It was morning when Harry finally arrived back at the Ministry. He split up from Narcissa and Andromeda by receiving a kiss on the cheek from either of them. Andromeda returned home while Narcissa headed to Malfoy manor with a wrapped gift inside of her coat. Harry smirked while watching her leave, then traveled to the Ministry.
The place was in an uproar when he arrived. People were running about and plenty seemed to be happening. The closer Harry got to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (the department he was planning to visit, to ask how the horcrux capturing operations had gone) the more chaotic that everything became.
When Harry entered the aurors office, he was startled to see three ministry officials being shoved toward holding cells. Among them was an Auror he wasn't personally acquainted with and two chairs of minor departments. Harry froze, watching what was happening with wide eyes, which was how Ava Savage found him.
"Harry!" said the attractive, busty auror, slapping him on the back when he came close. "We've been trying to get a hold of you!"
"About the horcrux hunt?" Harry asked.
"That, too," Savage said. "And them."
She pointed at the ministry workers being led away. Savage grinned in a way that lived up to her name.
"Thicknesse caught them," she said with unmistakable respect in her voice.
"The department head did it personally?" Harry said. "Are they traitors?"
"Not by choice. Imperius victims being used to infiltrate the ministry," Savage said. "The death eaters were keeping them hidden like sheathed blades at our neck. Thicknesse made them reveal that blade. Then, he disarmed every last one."
"But how?" Harry said.
"By leaving bait," Thicknesse said.
The man in question had been alerted to Harry's arrival. He looked the same as ever, with his long hair and goatee. Today he was sporting a black eye, Harry noticed. But Thicknesse was matching the injury with a smirk.
"Death eaters made a fool of me," Thicknesse said. "They brought me under their control and used me to attack you. I bear a permanent debt to you for freeing me of that curse."
"I was just doing the best I could," Harry said.
"Which doesn't change the debt that I owe," Thicknesse insisted. "I am a firm believer that gratitude is best expressed through actions. I did not mope. I planned a method through which I could use my past failures for my own ends. I made myself a prominent target."
Harry remembered meeting with Thicknesse after the man recovered from his Imperius debacle. Scrimgeour had introduced them properly, at which point Thicknesse offered to resign if Harry wanted. After Harry turned that down, the man's behavior had changed abruptly as soon as they left the room. He'd suddenly been much more cheerful, acting like he was particularly close to Harry.
At the time, the behavior—pretending they were close acquaintances—confused Harry, since it seemed out of character of the man. Only now did he realize what the game plan was.
"You wanted to seem like you and I were close so they would use you again," Harry realized.
Thicknesse smiled. "It wasn't a death eater that cursed me, it was another one of their thralls. They knew I was susceptible to the curse. If I had access to you, why not use me again?" His smile became feral. "Unfortunately for them, I was ready."
He put a target on himself for anyone under the Imperius to come after him. He could catch key death eater agents, stopping them from enacting any plans in the future. Thicknesse (rightfully) looked proud.
"Our actions raiding those dark artifacts must have scared the dark lord," Thicknesse said. "I was attacked as soon as they were underway. All it accomplished was losing them more assets. A bad day to be a death eater."
"You found them, then?" Harry asked eagerly. "The horcruxes have been captured?"
Thicknesse's grin faded. "We found some things. Come along, Harry. I'll show you."
Thicknesse led Harry deep into the auror department, the two of them being accompanied by Savage and a few other aurors. First, Thicknesse showed him a bubbling vat in one of the most secure rooms. When Harry leaned over the cauldron to look inside, he saw the remnants of a ring at the bottom.
Savage touched Harry's shoulder, pulling him back. "Careful. That's basilisk venom," she warned him.
"It's okay. I'm immune," Harry said.
"Immune!?"
"Yeah. It's in my blood mixed with phoenix tears," Harry explained. "They canceled out."
While Savage and the other aurors gaped at him, he turned to Pius Thicknesse.
"That's the Horcrux at the bottom?" Harry asked.
"Marvolo Gaunt's family ring," Thicknesse said. "The man was a petty criminal with an even worse criminal of a son. The family suffered from hearty inbreeding, but possessed an impressive lineage. The ring is believed to have belonged to Slytherin himself."
"Good to know," Harry said.
He took another look at the ring in the vat. It was only a vague hunk of metal now that the wicked poison had melted it, however its origin stuck out to Harry. Slytherin had been a parselmouth, something he passed on to his descendants. Voldemort was a parselmouth as well. This was confirmation of what Harry saw inside Voldemort's head, that the inbred Gaunt family were truly the root of his lineage.
"We captured this ring in the shack, just like you predicted," Thicknesse said.
"Excellent. What about the other locations?" Harry asked.
"Easiest to show you what we found," Thicknesse explained.
On the way to the next room, the head of the DMLE explained more:
"We visited the cave that you mentioned. It wasn't difficult to locate. Moody's squad entered and found a lake with a small island. It was all a trap, including more Inferi than we've ever seen. It took nearly the entire force a day to clear all of them out. When we got to the island and bypassed the protections, the horcrux wasn't there."
