(All is JK Rowling, except Lemercier. But if she happens to stumble upon this little story she may email me and I will personally give her my Lemercier.)

10. Rowena's Horcrux.

Harry sprawled on a chair that faced the large fireplace in the Lemercier library as Cassandra sat by the bay window, it was cracked open as she held a fag outside so that the room wouldn't smell after she was done. They had locked themselves within the library, even since she arrived back from one of the meetings with the Dark Lord frightfully angry. Harry didn't bother to know the reason and he was happy that they had started on looking for the next horcrux. He winced at the last one that they gathered, Helga's cup. It was a mess from start to finish with him nearly killing them both.

"Yes it was your fault," Cassandra said lofty before she took another long drag of her the white stick, slowly the bluish smoke escaped from between her blood red lips. Looking at the mirror that hung above the fireplace he caught her eyes, a smirk graced her lips. "You're skilled in Oculmency, but remember I taught you. I know your mind like the back of my hand, you can never hide anything from me."

"Should I be worried?" Her smirk widen, she turned back to the window taking another long drag. Feeling suddenly restless Harry got up and walked toward the oak table; books, papers, and maps scattered across it's top. They were all turned to Rowena Ravenclaw, a beautifully drawn picture graced a page of one book lifting it he noticed a phantom of a smirk upon the young woman's small lips. "Intelligent and beautiful, it says here she even drew up the blueprints of Hogwarts itself. The moving stairwells, vanishing rooms, and the hidden passageways." Finally finished with her smoke, Cassandra joined him at the table picking up another book.

"Yes I already knew that," thumbing through the book, she found what she was looking for and levitated the book right under Harry's nose. "This is what is interesting. I'm not surprise you didn't find it at all, the book doesn't have any pictures so I knew you wouldn't be able to have got along with it-" He growled at her, and snatched the book from the air and started to read it, only to be poked -very hard- in the chest with Cassandra's wand. "Out loud Potter, I want to hear your booming voice."

"The witch known to us as Rowena Ravenclaw was known for her cleverness, intelligence, and outstanding beauty. It wouldn't be a surprise that this founder of Hogwarts could have ensnared her share of wizards. What the hell-"

"Keep reading." was the demand reply, Harry sighed and went on.

"Her past though not entirely known has been littered with mystery and triumph, the most popular of those myths was of her aiding a muggle, who gained her interest during his campaign to rid Scotland of a tyrant king. It is said that during the last battle, she sat by a hillside that overlooked the battlement, combing her hair. With every stroke of her brush, the young knight killed a man, when she was done the whole army was destroyed and the tyrant king slit by the throat. The muggle became king of Scotland and ruled with a fair hand, allowing the magic folk to live on Scotland's land unharmed." He glanced up to only be glared at, looking down he found another myth, very similar to that of the first story with it happening in Scotland and the comb. Again he read another, and again the comb seemed to have played a vital role in keeping Scotland as a safe haven for the magic folk.

"Notice the trend yet?"

"Yes-"

"That's your horcrux." Cassandra turned around and faced Harry fully her arms crossed over her chest. "Now think. Think where would the Dark Lord place that? He is witty, smart in both muggle and wizard history, and very clever. Where would he place something so valuable, and sought after?" Watching Harry think, she stepped forward.

"I don't-"

"Think harder then."

"She sounds remarkably like Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war." Finally the thought drew on him, looking at Cassandra then at the book, he started to put the pieces together. Rowena was alive during the time when everyone worshiped the Gods and Goddesses. It would only be fitting that she compared herself to Athena. The wars for Scotland, the intelligence needed to excel as a true Ravenclaw, and the eagle. Athena was sometimes thought of as a Goddess of birds, with her owl always on her right arm.

Where would he bury it? or rather where would he hide it? Something so small, how does it look it? Possibly jewel incrusted with a writing saying it was her's. Where would Voldemort hide something like that?

"Riddle during his disappearance from the wizarding world traveled. Mostly to areas that expressed magical powers in the past, Egypt, Italy, Greece, Britannia, and Asia. It would be most appropriate that he would use something from the past, as a link from old magic to his." Harry gave her a look.

