26I need a place to train. With one last pass along the wall, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Harry and Dumbledore were up on the seventh floor corridor early enough that the sun had yet to peak up on the horizon.
"Well, how fascinating. I've lived more than half of my life here in this castle and never once would've suspected there was such an incredible secret that could still be found." The Headmaster stopped and thought for a few seconds before he chuckled to himself, "Though, I'm quite sure that I might've stumbled upon it once before quite some time ago when I was in rather desperate need of a lavatory. I never could find it again."
Snorting out a laugh, Harry reasoned, "Well, if you never found yourself pacing on the seventh floor again, thinking the same thing repeatedly, you weren't going to find it, sir." Making his way to the door, he pushed it open, and Dumbledore followed.
The room was exactly as he'd found it with Daphne and Ginny just a few days prior, and Dumbledore nodded his approval, "Yes, jolly good indeed. This will suit us perfectly, my boy. How ever did you come by it?"
"Dobby told me."
Dumbledore stared at him for a few brief seconds, blinking rather owlishly before he grinned, "Ah, of course, the house elves are always so unintrusive here at the castle it's easy to forget that they probably know it better than even me… or you for that matter."
"That's what Daphne thought as well."
"Miss Greengrass has always been a rather clever young woman. I'm sure you thanked her for her insight." The way he said it was innocuous enough, but that damn twinkle in his eye made it hard to know if he was taking the piss. Before Harry had a chance to respond, he continued, "Now you said in your message that there was something you wished to tell me as well as show me."
"I made a trip down to Chamber of Secrets before discovering this place…"
"And I take it you didn't find what we were hoping for there?"
He shook his head, "There was nothing but cobwebs and old parchment too worn to read. But once Dobby brought me here… it got me thinking that maybe this is where Tom might've hidden the horcrux. The Room seems as though it can be just about anything, why not a place to hide a horcrux?"
Dumbledore hummed his agreement, looking around the room, "Have you tested this hypothesis yet?"
"When I was here with Daphne and Ginny, I tried and… it felt like it wanted to, but it just couldn't at the time."
"Interesting… I'm curious what exactly would limit it…" he shook his head, "There will be plenty of time to discover the intricacies of this place some other time, I'm sure. For now, we'll simply need to try again." While his education in magic was certainly a priority, the horcruxes unequivocally came first.
The two made their way out together and waited for the door to disappear before making their attempt. Harry walked in front of the door three times, each time reciting in his mind. I need to find what Tom Riddle hid.
He shared a look with Dumbledore when a door appeared. When they opened it, his sense of triumph faded rather abruptly when he found what was inside. It was a room where students, for centuries if we were guessing, had been hiding everything and anything. And probably the house elves too if the desk are anything to go by.
"Professor…"
"Yes, Harry?"
"Do we actually know what we're looking for?"
"That… is a very good question, and one that has been troubling me for quite some time." He frowned, "Given everything we've seen, I truly believe that whatever's hidden here is tied to the founders?"
"Or it could be something as mundane as his diary…" And given the veritable maze of lost things in the room. It was entirely plausible that they could spend months searching for it. If we ever manage to find it at all.
Dumbledore nodded, clearly just as troubled by that prospect as Harry was, "I'm aware, but let us hope, as terrible as it is, that he somehow managed to acquire one more relic for his collection."
"So… Ravenclaw's diadem, then?"
"Very astute, Harry. Yes, that is the last of the legendary artifacts that remains unaccounted for." At Harry's expectant look, he elaborated to the best of his ability, "If you didn't know, it should look like a tiara, made of silver based on all its depictions and with the words 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' etched into its surface."
"Right… might as well get started then." He looked around the veritable sea of junk around them and found himself rather uncertain about their chances.
"Agreed. Happy hunting, my boy…" He added with a wry smile, "And do be careful, I imagine it's safe but given you history, if there's any trouble to be found, you'll surely find it."
"It's usually not my fault… but fair point." With that the two wizards split up, searching among the heaps for any sign of silver, or any hint of dark magic for that matter.
There were half a dozen old brooms shoved unceremoniously into a large pot. The bristles on the ends looked brittle, as though they would break at the slightest touch. There were stacks of desks and chairs, some old and others far more recent. He could see at least one that looked as though it was permanently damaged from some spell, and he couldn't help but wonder why anyone had bothered to keep it.
