Part 6
The Letter
Hermione emerged from the bath that had been filled for and took her time getting dried. Clothes had been provided for her and though she was loathed to even put on the Grey Cloak that was provided for her, she couldn't help noticing the triangular symbol on the back of it.
"Well, you're not the Deathly Hallows," She said, snatching up the cloak to inspect the symbol some more. The Deathly Hallows she knew to be Grindelwald's mark, something that Neville had told her about when he was researching Grindelwald's past.
Although it was similar to the Deathly Hallows, a mark that was a triangle, with one line down the middle and a circle that was inside the triangle. This symbol had one slight difference. The circle and line were removed to be replaced by an 'A' that had a single eye between the inner triangle of the letter. There was enough conspiracy in the muggle world behind such a symbol, only this had a wand and a sword sitting beneath the legs of the A.
Feeling a slight chill in the air, Hermione dressed and slipped the cloak on, pulling the hood on. She turned towards the mirror to see herself, noticing the wet and tangled nature of her hair. She knew it was a silly thing to be frustrated by. And if Harry or Draco had been here, they would have made fun of her for it or perhaps been shocked by what she had done next.
There was a pair of golden scissors on the shelf above the mirror and next to it a brush. Hermione took both and started to work out the tangles, then proceeded to cut her hair, styling it down slowly into a short, almost boyish cut. When it was over, she looked down at the pile of hair in the sink and began to cry.
"Hermione Granger, there is no need for crying,"
In all the world if there was a voice she had never expected to here, it was a voice that matched well with the big green eyed, floppy eared and big nosed sight before. Wiping her tears away, Hermione sniffed, cleared her throat and whispered, "Dobby?"
"In the flesh, Hermione Granger, it is so good to see you alive and well!" Dobby thrilled, keeping his voice low as he rushed forward to hug her.
Hermione fell to her knees and hugged the little elf, holding him tightly to her chest.
"Dobby, oh Dobby, how on earth did you find me?" She asked in a hushed voice, "Can you get me out of here?"
"Sadly not," Dobby sighed, taking a step back and cursing beneath his breath, "Powerful enchants there are on this place, even too much for Dobby but this is wonderful news. Mistress Lily asked me to try and find you, to talk to the house elves and it was Penny, miss. Penny is the house elf of this house. She heard that I was looking for a girl and came to find me, she risked life and limb to get me here,"
"Do you know where here is?" She asked in hope.
"No miss, not even Penny knows where this house is," Dobby sighed. Hermione quickly started to lose that hope, but she wasn't done yet.
"Can you get a message to Harry?"
"It would several days to get to Master Harry, but Miss Lily is not far away, I was able to travel here in just a few hours," He told her.
"Alright, Lily it is," Hermione smiled, wiping her eyes, "Oh, it's so good to see you,"
"Is good to see you to, Miss," Dobby beamed, looking around quickly, "There are people coming, Miss must hurry, give Dobby your message."
"Grindelwald is on the move, he's planning on going after Peter Pettigrew,"
"The traitor!" Dobby fumed.
"He may have information on Voldemort, the Order needs to get to him before Grindelwald does."
"Very well Miss, I will let them know you are safe, you are safe aren't you?"
"I think so," She told him, "They need me for something, but I don't know what."
"Miss Hermione must be brave. So many are looking for her, so many miss her but none more than Master Harry. He talks of you often in his letters, he feels as though a part of him is missing,"
"I know how he feels." She beamed, feeling a different kind of tear fall from her eye.
"Alright, Granger. You've been in their long enough!" A loud male voice shouted from the other side while he banged on the door.
"Go Dobby, tell them to find Peter, he might be the key to stopping Voldemort coming back,"
"Keep safe Miss Hermione, Dobby will return again,"
Then, with a snap of his fingers, Dobby crackled and popped out of existence leaving Hermione alone to face whatever was coming her way next.
O
"What do you mean you've got a date?!"
"I mean, Angela has asked me to go to the town with her and I've said yes!"
"Hermione is still missing, and you've got a date?!"
"I didn't think it would be that easy to find the Chamber, now did I?!"
"Enough!"
