The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 26 - Hogwarts' Circle

Hogwarts,

The next day brought both good and bad news. The good news happened when Ginny and Hermione crossed each other in the girls' bathroom.

"Hermione?"

The older girl turned to see Ginny who had already finished dressing. She had evidently been waiting for her to come in. For the past days, they had adjusted their daily routines to avoid being together.

"Thanks," said Ginny simply.

Hermione twisted her mouth in a uneasy smile and acknowledged the peace offering. She wasn't really prepared to forgive and forget, but Luna had been right to point out that her response had been excessive. She and Ginny had gone through a lot together, what she had done had been both cruel and unworthy.

"You look better," she said. It was true. There were still some tired lines on her face, but the bloodshot eyes were almost gone, and the eyelids less puffed. Then suddenly a wicked twinkle was in Hermione's eye, and her half smile became a knowing one.

"Had a good night?" she added.

Ginny blushed, looked back defensively and then chuckled and nodded. The shared complicity warmed the ice a little. She struggled to find something to say. Instinct told her that it would be a mistake to bring up the subject which was at the core of their quarrel. Hermione and Draco's position looked to be irreconcilable, and she was losing hope of ever bridging that gap. But maybe something else could be done.

"Hermione." She walked a little closer, unsure of herself and keeping her eyes a little downcast.

"Yes?"

"When it's just the two of us, or with Harry, could we just," she shrugged, "forget about politics and all the bad stuff, and just be with each other?" She looked up. "I miss that," she whispered.

Hermione thought that she missed it too. She understood that Ginny would never abandon Draco, but that she wasn't as passionate as he was about the issues. What she proposed was reasonable.

"Yeah. I guess we could," she answered gently. Ginny smiled and made half of a gesture toward the other girl. She was still hesitating, but Hermione replied with a similar clumsy move. It was ridiculous and they both realized it with a grin of embarrassment, and then Hermione pulled Ginny into a hug.

Pavarti's head came out of the shower stall and caught the scene. She quickly pulled back in so as not to disturb them, but privately she was overjoyed, and she had to bite her knuckles to keep herself from yelping in relief. She couldn't wait for the chance to pass on the gossip.

- - -

The bad news came with the day's issue of the Daily Prophet. It announced new restrictions concerning mixed blood wizards, notably adjusting the legal age according to the degree of magical ascendancy. A wizard or witch with no magical parents would therefore be required to pass a specific 'magical culture examination' and would have to wait until 19 to be a legal adult. It would be 18 for a mixed blood.

There were other minor, and vexing, restrictions, but this one caused Hermione to stand up with rage. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Ministry claimed this was inspired by Amelia Bones' platform, and that it represented a show of good faith toward her supporters. It was a brazen distortion of truth. Hermione has conceived of the need for a special education for Muggle borns, but it was to be matched with a similar one for purebloods, and there was never anything said about the legal age.

Her eyes crossed Ginny's over at the Slytherin table and from the fire in them, it was clear that she was regretting her previous sympathy. She turned her back and started to walk away. When an alarmed Ginny read the information in her turn, she showed as much, if not more fury. She left the hall on Hermione's steps and soon after, angry shouts could be heard in the corridors. It didn't last long. Less than a minute later, Ginny came back in and walked menacingly toward Draco with a murderous look on her face. He barely managed to pull her into an empty classroom so that they could scream at each other behind closed doors, instead of out in the open among the rest of the students.

"This is the last outrage that I'm taking from your friends," she hissed. He tried to speak but she cut him off. "No! You shut up and listen. They're not my friends if they ever were. They're yours and I-"

Draco reached out to touch her and try to get her to calm down, but she slapped his hand away. He scowled and started to react with anger, but he suddenly found himself facing her pointed wand. Genuinely worried, he raised his hands and stepped back. He had never seen her so incensed. She looked mad enough to do anything.

"I said stop! Make one move and I'll hex you. I've had enough of this. Do you understand?" She took a deep breath and stared him straight in the eye. "It's over Draco. I've taken all I could, and it's not worth it. I'm out. Now."

He looked back at her in alarm.

"Ginny..." He shook his head and tried to get a grip on the situation. He felt locked up into a nightmare. "Please. You know that I don't approve everything that they do. I-"

"But you support them. That's just as bad. Get over there!" With her wand she motioned for him to move away from the door, making them turn around each other, so that she would be nearer to the exit.

He obeyed without believing it was really happening. Ginny, his Ginny, was holding him away at wand point, mere hours after he'd thought that things were at last beginning to settle down.

"Some of their decisions are good. Ginny, for Merlin's sake! Put that thing down! I swear I'm not going to hurt you."

"You already did," she snapped. "I was finally getting back on speaking terms with Hermione when-"

"I didn't do that!"

"Your friends did. It's the same thing for me."

"Ginny, give me a chance to work that out. I'll speak with Trevor, with-"

She barked a laugh.

"You think that they'll listen to you? You flatter yourself. They used us, and now that we did the dirty work, they don't have any further need for us. You'll just be told to be a good little boy." Her voice was full of scorn. Every utterance was like a slap in his face and he winced.

"Damn it Ginny! Give me a chance!"

She considered him with hard eyes. Now that she had let out the greatest part of her anger, she was able to think a little more clearly. Part of her still believed, but she had finally understood that it was impossible to fake it anymore.

Shrummer and Trevor were incompatible with all that she held dear. All they could do was bring her pain. Maybe Draco was different, and she still loved him, but he would have to make a choice.

"You ..."

She couldn't do it. She didn't dare ask him to choose sides. He was too stubborn for that, and couldn't bare the risk of hearing him say what she feared. Ginny felt a terrible despair rising in her. She lowered her wand and rushed to the door, desperate to leave the room before she lost all control.

