HP: Fairborn Adventures

April 2nd, 1977

"You're right, McKinnon. You go and fetch the professors while I make sure the student doesn't escape."

"NO, Avery, wait!" Marlene cried out in fake panic, yet it was too late.

The older boy slipped through the door and closed it behind him. She watched as the handle twitched up and down, then glowed a faint silver.

Chamber of Secrets

'Did it work?'

Harry scoured for the Map within his robes, unfolded it, and quickly located the second-floor corridor with Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Taking two, sometimes three steps at a time, he sprinted down the staircase leading into the Chamber of Secrets.

It was difficult to keep track of the name tags while taking huge leaps in the darkness, yet slowly his eyes managed to adjust and stay focused on the pair of ink footsteps in front of Myrtle's Bathroom. Their tags were twitching and turning ever so slightly.

'Perhaps crawling over the floor, studying the notes of parchment he dropped on purpose.'

Finally, it seemed that they stopped exploring and discovered something. Both sets of tiny ink footprints were pointed right at the door to the bathroom. Harry stopped his dangerous sprint down the steps and remained standing, panting ever so slightly while his eyes clung to the Map.

He held his breath and waited, unable to do anything else.

If Marlene had truly shown Avery the note written by him, then the Slytherin was now the third person who was able to see the doorway to the bathroom. This was the make-or-break moment of their entire plan. Riddle would either smell the trap or be too enticed to resist the temptation as he finally uncovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets once more.

'Thank Merlin!'

Harry gasped in relief when the latter seemed to be the case. He watched as the small ink footsteps labeled 'Thomas Avery' slipped through the door while Marlene remained outside.

'But was she fine and unharmed?'

He waited a few more seconds until his girlfriend started moving back and forth along the wall before heading back to the door of the bathroom. If she had no problem moving, then she must be fine...

'Right?'

Any small stabs of panic were dismissed when a bright silvery orb illuminated the dark tunnel. Marlene's soft voice echoed through the darkness, immediately calming his nerves, which had been tensed close to their breaking point:

"I'm unharmed and well; Avery is on his way.

Good luck, Harry. Please, don't let him take you away from me."

'Never!' Harry vowed with a growl. "Tonight, it ends..."

Knowing that his girlfriend was fine and their plan worked perfectly, Harry's mind finally focused on the task ahead. He sprinted down the remaining steps until he arrived in the antechamber and ultimately the main Chamber, where he headed over to the far end where the proud statue of Salazar Slytherin looked out over his realm.

He stored the Map securely in a pocket within his robes before discarding them and levitating them into the statue's mouth, which he sealed after. Rolling up his sleeves to allow for greater comfort, Harry glanced at his own reflection in a puddle of water to his feet.

Blonde hair and determined brown eyes stared back at him. It had been rather easy to secure the hair of a random upper-year Slytherin with a summoning charm. This part of the plan had not been strictly necessary, however, were a Glamor Charm to fail while being on the run from Marlene and Avery, then their entire plan of trapping the possessed Slytherin down here might have failed.

The Polyjuice would be wearing off soon anyway, allowing Harry to fight in his natural form when the inevitable duel took place.

'Not a duel.' Harry reminded himself: 'A fight for life and death.'

He cracked his knuckles before letting the cool wood of elder glide into his palm, flicking it twice at each side of the Chamber to extinguish the many torches.

'And now I wait for the arrival of my foe.'

His sense of time failed him, for Harry had no idea whether seconds, minutes or perhaps an hour had passed before he heard faint footsteps echoing over to him from the antechamber.

A long shadow appeared at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, slowly creeping towards him through the darkness.

"You're finally here!" The voice that left Harry's lips sounded strange and unfamiliar, yet, already he felt his skin prickle and blood gurgling in his veins, announcing that the precious 30 minutes, which half the vial of Polyjuice had granted him, had passed.

Flicking his wand to each side, the torches roared back to life, making him squint his eyes for a moment as the entire Chamber was bathed in a warm bright glow, so uncharacteristic for its usually dark and cold gloominess.

The tip of Avery's wand poked out from underneath his sleeve as the boy walked into the room, his steady steps echoing off of the walls and high ceiling. Harry watched as his dark eyes narrowed in recognition when he came close enough.

"Richmond?" Avery's voice sounded unnaturally high and cold, there was also a hint of suspicion: "I must admit I'm surprised to find out that it has been you all along."