Harry had finally had enough of Draco and Neville fighting, something they had been doing ever since Neville told them that he wouldn't be going with them to see Erica tonight. Harry explained the reason behind the detention that Erica had given Harry and even still, Neville wasn't willing to join them. Harry was beginning to wonder if he was asking too much of Draco and Neville. The last month had been all about trying to find Hermione. Harry had put every inch of his being into it and had dragged them both along for the ride.
"Neville," Harry said, giving him a soft sigh and a warm smile, "Go on your date. With Erica there, I doubt we're going to end up in any danger and honestly mate, you deserve a night out,"
"Thank you," Replied Neville, ignoring Draco's glare. He picked up his jacket and his wand, tucked the wand away and patted Harry on the arm, "Tell me everything when you get back,"
"The whole story with exaggerated battles and monsters," Harry promised him, "Have fun mate,"
"You to," Neville smiled, "Thanks Harry, you're really my best friend,"
"Well, there's never been any competition," Harry grinned. When Neville left the room and headed out to get Angela, Harry looked at Draco.
"Git," Draco huffed, "He knows how important this might be. This is no time for frivolous dating and wasting our time on people we'll never see again,"
"Says the one hiding the bite marks on his neck," Harry smirked, watching Draco go red in the face, "How was the interrogation of Cedric Diggory and why did it last for 3 hours?"
"Erm," Draco muttered. Harry could see him scrambling to make up a story and with a pleasant smile, Harry listened to it, "We got really into the conversation, He knows a great deal about Death Eaters, more so than anyone I ever met and honestly, He doesn't…"
"He didn't know a thing," Said Harry, holding back a chuckle, "Did he?"
"No. He's intelligent, gorgeous, an amazing kisser but when it comes to Death Eaters and their activities, he's a gormless fool," Draco gushed, smiling softly, "And very charming,"
"You two didn't…you know?" Harry asked, fearful of the answer.
"I'm fourteen!" Gasped Draco, "He's older but he's not a creep, he would never…"
"I wasn't talking about sex," Harry grinned, "but it's good to know where your head is at with that stuff,"
"Oh yeah, like I don't hear you and Hermione giggling away at night, what's that all about?"
"She's very ticklish,"
"Yeah I bet,"
"Is Cedric ticklish?"
"None of your business!"
O
Hermione was escorted from the bathroom and led down a long corridor. Every so often they would pass a window and she would try to catch a glimpse between the curtains, hoping to see some clue of where they were. She was silently hoping that it wouldn't take Dobby long to reach Lily. She wanted the Order to know that Grindelwald was on the move, she wanted them to find him and make him pay. She wanted them to find him before Harry came for her.
"In here, Granger," The Grey Cloak who was leading the way, said. He indicated a door which he opened himself and waved Hermione in.
Stepping through the door, Hermione looked around the wide-open drawing room. The furniture had been removed and a roaring fire was coming from the ornately designed fireplace. In the middle of the room a group of Grey Cloaks stood, huddled around Kendra who was standing over a body with a vindictive look in her eyes.
"Hermione, A new style?" Kendra said in a kind voice, looking at what Hermione had done to her hair. She raised her boot and kicked the body. When it rolled over, Hermione gasped and saw the beaten, bruised and tortured face of Yaxley, "You remember our dear friend Corban, don't you?"
"Miss…Granger…" Yaxley said in greeting, his voice weak, and his smile even weaker, "Good…to…see…you…"
"What are you doing to him?!" Hermione demanded, stepping forward as if to help Yaxley. This made the Grey Cloaks move towards her, all of them barring her approach.
"Oh, were just having a little chat, Death Eater to Grey Cloak," Kendra answered. She walked around the crowd of Grey Cloaks, nudging them aside so that Hermione could see Yaxley's face, "Corban and I are great old friends. He was a little older than me at school, but he taught me a lot about how unfair life can be, isn't that right, Corban?"
"No…lesson…ever…given…without…reason...Kendra," Yaxley said, groaning in pain as he clutched his side.
"He did like his little jokes," Kendra smiled. When she raised her wand, Hermione's eyes widened and she tried to rush forward, "CRUCIO!"
Hermione's arms were held back as she was forced to watch Yaxley cry out in pain. Kendra laughed as she forced the spell to cause more damage, making the poor man writhe, wriggle and wail with agony, banging his fists and feet against the floor.
