Chapter Twenty-Two
Of Wands, Wishes, and the Marauder's Map
Only one more week, Harmony kept reminding herself. One more week, then I can go home. It was only this thought that kept her awake as Professor Binns droned. Harmony really despised him. Her entire life revolved around the very history of Magic as it was today. Her entire being revolved around the past, the lives of Salazar Slytherin, her ancestor, and Godric Gryffindor, his enemy. She didn't understand how one person--er, ghost that is--could make the subject so incredibly boring!
She sighed, and resigned herself to listening to Binns' droning tones. Her mind wandered back six days, to last Saturday. How they had managed to smooth over the incident, Harmony would never know. Mindy and Crystal did most of the talking. However, no one could hide the fact that Mindy and Crystal were no longer feuding. But hey, if that's all Hermione knew, that was fine by Harmony.
But Hermione was the Heir of Ravenclaw. Harmony highly doubted she hadn't put her quick mind to work on the riddle of bursting in on that particular little party. Harmony only hoped and prayed that Hermione hadn't heard that last comment concerning Ron. That would put all of them in a lot of trouble.
Harmony needn't have worried. Hermione had actually spent the days since wondering what the group had been talking about. It was certainly one of the strangest collections of people she had ever seen. All they needed was Rita Skeeter and Voldemort to make the eclectic group complete.
Hermione smiled at the thought and went back to her notes. Voldemort and Rita Skeeter indeed!
The bell rang, and the seventh year Gryffindors gratefully flew from the History of Magic classroom. Hermione and Harry were holding hands and talking. They met up with Brooke at the door, and the three walked together to dinner, talking excitedly about the coming weekend, a Hogsmeade weekend. Harmony put on a big smile, a happy countenance, and reminded herself over and over that in a week she could go home.
Hermione frowned when Brooke told her that she wasn't going to Hogsmeade. No amount of persuading would change her mind. Hermione sighed.
"Brooke, this may be our last Hogsmeade trip ever. And you've never even seen the village! Aren't you curious?"
"Not really," Brooke replied listlessly, brushing her hair. She set down the brush and turned to face the Head Girl. "Hermione, I know I don't belong here, and you know it too. I'm just trying to finish my short time. I need to stay and study, and think."
"Well, I'm not going to force you to go, but I think you'd enjoy it." Hermione said stubbornly.
"Thanks, but no thanks. You and Harry will have fun," Brooke winked, and Hermione blushed and threw a pillow at her. The girls laughed. Brooke posed the idea of waiting to sleep for Lavender and Parvati, which Hermione vetoed. As she put it, "Merlin knows how much longer they're going to spend in the Astronomy Tower snogging with Seamus and Dean." So the girls pulled their curtains and went to sleep.
Hermione had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the canopy of her bed. She liked Brooke. Brooke was a funny, earnest, studious girl who Hermione sympathized with. She was probably the first girl Hermione had ever truly understood, because they weren't that different. But...
Ron. How long would all her thoughts return to her lost best friend? Ron had been gone for nearly nine months now, and Hermione still hadn't accepted that he was never returning. Then out of nowhere Brooke appeared and began to fill the gap. Hermione should be happy, or grateful, shouldn't she? But no, she only felt guilty. Guilty for allowing anyone to take Ron's place, guilty for putting herself through misery she knew wasn't founded, guilty for putting innocent Brooke into such an awkward position. Hermione fell asleep with these thoughts going through her mind.
Harmony, meanwhile, was also feeling guilty. She had carefully chosen her words so that she wasn't technically lying to Hermione, but it was a bit late for that. Everything Hermione knew about her was a lie. Right now, Harmony's entire life was a lie. And to top it all off-it wasn't hard. It seemed that it should be difficult to spend thirty-three days in a row lying about the most basic aspects of life, but it wasn't. Harmony was actually comfortable lying, it came naturally, and the thought made her cringe. It reminded her of all the aspects of Slytherin she didn't take pride in.
Only one more week, she told herself, and fell into an uneasy sleep.
"Oh what a beautiful MO----RNING! Oh what a beautiful DAY! I've got a beautiful FEE---" Harry's horrible singing was abruptly cut off as Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth. Harry tried to continue with the song, but to no avail. Eventually he managed to pry Hermione's hand way.
"'Mione," He whined. "What was that for?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Hermione replied, grinning. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I'm not THAT bad!" He defended.
"Yes you are," She replied, laughing. It was a beautiful day in May, the sun shining through a clear forget-me-not sky, and birds singing in the trees. Harry smiled, unable to even pretend to be angry in such an atmosphere. Hermione just kept laughing, and began to fairly skip as they approached Hogsmeade.
Harry felt somewhat sad at the thought that this was their last Hogsmeade weekend. Ever. In one month, they would be graduating. Although they hadn't talked about it, the thought was in the minds of all the seventh years. Harry and Hermione visited all the shops, as if saying goodbye. They climbed up to the shrieking shack for a short visit, both remembering the night in third year when they had come face-to-face with Sirius Black.
The memories were bittersweet. As usual, the spirit of Ron was everywhere. However, Harry had actually accepted his best friend's death, smiling as he remembered the time he had thrown mud at Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy at this very spot as Ron laughed when they were fighting with Hermione in third year. Although she hadn't been with them at that particular event, at certain places and sounds he saw her smile a certain way that told him she was remembering Ron.
The last place they went to was the Three Broomsticks. The pub was full of all sorts of memories, not only of Ron. Hermione sat down with her butterbeer and let her eyes roam freely around the place. Harry sat down next to her, and for a moment, there was only silence between them as their minds sifted through memories, and the realization that they would be leaving the place they had called home for the last seven years.
"Hey...mind if we join you?" The voice that interrupted their thoughts belonged to Lavender Brown. Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Neville were with her.
"Of course not," Hermione nodded, smiling. The others collected chairs and seated themselves at the table. Normally they would've all been out their separate ways. But now, this weekend, they were all together. All of the seventh year Gryffindors sat in silence, thinking.
But the silence didn't last long. It was Neville who asked a question about the upcoming Transfiguration essay, and somehow, it turned into a conversation. Hermione, for the first time, was realizing how little she knew about her fellow dorm mates, and she found herself wishing she had spent a bit more time with them. Time was almost up now.
"I'll be right back," Harry said suddenly, rising from the table and crossing the space between the table and the door quickly. A small bell tinkled as he left the pub. Seamus gave the door a funny look.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Probably Ron," Dean said, and their was a general nod of agreement. A moment of awkward silence followed before Parvati commented on Harry's latest victory and the upcoming Quidditch Cup.
Harry's abrupt exit actually had nothing whatsoever to do with Ron. However, he knew his classmates would probably think it did, and therefore wouldn't follow him, which was exactly what he wanted. He pushed through the crowded streets until he reached a tiny store he had never entered before called Sweeney & Sweeney's Fine Jewelry. Taking a deep breath, he went inside.
Meanwhile, Harmony found herself back in the library. At first she was just wandering around, but she inevitably found herself at an entire shelf of books full of biographies of Salazar Slytherin.
Sighing, she pulled one of them down and began to flip through it. Eventually, she found herself completely absorbed. She knew of Salazar's life, of course, seeing as she had done nothing but study it since she was born. However, all of these biographies were of his life before Marigold, and most of them about his time as a Dark Wizard. It didn't take Harmony long to find a passage about Salazar's heir.