"How do you know all of this?" Turning around sharply she frown, what a nosy little git, no wonder Severus despised Harry Potter.

"Because it is my job to," He was still giving her a curious look. "Question my allegiance now and you'll never get this horcrux. I don't have to waste my time with your bloody feelings whether I am on the light or the dark side. If I was a loyal servant to my master, I would have brought you in already. Yet here you are, living on my privately owned island, sheltered from the Dark Lord's gaze, feed, clothed, and taught in the dark arts... Do not question my allegiance Potter."

The Acropolis hill of Athens was overcome with a gust of wind from the East, and two figures appeared out of the thin air on the rocky mountainside. At once the taller figure stumbled making the other figure grab it's garment and righted it up. "Do not make our presence known to those that live nearby Potter." Casting a quick look around they both started their climb, into the ruins of Athena's most popular temple of that among muggles. Entering the ruins, they both went their separate ways, Cassandra to the left and Harry to the right. Taking out his wand he started to tap on certain stones, boulders, or fallen columns, if there was something magical underneath or has been graced with magic, the wand would make a spark upon contact.

"Cassandra?" Harry whispered as he neared her, close to finishing with his share of tapping stones. She turned around and hissed at him to be quiet and motion for him to come to her. Giving the last very big looking boulder a heavy tap, Potter jumped back from it as heavy sparks escaped from between the tip of his wand and the surface of the boulder. Turning towards the nearest house, she waited for any lights then turned and glared at Harry, before a row of curses issued from her mouth the boulder started to shake. Moving a little closer to her they both watched the stone as green lines started to appear, symbol, and letters gracing the once plain boulder, and finally it stopped shaking and the markings started to faint, looking as if someone with paint had come along and drew pictures upon it.

"The markings look remarkably familiar . . . " Cassandra whispered to herself, ignoring Potter's groan for her not to get close to it, she glanced around the boulder taking it the symbols. "Fear . . . " mumbling to herself she fell to her knees and trailed a certain symbol. "The eye of Horus? Peculiar . . . " finally finding the start of the array of nonsense, she whispered to herself, Harry giving the stone a dubious look.

"What does it say?"

"Come here Potter," He too knelt on the ground beside her as she lifted her wand and a small dim light appeared from the tip. "Look," she pointed at a drawing of an eye surrounded by white and black blocks which made a circle. "This is the eye of Horus, remember when I told you that Egyptians were thought to be the first magicians? It's only right that Riddle would use his knowledge in the history of magic, and from his adventures with..." He looked at her but she shrugged it off and continued on. "This eye or rather this symbol represents six parts. Or rather the six senses of a true magician during that time. Touch, Taste, Hearing, Thought, Sight, Smell... And the eye." As she voiced the meanings she touched a part of the symbol. "And here," pointing at a row of symbols.

What you fear is within,
do not go further
if you are not worthy
and cannot win.

Moving around the stone they followed the line of symbols only to find a sentence of old Latin, which she translated like it was her first language.

Those that enter and gather what is not theirs,
you will see pain and worst your own fears.
Yet first to enter you must need,
to give a princely gift to
Athena, my queen.

"Every year during the Roman times, Athena was given peplos. They're robes, usually placed on a life size statue."

"No Potter that won't do, you must think through the demeanted mind of Tom Riddle. He does have a crude sense of humor." Harry's mind flashed back to Dumbledore as he took out a knife and processed to give himself a cut and wipe it against the stone wall. Remembering the dagger that Cassandra always kept he got up and held out a hand towards her.

"A sacrifice. Come on," Holding her hand they both stumbled over the rocks and climbed into the ruins of the temple, stopping right in the middle where the alter would have been, he glanced around and pointed his wand at a broken piece of a column, making a small flick it suddenly turned into a goat, baaing and chewing. Again with his wand he proceed to leviate the goat in the air, Cassandra already in front of the alter, looking at the place where the statue of Athena would have been, the dagger ready in her hand. Settling the now frighten goat upon the slab of stone, Cassandra preformed the binding spell. "What exactly do we say?" Harry whispered, Cassandra only closed her eyes and opened them slowly.

