Harry had the same rude awakening the next morning as he did the previous, but Ron caused it this time.
“There’s a message here for you!” Ron said, practically pushing Harry off his bed.
“Okay, okay,” said Harry, trying once again to get used to the sunlight. “Where’s the owl?”
“It’s not an owl, mate. Go to my room.”
Harry got out of bed and it took him a second longer than it should have to realize what Ron meant: Phineas Nigellus, the portrait in both Ron’s room and the Headmaster’s office at Hogwarts. Without dressing out of his pajamas, Harry bolted out the door, up one floor, and into his old room at the house.
“Finally up, I see,” Phineas sneered at Harry, who could see Phineas’ swollen, red eyes that clearly meant he was also rudely awakened.
“So, what’s the message,” Harry said anxiously.
“Always want to get right to the point, do you? Can’t say hello, can we?”
“Since when d’you care? Just give me the message!”
“Oh, very well,” Phineas said in a tone that clearly wished that he was still asleep. “Professor McGonagall wanted me to tell you that Remus Lupin has found the information that you seek and is coming over right now.”
Harry tore out of the room without another word and ignored an annoyed scoff that sounded like “young people.” He went back into his room to find Ron, who was now joined by Hermione.
“Well?” Ron said eagerly.
“What did he want?” asked Hermione.
“Lupin’s coming,” Harry said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. It wasn’t that he was looking forward to putting themselves in danger, but aftermath of that danger: destroying another Horcrux. “Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you two in the kitchen.”
After Ron and Hermione left Harry got out of his pajamas and slipped on Dudley’s old jeans and shirt. He reached into his trunk and pulled out the knife that Hagrid had given him, thinking it might come in handy. When he got into the kitchen Harry didn’t have to wait long before the doorbell rang and Mrs. Black’s screeches once again filled the house.
“BLOOD TRAITORS! MUDBLOODS! VERMIN OF ALL VERMIN!”
Harry and Ron wrenched the curtains closed again and went to open the door to find Lupin at the entrance in his Muggle best, holding an old paper bag.
“Good morning,” he said, walking in.
“So you found it? The orphanage?” Harry asked, closing the door after Lupin
“Yes, I have. And as I promised, I am here to pick you up and we are all going to do this together.”
“And what’s in there?” Ron said, eyeing the bag Lupin was holding.
“This,” he said, indicating the bag, “is some extra security measures for the three of you.” From the bag he withdrew three thermoses, each labeled with Harry’s, Ron’s, or Hermione’s name. “Polyjuice Potion, I don’t know if you’ve heard”” He stopped when he saw their reaction.
“What?” Ron said weakly. “Ugh, that stuff tastes horrible.”
Hermione was looking apprehensive as well, for the last time she had taken it she had ended up with the fur and a tail of a cat.
“And how would you know that?” Lupin asked in the same suspicious tone that he had once asked Harry in.
“Hermione told us,” Harry said at once, nudging Hermione. “Right?”
“What”? Oh”yes, I did. Read about it, you see and I told these two. I’m surprised that they remembered,” she said innocently.
“If you say so,” Lupin said, though not entirely convinced. “Anyway, donated hairs from members of the Order you don’t know yet have already been added. And I also made sure they were all about your builds.” He separated the thermoses and handed them to indicated drinker.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to go to their own rooms for the change. When Harry got to his he took off the top and looked into the contents: it gave off the foul odor of rotted eggs and cabbages, and murky color of dung brown. Without hesitating, he pinched his nose and drank it as fast as he could. It went down hard and Harry once again felt the sensation of snakes going down his throat, and his skin like hot wax. He was brought down to his knees and tried to focus his changing: his hands were more tanned, he grew about an inch, he could feel his feet growing tight around his trainers, and his bangs grew over his eyes and he saw that it was blond.
The feeling passed and Harry stood up. He saw that his jeans no longer rested comfortably below his ankle, and his arms became more muscular. Everything was blurred and he took off his glasses, which he pocketed.
When he stepped out of his room, Harry saw at the landing below him two people that he assumed were Ron and Hermione. To his surprise, Hermione was now that same woman that had helped him back at Godric’s Hollow. She had the same face (without the sweat), same black hair, and he saw she had clear blue eyes. Hermione was also a little taller.