"However, Slytherin knew that if his search for an Immortality Spell failed, his legacy would die. Therefore, according to legend, he created an heir. This heir would come to Hogwarts and purge the school of those 'unworthy' to study the magical arts, those being Muggle borns and half bloods. His heir was to gain control of the magical community and raise purebloods to their deserved higher status.
Of course, he tried to complete this in complete secrecy. However, his activities were discovered. Supposedly the other founders discovered his activities after his banishment from the school, and they created their own heirs. The problem was, the only place the new heirs could hope to defeat the Heir of Slytherin was the school itself, where Gryffindor cursed Slytherin on his [Gryffindor's] deathbed. When the heirs were ready for battle, they could summon Slytherin's Heir to Hogwarts so the battle could commence. This story is, of course, entirely fictional..."
Harmony blinked several times. She had read and read and read in her studies of Salazar Slytherin, but never had she found this information. Was this true? The final battle had to take place on the grounds of Hogwarts? And the other three heirs could summon Voldemort? If they could, then so could she!
Hermione and Harry talked to her about Hogsmeade all through dinner, but Harmony wasn't listening. Her mind was working furiously, planning for the battle. It would not be long now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Her time at Hogwarts was coming to a close. Harmony could hardly believe it. Tomorrow, she would be returning to Marigold. She would be returning to her father, she would be returning to Sirius...she would be returning to Ron.
She hadn't seen him for forty days, and in that time she had come to realize how stupid they had both been. She wanted nothing more than his forgiveness. And a kiss wouldn't hurt either.
However, at the moment Harmony had her mind fully bent on staying awake. She was sitting in Divination, and the toxic smell of the perfume was suffocating her. Why had she taken this class again?
Harry was nodding off next to her, and Neville was snoring. Only Lavender and Parvati seemed interested, but then again, they fancied themselves Divinators. Harmony watched them interestedly, having a few humorous thoughts at their expense when...
Parvati began to shudder violently. Harry started and Neville was jolted awake. Trelawny watched with her eyes open wide in shock and horror. After a moment, Parvati began to speak in a low, menacing voice.
"The Heirs of Slytherin shall battle, and blood shall be spilled for both. One who was thought dead shall return, and the final battle for Hogwarts shall take place. Two shall switch, and the truth will remain hidden. The bonds of the centaurs shall return. The Great Evil will come to the school tonight." Parvati's eyes were rolled into the back of her head, and only the whites showed. Lavender was screaming and crying at her friend's side. With a final shudder, Parvati's eyes closed. Then, she opened them and gave a great yawn.
"Oh dear, I think I fell asleep. Did Professor Trelawny say anything important, Lav?" She asked, looking up at her horrified friend. "Lav? Lavender? Hello!"
"You...you...you just said the Great Evil was coming to Hogwarts!" Lavender cried, practically hysterical. Parvati gave her a funny look.
"What are you talking about?" Parvati demanded. Whispers were flying across the room. Harmony just stared at Parvati Patil in a new light.
Parvati had just had a real vision. She had seen the future. The words flew through her mind. The Heirs of Slytherin shall battle, one who was thought dead shall return...the Great Evil will come...
Everything started to come together in Harmony's mind. The battle was supposed to be tonight, Ron was supposed to come back to Hogwarts...and summon Voldemort!!
The bell rang, and the majority of the class remained to gape at Parvati. Harmony, however, flew from the room to the owlery, composing a letter to Ron and Sirius in her mind as she went. Her fight with Ron didn't matter now, this was bigger than any little feud. She told them to meet her by the greenhouses at eleven o'clock. She didn't explain, only said it was urgent.
After the letter was written and on it's way, Harmony returned the common room and collapsed. She was nearly shaking with...she wasn't sure what. A strange mixture of fear, anticipation, and nervousness. She had prepared for this battle her entire life, and now, suddenly...here it was.
She found herself drifting to sleep.
Meanwhile, everyone else was coming back from dinner, buzzing with the news of Parvati Patil's vision. They were oblivious to Brooke Silinster, let alone all the emotions whirring through her.
They were also oblivious to the same emotions going through the veins of Harry Potter, but for entirely different reasons.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harmony had been pulled into a dream.
She was watching a happy young couple laughing and talking as the woman pushed a stroller down the street of a small village's main street. Harmony immediately recognized the couple, though she wasn't sure how, since she had never seen them. Maybe it was the descriptions Sirius had provided: A tall, lean man with black hair and brown eyes paired with a petite, delicate looking woman with fiery tresses and bright emerald eyes left very little doubt that Harmony was seeing Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents. Not to mention the child in the stroller had his father's messy hair and his mother's eyes. The only things he was missing were the scar and glasses.
Harmony's dream-Lily gasped as a woman came out of the shop in front of the young family, also pushing a stroller. The woman was short, with bushy brown hair and bright, friendly blue eyes. The woman squealed.
"Lily!" She cried.
"Natalie?" Lily said in disbelief. The two women hugged.
"I haven't see you in ages!" The woman Lily had called Natalie exclaimed. "Hardly at all since you went off to private school."
"I know!" Lily replied, squealing. "This is the last place I expected to run into Natalie Banks."
"Granger," Natalie corrected shyly flashing a smile and a diamond ring.
"Oh my God, you got married!" Lily squealed.
"Yes. This is my daughter, Hermione," The infant in the stroller giggled. "What about you?"
"Potter," Lily grinned. "This is my husband, James. James, this is Natalie. She was my neighbor. And baby Harry, of course,"
"How do you do?" James asked politely. Harmony had been following the conversation with interest, but suddenly her vision was drawn against her will to the children. She looked down just in time to see their hands touch. Unless her sight was failing her, she swore she saw a flicker jump from Hermione to Harry.
"Well, we must be going. Take care, Natalie!" Lily exclaimed. Harmony looked up, then realized the Potters and the Grangers were going their separate ways. She followed the Potters, wondering what all that had meant.
She soon found herself in a park. They hadn't gone very far when Harmony spotted a family that would've been hard to miss. The mother was short and plump, the father was tall and thin. Two boys, looking to be around eight or nine years old, were giggling and whispering as they walked along. Another boy, looking closer to five, stuck his nose in the air at the antics of his older brothers. Toddling identical twins each held on to one of their father's hands, grinning mischievously as they took turns poking at their older brothers' backs. Their mother was pushing a stroller, which held the youngest brother. All eight had flaming red hair Harmony immediately recognized.
"Arthur!" James exclaimed, grinning at the father. "It's been a long time. My they're growing up fast."
"Aren't they though?" Arthur smiled proudly, looking down at his brood fondly.
"Molly!" Lily squealed hugging the mother.
"Hello, Lily dear," Molly smiled. "How's little Harry doing?"
"Oh, splendidly," Lily replied. "And this little guy? I don't think I've met the newest member of the family."
"This is Ron," Molly said, smiling fondly at her youngest son. Harmony continued to listen with interest, knowing that if she and Ron were still engaged this would be her future family. 'Weird,' she thought, 'I'm having a dream that has my...whatever he is right now as a baby.'
Just then, her attention was, once again, forcibly drawn to the strollers. Baby Harry reached out, and his hand met that of Baby Ron. And once again, Harmony frowned (if one can perform such a feat in a dream) as a flicker passed from Ron to Harry.
