Harry sighed as he looked out his window of number four Privet drive.
All summer he had waited for the summer to end so he could go back to
Hogwarts. It was his sixteenth birthday, too, and he hadn't gotten any
presents yet. He had been sending owls back and forth between him, Ron, and
Hermione all summer. He had almost decided to send Cho Chang an owl asking
how she was, but he decided against it. After all, he was afraid of
rejection again. And it was almost time for them all to go back to school;
maybe he could talk to her on the Hogwarts Express. His thoughts began to
wander to Quidditch, as usual. He had seen Hufflepuff's new Seeker around
the school and even had Herbology with her, but he had never spoken to her.
Of course, she was also friends with Draco Malfoy. That just made him not
like her, even though it was a bit unfair for him to judge her so soon. He
didn't care anymore. All of a sudden, Pig flew in through Harry's window,
with a message attached to her leg. Harry opened it to the hurried scrawl
of Ron:
Harry,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! School soon!!!! Quidditch!!!! Are you coming to the Burrow beforehand???? Send Pig back ASAP with an answer!!!
Ron
Harry smiled. He wanted to come see Ron before school, but…his eyes strayed to his books. He was taking advanced Transfiguration and was going to try to start taking wandless magic classes as well, and he had decided to take Muggle Studies this year. Harry sighed. He had to work for the next two weeks. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note back to Ron:
Ron,
I have more schoolwork than is humanly possible, and of course I saved it all for the last minute. I can't come, but I will see you at the Platform in 2 weeks…and yes QUIDDITCH!!!!!!!!!!
Harry
Pig immediately flew out Harry's window, heading back to the Burrow. Harry sighed. Ron hadn't given Pig a present to take. Oh well. Another owl came swooping in down on Harry's bed, leaving a package on it. He opened the card attached first.
Harry,
I'm going to need you to take this and hold onto it until you get to school. I'll explain all about it when you arrive. The password for my office this year is "Chocolate Frog".
Professor Dumbledore
Harry unwrapped the package. In the tissue paper lay a small red triangle- shaped jewel. What he didn't know is that at the same time he was opening his package, three other people were opening similar packages:
Cho Chang was opening the package containing a blue triangle.
Draco Malfoy was opening the package containing a green triangle.
Kira Smenton was opening the package containing a yellow triangle.
Professor Dumbledore was aware of when the packages had been opened. He went to one of his drawers and looked inside. There was a small, clear diamond-shaped jewel on a pillow. He smiled and closed the drawer. He spoke softly to himself.
"The pinnacle of five has been distributed."
~
Two Weeks Later
"Harry!" Harry looked up to see the freckled faces of Ron and Ginny Weasley, with Hermione behind them. "Sixth years, can you believe it? Only one more year after this!"
Harry grinned, and then looked at Ron. "You're a prefect…"
"Yea, I got the owl last week. Mum was so excited, you should have seen her face…"
"Was it all red and pudgy as usual, Weasel?" Malfoy and Kira, the Hufflepuff, had walked up behind them. Malfoy held in a laugh. It was almost pathetic to see them.
"Come off it, Malfoy. Go snog a cow."
Malfoy looked dumfounded. Hermione Granger telling him to fuck a cow? Kira leaned into his ear and whispered something. The two of them exchanged an evil grin. "Well actually, Hermione, I was going to ask where you get your cows." Kira let out a laugh, and the two of them collapsed in laughter.
"Wow…" Kira got out between laughs, "I'm…an…evil…bitch!"
Harry stared at the two of them like they were truly insane. Then he noticed the glint of yellow around Kira's neck. He looked in his pocket, to see a red glint of the same shape. "Um, Kira? Could I talk to you for a minute?"
Kira composed herself. "Sure." She and Harry walked out into the streets of Diagon Alley, with Malfoy in tow.
"Malfoy…who said you could come?"
"Harry. I think I know what this is about, and he has one too." Kira pulled out the triangle. It was exactly like the one Harry had. Much to Harry's surprise, Malfoy pulled out his own jewel, except it was green. "Harry. They're color-coded to our houses. All we're missing is the Ravenclaw. I don't know what they mean, but that's why we're going to see Professor Dumbledore, I guess."
