Disclaimer: Sadly, i don't own the rights to Harry Potter, or Eragon. That belongs to JK and Christopher. I'll just have to play around with what I'm allowed to.
A/N: I'm back! Thanks for waiting! I did promise to come back to this story and I will finish it. I've also started a new story as well, but I won't be posting it just yet. It does involve Harry and Hermione, I will tell you that :)
Chapter 9 – Oh, what a joyous Christmas
Harry finished packing his backpack and looked around the dorm room. Many of the guys were going back for the Christmas holidays in three days time, with only Ron staying behind. Harry had discreetly put some protection charms on Ron, not wanting him to be targeted by Umbridge.
Ron had actually become a better person than he had last time. He was getting less angry about things and instead seemed to try and work it out with the person before blowing up in the typical Weasley fashion. Malfoy had tried to rile him up and Ron had calmly responded before walking away. Fred had gone up and checked Ron's temperature after that as he believed he was an imposter.
Harry chuckled and froze when he remembered that Arthur was going to be attacked by Nagini during the holidays. He sent a call out through a mirror charm and Hermione, Maddie and Dumbledore responded.
"So, what are we going to do about Arthur? He'll be attacked during the holidays." Albus looked thoughtful for a second before he nodded. "Unfortunately, he'll have to be left to be attacked, as Voldemort will no doubt be aware now that we are guarding the prophecy. To remove the guard will no doubt be suspicious."
"That may be true, but that doesn't mean we can't be there ready to help him. We'll be able to take the prophecy for ourselves then, as long as Amelia can get us in." Harry frowned. "Wait, couldn't we just portal straight in?" Maddie shook her head "No – the Department of Mysteries is warded for all kinds of intrusions – including portals. We have to be let in by a Department official or through one of their back doors, otherwise we'll be tracked and the Ministry, therefore Voldemort, will know."
"So, we have one day to prepare for this. What else can we do?" Harry said. "Save Arthur, collect the prophecy without word reaching Voldemort, celebrate Christmas. Should be easy enough." Maddie said. Hermione snorted "This is Harry we're talking about. It's not going to be easy enough. Albus, when is Arthur next on?" Albus didn't respond immediately. "Tomorrow night – He'll be replaced by Mundungus around 3am." Harry thought back to when he had been attacked the last time. "Well, it was around one in the morning when he was attacked last time."
The next night
Harry arrived out the front of the gargoyle protecting the Headmasters office. Albus, or perhaps even Hogwarts, had told the gargoyle he was coming as it simply moved to the side. He carried on up the stairs and moved into the office.
Albus looked as ready as he normally did, wearing robes of a brilliant purple with silver stars shooting over them. Harry vaguely remembered him wearing them before but didn't remember when. Hermione and Maddie were stood in their black Phoenix fatigues. Even though the mission was a simple stealth infiltration and eventual rescue mission, there was the possibility that the giant snake might sense them, and they had no intention of fighting it without some form of armour. Voldemort would know something, but he wouldn't know who it was.
The plan was simple but the execution would be difficult; enter the Ministry, get to the Department of Mysteries without being seen or detected, get close to where Arthur was without Arthur spotting him, find a place to hide, wait for Nagini/Voldemort to arrive and attack Arthur, let Voldemort send the vision to Harry while alerting him that Harry has seen it without allowing him to realise Harry was right next to him, allow him to get away, save and heal Arthur without the Ministry being alerted.
Harry mused that it was simple, going to be very difficult to pull off, and had to have a lot of luck involved.
Albus, in the meantime, would be ensuring that Delores wouldn't find out that three of the 'students' were out of bed and breaking into the Ministry. While his job was easier, it was no less difficult seeing as Delores was getting more and more control of the school. Plus, they didn't know who was reporting to her from Gryffindor. Harry cast the mirror charm and it took a few seconds before Amelia's face appeared. "Harry. You guys about to leave?"
Harry nodded. "Yep. Will we be able to get in?" Amelia nodded. "The only people in the ward room right now is one of the main warders and me. He's trustworthy. We'll be taking down the ward that registers staff members that come through the staff entrance. It also means you won't be tracked through the Ministry. Anything else you somehow manage to set off, we'll be able to shut that ward down and remove the records, as long as you don't try to enter the Ministers office or the Department of Mysteries."
