Another City, Not My Own

"ANOTHER CITY, NOT MY OWN"
Chapter Seven
"What Is A Crystal Lock?"

"How much did Fleur tell you about what happened at Hogwarts yesterday?" Harry asked, as Madame Delacour wiped the dinette table clean with a small towel.

"She told us as much as she knew when she called us in Sardinia last night," said Monsieur Delacour. "But perhaps you could tell us what 'appened from your point of view. It may 'elp us to fill in some of the details."

So Harry told his story as the Delacours listened. He told them how Draco Malfoy had been expelled from Hogwarts, how Professor McGonagall had been scratched by an owl with poison on its talons that had been sent to Dumbledore by Lucius Malfoy, how he and his friends had captured the owl in the Owlery, how the poison had been identified as Chimaera's Root, and how Dobby the House-Elf had said that Lucius Malfoy had probably moved his Dark Arts collection, including the sample of Chimaera's Root, to the secret chamber in the wine cellar of his summer home in Latrece.

"When she called us tonight, Fleur told us 'ow she traced the shipment that Monsieur Malfoy made to his chateau through a wizard shipping company," said Monsieur Delacour. His eyes seemed to twinkle with pride over his daughter's ingenuity. "Do you 'ave an idea of where the Chateau Malfoy is in Latrece, 'Arry?"

"I think I can find it," Harry said. "With this."

He brought out the Traveler's Map, which he'd retrieved from the lower deck while Madame Delacour and Gabrielle were clearing the table. He spread it out now for his hosts to see. With his wand, he brought the map to life, and magnified the image until it showed the streets of Latrece, with a red dot labeled "Harry Potter" sitting in a large yacht in the Vieux Port.

"It is amazing!" Gabrielle said, staring at the map in wonder. "But why do I only see you on the map, 'Arry? Why do I not see moi? Or Mama or Papa?"

"You have to identify yourself to the map," Harry explained. "Here, I'll show you. Put your hand down on it like this."

Gabrielle put her hand down on the map. Harry waved his wand over her hand and said, "Identify." As before, a small wave of magic passed over the map. When Gabrielle lifted her hand, a red dot labeled "Gabrielle Delacour" was on the map, sitting next to the dot labeled "Harry Potter" in the boat at the Vieux Port.

"Tres bien!" Gabrielle said, smiling.

"Now let's see if this works," said Harry. He waved his wand over the map again. "Destination: 606 Rue du Scélérat. Travel by car."

An image of a car appeared on the map, on the Promenade de la Plage. As Harry and the Delacours watched, the car traveled across the map, tracing a thin black line through the city streets. It moved up the Boulevard de la Soleil and curved through a series of side streets that seemed to take it up through the hills surrounding Latrece. At the top of a hill on the eastern edge of the city, it turned onto the Rue du Scélérat. It followed the street, and suddenly made a sharp left turn down what appeared to be a long, winding driveway, stopping in front of a large house marked "606 Rue du Scélérat." Words in black ink appeared in the top corner of the map: "Total Distance: 10.2 miles. 17 kilometers."

"That's the house I'm going to have to break into tonight," Harry told his hosts. "Dobby said it was on a hilltop overlooking Latrece."

"Ah, it is on the Colline du Oeil de la Diable," said Monsieur Delacour. "The Hill of the Devil's Eye. It is one of the city's most famous hills." He pointed to a maze of streets on the map, just below the Hill of the Devil's Eye. "It overlooks Vieux Latrece--the old section of the city."

"Look, Papa," said Gabrielle, pointing to a gray area on the map that seemed to be on the side of the Hill of the Devil's Eye, just below the Rue du Scélérat. "Zis house, where 'Arry is going. It is near ze Jardine Pendante." She looked at Harry. "Ze Dangling Gardens."

"The Dangling Gardens?" Harry repeated.

"Oui," said Gabrielle. "Is a very famous garden in Latrece. We went to see it when we were 'ere for ze Carnival a few years ago."

"Why do they call it the 'Dangling Gardens?'" Harry asked.

Monsieur Delacour put his thick forefinger down on the map. "Because this hill--the Hill of the Devil's Eye--it is a very steep hill. It is almost a sheer cliff going straight down. The Dangling Gardens are planted on little patches of land along the sides of the hill. The trees and flowers almost seem to dangle in the air off the cliff sides."

