Werewolf's fate

So Harry wasn't as calm as he pretended to be.

Like hell he'd be calm after hearing so much about his parents and guardians' past. So, Rem was hiding so much guilt all this time, no wonder he thought he was undeserving of love. Love could do so much, but toxicity was never the winning streak in a relationship.

Despite saying he will be going to dinner, Harry deliberatedly skimmed through the Great Hall and head elsewhere.

If Rem and Sirius asked around, they would suspect he head to the kitchen, because no normal person could bear to eat around such carefreeness after what happened. And if they did not find him there and later questioned him about this, Harry could just tell them he wasn't feeling to eat in the kitchen either, where the house elves were so busy feeding Hogwarts. He won't be telling them where he went, because it was his business like feeding the basilisk. Which was the reason Harry borrowed Hufflepuff's cup from the kitchen.

He put some foods inside, not needing to fill it, and walked to second floor girl's bathroom by declining and thanking the elves' propositions. By the time he locked himself in the lavatory, the cup was filled with plenty succulent meal, multiplied according to the holder's wishes. Harry dumped it all in the entrance of the Chamber of Secret and did the same thing for a couple of more time.

If Ravenclaw diadem enforced the wearer's wisdom, Hufflepuff cup was meant to feed and satisfy anyone's hunger as long as there were already some food inside. Because Gamp's law of elemental transfiguration didn't allow to create magic out of nowhere, something akin to alchemy.

Harry dumped the last bit of foods in the tunnel and eventually locked it so the basilisk won"t feel like going to a stroll in the castle and scaring the living of the residents. Then, figuring that he won't be needing the cup anymore, he was about to eat the last bit of food to stop the cup's magic but as he unlocked the bathroom's door, he came face to face with his best friends Ron and Neville.

That looked like a déjà-vu.

"Harry, where you've been! We were looking for you!"

Harry let go of the piece of treacle tart back inside the cup like his hand wasn't doing anything. "And you found me! The map?"

"Actually, we roamed through the castle after not finding you in the kitchen like Remus and Sirius told us. They left, by the way, and since last week we found you there, we figured we could give a try."

"Since when have you been there?"

His two friends shifted on their foot.

"A while. Were you talking to Myrtle like you said?"

Harry was not. He was mostly talking to himself, but anyone eavesdropping could say he was exchanging with someone. Thankfully, it was nothing too embarrassing, but he will now think twice before talking alone.

"You know what. I did a drink."

His friends watched him for a moment before realizing he was serious.

"Harry, I don't think that's a good idea."

"And you missed the trip to Hogsmeade, so-"

"Tomorrow's sunday and sneaking out of Hogwarts was never a problem for me."

"Didn't you have a fight with your guardians because you were out of the school's protection?"

Harry didn't know what expression he made but both Ron and Neville tried to retracted the mention of his guardians and their fight. As Harry just came out of one just earlier.

"Things are still uncertain outside. You know that I'm all for following your lead, Harry, but I also  heard from dad and mum, I'm also worried, I was there with you this summer!"

"For my part, my parents didn't say anything to not worry me, but people talk. Bertha Jorkins the main suspect is still in the run and it was pretty messy at the World Cup. If another suspected death eater is free..."

"Well, that doesn't help my need of a drink. Perhaps we should break into one of the teacher's office and see if any of them hide liquors in their cabinet?"

Their expression clearly showed they did prefer that suggestion more.

"How about that room of requirement?"

"No creation of food, that's the Gamp law of transfiguration."

"I don't know! Transfiguration is bloddy hard! I'm not eveen sure I heard professor McGonagall said it!"

Harry rolled his eyes and ended up studying the cup. Maybe it could also turn water to wine? Like that geezus guy (or something along the line)? But his long observation did not change anything and he sighed.

"Alright, let's go to the come and go room, still better than nothing. We're still on time before curfew?"

Ron checked the time before nodding and they head to the seventh floor, with Harry wishing to find liquors while passing in the corridor thrice. Yes, despite Gamp's law, a teenager could only wish. And surprise, surprise! The room gave them a passageway behind the portrait of young girl.

After their little adventure with the mirror of Erised, they assumed that it would be the same and went through the portrait without further ado.

Only to get out to a sitting room.

