Harry Potter and the Summer of Secrets

Chapter 7: The Sword of Godric Gryffindor

It was a bright and warm day; flowers were in bloom, filling the air with sweet perfume. She turned around smiling warmly at her friends; Hermione was picking flowers along the road while Harry and Draco were in deep conversation.

She turned back around and continued along the path to the village. The feeling of serenity was quickly broken when a loud scream cut through the air, followed by several loud bangs, all issuing from the village ahead.

"I told you," Iris said bitterly, before she drew her wand and walked forward cautiously.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as he grabbed her arm. His face was full of concern as he motioned towards the woods, towards the castle.

"You made me come here today, though I tried to tell you not to go at all. Do you really think I can just run away while innocent people die?" she asked as she pulled her arm free of his grasp.

She crouched down behind a tree before moving behind another and then another. The others followed reluctantly, but sped up when they heard her horrified gasp.

Hogsmeade was in disarray, bodies lay dead in the blood-covered streets, buildings were ablaze, and Death Eaters roamed freely, still torturing their classmates.

The Death Eater who seemed to be in charge stood ahead of the others, laughing down at a terrified Ravenclaw. The student lunged forward, ripping off the mask; he shrank back when he saw who was under it. As the man raised his wand, delighting in fear he had inflicted, Iris felt as though she'd seen a ghost.

She ran forward, waving her wand. "Stupefy!"

Nothing happened. She tried again, and still had no luck. She pocketed the wand and tried to use wandless magic, concentrating nearly all her energy on a single spell. Again, nothing happened, and she began to feel discouraged.

She ran full speed, hearing the others' footsteps behind her as she dodged bodies, Death Eaters and curses. She felt so helpless as the others deflected spells aimed at her that she decided to do the only thing that she could do.

She ran straight at the man now standing in the centre of the carnage, ignoring her friends as they tried to call her back. Her full focus was on the villainous rogue; she took a deep breath as he caught her eye, seconds before she leapt through the air, tackling him.

"Go to the school and get help!" she yelled at the frightened Ravenclaw boy. She turned back as Lucius stood and wiped the blood from his brow, sneering at her.

"Resorting to Muggle duelling, how very primitive of you, Iris, I confess I rather thought you were above such savage behaviour, but if that's how you prefer it..." He trailed off, pocketed his wand, and began to roll up his sleeves.

Iris held up her hand whispering desperately, "Please, work, please."

A dim light erupted from her palm, knocking Lucius lightly to the ground. She stepped back nervously when she heard him growl as he scrambled to his feet.

"I don't recall Muggle duels involving magic..."

Iris laughed loudly before she pulled a knife from her pocket, lunging for his throat. He merely smiled as he dodged her attack and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the others.

"Too bad the Dark Lord wants you unharmed," he hissed as he bound her tightly. He threw her over the back of a nearby Thestral before he climbed up and urged the creature on.

"Take me to Romania."

As the Thestral rose quickly into the air, Iris struggled, trying to break free of her bonds without falling. She had nearly gotten her wand out of her pocket when the creature suddenly swerved. She screamed as she plummeted towards the dark forest below.

"Iris, wake up!" a worried voice said.

She sat up, surveying her surroundings wildly. Her entire body shook as she realised she was in a bed; she had only been dreaming. She groaned loudly and lay back, feeling ill.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied shakily. "I just had a nightmare."

"A nightmare or a vision?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I hope it was only a nightmare," she replied honestly.

****

Hermione remained in her room, reading until almost dinnertime, when she finally emerged to find some food. She found the boys in the kitchen and smiled nervously, still feeling a bit embarrassed that Snape had caught her and Ron together.

"Any chance for some more Shepherd's Pie?" Ron asked before turning to her.

She gave him a questioning look and he quickly said, "This is Trixie, Iris' house-elf."

She followed his gaze to see an elf in robes of blue and bronze place a steaming Shepherd's Pie on the table. "Oh, hello," she said politely. "My name is Hermione."

"Very nice to meet you, Miss," the elf said bowing slightly.

