Chapter 13
AN: Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed, or reviewed π
N1ghtdr34m3r: Sirius adjusted the Wards on Grimmauld Place so that the Order can get in and out without him needing to be there β it's back in Chapter 6 if you missed it. Bill is part of the Order, so the altered Wards will admit him.
Bill looked at the ornate locket he held in his dragonhide-gloved hands, vile tainted magic emanating from it. This was definitely what he was searching for.
Grimmauld Place was never truly empty, with his parents and Remus now living there full time and other Order members coming and going for meetings, so Bill had waited for one of the quiet periods before beginning his search. It would be much faster if he didn't have to explain what he was doing and why. Casting the spell the Unspeakable had given him near the first-floor drawing room where he last remembered briefly sensing that vile magic, he had followed the pull of his wand, hoping the thing was still in the house; that drawing room had been one of the rooms cleaned out during his mother's summer cleaning frenzy and she had persuaded (read: nagged) Sirius to throw a lot of stuff away.
The spell led him down into the kitchen, to the little cupboard where Kreacher slept. Bill had put on the dragonhide gloves and pulled out a bag of the same material before opening the cupboard. Normally he wouldn't have disturbed another being's sleeping place without their permission, but he needed to get this thing out of the house as soon as he could.
Bill was about to put the locket in the dragonhide bag when there was a 'pop' behind him.
"What is the blood traitor brat doing with Master Regulus' locket?!" Kreacher demanded angrily.
Bill placed the locket in the bag and turned to face the upset elf. "I am sorry for disturbing your sleeping place Kreacher, and for removing something from it without asking first. This locket is filled with incredibly Dark magic similar to an item found in Gringotts today. This magic is so dangerous that the goblins allowed Unspeakables into another Family's vault in order to destroy it."
Kreacher seemed to calm down a little as Bill explained. "You bes sending Master Regulus' locket to be destroyed too?" Strangely, this thought didn't seem to upset the elf.
Bill nodded, "I'm going to send it to the Unspeakables, who will destroy the item safely. This is the only item I have removed from this cupboard; the rest are still in there."
Kreacher nodded, "Kreacher will allow the blood traitor brat to fulfil Master Regulus' last wish."
Bill didn't know who Regulus was or why destroying the locket would be his last wish, but if Kreacher was agreeable to having the thing destroyed without Sirius having ordered it then Bill wasn't going to look a gift unicorn in the mouth. "Thank you Kreacher. I'll send a note with this asking to be notified once the locket has been destroyed. I'll let you know when I get a reply."
Kreacher ignored him and shuffled out of the kitchen. Bill sealed the bag and wrapped it up securely before heading back up the stairs. He would send the package using a Gringotts owl to ensure a quick, secure, and discreet delivery. The sooner this thing was destroyed, the better.
Ivy faced the enlarged communication mirror in her workroom, seated comfortably in a chair she had appropriated from one of the rarely used guest rooms (with Kaiser's permission of course β she wasn't Dumb and didn't want the Head of Housekeeping mad at her). In her last letter to her friends at Hogwarts she had told them that she would be waiting for them to call at 7pm British time. It was easier to have them call her, at least for the first time. Once they had a schedule down then she could initiate the calls.
Right on time, the mirror surface began to ripple. Ivy walked over to the mirror and pressed the acceptance rune. The mirror surface cleared, and her friends appeared.
"Hi guys!" Ivy greeted, grinning happily. It had been so long since she had seen her friends. They looked a little strained β Hermione especially β but they weren't sick or injured. Neville, Luna, and Hermione all returned her smile, Luna waving enthusiastically.
"Hi Ivy! It's good to see you again," Hermione replied.
"How've you been?" Neville asked. Ivy sat back in her seat.
"Better than ever before," she replied.
"Getting away from the Schnilluppers has done you good," Luna said. Schnilluppers was how the Ravenclaw referred to the Dursleys; Ivy suspected it was Lovegood code for something rather rude and not repeatable in company, like how Luna referred to Cho Chang and her little gang as Nargles.
"You look a lot better," Hermione agreed. Between the regular meals (made according to Luss' meal plan), healthy exercise, and her hospital stay, Ivy looked considerably healthier than she had when she arrived at the Varia just three months prior.
"I feel a lot better. I've been able to get a few issues sorted out, like getting some glasses that actually fit my eyes and a proper health check," Ivy replied. "How have you guys been?"
The other three shared a look before Neville answered, "Stressed. Umbridge fired Trelawney this morning and tried to kick her out of the castle just before dinner. Dumbledore stepped in and let Trelawney stay, but Umbridge's powers as High Inquisitor mean he can't re-hire her. From the looks Umbridge was giving him, I think the next Educational Decree will be one extending the powers of the High Inquisitor so he can't overrule her again."
"There's a lot of rumours that either Hagrid or Binns will be next, though a few people think Snape will be put on probation. Personally, I think Hagrid will be her next target, when he gets back from wherever he is; Umbridge hates anyone with non-human heritage and, much as I like him, he's not a brilliant teacher," Hermione added. Ivy opened her mouth do defend her large friend, causing Hermione to give her a Look. "Blast Ended Skrewts."
Ah. Those. "You may have a point," Ivy conceded. Hagrid didn't always remember that the students were not quite a durable as he is, as the Skrewts proved. "Anyway, back on topic; setting up this Defence Club. Mione mentioned communication and security measures?"
Hermione nodded, "I've made false Galleons, enchanted with a Protean Charm. The serial number on the side of the master coin can be changed to the time and date of the next meeting and the charm will change the other coins to match. I'll send it back with Hedwig once she's had a rest."