Draco remained standing, stunned and unable to understand if it was really over, or if there was some kind of hope left. He only roused himself when the bell for the first class sounded.

- - -

Ministry of Magic,

Septimus Shrummer was feeling content with himself. Everything was progressing according to plan. The only setback, if it could be called that, was the reduced urgency of the Goblin crisis. That damnable Weasley had managed to restore a situation which had been designed to be intractable. Shrummer would never have believed it of him. At least with the man out the way, it was now possible to stoke the fires regularly, although they had to be careful so that they could still blame it on the Goblins.

In any case, this and other little hitches bothered him, and when he was bothered or upset, he needed to eat more. His hand was reaching out toward a stack of muffins and crumpets on a plate, when a chime sounded on his desk.

"Yes?"

It was his secretary, Marge Pennywrinkle. He had kept her on, because it was convenient, and she was doing a good job, although he secretly suspected her of cursing the potted plant behind which Cornelius Fudge's portrait was hung. A week ago, he could not see it at all, and now the top part of the picture was clearly visible. Sometimes, he could even see a flash of the former Minister's face as the portrait jumped up and down in an attempt to get a view of his former office. It was an annoying, but minor, thing. He seized a muffin and sliced it open with a practiced Diffindo spell.

"Sorry to disturb you, Minister," said Marge. "But Percival Weasley is here to see you."

Shrummer sighed. The steaming muffin looked delicious on its plate. Well, he could always work and eat at the same time.

"Let him in."

"Good morning, Minister,"

Percy came in with his customary serious and earnest face, carrying a small folder. Shrummer found him unexpectedly loyal and useful. It seemed that the Weasley clan was full of surprises. He splashed some marmalade on one of the muffin half and bit into it with gusto. Percy saw that the Minister's tea cup was empty. He put the folder down and proceeded to dutifully refill it. Shrummer's mouth was full, so he just nodded and grunted his thanks. He gestured toward the folder, silently asking what the matter was.

"We have a small problem for lodging all the new prisoners, sir," said Percy in his clipped precise voice. "Too many of them I'm afraid." He consulted a note in his folder. "Fortunately, we were able to find an appropriate accommodation for them. An old country castle that the Ministry leases from time to time. Plenty of dungeons for our purpose. I just need you to sign the-"

"Wait a minute," interrupted Shrummer, after he had managed to swallow the rest of his muffin. He gulped a swallow of tea to wash it down. "What prisoners?"

Percy looked surprised.

"Well, those guilty of defiance of the new regulations, sir. Under age magic. I must say that Law Enforcement was very efficient on that score." He took in the Minister's blank face. "Terribly sorry, sir. I thought you knew."

Shrummer was flabbergasted. What was the man talking about?

"Bu- But the law has just been passed!" He stared incredulously at him. "You don't mean that..."

"Sir?" Percy was politely inquisitive.

Shrummer frowned furiously and activated the desk floo terminal.

"Get me Cufflinks! Immediately!" he barked.

While the call was being made, he hurriedly prepared another muffin. Percy respectfully poured him more tea.

"Yes, Minister?"

"Cufflinks, what's this I hear about prisoners?" asked Shrummer briskly.

"Ah, Er," Douglas Cufflinks looked very embarrassed. He was the wizard who had taken over the Law Enforcement department from Amelia Bones. His face showed tired lines and other telling signs of a man working long hours in a difficult job. "Actually it's only a mistake Minister. We're releasing them all and-"

"What do you mean a mistake?" roared Shrummer. He looked at Percy. "How many are they?"

"Ninety seven, sir," said Percy smartly.

"Ninety seven!" Shrummer turned toward Cufflinks who flinched visibly under his glare. "What happened?" he growled.

Cufflinks explained that upon learning of the new law, it seemed that a number of law enforcement officials had immediately decided to round up all the non pure blood wizards which were now technically under the legal age, and which were found guilty of practicing magic. Even the Aurors had been on it, with veteran warriors in full uniform beating down doors, arresting youths in the street and in various locations. Public reaction had been fierce, and several older wizards had also been charged with obstructing justice.

"ARE YOU MAD!" screamed Shrummer. "The law wasn't meant to be retroactive!"

"Er, I know that sir," said a contrite Cufflinks. "It was a mistake on the part of over zealous officers. I was just having the prisoners released, but ..."

"But what?"

"Well, we've received a lot of complaints. There are already several appeals to the Wizengamot. I should place these officers under house arrest, but there are really many of them, and the morale situation being what it is ..."

He didn't finish but Shrummer understood what the man was saying. Law Enforcement was already on the brink of implosion. Arresting officers en masse would push everybody over the edge. He dismissed Cufflinks and closed the connection.

"Weasley, you heard the man?" he said tiredly, wiping his brow which had become covered in sweat.

"Yes sir. I understand that there is no need for special accommodations," said Percy, closing his folder smartly. "Frankly it's a relief sir. We already have a lot to do as things are."

Shrummer looked closely at the young wizard to search for any sign of irony, but he found none. He gestured vaguely with his hand. Percy bowed smartly and left.

Bones! thought Shrummer. She did this. I'm sure. Vindictive bitch. It was easy enough for her to call upon her former subordinates to ridicule the Ministry in that way. They're lucky that I need them for the moment, but when I don't, I'll show them what a purge is like.

Then a thought came in his mind and he smiled. What was he gripping about? That kind of subversive action could be used to justify what he wanted to do. He placed a call to Alan Boocrat and explained what had happened.

"I could use this to work up more unrest. Could we use it to justify the Camelot takeover sooner?" he asked.

The scholar was annoyed. What was the use of making careful plans if they were not followed?

"No. That crucial decision will be made in the manner we have agreed," he said icily. "According to the detailed plan which I have carefully and patiently conceived, and in the only set of circumstances which will guarantee our success."

Shrummer had just been told that he had asked a stupid question. He banged the connection shut and reached for the plate of pastries.

