After reading over the research and doing some of their own, the general consensus between them was that it was still a desperate plan, but it had a high chance of working. Seeing how the other viable alternative that has worked before was something no one wanted to repeat, they decided to proceed with the plan.
Andromeda, Saltina, Remus, Dumbledore, and Snape worked together on the ward circle. They knew they had to create a stable magical area so that the soul pieces could exist outside of their respective vessels as well as be safe from outside influences while keeping the soul pieces there. Evan was worried that the pieces might be able to go to another link, so they had to ensure that the barrier would keep everything contained. Of course that would mean Harry and Evan would be alone within with Voldemort's soul fragments, but it was better than letting the soul free to be drawn elsewhere.
Amelia and Moody were busy with outside work as well. It turned out that there were more acts of violence and when they were able to capture a few of the ones causing it, they were newly minted Death Eaters striking out. Fudge, surprisingly, allowed for harsher retaliation and the Aurors were busy investigating and apprehending them. Rita, let off the leash by Evan, continued to write damaging articles about Ministry officials that were suspicious as well as families that had not publicly disavowed any relation to members who were Death Eaters. Not even the ones who claimed to be under the Imperius were ignored by her.
Amelia had asked Evan if the influx of letters from concerned citizenry had anything to do with her, insinuating that she had written any herself under the guise of different people, and had sighed deeply when Evan had shrugged. Truthfully, he did not know but he was amused by the idea and saw no reason to confirm or deny Amelia's thoughts, or to ask Rita herself.
Evan looked down at the ward circle with satisfaction. It was powerful, even inert. The latent magic written into the lines and the runes was palpable and he knew it would be better than anything he came up with on his own. His smirk turned sour slightly. It's nice having competent adults helping you, he thought to himself.
Snape looked up and caught the expression, mirroring it with a sour look of his own. "A problem, Mister Potter?" he asked acidly.
"Not that I see," Evan replied cheerily, making Snape blink. "Looks good to me so far."
Snape looked wrongfooted and nodded awkwardly. "I am surprised you are trusting me to be a part of this," he said slowly.
"Well you do know a lot about Dark Magic and how to mitigate it," Evan said reasonably. "You and Remus are probably on par as far as defense work goes related to that. You know more about the darker stuff than him so why wouldn't I want you involved? I want this to work."
"Are you not afraid that I would do something to sabotage this?" Snape asked, curious.
"It's crossed my mind but no, not afraid. I figure if you did try to mess with it, it'd be caught by the others and corrected. If something bad happened overall, you know you wouldn't survive afterwards." Evan shrugged. "And if I survived, you definitely wouldn't."
Snape looked at him soberly and said nothing. "You know that I was a Death Eater," he said eventually.
"Were," Evan nodded.
"Was the me on your plane the same?"
"He was," Evan nodded.
Snape looked saddened by that. He sighed deeply. "Why did you say that you were pleased to see me, when you arrived to this plane? Did you and I have a better relationship there?"
"No, you were a bullying git and an arsehole," Evan said, making Snape snort deeply. "But when things got worse, you risked a lot, playing against him. You walked to your end with eyes open and on your feet and I can respect that, especially since you could have avoided it. You saved lives in the end."
Snape said nothing, absorbing the information.
"You made mistakes when you were younger," Evan continued, looking at the ward lines. "You tried to make up for some of them since." He shrugged again. "Terribly, and ineffectually in a lot of ways. You could be a lot nicer and a better teacher honestly."
He grinned at Snape's scowl. "But I can forgive arseholery if you do what you need to and well. And well, I need it now, so there's that."
"Very pragmatic of you," Snape said tonelessly.
"You have to be to get things done sometimes," Evan said prosaically. "Afterwards, when things are calmer, we can hash out other problems."
"I look forward to it," Snape said sarcastically.
Evan chuckled. "See? Moments like this prove that you don't have to be a dick. You just like to be one most of the time and that's fair." He looked at the older man who snorted deeply. "Besides. You hate Riddle too. And that's enough for me."
