Chapter 12: The Last Horcrux
Back at school, Ginny was extremely giddy and found it hard to concentrate. The good part of Draco’s note and gift were that she knew he was thinking of her and still cared for her. The bad part had been that she could not get images of him to leave her mind.
She knew she needed to settle down and focus on school. She knew he was safe and that she’d see him soon. Harry had said he had only one final Horcrux and so it surely couldn’t be long now, could it? Harry had also said it could be hell to find. But Ginny was not going to concentrate on that.
She remembered hearing something one time from Hermione. It was a chant of sorts. Hermione had explained something about a Muggle Saint Anthony, the patron saint of things lost or some such something. What was the chant? She felt that if she thought about it and sent it Harry’s way, perhaps she could help him. She knew it was silly, but to her it felt like a way to contribute.
“Tony, Tony, come around. Something’s lost that can’t be found! That’s it!” she cried as she sprang from her bed where she had been trying— and failing miserably— to study. She was thankful no one else was around. She grabbed a bit of parchment and wrote the words down. Perhaps she’d send them to Hermione later on. Perhaps she’d keep it to herself. They might think it was completely nutters, or that she was!
xxx
Draco was back at Grimmauld Place. He discovered a package in Ginny’s room. There was a card on it. It was addressed to him. He heard footsteps approach and stop in the doorway behind him.
“I told her we’d find a way to get it to you. She had no idea how easy it would be, eh?” said Arthur Weasley.
Draco nodded. “Yes, Mister Weasley.” He paused. Dare he ask after her? “Was she… happy when she received my gift?”
“Draco,” Arthur replied, placing a soft hand on the boy’s shoulder, “She was still glowing when she left for school,” and he chuckled to himself as he patted Draco on the back and continued down the stairs. “Welcome back,” Arthur added, almost as an afterthought.
Draco didn’t know that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still at Grimmauld until a few moments later, when he was sitting on Ginny’s bed staring at the present and working up the nerve to open it.
“You’re back then eh?” Ron noted.
“Spot on,” Draco spat, not maliciously, just sarcastically.
“Oh. Found your present I see. I’ll, uh, I’ll just let you alone with that.”
Draco didn’t respond. He simply nodded and waited until the three had passed. Hermione and Harry had given him small nods as they passed as well.
He took the ribbon and untied it, then tore off the glaring red paper. Red. It reminded him of her. In the box was a green jumper. It had a snake winding around the letters ‘D’ and ‘M’ stitched over the heart. It had to be handmade. Ginny must have made it. It held her scent. He held it to his face and breathed in for a long time.
Once he put it down, he noticed something else in the box. The stack of letters he’d found earlier in the fall. The ones she had left behind. Only, the ones on top were dated over the holiday. He knew they were new. He opened the card that had been on the present first.
x
Draco,
Thank You so so so much for the beautiful necklace and most of all for leaving me the note letting me know you were thinking about me and that you missed me! That was the best news I could have had over the Holiday! I made you a jumper- I hope you like it! I tried to make it a bit trendier than ones my mum usually makes. It’s the first I’ve ever made. I hope you like it.
However, my real gift is the pile of letters. I wrote these, as you will see, right after you left and poured my heart into them. I hope they comfort you that I am doing well, but that I miss you and think of you often! I can’t wait to see you and I hope it is SOON!
Happy Christmas!
Ginny
x
Draco smiled as he put down the card and tossed the package of letters in the air and caught them again with ease. Ginny needn’t know he’d read most of them before. He’d probably tell her later, but he’d have to think about that.
He lay reading the newest letters, learning what Ginny had been up to at school. She told him about the attention she was avoiding from Blaise Zabini and Draco managed to quell the jealousy that threatened to burst loose and merely rolled his eyes. Zabini had nothing on him; Draco knew that.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” Draco called. Hermione stepped cautiously into the room.
“Harry would like a word.”
“What are you, Potter’s personal attendant?”
