CHAPTER TEN: MIDNIGHT MEETING
~~~
After dinner that night, Draco Malfoy waited outside the entrance to the Great Hall in hopes that Padma Patil would walk by sometime soon. Padma hadn't come out yet, but many other people saw him on their way back to their dorms, and if they were from Slytherin house, they would usually try to talk to him. Draco pasted on a smile and told everyone that he was waiting for someone, but would not tell them who if they asked.
Draco almost mistook Parvati for Padma as the twin who was sorted into Gryffindor house came out of the Great Hall, and stopped himself from calling out her name when she saw that she was wearing Gryffindor robes. Parvati glanced in his direction as she walked by, and a look of disdain crossed her face. Draco had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything. He knew Parvati had never liked him, and it had only gotten worse since she'd starting dating Neville Longbottom three years ago.
"Draco Malfoy?"
Draco turned around, and almost gasped when he saw who had addressed him. Standing behind him was a tall, handsome man with golden hair and bright blue eyes. Next to him, holding on to his arm, was a very beautiful woman with deep brown eyes and long, dark hair. Both of them were over a foot taller than he was. Draco had never seen either one of them up close before, but he knew immediately who they were: Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw.
It was Gryffindor who had spoken, and Draco wondered how he knew his name. "Yes?" he said, trying to sound like he wasn't startled.
"You did well in the game today," Gryffindor said, and Rowena nodded in agreement.
"Uh... thank you." Draco looked at Rowena, then quickly said, "Your team is very good, by the way."
"Thank you, but yours is better," she replied.
"Salazar would have been proud," Gryffindor said with a hint of fondness in his soft voice.
Draco didn't know what to say. He'd always been under the impression that Gryffindor and Slytherin were bitter enemies - after all, the students in their houses had always behaved that way. But here was Gryffindor himself, standing in front of a prefect of Slytherin house and a self-proclaimed Gryffindor hater, speaking of Slytherin as if he were a friend.
He was so surprised by Gryffindor's words that he almost didn't see Padma Patil walk by.
"Padma!" Draco called as the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker walked past him.
Padma stopped, turned around, and looked at him. She seemed rather upset. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. "I found this on the Quidditch pitch," he said. "Is it yours?"
Her eyes lit up, and she gasped. "Yes!" she cried. "You found it! Thank you!"
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Two seconds later, she remembered that he was Draco Malfoy, and let him go. She coughed, and Draco thought he saw her cheeks turn red.
"You're welcome," Draco said, and gave Padma the ring.
She smiled at him and slipped the ring onto her finger. "Really, thank you," she said. "Parvati gave this to me for our birthday last year. It means a lot to me, and I was really upset when I lost it."
Draco felt the kind of satisfaction that only comes from doing a good deed, something that didn't happen very often because of the lack of good deeds he performed on a regular basis. "No problem."
Padma glanced at the rest of the students leaving the Great Hall, then said, "I, uh, have to go. Thanks again." She smiled at him, then left.
Draco almost couldn't believe it. Padma Patil, probably the best-looking girl in the school, actually smiled at him. Maybe being nice wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"Friend of yours?" Rowena asked.
Draco shrugged. "Not yet, but I can try."
Gryffindor smiled and nodded. "It seems that the young women of the house of Ravenclaw are as alluring as ever." He looked at Draco. "Again, you did a fine job today. Good night."
"Good night," Rowena echoed, and the two of them walked away.
"Good night," Draco said. He could barely believe that just happened. It was strange enough that Godric Gryffindor was alive. Now the founder of his rival house had actually come up to him and congratulated him on his performance in the Quidditch game! No Gryffindor had ever done that before. Leave it to the original Gryffindor to be a trendsetter, Draco thought. He seemed totally oblivious to the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry, and that didn't make any sense. Of anyone, he should know about it! It was started by him, after all!
Draco sighed and began walking toward the Slytherin dormitory. Apparently, there were a lot of things about Gryffindor that were either unknown or had been twisted throughout history. For one thing, he seemed to be quite attracted to Rowena Ravenclaw, and Draco had never heard anything about a relationship between those two. He would have to talk to someone about them, someone who knew the Hogwarts Four inside and out. Helga Hufflepuff, perhaps? She seemed approachable as well as neutral. Yes, she would do. He would track her down sometime tomorrow.