"I do," Snape said quietly.
"Then let's do this right and make him suffer and die," Evan said.
Snape nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Was it a bad one?" he asked in the ensuing silence.
Evan looked at him. "Yeah, it was. And you knew it when you walked to it," he said quietly. He looked away. "Maybe see this as your second chance."
"Much like you are, doing all of this," Snape commented.
"Damn straight."
Snape sighed deeply, letting something he held out slowly. "Very well. Let us do this right."
-0-
"Thank you for the treats," Fleur said warmly. She narrowed an eye at him. "Why did you bring them?"
"Ouch, my feelings," Evan gasped, hand to his heart. "Can't a bloke show appreciation and bring a pretty girl something?"
"You find me pretty?" Fleur replied, cheeks lightly pink and her eyes bright.
Evan snorted. "You know I do."
"It is still good to hear said out loud," she replied demurely. They were currently in her room in the Beauxbatons carriage. When one of the house elves had announced that Evan was there to see her, she had brought him in. He was suitably impressed with the ostentatious appearance of the carriage's interior and the many different rooms. While small to account for room and space, they were well laid out and decorated to a high degree.
He had brought desserts for Fleur and her friends and after they fell on them with enthusiasm, Fleur had pushed Sophie, Colette, and Aimee out to give herself and Evan some privacy. Evan had made a show about not wanting to be left alone with her for propriety's sake, grinning all the while, causing them to laugh though hers had an air of irritation to it. Finally Fleur got the privacy she wanted.
"Something you should remember and consider," she said.
"Good to know. Actually it makes sense. Wisteria and Hedwig do love compliments and they do deserve them."
She narrowed her other eye. "Are you comparing me to snowy owls?"
"Just pointing out some similarities," Evan said, smiling when she smacked his leg. "Here." He handed her a roll of parchment and she opened it.
"Ah, I see that we were not far off either," she said with satisfaction, reading the notes. "We also believed the target to be gemfish. Aimee and Sophie were trying to determine the exact species. It is good that we agree."
"I bet we'll get a mix of them with different temperaments," Evan said. "They practically insinuated that we will."
"I agree. Have you told the other two?"
"I will after I leave here."
She preened, knowing she was first. "Very good." She then sobered. "How is Harry and his friends?"
"Good, thank you," Evan sighed. "Thanks again. I really appreciate what you and Sophie did."
"But of course," she said, waving a hand. "You have already done as much for Gabi. Sophie and I were walking and we noticed the fight and we had to intervene. They were older, which already made it unfair. Then to throw that kind of magic around? Disgusting."
She looked at him curiously. "Would you have stabbed him in the eye if you were not stopped?"
"I was going to," Evan said quietly. "That bother you?"
"Not at all. Any who threaten the lives of ones you care for should be well reminded to never try again should they survive the first attempt," she said dismissively.
Evan grinned. "No wonder we get along so well."
"Do we do that?" she asked, tilting her head and giving him a look.
"I am in your room, alone with you," he pointed out.
"That only shows that I am not threatened nor frightened of you," she pointed out.
"That's good."
"You only irritate me occasionally," she added.
"Well I mean to do that," he said with a small smile, making her smile in return.
"So that one that attacked, he has joined the one they called the Dark Lord?" she asked gently.
"Yep."
"How very stupid of him."
Evan smirked. "Yep," he repeated.
"And you are doing things to ensure his failure?"
He nodded.
"While competing in a very taxing and dangerous tournament? How very ambitious of you."
"You'd be surprised if you knew me before. Was always a bit more reserved and unambitious," he said lightly. He looked at his hands. "But needs must and all."
She reached out and took his right hand, turning it to frown at the back. "Who did this to you?" she asked, staring at the scarred words etched into skin and flesh.
"A frankly horrible woman," he said coolly. He made to take his hand back but stopped when Fleur tightened her grip on his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he stopped moving and sat beside her quietly. "She got hers in the end though."
