Harry Potter and the Serpent's Eye by Marauder9744
Chapter Notes: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far â“ Iâm really glad youâre enjoying. I would also like to thank my beta, Priya, who has helped me out enormously! I would also like to mention that, for those who may have been worried, I will continue this story even after Deathly Hallows has been released. Iâd also like to mention that I will not change the story to fit what happens in DH⌠Iâve outlined most all of the upcoming chapters anyway, so altering it now wouldnât really fit. Finally, I will also not be adding or even hinting at possible DH plot details once the book has been released⌠so donât worry, no one will be spoiled reading my story if they havenât yet read DH. Thanks once again to everyone who has read and reviewed and again to my beta, Priya. Enjoy!
Chapter 17 - Harry confronts the possibility of Ginnyâs death; Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their hunt for The Dark Lordâs Horcruxes.
Harry awoke in a cold sweat, immediately sitting up and reaching across for his glasses.
âHârry?â Ron called, peering over the pillow he had put between himself and Harry. âHârry, wasâ a matter, mate?â
Harry did not answer but instead looked sideways at the small bedside clock: one-thirty. It took Harry a moment to realize where he was and what was going on.
Iâm in the Leaky Cauldron, he thought. Iâve been here the whole time. Ginnyâs safe at Hogwarts⌠it was just a dream. Or was it?
Voldemort had used this same tactic before, succeeding in luring Harry to the Department of Mysteries in Harryâs fifth year. But still⌠Harry had to be sure that this dream was not real.
âHarry?â called Hermione from the opposite bed and in much the same sleepy tone that Ron had used.
Harry still did not answer, but instead got out of bed, crossed the room, and fumbled around in his trunk until he had found Ginnyâs leather-bound picture. He moved backward and sat down on the edge of his bed.
âGinny?â he said to the picture, anxiously awaiting a response.
Nothing.
âGinny?â he said again, the panic beginning to seep through him.
Harry turned around and saw both Ron and Hermione sitting up in their beds and staring at him with looks of mingled worry and confusion.
âHarry?â
Harry looked down at the picture in his hands and was relieved to see an alive, yet very sleepy, Ginny Weasley looking back at him.
âWhatâs the matter?â she asked, stifling a yawn.
Harry was mentally kicking himself.
Of course she couldnât have been captured⌠that was just a nightmare, he thought.
âNothing,â Harry answered automatically.
âSo, there was no reason that you called me?â Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows.
âWell⌠there was. Never mind now though, itâs okay⌠go back to sleep,â Harry answered. Ron and Hermione were now both fully awake still staring quizzically at Harry.
âWhere are you?â Ginny asked worriedly.
âThe Leaky Cauldron⌠now go back to bed,â he answered, now thoroughly embarrassed.
âHarry, are you sure youâre all right? Are you sweating?â Ginny asked, squinting slightly so that she could see Harry better. Harry decided that it would be best to just tell the truth.
âYeah, I am,â he said, trying to make it sound like it wasnât a big deal. âIâm fine now though, I just had a bad dream.â
âI thought I felt you thrashing around,â said Ron, sitting up straighter and reaching for a glass of water that he had set on the bedside table.
âWhat kind of dream?â Ginny asked.
âWellâŚâ he began, trying his best to recall his dream, âI was flying through the air until I fell and landed in the middle of, well⌠I guess I landed in the middle of a Death Eater meeting. You were there. Voldemort was, too. He was, well⌠he was trying to get you to tell him where I was but you wouldnât. So he⌠he killed you.â
Ron choked on the water he was drinking, spitting it everywhere and Hermione gasped. Ginny looked momentarily shocked but then almost immediately her expression changed to a defiant glare, much like the expression Harry had seen in the dream.
âIt was just a dream,â she said convincingly. âVoldemort was trying to get you out in the open again. Heâs used dreams before, remember?â
Harry nodded, his racing heart beginning to slow down.
âBut itâs just⌠this one felt so real,â Harry said. âVoldemort must know that you and I are together.â
âOr⌠or it could have just been a regular dream,â Hermione said, getting up as well and putting on a bathrobe over her pajamas.
âExactly. And plus â“ oh, hold onâŚâ Ginny began before her face disappeared from the picture.
She returned a second later and was rather pink in the face. âSorry⌠stupid idiots were trying to listen in on our conversation. What was I saying? Oh, yeah, you said that, in the dream, you couldnât tell where you were right? Well, if Voldemort was trying to lure you out in the open he probably would have made sure that you knew where you were.â
Harry thought about this for a moment. That did make a lot of sense. Why would Voldemort show Harry this dream but not show him where it took place? Maybe it was just a normal dream.
