Chapter 1: Suspicions

"Albus, I demand explanation!"

"What is it, Professor McGonagall?"

"Oh, don't play dim with me," said cat animagus snapped. "No less than seven hours ago, Mr. Potter along with several others from my house plus one of Filius's students went – went rushing off in a foolish rescue mission, got themselves caught, then the order rushed there and in result, we lost two of our own, one of which you hoped to be our savior – dead! And here you are gallivanting with your instruments, oh for Merlin's sake –"

"Well if you had kept a better eye on your so precious cats, McGonagall I'm sure-"

"Spare me the lecture, Severus!" McGonagall hissed at the new life that had entered the office. "I am not the only one to blame for this tragedy, if I can recall, you were in charge of helping Mr. Potter in Occulemency lessons-"

"Potter was a bumbling fool; a far cry from the least shield requirement in such a subject. That boy couldn't keep me out for too long, he wouldn't have stood a chance against the Dark Lord once he figured it out, and only proved to be as easily fooled as I expected. Can't even decipher the reality of it all, simple logic!"

"Now see here, Severus…!" McGonagall bristled.

"ENOUGH!"

Silence reigned over the cluttered office as the two disgruntled professors turned their eyes on him. The wizened old man was frowning at the both of them, the twinkle in his eyes dimmed dramatically as he slumped back into his chair.

"… Harry Potter is not dead."

"…WHAT?" this claim produced various reactions from the two professors. McGonagall was torn between joy and relief at the news, or worry as to where her student could be now. Merlin knew what kinds of trouble the poor boy got into.

Snape was a little bit easier to decipher, as his expression revealed a mixture of shock and annoyance. Though, on the inside, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of relief. But heavens forbid if he would let anyone know why, if they ever were to find out.

"This isn't another one of Potter and his fellow accomplices is it?" Snape said through gritted teeth.

McGonagall ignored her colleague's ire. "Albus, if you would pardon my language, how in bloody, buggering, hell would you be able to know of Mr. Potter's status?"

"Simple, my dear professor," Dumbledore responded, before pulling out one of his desk drawers, and withdrawing a harp-like instrument with several different colored strings. Snape scowled.

"Forgive me for doubting headmaster, but I don't believe that playing a little child's lullaby will help gather the information we require."

Albus almost chuckled. "Despite its interesting appearance, this is no musical instrument. Believe me when I say, I have tried to play it once, but the tune is rather muffled..."

"Albus," McGonagall said warningly.

"Right, of course my dear," the wizard cleared his throat as his audience tensely waited, "now I suppose you have noticed the harp like structure, but as I said it is not for mellow tunes. Each string represents something different, and here is how I tell," reaching to a bright white string, the professors slowly leaned in for a closer look.

"... Headmaster, you mean to tell me you made a Semita?" Dumbledore nodded at the surprised woman. Snape frowned again.

"If I may ask," Snape growled, irritation rising at his colleagues. Honestly, he didn't see what the fuss was about this silly instrument! "How does this help our predicament?"

McGonagall huffed at Snape, looking ready to snap at him before Dumbledore held up his hand. "Now Minerva, you must understand that with this old thing, of course Severus being one of the newer teachers in this school wouldn't know of it."

"Know of what?" Snape hissed.

"Oh for the love of—" McGonagall took a deep breath, before letting out a heavy sigh, "the Simitra, as you see right here, is a device designed to track the state of ones well being. In this case, young mister Potter."

"But even you took time to recognize the object. If you knew it so well, how did you not know?"

"There are many objects that can become a Simitra. Like, weavers or pianos. Anything that can serve as a scale, but the most preferred are string instruments, since they are the easiest to decipher, but... they are quite difficult to make. It takes quite a bit of the blood of the one you wish to keep track of," the female professor frowned at the headmaster. "When did you get the chance to extract that much from the boy?"

