chapter 25
Harry ran through the halls of Hogwarts with Kex struggling to hang on and Neville and Luna along with their familiars right behind him. He ran as fast as his legs would take him towards Dumbledore's office which was the last place he had sensed his fiancé's fear.
"Harry slow down," Luna said for the third time. "We need to discuss this."
"Discuss what?" Harry snapped at her. "Dumbledore did something to Hermione! She was so scared!"
Neville grabbed Harry's shoulder and used his superior weight and muscle to force Harry to stop. "Don't take this out on Luna," he said gravely. "We can't go rushing into this, if you burst into Dumbledore's office to save Hermione he'll want to know how you knew she was in trouble."
"What should I do then?" Harry demanded. "Just sit back and wait?"
"Yes," Neville said firmly. "Wait and plan. If you plunge right into this then everything could be put in jeopardy and Hermione wouldn't want that. I doubt that Dumbledore would cause Hermione any physical pain."
Hot tears filled Harry's eyes and threatened to fall. "I need to know if she's okay."
Luna looked at Harry sadly. "We all do Harry. But this is Hermione we're talking about, she's a survivor."
That night at dinner Hermione still hadn't shown up. Harry kept his eyes glued to the entrance to the Great Hall hoping that the next person to walk through the door would be Hermione.
After waiting for fifteen minutes Harry couldn't take the waiting anymore. He got up from the table with Neville and Luna right behind him. They stomped up to Dumbledore who was looking at them with an amused expression on his face.
"Sir," Neville said with cool politeness, knowing that Harry would only shout. "We were wondering if you knew where Hermione was."
The amused look on Dumbledore's face was replaced by false sadness. "I'm afraid that I cannot talk about this here. Let's go to my office and discuss it."
"No," Luna said firmly. "Let's talk here."
"Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said angrily. "That is no way to talk to your headmaster."
"It is quite alright Minerva," Dumbledore assured her. Turning back to the young students in front of him he sighed. "I am afraid that Miss Granger's parents were killed some time during the summer. As her magical guardian it became my responsibility to take care of her lodgings. Until everything is taken care of so that she can return to Hogwarts I have placed her in one of my houses."
Harry went pale and would have cursed Dumbledore right there if Kex hadn't dug his claws into his shoulder.
"How could you take her away from Hogwarts without letting her say goodbye?" Luna demanded. Her storm-cloud eyes were bright with tears but she refused to let them fall in front of Dumbledore.
Even McGonagall looked surprised at Dumbledore's actions. "Albus, was it really necessary to remove Miss Granger from all of her friends? A girl who has recently been orphaned needs to be surrounded by loved ones."
Dumbledore shot McGonagall a look of annoyance. "As her magical guardian it was my call Minerva. Harry, I must ask you to refrain from owling Miss Granger. You wouldn't want to lead anyone right to her. Rest assured she is perfectly safe."
Harry's emerald eyes narrowed dangerously and had to be pulled back from the table by Neville and Luna. He wasn't even aware that he wasn't in Dumbledore's presence anymore until he was pushed down into a chair in the dining room at Potter Manor. He looked around and saw that they had been joined by Goldengaze, Dobby and Winky, all of whom looked just as worried as Harry felt.
"Can you sense her?" Luna asked Dobby and Winky.
The two elves closed their eyes and focused for a moment before they shook their heads despairingly. "Miss Grangey is being blocked," Winky said brokenly while tears slowly fell from her large eyes. "I know that she is unharmed, but I can't tell where she is."
"But she's alright?" Harry asked desperately. "Dumbledore didn't hurt her?"
Winky smiled sadly. "She is not hurt physically Master Harry, but I'm afraid that Dobby and I don't know anything else."
That night they all sat around the table in silence while they prayed that Hermione would find some way to get back to them.
Hermione paced in the tiny shack irritably while she cursed repeatedly. "I can't bloody believe this, even my portkey isn't working. And here I thought that nothing could stop an Ancient House's portkey."
Ivy was still curled up on the bed and had her injured leg sprawled out in front of her. "Dumbledore is incredibly powerful, but I can't help but think that he must be paranoid if he even deactivated our portkeys. My guess is that they can only be reactivated by Harry now."
Hermione sighed and sat down next to Ivy. "I hope that Harry isn't doing anything reckless."
Ivy laughed hoarsely. "He probably will."
They sat on the bed huddled under the blankets for warmth. Hermione dozed off until she heard a loud 'pop', forcing her to wake up. She looked around the little shack and glared at the cowering figure in front of her.
"Who are you?" Hermione demanded.
The house elf bowed shakily and when she rose Hermione noticed that she was crying. "My name is being Brook, Miss. I was the one ordered to stun you and bring you here."
Never before had Hermione been so angry with an elf even though she knew that the elf had no choice. "Where exactly is 'here'?"
Brook continued to cry and hastily wiped her eyes on her apron. "Master Dumbledore had me take you to his secure cabin on a mountain in Greenland."
"Greenland?" Hermione gasped. "I'm in bloody Greenland?!"
Brook shook her head and started sobbing. "I is so sorry Miss! We elves know that you are the elves' champion and I imprisoned you! I is so sorry Miss!" Brook fell to her knees and cried even harder, softening the cold look on Hermione's face.
Hermione knelt down in front of Brook and gently took the sobbing elf's hands in her own. "Please stop crying Brook; it's not your fault. Dumbledore ordered you to take us here and you had to obey."
"Miss is too kind!" Brook sobbed. "I is wanting nothing more than to help you get away, but I is forbidden! Master Dumbledore is forcing me to imprison the elves' champion!"
"What do you mean by 'elves' champion'?" Hermione asked curiously.
Brook took in a couple deep breaths to calm herself. "Even us lowly house elves know of the Spiritual Heirs. For as long as house elves can remember, we have known that one day house elves would be treated better. House elves love serving families Miss, but we is still wanting to be treated with little more dignity. Brook knows how Dobby was being abused, and this happens to many good elves. You is our champion because you will make sure that house elves will be safe and no longer invisible."
Hermione gaped at Brook in shock. She had become more open about house elves and their joy in serving families, but she still hadn't realized that they felt invisible, like they could die and nobody would even notice or care. "How did you know about me?"
"You is able to use elf magic," Brook explained. "We house elves didn't tell Master Dumbledore, but Master Dumbledore blocked house elf magic so that Mister Harry Potter couldn't send Dobby to get you."
Hermione ran her fingers around the power suppressor around her neck. "Can you take it off Brook?"
Brook shook her head despairingly. "Brook is forbidden. Brook can only tend to you as needed."
Hermione sighed. "Well don't go against your orders, I don't want you to have to punish yourself. Can you heal Ivy's leg?"
The house elf looked at Ivy with a doubtful look on her face. "I is not a very good healer, but I can heal some."