- - -

Hogwarts,

Draco took the first opportunity to contact Trevor Themis. The wizard's secretary claimed that he was very busy, but Draco insisted so much that he was finally granted a floo meeting. Draco told Trevor squarely that the new laws were alienating a lot of people, and affecting public support for the Ministry. He didn't mention Ginny. He might have if the other wizard had asked about her, but the conversation quickly took on a very professional tone.

"We're doing a lot right now," said Trevor. "It's very important to take advantage of this transitional period to pass most of the key laws we have planned. We need to do it before we get bogged down. Some of the issues are technical, and this means that some decrees get published in disorder."

Draco didn't really care about the new laws the Ministry would be announcing. He wanted Trevor to make them more palatable, or at least to give some advance warning. He said so.

"Draco, I'm really sorry about this. We don't have the time to dress everything nice and sweet, but the next batch should please you more."

"What do you mean?"

"We've raised the legal age in some circumstances, but we also want to lower it in others. We're also planning to make the Hogwarts curriculum less rigid."

Draco stayed silent. It wasn't what he had come to ask, but it was clear from his face that he was interested.

"For wizards with ancestry such as yours, or the Weasleys, and with a minimum of OWLs, the legal age would be lowered to sixteen, and you wouldn't have to finish the seventh year of schooling. You would be allowed to take NEWT exams in the next three years and to study for them part time. For you that would mean that you would receive full use of the Malfoy inheritance, and you could apply for a job."

Trevor looked at him with a triumphant expression.

"And I've got one for you in the Ministry right now Draco. We're changing the old guard and we need new talent. We've planned it that all along, but we couldn't be sure it would work. That's why we had to pass those restrictions on Muggle borns. We didn't care for it either, but it was part of the package to get enough of the old farts to give us a free reign." He gestured impatiently. "Come on. Don't tell me you want to stay another year at that school when you can live in London and help us remake the world."

"I could get a job at the Ministry?" asked Draco incredulously. "Soon?"

"That and the Malfoy fortune. Yes. We just need a couple more weeks." Trevor saw that his words had the expected effect. "Does that make you feel better?"

Draco was hardly looking at him. It made sense, and it certainly placed a different perspective on things. It was so much what he wanted, that he couldn't imagine it was not also what Ginny wanted. And if she didn't want it ... He stopped that line of thought.

"Yeah. It does make me feel better, but-"

"What is it?" Trevor let show a hint of irritation in his voice. "I've really got a full plate on my desk, Draco."

"It's about Hermione," Draco said quickly. "You know she's Muggle born, but it really doesn't make sense for her to wait two years and..."

Trevor looked back with an expression of impatience, and Draco could see that there was some disappointment in it as well. Damn that girl! If she or Ginny ever say once again that I'm not doing all I can for her, then I'm giving it all up.

"Draco, loyalty to your friends is great, but one day we're going to have a talk about priorities," said Trevor with a frown. Draco looked stubborn, and the other wizard continued. "All right. I basically agree with you, so we'll think about special cases like her. I don't know. Some kind of bonus for good grade on OWLs or whatever."

Draco gave him his best smile.

"Thanks Trevor. I really appreciate it."

"Good. Now if I can get back to work ..."

"Right. Thanks for taking the trouble to talk to me."

"It's okay Draco. I know it's hard. Just hang on in there. We haven't forgotten you, and we'll get you out. Oh. One things though. Don't talk about this to anybody. If it leaks out," he grimaced, "well we just don't need complications."

"No problem. I'll keep quiet. Bye." Complications? I've had enough of those for the rest of the year.

"Bye then."

Draco stood up. He did a few stretches to relive the kinks from the long conversation, and his own tense muscles. Floo calls were unpleasant that way. He was now highly excited and feeling much better after what he had learned. He wondered if he should talk about it with Ginny or not. Trevor had probably assumed that he would, but then he wasn't aware that Ginny was taking things, well not very positively. In fact, in the state she was right now, she was probably capable of spilling the beans to one of the others, and that could cause all sorts of problems. He decided that it would be best to say nothing and wait. He knew he would pay a price for it, last night was probably the last time he would get to touch her for while, but it was all for a good cause.

She'll understand. When all will be said and done, she'll understand.

Maybe even Hermione would understand in time, although he wouldn't bet on it. He would just settle for Ginny.

- - -

The next day The Prophet announced the messed up arrest. There was a lot of outrage in the school, even if some people found it mostly ridiculous. The Ministry had also published a short and embarrassed note explaining that the law was not retroactive and that it was an innocent mistake. It got a lot less publicity than the main article.

There was something else in the paper. The last page of the magazine had been leased for a private announcement.

THE FRATERNITY OF MAGIC MANIFESTO

We represent a group of wizards and witches who vehemently oppose the racist politics of the Ministry of Magic. To this effect we have created a movement which we call Fraternity of Magic, and whose purpose is to promote the welfare and mutual respect for and between all magical beings.

...

Then followed the main points defended in the FOM statutes, and upon which Bones had based her candidacy.

...

Join us in our peaceful struggle against the retrograde policies of an administration which only cares for the continuation of obsolete privileges.

Pledge your support to Fraternity of Magic.

Hermione also received a letter from the former Ministry official.

Dear Hermione,

I hope that you will forgive me for hijacking your association. I assure you that all the credit will be given to you as soon as possible. I think that it wouldn't be prudent to do so openly for the moment, but if you feel differently then let me know and I will correct it.

In the meantime, please receive this in the spirit in which it is offered. As a symbol of hope in a time of trouble. Take care of yourself.

With my respects and sympathy.

Amelia Bones.

Hermione alternated between the two papers. Her eyes were bright with emotion. She would have very much liked to launch FOM herself, but this was the next best thing. Harry was reading over her shoulder.

