Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize

A/N: Thanks a lot to all of those who reviewed and to Ally Serenity for betaing this chapter

Chapter Fifteen

They quickly arrived at the castle, and everybody remained silent. Lily saw that the four friends were flying close to her as to protect her. A smile crept onto her face; they were really great friends. Her opinion on the Prince and Sir Sirius had changed greatly and apparently their opinion on her had as well. They respected each other, and they treated her like an equal, and she was grateful to them for that. They weren't the stubborn egoistic selfish boys she had first thought they were.

They landed and headed towards the throne room, carrying all the books carefully. When they entered they noticed that one of the scholars had left with a counselor.

Sir Albus, along with the King, the Queen, Sir Exer, and the majority of the counselors noticed Lily's paleness and her bruised cheeks. They also saw the concerned looks her friends were trading, but they chose to remain silent.

Lily put the books on the table. They were immediately taken up by the three remaining scholars, who started to read them with ecstatic faces. Everyone smiled at this. For a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the sound of flipping pages.

"Here!" suddenly cried Sir Bernard. He read the text.

'The Unicorn's horn is the key. I have hidden it where no one can see it. The staff is one of my most powerful creations. Its magic can be light or evil, depending on its holder. It can do great things, things beyond any man's imagination. A prophecy was made when the staff was created; it says that the choice of the Pure will determinate its nature.

'To make the staff, I used numerous things: the staff in itself is made of ivory taken from a willing rhilephaos. Inside I've put several unicorn hairs as I happen to be friends with them and it was not difficult to find some of them… I added with them a small power stone to store power in the staff. To make the power's circulation easier, I carved unicorns into the ivory. Then I had to find a stone to canalize the power. For a long time, I searched for the right stone: it had to be strong as a lot of power will pass trough it and be able to canalize it without breaking or reducing the power. I finally chose to use a Moon Stone…'

There were a few gasps. A moon stone was an extremely rare stone. It was said to be really powerful. The Last person said to have used one was Merlin.

'I finally choose to use a Moon stone; it took me a long time before finding one big enough for the staff. Then I created it. It nearly killed me. I had forgotten that the powers I would manipulate would be that strong. Taken separately the components are already powerful but mixed together, they outride imagination. Even I do not know all that can be done with the staff. But now I am scared, scared of what somebody evil could do with it. That is why I have hidden it, so that nobody evil will find it. Even if someone does find it it, he will not be able to use it. I have placed a charm so that only the Pure will be able to hold and use it. Perhaps it is a mistake, I do not know, the future will tell us…

'I had trouble hiding it, as all the things that are hiding will all be found one day. Finally I put it in the castle, one of the best-protected places in my mind. First I tried to hide it, but then thought of something else. How better hide something than putting it where everyone can see it? I transformed it so that to everyone but the Pure, it will look like a scepter. I gave it to the king asking him to pass it to his descendants. Who would think that the royal scepter is in a reality a thing that could tear the kingdom in parts? As soon as I cast the spell, I was not able to hold it, but it is for the better, I might have been tempted by the power the staff give to its holder…'

Everyone looked stunned and speechless this wasn't what they had expected. James finally said what everybody was thinking.

"You mean that the Unicorn's horn had always been under our noses, all this time?"

"Apparently." Answered his father, "even if I wouldn't have used that certain expression."

James blushed a bit.

"But it says that only the Pure can hold it," said a counselor, confused.

All the faces became disappointed except for Sir Albus's.

"I don't think that will be a difficulty," he said confidently, "trust me."

All the people present in the room looked doubtfully at Sir Albus but didn't say anything.

"James, could you go and bring the scepter here?" asked the Queen.

"With pleasure, mother." answered the Prince before leaving again.

Soon he came back, holding another box, which looked like it had been made of crystal. He carefully opened it and gave his father the scepter. It was an ordinary scepter. It was beautiful, yes, nobody could deny that, but nobody saw anything different about it. Lily shivered a bit. She had a sort of feeling… There was something about this scepter that made her really uneasy…

"Could you look at the inscriptions on it, Lily?" asked Dumbledore casually.