She walked up to Ivy and gently took the fox's leg in her hand. Ivy barked in pain and Hermione flinched when she heard something snap, but relief soon replaced the look of pain on Ivy's face. Brook worked on Ivy's leg for a few more minutes and when she was done Ivy was sleeping soundly and her leg was bandaged up.
Brook looked at Hermione with a wary look on her face. "Brook put the bones back in place and healed most of it. But Miss Ivy's leg is still broken, but not as bad. Leg should heal in a couple weeks if it's not disturbed."
Hermione smiled gratefully and smoothed Ivy's ruffled fur. "Thank you Brook, and don't worry about keeping us here. I'll get out of here and I'll still fight for your rights."
More tears leaked out of Brook's eyes before determination shined through the tears. "Brook is forbidden to help you escape, but Brook is not breaking orders by explaining something."
"What's that?" Hermione asked.
Brook pointed at the power suppressor around Hermione's neck. "Master Dumbledore's power suppressor blocks Miss' connection to elf magic, familiar bond as well as her magic. But, power suppressor does not block one thing that Brook can sense you can do."
Hermione's eyes widened. "And what's that?"
Brook smiled slyly and pointed outside towards the mountains. "Do not tell Brook anything because then I is having to report to Master Dumbledore since there are no eavesdropping spells on this shack. But, if only Miss could fly. Wards prevent apparition and portkeys are disabled immediately upon entry, but no wards prevent flying."
Hermione paled. "S-so the only way to get out of here is to fly."
"Or climb down," Brook said with a shrug. "If only Miss could fly back to England, but I is knowing that even Miss is incapable of growing wings."
Hermione smiled shakily. "If only though. Thank you for everything Brook."
Brook smiled brightly and bowed. "For what Miss?" she said and apparated away.
Hermione groaned and sat down heavily next to Ivy who was still fast asleep. "I bloody hate flying."
Harry sat on his and Hermione's bed in Potter Manor with his head in his hands. It had been hours since Hermione had been taken and there hadn't been any word from her and they hadn't found anything in the library that could help them. Kex was curled up in a ball next to Harry as he found himself almost paralyzed by the grief and anguish that Harry was feeling.
They sat in silence until there was a light knock on the door. Before Harry could yell at whoever it was to go away the door opened and Luna stuck her head in.
"Are you done sulking yet?" she asked him. "Because Neville and I could really use your help looking up answers in the library."
"Why hasn't she just used her portkey?" Harry asked desperately.
Luna sighed heavily. "Dumbledore is extremely powerful Harry, so powerful that he could deactivate a portkey if he wanted to without even breaking a sweat. We need to trust that Hermione will find a way out of wherever she is, but that doesn't mean that we can't help her."
Harry looked at Luna brokenly. "He took her away to keep her from me. It's my…"
"Shut it with the self-pity party Harry," Luna snapped impatiently. "She's my best friend and I'm worried too, but I'm not wallowing, I'm trying to find a solution. Maybe you should do the same."
Harry stared at Luna in shock for a second before he smiled sadly. "You're right as always Luna. Do you think the goblins could help?"
Luna frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't know. But Harry, if you involve the goblins then you'll have to go public, but then again maybe that isn't terrible either. If you go public when we get Hermione back and openly declare her your ward and fiancé then Dumbledore won't be able to touch her again."
"Why didn't I just do that sooner?" Harry sighed.
"Because we wanted to keep a low profile," Luna answered firmly. "Plus we never dreamed that Dumbledore would go and pull this."
Harry nodded heavily and stood up. "I'm going to go see Griphook and Ragnok to let them know that I'll be going public soon. You and Neville keep looking to see if there's something to help us find Hermione, but like you said, Hermione is a survivor and won't let Dumbledore lock her up if she can do anything to stop it." He picked up Kex who was starting to become more alert and apparated away, leaving a more hopeful Luna.
Hermione's hands trembled as she ripped the sheets on her bed into multiple strips. She had been doing this since Brook had left, but she wanted to get the job done.
She kept ripping until Ivy groaned and woke up. Ivy looked at Hermione in confusion before testing her leg gently.
"How's your leg?" Hermione asked.
Ivy winced and sat down heavily. "Better," she admitted. "But I don't think I'll be able to walk for a bit."
Hermione smiled sadly and began tying some of the torn strips together. Her familiar looked at her in confusion and suddenly noticed all of the strips that were scattered on the bed.
"What did I miss?" Ivy asked.
"Brook told me that the only way to get out of here is to fly," Hermione groaned.
"Damn," Ivy sighed. "But that doesn't explain why you're tying sheets together."
Hermione held up her project. It was a large sling. A large part of the sheet had been tied to numerous strips and was secured with some rope.
"This is for you," Hermione explained. "You're in no condition to maintain a body merge, plus it's going to take a while to get back to England."
Ivy nodded in agreement. "Great, so I'm going to be hanging around your neck all the way to England," she said sarcastically.
"It's not going to be enjoyable for either of us," Hermione responded. "I don't even know how long it will take to get to England seeing as we have no idea where we are besides that we're in Greenland somewhere."
"Most of the trip will be over the ocean," Ivy said worriedly. "Will you be able to make it?"
"I'll have to," Hermione said determinedly while she finished making the sling. "We might not even need to make it all the way to England. If we can find someone magical to take off this power suppressor then I can apparate us to Diagon Alley."
Hermione searched the shack for some supplies while Ivy scanned the room from her spot on the bed. Hermione took some food from the fridge and put it in the sling along with some small blankets. She was scanning the cupboards when something caught her eye.
Sitting on the counter next to the fridge was a bottle of butterbeer with a cork sticking halfway out. Hermione glanced from the cork to the magnets on the refrigerator and felt an idea click in her head.
Without explaining her idea to Ivy, she ran into the bathroom and searched through the cabinets until she found what she was looking for.
"Perfect!" she shouted excitedly.
"What's perfect?" Ivy asked.
Hermione ran back into the 'kitchen' and grabbed the cork, a magnet and filled a glass with water from the fridge. She then sat down in front of the bed and began rubbing the magnet against what she had taken from the bathroom.
"Would you please explain what you are doing?" Ivy asked.
Triumph was evident on Hermione's face. "When I was in primary school my teacher taught us a simple experiment. When I was getting food I saw this cork and it instantly reminded me of it."
"And?" Ivy asked impatiently.
A wide smile was on Hermione's face as she showed what she had made. Stuck right through the cork was a sewing needle. Clearly excited, Hermione put the cork in the glass of water.
"It's a handmade compass," Hermione said happily. "Because Greenland is in the north, this compass will point towards north."
"And by knowing where north is you'll know where east is," Ivy finished excitedly. "You'll know which direction to fly!"
Hermione nodded and continued to watch the compass. When the cork and needle finally stopped spinning Hermione pointed to where east would be. "That's where we start," Hermione said determinedly.