âYouâre right,â Harry said into the picture, giving Ginny a small smile.
âAs usual,â Ginny answered cheekily, returning the grin. âNow⌠where is Mr. Snufflefluff?â
Ron groaned.
âCome again?â Harry asked, thinking that he had defiantly misheard what Ginny had said.
âMr. Snufflefluff⌠my stuffed animal, heâs a lion cub,â Ginny answered, vanishing out of sight for a moment before emerging again. âAh, ha! Here he is.â
Ginny lifted up an extremely tattered and tarnished stuffed lion cub. It only had one eye and there was a gash along its side where wads of cotton were sticking out. Harry gave Ron a quick glance and saw that he was torn between annoyance and laughter.
âHeâs, umm⌠lovely,â Harry said, turning back toward the picture and putting on his very best fake smile.
Ginny, however, saw right through this and glanced skeptically at Harry.
âDonât make fun of Mr. Snufflefluff, Harry. Mum bought him for me in Diagon Alley when I was four and Iâve had him ever since.â
âNo really, I wasnât making fun,â Harry responded. âHe really is quite⌠nice.â
âYes, he most certainly is,â Ginny said, smiling triumphantly and squeezing her stuffed animal. âHeâs always been there for me.â
âLike that time you ran around the house completely starkers when Dadâs friends were over for dinner,â Ron said, grinning from ear to ear. âPoor blokes were traumatized for life, I expect.â
âI was seven⌠I didnât know any better,â Ginny answered, her cheeks turning pink as her eyes narrowed. âOh, and by the way, Ron,â she added smirking, âsince youâre in the mood to share stories, why donât you tell Harry and Hermione about the time Mum caught you in her closet wearing her stockings and high heels?â
Both Harry and Hermione glanced sideways at Ron, who was growing redder and redder by the second.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out the following morning a little later than they had expected, due to the events of the previous night. Harry pulled out his leather notebook and flipped to the page where he had written down the list of possible orphanages.
âI suppose weâll start at the closest one,â Harry said, âRegents Park Boys Home, 1446 Abbots Place, Camden.â
âShould we go on the Underground then?â Ron asked.
âI suppose so,â Hermione answered, ânone of us have been to that part of Camden.â
âAnd we definitely donât want to splinch ourselves,â Harry added, as Ron shuddered in response. âCome on, this way.â
Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Underground and Harry and Hermione used Muggle money to pay for their tickets. They boarded the train and, for the third time, Harry noticed the same gorgeous young woman that he had seen on the Underground and at St. Mungoâs.
Ron poked Harry in the ribs in an effort to get Harry to notice her but Harry didnât need any encouragement. Ron then shoved Harry and Hermione out of the way so that he could get a better view. The woman, however, took no notice of them, sat down in an empty seat and began flipping through a magazine.
Hermione cleared her throat loudly, bringing Ron back to reality. She gave him a very scandalized look and then turned to check the map.
âThat girlâs part veela,â Ron said, steeling another glance at the women, âI know it.â
Harry shrugged in response, but he did not share Ronâs belief that the girl was part veela. He had been around Fleur long enough to realize what a part veela made you feel like and, despite what Ron said, he knew that this girl was no veela.
The train came to a stop and a large crowd of people left, including the woman. Ron let out a groan of despair, as the train started up again, and turned back to Hermione.
âKnow where weâre getting off?â he asked.
Hermione, however, did not answer and instead gave him an outraged look and took the seat where the woman had been sitting.
âI was just looking,â he whispered to Harry so that Hermione couldnât hear. âHonestly, itâs not like I wanted to snog that girl or anything. I mean, isnât it obvious that⌠did we just stop?â
Harry had noticed this, too. The train had come to an unexplained stop and the lights in the train car flickered. Harry looked warningly at Ron and Hermione, put his hand in his pocket and grabbed his wand. The train lights flickered again and then went out, bathing Harry, Ron, Hermione and everyone else on the train in complete darkness.
The passengers on the train car erupted in yells and shrieks of terror. Harry could hear louder screams and see flashes of light coming from the front of the train, and he stood on his toes in an effort to see what was going on.
Ron, who was also peering over the heads of the crowd in an effort to see the commotion, suddenly turned around and forced both Harry and Hermione to the ground. As he did so, Harry could see a jet of green light rip through the train and collide with an elderly man who had been standing behind Harry.
The crowd, which had only moments ago been in a frenzy, was now silent.
âDid you hit him?â shrieked a voice from the front of the train.