Gabrielle traced a zigzag line through the Jardine Pendante on the map. "When you tour ze garden, you start at ze top of ze hill. Zen you go down ze side of ze cliff on a twisting path. Zey 'ave foot bridges all along ze path zat connect ze ledges on ze side of ze cliff. It is like walking down ze stairway in a tall building."

"I see," said Harry. He looked at the curving black line that the Traveler's Map had traced up through the hills surrounding the city. "Looks like a long trip to get up to the top of the hill by car."

"Do not worry about getting to the top of the Colline du Oeil de la Diable tonight, 'Arry," Monsieur Delacour said, smiling. He touched the map with his finger. "I know a very easy way to get you up to the top of the hill without any trouble."

Harry was about to ask what this "easy way" was when Madame Delacour set a plate of shortbread cookies on the table. She sat down next to her husband once more. "Harry," she said, looking at him, "tell us about this Lucius Malfoy, the man who poisoned your teacher? Fleur says he is a Death Eater. Is that correct?"

"That's right," said Harry. "He's a very dangerous man. He's one of Lord Voldemort's top lieutenants."

Gabrielle gasped. "You say his name?!"

"Sorry," Harry said, smiling. "I don't call him 'You-Know-Who' anymore. I do not give his name a reverence that he doesn't deserve by refusing to speak it."

Monsieur Delacour nodded, as if he understood. "So this Malfoy, 'e is true to 'is name. 'E is 'mal foi'--of a bad faith." He put his finger on the Traveler's Map, over the location of the Chateau Malfoy. "Is Malfoy 'ere in Latrece tonight, do you think? Will 'e be in 'is chateau?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "I don't know if anyone's going to be in the chateau tonight. I don't even know if the Chimaera's Root is in there. I mean, Dobby said that the chateau was the most likely place for Malfoy to hide his Dark Arts collection. And of course, Fleur traced Malfoy's shipment to the chateau. So the odds are growing that the poison is in there. But there's really no way to tell until I get into the chateau and open the secret chamber in the wine cellar."

"How exactly do you plan to break into the chateau?" asked Monsieur Delacour. "Will you use your Invisibility Cloak?"

Harry looked at him, startled. "How did you know--?"

"Fleur told us that you 'ave one. I assume you brought it with you?"

"Well, yes, but how did Fleur know that I--?" Then Harry realized. "Oh! Mr. Weasley or Bill must have told her about the cloak. They know about it from Ron." He sighed. "Yes, that's my plan. I'm going to sneak into the chateau under the Invisibility Cloak and try to steal the Chimaera's Root."

"So let me see if I 'ave this correct," said Monsieur Delacour. "You're going to go to the Chateau Malfoy, walk right in through the front door in your Invisibility Cloak, sneak down to the wine cellar, open the secret chamber, and find the Chimaera's Root?"

"If it's in there," said Harry.

"And then you're just going to turn around and walk out again under your cloak?"

Harry smiled. "Well, if anything goes wrong in there, I may have to run out. But yes, that's the general plan."

He looked at the map again. "But Dobby said that the secret chamber in the wine cellar was guarded by a crystal lock, and he didn't know the combination for it. Now, Fleur was able to open the crystal lock on the secret chamber under the drawing-room floor in Malfoy Manor. Can you tell me how to open the one here at the chateau?"

Madame Delacour gave Harry a slight smile. "I do not think we can 'tell you' how to open the crystal lock. But perhaps we can help you nonetheless."

"What is a crystal lock?" Harry asked. "Fleur said it was something like a Muggle combination lock, only it uses magic crystals."

"Oui," said Madame Delacour. "It is like a combination lock. It is somewhat difficult to explain. Perhaps I should start by explaining what a crystal lock looks like from the inside." She looked at her daughter. "Gabrielle, let me have those doubloons that you caught at the parade today for a moment."

Gabrielle handed her mother the souvenir coins. Madame Delacour quickly counted the coins. "Oh, good. You caught exactly twelve of them. Very appropriate, cherie."

She set the coins down on the table in a stack. "All right. Imagine that this stack of coins represents the crystal lock inside the door of a floor vault. As Fleur said, a crystal lock is like a combination lock--except that it uses enchanted crystals to determine its combination. A crystal lock is made up of small metal disks--like these coins here--except they are a bit bigger. They are...oh, about this size."