"STOP IT!" Hermione screamed, "STOP IT NOW!"
"And that…" Kendra sighed, ending her spell and casting her crazed gaze upon Hermione, "is exactly why I told Grindelwald that you would not be suited for our family."
"Why, because I'm not a monster?!"
"This man!..." Snapped Kendra, walking forward and using her free hand to grab Hermione by the arm and drag her across the room towards Yaxley, who was just barely breathing now, "Has murdered countless muggle-borns like yourself, countless muggles, like your parents, he's ruined lives, destroyed homes, his hatred and cruelty have hurt so many and now, right now he is going to be responsible for the return of the greatest calamity our world has ever known!"
"And you think lowering yourself to his level makes you any better?!" Hermione shouted, pulling her arm away from Kendra.
"It will ease the never-ending pain we all suffer because of what he and his misguided fools have done to us, to all of us!" Kendra raised her hand in the air and the other Grey Cloaks all cheered. When she smirked, she leaned forward and whispered, "How badly do you want to hurt me?"
"Give me a wand and I'll show you," Hermione growled, balling up her fists wishing she could hit Kendra.
"No," Kendra smirked, "I won't allow you to try and save this fool from the only fate that he deserves!"
"Leave him alone!" Hermione shouted, throwing herself at Kendra, only for Kendra to wave her wand and send Hermione flying across the ballroom floor.
"Hermione, you and your Harry are going to have learn to control that temper!" Kendra called out, laughing as she approached Yaxley. She towered over him and stared down at the Death Eater with disgust, "Any last words?" She asked him.
"He…will…return…" Yaxley choked, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Don't!" Hermione shouted, getting to her feet and running at the crowd of Grey Cloaks.
"He will die when he does," Kendra whispered, pointing her wand directly at Yaxley's face.
"Kendra, stop!"
The Grey Cloaks grabbed hold of Hermione. They dragged her forward and made her kneel, holding her in place so she couldn't look away. Kendra glanced at her with a smile of satisfaction on her face. Hermione looked down at Yaxley and he met her eye.
"I'm sorry," She whispered, knowing there was nothing she could do.
Yaxley choked, coughed and reached out towards Hermione, "Don't…let…them…win"
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
When the green light touched Yaxley's face he was still smiling at her. And, when the Grey Cloaks were ordered to drag Hermione back to her room, she spent the rest of her night, seeing Yaxley's last moments repeated in her head.
O
Getting out of Ilvermorny when you had detention was the easiest thing in the world. The rumour of Harry's failure to behave in Transfiguration had spread throughout the entire school and some of the students had even been there to smirk and chuckle quietly as Draco and Harry both left the school grounds and headed to the east gate.
"Erica better tell Dumbledore that it was part of the plan to put you in detention for this," Draco grumbled. He was once again the one who least enjoyed the sneering attention of the Ilvermorny students who wanted them to fail, "It's like being surrounded by a bunch of Slytherins."
"I can see the bite marks on your neck still," Harry told him, unphased by the laughing he could hear in the distance, "Why does it bother you so much? It's not like we're going to spend the rest of our lives in this school,"
"It bothers me because I miss being popular!"
Harry couldn't help but laugh. If anyone had relished the joy of being Draco Malfoy more, it was Draco Malfoy himself. It was all those years ago on a train when Harry met him, that Draco feared he would be nothing but an outcast. He feared those who knew his past, feared that he would be treated differently for his last name and yet somehow, he managed to become one of the most loved students Hogwarts had ever seen. With that in mind, Harry felt that being disliked a little bit would do Draco the world of good.
It was a short walk to the east gate where they would find Professor Mendez, instead of Erica waiting for them. She smiled as they approached, and Harry couldn't resist it when she held her arms open towards them both. Draco had been slightly reluctant to hug but took great joy in watching Harry hugging her.
"Well, ready for detention?" She asked them, turning to walk through the gate.
"Sure, if you tell me what you are putting me in detention for," Draco said, giving her a sour look.
"Making out with a senior student in the dungeons," Erica told him. Draco's face turned bright red and Harry's grin was so wide it almost hurt, "Cedric though, not even I suspected he was gay."
"Maybe I just brought it out in him?" Draco suggested, trying not to show how embarrassed he was right now.