"When the Potters went into hiding," was the old wizard's response as he set the Simitra on his desk for Snape to inspect. "It took some persuasion, but eventually James and Lily allowed me to get what was necessary. Lily took quite a bit of convincing..."

"I should think so," the feline animagus sniffed. "The Simitra requires a nearly a pint of blood from the subject, depending on how strong you want the instrument to be. And to extract that much from an infant, any parent would be concerned!"

"Never mind that," Snape interjected. The other occupants took note of his tense shoulders, but for what reasons they chose not to ask. "Does that contraption track Potters whereabouts? All these years work of protecting the boy have gone to waste unless we can find him."

Albus sighed as he fingered the vibrant strings of the Simitra. "Alas, no. Not his exact location at least..."

"At least? Then what can it do? By Merlin give a straight answer for once!" The potions master hissed, ignoring McGonagall's reprimanding 'Severus!'. Albus raised his hand again before the ex-death eater's patience wore too thin.

"Had Harry been on this worlds soil, the tracking would be made much simpler, but sadly, that is not the case."

"What do you mean 'on this world's soil'? Has he been transported into another country?" McGonagall questioned. Albus shook his head. "Then how do you know he's not 'on this world's soil'?"

"It is merely a theory," the old man said, "but when I attempted the tracking charm, my wand hadn't moved at all. Both of you know the power of this wand, and if I hadn't felt the confused magic in the wood, I would have thought this wand faulty. But that is not the case. The Simitra still claims he is still alive, but it can not locate even which country he is in."

His audience nearly gaped. It was Snape who recovered first. "So basically we have no way of finding Potter now. Now that is just bloody brilliant, isn't it?" He sneered.

"Oh that can't be it!" McGonagall scowled at Snape, "Certainly, if the Simitra can still tell if Mr. Potter is alive, we can somehow trace him still?"

"Of course. Though I only have a few ideas, we best get to work soon. Now, do either of you have time to run an errand? There might be something at Borgin and Burkes that might be useful..."

As Dumbledore explained his plan, in a crack in the wall, a filthy rat perked its ears forward.


The Riddle Mansion

"SILENCE!" this order echoed through the old mansion where the Riddles had once resided. The walls shook as the source of the shout shook with unveiled fury as he paced the wooden floors, his audience struggling not to show their cowardice as their master seethed.

One might be wondering, what was this master so angered of? Well, if you had his testy temper, and viewed the earlier ruckus going on, you would be very irritated as well.

To the Death Eaters, it was supposed to feel like a glorious victory. At Bellatrix's news that the oh-so-famous Potter brat had fallen, they had been planning to celebrate the fall of the source of their previous woes. They had been planning to go to the Malfoy Manor and drink out the whole wine cellar, and perhaps run a raid on mudblood families or something for fun, but Peter had run in, and had to ruin all the fun. Lucius was the only one to be even slightly relieved at the news he gave.

At least, until Voldemort had come and overheard.

"It can't be… I saw him fall!" Bellatrix hissed, not nearly as cowed by her master's rage than the others when he exploded. "He ran right into it, trying to save my idiot relation. He is deceased!" she insisted, but stumbled a little as Voldemort stopped his pacing to whip around and turn on her.

"Dumbledore is a foolish old man, but he is a smart fool none the less." As much as he hated to admit it, "If he says there is a possibility of the boy being alive, then we cannot ignore the possibility!" he snarled, making his most loyal follower flinch back.

"If I may, my lord…" Lucious interjected slowly, bowing a little to avoid Voldemort's irritated gaze. "…Dead or alive, we cannot be sure anymore, but if the Potter boy is in fact not deceased, how do we know? You cannot simply follow the fool's move by running into the Veil itself-"

Lucious was silenced by a firm held up hand. Voldemort's expression "I can't" he turned to glare at Peter. "But you can."

"M-me?" Peter sputtered, "M-my lord I am bu-but a simple spy, I cannot do s-such a task – what if it kills me?"