Harry turned his head sharply, not having expected the conversation to go that way. "It wasn't there!?"
"All we found was this note," Thicknesse said.
He took Harry into a room used for storing evidence. Ava Savage went forward, opening a drawer and levitating a note out. After getting permission from Thicknesse, Harry picked the note up and scanned it:
To the Dark Lord - I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. - R.A.B.
"It was stolen before we could get to it," Harry said.
"Is it possible that Voldemort is aware of the theft and has reclaimed the stolen horcrux?" Thicknesse asked.
"No… I don't think he knew," Harry said. "I didn't see anything about that in his head. I mean, it's possible my probe wasn't enough, but I'm confident he believed it was in the cave. Do we know who R.A.B. is?"
Savage levitated the strip of parchment and returned it to its drawer. "Not yet. However, we have employees checking the registry for anyone who matches those initials."
"It has to be a pureblood or a half-blood," Harry mused out loud.
"We've taken those filters into account," Thicknesse said. "A list of possible suspects is being compiled while we speak. Your input will be sought when it's complete of course, to see if you can offer any insight."
"That sounds good…" Harry said. "What about Hogwarts?"
"Those plans have been paused for now," Thicknesse admitted. "Searching every corner of the school isn't viable without the headmaster's cooperation. We'll have to move with a more defined plan. Scrimgeour suggested that you take charge of that operation, as the one with the most extensive familiarity with the school."
Harry felt a lick of pride at the fact Scrimgeour apparently considered him as confident as veteran aurors and department heads, giving him control of such a critical mission.
"I think that my relationship with the headmaster is even worse than the one the ministry has with him," Harry said carefully.
Thicknesse smiled at him. "I trust you to work around that."
Again, Harry felt pride at how much confidence he'd earned. And that was WITHOUT having shared the plans he had for Narcissa.
"My team and I will brainstorm something," he said.
"I know I'll be impressed," Thicknesse told him.
Harry dismissed himself and left the department after that. Knowing that one fraction of Voldemort's soul had been destroyed forever made the missions a success in his book. Combine that with a strong lead on a second horcrux, and he felt that today had gone swimmingly.
He was pondering the best way to approach the Hogwarts conundrum when he got back to his living quarters. Opening up the door, he found that he had a full room awaiting him. On the couch were Hermione and Fleur, while sitting at the table were Apolline Delacour, Daphne Greengrass, and the Patil twins.
"Were you that eager to hear how the meeting with Narcissa went?" Harry asked.
Fleur stood up. She was fully dressed, Harry noticed, as were Hermione and Daphne. Apolline and the Patils, however, were in bath robes, as if they'd just gotten out of a shower.
"I am sure you have many wonderful stories to tell about the night you have spent out," Fleur said. "Those can wait, however, for a more opportune time. We have much more pressing matters to deal with!"
"We do?" Harry asked. This didn't seem to be about the horcruxes or anything else to do with Voldemort.
Fleur pointed dramatically at Hermione. "She!" Next, Fleur gave an equally exaggerated point at Daphne. "And She! Are both pregnant!"
Hermione blushed. "Fleur found out. She said that she "smelled it" on us."
"It must be a veela trait," Daphne said sourly, as she'd been planning to keep her and Harry's relationship progress close to her chest for a bit longer.
"Non, it is not a veela trait," Apolline said. "I have nothing of the sort, and I possess twice as much magical blood as Fleur. My daughter is just weird."
"Do you deny what you have been up to?" Fleur asked, peering at Harry.
"No, not at all," Harry said. "It was a little bit complicated with Hermione… But I don't regret it."
"Ah! Yes, that is a good answer," Fleur said. "It wouldn't be like you to shy away after being caught."
Harry frowned because he hadn't actually been TRYING to hide anything, but Fleur kept talking before he could get a word in:
"It gave me a great deal to think on," Fleur confessed, sounding tortured. "It's such a complicated conundrum!"
She sighed dramatically, extending her arms.
"On one hand, to make the ultimate union with you is so extraordinarily hot!" Fleur said, lifting one of her arms. "On the other hand, if I am left with a child, I cannot get the sweet nectar of sex with you for nine entire months! It is an impossible deliberation!"
"She hasn't shut up about this for DAYS," Daphne said. "The whole time you were approaching Narcissa, Fleur has been complaining to us about this."
"It gave me quite the massive headache," Fleur said, apparently oblivious to the scathing tone Daphne had used. "It was a dilemma beyond any that I have ever faced! But eventually, I reached an epiphany."
"That being?" Harry asked curiously.
"Blood is thicker than water," Fleur said. "If I cannot bear to become pregnant, I should simply find a surrogate who resembles me, and allow her to do it in my stead. While I watch. Perfect, non?"
"Seriously?" Harry asked.
"I know, my genius astounds moi as well," Fleur said.
At the table, Apolline Delacour blushed, giving away that Fleur was completely serious. The inference wasn't even necessary; a few seconds later, Fleur stated it explicitly herself:
"Knock up my mother, Harry, while I masturbate furiously in the corner," she said without shame. "It is a win, win, win situation by every calculation I have run!"
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