"Looks like she doesn't believe in giving up," he said.

He turned around to look at how the Slytherin table was taking it. Draco seemed serene enough and some of the older students made disparaging remarks. One even tore up the page and threw it on the floor. There were no manifestation of support for the new initiative among them, but he knew that vocal minorities were rare in Slytherin. Those who disagreed did so quietly, and they would wait for the balance of power to shift before declaring themselves.

Things were much more democratic at the other tables. For and against arguments raged loudly until the teachers imposed order.

"Did you notice that Ginny doesn't sit with Draco anymore?" remarked Hermione.

Harry had noted it as well. She was over with Ron and Luna, and they completely ignored the news and the arguments around them. He knew that Hermione disapproved their attitude. She called it burying one's head in the sand. He wasn't as sanguine, and he could understand that they might just want to get on with their lives.

Ron was facing away from where he and Hermione where sitting. When he turned, Harry looked quickly away so as not to see the expression of angry hatred and loathing that he knew would be there. It was getting so that it made him physically uncomfortable. Once again pain and resentment filled him. He thought that Ron was really being unfair, and he was beginning to hate him back in turn. It was frightening because, in his heart he had already forgiven Ginny, and he could imagine getting back at least on speaking terms with Draco, but with Ron it seemed that there was nothing left but hate.

- - -

Ministry of Magic,

Dumbledore finished reading the parchment, his mouth half opened and his eyes looking down through his spectacles, and then he sighed and let it fall down on the table.

Nothing. There is nothing useful in all this.

He didn't even remember how long he had been at it. Days. Weeks. He could check his watch to know the precise answer, but whatever that number was, it didn't matter. He had taken on the work as a mission of atonement, and he had little enough to show for it. One thing that he had found out was that it was not a matter of simply duplicating Galleons. He also had to destroy their power. It would have been a fascinating demonstration of advanced magical theory, if it wasn't such a tragedy.

Money was symbolic, and magic was the manipulation of symbols to affect reality. This made magical money something extremely potent. The Galleons that the Goblins held in their vaults couldn't be replaced because of the same power which made them impossible to forge. If he succeeded in creating a substitute currency, then the contents of the Gringotts vaults would actually disappear. This was both good and bad news. Good news was that they wouldn't have to use veritaserum, or Legimency, or something similar, to know how much money to affect to each wizard or witch in replacement of their Gringotts accounts. That would work out automatically. The bad news, the really bad news was that the new system would have to override the Goblins' peculiar metal enchantements, and the cumulative community magic which resulted from the regular use of their services by generations of wizards.

Actually, that might not be such bad news after all.

Dumbledore didn't know where to find such power, and even if he did, he would be very wary of using it, and even more of letting anyone have access to it. Only the likes of Merlin had ever shown it. He knew that he himself could conjure exceptional quantity of magical energy, but not enough to overthrow the reality the Gringotts bank. The Headmaster didn't know about the Power Circles. He knew that there was something special in Hogwarts, but he didn't know what exactly. The Founders had left many secrets behind them. He had seldom felt the need to search them all out.

Too much secrets, too much useless knowledge, and so little understanding.

He was tired. Tired to the very depth of his soul, but he had a plan. One last gambit.

Alan Boocrat came in with a new pile of books. The old Unspeakable was a strange one. Immensely learned, but not as useful as Dumbledore had hoped. He had made a number of interesting suggestions, but they had always led to dead ends. Certainly he was helpful, but it seemed that whenever a simple question was asked of him, the answer was always a pile of old, dusty and barely legible books.

"I seem to recall some reference to magical seashells in one of these," he said in his ancient, raspy voice. "Some tribes used them for barter in early Lebanon. If I remember correctly, they used Mermaids to-"

"Thank you, my friend, but I do not think it is worth the trouble."

The Scholar showed disappointment. Privately he was not surprised. The Hogwarts Headmaster had done a remarkable job, and of course he had come to the only possible conclusion.

"Are you sure? Perhaps we could simply scan through these."

"No. We have already determined the best rituals for minting the new money. I will simply summarize our results and present them to the Minister."

Dumbledore wasn't sure if the old scholar understood what the problem was. Maybe he didn't, and in that case, the Headmaster would not enlighten him. He would give the correct, but unworkable, solution and let the Ministry attempt it. He would even cooperate fully since there was a very real chance that the failure of the ritual would actually strengthen the Goblin power, and make a war against them unwinnable.

A desperate plan, but the only one which I can conceive.

Alan placed the books on a side table. He made a gesture of acceptance and asked the Headmaster if he required anything else. Dumbledore replied that he had all he needed, and so the other wizard took his leave. He went to the small private library that he used as an office, closed the door and checked his private wards. When he was sure that he would not be disturbed, he threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace.

"Yes?" Electra's face showed in the flames.

"It is time to accelerate the desecration. We will be moving soon."

"Excellent I will contact Dragonis and we will go there tonight. Meet us at the usual place."

- - -

Gringotts,

Gauldbag looked up to see Graskut hand him a thick folder.

"What is this?" asked the Director.

"Our file on the wizard Alan Boocrat," said the Goblin. "Who is also known as Albert Beaverpage, or Andrew Blotterinc, or half a dozen names with the same initials. Wizard Bones mentioned him last night."

"Ah yes. The wizard working with Albus Dumbledore," completed Gauldbag. "I remember. So he is not just an old scholar?"

"He is that certainly. An authority on the ones they call the Hogwarts Founders, and other powerful humans of history. We have traced him through a number of our subsidiaries in Europe. It appears that he likes to move around and hide his identity. We know it is the same human, because there is only one vault key for all those names."

Gauldbag opened the folder and looked at the picture inside. It showed a very old human wizard, holding himself very straight. There was a hint of disdain on his unsmiling face.

"What else?"

