Chapter Thirteen
By the next morning, everyone knew of the business deal between the twins and Regan. Richard seemed quite proud of his daughter. That afternoon, Richard, Regan, and the twins met with the lawyers. They signed the contracts, which were exactly how Regan had promised, and then went to Gringott's. Richard opened a new account specifically for 3W and deposited a healthy amount of gold into it. Again, both twins were grinning and couldn't stop themselves. Richard set them up with appointments the next week with a public relations firm that Richard trusted and used often. By the time they arrived back at the Prince house that evening, the twins were in such a good mood that they forgot about the Fainting Fancies in their pockets and accidentally gave some to Ron. Once he was revived, Regan had convince him not to harm the twins. It wasn't technically their fault.
That evening, Harry, Ron, and Regan found themselves in Regan's room. Regan was on the bed, Harry on the window seat, and Ron on the bed. While Regan and Ron read magazines of a questionable nature, Harry was going through the Daily Prophet. He had barely finished the front page when a very familiar white owl appeared by the window. Harry muttered under his breath, but let Loki in. The bird flew to Regan, who wordlessly took the letter off the leg. Ron watched her over the top of his magazine, determined not to say anything. He had promised himself that he would be nice to her, at least until the ink on his brothers' contracts dried. Regan was also determine not to mention Draco or his upcoming visit. She and Ron were almost getting along. She quickly wrote a reply and sent Loki off.
Harry noticed with distaste that she wasn't upset as the previous letter she had received in similar circumstances had upset her. Instead, much to Harry's chagrin, she was almost happy. "Well," he asked in spite of himself, "what's going on?'
"Oh, it's nothing," Regan said, grinning.
"Go on," Ron said, putting his magazine down in defeat. "You know you want to tell us."
"Okay, he passed his Apparation test," she said quietly.
"Draco Malfoy can Apparate?" Ron demanded, upset. His own seventeenth birthday and Appartation date seemed a long ways away.
"Yep. Today was his birthday."
"So he can do underage magic and everything?" Ron continued.
"Yeah. That's how he's getting here next week," she said.
"Next week," Ron said gloomily. "I was hoping it would be much later.....maybe never."
"Whatever. I can't wait till I get my Apparation license. It's so silly. In America, witches and wizards get it when they turn sixteen. I mean, that's when they get their driving license."
"You can drive?" Ron asked doubtfully.
"Yep. And I'm good too. There isn't much use driving around in New York though. I had only just gotten my license when we moved here. I was going to get my Apparation license, but it would have been void here."
"When is your birthday?" Harry asked.
"Next week," she said.
"Is that why he's visiting? For your birthday?" Ron teased.
"Actually, it is," she said.
"Oh," Ron said, feeling rather stupid.
"Don't be so upset, Ron. You won't even know he's here. Hermione will be here then, remember," she teased. He grinned.
"Right. I almost forgot."
Harry looked out Regan's bedroom window. He couldn't help but feel jealous. He didn't have anyone to look forward to. Hermione was his friend as well, but she hadn't seen Ron in several months. Harry doubted she would even notice him. Suddenly, Harry saw a lone figure in one of the gardens. He looked closer. Then he saw the red hair. It was Ginny. He turned back to Regan and Ron. They were still teasing each other. Deciding they wouldn't notice his exit, he left Regan's room and went off to find Ginny.
Harry quickly found Ginny. She was sitting on a bench in the gardens, staring up at the stars. She seemed so peaceful, Harry almost did not want to disturb her. Before approaching her, Harry looked back at the house. He could almost make out Regan's window. He took a deep breath before turning back to Ginny and approaching her. She did not seem to hear him. She did not acknowledge him as he sat down beside her.
"How are you Harry?" she asked quietly, still looking up at the sky. Harry, however, looked only at her. He could tell she had been crying.
"I'm worried about you," he said softly, afraid to break the silence.
"You shouldn't be," she finally looked at him. Her eyes were bloodshot. There were bags under her eyes. He wondered how much sleep she had been getting. "I'm a big girl."
