**Draconica let out a sigh, frustrated by Harry's birthday gift. The wristbands looked stunning on her and she couldn't deny how much she liked them. However, they also stirred feelings that went beyond friendship—feelings she was only just admitting to herself. But this was a confusing time, with her body navigating the tumult of puberty, and even her strong self-control was struggling against the surge of emotions. Still, the wristbands were much too lovely to disregard, despite the memories of Harry that they invoked. "Damn you, Potter," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside to open the rest of her presents.**
**~/ *** \~**
**Meanwhile, oblivious to Draconica's inner turmoil, Harry apparated to the edge of the wards surrounding Slytherin's cottage, which remained hidden among the trees. After a ten-minute walk, he arrived at a quaint two-story wooden house with plastered walls and a charming thatched roof.**
**Although it hadn't been occupied for centuries, the cottage looked as if it had just been built, thanks to layers of protective magic. The small garden, complete with a pond, behind the house mirrored the cottage's well-preserved state. Harry chuckled to himself, envisioning how lovely it would be to restore the garden, despite its current overgrown condition. He didn't mind getting his hands dirty to bring it back to life.**
**Setting aside his landscaping plans for later, Harry stepped into the cottage. Inside, it was spacious, but the dust on every surface was overwhelming. He mentally cursed the lack of household charm education at Hogwarts—Tom Riddle certainly hadn't learned them either. With a resigned sigh, he began using simple spells to clear the dust.**
**After several hours of diligent spellwork, the cottage, including the basement potions lab, was spotless. While dusting, he mentally cataloged the space: three modest bedrooms, a study with a small library, and a bathroom made up the second floor. The first floor contained a kitchen, dining room, living room, and another bathroom, with most areas sparsely furnished or containing only dusty bottles. It was the study that stood untouched—an inviting mystery.**
**The rest of the day was spent ensuring that everything functioned properly and fortifying the wards to their maximum efficacy, cleverly disguised in the fireplace bricks. Harry felt satisfied as he apparated back to London around seven in the evening, exhausted but proud of the day's work. Tomorrow promised a shopping trip in both the magical and Muggle worlds to gather supplies for his new home.**
**~/ *** \~**
**On the late morning of Saturday, June 5th, Augusta Longbottom and her grandson Neville arrived via Floo to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. An urgent letter had warned Augusta that her grandson might have been memory-charmed, and she understood the necessity of addressing this matter promptly—no heir of the esteemed Longbottom family should be subjected to such an affront.**
**"Good morning, Lady Longbottom, Heir Longbottom," greeted a blonde witch in a gray business suit as they adjusted themselves. Augusta scrutinized the young woman, wondering why she was here.**
**"Good morning, Ms. Bridget." Augusta responded, her tone sharp. Neville bowed, letting his grandmother lead the conversation. "I presume your presence is related to our visit."**
**"Indeed," Violet replied. "My client is preparing a case against a certain wizard, suspecting him of placing memory charms on Neville. I'm here to gather evidence."**
**"Very well," Augusta said curtly, and began walking toward the stairs, with Neville in tow. Violet sighed quietly and followed. They reached the fourth floor, which housed the healers specializing in spell damage, and found there was no line at the Obliviation specialist's office. Augusta knocked and, upon receiving permission, entered with Neville and Violet close behind.**
**"Good morning, I'm Healer Arnold Blackwater," the healer in lime-green robes greeted them. "What can I assist you with today?"**
**"I suspect my grandson may have a memory charm placed on him about a year ago," Augusta stated, ushering Neville forward. "I need him checked, and if the charm exists, I expect its removal and the identity of who cast it." Arnold nodded.**
**"Certainly, Lady Longbottom. Please follow me." He gestured for Neville to accompany him into a connected room as he instructed the witches to wait. Approximately ten minutes later, Healer Blackwater returned with a slightly dazed Neville, who sat down next to his grandmother. Arnold selected a blank parchment from his desk and murmured an incantation. Words emerged, and after confirming there were no errors, he passed it to Augusta, who in turn handed it to Violet.**
**"Someone told you Mr. Longbottom was under a memory charm—and they were correct. There was indeed a charm placed about a year ago." Healer Blackwater recounted, and Augusta nodded thoughtfully. "As per your request, I have removed the charm, which is why your grandson is currently a bit disoriented. His mind will need time to reintegrate the memories you believed were lost. I recommend that you take some time in the café upstairs before leaving."**
**"Thank you, Healer Blackwater," Augusta replied, rising. "Come along, Neville." The boy nodded and followed her upstairs, with Violet trailing behind. Once seated in the café, Augusta turned to Violet, "Who was the source of this cowardly act against my grandson?"**
**"As suspected, it was Albus Dumbledore," Violet reported. Augusta's expression darkened.**
**"Dumbledore?" Neville interjected. "He obliviated me and Harry to conceal the stone's existence." Both witches raised their eyebrows, intrigued.**
**"He concealed the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts, gran. Didn't I tell you about it?" Neville asked, his surprise evident.**
**"You never mentioned the Philosopher's Stone," Augusta said, frowning. Realization dawned, amplifying her fury at Dumbledore. "Violet, add tampering with private correspondence to his charges." Violet nodded, swiftly jotting down notes on a pre-prepared parchment.**
**"So, tell me more about the Philosopher's Stone."