"Good." Fleur gently rested one of her hands over the back of his, and squeezed his between hers. "Is there anything I can do?"
He looked at her with mild surprise. "Wouldn't ask you to do that."
"You would not have to."
"You're doing plenty right now," he said quietly.
She looked at him for a moment before shrugging eloquently. "Very well, but I will assist how I can."
"You won't throw the tournament though," he grinned.
She smiled sharply. "No, no I will not. I will take pride in proving my superiority over you."
"Fair enough," he chuckled.
After soft silence, Fleur frowned a little, a crease forming on her brow and she gave him a side-long look. "So the treat is really named 'spotted dick'?" She shook her head when he nodded and laughed. "Why?"
"Apparently an old English spelling for pudding was puddick and it was shortened to dick, and the spots come from the raisins and currants studded into it. It's good though, right?"
"And did you bring it to us just solely because it is good?" she asked, giving him another look. She shook her head as he laughed again. "So very irritating."
"If it's really irritating, I'll try to rein it back some," Evan said.
"No, in fact, I will consider it a compliment of sorts if you act in such a way around me because you feel comfortable to," she sighed. She smiled wryly. "In fact, it is oddly…refreshing, I think is the word for it. Most act so overbearing towards me, trying to prove something to impress me, or expect me to act a certain way with them. Others take liberties. The last generally constantly defer to everything I say and do. You are respectful, genuinely so."
She gave him another look. "If you tell others what I have said, I will deny it."
"Fair enough," he said with a small shy smile that made her blink but then made her smile all the more.
-0-
"I still hate this plan," Sirius grumbled. "It's really risky, and again, that's saying something for me to say that."
After days of planning and careful spellwork, the time had come. The ward circle was completed and all the work they needed to do beforehand was finished. Safely within Hogwarts in one of the innermost rooms, they inscribed the ritual circle they needed for the plan to work and prepared the solution for the magically enriched environment. They also procured various types of lilies, some that were dissolved into the solution and others placed around the ritual site.
"Gee, I wonder why," Remus said, his voice equally pawky. "We are going to remove pieces of a very dark wizard's soul, placed into magical artifacts through acts of murder, and then watch helplessly as the sons of our best friends fight it alone."
Evan patted both men on the shoulder. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, Riddle's soul fragments won't be the most dangerous thing in the circle." He grinned at Sirius' and Remus' combined sour looks. "Seriously, and not you Old Dog, but have you seen Harry fly? He's a menace on a broom."
Both older men snorted deeply. "What about you?" Remus asked, smiling.
"I honestly think he's better at flying than me," Evan said.
"What's your level of dangerous?" Sirius asked, amused.
"Oh well, if you're wondering about murderous, I'm higher," Evan said without shame or reservation.
McGonagall stared at him. "You worry me sometimes."
"Funny, that's what Professor Dumbledore said," Evan said, smiling cheerfully. "He also said something else that was very funny after."
"I said that he worries me other times as well," Dumbledore said dryly but his eyes twinkled slightly. He looked at Evan. "A question. We know that the soul pieces have some sort of…sentience in a way. Harry described the diary as manifesting a form that spoke and thought."
"It did and all of the Horcruxes could defend themselves by also speaking and doing things like that," Evan nodded. "The diary was the worst one though. It was probably the first Horcrux and had the biggest soul piece with the most personality, as much personality as No-Nose had anyways."
Dumbledore smiled a little. "What if they prove to be recalcitrant and refuse to leave the vessels? Or refuse to comply? They have little reason to."
"If that's the case, I'll do what I do best and annoy the shit out of them, forcing them to react." He looked at a stern Dumbledore. "What, I'm good at it."
"You are very good at it," Dumbledore sighed.
As the preparations neared completion, Evan rested an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You alright?"
"I think so," Harry said honestly. "As much as I can be given what we're about to do."
