Harry Potter and the Wyvern's Crown

Chapter 18: Uncovered

It was only a few hours before the game with Hufflepuff, but the Gryffindor Seeker and Keeper were not to be found in the change rooms by the pitch. Instead, they were in and amongst the most ancient books of the library. They were looking for one phrase. The Wyvern's Crown. Harry knew that this mystery had to be solved, or he would go mad with the visions that blanketed his mind every time he closed his eyes. Even now, he was half hearing a potions lecture Gregory had attended in his Seventh year at Hogwarts.

Shaking his head, and trying not to sneeze at the dust in the air, he sighed and turned another page. Raven slapped hers closed, 'Nothing.'

Harry bowed his head and turned another page. 'I don't want to say its hopeless, but...'

'We don't even know how long ago this took place, let alone the last names of the head boys,' Raven sighed and tilted her head, 'All we have is a phrase, and the first names of four boys, one from each house.'

'Well, the Ravenclaw could be...'

Raven smiled, 'A Hawksmoor? I wish there was a family tree, Harry, but there's so many of us, it just got very washed out over time. I do know the first Ravenclaw, Rowena, married a fellow teacher, a charms expert, named Randell Hawksmoor, and he created the spell that caused a male to be born in order to carry on the family name for the next two-thousand years.'

'That's it.' Harry snapped his book shut.

'That's what?' Raven's eyebrows drew together.

'We've been going at this from the wrong angle. We've been looking for the most recent history of the Wyvern's Crown. Why not look for it's beginnings? How many generations did it take until this...thing...came into play? What is it? Where is it?'

Raven nodded slowly, 'Yes, I do see your point, but these are the oldest books, aren't they?' She patted a hide-bound volume beside her.

'There are still the locked scrolls. They don't have the most important information on them, but they do have schematics for the castle and grounds...and a bunch of other things. Hermione would know best. She's the one who told me about them.'

'Where are they?'

'The librarian has them in a back room, and only he can open them. They're magically sealed so they can't be destroyed.'

Raven smirked, 'Sounds important.'

Harry turned from her, and began to stack books. He felt her press up against him, devilishly. Since Lupin's inquest, the teachers had rebelled against Lucius Malfoy's request. Draco had since been relieved of his COMA class, something he didn't honestly mind, while Harry was permitted to return. Potions was another matter, but it looked like Harry could join that class next year without any ill effects. Raven, too, had regained some of her confidence. She was still more sombre than usual, but her quiet moments with Harry were at the very least, more personal.

She leaned against him. 'So remind me again, the Hufflepuff Fores?'

'Chasers,' he corrected automatically. 'They're all boys, two fifth years and a sixth year. The sixth year hogs the ball but he has a very good arm. He likes the highest hoop best, but is known for going to the lowest for occasional revenge plays. The other two have weaker arms, but are quite good at smash manoeuvres, as I've heard.'

Raven nodded seriously against his back, smash plays were done from a pass where the broom the receiving player was riding on was used as a crude bat. 'And their bat...I mean, beaters...how are they?'

'They're the oldest players on the team. They're good, but they play clean. They wouldn't come after you.' He paused at his comment. Raven didn't seem to mind the silence.

After a long moment she breathed, 'I hope we win...'

Harry laughed and turned in her arms, catching her wrists. 'They didn't make me a seeker in my first year because I was cute, Raven.'

She blinked with a complete seriousness. 'Are you sure?'

* * *

Raven and Harry arrived in the tents below the field in their gear just before the chasers. Devin and Mark were already there, and Devin, however unsuccessfully, was trying to hide something rather large behind his back. Raven peered behind him at the broom-shaped package he was holding.

'What's that?' she grinned. 'New broom for Harry?'

Harry stuck his nose in the air and hopped on his Fireball.

'Err, no.' He held it out somewhat clumsily towards her, 'it's ah...for you.'

Raven looked at Harry, a blush on her cheeks, 'For me?'

Mark nodded. 'Yeah, Dev and I, you know we live together...err...my mum adopted him, right? She suggested it to us when we told her about you fallin' off your broom last term. So, we got together in our grade...and a few others, and we were going to buy you a new keeper broom, but we didn't get enough money until just a few weeks ago. Sorry we couldn't have given it to you for Christmas.'

