'What are you doing here, by the Dark Lord's name?!' Severus hissed, eyeing the blonde girl in utter shock. Nordi was too stunned to even produce a word.

'I needed to get to the Headmaster's office.' The girl answered simply. 'So, I followed Professor Exile, and entered together with him.'

The two Death Eaters stared at her in disbelief with widely opened eyes.

'Alright, Miss… Lovegood, would you care to explain why did you need to get to my office?' Snape emphasized each word; Nordi was unsure whether his mentor was more enraged, more shocked or more clueless.

Luna tightened her lips, visibly reluctant to give an answer.

'She's clearly here on behalf of this… "Dumbledore's Army", sir.' Nordi spat the name of the organization like a swearword; he hated this name as much as he hated organization itself. 'Aren't you, Lovegood?'

Luna looked him in the eyes; it was obvious that she won't talk on her own will.

'Perhaps you can explain those Glamours of yours.' Nordi changed the topic. He was genuinely curious about them. Luna's Glamours were so strong and so perfectly performed, that if the girl hadn't made the mistake of moving, he wouldn't have been able to spot her.

'My Daddy is a Glamours Master' Luna explained. 'He's been teaching me how to Magically disguise myself since my youngest years. Therefore, I was assigned for this task…'

'What is this task of yours?' Snape asked. The girl didn't answer.

'Why did they send you here, Luna? What did they make you do? And why are you following them?!' Nordi raised his voice; he had more than enough of this unbelievably annoying "Dumbledore's Army".

'Too much questions, not enough answers, Exile.' Snape muttered through clenched teeth. Nordi noticed the Headmaster slowly putting his hand to his robes' pocket; the boy thought , that Snape intended to draw his wand and curse the girl. Instead, the Professor pulled out a small glass vial, and -within a split second- pulled Luna's head back by her hair and poured the vial's contents into her mouth.

'Exile, help me!' Snape yelled impatiently, holding tight the wriggling girl's head.

Nordi jumped forward to them and gripped the girl's throat, trying to be gentle enough not to leave it bruised. Luna swallowed the Potion.

'Veritaserum?' Nordi asked.

'Yes.' Snape answered and leaned forward to the girl, waiting for her to open her eyes.

'Can you hear me, Miss Lovegood?'

'Yes, I can.' Luna said silently; her eyes were blank. Veritaserum Potion was working.

'What is the assignment that you have received from your friends?'

'Godric Gryffindor's sword.' Luna answered in an absent, indifferent voice. 'I came to steal it.'

Snape's eyes widened.

'Headmaster! What is she talking about?'

'WHO commanded you to steal Gryffindor's sword?' Snape uttered.

Luna budged slightly.

'Nobody. No one commanded me.' She said plainly.

Snape looked at her impatiently.

'Alright, if so, who asked you to get this sword? Was it Neville Longbottom? Was it Ginevra Weasley? Anyone from the so-called "Dumbledore's Army?"

'Neville gave me the assignment to sneak in hear and steal it. However, he is not the one who needs the sword.'

Snape looked the girl in the eyes.

'Who needs the sword, Miss Lovegood?'

Luna's eyes had no expression.

'Harry Potter.'

Snape gasped; Nordi felt more and more confused. Harry Potter had been involved in the events on the Astronomy Tower last summer, and he didn't come back to Hogwarts afterwards.
After the Dark Lord had taken over the Ministry of Magic, Potter became an "Undesirable Person", as an iconic "hero" who repeatedly stood up to the Dark Lord. Potter was probably currently in some kind of hideout; why could he possibly need a sword? And how did Luna and Longbottom intended to pass it on to him, if nobody knew of his wherabouts?

'Sir, did the old coot use to keep this sword here? I remember a sword in a gablot from last year, but obviously the office is now arranged differently…'

'Exile, this sword… The old coot kept it here, yes, and his wish was for Harry Potter to inherit it...'