Madame Delacour made a circle with her thumb and forefinger to indicate the size of the disks.

"There are usually twelve disks in a crystal lock," she continued. "These disks sit inside a small metal cylinder, called a case, in the vault door. If you are talking about a floor vault, where the door is laid over the vault, the crystal lock will be vertical. That means that the disks inside the case sit on top of each other in a stack, like these coins."

"The disks are made of iron, and they are magnetized so that they will attract each other. But in between each disk, there is a small Levitation Charm that keeps the disks separated from each other. So the disks actually levitate on top of each other within the crystal lock. The space between each disk is very minute. It is maybe one millimeter between each disk."

"Now, each of these magnetic disks has a square-shaped hole in the center of it. And there is an iron bar in the crystal lock that goes down through the hole in the center of each disk. It is like the axle of a wheel...but in the case of a floor vault, the iron bar sits vertically inside the hole in each disk. This iron bar is held in place by the Levitation Charms that exist between the disks. So the iron bar actually levitates vertically inside the center of the stack of disks."

"The iron bar is very small, only about five centimeters long. But it is about two centimeters thick. The iron bar and the stack of disks rest on top of the horizontal bolt that holds the doors of the vault closed. The iron bar acts as a tumbler, or pin, to hold the bolt in place. The bottom end of the iron bar sits in a notch inside the bolt, and keeps the bolt from sliding back. As long as the iron bar is held in the center of the stack of disks by the Levitation Charms, the bolt of the lock cannot move. It looks like this."

Madame Delacour demonstrated by holding her left hand in front of her with her arm bent at the elbow. She inserted her right index finger between the middle fingers of her left hand, like a pin.

"Imagine that my hand is the bolt, and that my finger is the iron bar that holds it in place. As long as the Levitation Charms exist between each disk in the stack of disks, the iron bar remains in place and the bolt of the lock cannot be opened. Do you follow?"

Harry nodded. "I think so. But how do crystals come into play here?"

"Ahh," said Madame Delacour. She took a doubloon off the top of the stack of coins and held it up. "Each of the magnetic disks within the lock is set with a sequence of tiny crystals around the edge of the disk. There might be one, five, ten, or as many as fifteen crystals on each disk. And you will find crystals of all kinds on each disk--rubies, emeralds, diamonds, topaz, and so on."

"On each disk, there are several crystals that have been enchanted to 'link' with crystals on the next disk underneath it. This is done using a Linking Spell. For example, you might have two rubies and an emerald on one disk that can link to two rubies and an emerald on the disk directly underneath it in the stack."

"The crystals on each disk can only 'link up' with crystals of the same kind on another disk. For example, ruby crystals on one disk can only link with ruby crystals on the disk underneath it--they cannot link with emeralds or diamonds. And not all of the crystals on each disk will be enchanted. For instance, if you have five rubies on one disk, chances are that only two of them will be enchanted to link with two rubies on the next disk. Do you understand?"

"I think so," said Harry. "This sounds very complicated."

"It gets even more complex," said Madame Delacour. She set the doubloon that she was holding flat on the table and traced her finger around the edge of it. "There are infinite combinations of crystals for each disk. For example, on one disk, you might have four topaz crystals, five beryls, and one opal. On the next disk underneath it, you might have two topaz, four beryls, an amethyst, a diamond, a ruby, and another opal. And of the crystals on the first disk, only two of the topaz, one of the beryls, and the opal will be enchanted to 'link up' with the corresponding crystals on the second disk."

"Each disk has a unique sequence of crystals." Madame Delacour tapped her finger around the edge of the doubloon on the table, as if she were counting the crystals on a disk. "They can be in any order around the edge of the disk It might go 'ruby-emerald-jade-ruby-amethyst-diamond-emerald--' and so on. And in order to establish the links between the crystals, the enchanted crystals on each disk must first be aligned with the corresponding enchanted crystals on the next disk underneath it. In other words, enchanted rubies on one disk must line up with enchanted rubies on the next disk. Emeralds must line up with emeralds, and so on."