Hermione sat down beside Ron and helped herself to some of the food. "So what did you two do all day?"

"We flew for a while; then after lunch, we found a secret passage in one of the libraries," Harry answered.

"Libraries?" Hermione asked surprised. "How many are there?"

"There are thirteen libraries," Trixie said as she began to place desserts on the table.

"Thirteen?" Ron repeated disbelievingly. "Why on earth is there so many?"

"Every generation adds something to the house, and Ravenclaws love books," Trixie answered, smiling.

"So Iris is really a descendent of Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Yes, of course, I recognised her immediately. She came one day while I was dusting. I had been so lonely ever since her mother was taken by..."

"Now, Trixie, you aren't telling all our secrets, are you?" Draco drawled from the doorway where he and Iris were standing.

"No, sir, not all of them, sir," Trixie remarked boldly.

Draco laughed. "Good, they don't need to know everything."

Iris looked around, distracted. "Where is Professor Snape?"

"Probably still disinfecting his desk," the elf answered automatically.

"What?" Iris asked, confused.

Trixie laughed loudly. "He caught those two," she pointed at Ron and Hermione, who both flushed a deep shade of crimson, "half-naked on his desk this morning."

"Ugh," cried Draco. "I could have done without knowing that, the Mudblood and the Weasel?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron said challengingly.

"Or what, Weasel?" he retorted. "You'll try to curse me?"

"I won't miss again," Ron shot back. "You just caught me off guard is all."

Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ron. "You can have the first shot."

"Come on, drop it," Harry said as Ron pulled out his wand.

They both ignored him as Draco stood in the doorway, waiting impatiently for Ron to decide which spell to use on him. Harry pulled out his wand.

"Expelliarmus."

****

It was a hot and sticky night, not a sound was heard in the small town in Lancashire. It was nearing midnight when a loud pop echoed through the quiet streets.

Two figures appeared on the corner and walked swiftly down Roman Road. As they walked purposely towards the large grey house at the end of the road, a sudden chill cut through the air.

The strangers looked around suspiciously as they were plunged into total darkness. Once again, the silence was disrupted when two identical voices whispered, "Lumos."

As the faint light illuminated their surroundings, they heard something draw long, hoarse, rattling breaths behind them. They turned quickly to catch sight of a black shadow gliding towards them.

Two others joined the first creature, and they encircled the wizards, who were now shaking slightly. One of the Dementors began to lower his hood, drawing close to the figure on the right. They looked at one another and grinned before raising their wands.

"Expecto Patronum!" they shouted simultaneously.

A large silver fox burst from one wand tip while a silver wolf erupted from the other. The Patronuses charged at the Dementors, pushing them back away from the wizards.

"I'm glad Harry taught us that one," Fred said, laughing as he lowered his hood.

George nodded as he pulled his hood down as well. "It does come in handy from time to time."

They laughed and started up the walk towards the house; they stopped suddenly when they heard a loud growl behind them.

"Oh look, Dolohov, we came for the Longbottoms, and the Order threw in an extra pair of Weasleys."

The twins turned around slowly to see two men heading straight for them, wearing long black robes and masks. The second Death Eater laughed maniacally.

"Fenrir, you can take care of the Longbottoms while I show these blood-traitors exactly what I did to their uncles."

"You foul, evil..." George yelled and started forward, but Fenrir grabbed his throat and lifted him into the air. Fred rushed forward and raised his wand.

"Relashio!"

George fell to the ground, but scrambled up quickly and hit Dolohov with a jet of yellow light, which turned his robes the corresponding colour; the Death Eater pulled off his mask and threw it on the ground. His face was contorted in rage; his eyes bulged as he raised his wand.

Fred started forward. "Stupefy."

Dolohov dodged the spell as Fenrir lunged at George, his teeth barred. "I'm going to do to you what I did to your brother, boy!"

George jumped out of the way, and the Death Eater ran past him; he turned quickly. "Impedimenta!"

The spell barely missed the werewolf's shoulder as Dolohov cried, "Crucio!"

