Ille Quattuor Gladius

Chapter One

Fred stuck his head out the dormitory door and looked down the winding stairs into the Gryffindor common room. “All clear,” he hissed quietly to his twin brother George. The two redheaded boys snuck quietly down the stairs, across the common room, and out the portrait hole. They were utterly silent from years of practice as they snuck down to the kitchens for a midnight snack.

“Insomnia is truly great,” Fred said with his mouth full of buttered scone when they had returned to the common room a half an hour later.

“Ummhmm,” George agreed. “It would be better if anyone else ever wanted to stay up late around here.”

“What do you mean by ‘anyone else’?” Fred asked slyly. “You couldn’t possibly mean Katie could you?”

George seemed to choke a little on his piece of treacle tart and his ears turned slightly red. “Why do you ask that?” he said innocently when he had cleared his throat.

“Everyone knows perfectly well that you like her,” Fred replied. “I’ve known it since you wouldn’t ask anyone to the Yule Ball when you found out that she was going with Lee Jordan and you sulked for a month. And you act really strange around her lately. Like you’re…. shy or something.”

“Shy! I’ve never been shy for a second of my life and you know it,” George protested.

“Yeah whatever,” Fred said. “I believe you. Uh huh. I dare you to ask her out then. If you’re not shy then you can just walk up and ask her right?”

“Fine then,” George told him. “Tomorrow alright then?”

“Perfect.”

***

The next morning Harry woke up while it was still dark. The dormitory was colder then usual and Harry reached for his blankets to pull them up higher. His hand met empty air. He sat up and saw that he had kicked his blankets to the end of the bed.

That was strange, as Harry usually didn’t move from the position he fell asleep in. He struggled to remember his dream but recall was a few sharp images of Cho Chang’s face. That was not unusual, she usually showed up in his dreams but the fact that he couldn’t remember anything else was strange. Harry had been having very vivid dreams lately.

His dreams lately had mostly featured swords which was unusual because the only sword Harry had ever even touched had been the sword of Godric Gryffindor and the sword in his dream was not anything like that sword. The sword in Harry’s dream looked as if it were made crystal, a deep blood red crystal. Like a ruby sort of, but not as sparkly.

Harry shivered, pulled up his blankets and fell asleep immediately.

***

“There she is,” said Fred, pointing at where Katie Bell stood surrounded by a large group of sixth years. “Go for it.”

George walked toward her with a weak feeling in his knees. She looked prettier every time he saw her. Today her long brown hair was up in a simple ponytail but George thought he had never seen a more flattering hairstyle. “Er, Katie,” he said to get her attention.

She turned to him and smiled. “Yes?” she asked. George thought he might melt. She’s Katie, he told himself. You’ve known her forever. Don’t freak out.

“Er, uh, well you see, there’s that Hogsmeade visit coming up next weekend and all and I thought, I mean I was wondering if you would like to…” he trailed off as he realized that he was still surrounded by a large group of people.

“Yes.”

“What?” George wasn’t sure if he was hearing properly.

“I said yes,” Katie repeated. “I’ll go out with you.”

“How did you know I was going to say that?” George asked.

“I’m very psychic,” said Katie. “Bugger off everyone. It’s not like the great event of wizarding history just happened.”

The group of sixth years surrounding them slowly dissipated and George and Katie were left standing in the hallway.

“We might want to get to breakfast at some point today you know,” Katie continued. “We’ll need our strength. We’ve got double Potions this afternoon.”

On the way to breakfast George’s hand found it’s way into Katie’s, a fact which Fred noticed instantly when they entered the Great Hall.

“Excellent,” Fred said under his breath as George slid into the seat next to him. “I heard the whole thing.”

George looked at Katie and smiled before helping himself to toast and sausage. Who cared if he had double Potions that afternoon? He sat next to Katie in Potions. George felt like the world was a good place in general even if there were a few screwballs who always tried to mess everything up.

“George? You there? Hellooooo!” Fred practically shouted in his brother’s ear. “Are you deaf? Should we have you write a book on your emotional struggle to deal with your handicap?”