"Then you die," Voldemort sneered, "But you are right about one thing, you cannot do such a task, and surely not alone. Therefore, someone else will go with you."

"Let me… 'assist' the rat, my lord," Bellatrix piped up again now that Voldemort's anger had abated. "I can keep him under control!"

"No," he growled. "As much as I trust at your persistence to get the job done, Bellatrix…" he turned to her, "I'm afraid you lack the stealth to succeed. If Dumbledore's suspicions are correct, and if dear Pettigrew's news in accurate, then where that Veil leads is someplace foreign…"

Bellatrix nearly growled, irritated knowing that she had just been dismissed.

Lucious smirked at his sister-in-law. With her suffocating obsession with the Death Eater cause and obnoxious air, if was gratifying to see her put down by her own 'god'. Merlin knew if he would ever invite her for a personal party again. His ears would never be cured from her insane cackling in his study room.

"Then who do you suggest shall accompany the rat, my lord?" Malfoy Sr. enquired. Though he was glad his… dear relation was being denied, even he himself wouldn't want to take the mission. For various reasons, and even he could admit that Pettigrew's lack of hygiene was one of them.

Voldemort didn't answer right away as he turned to go down the hall. "Fetch me my double-crosser…"

"Snape?" Bellatrix suddenly spat, "He cannot be trusted! His loyalty has wavered, he's no doubt become a part of the light side now!"

"Then all the more reason for him to test the arch of death," said Voldemort, turning to give all of his followers a cold glare. "I expect no more objections…"

No one spoke out, in fear of provoking their master's wrath once more. After minutes of silence, the Dark Lord turned to leave once more, this time not turning back to give any more orders. One of the other Death Eaters (Goyle, Lucious noted) stepped forth.

"…Does that mean we have to put away the ale?"


The Canterlot Castle

"While the celebration of the fine day sounds very entertaining, I do not see why I should stay today, my sister."

"Oh come now, Luna. Surely you would enjoy the feasts that will come on later? One of my pupil's friends is helping in the kitchens this year"

"And no doubt you look forward to the dessert later on," Luna said drily, earning a shameless smile from the elder alicorn. Luna sighed, "Though as much as a nice feast sounds tempting, I can't help but feel there is something else on your mind. Will you not tell me?"

Celestia didn't answer right away, instead finding interest in watching a couple of the many ponies putting up the banners on the castle walls. It had only been a week since the revival of the Chrystal Kingdom. The Kingdom that had vanished for a thousand years, finally brought back by the younger generation, bringing back all its former glory and relics as well. It was a time for celebration and rejoice, but there was something bothering the elder alicorn.

"Celestia," The sun-bringer sighed and looked at her little sister with a look Luna had seen only few times. "…What troubles you?"

"Nothing yet, little sister…" said Celestia, "Nothing that should be spoken outside just yet. Come, we will speak in the lower chambers."

Not saying another word, Celestia led her sister down the halls, Luna following with bewilderment. "Sister? What has happened? Is something wrong?"

"There is something I must show you, but I'm not sure if it's a danger just yet." she replied.

"So... Nothing is wrong?" Celestia didn't answer as they came up to the storage chamber, the guards bowing their heads before allowing the two entrance inside. Celestia trotted forward, glancing around to check which paths to take.

Luna frowned as her sister led her into the deep parts. Not often did they come down here, for the deeper they went, the older the objects stored were. "Sister, why have we come here?"

"Luna, do you remember the mirrors of old? Back when father still ruled?"

The smaller princess blinked at the question, "Hardly… Those mirrors are ancient, but I remember no significance about them."

"Indeed, the tales of them are old," Celestia nodded, checking the shelf labels to see if they were going in the right direction. "But tell me what you can remember. What did father tell?"