As the portrait of the young girl closed right behind them, they jumped and tried to get the passage to open again, fearing to be locked out of the requirement room. Harry wasn't that worried and used his mini two ways mirror to spy more on the place with the automated car toy without having to go by himself by looking through the other pair.

"Holy cricket! I think we're in deep trouble, mates!"

"You don't say, we can't find the mechanism to open the bloody portrait!"

"No, not that! We're actually the floor above the hog's head inn. Well, in the inn part, should I say."

"What? How did you know?"

"Well, for one, that unwilling looking man that we all agreed is the owner of said shop and the sign hung outside. Look."

As they confirmed it, they exchanged a dread look. Or more like, Ron and Neville had a frightened expression while Harry's morphing to an ecstatic one.

"I can believe my luck and I didn't even drink the Felix! I do get my liquors, finally!"

"What, no! Harry, we're literally breaking into someone's place!"

"Public place. It's an inn, it welcomed guests."

"But no reasonable person would stay the night there! But more importantly, we entered in illegal ways!"

"Then, let's just announce ourselves! The own can only allow us if we pay him! And though I do not have any money right now, I have my master's Philosopher's stone that could do the change successfully! Now, pull out some cash!"

"Do you think we'd have money with us when you did not?"

"Hey, I was at the ministry the whole day, so no reason for me to have money. You, on the other side, were spending the day in Hogsmeade and students only go to the village with pockets full to purchase in legal way!"

"Huh, I have a knut?"

"It's enough. I doubt his beverages could cost a galleon. Or, would he made us pay more because of the reclusive reputation it holds?"

"Or he straight up reject serving us because we came out from the floor above despite not seeing us came through the entrance? Not mentioning the late hour!"

"Perfect time to drink!"

"But if we're going to cunsume alcohol, wouldn't it be more expensive than a galleon?"

Harry didn't answer, pretending to focus on changing the the piece of copper to gold and trying to find if he really do not have any other metal with him. Not including the cup as it was already gold and in cup form. He did not. No such luck.

"Let's just hope he will be clement enough to three young boys!"

"If he were smart, he would not sell alcohol to underages!"

"If he were clever, he would accept the deal as it's still business."

"Do you think he lacks income?"

"Hush, we better be discreet if we don't want to be throw out before even trying. Here, let's hide under the cloak and make it we just enter the shop."

"Again, at this hour?"

"Not all his customers are children who had curfew! Bet he opened till late!"

"Meaning that's time for us to go to bed!"

"Didn't you say the passage was unavaible? We better ask the owner about it."

"And risk to be told off?"

"We're already out of the castle. Unless you want to break into Honeydukes? I didn't get to try last time."

At loss of words, Ron could find a retort and only followed his friends' steps to the pub part. There were only one customer and he looked like to be wasted already. But since the owner didn't throw him out, he must have paid his drink. Through teamwork, Harry distracted the barman by casting a levitation charm on the strewn of sawdust to make it think there was a mouse to divert the man's attention while Neville extended his hand to turn the handle of the door and slamed the door quickly to make it think there was someone. Ron had to pull out the cloak at the crucial moment.

They thought they managed it quite well, albeit they could have done nothing against their young look if the bartender ever refuse to do business with them.

But a quick calculation probably made the man be lenient on them and he sold them three pints of whisky with the galleon. Neither knew if they were scammed or not as the prices weren't in display.

If both Ron and Neville pulled a face after one sip of the drink and putting their glass away, Harry forced himself to drink just to feel the sensation of being wasted and having his braincells drown by the poison. He knew that his werewolf metabolism would digest the toxicity faster than your average wizards, but just one moment of turning off his brain was very welcomed. And with his inhibitions off, he started spouting everything.

"Can you believe that Voldemort will be back and that only one of us two could survive and one had to be killed by the hand of the other. Like, I thought it was done when I was one but after hearing the whole prophecy, it was far from the end. I mean, the crazy lad did created multiple horcruxes like bread and I'm one of those, so literally my life's tied with him. How disturbing! But the only way to break it off is death, as we had to destroy the piece of soul in me, you see. But I don't want to die! Not before making sure that dad has his happily ever after with madame Maxime!"

"Uh, mate, thanks for the mental image."

"Harry, how about you have a bite of the treacle tart, it's your favorite, right?"