Fred deflected the curse and heard the door to the house open behind them. Neville charged out still wearing his pyjamas and headed straight for Fenrir.

"Neville, no, get back inside," his grandmother yelled frantically from the doorway.

Whether the Death Eaters were surprised by his charge or his stupidity, Fred didn't know, but he cheered as he watched Neville disarm the bewildered men easily. The Death Eaters began to flee, but George waved his wand and Dolohov fell to the ground, tightly bound.

Fenrir darted between two buildings and Apparated quickly, leaving his accomplice behind. The twins watched him go feeling disappointed, but smiled encouragingly at Neville.

"Way to go!" they congratulated him. Neville smiled nervously as the incarcerated Death Eater began to yell.

"Just kill me already and get it over with; I know you want to."

George rolled him over roughly and began to drag him up onto the porch. "That's the difference between us, I'm not a murderer," he spat as he dropped him on the porch and turned to Neville's grandmother.

"As you can see," he continued bitterly, "you are in danger. We've come to take you to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. You can pack a few things while we await the Ministry officials."

****

They left at daybreak the following day, leaving Ron and Hermione with Snape- the result of the three arguments that Ron had started with Draco the previous evening.

As they walked up the lane to the gates of Hogwarts in silence, Harry could not believe that he had never seen the sun rise behind the castle; it looked beautiful. When they reached the gates, Iris began to mutter words, tapping the lock with her wand.

"Damn," she swore. "McGonagall must have changed the wards."

They turned and headed back towards Hogsmeade. "Do you know what we need?" Draco asked, smiling mischievously.

Iris grinned and answered back, "Slytherin's Spy."

Harry watched as Draco pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket. He tapped it with his wand, and said, "Toujours Pur."

Harry gasped and pulled out the Marauder's Map. He activated it and held it next to the other map. "Where did you get that?" he asked, surprised.

"This one is a very crude copy of yours, made by Draco's mother one summer when she stayed with her aunt. It's really only good when you want to know who is in the school, she hadn't finished putting in all the rooms, so half the time you can't even tell where anyone is," Iris replied. "She gave her cousin back that one, though her copy was still incomplete, and insisted that she hadn't figured out how to use it... Don't we enter here?"

She had stopped in front of Honeyduke's and slipped on her invisibility ring while Harry and Draco ducked back under their cloaks. As they walked through the deserted shop, Iris grabbed three Blood-flavoured Lollipops and put a galleon on the counter.

"Ugh," said Harry as they walked down the passage. "How can you eat those things?"

Iris pulled the lollipop from her mouth and asked, "Have you even tried them?"

"No," he answered, "they're blood-flavoured."

"How do you know if you've never tried them?" Draco asked as he took one from Iris and put it in his mouth. "Tastes a bit like strawberries to me."

Harry looked at them suspiciously, but took the lollipop Iris was holding out to him. He put it slowly into his mouth, and a wave of nausea hit him. He spit the vile candy out as a coppery taste filled his mouth. Draco, who was laughing loudly, had taken his out and conjured a glass of water.

"Malfoy, you..."

"Shh," Iris said suddenly, "we're coming up to the school."

"It seems that only Filch, his wretched cat, and the house-elves are here," Draco said, folding up the map. "Come on, let's get the sword."

The trip to the seventh floor corridor seemed to take no time at all. The usually crowded corridors were easy to traverse, as they did not have to try to fight their way through the throng. Their footsteps echoed loudly down the deserted hallways, making them feel as though they were going to get caught, until Iris finally silenced them out of irritation. They trudged on, swiftly and silently, to the corridor where a single gargoyle stood against the wall.

"Err..." said Harry, uncertainly. "Acid Pop? Lemon Drop? No, okay, Fizzing Wizbee? Canary Cream?" He then looked over at Iris, "Blood-flavoured Lollipop?"

"Okay, Potter, you're wasting time," drawled Draco. "Obviously McGonagall would have an entirely different kind of password."

Harry looked thoughtful. "Ginger Newts?"

"There might be another way," Iris said suddenly. "Follow me." She led them to the stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do the ballet.