Draco had almost reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room when a large owl swooped down in front of him and dropped a letter on the floor. He glanced around to see where the owl had landed, but it had gone as quickly and mysteriously as it came. His gaze fell to the letter lying on the floor, and he was surprised to see that it was addressed to him.
He knelt down and picked up the letter. The only thing written on it was his name. Even the seal was nothing more than a clump of red wax. He broke the seal, unfolded the letter, and read it. It contained instructions: Be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight.
Draco laughed. "Nice try, Potter," he called in case Harry was within earshot. He wasn't stupid enough to fall for that old trick.
Draco's amusement vanished, though, when he looked at the letter again and saw that more words had materialized on the paper: It isn't Potter this time, Malfoy. In the name of Salazar Slytherin, be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight.
~~~
"He wasn't too bad," Gryffindor commented as he and Rowena walked toward the Ravenclaw tower. "Certainly not as bad as Ron and the others were making him out to be."
"True, but people are not always what they seem," Rowena said. "I suppose that could go either way in this case. Ron, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Parvati, and the others could find out that Draco is a good person deep down inside, or we could discover that he really is a... what did they call him?"
"A conceited bastard."
"Right. A conceited bastard."
They reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower, and with a kiss, departed ways, agreeing to meet later in what had been named their "secret place" long ago. They weren't sure how much longer it would remain secret, though; in fact, they had reason to believe it had already been discovered. After all, not even Hogwarts could keep all its secrets forever.
When Rowena entered her house's common room, she found it occupied by six students, four girls and two boys. She was trying to memorize the names of all the Ravenclaw students, and she was pretty sure she could name off these six. One girl was reading a book in an armchair near the fireplace. Rowena recongized her as Jane White, a fourth-year. Another girl, a second-year named Erin Nitta, was writing at a table in the corner. The other two girls, seventh-years Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin, were sitting on a couch. The two boys, seventh-years Stephen Cornfoot and Terry Boot, were sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Padma was telling the other three seventh-years how her ring had been returned.
"... and I thought it was gone for good when I came out of the Great Hall after dinner and Draco Malfoy stopped me," she said. "He found it, and he gave it back to me."
Lisa's eyes grew wide. "Draco Malfoy actually did a good deed?" she said in disbelief.
Apparently, it's not just the Gryffindors, Rowena thought. She wondered how the Hufflepuffs felt about Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins.
"Yes, he did," Padma said with a hint of anger in her voice, "and I think it was very nice of him."
"Quick, someone send an owl to Professor Snape and tell him that Padma just awarded Slytherin house fifty points," Terry said, and he, Stephen, and Lisa laughed.
"Very funny," Padma said, and folded her arms across her chest.
"I think she's got a soft spot for the Slytherins," Stephen teased.
"I think she does, too," said Lisa. "Next thing you know, she'll be telling us that she thinks Malfoy's cute."
Padma played with her ring for a moment, then said in a soft voice, "You know, when he doesn't have an arrogant sneer on his face, he is kind of cute."
Lisa put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Padma, snap out of it," she said. "I'll say it slowly for you: Sly-ther-in. What part of 'Sly-ther-in' don't you understand?"
"And what," said Rowena, getting their attention, "is wrong with Slytherin?"
"Oh, hi, Lady Ravenclaw," Stephen said with an innocent smile. "Uh... how long have you been standing there?"
"Since 'and I thought it was gone for good'," Rowena answered, "and there is no need to call me Lady Ravenclaw. To you, I am Rowena. However, if you still insist on formality, you may call me Lady Gryffindor, but not until tomorrow. Godric doesn't know yet, and I want to surprise him."
"Wait a second," said Terry. "You mean you and Lord Gryffindor are..."
Rowena looked mildly surprised. "Goodness, I thought it would be common knowledge by now. Yes, Godric and I are married. I couldn't change my name then because circumstances required our marriage to be one of utmost secrecy, but now... well, it doesn't matter anymore."
"That is so sweet," said Lisa. "Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw... a match made in Heaven."
