The Lost Horcrux

The Last Drop of the Vinegar

Hermione was confident that her plan would work. She didn't make a habit out of failure. But even so, she was nervous as she and Enola rehearsed their chanting, a key part of the ritual they'd designed for this task. Hermione simply wrung her hands and focused on the spell, as Harry assessed them from the altar of the Ritual Room, hopeful that she wouldn't lose him in all this. But the whole thing was fraught with risk.

After all, opening Harry's Dark mindscape to the world at large could leave a gaping hole in the Earth itself, if it wasn't handled correctly.

But that's exactly what they were trying to do. Hermione had been playing with the idea for several weeks now, ever since Harry had told her that Enola had managed to successfully close down her own mind plains save for one, which is where she kept Neville's painful secrets hidden inside her. So it was possible ... Enola had done it.

And, by Hermione's logic, she must have dealt with whatever issues she had there beforehand.

That realisation had led her to think about Harry. His plains were darker, more volatile by far, but the principles was essentially the same. So she'd sought out Enola for an explanation on how she'd done it for herself. And the seeds of an idea took root in Hermione's epic brain. Enola coming to the same realisation focused both witches to the same course, all that was left to do was to iron out the finer details.

Enola explained that she had used the Ritual Room ... the only time Harry had ever let another human use it for magical purposes without him ... and projected her inner demons into the energetically charged space, then had defeated them in a forum she could control, with Harry and Neville standing by outside in case she needed their help.

But Enola Longbottom was as belligerent as she was strong and endured all her trials alone, not stopping until she had overcome them.

Not that she hadn't suffered in the aftermath. Mind Magic was something not to be taken lightly, should be left alone entirely if possible. Fracturing the mind was a control mechanism ... reconstructing it required serious mental strength to manage. It also needed a different type of healing and round-the-clock support. Bursts of accidental magic, bouts of delirium and hallucination, not to mention a headache so ferocious that Enola felt as if her skull was being ripped apart. It wasn't an experience she would recommend to others.

But Harry wasn't your usual other. Constantly in pain, prone to episodes of low-level mania every now and then, his day-to-day life wasn't too much unlike Enola's recovery period. It was this understanding that intrigued him to Hermione's plan, but there were other considerations that had to come into play before he agreed to any of it.

"It isn't just the risk that my inner darknesses might rend a hole in the universe when released," Harry joked darkly, when Hermione pitched her scheme to him after she'd concluded her demonstration with Enola. "There's another potential threat that I've only recently discovered."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Hermione frowned. "What is it this time?"

"I've confirmed who it was that Riddle killed to create this final Horcrux," Harry began. "A trophy death, like all his others ... one that provides a significant threat, but also a potential opportunity."

"Who is it? And how did you find it out?" Hermione demanded. "You haven't left the palace since we recovered the Horcrux."

"Ah ... about that," Harry started, guiltily. "I ... have a bit of a confession. But don't be mad for too long ... it's given me the seed of an idea."

Hermione folded her arms over her chest. "This had better be good."

So Harry took a deep breath, then made his confession. Hermione narrowed her eyes in her trademark scowl and huffed as Harry finished his story. He looked at her in an apologetic sort of way, but she was very cross with him.