Ron on the other hand was now a good half a foot shorter and was only a few inches taller than Hermione. His pants were sitting comfortably on his trainers; his eyes were brown, which was the same color as his shorter hair.
“Harry?” came the voice that was not Ron’s.
“I guess,” came a different voice than Harry’s.
“We’ve already wasted about a minute,” said the unrecognizable, but same bossy tone that was Hermione’s. “Let’s go!”
When Harry caught up with them, he saw that he was now eye level with Ron. Smiling in spite of himself, he walked back down stairs.
“Finally,” Lupin said, not showing any sign of noticing that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had changed their physical appearance. “We’re taking the Underground. Follow me.”
The four of them walked out into to the brilliant morning outside and Grimmauld Place dissolved behind them. The journey was easy enough: they got to the same station that Harry had been to with Mr. Weasley, went past the stop that took them to the Ministry of Magic entrance, and finally ended up at a station that wasn’t as busy as the previous ones.
“Stay close,” Lupin said, as he continued to walk.
They kept going and the area around them continued to grow older. Luckily, when there weren’t people other people waking around, Harry, Ron, and Hermione started to change back. Harry could see his bangs receding, a blurry Ron starting to grow taller and regain his red hair, and the blurry hair of Hermione starting to become brown and bushy again. Finally, Harry had to take out his glasses and put them back on to see properly.
“Almost there,” Lupin said, as though it was normal for people to spontaneously change physical features.
But Harry could see what Lupin was talking about, for they were now walking down the familiar path that Harry saw the seventy-years-younger Dumbledore take on his way to the orphanage. There were definitely signs around them that suggested so much time passed, but there was no mistake of where they were. Then, up ahead, a gloomy old building surrounded by iron gates appeared in the distance.
“This is definitely it,” Harry whispered, afraid for some reason that he might be over heard.
When they passed the gates and went for the front entrance Harry felt the same kind of shiver go through him that he felt back at the cave, and it seemed to go through Ron and Hermione as well. Lupin, however, looked as if nothing was bothering him. The warmth around them vanished, and though the sunlight lingered, the heat didn’t seem to reach the earth.
“Keep Out”Dangerous?” Lupin said, reading the sign on the door. “Yeah, right.” Suddenly, he reached for the doorknob and tried to turn it.
“It could have been cursed,” Hermione said anxiously.
“Well, Hermione, it’s not,” he said, throwing his weight onto the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He took out his wand pointed it at the doorknob. “Alohomora!” Nothing happened. “Okay,” he said thinking, turning back to the three, “Harry, you come with me and we’ll go round the left side of the building. Ron, Hermione. You two go around the other side. Try the charm on all the windows. We’ll meet at the back.”
Ron and Hermione nodded and went the other side of the building trying to charm the windows open, and the same went for Lupin and Harry.
As Harry went around he tried to see inside, but after being closed for probably so many years, the windows were too grimy to look through.
“Alohomora!” yelled Harry, pointing his wand, but still nothing happened. Then Harry got a simple idea and stood back further and pointed again. “Reducto!” The spell bounced off the window and zoomed over Lupin, who had to duck to avoid it.
“Well,” Lupin said, both grimly and with approval, “if the Alohomora Charm didn’t prove this place is magical, that did.”
They met up with Ron and Hermione, who also had no luck, at the back of the building. Then, the four of them made their way back to the front entrance.
“Now what?” Ron said, exasperated.
“I could keep trying a variety of counter-spells,” suggested Lupin, looking at the door with dislike, “but that could take a while.”
“Maybe,” Harry said quietly, also looking at the door, but with curiosity. He unconsciously took out his knife and cut across the back his hand.
“Harry!” Hermione shrieked, as Harry smeared his blood across the door, which clicked and opened on its own.
“You could have warned us!” Lupin shouted, clearly not noticing the door had opened. He ran his wand across Harry’s hand and healed the cut.
“It did serve a purpose,” Ron said, pointing at the door.
Lupin turned and looked in amazement at the entrance to a filthy hallway. Then he gave a Harry a questionable look.
Harry shrugged. “Don’t see why Voldemort wouldn’t have used the same lock twice.”