"Oh no, once I spotted you two necking next to the cells, I did some snooping," Erica teased, "that boy has been getting around. Poor Bella, she's going to have some issues with men in her life after finding that one out,"
"You're a gossip," Harry noted, keeping pace with Erica while Draco lagged behind, "How do you 'snoop' on people?"
"Walking through walls is a rarely appreciated art, I personally find it to be a very useful tool, especially when stealing bottles of wine from the cellar at the bottom on the school,"
"And if someone was to give a name to that kind of magic, what would it be?" Harry asked her.
"It would be…nunyah," She said, sounding very mysterious.
"Nunyah?" Asked Harry, eager to learn the meaning of the word.
"Yes, it means…" Erica stopped and tapped him on the nose, "none yah business," She giggled, "I heard that one from a muggle student,"
"Don't want to go sharing them Grindelwald secrets, do yah?" Draco asked in a suspicious tone.
"Contrary to popular belief, I didn't learn everything from him, you know," Erica shot Draco and dangerous look, "I'm quite clever I'll have you know,"
"No one doubts how smart you are," Harry told her, earning himself a warm smile, "Even if you were stupid enough to hide in this school. President and Headmistress on your side or not, if the people back home learn you've been hiding here…"
"I will be leaving tonight once I've shown you the Chamber," She told him. Harry's stomach instantly sank into the ground and he couldn't help the look of sadness, "Oh, don't give me those eyes, you know I can't stay long, I was only here to find the Chamber and I've done that."
"I was hoping that you would come with us when we go to find Hermione, you're the only one that knows Grindelwald best, you'll know how to fight him,"
"I don't know this Grindelwald," She told him, her tone serious now.
"Are you going to get round to explaining that one?" Asked Draco, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Just keep up," She told them both.
Venturing beyond the gates of Ilvermorny and into the forest, Harry realised that he had never seen much of the forbidden forest back home. It had always looked intimidating from a distance and even when he visited Draco's manor that was located on the far edges of it, there was never a desire to go exploring. Ilvermorny forest was more like an orchard with spaced out trees that had been grown specifically to allow the light to shine down during the day. At night, the stars above could be seen, brightly twinkling in the night sky.
"So, where did you go?" Harry asked Erica, "You know, after you left Hogwarts?"
"Sirius and I have a shared home in London," Replied Erica, "It's not a place we really like to visit since it once belonged to our mother but not a lot of people know where it is, I stayed there for a little while, then Sirius got the invite to New York. Once he'd convinced your mother and Hestia to go with him, dragging you and the rest of the Golden Quartet with them, it presented an opportunity to hide somewhere with a bit more sun,"
"So, you were just sitting around the house?" Draco cut in, "You said you went to see Grindelwald."
"I did," Erica nodded, giving Draco a little wink, "I said I stayed at my mother's house, not that I didn't wander off now and then,"
"And you're certain that he had no plans for world domination when you saw him?" Asked Harry.
"Grindelwald was far too frail, it would have taken him months to get his strength back and honestly, I think his only plan for when he got out was to see Dumbledore,"
"Wanted revenge, eh?" Draco said knowingly.
"Not exactly," Erica chuckled, "Ah, here we are."
When it felt as though they had been walking for too long a time, Harry glanced around to see that the Castle couldn't be seen over the dense trees that were now forming around them. The forest suddenly felt more enclosed, as if it were trying to trap them somehow. Erica walked towards a particularly older looking tree and held out her wand, waving it in an intricate pattern until the tree front faded to reveal a wooden door.
"This is the Chamber?" Harry asked, feeling let down by the sight of a basic wooden door being the only defence he could see.
"You really should learn to see more than what is revealed to you, my darling boy," She told him, taking a step back and waving her wand once more. She sent a jet of silver light at front of the door, the beam bounced off it and sent the spell into the sky, "See, it's protected by a whole bunch of enchantments. Any wizard would grow incredibly old before they found the right spell…"
"Or word?" Harry interrupted, smiling at Erica who gave him a nod of approval, "Ginny blasted her way into the Chamber the last time, but it was protected by other means than just magic, right?"