Suddenly, the vision of the two families in the park disappeared, and Harmony found herself in her very own beloved palace. Except that neither her father nor Sirius nor...anyone else of her acquaintance was there. There was an empty cauldron, and hovering over it was none other than Salazar Slytherin.
"I must help them," He mumbled. "If they will not let me, then I will do it myself. I will create a second heir."
Salazar disappeared, and Harmony found herself in a kitchen. Lily and James Potter were seated at the table, with Harry lying down asleep nearby.
"I'm worried, James," Lily said, looking around in fear.
"Don't worry," James replied, taking his wife's hand. "With the Secret-Keeper Charm in place, he can't find us."
"I know but-" Lily cut off suddenly. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" James replied. Listening, he heard a scratching at the door. "Oh, that? Lily, it's just the wind." Just as the words left his mouth, they heard it again, louder. Lily tightened, her eyes widened. She stared in horror as the doorknob began to turn.
"Take Harry...run!" James said, but it was too late. Voldemort came bursting in. He swept the Potters away with a sweep of his hand and approached their son. Lily and James watched in horror as he lifted his wand and...
The killing curse mirrored of Harry.
Harmony stood in shock as Harry Potter, in her dream, became the Boy Who Lived...with his parents living as well.
Once again, she saw Salazar over the cauldron, muttering as he added various ingredients to the potion. Nothing could go wrong. He wouldn't allow it too. He opened a new vial and began to measure its contents.
Rapid, colorful visions began to pass through Harmony's mind. She saw James teaching Harry to ride his first broomstick, Harry baking cookies with Lily, Sirius bestowing Harry with the Marauder's Map, Ron coming to spend the night with the Potters.
It was all beginning to make sense. She was seeing the world as it would've been. She was seeing the world's destiny, if Salazar Slytherin had not created a second heir. She was seeing that they didn't need her. She was seeing the world, not as if she hadn't been born, but as if she wasn't the Second Heir of Slytherin.
If she had been awake, she would've cried. But she could do nothing but watch as glimpses of Sirius and Crystal's wedding flew by, and Harry's acceptance letter to Hogwarts induced a wild party, and Harry returned home to the loving arms of his parents for the holidays.
And in between these visions, she saw Salazar hard at work, inadvertently killing all hope for the happy life Harry Potter should've had.
Then, Harmony saw a picture. It was a still shot, as if from a Muggle camera, and framed. It showed Sirius and Crystal in the background making faces, then Lily and James looking very proud. And it was easy to see why. Just in front of these four were four more people, in the robes given to Hogwarts students on the day of their graduation. Harry was on the far left, grinning like crazy with a loving arm around the waist of Hermione, who stood next to him. She had a friendly arm around Ron's shoulders, and he was giving her bunny ears from behind. And he was holding hands with...Harmony couldn't believe her own eyes.
Ron was holding hands with HER, Harmony, pointy ears, ankle length hair, graduation robe and all. And she herself looked deliriously happy. If she hadn't been the heir, if Salazar hadn't created her destiny...she would've come to Hogwarts anyway, and met Ron there. Harmony looked down at the picture, and knew she was looking at her heart's deepest desire.
The photograph shattered, and she saw Salazar Slytherin smile as he added the final ingredient. His second heir was now securely in place, and nothing could go wrong...
The horror of this turn of the dream awoke Harmony, and to her surprise she found that tears were running down her cheeks. She found herself cursing Salazar through her tears, and shaking with the true realization of what the dream had meant.
After a few minutes, she managed to pull it together. If she didn't hurry, she would miss her appointment with Sirius and Ron.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry was standing outside the Library. He wasn't sure when this became their meeting place, but it had started at the beginning of sixth year, and just hadn't left.
He was waiting for Hermione with the invisibility cloak in one hand and the Marauder's map in the other. Being Head Boy, he couldn't get in trouble for being outside the Library after hours...at least, he hoped not. Hermione would be joining him in a few moments, as he had invited her to go on a walk.
Harry was pacing back and forth nervously, constantly running his hand through his messy black hair. This was more than a walk, this was...this was... He put his hand in his pocket and grabbed the little black box. He was proposing for Heaven's sake!
"Harry?" Hermione's voice interrupted his thoughts. He jumped, quickly taking his hand out of his pocket.
"Hey," He said, giving her a quick kiss. Hermione laughed.
"Come fully prepared, haven't we, Mr. Potter?" Hermione teased, gesturing to the cloak and map. "You know, we don't have to hide under the cloak. We ARE Head Boy and Girl."
"I know, but this is so much more fun!" Harry replied, grinning devilishly. Hermione laughed as Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the map, muttering.
"Well, are we in trouble?" Hermione asked jokingly. "Is Filch roaming about? Snape?"
"No, all's good." Harry replied, playing along. "Let's-" Harry cut off, staring in shock at the map. He dropped the cloak and wand.
"What?" Hermione asked urgently, coming up behind so she could see the map. With a shaking finger, Harry pointed at a small dot that was currently leaving the Gryffindor common room.
The dot was labeled Harmony Slytherin.
"What the hell?" Hermione muttered, staring as the dot rapidly approached the stairs. Then, she shook herself into logical thinking. "What should we do?" She asked Harry.
"Dumbledore," Harry replied. Without another word, they sprinted toward Dumbledore's office. They reached the gargoyle and were about to give it the password when Dumbledore himself came out.
"What's going on?" He asked as the Head Boy and Girl came running up to him. Panting, Harry handed the Headmaster the Map. Dumbledore didn't even question where they got it.
"You see sir," Harry panted. "Harmony Slytherin."
"Oh?" Dumbledore replied. "I thought you were referring to the dots labeled Sirius Black and Ronald Weasley."
"WHAT?!" Hermione and Harry exclaimed in unison, staring at the map. There he was, their best friend, the one who had been dead for over nine months. He was standing on the grounds of Hogwarts as they spoke, with Harry's godfather, whom they had also thought dead, and a mysterious Slytherin was quickly approaching them.
Without words, all three began to sprint. Dumbledore had no trouble keeping up with the two younger people. Harry could feel the blood pounding in his ears. Every once in a while he would glance at the map. "Harmony Slytherin" was outside now, standing with Sirius and Ron. Ron. Harry's throat constricted. Here he was, standing on the front lawn, and probably getting killed even as they ran.
Suddenly, Harry ran into something solid with a 'smack'. He stood and shook himself, just in time to see Hermione and Dumbledore seem to run headlong into a brick wall. There was just the slight problem that they had been running through an empty corridor. Hermione put her hand up, and found that she was feeling what seemed to be an invisible wall.
"PEEVES!" She screamed. Dumbledore jumped up to try various counterspells (while Peeves was really just mischievous, poltergeist's magic is extremely powerful, and somewhat different than living magic).
And Harry was increasingly aware of the passing of precious seconds.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harmony's hopes of reconciling with Ron died the moment she saw his face. It was obvious to her that he didn't have any intentions of forgiving her.
"Harmony," He said coldly, nodding. Harmony put on her game face.
"Ron," She replied in a voice just as icy, also nodding. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Look, we don't have time for this. What's going on?"
"Parvati Patil had a visions-" Ron interrupted her with a snort.
"She wishes."
