Hope

The first thing Harry noticed when he emerged from his sleep was that he felt good. Better than he had felt in a long time. A gentle warmth enveloped him, and the crackling of a nearby fireplace relaxed him. He savored this sensation as long as possible, then opened his eyes and recognized the familiar stone ceiling of the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place. But he screamed upon seeing that this gentle source of warmth was not a fireplace but a gigantic flaming bird. It calmed its flames and disappeared in a flash of red and gold. Immediately, the intense feeling of well-being he was experiencing vanished.

Before he had time to wonder what had just happened, green flames appeared in the hearth and Professor Dumbledore emerged from them.

Finally, you wake up Harry. How do you feel?

Fine. What was that thing?

I never introduced you to Fawkes? He is my phoenix. I asked him to watch over you while I'm away.

What happened?

To be honest, I was hoping it would be you who would tell me. Following your instructions, I searched the third room on the first floor and found this.

He took out of his pocket the locket of Salazar Slytherin that he had seen in the memory of Hepzibah Smith's elf. The pendant was open and split along its entire length. He then remembered everything that had happened the previous night.

It's him, it's the Horcrux. Where is Scabbers?

Croutard then emerged from a kitchen drawer where he must have found something to eat and came to snuggle up to him.

Next time I go to the supermarket, I'll buy you about ten jars of peanut butter.

While he was petting Croutard, he told the headmaster what had happened the previous night.

And then I fainted. It's weird but now I don't feel anything anymore. Are you sure it's the real necklace?

Sure and certain. I myself destroyed the Horcrux inside.

I thought that because of the prophecy I was the only one who could destroy the Horcruxes?

That's what I thought too. But seeing your state of fatigue, I thought it was the right time to test this hypothesis. I had the great pleasure of realizing that once again I was wrong.

This greatly relieved Harry.

Thank you. I don't know if I would have been able to destroy it this time.

Personally, I don't doubt it for a second. But I'm glad I spared you that unnecessary ordeal. Do you want to keep it? After all, you inherited it.

No, thank you.

You are sure. It's worth a small fortune.

Sell it and give the money to charity, but I never want to see that thing again in my life.

Dumbledore seemed pleased with this answer and put the necklace away in one of his many pockets.

Fine. But if you agree, I would wait for the other Horcruxes to be destroyed for that.

It's a good idea. Do you have any new information on where he might have hidden them? Or on the nature of the last Horcrux?

No, but I think I'm about to obtain the memories of a retired Ministry employee who knew Voldemort's maternal family. I hope to learn a lot. Voldemort has always been obsessed with his family, and I'm convinced he will have chosen an object and a hiding place related to it.

While he was telling his story, a thought came to Harry's mind. But he hesitated to express it.

Yesterday you said that Sirius was innocent.

Correction Harry, I said it was a possibility.

But if Voldemort entrusted him with one of his Horcruxes, then that means he was really guilty.

Dumbledore seemed to think about it.

I don't know Harry. All this is so incoherent. If Sirius Black already had a Horcrux, then why did he go to Hogwarts instead of bringing his master back? And it's not just Black's behavior that surprises me. Certainly, Malfoy Manor and Black are ideal hiding places. They are both very prestigious, very protected, and within reach of potential victims to possess. But I would never have thought Voldemort capable of trusting anyone other than himself to protect his precious Horcruxes. The diary had already surprised me, but the necklace deeply challenges my assumptions. Not to mention that I found the protections around the necklace quite thin. In fact, the only protections had been put in place by Kreacher who, I fear, has definitively fallen into madness upon seeing me seize the Horcrux. I guess Black had ordered him to protect the Horcrux at all costs and that his already fragile mental health couldn't withstand this failure. I'm afraid we can't get anything out of him, even with Legilimency.

But enough of digression. Nothing fits in this story, but the facts are there.

Do you think he could have entrusted the two remaining Horcruxes to Death Eaters?

As I told you, I don't believe it. It's so different from what I know about how he operates. But if your instinct leads you in this direction, then we need to investigate.

He began to pace back and forth and think out loud.

There were 3 particularly rich and powerful Death Eaters who seemed close to Voldemort. This triumvirate consisted of Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Theodore Nott Sr. If you add Sirius, then they were four. Perhaps he was seduced by the symbolism of entrusting each of these great dark families with the protection of an object from the founders transformed into a Horcrux. Perhaps he simply did not find better hiding places and thus resigned himself to having to trust a third party. However, after the war, the Lestrange Manor and Nott Fort were thoroughly searched without anything compromising being found. Nevertheless, this was also the case for Malfoy Manor, and a Horcrux was indeed found there.

I think another visit to their manors is necessary.

I agree. In any case for the Nott fortress. However, it is too well protected for me to force entry. And if I request a warrant, he will have plenty of time to move the Horcrux to safety before my visit.

And by a fortunate coincidence, it turns out that I have become friends with Theodore Nott, which should allow me to get invited to their fortress and find the Horcrux. I'm starting to get tired of coincidences.

Dumbledore smiled.

For me, they are the sign that we are reaching the goal. While you write to your friend Nott to ask him to host you for a while, I will go look for a way to access Lestrange's vault at Gringotts. Before she was arrested, she transferred most of her valuables there to keep them safe from ministry searches. If she possessed a Horcrux, that's where it is. But I'm not too hopeful. She was arrested after torturing Aurors into madness to extract a way to bring her master back. If she had a Horcrux, then she wouldn't have bothered so much. And unlike Sirius, she wasn't crazy. At least, not that kind of crazy.