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. “He’s in the middle of something and he thinks you ought to see. I came up here to tell you he wanted to see you. Would you cut the crap and just come downstairs?”
“Oh alright. You really are no fun at all, Granger,” Draco grinned and gave her a swift pat on the back as he passed. He knew he must be in a good mood; he’d smiled and been nice to the mud— to the girl before he could help himself.
Draco hurried down the stairs, Hermione following him. “So, Potter. What is so important that you had to send the… Granger to fetch me?”
Harry ignored Draco’s giddy appearance and snide use of Hermione’s name. “We think we’ve located the final Horcrux.”
“Great. Is that all then?” Draco shrugged, wondering what that had to do with him.
Harry clenched his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. “So, Malfoy, what that means is that he’s onto us and we’ve got to hurry. We’re going to need you with us. We feel you will be able to pinpoint the exact location and verify the object for us.”
Draco sat down, puzzled. “How exactly do you figure that?”
“It’s an old object of your father’s. It’s hidden though. We know you must have seen it at one point or another. Here, have a look.” Harry shoved a piece of parchment under Draco’s nose. Drawn on the parchment was a rendering of an old music box he had indeed seen before. It once belonged to his mother. He loved for her to play it for him when he was young.
One day, he remembered hearing a huge argument and after that day, he never saw the music box again. He was so young he was surprised he remembered it. He could only have been four years old at the most.
“Do you know it?” Hermione asked.
“Yes,” he stated, trying to remain emotionless. “It was my mother’s. Then, one day, it was just gone. Where do you suppose it is now?”
“Well, we’ve a theory,” Harry began. After a moment or two of silence, Draco motioned for Harry to continue. “We think it is a secret vault in Gringotts.”
“Rubbish. All my father’s vaults were searched! It wasn’t among the items I’ve seen at the Ministry.”
“Actually, not all of the Malfoy vaults were searched. There is one under your mother’s name and one in yours.”
“How could they not have been searched?” Draco questioned.
“They probably were, actually. But I believe there is a hidden vault within one of these vaults that only you or your mother can access.”
“And you believe this why?” Harry nodded to Ron who laid out the huge roll of parchment he had been holding while observing the conversation. Draco looked them over. “You got the layout of Gringott’s? How on Earth…?”
Harry grinned widely. “Even in death, Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard. He had a feeling and his feeling proved right. He was able to get these plans and keep them hidden for me.”
Draco rolled his eyes. Potter: forever Dumbledore’s precious pet. “So, I suppose we’re going to Gringott’s then?”
Harry nodded and motioned for Draco to have a seat. For the next few hours, they planned out their event while studying the layout of the vaults and making lists of what they would need.
xxx
A few days later, the trio— now somewhat of a quartet if you included Draco, which technically he didn’t suppose they did— had their plans finalized. Tonks, Lupin, Arthur, Draco and Harry were going to go to Gringott’s. Arthur and Tonks were to stay at various points in the bank to keep an eye on things. Other Aurors would be stationed in and around the great wizarding bank as well.
Harry would be with Lupin and Draco was going to be Polyjuiced to appear as another Auror, as non-descript as possible. Bill Weasley was to be their escort to Draco’s vault and was aware of their destination. The actual destination and the destination given to the bank were different.
Draco found he could not sleep the night before the big plan was to be put in action. Once the final Horcrux was found and destroyed, Voldemort would come looking for Harry in a last-ditch effort to save his life. Draco was to return to Australia by portkey from the hallway just outside the main lobby of the bank once the item was retrieved. He wanted to stay and fight but was told a very firm no. Potter was determined that last battle be he and Voldemort alone.
Once all was over and on side or the other won— and of course it would be Potter’s side— Draco would be given word and could safely return with his mother. They could reclaim certain of their belongings and move back into the Manor. Draco would have to request permission to return to school the following year.