There were stacks of books, hundreds high, that reached up to the ceiling that looked precarious at best but managed to hold their integrity. There were flying catapults, and fanged frisbees, chipped potions bottles with the remains of congealed potions still stuck to the glass. Then there was a stand of unbroken phials, each of them corked. The contents within were bubbling forebodingly.
He spent the better part of two hours shifting and searching through the forgotten things that comprised the room. He would occasionally hear something heavy being lifted elsewhere in the room. It was the only sign that Dumbledore was still in the room with him.
Broken dragon shells crunched beneath his feet as he turned the corner into a relatively open area of the room. There was an enormous stuffed troll nearby, a number of cages, some old suits of armor, and a cabinet. Next to the cabinet was the cracked bust made to remember a rather old, and quite ugly warlock.
As he approached the warlock, he stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting there, not far from the bust, was a dull, discoloured tiara. Though there was a small sapphire at its center that gleamed in the low light.
There was a part of him that thought his mind was surely playing tricks on him, that it was merely a coincidence. He hurried over, and rather carelessly banged his shin against a ruddy banjo of all things, "Bloody… feckin'… really?"
He didn't let it deter him for long though, hurrying over to the diadem without hurting himself any further. As he approached, he had the foresight to stop and try to detect any magic, but there was nothing… and that somehow felt like a defeat.
Given the defenses on the other horcrux, he expected the same would be true here. But as he picked it up with both hands, his thumb brushed away some of the tarnish and there were the words, written just as Dumbledore said they would be. And then there was the unpleasant fact that the longer he held it, the more Harry could feel the taint that had been forced upon the ancient relic.
"Harry…" The Headmaster climbed over a stack of cauldrons, "Are you…"
Harry was too excited to let him finish, "I've found it… I can't really believe it, but here it is." He held it up for Dumbledore to see only for him to stare at it before hurrying over.
He ran his hands over the tarnished silver, finding the same engraving that Harry did. His voice sounded awestruck, "You have… you have, indeed." Dumbledore grinned wider than Harry could ever remember, "We should take it back to my office immediately and dispose of it."
He would hear no complaints from Harry, but then as he looked around, he couldn't help but realize, "I couldn't agree more, sir but do you remember the way out?"
That brought the Headmaster up short, as he looked at the maze around them, "No… I rather lost track of myself as I was trying to find you. But I'm sure we can find our way easily enough."
Harry appreciated his confidence, and he was right of course, but it still took a good fifteen minutes for them to reach the door again. If it weren't for some of the earlier landmarks that he'd spotted, he was sure that it would've taken even longer than that.
As they neared the door, Harry couldn't help his curiosity, "Sir, there were no defenses around the diadem…"
"Ah, I think I can explain that rather simply." He stopped before opening the door. There was no telling if there was someone on the other side, and it was a conversation better had in private, "I'm rather certain that his first two horcruxes were made while he was here at school. The first being the diary and the second being the ring made with the murders of Myrtle Warren and his father respectively."
"Why could there not have been more?"
"It is supposition, but to my knowledge that was the extent of his murder at that point in his life. And it also explains why he felt the need to return to Hogwarts in 1971."
"Why would he come back?" Though there was a bigger question Harry had, "Why would you let him back?"
"He submitted his name for the open Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and certainly qualified for the job." He frowned at the memory of that encounter, "I refused him, of course, but I would bet my own head that he took his opportunity to hide away the diadem, rather hastily based on the lack of protections… and curse the position he was refused."
"So, he's the reason we can't seem to keep a professor for more than a year… I really shouldn't be surprised." Holding up the diadem, he asked, "Do you think this has anything to do with the curse?"
Brows furrowed, Dumbledore pondered it for a moment before giving a firm nod, "It's possible but not a guarantee."
"I know Moody only signed on for the year, but it would be nice to get some consistent teaching in the subject for once." Harry knew it was a frustration for the Headmaster over the years. It was quite the headache interviewing the candidates year in and year out, and was only getting worse as people seemed to realize that their tenure was guaranteed to be brief.
"I'd say you've had a better education in the subject than anyone in the school, particularly this year." He looked at him over his glasses, "But you're right, I would be ecstatic to finally be rid of Tom's curse. Now, if you have no further questions…" he shook his head, "let's be going."
Peeking out of the door, they found there was no one there. As the wall closed behind them, they fell in stride together as they made their way to the enchanted staircase. The rest of the school was only just waking up, but the few students that saw them together didn't even bat an eye.
