Chapter 17: Ritual

(December 21, 1991)

 (Savrin POV)

 After sorting out some things in the school, Savrin told McGonagall that she would be in charge until morning while he sorted out a problem, though he failed to mention exactly what said problem was. Before departing, Savrin rounded up Godric and the others to give them a rundown of what would be happening, regardless of how much it would affect their mission overall.

"I will be performing the ritual to remove the horcrux tonight. If all goes well, the boy should be rid of it by tomorrow morning." Savrin told them, earning a worried look from Helga. "Is there anything we can do to help?" The little blonde asked hopefully.

"No. I've already got everything I'll need. The only reason I told you about this is because I want you all to watch the stars tonight. Use whatever means you can think of to get a better look at what is going on up in outer space. Hopefully you will be able to see the importance of this event for future reference." Savrin finished, earning thoughtful looks from the four children.

 "You said rituals work best during this solstice. Would it not be a good idea for us to take advantage of it and do some rituals of our own?" Salazar asked curiously, wondering if there would be hidden boons to doing rituals on himself.

"Yes and no." Savrin answered. "Now is the perfect time of year to perform rituals if one had the desire, however doing the wrong rituals would have the opposite effect you might want. The truly beneficial ones require days of preparation and weeks of study to make sure you fully comprehend what it is you want done. Though I know some that would be helpful to you, none of you could comprehend them in time to gain anything from them."

Though they were dejected at the missed opportunity, the four children didn't seem too put down on the matter of strengthening themselves. Despite not telling them, Savrin had his reasons for not wanting them to do rituals at the moment, but they wouldn't find out about why until later, but that was a whole other matter altogether.

 "Anyways, I need to get going now, so while I'm gone I want you all to look after things here. Maybe go place some of those warming charms around the school like I showed you to keep this castle from being so damned cold. Other than that, so long as you don't kill anyone you're free to do whatever you want." Savrin told them, getting nods of understanding before he disappeared into thin air, only to reappear outside the door to 12 Grimmauld Place.

He had every intention of simply appearing in the house, but given how Harry was here, he decided not to traumatize the poor boy more than he already had planned.

 ---------

 (The day before)

 (Harry POV)

 The train ride to Kings Cross station had been a bundle of excitement and worry mixed into one for Harry. He was excited that he wasn't going back to the Dursley's, but he wasn't completely sure about spending his holidays with a man he had never met.

However, depending on how it went with Sirius Black, he might never have to go back to the Dursley's again, and Harry simply couldn't pass up that opportunity, even if it meant that he couldn't spend the holidays with Ron back at Hogwarts.

Neville had stuck beside Harry for the entire ride back to King's Cross, and even invited him to hang out with Hermione and some girls from Hufflepuff. They were all very polite to him, and Harry wondered why he hadn't interacted with them more over the last few months that he had been in Hogwarts.

He shared classes with all of them at least once a week, but up until now the only ones he had really ever interacted with were Ron and two or three of the boys in his own year in Gryffindor.

 His question was answered when the train was finally pulling into the station, by none other than Sally Smith, a young girl who spoke exactly what was on her mind, regardless of who she was speaking to.

"You're not as stupid as I thought you were, Harry. If you somehow manage to separate yourself from that biased idiot, Ronald Weasley when we get back to Hogwarts, you should come hang out with us more often." Sally said, her words bringing Harry up short.

"Ron? What did he do?" Harry asked dumbly, not really sure what she meant. He must have been the only one who didn't understand her words, because everyone else in the train compartment was giving him looks of pity, even Neville, which somehow hurt more than it should have.

"He's joking, right?" Hannah Abbot asked, looking first to Hermione and Neville before she turned her gaze back to him.

 "Harry, I don't know if you know this, but Ron doesn't really treat people not in Gryffindor very well." Neville said quietly, almost in a whisper.

"That's an understatement, Neville, and he doesn't just treat people outside of Gryffindor like they're beneath him. Hermione wasn't spared his temper, nor were you and a few others who have tried to get close to Harry over the last few months." Sally stated, not holding anything back.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, still not understanding what they were trying to tell him. "Oh, Harry." Hermione said solemnly.

