The Silver Swan

PART 3 : MORE FOOLS THAN WISE

Chapter 11

Less than a week later, the meaning of the Crones' conversation with Millicent was finally revealed. We were meeting as usual in the library when Millicent came in. As ever, she made no move to join us; she seemed merely to exchange a brief glance with Susan, and then went off in search of books. When she returned, she settled herself at a table full of Slytherins and paid us no more mind. Clearly though, a message had been sent, because Susan, when she got up to leave, told us to meet her in Hufflepuff after the library closed.

"Come separately, and try not to be seen."

Millicent joined us after we had been there for some time. As she came into the room, she was holding a small book bound in old brown leather. It was altogether unadorned, lacking even a title. It was a book, though, and both Hermione and I sat up. Millicent gave us a smile that stopped short of her eyes.

"I thought the two of you might be interested."

"What is it?"

"What those women were talking about : my inheritance. All I'll ever get from my grandmother, but if I'm right it may be worth more to us than cartload of galleons."

She stopped and looked at us. Like Susan, we were learning, Millicent said as much with her silences as with her words, but, beyond that, the two couldn't have been more different. Susan's silences were moments of comfort and understanding, Millicent's were sardonic challenges. Clearly, we were meant to have worked something out by this point. Fortunately, as it transpired, Hermione had.

"Millicent, it can't be ... it is ... it's the Codex of Nimuë..."

"Got it in one, Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Susan was nodding slowly and seemed to understand. Only I was still altogether at sea. There seemed no help for it,

"Can somebody please explain ...?"

Millicent, I was beginning to realise, never explained anything to anyone. Susan was silent as usual. Finally, Hermione took pity.

"It's a book of spells handed down over the generations from one witch to another, said to have belonged to the original Nimuë in Merlin's time. Each holder is supposed to add a spell of her own devising. Am I on track?"

Millicent nodded.

"Go on..."

"When I figured out who you are, who your grandmother was, I read all I could find about her. There isn't much, but I found a mention of the Codex, so I tried to find out about it. No one seems to know everything that's actually in it. Different owners find different things. It's really powerful though."

"Not bad. Now answer this, Granger, why am I showing it to you?"

A long pause followed in which realisation and something very much akin to horror slowly took their place in Hermione's features.

"...Millicent ... no ..."

"Millicent, yes. Congratulations, Granger, and how would you like to be heiress of Nimuë?"

"But wait! You don't have to do this! And ... and, why me?"

"I do have to, actually. Designating an heiress is part of taking possession. As for you, it's a bit obvious isn't it?"

Hermione actually blushed, at which Millicent gave what can only be described as a snort.

"Salazar's balls, Granger! It's not an offer of marriage. You know as well as I do that you're the only one who stands a chance of understanding this. Believe me, it isn't easy. I thought we might work on it together, actually."

She glanced my way at that point, and seemed to read my mind.

"Sorry, Padma."

Why I was on a first name basis with Millicent while her newly-designated heiress was not - and Susan wasn't even included in the conversation - remained beyond my powers of comprehension. I waved away her concern and swallowed my pride. She turned her attention back to Hermione.

"So what about it, Granger? Do you accept?"

For a moment, Hermione seemed genuinely overcome with emotion. She rallied quickly, though, and nodded.

"What do I have to do? Is there a ritual?"

"No such luck. You just accept. Well, there is one thing ..."

"What?"

Millicent hesitated, looking uncomfortable, and to my considerable amazement it was now she who seemed to be turning red.

"Look, Granger, this is old magic, witchcraft really; it's all about women. There's ... there's some things you can't do ... or ever have done ... with men I mean."

No doubt about it, Millicent was blushing furiously. Who would have thought? Hermione, for her part, was obviously working very hard to keep a straight face. I stole a glance at Susan who, I swear, was biting her cheek in an effort to keep from bursting into laughter. I looked down at my feet; it seemed safest.

"Millicent, are you asking me if I'm a virgin?"

"With men ..."

"I've kissed a few."

"Thrill for them no doubt ... but you haven't ... ?"

"No, Millicent, I haven't."

"Well now you can't. For a year and a day the heiress has to be pure. After that, you can do whatever you want."

Hermione nodded solemnly.

"Very well; I accept. It will be quite a strain, I'm sure, but I'll do my best."

And then she did laugh. Susan joined in, and Millicent's discomfiture was such that I couldn't resist. Finally, Susan stepped over and gave her a playful hug and shook her by the shoulders - no small achievement considering their respective sizes.

"It's a joke, you ninny."

"Gryffindor humour, right..."

Now that she was over her initial shock, Hermione's face was lit up with enthusiasm.

"Do you know what's in there? Anything that can help us now?"

"Not a clue, it's all under layers of charms and encryption."