Devin stepped forward and handed the broom to Raven, who smiled and unwrapped it. She laughed, and showed the handle to Harry. It was a Fireball 'K'. He grinned too. She placed it under her legs as the chasers arrived. They congratulated Raven on her new broom and grumbled a little about the amount of money they were conned out of. But soon the whistle was blown and they flew out to the pitch as the crowds from their boxes cheered around them. Harry headed up over the field, his eyes on the ground below for a sign of the snitch. He heard the shouts from below and paused for a moment to watch Raven make a few saves, but her broom, as deft as it was, seemed over-balanced in her hands. She hadn't had the time to practice with it, and had made a foolish decision in bringing it out it seemed. By the time she'd let the fifth quaffle past her, she dropped altitude and swung her hand out, an accio spell on her lips. Her once-forsaken broom flew out towards her. And at the same moment, so did both of the bludgers. With a snarl, Raven stood on her new broom, catching the other in her hand and sending a bludger back at it's owner with it. She then tucked her legs around the old one, now holding the new broom in her hand. She 'smashed' the second bludger back with the tail end of her old broom. Before she knew what was happening both had been returned to her. Raven with a battle cry, ripped both broom through the air with her arms, performing her 'Hawksmoor' with double efficiency. She then commanded her first broom to drop. The crowd roared in enjoyment and congratulations.

It was then that Harry noticed the snitch. Almost half-wanting to continue to watch Raven he knew his job, and so did it, even though the Hufflepuffs were up fifty points. The third year, Melody Lumin, who was Hufflepuff seeker, saw his dive, and dove with him. Harry feinted hoping to lure her off before she actually saw what he was diving at, but it was too late. But luckily, she was a poor catch. Her fingers had almost closed around the snitch when it buzzed up and away from her fingers. She skidded and nearly crashed into the Slytherin stands. Harry lost sight of both little golden 'brats', and was nearly decked by a bludger. He spun out of the way, shouting at the player who'd done it. Angelina scored twice and Katie once before he saw the snitch again. And this time, the little Hufflepuff Seeker was no where to be seen. He took up the chase, knowing that if he pushed his broom to it's highest speed, the snitch would be forced to travel in a straight line, and therefore ought to be easier to catch. But just before he got his fingers on it, the little yellow clad girl buzzed by, missing the snitch by an absolute mile, but by the time Harry had recovered from the near collision she had caused it was gone again.

For some reason he almost laughed. The poor girl was so inexperienced, he almost felt a moment of pity for her. Almost. He heard the roars from the crowd. Raven had missed. Then the cheers as Katie and Alicia paid them back with two goals each. He sped around the outside of the pitch, buzzing the towers, and the keepers both before seeing the snitch, low and near the ground in the middle of the field. He dove, and knowing that the little girl was on his tail, he crawled to the end of his broom, holding on with his legs as he reached. Then he felt it, the slight bizz of the snitch's wings against his palm...just a few inches more...

Something crashed into him, and the nose of Harry's broom hit the ground. He fell and rolled, but he felt the snitch in his hand, struggling. He'd won. He was so stunned, he actually got to his feet, to hold the snitch aloft to prove his victory. But no cheers rang out. Harry's knees sagged a little as he looked to where his fireball was still stuck in the ground. And he saw what had happened to the little Hufflepuff. She was on the ground, bleeding, and not moving. Stunned, Harry fell to his knees. People were running out onto the field, and the little girl was declared 'injured but not in critical condition'. Then cheers rang out, and the crowd was appeased with the Gryffindor victory at last.

* * *

'Well it's a wonder you didn't ask me for help sooner,' Hermione said as she retrieved a key from the librarian. Harry followed her. Because of her advanced studies, she was permitted to access certain parts of the restricted section. Obviously, she wasn't to touch Dark Arts books, but she had no care to, for all she read everything else she could get her hands on. The stacks of ancient parchment stored in the very back were magically sealed, and only a very few people were permitted to open them. Hermione had gained access to them in her third year. The scrolls were all shelved, some so high up they could barely be discerned from the ceiling. Hermione stood on a dais and waved her wand towards the room.

'Impars Sciunt.'

