Chapter 9: Tea Leaves and Tactics

Beth sat down and unpacked her tea mug, doing her best to clear her mind as she poured her tea. Professor Trelawney told them to put away their interpretation books and to attempt to decide the meaning of the leaves on their own.

"Watch the flower petals." She said in a breezy voice that reminded Beth of Luna Lovegood. "They will try to cloud the meaning but don't allow their fragrant past to cloud your gaze into the future."

Beth drank her tea in a few grateful gulps and then stared down into the tea leaves that were left in her cup. There was the unmistakable image of the Dark Mark.

Beth was suddenly very cold. It could only mean that the school was in danger from Death Eaters! "They're coming! Oh no, what if my ruse didn't work and Draco's found the location of the vault! What if he followed me to the Owlery?" Beth knew that half of her fears were totally unfounded and unreasonable but she couldn't help the cold panic that was making her hands shake.

Before Professor Trelawney could come over and check the results of her cup she quickly poured herself more tea and drank it in one quick gulp. She winced a little as the hot liquid burned her throat. She looked down into the cup. The Dark Mark had vanished and was replaced by a sword, the unmistakable symbol of an army. She turned the cup and noticed that there was also a bird in flight.

"What does the future hold for you, my dear?" Professor Trelawney asked dreamily as she peered into Beth's cup. "Ahh, you will soar, soar!" She said in a satisfied voice before moving onto the two Slytherin girls who were already snickering over their cups.

Beth looked down again. An army of Death Eaters was heading for the school. She had to get word to Dumbledore right away. They couldn't be allowed to get to the Relics! She sat on the edge of her seat until the class was finally dismissed.

"Headmaster!" She practically burst into Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk reading over a long scroll.

"Miss Burke," Dumbledore checked a small silver pocket watch. "I believe you are rather early for our next meeting."

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I was just in Divination Class and I saw a Dark Mark in my tea leaves!" Beth realized a moment after she said it that her sentence sounded bizarre but she stared at the Headmaster with frantic amber eyes.

"I see." Dumbledore lowered the scroll he was reading. "It was clear?"

Beth nodded vigorously. "Yes, very clear! There was no mistake. It scared me so I tried to get a different reading…"

"And what did you see when you poured the tea again?" Dumbledore's blue eyes were intent upon her face.

"I saw a sword and a bird in flight." She said wringing her hands together. "The sword is for an army, so that means there's an army of Death Eaters…"

"I have my doubts that it will be army." Dumbledore interrupted her in a calm voice. "But this may give us ample time to prepare for their arrival."

Classes were canceled and students sent back to their dorms. Beth watched from one of the windows in the tower as the teachers added spells to the already shielded school.

"I wonder why they're upping the security again." Abby squeezed into the space next to Beth watching the teachers.

"Death Eaters no doubt or Dementors or something." Hestia murmured with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You know, the war!"

Abby sighed. "Yeah, I know, it's just…weren't they doing everything they could before?"

"They must be expecting something to happen." Jonquil said with fear in her voice.

Beth bit her lip. She wanted to tell them what she had seen in her tea leaves but she wasn't sure if that would frighten them unnecessarily. Death Eaters were coming but would they be stopped by the barricades that the teachers were putting in place? Would they even have to know what was going to happen, or was it better if they didn't worry about it until it did happen?

She turned away from the window and sat down on her bed. Balboa was grooming himself on her pillow. The Death Eaters were coming to try and find the vault and Beth wondered if they knew a way to enter the second chamber. She hoped that they were attacking based on the false lead that she had given Draco but she had no way of knowing if it had fooled him or simply pointed him on the correct path.

That evening she poured herself into research. She searched through every letter and scroll that Dumbledore had given to her hoping to find something about the inner chamber before the Death Eaters arrived. She met with Dumbledore almost every night for a week before she discovered a lead in a letter from Godric to Rowena.

"Salizar will not change his mind," she read in a whisper to Balboa. "His section of the vault will have to be enchanted to open only as he wishes as such, only to one who speaks the language of serpents." Beth paused for a moment a cold feeling seeking into her stomach. That meant that You-Know-Who had probably already been able to get Salizar's Relic. She read the rest of the letter quickly. "It is best to conceal the rest of our treasures within Helga's vault or even your own. I suggest creating smaller spaces within your vaults in which you can conceal one of two things." Beth scanned through the rest of the letter and sorted through the messy pile for Rowena's reply.