"What are we doing here?" Draco asked quietly.

"I want you both to think of the Headmaster's office, tell me when you can see it clearly in your mind."

She closed her eyes and thought about the delicate instruments on the table, the portraits, Dumbledore behind the desk, Fawkes on his perch...

"Okay," said Harry and Draco simultaneously.

"Now imagine the door and ask the room to take us there."

They walked past the wall three times; when they opened their eyes, they found themselves staring at a brass knocker. They heard the sound of voices buzzing behind the door and turned around to find themselves at the top of the staircase to the Head's office, but the gargoyle had not moved.

Harry shrugged, reached up and knocked on the door. The voices immediately stopped, and he pushed open the door. The office hadn't changed much, and Harry thought that perhaps McGonagall had not yet been able to get rid of Dumbledore's things.

Draco stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed upon a portrait of a man with waist-length silver hair and beard; half moon spectacles were perched on his crooked nose. He was looking calmly at Harry, his blue eyes shining.

"It's about time you got here," he said serenely.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Draco said uncertainly.

"Why Mr Malfoy, I was under the impression that you were dead," he answered knowingly.

Draco continued to gaze at the portrait, looking sick. "I'm sorry, Professor," he said quietly. "I never wanted any of this to happen."

"There is no need to apologise, Draco, we all did what we had to do," the portrait replied as his eyes swept back to Harry.

Harry glared back at him. "Why didn't you tell me? All those lessons we had, you could have said something, anything..." he broke off, looking away.

"If I had told you that Draco was trying to kill me, what would you have done? Furthermore, if I had told you that Professor Snape was meant to do it if Draco could not, what would you have done?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Harry didn't answer right away and stood, looking at the floor. "I would have killed them," he said finally. "I have to ask, Professor, do you still trust Snape?"

"I have been asked that question more times than I care to count, yet my answer has never changed. In fact, I'd say I trust him more now than I ever have before."

Harry nodded, finally convinced. Iris started to ask a question, but the portrait stopped her.

"Hurry, Harry, get the sword, someone's coming. The incantation is 'Eripio'. There is Floo powder on the mantle. And Iris?" he continued, as he smiled warmly at her.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, but looked at her intently as Harry grabbed the sword and Draco the Floo powder.

"Thank you," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "The knowledge you seek is hidden in the Come and Go Room, you'll know it when you see it. Also, I must ask you to retrieve the documents we talked about last spring, keep them hidden and secret until Harry destroys Voldemort. I must also ask you not to read the more aged documents until the need is dire."

Harry and Draco looked at the portrait oddly, as they did not understand a word he had said. Iris must have understood because she nodded before stepping into flames.

"Gryffindor common room."

Draco rolled his eyes and followed quickly, but Harry turned back to the portrait. "The locket was a fake."

The old man nodded down at him and said, "Iris warned me that might happen, but I had to be sure, as I know you understand. The fact that you are with her at all leads me to believe that she found it."

Harry nodded. An odd and faint scraping sound filled the room; the portrait again motioned toward the fireplace.

"The Headmistress will not be pleased to find you in her office, Harry."

He grabbed the Floo powder and waved awkwardly before stepping into the flames.

**Meanwhile**

Snape and Ron were the only ones in the kitchen, eating breakfast in an awkward silence, when Hermione arrived there the next morning. Ron looked up, relieved, when she entered and smiled.

"Morning," she said brightly, causing Snape to sneer at her unpleasantly.

"Morning, Hermione. Did you hear the others moving around yet?" Ron asked hopefully, giving Snape a reproachful look.

"I saw that, Weasley, will you go wake the others then?"

"Sure," he said. He shot Hermione a sympathetic glance before leaving quickly.

She sat slowly and began to help herself to some breakfast. She kept giving Snape odd looks, but he sat in silence, reading his book and completely ignoring her. She sighed heavily; it was clear that Snape wasn't going to talk to her, which made her feel anxious about being alone with him.

"They're gone again!" Ron practically shouted when he burst through the kitchen door five minutes later, causing her to choke on her pumpkin juice.

