The owl arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room shortly after Harry, Ron and Hermione had returned from breakfast on Saturday morning. It fluttered around Harry until he reached out and took the letter it was holding, and then swooped out of the window that Ron had opened in order to let it inside. Harry opened the parchment and read it. It was from Draco, or rather it was from Blond Unicorn, Stinger and Esmerelda, and it requested the presence of Spaniel, Conan and Belle in the Room of Requirement in order to work on the horcrux conundrum that afternoon.
"Sure," Ron said. "But how are we going to respond? The owl's gone." Harry smiled and tapped his glasses. Ron frowned at him.
"The spell, Ron," Harry said. "You know we all stood in a big circle and you were there for moral support?"
"Right," Ron said. "Of course."
"Why didn't he just ask you that way to begin with?" Hermione wondered aloud. Harry shrugged and showed her the parchment.
"I think he wanted to write it out like he was inviting us to a secret mission." Hermione smiled when she saw the form Draco had created for his correspondence. It looked very official.
To: Special Agents Spaniel, Conan and Belle
From: Special Agents Blond Unicorn, Stinger and Esmerelda
Special Covert Operation Assignment
Assignment Description
Meet Agents Blond Unicorn, Stinger and Esmerelda in the Room of Requirement (RoR) at 1200 hours (12pm). As discussed yesterday, we will be working on figuring out the remaining horcruxes.
Field Notes:
Bring parchment and quills. Also your brains.
Field Notes 2:
Maybe bring some sandwiches? We can make it a working lunch
"Cool," Ron said. I want one of these." He snatched the parchment out of Harry's hands and read it again. "Blank, of course."
"Do you really?" Hermione asked. Ron nodded enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes at him and walked over to the nearest table. She pulled out a blank piece of parchment from her bag and tapped her wand first on Draco's form and then onto the blank piece of parchment. The form copied itself over and she handed the now blank template to Ron.
"Wicked," he said. "Thanks, 'Mione." Harry, meanwhile, used the communication spell to let Draco know that they would meet them in the Room of Requirement at noon.
"Well," Hermione said once that was settled. "I guess we had better work on our homework now then." Ron's face fell.
"Really? You think Dumbledore's going to enforce homework when we're working on horcruxes?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione said. "Because at the end of the day, our N.E.W.T.s are still coming up."
It took a lot of grumbling, but Ron did, finally, agree to do homework. He even let them go to the library.
…
"So Dumbledore thinks the horcruxes are things tied to the Hogwarts founders," Blaise said once they were all ensconced in the Room of Requirement that afternoon. The Room continued to outdo itself, this time providing them with six desks, comfortable chairs and a chalkboard. They had stopped by the kitchens on their way over and Dobby had provided them with sandwiches, crisps and flagons of pumpkin juice, all tucked into a picnic hamper. These had been distributed right when they arrived and now Harry was happily munching on a ham and cheese sandwich.
"Yes," Hermione said.
"What, so like the Room of Requirement itself?" Ron asked, remembering their conversation about the room from the other day.
"No," Harry said. "From what I could figure from how they are made, they would need to be portable." (Dumbledore had been very vague on the mechanics of creating a horcrux, but Harry was decently sure it involved murder.)
"Should we be writing this down?" Ron asked. He stood up and walked over to the blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk. Harry nodded at him and he wrote down portable on the board.
"And there are seven of them," Blaise added. Ron wrote the number seven on the board.
"Hang on," Hermione said. "Wouldn't there be six? Because he wanted his soul in seven pieces? Presumably one of them stays in his body?"
"That's a good point," Blaise said. Ron erased seven and wrote six. Then he erased that and put the numbers one through six down the board.
"The ones we already know are the diary," he said, writing diary next to the one. "The ring and the locket." He finished writing and stood back.
"The locket was Slytherin's," Pansy said. Ron noted that.
"The ring was a family heirloom, so that's not included in Hogwarts items. Same goes for the diary," Harry said. "Which leaves three mysteries." Ron wrote Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor in the remaining numbers and then sat down again.
"I brought Hogwarts, A History," Blaise said. He pulled it out of his bag and placed it on the table. Hermione laughed and placed her own copy on the table.
