Harry Potter and the Crystal Dagger

"So is there anything good in the news today?" Ron asked Hermione as she started flipping through the pages of the Daily Prophet.

"Top headline is 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on Highest Guard,'" she said as she looked back at the front page.

"Read it out loud," Harry said.

"Well what it is basically saying is that Cornelius Fudge has finally excepted the fact that You-Know-Who is back. He has sent out a warning to every witch and wizard in the world to be on his or her highest guard... It goes on saying that most suspected supporters of him have disappeared from public view for the last few months."

"They're planning something," Harry said.

"Do I even want to know what you are talking about?" Aubrey interrupted.

"You mean you don't know who... who... he is?" Ron said.

"Who exactly is he?"

"You tell her Harry. You're the only one in the mind to say it," he said.

"Voldemort," Harry told her.

Ron was trying to ignore what he had said, but flinched all the same.

"Is that supposed to frighten me?" Aubrey asked Ron.

"Well yes and no at the same time. Any witch or wizard in the right mind here is afraid of him, no offense Harry," Ron told her; obviously uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going.

Aubrey sighed. "I'm just so not used to this country. You people are afraid to say a person's name, hire someone like my father into a teaching job, and you know what else? I've never drank so much tea in my life!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Today is going to be a good day or else," Aubrey said one morning as the four of them were on their way down to breakfast together.

"And why is it going to be a good day?" Ron asked.

"Because we don't have to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts Today!" Aubrey said happily. "Plus I've actually done all my homework so I don't have to cram it all in this morning and

By the time she finished, she was close to tears.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"I-it's Alex. H-he's disappeared," she said with difficulty. She handed him the letter and he read it.

Aubrey Yelantas

It is our job to inform you that one of your close friends, Alex White, has disappeared. He hasn't been seen since last Monday. We have asked the entire town if they have seen him, but no one appears to have. We are sending you this note to ask if you have any information on the matter.

Minister of Magic,

Daniel C. Clear

"So?" Ron said when he finished. "From what you've told me, this Alex sounds like an idiot."

Aubrey couldn't believe he had just said that. "For your information, I have a very high regard for Alex. Not that you would understand even if I told you why."

With that she snatched back the letter and started back in the direction of Gryffindor tower.

"Ron, you will never learn," Hermione said.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"You just made her leave! She's obviously upset!"

"Plus she probably doesn't appreciate you very much because she just practically said you were an idiot," Harry said.

"It was just something little, she'll get over it in a couple minutes."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

But Ron was wrong. Aubrey didn't show up for any classes that day at all.

"I'm sure she's fine," Ron said, although he didn't seem all too sure.

It was now the end of the day and Ron, Harry and Hermione were sitting in the common room.

"But no one has seen her all day!" Hermione said. "I'm starting to get worried."

"We could always go looking for her," Harry offered.

"And what if we get caught?" Hermione asked. "If we go on any more adventures it will ruin my chance of becoming head girl!"

"That's why we don't want to get caught," Ron said.

Hermione sighed. "Al right, but only because I'm worried about Aubrey. If we get caught, I am going to kill you two."

"Okay, here's how we should do this. Ron you go around the grounds and take the invisibility cloak because it would be easy for someone to see you from a window. Hermione, you take the lower floors, and I'll take the higher ones. We'll just meet in the middle... if neither of us gets lost."

"You're worried about getting lost? Harry, we've been here for 5 years and you still don't know your way around?" Ron asked.

"It's just like Dumbledore said last year, 'I wouldn't dream of pretending that I knew everything about the school.'"

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Up in the astronomy tower...

Aubrey was so worried about Alex she couldn't stop pacing.

"What if something happened to him? What if he's hurt and there's no one to help him?" Aubrey wondered aloud. "Who knows what could have happened to him?"

A ghostly voice entered her head, 'He's all right. Nothing happened to him.'

Aubrey turned to Kaze and asked her, "How do you know? You don't have ESP do you?"

'Of course not, you idiot. I only said that to calm you down.'

Aubrey who was still pacing, stopped for a second, and said, "Great job! You're not being very helpful. Why is it that people usually go to a parent and I get stuck with a dog?"

'Hey that's not fair; I can give very good advice. Besides, it's probably because your mum is thousands of miles away and your dad...well your not on speaking terms with him.'

"And you think I should be?" Aubrey asked angrily. "You know everything he did, and you still trust him?"

'I never said I trusted him, only that you weren't on speaking terms with him.'

"You're right," Aubrey sighed.

'Of course I'm right. I'm always right.'

"I wouldn't take it that far. Remember that time we went on a hiking trip and you told me we should take a right turn when the camp was about 50 feet to the left? I was walking in circles for four hours because of that while you ran away to attack that guy next to us."

'Hey, it wasn't my fault that he was chicken on his campfire.'

"...and then my mom had to give him 50 bucks for destruction of property and for you eating that chicken!"

'Well then that was the only time.'

"Would you like me to continue and give you more examples?"

'I think I'll pass.'

"Good."

'Well then I'm going somewhere where I'm more appreciated.'

Kaze started on her way down the steps of the astronomy tower.

"And where would that be? All the way back home?" Aubrey yelled after her.

Aubrey turned around and looked out into the stars way above her head.

"What did I deserve to get this thing that some people call a life?" she said to herself.

"Nothing I can think of off the top of my head," a voice said from behind her.