The room lit with a vague blue light. She nodded to Harry, 'Just stand here and ask for a topic. The scrolls will some down and open for you. If you don't care for what they say, simply wave them away with your wand. If you want to reread them, point your wand downwards, and give them a number. It's a wonderful way to study. I'm thinking of making one of these in my closet at home after a I graduate,' She then looked away, 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish studying for my Apparation Test. If I pass I'll be permitted to try the spell out in locations around Hogsmeade,' She clapped her hands together and grinned broadly.

Harry wondered for half a moment what his aunt might do if he did the same. But not wishing to waste time, mostly because a score of tests were coming up and he'd promised Raven to help her with her potions, mostly because she was failing miserably. She was going to help him with DADA and Divination in return. And then there were always the more pleasant aspects of study dates. He grinned, but his mind returned to the matter at hand, rubbing his sore shoulder tenderly. The girl had hit him after all, for all she was the one with the broken nose and dislocated jaw.

'Wyvern's Crown,' he called out.

Slowly scrolls of all shapes and sizes floated down. But as he looked he realized that they only contained one word or the other. Harry bit his lip. He didn't have the time to search for them together. He waved his wand quickly, and just as quickly, the scrolls departed.

'Wyvern's...AND Crown?' he called out, not sure if that would work better.

The scrolls were silent for a moment, and Harry worried that sending the last lot back in such a flurry may have shut down the spell permanently. Then as he spotted a flicker of movement above him, he realized that the scrolls had to travel a fair distance to reach him. They floated down from the unidentifiable ceiling, and best yet, there were only five of them.

He grinned as the first approached him. The words he had asked for were glowing red. But the English was almost unreadable, as though it were half-written as a spell. He turned around to see if Hermione was still in earshot, but seeing that she was not, and not sure whether shouting her name would work, or even if he could step off the dais without breaking the spell, he sighed. Harry faithfully wrote the foreign words down on a sheet of paper.

The first looked like this:

The vibherne kroune, begenne abe primia Ravenklave, Rovena-cynn, Killion Havksmvre, ist hovnored fest to quator beste ond cognitive ut quaorte dormerrys.

The second:

Nary a sovl to the weake might y-entre. vybhern's crowne est fer viril mann, to se finus annum ab Hogvarts. Ond, per prefector o dormiciles mighte henceforth entre, sed nonne quelle art wyfem.

The Third:

The Vybhern's Crowne bith: Gryffindore bith herte. Ravenclave bith minde. Slytherine bith toune. Hvflepvff bith handes.

The fourth:

Mangus laude! Bonne yift to the virilous Wyverne's Crowne patronis art foure tapaestryes, fer der mantlepieces on halles.

And the last:

Henceforth, ech portallis odde Wyvern's Crown art yselled. Nobeing maketh its enterance in the darke wud...

Harry blinked. A Dark Wood? Could they mean the Forbidden Forest? He had the scroll open itself wider and he took the time to copy the whole thing, which over all, made little sense. But he was beginning to catch onto the proto-English, and what it was telling him made him feel a little ill. Something terrible had happened and the Wyvern's Crown had come to a complete end because of it. As soon as he was done, and sure he hadn't missed anything in the other scrolls, he heard the soft sound of someone approaching him from behind. He rolled up his freshly copied parchment and turned, tired, and definitely stiff, but agreeable to whomever it was, whether Hermione or Raven, come looking for him. Who he saw was an utter shock. Draco Malfoy stood there, his cheeks flushing, with fear or anger, Harry couldn't tell.

He hadn't seen his fellow sixth year since their last encounter, and for what he was worth, he felt that Malfoy was just as stunned in seeing him here.

The last thing Harry wanted was a fight. He couldn't afford it. After a moment, he walked past the Slytherin teen to head back to Gryffindor tower.

'They talk to you, don't they? Even when you're not near them, right?'

Harry looked back over his shoulder. Malfoy still had the same hardened expression on his face, but his eyes were honestly seeking answers. Finally Harry had to say something.

'Yes. They do.'

'Just us. No one else?'

'Yes.'

'I wonder why,' Malfoy muttered, and walked further into the records section.

Harry said nothing, and with a lump in his throat continued his sojourn. It was only when he had spoken the password to the fat lady that he realized that he had no idea how to answer Malfoy's question either.