"You'll be fine," Evan said firmly.
Harry looked up at him. "I know, I trust you."
"Good. In less than an hour's time, we'll both be out of the circle and Riddle's soul fragments will be sent screaming to hell. Just remember what I taught you."
Harry nodded, nervous but resolute.
Finally it was time and Dumbledore looked at the assembled people. Sirius, Remus, Moody, Dora, and Amelia stood together, wands in hand and at the ready, looking grim but committed. Andromeda stood with Pomfrey beside a table full of medical supplies. Saltina looked the most interested out of all of them, almost delighted by the coming event. Snape stood to one side, looking slightly haunted but also committed. McGonagall stood with Andromeda and Pomfrey, looking worried but also at the ready. Evan and Harry already stood in the circle with a table that held the Horcruxes.
"We are gathered here to put an end to Tom Riddle's machinations," Dumbledore said softly but with steel. "We all are committed to this, and though we do not know the full scope of failure, we know that in doing so, there will be dire consequences. Together, we will overcome this trial and come through it successful."
He looked at Harry and Evan. "Are you ready?"
"Ready," the Potters said together.
When he looked at the others, they all nodded and made sounds saying they were ready. With a final nod, Dumbledore incanted, tapping parts of the etched circle. The lines glowed with magical light and the lights grew stronger and joined together, forming a solid barrier. When complete, Evan lit the cauldron that was in the circle and the air began to fill with the essence of the solution and potion being dissolved into the air.
"Mum's with us," Harry said, looking at the lilies around them. "We're going to do this."
Evan nodded. "Yeah we are," he said, his voice a little thick. They waited until the air was heavy with magical solution, making the air feel slightly viscous. Evan licked his lips and when he saw Saltina nod, he nodded himself. "Here we go."
He began drawing a symbol in the air with his wand and the symbol began to appear hanging in the magically infused air. He incanted slowly and smoothly, speaking a different language. The air began to shift and shimmer, feeling even heavier, making breathing slightly hard. The Horcruxes began to shiver on the table, pulsating. Dark threads of magic emanated from them, climbing and coiling.
"It's working," Saltina said, her eyes glowing slightly with magical light.
"Be careful," Andromeda said softly, watching the boys within the circle.
Harry grimaced. His scar felt like it was on fire and he could feel like something was moving within it. It was deeply unsettling. "I think it's working," he said and Evan looked at him and nodded.
"Good," Evan said, eyes glittering. He saw the smallest and faintest of tendrils leaving the scar on Harry's head and nodded. He turned to the Horcruxes and incanted more. The objects trembled and the dark threads increased in mass and amount but they did little more than wave the tendrils menacingly, like irritated anemone.
"Riddle, pieces of Riddle, I know you can hear me," Evan hissed. "Come out! Stop hiding like the cowardly pieces of shit you are! Craven pieces of a craven bastard! Hiding your inadequacies! If I were you, I'd hide from shame my own self! I wouldn't want people to know that I'm the shriveled shattered soul shits of a failure! You have no honor! No nose, no dick, no ball-"
"Anyone know what he's saying?" Amelia asked, hearing only hissing.
"Something funny apparently," Dora said, watching Harry laugh.
People turned and stared at a hysterically giggling Saltina. "Oh it is very funny," she said, smiling broadly. "And it's working!"
The tendrils waved angrily and started turning thicker and denser, taking shape in the magical air. They oozed out of the Horcruxes and at first, they seemed to stay separate. However, they eventually drifted into each other, drawn by magic and nature. The blobs of dark magic connected, joining seamlessly, forming an amorphous mass that pulsated venomously, leaking harsh light. Eventually, the tendrils coming from the object lessened until a thin strand was all that was left, connecting the blob to the item. The diadem was the first to appear that way and Evan slashed with his wand, speaking in the same different language. A spear of silver-bright fire shot out and burned the thread to nothing, severing the connection. The cup was the next, then the locket, then the ring. The argent fire burned the tendrils away and soon it was just a dark mass, floating in the air.
