Harry Potter and the Summer of Secrets

Chapter 9: Of Blood-traitors and Secrets

Ginny was sitting in her room, at her desk looking out the window. She was, as she had been all week, watching for approaching owls. She was worried about Harry -he hadn't answered any of her letters- and she was beginning to think that he hadn't even received them. She felt herself beginning to get angry again when she saw a tiny owl fluttering outside her window.

"Pig!" she exclaimed as she threw open the window and pulled the letter off the excited owl.

Ginny - Lock all the doors and windows, then pack some clothes and wait for us by the fireplace. Mum and Dad should meet us as well; see you at midnight. - Ron

She sighed and began to pack quickly. After she had finished, she went to find her parents. They were sitting silently at the table, but when they saw her, their eyes widened. She started forward, thinking something was wrong.

"Mum? Dad?" she said uncertainly. "Ron's just sent me an owl."

She showed them the letter, and they immediately began to seal up every crack in the house, remembering that Pettigrew had lived there for twelve years as a rat.

"What if it's a trap, Arthur?" her mother whispered as they sat down in front of the fireplace.

"Molly, look at your clock."

She whirled around, terrified at what she might see. All the hands were jumping around from 'Home' to 'Travelling', but always lingering on 'Mortal Peril' - except one. Ron's hand lay still and unmoving directly between 'Home' and 'Travelling'.

"He's safer than we are then," she said softly.

****

He held his wand loosely in his trembling hand as he followed the hooded figures to the large, neat house. A cold sweat broke out as he rapped loudly on the door.

"Who's there?" a scared man asked.

"Representatives from the Ministry of Magic," Percy replied unsteadily. "Sir, you are not safe..."

The door opened immediately, and the terrified man jumped back as the Death Eaters filed in.

"Tell us where your son is, and we may let you live," a snide voice remarked from under one of the hoods.

The trembling man shook his head defiantly, and the unfamiliar voice spat, "Crucio!"

Percy felt ill as he watched the man convulse on the floor. "Search the house," he croaked when he remembered that he was the one in charge.

The Death Eaters dispersed and began to quickly tear apart the house; it seemed like only five minutes before he heard a cry of triumph.

"Got him," a rough voice cried, and a Death Eater dragged a blond-haired boy down the stairs.

The man on the floor pleaded as tears ran down his cheeks. "No, please, take me instead."

"Is your name Zacharias Smith?" Percy asked the boy he remembered seeing at Hogwarts.

The colour drained from the boy's face as he nodded; Percy grabbed his arm and led him outside as the snide voice cried, "Avada Kedavra!"

Zacharias tried to go back into the house, but Percy held on to his arm tightly. "Believe me, you don't want to see what they did to him."

He hastily cast the Dark Mark, and they Apparated quickly. When they landed before the Dark Lord's jewel-encrusted throne, the blond-haired boy looked petrified with fear.

"Very good, Weasley," the Dark Lord said, and Zacharias shot him a betrayed look. When the Dark Lord stood and walked towards them, the boy nearly fainted.

"You have no reason to be afraid of me yet," Voldemort said in a calming voice. "I just want to ask you a few questions. That isn't so bad, is it?"

"I guess not," the scared boy replied fairly.

"Very good, tell me some of your abilities."

Zacharias looked surprised. "I'm sorry?"

"Your abilities, boy," Voldemort snapped impatiently. "What are you good at? Potions? Herbology?"

"Herbology, Transfiguration and Charms, I'm also the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team," the boy answered quickly.

"You were a member of a group called Dumbledore's Army, tell me about it," the Dark Lord commanded.

He hesitated, remembering how Marietta's face had looked after she told Umbridge about the group. "I can't," he replied fearfully, "Potter's friend put a spell on the parchment we all signed."

"Harry Potter?" the Dark Lord asked interestedly as he looked deep into the boy's scared blue eyes. "He led the group, didn't he? Taught you defence spells?"

Zacharias nodded, and the Dark Lord smirked as nasty purple pustules broke out on the side of his face to form a letter 'S'.

"Was he trying to teach you to defend yourselves from me?"

The boy nodded again. "And the Death Eaters."

The rash again flared up as the rest of the word materialised. The Dark Lord laughed at the nasty pustules that now spelled the word SNEAK across the boy's cheek.

"I see that there was a spell on the parchment after all; however, a true Hufflepuff would not so easily have given up the alleged Chosen One. Explain this to me."