"Very good," She nodded again, "I would harbour a guess that this door can only be opened by the use of parseltongue, hence Ginny's suggestion in the book she gave you,"
"Harry, have you been practicing your S's?" Draco asked playfully, giving him a nudge.
"I wasn't sure if there would be a need for a password," Harry told them, taking the black book out of his cloak and opening the first page, "But, Ginny marked down some suggestions, starting with the most obvious,"
"Which is?" Draco asked him.
Harry looked at the wooden door and took a breath before making a few low hissing noises then when spoken, echoed quietly in the forest with a sinister edge to each S he spoke. The word was simple.
"Open"
The door clicked in the simplest of ways and Erica took the lead with her wand up as she approached it. Her hand touched the handle carefully, then turned the knob and pushed the door open. She beamed at Harry.
"Will you ever stop amazing me?" She asked him, making him flush.
"Will you ever stop flirting with a boy that is more than half your age?" Draco snorted, taking a few brave steps forward and pulling out his wand.
"Says the one with a taste for older men," Erica teased back. Draco blush brightly and Harry rolled his eyes at the two of them.
"Shall we?" He suggested, taking out his own wand and gesturing to the open door.
"We shall," Erica nodded, then gave Harry a small wink, "Keep close to me," And she walked through the door without a second thought and ignited her wand tip.
"Hermione's going to kill her if she keeps this up," Draco smirked.
"Let's just make sure Hermione has the opportunity to first before we have to cross that bridge," Said Harry.
Harry lit the tip of his wand and went in ahead of Draco who followed behind closely. They followed Erica down a dark, muddy passage, the walls covered in vines and mud, little bugs and insects crawling all over the place and webbing that hung along the ceiling. The ventured further until they saw the end of the tunnel. Erica stopped at the entrance and flicked her wand, lighting the braziers that hung from the walls.
"Again, disappointing," Harry muttered.
"Harry it's not a Chamber," Erica told him, "It's a tomb,"
The flames lit the room and provided some warmth to the dreary place. There was only one bath up the middle and the rest of the room filled with water. The path led to set of stairs that when climbed would take them to a platform in which sat alone tomb. And open tomb. Erica hurried up the steps and Harry and Draco followed behind closely. When she stopped, she looked troubled.
"The Alvery," She whispered, running her hand across the black stone tomb. Draco walked around the tomb, checking the walls and ceilings for possible traps, his wand light resting over a large symbol that was carved into the wall. A triangular A shaped symbol that had an eye, sword and wand within it.
"The Alvery?" Harry asked her, reaching out to touch her shoulder, "you're scared." He said, noticing the way her hands were trembling, "You don't get scared,"
"Being afraid of something makes you smart, not weak Harry, please remember that," She told him. Erica took a deep breath and smiled with her lips shaking, "Well, that good news is, Grindelwald isn't himself anymore, which means it's not him that took Hermione and did those terrible things but try explaining that to the Ministry,"
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like the bad news?" Draco asked, Standing on the other side of the tomb.
Erica looked away from the tomb and looked directly at Harry as she said, "Because Grindelwald is now a god."
Admittedly there was silence in the tomb after those words were spoken. Both Harry and Draco stared at Erica for a good long while, studying the serious nature of the expression on her beautiful face. However, as the two friends look to each other, they knew they were both thinking the exact same thing. They wouldn't have accused Erica of being insane, not all, that would have been rude of them. It was however, in silence that the both answered her with one very politely spoken sentence.
"I'm sorry," They said in unison, "But what?!"
"A god," Erica repeated, "Not a literal one, the muggles are too easily swayed on the concept of higher power. The gods they worship don't exist but there are myths behind their beliefs. The vampires were the only ones who ever really followed the real gods and even then it was them who started the first rebellion against them during Merlin's time,"
"Are you following this?" Draco asked Harry.
"Not really, I think she's been a bit lonely; you know how the mind gets when you're by yourself a lot,"
"Best show our support," Draco nodded, hurrying to the other side of Erica and taking her hand, "We're here for you, we won't let the voices hurt you anymore!"
"That's right, we're going to look after you now!"
"I'm going to kill both of you if you don't let me go," She warned them. Her voice was so dangerous that both Harry and Draco backed up towards the stairs, slowing raising their wands, "Now behave and listen,"
"Come on Erica, do better than that, gods, really?" Harry asked her, his state of disbelief indescribable.
