Harry Potter and the Zyorious Scepter

Chapter 3

Early in the morning, Dalon and Sarah Black dropped Violet off at Notalans Academy. There, when students first arrived, before they all had breakfast, they separated into their own houses. Just like Hogwarts, there were four houses: Xellerin, Grendelon, Paradious, and Sekaran. Violet was in the Sekaran house. Sekaran's colors were blue and gold. The Sekaran house was famous for brilliant minds and quick thinkers. Violet quickly set off for her table and sat down with her friends Lydia and Arian.

"Potions with Langer is going to be horrible! I've forgotten everything!" Arian complained.

"Well you aren't the only one!" said Lydia.

"It looks like the three of us are going to fail our Potions test. At least I know I'll do well in Divination." said Violet.

Suddenly a school owl came right above them and dropped a letter by Lydia's bowl of cereal, interrupting their conversation. Arian picked up the letter and read the front.

"Hey! This letter is for you!" Arian said.

"Me?!?" Violet asked completely surprised.

Violet hardly received mail by owl because her parents were Muggles. She slowly opened it, not knowing what could be inside.

Be at the Astronomy Tower at Midnight!!

No one had signed the note.

"Hey guys! Get a load of this!" Violet said as she showed them the note.

"Wow this is weird!" said Lydia

"Do you think you should even go? It could be dangerous and you can get into big trouble if you are caught!" said Arian.

"Oh come on Arian! Don't be such a lawn gnome! I bet Violet has a secret admirer! And I want to find out who it is!" said Lydia.

Violet know that Arian would next start on a long lecture on school rules and Violet was really not in the mood for one.

"Look you guys! Why don't we just go and check this out? Then if we get any bad feelings about it, we can leave." said Violet.

"I don't know about this..." said Arian.

"We'll be fine!" said Lydia as she looked at her watch, "Oh no! We'd better go because we're going to be late for Potions! And you know what a witch (no pun intended! ;) ) Langer can be if you're late!"

The three friends hurried to class.

* * *

Evelyn Lockwood watched Violet, Lydia, and Arian leave the room and narrowed her eyes. She hated Violet with a passion. In her eyes, filthy mudbloods like Violet should not be allowed in Notalans Academy. She could not understand why Lydia and Arian, who both were from upstanding pure blood families, would even like her. Especially Arian. They were neighbors and they grew up together. Although outwardly she never really got along with him, she secretly had some feelings for him. Evelyn saw Violet drop a slip of paper from her bag as she left. Evelyn, who was curious, got up from the Grendelon table and picked up the slip of paper and read it.

So little Ms. Mudblood has a secret admirer, Evelyn thought, I know what I'll do! I'll go and cast a Tarantallegra spell on Violet in front of her admirer and Arian. Then Arian will see her for the filthy mudblood that she is...and he will notice me.

Evelyn's ice blue eyes glittered maliciously.

I'll finally get what I want... She thought.

* * *

Early on the day Hermione and her parents were to pick him up from Privet Drive, Harry nervously paced in his room, wondering how to tell the Dursleys. When Aunt Petunia called him down for breakfast, he gathered his courage. He sat down at the table and poked at his slice of grapefruit, too nervous to eat anything.

"Umm...Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia? My friend Hermione will be coming today to pick me up to spend the rest of the summer with her."

"What!?!" Uncle Vernon thundered, startling everyone, "I don't want those types even 10 kilometers near my home!"

"But they're Mug - I mean normal people. Hermione's parents are both dentists!" Harry said, hoping this would calm Uncle Vernon at least a little bit.

It did. Uncle Vernon stopped hyperventilating and looked at Harry with narrowed eyes.

"Dentists, eh? At least you found a person who is half way normal at that place you dare call a school! And if they are willing to take you away, they are more than welcome! Less abnormality in my house!" said Uncle Vernon.

So the matter was settled. Later in the evening, Hermione and her parents came to pick Harry up. When the doorbell rang, Harry eagerly answered it. When he opened the door, he saw Hermione. He smiled. She was prettier than in his dream.

"Hi Hermione!" he said.

Hermione smiled back and said, "Hi Harry! So this is your house?"

