

"Yeah, not your normal accident though," Harry braced himself, "it was a ritual gone wrong,"

Sirius jumped to his feet and looked at him with wide eyes.

"What the fuck Harry!? You did a ritual!? And you botched it!? How can you be so irresponsible!?" Sirius exclaimed. He could feel his heartbeat skyrocket and his hands shake in fear. Merlin, I hope something didn't go too wrong...

"Sit down, man! Let me explain!"

Sirius sat down and downed a large gulp of his firewhiskey. He motioned Harry to continue.

"You have to understand that I had no idea it was Valerie at that moment, I had found a cat in Hogsmeade, and I brought her with me. This lady here thought it would be a good idea to play a prank on me. When she showed no sign of going away, I thought 'why don't I make her my familiar?'"

Sirius' eyes bugged out.

"And you did the familiar ritual with her, thinking she was a cat?"

Valerie nodded. "Yeah. None of us had any idea what that entailed. The ritual was successful, but we were bound in life and magic. We saw each other's memories," Sirius' eyes widened, "and told Dumbledore what had happened."

"Dumbledore knows?"

"Yeah, he does," Valerie nodded again, "I had planned to greet Harry after so many years by pranking him, but it somehow escalated into something else."

Sirius looked at her.

"So you're a cat animagus?"

"Yep," she said proudly, and Sirius chuckled.

"A remarkable achievement for a third year."

"Oh, I've heard your group became animagi in your school years as well," Valerie remarked, and Sirius nodded with a proud smile.

"We did, but even we didn't manage it by our third year. You should be proud."

Harry wrapped his arm around her and brought her closer.

"Harry," Sirius began, "are you happy with this arrangement? Are both of you happy being married?"

Harry and Valerie looked at each other with soft smiles on their faces. They did not doubt their feelings. They might not have said the words to each other, but in their hearts, they knew they loved one another.

"We are, Sirius," Harry remarked, not taking his eyes off her lovely ones, "I won't trade this for anything."

Sirius leaned back in his seat with a smile on his face. He was very happy for his godson. He could see the love the couple held for each other, and he couldn't ask for anything else. If they were happy together, he would stand behind them with his full support. That was the least he could do after so many years of failure.

However, this was becoming way too sweet now. Any longer and he was afraid he would get diabetes.

"Should I give you two some privacy?"

Valerie flushed and reluctantly tore her gaze away from her husband's, and Harry turned around to give his godfather an exasperated look.

"Must you?"

"What? I was getting uncomfortable. You try seeing a couple being all lovey-dovey in front of you while suffering from a dry spell and you'll know."

Harry grinned. "Guess I'll never know then."

Valerie slapped his chest playfully, and Harry kissed her head softly.

"Alright, no need to rub my face in it," Sirius muttered before smiling, "and you two have my full support. Congrats Harry, Valerie."

"Thanks Sirius, it really means a lot," Harry smiled.

"Yes Sirius, it really does. Thank you," Valerie intoned softly.

"Now, even if you're married, my previous statement holds true, do what you want but remember your responsibilities. I don't want to see little Potters running around this house already."

"Merlin Sirius! There's no way we're ready for that!" Harry exclaimed while Valerie flushed. Sirius howled in laughter, mirthful tears leaking out of his eyes. Harry simply shook his head in exasperation.

XXXXX

"Oh I just remembered, now that you're an animagus," Sirius started, looking at Valerie, "and a member of the family as well, you need your own nickname!"

"Nickname?" Valerie cocked her head to the side, wondering what he was on about.

"Yeah, we all had nicknames. I was Padfoot, James was Prongs, Remus was Moony, you get the picture. So we need to get one for you as well. Any preference?"

Valerie got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I got one," Harry chimed in, "What about Kitty?"

Valerie swatted him on the back of his head. Sirius chuckled as he rubbed the spot tenderly.

"I won't be called Kitty ever," she stated, giving him the stink eye.