"No, not Richmond." Harry took two steps forward, escaping the shadow of the statue, and stepped into the light just as he felt his own face shift back.

His clothes stretched tighter over his skin, muscles, and tissue spasmed and he regained the few inches he lost. With a flick of his wand, he adjusted his clothes while also vanishing the Slytherin's green highlights on them.

"I see!" Avery's cold laughter rang over to him. The boy seemed genuinely amused by this unexpected development.

'Not for long.'

"Harry Ignotus Peverell." He hissed in a whisper; crimson flickered in his dark orbs: "Things finally fall in place now... Your little whore of a girlfriend played her part extremely well. Any suspicion at being paired with her and heading straight to the second floor was washed away when the Fidelius lifted. Yet you forget something... Something important..."

"Did I now?" Harry ran a finger down the length of wood, feeling it humming in anticipation.

"Yes... you foolish child..." Avery shrugged off his robes to the ground, the young man's knuckles tightened around his wand while he smirked at Harry: "You forget that you're now trapped down here with me..."

"You've got it wrong though..." Harry chuckled, slowly adjusting his stance: "I'm not trapped down here with Thomas Avery..."

Crimson sparks burst from the tip of the Elder Wand: "Instead, you're the one who is trapped down here with me..."

Magical pulsed through him in small ripples, charging him and begging to be unleashed on the enemy that ruined his life until he had been given a second chance, a little over a year ago.

The next three words escaped his lips in a hiss of Parseltongue:

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Avery's eyes flashed like bright burning coals; hatred washed over his face. The resemblance he showed to the young Tom Riddle that escaped the Diary in Harry's second year was undeniable now: "Impossi-"

Harry had enough of the talking and flicked his wand forward, forcing his magic into the air around him until the flames of the many torches along the walls roared high towards the ceiling.

A flash of green hissed over Harry's head, missing him by a few inches. Sparks burst from the tip of his wand as he began the assault, unleashing a storm of spells, all aimed to maim, incapacitate or injure his opponent but fell short of killing, for he could not dare risk taking his life just yet.

'One piece of the puzzle was still missing.'

Riddle batted the first three curses aside and hurried to take cover behind one of the large pillars. Harry twisted around and continued the attack, his spells scored long, dark scorch marks into the stones.

He made out the deep roar of a familiar incantation in between the sound of spells clashing and readied himself, adjusting his stance, letting the hatred wash through and swallow him in its depths.

Avery stepped forward from behind the blackened pillar and bathed the section between them in sizzling Fiendfyre, turning anything that stood in his path to ash and molten stone.

Harry slashed his wand vertically, parting the sea of cursed inferno and pushing his own magic into the crimson flames until they exploded and came to a halt.

He pushed his intent, fueled by pure hatred through the length of the Elder Wand until the wood grew hot and trembled in his hand. A flicker of Avery's trembling form told him that his foe was experiencing a similar struggle.

Over a decade has passed since the last time Harry had participated in a Battle of Wills against Voldemort.

'But now I no longer rely on luck!'

Heat surged over his face, coming almost close enough to scorch his hair. With a roar, Harry took a step forward, twisted the Elder Wand around, and ripped the control of the flames from Riddle's grip like a bandage from raw skin. He squashed the flames, pictures of Marlene's sparkling blue eyes danced in his mind to help shift the necessary intent.

With the Fiendfyre abandoned, Harry forced his magic into the air once more, sweeping a horror-struck Riddle back into one of the many pillars.

"IT CAN'T BE!" Riddle's crimson eyes bored into his. "What- What are you?!"

"I might not be Voldemort's equal yet."

"But neither are you mine!"

Cold fury and an expression he had only seen once on the Dark Lord's face marred Riddle's features as he pushed himself back off the floor and unleashed a hail of spells in Harry's general direction. Harry deflected them away, sidestepping the more dangerous ones as he closed the distance between himself and his opponent.

He winced in discomfort when he was finally forced to cover, staggering behind his shield as he was pushed back further and further until he almost touched the giant statue.

'No slouch.'

'But far from the man, he would become one day.'

Harry went on the attack again and hurled his own spells back. They exploded in the middle of the ancient Chamber, shaking Salazar Slytherin's realm to its foundation as crackling beams melted scalding holes through the rough stone walls and pillars. Their sparks showered down onto the molten tiles, covering them in thick ash.