"Haven't you noticed how hardly anyone else in Gryffindor tries to come and hang out with you? It's because of Ron. He treats everyone else so poorly, and he's very vocal about telling everyone how you and he are 'best mates'. It's almost as if he doesn't want you to get close to anyone else." Hermione finished with an apologetic look on her face.

 "That's not even mentioning how he treats the other houses. According to him, if you weren't put in Gryffindor then you don't match up, and if you were put in Slytherin then you're automatically evil. Ravenclaws are all bookworms, and Hufflepuffs are idiots. Honestly, I don't know where he gathered that, but it's entirely wrong." Sally explained, finally spelling it out for Harry, and making him think back to the last few months in school.

He didn't think it was odd at the time, but Ron did go everywhere he went, which now that he thought about it was a little weird. Even when he had to go to the bathroom, Ron would usually follow him and talk to him, which had been uncomfortable at the time, but he didn't really think much of it when it happened.

'Could Ron be stopping me from meeting people and influencing the way I look at the other students in the school?' Harry wondered to himself. It was honestly not a thought he was comfortable thinking about, and he felt guilty about it because he was doubting his first friend, though if what he was just told was true, was Ron ever a real friend to begin with?

 Not wanting to think about the terrible dark thoughts in his head, Harry gathered up his trunk and disembarked from the train. He said his farewells to everyone, then made his way towards the barrier leading into King's Cross. Sirius had written to him that he would be waiting for him near there, so that's where he headed.

Before he had even reached the barrier, Harry found his path blocked by a tall, well-built, darkly handsome man with fair skin, short, lustrous black hair, which appeared much lighter in the sun than it actually was. Harry was about to step to the man's side when he noticed the striking grey eyes staring pointedly into his own eyes, which caused him to focus solely on the man.

Now focused on the man in front of him, Harry realized that he seemed somewhat familiar, though he couldn't place him for some reason. The air around the man seemed to scream "elegance", but the way he seemed so relaxed made Harry want to relax in turn.

 "Excuse me, but do you know me?" Harry couldn't help but ask. A part of him knew who this man was, but for the life of him he just couldn't put a name to his face. "Of course I know you. You're my Godson." The man said, and at once Harry's eyes went wide with realization and confusion at the same time.

Harry had looked at the piece of newspaper from Sirius' trial almost every night since it happened, but the man standing before him looked like someone else entirely from the gaunt malnourished man from the paper, though he did share some similarities.

"Is that you, Sirius?" Harry asked, unsure if he believed what he was seeing. "I clean up quite well, don't I?" Sirius said, and Harry could only nod in agreement. Compared to the frail old man he had seen in the paper, Sirius looked to be in his mid to late twenties, and he no longer looked weak.

On the contrary, if one hadn't seen him during his trial then they would think this man had never missed a meal and trained in physical fitness every day of his life.

 *Cough!*

 The forced cough pulled Harry's attention away from Sirius, and it was only then he noticed a tall, handsome, older gentleman standing just behind his Godfather. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry. I am Lord Arcturus Black, head of the most Ancient and Noble House of Black. You may call me Lord Black or Grandfather, whichever you prefer." The man said, bringing Harry up short as he turned to look at Sirius for an answer.

"Oh yeah. I haven't mentioned him, have I?" Sirius said as he looked at Arcturus before looking back at Harry. "This old cut-throat is my Grandfather. He's the one who got me out of Azkaban and is trying to force me to produce an heir. Pay him no mind." Sirius finished, shooting a frown at the old man.

"One way or another, Sirius, I will have my heir, whether it's Harry or not is entirely up to you." The old man said, earning a scowl from Sirius, and leaving Harry completely confused.

 "Do-Do I want to know what's going on?" Harry asked, feeling as though he had been roped into something he wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with, if he understood what Arcturus meant about him being an heir. "Maybe later, Harry. This isn't the time or place to be discussing something like this." Sirius said as he surveyed the area.

Taking a look for himself, Harry noticed a few people trying to eavesdrop onto their conversation, which meant Sirius was entirely correct. "Right then. This way." Arcturus said before he began leading them away from the barrier into King's Cross.

"Don't we get out of the platform through there?" Harry asked as he followed along. "Hmmm? Oh, no. That'll take us to where the muggles are. We're going by Floo powder." Arcturus said, confusing Harry.