Lily looked at him sharply, he knew something and wasn't saying it…

She carefully took the scepter from the Queen hands. As soon as she put her hands on it there was a flash of light, which blinded everyone in the room. They blinked a few times and after a few moments were able to see clearly again.

Lily was no longer holding a scepter. It had transformed into quite a long staff made of ivory with runes carved on it along with a unicorn. At the end, there was a dark stone, which glowed slightly. Lily quickly put it on the table. She had a bad feeling about it; it almost hurt her to hold it… There was something, something dark about this staff… It made her uneasy. She shivered and looked up. She noticed Praïn seemed very uncomfortable. He kept glancing to the staff. Everyone but she and Praïn were awed by it.

"It is… I don't think there are words to describe it…" said the Queen.

The King looked at Lily, a bit puzzled.

"Why did this happen?"

Before Lily could reply, Sir Albus spoke.

"I will explain everything to you later, your Majesty"

Lily had the distinct feeling he was hiding something, but decided not to ask.

"Could you please hand me the staff? "Asked Sir Albus.

Lily took it and gave it to him as quick as possible. As Sir Albus touched it, she felt as she had been hit in the back of her head. While Sir Albus examined, it became more and more painful. All of the sudden, Praïn yelled.

"Drop that! Now!"

Startled, Sir Albus, dropped the staff. As he did, everyone was able to see two little needles on the staff where he had put his hand. The needles were glowing red. Then they disappeared.

Praïn was almost shaking, fear visible on his face.

"What is it, Praïn?" asked Sir Exer, puzzled by this behavior, "What were those needles?"

"I do not know, but it is evil. I feel it, it is dark, it is like someone was…"

"…hitting you on the back of your head, harder and harder" finished Lily.

Everybody looked at her, startled.

"You sensed it too?" asked Sir Albus, before answering himself to the question "Am I stupid, you are part elf. It must be linked to it…"

They started to talk about it. After a few minutes, Lily got bored. She looked at the staff. The stone was glowing, pulsing… Suddenly she felt the urge to get up and approach it. She did it and as she got near it, she pointed her finger toward the stone, as if someone was manipulating her. She felt as she had lost all her control on her body. Her finger approached slowly the stone, little by little, millimeters by millimeters. Finally, she touched it. As soon as her finger contacted with the stone, the stone showed blood red, something twirling in it. Then it separated into two parts and smoke came out. It formed kind of a screen. From the moment Lily had touched the stone, everyone present in the room had looked her way, too stunned to say anything. Slowly, a man's face appeared.

"Rhetwas" muttered Lily, pale.

To everyone amazement, a voice could be heard.

"So, you are searching the staff… How funny! Did you really think it would be this easy? Do you seriously think I would let my precious staff, one of my best creations, be used for the sake of Good? Me, Rhetwas? No, never!"

The wizard let out a cold laugh.

"As soon as I realized that I had been wrong, that Good was not worthy of being defended, that only power mattered, I hid it as well as I could. You will see, I know the Prophecy; I know that a child will come, the Pure. He will have to choose between Light and Dark. I know for sure that the Unicorn staff will help him on the Light Side. I cannot use it anymore; it does not recognize me as its master, as I have quit the Light side. So I made sure that no one will use it. But enough history; I know you will search for the real staff. By the way do you like this one?"

Rhetwas had a mock innocent look on his face.

"I called her the Vampire's Fang. She has been made in the same way as the Unicorn's Horn, but instead of hairs, I've put in Vampires' ashes and some child's blood. The stone is a Night stone. The staff sucks the magic from the wizard who is holding it, however he does not notice it before it is too late. Sadly, all magic creatures sense it. I was not able to hide it from them. But back to the Unicorn's horn. You must be wondering where I put it. Where? Well, that is for you to guess… Do not forget that two twins always share a bond…"

Rhetwas laughed again. It was a sinister laugh that sent chills down everyone's spines.

Then the smoke started to enter the stone again. As soon as the smoke was all gone, the two parts linked and soon mended. Then the stone began to change color, passing from blood red to deep black.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes, as people were trying to understand what had been said. Finally Sir Exer broke the silence.

