Chapter Twenty-Six

Harry Potter

Fragrant spring breezes drifted into the gym as Professor Craw opened up the windows, ignoring the scowl of Professor Snape who was updating the tournament charts below.

Harry Potter had watched the couple long enough to know that Snape didn't verbally protest when it came to trivial things like this, and Craw was right in that the room had been terribly stuffy. Even so, he wasn't surprised when the windows slowly closed the moment her back was turned. Ron stood next to him, shifting from side to side to see who he was going to duel next.

"'Cor, it's Seamus!" Ron said, making a face.

"What are you worried about? He's already lost once, and you haven't lost any," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but he's cracking good. It was just a fluke that he lost that last time," said Ron.

"It wasn't a fluke. Millicent cheated and Snape missed it, or pretended not to see it," Harry said. "I tried to tell Craw, but you know how she is about dueling decisions. Looks like I'm up against Justin, and we're both one and one," Harry sighed. Harry had the unlucky draw of getting Malfoy his first match back after being out of the club for a month. Craw and Snape said nothing to him about his long absence after the imprisonment of his father, and instead put him back in the tournament with no losses. It seemed that Malfoy took special pleasure in defeating him, Harry thought dourly, and had been bragging about the match ever since.

"Pathetic, he couldn't even hold onto his wand," Draco had mentioned afterwards, always loud enough for Harry to hear. "Amazing that he's lasted this long." Harry tried to put it out of his mind, looking back at the board.

"Hey, Parvati and Draco will have to fight this time," Ron said. "He's the only one she hasn't dueled yet. Bet you she throws the match."

"She wouldn't dare!" Hermione said, walking up. Hermione had been out of the running since last week, but decided to come and show support. In fact, most of the rest of the losing club members were still coming as well. "After all, she is still a Gryffindor, and she has one loss already. Besides, we can't lose this one. Slytherin is already getting first year, and the only fifth years we have left are Ginny and Creevy, and they're both down by one already." The first year Slytherins had quickly eliminated the competition, leaving only their house left in the tournament. The only real competition for the second year Gryffindors was Amadeus Longbottom, but he was the only second year still without a loss. Third and fourth were still up in the air with strong duelers in every house. No, someone was definitely going to have to take Draco down soon.

Just then a group of Slytherins came in, including Draco, Millicent, and Vince. Vince shuffled to the bench as the other two checked the board, Millicent looking none too happy.

"Ha, she just figured out she had to sit out today, we've got an odd number left," Ron smirked.

"Good, she deserves to sit out after the trick last week," Hermione said, looking at her with dislike.

"Draco doesn't look too happy either," Harry said.

It was true, Draco looked even broodier than normal as he stepped up into his row. As Craw walked back towards them with a smile, the rest of the students also fell into their rows for their forms. She smiled warmly at them as she passed, whispering soft 'good lucks' to all of them. She hadn't noticed the windows silently sliding closed as she spoke to them.

"Hurry up, let's get started so we aren't here all night again," Professor Snape snapped in annoyance at the stragglers.

Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for first and second years during forms, right under Snape's watchful eye. Snape stopped to correct Perry, a second year student, muttering at him about following direction and not looking at his own feet, and was too busy to see the windows creeping open behind him. A few students chuckled, causing Snape to look up with a suspicious stare. Craw straightened Harry's arm, winking at him.

After a couple more runs they sorted to the spar rings, and Harry had Justin had been drawn for the first match for Craw's side, and Draco and Parvati for Snape's. Ron and Hermione went over the watch the Draco match, and Ginny stayed behind to watch Harry's.

Justin from Hufflepuff had grown quite a bit over the last few months, but although that was sometimes helpful on the Quidditch Pitch, it could be a disadvantage in the ring. Harry moved quickly as time was called, casting a holding spell on Justin's wrists. Justin quickly melted the holding strands away and jumped back again taking a blocking stance, watching Harry carefully.

"Chersus movere!" Harry cast a slowness spell, which Justin blocked, casting a sleep spell in response. Harry was only able to partially block, and suddenly felt tired, stifling a yawn. He quickly cast an awakening spell on himself before sliding down to one knee to protect against any oncoming spells as he moved to cast his next spell.

"Meringue surprise!" Harry intoned, aiming at Justin. Out of thin air materialized a cream pie, hitting Justin square in the face. As Justin reached up to clear his eyes, Harry was able to cast disarm and knock him flat on his back. Everyone around the ring laughed and clapped, picking on Justin, who was still trying to clean the pie off of himself. Professor Craw was laughing as well, shaking her head at Harry.