She took a quick peek inside. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley regarded the Grangers cautiously. Then, very reluctantly, Vernon extended his hand to Mr. Granger and muttered something that sounded like a greeting. Mrs. Granger tried to break the tension.

"Thank you for letting Harry stay with us." she said.

"He's your problem now." said Vernon as he dragged Harry's trunk outside.

Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage before Vernon could throw it out of the house. Then Vernon muttered something like, "Good day." and then he shut the door. Everyone just stood there not knowing what to do. Then Hermione's dad spoke.

"Well let's get your trunk into our car and let's get started." he said as he and Harry lugged the trunk into the car's trunk.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger got in the front seats while Harry and Hermione sat in the back. After driving fifteen minutes, they stopped in front of a quaint creme two story house. When Mr. Granger and Harry dragged his trunk into the house, they settled down to have dinner. As they sat down at the table, Mrs. Granger spoke.

"So you're the famous Harry Potter we have heard so much about from Hermione." she said.

"Mum!" Hermione said urgently, "Well...uhh...I just told her a lot about...umm...the classes we have had together..."

They finished the rest of dinner in silence. Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger seemed to have a lot of questions to ask Harry, but were cautioned not to by Hermione. After that, Hermione quickly finished her dinner and when her parents weren't looking, motioned for Harry to do the same. When they both were finished, Hermione quickly told her parents that she would show Harry the guest room and pulled Harry upstairs.

"You have a really nice house Hermione." Harry said.

"Thanks. Look, my mum usually unwittingly embarrasses me in front of all my friends, and you are no exception. Sorry about that." she said slightly blushing.

Harry smiled.

"It's okay." he said.

They came up to two doors at the end of the hall.

"This is my room," Hermione said as she pointed to the door on the right, "And this is the guest room. If you need anything you can ask. We'll talk more tomorrow."

She paused as if to say more, but thought better of it.

"Good night Harry." she said.

"Good night Hermione." Harry said.

Harry went into the guest room, got into bed, and fell asleep.

* * *

Violet, Lydia, and Arian waited in the Sekaran Common Room until everyone cleared out. Since no one was able to apparate at night in the school, they had to walk to the Astronomy Tower. They tip toed their way into the hall and kept in the shadows to make sure they wouldn't be seen. As they passed the entrance to the Grendelon Common Room, Evelyn was there waiting for them. She waited until they passed to follow them. The three quietly made their way to the Astronomy Tower, taking extra care not to attract any attention from the ghosts or any teachers that might be out. Their trip to the Astronomy Tower was quite uneventful, until they arrived at the tower. They were about to go up the stairs when Professor Estrellas, the astronomy teacher, suddenly came down the stairs. He was holding a star chart and mumbling to himself. Violet Arian, and Lydia dived into the shadows. Evelyn kept a good distance between herself and the three, so she was still in the darkness. Professor Estrellas looked around as though he heard a noise, but dismissed it and went to his room and shut the door. The three let out a sigh of relief. They quickly ascended the stairs of the Astronomy Tower with Evelyn staying close behind. When the three got to the top of the tower, Violet told Arian and Lydia to stay hidden because they weren't even supposed to be there. Evelyn stayed further back to stay undetected. Violet stepped out into the moonlight.

"Hello?" Violet asked.

Out of the darkness a person stepped. They were tall and their face was covered by the hooded cloak they were wearing.

He must be a 6^th year or something...He looks too tall to be in my year... Violet thought.

Finally the person in the cloak spoke.

"Hello Violet Black. So we finally meet." he said.

Hearing the voice drove any thoughts of having a secret admirer from her mind. The voice was far too mature and it had a strange inhuman iciness to be the voice of a student or anyone remotely close to her age. The fear started to rise within her.

"Who are you?" Violet asked with a slight quaver in her voice.

The cloaked person laughed chillingly.

"I am a Death Eater and a faithful follower of Lord Voldemort." he said.