"Ron, shut up!" Harmony cried. "Look, I know Parvati only wishes, but she had a real vision, shuddering, eyes rolled back, deep freaky voice and complete amnesia. She said you would return tonight, and the battle would occur."
"Okay..." Sirius said, obviously a bit confused, Harmony stamped her foot.
"Look, we have to summon Voldemort."
"How, exactly, do you propose to do that?" Ron drawled. Harmony shot him a look.
"Just follow my lead." She grabbed their hands. Ron raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything, especially after she began to chant.
"Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had broken through Peeves' wall. After checking the map, Harry ran full force...right into another wall. He began to swear fluently, although he knew it would only take Dumbledore a few seconds now that he had identified the spell, Harry knew every second was precious.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This isn't working," Ron finally said, breaking away. Harmony gave him a glare.
"Yes it is," She argued.
"No it's not," Sirius agreed. "Face it Harmony, something's gone wrong." He shrugged. Harmony let out a breath.
"You're right," She said, avoiding Ron's look. "You guys go home. I'm coming home tomorrow anyway. Just...I'm sorry I dragged you out here."
"It's okay, Harm," Sirius said. "C'mon Ron," He turned and began to jog toward the forest. Ron, however, lingered for just a moment. He bit his lip, then looked up at her.
"Harmony, I-"
"Ron!" Sirius called from the edge of the forest.
"Go on," Harmony said, nodding after Sirius. "We can't be seen here...you can't be seen here." Ron hesitated for a moment, and Harmony's hopes began to rise again as she looked into his eyes. Then he turned and fled, but her hope was still there. She decided to try one last time, and began to chant. Within syllables, she felt powerful magic flowing through her veins. She didn't realize she was now chanting in her true tongue, that of the snakes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry paused for only a moment as the pleasant May breeze rushed to greet him once they were outside to look at the map. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks, which had a chain reaction of stopping Hermione and Dumbledore.
"What?" Hermione asked between pants.
"Look," Harry said, pointing. There was 'Harmony Slytherin'...but Ron and Sirius were nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, another dot was beginning to form, and letters were appearing beside it. Even as Harry looked, an 'r' was added to make the letters spell Tom R...
"Tom Riddle," Harry breathed. Suddenly, he heard it. The voice, the one he had heard twice in the year, and both times thinking of Ron. It was the same, he knew, the beautiful, melodic, clear voice, but its words were very different.
"Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin, com-"
Harry didn't even think. He ran, ran as he never had before, leaving Hermione and Dumbledore in the dust. He rounded the corner of the castle, and stopped short at what he saw.
Brooke Silinster stood, her face tilted upward and her eyes closed, her hands raised to the heavens, chanting in Parseltongue. Meanwhile, a shimmering apparition was becoming more and more defined next to her. Harry immediately recognized the figure as Voldemort.
"BROOKE?!" Hermione cried in shock from behind him. Brooke lost her concentration. Her eyes flew open and her hands dropped. The form of Voldemort flickered, then died.
"I...I..." Brooke stuttered, shaking in fear. "I can explain..."
"I think you should come with me, Miss Slytherin," Dumbledore said softly. The girl's eyes widened in fear.
"No...please..." She looked around desperately, and spotted the forest. She turned to run. Dumbledore pulled out his wand.
"Stupefy!" Brooke tried to run, but she fell under the spell's power, and knew no more.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Harmony woke up the next morning with a groan, she discovered that the previous night had not been a dream after all. She was lying on a cot in one of the dungeons. She looked around, fear growing inside of her.
What now? Her identity as a Slytherin was betrayed. She had seen the slip of parchment in Harry's hand, and she had felt like she had been punched in the stomach with the realization of what it was. Sirius had told her all about the Marauder's Map, but it never occurred to her that it could reveal her true identity.
Worse, Harmony realized. They saw Sirius and Ron. They think...they probably think I killed them.
The idea, the very thought of killing either of them, the two people she was closest to in the world, made her violently sick. Fortunately, she managed to pull herself together before Dumbledore walked in.
The sight of the headmaster made her flinch. He was furious. One look told her she wasn't getting any chances.
Worst of all was the thought that she hadn't passed the test. According to the rules she had set with her father, she had to stay exactly forty days beginning with her first class. That meant she had to stay in the school until noon that very day. But no, it was only seven in the morning, and she was about to get expelled.
"Follow me," Dumbledore commanded, his voice brooking no protest. Harmony stood and followed silently, and found that her hands had been magically bound together, and she didn't have her wand. She vowed to herself to answer all his questions honestly, although she knew he wouldn't believe her.
She was lead into the Great Hall. Everyone was there, eating breakfast. The chatter and talk ceased entirely, and Harmony was lead to the front of the silent hall, right past the Gryffindor table. News of what had transpired had spread like wildfire, and some of the students spat as she walked past. Harry and Hermione didn't spit. They just stared, their eyes holding a hatred Harmony would never forget.
She only found comfort in one face. Ginny's eyes were full of sympathy, and she gave Harmony a small smile as she passed. Harmony found it easier to bear, then, knowing at least one person didn't hate her.
She also found friendship at the Head Table. Mindy, Crystal, and Remus followed her every move, trying to be encouraging without actually saying anything. They succeeded. She smiled bravely at them, then turned to face Dumbledore.
"What is your name?" He asked. Harmony swallowed.
"Harmony Zalaras Slytherin, sir," She replied, managing not to break eye contact. Whispers spread through the students, which Dumbledore ended with one swift look.
"Are you responsible for the death of Ronald Weasley?" He demanded. Harmony flinched.
"No."
"But you have captured him, have you not? You have been keeping him in mortal peril, and even brought him back to this school just last night to taunt him?"
Harmony didn't answer, and whispers picked up around the hall again. She had captured Ron and kept him in mortal peril just by being in Marigold. She hadn't given him an option for so long...and by then she had fallen in love. She didn't want him to leave. A conversation came back to her.
~"Do you want to go home?" She had asked, as they looked down at his funeral.
"Which one?"
"Marigold."~
"Well?" Dumbledore demanded, cutting through her thoughts. "Do you deny it?"
"No," Harmony whispered, her gaze shifting to Harry and Hermione. "No, I do not deny it."
The noise in the hall increased as all the students and teachers began talking at once. Harmony took in an unsteady breath as she saw Harry's eyes blaze with emerald fire. Dumbledore seemed to become even taller.
"Harmony Slytherin," He said. "I hereby expel you from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you shall be handed over to the Ministry for questioning." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her wand. Suddenly Harmony remembered something. She and Ron both had wands made of centaur mane. She knew what would happen when that wand was snapped. She braced herself.
Dumbledore held the wand up for everyone to see. They he took one side in each hand, and snapped it. Black smoke billowed out, engulfing Harmony and Dumbledore from vision.
When Harmony opened her eyes she was sitting in Marigold, looking at a shocked and confused Sirius Black, who had just spilled his tea all over the place. He stared in shock.
"What in the-"
"I was caught," Harmony interrupted. "They expelled me."
Meanwhile, the smoke began to dissipate, and the students of Hogwarts could see the two that had been engulfed. They all stared in shock at what they saw. There was Dumbledore, just where he had been, but the Slytherin girl was no longer there.
"This must be a nightmare," Ron said, staring around with wide eyes as the entire population of Hogwarts stared back. He then fell to the ground in a dead faint.