"I'm sorry about what happened. I keep thinking that if I hadn't been there..."
"Don't say that Harry. If you hadn't been there, then it would have been something else. We're in a war, remember? It would've happened eventually. My parents certainly weren't secretive about their involvement in the Order. Maybe they should have been," she said, looking back up at the sky.
"Everyone keeps saying that, that this is a war. But she was still your mother, Ginny. What are you going to tell yourself once the war is over?"
"Harry," she said, her voice no longer soft and quiet. "What are you trying to do?"
"I don't know. You seem lonely out here."
"I'm not lonely. I'm fine. I'm trying to deal with my mother's death, Harry."
"You don't seem to be dealing very well. It's been months, Ginny, and you're still moping about."
"Moping about?" She looked at him, a deep hurt in her eyes. "My mother just died, Harry. And you can't possibly begin to understand that."
"My parents-"
"I know. Your parents died. When you were a baby. You don't remember them. You barely know what they look like," Ginny said, willing herself not to cry, yet the tears welled up behind her eyes. "But I remember my mother. I had almost sixteen years with her. I remember exactly what she looked like. And now she's gone. I don't know what I'm going to do without her. We were the only girls in a house full of boys. She was my ally, my best friend. Everyone else seems to be getting along just fine. Bill and Charlie have their own families, their own girlfriends with their own lives very separate from the family's. The twins have each other. Ron and Regan had each other, but now you are back and soon Hermione will be. Dad has his work. What do I have?"
"You have your friends."
"My friends. All of whom are a million miles away. Besides, I don't have any close friends. I don't have a boyfriend anymore. I don't have someone like you or Hermione. Ron doesn't realize how lucky he is, to have friends like you."
"I don't know that he's that lucky. You aren't alone, Ginny. Everyone inside that house cares about you and wants to help you."
"I wasn't ready to lose my mother. I expected to have her around for quite a bit longer. Even though I knew what could happen with the way, I never thought that she would die, not like this. I thought that she would live forever. I always pictured her and Dad, at the Burrow, surrounded by dozens of grandchildren, and now that's gone," Ginny said, her voicing cracking. She stopped holding back and let herself cry. Wordlessly, Harry took her in his arms, holding her to him tightly. He rubbed her back as she cried onto his shoulder, trying to comfort her. The two stayed that way for quite some time, long after the light in Regan's bedroom window went out. Long after Ginny stopped crying. For that time, it was just the two of them. The world was gone.
The next day, Ginny surprised everyone by joining them at the breakfast table. She looked almost cheerful. "Are you all right?" Ron asked hesitantly.
"Fine," she said, smiling as she ate her breakfast.
"What have you done with the real Ginny?" Fred demanded. Ginny ignored them.
"What are you all doing today?" Richard asked.
"Joke stuff," Fred and George said in unison.
"Ron and I are going to go ahead and look through the library," Regan said.
"Hermione wants us to get started," Ron said morosely. Clearly, he did not want to get started early.
"I have to go to the Ministry to drop something off. Then I'm going to go by Diagon Alley," Remus said looking at Harry. "Would you like to join me?"
Harry knew from the look in Remus's eyes that he wanted to talk to him. Harry nodded, still reluctant to share the news about his scar. Less than an hour later, he was in the back seat of a Ministry car with Remus. "So Harry, we have about twenty minutes before we're at the Ministry. If that isn't enough time, I'll have the driver circle around the block a few times," Remus said once the car started. Harry looking longingly back at the house. He could be going through the library with Ron and Regan. Or maybe talking with Ginny. He could even be testing Fred and George's new products. Anything would be better than getting into another discussion about his scar.
"It's nothing really," he said.
"Knowing you, that probably means that is something," Remus said, looking at Harry carefully. "I won't tell anyone. This doesn't have to leave this car if you don't want it to."
"My scar hasn't been hurting," he said quickly.