'That would confirm Luna's words, but why did the old coot want this guy to have it?'

Just like any other Hogwarts student, Nordi noticed Harry Potter's affiliation towards Dumbledore. They used to spend together quite a lot of time (causing many tastless jokes to circulate among the students) . Some people, including Nordi and Snape, realized that what the old coot did, was nothing but grooming the boy, in order to bend him to his will and use him for his own benefits later on. Of course, Harry Potter remained ignorant about this fact until the very end. He saw Dumbledore as his beloved authority figure- what he has showed very clearly after the events from the Astronomy Tower. It would't have been by any means surprising if the old coot had left some of his stuff for the boy to inherit. Nordi wouldn't even be surprised if Dumbledore had left Potter everything he had owned. After all, as far as Exile knew, Dumbledore had no wife, no heir and no close family, and judging by his twisted personality, he didn't have many friends either.

However, why this damn sword of all things? What was so special about it?

'Listen, Exile, because this might be very important. I didn't realize anything earlier like I should have. I wasn't able to connect the dots.'

Snape took a deep breath.

'The old coot made, as you say nowadays, a huge fuss about this sword. He genuinely wanted Potter to inherit it, as far as I understood, Dumbledore wanted either Potter or himself to own it, not anyone else. However, later on I have noticed a twin sword appearing in the office; a credible replica. The old coot prepared it in case of people from the Ministry coming with intention to take the sword- as an ancient, valuable Artifact. The original sword is hidden in a space behind a portrait; and as for the copy… I have burned it down with Fiendfyre together with tons of other useless stuff the old coot kept here.'

Nordi gasped.

'I see the old coot has gone through a lot for a piece of metal. But do you know why did he want either Potter or himself to have the sword? I know that Potter used to be his protégé, but even though, his fixation on this seems unbelievable.'

'That is the most important part, Exile. Do you remember the ring you have taken from Dumbledore here last year?'

'The Dark Lord's ring? Of course, I do.'

'And Rawenclav's diadem you've found later on?'

'Yes.'

'I think that this sword is somehow affiliated to those objects.'

Nordi's eyes widened.

'Do you think that the sword might be a Horcrux?'

'I do not think that, but we can prove it here and now. You can recognize a Horcrux, can't you?'

'Yes, I can. I can feel them as clearly as I feel a fellow Dark Wizard.'

Snape stood up and came by to the wall when the Founders' portraits were hanging. Trying not to wake its resident up, Snape pulled slightly the frame of Salazar Slytherin's portrait. The painting budged and moved to the side, revealing a small storage area. Snape reached his hand inside it, and pulled out the sword. Nordi smiled at the irony: Severus has hidden Gryffindor's sword behind Slytherin's portrait.

The headmaster handed the sword to Nordi. It was a finest piece of Goblins' forge work; its blade was heavy and sharp, and its golden handle contained shiny ruby gems.

However, magic-wise, Nordi felt nothing within it. It's owner's traces of Magical Aura were long gone, and-unlike a Horcrux- it definetly didn't hold a Dark Wizard's signature within.

'It's not one of the Horcruxes, sir.' Nordi declared.

Snape gasped.

'I assumed so. I believe that this sword has a power to destroy a Horcrux.'

They sat in silence for about a minute. Luna swayed on her chair, looking at the ceiling.

'And…Sir, the old coot wanted Potter to have, because…?'

'I have connected the dots only now, Exile. He gave Potter the assignment to destroy Horcruxes.'

Nordi felt his blood running cold. WHAT did the old coot do?!

'Luna!' Exile yelled at the girl. 'What do you know about the Horcruxes?'

'Nothing, Professor Exile.'

Nordi looked at Snape in confusion.

'She tells the truth. Veritaserum works for at least an hour.' Severus declared.

'Then we must ask about the most suspicious and curious thing.' The young Death Eater turned to Luna again. 'How did you guys know that Potter is in a need of this sword, and how did you guys plan to pass it on to him?'

