For the next week Harry was practically on the warpath as he turned the castle upside down looking for both the Ebony Blade and Voldemort's Soul Gem.
Outwardly, numerous people noticed him being a bit harsher, especially when he was teaching them magic and fighting. But none of them knew what was going on aside from Hermione, and thought he was just stressed from the rapidly approaching exams.
In actuality, Harry was spending his days reading everyone around him for any possible signs of being in contact with a Daedra, while searching everything he could at night.
Starting with his own dorm, Harry meticulously searched through every single boys room in Gryffindor tower for any sign of the two items, and even read any form of diary or journal he found for any hints at hidden shifts in behavior. But found nothing.
He then bypassed the security to infiltrate the girls dorms to do the same thing, before moving on to the Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and then Hufflepuffs. With his search only turning up some contraband, personal effects, and more info on his classmates than he wanted, Harry then turned his attention towards the teachers and staff.
Though nothing he'd seen in the heads of Houses suggested they had been in contact with Daedra, Harry still searched all of their respective classrooms and offices for any possible signs, starting with Snape. Then he turned his attention to the other teachers that taught subjects like Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmacy, and finally Divination.
Harry even broke into and searched Albus's office and living space as well, just for the sake of being thorough.
All for nothing.
Finally Harry had to resort to searching every single classroom, broom closet, and hidden alcove to confirm what he already suspected. Neither the Ebony Blade nor the Soul Gem were in the castle.
This stumped Harry since every single student and staff member was accounted for, and none of them showed any signs of being in contact with Daedra. So who stole them?
As for the how, Harry already had a theory considering who the Ebony Blade belonged to. Mephala.
Another, lesser known, artifact of Mephala's was the Ring of Khajiit. It was a ring that granted the wearer stealth capabilities that rivaled that of the Nightingales. Though it did NOT grant the user the same abilities Nightingales possessed.
If whoever took the blade and gem had that ring as well, then it was entirely possible for them to break in and swipe both of them while Harry was passed out with him being none the wiser. But that didn't mean he didn't hold himself accountable.
For decades he had been at war with the cults of Daedric followers, enduring numerous assassinations attempts, would-be thieves, and drastic measures to reclaim the artifacts in his possession. Obviously, none of them worked.
Now however, someone had managed to infiltrate his personal workshop and steal two very dangerous items right under his nose. For Harry, this was a wake-up call.
Even during dinner, Harry was busy making plans to deal with the current situation. Specifically to make himself combat ready by increasing his physical training, and to also learn more about the magic of this world beyond what they taught in their current curriculum.
Even the looming threat of studying theory was not enough to deter him.
"Harry, are you sure you're alright?" Hermione asked him worriedly from across the table, keeping her voice down as their classmates loudly held their own conversations.
"I'm fine Hermione." Harry replied without looking up from the book he was reading, which detailed numerous combat related spells that they wouldn't start learning until third year.
"You just look like you haven't been getting as much sleep recently. Even Daphne was asking about it." Hermione continued, prompting Harry to glance up at her briefly. After all, the two girls rarely, if ever, agreed on something.
"I've just been busy." Harry stated while looking back down at the book. Currently, he was reading about the same spell that Cedric used against the troll on Halloween, a spell that produced a lash to either pull something towards the user, or could be used to swing around on. For the briefest second, Harry imagined using it against a dragon in place of Dragonrend.
It was while he was studying the actual spell and wand movements that a familiar screech caught his attention, courtesy of Hedwig as the snowy owl swooped down towards him.
Harry immediately raised his arm for her land on, ignoring the claws that dug into his flesh as he used his spare hand to retrieve the letter attached to her. And on it was an extravagant loopy writing that Harry was now more than familiar with.
~~~
Harry,
Tonight I will be hosting an old colleague of mine in my office for some after dinner tea. We would both be delighted if you were to join, both for the company and for certain topics of conversation.
Sincerely,
Albus.
~~~
As soon as Harry finished reading the letter he quickly began shoveling food into his mouth fast enough to put even Ron to shame.
"Harry? What is it?!" Hermione asked in alarm from his sudden gusto, before Harry slid the letter over to her.
"This could help me make a lead on things!" Harry said as he cleaned his plate, tossing a few pieces of chicken to Hedwig as he did so. The owl hooted happily as she gobbled them down, before Harry pulled out four slips of parchment.