"Look," She said, giving a deep sigh and showing her infinite patience for them, "That symbol on the wall is for the Alvery, this tomb is one of very few left on this planet, over the years the Alvery have been locating them and opening them, it's not the first time Dumbledore or Grindelwald has had to deal with this and the last time it happened, we needed Voldemort to get us out of it,"
"Now I know she's lost it," Draco muttered, "you go in on the left, I'll take her head on,"
"Shut up," Harry told him, lowering his wand and taking a step forward, "Go on then," He told Erica.
"At the beginning of time, there were beings of magnificent power, they had no name because there were no words at the time. These beings are responsible for the creation of all the magical and supernatural creatures in this world. Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, dragons, elves, orcs, dwarfs, trolls, you name it, they made it. These creations were used in the wars between the powerful beings and those who sought to find peace, created humans. A vampire these days isn't a real vampire,"
"You mean they didn't always sparkle in the sun?" Draco asked her, "Seriously, what's with that?"
"It's a warning sign, you see a sparkling person coming towards you, you're going to run," Harry replied, "Not that it would do much good, vampires are…"
"Not relevant to this conversation!" Erica snapped angrily, "Getting back to the story!"
"Right, right, sorry," Draco said, "On you go, crazy…I mean, Erica,"
"The creatures eventually found ways to reproduce using humans, creating more powerful and dangerous monsters, the wars waged on, the earth split, and it created the land masses you see today. In the middle of all of this, new beings were created."
"Wizards?" Harry guessed.
"Yes," Erica nodded, "But it was different, they had the same power as the gods, they could bend the world to their will and fight back in a way that ordinary humans couldn't. There was a war, a big war and it was Merlin who united everyone, not just humans but vampires, werewolves, anyone who would stand against them,"
"Sounds epic," Draco nodded.
"The giant beings that people had come to worship discovered that the bodies they were just as disposable as the poor creatures they sent into battle. Shedding themselves of the bodies, they took other forms, possessing other people. Not just wizards but vampires as well. Eventually, the war raged on so far and wide that the gods were almost wiped out, until a handful grew so powerful they were nearly impossible to beat back,"
"Until?" Harry prompted, now thoroughly engrossed in the story.
"Merlin found a way to trap them, to remove the essences of the gods from their host and trap them inside tombs all over the world," Erica told him, looking around the room, "Isolt must have found this when she founded the school and put her own protection on it,"
"Alright," Draco said, stepping closer, "Say for the sake of argument everything you just told us is true, why isn't it being taught in school?"
"Because to know the gods is to give them power, they survive on belief alone," Erica told him, "So naturally, Merlin lay down instructions that only a few know about them, as far as I'm aware, Dumbledore and Grindelwald, along with Voldemort are the only wizards who know. The only other beings I'm aware of, is a coven of vampires that live in Italy."
"And how do you know?" Harry asked her.
"Grindelwald told me," she said, "he always knew the Alvery were out there and if they got what they wanted, they'd have another god backing them, although I don't know which one this is,"
"Does it matter?" Draco asked her.
"Yes, it matters," Erica said, giving a dark smile, "We always knew they'd grow to power again, I just never thought it would happen in my time. The good news is, if this god doesn't know where the other tombs are and we stop it, then it won't be a big problem."
"Right," Harry said, taking a step closer to her, "What does this have to do with Hermione and why isn't Dumbledore rallying an army if he knows how dangerous this thing is?" He said 'thing' instead of god because he wasn't naïve enough to believe anything was that powerful or dangerous beyond what he had already faced.
"Who's to say he isn't?" Erica replied, "As for Hermione, I still don't know but I think you should make finding her your first and only priority from now on. The Death Eaters will be rallying to find Voldemort, not because they're afraid of Grindelwald but because there will be someone in their ranks who has warned them about this. They probably had heart attacks the night they saw the Alvery at the Gala,"
"You're believing this?" Draco asked, looking at Harry.
"Give me another explanation as to why Death Eaters would come to my rescue?" Harry countered, "Severus always told me that Voldemort could never fully comeback because almost all of his followers had move on. Now, in just a few months, they're back in force and looking for him?"