"All right, which professor taught you that spell, because it definitely wasn't one of us," she grinned curiously. "Flitwick?"

"No, actually, Ron's brother Fred. It's legal, isn't it?"

"Yes, you can use it. Good try, Justin, thought for sure you had him there for a moment. Harry, you need to work on your reflex blocks or you're not going to make it another round, you know. Now be a good sport and help clean Justin up."

"Half a moment," Justin protested, "this isn't that bad," he added, tasting the meringue.

"Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" Harry asked quietly as he stepped out of the ring. Craw frowned at the closed windows, which opened themselves up again. Harry then went over to Ron and Hermione, who were shaking their heads as they talked among themselves, watching as Snape called a pair of first years into the ring.

"What's wrong, did Patil throw the match?" Harry asked when he got over to them.

"No, Malfoy did," Hermione said, "Probably just to keep her in another round."

"That means I'm the only sixth year who hasn't lost yet!" Ron grinned.

"You also haven't been up against me yet," Harry pointed out.

"Hey, I can beat you too, you know," Ron said challengingly.

"We'll have to see about that," Harry grinned.

Just then there was a loud shattering sound and everyone looked up to see several broken windows above. Craw and Snape grimaced at each other.

"Don't look at me, I fixed them last time. It's your turn," Snape muttered at her. Craw looked triumphant.

"Very well. I'll fix them after we finish tonight then," Craw said, grateful for the gentle breeze now swirling back into the room.

The next day was rainy and dismal, so Harry and his friends decided to spend their afternoon off in the Great Hall. They were taking turns playing winners at chess, and Hermione and Ron were up. Although the least experienced of the group, Hermione often got nudges from Ginny beside her, despite Ron's threatening glares at his sister. It was about the time that Harry thought Ron was going to bind Ginny's hands back that the Owl Post arrived, their packages tightly sealed from the rain.

Hedwig dropped down with Harry's Daily Prophet subscription, and Ron's owl dropped down two letters, one for him and one for Ginny from their mum.

"No Pig, you're all wet!" Ron exclaimed as the tiny owl tried to land on his shoulder, ruffling his feathers. Pigwidgeon tilted his head to one side, hooting quizzically, but didn't move, preferring to stay in a warm, dry hall rather than go back out in the rain.

Harry carefully took unsealed the bluish film on the paper, the water-sealed bag quickly disintegrating at his touch and unrolled it, adjusting his glasses in surprise as he read the headline: Ivory Skull Supposedly Dead, Ministry Uncovers Secret Identity.

"Listen to this, all. 'Deputy Thurspire from the Ministry Investigations Department has recently revealed that the mastermind behind the Skull attacks was actually a member of the Department of Mysteries named Theo Camden, who recently transferred from the United States a few months before the attacks began. The investigation has shown that the Mystery agent had been in the same location in every instance, and it is speculated to have acquired a cursed wand that was supposedly once owned by the notorious Dark wizard, Mallus Craw. However, when Camden's body was found along with several others in the Decker house in January, no wand was recovered.'" Harry look up at them. "Whoever killed Camden must have taken the wand, since we know Craw doesn't have it back yet."

"Wait a moment, Harry, we shouldn't put too much faith in this article," said Hermione.

"You haven't trusted the paper ever since you caught that bug reporter a few years ago," Ron pointed out.

"No, it isn't that. Don't you remember what Craw said about Thurspire last week? She said if he had had any brain at all he could almost pass as Trelawney's long lost brother." Ginny covered her mouth to keep from chuckling. She had more than her fill of the Divination professor having her for a double class on Mondays.

"Yes, but what if he is right and this man was the Ivory Skull? It says here that the wand was used in the same places he was. He also had the Mark on his arm so he may have been posing as a Death Eater… that is how he had inside knowledge of who the Death Eaters were."

"Well so does Snape, but he doesn't go out murdering them all. Having a Mark doesn't prove anything," Ron said.

"Not to mention Snape wouldn't have been stupid enough to try and use Craw's wand, not that he'd have taken it anyhow. Nobody can control that wand but her. Whoever has it is probably already out of their own mind," Hermione said.

"I wonder if Voldemort could control that wand," Harry said. Ron tried to hush him, but Harry ignored him. "Think about it. He lost his old wand, what more powerful Dark wand is there than Craw's wand? And they say this man died without a sign of injury, which probably means he died of the Killing Curse. One things for sure; if Voldemort does have it, we may be in more danger than ever before." Just then, Ron kicked Harry so hard that Harry yelped and glared at him. "What is it, Ron? You can't be bothered by my saying his name still, are you?"