“I can hear you,” George answered when Fred stopped for breath. “I was just thinking.”

“Yeah I know,” Fred smirked. “I know what you were thinking about too. Or should I say who? Actually, the word ‘what’ does work in that circumstance…”

He broke off as George elbowed him in the ribs. “Normally when you yell to get my attention at the breakfast table you actually have something to say,” George hinted to get his brother back on the subject.

“Yeah,” said Fred lowering his voice so that only George could hear him. “Next weekend, you know, it’s that Hogsmeade thing. So we go to Hogsmeade, we go to bed, we wake up the next day and we actually don’t have a school event scheduled. So no one will notice if some students are missing…”

“Missing? How do you define ‘missing’ Fred?”

“Like, at a party or something.”

“What party do you know about that I don’t?” George asked.

“There isn’t one. Yet. But we could fix that atrocity you know.”

George considered. They had been warned by Professor McGonagall to keep out of trouble after that little incident involving some suspicious potions and very unusual order forms. “Well,” said George slowly, “It would be just wrong to let the opportunity pass wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly what I think,” said Fred excitedly. “You know what Ron and Harry told us about Lupin, Black and the Shrieking Shack? Well, seeing as no one in Hogsmeade knows that it’s not haunted then they certainly won’t bother to report loud noises will they?

“Brilliant!” George exclaimed a little too loudly as people turned to look at him. “We can discuss this later,” he said lowering his voice again. “We’d better get to class.”

***

“I can’t believe you,” said Ron admiringly to Hermione as they sat up in Harry and Ron’s dormitory. It was the only place to get any privacy at all. “You used to be such a goody-two-shoes and now here you are, conjuring up secret invitations to Fred and George’s highly illegal party.”

“Not that secret,” Harry grinned. “I saw a couple of second years that didn’t get invitations sobbing a couple of minutes ago. I’m just glad none of the Slytherins know. They would go straight to a teacher and tattle like little kids.”

Ron laughed. “I have this mental image of Malfoy whining to Filch ‘They’re all being naughty’”

Hermione and Harry laughed too. “I kind of feel sorry for Malfoy,” said Hermione.

“What!?” Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.

“I mean, if he had everything to do over again I think he’d be nicer to everyone. No one likes to be unpopular.”

“He’s a Malfoy,” said Ron, his voice full of disgust. “They don’t know how to define the word nice let alone actually be it.”

“I just think no one ever gives him a second chance,” Hermione protested.

“He dressed up as a dementor in our third year to try and knock me off my broom,” Harry pointed out.

“Everyone does stupid things sometimes,” Hermione said. She seemed to be getting very angry with the two boys.

“What, are you in love with him or something?” Ron mocked.

“No! I just think no one should have to have Crabbe and Goyle as their only friends!” Hermione shouted. She turned and walked from the boys dormitory. Then she stuck her head back in the room “But apparently you two aren’t much better! You seem to be about as smart as them. Maybe your brains got stuck as theirs when you took the Polyjuice Potion!”

Harry looked stunned. Ron stared at the door for a minute and then shrugged. “Probably PMS or something. She’ll get over it.”

“It was just really weird,” Harry said. “She’s sticking up for… Malfoy. You really think she might like him or something?”

“I hope not,” said Ron fervently. Harry looked at him strangely. “I mean, you know, because he’s such a dirtbag.”

“Ron,” Harry started.

“No.”

“I think that you…”

“No.”

“Ask Hermione to go with you to the party, Ron.”

“What?” Ron looked totally surprised. “Why?”

“I know how upset you got when she went to the Yule Ball with Krum,” Harry said. “And remember, she did say that next time you should ask her before someone else does.”

“This isn’t the Yule ball though,” Ron pointed out.

“And there won’t be another Yule Ball in our time at Hogwarts. So ask her.”

“You won’t rest until I do will you?” Ron asked.

“Nope,” Harry grinned.

“Alright. I will. But I’m going to wait until she cools down a little.”

“Why?” asked Harry mischievously. “You think she’s too hot now?”