Neville nudged Ron from above Harry's head and pushed the cup full of food to his bespectacled friend, whose pair of glasses was very askewed due to the owner being sprawled across the table. He had finished his own tankard and was about mid-way to finish Neville's and ignored the suggestion to balance his food-drink ration.

"Or before making sure that Rem was finally loving himself. Like maybe he could never accept the fact he's a werewolf and resents his condition, but he needs to see that he's allowed to love and be loved despite turning a mindless beast every month. I did and I'm living really well."

"Maybe not at this moment?"

"Ron, really? There's absolutly no wrong to be loved and love as werewolf. You're literally human in any other time besides that night of full moon."

"Right. Nev got a point. Even vampire are more accepted and loved for some reason. And they turn into actual monsters when hungry for blood."

"Or not before Sirius finally sees me as me and not as a copy of a mini James Potter. Like, mate, I never tried to impersonate the man despite seeing all the memories of people who knew him in his living, but him expecting me to sometimes follow his steps is hurtful and just frustrating. Damnit, Sirius, if you loves this man so much, you should have marry him and impregnate him instead of giving him up to this girl who he was harassing since second year and only noticed him when they were about to graduate Hogwarts. Maybe their kid won't be the chosen one and they wouldn't be suffering so much today."

"Oh, Harry, mate, we didn't know it was so bad between you guys..."

"Was Sirius really in love with your father? Did your father reciprocated? If so, they should have just asked your mother to be the bearer."

"Somehow, I doubt it wouls have made a change. I mean, if Sirius and James were really soulmates and lovers, it could have been really cool for them to have Harry, but maybe they should ask someone else as bearer? Remember, Harry was targetted because his mother was a muggleborn, someone you-know-who was hunting down with his death eater, so things could have still come down the same if Lily was the bearer."

"Was that what your parents say when they think you're not listening, Ron?"

"Well, I mean, it's logical if you think about it. Everyone knew you-know-who was after the Potter as soon as the rumor of a prophecy start spreading, despite Neville's parents were fighting him for longer."

"I mean, Dumbledore did say he probably targetted me because we're both half-blood, but-" Harry stopped, gulped down the last of Neville's drink before continuing with Ron's. "Well, fuck, that would explain so much. The love story of James and Lily was basically a star-cross lover and they doomed their kid, me, by staying instead of fleeing like any witted person. That's what Rem said, and frankly, why didn't they flee? They knew I was target yet stayed in the country where the mass murderer was seving, it's not like portkey wasn't a thing and they could have abuse it since the minister was overwhelmed by Tom and his henchmen."

They went silent for a moment, where only Harry made a disgusted noise after taking a distracted sip of the whisky, still too strong yet still so efficient. For now.

"You know, Harry, that's another thing I heard from my parents, but they only said it as joke, but- well, you know how your grandparents of father side are of advanced age? Maybe James-"

"Are you saying he impregnated Lily so early, in the midst of war only to show a descendant of the Potter line to his elderly parents? Who eventually died of dragonpox before even getting to meet me?"

When Ron didn't say anything in response and both Harry and Neville echanged an incredulous look.

"Wow. James' just getting lower and lower everytime I heard something about him."

"Oh, come on, Harry-"

"You can't even defend him by saying he was young. Look, I know, he was. According to mrs Weasley, twenty years old was nothing, you're still a baby, but according to Sirius he matured after saving Sev's life. I mean, master, I mean, professor Snape. Anyway, where was I?"

"James was supposed to mature before graduating school."

"Right! Like, unlike your parents, Ron, they didn't like each other before long and they decided to have a baby while fighting in a war? At least the Weasleys didn't take any side in the war, so they could do whatever the hell they wanted, like having a girl! But The Longbottoms? Yeah, no, I draw a blank, they were both aurors, why did they think it could be a good idea to have a baby while the war was raging on?"

"Well, uh-"

"Don't get me wrong, Nev, I love you and I appreciate you being alive, but your parents literally went mad after being tortured because those stupid death eaters thought they knew where Tom's corpse went. And they were also older than the Potter."

"To be fair, Nev's parents had more experiences on the field, in a legal way, and probably knew what they were doing. But I think they were also thinking about a heir if they were ever not survivng the war."

"Hm, kinda selfish too."

"Isn't everyone?"