Right away, Hermione finished arranging stuff in the sling and tested it to make sure that it wouldn't break. She put the cork and needle along with the magnet in the sling before she put Ivy in it. Being careful, Hermione arranged the supplies to make sure that Ivy would be covered by the small blankets without damaging the other supplies. Once Hermione felt that the sling was as secure as it was going to get, she put it around her neck and stepped outside.
Immediately Hermione and Ivy were met with a gust so strong that it nearly knocked Hermione off her feet. "Are you alright Ivy?!" she shouted over the wind.
Ivy looked up at Hermione with a stern expression. "I'll be fine, but you need to transform right away! You'll freeze in your human form!"
Hermione nodded and took in shaky breaths to fight off the fear that was so strong that it threatened to make her pass out.
"I can do this, I can do this," she repeated.
She pictured Harry's green eyes and thought about being in his loving embrace. Using her love for Harry, Hermione forced back the dizziness and shifted.
She felt her body grow larger and felt the familiar pain as her new body part sprouted from her back. The sling became lighter and fit around her neck snugly without strangling her. Hermione took a few unsteady steps to get used to her form.
"You've got this!" Ivy shouted encouragingly.
"We've got this," Hermione responded.
Hermione stepped up to the location that was roughly east and leapt off of the edge of the cliff. Fear and exhilaration flooded through her veins as she took her rescue into her own hands.
Standing on the ledge where Hermione had just jumped was a small house elf who was smiling happily.
"Good luck Miss Granger," Brook whispered.
Flying towards England, back to her friends, back to her beloved was a beautiful, light brown Pegasus.
chapter 26
Despite the freezing cold, Hermione's body was covered with sweat as she continued to fly over the ocean in her animagus form with Ivy dangling around her neck in the sling. It had been over an hour since Hermione had leapt off of the mountain and she was already exhausted. All she had was a general direction and the hope that she would be able to make it the long distance back to England. They had concluded that the mountain they were on was somewhere near the coast, and they both hoped that Iceland wasn't too far off.
Ivy looked up at Hermione with wide, concerned eyes. "Hermione, are you okay?! You've never flown this long before!"
Hermione shook her long face and swished her dark-brown tail in the wind. "I've never been so tired," she admitted. "This trip is going to take us more than one day."
The small fox sighed and nodded in agreement. "You should land on the first piece of land that you see."
The graceful Pegasus nodded and continued to breathe heavily. It was so cold and every part of her hurt. When Hermione had discovered that her animagus form was a Pegasus she had been both excited and afraid. She was excited because she loved horses and knew that Pegasus horses had the ability to fly quickly and could disillusion themselves while flying, it was the flying part that terrified her. She had gotten used to her four legs and her larger form by running in the trunk, but due to the limited space she couldn't practice flying very well and she was now realizing her mistake for not flying more often now that she wasn't staying in the trunk any longer.
After another hour of flying, Hermione's tired eyes saw a shape in the distance. She found her second wind and pushed her wings to the point where they felt like they would fall off. Ivy barked encouragement and Hermione was soon gliding/falling to the very edge of the lass of land that was in front of them.
Hermione's front hooves landed clumsily and she nearly fell, but she beat her already aching wings to regain her balance. Her breath was visible in front of her, but she could already feel the difference in temperature and felt warmer. She scanned the land, but nothing registered in her exhausted mind.
"I need to rest," Hermione whinnied softly. "I can barely stand."
Hermione walked for ten minutes with her wings dragging in the dirt until she found a secluded area among rocks that provided enough room for Hermione. She changed back to her human form and pressed herself against the rocks while she took Ivy out of the sling.
Ivy's black eyes were bright with worry. "Hermione, you'll freeze as a human."
"I didn't think I could hold my Pegasus form any longer," Hermione said tiredly while she took out a roll that she had taken from the shack. She broke off half of it and gave it to Ivy who immediately began gnawing on it.
After they are their pitiful meal, Hermione took one of the blankets that she had brought and wrapped it around herself and Ivy. The rocks offered some protection from the wind and cold, but they were both still shivering. Ivy tried to take the power suppressor off of Hermione again so that they could reach Winky, but Ivy wasn't strong enough to break through Dumbledore's magic.
They fought to stay awake, knowing that it was too cold outside for them to sleep. It was soon dark and Hermione was still exhausted, but she knew that she had to keep moving or they would freeze. Ivy and the blanket went back in the sling and Hermione transformed again.
Because Hermione's wings were completely spent, Hermione trotted further into the land while keeping up her Pegasus disillusion magic. She hoped that they could find a village or something where they could sleep in warmth. Relief flowed through Hermione and Ivy when they found a small town. It was only a small number of buildings, but one of them had a barn where they could hide and rest.
Hermione entered the barn and quickly scanned for signs of other humans. When none were revealed, she shifted back and climbed into the barn's loft. She arranged a makeshift bed of hay behind some boxes and practically collapsed on it. Ivy crawled out of the sling and Hermione pulled the blanket over them. It was hardly home, but for the night it would work.
Griphook and Ragnok had been livid when Harry had told them of Dumbledore's latest actions. Not only had Dumbledore kidnapped a Lord's fiancé, he had kidnapped a friend of the goblins fiancé. The penalty of such an action was incredibly painful, but unfortunately goblin law was not respected in the magical community and killing Albus Dumbledore would more than likely lead to another war.
The three of them talked for an hour, going over details for when Harry went public. Ragnok sent goblins to search all of Dumbledore's properties, saying that since Dumbledore kidnapped someone of great importance to the goblins then they were fully within their right to search.
"Anything?" Harry asked worriedly when a goblin appeared and whispered in Ragnok's ear.
The head of Gringotts bank looked at Harry sadly and shook his head. "I'm afraid Harry that every Dumbledore property that we have in our records has been checked and there are no signs of your fiancé. There are most likely other properties that Dumbledore owns, but because they aren't in the Gringotts files then we would be overstepping by digging up the information."
Harry sighed deeply and clenched his fists. "There's nothing that the goblins can do?"
Ragnok's eyes were incredibly sorrowful. "I can only tell you that she is above the equator based off of her goblin chain that holds her engagement ring. I will go check again to see if her location has changed, but the goblin magic is being fouled up by Dumbledore's magic, making it almost impossible to find."
"Please try," Harry begged. "I can't go searching half the world. If you can narrow it down to a country then I could go search for her."
The goblin nodded and excused himself to go check again. While Ragnok was gone, Harry talked with Griphook.
"So it is alright with your king that I openly declare myself friend to the goblins when I go public?" Harry asked.
Griphook nodded. "King Zesd is eager actually. After you go public he wishes to have an audience with you."
Harry smiled grimly. "I look forward to meeting King Zesd."
The door opened and Ragnok entered, looking pleased. "We have narrowed down her location Harry, she's somewhere around Iceland, but I cannot tell you where on Iceland she is."
Harry was immediately on his feet. "Thank you Ragnok! I am going to search for her; I'll send word to you when Hermione is safe. Thank you so much."