Harry could tell instantly that the voice belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange, and it was clear that Ron and Hermione knew this as well. With great difficulty due to the lack of light, Ron and Hermione ushered Harry towards the back of the train. Harry looked back towards the front of the train car and he saw the unmistakable outline of Bellatrix coming towards them, followed closely by a handful of Death Eaters.
Harry quickly pulled out his wand, aimed it at the nearby train door and cried, âReducto!â There was a loud BANG, and the door to the train car was blasted open.
âNO!â cried Bellatrix, rushing forward through the crowd as fast as she could, âCrucio!â
Her spell narrowly missed Harry as he, Ron and Hermione dove through the now open train door and out into the dark subway where they quickly Disapparated.
* * *
âI still donât know how they knew we were there,â Harry said an hour later, sitting with Ron and Hermione at a small table inside a Muggle bakery.
Ron shrugged in response and continued devouring the muffin that Hermione had bought him. He had tried to use Muggle money to pay for it himself, but Hermione was forced to save him after he tried to give the man behind the counter six hundred-pound notes for his cheese muffin.
The attack had quickly appeared on the Muggle news. Harry, Ron and Hermione had sat in the bakery and watched on the television as a Muggle news crew described the attack as an âelectrical malfunction that caused the entire train car to catch fire, killing everyone on board.'
âWe should probably get moving,â Harry said, finishing his own pastry.
âAll right⌠but I think it would be best to walk this time,â Ron said.
* * *
Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on foot, using a map that Hermione had bought in a convenience store.
âThis way, we make a left here,â she said, leading them off the main street and down a smaller one where they immediately saw the orphanage.
It was rather large and foreboding. A tall, wrought iron fence ran around the grounds, yet there was no sign of movement inside. There was no light visible through any of the windows and a large, red sign hung loosely on the front door, CLOSED.
âIs this it, Harry?â Hermione asked.
Harry didnât answer at first. This could be it, he thought, nearing the wrought iron fence and examining it as if somehow touching it would lead to answers.
âIâm not sure⌠it could be,â Harry finally answered, leading the way up the front walk and towards the front door. Harry tried the door but it was locked.
âAlohomora!â Hermione said, unlocking the door by tapping the door knob with her wand.
Harry opened the door and stepped into the room. There was a thin layer of dust on the floor and the light-switch that Harry tried did nothing.
He immediately knew that this was not the place. The orientation of this front room was completely different from the front room he remembered in the Pensieve. The wallpaper and flooring was nothing like he remembered, nor was the smell. Even if it had been altered in some way, Harry just didnât⌠feel a connection to the place.
Harry assumed that this feeling was much like the way Dumbledore had been able to feel the magic surrounding the cave the previous summer. Harry knew that this was not the place.
âWellâŚâ Hermione prompted.
Harry shook his head.
âNo, this isnât the place.â
âBut⌠how do you know?â Hermione asked.
âI just do,â Harry replied. âItâs hard to explain. It just doesnât⌠feel right.â
Hermione raised her eyebrows in skepticism. Harry knew that his feeling would be something that Hermione would struggle with. Having always been someone who relied so heavily on fact and hard evidence, Hermione would more than likely have a hard time understanding how Harry could just know that this place was not Voldemortâs childhood orphanage.
âHow do you know? I mean, what if this is the orphanage and it had just been remodeled?â she said, an air of annoyance in her voice.
âI just know, Hermione. When Dumbledore and I went to the cave last year he was able to just⌠I donât know⌠sense traces of magic. I guess itâs kind of like that. This isnât the place.â
âBut, HarryâŚ.â
Sadly, however, it was Ron who decided to jump in on Harryâs side. The last thing Harry had wanted to do was start an argument.
âIf Harry says that this isnât it, then this isnât it, just drop it.â
âLook,â Hermione began, now sounding slightly hysterical, âall Iâm asking is that we have a look around⌠just to make sure.â
Ron opened his mouth to say something but Harry held up his hand.
âThanks, mate, but thereâs nothing wrong with having a look around. You never know â“ I could be wrong.â
Harry, however, knew that he wasnât wrong. This was definitely not the orphanage they were looking for, but if it would make Hermione feel better then he would let her look around.
âAll right, Hermione, you and Ron check this floor and Iâll take a look around upstairs.â
As much as he liked Hermione, Harry really didnât want to investigate an old, decrepit orphanage with her. Especially, if she thought that she had to validate her want to look around by giving the place a thorough search. He thought that Ron would enjoy that experience much more than he would. With a small smile, Harry quickly swept up the staircase, leaving a determined Hermione and a very annoyed Ron behind.