"Hedwig, can you take these for me before returning to the Owlery?" Harry asked her while scribbling down quick messages, to which she hooted in affirmation before he passed them over.
Giving Harry a quick nibble of affection, the owl then turned around and took off to deliver the messages to the four heads of Houses.
"Come on." Harry then said to Hermione as he stood, prompting her to readily abandon her own dinner as she eagerly joined him.
...
Nearly half an hour later the duo were standing in front of the door to Albus's office, after having returned to Gryffindor tower for a few things first.
"Enter." Albus's voice answered after Harry knocked, prompting him to open the door and enter alongside Hermione to see him sitting behind his desk while a guest sat across from him.
"Good evening Harry, Hermione." Albus greeted them as soon as they opened the door, seeming completely unsurprised by Hermione's presence as well.
"Albus." Harry greeted him back, while Hermione quickly stammered out a formal greeting, her nerves showing themselves before the headmaster.
"Merlin's beard... As I live and breathe..." The guest uttered as he focused solely on Harry, his gaze focusing on both his scar and then his eyes.
"Right then Harry, Hermione. This is an old colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn. Horace, I'm pleased to introduce you to Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger." Albus said as he introduced them.
"An honor." Harry said as he shook Horace's hand, though the man had yet to break contact with his eyes.
"You have your mother's eyes you know." He said eventually.
"So I've heard." Harry replied, having heard quite a bit about that from Remus and Sirius.
"She was one of my favorite students before I retired. Absolutely brilliant, especially considering she was muggle-born." He continued with a faraway look in his eyes.
"That sounds like Hermione here." Harry said while gesturing to her, making Hermione look down shyly.
"Is that so? Miss Granger, right?" Horace asked curiously, to which Hermione nodded shyly.
"Yes sir. Though Harry is better at spell work than I am. He usually picks them up before anyone else in the class." Hermione said while looking at Harry pointedly. Of course, Harry avoided pointing out that he only performed better due to him having decades of experience learning and using magic to begin with. Just a different type.
Horace Slughorn was an....interesting person to be sure, as Harry and Hermione quickly learned as they all sat down and chatted for a while.
Apparently he had been the Potions Master and head of Slytherin House before Snape, as well as the head of a group called the Slug Club. They were all handpicked students that Horace would gather for various parties and get togethers, where he would also introduce them to various members of wizarding society that he knew.
The more the man talked, the more Harry lamented that he was no longer the head of Slytherin House since he seemed to truly embody their traits. Meanwhile under Snape they became the house of bullies and blood supremacy, though Harry hoped that he was changing that bit by bit.
Unfortunately the pleasantries had to come to an end, and Albus breached the subject that Harry had been waiting on ever since he got the letter.
"This truly has been enjoyable, Horace. But unfortunately I must admit that I had ulterior motives for begging your company tonight." Albus said, and instantly Horace's eyes sharpened.
"I should have known. What is it Albus? Surely you don't need me back when you have Severus? The man is unrivaled in his field!" Horace stated passionately, prompting a snort from Harry.
"Maybe in bullying children." He muttered under his breath, earning him a wry smile from Albus.
"As much as I would enjoy your company if you were to return, that is not what I wished to talk about tonight. Instead, I wished to discuss Horcruxes, and if you ever had a conversation with Mr Tom Riddle about them." Albus stated, and once again, Horace's entire demeanor changed.
Moments before he had been jovial, easygoing, and seem to genuinely be enjoying their company. Then he turned suspicious when Albus mentioned an ulterior motive. Now however, he appeared downright terrified.
"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about Albus! I know nothing of that type of magic, and even if I did I would never discuss something so horrible with a student!" Horace immediately declared, practically giving himself away. Harry knew that if Albus merely suspected Horace knew what they were after, he was completely certain now. Harry knew he was.
"Please sir." Harry said, taking control of the conversation as he applied his well practiced speech craft, making Horace halt as he prepared to storm out of the office.
"We know for a fact that Voldemort(Horace flinched at the name) created at least one Horcrux. We have no other real leads regarding his creation of them, aside from you. If we want him to be gone for good, then we need to know what you and him talked about." Harry said slowly in his most sympathetic and understanding tone.
"I-I'm sorry my boy, but I can't. It would ruin me..." He replied helplessly, but Harry pressed further.
"Then maybe this would be your absolution." Harry told him gently.