"Ah," Ron said. "Yes, I can see why you two get along so well." Hermione blushed and Pansy shoved him playfully on the arm.
"If anyone," she said. "Draco's our swot."
"What?" Draco cried.
"Oh, I believe it," Harry said. He was thinking about the diagrams that Draco had looked up from the restricted section books, but he wisely refrained from saying any more.
"So," Draco said pointedly. "What could the other items be?" Hermione pulled her copy of Hogwarts, A History towards herself and began to flick through it.
"I guess the sword of Gryffindor could be the Gryffindor horcrux?" Harry suggested. Hermione shook her head.
"It doesn't seem to be," she said without looking up. "Or I think you would have felt it when you pulled it out of the Sorting Hat."
"You don't think the Sorting Hat is one, do you?" Ron asked, sounding horrified. "You did say that Gryffindor was the one who contributed the hat to the school."
"No," Harry said firmly. "It also doesn't feel like a horcrux. Plus, I think if it were, Dumbledore would have figured it out already." There was a general murmuring of agreement.
"How about this?" Blaise said. He too was paging through his copy of Hogwarts, A History. He lay the book flat on the table and pointed to something on one of the pages. It was a picture of a golden chalice with a badger on it.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"Hufflepuff's Cup," Pansy said, leaning over the book and reading off the caption on the picture.
"Possibly," Harry said. "We can write it down as an idea." Ron got up and wrote Hufflepuff's Cup on the blackboard.
"Hang on," Draco said, pulling the book towards himself. "I've seen that cup before."
"What?" Hermione gasped. "Where?"
"My house."
"Seriously?" Harry asked. Draco nodded.
"I think, uh,You-Know-Who tasked my Aunt Bellatrix with protecting it." Harry became aware of a pounding in his ears.
"That makes me think it probably is a horcrux then," Hermione mused. "But what is it doing in your house?"
"Well, uh, she lives with us," Draco said.
"She lives with you?" Harry asked. His voice was a bit louder than he had intended, but the pounding in his ears was growing louder.
"Well, it's not like she has anywhere else to go," Draco mumbled. "And she is my mother's sister."
"Don't you think this is something that maybe you should have told me before?"
"Possibly," Draco said. He couldn't look Harry in the eye now and was instead staring at his lap.
"Do you think the cup is still there?" Hermione asked, breaking the tension. "At your house, I mean."
"Probably. It's not like she can put it anywhere else. The Manor is the safest place for the moment as I doubt she can just walk into Gringotts. You know, as she's an escaped Death Eater and all that." He shrugged. He wanted them to change the subject. More than anything, he wanted Harry to stop staring at him with so much intensity.
"You know," Blaise said. "It's almost Christmas."
"Blaise, it's like a month until Christmas," Pansy said. She leaned back in her chair, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
"Tomorrow is the first day of December," Blaise shot back. "We go home for the Christmas hols in just over three weeks."
"What are you getting at?" Draco asked, even though he thought he had an idea of what Blaise was working up to.
"You could go home for Christmas and inspect the cup," Blaise suggested.
"No," Harry said, surprising Draco. "Draco's not going home for the Christmas holidays. It's too dangerous." They all turned to stare at Harry. "What? He already told his mother he wasn't going home for Christmas. He said he had to stay and work on his project so that he wouldn't have to possibly run into any Death Eaters who would ask questions about it."
"Of course," Blaise said, clapping a hand to his forehead. "Your project. I didn't even think. I'm sorry. Of course you shouldn't go home. Harry's right. It is too dangerous." Draco chewed on his lower lip, thinking hard.
"Maybe," he said after a long moment of contemplation. "Maybe I could go home for just Christmas Day."
"How would that work?" Pansy asked.
"I'll owl my mother and ask if I could come just for Christmas dinner. I can Floo to the Manor from Hogsmeade." He nodded as the idea took hold in his mind. "Yes, I'll go home, just for the day, knick the cup and then Floo back to Hogsmeade."
"Don't you think that's a bit obvious?" Blaise asked. "Wouldn't they immediately know who stole the Cup?"
"Oh." It was clear that Draco hadn't thought about that that.
"I don't think it's a terrible idea," Hermione said. "But we need to refine it."
"Obviously," Pansy agreed.
"But I think it's our best shot at getting the Cup." And on that, they all agreed.