Of Wands, Wishes, and the Marauder's Map
Only one more week, Harmony kept reminding herself. One more week, then I can go home. It was only this thought that kept her awake as Professor Binns droned. Harmony really despised him. Her entire life revolved around the very history of Magic as it was today. Her entire being revolved around the past, the lives of Salazar Slytherin, her ancestor, and Godric Gryffindor, his enemy. She didn't understand how one person--er, ghost that is--could make the subject so incredibly boring!
She sighed, and resigned herself to listening to Binns' droning tones. Her mind wandered back six days, to last Saturday. How they had managed to smooth over the incident, Harmony would never know. Mindy and Crystal did most of the talking. However, no one could hide the fact that Mindy and Crystal were no longer feuding. But hey, if that's all Hermione knew, that was fine by Harmony.
But Hermione was the Heir of Ravenclaw. Harmony highly doubted she hadn't put her quick mind to work on the riddle of bursting in on that particular little party. Harmony only hoped and prayed that Hermione hadn't heard that last comment concerning Ron. That would put all of them in a lot of trouble.
Harmony needn't have worried. Hermione had actually spent the days since wondering what the group had been talking about. It was certainly one of the strangest collections of people she had ever seen. All they needed was Rita Skeeter and Voldemort to make the eclectic group complete.
Hermione smiled at the thought and went back to her notes. Voldemort and Rita Skeeter indeed!
The bell rang, and the seventh year Gryffindors gratefully flew from the History of Magic classroom. Hermione and Harry were holding hands and talking. They met up with Brooke at the door, and the three walked together to dinner, talking excitedly about the coming weekend, a Hogsmeade weekend. Harmony put on a big smile, a happy countenance, and reminded herself over and over that in a week she could go home.
Hermione frowned when Brooke told her that she wasn't going to Hogsmeade. No amount of persuading would change her mind. Hermione sighed.
"Brooke, this may be our last Hogsmeade trip ever. And you've never even seen the village! Aren't you curious?"
"Not really," Brooke replied listlessly, brushing her hair. She set down the brush and turned to face the Head Girl. "Hermione, I know I don't belong here, and you know it too. I'm just trying to finish my short time. I need to stay and study, and think."
"Well, I'm not going to force you to go, but I think you'd enjoy it." Hermione said stubbornly.
"Thanks, but no thanks. You and Harry will have fun," Brooke winked, and Hermione blushed and threw a pillow at her. The girls laughed. Brooke posed the idea of waiting to sleep for Lavender and Parvati, which Hermione vetoed. As she put it, "Merlin knows how much longer they're going to spend in the Astronomy Tower snogging with Seamus and Dean." So the girls pulled their curtains and went to sleep.
Hermione had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the canopy of her bed. She liked Brooke. Brooke was a funny, earnest, studious girl who Hermione sympathized with. She was probably the first girl Hermione had ever truly understood, because they weren't that different. But...
Ron. How long would all her thoughts return to her lost best friend? Ron had been gone for nearly nine months now, and Hermione still hadn't accepted that he was never returning. Then out of nowhere Brooke appeared and began to fill the gap. Hermione should be happy, or grateful, shouldn't she? But no, she only felt guilty. Guilty for allowing anyone to take Ron's place, guilty for putting herself through misery she knew wasn't founded, guilty for putting innocent Brooke into such an awkward position. Hermione fell asleep with these thoughts going through her mind.
Harmony, meanwhile, was also feeling guilty. She had carefully chosen her words so that she wasn't technically lying to Hermione, but it was a bit late for that. Everything Hermione knew about her was a lie. Right now, Harmony's entire life was a lie. And to top it all off-it wasn't hard. It seemed that it should be difficult to spend thirty-three days in a row lying about the most basic aspects of life, but it wasn't. Harmony was actually comfortable lying, it came naturally, and the thought made her cringe. It reminded her of all the aspects of Slytherin she didn't take pride in.
Only one more week, she told herself, and fell into an uneasy sleep.
"Oh what a beautiful MO----RNING! Oh what a beautiful DAY! I've got a beautiful FEE---" Harry's horrible singing was abruptly cut off as Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth. Harry tried to continue with the song, but to no avail. Eventually he managed to pry Hermione's hand way.
"'Mione," He whined. "What was that for?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Hermione replied, grinning. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I'm not THAT bad!" He defended.
"Yes you are," She replied, laughing. It was a beautiful day in May, the sun shining through a clear forget-me-not sky, and birds singing in the trees. Harry smiled, unable to even pretend to be angry in such an atmosphere. Hermione just kept laughing, and began to fairly skip as they approached Hogsmeade.
Harry felt somewhat sad at the thought that this was their last Hogsmeade weekend. Ever. In one month, they would be graduating. Although they hadn't talked about it, the thought was in the minds of all the seventh years. Harry and Hermione visited all the shops, as if saying goodbye. They climbed up to the shrieking shack for a short visit, both remembering the night in third year when they had come face-to-face with Sirius Black.
The memories were bittersweet. As usual, the spirit of Ron was everywhere. However, Harry had actually accepted his best friend's death, smiling as he remembered the time he had thrown mud at Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy at this very spot as Ron laughed when they were fighting with Hermione in third year. Although she hadn't been with them at that particular event, at certain places and sounds he saw her smile a certain way that told him she was remembering Ron.
The last place they went to was the Three Broomsticks. The pub was full of all sorts of memories, not only of Ron. Hermione sat down with her butterbeer and let her eyes roam freely around the place. Harry sat down next to her, and for a moment, there was only silence between them as their minds sifted through memories, and the realization that they would be leaving the place they had called home for the last seven years.
"Hey...mind if we join you?" The voice that interrupted their thoughts belonged to Lavender Brown. Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Neville were with her.
"Of course not," Hermione nodded, smiling. The others collected chairs and seated themselves at the table. Normally they would've all been out their separate ways. But now, this weekend, they were all together. All of the seventh year Gryffindors sat in silence, thinking.
But the silence didn't last long. It was Neville who asked a question about the upcoming Transfiguration essay, and somehow, it turned into a conversation. Hermione, for the first time, was realizing how little she knew about her fellow dorm mates, and she found herself wishing she had spent a bit more time with them. Time was almost up now.
"I'll be right back," Harry said suddenly, rising from the table and crossing the space between the table and the door quickly. A small bell tinkled as he left the pub. Seamus gave the door a funny look.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Probably Ron," Dean said, and their was a general nod of agreement. A moment of awkward silence followed before Parvati commented on Harry's latest victory and the upcoming Quidditch Cup.
Harry's abrupt exit actually had nothing whatsoever to do with Ron. However, he knew his classmates would probably think it did, and therefore wouldn't follow him, which was exactly what he wanted. He pushed through the crowded streets until he reached a tiny store he had never entered before called Sweeney & Sweeney's Fine Jewelry. Taking a deep breath, he went inside.
Meanwhile, Harmony found herself back in the library. At first she was just wandering around, but she inevitably found herself at an entire shelf of books full of biographies of Salazar Slytherin.
Sighing, she pulled one of them down and began to flip through it. Eventually, she found herself completely absorbed. She knew of Salazar's life, of course, seeing as she had done nothing but study it since she was born. However, all of these biographies were of his life before Marigold, and most of them about his time as a Dark Wizard. It didn't take Harmony long to find a passage about Salazar's heir.
