Harry's older self had witnessed what that seemingly benign ring could do, so he took no chances. "Before we do anything with this object, we should all wear dragon-hide gloves and protective goggles. I have a feeling it's very dangerous," he told the others.
Nobody felt like arguing. They all knew how ruthless Voldemort had been and had no wish to fall victim to one of his curses.
With the protective gear in place, Sirius opened the bag and levitated the box while both Remus and Hermione checked it for curses. Surprisingly, they found none. The box didn't even seem to be locked. Sirius used a spell to open the box and Remus levitated out the only object in it – a ring with a very simple stone on it.
Sirius let the box drop to the floor and cast a shield around the ring. They could all feel the darkness in it. Harry knew that it also had a very strong compulsion charm on it, so he didn't want to give it any more time to act. He levitated another cloth item left in the room and let it wrap around the ring. It then went like the previous times. The Horcrux, along with all the curses and the other spells cast on the ring were swiftly moved to the cloth. A moment later, it was dunked in concentrated sulphuric acid. Harry was delighted to hear the agonized wail coming out of the Horcrux as it was utterly destroyed.
Remus cast another series of diagnostic spells on the ring, finding it completely inert. "What do you want to do with this?" he asked, pointing at the ring.
Harry shrugged. "I'll add it to the collection. We may reconsider what to do with all the cleansed objects after destroying the last one, and even then, there's no hurry."
Remus smiled. "Are you a collector of such items?" he asked teasingly.
Harry shuddered. "Not at all! I wish there was no such object ever created. I assume that at least a few of them may have either artistic or historical value and should be given to someone or someplace that would appreciate them, but it's best to leave them hidden until we're sure we've got them all."
"What are these objects for, actually? I only noticed this one had the darkest aura, in a manner of speaking, that I've ever encountered."
Sirius didn't let Harry answer. "Believe me, Moony, you don't want to know. Besides. The information about this should not get out. Currently, we four are the only ones aware of this, and I'd like it to stay that way for the foreseeable future."
"You didn't even tell Dumbledore?" Moony sounded a bit confused, as if this was the natural thing to do.
Sirius shook his head sadly. "Think, Moony! Who is the one person who could make sure that I get a trial soon after my arrest? Who could have visited and asked me about what had happened? I used to be one of his top followers and he knew me for years. He should have at least checked the facts. He's done nothing for me. Whatever his reasons are, he certainly didn't put my interests, nor Harry's among his priorities. Knowing this, why should I trust him? He may just try to interfere, try to manipulate us for what he calls 'the Greater Good' – a nebulous concept that nobody really knows what it means. The less he knows about this, the better."
Remus didn't seem to like this response, but he could see the truth in it. "I won't tell him anything," he promised.
Actually, Remus joined Harry and Sirius when returning home. While he hadn't dared come for Easter due to the proximity of the full moon, he could safely join his friend this time. Sirius didn't talk about this, not sure how Harry would respond to the idea that his gentle friend turned into a dangerous monster for one night each month. Harry knew, of course, due to his older self, but pretended to know nothing. He just enjoyed getting to know Moony in a different way than his other-self.
\/\/\/
Time passed quickly. Their daily visits had them busy each and every day. The Spanish vacation, that followed Harry's birthday, which was also a first, was fabulous, although Sirius seemed to enjoy it the most.
His other self remembered a visit from Dobby during that summer. Harry couldn't remember the exact date, but it happened soon after they returned from Spain. For Harry, it was practically a replay of his other-self memory, until he changed it. "Dobby, I'm aware of that danger and I intend to stop it before it even reaches Hogwarts. I'll not let Hogwarts come under danger."
Dobby wailed with happiness. "Dobby knew that the Great Harry Potter Sir would know how to handle this, but Dobby will still keep an eye on Hogwarts, just in case."
Harry had no problems with that. He only made a note to himself to have Dobby freed from Malfoy in one way or another.
Once Dobby was handled, it seemed like summer was ending way too soon. Sirius was already busy planning his lessons for the coming year, so that he gladly accepted Ron's invitation for Harry and Hermione to join his family for the school shopping.
That day, he just let Harry join the Grangers, who took a day off to accompany the children for their shopping. Harry thought he already knew what to expect.
It all went quite well until they reached the book shop. Although there was no signing of Lockhart books this time, Lucius Malfoy was there, as expected, along with Draco. Harry still wondered if Sirius becoming Head of House Black had any influence on the two. He thought that Draco seemed to become less hostile and less arrogant since Sirius discussed with Narcissa. This didn't seem to affect his father.
As soon as Lucius noticed Arthur Weasley, he started taunting him, looking disdainfully at the second-hand books the Weasleys were buying. Harry watched carefully and was able to notice the exact moment that Lucius slipped a thin book among the ones Ginny was holding. Lucius left the store immediately after that, which Harry didn't mind. As soon as the Malfoy father and son left, Harry stopped Ginny, who was now helping her mother put the books on the counter, so they could pay for them.
