A Tale of Two Brothers

Chapter 38

Horcrux.

That was the only conclusion Harry came to.

The Dark Lord was neither an immortal creature nor was he foolish enough to place his trust into something as flimsy as the Philosopher's Stone. After going over every text on dark magic he could get his hands on– horcrux was the only plausible explanation.

Unfortunately though, none of them ever explained what a horcrux truly is, other than calling it the vilest form of magic and the only way to achieve true immortality.

When the answers did not turn up in any text, Harry thought there was only one choice left. The Order of the Phoenix.

He remembered how nobody in his family and their close friends ever actually celebrated the death of Lord Voldemort all those years ago. Every time his name was brought up, they would act as if the Dark Lord was hiding around the corner- their eyes would sweep around the room as if expecting to find something amiss. Their smiles would turn strained whenever someone brought up his brother's victory over the Dark Lord; sometimes there would be a real fear in his parents' eyes when their 'rivals' sneered at both him and Jason, saying that they would 'get back' at them someday. Both the elder Potters always seemed so sure that the happiness would be short-lived. And they were right.

Harry knew that it was no coincidence. He was also sure that none of them was a Seer, there hadn't been one in centuries. So, this was it. After striking off every other possibility, he had his answer.

The Order knew the reason behind Lord Voldemort's immortality, leading to the possibility of them knowing about what a horcrux is.

Now all he had to do was go to them for answers.

_________________________________________

2001

Jason dodged the barrage of spells shot his way and ran behind a house to take cover. Or what remained of it. The whole thing was on fire and falling apart. He heard someone yell, 'Look out' from his left and turned around to see two Death Eaters flying towards him.

He swore and shot a series of spells towards them; one of them was hit and the person fell down, but the other managed to deflect them easily. Groaning with exertion, Jason duelled with the masked Death Eater, silently acknowledging that his bleeding leg was proving to be as much of a nuisance as Hermione had said it would be.

The person opposite to him was much more skilled, and Jason was barely able to hold on his own. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people emerge around them. Jason was cursing his luck when the strangers shot multiple spells in his direction. He closed his eyes and waited for the spells to hit him.

He then heard a thud.

The Death Eater was lying unconscious on the ground, their wand broken in pieces beside them.

"Are they...?"

"Not dead. Don't worry, Mr. Potter, we're not like these monsters." A burly woman with pin-straight blond hair frowned at the body on the ground. "You should hurry though. It won't be long before the rest of them arrive."

Jason breathed in and nodded thankfully at the group. "I am truly grateful for your help. But.... if the Ministry comes to know about this... your lives will be in danger."

A dark-skinned man smiled ruefully at him and said, "The Order of Phoenix isn't the only one who wants their freedom back."

The woman continued. "All those years ago, we thought we'd be safe if we stood back. We thought that they would leave us alone. We are of magical blood after all. But now look, they burn down our towns for their entertainment. This is not about blood anymore; this is just their sick hatred. Mr. Potter, there are many people like us willing to fight for justice across the country. Our eyes have thankfully opened, and we realise that until we don't step forward, every one of us, every innocent being will suffer."