Harry had already told Draco that his help in finishing off Voldemort would not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Many people— who didn’t know where Draco was or what he was doing— assumed the boy would be found and put on trial for the attempted murder of Albus Dumledore. Harry and the others assured him that even if Draco did have to go on trial, their testimonies would have the trial dismissed easily.
Draco accepted this more calmly than he would have thought. He was confident that, all things considered, he had been doing the right things and that his turn for the better would not go unrewarded. He knew his biggest reward awaited him at Hogwarts and he couldn’t wait to see her.
xxx
Ginny awoke on a bright, sunny morning in early February to the tap of an owl’s small beak at the window beside her bed. She yawned and lazily reached for the window’s latch, letting the bird in and taking the parchment from its foot. She unrolled it and read:
The end is near. Keep your eyes open and make sure no one comes on the grounds who shouldn’t be there.
Short and to the point. It was Harry’s handwriting, although there was no name. Excitement and fear churned in her stomach as she hurried to get washed up, dressed, and down to the Great Hall.
xxx
The ‘big day’ came and Draco felt confident and well prepared. He had a flask of Polyjuice to keep his appearance up throughout the plot. Ron was being a bit huffy about being left behind at the Order and Draco wasn’t helping matters.
“Someone has to stay behind and baby-sit Granger,” Draco stated simply. “Who better than you? Although I certainly hope you won’t be un-chaperoned. The world is not ready for you two to… breed,” he said, curling his lip in a slight gesture of disgust. Hermione blushed and Ron looked fit to be tied.
“Malfoy! Don’t talk about Hermione and me like that! The only reason you are going on this mission is because we have to use you! Believe me, if we didn’t there is no way you would be remotely involved! I can’t believe you—“
“Relax, Weasley!” Draco shouted over Ron’s increasingly loud tone. “I… I shouldn’t have said that. Bad form on my part.”
Ron scoffed and gave a short guffaw. “That really was the world’s most horrid apology.”
“It wasn’t an apology. I’m not sorry. I just shouldn’t have said it. Thinking it would have sufficed,” Draco grinned and strode from the kitchen, leaving Ron to fume and Hermione to fuss over him.
Once they were all at the bank, and everyone was in position, Harry, Lupin, Bill, and poly-juiced Draco were escorted down through the tunnels, following the schematics Harry had been given.
“Here it is, vault 688,” Bill said. “I’ll stand lookout here, then?” he asked Lupin.
“Yes. Dra— erm, Stephens, Harry, you ready?” Lupin asked, eyeing them carefully.
“Yeah, let’s get on with it,” Harry said and stepped out onto the platform.
Draco produced the key and Harry used the key Bill had given him. The vault opened and the three of them entered to find heaps of galleons, precious jewels, books, and various other items. Draco smirked, looking at what he already had, with or without the big inheritance. Harry rolled his eyes.
“Come on, let’s have a look for the opening into the secret vault,” he motioned towards the back. They found the location where a door or opening of some sort should be. They moved a table stacked with boxes and tried several various revealing spells before they were shown the door. Just inside the small door barely large enough for Harry to crouch through, was the music box.
“Should I just touch it?” Harry asked. “There’s been some pretty dark magic surrounding the other Horcruxes.”
“Let me evaluate it first, Harry. Back up,” Lupin said in a rather impatient tone. Remis leaned into the small space and Draco heard him mutter a series of things and saw a few flashes of light come from within the small cavern.
Draco watched with interest as Lupin backed out and shuffled through a bag he had brought with him. Lupin produced a strange metallic-looking material and a box, which he assumed was to cover and store the item.
A few minutes later, Lupin had covered the music box with the metallic material and placed it in the box Harry was now holding.
“Well, that was certainly simp—“
“Shut it, Malfoy,” Harry hissed and stalked towards the front of the vault. Lupin shrugged and followed and Draco simply scoffed and followed as well.
“Did you get it, then?” Bill asked as he hurried to them. Harry nodded at him and held up a bag, which now resembled a bag full of galleons. “Hurry, let’s go. I don’t have a good feeling.”
“Neither do I,” Harry said dryly.