Rowena agreed with Godric in her letter and agreed to make different locks for each little room that was constructed to safeguard their most precious magic. She also begged Godric to reconsider his decision but she never mentioned exactly what that decision could be but Beth assumed it had something to do with the vaults since Rowena was pointing out the dangers of the world in which they lived.

There was still no clue as to exactly how to open the door but in the last line of Rowena's letter she informed Godric that her spell had worked perfectly and the door would open to a select few "calls." Beth had never really considered the noise that an owl made to be a "call."

She threw down the letter and ran her fingers through her hair. She knew she had to get into the chamber soon or else the Death Eaters might beat her to it and take the rest of the Relics. She tried to tell herself that there was a chance that they were going to follow the false lead or that they didn't know how to breach the inner or outer doors. Beth didn't want to take the chance but it appeared that she wouldn't have to time to consider her other options.

Just as the sun was sinking over the horizon there was a sudden green flash of light and the high scream of an alarm rang through the castle. Hestia, Helen, Jonquil, and Abby crowded around one of the windows.

"They're here and I think they have Dementors!" One of them shouted mournfully.

"It doesn't look like they can get through. We'll be ok…"

Beth didn't wait to hear more of the conversation; she rushed out of the Tower and into the hallway. She was clutching her wand in her hand and started to rush towards the stairs to the Owlery when she was struck with a sudden idea. She changed her direction and skidded through the corridors until she came to the statue that Draco had opened. She pointed her wand at the base and desperately tried to remember the words Draco had used to open the passage.

"I wish to enter the secret fire!" She said and the statue moved aside. Beth ran at full speed down the tunnel only managing to come to a halt in front of the pit just in time to prevent herself from falling into it.

She stared over the edge, sweating from the heat that was rising from the deep hole. She pointed her wand straight down and fired three short shock blasts into the darkness. She waited a moment and had considered firing again when a roar split the air. Beth turned and ran back up the tunnel as the eyeless beast sniffed the air and with another roar followed her up the tunnel.

Beth panted as the tunnel started to get colder and began to shoot blue fire over her shoulder to keep the tunnel warm and sensing the heat the creature that had started to slow its pace once again broke into a run with another deadly sounding roar.

Balboa, who had waited by the statue now turned and streaked towards the exit of the castle and Beth followed quickly behind, trying not to cry out as the creature burst through the floor and the wall. She glanced over her shoulder as she tossed another set of blue flames. The statue was partially shattered and the wall and floor gaped were slightly ablaze.

Beth ran, passing a few students who had dared to creep out of their rooms. They screamed as one voice and Beth hoped they had the good sense to get out of the way as the creature crashed through the corridor. Down one staircase and through another hallway, Beth's heart was thumping in her throat. She could feel the natural heat of the creature almost upon her as she burst through the door and into the cool air.

She was starting to get tired and the air was hot in her throat making it hard to breathe as she poured another double burst of flames over her shoulder to coax the creature out into the snow. She could hear the teachers shouting at her but she ignored the sound and threw more blue flames in a direct path towards the Death Eaters.

She noted that a silvery stag had rounded up the Dementors and was driving them away but she tore her eyes away from the amazing sight and managed to stand to one side as she did her best to keep the blazing fire going.

The creature had paused and Beth knew she didn't have the strength to make the flames hot enough to coax it further into the snow. Her legs started to tremble when more flames joined her own. She looked up and Dumbledore was adding his own blue flames to hers and once the Headmaster had started, all the teachers turned their wands from the shields surrounding the castle to the blue flames that were now dancing in a ring around the Death Eaters.

The eyeless creature roared and charged into the heat, blindly snapping its jaws at the cloaked figures. One Death Eater sought to escape by heading towards the lake, he had almost reached its shore when one of the Squid's long arms appeared and grabbed the poor fellow around the middle and dragged him underwater. The others appeared to be trying to Apparate, which was impossible on the grounds of Hogwarts, and so they merely flickered for a moment before they started to scatter, running this way and that as they tried to escape both the blue flames and the creature that stood in their midst.

Beth lowered her wand. Breathing hard, she watched as the Death Eaters scattered. She'd managed to keep them away from the vault and the school! She looked towards the fire creature that had made itself comfortable in the highest of the blue flames that were being kept fed by Professors Flitwick and Sinistra. She looked down at Balboa who looked up at her with bright yellow eyes and purred.

Beth smiled and suddenly felt very tired. A moment later she felt as if she were falling, something cold hit her in the face and the world went dark.