Sirius stared down at the gold ring in his fingers with interest. It reminded him of the ring that Professor Swift had shown them but without the feel of a dark artifact. It was a plain signet ring with a worn-down crest that Sirius was assuming was the Riddle family crest. There was no inscription or anything else that set it apart from the other jewellery before him. He looked over to James when his friend yelped as a book tried to snap at him. He chuckled when James picked up another book and slammed it down on the snapping tome before him. An Auror drifted over and flicked his wand and the book settled down.
"You have to watch those ones, James." Sirius called out in amusement.
James glared over at him before sticking out his tongue and Remus chuckled from further down the long table they were seated at. Sirius glanced over at Peter but he seemed focused on a collection of silverware and had missed the exchange. Sirius frowned at that, lately, Peter had been distant to the rest of them.
Sirius pushed that to the side as he looked back down at the ring and wrote down a description in the book next to him. This work had been both interesting and mind numbingly boring. They were cataloguing the items that had been retrieved from Riddle Manor. Remus had been the best out of them all at picking up on the darker items but Sirius had a knack for it as well since he came from a dark family.
He tied a string around the ring with an identification number on it before setting it to the side and picking up another item.
"What's all this still doing here?"
Sirius startled and looked up to see Professor Swift standing in the doorway. The man had brought them here but had disappeared down to the Department of Mysteries with Severus in tow hours ago.
"We're still cataloguing, Swift." Head Auror Fowley remarked. "We sent the darker items down to Dean."
Swift looked around with those piecing green eyes and Sirius could tell that he was holding himself back from saying something. Swift walked over to Remus and laid a hand on his shoulder as he looked down at what was on the table. Remus looked up from his work and Sirius studied his teacher in while he was distracted. He'd done more for the werewolf than anyone had before and Sirius could never forget that.
James then yelped again as a book lunged at him and he jumped to his feet. The book threw itself toward the teen as James skipped back. Swift stood up but didn't pull his wand as a few Aurors chuckled.
"What is wrong with these books!" James squeaked as he grabbed a candle stick off Sirius's table and started to whack the book as it tried to bite him.
"Knowledge is dangerous," Swift commented as James battered the book away.
"So are the damn books!" James cried as he hit the book again.
Swift laughed and flicked his wand and the book froze. James gave it another blow for good measure.
"Did you forget that you are a wizard, Mr Potter?" Swift questioned and James blushed.
James grumbled under his breath while Sirius laughed.
"When are you releasing the boys, Adrian?" Swift asked of the Auror.
"You can take them," Fowley replied. "Before another book attacks, Potter."
"Okay," Swift said with a smirk. "Come on you lot. Let's head back to the castle."
"What about Snape?" Remus inquired.
"I'll be picking him up after he's done with Alexander," Swift answered as they headed out. "Did you learn anything today? Besides to watch out for books with a taste for blood?"
James grumbled under his breath again as Sirius clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder.
"Bit boring," Peter muttered from behind him.
"I thought it was interesting," Remus disagreed.
"He had a nice selection of jewellery," Sirius commented.
"Did he now?" Swift remarked. "He doesn't seem like the type."
"You would know," Peter whispered but Sirius heard him and glanced behind him at the shorter teen with a frown.
"Why was Riddle Manor raided?" Remus asked.
"The man that you know as Voldemort used to be known as Tom Riddle," Swift replied and Sirius paused at the use of the Dark Lord's name. "Under the law of the Ministry we were able to secure the property and all the assets."
"What's going to happen to it all?"
"Once everything has been cleared by the Ministry then what is released will be sold," Swift replied. "The proceeds will be given to those affected by the Dark Lord."
Sirius nodded for that was the law for anyone that is convicted of the use of Dark Arts. It was also what made dark families, like his, be very careful with how they used forbidden magics.
"What about the dark items?" Sirius questioned with a shiver.
Swift turned around in the hallway and looked at them with those piecing green eyes.
"The Ministry will break as many of them as they can," Swift responded, "any that they can't. Will hopefully never see the light of day again."
Sirius shivered at those words and felt a coldness run down his back. He was reminded of just what they faced when they left school and he glanced back towards the Auror department. He knew with certainty what he wanted to do with his life and as he glanced at James and Remus, he could see the agreement there as well. He'd seen first hand what dark magic could do and he wanted to be the one to flush that out into the light.
xXx
Severus followed after Harry as he led him down to the gates of the castle. He looked around in interest and wasn't sure where they were headed but he wasn't concerned. They stepped through the gates and Harry continued on. Severus started to think they were headed towards the village until Harry turned down a side road and kept walking.
"Where are we going?" Severus asked after a while.
"Far enough away from Hogwarts not to set off the wards," Harry replied.
"Why are we not apparating then?"
"Do you not want to walk?" Harry questioned with a grin.
Severus drew even with the shorter man and Harry reached out and grasped his hand. The move was out of character but he just squeezed the hand in his and they kept walking. They came to a clearing before Harry pulled him to a stop and glanced around.