"I believe he's trying to warn you that I am standing right behind you," said Snape.

The professor then plucked the paper out of Harry's hands, glancing at it. His frown deepened into a scowl as he flung the paper back down, giving each of them a searching look before his gaze settled coldly onto Harry.

"Whatever it is that you are plotting, Mr. Potter, I suggest you forget it before your meddling lands you out of Hogwarts for good. I know you're up to something, and rest assured, if you so much bend one rule, I will find out about it," Snape swore with a snarl before continuing down the row, his eyes suspiciously watching them as he moved away. They watched him leave before they turned back around.

"Next time I try to get your attention, listen. You know how he always shows up anytime anyone breathes his name," Ron said, moving his castle across the chessboard.

"How do you suppose Craw lost the wand?" Ginny asked, nudging Hermione to move her bishop. "She's so careful about, well, everything she does. I can't see her just randomly misplacing something that important and dangerous."

"All I know is that she 'misplaced' it on Halloween, and everyone's been looking for it since, including Sirius," Harry said. "I think it must have been stolen, and if this is who took it, whoever killed him has it now."

"Unless the person who found him took it," Ginny pointed out. "Anyone know who that was?"

"According to the Daily Prophet it was Madame Belle, but she's a friend of Craw's," Harry said, "You'd think she would have given it back to her she found it, unless…"

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione prompted impatiently.

"Belle's from the States and she came about the same time this man did. What if she is a part of the Ivory Skull too?"

"But Harry, Belle is an Auror and a Truth Seeker. Surely she wouldn't do anything like that."

"But the Ivory Skull doesn't target innocent people. He's killing Death Eaters. Perhaps she felt this was the only way they could be brought to justice," Harry said, leaning back.

"Suspected Death Eaters," Hermione automatically corrected. "Do you think she is going along with it to find out who the real Death Eaters are from the ones suspected of being them?"

"That would make sense. Maybe she felt as if she couldn't stop the Ivory Skull, so is trying to influence him instead," Harry said.

"That doesn't explain why she doesn't give Craw back the wand now that he's dead, though," Hermione said.

"Harry, Hermione," Ron protested, his finger tapping impatiently on the black queen. "We're not in a position to find out. You heard Snape; he's watching us. Leave it alone."

"I can't leave it alone, not if there's any possibility at all that Voldemort might have that wand," sighed Harry. "We need to find a way to get to Madame Belle to talk to her."

"How are we going to do that? We don't even know where she is," Ginny said.

"Sirius might," Harry said. The other three looked at each other doubtfully. "I think I'll go talk to him. Maybe he knows something he hasn't let on yet."

"Whatever you're up to, Harry, forget it," Sirius said. Hagrid didn't look any more sympathetic, his hands busy rubbing down a rain-drenched lightning kitten with a towel as sparks flew up around them. "What question would you have to ask Madame Belle that someone else can't answer?" Harry sighed and showed Sirius the paper. He read through it before shaking his head. "Frankly, Harry, Thurspire isn't exactly high on my list of reliable sources. He probably figures he's safer accusing the dead right now. I'm pretty sure I made it plain that all the fires of Hell wouldn't help him if he ever tried accusing me again," Sirius said, eyes flashing. He handed the paper back to Harry. "So you want to talk to her and find out if Camden was the Ivory Skull?"

"Actually, I'm more worried about where the wand is," Harry admitted. "What if Voldemort killed him and took the wand? It does sound like he was murdered by the Killing Curse."

"Voldemort doesn't have the wand, Harry, don't worry about that. If he had taken it, I think we would have known about it by now. As for who does have the wand, let me assure you there's quite a number of people looking for it, including me. You'd be better off just worrying about your studies."

"Has the wand been used at all since Camden died?" Harry asked. "I know the Ministry has been keeping track of it."

"Harry, I know you just want to help, but I think it'd be better if you stayed clear of this one. It's getting late. The four of you should get back to the school before you get into trouble again," Sirius said, nudging them towards the door of Hagrid's cottage.

"That went about how I expected," Ron said as they headed back out in the tapering rain.

"Well, there is one more option," Hermione said, "and that's to try talking to Thurspire. Harry, hasn't he wanted to talk to you ever since Pettigrew got put in prison? I bet he'd talk to you and we know where he is."

"Yes, but I got the impression that the only reason he wanted to talk to me was to try and get some dirt on Snape or Craw," Harry said.