"But it's so endearing!" Harry protested.

"No!"

"Come on, Val! It's really good!"

"I said No! No, no, no, no, no!" She stated, poking him on the chest with every syllable as Sirius sat there chortling.

"Okay okay! Merlin! No calling you Kitty!"

"Good," she huffed.

"Done with your lover's quarrel?" Sirius asked with a smirk. Valerie glared at him, daring him to continue, and the old mutt held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay okay, we have time to think up your name, so no need to hurry, I'm sure we'd come up with something good,"

Valerie nodded.

"Hey Harry," she piped in, and the two wizards looked at her, "why don't you become an animagus as well?"

"Brilliant idea!" Sirius crowed, elated.

"Me? An animagus?"

"Yeah! Why not? It's a real nifty skill to have."

Harry contemplated the thought for a moment. Sure, the process was somewhat hectic, but the benefits were enormous, as long as you were not something like a goldfish or a snail. However, he didn't think he'd be anything like that. Maybe he'd be a feline? Or a reptile, like a snake to complement his parseltongue ability? Or a flying creature that soared high in the skies? The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.

"That sure sounds great," he admitted, and Valerie and Sirius beamed.

"Brilliant!" Sirius clapped his hand, bringing their attention to him, "you're in for a treat, godson of mine,"

Harry stared, confused. "What treat?"

"Well, we Marauders while undergoing our transformation, with the help of Lily, modified the normal method. So you won't have to keep a Mandrake leaf stuck inside your mouth for a month or wait for a thunderstorm. We developed a nifty potion. Take a sip, go into the mindscape, conquer the inner beast, and voila! A bit of practice and you're done!"

Valerie looked at him with her mouth hung open.

"Seriously!?" She exclaimed. Her inner potions mistress was raring to come out.

"Yep! Brilliant witch, your mum was," Sirius remarked with a wistful look on his face, and Harry smiled.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's do this!"

"Whoa! Hold on Harry," Sirius chuckled, "we have to brew the potion first, and it has certain conditions,"

"What conditions?" Valerie asked, eager to learn more.

"Well, first, the potion takes a month to brew," Sirius began, chuckling at the slightly crestfallen look on Harry's face, "and we will have to begin brewing it during a thunderstorm, that's it,"

"Well, it's a good thing that we're during the season then," Valerie remarked happily, "it's the time for frequent storms. If we keep the ingredients ready, we can begin as soon as tonight, given the storm occurs. I'm certain we can be done in thirty-five days at the max,"

Sirius nodded.

"I'll get the notes for our potions prodigy then," Sirius teased, and Valerie smiled proudly. Potions were her specialty, having scored the highest in her past life, and her skills had not deteriorated in the slightest. Harry was sure she easily surpassed Snape in the art of brewing.

"Sure," she grinned.

They sat there in companionable silence, sipping their respective drinks before Valerie asked a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Tell me Sirius," she began inquisitively, keeping her actual thoughts in check. The older wizard looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"How would we maintain this house? It's too big, don't you think? There should've been an elf in my opinion."

Sirius smiled grimly.

"Well, you're right," Sirius nodded, "there was an elf in this hovel of a house. Kreacher, his name was, an old bastard off his rocker. A proper house elf for the bigoted house of Black though, worshipped the ground my hag of a mother walked on."

Valerie of course knew all about that. As much as she detested that elf, she wanted to know what happened to him.

"Where is he then?"

"Dead, what else?" Sirius asked rhetorically, and their eyes widened.

"I found that batty old elf dead on the third floor inside that ritual room," Sirius began with a grim frown, "you won't believe the scene I found him in. The room reeked of foulness, and that grin on his face, Merlin that was disturbing," Sirius shuddered. Harry exchanged a look with his wife.