"This should do," Harry remarked. "Today, you will face one of the darkest types of magic."
Severus felt a shiver run down his back as Harry released him and took a couple of steps forward. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pure black ball in his hand and held it up. Severus could feel the darkness around the item and could recognise it after his brush with the ring.
"What is it?" Severus asked.
"This is a Horcrux," Harry answered. "It holds a part of a soul."
"Whose?"
"The Dark Lord," Harry said and Severus shivered again. "He fractured his soul in a quest to escape death."
"How are they made?"
"In blood and death."
Severus shut his mouth as he looked at the black ball, it seemed to draw in the light.
"How do you break it?" Severus whispered.
"Well," Harry drawled and slipped the ball away. "That seems to be a problem. This one used to reside inside the Dark Lord's familiar. Upon her death it should have shattered but there was a snag and it was captured instead. We have agreed that it needs to be destroyed."
"You're going to smash it."
Harry laughed at that as Severus gave him a smile.
"Unfortunately," Harry replied. "It's not that simple."
"Then how are you going to destroy it?" Severus questioned with a frown.
Harry slipped the ball away in his pocket and pulled out a book in his hands. Severus had seen the book before and knew that if the Ministry were aware that Harry had a book on Dark Arts then he could be jailed. They walked over to a log and sat down as Harry flicked through the pages of the book before him.
"Like most dark items," Harry intoned in his professor voice. "They find a weakness and exploit it. They latch onto that but are not subtle. The ball that I have has condensed that darkness into a small containment."
Severus looked at the drawing of a person spread out on a alter with another figure standing over them with a knife in their hand. He could guess from that picture alone how a Horcrux was made. Harry flipped the page over but it was just all text.
"Albert found this book deep in the Department and may be one of the last records on how the dark item is made." Harry continued. "I was hoping that it would shed some light on how to break this one but as you said before; I may just have to break it then deal with the dark magic after."
"It doesn't explain how to destroy it?" Severus asked.
"No," Harry sighed. "That's the thing with Dark Lords and people wanting power. They don't want to go back to where they were before their quest to rule the world started."
Severus snorted a laughed as Harry shared a lopsided grin with him. Harry stood and pulled out his wand and flicked it. A table appeared before them and Harry placed the book down on the surface of it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his potions box and placed it next to the book and flicked the lid open.
"I have a few items here that may help us," Harry explained and he removed a knife in a leather holster and placed it down with care. "Pure goblin steel, basilisk venom and phoenix tears in case something goes wrong."
Severus studied each vial in turn as Harry laid them out across the table. He then placed the black ball down and pulled out a gold bowl. Severus looked at that bowl with hunger. The gold in that bowl alone was more wealth than he would ever see. Harry just placed it down without a thought. Harry looked into his wooden box and slipped out another vial that looked like tar.
Severus reached out and touched the gold bowl before he picked it up and stared at it. It had exquisite designs around the lip of it in a Celtic design that reminded Severus of Harry's tattoo. The gold seemed to glow in the sun as Severus placed it back on the table with care.
"As a student of potions," Harry said, breaking into Severus's thoughts. "How would you proceed?"
"Umm," Severus muttered his eyes still locked on that gold bowl. "I'm not sure."
"How about if it was dark arts on a person?"
"That is different," Severus remarked. "There are purifying potions and salves that could help or counter charms. I would need to know more about the item or the curse."
Harry nodded then leaned his hip on the table. The ball wobbled then started to roll.
"No!" Severus yelped and lunged forward.
Harry quickly jumped back just as Severus reached for the glass ball as it tipped over the edge of the table. They watched in horrified silence as the ball fell then smashed to the ground.
Silence fell.
All the birds stopped and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. Harry grabbed Severus and pulled him back as he held his dark wand out before him. Then a soft roar started from somewhere that Severus couldn't pin point. He could feel Harry's hand wrapped around his wrist as the sun seemed to dim.
The roar increased in volume drowning out the sounds of their breathing as a darkness seeped in. It felt like the clouds had covered the sun above them and they were cast into shadows. Dark smoke pulled up before them and Severus could feel himself shaking. Harry's hand rooted him to the spot and he realised that he didn't even have his wand in his hand. Severus fumbled for his holster but he didn't even know what he would cast.
Hissing sounded on the air and the hair went up on the back of Severus's neck and he looked back and gasped. A double headed snake reared up before them. Its body a sleek black that seemed to draw what little light there still was into its scales. Bright red eyes glared down at Severus and he would have run in fear if not for Harry holding him in place.
He felt like all the happiness had been sucked from him as depression and fear crashed down on him almost buckling his knees. He couldn't have stopped shaking even if he wanted to. The beast hissed and Harry hissed back. Severus shivered at the sound and every fear and doubt that he had pushed on him. The thoughts that Harry was going to turn on him plagued his mind. The other man was speaking to the beast. He was going to set it on him!