Ron pretended to swing at him. “Very amusing you are,” he said. “Lets go down to the common room and see what the time on Saturday this party to end all parties starts.

***

Dumbledore was not a fool. He reached into a pocket of his robe and pulled out a rather dusty lemon drop. That was unusual. Dumbledore’s lemon drops didn’t usually last long enough to collect lint and dust. He blew on it and then popped it in his mouth. Muggle sweets are indeed addictive, he thought to himself. He had decided a long time ago that he would put an anti-plaque spell on his teeth so it wouldn’t matter how much candy he ate and luckily the effects had not worn off or Dumbledore would have more rotted teeth then Professor Snape.

He mentally chided himself for thinking that. It wasn’t Severus’s fault that he had teeth problems. Well, maybe it was but it still wasn’t polite.

“What do you think Fawkes?” Dumbledore asked his pet phoenix. “Should I let those Weasley twins have their party or should I let something slip to McGonagall?”

“Let the boys have their fun, Albus,” said the bird. Dumbledore was surprised. Fawkes usually only spoke on matters of utmost importance. To Dumbledore’s astonishment, the phoenix continued speaking, “I remember you were hardly the calmest and quietest student at Hogwarts in your day.”

“You’re talking rather more then usual,” Dumbledore remarked. “Might I inquire as to why?”

“Why you should let the twins throw their party, or why I’m talking?”

“Er, both I suppose.”

“The boys need to have some lightheartedness. Particularly George. And I simply felt the urge to comment. That is all.” With that cryptic remark Fawkes fluffed his feathers and fell silent.

“Very well then. I’ll clean up the Shrieking Shack then I suppose. They shouldn’t have to throw their party in a dump. And I’ll cover for them. But I do think you could have said something more if you have some interesting tidbit of information, Fawkes.”

The bird said nothing so Dumbledore took out his wand and muttered, “ Shrieking Shack Mundus Foris Manis. Well, it’s cleaned up. And I suppose you still won’t say anything? Well then, I’ll just nip a little snack from the kitchens.”

After Dumbledore left Fawkes said quietly, “The poor children,” then he tucked his head under his wing and fell asleep.

***

“Hermione!” Ron saw Hermione standing in the common room so he ran down the last few steps, tripped, and fell on his face.

Hermione laughed and then she felt bad, so she went to help Ron stand up. It was rather early in the morning so they were the only ones in the common room.

“Are you all right?” she asked, trying not to laugh again.

“Fine,” said Ron. His ears were turning red.

“What did you have to run for?” she asked him curiously. Ron wasn’t in a habit of yelling her name and running towards her.

“I, er, wanted to ask you something.”

“No. I will not do your Potions homework for you. That’s the fifth time in three days you know. I don’t think it’s fair to everyone if I let you cheat.”

“That’s not what I wanted to ask,” Ron said. His ears were now a rather unbecoming shade of scarlet.

“What is it then?”

“Well, this Saturday would you like to go to Fred and George’s party with me?” Ron didn’t quite look at Hermione as he said this. She was still wearing her periwinkle blue bathrobe that looked so beautiful on her and he didn’t trust himself not to completely forget what he was going to say.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

That was not what Ron had expected. He had expected her to say no. Or yell at him about how stupid he was. He had no idea what to say.

“Is this a dare or something?” she continued.

“No.”

“Do you mean as friends?”

“Uh, not exactly.”

Hermione looked into his eyes. “Then yes. I’ll go with you.”

Ron was so happy he didn’t think he could really talk. He had been absolutely certain that Hermione didn’t like him. He probably would have kissed her right then if he had not heard someone clapping loudly. Several someones actually. Most of Gryffindor house was standing on the stairs watching them.

Ron’s ears went red and Hermione blushed. “Congratulations you guys,” said Harry, pushing his way through the crowd on the stairs and coming over to them.

“It’s not like we just got engaged or anything,” Ron muttered but he couldn’t help but smile.

***

“Come on Lena,” Draco wheedled. “We can totally crash that party. It’ll be fun.”