"What do you mean?"
"This past year, Voldemort has been gaining power, gaining supporters, and I haven't felt anything. During my fifth year, it was constantly hurting. I could even sense Voldemort's emotions. Not anymore. It doesn't even prickle. Not even when he was right in front of me. Not when he was attacking the house."
"Interesting," Remus said thoughtfully. "To be honest with you, I don't know that much about your scar. You would be better to talk to Richard. Or maybe Dumbledore."
"I really don't think that it's that big of a deal."
"Of course it is Harry. That scar provides you with a direct link with Voldemort. You need to tell someone who can figure out what it means."
"I don't want to bother Dumbledore."
"Then tell Richard," Remus said. Harry sighed. He didn't want to talk to Richard. Every time he saw Prince, he thought back to that day. He remembered seeing Richard kill Pettigrew with his bare hands, seeing the rage and hatred on his face. "Why don't you want to tell Richard, Harry?"
"I saw him, when Laura died. I was in the room with him. Did you know that?" he asked. Remus nodded, a shadow passing over his face at the reminder of Laura. "Richard was so angry. He wasn't sad, not at first. There was only rage on his face. He attacked Peter. Killed him with his bare hands. After Peter was dead, he looked sad. He looked like someone whose wife just died. But before, he looked so angry. He was a murderer, he is a murderer, Remus. He killed Peter Pettigrew. And now, every time I see him, I remember that day. The rage on his face. The merciless way he killed Peter. It was terrible."
Harry tried to judge Remus's reaction, but his face remained blank. When he spoke, his voice was steady, betraying no emotion. "Harry, Peter Pettigrew was a terrible man. He betrayed your parents, resulting in your death. He killed several people, including innocent Muggles. He was a cowardice traitor. He deserved what he got. Richard was right to kill him. If he was taken to the Ministry, they just would have put him in Azkaban and that isn't enough. He deserved Hell and that is what he got."
"I'll go to Richard, about my scar," Harry said. Remus smiled at him, breaking out of his trance.
"Good. Richard is a good man. You can trust him." Harry hoped Remus was right.
Ron and Regan had been going through the library for nearly two hours. They would find a magical artifact that looked impressive, look it up in a magic encyclopedia, write it down, and pick up another artifact. "This is going to take forever," Ron grumbled.
"Yep," Regan agreed. "We aren't even getting anywhere. Voldemort wouldn't want any of this stuff. The only thing that he would be remotely interested in is the Mirror of Grace, but it only shows you your past, and it doesn't work half the time."
"Maybe he wants this," Ron said, holding up an instrument that looked strangely like a fork. "It's a Leecher. It detects how much Kryptonite is in an item."
Regan laughed in spite of herself. "Or maybe he wants the Diamond of Ares," she said, looking at the paper. "It helps prevent premature balding."
"I give up. Let's just wait until Hermione gets here. At least now we can say we tried," Ron suggested. Regan nodded, looking around the room.
"Maybe he was looking for a book," she offered. The room was full of filled book shelves.
"Don't say that. Then we'll have to read all of them."
"Maybe it isn't even in this room." They both groaned. Richard had several book cases throughout the house, all full. He also had several different magical artifacts all over the place. That did not include the attic, which was full of items, both magical and Muggle, Richard didn't know what to do with. "At least we're helping the Order."
"Not really. This is just busy work," Ron muttered. "No one else has the time to do it."
"But it's still important. Whatever they were looking for will give us a clue as to what Voldemort is planning."
"I thought he was planning an attack on the Prince house. Oh wait, to late for that. Good thing we solved that," Ron muttered.
"That was nothing. Voldemort is just getting started."
"Whatever. I think we're done for the day. Unless you want to continue by yourself."
"No. I'm done too. Maybe tomorrow Harry can help us."
"We're doing this again tomorrow?" Ron whined.
"Of course," she said, standing to leave. "What do you think happened to Ginny?"
"I don't know. I think Harry talked to her last night. He didn't go to bed until late."
