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Disclaimer: If I owned it, you'd be seeing this fic on TV, and the actors would hang at my house on Saturdays.
"I'm starting to believe Dumbledore is a sick, sick man." Draco muttered as he surveyed the room.
Dumbledore had given them time off from their classes, handing to Draco a piece of parchment with only one sentence written on it.
Take them and go to the Room of Requirement.
He would've still gone by himself, but he had no idea what the Room of Requirement was, and so had to take along the rest of the babbling group with him. They had passed by three times, hoping for the room Dumbledore was reserving for them, and a silver door had appeared in the wall.
Draco had pulled it open, and had immediately been shocked. As the rest of them crowded in, they noticed the torches flickering gently on the wall.
Chains and manacles hung empty, clacking against an invisible wind. In the very center of the room, a golden chest sat, glowing brightly against the darkness.
"You know, I'm beginning to agree with you." Harry glanced at the chest, then at Draco. "So, oh mighty leader, what now?"
"Sod off." Draco glared at him. "Just because you don't get to be the knight in shining armor for once doesn't mean you have to be so upset."
"I wouldn't be so upset if you weren't the leader!"
"SHUT UP!" Ginny had roared, stalling any further arguments. She brushed past the two and stepped next to the chest, kneeling in the same fluid motion.
"Careful, Ginny, it might be dangerous!" Ron called. He was becoming somewhat protective of his little sister. Ginny found it revolting.
"Ron, if I don't check it out, then no one is! You all are too busy arguing with Draco—oh, stop it Ron—to find out about it." Ron still flinched every time she called the Slytherin by his first name.
Ginny ran a finger over the ancient thing, and found no latch. On the top, written in bold script was a sort of poem. She squinted, and blew dust off it. Immediately, the chest made a popping noise. She jumped back, as did everyone else.
Ginny stared at the chest for a moment, and then turned to Soleil. "I can't read it, but considering those calligraphy lessons you took, you should be able to."
Soleil hesitantly padded across the room and knelt down, Ginny following after her. The raven-headed girl took a deep breath, squinted, and read aloud.
" 'The world has erred many times, through countless ages, and countless times. Seven of the promised ones, seven fully armed as one, come forward to breach the gap, and love is honored, love to pass. See the gold and gleaming prize, right before your very eyes. Know now young ones, pain is to be felt, but pick your weapon, take the hand Fate has dealt.'"
There was a heavy silence.
"Right. Well, it looks like we have all our priorities straight. Stand back so I can open it, Soleil."
They all stared weirdly at Ginny, and Hermione seemed fazed. "I don't understand it, Ginny. Where would it say how to open it?"
Soleil stood and stumbled back, as Ginny rolled up her sleeves and removed her wand. "Simple, silly. That line there, "See the gold and gleaming prize, right before your very eyes'? Well, there's this really weird eye stamped underneath the poem, and I think I know what we have to do."
"But what spell will you use?" Blaise peered at the box. "Where does it say that?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Honestly, and most of you are older then me. The line after it! 'Know now young ones, pain is to be felt'!" I suppose there might be weapons in this box, and we're saving the world, so that explains it. I have to use the Cruciatus Curse!"
"And you'd do it?" Harry's eyes flashed dangerously. "It's an Unforgivable."
Ginny nodded. "But I'm not using it on a person, and besides, Dumbledore knows." That seemed to settle it, and she pointed her wand at the chest. "Crucio!"
There was a brilliant silver ray that shot, not from the wand, but the chest. It connected with Ginny's wand, and she seemed to freeze for a moment, before hurtling backwards into the nearest person.
Draco, of course, got to be that lucky person. He closed his eyes as he hit the door, and slid down it rather painfully.
"Ginny, are you ok?" Soleil leaned down over her friend, who was smiling, albeit a strained one.
"Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Draco muttered as Ginny stood. He followed after her, but he realized why no one had asked him anything.
The chest lay open, and a gold essence seemed to be seeping out from it. Draco heard a rattling, and turned to see Soleil trying the door. She turned back, eyes fearful.
"It's locked!"
The quintessence swirled around the room, and everyone held their breaths as it began to obscure their vision. As soon as the room was covered in it, though, there was a huge burst of the golden wisps, and the torches flickered out.
The essence seemed to have imploded, curling rapidly back into the chest.
"Lumos." Hermione held up her wand. "Does anyone else feel…different?" And indeed they did.
Everyone felt lighter, and more agile. Ginny made as if to pinch herself, but something stopped her.
"My robes are gone!" she cried. The lights began to flicker back, building up steadily.
"Nox." Hermione whispered, just as the torches flamed up again. There was a long, collective pause.
Everyone's robes had vanished.
The boys were wearing a weird sort of armor, which seemed to be form fitting leather suits in different colors. Draco's was green, Harry's was silver, Ron's was red, and Blaise's was a startlingly deep purple.