"This book doesn't belong here," he said, pointing at the muggle-style diary that was still tucked between two other books. He levitated the diary out and put it in the magic suppressing bag he had taken with him. Hermione also had her wand drawn, ready to intervene if something went wrong. Molly looked disapprovingly at Harry using magic despite being underage, but refrained from talking, probably fearing to attract some more unwelcome attention.
They stayed with the Weasley gang until they all finished shopping. While Molly urged her children home through the Floo, Harry called Kreacher. "Please take us to Grimmauld Place," he asked.
Kreacher was glad to obey. A moment later they were walking to the room they'd been using for destroying the other Horcruxes. Although they could just destroy the diary, since it had no real value, Harry thought that it would be better to keep it, like the other cleansed items. Once again, they repeated the same actions, ending with the satisfactory wail of the destroyed soul piece.
"I think we've got them all," Harry said, feeling relieved.
"Are you sure? Couldn't there be another one?" Hermione was still cautious.
"We have the diadem, the locket, the cup, the ring and the diary. As far as we know, Nagini became a Horcrux only after Voldemort fled back to Albania after Quirrell burned. This time, he couldn't flee, so there's no other Horcrux, I believe. Is there a way to check it?"
Hermione thought for quite a bit. "We've not found any spell or ritual to do what you want. We should try to check the library here first and then, if we don't find anything useful, try the ROR again." She gave it a bit more thinking. "Maybe we should have left one Horcrux intact, to use it for such a search, but it was too much of a risk. On the other hand, even after cleansing, a faint magical stamp usually remains. It should suffice for our purpose, assuming we can find the appropriate procedure."
Despite the slight doubt, Harry felt that this part of their mission was complete. He felt like a heavy burden was lifted off him. Not sure how to express his feeling about it all, he just hugged Hermione and kissed her cheeks several times, before spinning her around him, still hugging. Hermione first gasped at his antics and then just giggled. She could understand what he felt. She actually felt about the same.
He let go of her after a while, both looking flushed. It took Hermione a few minutes to calm down. "If you want to dance with me, you'd better learn how to properly dance," she said in a mock admonishing tone.
Harry just laughed some more before answering. "Well, put it in your scheduler. In two years, I'd like you to be my dance partner at the Yule Ball."
Hermione sobered at the mention of that ball. She knew what it was part of. "You're thinking of the Triwizard Tournament?"
Harry nodded. "This time, I think it won't involve me." He then frowned. "Shouldn't we take care of Barty Crouch Jr., just to be on the safe side?"
Hermione had her answer almost immediately. "I believe that a letter to Madam Bones can help. Sirius may also contribute to it." She considered it some more and added, "I'll write a draft of that letter at home. We may work together on it when we meet tomorrow."
She gave Harry a short hug and then asked Kreacher to take her back home, where her parents were probably waiting for her. A short while later, Kreacher returned and took Harry home, where Sirius was already waiting to hear about his day while enjoying lunch.
\/\/\/
In the deep recesses of the DOM, Voldemort felt his hold on the possessed body of Quirrell getting weaker. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it couldn't be anything good for him, he was sure. That body, though, after the amputation of the affected arm, was still holding to life, although weakened. Quirrell, when Voldemort let him get control, was almost catatonic, unable to understand what happened to him and why. Voldemort didn't mind him too much. He only needed him until he could find a new body. Well, he first needed to find a way to flee this body. Despite some doubts, he still considered his Horcruxes safe. He had made enough, although one less than he considered ideal, so that even if one had been destroyed (and he was sure that nobody knew how to do that) there were quite a few others. If only he could overcome this weakness...
\/\/\/
Sirius was eager to help with Crouch. The elder Crouch was partly responsible for imprisoning Sirius without a trial. He could faithfully write his impressions from his time in jail. "Barty Jr's behaviour changed drastically a few days before he died, just after his parents' visit. Barty was healthier than most inmates until his parents visited, and then became ill at once. I can't say if Barty was poisoned or exchanged places with someone, but something wasn't quite right there."
Harry's letter (mostly written by Hermione) was actually a work of art. "While buying my school stuff, some rumours reached me, claiming that Crouch was hiding his Death-Eater son in his house and that the person who had died at Azkaban some years earlier wasn't that son. Please check these rumours to either prove them or disprove them, since such rumours may have a detrimental effect on the public morale and the way it sees the Ministry." The last sentence was intended to play on the sensibilities of Fudge and his cronies.
Madam Bones seemed not to waste time. Three days later, the headlines of the Prophet had the main points: "Crouch arrested after found to be keeping Death-Eater son under Imperius!" The whole story of love, deception and conflicts was detailed in the inner pages. Crouch Sr. was due to spend many years in the same prison he'd taken his son from, while Crouch Jr, as a convicted murderer and a fugitive, was sentenced to the veil.
Although Harry couldn't really be content when people suffered, no matter the cause, he was still glad that another risk, possibly a severe one, was eliminated.