The Dark Lord shoved an aged parchment under the boy's nose. At the top was a picture of a badger next to the name Hufflepuff. He saw that the snake-like man was pointing to his name at the bottom of one of the branches.

"I was adopted," Zacharias admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

The Dark Lord straightened up and walked away. "Kill him, Weasley."

"My Lord-" Percy began to protest, but Voldemort silenced him with a glare.

"Kill him, and dear Penelope will be yours; this is your final test."

Percy closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, they were full of determination as he looked intently down at the terrified boy. He drew his wand as his face contorted in anger.

"Avada Kedavra!"

****

"What time is it, Mum?" Ginny asked anxiously from her place on the couch.

"Ten-thirty, exactly two minutes after the last time you asked," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Ginny fell silent. 'Still over an hour to go,' she thought impatiently.

Talk had long ended, giving way to Molly's sighs, Ginny's questions, and Arthur's pacing. She was beginning to wonder if they would even make it to midnight when the flames turned emerald green as Ron and Hermione tumbled out onto the rug. As they straightened up and wiped the soot from their robes, Molly pulled them into a bone-crushing hug.

"What is this about, Ron? I thought you said you'd be here at midnight," his father asked, a concerned look on his face.

"You know, Dad, in case the owl was intercepted," he replied simply. "You need to get out of here; the Death Eaters will be coming here, looking for me."

Molly sobbed. "Where are we going?"

"Get to headquarters, you'll be safest there..."

"And you?" she cut in suspiciously.

"We'll be fine, but we need to take Ginny with us," Ron replied quietly.

"No way! Ginny stays with us," Molly yelled, but Ron interrupted her.

"Mum, it's Harry. He's been hurt badly; we've got a Healer looking after him, but she says there's not much else she can do. He's asking for Ginny..."

Ron trailed off sadly as both Ginny and his mother burst into tears. Molly nodded miserably before allowing her husband to steer her outside.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked, grabbing the Floo powder.

"We aren't Flooing, the wards are down," Ron replied as he grabbed her arm. She saw Hermione grab her trunk and held tight to Ron's arm as he Apparated them to a room lined with books.

****

She sat in silence, listening to the enchanting conversation of the blades. She watched intently as her friends lunged at one another. They were both quite good, she decided as she watched Harry block yet another complicated attack. Draco, who was an excellent swordsman, seemed to be holding back, reluctant to risk losing control. He half-heartedly blocked Harry's advance and slashed him on the arm.

"Why do you think Iris lied to me about her hand?" he asked as he shot her an accusatory glance.

"I suggest you ask her," he replied stonily.

"Have you forgotten the rules, Potter?" he retorted angrily.

"Fine, I think that she has her own reasons for not telling you," Harry said as he looked out the window. "Personally, I think it is because you hate me and have a tendency to overreact."

"I have a tendency to overreact?" Draco asked indignantly. "That's rich coming from the Boy Who Lived to pelt himself with encyclopaedias."

Iris laughed loudly and Harry glared at her. "You're both right," she answered quietly, "and you both tend to overreact. It is quite amusing..."

Draco glared at her and retorted, "I thought we decided to stop keeping secrets from one another, what else are you hiding from me?"

She sighed heavily. "I am not going to just tell you everything. That would take the fun out of the game, wouldn't it?"

Harry watched as she pulled down the other blade from the mantelpiece. She pointed the sword at Draco uncertainly, and he curled his lip at her. He raised the sword and lunged at her; she parried and slid around behind him, cutting his leg as she did so. Harry laughed and Draco lunged at him, attacking relentlessly; Harry parried and slashed his other leg.

"Fine," he said as he sat down, "ask your bloody questions."

Iris smiled at him innocently and asked, "What was the first bit of magic you ever performed?"

He looked at her oddly, but replied, "My mother said that when I was two years old, I set my father's arm on fire when he hit me."

"Serves him right," Harry said quietly. "My turn, did you know I was following when you went to the Room of Requirement, and if you did, why didn't you stop me, even after I cursed you?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at him. "As a matter of fact, I did know. I knew you would never be able to figure out what I was doing in there, so you weren't really a threat to me."

Iris reached over and cut Harry's arm. He looked surprised, but expectant as she began to ask her question. "What if I were to tell you that Ginny would be coming to stay here in about twenty minutes?"