"Think of all the people he's killed, those he's tormented. Do you think they'll care about how Voldemort became immortal? Or do you think they'll celebrate those who brought about his end?"
"That..." Horace uttered, obviously searching for any way out of this. But he was unable to find any when faced with Harry's pleading eyes. Lily's eyes.
"Very well then..." He groaned as he relented, and returned to his seat, suddenly appearing much older as he slumped forward. "He wanted to know what would happen if he were to make more than one Horcrux. Specifically if he were to split his soul into seven pieces."
"""!!!"""
Harry, Albus and Hermione all went wide-eyed when they heard that, and Harry had to fight back a groan.
"Seven then... Seven Horcruxes..." He muttered in contemplation, before Hermione corrected him.
"Six actually." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Huh?" Harry asked while looking up at her.
"If You-Know-Who wanted to split his soul into seven, then he would only make six Horcruxes while leaving the seventh in his own body. So only six Horcruxes." She explained while Albus nodded in agreement.
"Well that's some good news at least. One less we'll have to hunt down and destroy." Harry said while leaning back in his seat, though he was still pondering what and where the six in question were.
"Easier said than done I'm afraid." Albus spoke up after Harry.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked him curiously, to which the old man rose and made his way to the bookshelves behind his desk.
"When one undergoes the rituals to create a Horcrux, the item the soul is placed in becomes nigh indestructible. There are only three known ways of destroying a Horcrux, each one written down by their creator, Herpo the Foul."
Returning to the desk, Albus placed both an old book and several ancient-looking scrolls down in front of Harry.
"Herpo was a dark wizard of ancient Greece, pioneer of several of the foulest magics that have ever been seen. He compiled his life's work into these scrolls before applying several enchantments onto them to ensure their continued existence despite the ravages of time. Then, a few centuries ago, another follower of Herpo's teachings transcribed them into English in a book. Care to take a guess what they bound it with?"
"Human skin." Harry immediately answered as he took the book, recognizing both the look and feel of the material from several such tomes that he had come across in Skyrim.
"Exactly." Albus said as Harry began to flip through the pages curiously. And based on what he was reading, Harry would not have been surprised if someone told him that Herpo was a follower of the Daedric Princes from how dark and gruesome his writings were. And this was just a translation.
Speaking of...
"Albus, there's something we need to discuss. Something I sent an invitation to the other heads of Houses about. They should be arriving soon." He told the headmaster while closing the book, and placing it back on the table.
"Before they come, which scroll details how to create a Horcrux?" Harry asked, before picking up the scroll in question after Albus pointed it out.
While they waited, Harry unraveled the scroll to examine it, but found himself staring at an ancient canvas covered in runes unlike anything he had ever seen before. Perfect.
As Harry hoped, the four heads of Houses arrived a short while later and were surprised to see Horace present as well.
"Alright mister Potter, we came as you requested." Minerva said as they finished their own round of greetings.
"Thank you all for coming. I'm afraid I have some bad news." Harry said gravely to everyone present, earning their undivided attention as he swept his eyes over all of them.
"The Soul Gem housing Voldemort's Soul was stolen" Harry told them plainly.
"""!?!"""
The reaction was immediate as he broke the news to them. Albus rose to his feet in alarm. Minerva appeared on the verge of fainting. Professors Sprout and Flitwick both turned deathly pale. And finally Snape looked as if Harry had just decked him in his hooked nose.
Aside from them Horace just appeared confused, and Hermione looked down at the ground as if she were ashamed.
"Harry, are you absolutely certain?!" Albus demanded in the most urgent voice Harry ever heard from him.
"Absolutely." Harry said gravely, confirming their worst fear.
"How?!" Minerva gasped in disbelief, knowing more about Harry than the other professors did.
"That's the other thing I wanted to discuss with all of you." Harry said as he pulled a couple books from his bag.
"Inhabiting the various planes of Oblivion, there are several godlike beings known as the Daedra. And when I say godlike, I mean they are literal gods.
"Humans are merely playthings to them, and they wield near-infinite power. If you were to look back through just about every single major disaster that has happened throughout the entire history of Tamriel, you'll find any one of them responsible for nine out of ten of them. They are cruel, sadistic, and aside from certain situations CANNOT be trusted." Harry stated as he opened the book detailing the different Daedric Princes.