Violet stood shocked and frozen in fear. Behind her Lydia and Arian watched her, both also very afraid. At the mention of the name Voldemort, Lydia and Arian both heard a gasp very close to them. They both turned their heads suddenly to see Evelyn wide eyed and completely terrified. Evelyn looked like she was about to scream. Arian and Lydia knew if she did, they would all be in worse trouble than they already were in. Arian, who was closer to her, pulled Evelyn close and clamped a hand over her mouth. The hooded figure stepped forward and locked a hand around Violet's neck. His skin was icy cold.

"Enough chit chat. If you value your life at all, you will give me the Zyorious Scepter." he said.

Violet had no idea what the Zyorious Scepter was.

Almost choking in his grasp, Violet said, "I don't have it!"

The hooded figure laughed cruelly once again.

"Wrong answer." he said.

As he said this he lifted his wand in his other hand and an unforgivable cruse was about to leave his lips. But Arian lost control of Evelyn and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Completely surprised by this since he was unaware of anyone else but Violet, the hooded figure turned to where Arian, Lydia, and Evelyn were standing. Evelyn turned and ran back down the stairs screaming bloody murder. The hooded figure knew if he hung around, he would be caught. He quickly turned into an eagle and flew away. Violet watched him fly away, still rooted to her spot in fear.

"An animagus..." Violet whispered.

Minutes later Lydia, Arian, and Violet heard three people coming up the stairs.

"What on Earth is going on here?!?" they heard Headmistress Belinda Katena sternly inquiring.

Professor Estrellas explained how he heard Evelyn screaming. Katena looked at Lydia, Arian, Evelyn, and Violet with narrowed eyes.

"I think you all need to come to my office and explain yourselves." Katena said.

The walk to Katena's office was completely silent. As they walked in, Katena motioned for all of them to take a seat. Katena allowed the silence to settle a little bit before she began to speak. Although she was young, she was still a wise and able Headmistress. She spoke quietly, but her words were strong and touched by a hint of disappointment.

"There was absolutely no reason any of you should have been out of your dorms after 9 o' clock. I am going to have to cut several points from both of your houses for each of you." Katena said.

Katena noticed the intense fear still in Violet's eyes. She knew this was much more than some silly teenage prank. She thought it best if she just asked Violet personally about the incident.

"Furthermore, all of you have a week's detention. Report to my office tomorrow evening to receive your tasks. You are dismissed." Katena said.

Lydia, Evelyn, and Arian got up from their seats and began to leave. As Violet began to do the same, Katena motioned for her to sit back down.

"I would like to talk to you a few more moments Miss Black." said Katena.

When Violet took her seat Katena spoke again.

"I know that whatever had just transpired was more than some prank. You must tell me what happened." said Katena.

Then Violet told Headmistress Katena everything that had happened starting with the note up until the Astronomy Tower. Katena looked at Violet with surprise.

"And he asked you for the Zyorious Scepter?" Katena inquired.

"Yes." Violet replied.

Katena thought a minute than spoke, "We must keep on our guards. Do not leave your Common Room after dark again! If a Death Eater broke past our school's defenses he must have been a powerful wizard indeed. Exercise extreme caution with whoever you talk to. I'm going to have to suspend your field trip privileges until this blows over. Also you may not apparate or disapparate on school grounds until the intruder is caught. You must have someone walking with you at all times. You may leave now. Go straight to your Common Room."

Due to her current experience, Violet did not object. She went straight to the Sekaran Common Room. She found Lydia and Arian waiting for her. They both looked at her anxiously.

"So what happened?" asked Lydia.

"Headmistress Katena told me not to leave the Common Room after dark, she took away my field trip privileges, and she told me not to apparate. She thought it wouldn't be safe for me to be outside until the person is caught." said Violet.

"She's right! We shouldn't have gone in the first place..." said Arian.

"What I want to know is who was that guy that called you up to the tower?" asked Lydia.

"He was a Death Eater. A follower of You-Know-Who." Violet said with a shiver.

Lydia and Arian were also shaken by this knowledge.

"He thought I had the Zyorious Scepter, whatever that is...Look. I don't know about you guys, but I have to get to the bottom of this. Tomorrow I'm going to look up the Zyorious Scepter in the library. It must be important if a Death Eater wanted it..." Violet said.

With that the three went up to their dorms and all fell into a troubled sleep.