"I have no idea what he did inside that room. The only things I found alongside him were a glass vial and a burned and blackened locket. Didn't waste a second on it though. Disposed of him with all the elf heads that adorned the foyer, good riddance I would say," Sirius shrugged.

Valerie and Harry sat there, stunned.

"Did you call anyone to check what foul magic he was doing inside the ritual room?" Harry asked, slightly alarmed.

"Err... no..."

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, exasperated.

"If could be really dangerous!" Valerie exclaimed, stunned that Sirius had overlooked such a thing.

"So uh... Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore!" Harry nodded emphatically.

"Right!" Sirius gulped the entire remaining portion of his firewhiskey down, exhaling harshly, before bolting toward the floo. Harry sighed.

He turned toward Valerie who folded her legs underneath her and cuddled up to him. He dropped a soft kiss on her head and leaned against her. This summer was surely shaping up to be an interesting one.

XXXXX

The soft whoosh from the fireplace signalled the arrival of Sirius. Harry and Valerie got up from the sofa and looked on as the headmaster arrived soon after Sirius exited the floo. The aged man waved his hand to dust off his magenta robes before greeting them with a smile.

"Good day, Harry, Ms. Swann."

The two greeted him in kind with small smiles on their faces before frowning.

"Has Sirius told you everything, sir?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Indeed, Harry."

"We were wondering if you could take a look into it, headmaster," Valerie intoned, prompting Dumbledore to look at her and nod.

"If you would lead the way please?" He prompted. With a nod, Sirius started walking, and they followed him at a sedate pace. In no time, the party of four had reached the floor concerned and Sirius gestured for Dumbledore to enter.

With a nod, the headmaster of Hogwarts tapped his wand against the doorknob and muttered a few spells unknown to the three onlookers.

"Ritualistic containment wards," Dumbledore elaborated, "the area has so much saturated magic that I can feel it even out here. Whatever your elf did inside, Sirius, it's better it remains contained inside."

Sirius gave a nod and Dumbledore entered the room followed by the three.

They reached the middle where the ritual had been performed. The entire floor was charred and blackened. Pieces of concrete had broken off the floor and were splattered around in a small area. A small spotless area remained that indicated where Kreacher had stood while performing the ritual.

With a frown on his face, the headmaster started waving his wand around in intricate patterns, his jaw set and his eyes closed as he softly muttered through his teeth.

Harry and Valerie stood to the side, holding hands and looking on as Sirius paced agitatedly near the door. Only now was he realizing what a fool he had been when he had disposed of Kreacher and that locket without thinking of looking into what dark sorcery that blasted elf had performed in this house.

Dumbledore pursed his eyebrows and sighed in short intervals as a few more minutes passed.

"Just what is this? Don't you think this is taking too much time?"

Harry whispered to Valerie as he pulled her close by her waist.

"Ritualistic magic leaves hidden traces, Harry," she whispered, "and given how much time it is taking Dumbledore, I think it's safe to assume whatever Kreacher did in here was pretty serious," she finished with a frown on her lovely face. Harry sighed.

"Ms. Swann is correct, Harry," Dumbledore remarked, giving them a small smile before beckoning them to follow him. Without breaking his stride, he walked out of the ritual chamber. Harry looked at Sirius with a concerned gaze before shrugging. The marauder sighed before they followed the headmaster down the stairs.

Once they reached the living room, Harry summoned some drinks from the kitchen and they took their respective seats. Dumbledore and Sirius sat opposite on the single sofas while Valerie and he took over the longer one in the middle.

"So?" Sirius prompted Dumbledore to start.

Dumbledore frowned for a moment and paused his drinking before looking at Sirius.

"I have my theories; nothing concrete I admit. It's just a hunch, one I feel I can confirm if you can do one small thing for me, Sirius."

Sirius exchanged a look with Valerie and him before nodding.

"Please bring that locket here."

Sirius sighed.

"You'll make me go through all that garbage for a locket..."

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important, Sirius."

"Alright, fine... Be right back."