Harry nodded, remembering what Amelia had told them about the Ministry wards. The wards around the Ministry were complex and included many anti-transportation, unplottable, element protection wards. Most of the wards were centralised in a single room which was even more warded than the rest of the Ministry, and its location (protected under a Fidelius) was known only to the Ministry warders, Head of the DMLE, The Minister and their Undersecretary's.
However, the wards for the Ministers office were stronger and contained more protection wards, and the room they were housed in was a secret known only to the Minister and the dedicated team that monitored it. Each team was replaced when the Minister was voted out, and the room's location was moved as well. These wards were in place to protect the Minister and the higher staff of the Ministry in case of attack. They could also, in an emergency, be used to protect the entire Ministry in an attack.
Likewise, the wards around the Department of Mysteries were as strong, if not stronger, than the wards surrounding the Ministers office. Unlike those wards though, the ward room location was only known to the Unspeakables that worked in the Department and was almost impossible to locate unless you worked in the Department. Amelia, as the head of the DMLE, had the authority to manipulate the wards to a degree, however she couldn't take full control of the wards.
This was why they hadn't been able to access the Department yet. The wards registered every person that entered, no matter what form they were in, and if the security ward was up they would be apprehended. Amelia had been unable to tell them what would apprehend them. However, she speculated that Lucius had someone within the Department that was willing to manipulate the wards, which was why they had the battle within the Department and no one had responded.
"That hopefully shouldn't be too difficult. Are you close to getting us access to those wards?" Amelia nodded. "I've had one of the maintenance people discreetly checking their employees while I've been talking with the Department Head – or at least I think they are. You can never tell with the Unspeakables; they all look alike."
Harry sighed a breath of relief – the sooner they could get the prophecy out the better. He disconnected the mirror and turned back towards the others. "They're ready as well." Maddie nodded. Albus stepped forward.
"Good luck. Please make sure Arthur doesn't die – Molly will have my hide if he does" Albus said and Harry chuckled. He completed the final checks on his rifle (as the plan had the potential to go very wrong) before Maddie conjured a portal and they stepped through.
Staff Entrance, Ministry of Magic
Had anyone been looking, they would have seen the alley light up and a square appear. Luckily, only a cat had seen and had run away scared.
The trio stepped out and performed a quick check of the alley. Convinced it was clear, Maddie opened the staff entrance and they filed through. When the door shut, they heard it click. Harry's watch chimed and he tapped it where Amelia's face appeared.
"Ok – so far so good the wards haven't registered you. You'll need to get down there fast though – take Lift 3 it's the only one that works during the night." Harry nodded and disconnected the call. He moved forward with Hermione and Maddie following.
They crossed the Atrium quickly, bypassing the security checkpoint and moving straight for the lift. They stopped outside the lift and Maddie waved her hand in a square. It was a few seconds before a map made of light appeared, which showed the floor outside the Department of Mysteries. A single white dot appeared.
"Ok – there's Arthur. There's not much cover near him though – we'll have to basically hide down the corridor straight outside the lifts." Hermione pointed to a corridor adjacent. "What about there?" Maddie bit her bottom lip as she contemplated it. She cast a mirror charm. "Amelia – are there any wards in the corridors surrounding the Department?"
Amelia frowned as the warder shook his head. "Not in this room – but without access to the Department at the moment, I have no way of knowing if they have any there." Harry frowned "That puts us very close to the exits – and Voldemort will most likely come from that way."
"So, we risked either setting off the wards for the Department, or we run the risk of running into Voldemort" Hermione summed up. Maddie nodded and looked at Harry. "Your mission – your call." Harry frowned. "We should be closer. That way we'll be able to help Arthur quicker." The other two nodded and they got into the lift.
This was one of the more difficult parts of their mission – getting past Arthur. While horrible, they knew that they couldn't tell Arthur that he was going to be attacked. Harry had felt guilty for a short time before pushing the guilt to the side – they were there to ensure he didn't get killed and would be able to heal him fast.