Wand at the ready, Lupin led the way inside. The inside was just as how Harry had seen it in the Pensieve, except that it was much darker and there was cobwebs and dust everywhere. The black and white tiled floor had cracks and several tiles were missing, showing aged stone underneath. Also, the paint on the walls had been longed chipped and scratched. The smell of aged and soggy wood lingered.
“Where now?” Lupin asked Harry.
“We should try Voldemort’s old room,” he answered. “What are you two waiting for?” he said, noticing that Ron and Hermione were falling behind.
“It’s just that it’s creepy here,” Ron said, looking around. “I mean, think about it: He lived here.”
Hermione, who was looking a little nervous, was clutching Ron’s arm so tightly it looked as if she might have cut off his circulation.
“Look,” Harry said sympathetically, “I understand if you two want to wait outside, but I’m going ahead.”
“Don’t try that,” Hermione said confidently, though still holding Ron’s arm, which Harry figured was becoming slightly numb, “we said that we’re coming with you, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“C’mon, then,” Ron said, walking forward with Hermione.
In total silence, Harry led the way over to the stairs and started to climb up. The relative ease that they had experienced so far made Harry very uncomfortable, and he peered over his shoulder frequently for any sign of trouble. But so far, no curse had been activated, and no Inferi or any other foul creature had popped up.
When they got off at the same landing Dumbledore had all those years ago, they turned and found themselves at the beginning of a long corridor. Again, the only thing that seemed to change was how much dirtier the place was, but when Harry reached the door into Voldemort’s old room, he noticed something that was clearly not in the Pensieve: five locks.
“What the bloody hell is this!” Harry shouted in frustration, causing some dust to fall from cracks in the ceiling.
“Harry, are you telling me that these things weren’t here before?” Lupin said, while he examined the locks.
“No! It was just a plain door.”
“Clearly Voldemort’s work. Alohomora!” Lupin yelled, pointing his wand. Just as before, nothing happened. He tried to turn the doorknob and slam into it, but that didn’t work either.
“Well, obviously we need keys,” Hermione said, running her hand across the door. “But the question is where they are.”
“Maybe Voldemort’s got them,” Ron said, dismayed. “In which case, we came here for nothing.”
“I don’t think so,” Harry said, thinking. “I mean, back at the cave, Voldemort could have just conjured his own boat to get across the lake, rather than leave one there.”
“So the keys to these locks have got to be hidden somewhere in here,” Hermione said, now looking at the other doors.
“That’s better, I guess,” Ron said, also looking at the other doors in the corridor. “But that’s going to take ages.”
“We should look for the records of the kids who used to live here,” said Harry, still thinking. “If Voldemort is hiding these keys based on his past, then we can probably assume that he hid the keys in the old rooms of those he bullied. I know of at least three.”
Since nobody else had any better ideas, Harry led the way again and ended up in Mrs. Cole’s old office, where they found many filing cabinets stuffed with old papers. At last, after minutes of searching, Harry found the three names that he was looking for: Billy Stubbs, Amy Benson, and Dennis Bishop. He looked in the their files, found their room numbers, and headed for them.
“Let’s try this again,” said Lupin when they were in front of Amy Benson’s old room. “Alohomora!” And, as expected, nothing happened. “Harry,” he said, struck by an idea, “let me see that knife of yours.”
“No, I’ll do it,” Harry retorted, knowing what Lupin was planning to do.
“That’s an order, Harry. Now give it to me.”
“For goodness sakes,” Ron said, tired of the argument and already taking out his wand. He used a small Severing Charm to cut his hand.
“Ron!” Hermione shrieked, as Ron wiped his blood on the door, which opened just like the front door.
“Why do you all always insist on taking the grunt of the work?” Lupin yelled, healing Ron’s hand.
“Because otherwise nothing gets done,” Ron answered.
Hermione pulled him down and said fiercely, “Don’t you ever do anything like that again without at least some warning.”
“Okay, I won’t,” said Ron hastily.
“I think it would be a good idea to check inside,” Harry said, stepping into the old and dark room. Amy Benson’s room looked just like Tom Riddle’s had in the Pensieve, except, of course, that it was much dirtier, but there was a similar bedstead and wardrobe.
“Dead depressing,” Ron said when he came inside.
“Yeah,” Harry agreed, “so lets try and find the key if it’s in here. Shouldn’t take us too long.”