Sirius finished his drink in one big gulp and walked out of the room. Dumbledore turned toward them with a small smile.

"And how are you two? Settling well, I hope?"

They smiled.

"It's been good so far. No one has suspected anything since we met each other, and we're confident we can keep it that way," Harry squeezed her hand softly as he spoke.

"I can't express how sorry I am that you had to suffer that, Mrs. Potter."

Valerie smiled sadly at Dumbledore's sincere admission.

"It's all in the past, headmaster. I don't think about all that happened. It helps that I have such a caring and supporting husband," she smiled at him softly.

Dumbledore chuckled.

'What a remarkable young man you have grown into, Harry.'

"I'm glad to hear that," said Dumbledore sincerely.

"What about Sirius?"

"What about him?" Harry asked with a frown.

"What have you told him?"

Valerie bit her lip with a frown as Harry admitted, "Nothing that others don't know. It's the same with him."

Dumbledore sighed.

"I understand your position, Harry. I really do. But I would suggest you to come clean to at least Sirius in some time."

He held his hand up when Harry looked like he wanted to speak.

"Let me finish Harry. You've known Sirius for only a few months now, and I understand that. So, build a good relationship with him. From what I've observed, the man loves you, probably more than his life, and his trust and support will go a long way in helping you,"

"Well, he already knows we're married, so there's that," Harry chuckled when comprehension soon dawned on Dumbledore's face.

"Ah, the tapestry."

Valerie nodded.

"I'd thought it would reflect my birth name. It's good thing we did that ritual, headmaster."

"It was the right thing to do, Mrs. Potter, something that would help divert numerous possible issues down the line."

"I think you have more than earned the right to call me Valerie, headmaster," Valerie smiled.

The sound of hurried footsteps alerted them to the arrival of Sirius Black. The marauder strode in, a charred and blackened locket levitating in front of him, which he placed on the table in front of Dumbledore.

The headmaster levitated it in front of him. He twirled it around, looking at it intensely, and cast various diagnostic spells on the ugly thing.

Harry looked at it intently. The locket was golden where it was not charred, with a gold chain attached to it. It was the size of three, maybe four galleons stacked together, hexagonal in shape, and Harry could make out a familiar snake motif that adorned the two sides.

"Is that?" He whispered.

"If I'm correct, this is the fabled locket of Salazar Slytherin," Dumbledore confirmed with an odd look on his face.

"But why would that elf destroy this?" Valerie asked, frowning. She might not be a Slytherin anymore, but she had been one in the past and admired the traits that embodied the house. Seeing the founder's heirloom destroyed in such a manner was disconcerting, to say the least.

"That's what I would like to know as well," Sirius muttered as he dropped down into his seat with a sigh. He looked at Valerie and Harry who were staring at him.

"What?"

"You stink. You didn't dive into that garbage pool, did you?"

Sirius looked affronted.

"I'll have you know that I am a fully capable wizard. Sorting through garbage doesn't require me to actually touch it," he stated imperiously before waving his wand around him. The stink receded.

"What I would like to know though," he started, looking at Dumbledore who was inspecting the locket on the other end, "if that locket is Slytherin's, why Kreacher would destroy it. The little fuck was besotted with anything bigoted or dark, and practically worshipped any Slytherin member that he came across in the house."

Valerie internally agreed. She remembered how Kreacher used to bend over backward for any of their friends from Slytherin while being a downright S.O.B. to anyone from other houses.

"Looks like Dumbledore will tell us soon," Harry gestured toward the headmaster who had finished his diagnosis.

"Well?" Sirius, impatient as always, probed.

"Before I explain, I have to ask something Sirius. I know Harry and Ms. Swann here have formidable occlumency shields as a result of their bond. But what about you? How are your shields?"

"Why don't you try, Dumbledore?" Sirius invited him to invade his mind, looking at the headmaster in the eyes. Dumbledore was initially surprised, but agreed, his face curious, as he brought his wand up and pointed the tip at Sirius.