Riddle transfigured the stone snakes decorating the Founder's statue behind Harry into their living counterparts and sent them lunging onto Harry's exposed back. Harry felt them approach him from behind, yet was forced to keep his attention firmly on Riddle who sent flashes of sickly green light at an almost inhuman pace.

One of the snakes bore its sharp fangs into the skin above Harry's ankle, making him roar in pain and slash the Elder Wand backward. The reptiles were thrown back against the wall where they simply melted into smoking, bubbling pools of thick liquid.

"NO!" His opponent's triumphant smirk was washed off his pale face when Harry felt the injured skin heal on his ankle within seconds. The slight limp that had been caused by the injury was all but gone, allowing him to engage in battle once more.

'You're not the only one that dabbled in rituals, Tom.'

Riddle's wand was a dark blur as he slashed it like a whip, flicking a string of vibrant, purple fire from its tip. Harry threw up a bright silvery shield, wincing as the whip connected with a bone-shattering GONG. Yet his shield held, even as the whip crept around it like a serpent, tightening its hold around the shield and trying to squeeze the life of it.

Harry slashed his wand in an elaborate arc, drenching the whip in a wet tsunami from the two nearby pools of water. The water vaporized into puffs of gray steam as it connected with the molten stone tiles covering the area where their spells had clashed.

'Take a bath, Riddle!'

Just as Dumbledore had done in the Ministry, he engulfed his enemy within a cocoon of water, suffocating him in a cold wet grave. Harry allowed his magic to take control as he tightened the cocoon and increased the pressure before smashing Riddle into one of the pillars with so much force that the other boy soundlessly screamed upon the painful impact and fell down to the floor.

Hearing his cries and watching him grimace and wince as Riddle clung to the pillar and pulled himself back up shot thrills of grim satisfaction through Harry's veins.

'For everything you've taken from me...'

Riddle leveled a trembling wand at him. His face lacked any of the confidence and cockiness he entered the Chamber with mere minutes ago. A brilliant white flash surged towards Harry, making him clench his eyes shut and drop to the floor.

He rolled to the side as the statue of the Founder exploded behind him, slashing his wand through the air and transfiguring the debris and sharp stone splinters into puffs of black smoke.

"You're spent, Riddle." Harry chuckled as he cleared the fog with a twist of his wand until his enemy came back into view, panting heavily, and clutching his side where a deep, wet patch formed on his robes. "You're nothing!"

Harry flicked the Elder Wand and closed the air around Riddle, smiling in triumph upon the imminent victory when his opponent dropped to his knees and started choking, with both hands clenched around his throat. Riddle's wand twirled in his fingers, showering the ground in silver sparks before it finally dropped, rolling over the wet stone tiles.

'Accio!'

Harry hovered the thin piece of wood in midair and allowed a small, winding Basilisk, conjured of cursed flames to swallow it in one lunge.

He ceased the spell on Riddle, taking great satisfaction as the young man dropped to the floor, where he remained twitching wildly and gasping for breath.

'Incarcerous!'

Black robes twisted themselves around Riddle's body like vipers, holding him tight and secured. His crimson red eyes shot up and found Harry, who approached the now defenseless victim.

"It's time we have a little talk, Tom." Harry conjured himself a chair before leveling his wand at Riddle, flipping the man upside down and dangling him from invisible ropes. It was just like Voldemort had interrogated Gregorovitch in the vision Harry was forced to witness.

"I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer them."

"Never!" Riddle coughed, spitting a mixture of water and blood as he still struggled to take even breaths: "Whoever you really are, Peverell... Whatever you really are... I will destroy you." He coughed thick clumps of crimson: "I will take everything from you. And there will be nothing you can do about it."

"Where is the Diary, Riddle?" Harry continued his interrogation unfazed.

"Come now..." He chuckled upon seeing how the boy's eyes widened in terror: "Do you really think I haven't found out? There is nothing I don't know about you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of Merope Gaunt and a common Muggle..."

"Impossible!" Riddle shook his head frantically, thick drops of blood, leaking from his nose and the corner of his mouth.

"We will have to do this the hard way then, don't we?" Harry brought his wand to the man's temple as emerald green bored into crimson red: "Legilimens!"

He connected their thoughts, forcing his magic into his opponent's mind only to be swallowed by an all-consuming darkness, free-falling into its depths while high cold laughter echoed over to him.

