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[alt_draco]

It's done. The Roman Eagle is destroyed. Fairly certain our basalisk fang is tapped out, though.

It was a far more difficult task than the cup was. The thing inside of it really didn't want to go.

Worse yet, we had to put down the elf, Winky. Even after obliviating her, she was frantic about having done a "bad thing" that her Master wouldn't like. She couldn't remember what she'd done - the specifics were gone, but the guilt wasn't.

Hermione had a capsule in her holding bracelet. Hemlock and a strong sedating potion, for emergencies. It seemed like the most humane method available.

Comments

Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

When you say the thing inside didn't want to go --

Did it talk to you? Or was it worse than that?

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

It talked to both of us.

Why, what could be worse than that?

Cor, that looks rubbish. "It talked to both of us." As if talking were so frightening. But you know how it goes, the thing has a way of getting inside your head.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Yeah, it told Ron and Justin they were basically already Death Eaters and talked about everyone they'd killed.

It wasn't talking to me because I wasn't standing over it about to cast Fiendfyre. So, I don't know what it would've said to me.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Yeah, it was going on about how I was a failure as a Malfoy, that I'll never be able to properly redeem myself. And that I won't ever have a proper family because I can't resolve the differences between my parents and my love life.

And it said awful things to Hermione, too. But that's private, so I'd rather not say. I don't mind you knowing about the rubbish it spewed at me though.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

You're not a failure as anything, but I'm not surprised that thing tried to convince you that you were.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

I've been meaning to write to you

I mean, I keep sitting down to write it and then not finishing it because it feels like writing it down will make it more real, which is crazy.

But I'm pretty sure I know now what Voldemort is planning for me, after NEWTs.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

What? Why, what'd you find out?

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

I had Linus do some research for me (I didn't tell him why). But, there's a spell or a rite or something that lets an older, powerful wizard take over the body of a younger wizard. Completely take it over, like -- he'd kill me, but keep my body alive, somehow, and move in. Like he moved into Buckingham.

It explains a lot. Like why he adopted me, because you need the younger person to be a relative.

And why he never let anyone do anything to me that might cause real damage.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Like possession, but you'd be gone for good, forever?

Wish I could say I'm shocked but I thought it was probably something as bad as this. Just, I've never heard of a spell or rite that works that way. But then he's kind of an expert in reviving obscure magics and twisting them to his own end.

Good thing we've only got one more horcrux to destroy. He won't get an opportunity for his rubbishy "rite."

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Yeah, that's exactly it. Like possession, except permanent. I wouldn't be in there with him. I'd be gone, completely.

Anyway. Yeah. We're going to find and destroy that last horcrux, and then kill him, and that'll be it. He'll be gone, forever.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

That's weird. And eerie.

Too bad we've not got a clue where that last one is. But yeah, we'll work it out soon.

Meanwhile, if he invites you to any dark rituals, you'd best politely decline.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Yeah, we'll find it.

And too right. I'll just claim I have a prior engagement, he raised me to be polite, didn't he?

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Yeah, which is mental, seeing as he's such a sodding, mannerly bastard himself.

The important thing is to not let him know you're on to him, lest he decide to move more quickly.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Yeah.

I keep thinking about how soon NEWTs will be over, and then OWLs, and then I'll be going back to Buckingham. It might be our best chance at finding the horcrux but what if he's planning this as soon as I come back there for summer?

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Yeah, what if?

Well, we could cruciate you and cast all other manner of crippling curses, so that he thinks you're useless. Except you probably don't actually want to be useless, and who could blame you?

Guess we've got ourselves a deadline, then.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Yeah, permanently cursing my own wand arm off is not my first choice, though certainly given the choice he'd take no nose over no wand arm.

Rachel Brodie said she'd cruciate me if I really wanted to give it a go, but I didn't take her up on it. Anyway, I think it would take quite a bit of cruciatus to convince him I'm not worth taking over. Enough that possibly I'd rather lose an arm.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Killing him before he kills me would probably be my first choice.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Wonder why he didn't just put you in some kind of magical stasis, instead of letting you run all 'round Hogwarts and Buckingham and the like.

I guess he wanted to make sure you were healthy and physically strong or something?

And yeah, just one more. Can't believe we're so close.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_harry]

Well, if he was going to move into my body he'd definitely want it to be strong and healthy. If you want to be able to fly well you have to practice it to strengthen the right muscles, and the same goes for everything else.

If he could've put his own mind into me from the start -- well, I suppose he tried, didn't he? He gave me the diary.

Re: Private message to Draco

[alt_draco]

Yeah, what a idiotic plan. As if some twelve year old boy is going to pour his heart out to a ruddy diary.

Of course an eleven year old girl got into it, instead.