The mass quivered and then it reached out with more tendrils and Harry screamed in pain. As the tendrils appeared, the pressure in his head grew and grew, increasing his discomfort and turning it into outright pain. With the blob in the air, he felt like his head was going to burst. He clutched at his scar and he felt blood running down his hands and face.
"Harry!" Sirius shouted.
"Harry!" Evan turned and grabbed Harry by the shoulders. "Think about your parents! Hedwig! Think about the Old Dog and Remus and Andi! About Dora and Ted! Hermione! Ron! The Weasleys! Think about the people you care about, the ones you love! Do it!"
Evan's voice cut through the chaos in Harry's head and he nodded jerkily, trying. The pain was almost unbearable but he did as told, thinking about the people that Evan told him to. As he did, a warmth in his chest began to replace the pain, washing over him. The screaming in his head began to subside and he felt the pressure continue to build and build. As he thought about his parents, his owl, his friends, his godfather and new family, he thought about Evan too and then he screamed again as the pressure exploded out of him.
A shard of dark magic shot out of him, flying into the mass and joining it. It roiled, as if feeling immense pain, and it quivered, turning hard and spiky. It tried to escape the circle, smashing against the solid wall of light and bouncing off.
"It worked!" Snape gasped. He grimaced and clutched his arm, feeling the magic tattooed onto it burn.
Evan pushed Harry down, dodging the dark mass of shattered soul. He pointed with his wand and more silver fire shot out but the mass weaved around it, avoiding the flames. It zoomed around and then dove towards Harry, a malevolent screaming filling the air.
"What's it doing?!" Pomfrey gasped.
"It's trying to find a new host and return to Harry!" Remus shouted.
"We have to break the circle and help!" Sirius yelled.
"We cannot!" Saltina cried. "There's too much magic and pressure! It would cause too much destruction!"
Evan shoved Harry away, making the mass bounce off the stones. He reached into his bag and pulled out a silver blade and cut his hand. His blood flowed and dissolved into the magic rich air. "Come and get me!" Evan shouted, waving his bleeding hand.
As if scenting his blood, the mass turned and flew at Evan. A tortured face appeared in the dark magic blob, a mouth overlarge and screaming with wordless hate and fear.
"No!" Half-blinded by blood, Harry grabbed his wand and aimed it at the mass. "Expecto Patronum!" Silver light flared and from his wand burst a silver stag. The Patronus charged at the mass, horns down and it smacked it away, sending it flying and screaming. The stag chased after the mass, drawing strength and light from the lilies around the circle and it flew at the fleeing dark magic.
"Fuck it up!" Dora shouted.
The mass dove beneath the stag and it screamed again, making everyone stagger from the force of it. It gathered the magic in the air and a ball of dark malevolent energy flew out of it and it sent the missile flying at Harry.
"No!" Harry was bowled over and when he recovered, he gasped, seeing Evan on the ground, his chest smoking. The dark blast had hit him directly, burning through his clothes and scorching the skin beneath. With a cry of rage, Harry pointed his wand at the mass and the stag trampled it with shared rage, shredding it beneath silver hooves.
Evan, his face a rictus of pain, aimed with his wand and with a strangled shout, shot a gout of silver flame that finally hit the soul shards. The mass of dark magic caught alight and with a last tortured scream, dissolved in the heat of the Soul Scouring Fire, leaving no traces behind. The air was clean of dark magic, not even a trace left on the Horcruxes.
"Break the circle! He needs us!" Andromeda shouted, staring at the wound on Evan's chest.
Dumbledore incanted swiftly and the lines of magic around the circle began to pulsate. "It needs time!" he said as he tried to force it to dissipate faster.
"Oh no," Harry moaned, kneeling beside Evan. The older boy had slumped back on the ground, his breathing shallow and labored. His chest bled and smoked and he looked like he was in agony. Harry leaned in when Evan's lips moved. "What? My heart?" Harry asked, panicking.