"Oh Athena! We scacrifice this goat, may it's blood and body be accepted by you!" Harry glanced around at the house and still the lights had not turned out once, the people must be out. Did Cassandra really need to say that, everyone knew that the Gods weren't real, a fabrication by the Romans, to fill their spiritual void. Not willing to receive the spiteful lash from her about it, he watched as she lifted the knife and slit the goat's thorat, blood spilling on the top of the alter, and even upon their robes. Turning around quickly to the rock, it started to shake again, and very slowly the boulder inched its way to the right revealing a large black hole.

"The way in," He breathe, noticing that Cassandra too had seen the boulder's movement, they at once hurried towards the hole. "I'll go first." She only nodded in agreement, and handed him the bloody dagger. "Thanks," Whispering lumos under his breathe he watched as a few feet of the entrance came to light, it looked like a slide to the center of the earth. Hoping that now Athena was real and protecting him, he pushed himself down into the hole. Cassandra following close behind and the rock slowly covering the hole.

"Lumos" At once the darken corridor became exceedingly bright as both Harry and Cassandra held their wands ahead of them, their backs against each other glancing down the unknown hallway. "Looks safe."

"Yes well the last time you said that you were almost decapitated." Cassandra snapped, glancing around their surroundings she noticed a few symbols upon the wall. "Potter . . . Look, the same markings that were on the boulder." Facing the wall she moved her wand closer for an examination, when Potter accidently bumped into her, her wand smacked against the stone wall. "Potter!" But was stopped short from her raging lecture, when the symbol that was graced with the tip of the wand started to glow green, connecting with another then another till it started to snake its way into the darkness. Following the light with their eyes, Cassandra stepped forward as the light finally stopped so that it formed a doorway. Glancing behind her, she gave Harry a look and went forward little by little.

"Cassandra maybe I should enter through the thing first," he said uneasily as they stood before the green outlined doorway. She had stayed silent the whole time looking at the symbols.

"Thank you for preparing ahead, but it's a bit wasted since we have no idea how to open this ruddy thing." Holding out her hand behind her. "Give me the knife, maybe if I spread the blood it'll open." Harry obeyed making sure that she didn't touch the blade part as he handed it to her. He watched as she wiped the remaining blood on the stone wall, and at once the blood sunk into it, and ever so slowly the wall started to move and appeared before them was a dimly lit chamber. "Well, now go on Potter." Giving him a small push they both entered the wall, only for it to close up behind them.

"At least we don't have to use our wand as flashlights."

"What are flashlights?" Harry shook his head and surveyed the room, noticing the gold, jewelry, and coins stacked to the ceiling. "So in this bunch of rubbish we should be able to find the horcrux..." Cassandra said out loud rumbling through the things. "This feels a little too easy."

"Duck down!" Harry hissed as he pulled Cassandra down with him behind a stack of silk robes. Peeking through a small gap, Harry stared in horror at what looked like dead, rotten men walking from another doorway, moaning. "Wha-" But his mouth was covered by Cassandra's hand, he gagged a bit as the smell of goat's blood drifted into his nose. Once they had disappeared through another doorway, Cassandra got up and took her hand away from his mouth. "Were those-"

"Inferi," Turning to look at him, she gave him a questioning look. "Is this your first time seeing them?" He shook his head, as a memory of himself being pulled by them into the water, with Dumbledore coming to his rescue.

"Do they kill?" Cassandra had gotten back to looking through the junk, pocketing a small piece here and there.

"Depends on the maker. But I heard that the dark lord ordered them to eat the brains of their victims, while they were still alive." He stopped midway from picking up a cup and gave Cassandra a sickening look. "Yes well it's only stories, and half the stories that we are ever told are rarely true or have been twisted around that it's no longer its original form." Straightening up she let out a sigh. "Well I can't find it anywhere."

"Neither can I," frowning she slowly made her way towards the doorway that the Inferi had entered from. "What are you doing?"

