Can't Catch Me Now / Severus Snape

87. Shack

"We are skipping the ball" LIlith informed Severus. 

"We are?"

"I can't fit in my dresses and harry doesnt need his parents lingering, let him be a little wild and crazy." 

"In other words you want to look for the next horcrux while everyone else is in the main hall" Severus countered. 

"Yes." Lilith agreed. 

"I thought Harry spoke to you-"

"He did but-"

"Lilith." Severus begged. 

"Aria is having a play date with Narcissa and we need to find the diadem." Lilith begged. "I have enlisted the owls to help, they are ready," severus looked to hootie cleaning out her feathers with her little beak. "I have reason to believe that Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem is a Horcrux and its located in the Room of Requirement. If i'm wrong then we wasted hours and hours looking in a place filled with nonsense, if i'm right then we are one step closer to ending him."

"We have two... we have reason to believe there are seven." Severus reminded her. 

"Which is why I need this." Lilith begged. 

"Then lets get back to work." Severus agreed. 

Albus knew where the gaunts ring was. He knew LIlith wasnt going to stop and knew that if she found out where it was, she would go, pregnant and all and risk her life to try and track down the ring, to kill voldemort to save her son. Of course he didnt know that Lilith was trying to bring him back to take him down once and for all. 

Marvolo Gaunt's Ring has a gold band and a black stone that's engraved with the Deathly Hallows. It was a family heirloom that was passed down by Salazar Slytherin and Cadmus Peverell. The ring stayed in the Gaunt family for generations until Tom Riddle stole it. The ring was turned into a Horcrux soon after.

Albus didnt want more stress on lilith but she was furious. She was failing at finding the diadem. Albus gave her a map. He said nothing else but Lilith understood. 

It was a few seconds before Lilith's eyes discerned the building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. It seemed to her a very strange location to choose for a house, or else an odd decision to leave the trees growing nearby, blocking all light and the view of the valley below. Lilith wondered whether it was inhabited; its walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime.

The Gaunt Shack was the ancestral home of the Gaunt family, located in the woods just outside the village of Little Hangleton. It was shabby little shack housing Marvolo Gaunt, his wife, their son Morfin, and daughter Merope. Soon after Morfin died in Azkaban, the residence was later used as a hiding place for one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, the ring that he stole from Marvolo.

The front door of the Gaunt Shack, with a snake pinned onto it by Morfin. The house seemed to contain three tiny rooms. Two doors led off the main room, which served as kitchen and living room combined.

The shack was small, dilapidated, and thick with filth, but was somewhat kept in check by Merope. The shack was poverty stricken and shabby, due to the family's lack of money. Morfin had nailed a dead snake to the front door of the shack. After Merope stopped taking care of the place due to her marriage and subsequent death, the house plunged even deeper into deterioration and declension. The insides became littered with a mass of filth, rusty pots and moldy food that Morfin did not bother to clear out.  Severus noted no books in the house. 

The house was surrounded by trees that partly hid it, which made Severus consider it a peculiar location to choose for a house or to have trees growing around it. The thicket of woods surrounding the shack blocked all light and view from reaching it, leaving a dark and secluded view.

The shack was an eyesore compared to the rest of the beautiful land owned by the Riddle family once upon a time. 

"This is his home. "Lilith whispered. "The monsters property..." 

"It can't be this easy." Severus whispered pulling open a jewelry box. He held up the family ring. 

"Bingo." Lilith agreed. "Lets destroy this fucker."  Lilith put the ring on Albus desk. 

"I knew you could do it." Albus offered. "Didnt think you would be so quick."

"I go on digs in the middle of nowhere." Lilith countered. "A walk through some shady trees was nothing. How do I destroy it?"

"You didnt run into anyone? Anything?" Albus figured it would be dangerous.

"No one was expecting us, if thats what you mean." Severus drawled. 

"He's cocky, he didnt expect us to invade her property even though he has invaded our lives and minds." Lilith agreed. 

"Curious." Albus whispered. 

"How do we destroy it?" lilith demanded, she saw his gaze shift to the sword of Gryffindor. She moved to it, severus took a step back as she gripped the sword tight smashing it down on the ring, it shattered. 

"Easy peasy." Lilith whispered, a smirk on her face until she heard Harry scream. 

"My scar," Harry whispered rubbing at it when she found him in the hallway. 

"He was saying it was hurting and then I swear!" Draco declared. "It was glowing! Like burning!" 

"Thank you Draco, I got Harry." Severus assured. 

"Is he gonna be okay?" Draco countered. Lilith held Harry's face in his hands. 

"I'm okay mum." Harry assured. "It just... happens sometimes." 

Lilith didnt like that one bit.