"Listen to this," he spat furiously, ignoring Hermione's coughs. "Hey guys - Sorry, but Malfoy, Iris and I had something we had to do. Be back soon, Harry."

Snape looked up at Ron, amused, and said, "And that is why they are in Slytherin..."

"Harry's not," Ron retorted.

"Potter was stolen from us- he is a Parselmouth."

"Why is he in Gryffindor then?" Hermione challenged when she finally stopped coughing.

"He asked not to be put in Slytherin, though that was where he belonged," Snape replied. "I saw it during Occlumency lessons with him."

"Why didn't he tell us then?" Ron asked unconvinced.

"He didn't tell you because you hate Slytherins..."

"He thought we'd reject him," Hermione finished quietly. "It does make sense, that's why he's always trying to help someone, he wants to prove he isn't a Slytherin. Well, if they are gone, what do we do all day?"

"Whatever you want, Granger, as long as it's not on my desk. I am off to check Iris' private library for a cross-reference."

"Can we help?" she asked hopefully. "It would go much faster with the three of us."

Ron groaned. "Hermione..."

Snape frowned at her, clearly regretting he had even mentioned a library in front her; he sneered indifferently. "I'm not sure if she'd like that, all of the books are very old. Most of them belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw herself, although there are quite a few from the other founders as well."

Her eyes lit up. "We won't break anything, we promise..."

"I'm afraid it's out of the question," he answered sternly as he stood and headed for the door. "The only way to enter is by Portkey, and she didn't leave one." With that, he turned on his heels and left.

"Then how is he going to get in?" Hermione wondered aloud. She followed him quietly out of the room and up the stairs. He must have known they were tailing him because he walked in circles around the house, up and down the stairs. They followed him for over an hour before he finally lost them in the garden.

"Why don't you just ask Iris when she gets back?" Ron asked quietly. "She'll probably show you. Hey, let's go check out that passage Harry and I found, maybe they'll be back when we're done exploring."

"Fine," she answered, casting one last glance around for Snape.

He led her to a library on the second floor where he pulled out a book called Beyond the Veil. The entire bookcase slid open to reveal a very dark downward passage. They lit their wands and began to walk down the dark passage, their footsteps echoing off the walls.

The door slid shut suddenly, and Hermione grabbed Ron's hand tightly. He smiled at her in the wand light and led her on down the passage.

"What is this?" Hermione asked suddenly, gesturing to a wooden panel set into the stone. She reached up and opened a peephole.

She looked through it eagerly and gasped. "That's my room, now I really want to know where this leads."

They continued in silence for a few minutes more before Ron finally said, "Hermione?"

"Yes, Ron," came her soft reply. He paused, trying to find a way to word his question.

"What exactly is going on between us?" he finally blurted out.

"I don't know, I mean I like you a lot. You make me laugh, but you also infuriate me at the same time," she answered vaguely.

"Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked suddenly.

"Ron..." she started, but he cut her off.

"We've been playing this game since fourth year, do you know you were the first person I ever kissed? Last year, with Lavender, I wished she was you every second I was with her. I love you, Hermione."

She didn't answer right away, but he could a smile spreading on her face. "Oh, Ron, I love you, too."

He kissed her softly and she nearly dropped her wand. She did drop it a moment later when he pushed her up against wall as she melted into him.

"Wait, do you hear that?" she asked, pulling away.

"I don't hear anything," he answered as he pulled her back into a kiss. He was disappointed when she pulled away again.

"No, I definitely hear something, Ronald."

He listened carefully and was startled to hear a weird noise in the distance. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied as she bent down to pick her wand up from the floor. Even as they spoke, the sound grew louder and more rhythmic.

"It sounds like it's getting closer," Ron said slowly, backing away as he was suddenly reminded of his second year at Hogwarts.

"Hermione, run!" he shouted, terrified. He grabbed her hand, and they sprinted quickly back up the passageway. They practically ran into the door, tried unsuccessfully to open it, and finally resorted to banging on it, yelling for help.