Harry stared in shock. Whatever this thing meant, it meant that he and Malfoy would probably have to work together. It also meant that he would probably be running from the Dark Lord yet again. He sighed. It was going to be a long sixth year. He turned and headed back to the bookstore where he left Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.
Malfoy and Kira watched Harry leave. "Draco…what do you think is wrong with him?"
"You care…dear, I don't know what's gotten into you."
"I haven't been around your evil influence all summer. That gives me a reason to be nice right there."
"Funny. Now, were you going to go get those robes? Or are we just going to stand out in the street before we go to the platform?"
Kira leaned in close to Malfoy's face. She whispered in his ear. "We could stand out in the street, but then I'm afraid I wouldn't be responsible for my actions." She pulled away and walked into Madam Malkin's. Malfoy watched her walk into the shop. Evil bitch, she was.
~
Hogwarts, later that night
"Chocolate Frog." Harry spoke the password and entered Professor Dumbledore's office, seeing much to his dismay that Kira and Malfoy were already there. He had hoped to talk to Dumbledore privately.
Dumbledore looked up from his conversation with Kira and Malfoy about Quiddich. "Harry. Nice to see you again. Sit down, come chat. We're talking about each team's chances for the Quiddich Cup this year…" Dumbledore's voice trailed off as someone walked in. It was the last person Harry expected to see. "Miss Chang, nice to see you in such high spirits." Cho Chang walked in and took a seat next to Harry. He noticed the small blue jewel clutched in her hand.
Dumbledore stood up. All four people looked attentively at him. "You are all here not because you chose it, but because it chose you. When you all first arrived at Hogwarts, you were sorted by the Sorting Hat into houses. Harry. The Hat almost put you in Slytherin because you were a Parseltongue. It put you into Gryffindor and kept you there because of this." Dumbledore pulled out a sword.
Harry whispered under his breath. "The sword of Gryffindor." He remembered his trip to the Sorting Hat.
Plenty of courage, I see…not Slytherin, eh?…you could be great you know, it's all here in your head…well, if you're sure—better be Gryffindor!
"Yes, Harry. The reason you were able to pull out the sword in the first place is because you…all of you…are the heirs to your respective houses. The Pinnacle of Five is placed in the hands of the four heirs of houses, and the fifth piece is kept in the hands of the Keeper of the Pinnacle."
"Excuse me for interrupting, Professor." Cho spoke up. "But what exactly is the Pinnacle?"
"The Pinnacle of Five. Separate, it is simply a beautiful jewel to be admired. When placed together, it represents a power so great it could restore even the weakest of dark wizards…" Dumbledore let his words sink in. "…Yes, to answer all your questions. Lord Voldemort is after the Pinnacle of Five, and the Keeper has deemed it unsuitable for the Pinnacle to remain unified."
"But wait. Voldemort was the Heir of Slytherin. He opened the Chamber of Secrets, didn't he?" Harry was confused. If the Pinnacle was supposed to go to the house heirs, why was Malfoy here?
"Yes, Harry, he was. I talked with the Sorting Hat this summer and found out why Mister Malfoy was not in Hufflepuff, where he was originally placed."
Malfoy went back to that night he was sorted.
Yes, Draco Malfoy. Your father was here, was he not? A Slytherin, at that. But I don't think you belong there. I can see you in red…let's make it Gryffindor, shall we? Or maybe Hufflepuff? I can see some Hufflepuff in you.
No. I can't. It would be an insult to my family. Never.
So it's just about your family name? You should accept your destiny…make it Slytherin!
"Yes, Mister Malfoy. You were almost in Hufflepuff. The hat felt your closeness to the Hufflepuffs. Of course, none of us knew why until Miss Smenton came along. Her influences were affecting you greatly enough to trick the Sorting Hat."
Harry shot a glance towards Kira. The two of them had known each other before Hogwarts? But Kira's mind was lost somewhere else. She was remembering the day she came as a transfer during fourth year. With all the confusion due to the Triwizard Tournament, she had to be sorted privately.
Ah, I've seen pieces of you from those who have come before.
Draco.
Of course, my dear. Have you kept in touch?
Not enough to matter.