Back at school, Ginny was extremely giddy and found it hard to concentrate. The good part of Draco’s note and gift were that she knew he was thinking of her and still cared for her. The bad part had been that she could not get images of him to leave her mind.
She knew she needed to settle down and focus on school. She knew he was safe and that she’d see him soon. Harry had said he had only one final Horcrux and so it surely couldn’t be long now, could it? Harry had also said it could be hell to find. But Ginny was not going to concentrate on that.
She remembered hearing something one time from Hermione. It was a chant of sorts. Hermione had explained something about a Muggle Saint Anthony, the patron saint of things lost or some such something. What was the chant? She felt that if she thought about it and sent it Harry’s way, perhaps she could help him. She knew it was silly, but to her it felt like a way to contribute.
“Tony, Tony, come around. Something’s lost that can’t be found! That’s it!” she cried as she sprang from her bed where she had been trying— and failing miserably— to study. She was thankful no one else was around. She grabbed a bit of parchment and wrote the words down. Perhaps she’d send them to Hermione later on. Perhaps she’d keep it to herself. They might think it was completely nutters, or that she was!
xxx
Draco was back at Grimmauld Place. He discovered a package in Ginny’s room. There was a card on it. It was addressed to him. He heard footsteps approach and stop in the doorway behind him.
“I told her we’d find a way to get it to you. She had no idea how easy it would be, eh?” said Arthur Weasley.
Draco nodded. “Yes, Mister Weasley.” He paused. Dare he ask after her? “Was she… happy when she received my gift?”
“Draco,” Arthur replied, placing a soft hand on the boy’s shoulder, “She was still glowing when she left for school,” and he chuckled to himself as he patted Draco on the back and continued down the stairs. “Welcome back,” Arthur added, almost as an afterthought.
Draco didn’t know that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still at Grimmauld until a few moments later, when he was sitting on Ginny’s bed staring at the present and working up the nerve to open it.
“You’re back then eh?” Ron noted.
“Spot on,” Draco spat, not maliciously, just sarcastically.
“Oh. Found your present I see. I’ll, uh, I’ll just let you alone with that.”
Draco didn’t respond. He simply nodded and waited until the three had passed. Hermione and Harry had given him small nods as they passed as well.
He took the ribbon and untied it, then tore off the glaring red paper. Red. It reminded him of her. In the box was a green jumper. It had a snake winding around the letters ‘D’ and ‘M’ stitched over the heart. It had to be handmade. Ginny must have made it. It held her scent. He held it to his face and breathed in for a long time.
Once he put it down, he noticed something else in the box. The stack of letters he’d found earlier in the fall. The ones she had left behind. Only, the ones on top were dated over the holiday. He knew they were new. He opened the card that had been on the present first.
x
Draco,
Thank You so so so much for the beautiful necklace and most of all for leaving me the note letting me know you were thinking about me and that you missed me! That was the best news I could have had over the Holiday! I made you a jumper- I hope you like it! I tried to make it a bit trendier than ones my mum usually makes. It’s the first I’ve ever made. I hope you like it.
However, my real gift is the pile of letters. I wrote these, as you will see, right after you left and poured my heart into them. I hope they comfort you that I am doing well, but that I miss you and think of you often! I can’t wait to see you and I hope it is SOON!
Happy Christmas!
Ginny
x
Draco smiled as he put down the card and tossed the package of letters in the air and caught them again with ease. Ginny needn’t know he’d read most of them before. He’d probably tell her later, but he’d have to think about that.
He lay reading the newest letters, learning what Ginny had been up to at school. She told him about the attention she was avoiding from Blaise Zabini and Draco managed to quell the jealousy that threatened to burst loose and merely rolled his eyes. Zabini had nothing on him; Draco knew that.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” Draco called. Hermione stepped cautiously into the room.
“Harry would like a word.”
“What are you, Potter’s personal attendant?”
