Harry approached the Gaunt shack and held his hand up in the air. As he felt the wards that encircled the property, he gave a small smile and chuckled at the simplicity of the wards. It was obvious that Tom relied on his Parseltongue ability to add to the difficulty of the wards but that was their only advantage. The language used to cast the wards were the only difficult thing about them as Harry used his lessons at the hands of his grandfather and mother and his own Parseltongue ability to tear them down.
Harry sat there for a second and realized that one of Cadmus' sons must have been Salazar. It only made sense and it would be a question he would have to ask the next time he communed with his ancestors. Another realization that gave him a shudder was that he was distantly related to Tom. He then thought about Dorea telling him that he was related to most of the magicals in England so it really shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.
Harry approached the door of the shack and a snake appeared to challenge him. Harry just laughed and with a wave of his hand, he hissed "Be Gone" and banished the last protection on the house. Once this was done, the door eerily creaked open and Harry turned to Dobby and with a shrug of his shoulders, he stepped inside.
Harry and Dobby made their way to the middle of the shack as Harry began waving his wand to search out any magical residue in the house. His searching led over towards the fireplace but was focused in the floor. After a few tests with his feet, he found a loose floorboard. He knelt down and pried the board up with a knife. Harry lit his wand with a 'lumos' and looked inside the hidey hole only to find a small box which he lifted out. When he looked inside, he could see that it was magically expanded and held several rings as well as a small ritual knife.
Just as Harry was about to reach in the box, Dobby grabbed his hand and pulled it away. "I can feel something dark on an item in there along with compulsion charms. It was begging me to hold it."
"Hmm? Really? I didn't feel a thing. Are you sure?"
Dobby chuckled "Do you really think I'd lie to you about something like that? Besides, Tom would more than likely want someone to put it on if it is one of the things we are looking for."
"Hmm….I suppose you're right. It bothers me a little that I missed it and that could cause problems in the future. We probably need to get out of here anyway so any ideas on where we could go?"
"Azrael had the elves train me in soul magic and I'm pretty sure that is what I felt. As far as where to go, why not go back to the suite? Nobody knows where it is and besides, I've missed my stories and need to catch up."
Harry laughed "Alright Aunt Petunia, lead the way."
Dobby grabbed his arm and they popped away and back to the suite. When they arrived, Harry dumped the box on the coffee table and started prodding the items with his wand. Dobby watched carefully as he too was studying the objects. When they were done, they sat back and talked about their next move. Dobby said "We really can't do anything until you put on that ring so what's our next step?"
"The horcrux is definitely in the ring but we can't destroy it the normal way without risking damage to the ring."
Dobby sat back and thought for a minute before asking "Could you go back to the Veil and stick your hand through it holding the ring? That would remove the soul piece."
"That would work but I'm not sure if that would be wise at the moment. I have an idea. Azrael, I need your wisdom."
Azrael faded into the room as the Grim Reaper with a skeletal smile on his face. He quickly morphed into the kindly figure that both Harry and Dobby were accustomed too.
"I just got rid of you and already you are calling me? Did I make the wrong choice?"
"No Great Grandfather but I have a question that I didn't know the answer to and as of yet, I can't get to the resources I need so that I can find out."
Azrael sighed "Very well, what is your question?"
"How do you destroy a horcrux without harming the vessel? Dobby suggested I take it back to the Veil and stick my hand in with it to pull the soul out but I didn't know if it would trap me."
Azrael smiled "I'm impressed boys. Neither of you jumped straight in without asking for help. I assume that the object in question is the family ring?"
"Yes sir."
"Interesting, the protections should not have allowed that to happen. Let me see it."
Harry waved his hand and the ring floated off the coffee table and to Azrael. He took it in his hand and closed a fist over it. His hand began to glow and when it faded, he floated the ring back over to Harry.
"It's safe now. Thank you Harry, you have given me the next piece of Tom's soul. Now, once you put on that ring and assume your title as Lord Peverell, the Veil cannot harm you. You did well not to try your theory before contacting me."
"Thank you Grandfather, we are trying to curb our impulsiveness."
Dobby snorted as Harry just grinned. Azrael asked "So what else was in the box?"
Harry floated a ritual knife to Azrael that had the same emblem as the ring on it. Azrael nodded and said "That makes sense as the knife was passed along with the ring through Cadmus' line. What else is there?"
Harry reached over and picked up two signet rings. The first he dismissed as it was gold with a large 'R' on the stone which represented the Riddle family. The second was a silver ring with a basilisk curved into the letter 'S'. He held out his hand to Azrael so that he could see them.
"Ah, well if you were to put it on and claim Salazar's house, it would give you even more power over Hogwarts."
Harry asked "What if I just absorbed it into Peverell like I plan on doing the others?"
"That would work to push even more power behind the Peverell name. I would have to ask Dorea but I would think that would pretty much guarantee no one would be able to get anything passed in the Wizengamot without your help."
Azrael flickered for a minute before saying "I've got to go boys. I've got a pickup and delivery to make."
Harry was sitting there eying the ring that Azrael handed back to him and felt a little apprehension at what he had to do. Dobby watched him for a few minutes before saying "You might as well go ahead and get it out of the way."
"I know but as soon as I do this, Harry James Potter is truly dead."
"You know I loved that guy but the person who is taking his place is a pretty good guy too. Harry, your heart determines who you are. Not some ring. Do you like who you are now?"
Harry sat there for a minute before saying "Yeah, I do. I've changed so much over the last year that I think Harry James Potter really died on Halloween. Harrison James Peverell won't have the same encumbrances placed upon him."
He slipped the ring on his finger and it flared bright white as it resized itself to fit and the magic of the union sent waves of magic up and down his body. When it subsided, Harry stood and felt the power of his family magic flowing into him fully for the first time. He looked at Dobby who shrugged his shoulders and said "You might as well finish the job."