Oh, dear, that's what you may think. But you won't be in his house…no, I wouldn't think of it. There's a special place for you right in Hufflepuff!
"And my dear Miss Chang. You are the eldest of the four. Head Girl, Quiddich player. You seemed just the type for Ravenclaw, you did."
Scared much? There's a house for weaklings, it's called Hufflepuff.
No. Not scared, just nervous. It's my first trip away from family. But I'll be okay with it.
Courage, courage. That's the name of the game. In that case, I've found your place in Ravenclaw!
Harry,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! School soon!!!! Quidditch!!!! Are you coming to the Burrow beforehand???? Send Pig back ASAP with an answer!!!
Ron
Harry smiled. He wanted to come see Ron before school, but…his eyes strayed to his books. He was taking advanced Transfiguration and was going to try to start taking wandless magic classes as well, and he had decided to take Muggle Studies this year. Harry sighed. He had to work for the next two weeks. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note back to Ron:
Ron,
I have more schoolwork than is humanly possible, and of course I saved it all for the last minute. I can't come, but I will see you at the Platform in 2 weeks…and yes QUIDDITCH!!!!!!!!!!
Harry
Pig immediately flew out Harry's window, heading back to the Burrow. Harry sighed. Ron hadn't given Pig a present to take. Oh well. Another owl came swooping in down on Harry's bed, leaving a package on it. He opened the card attached first.
Harry,
I'm going to need you to take this and hold onto it until you get to school. I'll explain all about it when you arrive. The password for my office this year is "Chocolate Frog".
Professor Dumbledore
Harry unwrapped the package. In the tissue paper lay a small red triangle- shaped jewel. What he didn't know is that at the same time he was opening his package, three other people were opening similar packages:
Cho Chang was opening the package containing a blue triangle.
Draco Malfoy was opening the package containing a green triangle.
Kira Smenton was opening the package containing a yellow triangle.
Professor Dumbledore was aware of when the packages had been opened. He went to one of his drawers and looked inside. There was a small, clear diamond-shaped jewel on a pillow. He smiled and closed the drawer. He spoke softly to himself.
"The pinnacle of five has been distributed."
~
Two Weeks Later
"Harry!" Harry looked up to see the freckled faces of Ron and Ginny Weasley, with Hermione behind them. "Sixth years, can you believe it? Only one more year after this!"
Harry grinned, and then looked at Ron. "You're a prefect…"
"Yea, I got the owl last week. Mum was so excited, you should have seen her face…"
"Was it all red and pudgy as usual, Weasel?" Malfoy and Kira, the Hufflepuff, had walked up behind them. Malfoy held in a laugh. It was almost pathetic to see them.
"Come off it, Malfoy. Go snog a cow."
Malfoy looked dumfounded. Hermione Granger telling him to fuck a cow? Kira leaned into his ear and whispered something. The two of them exchanged an evil grin. "Well actually, Hermione, I was going to ask where you get your cows." Kira let out a laugh, and the two of them collapsed in laughter.
"Wow…" Kira got out between laughs, "I'm…an…evil…bitch!"
Harry stared at the two of them like they were truly insane. Then he noticed the glint of yellow around Kira's neck. He looked in his pocket, to see a red glint of the same shape. "Um, Kira? Could I talk to you for a minute?"
Kira composed herself. "Sure." She and Harry walked out into the streets of Diagon Alley, with Malfoy in tow.
"Malfoy…who said you could come?"
"Harry. I think I know what this is about, and he has one too." Kira pulled out the triangle. It was exactly like the one Harry had. Much to Harry's surprise, Malfoy pulled out his own jewel, except it was green. "Harry. They're color-coded to our houses. All we're missing is the Ravenclaw. I don't know what they mean, but that's why we're going to see Professor Dumbledore, I guess."
Harry stared in shock. Whatever this thing meant, it meant that he and Malfoy would probably have to work together. It also meant that he would probably be running from the Dark Lord yet again. He sighed. It was going to be a long sixth year. He turned and headed back to the bookstore where he left Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.
Malfoy and Kira watched Harry leave. "Draco…what do you think is wrong with him?"
"You care…dear, I don't know what's gotten into you."
"I haven't been around your evil influence all summer. That gives me a reason to be nice right there."
