Part nine, up! Vote for Dumbledore's whereabouts! Cleaning out the Manor! WOOT!

I'm high on sleep! It's almost as good as caffeine! ~giggles~

Aren't mine! Nope! Not mine!

(This chapter seems a bit. . . off to me.  It might get rewritten later)

The Founders

"Granger!"

Hermione turned to see Snape stalking up to her. "Yes Professor?" She hoped he would be done quickly, she was supposed to meet the Chamber Group to discuss any recent developments with the memories issue.

"If you see Mr. Malfoy, tell him I need to see him in my office immediately."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Mr. Malfoy has been spending much time with Potter, too much time for his own good," he sneered. "I assume you are dashing off to see Potter, so you will most likely be seeing Mr. Malfoy as well."

"Oh, well, if I see him, I'll tell him." Snape nodded and swept away. Hermione shook her head and dashed off down the hall again.

"Draco! Snape wants to talk to you!" Draco groaned as Hermione burst into the bathroom. "Hurry up, I don't think it'll take too long, and I found some interesting stuff!" Draco muttered something unintelligible and left. "What's with him?"

"Noko stayed in the Slytherin dorms last night, remember," Seneca piped up. "He's exhausted. Poor thing had nightmares."

"She insisted on sleeping there, though," Harry said, stroking Noko's hair. She sighed contentedly and curled up in his lap. "It was her own fault."

"I gived him buttafie kissies," Noko said tiredly, gripping Harry's robes in one tiny hand. "A' night, just afore goin' ta bed, I gived him buttafie kissies, just like Sensen say to. Den, in da mornin, I gived him big hugs. He like big hugs. Den I says "Love ya Daddy Dayco," and he started crying a little." She yawned. "Den da big green snakey eated him."

"One of her dreams," Harry explained. "Big green snakes are always eating people in the Slytherin dorms when she sleeps there, that's a sign that it was just a dream."

"Was it?" Blaise asked, sitting on the sink concealing the Chamber. "We've been having dreams that aren't just dreams. Might her dreams be like that too?"

"Our dreams obey human logic," Ron pointed out. "Noko's dreams are always of a big green snake eating Ferret, not that I'd mind."

"The ones she tells us are of a snake eating Draco," Seneca corrected. "Blaise could be right; she may have dreams like we do; only she doesn't mention them."

"Update on the Malfoy family," Draco announced, reentering the bathroom. "Total size: one. Me."

"Oh, Draco, no! Your mother died? I'm so sorry!"

Draco shrugged Hermione off. "Out of the two, I preferred Lucius more."

Lucius. Not my father, Lucius. Harry frowned, realizing that this ways Draco's way of not acknowledging Lucius and Narcissa as his parents. In his eyes, they were not his mother and father. They were simply two people who lived with him and ordered him around. Harry felt sorry for Draco, but at the same time was happy for him. Draco never did have a real family but at least now he didn't have a false family hurting him.

"What becomes of the Manor?" Seneca asked.

"It's mine now. Snape recommends I go visit it for the Christmas Break and fix it up if I want to live there or sell it. He says it took some damage from the mob that killed Narcissa."

"Are my parents okay?"

"No idea. No one seems to know where they are, or at least nobody's telling. Snape thinks they're traveling with the Death Eaters. I'm sure Lucan will ask around and find out if they're with someone else's parents."

"Do you want us to come with you this break?" Harry asked.

"Could you?" Draco answered, trying not to sound too pleading. The Manor had given him no happy memories. The last thing he wanted was to stay there alone for two weeks.

"Of course we could," Blaise said. "It'll be a field trip!"

"Over the holidays, it's not a field trip," Ron grumbled. Staying at Malfoy Manor was not his idea of a good Christmas, even if it was with Hermione.

At the Manor

"It's nice," Remus said cautiously, trying to choose the right words. "Maybe just a little . . . colorless."

"Always so polite, eh Moony? I would've just said it's plain ugly," Sirius retorted, examining the dark manor. "We have to stay there for two weeks? I'm sure Hornhead is having a grand old time laughing at us."

Remus and Sirius had been sent with the Chamber Group and Lucan for safety reasons. James had to stay at Hogwarts, being the headmaster.

Draco touched some peeling paint on the door and frowned. "Colorless usually describes the exterior fairly well, but never ugly. It looks like it's falling apart."

"Maybe it's just protection spells," Remus suggested. "Illusions, like the ones on Hogwarts."

"Maybe."

The inside of Malfoy Manor was in much better condition, but it was dark and depressing. Noko stuck her nose in a decorative vase and sneezed it off. "Dussy." She blew her nose in Harry's scarf.

Draco looked around and sighed. "I think we have a lot of cleaning up to do. If the house elves were still here, it wouldn't be so dirty."

"Rooms first," Sirius recommended. "We'll need a place to put our stuff."

"Hundreds of rooms in Malfoy Manor. If we run out, the world's going to end."

