Hell's Princess {H. Potter}

Chapter 18

"This will hurt, won't it?" Harry grimaced.

"The pain is, unfortunately, a side-effect we cannot prevent." Allor, who had formally introduced herself as head of the ritual, voiced.

"Is there a way to reduce it?" Eleena worriedly inquired.

"I suppose we can make a potion..." Allor contemplated, "Given proper compensation, of course."

"There's no need. I can take it." Harry asserted.

Though Eleena loathed the thought of her beloved soulmate in pain, she felt pride over Harry's courage. If he was certain in his decision, then she would support him wholeheartedly, even if it meant having to stand by and watch him suffer for just a few minutes. It would all be worth it once Harry and the founders' belongings were cleansed, and Tom Riddle would be none the wiser. Unless...

"Allor, wait!" Eleena interrupted.

"What is it, Lady Asmodeus?" Allor frowned, confused.

"The soul fragment in Harry's scar grants him a connection with the other fragments, including the original soul. Would this ritual not alert the Dark Lord of our plans?" Eleena speculated.

"There are wards in place for that purpose." Allor answered, "The residual magic within the soul fragments will not be able to exit this space."

"Well, that's certainly a relief." Elena relaxed, her shoulders dropping from their tense form.

"Lady Asmodeus, you may stay if you so desire, but you may not intervene at any point in time or else you'll be risking Mister Potter's safety." Allor warned.

"I understand." Eleena nodded solemnly.

True to her word, she stayed rooted in place as the goblins moved into position and began the ritual. Ears deaf to the chanting, she kept her eyes trained on Harry as the ritual potion was poured over his body, the gleaming liquid oozing onto the stone slab below him and even further down to trace the surrounding markings on the ground. These goblin-made carvings acted as pathways to link the Horcruxes in their possession: Gaunt's ring, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, and, of course, Harry himself.

Eleena knew the ritual was reaching its climax when the potion began seeping into the Horcruxes, including Harry. The process, as it turned out, was painfully excruciating for a living vessel. This was made obvious by Harry's abrupt screaming, the noise so heart-wrenching Eleena was tempted to avert her gaze. However, for her soulmate's sake, she gritted her teeth and continued on watching instead. It took several agonizing minutes, but eventually, Harry's screaming faded into nothing as the flowing potion turned black.

"Lady Asmodeus, you may approach him now."

Eleena had never moved as quickly as she did after Allor uttered those words. The Ravenclaw was by Harry's side in the blink of an eye, releasing his restraints with a flick of her wrist. As she pulled him into her arms, Allor approached them with the remnants of Riddle's soul fragments, all shaped like dull shards of broken glass. Upon Eleena's request, Allor placed the shards in her open palm, allowing her to burn them with Hellfire to forevermore rid the world of their presence. Now, there was only one Horcrux left in existence.

"Will there be any lasting damage?" Eleena fretted, lending her attention to Harry to scan for injuries.

"No, but I predict he'll be unconscious for the next twenty-four hours or so. As you may know, rituals are quite taxing for a mortal body." Allor responded.

"When can I take him back to Hogwarts?"

"You may do so after we examine him, as per protocol."

After several thorough tests and an observation period that lasted until the evening, the goblins deemed Harry ready to go. The twins carried him back to the castle with Dumbledore none the wiser, only alerting their close friends about the Gryffindor's current condition. At least, the friends they happened to bump into on the way to Gryffindor tower. Every other witness was sworn to secrecy. Some, forcibly... But all that mattered was that Harry was safely tucked away in his bed with a Horcrux no longer using his body as an unwilling vessel.