Rose was in a foul mood when the five began their conference, the evening of Boxing Day.
After Marigold and Spellforged told the others about their encounter with the Riddle diary, the discussion quickly turned to how rapidly they could get the diary away from her. For Chaser and Seeker, stopping over for a visit was simple and routine. Marigold was still staying there, and could easily sneak the diary away. Spellforged had an idea as well, but did not get into specifics - though he did mention that one of the older Weasley siblings worked at his Gringotts as an apprentice cursebreaker.
For all of them, there was a plausible excuse for showing up at the Burrow.
For Rose, however? Not so much. The only Weasley she might write to would be Ron, and he had not written to her - which might make her letter suspect. They had not exchanged gifts at Christmas, so thank you notes were out. Even if a floo call was accepted, she couldn't exactly discuss her plan with Ron, not openly anyway. She didn't know Ginny well enough to notice changes in her behavior, so that excuse was out, as well.
In short, she knew that Ginny had a dark artifact that seemed self-aware, and she could do nothing until school started back up. Rose liked that not one bit.
The old saying about not trusting something that speaks and thinks when you cannot see where it keeps its brain was true, so far as Rose was concerned - the diary bothered her on a fundamental level. She could not explain why, for she did not know who T M Riddle might have been. Something told her that he, and his diary, were not ones to be trusted. It was a gut feeling, pure instinct, and little else. But it was enough - relieving Ginny Weasley of her most precious possession would be her top priority, come the new year.
oOoOoOoOo
A letter was waiting for Spellforged the next morning.
27 December 1992
Harry Spellforged
C/O Office of the Director (Urgent!)
Gringotts, London
Harry,
I hope you're having a pleasant holiday, and that your Christmas was a happy one.
Daddy and I have enjoyed spending this past week together, but the wrackspurts seem to have taken a liking to my friend Ginny. I invited her over one day last week, while Daddy was at the office being Mister Lovegood, Sir, and working on the next Quibbler. Ginny told me off! She said we weren't friends and that I should leave her alone.
Something is wrong with Ginny. I don't know what, but I need to find out. Would you come to the Burrow with me this afternoon? I want to talk to Ginny, but don't want to do it alone.
If you can come, or even if you can't, please floo. Our home is "The Rookery".
Worried,
Luna Lovegood
Harry read the letter through twice before chuckling to himself. Luna was one of the more insightful people he knew, and she missed nothing. The fact that she had known Ginny for years only made the changes in the gryffindor's behavior that much more obvious. As he recalled, their homes were near the same village, which explained the long friendship.
After sending a quick reply agreeing to Luna's request, Spellforged went to his father's office. He found Ragnok at his desk, working on year end paperwork. The bank generally operated on the British calendar for its fiscal year, even though the Nation itself used the Goblin calendar (with its odd blend of Lunar months and monthless festival days). That meant reports and paperwork a plenty for the Director.
Ragnok saw the nervous energy in his son as soon as the boy walked in. He raised an eyebrow, but decided to wait for Harry to ask his question.
"Would you mind if I took the floo and visited a friend this afternoon?" asked Spellforged.
"A classmate?" asked Ragnok.
"Yes, Luna Lovegood. Her father runs the Quibbler."
"Aha, Xenophilius. Good man, that one. Our clan used to manage the Lovegood accounts, many years ago." He considered Harry's posture, his shifting weight from one foot to another, his already packed bag. "And is there any particular reason for your visit today?"
Spellforged fought hard to keep his voice even. "She wrote today and asked me to stop by. She is worried about one of her friends."
"Indeed," said Ragnok. He tapped a clawed finger on his desk, his eyes never leaving his son. "And is that all you will be doing, Harry?" Spellforged's mask fell a little, and Ragnok knew something else was going on. "Harry, I told you to be up front with me. What is happening here?"
Spellforged sighed, and then took a seat across from his father. "One of Luna's friends acquired a diary that seems to be an empty muggle journal. When she writes in it, the diary responds. It seems to have a compulsion charm that forces you to write in it. Ever since the late summer, Luna says that her friend has been cold and distant, and that her behavior has changed radically. We believe the diary is to blame."