"Alright, fine!" Wincing slightly, Harry pulled back out.

"Pathetic!" Riddle sneered, his crimson eyes burning with a mixture of loathing and satisfaction: "I'm the greatest wizard alive. You will never break me."

"Let's see how strong those shields are after the body of your vessel is broken, Riddle." Harry stood up from his chair, fingers tightening their grip on the Elder Wand.

Bellatrix's lunatic voice echoed through his mind, accompanied by her fanatic giggles and shrill laughter:

"You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it."

"But I will enjoy it this time." His hatred spiked, as he allowed his mind to wander to all the things Riddle would try to take away from him, the man's final statement during their latest encounter mixed among Bellatrix's crazy laughter:

"You will suffer, Harry, but it will only make you stronger in the end..."

His wand stopped trembling in between his fingers, pointed straight at Riddle's face:

"Crucio!"

Myrtle's Bathroom

"STUPID-"

She drummed the water tab with the tip of her wand.

"BLOODY-"

She drummed it once more, this time quite forcefully.

"SINK!"

"Why can't you fucking open!" Marlene cried in frustration, slamming both hands down on the porcelain.

She tried to take a few deep calming breaths, but her mind was spinning with the possibilities of what might be happening deep underneath the school's foundation right this very moment. Of course, she didn't doubt that Harry would be able to match the Horcrux-possessed Slytherin. Nevertheless, she had to make sure it was the case and see it with her own eyes.

It had taken Marlene almost half an hour until she finally managed to dispel the locking charms on the door to the bathroom. The only reason why she hadn't blasted her way through the bloody wall, was because the last thing they needed right now was pulling the headmaster's attention on themselves.

'Dumbledore can put his crooked nose somewhere else tonight!'

Now she was finally back inside Myrtle's Bathroom, however, it had been too late to follow Avery down the tunnel to the Chamber. The entrance in the sink had sealed itself automatically after a few minutes, just as it always does.

"Think, Marlene... What would Harry do?" She hurried back and forth before the dirty mirror, clenching her jaw, forcing her mind to come up with a solution.

'Well, her boyfriend would probably grin like the fool he was and speak bloody Parseltongue...'

She froze in front of the mirror, looking at the sink suspiciously.

'Could it work?'

'Surely not, right? That would be laughable...'

Taking a few steps closer to the sink, she locked her eyes with the small engraving of a snake on the metal and cleared her throat.

"HsssHsssss!"

The sound that escaped her throat was a poor imitation of how Harry spoke the command, yet to her immense relief, the Parseltongue wards seem to tolerate even the strongest accents.

"YES!" Marlene cheered in triumph when the bloody sink finally moved aside. The wall behind twisted and turned into the familiar dark tunnel with a rough staircase leading downwards.

"Lumos!" She whispered while hurrying down into its depths, taking as many steps at a time as possible without the risk of slipping and breaking her neck.

She descended the stairs in record time and barely managed to enter into the antechamber when she hurt a scream that had her blood freeze. Not knowing whether or not the horrible sounds escaped her boyfriend's lips, Marlene darted around the corner, wand at the ready.

'Morgana's saggy tits…'

She stumbled into a scene of utter destruction. Debris littered the stone tiles, the majority of it was scorched in the deepest black. Many of the large pillars that supported the Chamber's ceiling had been either blown to smithereens, crumbled, or looked severely unstable. Ash had accumulated on the surface of the many abnormally large puddles of water.

'This does not look like the scene after a regular duel.'

But then again...

'The two wizards who clashed here were hardly regular.'

Two figures at the center of the vandalized Chamber, standing next to a chair and table caught her eye. One dangling upside down from invisible ropes, the other pointing its wand at it.

She walked closer until the dim light of the torches flickered in the emerald green orbs of her boyfriend, who looked up at the newest arrival.

"Harry!"

Marlene launched herself forward, stumbling over debris and rocks until she flung herself into his embrace. One hand clung to his robes, fingers digging into the material almost desperately, the other roamed over his head, shoulders, and back, checking for any injuries.

"I won." Harry held her tight, swallowing heavily after he took a few deep breaths: "I won and I'm fine."

"I knew you would." Marlene pecked his sweaty, and ash-stained cheek before reluctantly breaking the hug: "I didn't doubt you for a second."