“You know, crashing parties may not be my thing. And how do you know that I would go with you even is we were invited?” asked Lena Kylyle, a sixth year Slytherin girl. She was considered to be very pretty with her waist-length, light blond hair and blue-green eyes even if she was a little snotty at times. She had a good sense of humor and she was very intelligent but she had no patience at all for anyone who was not as intelligent as she. “You are a year younger then me and I’ve spoken to you, um let me think, twice. Wait, no, three times. Including this time. And I have no interest in Death Eaters like yourself Mr. Malfoy.”

“I’m not a Death Eater,” Draco said quietly. “And I’m Draco. I have no interest in being anything like my father and that includes being called by his name.”

“I honestly don’t care,” said Lena, tossing her long ponytail.

“If I was invited would you go with me? We’d be the only Slytherins there but it could still be fun. There’ll be a ton of Ravenclaws.”

“You couldn’t get invited if you begged. They hate you.”

“But if I was invited would you? Go with me I mean?”

Lena surveyed Draco coldly. He was blond, and she wasn’t really attracted to blond guys but he was tall and quite muscular. His nose was straight and his eyes were steel grey. Something about the way he looked right then seemed to pull at her. Even though he was pleading he looked proud and aristocratic. “Ok. If you get invited I’ll go with you,” she said as though she were bestowing a great favor upon him. That had to be a change for Draco. For the last year, since Draco had gotten so tall and good looking he had had girls begging him for dates.

Maybe that was the only reason he was attracted to her. She hadn’t been chasing him down the halls saying ‘Please, please, please!’ She found herself hoping that that wasn’t the only reason.

Normally she wouldn’t give a Knut what Draco Malfoy thought about her but suddenly she hoped that he really did like her. Oh well. He won’t get an invitation anyway, she reminded herself. So you won’t end up going with him.

***

“Potter,” Draco drawled.

Harry jumped. He was in the library working on his homework; Ron and Hermione were plotting out ways to make the world’s best party with Fred and George. “Hello Draco,” he said coldly.

“Good to see you,” said Draco. He didn’t sound sarcastic but he also did not sound like he was particularly glad to see Harry either. “I have a favor to ask. I thought you could help me out.”

“You want my help?” Harry was genuinely surprised. Draco never asked anyone for help. “What do you need my help for?”

“You are friends with those Weasleys, yes?”

“Yes I am. And I will not tell you their weaknesses. I also won’t bring you bits of their hair so that you can make little voodoo dolls of them. And I won’t…”

“I don’t need your help destroying them. I want you to ask them something for me.”

“What? Does it have to do with, ‘How do you live on seven sickles a year?’”

“I already know the answer to that. ‘Not well’. I want to know if I can get an invitation to their party.”

Harry couldn’t have been more surprised if Draco had asked him on tips for mating with a Norwegian Ridgeback. “H-how did you know about that party?” he asked in astonishment.

Draco shrugged. “I have my ways. So, will you ask?”

“Why should I” said Harry indignantly. “So you can show up dressed as a dementor?”

“No. I want to go with Lena Kylyle. She said if I get the invitation she’ll go with me. What do you want? Ten galleons?”

“I don’t want your money,” said Harry furiously. “Fine. I’ll ask them. But I doubt that they’ll agree. So don’t get your hopes up.”

“Thanks,” said Draco. Then he turned and left the library.

Harry thought hard. Had he ever heard Draco thank non-sarcastically anyone in the five years that he had known him? He didn’t think so. Maybe Hermione was right and Draco really wasn’t as evil as they all thought. Or maybe he just wanted them to think that.

Harry couldn’t seem to remember whether you added two Arantracula claws or just one to a Tenebrae potion and he couldn’t see the answer in his jumbled notes so he decided to go beg Hermione to tell him.

The Fat Lady barely glanced at him when he reached the portrait. “Password?” she asked sleepily.

“Ursa Minor,” Harry replied. The portrait swung open to let him in and he saw that the common room was full of people, most of them clustered around a small group of chairs at the far end of the room. He walked closer and saw that Fred, George, Hermione and Ron were sitting at the center of the group talking about how great the party would be.