"There is a logic to that," Ragnok said. "I assume you know how to deal with the diary, then?"
Spellforged nodded. He had borrowed an enchanted silk bag from the curse breakers before stopping here. "Separate the artifact from its holder and then contain it, sir."
Ragnok nodded. "Beginner's curse breaking. It's always easier to avoid the curse if you take steps to avoid triggering it." The Director leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "What is the name of Miss Lovegood's friend, Harry?"
"Ginny Weasley."
"Oh? We have a Weasley finishing his apprenticeship with the curse breakers."
Spellforged grinned. "Yes, we do. And it so happens that Bill Weasley is at his family's home, today. I actually planned to ask Bill for assistance, if it becomes necessary."
Ragnok nodded. "A wise choice. I doubt he will object, but if he does, suggest that I would… appreciate… his assistance in this matter."
"Of course, father."
"Good." Ragnok rose, and walked around his desk. "Good luck, then, Harry. Be careful."
Spellforged offered his father an exaggerated bow. "Of course, Director." Both of them chuckled at that. Ragnok was still grinning when he saw his son disappear into the floo. Then he walked into the antechamber, where the bank's Head of Security was speaking to a subordinate.
"Ripclaw!" The armored goblin turned and looked at the approaching Director, before offering a bow.
"Yes, My Lord Director?"
"Send a small team of disillusioned warriors to the Weasley home in Ottery St. Catchpole. Tell them to remain outside the wards and monitor the home. My son will be there obtaining a dark artifact for disposal."
Ripclaw nodded, even as he ran through a list of on-duty goblins who would be up to the task. "You expect trouble, My Lord?"
"No," said Ragnok. "But when did that stop my son? If something does happen, approach the home and assist him. If not, wait for my signal and then return."
Once Ripclaw had left to summon his men, Ragnok gathered his thoughts. I know you don't think you need help, Harry, but I can't take that risk.
oOoOoOoOo
"Welcome to the Rookery, Mister Spellforged."
Harry lifted himself off of the floor, brushing the dust off of his winter cloak. When he looked up, he saw a tall, thin man in brightly-colored robes. "Thank you, sir. Mister Lovegood, I presume?"
"I should hope so, my lad, otherwise whoever owns this house will be quite cross."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that - that comment left no doubt. "Well, if they haven't complained yet, I imagine it's not an issue."
Xenophilius Lovegood laughed at that. "Luna said that you gave as good as you got. High praise, coming from her."
That got a grin from Harry. "Quite. I've learned to trust Luna's insights on most things. She's yet to steer me wrong."
"My daughter is a good judge of character, Mister Spellforged. She speaks well of you, and of Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass, and Mister Sullivan." He inclined his head, a gesture Harry had seen several times from Luna. "I'm glad you were able to come so quickly."
Harry's face turned serious as well. "Luna would not have asked if she did not have legitimate concerns. Of course I would come under such circumstances."
Xeno nodded at this. "I trust the risk is low?"
"Minimal," replied Spellforged. "Ginny's brother is one of our curse breakers. I plan to recruit him shortly after we arrive. Between the three of us, we will manage."
"Good." Xeno offered his hand, which Spellforged took. "Sometime, I would like to publish a brief column in the Goblin language, to expand our readership into the warrens. If you would like to be a freelance writer, my daughter can set you up on the path to a rewarding career."
"A gracious offer, Mister Lovegood. I'll keep it in mind." The sound of light footsteps on the stairs told him that Luna was approaching. Harry turned, just in time to find his arms full of blonde girl.
Luna hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Harry."
"Anytime, Luna." Harry replied. They separated, and he saw that she seemed to have been crying. "We'll take care of it, Luna. She'll be alright."
"I know," replied Luna. She glanced at the fireplace behind her father. "The last time I called on the floo, Ginny told me off."
Spellforged picked up his bag. "It's a short walk, isn't it?"
Luna nodded. "And someone taught me warming charms."