Chapter 4

The Death Eater flew back to his master's hiding place in a small cottage long forgotten somewhere deep in the wilderness. He transformed back into his human form when he flew into the cottage's small window. Lord Voldemort sat in a chair facing the fire place which had a bright fire dancing in it. He felt afraid to address his master due to the failure of his assignment.

"What news do you bring me Sanford?" Voldemort asked in an inhuman whisper.

Just hearing his master's voice caused a chill to go up his spine.

"My Lord, Violet Black did not have the Scepter..." Sanford said, barely able to keep the fear out of his voice.

Voldemort was completely silent. This caused the fear to grow in Sanford. Suddenly Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. Sanford knew that his failure would not be forgiven.

"The Zyorious Scepter is essential to mending my broken powers to what they used to be so I must attain it at all costs. I do not tolerate failure. This is the last time you will fail me Sanford."

Voldemort turned his face to Sanford and Sanford felt the blood draining from his face.

"No master! Give me one more chance! I won't fail you again!" Sanford said, begging for mercy.

Voldemort looked at him with icy cold eyes.

"No one fails me twice." Voldemort said.

Voldemort raised his wand. Sanford kept backing up until he felt his back touch the wall.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled.

A green bolt of light shot from the wand and stuck Sanford.

* * *

Harry tossed and turned in his sleep.

"NOOO!!!" he yelled loudly, jerking awake, clutching his burning scar.

Harry sat on the side of the bed, rubbing his scar, trying to make the pain go away. In a few seconds the pain went away, but the fear stayed. Suddenly Hermione burst in. She had a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, "I heard you scream from my room."

In the moonlight, Hermione saw the fear reflecting in Harry's emerald green eyes as he got up from the bed.

"I had a dream. About Voldemort." Harry said, forgetting the name taboo in his state of fright.

Hermione shuddered visibly when she heard the name.

"He was talking to one of his Death Eaters. Voldemort asked the Death Eater for something called the Zyorious Scepter. He said it would mend his powers. The Death Eater said the girl he tried to take it from did not have it. Voldemort then got angry and killed him. The same way he killed my parents. The way he tried to kill me..." Harry said, his voice quivering slightly, "I woke up and my scar was burning."

Then they were both silent. Neither knew what to do. They looked at each other. It pained Hermione to see Harry so afraid. Before she even realized what she was doing, she took a step forward and pulled Harry close. When what she was doing actually hit her, she expected Harry to pull away or at least complain, but he did neither. Instead, he collapsed into her embrace and put his head on her shoulder. Hermione held Harry until he stopped shaking. When Harry finally regained his composure, they reluctantly pulled away from each other. They looked at each other again and they both felt their faces go red.

"Well...umm...I think we'd better write a letter to Sirius about this. He would definitely want to know because when your scar hurts like this, there's probably going to be some trouble..." said Hermione.

"Yes, you're right." said Harry.

Harry fished in his trunk for his ink, quill, and a sheet of parchment.

* * *

The next afternoon, Sirius Black sat in the cottage he shared with Remus Lupin, thinking of a new strategy to catch the particularly dangerous Death Eater Dumbledore had sent them after named Sanford. Sanford was very dangerous because he was a powerful wizard with deep ties to the Dark Arts and great influence in the Ministry of Magic. The information Sirius and Remus had gathered about Sanford led Sirius to believe that Sanford might not only be serving Voldemort, but be in his inner circle and be serving him directly. Sirius's thoughts took his eyes to the window where he saw a white bird flying toward the cottage. Since there were no white birds in the region that he knew it had to be Hedwig. He opened the window and let the owl in.

"Hello, Hedwig! How are you?" Sirius said, giving Hedwig a strong pat on the head.

As Sirius removed the letter from Hedwig's legs, Remus walked in.

"A letter from Harry?" Remus inquired without a greeting.

"Yes." replied Sirius as he opened the letter.

Dear Sirius,

I'm glad to hear everything is well with you and Moony, but I wrote you because I had to tell you something important. I had another dream about Voldemort. He was talking to one of his Death Eaters. The Death Eater told Voldemort that he could not obtain the Zyorious Scepter from someone named Violet Black. Then Voldemort killed him and I woke up with my scar burning. I wrote to you because I knew that this was something that you would want to know and I was hoping that you may know what is happening. But anyway, I hope I am not bothering you too much. Say hi to Moony for me!