"The sequence of enchanted crystals from disk to disk varies within the crystal lock. For example, imagine you have three disks sitting on top of each other in the stack. A ruby and an emerald on the first disk will link up with a ruby and an emerald on the second disk underneath it. On that same second disk, a topaz and two sapphires will link up with a topaz and two sapphires on the third disk directly underneath it. And the Linking Spells are very complex in themselves. For instance, if you have an enchanted ruby on one disk and two enchanted rubies on a second disk, the enchanted ruby on the first disk may link up with one enchanted ruby--but not the other--on the second disk."

"I think I understand," said Harry. "So how do you open a crystal lock?"

"Well, usually you open it with a Combination Spell. This is a very complicated spell. It involves a series of magic keywords, and rotating the disks in the crystal lock in a certain sequence."

"And how does this Combination Spell work?"

"It works like this. On top of the crystal lock--on the door of the vault--is a crystal dial, like the dial on a Muggle combination lock, except it has no numbers on it."

Here, Madame Delacour picked up the first coin on top of the stack of doubloons. She held the coin between her thumb and forefinger over the stack.

"The first disk in the crystal lock is set inside the bottom of the crystal dial. Therefore, if you turn the crystal dial, you also rotate the first disk on top of the stack. When you want to open the crystal lock, you start by rotating the crystal dial...let us say, four times to the right. This rotates the first disk, so that its enchanted crystals are lined up in the proper sequence with the enchanted crystals on the second disk underneath it."

She rotated the coin over the stack with her thumb and forefinger to demonstrate.

"Then you tap the dial with your wand, and speak the first magic keyword. It could be anything, the name of a famous artist, perhaps...say, 'Michelangelo!' When you say this keyword, it activates the Linking Spell that links the enchanted crystals on the first disk with the enchanted crystals on the second disk. When these crystals are linked, it breaks the Levitation Charm that separates the two disks. Without the Levitation Charm to hold them apart, the magnet in the first disk draws the second disk up the iron bar, and the second disk snaps onto the bottom of the first disk. And they are held together by the magnet, like this."

She picked up the second coin off the top of the stack, and held the two coins together. Then she rotated both coins slightly over the stack.

"Then you turn the crystal dial again...say, three rotations to the left. This rotates the second disk--which is now attached to the bottom of the first disk--so that its enchanted crystals are aligned with those on the third disk in the crystal lock, directly underneath it. Then you say the next keyword. It could be something different, such as the name of a zodiac sign...'Sagittarius,' perhaps. This links the enchanted crystals on the second disk with the enchanted crystals on the third disk. It breaks the Levitation Charm. And the third disk slides up the iron bar and snaps onto the bottom of the second disk."

She picked up the third coin off the top of the stack, and held the three coins together.

"So you keep rotating the crystal dial and saying keywords. Each time the crystals on one disk link with the crystals on the disk underneath it, the Levitation Charm that separates the disks is broken. Each time this happens, another disk slides up the iron bar and snaps onto the bottom of the disk directly above it."

As she said this, she picked up the fourth, fifth, and sixth coins, one by one, off the top of the stack. Then she picked up the next five coins at once, leaving one coin on the table.

"Now, when you get to the last disk in the crystal lock, and you line up the enchanted crystals and break the Levitation Charm, that last disk slides up the iron bar to join the others."

She picked up the last coin. She was now holding all twelve coins in a stack above the table.

"And when this happens, it also breaks the Levitation Charm that holds the iron bar in place. The iron bar is then drawn up through the center of the disks by the magnets. It rises up until it touches the underside of the crystal dial, and the magnets hold it there, in the center of the stack of disks."

Madame Delacour set the stack of coins down on the table. Once again, she held her left hand in front of her, with her right index finger inserted like a pin between her left middle and ring fingers.

"And when the iron bar rises up out of the notch in the bolt--"

She lifted her right index finger to demonstrate the motion of the iron bar.

"The bolt is released, and it slides back."

She slid her left hand to one side to demonstrate.

"And the doors of the vault can then be opened."

* * *

Harry sat quietly for a few minutes, digesting the information that Madame Delacour had given him. Eventually, he looked at her. "So, the Combination Spell could be any combination of words and turns of the crystal dial?"