**
**"As I stated, it was hidden in the castle," Neville explained. "Things spiraled when someone kidnapped Hermione… Ms. Granger wanted Harry to save her and retrieve the stone. I went with him, but we got separated. I'm not sure about what transpired afterward, but both Harry and Hermione looked battered, likely tortured, and our DADA professor was missing. I think Dumbledore obliviated us to bury the entire incident." His grandmother nodded, her expression resolute.**
**"He could argue that he blocked those memories to shield Harry and Hermione from the aftermath of dark magic." She countered. "But you, my dear Neville, are entirely another matter." Violet agreed, adding,**
**"My client has already included that. Dumbledore knew he routinely endangered Hogwarts students."**
**"I see…" Augusta replied. "Since my grandson is embroiled in this mess, I formally declare that House Longbottom shall assist in ensuring Dumbledore pays for his actions." Violet expressed gratitude.**
**"I appreciate your support, Lady Longbottom."**
**~/ *** \~**
**By the end of the week, Harry had mostly finished restoring Salazar's cottage. He had transformed the garden into a more presentable state, although it was still a work in progress. On Friday, Goldsaw informed him that the renovations on his London penthouse were complete, and work on his summer home in Birling Gap had begun.**
**In addition to property management, Harry was preparing for his mission to retrieve horcruxes: he planned to recover the ring first, then the locket, while the tiara would have to wait until the beginning of September when Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts. Knowing he would need extra magical strength to navigate Voldemort's defenses, Harry began brewing a series of potions—some questionable and others outright dark—that would boost his power at the expense of some unpleasant side effects.**
**Realizing that he needed to attend a Wizengamot session before appointing a proxy, Harry planned to attend the one on June 18th—the same day as the Hogwarts professors' final meeting before their abbreviated summer break. He hoped Violet would find someone suitable to act as his proxy by then.**
**On Monday, he inspected the London penthouse and was pleased with the results—the wards felt incredibly strong, and everything appeared as if newly built. He simply needed to pay the annual fee to keep the fireplace connected to the Floo network. He contemplated adding Slytherin's cottage to the network but wasn't sure yet. He still had time to think it over.**
**On Tuesday morning, Harry began preparing for the retrieval of the Gaunt ring horcrux. He modified his belt to securely store all necessary potions for the venture, checked the condition of his dragon-hide gloves—recalling the severe curse placed on the ring by Voldemort—and reinforced his robes with additional protective charms. Lastly, he packed two emergency portkeys: one to his penthouse and another to St. Mungo's, set to activate if he lost consciousness. He hoped he wouldn't need them.**
**Yet, another crucial task awaited him: setting up the runic array for the ritual to sever the connection between the horcrux's soul fragment and the physical ring. He was grateful for Tom's memories, which provided him with all the required information. Without that knowledge, he might have had to resort to destructive methods like fiendfyre, as his fang sabers were incomplete.**
**After finalizing his preparations, Harry enjoyed a late lunch before departing the cottage. The wards only prevented incoming apparation, making his exit straightforward. He materialized onto the unkempt path, the trees blocking much of the sunlight streaming from a patchy sky. Through the thick underbrush, he spotted a dilapidated shack nearly swallowed by foliage—its dismal state appeared even worse than in Tom's memories, yet he noted a robust repelling ward deterring intruders. Undeterred, Harry approached, confident in his ability to navigate its defenses. Not far ahead lay a more dangerous ward meant to cause severe harm, but Harry effortlessly neutralized it, recalling the dark wizard's tricks was an invaluable advantage.**
**Using a transfigured rabbit to trigger the traps laden with curses further down the trail, he finally reached the shack's door. A snake skeleton with decaying flesh was nailed nearby, a macabre warning. The door's heavy enchantments and password protections provided additional barriers—only a Parseltongue password could bypass them. Dumbledore, with his immense power, might override such defenses, but Harry wasn't inclined to brute force. He had the password ready.**
**"Open the way to my immortality." The words hissed from his lips, and for a tense moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, the locks clanked open, and the barriers designed to guard the entrance fell silent. Inside, the shack lay thick with dust, oppressive and stagnant. Ignoring the disarray, Harry moved stealthily to the 'bedroom' as labeled by Voldemort—where Tom's uncle Morfin had once slept on a makeshift bed of leaves. Next to that was a decayed rug, sealed beneath a lethal ward that would incinerate any foolhardy enough to disturb it. He had no way around this ward, but transfigured animals once again provided a solution, and it didn't take long before the trapdoor lay exposed. With his dragon-hide gloves on, he opened it and discovered a small wooden box holding the ring.**
**Using counter-curses from Voldemort's memories, Harry carefully disarmed the traps on the box and opened it, revealing the ring—a thick band of gold set with a large black stone. Its presence oozed excess—contradictory to the Gaunt family's last days of poverty. The stone bore strange markings: a triangle within a circle intersected by a vertical line, an image that tugged at Harry's instincts, but he couldn't decipher its significance. **
**Deciding to ponder that later, Harry drank a magic booster potion, feeling its effects surge through him as he directed his wand at the ring. "Finite morrior viscus!" As the curse lifted, he carefully retrieved the ring with his gloved hands and placed it in a designated pouch before apparating back to Salazar's cottage.**