"However, Slytherin knew that if his search for an Immortality Spell failed, his legacy would die. Therefore, according to legend, he created an heir. This heir would come to Hogwarts and purge the school of those 'unworthy' to study the magical arts, those being Muggle borns and half bloods. His heir was to gain control of the magical community and raise purebloods to their deserved higher status.
Of course, he tried to complete this in complete secrecy. However, his activities were discovered. Supposedly the other founders discovered his activities after his banishment from the school, and they created their own heirs. The problem was, the only place the new heirs could hope to defeat the Heir of Slytherin was the school itself, where Gryffindor cursed Slytherin on his [Gryffindor's] deathbed. When the heirs were ready for battle, they could summon Slytherin's Heir to Hogwarts so the battle could commence. This story is, of course, entirely fictional..."
Harmony blinked several times. She had read and read and read in her studies of Salazar Slytherin, but never had she found this information. Was this true? The final battle had to take place on the grounds of Hogwarts? And the other three heirs could summon Voldemort? If they could, then so could she!
Hermione and Harry talked to her about Hogsmeade all through dinner, but Harmony wasn't listening. Her mind was working furiously, planning for the battle. It would not be long now.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Her time at Hogwarts was coming to a close. Harmony could hardly believe it. Tomorrow, she would be returning to Marigold. She would be returning to her father, she would be returning to Sirius...she would be returning to Ron.
She hadn't seen him for forty days, and in that time she had come to realize how stupid they had both been. She wanted nothing more than his forgiveness. And a kiss wouldn't hurt either.
However, at the moment Harmony had her mind fully bent on staying awake. She was sitting in Divination, and the toxic smell of the perfume was suffocating her. Why had she taken this class again?
Harry was nodding off next to her, and Neville was snoring. Only Lavender and Parvati seemed interested, but then again, they fancied themselves Divinators. Harmony watched them interestedly, having a few humorous thoughts at their expense when...
Parvati began to shudder violently. Harry started and Neville was jolted awake. Trelawny watched with her eyes open wide in shock and horror. After a moment, Parvati began to speak in a low, menacing voice.
"The Heirs of Slytherin shall battle, and blood shall be spilled for both. One who was thought dead shall return, and the final battle for Hogwarts shall take place. Two shall switch, and the truth will remain hidden. The bonds of the centaurs shall return. The Great Evil will come to the school tonight." Parvati's eyes were rolled into the back of her head, and only the whites showed. Lavender was screaming and crying at her friend's side. With a final shudder, Parvati's eyes closed. Then, she opened them and gave a great yawn.
"Oh dear, I think I fell asleep. Did Professor Trelawny say anything important, Lav?" She asked, looking up at her horrified friend. "Lav? Lavender? Hello!"
"You...you...you just said the Great Evil was coming to Hogwarts!" Lavender cried, practically hysterical. Parvati gave her a funny look.
"What are you talking about?" Parvati demanded. Whispers were flying across the room. Harmony just stared at Parvati Patil in a new light.
Parvati had just had a real vision. She had seen the future. The words flew through her mind. The Heirs of Slytherin shall battle, one who was thought dead shall return...the Great Evil will come...
Everything started to come together in Harmony's mind. The battle was supposed to be tonight, Ron was supposed to come back to Hogwarts...and summon Voldemort!!
The bell rang, and the majority of the class remained to gape at Parvati. Harmony, however, flew from the room to the owlery, composing a letter to Ron and Sirius in her mind as she went. Her fight with Ron didn't matter now, this was bigger than any little feud. She told them to meet her by the greenhouses at eleven o'clock. She didn't explain, only said it was urgent.
After the letter was written and on it's way, Harmony returned the common room and collapsed. She was nearly shaking with...she wasn't sure what. A strange mixture of fear, anticipation, and nervousness. She had prepared for this battle her entire life, and now, suddenly...here it was.
She found herself drifting to sleep.
Meanwhile, everyone else was coming back from dinner, buzzing with the news of Parvati Patil's vision. They were oblivious to Brooke Silinster, let alone all the emotions whirring through her.
They were also oblivious to the same emotions going through the veins of Harry Potter, but for entirely different reasons.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harmony had been pulled into a dream.
She was watching a happy young couple laughing and talking as the woman pushed a stroller down the street of a small village's main street. Harmony immediately recognized the couple, though she wasn't sure how, since she had never seen them. Maybe it was the descriptions Sirius had provided: A tall, lean man with black hair and brown eyes paired with a petite, delicate looking woman with fiery tresses and bright emerald eyes left very little doubt that Harmony was seeing Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents. Not to mention the child in the stroller had his father's messy hair and his mother's eyes. The only things he was missing were the scar and glasses.
Harmony's dream-Lily gasped as a woman came out of the shop in front of the young family, also pushing a stroller. The woman was short, with bushy brown hair and bright, friendly blue eyes. The woman squealed.
"Lily!" She cried.
"Natalie?" Lily said in disbelief. The two women hugged.
"I haven't see you in ages!" The woman Lily had called Natalie exclaimed. "Hardly at all since you went off to private school."
"I know!" Lily replied, squealing. "This is the last place I expected to run into Natalie Banks."
"Granger," Natalie corrected shyly flashing a smile and a diamond ring.
"Oh my God, you got married!" Lily squealed.
"Yes. This is my daughter, Hermione," The infant in the stroller giggled. "What about you?"
"Potter," Lily grinned. "This is my husband, James. James, this is Natalie. She was my neighbor. And baby Harry, of course,"
"How do you do?" James asked politely. Harmony had been following the conversation with interest, but suddenly her vision was drawn against her will to the children. She looked down just in time to see their hands touch. Unless her sight was failing her, she swore she saw a flicker jump from Hermione to Harry.
"Well, we must be going. Take care, Natalie!" Lily exclaimed. Harmony looked up, then realized the Potters and the Grangers were going their separate ways. She followed the Potters, wondering what all that had meant.
She soon found herself in a park. They hadn't gone very far when Harmony spotted a family that would've been hard to miss. The mother was short and plump, the father was tall and thin. Two boys, looking to be around eight or nine years old, were giggling and whispering as they walked along. Another boy, looking closer to five, stuck his nose in the air at the antics of his older brothers. Toddling identical twins each held on to one of their father's hands, grinning mischievously as they took turns poking at their older brothers' backs. Their mother was pushing a stroller, which held the youngest brother. All eight had flaming red hair Harmony immediately recognized.
"Arthur!" James exclaimed, grinning at the father. "It's been a long time. My they're growing up fast."
"Aren't they though?" Arthur smiled proudly, looking down at his brood fondly.
"Molly!" Lily squealed hugging the mother.
"Hello, Lily dear," Molly smiled. "How's little Harry doing?"
"Oh, splendidly," Lily replied. "And this little guy? I don't think I've met the newest member of the family."
"This is Ron," Molly said, smiling fondly at her youngest son. Harmony continued to listen with interest, knowing that if she and Ron were still engaged this would be her future family. 'Weird,' she thought, 'I'm having a dream that has my...whatever he is right now as a baby.'
Just then, her attention was, once again, forcibly drawn to the strollers. Baby Harry reached out, and his hand met that of Baby Ron. And once again, Harmony frowned (if one can perform such a feat in a dream) as a flicker passed from Ron to Harry.
