"You're going to transfer it to an object?" Hermione asked, agast.
"Of course!" Ravenclaw said. "That's the only way to take it out of a host. And the best way to study one of these, without having one of our students or masters having to create one!"
"But that's a piece of Voldemort's soul!" Hermione protested.
"Yes. An inert piece that is less powerful than the whole, and which would be completely disoriented upon awakening, were we to make a mistake and activate it. How else do you propose that we study these things?"
"Easy, mother," Helena said quietly. "Today has been a bit overwhelming for them."
Ravenclaw harrumphed, but did not confront Hermione further. A moment later an Elf - Harry assumed it was the same one as before, but he was a bit frazzled - popped back into the room. It presented Hufflepuff with a rock about the size of a small melon before popping away. She and Ravenclaw both examined the rock and then traded a few looks. Finally, Hufflepuff got up and approached Harry with it.
"It would be best if you held this," she said, handing him the rock. "The soul fragment might not want to move, and having a tangible connection between the former and future hosts will help the process."
Harry accepted the rock, but he paled at the thought of the soul fragment refusing to leave his body. What if it could possess him like in the horror movies Dudley used to watch late at night without his parents knowing? Harry had rarely been able to see them from the slits in his cupboard door, but hearing them had been bad enough.
Hufflepuff didn't seem to notice his trepidation, as she again poked and prodded the goop on his forehead. "That seems firm enough, now," she declared. Then she grabbed three more bottles and a jar from the table. The blue bottle she handed to Hermione. "Pour this on the rock exactly when I say to," she told her firmly.
Hermione nodded, though Harry thought she looked a bit afraid. "I will."
"Good." Hufflepuff handed the brown bottle to Neville. "Pour this on his forehead exactly when I say to," she instructed. Neville nodded with even more trepidation than Hermione had. The last bottle, the clear one, went to Harry. "You'll want to drink this in a minute," she warned him. "It dulls pain, up to a certain level. Men who've been gutted report that it doesn't get rid of the pain entirely, but as they were able to calmly tell me that and not scream in agony, I think it will do well enough."
"He'll be in agony?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Hufflepuff admitted. "But it is likely. We've never done this with a human host before. There was a mouse that accidentally came between a wizard and his prepared object, and we made the switch for him, which is how Ravenclaw and I developed this process. But the mouse wasn't exactly a forthcoming patient."
Harry was quite reassured by hearing that they had, in fact, done this before, even if his predecessor had only been a mouse. Hermione didn't look as convinced, but Hufflepuff didn't seem to notice, or care. She opened the jar and liberally spread a pale yellow salve on both of her hands.
"Now Potter, drink that potion right down and then grab the stone with both hands again," Hufflepuff instructed.
Before Harry could follow her order, Helena added, "The soul fragment will fight the magic, Harry, but you shouldn't. Will the magic to work; encourage the magic to work. It could save you from a potential backlash."
"Okay." Harry nodded, and before he could think twice, tossed back the potion. It tasted strongly of herbs and was thick like cough syrup, though not as foul tasting. Harry quickly set down the bottle and then cupped the rock firmly in both hands.
A few moments later, he began to feel as though he was fading away, or perhaps floating. He could see his hands holding the stone, and Hermione and Neville's worried faces, but he couldn't feel any of it. Dimly he heard Hufflepuff say, "Now boy, tilt his head back and place your free hand between his scar and his eyes."
Harry's view changed from Hermione's face to the ceiling, but he hadn't felt his head or neck move. A hand appeared at the top of his line of sight, and then he felt a slight tug.
"Now that the paste is out of the way, get ready to pour," Hufflepuff instructed. The hand in Harry's vision shifted slightly.
"Girl, pour the potion on the rock, now!" Hufflepuff demanded. Harry felt the oddest sensation on his hands, but he was too hazy to figure out how to describe it. "Boy, your potion now! Try to concentrate it on the scar!" The odd sensation was repeated on his forehead, making Harry want to giggle.
Another hand moved into his field of vision, swooping over his forehead and settling behind the first hand. "Step back, you two, now!" Hufflepuff said. Suddenly, Harry felt pain. Pain in his head, pain in his hands, pain radiating through his whole body.
"Easy, Harry. Ride with the magic," a melodic voice said.
Harry tried to relax. Good magic, he thought. Good magic that is going to help me. The pain in his body started to ease, though it was still concentrated around his head and hands.
"Good Harry! Keep it up!" The melodious voice encouraged him.
Harry relaxed a little more, as the pain in his hands began to dim. Nice, helpful magic. he thought. Not painful at all magic. The pain ebbed even further, until it was only in his head and just barely tickling at his hands. Good magic, he thought again.
He wasn't sure how long it lasted, the pain and his stream of disjointed patter, but suddenly, like one of Dudley's balloons popping, the pain vanished. A moment later, Harry slipped into darkness.