"There's bound to be! Especially if we can find Nimuë's own spells. She's the one who ensorcelled Merlin!"

There was that.

*

* *

All that remained was to organise a time and place for Hermione and Millicent to work together. It was impractical, we agreed, to continue meeting in Hufflepuff. Eventually, someone would notice. In the end, it seemed best to hide in the open. We continued meeting in the library on the pretext of an Arithmancy project, which was real enough. Susan and I actually worked on it while the other two struggled with the Codex. Their progress was slow, but after a month of seemingly fruitless effort, there came a day when Hermione proudly announced that they had managed to unlock an actual spell. Nothing earthshaking, she said, but it was a beginning.

"It's a form of concealment, actually, but not invisibility. Better in some ways. People see you, but no one remembers having seen you, if you know what I mean."

I didn't, exactly, but as we discussed it I began to understand how it could be useful. It allowed one to interact with others normally but, in this case, out of was sight was literally out of mind. Once gone, you were totally forgotten. More importantly, both Hermione and Millicent were convinced that this first breakthrough would soon lead to others.

Two days later, Millicent Bulstrode was dead.

I first suspected that something was amiss when neither Susan, Hermione, nor Millicent were in Arithmancy - a class none of us ever missed. At first, I took this to be a good sign; perhaps they had made a breakthrough of some sort. That hope was dashed near the end of the lesson, when Hermione finally came in, looking every inch the bearer of dreadful news. She went up to Professor Vector's desk and the two of them had a brief whispered conversation. When she finally came back to our table, she said not a word, but slipped me a piece of parchment.

G,

I don't mean to be melodramatic, but if you're reading this, I'm dead and you don't have the Codex. This means you'd better hope it's still where I left it.

Now everyone knows that I'm the Hermione Granger of Slytherin, so my study is full of books. The Codex is right out in the open for everyone to see. It can take on the appearance of any book. In your honour, it presently seems to be a copy of Gryffindor's sole contribution to the world of literature, that deathless classic, Quidditch in Bed. Only the heiress -that's you, Granger - can change it back. That doesn't mean that you have to be the one to go and get it, though. To be blunt, you're too valuable to risk. For Nimuë's own sake, don't let Sue go either. The Slyths will kill her on sight if she's caught. Send someone expendable, and keep sending more until one of them gets back with it. Whoever it is probably ought to be a girl, though. It's death for any man to touch it, and not a quick pleasant death, either. Another thing. There's a portrait of me on the wall; have whoever it is take that too. I'd like Sue to have it, and if they think that's what you were after, so much the better.

The latest password for the common room was "revenge," which pretty much says it all. Sue can explain how to find my study - password is Ossi. It will work even if the bastards have warded the door. Once you have the Codex, designate an heiress and learn to use it - the Codex will help you if you let it, but it takes time.

So get moving,

B

The class was over. Clearly this was no time to draw attention to ourselves.

"We'll talk tonight."

"OK, be careful."

I gave her back the letter, frankly glad to be rid of it.

By lunchtime, of course, Millicent's demise was the talk of the Great Hall. ...found in her bed ... died in her sleep ... poisoned, more likely ... or cursed ...

By the looks of it, both the topic and tone of conversation at the staff table was similar to that at ours. In the end, there was nothing for it. Dumbledore had to speak. He was his usual self, deliberate and soothing, telling us all that yes, a tragic event had occurred, that yes one of our schoolmates had met an untimely end, but that no, there was no reason to suspect foul play. In essence, he told us to be good children and not worry. It is remotely possible that one or two among the dimmer first-years may have found this reassuring.

*

* *

Hufflepuff again, it had become instinctive to go there in moments of crisis. I found them there, our erstwhile gang of four now reduced to three.

Millicent's explicit instructions to the contrary, Hermione and Susan were each determined to go off in search of the Codex.

"I'm the heiress, it's my responsibility."

"Hermione, can you stop being Gryffindor for just one second? You've never been in there. I have. I can be in and out before anyone knows it."

But it wasn't that simple, and we all knew it. For once, it was left to me to be the voice of reason.

"Look, it isn't enough not to be caught. Whatever Dumbledore said today, they know there's been a murder. The place is bound to be warded - by the Slyths if not the school. We'll find a way through, but they'll know someone has been there. If you're even suspected they'll come after you - and the two of you will be the first ones they think of. Susan, they know there's a connection, no matter how careful you've been and they'll suspect Hermione just on general principle. Not only can neither of you do it, we have to make it obvious that you didn't. You have to be out in plain sight of as many Slyths as possible when it's happening."

"So what do you suggest, Padma?"

For possibly the only time in her life, even Susan had no patience with me. It didn't matter, because for once I actually did have the answer we needed. I took a deep breath. Just because the conclusion was obvious didn't mean I had to like it.