"He has worked with the wizard Thelas on several occasions. That is unusual enough for a scholar. We also have information linking him to wizard Minister Shrummer."

"Hum. He is part of this then. What do you suggest?"

"We cannot investigate him directly. Perhaps the humans could."

"Yes. We could ask them to do that." He drummed his fingers on the folder. "Let me think about it."

When Graskut had left, the Gringotts director reflected on this new development. Certainly he would send this information to his new allies, but they might not be able to do much with it. Their actions were evidently aimed against the Ministry. Because of that, he was certain that they would soon be hounded by the wizard police. Perhaps they would prevail, perhaps not. In any case, they would probably be too busy to help him.

The Goblins needed another powerful ally in the wizard world. He took out another folder in which there was a photograph of a spectacled young man with a gentle smile and messy black hair. His brow was decorated with a lightning shaped scar.

Harry Potter. Hero of the war against the Evil One, and now a simple student, in the school created by those wizards whom Alan Boocrat was famously studying.

The file was a thick one. Goblins were either warriors or bureaucrats. The latter liked keeping information on things and people. It was a shame that most of it always got destroyed during the rebellions of the former. Gauldbag turned the pages. He vaguely remembered a reference to something which had happened four years ago. There it was. Very interesting, unique actually. It was typical of humans to have missed it, but then as a Goblin, he was well placed to know of their prejudices.

He looked at the photograph again. The boy was an unknown quantity, but he had shown remarkable resources. It was clear that Albus Dumbledore didn't want him to participate in the current crisis, and that was reason enough for Gauldbag to consider pulling him into it. Who knows? The situation was deadlocked. Throwing an ingot into the machinery might actually do some good. If he had learned something from the current crisis, it was that doing the unexpected could pay off.

- - -

Hogwarts,

Luna made her decision. She and Ron were getting into the Bubble, preparing to share another evening together. They were spending a lot of time there. After all, the current situation gave them that opportunity. Certainly, it was the only positive aspect she could see, but most importantly, it allowed her to do all she could to make Ron feel better. Something was broken inside him. He didn't talk about it, and she didn't ask, but she didn't need words to understand the boy she loved.

But understanding was not enough. He was going much too far in his ranting against Harry, and even Hermione. She had touched Harry's mind, and she had seen one thing. She lived in Ron's, and she saw another. It was impossible, and while she didn't know how to resolve the paradox, she was convinced that at the very least, some doubts should be in Ron's mind. The two friends would never get back together otherwise.

And there was another reason for intervening. The hate was like a cancer eating at his soul. He had even started to espouse some of the 'pureblood' rhetoric. At first she had thought that it was just a reaction to everything that had happened, and that it would not last, but he kept making not so innocent remarks on Muggle influences and 'true' wizard principles.

"Ron?"

"Hum, yeah?"

"Close your eyes. I want to show you something."

He smiled and obeyed, trusting as he always was with her. Luna braced herself and raised her hand to touch his face. This was not going to be pleasant, and Ron would resent it violently, but it would be for his own good.

- - -

Hogwarts, next morning,

The big news that day was that FOM had been outlawed by the Ministry. That development was not entirely unexpected, and it was used as an argument by both sides to justify their position. The actual clamor it generated was less than that of the previous days, because at that point the majority of students were clearly bored by the subject, and the remaining diehards had taken to sit together. In consequence, few people were actually arguing anymore. The very real split in the student body, and even in some of the staff, was essentially visible in the way in which the groups refused to mix.

Harry had mail that morning, which was unusual. Since the defeat of Voldemort, Dumbledore had conceived a special charm to divert 'fan mail' to a special service which took care of it automatically. Harry and the others never saw it, unless they wanted to. They had done so in the first days, but the novelty had quickly worn off.

This time it was not a letter but a thick sheaf of papers. He glanced rapidly at it and saw that it was marked CONFIDENTIAL. There were a lot of people around, so he placed the package inside his robes.

"Harry?" said Hermione.

"Too many prying eyes," he said. "We'll look at it later."

"I know. I didn't mean that, but did you notice that Ron and Luna are not together this morning?"

Harry looked around and effectively, Luna was sitting at her table. Sometimes Ron and Ginny joined her over there, as a basic courtesy to the Ravenclaws, but today he was at the other end of the Gryffindor table, and Ginny was the only one with Luna.

Harry wondered if the stupid git had managed to drive off the last of his friends. He wouldn't be surprised.

Ginny had also asked herself why her brother wasn't joining them.

That's really all we need. Another quarrel.

She examined Luna's face. The other girl seemed calm enough, but it was sometimes hard to tell with her. She only showed distress when it was pretty bad.

"Not to worry," said the other girl out of the blue. She had sensed Ginny's anxiety, and of course the reason for it was obvious. "He's mad at me, but it won't last." She stirred her tea and added a spoonful of milk. She loved the way in which clouds formed in the liquid. Sometimes she saw fleeting shapes there.

"What happened?"

"I made him see some things about himself that he didn't like," answered Luna.

Knowing her brother, Ginny could imagine what some of those things could be. She marveled however that Luna would dare play such mind games with Ron, and especially that she was so confident in the results. She would never - she checked her herself. She had thrown some pretty strong truth at Draco.

Yeah. Breaking up truths actually.

She hadn't discussed their row with Luna, and the other girl had not asked any questions. Ginny was welcome to sit with her, everybody was welcome, unless they wanted to be aggressive, in which case Luna would simply pull into her shell, showing the world her armor of deceit and bizarreness.

"What you probably did was not the same thing," remarked Luna, serenely looking at her with her big clear eyes. She smiled at Ginny's gasp of surprise. Her friends never seemed to ready to acknowledge how much she could read from them. "Ron knows that I hold nothing against him."

"Why did you do it then?"

"His resentment at Harry was destroying his soul. It was like a poison, or a disease perhaps. He needed to be aware of that."