Severus yelled out and pulled back harshly and Harry grunted and lost his grip on his arm. Severus fell back and Harry turned to him. Those green eyes seemed to flash before the darkness closed in him on as the roar turned into hissing. He felt like there were hundreds of dark snakes around him. Closing in on him. Choking him.
Severus screamed and they poured into his mouth. They seemed to fill him up with their dark power. Every dark thought or memory of his life flashed before him. There was no happiness only those low moments in his life. His father's mocking laughter picked up on the air as he shivered. Every time that he'd been tormented and mocked played back. He could see Lily's eyes flash in rage and hurt. The twisted form of Remus Lupin in wolf form as he turned on him with murder in those amber eyes. The torment of Sirius Black and the sneers of James Potter. Harold Swift's green eyes looking down at him when Severus had believed that the man had betrayed him.
"NO!" Severus screamed.
That black snake condensed before him with blazing red eyes. Severus pushed himself to his feet as he used the lessons that Harry had taught him. He pushed all his thoughts to the side as he strengthened the Occlumency shields in his mind. He brought forward every good memory that he could. James pulling him away from the werewolf. The forgiveness in Lily's eyes as they sat in the library. Remus and him talking at length about a potion. Sirius giving him a nod of thanks when he helped him with a spell.
And Harry.
The one man that had seen something in him that no one else had. Those green eyes dancing with laughter as he juggled easter eggs. The long nights of sitting on the lounge before the fire while he took the time to explain details of magic to him. The feel of the man's lips on his and tenderness and patience that he displayed towards him. Severus grabbed hold of that in his mind and stood up before the blackness. Harry had shown him strength and Severus was not going to let him down. His life was more than just darkness, he had joy and he had light.
Severus held his wand out and cast the only spell that he could think of.
"Lumos Solem!" Severus yelled.
Blinding light burst forth from Severus's wand and he had to turn his face away. Hissing sounded on that air as well as a few curse words that he was sure were from Harry. Severus startled and looked back in time to see Harry as he plunged a silver knife forward into the snake. The light spell had ripped through the darkness around them as Harry stumbled forward as the snake screamed. The eerie sound running down his back and chilling him to the core. He poured more magic into the spell as Harry drew back and slashed forward. The snake lunged forward as Harry stabbed the knife up and into the snake's head.
Everything held still in that moment then the snake popped and the daylight flooded in. Harry unbalanced as he tripped and Severus still had his wand up with the light spell held in place. Harry then chuckled from his place on the ground and Severus felt silly standing there with his wand outstretched. He cancelled the spell and looked at Harry seated on the ground. Those green eyes were alight with a smirk on his lips and Severus couldn't have loved the man more in that moment.
"I never would have thought of that," Harry said with a chuckle. "Brilliant work, Severus."
Severus felt something rush through him as he felt himself smiling. He stepped forward and held his hand out in offer and Harry took it. Severus helped the man to his feet then pulled him into a tight hug. It was then that he felt himself shaking. Harry just held him as he ran his hand up and down his back in comfort then he opened his mouth and ruined the moment.
"Ha," Harry laughed. "One of the darkest magics defeated by a light spell. The Dark Lord would be horrified if he knew!"
Severus just groaned and knew that Harry wouldn't let him forget this. He just pulled back enough and kissed the man.
xXx
Deep down in a stone chamber in the Ministry of Magic a large beast stirred. The golden eyes blinked open as the snake reared up and looked around. The dark shroud that had consumed her thoughts for so long had lifted and her thoughts were clear. The soft sound of scales on stone echoed back to her with the sounds of dripping water. She could feel her life and magic pulsing through her body as she tasted the air with her forked tongue. Human magic was everywhere but she'd been caged before. She knew it would just be a matter of time before she would escape once more.
Nagini turned and slinked away into the darkness.
xXx
A lone gold ring sat innocently on a table in the Auror department surrounded by other items collected from Riddle Manor. There was nothing to tell that this ring was different and many people had looked at and handled it without incident but it was different from anything that anyone had seen before. A new kind of magic. A magic that linked two things together, and in this case, had the power to pass through any ward.
It was a quiet night when this ring started to glow, lighting up the dark room. Blue and green light twisting and twirling around as a whirlwind picked up in a silent room. It grew in size then retreated to leave a man standing in the middle of the room. The tall man glanced around with a smirk on his handsome face as he picked up the ring and slipped it onto his own finger. He held his hand out and a doorway seemed to appear before him. A glowing passage that reached out to where another ring lay. It stabilised and other people could be seen on the other side.
Dark Lord Voldemort then turned and grasped the handle of the door and stepped out into the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic. The first of his Death Eaters stepped through the portal behind him. A wand fell into the Dark Lord's hand as he started along the corridor before stepping into the main room of the Department.
Everything froze before him as the Aurors took notice of him. Then chaos descended as Voldemort lifted his wand with a smirk on his face while an alarm rang through the room. They never did seem to learn their lesson about leaving magical items just laying around.