"What's Floo Powder?" Harry couldn't help but ask. "You've never traveled through the Floo Network?" Arcturus asked after turning to look at Harry. "No. I don't even know what it is." Harry admitted honestly.

"Hmmm… Well, there's no better time to learn than the present. Especially since there's only one fireplace in the house connected to the Floo Network. It'll be a lot less confusing than if you were traveling to Diagon Alley." Arcturus said, his words doing nothing to answer Harry's question.

 Soon enough they arrived at a number of huge fireplaces where witches and wizards were leaving through green flames. Harry watched a number of people go through, and he had to say it looked like a fascinating way of travel. When it was their turn, Arcturus pulled out a bag from his pocket and held it out to Harry.

"This is the powder. Just speak clearly about where you want to go, then toss it on the ground at your feet. I'll go first, so just do as I do. Oh, yes. Before I forget." Arcturus said before he pulled out a slip of paper. "Read this." He said, then handed it to Harry.

"12 Grimmauld Place." Harry read aloud, only to have the paper snatched from his fingers as soon as he finished reading. "I put the Fidelius Charm on the old place a few months ago for some peace of mind. Not that it's done anything against that monster." Arcturus said, whispering the last part to himself, though Harry still heard him.

"Anyway, just say the name loud and clearly. Let me hear you say it, just so I know you have it." Arcturus said, to which Harry did as instructed. He had to repeat it five times before the old man was satisfied.

 When he watched Arcturus get wrapped up in green flames, Harry had to admit that it was brilliant and terrifying mixed together, and that feeling only increased when Sirius pushed him forward to do the same. Taking a deep breath, Harry held out his hand that held the handful of green powder before exhaling slowly.

"12 Grimmauld Place." He said, then tossed the powder at his feet. He wasn't sure what to expect when the flames wrapped around him, but seeing a dim light in front of him was not it. Feeling a pulling sensation, Harry stepped towards the light, only to stumble and fall flat on his face.

"We're going to have to work on that." A voice came from in front of him. Looking up, Harry saw that it was Arcturus. Harry was still lying on the ground when there was a sound from the fireplace behind him, which meant Sirius had arrived.

"You alright, Harry?" Sirius asked with a small laugh before he set Harry's trunk to the side before helping Harry to his feet. "I'm fine, thanks. Just wasn't quite expecting that." Harry admitted as he looked to the fireplace then down to himself to make sure he wasn't on fire or anything.

 "Sirius, I'll leave it to you to show Harry to his room and to give him a tour of the place. Dinner will be in one hour, then afterwards we have much to discuss with each other." Arcturus said as he turned to leave before stopping.

"Kreacher. Take the boy's trunk to his room." Arcturus added, and at once an old shriveled house elf appeared. Harry had heard stories from Fred and George about the House Elves in the Hogwarts kitchens, but this was the first time he was seeing a House Elf in person.

"Harry Potter is the godson to the current heir to the House of Black. You will treat him as a Black and do exactly what he says. Do you understand?" Arcturus said to the old elf who bowed its head in understanding. "Of course, Master. Kreacher lives to serve the Noble house of Black." The elf said before it popped away with Harry's trunk.

 With that over and done with, Sirius led Harry around the house, showing him each and every room which had been shined to be almost immaculate. When they arrived at the room Harry would be staying in, Harry found a room decorated with lots of green and silver.

"This was my brother, Regulus' room. He died a long time ago, so he shouldn't care that it's yours now. We can change the coloring later if you like, but green actually doesn't look so bad." Sirius said with a smile as he looked Harry straight in the eyes.

"You look so much like your father, but your eyes, you got those from your mother." Sirius said, then handed Harry a picture. It was of his mother, father, and him when he was just a baby.

"This was your first birthday. You were a troublemaker even at that age, just like me and your dad." Sirius said, but Harry barely listened as got a look at his parents for the first time he could remember.

 ------

 Dinner had been great, if only a little quiet. Sirius and Arcturus didn't say much to one another, and when Harry tried bringing up the subject of him being heir to the family, Arcturus simply stated, "We don't discuss business at the table." then proceeded to change the subject by asking how school had been going.

Harry had tried answering a few questions, but most of the time Arcturus would reprimand him for speaking with food in his mouth or for slouching or for eating with his elbows on the table.