Maddie pulled the emergency stop and opened the roof of the lift. She jumped and pulled herself up before reaching down and helping Harry and Hermione up. They climbed around to Lift door 2 and gently pushed it open.
Harry could just see Arthur and pushed open one of the doors. He climbed out and held the door open and Maddie and Hermione climbed out. Harry changed into his tiger snake form while Hermione turned into her chameleon and climbed onto his back. Maddie shook her head but turned into a small lizard and also climbed onto Harry's back.
Harry slid down the wall and landed on the floor along the corridor. He didn't move, waiting to make sure Arthur hadn't seen him. After a few seconds, he slowly slithered forward and around the corner where they were soon set up where they could see Arthur but he couldn't see them. They hid in the alcoves in the wall, ready to respond.
As the time approached, they got more and more nervous. Harry looked down at his watch which read 1:15am. He looked up at Maddie who shook her head, her detection charms still active and undisturbed. He sent a ping to Amelia who sent a ping back, telling him the wards hadn't registered anything.
Harry got very worried when Mundungus turned up around 3am, allowing Arthur to leave. He sent a mental message to Maddie and Hermione and they backed down the corridor. They waited until they were back in the lift before changing back. They remained silent as they started the lift until they were a few floors up.
"This isn't good." Harry said and Hermione and Maddie nodded. Maddie cast a mirror charm and Amelia appeared. "Any signs that the wards triggered?" Amelia shook her head "No – the only time it did was when Mundungus entered the Ministry and you saw what he did down there. You said Voldemort attacked last time?"
Harry nodded "He wants the prophecy and at Christmas, when the Ministry is at its lowest in terms of security is when he attacked. We've changed something that's stopped him from coming for the prophecy. I can't think of anything that we did that could have done that."
As he finished that, Hermione gasped. They all turned to look at her. "Harry, what is the one thing that Voldemort is afraid of?" Harry's mind was blank for a few seconds and he shrugged "Dying! He's afraid of dying, his name means Flight from Death, and what has he done to protect himself from dying?"
"Well he's made horcrux…" Harry felt the blood rush from his face as he realised what Hermione was implying. He turned to Maddie "Could he have felt the diadem being destroyed?"
Maddie blinked "Possibly. It was one of his earlier horcruxes, so the soul piece could have been big enough for him to still be linked to and feel the loss. That being said, it's been disconnected for so long that it could just be a sensation."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, scenarios and implications passing through. "The enchantments on the ring and the cup should hold, yes?" Maddie nodded. "It will feel like him to him." Hermione's eyes widened. 'The locket. The cave holds a fake locket. If Voldemort finds it-"
"Then he'll know that someone is hunting the horcruxes – and this war will get a whole lot more difficult. We need to get a fake Slytherin locket back into the cave"
Gaunt Shack
Voldemort appeared outside the shack. The Flexu had been replaced but part of the ritual ensured he couldn't be harmed by the creature. He stepped into the shack and waved his wand, holding his hand out as a gold box flew out of the hole in the floor and landed in his hand.
A wave of his wand saw the lid open and he reached in and, nullifying the curse on the ring, pulled it out and placed it in his palm. He cast detection charms over the ring, watching as the spells and the ring itself changed colour and shape. Satisfied, he placed the ring back, replaced the curse and added a few more and placed the box back.
For safety, he placed the Fidelius charm over the hole in the floor (it was a very useful spell, and he had learnt a modified version that allowed the caster to be the secret keeper) and exited the shack. He cast more charms and curses on the shack's door and the shack itself, then on the path, the crystal for the Flexu and the surrounding area. He turned and apparated towards the cave.
Hogwarts, 15 minutes earlier
Albus looked up as a portal formed in his office and the three leapt through. Albus got to his feet, worried; they should have been back a while ago. "What's happened? Is Arthur ok?"
Maddie turned to him "We don't have much time. Voldemort didn't attack because, we think, he's aware somewhat that one of his horcruxes have been destroyed, and he's going to check on them." Albus just stared, his brain barely registering that Harry and Hermione had sprinted straight out of the office.