When they finally reached Dumbledore's office, Harry placed the diadem down upon his desk as the Headmaster retrieved the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Watching it warily, he couldn't help but wonder if it was going to defend itself after his experience with the locket.
Dumbledore turned with the sword still sheathed and offered it to Harry, "Whenever you're ready."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to do it, sir?" Though after their encounter with the ring, he could understand the older wizard's hesitation.
"Kind of you to offer, but no." His tone made it obvious that he expected no further argument.
Taking the sword from its scabbard, there was only one other person he could think of to offer the opportunity, and that was Ginny. And if it weren't for seeing her go through a catharsis firsthand only a couple days prior, he would've considered going to get her.
Instead, he let the blade cut through the air. Goblin-steel cleaved through silver with an ungodly, piercing shriek. The diadem snapped in half right at the jewel which went tumbling to the ground. Black ichor leaked from it like a gaping wound, but it quickly dissipated.
Harry found himself releasing a breath that he didn't realize he was holding, and despite himself he started to chuckle, "Well, that certainly wasn't the worst of them." There was a bubbling undercurrent of elation just beneath the surface of the words, he could feel it threatening to burst but he managed to contain himself.
Chuckling right along with him, Dumbledore wiggled the fingers that Poppy had fixed for him, the same ones that Harry had been forced to sever, "I couldn't agree more."
Walking to the other side of the desk, he opened one of the topmost drawers with the wave of his wand. From within, he started pulling out the broken horcruxes one by one: the diary, the cup, the locket, and the ring all joined the diadem. The ring appeared to be the least damaged of them with only a small crack along its surface that was barely visible as it ran along the line of the symbol engraved in it.
"The five that he made of his own volition." He pointed to broken remnants on the desk, before pointing at him, "And the one he made by accident."
"All destroyed…" Harry smirked remembering how the soul in his own head had been removed, "in a manner of speaking."
"Yes, and with luck, all that remains is to deal with the pitiful form Tom is forced to take." It was the last dream that Harry had before that fateful night at the World Cup. Of the emaciated baby-like form that Tom now inhabited.
"With luck?"
"Yes, there's still the possibility, arrogant as Tom can be, that even in his enfeebled state he has made another horcrux." Dumbledore said it as though that wasn't something to worry about which seemed truly ludicrous to him, "To his knowledge, he only succeeded in making five, he still needs a sixth to reach his original goal of seven total soul pieces, including what remained within his own body."
"Any chance you have the slightest inkling of an idea what that sixth horcrux might be?" Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Here's me thinking that's the last of them, and now there's another bloody thing that we have to go and find!
"As it so happens, yes." That brightened his mood considerably, "Though for now, I ask that you leave it to me. This is a great triumph, Harry, have no doubt about that fact. We're very close to ending Tom's evil once and for all, if there is one more obstacle to that end, I have every confidence in our ability to overcome it."
As he started putting the horcruxes back where they came from, he told Harry, "Now, I think that was enough for one morning. At our next lesson, you can expect to begin your practical lessons."
"Of course, professor. I look forward to it." Standing, he made his way to the door. He was about to open it when Dumbledore called to him.
"And Harry?" He turned back to see the Headmaster looking at the ring rather intently. He seemed to break himself from it with some effort, "I believe this should stay with you."
He tossed it in his direction and Harry caught it effortlessly, "But… why?"
"In time, I think you'll come to understand fully, but for now, just know that it presents far too great of a temptation for me." With that cryptic explanation still ringing in his ears, he made his way out of the office.
Even if his mood had been somewhat dampened by the implication that there might be another horcrux, he was still pleased with their success… and eager to tell the girls about it. Realizing that he was probably most likely to find at least one of them down in the Great Hall for breakfast, he headed that way.
When he made it, he scanned the crowd for any of the girls and found only one of them. Fleur was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Gabrielle, Chloe and Luna for company. Hurrying over to his French lover, he rested his hand on her shoulder, his thumb grazing against her neck, as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Come with me."
While he trusted everyone she was talking with, they didn't know the first thing about the horcruxes, and with a few obvious exceptions, he'd promised to keep that information in the utmost confidence. And I really can't guess how she's going to react when I tell her, and it's probably best not to accidentally cause a scene.