¨Legilimens," it was uttered so softly that they had to strain their ears and focus to even hear it.

As quickly as it began, it was over, and the couple looked as Dumbledore rubbed his temples slightly, while Sirius smirked.

"Safe to say they will have to employ a literal army of mind arts experts to breach your defences," Dumbledore remarked to their surprise. That was the same thing the old man had told them when he had first checked the strength of their mental shields a few months ago.

"Well, when you work day and night to preserve your sanity in front of hundreds of soul-sucking monsters, there are certain side effects," Sirius remarked casually, however they could easily see how hard his gaze was.

"As you know, this is, or rather, this was, the locket of Salazar Slytherin. What you don't know, is what this locket really was," Dumbledore began after a short period of silence.

"What the locket was?" Valerie asked, and Dumbledore nodded.

"Indeed. Tell me, what do you know about a Horcrux?"

Despite the grave nature of their discussion, Sirius snorted. The three looked at him askance, and he snorted once again.

"Nothing, just a bad pun I remembered after hearing that word. Continue please."

Valerie just shook her head, giving Sirius a dirty look, which prompted an innocent one from the older man. Harry simply sighed.

"Dirty mutt with a dirty mind."

"Guilty as charged," he held his hand up.

"As I was about to say," Dumbledore began jovially before his face grew serious, "oh sorry, I forgot I asked something. So? Does anyone know what a Horcrux is?"

Everyone denied.

"Let me enlighten you then. Centuries ago, there was a wizard named Herpo. Herpo was obsessed with the higher magics, especially those branches which transcended the physical realm. Other worlds, time travel, soul magic and necromancy."

Everyone hung on each word that came out of Dumbledore's mouth.

"While he was not very successful in the first two, he made major strides in the final two. Soul magic and necromancy. You all must be aware of various necromantic creations, inferi, for example. They were created by Herpo. Several heinous rituals that deal with the dead or use them in some manner – a majority of them were developed by Herpo. But the area in which he made even more strides was soul magic.

"Herpo managed to do something that had never been done before," Dumbledore stated, looking very grave, and they got a sense of foreboding. Valerie was gripping him tightly, as if aware that nothing good was going to come out of the ancient wizard's mouth.

Dumbledore looked at them with a small smile.

"Herpo managed to devise a way to achieve immortality. Not in a conventional sense, but in a somewhat fragmented manner."

"What!?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Horcrux. It is, in simple words, a soul container. A witch or wizard splits the soul by committing a murder in cold blood without feeling any emotion whatsoever. This causes the soul to split. A blood ritual is followed by the sacrifice of something the creator has any sort of attachment to. This allowed the witch or wizard to split the soul which inhabits said container. This means that as long as the object is magically intact, the soul remains tethered to the realm of the living. Which means the person cannot die since the soul is unaffected."

The three were horrified at Dumbledore's words. What he had just said went against every moral view they had.

"It is very difficult to destroy a horcrux," Dumbledore continued as his listeners remained silent.

"Only a few items are known to be able to destroy one. You'll remember, Harry, after all, you destroyed one in your second year."

Harry's and Valerie's eyes widened while Sirius looked at him.

"Tom Riddle's diary, the one Harry destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets," Valerie whispered, and Dumbledore nodded.

"Correct, Ms. Swann. I assume you know that from seeing Harry's life memories?"

Valerie nodded, gripping her husband's hand tightly.

"Yes Harry, Voldemort also succeeded. Basilisk venom is one of the items that can destroy a Horcrux..."

Dumbledore was cut off when a hysterical Sirius stood up and looked at Harry with panic.

"B-Basilisk!? Chamber of Secrets!? What the fuck!?!?"

Harry looked wryly at Sirius before telling him what had happened down there and how he came to be in such a situation. At the end of it, Sirius was looking at Dumbledore with anger.