"Good. I'm glad somebody's gotten through to her."
"Me too. We'll just have to wait and see if it lasts."
It did last. Ginny was in a good mood for the rest of the week, even though she joined Harry, Ron, and Regan in the library. By the end of the week, they had gone through all of the magical artifacts. While a few contained dark magic, nothing sinister enough to attract Voldemort. Once they were finished with the artifacts, Ron looked to the long rows of book shelves with horror. "We aren't going to start with those are we?" he asked.
"No," Regan said. "Harry said that Voldemort and Malfoy were going through the cabinets where all the artifacts were." Harry nodded in agreement as Regan continued. "They weren't looking for books."
"Good. We're done then?" Ron asked hopefully.
"No. Now we go through the rest of the house and do the same thing with all the other magic stuff. I think that Voldemort just assumed that it would be in the library."
"What if he wasn't looking for anything? Maybe he just got lost and was looking for an exit," Ron offered.
"Don't be daft, Ron. Hermione will be here tomorrow. Then, we can split up and look throughout the house. It won't take us very long," Regan promised. Ron brightened, though Regan could not tell if it was because of Hermione's impending arrival or the promise of a short search.
"When is Malfoy visiting?" Harry asked, not wanting to know the answer but not wanting to be surprised by his sudden arrival. Ron's brief happiness was demolished.
"Two days."
"Are you doing anything for your birthday? Like a party or something?" Ron asked, suddenly aware that he didn't have a present, or any money for a present.
"Not really. Dad's taking me to get my Apparation license the day after. Everybody's so busy with the Order, there really isn't any time to do anything."
"We should do something for you," Ginny said. "It is your seventeenth birthday. You can legally do magic."
"Not with Malfoy here," Ron said. Regan and Ginny both rolled their eyes.
"My birthday isn't until Wednesday. He'll be here Tuesday. Satisfied?" she asked. Ron nodded.
"We'll have a party for you then," Ginny decided.
"No. Don't do anything. I don't like making a big deal about birthdays."
"Okay. Then we'll just give you presents and maybe a cake. It'll just be the four of us and Hermione. Maybe the twins," Ginny said. Ron gave Ginny a menacing look, which she ignored.
"No. No presents. Cake though. Definitely cake," Regan said with a smile. Ron also smiled. As long as he didn't have to buy a present.
A Ministry car left early the next morning to go collect Hermione at her house. It was nearly a one hour drive from the Muggle Granger residence to the Prince house. Once there, Hermione deposited her things in Regan's room and exchanged pleasantries with her friends and a few of the Order members. Then, she and Ron disappeared for the rest of the day. Regan, Harry, and Ginny continued going through different artifacts until Ron and Hermione reappeared several hours later, looking disheveled. The five friends went swimming until dark. Then, Ginny called it a night, leaving the others alone. As usual, they stayed in Regan's room. Regan lounged on the bed, flipping through a magazine. Harry sat on the windowseat, staring out the window. Ron sat on a chair, staring off into space and Hermione sat at Regan's desk, thoughtfully leafing through the Daily Prophet.
"What could it be?" Hermione mumbled.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"What Malfoy and Voldemort were looking for. What could it be?" she asked. Regan shrugged and went back to her magazine. Ron picked up an issue of Witch Vogue and started leafing through it. Harry looked back out the window. "You guys. come on. Aren't you the least bit curious?"
"We were," Ron answered. "But that was a full week ago. We've spent more hours than we'd like to consider going through that library and found nothing. We're to the point where we could not care less what they were looking for."
Hermione looked at Regan in disbelief. Regan just nodded her head. Hermione looked to Harry with hope, Harry just shrugged. "Okay. Fine. What's going on in the wizard world? I know it's only been a week, but I feel like I've missed so much."
"Not really," Ron said. "Anything worth mentioning was in the Daily Prophet, and you still go that. Everyone is working on the Order, but they're not exactly making loads of progress."