"How do you know that?" he eventually said. "He really wants that prophecy yes?" Albus nodded "So something has gotten his attention away from the prophecy, and the only thing that logically makes sense is that he is somewhat aware that his horcruxes are in danger. We have been careful to replace the real horcruxes with reliable fakes, however Harry pointed out that the cave has a fake locket that looks nothing like the locket and has the note from Regulus"
Albus paled "and if he discovers that his horcruxes are being attacked" Maddie nodded "he'll hide the ones he has left. He can't create any more, not without killing himself, so he'll hide the ones he has. We have to go and replace the locket" Albus nodded "I'll keep your cover going here. Just be careful."
Harry and Hermione reappeared with a box. Hermione put it in a bag that Albus somehow hadn't noticed on her when she left (though maybe she didn't have it on?) They simply dipped their heads towards him and Harry created a portal that they moved through.
The Cave
They appeared on the rock that Harry had gone with Dumbledore at the end of sixth year. The waves crashed into the rock and sprayed them with water but they paid no attention to it. They looked over to the cliff face that rose high above them. Harry pointed out a small crack in the cliff side. "That's where the cave is. I didn't want to take us straight in as I don't know what protections there were."
Maddie nodded and made her way down the rock. At the edge of the rock she held her hand out which started glowing blue. The ocean water in front of her both calmed and also changed colour to a blue so dark it was almost black. She started to walk on top of it and Harry and Hermione followed.
"Man I wish we had done this last time instead of swimming" Harry muttered and he felt amusement over the bond from the other two. It wasn't long before they were inside the crack facing the smooth rock. Maddie was waving her hand over the door and they watched as it shimmered.
"If it wasn't for the fact that this mission is time critical, I could spend some time studying these runes and how they work. They're fascinating. Voldemort's created an interesting rune structure here." Harry grunted while the doorway rippled and disappeared. They walked through and Maddie waved her hand, replacing the door.
They appeared at the side of the lake and Harry walked to where the boat was. He reached down and summoned the boat, which appeared just as silently as it had last time. It glided over to where they stood. "Supress your magical power." They nodded and Harry felt his magical output go down. He gingerly stepped into the boat and moved as far forward as possible.
Hermione waited until Harry had stopped moving before placing her foot in. When the boat didn't react she stepped in fully, waited and then moved to the back of the boat. When she had stopped Maddie stepped onto the boat. Harry let out a small sigh of relief when the boat didn't react. When she was fully in he waved his hand, sending the boat forward.
It took a few minutes for the boat to reach the island. They quickly climbed out and Maddie tapped the boat with her wand, sending it back under the water. Harry was worried but Maddie just shrugged. "We can easily summon the boat – the chain is linked here as well." Harry nodded and moved to the basin.
The emerald liquid was easily transfigured by Hermione, showing the locket. As Harry worked on removing the shield, Maddie conjured another locket and created Voldemort's essence on it. She finished it and waited for Harry to disable the shield. When the shield dropped, Hermione grabbed the fake locket and Maddie dropped the real locket in.
As Harry replaced the shield, a grating sound filled the cavern. Harry looked around but knew that there was no where to hide. He heard Maddie whisper and felt his whole body go cold before she tackled them into the water. He twisted around, ready to fight but realised that the Inferi weren't reacting to their presence. He turned to find Maddie with a finger on her mouth. He had no idea what spell she had cast but at the moment he didn't care – he floated there and waited.
Voldemort
Voldemort looked around the cave. The spell he had cast to check if anyone had been here had shown that the last time anyone had been at the entrance was in 1973 – when he had brought that house elf to place the locket. He snarled – Regulus had been a good follower until he had disappeared. He had no idea what had happened to him, but he hoped to find out. Originally he thought that Dumbledore's Order had captured him, but his spy had told him that they had no idea where Regulus was. It was like he had disappeared off the face of the Earth.
He brought his mind back to the present and walked over to where the boat was. A simple wave of his wand brought the boat up and he climbed in. The boat took off fast towards the island and arrived within a minute. He climbed out and walked towards the basin.
He peered in and waved his wand disabling the shield. He vanished the potion and reached in, pulling the locket out. He cast the same detection charms on the locket as he had on the ring, all of them coming back positive. Satisfied, he placed the locket back and cast the spell to replace the green potion. As extra, he added a component to the potion which would act like Veriterserum along with a magic bleeding potion to remove their magic from them. He smiled, satisfied that no one would dare to try and take this horcrux. Now, how to get the cup out of Gringotts?