"Actually, it was a match made in a cave underneath a mountain in northern China while fleeing from an angry dragon, but let's not get into that," Rowena said. "I have just four words for you: draco dormiens nunquam titillandus. Now, about Slytherin. Why is it that all the students at Hogwarts seem to dislike the Slytherins?"
"It's a two-way street," said Terry. "All the Slytherins hate the rest of the school, too. It's been that way for as long as anyone can remember."
"What was Salazar Slytherin like?" asked Padma.
A small smile crossed Rowena's face as she brought up memories of her brother-in-law. "He had a wonderful sense of humor," she said. "Between him and Godric... it could get interesting. He was also clever and idealistic, but very proud and ambitious, which ultimately led to his departure from Hogwarts. Helga told me that he refused to return to the school after Godric and I died."
"Were you friends with him?" asked Stephen.
Rowena sighed, glanced at the fireplace for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the four students. "He was like a brother to me."
~~~
It wasn't easy, but Draco Malfoy managed to be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight as the letter instructed. It appeared to be completely deserted, but the eerie chill that hung in the air told Draco that he wasn't alone. "Hello?" he called, glancing around nervously. "Is anyone here?"
"Yes," came a soft voice from the shadows. "Over here."
Draco made his way toward the voice. "Where are you?"
A tall, hooded figure stepped into the moonlight. "Right here," he said. "Do you know who I am, Draco Malfoy?"
"Well, you seem to know who I am," Draco said.
The man chuckled. "Audacity seems to be the signature trait of your family. Your father acted the same way when he first entered my service."
Draco's heart nearly stopped beating. "Lord Voldemort?" he choked.
"Yes," Voldemort confirmed. "Very good, Draco."
"What are you doing here?"
"We need your help," Voldemort said. "The time has come to cleanse the wizarding world of all the filth that has accumulated in it over the centuries, but before we can strike, we must know everything that is going on at Hogwarts."
"'We'?" Draco repeated. "Then it's true? You really did resurrect Salazar Slytherin?"
Now it was Voldemort's turn to be surprised. "How did you know I resurrected Slytherin?"
"Potter," Draco grumbled. "He sensed it. They took him so seriously that they went and resurrected Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, too."
"WHAT?!?" Voldemort cried. He then realized that shouting wasn't a good idea because it might alert someone to their presence, so he took several deep breaths before continuing. "The other three have been resurrected? But how? Who were the descendants?"
"Potter for Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall for Ravenclaw, and Nicolas Flamel for Hufflepuff."
Voldemort sighed and turned his eyes to the moon above. "This complicates things," he said, mostly to himself. He looked at Draco again. "Listen to me, Draco. Your role was important before, but now, Slytherin and I cannot carry through with our plans without your cooperation. I have to know everything that they're planning. They must not make a single move without me knowing about it first. I will send you another owl tomorrow with information about how to contact me."
"Why should I help you?" Draco asked. Slytherin or not, Draco wasn't so sure about helping someone he knew was evil incarnate.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Because if you don't, I will make you beg for death before the end."
~~~
Voldemort's mind was spinning as he left the Quidditch pitch after his conversation with Draco. Resurrected! Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff had been resurrected! Their plan would have been hard enough to pull off without their presence, but now that they were here... Why did something like this always have to happen to him?
Then, Voldemort had another thought: Slytherin. Slytherin made it quite clear that he and Gryffindor were not the enemies the world thought they were. Voldemort feared that if Slytherin knew his brother was alive, he would abandon their cause and join Gryffindor. Until Voldemort could find some way to twist this to his advantage, Salazar Slytherin could not know that Godric Gryffindor and the others were alive.
~~~
Over in the Gryffindor tower, pain shot through Harry Potter's head, jerking him awake. He sat up in bed and pressed his hand to his scar. It wasn't too bad compared to the last time it had happened, and the pain soon passed.
"Harry?" It was Ron. Harry's movement had woken him up. "Harry, are you all right?"
"It's my scar," Harry said. "It hasn't hurt since before the resurrection."
"Should we tell Dumbledore?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head. "No. I don't think there's any immediate danger. It can wait until morning."
Ron shrugged. "Whatever you say."