"It has to be me. I have something you don't."

Hermione was frankly incredulous. I couldn't really blame her.

"Forgive me, Padma, but what would that be?"

"A twin."

Understanding began to dawn on their faces. It was true. Put Parvati in Ravenclaw robes and no one in school would ever know it wasn't me. Hermione began to look thoughtful.

"I, wonder ..."

I too was short on patience.

"What, Hermione? Out with it."

"If Harry would help us, he has everything you need to get in."

Now it was my turn for incredulity. But Hermione stuck to her idea.

"No, wait, he might do it. It's to put one over on Slytherin, after all. He'll always be in favour of that. We don't have to tell him all the details. Let me try."

And then, another idea struck me. It was my night for them.

"Hermione, what exactly does Harry have that you want?"

"It's ... well ... it's an invisibility cloak and a magical map of the school that shows where everything and everyone is."

Well, that certainly explained a lot.

"Right. Hermione, you're going to ask to borrow them, but not for us."

"For whom, then?"

"For my sister. No! Listen, this will work. She's dying for love of some boy in Ravenclaw, and I'm being evil and won't help her. No doubt I want him for myself. We've had a terrible fight over it. You've taken pity. She needs the map and cloak. Hermione, all you have to do is convince Harry to let her talk to him about it. Trust me, she can take it from there. She's been wanting a chance to get back at him ever since the Ball - and her persuasion skills have improved considerably since then. You should have seen her this summer ..."

Susan was nodding.

"It might just work."

"Damn right it will. This way everyone has an alibi. We'll go one better. Anthony Goldstein really has had a crush on Parvati forever and he owes me homework favours from way back. He can accidentally mention the next day that she was with him. Meanwhile, she'll be out impersonating me, and I'll be getting into Slytherin. He can have a real date with her later to make up for it."

Hermione still needed convincing.

"You're assuming a lot, aren't you, Padma. Will they really do it?"

"Trust me. If it's romance and intrigue, Parvati will love it. As for Anthony, let's just say he doesn't stand a chance."

*

* *

We met in the library the next evening. With one glance I could tell that Hermione and Parvati had been successful.

"Padma, how does she do it? Harry's never even talked about those to anyone - and in about three minutes he was agreeing to the whole thing. Is it some sort of spell? She didn't use her wand."

"It's all in the eyes ..."

And so I told them about the fuzzy bunny and the death-dealing cobra, about our summer in America, about Parvati and the boys. For the first time in over five years of living together, Hermione Granger was deeply and genuinely impressed with my sister.

Ha!

*

* *

The fact that I am sitting here today writing this memoir, and that my most immediate problem is deciding what on earth we will have for dinner tonight, suggests that I did not meet an untimely demise as a result of my expedition into Darkest Slytherin. Indeed, I did not. Most of it, in fact, was absurdly easy. Which doesn't mean that there wasn't a price to pay.

As planned, Parvati let herself invisibly into Ravenclaw House, but it was me she came to see and not Anthony. We exchanged Harry's invisibility cloak for my Ravenclaw garments, and then she was off to display herself in the library in the conspicuous company of Susan and Hermione.

The cloak was a wonder, and the map even better. I studied it for a time, and saw the tiny dots that represented people. I had only to touch one with my wand for it to be identified. Touching any portion of the map in the same way enlarged it to show a startling amount of detail. All I had to do was to be patient and careful, and no one was going to sneak up on me tonight.

As I moved out through the common room and into the hallways in my newly invisible state, I realised that it also conferred a wonderful sense of security. There was none of the humiliating physical terror that had so nearly paralysed me as we waited to attack Malfoy Manor. I felt calm and ... alive - I can think of no better word for it

Through the Great Hall, and into the dungeons, I went, following the map. Halting at the door to Slytherin House it showed me the common room beyond - empty. So far so good.

"revenge"

Nothing, they had changed the password. At this first reverse, I felt a bit of my calm begin to slip away, but not too much. I was still patient, still in control. I lurked in the shadow, waiting for someone to go in. A group of first-years arrived.

"Malfoy"

I could probably have guessed that one on my own ...

They made it easy for me. I had been prepared to wait until the common room was empty once more, but this group casually left the door open, waiting for the last of their number to straggle in. I saw my chance and seized the moment. I was in. This was fun.

Quietly, slowly, through the common room, into the corridor beyond, up stairs and down again, to the door Susan had shown me on the map. It was concealed but, knowing where to look, I found it easily. Even with Millicent's password, though, I was reluctant to barge in. It was time to take precautions. Not for nothing had I been Professor Flitwick's star pupil for five and a half years; charms, including locks and wards, were something I liked and understood. A revealing spell showed the door to be strongly warded. To have broken through with only the password would have set off half a dozen alarms. Forewarned, however, it was nothing I couldn't handle. There was only one problem; I could get in, but whoever had cast those wards would know someone had been through them. There was nothing for it; one by one, I took the wards apart. I whispered Millicent's password, wondering once more at her sentimental choice, and stepped in, closing the door behind me.