"So this is not the good staff?"

"No, it was a trap," said Sir Albus. "If Praïn had not reacted quickly, it would have drained all my magic…"

"But where is the right one?" said Minerva, asking what everyone was thinking.

Nobody answered, even the scholars seemed clueless.

Suddenly, Remus spoke, somehow reluctantly.

"He had said that two twins always share a bond. This staff had been made, the same way than the one we're searching, so, maybe it can lead us to it?"

Silence welcomed his suggestion.

"Brilliant!" exclaimed a scholar.

Sir Albus was looking at him with pride.

Lily looked closely at the staff, the runes caught her eyes.

"What does these runes mean?" she asked to one of the scholar.

"What runes?" said the man, looking at her strangely.

Lily frowned her eyebrows in confusion.

"The runes carved on the staff."

"There are no runes on it, only unicorns." Said Sirius, having heard Lily.

"Can you write them down Lilyaris?" asked Praïn.

"Alright." She conjured a quill and a piece of parchment and copied the runes. She handed the paper to the scholars who looked at it. For a moment the only sound heard in the room was the scholars' muttering. After a few minutes they finally looked at the King.

"Your Majesty, these runes form a poem, which gives some clues on the Unicorn's horn location. It says:

'Down where the souls rest

Somber place where the creator laid

Here the entry.

One, two, three, four

One, trial of wit and strength

Two, intelligence has to be proved

Three, Bravery is needed there.

Four, your soul will guide you.

But Beware

Death waits

For the ones

Who fail

There is no exit

No one will help

Except the ones

Who follow you down

By yourself

You have to outride

The greatest ever'

Most of the people looked clueless at this. Only Sir Albus, Praïn, King Regis and Lily seemed to understand something.

"The first stanza explains where the entrance is. 'Down where the souls rest' means a cemetery. 'Somber place where the creator laid' is the grave of Rhetwas or the place where he died." Said The King.

"Then it described what we shall have to go through: tests of intelligence, strength, courage… before warning us." ended Sir Albus.

During a long moment nobody spoke, being deep in thought.

"Does anybody know where he died?" James asked the scholars.

"He died in the Infernio canyon, in his fight against Godric Gryffindor." Explained a scholar. "The place is marked for us to remember what could happen when a wizard goes wrong."

"How is it marked?" asked Bella.

"After his fight, Sir Godric Gryffindor transfigured Rhetwas's wand into a tablet and put in on one side of the canyon. It marked the place where the fight took place. On it Sir Godric wrote this.

'For now and ever

Remember

Remember that evil never disappears

That anywhere, a new one can appear

Do not think it is the past

That this time was the last

Do not forget it

And when Evil and Light

Will again meet

Fight Dark with all your might

For now and ever

Remember'

"The entrance has to be there." said Sir Exer.

"It is clear," added Sir Albus, "that there will be several trials. I think we should send a team down there, for the chance of reaching the staff will be higher that way."

Everyone nodded his or her agreement.

"I will talk about the team's composition with Sir Exer and Sir Albus," announced the King, he turned to face Lily. "Can you lend us your registers?"

"It will be an honor, your Majesty." She held out her wand, and with a flick of her wand and a few words, six thick registers landed in front of the King.

"Thank you my dear. You may leave." Taking their cue, everybody got up and exited the room, chatting about what had been said and who the team's members would be.

Lily slowly followed Bella out of the room.

"Lily, what do you want to do?"

"Oh I don't know… I really don't, ask the boys."

Bella turned to look at the boys. They were gathered around something, apparently deep in talk. Bella looked back at Lily and winked. Understanding what her friend meant they slowly approached them, as silently as possible.

"… We've done it before; and it's a bit boring. No, I think we should do something totally different." James was saying.

"Yes, it will cheer everybody up!" replied Remus.

"I agree, but what can we do to him? It has to be new…" said Sirius.

"So you are preparing a prank? Good; can we help?"

The three boys jumped. They hadn't noticed the girls and wondered how much they had heard…

"We are preparing something," said cautiously James

"A prank." replied Lily. It was more a statement than a question.