Harry, Hermione and Maddie
Meanwhile, Harry was watching alongside Hermione and Maddie as Voldemort scrutinised the locket. Harry was praying that Maddies hasty spells were good enough to pass the test. He had also decided to work on a water form next because, as useful as this spell that Maddie had used was, it wouldn't work out if someone was to look and spot him.
[What if we tried to capture him now?] he suggested and the other two twisted to look at him. [{Bad idea. He's a very powerful wizard and he could have many traps here you don't know beyond just the Inferi. That, and if he gets away, he'll be alerted to us and we'll have no idea what his next move will be.}] Harry grumbled but accepted what Maddie was saying.
They watched as he climbed back into the boat and travelled back across the lake. Harry went to climb out but Maddie grabbed his wrist, shaking her head. They waited five minutes before Maddie cautiously poked her head out of the water. She gestured with her hand and climbed out of the lake, Harry and Hermione not far behind. She waved her wand and heat flooded their bodies as the coldness from the water hit them. They quickly cast drying charms on themselves. "That was close" Harry said as he sat down on the rocks.
"What spell was that?" Hermione asked. "Imitation death basically. It removes all body heat and slows the heart down to one beat every ten minutes. All body processes basically freeze and therefore you don't need to breath. It was used by people to pretend to be dead when they were being hunted. I modified the spell so that the brain and the nervous system continued to work as it should, because otherwise we'd all be unconscious by now."
Hermione looked excited at hearing that, her brain already filing away that information and she decided she'd visit the library on Rider Island to research more. "At least we know the spells work and they fool him."
Maddie nodded as she summoned the boat "Yep. He's been separated from his soul long enough he can't tell the difference. I tried it on an Egyptian like around 1,500 years ago when he had freshly separated his soul. He knew immediately and tried to launch an attack. Of course, because I destroyed it he was easy enough to kill."
They climbed into the boat and set sail. Once they reached the other side they moved towards the exit cautiously. They had no idea if Voldemort was still stood nearby. A quick scan showed he wasn't, but for safety they slowly exited. Once out of the cave, they made a portal and escaped and made their way back to Hogwarts.
Gringotts, Voldemort
A tall man walked through the lobby of Gringotts. Luckily as it was quiet he walked up to the teller and waited for him to be acknowledged. Even though he thought of the goblins as sub-human and therefore below his attention, he knew he needed to be respectful for now.
Eventually the goblin looked up. "Yes, wizard?" Voldemort resisted the urge to just kill the rude creature, though his hand twitched for his wand. "I need to speak to the Lestrange Vault Manager. Tell him that the old friend is here to see him."
The goblin grinned at him even as he pressed a button under his desk. "I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment, wizard" he spat the last word out. "The vault manager in question was involved in an accident in his dealings with the non-magical world. Our records showed that he passed away a week ago. As only the Lestranges can arrange a new vault manager, the vault is currently sealed until correspondence from them appoints a new manager"
Voldemort had bristled at the start of the goblins spiel but as the goblin talked he calmed down. As the man was dead it would be a bit difficult to talk to him. And as he was close to breaking the Death Eaters out, it wouldn't be long before he would get access to the vault. He nodded and walked out, exiting Gringotts as quickly as possible.
Had he looked back, he would have seen Ragnok walk out and start talking to the teller. Ragnok looked at the retreating stranger and turned, knowing he would have to tell the Riders about it.
12 Grimmauld Place
Harry walked around admiring all the decorations. Since the talk he had with Kreacher and giving him the locket that Regulus had left behind had made the elf very happy. The whole house had been cleaned and looked brighter, though the walls were still a dark green. Tinsel, baubles and lights decorated the large tree and many of the walls and portraits around the house. Mrs Black didn't appreciate being decorated in bright flashing tinsel, but Sirius had told Harry he had done it as a small revenge on her and because she had objected quite vocally to it.
At the moment, the only ones who were staying at 12 Grimmauld Place was Harry, Hermione, Maddie and Sirius. Since they had set up a ward that triggered when someone walked through the door (the only way to enter the house) they were walking around without the glamour on.