Suddenly, the vision of the two families in the park disappeared, and Harmony found herself in her very own beloved palace. Except that neither her father nor Sirius nor...anyone else of her acquaintance was there. There was an empty cauldron, and hovering over it was none other than Salazar Slytherin.
"I must help them," He mumbled. "If they will not let me, then I will do it myself. I will create a second heir."
Salazar disappeared, and Harmony found herself in a kitchen. Lily and James Potter were seated at the table, with Harry lying down asleep nearby.
"I'm worried, James," Lily said, looking around in fear.
"Don't worry," James replied, taking his wife's hand. "With the Secret-Keeper Charm in place, he can't find us."
"I know but-" Lily cut off suddenly. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" James replied. Listening, he heard a scratching at the door. "Oh, that? Lily, it's just the wind." Just as the words left his mouth, they heard it again, louder. Lily tightened, her eyes widened. She stared in horror as the doorknob began to turn.
"Take Harry...run!" James said, but it was too late. Voldemort came bursting in. He swept the Potters away with a sweep of his hand and approached their son. Lily and James watched in horror as he lifted his wand and...
The killing curse mirrored of Harry.
Harmony stood in shock as Harry Potter, in her dream, became the Boy Who Lived...with his parents living as well.
Once again, she saw Salazar over the cauldron, muttering as he added various ingredients to the potion. Nothing could go wrong. He wouldn't allow it too. He opened a new vial and began to measure its contents.
Rapid, colorful visions began to pass through Harmony's mind. She saw James teaching Harry to ride his first broomstick, Harry baking cookies with Lily, Sirius bestowing Harry with the Marauder's Map, Ron coming to spend the night with the Potters.
It was all beginning to make sense. She was seeing the world as it would've been. She was seeing the world's destiny, if Salazar Slytherin had not created a second heir. She was seeing that they didn't need her. She was seeing the world, not as if she hadn't been born, but as if she wasn't the Second Heir of Slytherin.
If she had been awake, she would've cried. But she could do nothing but watch as glimpses of Sirius and Crystal's wedding flew by, and Harry's acceptance letter to Hogwarts induced a wild party, and Harry returned home to the loving arms of his parents for the holidays.
And in between these visions, she saw Salazar hard at work, inadvertently killing all hope for the happy life Harry Potter should've had.
Then, Harmony saw a picture. It was a still shot, as if from a Muggle camera, and framed. It showed Sirius and Crystal in the background making faces, then Lily and James looking very proud. And it was easy to see why. Just in front of these four were four more people, in the robes given to Hogwarts students on the day of their graduation. Harry was on the far left, grinning like crazy with a loving arm around the waist of Hermione, who stood next to him. She had a friendly arm around Ron's shoulders, and he was giving her bunny ears from behind. And he was holding hands with...Harmony couldn't believe her own eyes.
Ron was holding hands with HER, Harmony, pointy ears, ankle length hair, graduation robe and all. And she herself looked deliriously happy. If she hadn't been the heir, if Salazar hadn't created her destiny...she would've come to Hogwarts anyway, and met Ron there. Harmony looked down at the picture, and knew she was looking at her heart's deepest desire.
The photograph shattered, and she saw Salazar Slytherin smile as he added the final ingredient. His second heir was now securely in place, and nothing could go wrong...
The horror of this turn of the dream awoke Harmony, and to her surprise she found that tears were running down her cheeks. She found herself cursing Salazar through her tears, and shaking with the true realization of what the dream had meant.
After a few minutes, she managed to pull it together. If she didn't hurry, she would miss her appointment with Sirius and Ron.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry was standing outside the Library. He wasn't sure when this became their meeting place, but it had started at the beginning of sixth year, and just hadn't left.
He was waiting for Hermione with the invisibility cloak in one hand and the Marauder's map in the other. Being Head Boy, he couldn't get in trouble for being outside the Library after hours...at least, he hoped not. Hermione would be joining him in a few moments, as he had invited her to go on a walk.
Harry was pacing back and forth nervously, constantly running his hand through his messy black hair. This was more than a walk, this was...this was... He put his hand in his pocket and grabbed the little black box. He was proposing for Heaven's sake!
"Harry?" Hermione's voice interrupted his thoughts. He jumped, quickly taking his hand out of his pocket.
"Hey," He said, giving her a quick kiss. Hermione laughed.
"Come fully prepared, haven't we, Mr. Potter?" Hermione teased, gesturing to the cloak and map. "You know, we don't have to hide under the cloak. We ARE Head Boy and Girl."
"I know, but this is so much more fun!" Harry replied, grinning devilishly. Hermione laughed as Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the map, muttering.
"Well, are we in trouble?" Hermione asked jokingly. "Is Filch roaming about? Snape?"
"No, all's good." Harry replied, playing along. "Let's-" Harry cut off, staring in shock at the map. He dropped the cloak and wand.
"What?" Hermione asked urgently, coming up behind so she could see the map. With a shaking finger, Harry pointed at a small dot that was currently leaving the Gryffindor common room.
The dot was labeled Harmony Slytherin.
"What the hell?" Hermione muttered, staring as the dot rapidly approached the stairs. Then, she shook herself into logical thinking. "What should we do?" She asked Harry.
"Dumbledore," Harry replied. Without another word, they sprinted toward Dumbledore's office. They reached the gargoyle and were about to give it the password when Dumbledore himself came out.
"What's going on?" He asked as the Head Boy and Girl came running up to him. Panting, Harry handed the Headmaster the Map. Dumbledore didn't even question where they got it.
"You see sir," Harry panted. "Harmony Slytherin."
"Oh?" Dumbledore replied. "I thought you were referring to the dots labeled Sirius Black and Ronald Weasley."
"WHAT?!" Hermione and Harry exclaimed in unison, staring at the map. There he was, their best friend, the one who had been dead for over nine months. He was standing on the grounds of Hogwarts as they spoke, with Harry's godfather, whom they had also thought dead, and a mysterious Slytherin was quickly approaching them.
Without words, all three began to sprint. Dumbledore had no trouble keeping up with the two younger people. Harry could feel the blood pounding in his ears. Every once in a while he would glance at the map. "Harmony Slytherin" was outside now, standing with Sirius and Ron. Ron. Harry's throat constricted. Here he was, standing on the front lawn, and probably getting killed even as they ran.
Suddenly, Harry ran into something solid with a 'smack'. He stood and shook himself, just in time to see Hermione and Dumbledore seem to run headlong into a brick wall. There was just the slight problem that they had been running through an empty corridor. Hermione put her hand up, and found that she was feeling what seemed to be an invisible wall.
"PEEVES!" She screamed. Dumbledore jumped up to try various counterspells (while Peeves was really just mischievous, poltergeist's magic is extremely powerful, and somewhat different than living magic).
And Harry was increasingly aware of the passing of precious seconds.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harmony's hopes of reconciling with Ron died the moment she saw his face. It was obvious to her that he didn't have any intentions of forgiving her.
"Harmony," He said coldly, nodding. Harmony put on her game face.
"Ron," She replied in a voice just as icy, also nodding. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Look, we don't have time for this. What's going on?"
"Parvati Patil had a visions-" Ron interrupted her with a snort.
"She wishes."
