Chapter 35: The Chase

Three weeks passed. Nothing happened of note, and all thoughts of anything else were pushed out of Harry's mind by the imminent end-of-year examinations. It was the teachers' fault, really. They were the ones who were really going crazy about it, not the students. Most of them were either confident of scraping through or had decided that they were doomed to fail.

"I'm leaving at the end of the year," announced Hannah dejectedly one third-period Herbology lesson, as her genetically modified, supposedly more dangerous, Devil's Snare cutting started to purr quietly before gently nibbling her fingers. "I can't cope."

Harry looked down at his own cutting. It had managed to tie itself in a knot. At least, he decided, he was good at other things, and top of the year. He managed to unravel the plant, which promptly bit a hole in his dragon-hide gloves, before the lesson ended.

After the break it was Physical Training. They rarely played sports anymore, instead indulging in gruelling training activities. Today the challenge was a difficult magical assault course, which they had to attempt without wands. Harry was useless at even the simple wandless magic they were expected to do, such as conjuring ropes and suchlike, but just managed to scrape a pass, which was more than some others. He returned to the dormitory and lay panting on the bed for the next hour, fully aware that he had homework to do.

It was past midnight when he finished it. As he put the scrolls of parchment away his eye caught the magicograph Professor Confessus had given them a few weeks before, crumpled to one side of his bag. It was glowing slightly in the darkened dormitory, and he pulled it out.

He was amazed at what he saw. The shapes of the buildings, the perimeter fence and the old man's cave were all visible in blurred form, but that wasn't what surprised him. Entering through the gates was a spot of light brighter than anything he had ever see on the magicograph before; so bright, in fact, it was almost white. Harry stood up quickly and walked backwards into the desk. There was a loud crash, and Rudolf's voice said, "Vot?"

"Sorry," said Harry, standing up. "Go back to sleep, it's okay, don't worry."

"Don't vake me up again," said Rudolf drowsily.

Harry glanced at the clear parchment in his hand again. The dot was moving round the back of the school. "No, wait!" he said loudly. "Something's going on!"

Ron woke up as well this time. He switched on his magical bedside lamp, and the room was flooded with light. Rudolf and Ron were both sitting up, looking at Harry as if they thought he had gone mad.

"What d'you mean?" asked Ron.

"Look!" said Harry, throwing the magicograph under his friend's nose. "Look at that light!"

"What about it? It's probably just Professor Confessus out for a midnight stroll."

"With a wand that powerful? It's something weird, I tell you! We have to go and investigate!"

Rudolf looked at Ron. "You told me he was like this."

Ron nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah," said Harry angrily. "And when was I last wrong?"

"Well –" began Ron.

"We – are – going," Harry said. "No – argument."

"Harry, it's the middle of the light…"  

"I said, no argument."

Grumbling, Rudolf and Ron climbed out of bed and pulled on cloaks. "Fine."

They left through the dormitory door and out through the main entrance. "It's going towards the stables," said Harry, checking the magicograph.

"Der stables?" said Rudolf, sounding surprised. "Vot if it's someting to do vid dat old man?"

"Don't be silly," said Ron. "It's probably just a stray dragon," he laughed.

"It's too small," said Harry. "And anyway, dragons aren't perfectly circular."

"I was joking, I was joking," said Ron. "I doubt it's much anyway."

"It's as bright as the sun!" Harry said through gritted teeth. "It's a really powerful magical object."

They continued in silence towards the light. It certainly was going towards the stable. "I wonder," Ron speculated after a while, "if it is something – d'you think they'll let us of the exams? Not that's it's likely to be of importance, of course."

"Vell, if it's as much as der Philosopher's Stone," replied Rudolf. "You saved dat in your first year at school, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but that was after the exams anyway. We were let off in our second year, though."

"But those exams weren't of huge importance and we didn't do our big act six weeks before the end of term," argued Harry.

"Look, it's not going to be anything big," said Ron. "You-Know-Who's gone, why should everything centre around you?"

"It might not be as big as Voldemort – and you can give him his name know, I defeated him a year ago almost – but it's still important," said Harry. "Look – it's going down the old man's tunnel."

"So it is someting to do vid der old man," said Rudolf triumphantly.

"Not necessarily," said Ron.

"Take this seriously will you!" said Harry angrily. "Let's follow."

So they did. The horses were asleep and didn't bother them. As they climbed through the trapdoor, Harry performed his spell to light the tunnel. They walked along quickly, gaining on the light as they did so.

"This old man," asked Ron, "is he – dangerous?"

"I don't think so," replied Harry. "He never did anything to me – OW!"

He had been flung backwards by something that had hit him as hard as a Bludger in the stomach; Ron and Rudolf were also lying on the floor. Harry stood up, and was surprised to see the door to the old man's cave in front of him. It was open for a second, then slammed shut. They had been so intent on following the strange light that they hadn't realised how far they had come.

Ron and Rudolf also stood up. "Shall we –?" began Harry, but he was cut off by a terrible, thunderous voice.

"Thought you could beat me, boys? You were wrong. The Orb of Light is destroyed."