"We're trapped," Ron said frantically, just as the door slid open.

They tumbled out of the passage onto the library floor. Hermione then jumped up and closed the door; she leaned her head against it, breathing heavily.

"You would think that, after six years at Hogwarts, with Potter as your friend, you would at least know that you should not go down secret passages alone," came a cold voice from behind them. "Especially one that, in all probability, hasn't been opened in centuries."

****

Draco found himself in a room so red, that he initially thought the walls were covered with blood. He looked around, sickened by the crimson furniture and curtains; he sighed heavily. "Bloody Gryffindors..."

Iris, who was also looking around in shock, asked, "Why would anyone want to live in a place so... red?"

"I thought you liked red," Draco said, rolling his eyes as Harry spun out of the fireplace. "I bet the Weasleys feel right at home though."

"And the Slytherin dungeon is so much better?" Harry asked, looking skeptical. "It's dark, cold, and..."

"How would you know anything about it, Potter?" Draco cut in, eyeing him suspiciously.

Harry merely shrugged, a smug look on his face. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, Snape says he needs your Potions book, he said that you hid it somewhere. Where is it?" Iris asked, and when he didn't respond, she persisted, "I know that is where you learned that horrible curse you used on Draco last year."

Draco glared at Harry. "Where else would you learn such dark magic? The Sectumsempra Curse is a bit outdated, only the Death Eaters use it now."

Harry looked guilty as he said, "Malfoy, I'm sorry about that, I didn't know what it did."

Iris watched Draco's face contort with anger and, as he started to retort, she calmly spoke up.

"Harry, where is the book?"

Once again, Harry found himself standing in the seventh floor corridor, facing the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"What did you think when you hid it?" Iris asked.

"I don't know," he replied, trying to remember. "'I need somewhere to hide my book', I suppose."

"How very imaginative," Draco said quietly as his face paled slightly. "Let's get this over with, okay?"

They all walked back and forth, thinking of hiding something; when they opened the door, Harry found himself in a cluttered, yet familiar, room that Draco seemed to know as well.

"This was your workshop? No wonder it took you so long to repair the cabinet."

Draco glared at him nastily. "Let's just get this over with."

Harry led them through the maze of debris to a broken cabinet with an unsightly statue wearing a tiara on top of its head. He slowly opened the cabinet and pulled out the book; he handed it to Iris, who quickly stuffed it into her bag. She turned back around and headed further into the room, picking her way through the debris.

Finally, she stopped and picked up a small purple trunk that had been covered with blue and green half-moons. She opened it with a small silver key she had pulled from her pocket. Inside the box were several official looking documents, as well as a few ancient and crumbling rolls of parchment. She carefully removed the ancient documents from the trunk and tapped them with her wand before she tucked them safely into her bag.

"Hey," Draco said suddenly, "the Vanishing Cabinet is gone, I wonder what they did with it."

Iris shrugged, looking unconcerned. "They probably put it somewhere safer, but we can't worry about it right now. Dumbledore said that the information we needed was in here, and this storage room seems to be a good place to start."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, "what are we looking for?"

"He said we'd know it when we see it, so let's get to work."

Three hours later, they sat in the very back of the storeroom, going through large and very ancient trunks filled with all sorts of antiques. Draco's trunk contained broken scales and rusted cauldrons, while Harry's was filled with school ledgers from over a hundred years earlier. Iris sighed as she pushed aside her trunk, which had been full of old and broken crystal balls, and pulled the next one out from under the wooden shelf that ran the length of the wall.

A loud thud of something heavy hitting the stone floor resonated behind the trunk, and she moved it aside eagerly. A wooden box lay behind the trunk; when she pulled it out, she saw that it was covered in elaborate carvings of serpents centred around a single letter, 'S'.

She looked at the others, who had moved closer out of curiosity; she opened it carefully and gasped. Inside the box was a beautiful leather bound book covered with raised silver serpents.

"This is the missing book from my family's private collection," Iris said quietly as she ran a finger over the title, Horcruxes.