"What the fuck has happened to that school, Albus!? It's supposed to be a place to learn, not a death trap!"

Dumbledore sighed.

"Believe me, Sirius, I know. But the circumstances have been out of my hands."

Sirius thought it was bullshit from Dumbledore, but didn't see the need to escalate the matter, so he sat down and gestured to the headmaster to continue.

"As I was saying, Basilisk venom can destroy a Horcrux. And given the fact that Godric's sword is infused with the venom now, I believe it can destroy one as well."

"Goblin silver. Absorbs everything that can make it stronger," Valerie nodded.

"Correct, Ms Swann. Another way to destroy a Horcrux is using Fiendfyre and dousing it in the flames. The cursed flames leave no trace of the actual object. The killing curse works on a living being which had been turned into a Horcrux. At least these are the ones I know, or rather, knew about," Dumbledore frowned.

"A living being can be turned into a Horcrux?" Harry asked sceptically, and Dumbledore frowned.

"There was a reason your scar hurt when you were near Voldemort, Harry. There was a reason why you could sometimes feel his emotions when you were in your first year. And with time, I feel there could be even more connections you might have shared with Voldemort."

"Wh-what are you saying, headmaster?" Valerie asked with slight steel in her voice. Dumbledore sighed.

"You were a Horcrux, Harry. A living one, and one he never intended to make."

Harry looked numbly at the headmaster, as Sirius stood up, his eyes wide and a frightened look on his face. Valerie was glaring at the old man.

"No! I won't let it happen! I won't let anyone kill Harry!"

"No one has to kill Harry, Sirius. Calm down," Valerie intoned softly.

"Huh?"

"He said Harry was a Horcrux. Which means the Horcrux is gone now. Can I assume it's because of our ritual, headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded happily.

"You have a very sharp mind, Ms Swann. It will come to your help a lot, I believe. As you said, Harry is no longer a Horcrux. Hasn't been for months now, ever since the ritual that had some unintended but welcome side effects for both of you, I believe," Dumbledore remarked with a meaningful look at the couple.

Harry and Valerie exchanged looks between themselves before gazing back at the headmaster.

"Voldemort also created Horcruxes," Dumbledore continued, and seeing the looks on their faces, he nodded, "yes, Horcruxes. The diary was one, Harry was the unintentional one, and another was the locket that Kreacher destroyed."

"Why though?" Sirius asked, "why would that blasted elf destroy it? That didn't look like a simple ritual. He went through a lot of efforts to discover a ritual that could destroy a Horcrux and then performed it as well. Why?"

"Can you think of no reason why the elf will show so much devotion to a task, Sirius?" Dumbledore smiled.

"That little vermin worshipped my dear mother, and always had a soft spot for my brother Regulus. But why would they ask him to destroy it? They were staunch followers of the Dork lord."

This time it was Harry's turn to snort in a serious setting, and even Valerie giggled at the name. Sirius smiled slightly.

"I have no idea why, but it seems that had been their order. A dying wish perhaps."

The four sat in silence for a short while, drinking, their minds processing the influx of knowledge they had just gained.

"So, Voldemort had three horcruxes, and all three have been destroyed. He's mortal then?"

Dumbledore chuckled ruefully.

"Harry, we have no way to confirm if he made only three or if he managed to create even more..."

Dumbledore trailed off here, frowning heavily.

"Sir?" Valerie prompted, and Dumbledore, startled slightly, looked at them.

"Yes, that could work," he muttered, looking at Harry.

"Uh... what could work?" Harry asked sceptically.

Dumbledore smiled.

"Tell me Harry, are you free the next Sunday evening? I would like you to join me on an errand."

Harry exchanged a look with Valerie, who nodded.

"Sure, what kind of errand?"

"The find-out-the-number-of-horcruxes-Voldemort-made kind," Dumbledore smiled.

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To be continued...

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