Ragnok waved away the thanks. "I was pleased to be of assistance Harry. Now go to her."
Harry nodded and headed back to Potter Manor with Kex right behind him. When they got there, Harry grabbed Kex and sprinted to the library. They found Neville and Luna talking amongst each other over a large book.
"She's near Iceland!" Harry said loudly, startling his two friends.
Luna's dull eyes brightened immediately. "Are you going to search for her?"
Harry nodded and turned to Neville. "I was hoping that you would help me search. In your animagus form you could track her easily."
A shadow fell across Neville's face. Even though it had been a long time since Neville's disastrous transformation he was still afraid and rarely changed.
Seeing the doubt on his best friend's face, Harry's eyes grew sympathetic. "Mate, you know that I would never ask this of you but…please. What if it was Luna who was missing?"
The doubt lingered on Neville's face for a second longer before he nodded determinedly. "I'll help you Harry."
Pride glowed on Luna's face. "You'll be alright Neville," she said softly. "Just remember what we worked on, just remember your anchor."
"How could I forget it?" Neville asked her, his eyes shining in adoration.
They held their gaze for a moment longer until Luna turned to Harry. "Dumbledore must have had her portkey deactivated and he must have cut off her connection to her elf magic which is why she hasn't apparated. That's also why Dobby or Winky can't find her. She could be calling for them, but they can't hear her."
"It's a good thing that I didn't order Dobby and Winky to find her," Harry mused. "If I had then they would have had to punish themselves since they wouldn't be able to find her."
Luna nodded. "I'll stay here and continue researching. I have an idea of what caused Hermione to basically 'drop off the grid' as muggles say. Hopefully when you get back I'll have a way to reverse what Dumbledore did."
Harry nodded and put Kex down on the table. "Kex do what you can to help Luna."
"You too Sage," Neville said to his familiar.
The familiars scowled but agreed nonetheless.
Harry grabbed Neville's shoulder and apparated out of Potter Manor. They landed on Iceland, he had no idea where, and immediately began to shiver.
"Bloody hell it's cold," Neville gasped while he tucked his arms close to his body. "How do you want to do this Harry?"
Harry coughed on the cold air. "I haven't thought that far. How about we just head in opposite directions and we portkey back to Potter Manor every hour to reconnect."
Neville nodded and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "We'll find her Harry."
Harry smiled thankfully. Neville grinned back and stepped back before he began to shift. His body grew and his body became covered with thick, dark fur. When Neville was done shifting he stood over five feet tall with huge paws and dark eyes.
"Mate?" Harry asked hesitantly.
The dire wolf turned his massive muzzle towards Harry and Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. The wolf stepped up to Harry and it took all of Harry's willpower to remain where he was. Panic welled in his chest until the wolf thrust his head into Harry's chest, nearly knocking him over.
Relief made Harry laugh giddily. "You're in control!"
Neville nodded and clumsily pushed himself on his hind legs. On his hind legs he stood well over seven feet tall.
"Go for it, Titan," Harry said with a huge smile.
Neville, or Titan, gave Harry a wolf grin and turned to run across the land. Harry watched until he couldn't see his best friend any longer.
"Now it's my turn," Harry said determinedly.
Hermione woke up early the next day and snuck out of the barn before anyone saw her. She paused at the closest stream once they were out of the village's sights so that she and Ivy could drink their fill and clean up a little. Every bone in Hermione's body hurt and it was exhausting just to stand. But standing still was not something that Hermione could risk, especially once Dumbledore found out that she was gone.
When they were ready, Hermione transformed again and began trotting in the general direction that England was. Hermione was surprised to find out that her sense of direction was incredibly accurate in her animagus form and that she didn't need her makeshift compass to tell her where she was. The weather was warmer which made it easier for Hermione to maintain her natural Pegasus disillusion, but she wanted to save her wings for when it was essential.
After traveling in silence for half an hour, Ivy decided to break the silence. "What do you think will happen when we get back?"
Hermione shook her head and kept trotting. "I wish I knew. But, I do know that this will not happen again."
Ivy shrugged and snuggled in the blankets. "Dumbledore may not be able to kidnap us again, but that doesn't mean that he won't stop trying to get to Harry through you."
"He won't get the opportunity again," Hermione said while she curled her lip in anger. "I let my guard down back in the office and because of that Dumbledore got me in a semi-body bind. From now on, I will not underestimate him."
The fennec fox looked surprised at the ferocity in Hermione's voice. "Save your anger Hermione, Dumbledore will get what's coming to him."
Hermione nodded and continued on. She eventually had to slow down to a walk and began stopping more and more frequently to rest. Whenever she stopped she shifted back and let Ivy out so that she could exercise her leg gently. Ivy would grimace in pain, but she refused to complain about it. She wouldn't complain about her leg hurting when Hermione was pushing her body past its limits in order to get them to safety.
By noon Hermione couldn't take just walking towards England without seeing any change in scenery. Suppressing a groan, she flapped her wings a few times and took to the air. She was surprised to find that she actually felt better when she was flying compared to walking. As much as she didn't like it, her animagus body was made to fly.
"The view is beautiful during the day," Hermione commented to Ivy over the wind.
Ivy laughed, but refused to open her eyes. "At least one of us is getting over their fear of heights."
Hermione laughed and was suddenly tempted to do a dive, but she wasn't willing to push it just yet. I wonder if Harry feels this…well light while flying, Hermione thought.
Hermione was enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair…well mane…that she didn't notice an elated trill. It wasn't until Ivy excitedly butted her head against her chest that she surveyed her surroundings. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw something flying straight at her. Her instincts were telling her to flee, but something deeper was telling her to stay where she was. The figure flying right at her got closer and Hermione felt all of her exhaustion fade away when she recognized the red feathers and the emerald eyes…
"Harry!" she cried out happily.
She nearly barreled right into Harry. The phoenix flew circles around Hermione and would preen her mane with his beak anxiously as if personally making sure that she wasn't harmed.
"Are you alright?" Harry demanded anxiously while he continued his inspection.
Hermione nodded and glided down to the ground with Harry hovering right behind her. She shifted back and would have fallen if Harry hadn't put his feet on her shoulders and beat his wings to keep her upright until she was steady. Once she had her balance he landed and shifted back. He was still sporting a few red feathers when he pulled her into a tight hug.
All of the exhaustion and fear that she had felt crashed upon her and she cried in Harry's arms. He held her while he cried while being careful to not crush Ivy. When Hermione finished crying she pushed her lips against Harry's and kissed him with more passion than she ever had before.
When they came up for air Harry helped her sit down and took the sling off from around her neck. His eyes narrowed when he saw how pale Hermione was and how exhausted she looked.
"How long have you been flying?" he asked.
Hermione chuckled tiredly and pushed her sweat-soaked hair behind her ear. "I took off yesterday but we stopped last night."