"Because who else would you want more then Voldemort to find a god?" Draco said, looking as though he was having issues with the word 'god' as well.
"Alright," Harry said, stepping round Erica to look into the empty tomb, "The Alvery came here to find this tomb, they release one of these gods and put it into the body of Grindelwald in order to power him up and give the god a fighting chance, they then what, go after Hermione because she knows more about Voldemort and does it on Wormtail's orders,"
"The timing doesn't match Wormtail's escape," Erica told them, "but it is likely that Alvery have a supporter where we're not looking, that being said, if they're looking into Voldemort's passed, they're looking for a way to stop the killing curse,"
"That's it!" Draco beamed, "Harry, you told me that Severus blasted Voldemort in the face with the killing curse, right?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded, frowning in thought, "I never figured out how Voldemort managed to survive a head on collision with the killing curse,"
"Because he found a way to become unkillable," Said Draco, his face falling into a state of fear.
"Don't be too afraid of that idea," Erica told him, "just because he survived it, doesn't mean it makes him any more dangerous, the last time I looked he didn't even have a body,"
"Right," Harry nodded, "It weakened him so much that he was using Quirrell to get around, possessing him,"
"Please don't tell me that Voldemort is a god," Draco whined.
"I wouldn't go that far," Erica chuckled, "More that he might have learned about their existence and tried to emulate their power,"
"Maybe the Alvery and whoever is controlling Grindelwald, think that Hermione knows the secret to it or can at least figure it out?" Harry suggested.
"If anyone she could," Erica told them, "However, if that is the case and she does figure it out, that means they might not need her when she's done it,"
"Harry it's been almost a month, she could have solved it a dozen times already!"
"Hold up!" Erica shouted, grabbing both of them by the fronts of their robes, "Trust me, if one of these gods had the ability to become unkillable, then we'd know, believe me, we'd know it,"
"Alright, so we just need to find Hermione and fight a god," Harry nodded, pulling away from Erica. He thought for a moment and then very casually asked, "How would we go about doing that?"
"Harry, now that I know what we're dealing with, you're not going anywhere near Grindelwald," She told him, shaking her head and walking towards the stairs, "This requires wands a bit more experienced than yours,"
"We're not leaving Hermione to suffer or die!" Draco argued, saying almost exactly what Harry would have said. The difference was that Harry didn't want Draco to come along on this one. He didn't want to risk losing someone else.
"I'm not asking you to," Erica said, waving her hand for them to follow, "In fact, I want you two to find out where Hermione is,"
"How?!" Harry called to her, running to catch up.
"I don't know, but right now I have to make my long awaited return to Hogwarts," She replied, leading the way back up through the tree and out into the forest, "I'll tell Fontaine to give you free reign of the school. Talk to Cedric and get him to ask his father to get in touch with Arthur Weasley, all Death Eaters old or new have their ways,"
"Erm, why?" Harry asked, not being entirely sure if he wanted the Death Eaters involved in this.
"Because if they have Voldemort, they need to make sure he's as far from the Alvery as possible, the last thing we need is him getting taken over like Grindelwald has been,"
"Yeah, that would be bad," Draco nodded, "I'll talk to Cedric in the morning, get him to send a message,"
"I can see if Ron Weasley is willing to help again," Harry added.
"Good boys," She said, finally stopping and turning to look at them, "It always seems like I'm rushing off. Just promise me one thing,"
"What is it?" They both asked suspiciously, making Erica chuckle.
"If you learn where Hermione is being kept, send word to the Order before you go running off, please?"
"Well, yeah, we'll need someone to clean up the mess afterwards," Harry grinned. This earned him another hug and a kiss to the cheek.
"Be safe," She whispered.
"You as well,"
"And Draco," Erica told him, stepping back a few paces and smirking, "Try to keep Cedric's tongue out of your mouth long enough for him to send word to his father," She then turned on the spot and apparated away leaving them both in the forest alone.
Draco was bright red and growling as he said, "I'm going to kill her one day," but only after she had left.