Harry took a quick look around and noticed that there were only a few rooms on the upper floor, further proving his point. He sat down on the top step of the staircase, leaned his head back against the railing and closed his eyes for a moment.
They were so close. Closer that anyone ever had been to destroying Lord Voldemort. If he was right and Voldemort had hid another Horcrux in his childhood orphanage then there were only two more Horcruxes out there. And he knew exactly which one Nagini was. They needed to find this Horcrux⌠they needed to find it fast and destroy it.
Harry slowly opened his eyes and stood up off the ground, preparing to make his way down the stairs. He took a moment, and then hurried down to find Ron and Hermione. He reached the front hall and went down the first hallway where, incidentally, he soon heard their voices.
Harry stopped outside the door to the room, intent on listening to their conversation.
âI do not only love books,â Harry heard Hermione say.
âHermione, in all the years weâve been friends I have never once heard you say that you love anything,â Ron replied.
âThatâs not true⌠I mean, I love Harry,â Hermione said matter-of-factly. âLike a brother, Ron,â she added with a laugh. âHonestly, after all these years you think that Harry is the person I love?â
There was something in her voice that wasnât usually there. It sounded almost like she was challenging him.
It was becoming all too common in the last few months to find Harry listening in on one of Ron and Hermione's conversations and frankly Harry was getting rather sick of it. Besides, this conversation was starting to get a little too personal, Harry thought, but, when he tried to back away he realized that his legs did not want to move. He, therefore, continued to listen to the conversation.
There was silence for what seemed like forever until finally Ron spoke.
âDid you love Krum?â
More silence.
âNo â“ no I didnât,â she replied confidently, âI thought I did. For a long time, I thought I did⌠but I didnât. I mean, he was an International Quidditch Player and honestly, what was there not to like about him. HeâŚ.â
âThatâs enough of that,â Ron said, cutting her off, though with a note of laughter in his voice. âIs that it then? Is that the only person who you thought that you loved?â
Silence.
âNo⌠I mean, I love Harry⌠and I love my family obviously and well⌠Iâve um⌠Iâve always, well⌠er⌠Iâve always really lovedâŚ.â
However, what or, more importantly, whom Hermione had always loved was cut short by Ronâs yell. Harry dashed into the room with his wand drawn to see a very pink-faced Hermione standing on one side of the room and Ron, who was also blushing deeply, scurrying away from a set of boxes that sat in the opposite corner.
âBloody hell, I hate spiders,â Ron said, shivering involuntarily before he looked up at Harry.
It seemed that Hermione had not noticed Harry until now as well.
âHarry? Were you⌠were listening to us?â Hermione said, her face growing even pinker.
How does this always happen, Harry thought.
âI er â“ well, no â“ I was looking for you and, well I sort of overheard just the last bit,â he replied weakly. âI didnât mean to, really. Why donât I just go back out?â he added, backing as quickly as he could out of the room.
âNo, no itâs fine,â Hermione replied quickly.
Ron, however, looked like he would have given his left arm for Harry to just back out of the room.
âWe couldnât fine anything here,â Hermione said, leading the way out of the room, âunless you found something upstairs, then you were right.â
âTold you,â Harry teased, helping Ron off the floor. âAll right, mate?â
âYeah, yeah, Iâm fine. I just saw a Her â“ er, I mean a spider.â
He still looked somewhat dazed.
Harry, on the other hand, was mentally kicking himself. If he had just held off a little longer and not jumped into the room he was sure that Hermione was about to tell Ron that she had feelings for him.
âAre you sure you donât want me to leave you alone?â Harry asked Hermione again, hoping that she would say yes and Harry wouldnât have to listen outside of doorways anymore.
âNo, Harry, really itâs fine. Weâve got to get moving, itâs nearly three oâclock and weâve still got three more orphanages to check,â Hermione said, not making eye contact with either Harry or Ron.
Despite this, Harry could tell that her face was still bright pink and, unless he was mistaken, she had a small grin across her face. If he had only waited one more secondâŚ.
* * *
They quietly exited the Regents Park Boys Home and began to make their way to the next orphanage on Harryâs list, the London Orphan Asylum.
âWell, at least it sounds like a place where young You-Know-Who would have grown up,â Ron said, following Hermioneâs lead.
Harry and Hermione both let out a laugh in return.
âI think itâs just down here,â Hermione said, still chuckling to herself.
They turned left down a smaller street than the one they were on, and on their right they saw the London Orphan Asylum. This orphanage, however, was a sharp contrast of the previous one. There was no wrought iron fence surrounding the building. Instead, there was a small swing set where a group of kids was playing.