Harry nodded and gently caressed her face. "I'm so sorry Mione'," he whispered softly. "I'm so…"
Hermione clicked her tongue impatiently. "Harry, I'm not hurt, just exhausted. I was scared, but I didn't let my fear stop me from doing what I had to do. Harry…I flew." Her eyes sparkled at her accomplishment. "I flew longer than I ever thought possible. If Dumbledore hadn't kidnapped me then I never would've done it. Please Harry, don't blame yourself because in a strong way, Dumbledore did me a huge favor."
Harry smiled proudly. "What happened?"
Fatigue shadowed her face and Harry instantly put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Let's go home," she yawned. "I'd rather tell this story only once."
Harry nodded and held onto Hermione firmly while she held onto Ivy. He apparated them to their bedroom in Potter Manor and immediately helped Hermione sit down.
"You need to eat and drink something," Harry said firmly while he went to their closet to grab Hermione a change of clothes.
"Ivy's leg is broken," Hermione said while she took a pair of sweats and a sleeveless from Harry.
While she changed Harry ran to get the others. She wasn't even settled on the bed when the door burst open and Luna tackled her into a hug.
"I was so worried," she cried. "I didn't know if we'd ever see you again!"
Hermione smiled and hugged Luna back. "I'm alright."
Luna nodded and pulled back. Her eyes grew stormy when she saw the necklace around Hermione's neck. "I was right. He did put a power suppressor on you. My guess is that it's only cutting off enough magic just so you can't cast spells and completely cutting off elf magic."
"That's right," Hermione said with a tired smile. "It didn't block all of my magic though, I was able to transform and fly away."
Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "You flew? Blimey Hermione, you must have been terrified!"
A tired giggle escaped Hermione's lips. "Completely, but my form is made to fly."
They decided to wait for Neville to return before Hermione told her story. Winky brought Hermione and Ivy a huge meal and wouldn't leave until she was satisfied that they had eaten enough. She finished the healing on Ivy's leg and everyone left so that Hermione could sleep for a little while.
While they waited for Neville to check in, Luna was reading a book with Fay while Harry, with Kex on his shoulder and Sage right beside him, paced impatiently.
"Please stop pacing," Luna asked irritably after fifteen minutes. "I'm trying to find a way to take that power suppressor off of Hermione and you're not helping."
Harry stopped pacing and looked at Luna sheepishly. "Sorry. Do you have any ideas?"
Luna nodded and showed Harry the text she was reading. "We need to overpower Dumbledore's magic," she said simply. "That's why Ivy couldn't take it off. We're all pretty powerful, but honestly none of us has more magic than Dumbledore. If we all pour our magic into the power suppressor then we should be able to take it off."
"Will that hurt Hermione?"
Uncertainty filled Luna's gaze. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "It might burn her a little, but it shouldn't do anything terrible."
Harry didn't seem thrilled at the idea but he nodded nonetheless.
Thirty minutes later Neville reappeared in the library, covered with sweat. "No sign mate," he croaked.
Harry smiled and pulled Neville in a hug. "I found her, she's sleeping right now."
The fatigue immediately disappeared from Neville's face. "Is she alright?" he asked.
"Exhausted," Harry sighed. "And she has a power suppressor on that we have to get off. She's been flying for hours."
"Wow," Neville whistled. "She must have been determined to get away if she flew."
Pride filled Harry's face. "She's not a Gryffindor for nothing."
"Or a Slytherin," Luna added.
By the time Winky came to get them to let them know that Hermione was awake, they had a very general idea of what they needed to do to get the power suppressor off. They went to Harry's and Hermione's room and they made quick work of the nuisance. By pushing their magic into the necklace and merging their magic together so to speak, Dumbledore's magic was quickly evaporated. Without Dumbledore's magic present, the necklace easily slipped over Hermione's head when they lifted it together. Around Hermione's neck was a slight burn, but she quickly took care of it herself.
"That's so much better," Hermione sighed in content while she leaned against the pillows.
Harry glared at the necklace in his hand. "Dumbledore will never touch you again," he promised. To prove his point, he tossed the necklace to the corner of the room and shot a quick 'reducto' at it, utterly destroying it.
Hermione smiled at her friends. "Thank you. It all started…"
Anger was quickly becoming a well-known emotion to Albus Dumbledore. He had been told by some random house elf that the Granger girl wasn't in the shack and that there was no sign of her anywhere. He furiously dismissed the elf from his office and began pacing in his office.
Damn that girl, he thought fiercely. He quickly checked his pocket watch and swore again. She even managed to disarm the power suppressor. I will subdue her, even if I have to break her wand to do so.
As if to answer his thoughts, a house elf that he didn't recognize quickly apparated in his office and tossed a piece of parchment at him before apparating away before he could get a good look.
With hands shaking out of anger, Albus Dumbledore opened the piece of parchment and read the short note.
Dear 'Headmaster',
You have now gone too far. No longer will you be able to play with peoples' lives as if they were chess pieces. We will stop you. Voldemort may be the evil Lord of Darkness, but you are the evil Lord of Light. Your days at Hogwarts are numbered. The Heirs have returned.
Sincerely,
Beauty, Titan, Storm and Ashes
Albus Dumbledore went white at the letter and he let out a rage filled cry along with a strong pulse of raw magical power, effectively destroying many of his possessions in his office. Having the Heirs back would complicate things. He read the letter again and frowned.
"Who the bloody hell would name their kid 'Ashes'?"
chapter 27
Harry walked through stone halls with Hermione on his right-hand side and their familiars trotting behind them. Walking in front, beside and behind them was a goblin escort. Even though Harry was a friend of the goblins, no human got to walk through these halls without an escort, friend or no. It had been a week since Hermione had been reunited with Harry and it had taken that whole time for her to fully recover. While she recovered, she and her friends basically dropped off the grid. Harry, Neville and Luna didn't go to Hogwarts for classes, only letting McGonagall know they were safe through a note, while they planned.
They were currently walking through the stony hallways of the Goblin Kingdom. Only Harry, as friend of the goblins, Hermione, as his fiancé, and their familiars were permitted to enter. At long last Harry was to meet with King Zesd and talk about an alliance between the Potter-Black houses and the goblins for the upcoming war.
Leading them to their meeting with King Zesd was Ragnok himself. The Head Goblin at Gringotts had insisted on introducing Lord Potter-Black and the future Lady Potter-Black to his King.
Harry held Hermione's hand tightly in his own. Only Hermione knew of his anxiousness to meet with King Zesd due to his sweaty palms. This meeting was crucial to the battle that would inevitably happen. He couldn't afford to screw this up.
Using his abilities as an empath, Harry could tell that Hermione was just as anxious as he was, but she was trying her best to maintain her composure. Harry's heart warmed at how his fiancé was handling herself in the unfamiliar environment.