She looked at Ron's back, over at the Gryffindor table. He was deliberately avoiding her, but Ginny could only see tranquil affection on Luna's face. It was the same when her gaze moved on to Harry and Hermione, who were whispering to each other like conspirators, and then at Draco at the other end of the hall. Ginny realized that behind her apparent passivity, Luna was actively trying to aid them. She was also doing it in a very subtle manner. She remembered how she had brought Alicia and Ron together, and she suddenly had a suspicion that she probably was behind another good deed.

"The keyword," she blurted out. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"I didn't do it," replied Luna calmly. "I only helped Hermione unmake a decision she regretted."

Ginny looked back with mixed feelings. On one hand she was grateful, very grateful, on the other she wondered if it had all been for nothing. It looked like the forces which were tearing them apart were stronger than anything they could do. Luna sensed her sadness and reached out to take her friend's hand.

"I don't believe in failure Ginny. I only accept that sometimes it is necessary to wait a little longer to achieve what we want."

- - -

Forbidden Forest,

Bane saw the Herd Mentor return with the party, but this time there was no life in their movement. The young Centaur was not bouncing joyfully right and left, as they usually did when their sudden intelligence showed them a new and wonderful universe. He immediately understood what has happened. The Ritual had failed. It was terrible news.

The bereaved parents trotted silently past. Bane approached Lyman and asked what had happened.

"The ground did not feel right. Aside from that, there were no Signs. But the Circle did not fully activate. I tried several times. I could see the gateways, but the magic of the Pure Ones was not there anymore."

- - -

Hogwarts,

Harry and Hermione skipped lunch to get a chance to check the documents he had received. There was a lot of stuff, including a letter from Gauldbag.

Wizard Potter,

I am sending you this in the hope that it may be useful to both of us. I suppose that you have followed currents events. Perhaps you think that things are only temporarily tense, and that normal relations will soon be restored between our communities. There is little chance of that, and I am fighting for the survival of my people.

You have fought evil before, and won. I fear that more evil lurks around us, and by that I mean you and your friends as well.

Enclosed is information which we have collected. It is incomplete and we cannot act on most of it. Perhaps you can. After all, freedom makes for a powerful servant. May you will find the truth and prosper.

Gauldbag - Gringotts Director

"Well," said Hermione, who had been quickly classifying the various documents. "This is very interesting. We've got files on Sir Comil, and on two other wizards named Armand Thelas and Alan Boocrat. I remember that last one. Draco mentioned him at the Parkinsons. There's a copy of a financial contract with some annotations on it. Something on Umbridge. I wonder what she's doing here? There's also a report about Dumbledore." She opened the file and gasped. "Harry! It says that he's trying to replace Goblin money. And that he's doing it for the Ministry!"

It took them longer to make a detailed survey of everything that they had received. What was said and implied on the Headmaster made for an even more damning case against him, then again it sounded too crazy for what even Hermione was prepared to believe.

"It looks like there isn't much that we can do about any of this," said Harry. "It might be worthwhile to take a look at these people's houses, but they're probably magically hidden and warded like Hogwarts." He read the letter again and the more he thought about it, the less he understood why Gauldbag had sent it. "Funny writing style these Goblins, they sure like flowery phrases. He quoted: ' freedom makes for a powerful servant. May you will find truth.'

Hermione's head jerked up. Her face became vacant. Something about a servant and freedom. They were anything but free, locked up here in school...

Servant ... Freedom ... Power ...

Dobby! I remember when he found me in the library that other day. Dobby has been freed and that means that he can go anywhere he wants.

"Harry, can you call Dobby here?" she asked immediately. It was one thing which they had discovered. When in Grimauld Place or at Hogwarts, Harry only needed to concentrate and speak the Elf's name, for him to appear.

"I can try. Hum." He closed his eyes. "Dobby?"

With a small 'pop', the Elf materialized next to them.

"Harry Potter called? Is Harry Potter hungry? Or thirsty? Lunch is over now, but Dobby knows that Harry Potter has not eaten. Nor Missy Hermione, but Dobby can get food for them."

"Er, thanks a lot Dobby, maybe later. Right now Hermione wanted to speak to you."

The Elf toward Hermione with an eager expression on his face. Hermione started speaking before he could launch into another one of his diatribes.

"Dobby. There is a house where a certain wizard lives. We need to have a look at it, but we can't go there ourselves. Could you get inside for us?"

"Dobby can go into any wizard's place," he said proudly. "Dobby knows how to do that. He is a very powerful Elf. Where is the house?"

Hermione showed him the papers they had received, but the small creature shook his head. There wasn't a proper address but the description was detailed enough. A full page of it.

"Dobby cannot read. Dobby is a miserable ignorant Elf." He started to bang his fist against his head and wail. "Dobby cannot help Harry Potter and Missy Hermione. Dobby is a failure. Bad-"

Harry grabbed him and calmed him down. It took some time but they finally managed to solve the problem. Dobby was sent to Grimauld place for an atlas on which Hermione pointed out the general location of the house. From there, she read aloud the directions given by the Goblins. Dobby finally announced that he knew where the house was, and that of course he could get inside.

"What must Dobby do at that place?" he asked.

"It's a scholar's home. There will probably be a lot of books and papers," said Harry. "Some of them might contain clues which could help us."

Dobby looked alarmed at the thought that his inability to read would cause him to fail in his mission, but Hermione reassured him.

"Don't worry about reading anything Dobby." She reached into a bag and took out a pair of glasses. "You will wear these. They're a kind of simplified Omniculars. We'll be able to replay what you saw."

She showed him how to start and stopped recording. The Elf looked dubious and confused but said nothing. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. They would have to arrange some practice for this to have any chance of success.

"All right. We've got to get back to classes now," she said. "We'll meet tonight in the Room of Requirement and explain everything in details."