Harry looked startled and asked, "What? Why?"

"Well," Iris answered, "Ron has been ordered dead, and the Burrow is their first target, so it must be evacuated."

"Fine," he answered softly, "if that's how it has to be."

Draco smirked. "What's the matter, Potter? I thought Weasleyette was your girlfriend."

"Get out of it, Malfoy, it's none of your business," Harry spat angrily.

Draco's smirk increased. "Now, now, Potter," he said arrogantly as he slashed his arm, "you need to remember the rules of this game. My turn, when did Weasley give you the boot?"

Harry glared and gritted his teeth. "She did not give me the boot, I broke up with her to try to protect her from Voldemort. Not," he added maliciously as he cut Draco's arm, "that it's any of your business."

"My turn," he continued, "why is Ron marked for death?"

"My father always said they were blood-traitors. The Dark Lord can't seem to kill you, so he wants everyone you've ever cared about."

Ron and Hermione came in just as Draco said this. Ron's face flushed, and he hurried to the fireplace, followed by a confused Hermione. They Flooed quickly as Draco stood back up and pointed his sword first at Harry, then at Iris. "No more freebies."

He lunged at Harry at the same time Iris lunged at him; they all missed their mark. Iris stepped back, lunged at Harry, and slashed his arm deeply.

"My turn," she said as she continued to advance on the boys. "Should we have our wands ready in case Ginny attacks us like Ron did?"

Harry looked thoughtful as he parried her next attack. "She's not allowed to do magic outside of school, she's underage."

Iris laughed as his blow barely missed her stomach. "There is so much magic infused into this house, that I doubt the Ministry would even notice. Also, I am of age, and this is my home; they would think nothing of it."

"Fine, if she attacks, you can defend yourselves," Harry said quietly as he awaited her next move. "Just don't hurt her."

"Deal," Draco said as he lunged at Harry, who parried and parried again. Iris moved forward to try to get back into the action, but Draco pushed her away. She fell to the floor as they continued to fight as though they both had some personal vendetta. A sudden loud popping noise cut through the air as Hermione and Ron returned with Ginny.

"Look, Potter, it's Weasleyette," Draco drawled as he continued to advance on Harry, attacking relentlessly.

Ginny whipped around quickly, drawing her wand. The expression on her face went from anger to shock as she saw Harry and Draco fighting fiercely, swords clanging relentlessly.

Draco cut Harry's hand just as he finally managed to pin his opponent's blade against a nearby chair. "Give it a rest for a minute, Malfoy."

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ginny yelled loudly.

"Ginny, calm down," Harry started.

"You will not tell me to calm down!" she shouted even louder. "I haven't heard from you since before the wedding, then I suddenly get a note from Ron saying that we have to leave the Burrow. So I come here, after these two tell me you're dying and find you here with..."

She trailed off, looking thoroughly confused, as Snape entered the room. He ignored her and asked the others, "Whose turn is it?"

"Mine," Harry answered. Ginny watched as he put down his sword and took the book from Snape.

"It's my turn to ask a question," Draco said, as an amused look came about his face. "What were you saying before Snape walked in?"

Ginny raised her wand and glared at him. She gritted her teeth as she replied, "I was saying that I come here to find Harry with a known Death Eater and all around horrible person," -she focused her glare to Snape as she continued- "not to mention Dumbledore's killer, and I'm expected not to be angry?"

"And who the bloody hell are you?" she asked, as she strode forward to find a girl who had laughed loudly, sitting in the floor behind the chair. Her face was red from trying to suppress the giggles she had unsuccessfully contained.

"Call me Iris," she said as she cut Draco's arm. "That's for knocking me on the ground. Ginny seems to think you are a Death Eater, will you show her that you're not?"

"Sure," he replied grudgingly. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a pale forearm, slashed and cut several times. He hastily wiped away the blood to prove that he did not bear the mark.

Ginny sighed and looked slightly relieved. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean that I trust you."

Draco almost smiled. "Fair enough because I certainly don't trust you."

**Meanwhile**

"My Lord, I have returned to you, ready to accept the consequences of my failure," said a kneeling man in black robes and a mask.

"Stand, Lucius, there will be no punishment," the Dark Lord replied bitterly. "Your son has paid your life debt..."

Lucius stood and pulled off his mask. "My Lord, Draco is alive; he helped Iris free Snape from Azkaban."