They walked in silence until they reached two large doors. The doors were large, but nowhere near the size of the doors to Hogwarts. Ragnok gave Harry a reassuring goblin smile, which would not be reassuring at all if Harry wasn't familiar with goblin expressions, and opened the doors.
"Announcing," Ragnok began. "The Lord Potter-Black, the future Lady Potter-Black and their true familiars Kex and Ivy."
Taking in a deep breath, the small group entered the throne room of King Zesd. The room was plainer than Harry thought it would be. Knowing of the goblin's love of gold and fine metal, Harry was expecting gems to be glimmering off of the walls or the throne to be made of crystal. Instead the throne room was simply made out of stone with numerous torches hanging off the walls and a throne that looked rather uncomfortable.
Sitting on the throne was a goblin who had enough scars to put Zux's to shame. He was average size for a goblin and Harry doubted that he would reach his waist. His eyes were black and cold, but they also held a fierce intelligence in them. There was a ring that held a different stone on each one on each of his fingers and on his head sat a simple crown that appeared to be made out of moonstone. Other than that the goblin wore no jewelry.
Ragnok led them until they were standing right in front of the throne. Once they were right in front of the throne, he walked to the side. As soon as Ragnok was to the side and their guard dispersed to the side, Harry and Hermione knelt on the floor in respect while Kex and Ivy bowed low.
"King Zesd," Harry said formally without meeting the goblin's eyes. "I come to you to humbly request your audience. I am the Lord Potter-Black, friend to the goblins and past apprentice of Ragnok's Champion, Zux Greatkiller."
"I know who you are," King Zesd said in a deep voice, interrupting Harry before he could continue. "And I know why you are here." He swept his gaze over the goblin guard and commanded, "Leave us."
The goblin guard bowed respectfully and left the throne room in formation. Once the doors closed, Zesd rose from his throne and stepped up to the kneeling humans.
"Zux taught you well about goblin customs," Zesd said approvingly. "You know better than to look a goblin whose status is higher than your own in the eye."
Harry grinned and raised his head, still taking care not to look Zesd directly in the eye. "Thank you Your Majesty. Master Zux was an excellent teacher."
Zesd nodded and turned his attention towards Hermione. "I am pleased to see that you've recovered from your kidnapping Mistress Granger."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Hermione answered with her head still bowed. "I am pleased as well."
"Now that we've moved on from the pleasantries," Zesd said with a dignified nod. "We can move onto business. Let's take this meeting to a different location."
Zesd led them into a smaller room that was similar to Ragnok's office back at Gringotts. Numerous chairs surrounded a circular table and there were numerous books and maps along the stone walls. He took the seat that was higher than the other seats and motioned with his hand for the others to do the same.
Harry couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at how Ragnok's chair was lower than another goblin's. Even though Harry knew that Ragnok wasn't the most powerful goblin in the world, he was the most powerful one that Harry knew.
"So Lord Potter-Black," Zesd began once he was comfortable. "You propose an alliance between the goblin nation and your two houses. May I ask why you do not propose an alliance between my nation and all of wizard kind?"
Harry's back was straight and his chin was held with confidence though he didn't look Zesd in the eye. "Your Majesty, not all wizards can be trusted and there are many who would try to take advantage of you and your people. I am a goblin in all but blood and I love and value your culture. By creating an alliance between your nation and my houses, no one will be able to take advantage of your people."
Zesd rubbed one of his rings absent-mindedly. "And who would be under your control Lord Potter-Black?"
Harry frowned slightly at this. "I do not wish to control anyone Your Majesty. But, I do hope that you will trust those who I trust and that we will be able to work together."
"And how long do you propose this alliance to last?" Zesd asked in interest.
"While I hope that we can create peace between our two races," Harry began carefully. "I am proposing that this alliance last until the end of the war that is beginning."
Zesd smiled grimly. "A short alliance helps to prevent the opportunity of one side being taken advantage of."
Harry looked slightly alarmed. "We would never take advantage…"
Zesd raised his hand to stop Harry from continuing. "I am not suggesting that you would Lord Potter-Black, but it is inevitable that other wizards would try to take advantage. You are part of the goblin nation Harry, but you are part of the wizard nation as well. It is because you are a part of both worlds that I will accept this alliance."
It took a couple moments for King Zesd's words to sink in. Once Harry fully understood those words, his composed position slumped and he let out the breath of relief that he hadn't been aware he was holding.
"Thank you Your Majesty," Hermione said gratefully when she realized that Harry couldn't. "We will not betray your trust."
"I hope not my dear," Zesd said with a grin that showed all his teeth. "Goblins are well known to hold grudges. But, my instinct tells me that I will not be bearing one towards you and your fiancé. Now, let us do the most terrifying part of alliances such as this…the paperwork."
Albus Dumbledore scowled into his breakfast, students talked, rather loudly, about the recent disappearances of Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna. Although he had reassured the school about the four's safety, it continued to irk him that they were missing at all.
It had been a week since he had seen the Potter boy and his friends. It had also been a week since Granger had escaped imprisonment. Albus Dumbledore was no fool to believe that the two disappearances weren't related.
Sitting on his right-hand side, Minerva McGonagall watched Dumbledore through narrowed eyes. The Scottish woman was no fool; she knew that Dumbledore relocating Hermione had triggered the absence of four other students.
"Minerva," Dumbledore said with thinned patience. "I thought that I discussed this with you."
"You have Albus," she answered, her accent even thicker with anger. "But you haven't pleased me with your answers. You relocated Miss Granger, and three more students disappear with only a note saying that they are safe. You can understand why I am displeased with your answer of, 'it's taken care of.'"
Albus scowled at his Deputy. "Since when do you question my judgment Minerva?"
"Since it started needing questioning."
Before Dumbledore could make a retort, the large doors to the Great Hall opened and numerous goblins flooded in with weapons held in formation and Ragnok at the lead. When the Gringotts Head Goblin reached the High Table, he looked Dumbledore evenly in the eye and frowned.
"What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore demanded. "You have no authority to enter my school with an armed guard."
"I have full right," Ragnok replied coldly. "When a client of high power is involved here it becomes my right to ensure that everything is secure."
Dumbledore's face grew red. "And what 'client' is this?"
"That would be me."
Everyone turned their attention to the source of the voice. Mouths gaped when they recognized the messy black hair and lightning-bolt-shaped scar.
Harry entered the Great Hall with Kex on his shoulder and Hermione and Ivy on his right. Neville, Luna, Sage and Fay brought up the rear looking just as regal as Harry and Hermione.
"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly tone. "You had us worried with your absence. Now, why do the goblins think that you are their client?"
"Cut the crap, Dumbledore," Harry said coolly. "I am here no longer as Harry Potter. From today on, I am Lord Potter-Black, Lord of the Ancient Houses of Potter and Black. I am legally emancipated and I proclaim Hermione Jean Granger to be not only my ward, but also my fiancé. No longer am I your pawn, Dumbledore. This is a completely new game now."
chapter 28
There were few times in his life when Albus Dumbledore felt truly speechless. He could literally count them on one hand. This was one of those times.