As an answer, Luna pulled a small object out of her pajama's pocket. Nordi's eyes widened; he had an idea about what that was. He jumped forward to the blonde girl and ripped it out of her hand.

'Two-way mirror!' he yelled with satisfaction. Snape stood up to take a closer look.

Nordi looked in the small mirror and… dropped it on the floor with a scream. Through the mirror, a pair of twinkling, light blue, loathsome eyes were looking at him. He couldn't have mistaken those eyes with anyone else's.

'Who did you see?!' Snape yelled.

'The old coot!' Nordi hissed, still in shock.

'How is that possible?' Snape muttered, but soon his eyes twinkled with understand. 'He enchanted this mirror… it works the same way as a Magical portrait does.'

Nordi looked at the blonde girl.

'I'm sorry, Luna, I know this mirror belongs to you, but I have to destroy it. FIENDFYRE!' he yelled, pointing at the small item.

Fortunately, the Cursed Flames were enough to melt the mirror into a shapeless pap.

'Luna' Nordi said, sweating from the wave of emotions. 'Did the old coot… I mean ,Professor Dumbledore… disclose, to you guys, his "Army"… Harry Potter's current location, so you can bring the sword to him?'

'Yes, he did.' Luna answered.

Nordi's eyes widened. He could feel drops of sweat from his forehead running down his face. He jumped forward to the girl and grabbed her by the hand.

'Take me to him!' he ordered. 'Side-along apparate me! Now!'

Luna didn't even budge, Nordi frowned.

'Veritaserum Potion won't make her obey you, Exile.' Snape noticed. 'It only makes her tell the truth.'

'Oh, that's right… IMPERIO!' Nordi yelled, taking charge of the girl's mind.

Take me to Harry Potter, take me to Harry Potter, take me to Harry Potter…

He could feel the girl slightly fighting the curse, but he made it to strong to resist. He could feel Luna's fingers squeezing tightly on his hand, and felt a familiar jerk of Apparition.

The Apparition went the same way, as during the Raid on Auror Bone's house the previous year, when Bella side-along apparated him to the estate.
Nordi could feel his body bouncing off from a hard surface, and landed painfully on the ground, side-by-side Luna.

They found themselves in a forrest. Judging by the kinds of trees and unfamiliar surroundings, it was not the Forbidden Forrest. This one consisted mostly of deciduous trees. The air smelled of resin.

'Luna!' Nordi snarled, feeling more and more confused. 'Where the fuck are we?'

'Forrest of Dean, Gloucestershire.' Luna recited.

Nordi sighed and looked at the protective hemisphere they've just bounced off.

'Wards! Unbelievable! ' He snarled impatiently, knowing what that meant: he is going to have to spill quite a lot of his own blood tonight.
'By the Dark Lord's name… Repelling ones and disguising Glamours …' he muttered to himself. 'How was Potter able to put up these…? Or maybe he's in a company of more skilled friends? Luna?'

He turned back to the girl; Luna broke herself free from the Imperius Curse during his distraction, and it seemed like Veritaserum has worn off too.

'Incancerous!' he uttered immediately, tying the girl's hands and feet up. 'I'm sorry, Luna, but you're kind of a drag at the moment. I have to focus…'

Luna watched with her huge eyes, as Nordi sliced his wrist with a Cutting Curse and started encircling the warded space, leaving the bloody trail behind him.

He walked around the protective hemisphere, squeezing his bleeding wrist and focusing on leaving an equal trail, when Luna spoke:

'You are… quite dedicated about all of this, aren't you?'

Nordi budged at her words, not stopping his work. He decided that it was a good opportunity to examine the mysterious girl; he actually felt bad for Luna. She was clearly manipulated into being part of the "Dumbledore's Army." Although, unlike Neville, she didn't seem like a victim of the old coot's child grooming, she seemed like a victim of an ordinary peer pressure. She was an example of a person who had no motivation or reason to partake in the fight, but was forced to get involved by their selfish colleagues.