“We have decided,” Fred was saying. “That we will have a small admission fee due to the fact that we will need to make purchases. The party is invitation only so if you don’t have an invitation then you can’t come in.”

“What if you are going as the date of someone with an invitation?” Alicia Spinnet asked.

“Then you can come in,” said Fred. “As long as your date shows their invitation and you pay the fee. No one under fourth year is allowed no matter what.”

“What’s the fee?” asked Colin Creevey. “Is it really expensive?”

“Of course not,” said Fred. “Only two silver sickles apiece. Now clear off everyone, we need some air.”

Everyone slowly walked away except for Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Katie, Angelina, Lee, and Alicia.

“Hey Fred,” said Harry loudly. “I have a question.”

“Yes midget? Sorry. I mean Harry. Yes Harry what is it?”

“First of all, I’m not a midget, I’m one inch shorter then you, Fred. And second, is there some sort of ‘no Slytherins allowed’ rule?”

“Who would want Slytherins at a party?” Fred asked. “Unless it’s Lena Kylyle. That girl is H-O-T hot.” Angelina punched him in the arm. “In a very ugly sort of way of course,” he amended.

“Well, sort of. She would be coming if… well, if we invited Draco.”

“Draco Malfoy? That ugly little blond creep?” George asked.

“He’s not that little George,” said Hermione. “He’s a good three or four inches taller then you.”

George chose to ignore her. “Why would we invite that stupid git? He’d probably tell one of the teachers or his mommy.”

“I don’t think he would,” Harry informed him. “He came up to me in the library earlier and I think he really wants to come.”

“Are you insane?” Ron asked politely. “That’s Draco Malfoy that you’re talking about. You know, ultra evil freak-boy. Remember? Your sworn enemy? The one who makes fun of your parents? Not to mention my whole family. The one who tried to get Hagrid fired? Have you and Hermione suddenly joined his little fan club or something?”

“No,” said Harry slowly. “I just think maybe he deserves to be given the chance to prove that he’s not a slimeball.”

“I think you should invite him,” put in Hermione.

“If you two are both insane I’ll go along with it,” said Ron looking at Hermione. “But I still don’t approve of Malfoy.”

“What do you think?” Fred asked George.

George shrugged. “I don’t really care. If he comes, I’ll just ignore him.”

“Then Hermione, put him on the list,” Fred ordered. Ron looked slightly ill but he didn’t say anything.

***

Out of the shadows rose a blade. The blade was the deep red color of blood. Harry knew from his previous dreams that it was a sword. The sword glowed from within but it could not light the shadows that it occupied enough to see anything else. As the sword rose higher the hilt became visible. It was silver, and it too glowed. The hand holding the sword rose into view and it was an ancient looking hand with yellowed fingernails that were more claw-like then anything else. A soft chanting began, but the words were not in English. The chanting grew louder. The sword began to spin and Harry could hear howls of fright, and screams that sounded as though they came from the most horrendous torture devices ever created. Out of the gloom another blade began rising. This one was a bright, virulent, dangerous looking green. The chanting got louder and louder until it drowned out the screams and filled Harry’s entire head. Then as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. And Harry heard the high, cold laugh that had always filled him with dread and then the voice. It was the same voice every night. And it always spoke the same words. “He will die. He will die.”

Harry woke up. He was panting and his heart was beating rapidly. What did the dream mean? Who would die? Him? Voldemort? Ron? Just ‘He’. Whoever it was. Harry had been going to Hogwarts long enough to know that recurring nightmares with Voldemort’s laugh in them were not good news. Plus the prophecy that someone would die. And the swords. What could they mean? He had seen the second sword for the first time that evening.

He considered going to Dumbledore but it was three o’clock in the morning according to the watch that he had received from Sirius on his most recent birthday so he decided to wait.

***

Draco looked smugly at no one in particular that Tuesday morning as he surveyed the invitation that his large eagle owl had just brought him. He fed her a piece of bacon and said, “Thanks a ton Cass.” Her full name was Cassiopeia. His mother had named her and Narcissa really seemed to have a thing for astronomy.