They all looked inside the wardrobe and under the bed for the key, but it wasn’t until that Hermione stepped in a loose floorboard similar to the one Harry once used that they found the key inside.
“You’d think that it would have been hidden in a more magical fashion,” Hermione said, holding up the plain and slightly rusted key.
“Forget about pondering Voldemort’s method and continue to look,” Harry said, checking Dennis Bishop’s file for the room. “Says here that this person’s room is a floor above us.”
After making their way up the next floor, it was Lupin that gave the blood donation to the door. Inside they finally found the key hidden inside a secret hole in the wardrobe. Next, on the same floor, was Billy Stubbs’ room. Again Lupin gave the blood, and he and the others heard the key rattle in one of the hollow iron posts holding up the bed. It was only the matter of a simple Summoning Charm to get it out.
“Three down. Two to go,” Harry observed, holding up the third key after searching Billy Stubbs’ room. “We can rule out the unlocked rooms for the rest of our search.”
And indeed after a tedious search of having to force open doors to check which ones were magically locked, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lupin found two more doors that required a blood donation (which Lupin obviously did), and both keys were found in similar hiding places.
Once they found all five of the keys, the four of them went back to door with the five locks and proceeded with inserting the keys. After all five were in place and Lupin gave another donation of blood, the keys turned and the door swung open.
Tom Riddle’s old room looked just like Harry had seen it; it looked as if no time had passed inside. The wardrobe was in the same state and the mattress wasn’t torn up like all the others.
“Careful,” Lupin warned, “the blood was the most dangerous thing we had to deal with so far, I’m sure things are going to get much nastier after this.”
He took the liberty of opening the wardrobe and inside hung the same gray tunics that the children used to wear. On the top shelf, where Riddle’s box of stolen items once was, was a long, thin package that was wrapped in ordinary brown paper. Lupin stood back and raised his wand. “Accio!”
The package shook violently, but was held back.
“Nothing for it,” he said, looking back at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and reaching up for the package.
“You could be hurt!” Hermione said. But Harry was not really worried, for he expected Lupin’s hand to be stopped by the same barrier that protected the fake Horcrux”but he was wrong.
Lupin clasped the long package and took it down with ease. He smiled turning back to them, but then the package started to shake violently again and there was a huge BANG that filled the whole room in black smoke.
“Lupin!” Harry choked through the thick smoke, feeling his way around. When the smoke drifted out the door, he saw Lupin lying unconscious against the wall, with blood trickling down forehead. “No,” Harry said weakly, going to his body. He can’t be dead, Harry thought desperately. He can’t! Dumbledore said that Voldemort wouldn’t kill us straight off!
Hermione landed next to Harry and checked Lupin for a pulse. “He’s still alive,” she sighed, “we need to get him to the”Ron, what is it?” she asked, because Ron was pulling on her shirt trying to get her attention.
“That,” he gasped, pointing at a spot on the floor.
She and Harry both turned to look at what Ron was indicating, and they gasped too: A long golden staff encrusted with sapphires was laying among the ashes of what used to be the wrapping.
“Rowena Ravenclaw had a scepter,” Harry said in an awed voice, picking up the staff and eyeing the sapphires that made it clear to whom it once belonged.
“Harry,” Hermione said nervously, “what’s that sound?”
Harry was brought back down to the situation at hand and then he heard it, too and it sounded familiar.
“I know what that is,” Ron said, glancing inside the wardrobe. “Its doxies!”
Then Harry recognized the buzzing sound and knew that Ron was right, and doxies have somehow taken to living in Voldemort’s old tunics. Then, without the use of Doxycide, the black, fairy-like doxies came out and started to attack Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the unconscious Lupin.
“RON! HERMIONE!” Harry bellowed, while trying to hide under his arms and being bitten over and over again by the mad doxies, “ONE OF YOU TWO GRAB LUIPN AND DISAPPARATE!”
Hermione immediately took Lupin arm and turned, but instead of disappearing, she stumbled and fell.
“There’s an Anti-Disapparation Jinx on the building, Harry!” Hermione cried.
“Then we’re running! You and Ron carry Lupin!” he yelled, still being bitten.