Madame Delacour nodded. "Usually it is some sequence that the owner of the crystal lock makes up for himself, a series of easy words that he can remember. There is a special Activation Spell that is used to establish the Combination Spell after the crystal lock has been made. But once that Activation Spell has been used on the crystal lock, the Combination Spell cannot be broken by anyone--not even by the person who created it."

She pursed her lips, thoughtfully. "You know, it strikes me that this Lucius Malfoy must have some very far-reaching connections in the magical world."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, veelas invented crystal locks, you see. We use them to keep gold and silver safe in underground vaults in the mountains of Bulgaria. We do not usually sell them to anyone who is not a veela. I have no idea how Monsieur Malfoy managed to acquire two crystal locks, let alone one! In fact, when I talked to Fleur on the shell phone last night, she told me that she was quite shocked yesterday when she discovered that the lock on the secret chamber at Malfoy Manor was a crystal lock. And she said that she was even more surprised when you told her last night that Monsieur Malfoy had a second crystal lock at his chateau here in Latrece."

"So how did Fleur open the crystal lock at Malfoy Manor if she didn't have the Combination Spell?"

"She used one of these." From her pocket, Madame Delacour brought out a small, white crystal. She held it up for Harry to see. It was about two inches long and cut in an oval-shaped pattern, like a gemstone. It seemed to glow with a eerie kind of fluorescent light in her hands. But when she reached across the table and dropped the crystal into Harry's hand, it suddenly stopped glowing.

"It is called a 'tarot crystal,'" Madame Delacour explained. "You see, veelas have an instinctive ability to communicate with different types of crystals. We use the tarot crystal to 'talk' with these other types of crystals, and to send commands to them."

She took the tarot crystal back from Harry. Once again, the crystal glowed in her hand. "You see how this shines when I hold it? The tarot crystal responds to the aura of a veela. By projecting our aura through the tarot crystal, we can communicate with other types of crystals and manipulate them so that they obey our will."

She placed the tarot crystal symbolically over the stack of coins on the table. "Now, if we want to open a crystal lock, we place the tarot crystal over the crystal dial of the lock. This allows us to sense the crystals inside the lock. We can sense how many crystals are on each disk, and sense the different types of crystals on each disk. By rotating the dial, we can rotate the disks inside the lock, until we sense that the enchanted crystals on one disk are aligned with the enchanted crystals on the next disk underneath it. Then, we use the tarot crystal to send a mental command to those crystals to link with each other."

Madame Delacour held up the glowing crystal again. "The tarot crystal acts as a conduit for our commands to the crystals. In this way, we can bypass the Combination Spell on the crystal lock. That is how Fleur was able to open the lock at Malfoy Manor."

"But the ability to use a tarot crystal...it's instinctive to a veela?" asked Harry. "You couldn't teach me how to use it."

Madame Delacour shook her head. "I am afraid not. There is something within the very soul of the veela that allows us to communicate with crystals using the tarot stone."

Harry sighed. "Well, that certainly answers my questions about crystal locks. But it doesn't solve my problem."

"How do you mean?" asked Monsieur Delacour.

"I have to break into the Chateau Malfoy in order to get to the secret chamber with the crystal lock," Harry explained. "My friend Dobby says that you can't Apparate into or out of the chateau unless you're a member of the Malfoy family. And I can't Apparate anyway, so that leaves the Invisibility Cloak as my only option."

He gestured to Madame Delacour. "If only a veela can open a crystal lock without the combination, then...well--how do I get you inside the chateau? I mean, no offense, Mrs. Delacour, but I don't think I could sneak you in with me. There's not enough room under the Invisibility Cloak for two full-grown people."

"True, you could not sneak me in," Madame Delacour said. "But you could take Gabrielle into the chateau with you. She is small enough that you could sneak her in with you under your cloak, is she not?"

Harry looked at Gabrielle, sitting beside him. She smiled, confidently. Harry looked back at her parents. "Er, wait a minute! I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Monsieur Delacour.

"I can do it, 'Arry!" Gabrielle broke in. She suddenly sounded very irate, as if he were questioning her ability to do the job. She sounded, Harry realized, like Fleur when she was angry. "I know 'ow to use ze tarot! I know 'ow to talk to ze crystals with it! If you get me inside ze chateau, I can open ze crystal lock for you!"

