Destroying Horcruxes

A tiny amount of Fiendfyre spurted from the wand tip, threads of flame winding around the gold ring like new shoots sprouting from Venomous Tentacula in spring.

The ring sensed danger and trembled violently. The pitch-black magical aura rising from it fused with the soul fragment, forming visible black mist that churned through the office like clouds.

The former headmasters on the walls huddled together. The old Headmaster Black, who had come from Slytherin, was heartbroken and cursed furiously. The other portraits stared in stunned disbelief; such evil magic was beyond anything they could imagine.

The handsome face of seventeen-year-old Tom Riddle faintly emerged from the mist, letting out a shrill, miserable howl.

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore..."

Harry clenched his teeth, his pupils contracting slightly as though he wanted to carve Tom Riddle's present appearance into his mind.

Loren, meanwhile, carefully observed the state of the curse on the inside of the ring band. It had already been burned into wisps of black smoke by the Fiendfyre.

The old headmaster's control over Fiendfyre was exquisitely precise. Under his command, the threads of Fiendfyre clung tightly around the band, wrapping and constricting it. The metal band quickly glowed red, then vanished before it even had time to melt.

The screams and curses in the office abruptly stopped. Fawkes the Phoenix cowered inside the Sorting Hat, its head tucked beneath its wing, but it raised its head slightly and watched the cracked Black Gem with vigilance.

Harry noticed the Black Gem as well. Only scattered flecks of ash remained of the ring band, yet the gem was completely unharmed. The Triangular Eye Symbol carved upon it gave him a familiar feeling.

"It is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows..." Dumbledore seemed to see his confusion. "The outer triangle represents your Invisibility Cloak. This is