Her eyes flickered over to the twitching form of Thomas Avery, who was barely recognizable. His entire facial features looked different. The boy's usual black eyes that mocked her hardly an hour ago had turned crimson red and were staring to the ground, dull and empty.

"Is he dead?" Marlene gulped: "Wasn't he screaming when I entered?"

"What you heard was his spirit finally breaking." Dark shadows played in the depths of Harry's green orbs as he looked at the other boy with utmost disdain: "His mind was protecting the location of the Diary. However, now, he is broken."

"You tortured him." It was not a question but a statement.

"I did." Harry nodded slowly, seeking her gaze: "The Cruciatus. Again, and again and again."

'Good.'

'He would've done the same or worse to us if it were the other way around.'

"Then take the secret from him, love." Marlene squeezed his hand, holding his gaze with determination: "And let's finally be done with this chapter of our saga."

She watched as Harry turned back to the motionless form of Avery and leveled his wand at the boy's temple.

"Legilimens."

Harry's eyelids remained open; the Elder Wand jerked ever so slightly in his hand but remained pointed at the Slytherin.

"I suppose I should make myself useful in the meantime." Marlene murmured to herself and turned around, shaking her head and sighing heavily as she took in the chaos: "Always cleaning up after your messes, Harry."

She started by repairing the main pillars in the middle of the Chamber by fixing them up with the surrounding debris. Next, she waved her wand over the puddles of water, vanishing them with brief flicks. The molten tiles and damage dealt by what Marlene assumed to be the cursed flames were irreparable, yet she could at least vanish anything that might act as an obstacle.

'That's better!'

Somewhat satisfied with her work she turned back to Harry and waited for him in a conjured chair.

It was a few minutes later that Harry finally stirred before blinking repeatedly and lowering his wand. He groaned, rubbing his temples: "Merlin, it's uncomfortable to roam through a psychopath's mind for that long..."

"What took you so long?" Marlene asked, perplexed: "I thought you just needed the location of the Diary?"

"That was the plan originally, yeah." Harry smirked at her: "However, then I thought why not skim over all the other memories the Horcrux had shared with him? And while I'm at it, I also took a glimpse at any interactions he held with Voldemort..."

"Anything interesting?" Marlene inquired.

"A few rare spells I haven't heard of yet." Harry shrugged his shoulders: "Some faces of potential Death Eaters."

"All things we can use in the future."

"Exactly." Harry nodded: "However the most important part I discovered is that the Diary is hidden in the Slytherin seventh-year boys' dorm. There's a secret enclosure within the walls, protected by a few Parseltongue wards.

"Then there is only one more thing that needs to be done before we can dispose of Avery here." Marlene's eyes narrowed at the unconscious boy, watching as the blood leaked from his eyes, nose, and ears after Harry's successful intrusion of his mind.

"Indeed, there is. Quill and parchment please, love."

"Right away." Marlene chuckled. She conjured what Harry required, watching as her boyfriend removed the binds from Avery and sat him on the wooden chair.

"Imperio!"

Once again, Marlene shuddered, thinking about when her boyfriend had become so adept with the Unforgivables. However, she quickly pushed the thought aside.

'Anything was appropriate for their goals...'

Avery's crimson red eyes flung open and he snatched the quill from the table, dipping it in ink. Then Harry made him write his own last note, the piece of evidence that would ensure tonight's true events shall never be known by anyone besides the couple.

'Especially not a certain crooked-nose headmaster.'

The hand moving the quill gave one last flick before it paused and Avery's eyes slammed shut, while he leaned against the backrest of the chair. Harry plugged a single strand of black hair from the other boy's head.

"You have to go and take it right now, don't you?" Marlene studied her boyfriend's grim expression while the couple walked over to the statue of the Founder and further into the small study.

"By tomorrow, the Aurors will swoop into his dorm and though I doubt they will find anything, Dumbledore might." Harry sighed while placing the hair in the half empty vial of Polyjuice he had left. He picked up his Invisibility Cloak: "It will be much harder to secure the Horcrux then."

"Make sure you are seen by enough people in the common room or perhaps even Avery's dorm mates. We both know who the Aurors and our dearest headmaster will be asking their questions first otherwise." Marlene reminded him while nodding her understanding: "There's no need for the two of us to intrude upon the Slytherin common room tonight. I will wait for you here."

"I will take you there for a date one day, don't worry." Harry chuckled. He brought his wand to his forehead and drew back a memory, carefully placing it into the pensive. At Marlene's raised eyebrow he grinned: "Some entertainment for you while I'm gone."