Xeno chuckled, getting looks from the two ravenclaws. "Then you'd best put them to use, my dear. You don't want to keep your friend waiting." He gave a meaningful look to Harry. "Good luck, you two."
oOoOoOoOo
It was about a ten minute walk to the Burrow from the Rookery. After Luna took a few moments to show him the grounds of her family's home, they walked down the path in companionable silence.
Luna and I are going to find Bill Weasley first, Spellforged sent to the link. He's a curse breaker at Gringotts, and should be able to help. Then Luna will either find the diary or stun Ginny and take it.
Marigold didn't like the sound of that. Won't the Weasleys be sour with us if we go in and stun their daughter?
They might. Spellforged agreed. I'm hoping that Bill's verdict on the diary and how dark the magic is will justify it. Perhaps Ginny will throw a fit, and one of them will stun her. I don't know, Marigold.
Be safe, said Rose.
Thanks, Rose. Spellforged looked down, to find that Luna had hooked an arm around his own. She was smiling as they walked.
"Knut for your thoughts?" asked Spellforged. Luna looked up at him, still smiling.
"Your sisters sound nice," said Luna. She did not lose her smile when Spellforged froze in his tracks.
"I'm sorry?" he asked, quietly.
Luna met his eyes with her own. She kept her expression calm, and let the smile fade. She could sense the tension in him, and even though she had expected it somewhat, it still surprised her.
"Rose and Marigold," she said. "You never used their names before now." She watched his gaze grow more intense, as if he were trying to decipher how much she knew. Gently, and slow enough to show that she was not a threat, Luna reached up and placed her hand on the side of Harry's throat.
"When you speak to them, you subvocalize. I can see your muscles flex, just barely but it's there." She smiled again. "I've seen you talking to yourself since the start of term, Harry. Sometimes about quidditch, sometimes about school. Frequently about the monster in the walls." She inclined her head at him, just as her father had done earlier. "And I've seen the wrackspurts."
Harry's gaze did not waver. "What did the wrackspurts do, Luna?"
She chuckled. "When they lose interest in someone, they fly off and go away. But yours, Harry, sometimes they go through you and… on. As if they stepped through a doorway."
He smiled softly, trying to let his worry drain away. "Maybe they do."
"Probably," she agreed. She hooked her arm around his once more, before starting to drag him along the path. "Come on, we have work to do."
Spellforged shook his head, still smiling. "Luna, you'll keep this between us, right?"
"Of course," she replied. "On one condition." She laughed when his expression fell again. "Nothing like that. All I ask is that you tell me how they react when you tell them that I said 'Hi!'."
Now Spellforged laughed with her. "Before or after they lose their minds?" He was still smiling when his eyes met hers once more. "Seriously, though, this is the secret of secrets, Luna. You're the only one who ever figured it out, the only one who knows."
Luna smiled brightly. "Then it's a good thing you trust me, isn't it, Harry?"
oOoOoOoOo
The five had discussed their strategy at length the previous night. Chaser and Seeker planned to floo over to the Burrow in the middle of the afternoon, so that they would have the diary in hand and under Bill's care before Mister Weasley returned home from the Ministry. Marigold, meanwhile, planned to recruit Bill early, so that he could help her secure the diary - again, shortly before Mister Weasley arrived home.
All three eagerly awaited word of Spellforged's attempt. He didn't know Ginny as well as they did, though Luna would help there. What he did have was instant credibility with Bill, as both a Goblin and as the son of his boss's boss. Bill's response to the situation there would, hopefully, inform how the other three would approach him in their worlds.
When it was Bill Weasley who opened the kitchen door and invited Luna and Spellforged inside, it seemed like fate had smiled.
While Spellforged made small talk with Bill, Luna wandered into the sitting room - and found Ginny quietly writing in the diary. Ginny did not notice her (former?) friend enter, nor did she see Luna leave again.
As Luna returned to the kitchen, she passed the family's clock. She did not notice Ginny's hand, the only one of the nine that pointed at "Danger". Nor did anyone notice when the hand slid to "Mortal Peril" a few minutes later, just as Bill agreed to help.
"Hey Ginny, can you come here a minute?" shouted Bill. The trio heard the girl grumbling as she got off the couch and walked into the kitchen.
"Yes?" asked Ginny, from the doorway.