"Yeah, but if one of them was really going to not survive, wouldn't it be too cruel to leave the other partner raising the kid alone? The kid could suffer so much, growing up. If you're making a baby, think about the baby and not just yourself achiving a step in life. Bitch, if you think having a baby just before dying was an achievement, you should have just kill yourself before spreading your seeds."

"Wow, Harry, isnt't that a little too harsh?"

"You think so? Lucky you for having parents, I guess."

No one said anything, having the feelings that retorting something against a drunk werewolf was the least smart thing to do. Harry suddenly sniffed.

"I'm sorry, don't hate me. I was also going to say that I didn't want to die before experiencing being your classmates and although what we had in those six months was great, I still felt that wall of separation and not just because I was sleeping in the carriage and you in the castle! I mean, won't you guys transfer to Beaux Bâtons Academy and go to lessons with me?"

"...Harry, I think you have enough drinks."

"I'm serious! You both will be thriving, I promise you! They hold regular chess contest, Ron, you could beat them all! And we had more flora than Hogwarts cold weather could grow, Nev! You could even ask your parents to move with you and Ron could live with me and Rem and Sirius in the Black dwelling, that's under my name now! We would be enjoying life so much better than here, you said it was like hell when people gave you the cold shoulder because you lost points. At Beaux Bâtons, it's individual marks and the teachers are more numerous, so could give you personal tutoring is needed! You could meet so many open-minded people!"

"What about my family, Harry?"

"You could do like your brothers, they go back every holidays, and I bet they will be transferring back to Hogwarts at the end of the year, after taking the first part of the bac, because otherwirse they won't have the qualifications to follow the advanced classes."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, I-"

"You don't think we roaming through the palace was a good thing? Well, maybe you're right. You don't want to keep up with my sodding mood every months, don't you? I could be a lot to handle.

"Harry, it's just. We heard throughout the year how the curriculum there seems way more advanced than Hogwarts, we're not sure we could follow, you see? Like, divination and beasts with a bestiary? Easy, you started the electives last year, but alchemy? Something akin to potions? No way in hell!"

"Well, Se-nape won't be there, he won't be haunting you guys."

"We're still far from your levels."

"I could help you. The teachers could help you! I just want to be surrounded with my loved ones before my death!" A couple of tears trickled down his cheeks that he wiped out with the rim of the tankard before trying to take a sip. Neville stopped him in time. "And maybe I won't even have to die if we're all at Beaux Bâtons!"

"I'm all for you living Harry and if that really what it takes, I will transfer school."

"But?" Harry sniffed, definitly forgetting the tankard by pushing it out.

"There's no but. I'll ask a transfer to your soon-to-be mother as soon as we're back at Hogwarts."

"And Dumbledore," Nev felt compelled to add.

"Him too, I guess."

"Yeah? What about you, Nev?"

"Me? Uh, well, I..."

"If I can convince your parents to change country, will you follow us there too?"

Neville had a hard time answering that.

"Oh, is it because of Luna? You don't want to leave her, do you? Did you confess?"

"Actually, that would be one less thing to tie me up. Luna confessed to Ginny and they're happy together."

"Oh. Then, what's stopping you?"

"Luna introduced me to Padma? Parvati's twin sister? An we get along really well?"

"Tell her to transfer too?"

"I doubt Dumbledore will be pleased to see is students fleeing his school like this."

"Pff, I'd like to see him crumble out of desperation."

They jumped, not expecting to have another person sticking in their conversation and almost knock the tankards out of the table. The owner of the inn cast a wordless spell to levitate the glasses to behind the bar where he'll pretend washing his dishes.

Breathlessly, they studied him. An old man with white mid-length hair and same color beard. An oddly familiar appearance.

Harry glanced at the only other customer in the pub, only realizing the start of their exchanged must have been to anyone's earshot. Thankfully, there was no one anymore. In any case, he was definitly sober now.

When they did not say anything, the man felt some need to add more to insult on Hogwarts' headmaster.

"He's not much of the great man you'll think he is. He had some questionning beliefs not long ago, causing the death of his own family. He wanted to rule on muggle by working with that dark bastard of Grindelwarld!"

"Dumbledore? Ruling on muggles? How long ago are we talking about?" Ron paled.

He paled even more when meeting the owner's glare and stammered a defense to cutting the man in.