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. “He’s in the middle of something and he thinks you ought to see. I came up here to tell you he wanted to see you. Would you cut the crap and just come downstairs?”
“Oh alright. You really are no fun at all, Granger,” Draco grinned and gave her a swift pat on the back as he passed. He knew he must be in a good mood; he’d smiled and been nice to the mud— to the girl before he could help himself.
Draco hurried down the stairs, Hermione following him. “So, Potter. What is so important that you had to send the… Granger to fetch me?”
Harry ignored Draco’s giddy appearance and snide use of Hermione’s name. “We think we’ve located the final Horcrux.”
“Great. Is that all then?” Draco shrugged, wondering what that had to do with him.
Harry clenched his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. “So, Malfoy, what that means is that he’s onto us and we’ve got to hurry. We’re going to need you with us. We feel you will be able to pinpoint the exact location and verify the object for us.”
Draco sat down, puzzled. “How exactly do you figure that?”
“It’s an old object of your father’s. It’s hidden though. We know you must have seen it at one point or another. Here, have a look.” Harry shoved a piece of parchment under Draco’s nose. Drawn on the parchment was a rendering of an old music box he had indeed seen before. It once belonged to his mother. He loved for her to play it for him when he was young.
One day, he remembered hearing a huge argument and after that day, he never saw the music box again. He was so young he was surprised he remembered it. He could only have been four years old at the most.
“Do you know it?” Hermione asked.
“Yes,” he stated, trying to remain emotionless. “It was my mother’s. Then, one day, it was just gone. Where do you suppose it is now?”
“Well, we’ve a theory,” Harry began. After a moment or two of silence, Draco motioned for Harry to continue. “We think it is a secret vault in Gringotts.”
“Rubbish. All my father’s vaults were searched! It wasn’t among the items I’ve seen at the Ministry.”
“Actually, not all of the Malfoy vaults were searched. There is one under your mother’s name and one in yours.”
“How could they not have been searched?” Draco questioned.
“They probably were, actually. But I believe there is a hidden vault within one of these vaults that only you or your mother can access.”
“And you believe this why?” Harry nodded to Ron who laid out the huge roll of parchment he had been holding while observing the conversation. Draco looked them over. “You got the layout of Gringott’s? How on Earth…?”
Harry grinned widely. “Even in death, Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard. He had a feeling and his feeling proved right. He was able to get these plans and keep them hidden for me.”
Draco rolled his eyes. Potter: forever Dumbledore’s precious pet. “So, I suppose we’re going to Gringott’s then?”
Harry nodded and motioned for Draco to have a seat. For the next few hours, they planned out their event while studying the layout of the vaults and making lists of what they would need.
xxx
A few days later, the trio— now somewhat of a quartet if you included Draco, which technically he didn’t suppose they did— had their plans finalized. Tonks, Lupin, Arthur, Draco and Harry were going to go to Gringott’s. Arthur and Tonks were to stay at various points in the bank to keep an eye on things. Other Aurors would be stationed in and around the great wizarding bank as well.
Harry would be with Lupin and Draco was going to be Polyjuiced to appear as another Auror, as non-descript as possible. Bill Weasley was to be their escort to Draco’s vault and was aware of their destination. The actual destination and the destination given to the bank were different.
Draco found he could not sleep the night before the big plan was to be put in action. Once the final Horcrux was found and destroyed, Voldemort would come looking for Harry in a last-ditch effort to save his life. Draco was to return to Australia by portkey from the hallway just outside the main lobby of the bank once the item was retrieved. He wanted to stay and fight but was told a very firm no. Potter was determined that last battle be he and Voldemort alone.
Once all was over and on side or the other won— and of course it would be Potter’s side— Draco would be given word and could safely return with his mother. They could reclaim certain of their belongings and move back into the Manor. Draco would have to request permission to return to school the following year.
Harry had already told Draco that his help in finishing off Voldemort would not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Many people— who didn’t know where Draco was or what he was doing— assumed the boy would be found and put on trial for the attempted murder of Albus Dumledore. Harry and the others assured him that even if Draco did have to go on trial, their testimonies would have the trial dismissed easily.