Harry

Remus saw Sirius's eyes go wide and his mouth drop open.

"What is it? What's happened? Is Harry hurt?" Remus asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No, Harry is fine, but he had another dream about Voldemort. It's too late to catch our man." said Sirius.

"Why?" asked Remus now curious instead of concerned.

"Because he is dead. Voldemort killed him. But our suspicions have been right all along. Sanford was serving Voldemort directly. And I also know now what Voldemort is after. It is the Zyorious Scepter." Sirius replied.

"Woah! Did Harry tell you all of this?" Remus asked, now completely surprised.

"Yes." Sirius replied, "But Harry must have made a mistake..."

"Why?" Remus inquired.

"Because the Zyorious Scepter has been in my family for years and since I was thrown into Azkaban, my mother, father, and younger brother moved to the U.S. It's been so many years, so the only person that could have it is...Dalon." replied Sirius.

"But your brother is a Muggle! What could he be doing with it?" said Remus.

"That's what I have to find out." replied Sirius.

* * *

Dalon Black sat in his and Sara's bedroom looking at his old family album. He had called in sick at his Muggle job. So alone he sat looking at his parents and his brother waving at him. Sometimes the sadness of having lost his older brother really got to him. He had always known Sirius was innocent, no matter what anyone had said. But by now the Dementors of Azkaban must have gotten to him. It tore at him inside thinking that Sirius might now be only a shell of what he used to be. The only thing that gave Dalon hope was what he learned from his daughter. He learned that Voldemort had finally fallen because of a child named Harry Potter.

Could this Harry Potter possibly be related to Sirius's old friend James Potter? Maybe even be his son? Dalon thought, But then again there were a lot of Potters in England...

These thoughts often crossed his mind after he learned this fact. Lost in thought, it took him a while to realize that something was rapping against the bedroom window. He looked up and saw a large black raven outside! In broad daylight! He rushed and opened the window to stop the bird from attracting any attention from the neighbors. As soon as he opened the window, the raven swooped in and landed on the bed.

It's been so many years... Dalon thought, spotting the letter tied to its leg.

He slowly unwrapped the letter and then watched the raven fly off into the sky. When he could no longer see it, he opened the letter. There was only one person who could have sent him this letter, but he dared not hope lest it was not.

Dear Dalon,

I do not know what to write to you since it has been at least 16 years since I have talked to you last. There is much we must speak about, but not in this letter. I must see you in person. I will be at your house at 12 o' clock midnight sharp tonight.

Sirius

Dalon read the letter again and again not believing his eyes.

Sirius is okay! I can't believe this...just hearing from him after all these years... Dalon thought.

After re-reading the letter one more time, Dalon folded the letter up and put it in his pocket.

* * *

That night, when he was sure Sarah was asleep, Dalon slipped out of bed and waited for Sirius in his living room. He watched the clock strike midnight.

Where is he? Dalon thought.

Suddenly a voice cut through the still air.

"Hey toad legs! Are you just going to sit there or are you going to come over here and greet me?"

Dalon smiled, turned, and asked, "Do you still have to call me that, Sirius?"

Dalon walked over to Sirius and the two brothers embraced.

"Yes of course! I'll never forget the summer after my first year at Hogwarts. You were really getting on my nerves and so I tried to turn you into a toad." said Sirius.

"Hah! But it didn't quite work, did it?" said Dalon.

"No, I could only get your legs. Man, did I get an earful from mum and dad about that one..." Sirius smirked, remembering the past.

"How did you do it, Sirius? How did you escape from Azkaban?" Dalon asked, looking at his brother in awe.

"I just held on the thought that I was innocent...that was the only thing that kept me sane for all those years...I waited for a good opportunity to escape, and when I found it, I transformed into my dog form and got out of that place." Sirius replied.

"Even if mum and dad listened to the Ministry of Magic about you working for Voldemort, I never believed it for a minute. I always knew you were innocent." said Dalon.