'Yeah, that's my Cause, but I was actually wondering about you. ' the boy answered. 'Why do you cling to that people? You know you have a choice, don't you? You are an individual person, not "Dumbledore's Army's" pawn.'

'Neville and Ginny are my friends' Luna answered plainly. 'So is Harry, and the others. They are my first friends I've ever had.'

Nordi focused on his blood-covered hand. He was unsure how to answer; he felt even more sorry for this girl.

'You know you can have nice friends on my side, too, right? You're a valuable young Witch, don't sentence yourself for a life by their kind's side.'

'Professor Exile.' Luna said seriously. 'I'm afraid I don't trade friends.'

Nordi decided that he must postpone this conversation for some other time, because he was done with encircling the warded space with blood.

'Expleo, expleo, expleo, expleo, expleo, repeat five times, liquesco.' He muttered upon the circle. The bloody trace started glowing red, shooting some light on the dark surface of the forrest. The repelling ward disappeared.

'I'm going inside the Glamour' he informed Luna. 'Stay here and wait for me.'

'I'm tied up, Professor.' Luna noticed.

Nordi crossed the disguising ward and all he saw was a small tent; looking like one for a single person. He smiled to himself, and jumped forward, stepping inside.

'WAKEY, WAKEY, POTTER! ENERVARTE!' he yelled, mimicking Bella's usual style.

However, he froze on the spot, seeing the tent's interior: it actually wasn't even a tent. It was a small flat, with a three-beds bedroom and a tiny kitchen.

And apart Harry Potter, there were two more people inside: the Weasley boy Nordi had once a fight with, and a Mudblood bushy-haired girl. The three of them, waken up from deep sleep, stared at Exile with disbelief.

'By the Dark Lord, what of a campsite did you three make here?' Nordi asked, confused. 'What the fuck are you up to? You're not exploring the Dean Forrest, I suppose?'

Not surprisingly, the three wands of Potter and his friends were immediately aimed at the Death Eater. Nordi conjured a powerful shield, repelling a laundry list of hexes and curses aimed at him.

Nordi had no time to play with them; if those three were in possession of a Horcrux, he had to find it immediately and take it off their hands.

He rose his left hand up, stretching his fingers out, and yelled 'DEPULSO!' ,sending the three teenagers flying into three different directions. He made sure the spell was powerful enough to eliminate all of them of action for at least thirty seconds.

He calmed his breath down and focused on the Magical Aura in the room. Potter, Weasley and the girl all radiated a not very strong, still under-developed, but one-sidedly Light Aura. Nevertheless, he could feel the familiar Dark stain, and a Dark Magical signature, from the Weasley boy's side.

Before Potter or the Mudblood had a chance to react, he jumped forward to the ginger and lunged at him, tearing apart his Muggle sweater- much to the boy's utter shock.

'Show me what you hide there, Blood Traitor…' he muttered more to himself than to Weasley.

'HA!' he yelled in satisfaction, tearing a small locket off the ginger boy's neck. He couldn't be mistaken: that was the object that radiated the Dark Aura.

He let go of Weasley and jumped back, lifting the locket high for the trio to see.

'Care to explain me why the fuck are you guys toying with something that clearly doesn't belong to you?' he snarled, and conjured his shields again under another flood of hexes.

'Before I leave! ' he yelled, to make his voice through the whoosh of flying spells. 'The petty mirror of yours won't work anymore, so don't even bother using it! Also, don't bother to try contacting Luna, Longbottom, or any other Hogwarts student, because they won't be helping you!'

Still shielding himself, he jumped off from the tent and ran through the Glamour wards, straight to tied-up Luna. He heard hexes flying next to his ears, when he lifted his shield to grab the girl by the hand and side-apparate her back to Snape's office.