The Dark Lord's Pet Princess

75. The Kitty's Out Of The Bag

Although Larissa didn't want to return to Voldemort after escaping Gringotts, Harry convinced her to try and remain in Voldemort's good books.
She told Harry that the last Horcrux he needed to find was Ravenclaw's diadem. And after looking into Voldemort's mind, Harry discovered that it was at Hogwarts.
So while Larissa headed back to the Malfoy manor, Harry and his friends attempted to break into Hogwarts to find the diadem.

When Voldemort found out about what had been stolen at Gringotts he went into a fit of rage and murdered all the goblins and Ministry employees who had brought him the news.
Once he had finished he turned to Larissa who was the only one still standing.
"I thought I told you not to leave the house" he said coldly.
"You should have known that I was never going to follow that rule" admitted Larissa.
"Where were you while this break in was taking place?" Questioned Voldemort.
"You can't seriously think it was actually me helping Harry into Bella's vault? Besides, I was with my cousin at the time. Her grandson was born recently and I've been spending a lot time with them both".

Larissa decided to tell Voldemort that she was going against his wishes and continuing to see Andromeda, instead of telling him where she had really been.
Voldemort seemed to believe Larissa, which calmed her down.
"So, what we do now?" Asked Larissa as she looked around at all the dead bodies in the room.
"I don't want you or Nagini leaving my side for the rest of the day" informed Voldemort.
"Why? What's so important about some cup that's been stolen from Bella's vault?" Quizzed Larissa, even though she knew the answer.

"It wasn't just any old cup. It belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, and it was also one of my Horcruxes" revealed Voldemort.
"You can't seriously believe that 17 year old Harry Potter has discovered where all of your Horcruxes are located, and is now going around destroying them?" frowned Larissa.
"The boy is not smart enough to have worked it out, but Dumbledore always suspected me, and he could have told Potter, before he died" replied Voldemort.
"Even if Dumbledore learned of your Horcruxes, there's no way he could have discovered what they were or where they're hidden. Even I don't know where they are, and I'm closer to you than anyone in the world".

"I know it seems unlikely, but I must check up on my Horcruxes to make sure that they are still where I left them" announced Voldemort.
"And you're going to take me with you?" Questioned Larissa.
"Yes, it seems I have no other choice. Although I don't want another human learning where I hid my Horcruxes, I don't want to leave you unprotected. You and Nagini must remain at my side for the time being, just in case my other Horcruxes have been destroyed without my knowledge".

"Alright then, let's get going. Where too first?" Questioned Larissa.
"The home of my mother, where I buried my family ring" answered Voldemort.
Voldemort offered his hand to Larissa which she reluctantly took, before calling Nagini out of the shadows.
The three of them then disapparated and headed to the family home of the Gaunts.

Voldemort quickly discovered that the ring was missing, adding to his anger and fear.
The group then headed to a rocky cliff to search for Slytherin's locket.
When they arrived, Larissa felt the dark mark on her arm burn, and she knew Voldemort did too.
Alecto Carrow had pressed her own mark, calling Voldemort, as she claimed to have caught Harry.
Larissa prayed that like he always managed to do, Harry escaped, because she needed him to find the last missing Horcrux and destroy it.

"It seems I was right about Potter. He headed to Hogwarts in search of Ravenclaw's diadem" admitted Voldemort.
"Why did you hide it at Hogwarts?" Asked Larissa curiously.
"I placed all my Horcruxes in places that matter to me, and Hogwarts is one of them. But I alone discovered the deepest and darkest parts of Hogwarts. So Potter wouldn't have been able to find the diadem, even if he hadn't been apprehended by Alecto".

"You still don't know for sure that Harry is looking for the Horcruxes. For all we know, he's gone to liberate his school and free it from death eater control" suggested Larissa.
"The ring was missing from the Gaunt shack. And if we find that the locket is missing as well, then we will know for sure that Potter has found and destroyed my Horcruxes" replied Voldemort.
"Even if he has found them, aren't Horcruxes virtually impossible destroy, unless they're inside a living thing?"
"They are particularly difficult to destroy, but there are ways to kill a Horcrux"
"Before we get too worked up, or I freeze to death on top of this cliff, lets check on the one in the cave below us".

It took quite a while for Voldemort to get to the place where he'd hidden his locket Horcrux as it was on a small island in the middle of a lake.
But when he got to the right spot, he found that Slytherin's locket missing.
Once out of the cave they all apparated to Hogsmeade and walked up to the castle.
But they discovered that powerful magic had been placed around the grounds, stopping them from reaching the castle.

"It seems like they are prepared to fight me to protect Potter. How foolish" commented Voldemort.
"You say foolish, I say brave. We can't get into the school now to reach Harry or check on your Horcrux" pointed out Larissa.
Voldemort placed his wand against the dark mark on his forearm, and summoned his death eaters.
"I don't think we need to worry about a few students and their teachers. We vastly outnumber them, and soon they will find out what happens when they go up against Lord Voldemort" announced Voldemort.
Larissa closed her eyes and prayed that Harry could find the last Horcrux, before Hogwarts turned into a battle ground.

Voldemort placed his wand against his throat and sent out a warning to all those in the surrounding area.
"I know that some of you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me... I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill any magical blood... Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you shall be rewarded... You have until midnight".

"Do you really think they'll turn Harry over to us?" Asked Larissa.
"It would be wise of them to do so. But some of Potter's classmates as fiercely loyal towards him. So, we will just have to wait and see what happens next" admitted Voldemort, as death eaters started appearing at his side.
"I do not want this to turn into a bloodshed" Larissa said quietly.
"Then you will just have to hope that the noble Harry Potter, hands himself over to me before midnight".