"We speak of the elemental mirrors, correct?" her sister nodded, "The mirrors are ancient, as I said, forged by the best crystal pony smiths, as asked by mother and father," she paused, trying to remember other details. "The mirrors were made to hold the power of the elements temporarily, until the elements Twilight and her companions now possess were made. The power was transferred to the necklaces and crown, and the mirrors cast aside because they held no more value, but that means…"

"Not all the mirrors are in our possession anymore," the taller alicorn finished for her. "We only possess two of these mirrors, as far as I am aware. The crystal kingdom holds two others, but the other two are currently lost."

The two alicorns were nearing the end of the storage chambers, before Celestia stopped before dusty grey blankets that sheltered large canvases underneath. In her golden magic grip, she tugged down the blankets; clouds of dust buffeting the two sisters, making them cough a little before they waved the dust away with a few flaps of their wings. When the dust cleared, two silver framed mirrors, as big as the eldest alicorn, stood before them.

The mirrors were both beautifully decorated. On the left, stood a gold framed arch-mirror, encrusted with blue and violet jewels, carefully decorated on the edges like mist and bubbles. On the right, stood a silver framed arch-mirror, that was so light it was almost white. Instead of blue and violet gems, the silver mirror was decorated with deep sapphire jewels. These gems were arranged to look like stars across a light sky, giving it a slightly more shiny look than it's neighbor. On top of both mirrors was a colored precious stone crests on each of them. A purple star, and a blue diamond.

"The elements of magic, and generosity…" Luna murmured, "They must be very old to produce that much dust."

"Actually, I had a look at them earlier. The dust must have settled from the shelves above… This place had always needed a good cleaning," Celestia shrugged as she came closer to inspect the crests crowning the top of the arch mirrors.

"Then what is the problem?" Luna asked, getting a little irritated. "I sense no magical spike, they are but old mirrors to me."

"It may seem so, little sister. But if you would look closer, you might say otherwise."

Frown deepening, Luna stared suspiciously at her sister. Said sister gave a few urging gestures, before the night princess stepped forward to look into the mirror of generosity. She felt nothing.

"A little closer," Celestia encouraged before Luna could comment. Almost snorting, Luna did as told, and nearly hexed the mirror when something happened.

Luna had leaned so close, her horn had touched the mirror, but when it did so, the whole reflection rippled as if it were water, before stilling again.

"Wh-what…?"

"I was surprised as well," Celestia murmured as she gazed at the mirrors. "I'm not sure if they were always like this, but earlier today the mirrors had given off pulses of energy, which is how I came to finally notice them. When I saw them, I could have sworn I saw a dog in the reflection!"

"…A dog?" Luna echoed.

"I'm not sure what it means, little sister, but after a few moments, it returned to it's normal state. At least, if it's normal for these mirrors to ripple at the slightest touch."

"Do you think this will be part of Twilight Sparkles quest? The elements magic was supposed to be fully transferred to the jewelry. These mirrors should have nothing left in them."

"It seems that these relics still have something to prove, so the possibility is high" Celestia nodded, before levitating the blankets back onto the mirrors. "but not entirely certain. This can wait for a little bit, until I can witness further activity, but for now…" she smiled down at Luna, "I'm sure we can spare some time for a little tea, don't you think?"

"Why is it every time you say 'tea', it's not the tea you're after?" Luna murmured, earning only a giggle from her relation before they exited the chambers, locking the doors behind them.

It wasn't until the two sisters were back outside and well into party preparations did the mirrors start pulsing again.


A/N: Yes, I know. A very long awaited update, I apologize. It's not entirely up to my tastes, but I honestly don't know where I'm going with this. That, and I have very little experience with actually writing stories. I love to read them, but as you can see, my skills of creating one are very amateur. If that is the correct word.

I failed my english classes...

Hopefully, I can find a beta sooner or later, or at least get a friend to check over these for me. Until then, I'm open for suggestions, helpful stuff you know. Can't say I will follow them, but maybe I can get ideas. Until next time!