"Foolish primitive superstition." Snape immediately sneered in disbelief. "Potter just doesn't want to acknowledge his own failure to prevent something so dangerous from being stolen right from under his nose."
"I never said anything of the sort." Harry stated back firmly, opening the book to a page depicting a beautiful woman with eight spider-like legs protruding from her back.
"Aside from the Soul Gem, another item stolen from me was the Ebony Blade. It is a vile weapon created by the Daedric Prince Mephala, lady of Lies, Deception, Secrets, Murder and Sex.
"The fact that ONLY her artifact was stolen from me along with the Soul Gem tells me that she was directly involved somehow. That she more than likely has chosen a Champion in this world to do her bidding. And if she is active, then the other Princes either are as well, or they will be soon."
"Are you sure?" Albus asked, his tone deathly seriously.
"There is no other reason I can think of for the disappearance of the Ebony Blade. Any number of my artifacts can be taken from greed, but ONLY that one? It has to be her." Harry answered with equal seriousness.
"Are there any of them we can trust to help us?" Minerva asked, her tone uncertain.
"Not at all." Harry told her bluntly. "The Daedra serve only their own interests. If any of them decide to help us, it is only because there is something they intend to get as a result."
"That seems like a rather bleak way of looking at them." Professor Sprout said with a frown.
"I am afraid I have to concur with Harry, Pamona." Albus told her grimly.
"The texts that Harry has been providing me with for the last several months have mentioned these beings several times. Every time they appear disaster of any type imaginable follow. Plague, political upheaval, revolution, assassination, natural disasters, even invasion. Entire empires can fall overnight by their whims."
"..."
Everyone who was listening fell silent as Albus finished speaking, realizing the gravity of the current situation.
"So what do we do?" Minerva asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Now, I ask one for help." Harry answered grimly.
"""!!!"""
"You just spent the last several minutes telling us they couldn't be trusted, how dangerous they all are, and now you want to treat with one?!" Professor Flitwick squeaked in disbelief.
"Yes." Harry answered, silencing them all once more.
"As I already said, they only get involved if there's something in it for them. I have personally met and 'talked' to nearly all of them at one point or another. If anyone is qualified to talk to them, I am. Plus it will give you all a glimpse into what we're dealing with."
As he said that, Harry pulled another book out of his bag.
"""!!!"""
Everyone else in the office cringed in the face of the malevolent energy emminating from the book, the cover of which was pitch black with a depiction of a creature on it with dozens of tentacles, and crab-like pincers.
"Harry... What is THAT?" Albus asked calmly, though they all noted the tension in his voice.
"A Black Book. One of the several scattered throughout the world by Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Memory. If anyone could tell me what I need to know, it'll be him." Harry told them.
"And you trust this one?" Minerva asked warily.
"Not in the slightest." Harry immediately replied. "Hermaeus Mora desires knowledge above all else. As soon as he has what he wants, then he will discard you without the slightest hesitation. That's why you keep him wanting more."
As he said that, Harry held up the scroll Albus pointed out to him earlier.
"Now before I open this..." Harry began while pointing to the Black Book. "I need you all to understand a couple of rules. First of all, do NOT speak unless absolutely necessary. The last thing we need is to give him more information than necessary. Secondly, do NOT use magic under any circumstances. For the same reason as before. And finally, no matter what happens, keep your cool and do NOT accept any kind of deal he tries to make you. Do you all understand?"
Harry then looked around the room at all of those gathered. Hermione, sitting beside him while looking determined. Albus, wary, but also appearing resigned to the current situation. The heads of Houses, appearing even more apprehensive than Albus, but also looking to both the old man and Harry with trust. And finally Horace, who looked as if he wanted to be any place but here at the moment.
"Ok. Remember my rules." Harry said to them, before he opened the Black Book with one hand while keeping a tight grip on the scroll with the other.
Instead of the usual stationary lines of text one would find in a book, the words in the Black Book moved about the page as if they had a mind of their own, and the light in the office dimmed notably, as if it was being dampened by the mere precense of the book.
"Finally...." A disembodied voice declared, making everyone else look around in alarm.
"Finally... You are coming home.....my Champion...."
Then, before any of them could react, several tentacles shot out from the book as they each wrapped around all of them in some manner. The next thing they knew was their vision going dark as the same voice spoke to them through the darkness.
"Welcome, to Apocrypha..."