Finding the portrait was easy, the book considerably less so. Right out in the open, it turned out, was a relative term. By the time I finally found the battered dog-eared copy of Quidditch in Bed jammed behind the cushion of an overstuffed armchair, my breath was coming short again and my heart was beating like a blacksmith's hammer on the anvil of my ribs.

It was time to go. I consulted the map to check that the coast was clear, and got my first real shock of the night. There was someone just outside the door and, as I looked at the map, tiny writing identified him as ... Draco Malfoy. What was he doing here? When had he returned? Had he been hidden in Slytherin House for all this time? I tapped the map with my wand, as Hermione had demonstrated, and the scale enlarged to the point that Malfoy was no longer just a dot, but a human figure. It wasn't hard to understand what he was doing. He was examining the door, presumably noting the absence of wards. No doubt about it, he knew someone was in here.

I had one chance. If he came in alone to investigate, I could handle him. If he went for help, things could get sticky, invisible or not. Fortunately for me, his arrogance won out over any thought of caution. He began to cast spells at the door, searching for one that would break through Millicent's locking charm. I retreated back into the corner, wand out. In a matter of minutes, Draco broke through by the simple brute-force expedient of reducing the wall around the door to rubble. I was ready. Harry would have been proud of me. All that DA practice paid off. I let him get through the opening and them hit him with a stunner to the back of the head, followed by that old favourite, Petrificus Totalus. I was out into the passage before he hit the ground. No more lurking, it was time for speed. A glance at the map showed the common room no longer empty, but I crossed it boldly and didn't stop until I got to the door. There I had to wait for an opportunity. It didn't take long. A hue and cry went up from the direction I had come; the gaping opening in the passage wall and Draco's immobile form beyond it had been discovered. The common room emptied as all went to see. I was through the door and out into the corridor, running now for the safety of the Great Hall, exaltation pounding in my veins.

Padma Patil, secret agent girl. I loved it!

Parvati and I had agreed, at Hermione's suggestion, to rendezvous in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. My mission having gone more quickly than planned, I found myself with time on my hands. I passed it by chatting with Myrtle and reading Quidditch in Bed, each in its own way an extremely educational activity. Finally, she arrived. Moving quickly, we exchanged the invisibility cloak for my Ravenclaw garments; I gave her the book, and she was on her way. Millicent's portrait I kept to give to Susan myself.

*

* *

I returned without further incident to Ravenclaw house and made my way upstairs to Astraï. I went to bed, and was soon asleep.

It was then that my troubles began. All of the perils that I had avoided in reality crowded in to haunt me in my dreams. I was surrounded by Slytherins and abruptly realised that I was not invisible after all. They captured me and dragged me off to a chamber that, in the omniscience of dreams, I somehow knew to be Draco's bedroom. They tied me to a bed. You can guess the rest ...

I awoke with a jerk and a hoarse cry to find myself in my own bed, drenched with sweat. A hand was on my shoulder. Still half asleep, I shuddered away from it, but then a familiar voice finally reached through to me.

"Padma, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

My older had come to my rescue.

I took a shaky breath and clutched her hand.

"It's OK, I'm awake ... thank you."

"Padma, what's wrong?"

What could I say? In the end, there was one stark truth I could share.

"I'm afraid."

In the grey darkness, I saw her nod. It made sense, after all. Now that death had come to Hogwarts, we were all afraid, each in our own way, and not all of us could borrow courage from Ginny Weasley. It didn't seem essential at that particular moment to tell Cho that a large part of what I was afraid of was her.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please."

And so, as I had done so many times for her the year before, she slipped in beside me to protect me from my dreams. In a way, it worked. There were no more nightmares because, for me at least, there was no more sleep. I held Cho Chang close to me through the hours of the night, staying perfectly still so as not to wake her. I knew very well that this comfort was no longer rightfully mine. It wasn't Ginny; that was never the problem. It was me. By my very presence, my acceptance of her here with me, I was making silent promises of eternal faith and loyalty, promises that I no longer had any intention of keeping. I didn't care. Pride and honesty, it seemed, had been put to flight by darkness and fear ... and by something else as well, something I wasn't admitting even to myself. By the pale light of dawn, I memorised her features as if I might be seeing them for the last time. When she asked me in the morning if I would be all right now, I told her that I would be. I wanted terribly to kiss her. I didn't.

That lie, at least, I managed to hold back.