"W-wha…" Dumbledore stammered. He felt his magic begin to grow wild out of anger and it took all of his restraint to not lash it out at the insufferable boy in front of him.
"Harry," Minerva gasped. "What is the meaning of this?"
Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze and left his guard behind to walk up to the High Table. "Exactly what it looks like Professor. I am declaring my titles and informing Dumbledore that things are going to start changing."
"Let us go to my office and sort this out my boy," Dumbledore said quietly.
"I'll pass on that Dumbledore," Harry said coldly. "I haven't forgotten what happened when Hermione went to your office. The only reason why the goblins aren't taking you into custody now is because I hadn't legally proclaimed Hermione to be my ward. You will not come near her ever again."
Dumbledore's eyes grew cold and he stood up. "You will not address me this way. I am your Headmaster and your legal guardian. You cannot claim your titles."
Ragnok walked up to stand next to Harry. "He can and he did. Heirs to an Ancient House can claim their titles at 11. The fact that Harry was not even aware of his inheritance until recently is unacceptable."
"I will not be scolded by a goblin," Dumbledore snapped. He quickly took his wand out of his cloak and cast a privacy charm to block out the other students.
Harry quickly canceled the privacy charm. "You deserve worse, Dumbledore. Consider this a warning. Come after me through my loved ones again, and you'll feel the weight of my titles. I do believe that I have the power to start the process of removing you from your post on the Wizengamot. This is merely a notice that I am using my rights as a Lord to take up the option of no longer living here at Hogwarts. From now on, we shall arrive at Hogwarts for classes, but other than that we shall return home."
Snape stood up, furious. "Insolent little brat," he snapped. "You can't do that."
"I believe that you'll find that I can," Harry replied coolly. "As a Lord, I can choose my own lodgings, and Hermione can do the same as my fiancé."
"That does not excuse Longbottom and Lovegood," Snape said with a sneer.
Neville rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Professor. I'm the heir to the Ancient House of Longbottom. As the heir, I have the same rights as Harry. And I proposed to Luna days ago so that extends to her as well."
Snape looked surprised that Neville was not only addressing him, but mocking him as well. "Fifty points from Gryffindor," he spat.
"I don't care about losing points anymore," Neville said with a careless shrug. "The House Cup is a complete joke."
Before Snape could take away a hundred more points, Ginny Weasley came storming up to the group, only stopping when the goblin guard barred her way.
"Harry, what did you mean when you said Hermione was your fiancé?" she demanded.
Harry sighed, like he didn't have the energy to talk to her. "Exactly how it sounds, Ginny. Hermione and I are engaged. Hermione will be the Lady of both the Potter and Black houses."
Ginny's face grew as red as her hair. "But our contract!"
"Only covered me as a Potter," Harry said steely. "It didn't cover me as a Black. Once I claimed the Black lordship the contract was void. And since I'm legally emancipated, no one has the authority to bind me to a new one."
"Harry," Dumbledore said as calmly as he could. "I really must insist that we go to my office."
"And I insist that we don't," Harry spat back. "I haven't done anything to break school rules; I am only here for class. Now, if you'll excuse us, not that you have a choice, we're going to head to class."
Albus Dumbledore could only stare in bewilderment as the boy who he thought he had under his complete control, turned his back and walked out of the hall, not even sparing him another glance.
The next day, the headlines of the Daily Prophet brought great amusement to the tight group.
Harry Potter becomes Lord Potter-Black!
Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the one who defeated you-know-who as an infant, has declared the titles of not one, but two Ancient Houses.
Yesterday morning during breakfast at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, young Lord Potter-Black entered the Great Hall with a goblin escort, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood along with their four true familiars. When the young lord entered the room, Albus Dumbledore tried to convince him to go to his office, but Lord Potter-Black denied the great Albus Dumbledore.
"He told the Headmaster to 'cut the crap'," one excited student told this reporter. "Harry looked like a Lord and he told Dumbledore that he wouldn't be controlled anymore."
What does Lord Potter-Black mean by 'controlled'? While Lord Potter-Black declared himself legally emancipated, he also declared muggleborn witch, Hermione Granger, to be both his ward and his fiancé. Hermione Granger is a fifth year and the top of her class. Although she is the image of Ravenclaw, she is in Gryffindor. It is common knowledge that the witch is close friends to Lord Potter-Black, but what this reporter wants to know is when she managed to snag him enough for him to propose.
"She is to be the Lady of both houses," another student told this reporter.
While it is uncommon for one person to be the lord of two houses, it is not unheard of and the lord would marry two witches who would be the lady of different houses. If Hermione Granger is to be the lady of both the Potter and Black houses, then she will need to produce both heirs.
The details are still being hunted down, but rest assured loyal readers, these details will be printed and the truth will be known.
Rita Skeeter
Even Hermione had to laugh at the article. "She couldn't slander me now that I'm your fiancé," she laughed with Harry. "Not unless she wants your wrath."
Harry clutched his sides. They were currently sitting at the dining hall in Potter Manor, finishing breakfast before they returned to Hogwarts for classes. The whole commuting to school for class was seriously an improvement compared to sneaking around.
"I just hope that people know better than to send you hate mail again," Harry said once he controlled his laughter.
Hermione shrugged and got up from the table. "I'm not worried about that. They'll probably think that you'll use all your lordly powers to get them fired or something. You do own quite a good portion of the wizarding world you know."
"I wonder if I could get Skeeter fired," Harry said wistfully.
"She did help us last year," Hermione pointed out. "She wrote that article for the Quibbler."
"Doesn't mean that I like her," Harry said dryly.
The group grabbed their books, said goodbye to the elves and apparated to Hogwarts. Something told them that this wasn't going to blow over too soon.
Come March, the Heirs finally got their first clue to Voldemort's current plans, and the clue came from Neville's Forest Speech ability.
They were by the Black Lake, relaxing after classes before they went home, when Neville suddenly stopped stroking Luna's hair and literally put his ear to the tree that he was leaning against.
"Neville," Luna said once she sensed her fiancé tense. "What is it?"
"Something weird," Neville muttered.
Everyone was quiet as Neville closed his eyes in concentration. After a minute he opened his eyes and stared at his friends in astonishment. "I just got told by the trees that Malfoy met with his dad in the Forbidden Forest a couple days ago. The trees don't understand what they were saying, but they sort of…I don't know how to describe it…replayed the conversation for me to hear. They were talking about a cabinet and how repairs were going. Damn, Malfoy looked pretty scared." He blushed when he saw his friends gaping at him. "I can't really explain," he muttered.
"That's your Forest Speech ability," Hermione said in excitement. "I've been looking forward to seeing it in action."