They gathered their things and left the cluttered room quickly. They walked in silence down the hallway and were startled to hear footsteps coming towards them. Iris grabbed their arms and pulled them into a disused classroom, locking the door behind them.

She led them quickly across the empty room to a portrait of an old warlock and pulled it down from the wall, revealing a downward passage.

"This will lead us to the dungeons, from there we will be able to leave quicker with less of a chance of being caught."

Draco looked warily down the dark passage. "Is it safe?"

"Of course it's safe," she answered stubbornly. "Dumbledore told me about it."

The doorknob began to rattle, and they scrambled through the portrait hole. They lit their wands and headed down the steep, winding stairs to a neglected and crumbling room that Harry had never been in before.

He looked around curiously; he was surprised to see only a large and ornate claw-footed mirror in one corner. An inscription ran across the top, Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

"Do you know what this is?" Iris asked, surprise written all over her face.

"The Mirror of Erised," Harry answered, unable to tear his eyes off of it.

Iris nodded. "It's weird though, I haven't seen since second year; back then, my heart's desire was to be able to answer a question in class..."

She trailed off and began to take a few steps towards it. As she moved closer, her expression twisted to curiosity mixed with anxiety. She looked intently into it, only slightly surprised by what she saw; she moved aside.

"Your turn, Harry."

He walked slowly forward and gazed at his reflection; he looked both anxious and excited as he awaited his parents' reflections.

Suddenly his face became covered in blood, as did his robes. He smiled maliciously and raised his arm. Voldemort's head sat in his hand; the lifeless, crimson eyes were wide with shock. He watched, transfixed, as his reflection dropped the head with a loud thud; he gagged slightly as blood splattered the image in the mirror.

He averted his eyes and moved quickly away from the mirror. He couldn't even hear what Iris was saying; it was like the image had been permanently etched in his mind.

Draco stepped forward and looked intently into the mirror. He jumped slightly, obviously quite surprised by what he had seen. He hastily moved away from the mirror. He crossed the room to one of the locked doors that encircled the room and tapped it with his wand; it sprang opened, and they filed out of the castle in awkward silence.

****

He looked down at the aged and stained parchment disdainfully; it was tainted with Muggles and Blood-traitors. He traced the lines with his finger; a faint smile crossed his face as he lingered on an old witch named Hepzibah Smith.

He then moved over to her cousin, Phoebe, and continued down the line. Finally, a look of triumph crossed his face. A soft knock came at the door, and he impatiently called, "Come in."

An uneasy looking man with red hair and horn-rimmed spectacles walked slowly into the room. He sat restively and looked fearfully at the man behind the desk.

"Weasley, your tardiness gives me hope that our young informant had much to say..."

"Actually, my Lord," Percy started timidly, "she didn't meet me. I am late because I was waiting for..."

He trailed off, looking at the Dark Lord in alarm; he had risen to his feet and walked swiftly over to a cabinet in the corner.

Another knock came at the door, and he roared, "Enter."

Fenrir came in, looking deflated. "My Lord," he said tentatively, "I have failed..."

The Dark Lord's face twisted in fury as he glared at his follower. "Are you actually saying that between two Death Eaters and three Dementors, none of you could manage to exterminate an underage wizard and an old woman? Tell me, Fenrir, why I even keep you alive."

The werewolf shrank back earnestly as the Dark Lord's red eyes flashed. He immediately pulled his wand from his pocket.

"Crucio!"

The tormented man hit the floor, twitching in pain until the torturer lifted the curse.

"What happened, where is Dolohov?" Voldemort asked commandingly.

Fenrir stood slowly and looked at the Dark Lord apprehensively. "He has been captured by the Order, my Lord."

Once more, the werewolf found himself on the floor as pain coursed through his body. When the Dark Lord lifted the curse, the dazed man rose unsteadily.

"Get out of my sight, Fenrir, or I may kill you," Voldemort spat, and the man fled from the room.

He returned to his desk and once again looked carefully at the Hufflepuff lineage. "Weasley?"

Percy jumped. "Yes, my Lord."

"Bring me Zacharias Smith - alive."