"What about you guys? What have you been up to?"
"Nothing. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's sort of boring around here," Harry said. "They've allowed us to help them by going through the library, but it's just busy work. No one is telling us anything."
"Dad won't even tell me what they're doing," Regan said.
"Oh. I see," she said, looking sad. "Hasn't anything happened?"
"Um, Regan is helping the twins with their joke shop," Ron offered.
"I know," she said, looking even sadder. "That was mentioned in the Daily Prophet. It's great and everything, but surely there is something else?" She looked at her three friends expectantly.
"I know," Ron said, a wicked grin across his face. "Regan's conversing with the enemy. In fact, she's bringing him here tomorrow."
"Shut up Ron," Regan muttered half-heartedly, not looking up from her magazine.
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, looking back and forth between Ron and Regan. "What's going on?" Ron didn't say anything, just looked daggers at Regan, who continued to read her magazine.
"Regan's been writing to Malfoy and he's coming over tomorrow. Just for the afternoon," Harry said. Hermione shrugged.
"And I already knew that."
"You knew!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yes and I think it's good," she said as Ron looked at her, feeling betrayed. "His father is a Death Eater, Ron."
"Exactly!" Ron exclaimed, now completely confused.
"That means that he will have information that he could share with us," Hermione said. Ron didn't look convinced. "There has to be something else."
"Nope," Harry said. "Tomorrow's your turn."
"My turn at what?" she asked.
"To go through the library," Harry said. Ron and Regan both looked up at this, a mischievous grin on their faces.
"It's so much fun, Hermione," Ron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I don't think it's in the library. He's looking for an artifact and he just assumed it was in the library," Hermione said. "I'll look tomorrow, but the library is a waste of time."
"Whatever," Ron said. "I am going to enjoy my day off from that stupid search."
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked.
"While you were gone, I discovered my true love," he said. Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Swimming. I am spending my entire day in that pool."
"What a waste of time," Hermione said.
"And I am going to join him," Harry said.
"And Regan is going to spend quality time with Malfoy," Ron said.
"If it makes you happy, Ron," Regan said.
"Fine. You all be that way. I will look by myself," Hermione said.
"May you have better luck than we have," Harry muttered.
Tuesday was hot and humid. Hermione was glad to be inside, where the house was magically kept at a respectable temperature. She was looking through the magical instruments in the kitchen. She doubted Voldemort would be interested in the Martha Stewart Utensil Collection, which magically chopped vegetables and measured ingredients. Still, it was best to leave no stone unturned. From the kitchen, Hermione had a great view of the back yard. She could see the swimming pool, where Ron, Harry, and Ginny were playing, making complete fools of themselves. Hermione smiled. She was glad to be back with her friends. She was glad they were all happy again, despite the circumstances. Hermione wanted to join them, but she felt that finding the artifact was more important.
She looked beyond the pool. Regan and Draco were walking around the grounds, talking. He had arrived about an hour before. Because of the new security measures, it was impossible to Apparate onto the Prince grounds. Instead, Draco had Apparated just outside of the Prince estate, where a guard had let him pass. When he arrived, Ginny, Harry, and Ron were already in the pool. Hermione and Regan had been going through magical artifacts in the living room. Regan met him in the hallway and took him outside. When they passed the pool, Draco didn't say anything to the swimmers and they didn't say anything to him.
Hermione continued to watch them walk. They looked to be in deep conversation. She was surprised. She didn't know Malfoy was capable of deep conversations. Hermione was glad Regan had a friend outside their trio that she could talk to, but she worried about Draco's true intentions. Regan had assured Hermione that she didn't tell Draco anything about the Order or her father. Still, Hermione could remember the Draco she used to know, the one who had the audacity to call her Mudblood, the one who threatened the trio after his father went to Azkaban. Hermione would be the first to admit that Draco had changed, but she didn't know how much. She just hoped that Regan was careful and remembered that he would always be Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son.
"Happy birthday," Draco said, pulling a small box from his pocket and handing it to Regan.