The ward, while it did help them, was also for Sirius. Sirius had been going out and dealing with the goblins in their quest to slowly deprive the Death Eaters of their gold. It wasn't an easy or fast task, but it gave Sirius something to do. He was also assisting the goblins in preparing for the horcrux cleansing ritual, as he could go and acquire some goods.
"Hey pup" Sirius said as he walked into the kitchen. "This came through for you from Ragnok" Harry took the piece of paper from him and opened it.
Mr Potter,
A gentlemen arrived at Gringotts late last night to talk to the Lestrange Vault Manager. The only introduction he gave was that he was an old friend. Since most of those that interact with the vault manager in question were Death Eaters who identified themselves, it is possible that your old enemy came last night to check on his treasure. He was denied access, of course, however he appeared to be satisfied when he was told that the vault manager had died.
R
Harry frowned - Voldemort must have gone to Gringotts after visiting the locket. It was strange that he didn't insist on visiting the actual vault, but since the vault manager had died and he planned on breaking out the Death Eaters from Azkaban, a new vault manager would be appointed. A sly grin broke out on Harry's face and he turned to Sirius.
"Sirius, want to play a prank on the Death Eaters?" Sirius' face lit up "Hell yeah pup. What do you have in mind?" Harry held the letter up "How about becoming the vault manager for the Lestranges, and possibly the vault manager for some other Death Eaters as well?"
Sirius sat there. "You want me to be their vault manager? Why?" Harry grinned "Well, for starters, you can control what goes in and out of their vaults? Steal their money slowly?"
Harry quickly wrote a reply.
R,
The gentlemen in question is most likely the old enemy. Within the next two weeks you'll most likely receive a letter from the Lestranges appointing a new vault manager – ensure one is appointed quickly. Our mutual dog will be more than happy to take on the role.
P
Hedwig glided into the room and landed on the table. "Thanks Hedwig." A soft prek came from the owl as she took off and flew out the door. "Seriously, why?" Harry turned to him. "The Death Eaters often store dark and dangerous items in their vaults. Only the vault manager will be able to access the records of what is stored."
"Thus, this information can be recorded and passed onto the authorities – Madam Bones would be best. It's legal as well, as Gringotts charter allows for it. Because the vault manager for the Death Eater vaults are Death Eaters, they've had easy reign to pass and store these goods. But if you're their vault manager, not only will you be able to see this, but also know where their gold is going. You'll know who they're paying off, and so we can stay one step ahead."
Sirius slowly nodded "and I'll be able to take some of their gold away legally since I'll be their vault manager. I'll admit, that's a brilliant idea" Harry grinned "Occasionally I have them. Not very often though"
Christmas Day
Harry woke up to Hermione jumping on top of him. Groaning, he tried to roll out of bed. to find Maddie grinning at him from the end of the bed "Why did you do that?" they both laughed but Hermione climbed off of him and dragged him out of bed.
Sirius looked up at the sound of the door opening. He had heard two sets of feet coming down the stairs but found the three walking through the door. It took a second before he remembered that Maddie was much older than they were and that she was more skilled in magic and stealth. It was a bit scary to realise that he probably wouldn't hear her coming up behind him. He shuddered and put it to the back of his mind.
If the look on her face when she looked at him told him anything, he probably needed to work on his Occlumency as well as his stealth.
Harry was amused at how bouncy and happy Maddie and Hermione were. It seemed Christmas was a time of celebration for both of them as every year they almost reverted to young kids who thought Santa had visited and brought presents for them. Hermione had told Harry that when she was young her family would come over and they would open presents, put on a large feast and have a great time. While her cousins didn't really like her it was the one day they were all friendly with each other.
Maddie had told them that when she did decide to celebrate Christmas, it was usually with the other Riders. A usual Rider Christmas was also a feast and swapping of stories. Since they could live up to ten thousand years, it became pointless to give each other gifts as they would otherwise store up. If they did give gifts, it was usually something practical that had been newly created.
Harry was brought out of his musings by Maddie holding out two small boxes. Harry opened it to find a silver ring. The ring had two outer bands, and the two bands were joined together by a silver dragon that was highly detailed. Looking up he saw Hermione had received a similar gift. They both turned to see Maddie had one on her finger.