âOn second thought, this isnât gonna be the place,â Ron said, frowning at the kids, âway too cheerful.â
This earned another laugh from Harry and Hermione as they walked up the front walk and towards the entrance. Suddenly, a small child, probably three or four years old by the looks of him, stepped in front of their path.
âHi, there,â Hermione said, bending down and smiling at the young boy. âHow are you?â
âYour hair looks like a squirrel.â
Harry and Ron tried very hard to stifle their laughter, but it was much too hard. Hermione immediately stood up straight, looking harassed.
âWhy, I never⌠oh, shut up, Ron.â
Ron looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, until he turned to smile at the child.
âWhatâs the matter with your face?â said the young boy, staring strangely at Ronâs face.
It was now Hermioneâs turn to stifle her laughter. Harry, however, didnât even try as Ron replied angrily to the child.
âTheyâre freckles!â he snarled.
âThey look stupid,â the boy said matter-of-factly.
âThey do not!â Ron retorted in much the same voice and Harry made a mental note of how much Ron sounded like the little boy.
Thankfully, a young woman soon came over to them, an angry look on her face.
âTimothy!â she cried, bending down and picking up the young child. âThat was a very bad thing to do.â
She turned from Timothy and looked back at Harry, Ron and Hermione.
âIâm so sorry, please forgive him. Heâs usually much better behaved than this.â
Ron and Hermione waved off the young woman, smiling, and led Harry further up the walk and into the orphanage.
The inside, much like the outside, was also a sharp contrast to the previous orphanage they had visited. The front room was brightly lit, with clean marble floors and two large windows that bathed the room in sunlight.
Hermione led the way up to the front desk where she smiled warmly at the woman behind the desk.
âHi, I do hope you can help me out,â she said, âmy husband and Iâ â“ she grabbed Ron by the arm and dragged him up next to her â“ âhave been looking to adopt for some time now and weâve heard such lovely things about your orphanage.â
Ronâs face was, again, bright crimson and he had his head down, refusing to look at the receptionist. The receptionist gave him a puzzled look and then bent down to retrieve paperwork for Hermione.
âYou didnât tell me you were gonna do that,â Ron hissed, glaring at Hermione, while Harry chuckled to himself in the background.
âOh, would you grow up?â she snarled back, and Harry couldnât help but notice her face growing pink again. âThis way⌠oh, Harry stop laughing⌠this way we can find out as much about this place as we want without arousing suspicion.â
The receptionist stood back up straight and handed Hermione a stack of papers.
âHow old is the building?â Hermione asked, pretending to look through the papers she had been handed.
âFour years old,â replied the receptionist brightly.
Both Ron and Hermione turned to look at Harry who shook his head slightly⌠this wasnât the right orphanage either.
âAnd you say the building is brand new? Itâs never been refurbished or anything?â Hermione asked the receptionist.
âNo, never. We bought the land from an old textile factory. Is there some sort of problem?â
âNo, no, no problem, we just⌠weâre sort of having a change of heart â“ isnât that right, dear?â she said, prodding Ron with her shoe.
âYeah⌠yeah, turns out weâd actually rather try the old fashion way first,â Ron said, smiling at the receptionist.
Hermione nearly fell over as Ron thanked the receptionist and led Hermione out of the orphanage.
âYou didnât have to go quite so far, Ron,â she said, once there were out of the orphanage and back onto the main street. Thankfully, Harry thought, their friend Timothy seemed to be nowhere in sight.
âWell, what else did you want me to say?â Ron answered, sounding rather pleased with himself. âEr â“ do you think I could have my hand back?â
Hermione looked down and saw that she was still holding Ronâs hand. She immediately let go and, for the third time that day, flushed pink.
âSorry,â she said, apparently disregarding the knowing smile Harry was giving her, âdidnât even notice.â
* * *
They rounded a corner, once again off the main road, which would lead them to the third orphanage on Harryâs list â“ The Alexandra Orphanage. According to Harryâs notes, the orphanage was on Clapham Road in Stockwell.
The weather had turned nasty after they had stopped and had lunch. The sky was dark, and the wind had picked up as night began to set on London.
âJust up here,â Hermione said, once again leading them, the map held close to her face.
They turned down another street and Harry saw a grim, square building surrounded by high, wrought-iron railings. As they neared the decrepit old building, Harry saw a sign stuck in the ground of the bare courtyard that read, DO NOT ENTER.
Harry knew the moment he laid eyes on the building. This was it â“ this was Voldemortâs childhood home.