"We'll have to get you some lessons on noble etiquette as well." Arcturus said once they finished eating, and Harry wondered if it was too late to go back to Hogwarts.

 After finishing dinner the three of them made their way into a large sitting area that had five armchairs and two large sofas. Arcturus made his way to the biggest chair by the fire, while Sirius moved to lay down on the sofa furthest away from the fire, though whether that was to escape the heat or Arcturus, Harry didn't know.

"Before we get to the fun and games, I think it would be prudent of me to explain a bit of your history, Harry." Arcturus began, causing Harry to perk up in the chair beside him. Any chance he could learn anything about his parents, and he was sure to pay attention.

"First of all, despite everything you might have already been told, House Potter is actually an Ancient House by magical standards, though it is not nobility, which a few of the great houses like my own have been granted by the crown some centuries ago."

Harry could only blink stupidly at the old man, who looked to be waiting for Harry to ask questions to clarify things, but Harry didn't honestly know where to start.

"Actually, I don't know anything about my father's side of the family. No one at school has told me anything either. As for nobility, I didn't even know there were magical families that were nobles." Harry finally admitted after a minute of Arcturus staring at him.

 "So I'll be starting from scratch then." Arcturus said, sounding a little tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you at least heard about the Sacred Twenty-Eight?" Arcturus suddenly asked, and Harry had to pause as he thought about that for a minute.

"I remember hearing Malfoy talking about it to Crabbe and Goyle, but I don't actually know what they are." Harry answered honestly. He was feeling bad for himself because it didn't seem he knew anything about the wizarding world or his family, but he hoped to learn something tonight.

"Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Three families that shouldn't even be used in the same sentence as the word 'noble'. They're not nobility, for the record." Arcturus stated, causing Harry to smile because he firmly agreed.

 "The Sacred Twenty-Eight were, according to the author of the Pure-blood Directory, a book published in 1930 by Cantankerus Nott, the twenty-eight British families that were still "truly pure-blood" but it's all just one fool's opinion to make himself and some others look better than other magical families. Though house Black is one of the Sacred twenty-eight, it was just someone's opinion to put us on there, most likely because at the time we were one of the most powerful families in the world." Arcturus explained, and Harry actually felt himself listening.

'This will come in handy the next time Malfoy tries to use the Twenty-Eight as an excuse for something.' Harry thought happily.

 "Despite the families with a greater history or more wealth, many of those families didn't make the cut for the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but that was due largely in part to their views on the world. For instance, Your great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all shared the views that no wizard or witch was better than others simply because of how many witches or wizards were in the family. They supported muggleborn witches and wizards, and throughout history many Potters married muggleborn witches, like your father for instance. It was because of these views that they were not listed as Pure-bloods." Arcturus explained, and Harry couldn't help but feel a wave of warmth spread through him at the thought of his ancestors fighting back against the bigoted Pure-Bloods.

 "You come from a rich and great heritage, Harry, and though I have my own opinion and beliefs, I will not force them upon you. However, I knew your grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, and I can say for certain they would not want their grandson growing up ignorant and stupid about our world. Even Sirius can attest that they were one for manners and education." Arcturus explained, then looked to Sirius for confirmation.

Sitting upright on the sofa, Sirius looked at Harry before letting out a sigh. "It's true. After I ran away from home when I was sixteen years old, your grandparents took me in. I still remember how your grandmother used to discipline James and I for doing something wrong. On top of that, she held us to a higher standard than anyone else, which is probably why we did so well in school. In almost every class we were the top students, and we didn't even study after classes either. Still though, she was one of the kindest witches I have ever met." Sirius explained with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Hearing about his grandparents, Harry was beside himself with joy and he couldn't stop himself when he asked, "What happened to them?"

 Both Arcturus and Sirius shared a look, but it was Arcturus who looked to Harry to answer. "In 1979, a year before you were born, they were murdered by Death Eaters. But it wasn't just them. All of the old families who didn't support Voldemort were picked off one by one before they could rally together to stop him. Your grandparents were some of the last of the older generation to die, which just went to show how strong they were."

Harry was saddened to hear that his grandparents were also murdered by Voldemort and his followers, but he was proud of them for not giving up and siding with the Death Eaters. "They died fighting, just like my mother and father." Harry said, somewhere between proud and sad.