Draco accepted this more calmly than he would have thought. He was confident that, all things considered, he had been doing the right things and that his turn for the better would not go unrewarded. He knew his biggest reward awaited him at Hogwarts and he couldn’t wait to see her.
xxx
Ginny awoke on a bright, sunny morning in early February to the tap of an owl’s small beak at the window beside her bed. She yawned and lazily reached for the window’s latch, letting the bird in and taking the parchment from its foot. She unrolled it and read:
The end is near. Keep your eyes open and make sure no one comes on the grounds who shouldn’t be there.
Short and to the point. It was Harry’s handwriting, although there was no name. Excitement and fear churned in her stomach as she hurried to get washed up, dressed, and down to the Great Hall.
xxx
The ‘big day’ came and Draco felt confident and well prepared. He had a flask of Polyjuice to keep his appearance up throughout the plot. Ron was being a bit huffy about being left behind at the Order and Draco wasn’t helping matters.
“Someone has to stay behind and baby-sit Granger,” Draco stated simply. “Who better than you? Although I certainly hope you won’t be un-chaperoned. The world is not ready for you two to… breed,” he said, curling his lip in a slight gesture of disgust. Hermione blushed and Ron looked fit to be tied.
“Malfoy! Don’t talk about Hermione and me like that! The only reason you are going on this mission is because we have to use you! Believe me, if we didn’t there is no way you would be remotely involved! I can’t believe you—“
“Relax, Weasley!” Draco shouted over Ron’s increasingly loud tone. “I… I shouldn’t have said that. Bad form on my part.”
Ron scoffed and gave a short guffaw. “That really was the world’s most horrid apology.”
“It wasn’t an apology. I’m not sorry. I just shouldn’t have said it. Thinking it would have sufficed,” Draco grinned and strode from the kitchen, leaving Ron to fume and Hermione to fuss over him.
Once they were all at the bank, and everyone was in position, Harry, Lupin, Bill, and poly-juiced Draco were escorted down through the tunnels, following the schematics Harry had been given.
“Here it is, vault 688,” Bill said. “I’ll stand lookout here, then?” he asked Lupin.
“Yes. Dra— erm, Stephens, Harry, you ready?” Lupin asked, eyeing them carefully.
“Yeah, let’s get on with it,” Harry said and stepped out onto the platform.
Draco produced the key and Harry used the key Bill had given him. The vault opened and the three of them entered to find heaps of galleons, precious jewels, books, and various other items. Draco smirked, looking at what he already had, with or without the big inheritance. Harry rolled his eyes.
“Come on, let’s have a look for the opening into the secret vault,” he motioned towards the back. They found the location where a door or opening of some sort should be. They moved a table stacked with boxes and tried several various revealing spells before they were shown the door. Just inside the small door barely large enough for Harry to crouch through, was the music box.
“Should I just touch it?” Harry asked. “There’s been some pretty dark magic surrounding the other Horcruxes.”
“Let me evaluate it first, Harry. Back up,” Lupin said in a rather impatient tone. Remis leaned into the small space and Draco heard him mutter a series of things and saw a few flashes of light come from within the small cavern.
Draco watched with interest as Lupin backed out and shuffled through a bag he had brought with him. Lupin produced a strange metallic-looking material and a box, which he assumed was to cover and store the item.
A few minutes later, Lupin had covered the music box with the metallic material and placed it in the box Harry was now holding.
“Well, that was certainly simp—“
“Shut it, Malfoy,” Harry hissed and stalked towards the front of the vault. Lupin shrugged and followed and Draco simply scoffed and followed as well.
“Did you get it, then?” Bill asked as he hurried to them. Harry nodded at him and held up a bag, which now resembled a bag full of galleons. “Hurry, let’s go. I don’t have a good feeling.”
“Neither do I,” Harry said dryly.
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