"I'm contemplating whether I should enter that first or you." Standing there a bit more she took out her wand and whispered lumos, plunging herself into the darkness. Harry hurried over taking his wand out and entered too, muttering to himself about dying and blaming her when he ran into something small and hard in front of him. "Ger'off you bugger." Feeling himself being pushed back he stumbled a bit and righted himself. Not thinking he pushed right back. "The hell!" Putting up a silent struggle in the dark corridor, they both were pushing each other, and hitting when a loud moan echoed through from their right and then from their left from which they had entered from. Another moan escaped from the right and the left.

"Shit-" Cassandra slammed their backs against the wet cold stone wall. Yet even if they tried to flatten themselves against the wall, the inferi would notice them. "What are we going to do?" Looking towards the one side of the hallway she pulled out her wand and tapped his head, again he felt himself turn cold, glancing down at his hands he noticed that he had blended into their surroundings. Moody did the same exact thing to him years ago, glancing around he noticed that Cassandra was gone. "Cass-" Again there was a hand at his mouth.

"Shut up and hold my hand." Was all she whispered, trailing her hand from his face, to his shoulder, down his arm, into his hand. Gripping it he noticed that her hand was just as cold and clammy as his own, so she was nervous. It felt like forever till the inferi appeared, the two groups neared the same area that both Harry and Cassandra were in, feeling her grip tighten, he watched as the inferi stopped mid step. Turning around the other group of inferi had stopped too, and were looking at him, or rather the other group of inferi behind him. A moan echoed from his right then his left, feeling Cassandra pull him toward the way, just as they hit the wall once again, the growls became louder and at once the inferi jumbled together in what looked like a fight. Ducking down from a blow of one of them he pushed his way, with Cassandra and finally they escaped the tunnel. Taking out his wand he tapped it on his head, while Cassandra did that to herself. Slowly they started to appear head first, torso, then their legs, looking on the ground Cassandra hissed at the sandy bottom that was the floor. Again with the flick of his wand a light appeared, then Cassandra's.

"There it is..." And there indeed was the horcrux, laying upon a limestone alter, big enough to hold two people standing upon it's top. Looking around the room for any more traps, Cassandra gave him the go, and both of them at once started to inch their way to the altar. Careful of where they stepped, finally reaching the altar they both stared down at the comb, it's beauty hidden by the dark. "Do you want to?" Harry asked Cassandra, she only shook her head, and watched as he slowly picked it, holding it by his wand to look at it better. The rubies were beautiful, a dark royal blue, with gold trimmings, and the teeth of the comb strong oak wood. But before he could even place it in his pocket the ground started to shake violently.

"Damn it! GET ON THE ALTER POTTER!" Cassandra yelled in frustration, pushing Harry roughly onto the alter, she followed suit her robe barely snatched by a hand that poped out of the sandy floor. Holding her wand higher, they watched in horror as inferi started to slowly climb out of their sandy beds, the smell of rotten flesh soon filled the air. Turning 360, they were surrounded. Cassandra's light went out at once, with his light only burning for them. A few seconds later he watched as a spell erupted from where she stood, not a few seconds ago. The red light hit something since it stopped suddenly. Then another. Then another. It wasn't working, feeling something tug at his robe he turned around and blasted it, now they were in pitch black with spells being thrown randomly as their source of light. Fighting them, Harry suddenly stopped.

"How stupid am I!" He yelled, wiping his wand to the ground in front of him, he bellowed "Expecto Patronum!" At once a slivery shaped started to take form from the tip of his wand slowly landing upon the ground, the light radiating from its being was strong, turning to face Cassandra he watched as she started with disbelief. Finally taking the full shape of a stag it stood there ready for its orders. "Take us out of here, alive!" Jumping from the alter upon it's back, the stag stood patiently as the inferi slowly backed away covering their eyes, and letting out a painful screech. "CASSANDRA GET ON!" But she wouldn't move, her wand hanging limply from her hand, her face crossed. "CASSANDRA IF YOU WANT TO BLOODY LIVE,GET ON THE RUDDY STAG!" Shaking her head she heeded his words and jumped on, wrapping her hands around his waist, the horcrux bumping against her arm. "GO!" With a sudden burst of light, the stag rushed forward trampling the inferi that were in the way.