"I'll say. From what I heard, when Flemont and Euphemia's bodies were found, they were surrounded by more than twenty corpses who once served Voldemort, and that's just mentioning how many they killed, not how many were actually there. Some of the Death Eaters escaped, so it's likely they could have been fighting thirty or forty witches and wizards at once." Arcturus said proudly, and Harry couldn't help but puff out his chest slightly.

 "Did I have any aunts or uncles?" Harry asked hopefully, wondering if they too fought the Death Eaters.

"Not really. You have to understand, your grandparents were as old as me, so when your father was born, it was already a miracle your grandmother didn't die. Still, though you didn't have any aunts and uncles, you did have a great-aunt and uncle. Why, my sister was one of them." Arcturus explained, making Harry's eyes widen in surprise.

"You mean a Black married a Potter?" Harry asked, and it was only after he had spoken before realized how rude his question might have sounded.

"Like I told you, the Potters were a powerful ancient family, and even the house of Black knew that." Arcturus said, ignoring Harry's earlier comment.

"Didn't great-aunt Dorea get kicked out of the family for marrying Charlus Potter?" Sirius questioned with a frown.

"I blame that coward you called 'father' and that bigoted worm you called a mother. They were quick to disown anyone from the family who didn't share their beliefs." Arcturus said a touch angrily before he let out a sigh.

"It didn't matter, however. They were killed before Walburga cast them out of the family. Charlus was too much of a threat to be left alive, given how he was one of the few who fought against Grindelwald back in the day, he knew who to rely on and how to gather support to fight Voldemort."

 When Harry asked about Grindelwald, Arcturus couldn't help but let out another sigh. 'They're supposed to learn about this in History of Magic, but if Savrin is right, I bet they aren't even learning anything that happened in the last three hundred years.' Arcturus thought in annoyance, and already he was planning on fixing that issue come the new Year.

It was well past midnight before Arcturus rose from his chair, saying how he was going to turn in. Sirius wished Harry goodnight before he too did the same, but Harry was too excited to go to sleep. This had been the best night of his life, and he couldn't wait to learn more about his parents in the coming days.

 --------

 When Harry did finally wake up the next morning, it wasn't by choice, and it wasn't very pleasant. Sirius was standing over him with an empty glass in hand, and Harry was soaked from the waist up.

"Sorry about that. Your dad woke me up like that on our last day of school at Hogwarts and when I saw you there, I couldn't help myself." Sirius said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"What time is it?" Was all Harry could say, though internally he was already plotting on getting his revenge against his godfather. "A little after eight O-clock. I know it's a bit early, but today is going to be a busy day." Sirius said, sounding a little sullen at the end, which Harry did take notice of, though he didn't say anything.

 Hastily getting dressed, Harry made his way downstairs to the dining room where Arcturus was already waiting. "Good morning, Harry." Arcturus greeted him as soon as he entered the room. "Good morning… grandfather." Harry said, a little unsure at calling the man he had only met yesterday by such a familial title. "Morning to you too, gramps." Sirius chimed in from beside Harry.

 The three of them ate in relative silence for a little over ten minutes before Arcturus cleared his throat to gain their attention, then spoke, "Savrin will be coming this evening, Sirius, so you best explain things to the boy before then."

Scowling, Sirius replied, "I was going to tell him about it later this afternoon. There's no point in telling him about it so soon, especially when he hasn't even finished eating breakfast."

Harry had no idea what they were talking about, but he knew it had something to do with him, and he decided that he didn't want to remain in the dark. "Explain what to me? What's going on?" He questioned Sirius, and when he didn't answer after a moment of silence, he turned his attention to Arcturus.

 "It's best you tell him now so he has time to mentally process everything before Savrin gets here." Arcturus once more reiterated to Sirius, who no longer looked annoyed but rather sad.

"Harry, there is something you need to know about what happened on the night your parents were killed." Sirius began, then went on to explain about how it was his mother who protected him with an ancient magic, then explained how when Voldemort's killing curse backfired and killed him, he made a last ditch effort to save himself by leaving a piece of his soul inside Harry, which explained the scar.

Harry was still trying to digest everything when Sirius continued, "I know it seems bad, but the reason we're telling you this right now is because someone is coming tonight that can remove the horcrux from you. His name is Savrin, and he is a very, very powerful wizard."