"I'm sure you can, but that's not the point." He turned to her parents again. "Look this is a very dangerous house that I'm going to break into. I'm not even sure that the Chimaera's Root is in there to begin with. What if I get inside the chateau, and discover that the house is empty, and that this has all been a wild goose chase?"

"But what if the Chimaera's Root is in there?" said Monsieur Delacour. "If it is, you must go in and get it. You must take the chance, 'Arry. You do not 'ave any other choice."

"Yes, but do you realize what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to take your daughter into the house of a known Death Eater! It's going to be dangerous enough just for me to go in there. I'm about as popular with these people as a dose of strychnine! If I get caught in there, I'm probably going to have to fight my way out! The last thing I want is to take your daughter in there and have her get caught in the crossfire."

"Harry," Madame Delacour said slowly (and here Harry thought he could detect a trace of nervousness in her voice), "I would be lying if I told you that, as her mother, this plan does not scare me. It was Fleur's idea, that you should sneak Gabrielle into the chateau with you under your cloak. And yes, it troubles me that if you do this, Gabrielle will also be in danger. Believe me, we would not propose this course of action if there were any other way. But as Gaston says, you have no choice. You must let Gabrielle help you. It may be the only way to save your teacher."

"You don't even know my teacher," Harry said, softly. "You only met her once. For that matter, you don't even know me that well. We only met this morning."

"We know enough about you," Monsieur Delacour said. "We know that you would dive into a freezing lake to save your best friend. We also know that you would rescue a little girl that you 'ad never met before from a group of merpeople."

"Gabrielle wasn't in any real danger," Harry protested.

"But you believed that she was! And you stood by 'er, when you did not even know 'er name!"

"You shouldn't feel like you owe me anything!" Harry said. He took a deep breath and pointed to himself. "Look, I have had people killed because of me! Innocent people have lost their lives because someone wanted to bring harm to me!"

He looked around the table at the family gathered there. "Now, you--all of you--have been so kind to me. You've made me feel at home here. You've welcomed me as a friend. The last thing I want is for any of you to get hurt because of me."

There was silence at the table for a moment. Then Gabrielle spoke.

"Arry," she said quietly, "I know zat what we 'ave to do tonight is very dangerous. And I am a bit scared. But...zis man who 'as poisoned your teacher...zis Lucius Malfoy, 'e is an evil man! Ze Death Eaters...I know who zey are, and I know what zey do."

She looked down at the table, sadly. "I was zere at 'Ogwarts on ze last night of ze Tournament. I saw zem bring ze ozzer boy, ze one who was killed, out of ze maze. Cedric, 'is name was? I even met 'im before ze event started.

Harry looked at her, surprised. "You met Cedric? I didn't know that."

"Fleur introduced us to 'im. Was 'e a friend of yours too?"

"Not exactly," Harry said, with a sigh. "Cedric Diggory was in a different house from me at Hogwarts. And he was a few years ahead of me. But we kind of became friends over the course of the Tournament. I think, if he had lived, we would have been very good friends after the Tournament was over."

"Fleur got to know 'im very well," said Gabrielle. "She said 'e was a very nice boy, zat 'e did not deserve to die like 'e did. I know zat Fleur is fighting against zese people who killed Cedric. She takes ze fight very seriously. She helps Monsieur Weasley, not just because she loves Bill, but also because she knows it is right!"

Gabrielle looked up at Harry. And he saw a determination in her face that he had seen before--in Fleur Delacour, but elsewhere as well. He had seen it in the faces of his friends--Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Cho, and the rest--when they'd made their pledge to defend Hogwarts.

"And zat is why you must let me help you," said Gabrielle. "You cannot let zis Lucius Malfoy win! It is not right! You must save your teacher, 'Arry. And I can help you to do it! You 'ave come so far. And Mama and Papa are right. Zis is ze only way! Please let me 'elp you!"

Harry leaned his elbows on the table and closed his eyes, thinking. He really did not want to involve Gabrielle in this. But he had already traveled clear across the continent in an effort to save his teacher. He had come so far on this quest. And the Delacours were right. This was probably his only chance to save Professor McGonagall.

He turned to Gabrielle again. "If I sneak you in there with me, are you absolutely sure that you can get the crystal lock open?"

Gabrielle nodded.

"All right," said Harry. "But you have to promise to do everything I say!"