Neville grinned sheepishly and went back to stroking Luna's hair. "That's the clearest that I've ever heard them," he explained. "They don't communicate with words, but they remember them and can pass them on short distances through their roots."
Harry smiled. "Can you ask them to keep an eye out for any more Malfoy meetings?"
"They don't really understand messages like that," Neville said as he fondly stroked the tree. "But, they can sense that the Malfoys are bad news and they'll pass on any more meetings to me."
"You're amazing," Luna said lovingly as she cuddled into Neville's frame. "Harry, check the map to see where Malfoy is right now."
"On it," Harry said as he took the map out of his bag and placed it on the ground. He activated it and scanned it for Malfoy's name. When he found it he frowned. "He's in the room of requirement," he said dryly. "He could be doing anything in there. And Crabbe is standing guard outside."
Hermione smiled and stood up with a stretch. "Well, I guess that we'll have to go find out what he's planning then, won't we?"
They quickly packed up their books and ran to the castle. When they made it to the floor where the room of requirement sat, they scanned the map for anyone else before Hermione picked up Ivy and got under the invisibility cloak and stepped around the corner.
She frowned in confusion when she didn't see Crabbe standing outside of the room, but a small first year girl holding a pair of scales.
"The map says that Crabbe is the one standing there," she said softly to Ivy while she quietly inched forward.
Ivy sniffed the air and suppressed a sneeze. "That's Crabbe alright. That goof never bathes. Plus, I can smell boomslang skin and lacewing flies."
"Ingredients for polyjuice potion," Hermione sighed. "I guess that there are more people than we know of working this plan. Let's go find out what's going on."
Hermione quietly walked up to Crabbe. Before Crabbe could sense her, she pointed her wand at him and muttered, "Legillimens."
She was in and out of Crabbe's mind quickly; she didn't want to see anything Crabbe had done. Once she had her answer, she gently erased the memory of Crabbe needing to stand guard. She stepped back and watched in bitter amusement as Crabbe confusedly looked around the hallway before shrugging and walking away. Once he was gone, she took off the cloak and was joined by her friends.
"Crabbe doesn't know anything except that Malfoy is working on a project for Voldemort," Hermione said gravely. "He and Goyle have been taking shifts disguised as first years to stand guard. If someone gets too close, they drop the scales to signal Malfoy to stay put."
"Do you know what Malfoy needed from the room?" Luna asked.
Hermione nodded. "But, when we reveal the door Malfoy will know something is up and he'll undoubtedly attack."
Luna bit her lip in thought. The others gave her a minute to think her plan through, Luna always came through. After a minute she smiled. "Hermione, do you think you can apparate in there once the door is revealed?"
"Of course," Hermione said immediately.
"Can you do it silently?"
That made Hermione hesitate. "It will be tricky, but I think that I can."
Luna smiled. "I'm sure that you can. Okay, I need you to apparate in there, silently and under the cloak, and observe Malfoy working on whatever it is that he's working on. Just long enough to get a good idea on what he's doing. I don't want you to use Legilimency on him if you can avoid it. If you go unnoticed, then Voldemort remains unaware of our knowledge. When you know what he's doing, come back out here. But don't take too long, we wouldn't want you to give Harry a heart attack out of worry."
The two best friends shared a giggle and Hermione put the cloak back on with Ivy still in her grasp. She gave Harry an invisible kiss on the cheek and put in extra effort to apparate herself and Ivy into the room that Malfoy had specifically asked for.
When she was done apparating, she found herself standing in a room full of broken and forgotten items. She clutched Ivy with one arm and drew her wand with her other hand. Ivy used her ears to locate Malfoy and silently directed Hermione towards the obnoxious Slytherin.
Malfoy was standing in front of a large cabinet with a dismayed look on his face. He held his wand limply and looked so defeated that Hermione almost felt sorry for him.
"Why won't you work?" he asked the cabinet brokenly. "I was lucky that the Dark Lord gave me an extension to the end of the year. If he hadn't then I would be dead already."
I wonder what my chances are that he'll blab his whole plan right now, Hermione thought dryly.
She had no such luck. For half an hour, Hermione sat on the floor, next to an ugly mannequin that had an uglier hat-like thing on it, watching Malfoy try spells from a list that he had. Every time a spell failed, he groaned and would kick the closest object. To assure Harry that she was safe, she would send out her feelings of love and confidence every few minutes.
Just when Hermione was preparing to apparate back, Malfoy cried out and fell to his knees, crying.
"I can't do it," he sobbed to himself. "Nothing that Aunt Bellatrix gave me is working. Fixing the vanishing cabinets had seemed so simple! I thought that after Borgin and I fixed the one in his shop that I would be able to do this on my own. Father is going to kill me…"
It was Ivy's light bite that stopped Hermione from stepping forward to comfort the distraught boy. Suppressing a sigh, she hugged Ivy close and silently apparated back into the hallway to join her friends.
Before the cloak was even completely off, Harry was kissing her. He scolded her for making him worry and kissed her harder.
"Let's go home," Hermione said breathlessly. "We have work to do."
They contacted Goldengaze and they were all soon sitting around the dining room table. Hermione had pulled out a couple of books from the library and she was looking excited.
"Voldemort is planning on invading Hogwarts," she announced with a smile.
"Um, Love," Harry said hesitantly. "That's not a good thing."
"I know that," Hermione said with an eye roll. "But, I know how he is going to invade and I also know how we can turn it to our advantage."
Fay ruffled her feathers. "Tell us already," she said impatiently.
Hermione smiled sheepishly. "The vanishing cabinet has a mate in Borgin and Burkes," she started. "That one is functioning and Malfoy is working on fixing the one that's in Hogwarts. Once they're fixed, Death Eaters will be able to enter the cabinet in Borgin and Burkes and arrive through the wards at Hogwarts."
"That's a brilliant plan," Luna said in awe. "And I'm guessing that you have an idea on how to foil their plan."
Hermione nodded and opened one of the books that she had taken from the library. "Right now, Malfoy is trying to fix the cabinet. I could add some runes to the cabinet in Hogwarts to either prevent them, or I could add runes to severely cripple them as they pass through."
"Cripple how?" Kex asked in interest.
"Blindness, deafness, loss of fingers," Hermione said vaguely. "It all depends on what we feel like."
Harry picked up the other book and flipped through some pages. "It sounds like you think that we should let the attack happen," he pointed out.
Neville leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "I think that we could control this attack to prevent any injuries from by-standers. This opportunity to catch some elite Death Eaters is not one that we can pass up."
Goldengaze, who had been silent up until then, tapped his claws on the table absent-mindedly. "I agree with Neville, we can't pass this opportunity up. If we start right away, we could work on protections for the students and traps for the Death Eaters."
"What do you think, Harry?" Luna asked.
Everyone turned to Harry, Lord Potter-Black, Spiritual Heir of Godric Gryffindor and trusted leader. Harry smiled grimly and set down the book.
"Let's set some rat traps."