 It was all a lot to take in, and Harry honestly wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling. He was more confused than anything, but he hoped to make sense of the whole situation before too long.

 -----------

 (Savrin POV)

 The door opened almost immediately after knocking, and Savrin stepped in past the small elf who had let him in. It was in both of their best interests if Savrin didn't stick around him for too long, and given how Kreacher didn't particularly like Savrin, the little elf saw no reason to stick around after letting him in.

Savrin didn't have to wait more than a half a minute before Arcturus came walking down the stairs to greet him, looking somewhat puzzled as he did.

"Is there a reason you didn't just pop in like usual?" Arcturus asked, earning a thoughtful 'hmmm' from Savrin. "I thought it might be better to not appear out of nowhere and traumatize the boy more than I already have planned, plus this is also a good way to keep you on your toes." Savrin finally admitted, doing a good job of annoying the man.

 Rather than stay there in the hallway, the two of them made their way to the sitting room where they found both Harry and Sirius relaxing. As soon as Harry saw Savrin he seemed to jump up from his chair in excitement, but Savrin couldn't be sure if it was meeting him or if the boy was just anxious to have the horcrux removed from his head.

"I'm Harry, sir. Harry Potter. A pleasure to meet you." Harry said as he held out his hand in greeting. "The name is Savrin Kincade. I trust you've already been told as to why I'm here?" Savrin said he shook Harry's hand.

"Yes, Sir. I'm ready to begin whenever you are." Harry answered, looking far more eager than Savrin would have guessed.

"Not so fast. There are still a few hours yet before the solstice, and I need to finish up some last minute preparations. I also feel it is important to tell you that this will be painful, so you will need to mentally prepare for that." Savrin stated, getting a nod of understanding from Harry.

 "It'll take me an hour or two to get everything in order. In the meantime, drink this potion. It'll cleanse your body of anything it's currently trying to digest. Once that's done, eat these two pills, but make sure to swallow them without chewing. After that, drink these two vials." Savrin explained while passing the potions and pills in question to Harry.

Just as he was about to leave the room, he stopped before adding, "By the way, I would highly recommend you drink that first potion in the bathroom." Then he was gone.

 Making his way to the attic, Savrin shrunk everything in the boxes and put it all in a bag before tossing it down the stairs. With the room now cleared of its clutter, Savrin began unleashing his magic on the building, and at once the roof began to morph and change until it looked like a rooftop patio. Now exposed to the outdoors, Savrin got to work creating the circles.

 A little over an hour later, Savrin was staring at the finished product of his labor, and he had to admit that it was pretty good. Granted, anything he did was going to be great compared to the works of the mages of this world, but that's besides the point.

Pulling some items from his pocket dimension, Savrin placed them at certain points around the ritual circle, completing all of the preparation work, at least the outside part. He still had to go check on Harry, who would be key to this whole thing.

Looking up into the sky, Savrin let a small beam of magic shoot upwards into the clouds then smiled. 'It won't be long.' He concluded, having seen for himself when the sun and moon would be perfectly aligned.

 Making his way downstairs, Savrin saw Arcturus and Sirius standing outside the door to one of the bathrooms. "Is he still under the effect of that first potion?" Savrin couldn't help but ask, knowing full well that it should have already passed a while ago.

"No, he just had to take a shower. After that first potion, some black gunk came out of his skin all over him, so I told him to wash it off." Sirius explained, making sense of the whole thing. Savrin should have realized Harry might have had contaminants in his skin that shouldn't have been there, but he wasn't used to the lack of care these witches and wizards treated their bodies.

 It didn't take much longer before a clean and refreshed Harry stepped out of the bathroom, at which point Savrin practically shoved the pills down his throat, then the contents of the two vials. Once that was done, Savrin explained in great detail what would happen, and what they should prepare for. By the time he finished explaining everything, midnight had come and gone and it was now 3:45 am.

"It's time." Savrin stated, at once drawing everyone's full attention. They all moved up to the top floor where all but Savrin were surprised at the changes that had been made to the house.

"Relax, Arcturus. The charms protecting the house are still effective even though we aren't technically in the house." Savrin alleviated the unspoken fears of the Black patriarch with that one sentence, and it was only then that they moved on to the ritual circle, which was somehow glowing in the moonlight.