Sirius nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, but you can't be part of it!"

The girls' faces hardened.

Great. Thought James, Really intelligent Sirius! Say that right in front of them!

"And why, O mighty one?"

"Because you are girls," replied Sirius totally oblivious of the scowls on their faces and of the desperate looks of James and Remus who were trying to shut him up.

"Why yes we are girls; and what of it?"

"So you can't do really good pranks. Girls can't match boys!" Said Sirius smugly.

"Really Sirius?" asked sweetly Bella. Her tone should have warned him.

"Yes, why?"

"James, is he really that thick? He does not even realize a mortal threat." Whispered Remus.

"Apparently not…"

"Well, Sirius, if that is really what you think, I propose you a little contest. We both do a prank. Me with Lily, and you with your friends. Then we shall see who is the best prankster…"

"Deal."

"May I add a condition to the deal?" Said Lily. "You," she motioned to the boys "shall pull your prank on Severus, we shall pull ours on Lucius. You have until tonight to pull it and the result shall be visible tonight too."

The three boys nodded vigorously.

"Then, good luck!" exclaimed Bella. They shook hands and went their ways, thinking of the best prank they could manage before tonight.

After dinner, the riders were the witnesses of a very entertaining event….

They had just finished eating when, suddenly Severus got up on his feet. He started to sing in a really high-pitched voice:

'You must have wondered

Why I never wash my hair

To be really fair

This question can't be really answered

But here I try

And promise not to lie.

You see, when I was a kid

Chorus: when he was a kid

My mother forbid

Chorus: she for, for, forbid

Me to go near water

Chorus: Waaaaater

But I was curious

Chorus: Cu.Ri.Ous.

Even knowing that my mother would be furious

Chorus: Fu.Ri.Ous

I approached a pond

Chorus: Oh!

I looked into it

And suddenly on the head was hit

Chorus: He was hit!

I turned around

Seeing nothing

I kept looking

Deep in the pond

When suddenly I heard a sound

Chorus: He heard a sound

I looked in the water

And what I see keep making wonder

You see,

a huge toad, slimy and slobbery

Was sitting on my head

Chorus: Sittiiiing

Despite all I've read

It was a beautiful sight

Yeah I'm right

Chorus: He's right!

To not forget it

I decided, in my despair,

To never wash my hair

That's it

Chorus: Yeah!'

As soon as he finished his song, he sat and a huge toad appeared on his head.

Everyone was laughing so hard they had trouble to catch their breath. But at the moment they calmed a bit, Lucius got up. He jumped on a table.

'Mummy once told me

That I was very pretty

So, since that day

That fateful day

I've decided

To get rid

Of my boy's side, it's so ugly.

And to become really girly.

I bought dress

A silky dress'

A pink and silver dress replaced his rider's uniform.

'Applied make-up

To stand-up.'

Gaudy make-up was now applied on his face.

'Have my hair long and silky

To do it beautifully'

His hair was now but in a bun after having growing quite a bit.

'Now dance with me

Don't be shy

Dance, dance with meeeeeeeeeeeeeee'

Sir Lucius blew kisses to everyone, jumped down the table and sat back in his chair.

Everybody was laughing their heads off. The funny thing was that apparently, Severus and Lucius were clueless to what happened and did not notice what had happened to them. Finally, someone explained it to hem. Their shrieks of horror made everybody double of laughter. Some were even rolling on the floor.

Bella and Lily saw the three boys approaching.

"So what do you think of it?" asked innocently Bella.

"That was brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius "Accept my deepest apologies, fair ladies."

"Yours was good too." Said Bella. "I say it's a tie."

The other nodded.

After congratulating each other, they noticed that the King, and the counselors had entered the room.

They all had smiles on their face.

Sir Albus cleared his throat.

"May I have your attention please?"

Everyone slowly calmed down.

"After, this… rather entertaining performance,"

A few chuckles were heard.

"I have an announcement to make."

Immediately everyone fell silent.

"We have found something that could help us in the fight against Voldemort. To retrieve it, we have formed a team. We have chosen…"