Draco kept his old room. Harry slept across the hall. Noko and Hermione shared the room to Harry's right while Ron took Harry's left. Blaise slept across from Ron, and Lucan slept across from Hermione. Sirius and Remus picked rooms further down the hall. After unpacking and testing the bounciness of their beds (Noko), they met in the main hall again.

"I want to sell the Manor," Draco said. "but I can't until it's cleaned and purged of Dark Magic stuff."

"What should we do?" Lucan asked.

"Who's good in the kitchen?" Everyone pointed at Remus. "Okay, Lupin cleans the kitchen and cooks. Black can take the dining room. Seneca and Lucan, you can tackle the bedrooms, they're numerous but easy. One charm cleans each room, I'll teach it to you in a moment. Weasel and Blaise can clean the studies and sitting rooms. Don't open books or tinker with strange objects. Harry and Hermione, you can help me in the libraries."

"Wha'bou me?"

"Noko? Where do you want to clean? Not the libraries, they're too dangerous."

"No Dayco or Hawwy?"

"No, sorry."

Noko looked around before latching onto Remus' leg. "I help Mooie den."

Draco nodded and told everyone where to go and what to do. He took Hermione and Harry to the main library himself. "You have to be careful in here. Books with a bright red spine and gold lettering are trap books. Don't open them; stack them on the chess table instead. Dark green books with silver lettering can be very dangerous. Put those on the green desk. Separate the others into two piles, Dark arts near the fireplace and others in the arm chairs. If you aren't sure, put it on the desk. Better safe then sorry."

An hour later, the desk was groaning under the weight of books and the fireplace was obscured from view. Five lonely books sat in the armchairs, while a dozen bright red books perched invitingly on the chess table.

"What do trap books do?" Hermione asked, reaching for one. Draco took the book back and placed it reverently on the table again. "Just what they sound like. They trap people. Some trap you in the story, others freeze you in one place, and one controls a whole new dimension." Draco took another trap book off a shelf. "This one. It's the only one I know how to reverse, so you can try it if you want to."

Hermione took the book, The Painted Room, and opened it. It seemed innocent enough.

It was a simple room with black wrought-iron furniture and a thick, white rug underfoot. A frameless mirror hung above a black marble fireplace. It was the walls, however, that drew your attention. They were a riot of colors, greens and blues and yellows, all mixing and blending with each other in horrific abstract shapes, seeming to pulse with a life of their own.

Hermione put the book down. "Why is this so bad, Draco? Draco? Harry?" She looked around nervously. They were gone. She stood in a simple room, with black, wrought-iron furniture and a thick white rug underfoot. The room was the exact one she had just read about. "Draco! Get me out of here!"

"Where did she go?" Harry asked, trying to take the book from Draco, with no success.

"I told you, another dimension. Watch." Draco opened the book to the last page and turned it upside-down. Words were appearing on the page rapidly.

She looked around, trying her best not to panic. "Draco! Get me out of here!" The walls pulsed around her. She bowed her head, unable to look at them for long. "Draco," she ground out through gritted teeth. "Get me out of here! NOW!"

Draco picked up a quill and started writing ahead of the book's words.

Suddenly, two books fell into the room; two copies of Malfoy Manor: The Library.

"Don't change it now," Draco warned Harry. He flipped back to the beginning and read the passage that took him to the Painted Room. Harry flipped back to the back and started reading again.

"Calm down, Hermione. It won't take long. We need to take up paper space." Draco Malfoy had appeared in the room and was talking to the girl. He looked up at the dark ceiling. "Harry, as soon as we come back, place your hand on the last page of the book and say Reservo." He stared walking around and around, slapping at the walls idly. Suddenly, two books fell into the room; two copies of Malfoy Manor: The Library.

"What are these for?" the girl asked, picking one up.

"Read the first page," Draco answered, opening his copy of the book. She did as he told her. Both vanished from the room.

"Reservo!" Harry cried as Hermione and Draco reappeared in the library. "What was that?"

Draco took the book from Harry and gave it back to Hermione. "Look, you can read what you did in the room, since Harry saved it. You have to be very careful if you fall into this book. Anyone on the other side can write anything into it with you, or could even change who you are."

"Who could be so cruel?"

"Lucius."

"To you?"

"Who else?"

"No!"

"Don't believe me? Fine, read it yourself. Recoupo Volume Four!" Words rippled onto the page. Draco underlined "Dragon vs. Dragon" with his quill. The words shimmered and changed again. Harry was strongly reminded of Riddle's diary.

Hermione started to read the account before pushing the book away in disgust. "That's horrible! I can't believe your father sent in a dragon with you! How old were you?"

"Five, I think." Draco cleared the book and set it on the chess table. "Let's get back to work."

Hours later, Noko poked her nose in. "Dinna's weady! Follow me!"

I still need to know where Dumbledore is. Vote for an existing choice or come up with your own!

1) Dumbledore's enjoying the sun, sand, and waters of the Caribbean!

2) Dumbledore's got his nose in the ground as he examines the rituals of ants. His ant work is making him too busy to answer owls. (One vote)

PLEASE VOTE! I really am stumped!

~Crawler