Voldemort slowly turned and surveyed him. "What proof do you offer me?"

"I pulled this off his cloak," he replied, as he showed him a clasp in the shape of a coiled silver serpent with emerald eyes. "It's Draco's; Iris got it him for last Christmas. My Lord, he is alive..."

"That would mean that two of my most trusted followers are working against me; my own daughter? To even suggest such a thing is, as you know, considered treason of the highest consequence," the Dark Lord spat as he drew his wand.

"My Lord, please hear me out," Lucius said quietly. "She exchanged her service for his life; you showed him mercy. He then died by a hand you command; your hold over her should have diminished. Why hasn't it?"

"I have always been able to locate any of my Death Eaters at any time through the Mark; only death may sever that bond. I no longer feel his presence, which means he is dead."

Lucius smiled bitterly. "Perhaps they have found a way to remove the Mark. I spoke to him in Azkaban; when I told him that Narcissa had told me he was dead, he said that he was, but had gotten better."

Voldemort stood still a moment, thinking. "Let me see the clasp."

Lucius obeyed and watched as he grabbed an envelope. He tapped the clasp with his wand and sealed it in the envelope before he called down a large black owl.

"Take this Iris and make sure it gets there soon."

**Meanwhile**

He spun out of the fireplace and stood gingerly before turning around. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw several awestruck faces staring back at him.

"You all nearly scared me to death," he remarked ironically, laughing softly.

"Sirius?" a familiar voice asked in astonishment, and he turned toward his friend happily.

"Moony, you're looking well," he joked as he watched the colour drain from his careworn face.

"How is this possible?" the tired-looking man asked disbelieving. "I was there, I saw you die..."

"You saw me fall through the Veil, behind which in my expert opinion, is a hostile world where light is scarce and laughter non-existent. I ran into a small group of wizards who had been sent in ten years ago, but had not been able to return."

Sirius sat down in an empty chair and rolled up his sleeves. He examined the deep gashes on his arms where an Acromantula had bitten him; he was careful to show everyone that he did not have Voldemort's mark, as he continued his story loudly.

"We lived in caves that went down into the stone dais and were constantly hunted by Lethifolds and Acromantulas. The others claimed that a vengeful dark witch, whose daughter had been killed by a Lethifold, had made the Veil. They believed that she had travelled the world, capturing as many as she could."

He stopped for a moment and healed the gashes sloppily, not caring that his arms were now covered in ugly scars. He summoned a bottle of butterbeer from the table and took a long draught before he continued.

"We found her bones deep in one of the caves; she still had her quill and journal in hand. It was in this ancient book, in which she wrote about imprisoning the shrouds inside the Veil." Sirius pulled the book from his pocket and handed it to his confused friend.

"The Veil opened only once a year, which would be the only time we would have any chance to escape. We were greatly outnumbered, for the witch had possessed a gift. She had proved to be irresistible to the Lethifolds, which is probably why they are so scarce in this world. The witch herself became trapped inside the very place she had created, as the Lethifolds would not permit her to leave. In the last pages of the book, she had barricaded herself in a cave-"

"Wait a minute, Padfoot," Remus cut in, smiling, "are you telling me that you had to battle an army of Lethifolds to escape that small, raggedy veil?"

"If you don't believe me, I'll throw you in so you can take a look," he retorted bitterly. "You, however, will not have any company as all the others died in the attempt."

"How did you escape when twenty-five well-trained wizards could not?" an older man with twinkling blue eyes asked. Sirius vaguely recognised him as the barman of the Hog's Head Inn; he looked carefully around before he answered.

"I am an Animagus," he said boldly. "I turned into a dog and ran past them. Now where is Dumbledore, I have to speak to him."

"I'm afraid you have missed quite a bit over the past year," Remus said delicately. "Dumbledore is dead; Snape killed him."

"What?" he asked disbelievingly, "That doesn't make any sense; I recall that Dumbledore always said that he trusted him explicitly. Where is Harry?"

He realised how worried his friend looked as he shifted uncomfortably. His voice was barely a whisper when he finally answered, "We don't know, we haven't heard from him for a while, but we think he has gone after Voldemort."

Sirius stood up and limped from the room quickly. He found his robes in his bedroom, exactly where he had left them, and changed quickly. He then walked purposefully to the portrait of an old man sitting regally in a chair.