"Funny. Now, were you going to go get those robes? Or are we just going to stand out in the street before we go to the platform?"
Kira leaned in close to Malfoy's face. She whispered in his ear. "We could stand out in the street, but then I'm afraid I wouldn't be responsible for my actions." She pulled away and walked into Madam Malkin's. Malfoy watched her walk into the shop. Evil bitch, she was.
~
Hogwarts, later that night
"Chocolate Frog." Harry spoke the password and entered Professor Dumbledore's office, seeing much to his dismay that Kira and Malfoy were already there. He had hoped to talk to Dumbledore privately.
Dumbledore looked up from his conversation with Kira and Malfoy about Quiddich. "Harry. Nice to see you again. Sit down, come chat. We're talking about each team's chances for the Quiddich Cup this year…" Dumbledore's voice trailed off as someone walked in. It was the last person Harry expected to see. "Miss Chang, nice to see you in such high spirits." Cho Chang walked in and took a seat next to Harry. He noticed the small blue jewel clutched in her hand.
Dumbledore stood up. All four people looked attentively at him. "You are all here not because you chose it, but because it chose you. When you all first arrived at Hogwarts, you were sorted by the Sorting Hat into houses. Harry. The Hat almost put you in Slytherin because you were a Parseltongue. It put you into Gryffindor and kept you there because of this." Dumbledore pulled out a sword.
Harry whispered under his breath. "The sword of Gryffindor." He remembered his trip to the Sorting Hat.
Plenty of courage, I see…not Slytherin, eh?…you could be great you know, it's all here in your head…well, if you're sure—better be Gryffindor!
"Yes, Harry. The reason you were able to pull out the sword in the first place is because you…all of you…are the heirs to your respective houses. The Pinnacle of Five is placed in the hands of the four heirs of houses, and the fifth piece is kept in the hands of the Keeper of the Pinnacle."
"Excuse me for interrupting, Professor." Cho spoke up. "But what exactly is the Pinnacle?"
"The Pinnacle of Five. Separate, it is simply a beautiful jewel to be admired. When placed together, it represents a power so great it could restore even the weakest of dark wizards…" Dumbledore let his words sink in. "…Yes, to answer all your questions. Lord Voldemort is after the Pinnacle of Five, and the Keeper has deemed it unsuitable for the Pinnacle to remain unified."
"But wait. Voldemort was the Heir of Slytherin. He opened the Chamber of Secrets, didn't he?" Harry was confused. If the Pinnacle was supposed to go to the house heirs, why was Malfoy here?
"Yes, Harry, he was. I talked with the Sorting Hat this summer and found out why Mister Malfoy was not in Hufflepuff, where he was originally placed."
Malfoy went back to that night he was sorted.
Yes, Draco Malfoy. Your father was here, was he not? A Slytherin, at that. But I don't think you belong there. I can see you in red…let's make it Gryffindor, shall we? Or maybe Hufflepuff? I can see some Hufflepuff in you.
No. I can't. It would be an insult to my family. Never.
So it's just about your family name? You should accept your destiny…make it Slytherin!
"Yes, Mister Malfoy. You were almost in Hufflepuff. The hat felt your closeness to the Hufflepuffs. Of course, none of us knew why until Miss Smenton came along. Her influences were affecting you greatly enough to trick the Sorting Hat."
Harry shot a glance towards Kira. The two of them had known each other before Hogwarts? But Kira's mind was lost somewhere else. She was remembering the day she came as a transfer during fourth year. With all the confusion due to the Triwizard Tournament, she had to be sorted privately.
Ah, I've seen pieces of you from those who have come before.
Draco.
Of course, my dear. Have you kept in touch?
Not enough to matter.
Oh, dear, that's what you may think. But you won't be in his house…no, I wouldn't think of it. There's a special place for you right in Hufflepuff!
"And my dear Miss Chang. You are the eldest of the four. Head Girl, Quiddich player. You seemed just the type for Ravenclaw, you did."
Scared much? There's a house for weaklings, it's called Hufflepuff.
No. Not scared, just nervous. It's my first trip away from family. But I'll be okay with it.
Courage, courage. That's the name of the game. In that case, I've found your place in Ravenclaw!