- - -

When dinner was over, Draco selected to do a little solitary walking. Tonight, after the uplift that his conversation with Trevor had brought, he was now feeling a comparable let down.

He was going to get his cloak from the racks next to the courtyard doors, when he noticed that Luna following him, or at least going in the same direction.

"Hi there," he said.

"Hello, Draco," she replied gently. "Are you going out?" He nodded.

"Just a little walk. You too?"

"I was thinking of looking at the stars from one of the towers."

He almost made a joke about the Astronomy tower, but then he thought better of it. Actually, just thinking of the most famous trysting place of the school was pretty depressing right now. Instead, he selected her coat from the proper rack and held it out for her.

She smiled and slipped her arms inside, and then she did the same for him. It was just an innocent show of politeness between friends. Nothing to rave about, but it was also a true display of respect and kindness, and Draco found that he appreciated it more than he should have. When he was almost done, as his hand was coming out of the sleeve, Luna softly closed her arms around him from behind. She hugged him through the cloak, and for a second he felt such a flood of warm and unrestricted affection that it almost overwhelmed him. Then she released him and went her own way, giving him a smile and a little airy wave with her hand.

It took him a moment to recover. When he and Ginny were together, they felt passion. A boiling rush of blood and the drunkenness of desire. For him, that had been the definition of love. Luna was showing him another facet of that human emotion. He didn't know why she had done that. He supposed it was just a kind gesture from her.

Draco finished buttoning his cloak and went outside. The weather was not as cold as in the past days, spring was finally coming, but it was still chilly. He stored his hands in his pockets and started to walk, and think about the problem that was eating at him. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. What he was being offered by Trevor was great. At first he had felt only gratitude, and then when thinking about it once more, he had realized that it was nothing more than what he would have regardless in little more than a year's time.

And the price was ... Well basically, the price was his friends, and quite possibly Ginny.

When things were put that way, it looked like a fool's bargain. If it was that simple, then he would certainly refuse. Unfortunately, there were complications. First of all, he was already largely committed. It would be incomprehensible to others if he was to change sides now. Second, he still believed that Shrummer had a better strategy than Hermione or Bones, or Dumbledore. He was doing things, and he was using the power at his disposal to make things change. Bones and Hermione were counting of the kindness of strangers, a dangerous utopia in his mind, and Dumbledore was spending too much time scheming.

There didn't seem to be a clear and simple solution. He truly felt like a doomed character in a bad drama. How nice it would be to be like Luna, with no ambition and no problems. He thought back about the wonderful feeling she had make him experience, and then he remembered the only other time when he had felt something similar. It was the time when they had merged their magic, the six of them, to fight Voldemort. The day they had turned their unity into a power beyond that of the Dark Lord. That too, would be part of the price to pay.

"Damn you Trevor!" he whispered. "Damn you to hell."

The only thing close to him was a small shrub, patiently waiting for winter to end and for the sun to make it grow. Draco kicked at it violently. Venting the pain and the frustration on the innocent plant.

- - -

Later that evening, after several hours of coaching, Dobby was finally ready. The Room of Requirement now looked eerily like a magical version of Q's weapon lab, and if Dobby couldn't be more different from James Bond, he was almost as well equipped. In addition to the Omniglasses, he had several sheets of charmed blank papers which could be used to photocopy any written or drawn material. Hermione had also given him a magical parchment which would automatically draw a map of the layout of the house. All he had to do was walk around while holding it. From Harry he had received a pair of Extensible ears and his invisibility cloak.

"All right Dobby, now remember. Don't try to search for anything special. Concentrate on books and papers which might be lying around. I've written down some names and the usual symbols for Goblins. Anything referring to that might be important."

The Elf nodded seriously. To his excited delight, the room had conjured several examples of 'spy' clothing, and he had selected a small black ninja suit, complete with a black woolen ski cap. He looked positively smashing.

The House Elf from S.P.E.W. thought Harry. Well if it works, I'm not complaining.

"If anybody sees you, then get the hell out. Don't take any risk. All right?"

The Elf gave a funny looking salute and snapped his fingers, disappearing with a small popping sound.

Harry looked at Hermione and sighed. Now all they had to do was to wait.

- - -

Scholar's House,

Being a House Elf, it was actually easier for Dobby to arrive inside the house, rather than outside it. The Goblins' description had implied that there would be an attic, and he made the wish to materialize there. Elves had a lot more flexibility in their brand of teleport travel than wizards had in Apparation. He knew that he would be able to make last minute changes if there was no attic, or if someone was in it.

He was alone in a dusty and unused place, but he was inside. He could already sense many things about the house. There were other Elves somewhere, but no humans. With luck, the Elves would ignore him, at least if he didn't stay there long enough. They would normally suppose that he belonged to a wizard who was a friend of the owner.

He pulled on the invisibility cloak and started down the stairs. The number of books around the house was simply amazing. He followed a corridor lined with doors. He tried them, or 'popped' through when they were locked. Most were laboratories of some kind, with incomprehensible apparatus and devices, and more books.

One room had a large landscape model, with a miniature castle next to a lake. Dobby recognized the Hogwarts grounds immediately. He clicked on the recording on the Omniglasses and moved around the diorama to get in all the details. As he looked closer at the main building, the outside surface turned gradually transparent, and details of the interior structure became visible. He tried to get in as best a view as he could, and then he looked around for anything else. One book was lying opened on a table. He took two of the blank sheets and placed them on the exposed pages. He waited a few seconds and saw that the text was copied perfectly.

