Braving the Past

Chapter 53: A Heist is Planned

Sweet Dreams - CORVYX

This song works best at the very end of the chapter, if you like! 

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Hermione explained to the silent room what a horcrux was. A piece of someone's soul - in this case, Voldemort's - that has been ripped apart and placed into an object or being as a means of obtaining immortality.

Voldemort had created seven on purpose; an additional one in Harry by accident. Destroying every single horcrux was the only way to defeat him. And so far, Harry's was the only one to be checked off the list.

Not one.

Everything she, Harry, and Ron had struggled through had amounted to nothing.

"Harry," Hermione asked, "do you still have the Sword of Gryffindor?"

He looked to Professor McGonagall, who gave a small smile and nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "I found it again after the Battle at Hogwarts and put it in Professor McGonagall's care."

"It is safe," the Professor assured them.

So they had a sword...

That was not imbued with basilisk venom. Rendering it useless against a horcrux.

But at least it was something.

"How are we supposed to destroy these horr-thingys if we don't even know where they are?" Seams questioned, not unreasonably.

"Horcruxes," Hermione corrected.

He waved her off.

"I know what items he chose for each of them," she continued, "so that should be a start, at least."

First, the ring.

Hermione explained that in her original time, Professor Dumbledore had been the one to find and destroy the ring. He had received a deadly curse from it that Professor Snape had helped slow. She sent a questioning look to Snape, who shook his head.

"So it hasn't happened, then," she deduced.

"What does it look like?" Ginny wondered.

Hermione rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "Erm...it had a gold band...a black stone?"

"It was embossed with the Peverell coat of arms," Tom inserted in a dark tone. "It was my muggle grandfather's, passed down through his family."

"That would actually be the symbol of the Deathly Hallows," Harry said loftily.

To show the group, Harry drew the symbol in the air with his wand. Tom curled his lip at him.

"Arrogant as always, Potter," said Professor Snape.

Before an argument could break out, Malfoy spoke, his brow creased in thought. "I know that ring."

Hermione turned to him eagerly. "Where did you see it?" she demanded.

"Peter Pettigrew," he said. "He was given a ring by the Dark Lord as a reward for his undying loyalty."

A pang went through Hermione's heart. She closed her eyes to compose herself. She remembered Wormtail strangling himself with his silver hand at Malfoy Manor, but at the forefront of her mind was the sweet boy she had once known.

"He's still alive?" she asked, attempting to keep any emotion from her voice.

Tom sent her a look, but she refused to meet his gaze.