~~~
After dinner that night, Draco Malfoy waited outside the entrance to the Great Hall in hopes that Padma Patil would walk by sometime soon. Padma hadn't come out yet, but many other people saw him on their way back to their dorms, and if they were from Slytherin house, they would usually try to talk to him. Draco pasted on a smile and told everyone that he was waiting for someone, but would not tell them who if they asked.
Draco almost mistook Parvati for Padma as the twin who was sorted into Gryffindor house came out of the Great Hall, and stopped himself from calling out her name when she saw that she was wearing Gryffindor robes. Parvati glanced in his direction as she walked by, and a look of disdain crossed her face. Draco had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything. He knew Parvati had never liked him, and it had only gotten worse since she'd starting dating Neville Longbottom three years ago.
"Draco Malfoy?"
Draco turned around, and almost gasped when he saw who had addressed him. Standing behind him was a tall, handsome man with golden hair and bright blue eyes. Next to him, holding on to his arm, was a very beautiful woman with deep brown eyes and long, dark hair. Both of them were over a foot taller than he was. Draco had never seen either one of them up close before, but he knew immediately who they were: Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw.
It was Gryffindor who had spoken, and Draco wondered how he knew his name. "Yes?" he said, trying to sound like he wasn't startled.
"You did well in the game today," Gryffindor said, and Rowena nodded in agreement.
"Uh... thank you." Draco looked at Rowena, then quickly said, "Your team is very good, by the way."
"Thank you, but yours is better," she replied.
"Salazar would have been proud," Gryffindor said with a hint of fondness in his soft voice.
Draco didn't know what to say. He'd always been under the impression that Gryffindor and Slytherin were bitter enemies - after all, the students in their houses had always behaved that way. But here was Gryffindor himself, standing in front of a prefect of Slytherin house and a self-proclaimed Gryffindor hater, speaking of Slytherin as if he were a friend.
He was so surprised by Gryffindor's words that he almost didn't see Padma Patil walk by.
"Padma!" Draco called as the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker walked past him.
Padma stopped, turned around, and looked at him. She seemed rather upset. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. "I found this on the Quidditch pitch," he said. "Is it yours?"
Her eyes lit up, and she gasped. "Yes!" she cried. "You found it! Thank you!"
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Two seconds later, she remembered that he was Draco Malfoy, and let him go. She coughed, and Draco thought he saw her cheeks turn red.
"You're welcome," Draco said, and gave Padma the ring.
She smiled at him and slipped the ring onto her finger. "Really, thank you," she said. "Parvati gave this to me for our birthday last year. It means a lot to me, and I was really upset when I lost it."
Draco felt the kind of satisfaction that only comes from doing a good deed, something that didn't happen very often because of the lack of good deeds he performed on a regular basis. "No problem."
Padma glanced at the rest of the students leaving the Great Hall, then said, "I, uh, have to go. Thanks again." She smiled at him, then left.
Draco almost couldn't believe it. Padma Patil, probably the best-looking girl in the school, actually smiled at him. Maybe being nice wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"Friend of yours?" Rowena asked.
Draco shrugged. "Not yet, but I can try."
Gryffindor smiled and nodded. "It seems that the young women of the house of Ravenclaw are as alluring as ever." He looked at Draco. "Again, you did a fine job today. Good night."
"Good night," Rowena echoed, and the two of them walked away.
"Good night," Draco said. He could barely believe that just happened. It was strange enough that Godric Gryffindor was alive. Now the founder of his rival house had actually come up to him and congratulated him on his performance in the Quidditch game! No Gryffindor had ever done that before. Leave it to the original Gryffindor to be a trendsetter, Draco thought. He seemed totally oblivious to the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry, and that didn't make any sense. Of anyone, he should know about it! It was started by him, after all!
Draco sighed and began walking toward the Slytherin dormitory. Apparently, there were a lot of things about Gryffindor that were either unknown or had been twisted throughout history. For one thing, he seemed to be quite attracted to Rowena Ravenclaw, and Draco had never heard anything about a relationship between those two. He would have to talk to someone about them, someone who knew the Hogwarts Four inside and out. Helga Hufflepuff, perhaps? She seemed approachable as well as neutral. Yes, she would do. He would track her down sometime tomorrow.