Ivy nodded approvingly, "Much more discreet than passing notes. Security measures?"
"We've found what we think used to be a duelling classroom in one of the less used areas of the castle, up on the sixth floor; all the equipment is still in there, like practise dummies and targets on the walls. That seems to be the best place to hold it, once we've set up security around there. Hermione already has ideas for that," Neville said.
Hermione then took over again. "I've already got a basic Ward scheme drawn out to redirect anyone in that area who hasn't signed the secrecy contract, and I've enlisted the Twins to help set up other measures. They're part of the club and have already signed the contract."
"How exactly are you enforcing secrecy?" Ivy asked.
"The contract is jinxed so if a member betrays the existence of the club, they'll get boils across their forehead spelling out 'SNEAK'," Hermione said.
"Not good enough," Ivy stated. It really wasn't. "The jinx is a reactive measure; it doesn't actually enforce secrecy, just punishes the person who told. It doesn't change the fact that they betrayed the group and potentially got everyone in deep trouble."
"What do you suggest then?" Hermione asked, sounding a bit annoyed that Ivy had said her measures weren't enough.
"The best way to keep a secret is to make sure nobody can tell. Alter the jinx to one that makes the traitor talk and write gibberish if they try to reveal the existence of the club, or something similar. Your idea is a good one Mione, you just need to be more proactive in enforcing secrecy," Ivy said.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully, "You have a point. I'll see about altering the jinx to be more proactive."
Ivy nodded, "Next question; when would be best for meetings? My schedule is very flexible, so I can work around you guys. I can't do weekends though; I have lessons."
"If we hold it when the Slytherin Quidditch team are practising then we won't have to worry about scheduling around the other teams. It also reduces the chances of someone being followed by a nosy Slytherin," Luna suggested.
"Holding the meetings when the Slytherins are busy would be a good idea," Hermione agreed.
"We'll do that then. Try and find out when the Slytherin's have the Quidditch pitch booked and send a note with Hedwig; I'll set the date for the first meeting when she gets here," Ivy said. Her friends nodded in agreement.
"Now that's settled, tell us more about what you've been up to. I'm sure there's a lot you missed out in your letters," Luna practically demanded. Ivy smiled and got comfortable. It was good to be able to talk properly with her friends again.
Saul Croaker closed the report on his desk and sighed. He desperately wanted a drink.
"How goes the hunt?" Unspeakable Rossi asked as he entered the office. The Horcrux hunt was a joint project between the Italian and British Unspeakables, with Rossi and Saul coordinating between them.
"We've found and destroyed another one of the blasted things; a locket that I have been told belonged to Salazar Slytherin, sent to us by one of the Curse-breakers who assisted us at Gringotts," Saul said tiredly, tapping the report in front of him. "The one we destroyed at the bank was apparently Helga Hufflepuff's fabled Cup. Two Founders artefacts of great historical value desecrated and destroyed. Quite a few people are very unhappy about that." Like his superiors.
"At least there's only two left to destroy before Voldemort is mortal again," Rossi said sympathetically. "Which one are you going for next?"
"The one in Hogwarts. It's far too dangerous to leave it where an unsuspecting student might pick it up, especially if there are Curses on it like there were on the ring. The other one is in the same location as the main soul, so we're saving that one for last," Saul replied. They would have to get the Aurors involved with the last one β which meant they were going to have to wait for Fudge to get his head out of his arse or Voldemort to reveal himself; the second option was infinitely more likely β but it and the main soul would be a two-for-one special. Unless Voldemort moved the Horcrux to another location where the Unspeakables could get at it, in which case they would move in and destroy it.
There was another report on his desk about a potential complication with the plan to destroy the final Horcrux; a prophecy related to the Dark Lord and Ivy-Rose Potter. Prophecy was not Saul's area of expertise, but he did know that prophecies only came into effect if one of the named parties believed in it and once started would come to pass regardless of outside interference. As far as he knew, Miss Potter was unaware of the prophecy, though there was a chance Voldemort knew about it from Rookwood. The traitor hadn't been very highly placed but, as his trial had shown, he had something of a talent for getting hold of information he shouldn't have been able to access. Saul would need to keep the prophecy in mind and plan accordingly when deciding how and when to deal with the final Horcrux, but that was a headache for another day.
"When do you plan on going?" Rossi asked, dragging Saul back out of his thoughts.
"Sooner rather than later. It's too risky to leave it there too long; the fact it hasn't been found yet doesn't mean it will stay hidden forever. There is an argument for leaving it until the Christmas holidays, when there will be fewer students around and it will be easier to search the castle, but that's still a few weeks away," Saul said.
"You could search while the children are in classes. If they're in class then they're not wandering around the castle and potentially stumbling across Horcruxes," Rossi pointed out.
"Hmm, good point," Saul said, leaning back in his chair. "I'll get a team together for Monday then. Probably better if we go in unannounced; both Umbridge and Dumbledore have a known habit of meddling."
"A couple of my people have asked if they can join you in destroying this Horcrux. They want to examine the shard stored in it, and they have a potential method of destroying the things they want to try," Rossi requested. The Unspeakables may be trying to destroy these things, but they were primarily researchers. Horcruxes were rare and the chance to study them before destruction was something few researchers would pass up, if only so the next generation would have more information available should they face the same problem in the future.
"I don't see a problem with that, so long as the examination doesn't take too long. I intend to be in and out of Hogwarts before lunch," Saul replied. Rossi nodded and left.
Saul moved the files to one side and reached for parchment and ink. He would need to let his superiors know about the trip to Hogwarts, if only so they would ignore the inevitable complaints from Dumbledore about a group of Unspeakables turning up unannounced.