Sparing no time except to close the tomb and hide it again, the pair had run full sprint back to the castle. Draco had made a point of leading the way, almost like he was readying himself for a cult of god worshippers to jump out and attack them, something that Harry had found amusing. He knew that no matter what he did, Draco was going to come with him, and he was sure that once they'd spoken to Neville, the three of them would be charging into battle together again. The only issue that Harry foresaw, wasn't in the finding of Hermione. He felt that part was going to be easy when comparing the idea that Harry would quite possibly have to face a god to get her back. Ironically, the thought of this didn't bother him. He would have walked through hell with a smile on his face if it meant getting Hermione back.
The moment they were back in the Dorm and had noticed that Neville still hadn't returned from his date, Harry and Draco continued not to waste time. Draco had gone straight to Pawfoot, who was asleep until Draco woke her and was quickly given a note to take to Cedric. Harry was impressed with how well trained the kitten had become, watching as it carried the note in her collar and went quickly out the door to seek out Cedric.
"What did you tell him?" Harry asked once Pawfoot was gone.
"Only that we were desperately in need of his help and that it would help us get Hermione back," Replied Draco, "I figure at this stage we're going to need all the help we can get,"
Harry agreed and turned his back to look up at the wall. He revealed all of his evidence and had done so with such poor timing when Bella stepped through the door to say hello and instantly froze noticing what Harry would assume for any normal person, was a sight of total madness.
"Draco give her the short version and fill her in on the new stuff," Harry said, not having time to explain the whole story. He instead looked up at his wall and studied every inch of it, looking for some clue that might spark a thought in his head about where Hermione would have been taken.
"Basically…Harry's insane," Draco prattled on, explaining about the detective work, the lengths Harry was known for going to solve a mystery and generally just suggested that Harry needed psychological help. As any good friend would do. When it was over, Bella had instantly attempted to make herself useful.
"Well, if that is the case then I'd take Hermione somewhere that was important to Voldemort," She said, looking up at the picture of Tom Riddle, "A place that was connected to him in a strong way."
"The problem is," Harry told her, "Of all the research me and Hermione ever did, the only place he was known to have lived was an orphanage,"
"Maybe…" Bella was about to suggest looking.
"That he burned to the ground after he left Hogwarts." Interrupted Harry.
"Ooo, looky what I found!" Draco chuckled. Both Bella and Harry looked to see Draco waving an overly used piece of parchment, "A little love letter. Must have fell out of Neville's jacket when he was leaving," He chuckled.
"Draco, you really shouldn't read something like that," Bella told him, sounding strangely like the American version of Hermione.
"Oh, come on, I need a laugh," Draco chuckled.
When he started to unfold the letter, Harry turned his attention back to the wall. His focused-on Tom Riddle and he could see the cold dark that was hidden beneath the fake façade that he likely wore every day he had been at Hogwarts. Tom Riddle had no love, no connections and he survived purely on his hate for muggles and those who got in his way. In some ways, Harry pitied him. The Death Eaters followed Voldemort because they were afraid of him or were crazy enough to believe his hateful desire to be the ultimate power in the world. It wasn't hard to believe that Voldemort had faced one of these gods because he feared losing his own hold on the world. However, Harry also knew that the chances of finding a place connected to Voldemort was likely a million to one. That was until he heard the concern in Bella's voice.
"Draco?" She said, "Draco, what's wrong?"
When Harry turned to see if Draco was alright, he was confused by the way his friend looked so pale. He was shaking, angrily and staring at the parchment he'd been reading.
"Draco?" Asked Harry, in concern.
Draco said nothing as he looked up at Harry. Harry was surprised to see that Draco was so angry that his eyes were beginning to water. He reached out his arm to hand the letter to Harry, who took it, scanned it and began to read.
Dear Neville
It is with great joy and a humble heart, that I send you this letter of thanks. It is because of you and the sacrifices you have made that I now return to my former power. The others hold you in their hearts and Kendra especially, is looking forward to welcoming you into our loving family once your mission is complete. Know that I am deeply proud of you my boy and will see to it that all your dreams come true.
I thank you most of all for the information you gave me about your former friends. Hermione is reluctant but knows that helping us is the right thing to do. She will discover the secret that Voldemort has kept, and she will add to my power. And it is all thanks to you.
Should anything prevent you from completing your mission, I trust that you will kill both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. If it does come to that, you know where to go should you need a place to hide. We will keep you safe.
Hope to see you soon.
Your friend.
Gellert Grindelwald.