The Cupboard Series 5: United We Stand ...

Chapter 27

"We know that there's seven of the blasted things," Moody growled from where he was pacing to the side of the chairs in Dumbledore's office.

"Two of which have already been destroyed," Croaker stated, lifting his head from the stack of parchment containing all of his notes that currently sat on his lap.

All seven of the group that had been assembled to find a way to defeat Tom Riddle – or, as the man in question preferred to call himself, Lord Voldemort – were there, brainstorming away. They knew that it was imperative that each and every one of Riddle's horcruxes had to be found and destroyed. Without that happening, the Dark Lord simply could not be defeated; at least, not permanently.

"The diary and Slytherin's locket," Amelia continued. "But there doesn't seem to be any real connection between the two, and nothing that would suggest a pattern that we could use to be certain of what the others were."

"Perhaps not by themselves," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling over his half-moon glasses. "But when you add in the other clues that I've gathered, a pattern does emerge."

"You're talking about Hufflepuff's cup, aren't you?" Sirius asked. "We saw it and the locket together in that memory of that old woman."

"Hepzibah Smith," Kingsley supplied.

"Right," Sirius said, nodding his thanks, "her."

"The cup and Marvolo Gaunt's ring," Dumbledore said. "Movolo himself stated that the ring belonged to the Peverell line."

"He wasn't wrong," Harry said, his thumb absently running over the replacement ring that he now wore.

"So, you believe that he's used historical items?" Moody asked.

"The diary doesn't fit that pattern, though," Algeron interjected.

"Ah, but you forget that the diary was connected to Slytherin's basilisk; it allowed the one possessed by the horcrux to control the beast," Dumbledore twinkled.

Moody spun at the statement. "He could control the beast. What if he's done it again, used an animal?"

"Riddle does seem to have extraordinary control over his familiar; Nagini, I believe her name is," Dumbledore mused, sitting back in the chair and running a hand through his beard as he contemplated the idea.

"The man'd have to be a fool to place a horcrux into a living entity; they're simply too vulnerable to use," Algeron snorted. "Kill the animal and the horcrux dies, too."

"I don't think that we should completely rule out the possibility," Dumbledore stated. "After all, housing a horcrux within Nagini would enhance his connection to her and increase the image of his link to Slytherin that he's always purported."

"Fine. Say that it is. But if you add in the snake, the cup and the ring, we're still two short," Moody growled.

"One," Algeron corrected, holding up a single finger. "Remember that one piece has to be within his own body."

"Right, then. One," Moody nodded.

"Seems to me as if he's going after Founder's objects or at least things related to them," Amelia said slowly. "What other relics are still in existence?"

"Very few," Dumbledore replied. "And none that their whereabouts are known. Ravenclaw's diadem was lost a millennium ago. Gryffindor's sword only appears when it's needed and has a habit of secreting itself away between times."

"And the Sorting Hat," Harry piped up.

"Right you are, Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes fixing delightedly on the boy. "The Sorting Hat once belonged to Gryffindor himself before the four Founders poured their magic into it to make it what it is today."