The Music Box

Chapter Six: Harry's Package

 

Three weeks had passed before Ron had mostly returned to his usual self, with only some mild bitterness he brought up casually to Harry and Ginny on occasion. On the other hand, Hermione wasted no time at all spending every moment of free time at the library. Often with Ginny in tow, she scoured over as many books as she could, searching for any clue to the birthplace of the mystery key. It was late Saturday night, and the common room was nearly empty. Harry and Ron were passing the time, playing a game of wizards' chess. Ron had just taken one of Harry's castles when they heard a tapping on the window.  

“Pig!”  

“Quick, let him in,” Harry said anxiously. Ron rushed to the window and let in his tiny owl. She carried an oddly shaped parcel with her, as she darted about his head hooting madly. Ron chased her around in circles for a few minutes before she had settled down long enough for them to take the package and letter from her legs. Harry tore opened the letter, while Ron immediately tore open the tiny parcel.  

“Ow, Pig! Cut it out!" Ron said, waving away his owl, who began snipping at him the moment he attempted unwrapping the package.  

“Wait Ron, don't open it yet!” Harry said reading the first line of his letter.

“Sirius wants us to wait!”  

“That's odd,” Ron said, still waving away the pestering owl. “Why wouldn't he want you to open the package?”  

Harry read on aloud, 

 

Dear Harry,

 

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OPEN THE PACKAGE I SENT!

It is of great importance that you wait until I speak with you first. I will explain it all to you this Saturday at 11:30 p.m. in the fireplace.

 

See you then,

Sirius  

 

Harry knew that Sirius meant the fireplace there in Gryffindor Tower. He had met with Sirius there before the previous year. Harry checked his watch. It was a quarter after nine.

“Nice timing, Pig,” Ron said, rolling his eyes as he checked his own watch. “Well, I guess we just have to wait,” Harry said with a heavy sigh.

Hermione and Ginny climbed through the portrait hole soon thereafter.  

“Anything yet?” Ron asked impatiently.  

“No, nothing,” Hermione sighed, kissing him on the cheek.  

Well, we have good news. We might find out where it came from after all in little more than an hour. Sirius is meeting us at eleven thirty tonight," Harry said.

“What is that?” Ginny said nodding to the package on the side table.

“We don't know,” Ron said glumly. “He asked us not to open it until we speak with him.”

Oh,” Ginny said picking up the package, feeling the weight of it in her hands.

As they waited for the hour to pass, they continued to debate what the key belonged to, and now the secret package, and what it was for. Finally the firelight suddenly brightened and the head of Sirius Black was there resting amongst the flames. Even though Harry had seen this done several times, but he still shuddered when he saw the face of his godfather in the fire.  

"Sirius! It's good to see you!” Harry said, jumping from his seat to the fireplace. Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat and watched a few steps behind him, blocking the view in case anyone came in the common room. “Did you get my package?” Sirius asked.  

“Yes, but barely,” Ron said under his breath glancing at his owl, now fast asleep on his shoulder.  

“Yes, of course. But what is it?” Harry said anxiously.  

“Calm down. We will get to that. Did you find Lily's initials on the music box?”  

“Yes, and something else. This key,” Harry said as he pulled out the key from his pocket.  

Sirius sighed with relief.

“I knew it! Your mother was a smart one, she was.”  Harry smiled at that. Sirius continued, “Now many people know how your mother helped many Aurors defeat and put away many of the dark wizards and witches into Azkaban. But what most people don't know is that she had somewhat of a secret hobby. She was a student of the Ancient magic.” 

 Harry sat there captivated by the information Sirius was leaking out about his mother. Even after so many years, there was still so much that he didn't know about his parents’ lives. “She was crazy about studying all the old magic. She even collected hundreds of books about magical theory, spells and potions. Many of them can't even be found at Hogwarts. But she kept them hidden away, in a sort of vault that very few people knew about.” 

“My thought, Harry, is that this is what Voldemort is looking for. He knows that it's the old magic that your mother used to protect you. He is trying to find the vault to gain more knowledge in order to destroy you and build up his forces again.”  

Harry looked at the key he was squeezing in his hand.

“So this key is to the secret vault?” 

“I believe so,” Sirius said. He looked at him with his dark eyes that still contained that deadened look, which only a prisoner of Azkaban would carry.

“Harry, I hate to ask you this, but I feel that you are old enough now to handle this.”  

“I will do anything that you ask,” Harry said desperately. Ginny looked at Harry in alarm.  

“I need you to come with me to find the vault.”  