Horcrux and wand in hand, Harry sprinted for the door, but he immediately lost balance when the floor started to quake under them. Getting back to his feet, and still trying to beat away the doxies, Harry staggered out into the hallway and to the stairs, Ron and Hermione behind him carrying Lupin. Luckily, the doxies stayed in the room.
When Harry was about to start his decent down the stairs, Hermione yelled, “Wait!” But it was too late. Harry put his foot down to take the first step down, but it never reached solid ground. Harry fell, realizing that the stairs had disappeared under him and he was now falling into the blackness below. He was just about to give up hope when Harry felt his ankles being tugged up and was now hanging in midair, somehow still managing to hold on to the scepter.
“You okay?” Ron yelled from somewhere above.
With the hand that was holding his wand, Harry pushed his glasses farther up his nose and responded, “I’m fine.” Harry bent his back and looked up to see Ron, who one arm around Lupin and the other pointing at him with his wand.
“Sorry, but I had to use Levicorpus,” Ron said, answering Harry’s puzzled expression. The floor was still shaking, and Ron fell against the wall with Lupin and Hermione.
"Do something!” Harry bellowed, the blood rushing to his head.
Hermione raised her wand and shouted, “Wingardium Leviosa! Ron, let him go!”
Ron obliged and Harry no longer felt the straps against his ankles, but he was still floating thanks to Hermione’s charm. She easily lowered Harry to the bottom floor, while trying to keep her own balance, and Harry floated over the ground floor where the stairs used to be and landed in a heap.
Harry stood himself up against the wall and yelled up to Ron and Hermione, “Drop Lupin! I’ll catch him!”
Harry put the scepter down and put his foot over it, wand at ready. A second later Lupin’s limp body came within Harry’s line of sight, and Harry yelled, “Wingardium Leviosa!” Lupin slowed down, Harry brought the body to him, and put him down on the still shaking floor before he called up to Ron and Hermione again. “One of you two next!”
It was almost a minute before Ron came screaming down and stopped abruptly, most likely due to Hermione’s spell work.
“She pushed me!” Ron shouted when he landed in a heap just like Harry, and getting up. “I wanted her to go first, but she wouldn’t have it!”
“Catch me!” Hermione cried from two floors up.
Ron and Harry were ready by the time she came down. She floated up over the floor, but landed a little more gracefully than Ron and Harry.
“Pick Lupin back up and let’s go!” Harry said, snatching the scepter back up.
They were made it halfway down the shaking hallway when it became evident that the building was no longer going to hold. A large bit of debris fell right in front of Harry, who kept on going. After making it three-quarters of the way, the floor split without warning, leaving a large fissure that went down so deep it didn’t seem to have an end.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione slammed themselves against the wall just in time, and caught Lupin before he could fall in.
“Reducto!” Harry yelled at a wardrobe that had fallen through a new gap in the ceiling leading to a room above. The wardrobe was blasted aside and fell into the nothingness below. “Keep going!” he ordered. Ron and Hermione once again took Lupin as burden.
When they reached the door, still trying to stay against the wall, Harry put his wand between his teeth, so that he could fumble one-handed through his pockets for the knife. Suddenly, Hermione slammed Harry against the wall, took out her wand and used the same Severing Charm Ron had used, and smeared her blood on the door. The door opened into the midday sun, and Harry ran out with Hermione, Ron alone supporting Lupin. As they ran across the courtyard and past the gates, the orphanage behind them collapsed into a pile of rubble and dust.
“I’ll take him to St. Mungo’s,” Ron said, after passing the iron fence.
“No,” said Lupin, who was starting to stir. “King’s Cross”the platform,” he said weakly, and fainted again.
“Go on,” Harry urged Ron, who turned and vanished.
“Can’t let you do all the work,” Hermione said, running her wand across her bleeding hand and healing it. There were several bites that on her face and arms from where the doxies had struck. Harry looked at his arms and saw he had just as many.
"You can pat your own back later,” Harry said, putting down his arms. “Let’s go.”
They both turned and vanished as well, leaving the pile rubble that was the orphanage behind”but with a Horcrux in hand.
A/N: If anyone thinks that the orphanage is obvious, I can see your point. If anyone thinks that it is too soon to find another Horcrux, I also see your point. And if anyone thinks that finding the location was too easy, I can also see your point. Just saying it was now or never.