"Hm, somehow, I'm not that surprised. That he wanted to rule on some part of the world population, I mean. Don't care about the Grindelwald bit, lad's at Nurmemgard. He did want to rule on me by hiding important info, expecting that I do some things. Sacrificing my life, for instance."

"Harry, you think, the headmaster hid the content of the prophecy, waiting for you to give up on your life for- for Voldemort's defeat?" Neville trembled for uttering the name no one should utter.

Though it made Harry smile.

"I mean, I told you guys everything that happened to me. In spite of my best wish, I am Tom's horcrux. If I'm alive, he had a way to come back. I don't know how, but obviously it would imply me losing life. So if I don't stay there, the land Tom wants to subdue most of all, there's chance for me to live and for Tom to wander aimlessly in the world."

"He could go after you."

"And that old senile will let him do it, just so the prophecy will be fulfilled."

Once again, the boys stilled at the man's adding.

"Would you happen to be of his family?"

If look could kill, Harry would have die. Though it's not sure as he survived the killing curse. And at least, it confirmed his suspicion.

"Don't worry, I know how blood family means nothing. I clearly don't want to be related and known as Potter. Because I'm Black, hah!"

Same for Sirius. Rejecting the Black and accepting the Potter name like a prize.

From then, the owner, Aberforth without a last name, told them countless story about Albus Dumbledore, that despite him now fighting for the light side used some questionable tactics for the greater good as catch phrase. That the young girl on the portrait in the sitting room above was Ariana Dumbledore, an obscurial who died due to circumstances. Also, he knew about the secret passage to the room of requirement, he used it sometimes in the 40s as renforcement in the war against Grindelwald, which included Next Scamander in their side.

This made Harry changed his mood to talk eagerly about his favorite magozoologist and how he met him the summer before entering Beaux Bâtons and how he was great friend of the family. Sort of. Anyway, Aberforth let them use the secret passage to return in the castle without anyone's notice and it was get-together never happened as Harry lend his friends his cloak while he could just pretend to be sneaking in the kitchen if he's ever caught, which he should really droop by to give the cup back. Or rub mr. Filch in the right way.

The squib did know a lot about magical history thanks to his exchanges with the portraits, how about he become the professor of History of magic instead of this useless ghost that professor Binns was?

If Harry's leaving the place, he'd better be changing some of the staff, for the best of his friends who will be taking the O.W.L.s next year, if their talk about them transferring wasn't serious. Not that he'd blame them. They had everything here.

 

Harry kept on feeding the basilisk for the following week, getting his cloak back and having an audienc with the school's headmaster who call his guardians thinking he changed his mind and was about to tell them how to accede the Chamber of Secret. Tough luck, instead, Harry suggested another wacky suggestion of the school's organization by switching Binns for Filch. With the ghosts of the school as caretakers or monitoring the corridors. After all, they had a lot of free time, didn't they?

It caused quite the ruckus, but when Harry talked about how all the dada teachers were bad for the students' education (with the one before this year's, ex-auror Moody, falling down from the stairs and definitely disabled after a student tried to heal him with ossio dispersimus they learnt from previous teacher Lockhart, the scammer, the poussos potion messed permanently the man's skeleton structure). And well, if Harry could have stunned the man that easily and the Weasley twins hexed snowball to assault the man without him finding a counter-spell, then he won't be surving the year, nor teach anythingn useful to the studentss. Which's a huge lost for those that will be taking final exams at the end of the school year. Funnily enough, no ona had a retort to that, so Harry managed to flee the guilt-trip once again.

The rest, he got a pretty normal week by having personal session of potion brewing with professor Snape that kept on hurrying him to improve the Philosopher's stone when he's not taking care of the magical creatures with his dad, because the latter was spending quite the time with his headmistress. Who, more modest, would usually just pretend going to her champion and training her for the last task.

All was well, until a week before the full moon where Harry woke up with his scar burning him like he was being branded.

His first reflex was to find his dad and friends and tell them about it, they would probably advise him to tell his guardians instead or worse, Dumbledore. And Harry didn't know why, but it didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. Maybe because the only sound coming out of his mouth was parseltongue.

Figuring it must be the piece of soul in extra in him, he used occlumency to, maybe, sooth the pain. But it hurt so much it was whitening his vision and Harry wondered if a crucio was what felt like.

"Harry? Are you OK?"