 "Sit in the center of the circle." Savrin instructed Harry, who didn't hesitate to do as he was told. "When the solstice reaches its peak you will feel pain. Do not fight it, but guide it towards your scar. And remember Harry, keep in mind that you want to remove that which is harming you. That you want it gone." Savrin instructed, repeating what he had already explained to Harry downstairs.

For a few minutes they all just stood there in silence as they waited, and then at exactly 3:53 am, Harry began screaming.

 -----------

 (Harry POV)

 The pain was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before, but he didn't try to fight it. Doing as Savrin explained, he focused intently on his scar while repeating in his head, 'I want to remove anything that is harming me! I want anything leaching off of me or trying to control me to be erased! I want everything causing me pain gone!'

The pain lasted for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only a minute or two, but it seemed that was enough. The scar on his head began to release a light, and Harry could swear he could hear a man crying out in agony. At the same time, he also thought he heard a woman's voice in his head, but instead of crying out in pain, she was repeating his own words.

 When the light from his scar seemed to die out, a ghostly man appeared in front of Harry, and it was at that moment when the weird looking items placed around the circle began to glow. One by one they seemed to shoot forward and penetrate the ghostly man, causing him a considerable amount of pain, if his screams were anything to go off of.

Harry for one was glad, and watched the scene before him with rapt attention. For almost a minute the ghostly man cried out in pain, but suddenly a blackhole seemed to appear out of nowhere and chains shot out of it and wrapped around the man. Harry watched the man struggle to break free of the chains, but try as he might, he was helpless to stop whatever was after him. If the look of terror on the man's face was anything to go off of, Harry hoped that he would never have to experience whatever those black chains were.

 When the ghostly man was finally pulled into the blackhole, it winked out of existence and Harry felt as though a weight was pulled from his shoulders. He barely had time to smile happily towards Sirius before he felt himself losing consciousness.

 -----------

 (Savrin POV)

 Seeing Harry about to fall flat on his face, Savrin appeared in a blink and caught him before he touched the ground. "Is he alright?! What's happened?!" Sirius cried out in worry as he moved to take Harry from Savrin.

"He's fine. The ritual was a complete success, and now the boy is simply exhausted. Take him to his room and let him sleep. It wouldn't hurt to check on him around noon to make sure he isn't suffering any side-effects, but as far as I can tell, he made it through just fine." Savrin answered, his words doing the trick of putting Sirius' worries to rest.

 While Sirius carried Harry to his room to get some much needed sleep, Arcturus approached Savrin before asking, "What was in that blackhole with the chains?" Savrin didn't answer right away, instead he had a goofy smile as he stared at where the piece of Voldy's soul had been dragged into.

When he finally looked back at Arcturus he replied, "Lets just say, Magic takes on many forms when one tries to abuse her laws." With that, Savrin waved his hand and the attic that had once been a part of the house returned and the bag containing all of the boxes and junk that were in the room before, flew up the stairs before depositing everything back to where it had been before Savrin had gathered it all up.

 Once they made their way downstairs into the sitting room, Savrin pulled a paper from thin air before handing it to Arcturus. "What's this?" The man asked curiously as he began to look it over.

"It's my formal application for Headmaster of Hogwarts. Don't expect Dumbledore to make it to the New Year." Savrin answered, earning a frown from Arcturus. "How much longer does he have?" Arcturus couldn't help but ask.

"He'll die precisely at 11:59 on Christmas eve." Savrin answered, surprising Arcturus once again. How he had managed to pinpoint the exact moment of Dumbledore's death was anyone's guess, but Arcturus saw no reason to begin doubting Savrin now. After all, he hadn't been wrong about anything yet, and if he looked too deeply into it, that might be his time of death as well.

 "I expect to be notified of my appointment as Headmaster at noon on Christmas day. Understand?" Savrin said, getting a nod of understanding from Arcturus, who was still thinking about Dumbledore's imminent death.

"Good. With that, I'll see you then." Savrin finished before disappearing from the house entirely, leaving a perplexed Arcturus to stand there and think about everything he had seen and learned of tonight.

As for Savrin, he went back to Hogwarts, already imagining the Christmas present he had set up for himself. 'I'll be able to shed that idiot's appearance and go back to my own! I. Can't. Wait.'