Walking through the nearly abandoned hallway of Hogwarts, Albus looked up at his companion who was looking around. "I must thank you again for coming, Veronica. But if there is a chance of a Horcrux in the school then I need to know."
Slowly, Veronica nodded before she looked down at the old wizard beside her with a smile. "It's not an issue..." Her expression then turned sly. "As long as you give me a number of those sherbet lemon candies."
As his eyes twinkled, Dumbledore smiled widely. "I believe that I can give you a number of them. After all, it is not often that I find someone else who enjoys them."
Veronica just chuckled. "Well, it has been years since I've had one. Not to mention..." Trailing off, she stiffened and stopped. "Hold on..."
The previous good mood evaporating, Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "You sense one then?" At her nod, he seemed to look every bit of his age. "Then it is as I feared."
Frowning, Veronica held up her paw which held the remains of the diary with the locket wrapped around it. On her waist was a sack which contained the remains of Negini. "I can feel the resonance with the others... It's close."
Quickly, though not so much so to leave Dumbledore behind, Veronica began to move through the hallways. Eventually though, she came to a stop close to a tapestry showing a wizard and several trolls in tutus. As the undead woman growled, Dumbledore frowned some. "Veronica?"
With a snarl, she whipped around. "I can feel it! Very close, almost like it's right here, but there's nothing!"
Now thoughtful, Dumbledore walked up to her. "Curious. I remember this hallway as a matter of fact." That caught Veronica's attention as she turned toward the headmaster. "A number of years ago I found need for a washroom and a room appeared around here filled with chamber pots." His eyes began to twinkle in some humor. "While I never did find the room again, I do believe that it is highly unlikely that Tom would use a chamber pot as a Horcrux." It was then that Dumbledore noticed that Veronica had stiffened. "Hmm?"
Her eyes wide, she turned and regarded him. "Back in October, Harry mentioned a room here. He called it 'The Room of Requirement' and said that he held lessons for the DA. Apparently the room can change itself to fit whatever need the person has..."
The pieces slid into place within Dumbledore's mind. "Such as a place to hide a Horcrux. If he found it, no doubt Tom would believe himself clever to use it for a hiding spot, likely thinking that no one but him would ever know it was here." Looking at her sharply, he frowned. "Do you know how to access the room?"
For several moments, Veronica had her eyes closed before she nodded. "According to Harry, you need to walk along here several times while thinking of what you need. Then a door to the room will appear in the wall." Sighing, she turned toward the headmaster. "I think it best if you do so though. After all, it may not work for me considering my... condition."
Acknowledging the point, Albus began to walk back and forth along the hall as he repeated a mantra in his head. 'I need the place that Tom hid his Horcrux... I need the place where Tom his his Horcrux...' Suddenly a door appeared in the wall and he smiled as he opened it. Then his expression dropped seeing the room which had piles of objects that reached nearly to the roof. "Well... Perhaps it may be a bit harder then expected to find it."
While she facepalmed, Veronica sighed. "I believe that would be putting it mildly." Grimacing, she slowly shook her head. "Have I ever told you that I positively hate mazes?"
Slightly amused, Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I do not believe that you have."
Rolling her eyes, Veronica snorted. "Then let me tell you, I hate mazes." She then waved her hand toward the door. "Well, I suppose that we should get going then..."
Once he took a step inside, Dumbledore hummed a bit. "Thankfully, we shouldn't need long as you can track down the Horcrux."
Veronica looked around as she focused on the resonance she could feel and then gestured in a direction. "It's somewhere in that direction..."
Together, the two of them made their way through the maze of piles composed of junk from yesteryear.
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Looking at the item where it rested inside a iron box, Veronica frowned a bit as she unwrapped a sherbet lemon. After she popped it into her mouth, she rolled the sweet around before gesturing with one claw at the tiara-like object. "So... what exactly is this and why did you seem so put out?"
Still glaring at it, Dumbledore sighed. "This would be the lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. The fact that Tom has... tainted it has made me rather angry. This is one of the few remaining belongings of the Founders and to see it in such a way...'
After she thought it over, Veronica nodded. "I suppose that I can see where you might be coming from. Though it's a good thing that we don't need to worry about destroying it."
That got her a relieved expression from Dumbledore. "A fact for which I am thankful for... though that begs the question of how he may have come across it." Running a hand along his beard, he frowned. "Slytherin's locket he was lucky to come across, then we have possibly Hufflepuff's goblet, which would have been easy for him to find." Dumbledore leaned back into his chair and looked toward where Gryffindor's sword was. "Thankfully, the one relic of Gryffindor's is safe and is highly unlikely for him to have ever reached."
Reaching for another sherbet lemon, much to Dumbledore's slight amusement, Veronica hummed. "This would make... what? Five of these things we've found? Three of which are destroyed?"
If anything, Dumbledore began to smile. "Yes, which means that we have two items remaining. I shall need some time to perform some research, but I believe that it should not be too much trouble. And once we have those and destroyed them..."
Her eyes narrowing as they glowed, the animatronic fox nodded. "Then, with his One Rings destroyed, he'll be mortal and we can finish this once and for all."
Slowly raising an eyebrow as he closed the iron box that the diadem was in, Dumbledore frowned. "'One Rings'?"
Blinking, Veronica just stared at him. "Never read the Lord of the Rings books I take it?" At the shake of the head, she shrugged. "You should actually, the whole Horcrux thing made me think of Sauron and his One Ring." Several seconds passed and then she started laughing. "Oh bloody hell... I guess that would make you Gandalf the Grey then!"
Utterly confused, Dumbledore only hummed with a slight smile as he made a note to try and get the books in question.
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Hearing a sound, Bellatrix turned only to fall to her knees as Voldemort entered her room. Not looking at his face, she kept her face close to the ground. "My Lord..."
With her eyes to the floor, she didn't see his face... Or how he kept looking at the shadows in the corner as he wiped from blood from the wound on his head. "Bellatrix... my most loyal follower. I have need of your help in a project."
As her eyes widened, Bellatrix nodded. "Of course, my Lord. I am yours to for whatever purpose that you may have."
There was a slight twitch of one of Voldemort's bloodshot eyes as he thought he saw two red eyes looking at him before they disappeared. 'So few loyal to me... ready to strike at me if they think that they can do so.' Slowly looking down at the witch at his feet, he grinned. "Very good, Bellatrix. Now rise, I have a need to... improve the Dark Mark and I shall use you to help."
It said something that Bellatrix did not think anything off about how he said he was going to improve the mark that all the Death Eaters had. "Yes, my Lord."
Gently bringing her to her feet, Voldemort watched her with madness in his eyes. 'Yes... any traitors shall suffer.' Turning he chuckled. "Come, we have much work to do..."