Harry blinked back tears and bluriness of his vision to see Neville crouching down to him. Without answering him, Harry looked around them to see they were in the school park and he's wa kneeling on the dirt, not far from the greenhouses, where his friend came from. About to give an answer, his scar got sent another flash of pain and he had to clench his teeth to not scream out loud.

As he stayed on the floor, he wondered how much time passed when it was bearable enough for him to straighten without dizziness. Neville helped him up, but he still felt the vertigo about to assail him.

"Harry, your scar...it's bleeding."

"Voldemort," was his only answer.

His friend had an unusual serious look at that. "You should tell Sirius about this."

Harry knew it would come to that so he sighed and allowed to be leaned against a tree to support his weigh and pulled out his two-way mirror. Before he could have uttered the name of the other owner of the artefact, he was attacked by the full body binding spell, making the mirro clatter on the ground and broke in dozen of shards. 

As his body fell on the floor too, he could only watch his friend with horror as his face was morphing to another one. Professor Quirrell. Which didn't add up, why was he attacking him? Was he getting revenge for the stunning spell?

"Harry Potter. How we had waited for this moment."

He lowered his wand to Harry's forehead just to trace the scar and Harry closed his eyes due to the burning pain it resulted. Suddenly, it stopped and instead the sensation of being under the disillusionment charm came over him before his body's lift in the air and levitated inside the castle. The man crossed the empty corridor before getting into an unused classroom where only a cupbroad was taken care.

Quirrell opened it with his hand and brought Harry with him on the other side and Harry just knew it was vanishing cabinet and they just left Hogwarts grounds and protection and Harry was on his own.

Hid body was free of the levitation as soon as they came out, but Quirrell had to kick him to few meters away, his body ending rolling to the door frame where the wood entered painfully in his ribs.

In the position, he could not see anything but he could hear very well.

There was a snake speaking and slithering around him. Its contents weren't really diverse, Harry knew he looked really appetizing, bindeed like this, but it was almost funny how Quirrel was telling it to shut it. Until it was said in parseltongue and Harry knew it wasn't from the traitorous teacher.

The spell got lift and Harry scrambled on his foot and pulled out his own wand. Soon enough, he had to dodge another spell or unknown type but he guessed he should feel relieved there's not another one because his mind was drawing a blank in which spell to use. At loss of possible defense and cornered against the doorframe, opened it should be clarified, Harry had no choice but to seize on the number of his enemy.

There were three other human figures in the shack with the slithering snake.

Quirrell, standing on his two foot and watching Harry with disturbing interest, someone sat on a chair with glassy eyes, Crouch jurnior some part of his brain supplied him, and one sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Bertha Jorkins, the same part of Harry's brain told him. 

"Nagini, settle down. You can stick your poison in his flesh one I'm done with him."

Again, that voice speaking parceltongue that wasn't visible to Harry's eyes. Yet Harry couldn't stop staring his former professor. He knew, he just knew it was him. And Quirrell finally moved, lowering his wand, to untie his turban.

Harry's whole body trembled but he refused to lower his own wand. The cloth fell on the floor and Quirrell turned to show one horrible sight. There was another head behind his skull, a terrifying one with glowing red eyes and snake like features. Harry gulped and forced words to come out with a shaking voice.

"Is that you? Tom Riddle? I think we've been exchanging for sometime in your diary."

"Cheeky, I see. I should have suspect as much when you father wanted to defy me without a wand. I wonder if you'll be ending begging at my foot like your mother did."

Wow, attacking with words right from the start? Harry always hated mind game, and it certainly won't be easy when it was attacking from both the front and from inside him.

"Would you like to know?"

"Not now, first get his blood and let's start the ritual."

Quirrell turned to face him. "Yes, master."

"What ritual? Making another horcrux?"

"I'm not even surprised you knew about that, that old senile did tell you about our prophecy, after all. That reminds me, it's also something to interrogate you about."

Harry dodged the spell threw at his way and jumped over the dead body of Jorkins. "Right, can't be that, you just did it with this corpse and Nagini, right? Proud of you for making a living being a horcrux?" Unknowingly to Voldemort, Harry was one too.

"You know what, your bright mind could have been useful in our rank, if only I thought about raising instead of killing you."

Something that he failed.

"Oh, but you couldn't have thought about it, because my statue as half-blood reminded too much of yours!"