"The fight?" Marlene inquired, unable to hide her excitement.

"Of course," Harry replied. He turned to leave but paused briefly, his hands circling her waist, resting right above her hips. He peeked down at her curiously: "Now that I think about it... How did you manage to open the passageway from Myrtle's bathroom? Surely it had sealed itself already."

"Like this," Marlene smirked, parted her lips, and hissed once more, playfully hitting Harry's chest when the prat dared to laugh at her.

"That sounded horrible..." Harry captured her hands in his and angled her head upwards to press his lips on hers: "But I'm immensely proud of you, love."

"Go and come back to me quickly." Marlene wrinkled her nose: "You desperately need a shower and we still have Avery to take care of."

"I will be back soon," Harry promised and was gone the next second.

30 minutes later Marlene flew back out of the Pensieve, panting heavily and completely in shock at what she had witnessed in the memory she just watched.

She had always known that her boyfriend was incredibly powerful. It was a theory that had manifested itself after observing him duel and beat Antonin Dolohov. However, she couldn't even begin to comprehend, let alone cast half of the magic she just witnessed.

The display of skill, talent, and raw magical power of both fighters had been unlike anything she saw before. They had been somewhat evenly matched, yet, there was no denying that Harry held the upper hand for the majority of the fight, especially after dealing the first few injuries to Avery.

'Not Avery.'

'Riddle.'

Marlene corrected herself. The young man her boyfriend had fought was far from the seventh-year prefect Marlene had patrolled the corridors with earlier. There was only one thing Marlene was slightly confused about.

At one point during the fight, Harry had spoken about being Voldemort's equal. She knew her boyfriend very well, better than anyone else, and from the way he had put special emphasis on the single word 'equal', there was no denying that there had to be more to it.

'Perhaps she should ask him about it later?'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Harry suddenly appeared by the door, looking very pleased with himself.

"Did you find it?" Marlene stood up and walked over to him. "And did you leave his note?"

"I did." Came the reply.

"Where is it?"

His fingers dipped into his robes and he revealed a small ordinary-looking black diary.

"This is it?" Marlene inquired curiously, though her question felt redundant when Harry wordlessly handed it to her.

'It felt the same way as Hufflepuff's Cup.'

She was far from being as proficient at feeling magic as Harry was. However, there was no denying that something malicious rested deep within the pages of this diary. She felt it creeping through her veins like tiny, icy serpents when her fingers connected with it. There was something cruel about it, almost as if its pages were dripping with hatred.

Flipping the hard leathery cover open, the faint inscription of one T. M. Riddlestared up at her from the first of many yellowed pages.

"You do it." Harry held up a small vial of clear liquid, his eyes darting to the item in her hands: "This is your victory too."

"Our victory, Harry." Marlene corrected him with a smile and peck on his lips, accepting the short vial with a slightly trembling hand.

"One step closer to our dream." She whispered as she placed the Diary on the cold stone tiles and uncorked the vial, allowing a few thick droplets to fall right on the center of the cover.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. She gasped when blank ink spurted out of the Diary in torrents, streaming over her hands, flooding the floor. Suddenly there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip-drip of ink still oozing from the diary and her own and Harry's harsh breathing.

Her eyes roamed over it. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through its cover and pale pages.

A warm hand helped her back up from her knees, then cupped her jaw, lifting it up to him. She met Harry's eyes, which were beaming with grim satisfaction and immense pride: "Well done, love."

"You did most of the work, Harry." Marlene brushed her lips over his, pouring a multitude of emotions into the soft kiss.

"But it was your plan that got us here in the first place."

"And we're not quite done yet." Marlene sighed tiredly against his chest, allowing him to hold her. If tonight's events were already taking a toll on her then she struggled to imagine how exhausted Harry must be: "Do you know the spell for it."

"I do, it's not too difficult. Even the dumbest Death Eaters need to master it after all." Harry nodded slowly, a small grin playing on his lips: "No one will recognize the difference."

"Then let's finish it together." She decided with determination, her smaller hands squeezing his fingers.

They headed for the door, but Marlene paused briefly to send one last look back over her shoulder at the destroyed remains of Tom Marvolo Riddle's Diary on the ink flooded stone stiles.

'One less enemy.'

'And one less threat that might take Harry away from her.