He continued his exploration. There was another model of another castle, this one in ruins, and a few other opened books, and loose sheets, but nothing as spectacular. He copied all he could, but he didn't have enough sheets for everything. He concentrated on pages with drawings, as Hermione had asked him to. There was one of something which looked like a circular temple with pillars. The last interesting thing that he saw was a scorched book. It was unusual because all the other volumes were in excellent condition. It was only this one which looked to have been rescued from flames. He knew that it must have been a magical fire, because otherwise the book would have been restored. He opened the book and looked at the first pages with the glasses on.

- - -

Hogwarts,

When Dobby came back, Harry and Hermione had fallen asleep on a large four-poster bed which the room had graciously conjured for them. The Elf woke them up and recounted his mission in a very excited voice. The first details were a little confused, but they finally got the full story. The existence of the miniature models of Hogwarts, and of the other castle, looked very exciting but their actual significance was not clear.

They were both tired and sleepy, and Hermione would need to work in the library to fill in some of the blanks from the extracts which Dobby had recovered. Harry proposed that while she did that, he would try to match any details from the model Hogwarts to the Marauder's Map. It was Friday night, and they would have the whole week end to do all this.

The next morning, they meet again in Hagrid's cabin, a little before lunch time.

"You first," proposed Hermione.

Harry took out the Marauders' Map and laid it on the floor.

"Well most of what I could get from the model is already in the Map, but of course what Dobby saw may not be everything there is. It would take more time to look at it from all the possible angles. I did find something new though." He gave her the glasses and some explanations.

"I see," she said. "Some kind of stairway going down. Where it leads is not visible, but its goes very deep under the foundations."

"Yeah. And the opening should be somewhere near the kitchens. We'll take a look later on." He replaced the glasses in their bag. "What about you?"

"A couple of things, but nothing conclusive. More questions actually." She took her notebook. "Surprisingly little about the Goblins, actually there are more references concerning the Centaurs. That scorched book is the same one that Luna had been given. There are hints about something called a 'Power Circle' who would have been lost, and about a plan to recover it."

"What kind of plan?"

"Not enough data. There are indications that Shrummer and that financier wizard, Thelas, are implicated. One phrase stood out though." She fished for the page where she had found it. "There it is: 'We will use the curse of Slytherin to neutralize them. It is poetic justice that the best of Hogwarts will serve to undo the conspiracy of its Founders.'" She looked up. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"No. Sounds pretty sinister. Who do you think is "them'?"

"Good question," she replied. "Worth at least twenty points I would think."

"'Best of Hogwarts'. That could refer to Dumbledore."

"Or to us." He expressed surprise and she looked embarrassed. "Well, it's true. No need to be modest about it."

Harry stayed silent for a moment. When he spoke his voice was hesitant.

"I'm getting a nasty suspicion about this." Slytherin, the best, falling out between Founders. It really points to one person.

"Draco." She had been thinking the same thing.

"I don't believe it," he said firmly.

"Harry-"

"No, Mione. Listen to me. I agree that he's part of this, but I'm sure that he's being used. Luna says that he is sincere, and I believe her."

"She says that Ron-"

"I know that, and I'm sure that there is an explanation. Maybe he really went crazy. The way he's acting I'm ready to believe anything about him. It doesn't really matter." He dismissed the subject with a sharp gesture as if Ron was not somebody important anymore.

"Draco hasn't gone over, nor has Dumbledore. They're being used. That's the meaning of that sentence," he continued. "Some kind of enemy is using them for a purpose we don't understand."

The more he was saying these things, the more Harry knew that the truth was in that direction. It was not something based on logic, and so he could not convince Hermione that way, but she also knew how to listen to her feelings, and his own.

"Luna can be wrong about anything but sincerity," he finished.

"Hum." She remembered the phrase Luna has said the other day.

... It's what you are that's important, not what you do, or what others see you doing...

Like the last time, she could sense that those words were important, but her normally brilliant brain was refusing to do its work. She was dealing with too many incomprehensible things. Too many inconclusive facts were littering her mind.

"Let's skip that for the moment," she finally said. "There's another question. Why?"

Harry was asking himself the same question, but he was too excited to want to continue playing with riddles. Action was what he was ready for. He planted his finger on the Marauder's Map, near the entrance of the kitchens. Little tags with Elvish names moved around it.

"Maybe the answer is here. We find the passageway and follow it down."

She pursed her lips and thought about it. There didn't seem to be any reason for not doing just that. She too was tired of just thinking about their problem.

"All right. Let's go."

They went back inside the school and descended to the service level where the kitchens and the general storage rooms were. They couldn't find any obvious secret opening. It looked like it was going to take them a long time to solve the mystery, and then Hermione thought of asking Dobby to help them.

It was a fine idea. The Elf had no trouble in detecting an unusual void behind a wall, and then getting across. When he came back and described a descending staircase, they knew that they had found it. From the other side, he was able to work the mechanism easily since it was not hidden in any way. It took a few more tries and then they understood how it operated from the outside as well.

They thanked Dobby and moved into the opening. They closed the entrance and started to climb down a very long stairway carved into the rock on which the castle was built. They didn't need to cast lighting spells. Enchanted torches were placed regularly on the walls. The passage spiraled smoothly downwards. As they descended, a thrilling sense of anticipation filled them. To Harry, it felt exactly like the first time he had gone into the Chamber of Secrets. He only hoped that there wasn't anything like a Basilisk down there.

After a few minutes, the sound of their steps changed. A new quality of reverberation prepared them for the end of the long descent. Instinctively, they both reached for their wands and prepared for something they knew to be important and close. The stairs turned into a level corridor, still twisting until it opened into a large space. It looked more like a cave than a room. The floor was not paved, although it was quite flat. The walls and the ceiling were curved and made of rough, polished stone. They could see a mass of boulders on one side, as if part of the wall had caved in. Everything looked very old.

At the center of the room, stood a raised circle bordered by five tall slabs of stone. It looked exactly like the drawing Dobby had brought back from Boocrat's house.

Hogwarts' Circle Ch26 - 20