Draco had almost reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room when a large owl swooped down in front of him and dropped a letter on the floor. He glanced around to see where the owl had landed, but it had gone as quickly and mysteriously as it came. His gaze fell to the letter lying on the floor, and he was surprised to see that it was addressed to him.
He knelt down and picked up the letter. The only thing written on it was his name. Even the seal was nothing more than a clump of red wax. He broke the seal, unfolded the letter, and read it. It contained instructions: Be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight.
Draco laughed. "Nice try, Potter," he called in case Harry was within earshot. He wasn't stupid enough to fall for that old trick.
Draco's amusement vanished, though, when he looked at the letter again and saw that more words had materialized on the paper: It isn't Potter this time, Malfoy. In the name of Salazar Slytherin, be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight.
~~~
"He wasn't too bad," Gryffindor commented as he and Rowena walked toward the Ravenclaw tower. "Certainly not as bad as Ron and the others were making him out to be."
"True, but people are not always what they seem," Rowena said. "I suppose that could go either way in this case. Ron, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Parvati, and the others could find out that Draco is a good person deep down inside, or we could discover that he really is a... what did they call him?"
"A conceited bastard."
"Right. A conceited bastard."
They reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower, and with a kiss, departed ways, agreeing to meet later in what had been named their "secret place" long ago. They weren't sure how much longer it would remain secret, though; in fact, they had reason to believe it had already been discovered. After all, not even Hogwarts could keep all its secrets forever.
When Rowena entered her house's common room, she found it occupied by six students, four girls and two boys. She was trying to memorize the names of all the Ravenclaw students, and she was pretty sure she could name off these six. One girl was reading a book in an armchair near the fireplace. Rowena recongized her as Jane White, a fourth-year. Another girl, a second-year named Erin Nitta, was writing at a table in the corner. The other two girls, seventh-years Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin, were sitting on a couch. The two boys, seventh-years Stephen Cornfoot and Terry Boot, were sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Padma was telling the other three seventh-years how her ring had been returned.
"... and I thought it was gone for good when I came out of the Great Hall after dinner and Draco Malfoy stopped me," she said. "He found it, and he gave it back to me."
Lisa's eyes grew wide. "Draco Malfoy actually did a good deed?" she said in disbelief.
Apparently, it's not just the Gryffindors, Rowena thought. She wondered how the Hufflepuffs felt about Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins.
"Yes, he did," Padma said with a hint of anger in her voice, "and I think it was very nice of him."
"Quick, someone send an owl to Professor Snape and tell him that Padma just awarded Slytherin house fifty points," Terry said, and he, Stephen, and Lisa laughed.
"Very funny," Padma said, and folded her arms across her chest.
"I think she's got a soft spot for the Slytherins," Stephen teased.
"I think she does, too," said Lisa. "Next thing you know, she'll be telling us that she thinks Malfoy's cute."
Padma played with her ring for a moment, then said in a soft voice, "You know, when he doesn't have an arrogant sneer on his face, he is kind of cute."
Lisa put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Padma, snap out of it," she said. "I'll say it slowly for you: Sly-ther-in. What part of 'Sly-ther-in' don't you understand?"
"And what," said Rowena, getting their attention, "is wrong with Slytherin?"
"Oh, hi, Lady Ravenclaw," Stephen said with an innocent smile. "Uh... how long have you been standing there?"
"Since 'and I thought it was gone for good'," Rowena answered, "and there is no need to call me Lady Ravenclaw. To you, I am Rowena. However, if you still insist on formality, you may call me Lady Gryffindor, but not until tomorrow. Godric doesn't know yet, and I want to surprise him."
"Wait a second," said Terry. "You mean you and Lord Gryffindor are..."
Rowena looked mildly surprised. "Goodness, I thought it would be common knowledge by now. Yes, Godric and I are married. I couldn't change my name then because circumstances required our marriage to be one of utmost secrecy, but now... well, it doesn't matter anymore."
"That is so sweet," said Lisa. "Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw... a match made in Heaven."