The man nodded at him and the door slid open, admitting him into the cluttered storage room. He walked straight over to one of the shelves and was shocked to find it empty. He looked around at the other shelves before calling, "Kreacher!"

The house-elf appeared and looked disdainfully up at him. "My Mistress' blood-traitor son is alive?" the elf asked dejectedly. "This is truly a sad day for Kreacher."

Sirius glared at the elf. "Has Harry been here?"

"No," he answered immediately.

"Has anyone else come into this room and taken the package that I left here for him?"

"Not that Kreacher has seen," the elf replied, and Sirius dismissed him before heading back to the kitchen. He walked right past the bewildered Order members and grabbed some Floo powder.

"Where do you think you are going?" Remus asked as he grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'm going to find Harry," he answered firmly.

"Sirius, you can barely walk, and you're bleeding all over the place, at least let someone heal you."

"I can heal myself, Moony," he replied as he pushed his friend away.

"Then at least let us fill you in on a few things you've missed," Remus said persuasively. "Besides, you aren't going anywhere without me."

"Fine," he replied as he looked up at his friend's careworn face, "but try to make it fast, I need to make a quick stop in Ireland."

Moony handed him the notebook he had used to record grades in while teaching at Hogwarts. Sirius opened it and looked up at him in confusion.

"Why are you giving me a list of first-years?"

"Look at the list of third-years."

Sirius turned the pages slowly and quickly scanned the list. He hadn't made it halfway through the list when he looked back up at his friend impatiently. "I don't have time for this."

Remus pointed at a name at the bottom of the list. "Does that look familiar?"

Sirius looked momentarily stunned. "Vaguely," he replied bitterly.

"This is Voldemort's daughter," Remus persisted. "Padfoot, she looks just like Medea. At first, I thought it was her, until we interrogated Snape."

"She lived at Hogwarts; Dumbledore hid her there years ago under several Concealment Charms," Narcissa spoke up. Sirius stood and pointed his wand at her.

"You," he spat bitterly. "I have never forgiven you for lying to me about Medea; you betrayed me and Bellatrix tried to kill me, the house of Black has sure gone to hell these days."

She laughed nervously. "And you've spent the past year in a fight for your life with drapery of all things. If it makes you feel any better, I know that Medea was, in fact, taken against her will; she and your brother were secretly working against the Dark Lord."

Sirius' mouth twitched to a reluctant smile before he turned back to Remus. "Who is in charge now?"

Before anyone could answer, two frantic red-haired people rushed in. "Ron and Hermione just came to the Burrow to get Ginny; they said Harry was dying and took her to see him."

Everyone began to talk at once, most were crying, but Sirius rushed over to the frightened Weasleys. "Are you sure they were telling the truth?"

Arthur looked up at him in total astonishment. "Sirius? How?"

"Would they lie about this?" the tired and pale looking man persisted.

" No, I don't think Ron would lie about something so serious."

Fawkes appeared suddenly in a ball of fire; he landed on the shoulder of the old barman, who took the accompanying letter and read it silently, his brow furrowed.

"There was an ambush in a small wizard village in Ireland called Raven's Nest. Harry and Iris were both there, though their condition is unknown."

Sirius went back to the fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder. "Raven's Nest was the village near Medea's home. Are you coming, Remus?"

He nodded and followed him to the fireplace. "I'm coming, too," Arthur said firmly. "My son and daughter are there as well."

****

Harry sat in the library reading Slytherin's book, as he had been doing since Snape broke up their game an hour before, when he had made them all take a disgusting potion to heal their wounds. To make matters worse, his scar kept hurting, accompanied by sudden feelings of rising anger. He rubbed his forehead and closed the book.

"Let's switch," he said as he opened the window to tempt a non-existent breeze. He handed the book to Iris, took Voldemort's Horcrux journal and found that it had an index of sorts. He ran his finger down the list and found Ravenclaw-27. He turned to page twenty-seven and looked at the page with an increasing feeling of panic.

He looked up at Iris and asked, "When were you going to tell us?"

She looked back at him, expressionless and said, "Harry, it's not important-"

She stopped suddenly as a huge black owl flew into the room, dropped an envelope at her feet and flew back out again. She slowly picked it up and opened it carefully; she curiously dumped the contents into her palm. A look of surprise covered her face as she dropped Slytherin's book and was gone in a flash of blue light.