"You didn't have to get me anything," she said, opening the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a green stone. Deep inside the stone, Regan could make out faint lights, glittering in the sunlight. "It's beautiful," she said truthfully. "What is it?"
"It's a Nirvana stone," Draco explained, helping her put the necklace on. The moment she put it on, she felt her mood lift. "It uses dark magic to take away any unhappy thoughts, particularly those concerning loss."
"Thank you," she said, immediately thinking of her mother. Instead of the usual feelings of loneliness and despair she had come to associate with her mother, she was filled with hope and could only recollect fond memories of her mother. She smiled. Draco was watching her.
"So it works?"
"Yes. It works. Now I feel bad. You're birthday was just last week and I didn't get you anything."
He shrugged, "Don't worry about it." He was wearing a T-shirt and she noticed the bruises along his arm. She remembered what he had said in his letters.
"Are you okay?" she asked, gesturing to his bruises. "Do you need anything?"
"No. I'm fine. I know healing charms. Don't worry about it. He went easy on me this time," Draco lied. Once he returned home from school for the summer, his father was furious. Harry Potter was still a student at Hogwarts. Draco had failed. Again. That time, the cuts and bruises had been so bad that Draco had feared that they would never completely heal. However, a week and several spells later, they were finally fading.
"What did you do this time?" she teased, trying to keep the mood light. Even though they had gotten fairly close over the past few months, he still wouldn't open up to her. He kept his emotions hidden. Occasionally, she would see a flash of something in his eyes, but it would leave as soon as it came. Even his voice betrayed nothing. She wondered if he was even capable of the full range of human emotions.
"Promise not to tell anyone," he asked. She nodded as they continued walking along the edge of the Prince grounds. "I didn't get Potter expelled."
"What?" she said with a laugh. He looked at her, something flashing in his eyes. She couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or amusement.
"I was supposed to get Potter expelled this year. Father thought that Voldemort would be able to get to him if he was expelled. I don't think it matters any more though. This place is a bloody fortress now. It's probably easier to get into Hogwarts."
"I don't remember you trying very hard to get Harry into trouble this year."
"I tried to get him to fight with me a few times this year. I cheated during Quidditch. Ruined his Potions homework. Bothered you. By Christmas, I hadn't accomplished anything, so I gave up. Accepted fate. Potter was here to stay," he said, shrugging indifferently. "Listen, I'm sorry about that stuff I said. You were friends with him, that automatically made you the enemy. I had to get him into trouble."
"Okay. So you were a complete ass because you were trying to get Harry expelled. I would be angry, but the stone isn't letting me. Is that the real reason you gave me the stone?" she asked, fingering her new necklace. He looked at her again, his face unreadable.
"Not quite. But I am sorry. About everything I said. Everything that happened," he said, his voice wavering for the first time, betraying a glimpse of regret. "About Gretchen. About your mother. The attack."
"None of that was your fault," Regan whispered.
"If I had been a little quicker, you would have made it home in time," he said.
"If you hadn't told us at all, who knows what would have happened."
"I could have done more. I could have gone with you. That would have shocked my father," he said bitterly. Regan was surprised at the sudden emotion in his voice. She took his hand in hers.
"But you didn't go. And your father doesn't know anything."
"Because I'm a coward."
"You aren't a coward. You could have gotten into a lot of trouble for warning me about the attack. For coming here today-"
"He doesn't know that I'm here."
"He doesn't? Where does he think you are?"
"He thinks I'm upstairs in my room, studying."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. He would kill me if I knew I was here, on enemy ground and all that," he said. Regan could not tell if he was exaggerating or not. She squeezed his hand.
"Then thanks for coming. You know you could always stay here. We have an entire guest house now. It's completely safe for if, I don't know, things get bad at home."
"They won't get bad. Father's busy with everything. Mother doesn't know what's going on most of the time. I'll be fine."
"What are you going to do all summer?"