…
Professor Slughorn was waiting for the students when they arrived for their potion's class on Monday morning. He was an older man, rather rotund, with an enormous walrus-like mustache and pale eyes. He immediately honed in on Harry when he walked through the door.
"Harry Potter," he said, an odd gleam in his eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Horace Slughorn." He held out a pudgy hand which Harry reluctantly shook. Slughorn's eyes had barely left his scar since he walked in and it was starting to become unnerving.
"Nice to meet you too, sir," Harry said.
"Oho!" Slughorn cried, his eyes slipping past Harry. "Blaise Zabini." Harry turned and saw Blaise entering the room. He looked surprised to have been called out by name. "Hello, m'boy," Slughorn continued. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan of your mother's." Blaise nodded and immediately took a desk toward the back of the room. Harry sat down at his normal desk and was pleasantly surprised when Draco sat next to him.
"Today we will be adding the final rune to your Ehwaz potions. Professor Snape has brought me up to speed on all of your progress and I have to say, I was impressed at what I saw. Harry Potter's in particular is looking spectacular, but then, Harry, I would expect nothing less from Lily Evans's son." Harry fought to keep his face neutral. He was grateful when he felt Draco gently press their knees together.
"Professor Snape will be on hand today as we add the final rune. Then, as I'm sure you all know, the potions must stew for another few days before you get to sample a drop on Wednesday. Today's rune is gyfu and you will be making it out of a combination of ice, lavender and kitten's whiskers. Once you have finished crafting your rune, either Professor Snape or I will check it before you add it to your potion. Instruction are in the book. You may begin."
There was a general shuffling as everyone made their way to their potions rooms. Harry was somewhat sad as it was the second to last time they would be able to use it. The room had grown on him, partly because of the time he had spent with Draco there and partly because it was a quiet place that was just theirs. This kind of privacy was not something he typically had at school - or at the Dursley's for that matter. He voiced these thoughts about to Draco after the door had shut behind them ("Stand and fight you lily-livered cretins," Sir Cadges had yelled).
"Are you saying we should take advantage of this privacy by making out?" Draco asked, crossing the room to stand in front of Harry.
"No," Harry said, but he smiled at the same time, so Draco took it as a yes. He leaned in quickly and pressed his lips to Harry's. As Harry's lips parted, he reached up and put a hand on Harry's cheek. Harry took a step forward, closing the gap between them, and pressed himself against Draco. Yes, Harry thought, he wanted the privacy to do this.
But really, he wanted the freedom to kiss Draco at any time, not just behind closed doors. His heart ached with the longing for it. He wanted to show Draco off to the world, and say that Draco was his and he was Draco's.
He pulled away after a long moment, conscious of the fact that they needed to get their rune finished. Draco's lips were pink and his eyes were bright, but Harry ignored what he really wanted to do and pulled his potion's book out instead. Draco followed his lead.
"Spaniel," Draco said after staring at his book for a long moment. "I task you with getting our ingredients. Lavender and kitten's whiskers please. ASAP."
"Ten four, Blond Unicorn. On it," Harry said, smirking. He strode out of the room, pinching Draco's butt as he walked by.
…
"Did we want to draw out the rune first and then start the casting?" Hermione asked. "Or just go for it?" Blaise frowned down at the book.
"It's gyfu," he said slowly. "So it is at least an easier shape." She nodded. "I say we just go for it."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Or rather, not a plan?" She nudged him playfully on the shoulder, but smiled at him nonetheless. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"Do you think," she said as they laid the lavender sprigs out in the right formation. "That Professor Snape meant for us all to get along so well?"
"By 'so well' do you mean all of us dating each other?" Blaise asked.
"I meant friends, but I suppose that's true too."
"Probably. Though I get the feeling this was more Dumbledore's idea than Snape's. Not that he's an unfeeling person - just that he's probably more interested in our potions being brewed correctly rather than us getting along. I was talking to one of the seventh years and he said last year Snape hadn't gone across houses with his pairings."
Hermione made a noncommittal noise as she started working on adding the kitten whiskers. Blaise began to help from the other side of the rune and she looked up at him when their hands met in the middle.
"I'm glad it worked out though," he said, taking one of her hands in his.
"I am too."