"A Portkey," Draco said as he examined the broken seal on the envelope, "how unimaginative."

He showed Harry the seal, which he had already guessed was the Dark Mark. "Aren't you worried?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"No, he won't kill her; however, I think he may know I'm alive. The Portkey was a clasp my father ripped off my robes when we went to Azkaban."

Harry's eyes widened as he jumped up from the chair. "Your father was going to be released today! Quick, we need to get everyone together. Where do you think Snape is? The others are probably all together."

"Wait a minute, Potter," Draco said bitterly. "I'm not going to run all over this house searching for horny Gryffindors. There's an easier way."

He led him out into the hallway to a large stone statue of an eagle; he smirked as he reached up and pulled down the beak. The house shook slightly as Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Snape, and oddly, a rat, fell in a jumbled heap in front of them.

"Wormtail!" Draco yelled, pointing his wand at the spy, who ran quickly into a small hole in the wall.

"This day just keeps getting better," he continued sarcastically.

"When were you going to tell us?" Harry asked, gesturing to Voldemort's journal.

"Tell you what?" Draco asked, distracted by the appearance of the Dark Lord's spy.

"Come on, it all fits, and explains why Iris is so hell-bent on finding a way to transfer Horcruxes to other objects."

"Potter, if you don't start making sense, I'm going to feed you to my uncle's dragon, piece-by-piece," he snapped back.

"Have you read this journal?" Harry asked as he held it up.

"No, why?"

"It tells about all the Horcruxes, Iris has known them the whole time. Why didn't she tell anyone?" Harry asked frowning.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, as he sensed Malfoy was nearing his breaking point, and he wanted to hear what Harry had to say.

Harry sighed and handed Draco the book. "Iris is the seventh Horcrux, the heir of Rowena Ravenclaw."

****

Iris landed on her feet, despite her initial shock, and found herself facing both Lord Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy.

"Couldn't you have just called me?" she asked feebly, pointing to her arm.

"Tell me about the clasp," Voldemort ordered.

She jumped slightly and replied, "It was Draco's; he lost it the last day he was at Hogwarts."

"Why then, did Lucius say he ripped it from his cloak the day you got Snape out of Azkaban?" he asked impatiently.

"He was probably delusional, most prisoners go mad-"

"Cut the crap, Iris, there are no Dementors at Azkaban to cause the prisoners to go mad. We know he is alive, where is he?"

"I don't know," she replied as she swept her hair out of her face. "I told you, I left them in Diagon Alley; when I went back later, they were gone."

She began to fiddle with the ring around her neck nervously; Lucius walked over to her, staring at the band curiously. "Did my son give you that?"

"Yes," she answered sadly, "but it doesn't matter now-"

Lucius cut her off. "It was supposed to be your birthday present, but your birthday is today. Why would he give it to you early?"

When she didn't answer, he continued, "That looks very much like a ring your mother once wore; we kept it for you to wear when you marry Draco. If my son is really dead, let me destroy the ring, for it is the only reason you still have such a connection to him."

He held out his hand, but Iris hesitated. She looked at Voldemort and said, "Father, please, it was my mother's; you may not care about it, but I do."

Voldemort looked down at the ring indifferently and sneered. "To keep that silly ring, only proves you are lying to me. Just admit it..."

Iris frantically shook her head no, which only seemed to make him angrier; his red eyes flashed as he spat, "You will tell me the truth, even it breaks your mind. Crucio!"

When he lifted the curse, he swiftly hit her with the Imperius Curse. She stood slowly and laughed. "Is that all you've got? Stupefy!"

"Crucio!" he spat, and the girl hit the floor once more. He lifted the curse and watched her stand slowly. She averted her eyes as he continued with the interrogation.

"When you took my mark, you told me that you were prepared to die for him, do you still feel this way?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked directly into his blood-red eyes; she quickly composed herself and glared at him defiantly. "If Draco were still alive, I would continue to offer my life for his."

Voldemort waved his wand and whispered, "Legilimens."

She was sitting in the courtyard at Hogwarts, just before first year, listening to Draco ramble on about Pureblood pride. Then she sat under the Sorting Hat, asking to be put in Slytherin. Next, she was kissing Draco in the rose garden during the Yule Ball and, as Snape blasted apart the bush they had been hiding in, she stamped her foot and began to shout.

"That's it, that's all you get to see; I'm leaving." She turned and started towards the door.