In the hallway after breakfast Draco was quick to catch Lena’s attention and draw her away from her friends. “Check it out,” he drawled, holding up the invitation.

“Saturday at eight,” she read aloud. “Draco, how did you get this?”

“I have my ways,” Draco said, using his favorite expression aside from ‘You are what you eat; so avoid fruits and nuts.’ “So, are you going with me?”

“I said I would. The Kylyle’s don’t give their word falsely.” Lena smiled at him and for the first time that Draco could remember she didn’t seem to be mocking him. “Do you want to just meet at the Shrieking Shack or should we meet before that?”

“If you aren’t going to be with anyone in particular then maybe we could just meet in the Great Hall and wander Hogsmeade together,” Draco suggested in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner.

“I think I’d like that,” said Lena. “See you Saturday.”

Draco couldn’t believe his luck. He was so happy that when Ron Weasley dropped his schoolbag, Draco picked it up and handed it to him. “There you go,” he said pleasantly.

Ron stared after Draco with his mouth open. “What’s gotten into him?” he asked Hermione who was headed to Charms with him.

“Maybe he’s just in a good mood. Nobody needs a reason for that,” said Hermione.

“Malfoy does.” Ron said quietly so that Hermione did not hear. He was on his second day without arguing with her at all, an all time record and he didn’t want to mess it up yet.

Harry walked up to his two best friends and looked at them sadly. “They were out of sausages at breakfast,” he said mournfully.

“I think you’ll live,” said Hermione without much pity.

“So Harry, who’re you going to the party with?” Ron asked.

“No one. And don’t you even think about asking someone for me.”

“Well, I just thought that maybe…” Harry didn’t give Ron a chance to finish. “No,” he said firmly. “I’m going by myself.”

“I could probably find somebody,” Ron persisted.

“You don’t need to. I am perfectly capable of getting myself a date if I want one,” said Harry defensively.

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Harry was very stubborn and he would stick to something even if it killed him.

“We do still have classes,” Hermione reminded the two boys. “And we’ll have a hard time getting to any parties if we have detention.”

“She has a good point you know,” Ron said. “I personally don’t think that we should have to go to class unless we feel like it though.”

“Try telling Snape that,” Harry suggested brightly. “I’m sure he’d be glad to have us go.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Hermione warned. “He’ll probably take fifty points from Gryffindor if you did.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “Fifty points from Gryffindor for your impudence Potter. And if you don’t sit down it will be one hundred.”

“You sound just like him!” said Ron. “And if you grew your hair a little and didn’t wash it for a year you’d look just like him too!”

“Just like whom Mr. Weasley?” came a cold voice from behind him. As they turned in unison they saw Snape’s big ugly face glaring at them.

“Like my dog,” suggested Ron feebly. “He’s a black, uh, sheepdog. Named… Jim.”

Harry and Hermione tried to keep their smiles off of their faces. “A big ugly dog,” Hermione elaborated. “He smells like old wet sneakers.”

“He does not smell!” Ron said angrily.

“Very well,” said Snape. “I suggest that you get along to class now. Before you get detention. And five points from Gryffindor for blocking the hallways.” Snape stalked away, looking angry that he had only been able to take five points from them.

The three friends laughed until the reached the Charms classroom.

***

It started again. His vision. The Golden sword rising from the darkness. He thought he might explode as his head filled with the sound of repetitive chanting in an unknown language. A Blue sword began rising in the background of his vision. That was different. The screams began and then stopped. Leo Marlin snapped out of his trance and back into his Transfiguration class with the rest of the sixth year Hufflepuffs.

Professor McGonagall was staring at him along with the rest of the class. She had an odd expression on her face, one that he had not seen before and could not decipher.

“I think you had better run up to the hospital wing,” she suggested.

Leo nodded and put his books into his school bag. As he walked up to towards the hospital wing he felt extremely worried. What was happening to him? Was he going insane?