"Ron, shut up!" Harmony cried. "Look, I know Parvati only wishes, but she had a real vision, shuddering, eyes rolled back, deep freaky voice and complete amnesia. She said you would return tonight, and the battle would occur."
"Okay..." Sirius said, obviously a bit confused, Harmony stamped her foot.
"Look, we have to summon Voldemort."
"How, exactly, do you propose to do that?" Ron drawled. Harmony shot him a look.
"Just follow my lead." She grabbed their hands. Ron raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything, especially after she began to chant.
"Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had broken through Peeves' wall. After checking the map, Harry ran full force...right into another wall. He began to swear fluently, although he knew it would only take Dumbledore a few seconds now that he had identified the spell, Harry knew every second was precious.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This isn't working," Ron finally said, breaking away. Harmony gave him a glare.
"Yes it is," She argued.
"No it's not," Sirius agreed. "Face it Harmony, something's gone wrong." He shrugged. Harmony let out a breath.
"You're right," She said, avoiding Ron's look. "You guys go home. I'm coming home tomorrow anyway. Just...I'm sorry I dragged you out here."
"It's okay, Harm," Sirius said. "C'mon Ron," He turned and began to jog toward the forest. Ron, however, lingered for just a moment. He bit his lip, then looked up at her.
"Harmony, I-"
"Ron!" Sirius called from the edge of the forest.
"Go on," Harmony said, nodding after Sirius. "We can't be seen here...you can't be seen here." Ron hesitated for a moment, and Harmony's hopes began to rise again as she looked into his eyes. Then he turned and fled, but her hope was still there. She decided to try one last time, and began to chant. Within syllables, she felt powerful magic flowing through her veins. She didn't realize she was now chanting in her true tongue, that of the snakes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry paused for only a moment as the pleasant May breeze rushed to greet him once they were outside to look at the map. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks, which had a chain reaction of stopping Hermione and Dumbledore.
"What?" Hermione asked between pants.
"Look," Harry said, pointing. There was 'Harmony Slytherin'...but Ron and Sirius were nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, another dot was beginning to form, and letters were appearing beside it. Even as Harry looked, an 'r' was added to make the letters spell Tom R...
"Tom Riddle," Harry breathed. Suddenly, he heard it. The voice, the one he had heard twice in the year, and both times thinking of Ron. It was the same, he knew, the beautiful, melodic, clear voice, but its words were very different.
"Evil of Slytherin, come to me. Evil of Slytherin, com-"
Harry didn't even think. He ran, ran as he never had before, leaving Hermione and Dumbledore in the dust. He rounded the corner of the castle, and stopped short at what he saw.
Brooke Silinster stood, her face tilted upward and her eyes closed, her hands raised to the heavens, chanting in Parseltongue. Meanwhile, a shimmering apparition was becoming more and more defined next to her. Harry immediately recognized the figure as Voldemort.
"BROOKE?!" Hermione cried in shock from behind him. Brooke lost her concentration. Her eyes flew open and her hands dropped. The form of Voldemort flickered, then died.
"I...I..." Brooke stuttered, shaking in fear. "I can explain..."
"I think you should come with me, Miss Slytherin," Dumbledore said softly. The girl's eyes widened in fear.
"No...please..." She looked around desperately, and spotted the forest. She turned to run. Dumbledore pulled out his wand.
"Stupefy!" Brooke tried to run, but she fell under the spell's power, and knew no more.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Harmony woke up the next morning with a groan, she discovered that the previous night had not been a dream after all. She was lying on a cot in one of the dungeons. She looked around, fear growing inside of her.
What now? Her identity as a Slytherin was betrayed. She had seen the slip of parchment in Harry's hand, and she had felt like she had been punched in the stomach with the realization of what it was. Sirius had told her all about the Marauder's Map, but it never occurred to her that it could reveal her true identity.
Worse, Harmony realized. They saw Sirius and Ron. They think...they probably think I killed them.
The idea, the very thought of killing either of them, the two people she was closest to in the world, made her violently sick. Fortunately, she managed to pull herself together before Dumbledore walked in.
The sight of the headmaster made her flinch. He was furious. One look told her she wasn't getting any chances.
Worst of all was the thought that she hadn't passed the test. According to the rules she had set with her father, she had to stay exactly forty days beginning with her first class. That meant she had to stay in the school until noon that very day. But no, it was only seven in the morning, and she was about to get expelled.
"Follow me," Dumbledore commanded, his voice brooking no protest. Harmony stood and followed silently, and found that her hands had been magically bound together, and she didn't have her wand. She vowed to herself to answer all his questions honestly, although she knew he wouldn't believe her.
She was lead into the Great Hall. Everyone was there, eating breakfast. The chatter and talk ceased entirely, and Harmony was lead to the front of the silent hall, right past the Gryffindor table. News of what had transpired had spread like wildfire, and some of the students spat as she walked past. Harry and Hermione didn't spit. They just stared, their eyes holding a hatred Harmony would never forget.
She only found comfort in one face. Ginny's eyes were full of sympathy, and she gave Harmony a small smile as she passed. Harmony found it easier to bear, then, knowing at least one person didn't hate her.
She also found friendship at the Head Table. Mindy, Crystal, and Remus followed her every move, trying to be encouraging without actually saying anything. They succeeded. She smiled bravely at them, then turned to face Dumbledore.
"What is your name?" He asked. Harmony swallowed.
"Harmony Zalaras Slytherin, sir," She replied, managing not to break eye contact. Whispers spread through the students, which Dumbledore ended with one swift look.
"Are you responsible for the death of Ronald Weasley?" He demanded. Harmony flinched.
"No."
"But you have captured him, have you not? You have been keeping him in mortal peril, and even brought him back to this school just last night to taunt him?"
Harmony didn't answer, and whispers picked up around the hall again. She had captured Ron and kept him in mortal peril just by being in Marigold. She hadn't given him an option for so long...and by then she had fallen in love. She didn't want him to leave. A conversation came back to her.
~"Do you want to go home?" She had asked, as they looked down at his funeral.
"Which one?"
"Marigold."~
"Well?" Dumbledore demanded, cutting through her thoughts. "Do you deny it?"
"No," Harmony whispered, her gaze shifting to Harry and Hermione. "No, I do not deny it."
The noise in the hall increased as all the students and teachers began talking at once. Harmony took in an unsteady breath as she saw Harry's eyes blaze with emerald fire. Dumbledore seemed to become even taller.
"Harmony Slytherin," He said. "I hereby expel you from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you shall be handed over to the Ministry for questioning." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her wand. Suddenly Harmony remembered something. She and Ron both had wands made of centaur mane. She knew what would happen when that wand was snapped. She braced herself.
Dumbledore held the wand up for everyone to see. They he took one side in each hand, and snapped it. Black smoke billowed out, engulfing Harmony and Dumbledore from vision.
When Harmony opened her eyes she was sitting in Marigold, looking at a shocked and confused Sirius Black, who had just spilled his tea all over the place. He stared in shock.
"What in the-"
"I was caught," Harmony interrupted. "They expelled me."
Meanwhile, the smoke began to dissipate, and the students of Hogwarts could see the two that had been engulfed. They all stared in shock at what they saw. There was Dumbledore, just where he had been, but the Slytherin girl was no longer there.
"This must be a nightmare," Ron said, staring around with wide eyes as the entire population of Hogwarts stared back. He then fell to the ground in a dead faint.