"I now expect the Mudblood and the blood-traitor in three days," he called after her. She sped up and hurried through the door; she ran straight into someone in the hallway, and they heard her stun them in her fury.

"You don't believe her, do you, my Lord?" Lucius asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, Seers are hard to read as their visions tend to blur with reality, but either way, she does have a great weakness for your son."

"As you knew she would, my Lord," Lucius answered as he bowed and left quickly.

****

"What was that for?" Ron asked grudgingly.

"Laughs," Draco retorted sarcastically, distracted by Harry's absurd idea about Iris being a Horcrux.

Harry muttered an apology to the others before he told them what happened. "Voldemort has taken Iris, sent her a Portkey by owl."

Hermione looked at Draco, her face set. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," he replied, still glaring at Harry, "at least I can't say it."

"What is a Horcrux?" Ginny asked suddenly. Everyone froze and looked at her oddly; they had almost forgotten she was there.

"All right then," Draco said decisively. "We need to search the libraries for anything on Horcruxes, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Granger, Weasley, second floor, and don't enter any secret passages, they are unsafe."

"Now he tells us," Ron mumbled and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Potter, Weasleyette; fourth floor, and for Merlin's sake, tell her what a damn Horcrux is so she'll stop glaring at me. Snape, check the hidden library, and I will handle everything on this floor."

When they went their separate ways, Draco looked down at the Dark Lord's journal and opened it to the page Harry had marked. There was only a single hand-written word below the title, Ravenclaw.

Iris.

He sighed heavily as he returned to the library, where he was surprised to find her sitting by the fire. She was gazing at the flames, deep in thought; her brow was furrowed, her eyes narrowed intently.

"What did he want this time?" he asked loudly.

She jumped. "He knows you are alive."

"My father, right?" he asked bitterly.

"Yes, but that's not all; we may have to deal with something soon regarding the Weasleys," she said as she shook her head in disbelief. "Percy Weasley is a Death Eater."

"Er... Which one of them is that again?" he asked, looking confused.

"He was a Gryffindor Prefect first through third year."

"Still drawing a blank, there are too many of them."

Iris sighed impatiently and touched a finger to Draco's temple. A sudden image of a red-haired sixth year with glasses, always hanging around the Slytherin dorms second year, popped into his head.

"I remember now; why did he join?"

"He wanted to marry a Death Eater's daughter," she replied bitterly, "but in my opinion, he's merely bait to get to the rest of the family."

"Is he angry that I'm not really dead?" Draco asked quietly.

"I don't think he would have been if I had told him when it happened," she answered, suddenly exhausted.

"Iris, I have to ask... That is, Potter reckons you are a Horcrux," he said delicately.

She looked pale and nodded; she then burst out laughing. "You've all gone completely mental, haven't you? Why would he make me a Horcrux and furthermore, why wouldn't I tell you about it if he did?"

Draco looked relieved and smiled warmly at her. "That's what I thought," he said smugly, "but Potter insisted."

"I didn't get a chance to explain, the Horcrux has been hidden with me, not in me," she replied vaguely. "I'm not sure exactly what or where it is, to be honest with you. Nor do I know how to find it or even what the last one is."

"When were you going to-"

Draco broke off as the flames in the fireplace turned emerald green. Three figures spun out onto the rug; they jumped to their feet when they saw that the room was not empty.

"Draco Malfoy?" Arthur Weasley asked, looking surprised. "Your mother swears you are dead."

"Clearly I'm not," he replied bitterly as his eyes slid from the red-haired man to the werewolf. They finally rested on a pale man with really long tangled and dirty black hair; he was staring at Iris intently. His eyes widened as he recognised the man from the cover of the Daily Prophet.

"Sirius Black?" he asked loudly, trying to draw the man's attention from Iris, who was clearly beginning to feel uncomfortable.

The man continued to stare at her as if she were a ghost; he seemed torn between anger and happiness, which brought to his face a brief look of madness.

"Padfoot!" Remus said loudly, as he nudged his friend.

"Where is Harry?" Sirius asked as he pointed his wand at Iris.

"Upstairs, doing research with Weasleyette," Draco answered arrogantly.

"Why did the Order receive word that Harry had been ambushed while taking a walk with you in the local village?"

"Who sent the message?" Iris asked quietly.

They didn't answer, so she sighed and said, "Follow me, then."