"Actually, it was a match made in a cave underneath a mountain in northern China while fleeing from an angry dragon, but let's not get into that," Rowena said. "I have just four words for you: draco dormiens nunquam titillandus. Now, about Slytherin. Why is it that all the students at Hogwarts seem to dislike the Slytherins?"
"It's a two-way street," said Terry. "All the Slytherins hate the rest of the school, too. It's been that way for as long as anyone can remember."
"What was Salazar Slytherin like?" asked Padma.
A small smile crossed Rowena's face as she brought up memories of her brother-in-law. "He had a wonderful sense of humor," she said. "Between him and Godric... it could get interesting. He was also clever and idealistic, but very proud and ambitious, which ultimately led to his departure from Hogwarts. Helga told me that he refused to return to the school after Godric and I died."
"Were you friends with him?" asked Stephen.
Rowena sighed, glanced at the fireplace for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the four students. "He was like a brother to me."
~~~
It wasn't easy, but Draco Malfoy managed to be at the Quidditch pitch at midnight as the letter instructed. It appeared to be completely deserted, but the eerie chill that hung in the air told Draco that he wasn't alone. "Hello?" he called, glancing around nervously. "Is anyone here?"
"Yes," came a soft voice from the shadows. "Over here."
Draco made his way toward the voice. "Where are you?"
A tall, hooded figure stepped into the moonlight. "Right here," he said. "Do you know who I am, Draco Malfoy?"
"Well, you seem to know who I am," Draco said.
The man chuckled. "Audacity seems to be the signature trait of your family. Your father acted the same way when he first entered my service."
Draco's heart nearly stopped beating. "Lord Voldemort?" he choked.
"Yes," Voldemort confirmed. "Very good, Draco."
"What are you doing here?"
"We need your help," Voldemort said. "The time has come to cleanse the wizarding world of all the filth that has accumulated in it over the centuries, but before we can strike, we must know everything that is going on at Hogwarts."
"'We'?" Draco repeated. "Then it's true? You really did resurrect Salazar Slytherin?"
Now it was Voldemort's turn to be surprised. "How did you know I resurrected Slytherin?"
"Potter," Draco grumbled. "He sensed it. They took him so seriously that they went and resurrected Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, too."
"WHAT?!?" Voldemort cried. He then realized that shouting wasn't a good idea because it might alert someone to their presence, so he took several deep breaths before continuing. "The other three have been resurrected? But how? Who were the descendants?"
"Potter for Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall for Ravenclaw, and Nicolas Flamel for Hufflepuff."
Voldemort sighed and turned his eyes to the moon above. "This complicates things," he said, mostly to himself. He looked at Draco again. "Listen to me, Draco. Your role was important before, but now, Slytherin and I cannot carry through with our plans without your cooperation. I have to know everything that they're planning. They must not make a single move without me knowing about it first. I will send you another owl tomorrow with information about how to contact me."
"Why should I help you?" Draco asked. Slytherin or not, Draco wasn't so sure about helping someone he knew was evil incarnate.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Because if you don't, I will make you beg for death before the end."
~~~
Voldemort's mind was spinning as he left the Quidditch pitch after his conversation with Draco. Resurrected! Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff had been resurrected! Their plan would have been hard enough to pull off without their presence, but now that they were here... Why did something like this always have to happen to him?
Then, Voldemort had another thought: Slytherin. Slytherin made it quite clear that he and Gryffindor were not the enemies the world thought they were. Voldemort feared that if Slytherin knew his brother was alive, he would abandon their cause and join Gryffindor. Until Voldemort could find some way to twist this to his advantage, Salazar Slytherin could not know that Godric Gryffindor and the others were alive.
~~~
Over in the Gryffindor tower, pain shot through Harry Potter's head, jerking him awake. He sat up in bed and pressed his hand to his scar. It wasn't too bad compared to the last time it had happened, and the pain soon passed.
"Harry?" It was Ron. Harry's movement had woken him up. "Harry, are you all right?"
"It's my scar," Harry said. "It hasn't hurt since before the resurrection."
"Should we tell Dumbledore?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head. "No. I don't think there's any immediate danger. It can wait until morning."
Ron shrugged. "Whatever you say."