"These are bond rings. They're extremely rare, because they have to be crafted by a bond mate so they can't be mass produced. They enable you to feel your bondmates emotions and know where they are no matter where they are on the planet. You'll also be able to, in an emergency or dire situation, use the ring to, inhabit, each other's bodies."
Harry raised an eyebrow "inhabit? What do you mean like that?"
"Well, I'll be able to 'enter' your body per se. My magical and life energy will enter yours, making you stronger and faster, and vice versa. I could enter your body, but all I would be able to do is see what you see and feel what you feel. It's useful if someone is trying to kill me, I can basically send myself to you and then you release me and I'll be nice and healthy. It is possible to give control to the one who is in your body though. Plus, it'll also boost your magical energies by a lot – mine will probably increase a bit."
Harry looked down at the ring and slid it onto his middle finger on his left hand. Looking up, he saw that both Maddie and Hermione had placed them on the same finger as well. As soon as they were in place, the ring glowed slightly and Harry felt a tingle go down his arm.
He reached over and grabbed two packages, handing them over to Maddie and Hermione. For Sirius, he handed over a third package that was longer. They unwrapped to find a dagger (Maddie and Hermione) and a sword (Sirius).
Hermione's blade was thin yet sharp, coloured green and purple. As she tilted it, the blade seemed to shimmer and the colours moved. The handle was a smooth black wood that she didn't recognise and had veins of gold running through it. It was beautiful. As Hermione was admiring hers, Maddie pulled hers out. Hers was green, blue and black, and the wood was white with veins of red, blue and purple where they intersected. Sirius' sword was shaped similarly to theirs, but also had the crest of House Black on it in front of the crest of the Riders.
Maddie got up and wrapped Harry in a hug "It's beautiful! Oh, I'm looking forward to using this" Harry hugged her back, trying not to think too much about her last sentence. He let go as Hermione handed over her present. "It's not as much as yours is. This one I also got some help from people we know."
Harry unwrapped it to find a photo album. He opened it to find pictures of his parents and the Marauders, him, the golden Trio, the DA, the Riders of Hogwarts, him and Hermione in Australia and Shanghai, on Rider Island. Each photo had a small caption or story that had been written by different people. Some even had small glass circles which, when he touched them, started to play a memory that either corresponded to a photo or was just something that they wanted him to see that they didn't have photos for. He shut the book and hugged it to himself, trying not to cry.
He looked up at Hermione "Thank you." He got up and tackled her in a hug which she returned with as much gusto. They fell over when both Sirius and Maddie also tackled them with hugs.
That night
Harry was sat on the roof looking over London while reading through the photo album. The amount of detail that had been put into the album was immense, and Harry marvelled at how much effort and time had been put into his gift. Of course, his gifts had taken a lot of time to get right as well – finding the materials and crafting them the way he wanted was not exactly easy.
He got up and turned around only to freeze. Sat on a pipe in front of the door was a bird. It was larger than a crow yet looked like a crow, except drips of blood were flowing off of its feathers. Its eyes looked more human than crow and seemed to glow from within.
"Hi" Harry said as he moved his hand slowly behind him to grab his sword. He didn't pull it out because he didn't know if the bird was friend or foe.
The bird chuckled, sending a shiver down Harry's spine. The temperature of the roof seemed to drop several degrees as the bird moved. "You are an interesting person, Harry Potter. You have changed the timeline of this world irreversibly."
Harry didn't move "What are you?"
The bird turned its head towards him. Its neck made a squelching sound as more blood dripped. "I am the Guardian. Listen. You will have to make a choice soon, Harry Potter. Choose wisely, as the consequences of your choice will set this world on a course to which you cannot stop." It looked right in his eyes, and he watched as they turned blood red. "Though, knowing you Harry Potter, you've already made the choice."
It screeched and took off, fading away to nothing. Harry didn't move for a minute before he inched forward carefully. The bird, Guardian, thing had left nothing behind but drops of blood. Harry looked back out over London, which looked no different with snow covering everything. It was cold, peaceful and quiet.
He couldn't explain why, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't last.