He felt her pulse quicken, but only for a second before she darted out of her chair. She sounded a little too eager as she told the other girls, "Excusez moi." Gabrielle and Chloe didn't even question it, but he was sure that he heard snickers, even though that really wasn't what he had in mind.
Luna just observed innocently, "I'll never understand what could possibly be so urgent first thing in the morning when there's breakfast to be had."
Taking his hand, Fleur tried to pull him along but he quickly took the lead, guiding her toward the same side room that he'd used with Padma and Daphne not too long ago. His intentions were just as virtuous this time as they had been then. But that doesn't always matter where we're concerned.
When the door was locked and silenced behind them, he turned and found Fleur's hands on his chest and her lips caressing his own. When she pulled away, there was a downright sinful smile on her lips, "I 'aven't had the chance to enjoy you in ze morning since ze night of ze Yule Ball, mon amour… I 'ave missed it, trust me. More zan once I 'ave considered sneaking you down into the carriage again just to get the chance. But I don't want to be too greedy…"
That sounded like an appealing idea, and one he'd be happy to take her up on at some point. I'm sure that Anya and Orina would be willing to spare me for a night… or any of the other ladies who've snuck their way in.
"You could always sneak your way up to my dorm, or the room… wherever I happen to be." He suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"I'd love too, but it's not zat simple… you don't zink Madame Maxime gives us free reign, do you? She ensures we are where we're meant to be, and I'd prefer to remain on her good side." It made sense, but he was sure that if they put their heads together, they could come up with a solution. What she said next was enough to send blood rushing south, "I've even considered getting my fill of you 'idden beneath ze tables at breakfast."
"Oh, do you like zat idea?" She giggled as she felt him twitch, his bulge steadily growing more prominent.
As she started kissing along the line of his jaw, he rather reluctantly managed to tell her the reason for their secreting away, "Fleur… lovely as this is… I didn't bring you in here for it."
She pulled away with a pout, "Non? Zen why?"
"We found the fifth horcrux, in the Come and Go Room, just like I was hoping! It's gone just like the rest." Her pout immediately turned into a beaming smile as she threw herself into his arms.
As he held her up by the small of her back, she spoke against his neck, "Zat's wonderful news, 'Arry!"
They remained like that for a minute before he finally placed her back down on her feet, "Does it make sense why I thought best to tell you in private now?"
She nodded effusively, "And I'd recommend ze same for ze others."
"Already planning it…" His fingers danced up along her arm, "If you wanted to celebrate…"
Grinning at him, she bit her lower lip, "Now you are so eager, non? Though I suppose zat's my fault…" She pushed his shoulder playfully, "I zink you've wasted too much time… Chloe will come looking, I'm sure."
"She'd have a rather hard time getting through my lock." He assured her.
"And I'd 'ave an even 'arder time dealing with 'er teasing."
He knew when he was beaten, "Fair enough… let's head back then?"
"You go… I needed to retrieve something from ze carriage anyway." He gave her a peck on the lips before opening the door. He left first and thought Fleur followed just behind him.
Making his way back to the Ravenclaw table, he sat down in Fleur's place. Chloe's eyebrows raised toward her hairline in surprise, "'Arry, I didn't expect you back so soon."
"That's because you need to remove your mind from the gutter." Chloe only snickered, as they both knew that was about as likely as Snape removing the grease from his hair.
"In zis case, it's rather 'ard to blame her, 'Arry." The younger Delacour teased him before asking, "Where 'as my sister gotten to?"
"She said she needed to head back to the carriage, that she'd forgotten something." It was terribly lucky that he stopped speaking precisely when he did, or very good timing, because at that same moment he felt the button of his trousers being undone.
Trying to do so as discreetly as possible, Harry looked under the table… only to find nothing. But as he watched his zipper get dragged down, he knew that someone was certainly there.
It quickly dawned on him. And I really should've known better. It appeared that Fleur had enacted her earlier lewd suggestion. As she pulled his hardening member through the hole at the front of his pants, he couldn't be happier with that decision.
Trying to act as normal as possible, he started filling up a plate for breakfast. His grip on his fork as he speared a sausage was just slightly tenser than normal as he felt plush lips hug his crown before pushing down his length in one smooth motion until he could feel a nose pressing against his pants. He felt her gag slightly, her throat flexing around his length as she spit up thick spittle, but there was blessedly no sound.