Evan glared up at him and grabbed Harry's shirt. "Red potion, bag, my heart," he gasped.
"Oh!" Harry opened the beaded bag at Evan's waist and found the potion bag. He opened it swiftly and found the bright red potion. He pulled the cork out and hurriedly poured the contents over Evan's chest. The potion drops hissed as they touched Evan's skin and the young man grunted, biting his lip until it too bled. The potion combated the dark magic left by the wound and after some hissing and smoking, the wound healed somewhat. Evan sighed with relief, lying back and his breathing normalized a little while his eyes closed.
Suddenly his eyes snapped open and they were full of indignant outrage. "You prat!" he shouted and smacked Harry in the head, right over his ear.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Harry gasped, ear ringing.
"You were going to let me die and my memory live on in your heart?! You dumb prick! After all I've done for you?!"
"I wasn't going to do that at all! I panicked!"
"Obviously! Fuck me, I must have learned how to act under pressure after this year! You dumb idiot!"
"Fuck you?! Fuck me and you! Why didn't you warn me you were going to do that?!"
"I didn't think you'd panic! Come on we dealt with Quirrell and the Basilisk and bloody Dementors! That's it, I'm telling Hermione all of your secrets!"
"Hey! In that case, I'm telling Fleur all of yours!"
"I'm older and therefore I know more about you than you know about me! You got nothing!"
"We've got the same history and I know more than you think, you dumb idiot!"
"Potter! Both of you! Calm down!" McGonagall shouted.
"He started it!" the Potters shouted back.
"They really are brothers," Remus said, laughing helplessly from the sudden shift of emotion and the events that had just happened. "Goodness, just like you and James!"
"It really is," Sirius said, laughing and dabbing at his eyes.
When the barrier finally fell, Andromeda and Pomfrey rushed into the circle. "Quiet, the both of you!" Pomfrey shouted. She and Andromeda hovered over Evan and cast spells over him hurriedly. "What potion was that?" she asked.
"Flesh knitting, pain relief, and some anti-dark magic qualities," Evan said, wincing as the pain returned. "The pain relief part wore off already."
"We should get him to the Infirmary, it will be a cleaner and more stable environment," Andromeda said. "Better for healing."
"Agreed. Fawkes!" Dumbledore pointed when the phoenix appeared. "Take them to the Infirmary, as safely as possible please."
Fawkes nodded and flew to them. He landed on Evan's shoulder and extended a wing, touching Pomfrey and Andromeda. They disappeared in a flash of light and fire, but not before Evan threw a rude salute at Harry.
"Dobby, take Harry to the Infirmary too please," Dumbledore sighed and the house elf appeared and did just that, the pair of them disapparating with a loud crack.
"Well if he's got the energy to fight like that after, he should be fine," Moody said, deeply amused. He stomped over to the Horcruxes and waved his wand. "They're different."
Saltina, Remus, and Snape joined him, casting their own spells. "They are inert," Saltina confirmed. "Traces of dark magic remain slightly, but much more faint than before. The Soul Fire broke the connection. To be completely safe, we should have Evan cast the spell on them directly, but there are no fragments of soul left."
"It actually worked," Sirius said softly. "That's incredible." His smile turned cold and savage. "And now only Riddle and one more soul piece."
"Then it will be over and there will be justice," Amelia said with an equally hungry smile.
"Delayed, but not indefinitely so," Dumbledore said with satisfaction. He turned when another flash of fire heralded Fawkes' return. "Are they okay?" he asked worriedly. "Do we need to call for St. Mungo's or more assistance?"
Fawkes shook his head, giggling mightily. He sounded like merry bells ringing and he was shaking from his merriment.
"Still fighting?" Sirius asked, his smile warming. He chuckled when Fawkes nodded and disappeared again.
"I want to go see and listen to that," Dora said eagerly.
"We might as well," Dumbledore said warmly.