"I don't know. My father wants me to become a Death Eater," he said, again without emotion, annoying Regan.
"When?"
"I think around Christmas. There's sort of an initiation."
"Initiation?"
"Yes. Something involving Muggle torture. That sort of thing. If things get hectic, I may have to go ahead and join this summer."
"So you're going to go ahead and join? Become a Death Eater?"
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"Yes. Of course you do. All you have to do is say no."
"Why would I say no?"
"Do you want to become a Death Eater?" she demanded. Again, he shrugged indifferently. Regan was unable to have a normal reaction because of the Nirvana Stone, which was beginning to frustrate her.
"I have to Christmas to decide. A lot could happen between now and Christmas. Even then, if Voldemort doesn't need me, I won't be joining."
"He'll need you," Regan muttered, remembering how many Death Eaters had invaded her house in April and how many of them had been captured or killed.
"Don't worry about it, Rae," he said, glancing at his watch. "I better go, before the parents start to get too suspicious." He pulled out his wand to Disapparate, but paused. He held her hand tighter and pulled her to him. For a moment, his lips brushed hers. Then it was over. "'Bye. See you later. Owl me." With that he was gone. Disappeared before her very eyes. Slightly dazed, she went back to the house. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were still swimming, but they appeared to be about done.
"Is he gone?" Ron demanded.
"Yes, Ron, he is gone," she said as Hermione joined them from inside the house. She sat on a lawnchair beside the pool. Regan followed her and sat on a chair next to her. "Find anything," she asked sarcastically, knowing the answer.
"Nothing," Hermione said. "Maybe they were looking for something your father doesn't have."
"What is that?" Ginny asked from the pool, gesturing to Regan's necklace.
"Birthday present. From him," she said.
"But what is it?" Hermione asked, suddenly looking at it very closely.
"A Nirvana Stone."
"Of course," Hermione said. "It uses dark magic. It's illegal, but I don't think it's harmful or anything. It gets rid of bad thoughts. Kind of like an Anti-Dementor. They're really rare. And really expensive." She sat back in her seat thoughtful. "You know, we haven't been looking through jewelry. A lot of really magical items are disguised as jewelry. I bet your mother has loads of jewelry, Regan."
"Not really," she said. "She wasn't big on that sort of thing. Everything she has is in her jewelry box. I think my dad moved her things into the attic until he has a chance to sort through them."
"No more searching today, Hermione," Ron said.
"Why are you complaining?" she demanded. "You haven't done anything all day."
"Swimming is tiring," he said defensively. Hermione grunted.
"If you don't want to help me, I'll search alone," she said.
"Give it a rest, Hermione," Regan said. "It's too hot to do anything."
"It's the perfect temperature inside," she began.
"Tomorrow. Bright and early, we'll search," Harry said. "But today, nothing."
What are we supposed to do, then, for the rest of the day?" Hermione demanded.
"We could watch television, like normal teenagers," Regan suggested.
"Television?" Ginny asked. Regan's eyes widened.
"You've never watched television?" Regan demanded, shocked at the possibility.
"No.."Ginny said slowly. Ron looked equally confused.
"That settles it," she said. "We are watching television."
Less than an hour later, everyone was out of their swimming clothes and in Regan's room. Again, Regan was lounging on her bed, Ron was on the chair, Ginny was laying on the floor, and Harry was on the window seat. The television was on. They were watching Regan's DVDs of Sex and the City. While Ginny and Regan enjoyed the program, Ron and Harry watched with interest. Both boys made mental notes throughout the show. Meanwhile, Hermione was in the corner, going through Regan's jewelry box. After much persuading, Regan had allowed Hermione to search her things. Over the years, her father had given her a lot of jewelry, some of it magical.
They were half-way through the second episode when Hermione let out a little shriek. Everyone turned to her. She
was holding up a necklace, looking back and forth between it and the book she was consulting. "Do you have any idea what
this is?" she demanded. Four heads shook back at her. "This is the Amulet of Rah."