Seems that she's thought of everything. Slowly her lips traveled back up his shaft until her tongue was teasing his slit, before she quickly throated herself on him again. She fell into a steady rhythm that had him tapping his foot as he tried not to make a fool of himself.
He ate his food in damn near complete silence with the rare short responses of 'yes' or 'no' being his only real contribution between particularly focused bites. Luckily, it seemed that the other girls seemed to believe he was simply hungry. Or at least that's what he was hoping. There were a few brief moments where he panicked when Luna stared at him over long or he was sure he caught Gabrielle side-eyeing him with a little smirk.
He was given a brief distraction by the arrival of Susan, "Morning." The redhead sat down next to him and quietly whispered in his ear, "Surprised to see you here, all things considered." She leaned back discreetly and furrowed her brow, "Someone's been very smart I see… or rather I don't."
His mind was given just a moment to process what she'd said as Fleur popped up off his cock. She hadn't just made herself invisible but cast an Illusion that made it where anyone else who peaked beneath the table would see only what they expected to see. Seems she really thought of everything.
His thoughts were abruptly brought back to his cock as it was angled down slightly and as an entirely different hole kissed the tip. He was enveloped in Fleur's pristine pussy, and he found his hand grabbing onto Susan's thigh as he resisted the urge to groan out in the middle of the Great Hall.
The Hufflepuff was having an easier time maintaining her composure than him as she leaned in to ask so that only he could hear, "Are you in her throat?" At the slight shaking of his head, her eyes widened in surprise, "That's… impressive."
"Yep." It really was. Harry could only imagine the flexibility that would be on display if his lovely French girlfriend were visible. As it were, he had to be satisfied with the exquisite sensation of her plump ass bouncing against his lap as her velvet soft, but incredibly tight walls, hugged every inch of his cock.
As the minutes ticked by, Harry reached for a cold glass of water in the hopes that it would keep him from sweating. Susan didn't help matters when she decided to reach beneath the table to take hold of his girth. Fleur seemed to know what she was doing and held just his tip in her tightness, giving the smallest of bounces as Susan pumped him.
When the Hufflepuff pulled her hand back up, she very discreetly licked the inside of her hand,
Chloe chose that moment to observe, "I'm surprised zat Fleur isn't back by now… We'll need to get to class soon."
Genuinely impressed by the evenness of his own voice, Harry managed to reply, "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be back soon."
As though to ensure that would be the case, he felt soft fingers dart beneath the leg of his pants to find his bollocks. Delicately massaging them, Fleur's bouncing got even more urgent until he felt her shudder against him. There was the dullest of thuds as she just barely hit her head against the table, but only Harry, and probably Susan if her hidden giggle was anything to go by, seemed to notice.
The incessant grippiness of her perfect, cumming pussy was enough to pull the jizz from his balls. He took one last bite of toast, his jaw closing hard with each bite as he forced himself not to make a noise as he emptied himself into her heat.
It took a few seconds for Fleur to recover before she finally pulled herself off his cock. She turned and gave him one last parting kiss before tucking him back into his trousers. Once everything was back in place, he felt all their combined juices disappear with a wave of wand before he felt her weight disappear from between his legs.
It was maybe thirty seconds later that Chloe said, "Perhaps I should go and look for 'er…"
"No need," Susan chimed in for the still recovering Harry, "There she is now."
Sauntering in with a little wiggle to her hips, and glowing more than usual, Fleur had a single book in hand. As she returned to her spot and retrieved her bag, she lamented, "For ze life of me, I could not find it."
"Well," Chloe sounded slightly skeptical, "hurry up, we don't want to be late. Even I'm not foolish enough to irritate someone like Mad-Eye."
With that, the two older girls left the rest of them behind. Though not before Fleur sent him a quick wink that made him smile. What a great morning.
It seemed to be a theme though that everything came with some small addendum as Gabrielle gave him a devious smile, "You're lucky zat she's bonded. Ozzerwize ze whole school would know what she was up to…"
At his dumbfounded expression, Luna decided to chime in, "Harry, are you struggling with another case of Wrackspurts?" It was hard to tell if she was being serious or not, but it felt like she was just as aware as Gabrielle.
Shaking his head, he pointedly ignored Susan's barely successful attempt to hide her laughter.
AN: Let's consider this chapter a bit of test to see if it gets removed again.
Hope you enjoyed, and follow the link in my profile if your interested in more of my work.