How to Prevent a War

Catching Up

"I'll send Tom's stuff to you then, Alphard," Harry said calmly.

Tom, who had been talking to Michael and Avery, turned his head around to stare at his boyfriend in shock. Harry didn't even look at him, his face tight as he just stared in Alphard's eyes. The young Black shuffled around nervously and glanced over to Tom, looking worried and apologetic.

"What does Alphard need my things for?" Tom asked darkly.

This time, Harry faced Tom. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the hard glare the older teen send him while all the other Slytherins cowered in front of their Lord.

"Because you're not welcome anymore," Harry said coolly.

"And why is that, Harry?" Tom hissed angrily.
"Because I saved your miserable life? You should be proud that your goal has been reached."

"You told Voldemort about the Horcrux, Tom!" Harry growled furious.

"And because of that he spared you!" Tom shouted back.
"He would have killed you! It was the best out of two bad options!"

"I would have found a way! I always do!" Harry replied just as loudly.
"Voldemort was predictable before now, but with this, I have no idea what he'll do!"

"Whatever he does, at least he'll keep you alive!"

Harry laughed coldly at that and gave Tom a bitter smile.

"Death is not the worst thing, Tom," he said softly.
"Eternal torture, imprisonment, isolation,... If Voldemort is able to capture me, I'll kill myself."

Tom's eyes widened in horror at those coldly spoken words and stepped closer to Harry, reaching out almost desperately. Harry just turned away and stepped into the floo before he disappeared in a bright green flash of fire.

. . . . .

"A Horcrux..." Sirius muttered as he continued pacing through the drawing room.
"A bloody Horcrux! You should have told someone as soon as you found out!"

They were all gathered in the room. Fred, George and Ginny in the big couch, Harry in the armchair, Ron and Hermione in the loveseat to his right, and Remus and Tonks in the one to his left. Sirius, who had been sitting in the second armchair across from him had gotten up after Harry told them all about how Tom had discovered he was a Horcrux and was now pacing.

"How can we even be sure it's true?" Ginny asked.
"I mean, it was Riddle who said it! How can we trust him?"

"It would explain a lot," Remus muttered thoughtfully.

"I still don't get what a Horcrux is..." Ron said frowning.
"I mean, how can you just put a piece of soul in someone else?"

"Before Harry, it's never been done to make a living being into a Horcrux," Sirius said.
"Murder of an innocent botches and fractures the soul. The Horcrux Ritual is an excruciating process where you magically rip a piece of your soul after weakening the seams by murder. It's said to be more painful than the Cruciatus."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Fred said frowning.

Sirius snorted and plopped back down in his seat. He closed his eyes and weaved his hands through his hair.

"I'm a Black," he said bitterly.
"Study of the Dark Arts is kind of mandatory for us."

A silence fell over the group, where Hermione was scowling deeply. Harry could see the gears in her head whirring at high speeds as she tried to think of all the possibilities, and probably already making plans to learn more about Horcruxes and other Dark Arts practices.