Our Corrupted Souls

Part X: The Working Scheme.

"Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back."

                            ~ Marcus Aurelius

Harry studied in his cupboard, reading the tablets of clay when he heard in a soft whisper, 'Madame Chattox is now married. She was vowed into the Greengrass family today.' He was still not used to this new trick from his servant. Although Death's voice was soothing, when it originated inside his mind, it felt a hammer pounding in his head. Over and over. Harry had to fight the groan and grasp the tablets to not make a noise; if his aunt knew he was awake, he would be put to work. 

"Is the plan still in place?" he mumbled through gritted teeth. 

'Yes. She and Greengrass have moved their honeymoon until after she is cleared from the Ministry.' 

"Thank you, Death." 

The heavy headache Harry experienced soon left, telling him that so had Death. He noticed a spell in his tablets, which intrigued him. This spell could be a solution to one of the problems he would encounter tomorrow. With this spell, he could try to cast a shell of his former self using Death's soulless magic, but the shell would be useless, restrain his magical capabilities, and not to mention be on a timer. He would have to hurry up before his shadow self were to disintegrate in front of muggles. This shell would have very little intelligence, but yet again, in Harry's mind, stupidity would sell him being a one year old. For the whole day, he attempted to create a clone of himself. Petunia called on him once, he left to tend the garden. When he came back, he brought back a butterfly. It was beautiful, with mercury wings that blended in with a soft pale blue. Harry placed the little insect in a jar. While using his wand, he attempted doing the same thing he did with Riddle. He imagined himself the body he needed, and by using the little bit of Life in the butterfly, ripping it from its small soul and mending it around the small shadow beginning to take form. Life aided in the shifting of energy to the shadow until there, in front of Harry, stood an exact replica of him. 

A toothy smile spread on his lips. He hopped, or at least would have, if the creaky floorboards would tell Vernon he was 'up to something'. Nevertheless, not wishing to waste any more time, he clothed his shadow self and moved him to the bed, closed his eyes, and positioned him correctly. All his shadow needed to do is breathe (or act like it) and hopefully, no one would notice. Harry would still have to reclaim another horcrux, one that was rather too valuable to be put aside for too long. He engulfed himself in Death's fabric, which he now claimed as his own cloak, slipped into the phantom realm (this time without any inconveniences) and used the piece of Death he wore to become a Black Phoenix once he stepped foot outside the house of his nightmares. 

He traveled to Little Hangleton, this time without Death's aid. He did not want to disturb the entity, and something in him, something he could not label inflicted that hesitation. This new knot in the pit of his stomach could be blamed as a consequence for using his soul to fix that one of Tom's. Now things felt personal, more than before since he knew of what he would need to do to get rid of Tom when he became disposable. 

In Little Hangleton, Harry pulled the hood of his robes over himself in hopes of passing by as a goblin with his small figure for the wizarding population until he arrived at the Gaunt shack, a small house abandoned ever since Morfin Gaunt was imprisoned in Azkaban for the Riddle murders. Harry forced the rotting door that had a branch resembling an S in the center to work as a doorknob. He pinched the bridge of his nose with distaste at the sight of a thick layer of dust covering everything in his path. He knew a Horcrux was hidden in the small shack. Apart from Slughorn's memories he could recall, he could feel Tom's soul. He could feel where each Horcrux was located and he could not understand it. The best explanation could be him being forced to tie part of his soul to Tom's to stop it from diminishing at Death's touch had come with its own consequences.