He ran close to the vanishing cabinet, one move and he could have crossed it to join Hogwarts' protections again, but he didn't even try because this night was meant to happen. And also because he couldn't leave Nagini and Crouch behind. The last horcrux (hopefully) and a too much tortured man that didn't deserve this fate.

"Enough. Grab him!"

Instead of getting physical, Quirrell levitated his body by hanging his feet in the air, dazing Harry's view. He was sent outside without care, then imprisoned in a stone cage that was a statue enclosing him. He got disarmed to not try anything funny and Harry used the time to check the surrounding.

They were in a graveyard and the statue must represent death or something. There was a cauldron with boiling liquid inside that Nagini surrounded with its long body. Quirrell started to add things in, bones, Harry's blood, his own among other ingredients. But when Harry expected the least, Quirrell suddenly stilled and were moving with hesitation till his armed hand used his wand to lift the cauldron to splach himself. His scream of pain was ugly even to Nagini's perception.

"Why? Master, why? I've been with you through all!"

"I know, you could say you've been more useful than Crouch who didn't despair into seeing me and clung onto the beliefs of my return which gleaning his memories that still gave us a lot of information." Guess Crouch was still a bad guy till the very end, then Harry better put him out of his misery since no one would cast the intellectual stimulation to a despicable man like him. "You've worked well with your act and lowered everyone's suspicion, but with that little stunt, no one would believe you to be uninvolved after the boy accusing you of being a death eater. So, it's best for everyone that you give me your body."

At the end of the speech, there was no one but Harry to listen as Quirrell had long since stopped screaming, meaning he had passed and yield against the dark lord. Nagini stuck out its tongue to taste the air and its resulting slasher smile didn't mean anything good for Harry.

"Can I at least know where you got that majestic snake? And what kind is it?"

"A Maledictus, right when I graduate Hogwarts. I heard she participated in the war against Grindelwald."

Oh, a genuine answer. And hang on, a Maledictus? Could it be Harry's ex? 

Rubbish. Tom just said he met her way in 1945. Then again, Harry never knew his ex's age. Oh wait, she was a bat Maledictus, false alert. And not the moment!

"So, now wha-"

He got ignored as the new Voldemort brought Crouch's vegetative's body in the graveyard and pulled out his tattooed arm out to summoned the rest of the death eater. A minute or two and a swarm of masked people apparated in the graveyard too, surrounding their lord and his pet snake and the unresponsive body of Crouch. Harry could only watch the horror unfolding under his eyes.

He should have return to France after trying to get himselg drunk.

"My dear followers, long time was it not? I was really disappointed when, even after the little display my only devoted follower put on that summer and still no one reacted to prepare my return."

The twenty something, 28 like the number of the supposed sacred families, all kneeled down in one movement. They were shaking so much that Harry could see the details on each of them. A shedload of apologies started to burst forth because it quieted down by a mere clear of throat.

"No matter, you have time to be sorry. For now, how about I show you all how I will finally end this little brat's life?"

They all turned to Harry and the scythe of death's statue moved away to free Harry. But due to shock, he had lost strength in his legs and fell on all four. No one laughed though. Harry retrieved his wand that was thrown a few meters away and got on his foot quickly. He raised his hand as fast.

"Wait! Don't you want to fight with your precious wand? I have it with me!"

Tom threw him a dirty look, but allowed him to pull out the wand he kept safely in his little purse, as it was no secret that Harry kept everything inside. He also pulled out a little bottle unknowingly to everyone's attention and hurled the wand in the air to divert the eyes. 

The wand went back to his rightful owner, despite having such a fun time with Harry who had a piece of soul of said owner, and magic sparkled at the tip of the wand when Tom agitated it for good mesure, the death eater took a wild step back.

"Ah, right! The prophecy! Still want to hear it?"

"Speak."

Harry opened his mouth and threw himself right by Tom's foot. As he started repeating what the prophety record showed him, he unscrewed the bottle of basilisk venom and forced it down in both Crouch and Nagini's throat.

"Stupid boy! Now, you just fulfilled the prophecy! Avada Kedrava!"

Even though Harry's attention wasn't on his two victims, he wouldn't have the time to turn around and fire his own spell to counter the killing curse a second time. Instead, he embraced it, knwowing it was a mandatory step to pass.

Only one could survive, right?