Over the under suit was a series of padding, similar to their quidditch padding, with the exception being that they were all made in armor and considerably bulkier.
However, it felt as of nothing was on them, which took quite a long time, feeling as if you were naked. There were pads running up from just above the ankle (circling the entire leg) ending just above the knee.
There was also the same thing on the arms, wrapping around the arm starting from the wrist up to the elbow, at which point it became slightly more flexible so they could bend their arms without interference.
On their ears were weird metallic devices, wrapping around the lobe to let a small button-sized part enter the ear. On their feet were chunky boots. All the armor was in their respective colors.
But the boys were stunned, staring at the girls, who grinned back evenly.
Ginny was in a stunning white suit of armor that was virtually the same as the boys', but she her under suit extended into boots. Her hair had been pulled back, and she had a low-slung white belt hanging from her waist.
Hermione's armor was the same, minus the belt, and in a vibrant, almost neon, orange color. On her arm was a large, flat watch. Her brown hair had been slicked back also, and she fingered it happily.
Soleil was covered in the palest of blues, and had no watch or belt. Instead, in her hair (Which was also held back) there stood out a pale blue headband, which was metallic. It wrapped around her head, and she didn't seem to notice it, meaning it must have been lightweight.
The girls, in the fairly tight, dominating armor, smiled as the boys said nothing, at a loss. Ginny's heels clacked as she walked over to Draco, who followed her every move without saying a word. She leaned in, and pushed his jaw up.
"Come now, Draco. I don't expect you to get distracted this early in the mission, now do you?" She winked, and he flushed.
"Let's find our weapons!" His voice was unnaturally high-pitched, and the girls let out a giggle as he stalked over the chest and leaned over.
When he surfaced, he was clutching a lithe green bow. He twanged at it and smiled. "Looks like my archery lessons will come in handy after all!" He reached in once more and pulled out a carrier, filled with green-feathered arrows, and slung it over his back so that it crossed over his chest.
He motioned to the others, who joined him.
Harry ended up with magnificent sword, which came with a scabbard and belt. It glowed with diamonds the size of birds' eggs, and the blade was keen and sharp.
Blaise grabbed onto a purple-tinted, double-edged and double-ended axe. It was surprisingly light, and came with a belt.
Ron managed to take hold of a double-ended spear with hints of red. It glowed in the firelight, and as Ron stroked the shaft in admiration, it's blades retracted and it ended up looking like a staff. Using a piece of golden rope he found at the bottom of the chest, Ron tied it across his back.
"Well…" Draco looked inside. "It seems there's nothing left for you ladies." He smirked at them, but was very surprised when they smirked back.
"That's ok, Draco." Ginny replied. "We all have our little secrets." So saying, she patted her belt, Soleil her headband, and Hermione her watch.
The boys stared, before Hermione clapped her hands. "I imagine this is all we need. So, let's get going!"
"Yes indeed, you must get going."
They turned to find Dumbledore looking evenly at them, the hint of a smile on his face. "You have opened the Chest of Ages, and in doing so, have completed the first part of your test."
"Where do we go from here?" Ron asked.
Dumbledore stayed silent for a moment, before turning to Draco. "I cannot honestly say, but I suggest you go to Malfoy Manor and start from there. I will open the gates for you on your way out."
"Wait a minute!" Hermione's voice was shrill. "Professor, what about our NEWT's? Won't we need them? And we'll be missing out on five months' worth of classes, and our parents must be informed, and we haven't packed anything!"
Dumbledore pressed his lips together, calm as always. "This is more than enough to count for full marks on your NEWT exams. You are all the best and brightest in your classes, no other students surpass you. Your parents will be taken care of, and you needn't pack anything. The suits shall help you."
"But—but we're leaving now?" Soleil said. Her voice wavered slightly.
Dumbledore nodded. "I know this may seem harsh for you, Miss Garneau, but it is for the best. We need to find Desdemona and get rid of her as soon as possible. You have the choice of backing out now, but I daresay, you may find you regret it."
He didn't say it in a threatening tone. Instead, he seemed to be warning them. Soleil shook her head.
"No, Professor. Let's go."
Their procession through the halls was silent, seeing as everyone was still inside their classes. They passed the grounds quickly, and arrived at the gates far too soon for their liking. Leaning on the wall were seven Firebolts.
"I decided fast travel was the best." Dumbledore explained. They thanked him with sober faces, and climbed on.
"Merlin be with you." Dumbledore smiled.
Draco kicked off, and the others followed him. He hovered for a moment, staring at the old man curiously.
"If we die—," The question hung empty in the air.
"You won't."
Draco said nothing. He inclined his head slightly, and soared away.
Seven dots, standing against the sky.