“What do I need to do?” Harry held his breath as he asked courageously.  

“The package I have sent you is a portkey. It will be activated at dusk tomorrow. I have a pretty good idea of where the vault might be, so I want you to help me find it, before Voldemort does.”

“Alright Sirius. Tomorrow at dusk then,” Harry said without the slightest bit of fear in his bright green eyes.

“See you then, Harry,” and with a 'pop', Sirius had disappeared from the fireplace.

There was a short moment of silence before Harry got up from the fireplace. Ginny stood up as well, furious.  

“Are you nutters?” she shouted. “You-know-who is out there right now, looking for this vault, and you want to go traipsing around the countryside with your godfather looking for it!”

“Ginny’s right, Hermione broke in. “I think you should tell Dumbledore about it.”

“No way. He’d never let me go. Besides, Sirius knows what he's doing and he would never intentionally put me in harms way. Like he said, we have to go and find it before Voldemort does,” Harry tried to say in an assuring way.  

“But you don't even know where you’re going!” Ginny roared, face reddening.

“Geez Ginny,” Ron said, “You act like you’re his girlfriend or something! Relax, will ya!”  

Harry wondered if he could love her more with her as mad as she was with him. Ginny turned on her heals at her brother.

“No, I won't Ron!” she turned back to Harry pleading. “Harry, I really have a bad feeling about this.” 

Harry tried to justify himself. “Ginny, I'm going. I have to find my mother's vault, my very life depends on it!”  

By now, Ginny's face looked like a howler, about to explode.  

“YOU CAN'T GO!”   At that she stormed up the stairs to her dorm room. Hermione ran up after her to comfort her.

 Harry threw up his arms in frustration and said to himself, “Honestly! Can you ever win an argument with a Weasley?” and Harry trudged up to his dorm room himself, leaving Ron on the couch, bewildered as ever.

 

*                      *                       *

 

Ginny had ignored Harry for most of Sunday morning and afternoon. Harry knew that she had every right to be angry with him. She loved him and was only worried about him. He only wished that she would understand how much this meant to him. Ron and Hermione were on the lawn outside the Quidditch Pitch preparing Harry for his journey.

“Now Ron, be sure that you two stay here with the portkey and make sure that nothing happens to it while I’m gone,” Harry said as he took precautions not to touch the portkey Sirius had sent him. It was a rusty old pewter mug. “You got it. Are you sure that you don't want us to go with you?”

“I'm sure. I'll be okay, I promise,” Harry said assuringly. Ron smiled weakly. He still had worry written all over his face. It was then that Harry saw Ginny striding across the lawn towards him. His heart swelled at the sight of her.  

“Harry, can I speak with you for a moment?” she said anxiously when she reached them.

“Sure,” Harry said, glancing at Ron who was pretending not to pay attention. They had walked out of ears’ reach. Harry still kept the half-unwrapped portkey in his arms.  

“I'm glad you came,” Harry said.

Ginny began with a serious look on her face. “Before you go, I wanted to tell you that I had another dream last night.”  

“What happened?” Harry said, trying to conceal his faltering confidence at this news.  

“Well, You-know-who was talking to a thin-haired man with a silver arm. I have seen him before in other dreams.”  

“It's Pettigrew. You know, Wormtail,” Harry said with a slight bitterness to his voice.  Ginny spoke quickly.

“Yes! Anyway, he was talking to him and a couple of other death eaters. I couldn't tell who they were, they had their hoods up. He asked them if they had found they key yet. Wormtail said that they hadn't, but they were close to finding the vault.”

  Ron craned his neck over as far as he could, trying to hear them, but Hermione pulled him back.  

“Stop being so nosy!” she said.

Ginny was talking so quickly now, that Harry strained to keep up with her. “But You-know-who was extremely angry. He threw Wormtail against the wall. He told them it was pointless to find the vault until they obtained the key first.” Ginny took Harry's hand in hers. “I'm just so scared for you. Please don't go,” she pleaded one last time.

“You know I have to go,” he said. He could see her hair glow behind the last light of the strawberry sunset. Harry looked into her penetrating eyes with absolute devotion. Never had he loved her so completely. But he knew that he had to find the vault. Voldemort would soon find out where the key was and be after her as well. He had to protect her at all costs.  

“I love you,” he mouthed to her silently.  

“I love you too,” she mouthed back.   Ginny hugged him to her as tightly as she possibly could. Harry wondered if Ron was watching.  

“Forgive me,” she whispered in his ear. And as the sun set behind their clinging bodies, she grabbed the portkey in his arms.