"I only wish I could have told mum and dad that myself..." Sirius said, sadly.

Sirius then paused, looked around the room, and said, "Wow...I've been gone so long, even my little brother has grown up..."

Sirius walked over to the mantle and picked up a Muggle picture of Dalon and his family.

"Your wife and daughter?" Sirius guessed.

"Yes. My wife Sarah and our daughter Violet." said Dalon.

Violet! Wasn't that the girl Harry mentioned? She is the one with the Scepter? thought Sirius.

"Dalon, do you still have the Zyorious Scepter?" asked Sirius.

"Yes. Follow me." Dalon replied.

Dalon led Sirius to a corner of the room and reached behind the bookcase. He pulled out the Scepter. Sirius took it from him and examined it.

"I have reason to believe your daughter is in danger." said Sirius in a serious tone.

"Why?" Dalon asked, shocked.

"Because Voldemort is after her and the Zyorious Scepter." Sirius replied.

"Voldemort?!? But how? Why?" Dalon asked, everything coming as a shock.

"Harry told me. Harry Potter." said Sirius.

"Wait a second. You know Harry Potter?!?" Dalon asked, now confusion mixing with his shocks, "And how would he know Violet?!?"

"I think I have a lot of explaining to do..." said Sirius, "Yes, I do know Harry Potter. He is my godson."

Suddenly the implication of the statement hit Dalon.

"He's the son of James and Lily Potter, isn't he? I suspected it all along. But that means...the Potters are dead! Lily and James were some of the nicest people I knew! They didn't deserve to die like that!!" said Dalon, "But at least Harry survived..."

"Yes, I know. But as you must have heard, the encounter left a scar on his forehead. But this is unlike any other scar. The scar enables Harry to get visions of Voldemort in his dreams when Voldemort is feeling particularly murderous. Voldemort has already sent a person to retrieve the Scepter. That person tried to get it from Violet, but they failed and fled back to Voldemort. Voldemort then killed him for failing. Voldemort will stop at nothing to get the Scepter. By now he must have figured out that it is you that has the Scepter, not Violet. But he will come back for Violet - and then in turn, the Scepter." said Sirius.

"Is Violet alright?!?" Dalon asked, frantically.

"I don't know. All I know is what Harry told me in his letter." Sirius replied.

"But Sirius, what should I do? I can't protect her here! And I have a lot of explaining to do to my wife!" said Dalon.

At that moment they heard someone come into the room and they froze.

"Honey, why are you up - ?" she started sleepily, but quickly snapped awake seeing the stranger in her living room, "Wait! Who is this?!?"

"Umm...he's my brother...Sirius..." Dalon said quietly.

"Since when do you have a brother?!?" Sarah asked, totally confused.

"Sarah, I'll explain everything to you, but not now." said Dalon, "Violet is in danger!"

"What?!?" Sarah asked, even more confused.

Dalon turned to Sirius.

"What are we going to do? There is no way we can protect her." said Dalon.

"There is one way you can. Let me take her to Hogwarts. I will explain the whole deal to Headmaster Dumbledore. The Scepter and Violet will be safest with him." Sirius said.

Dalon and Sarah took in the information silently. Finally Sarah spoke.

"I always knew there were things you kept from me about your past. I knew the minute Violet started to make her milk and cookies float around." Sarah smiled as she remembered, but then the smile left her face as she began to speak again, "And I think you had good reason. But now that the truth has come out, you have to make me understand. Dalon, I have always known you to be a good and honest man. I trust you. If you trust this man, so do I. But once Violet is safe, I want to hear again about your past, and this time leave nothing out."

Dalon looked at Sarah and spoke, "We must leave first thing in the morning. We will get Violet then."

"I will wait for you here. I shall apparate her and the Scepter to Diagon Alley and then we will figure out what to do from there. I will lend you my bird to send her the message ahead of time before you go to pick her up so she will be ready." said Sirius, "I cannot stay here much longer. Every minute I spend with you puts you in more danger. I will be back again in the morning."

With that, Sirius apparated out of the room.

"I hope Violet will be okay..." said Sarah.

"She will be. Sirius will take care of her." said Dalon.

* * *