"You're the one who wants to find out about the wand, Harry. You're going to either talk to who's willing to talk to you or drop it," Hermione said.

"Hermione's got a point Harry, but so does Sirius," Ginny said. "Perhaps we should just leave it alone. Craw can take care of herself without us interfering."

"This is more than just Craw now. That wand is dangerous. It's killed half a dozen people already. Shrieking Death, remember? Hardly anyone knows it, but the wand does," Harry said, smacking the paper. "I think I will send an Owl Post. I've got to at least try."

Thurspire quickly responded to Harry's note. Just after lights out when the rain had finally come to an end and the students settled off to sleep, Hedwig flew in dropping off the note on Harry's head.

Meet me just inside the Dark Forest near the split elm within an hour of reading this if you're serious about talking to me. –E. Thurspire.

Harry didn't hesitate, quickly slipping on his shoes and fishing out his Invisibility Cloak, drawing it around him as he headed down the stairs. It was very cold out now and Harry shivered, trying to keep his teeth from chattering as he headed down to the grounds. Fog was beginning to settle in and he'd forgotten his lantern, not that he really wanted to be noticed in any case.

As he approached he saw the pale blue glow of a wisp light. Pausing out of view, he slipped off his cloak and walked over to the man he'd met only briefly twice before; once at the Ministry Ball and once in the halls of Hogwarts after Ginny had been bitten by the Venowraith. It was without a doubt him though; the blonde hair and sharp features setting him apart even in the dark.

"Ah, good evening, Mr. Potter. Good of you to come meet me with such short notice. Since you're here, would you mind answering some questions for me as well as whatever it was you wanted to talk about?" Thurspire asked.

"If you don't mind answering mine," Harry nodded.

"Very well! I'm sure we can make this chat mutually beneficial. I will even let you start," he smiled.

"All right then," Harry said, deciding the forward approach would be best. "Who do you think has Professor Craw's old wand?"

"You don't waste any punches, do you?" Thurspire said with amusement. "Well, I've pretty much narrowed it down to two or three people who might have it, and with your help, perhaps I can narrow it down to one."

"How can I help?" Harry asked.

"Can you tell me if you've noticed Professor Snape behaving out of the ordinary lately?" Thurspire asked. Harry frowned. That didn't take him long at all.

"No, not really, same old disagreeable self. Well, perhaps not quite as disagreeable since he got engaged, but all and all, about the same. I talked with him today, as a matter of fact," Harry admitted.

"Ah? Anything of interest?" Thurspire asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, same old stuff… telling me to stop meddling or I'm going to get expelled… but honestly, he always says that," Harry shrugged. Thurspire smiled thinly.

"And why was he saying it this time?"

"My friends and I were talking about what was in the paper about Theo Camden. Do you really think he had the wand?"

"No doubt about it, dear boy," Thurspire said with a nod. "Did Snape seem overly upset about the article?"

"No, not really. I think he was more irritated at us," Harry said thoughtfully. "Besides, why would he be upset about it?"

"Because I have it on good authority that he and Madame Belle have met several times over the last few months," Thurspire said, "and I'm quite certain now that he is working for the Ivory Skull himself."

"Wait, you mean he was, don't you? I mean, not that I think Snape was, but… the Ivory Skull is dead, isn't he?"

"No, I do mean is. I believe that the Ivory Skull isn't dead at all. You see, I never saw the body after the initial investigation. Madame Belle said she had it "sent home," wherever home is. At the time I thought the States, but I'm not so sure now. In fact, I now believe that the death was a sham. And although he looked quite dead, he actually took a Sleeping Death potion. And the only wizard who has been around both Camden and Belle who had the expertise to make the potion, had the time to make it, and perhaps had a motive, was none other than Severus Snape," Thurspire concluded.

"How very clever of you!" a voice cackled behind them. "And nobody thought you had it in you, Thurspire." Madame Belle stepped into view, her wand pointed directly at them. "Unfortunately, I really can't allow either of you to divulge that information to anyone else until Voldemort is dead. I am sorry, but I'm sure you won't be detained for long," she promised. "Rodentius!"

Before Harry could even think of grabbing for his wand he began to shrink, his nose and cheeks feeling itchy as whiskers sprouted from his face. As his eyes refocused and hearing retuned, he heard the old witch's cackle again as she picked him and another grey mouse up by the tail.

"Now, my little cheese biters, let's see what he wants me to do with you two. Don't fret too much, dearies. I'll make sure there's no cats to bother you and you'll have plenty to eat." She popped them both into a small wire cage and fumbled around for her key, transporting them all out of the Dark Forest.