Bill smiled at her. Luna was sitting next to him. "Luna was telling me that I should keep a notebook for curse breaking. You've been getting a lot of use out of that diary, so I thought maybe something like that would work for me. Can I see the cover?"
Ginny physically recoiled at the mention of the diary, even as her face remained passive.
Bill continued. "I just want to see who made it, so I can order one for myself."
There was turmoil on the girl's face. Part of her wanted to run, to escape discovery. Part of her wanted to hand the diary to her brother, to get rid of it, to throw it away and flee. Luna glanced at Bill, as they waited for Ginny's response.
She took a halting step forward. Then her face turned to a sneer, and her hand started to come out of her robes. A bright flash of red light came from the corner, striking Ginny and causing her to crumple to the floor.
Spellforged stood, from his chair in the corner. He carefully slid Ginny's wand out of her reach as he approached. Bill looked shocked, and remained sitting.
"She was going to hex us. Why?"
"Because of that." Harry nudged her other hand with his foot, and the diary - still clutched in her left hand - slid out of the pocket of Ginny's robes. Using a dish towel, Spellforged grabbed the diary and set it on the table.
Bill took out his wand and began casting diagnostic charms on the diary. His face grew paler and paler as he did so.
oOoOoOoOo
Chaser was sitting in the entrance hall of Potter Manor, reading a book. He planned to floo over to the Burrow as soon as Spellforged had finished. His thoughts were on how, exactly, he would get the diary away from Ginny without stunning her.
When Spellforged began describing his encounter with Ginny, it seemed less and less likely that he would be able to pull it off. From his telling, Bill had suggested asking to look at the book, but had not anticipated Ginny pulling out her wand. The girl was sleeping, for now, while Molly and Arthur watched over her.
Molly had been furious enough to summon Arthur from the Ministry. Both calmed down when Bill showed them the diagnostics he had run - tests which couldn't even identify the type of curse on the diary, just that it was among the worst of dark curses. When the parchment got to the section where instructions were provided for cleansing the object, the only text read "Deliver to Supervisor."
With Arthur's permission, Bill and Spellforged took the diary to Gringotts. What the curse breakers would find was anyone's guess.
Better get going, thought Chaser. "The Burrow!" he shouted, as the floo turned green.
Bill was sitting in the kitchen, just as he had been for Spellforged. "Oh, hello Harry. Back so soon? Want me to get Ron?"
Chaser nodded. "Actually, Bill, I wanted to talk to you about something important." He sat down next to Bill, and began to explain the situation.
"She has WHAT?" Bill almost jumped out of his chair when Harry described the diary.
"If it's controlling her," said Harry, calmly, "then she might attack us if we try to take it."
Bill shook his head. "Knowing a trap is there is the first step to disarming it. First rule of curse breaking." Without another moment's delay, Bill turned and walked into the sitting room, wand in hand.
Harry had not yet moved to follow, when he heard a yelp and a thud. He was just passing the clock when he saw Ginny's hand tick over from "Danger" to "Home". That was when the swearing began - Bill had started his diagnostics.
oOoOoOoOo
Seeker found that his Bill Weasley reacted in similar fashion. He was unbothered by it. It would, after all, be much easier for Bill to explain why he stunned his sister, than for Harry to explain why he floo'ed over from Longbottom Hall just to assault his friend's sister.
Ginny was sleeping peacefully in her room, levitated there by the twins. Harry and Bill remained in the kitchen, waiting for Mister Weasley to arrive. Bill had already delivered the diary to the Goblins, who were busy analyzing it. Chaser was preparing a similar speech in his world. The crisis was past, now - they could afford to take the time to finish the job.
The floo turned green, and admitted the tall form of Arthur Weasley. His greeting died on his lips when he saw the looks on Bill and Harry.
"Please sit down, Mister Weasley, we need to talk to you." said Seeker.
Bill almost needed to seek out a calming draught, such was Arthur Weasley's fury when he learned what had happened. It took both Harry and Bill to reassure the man that his daughter would be alright.
Arthur looked surprised when Seeker gave him a piece of parchment. "What's this, Harry?"
"That, Mister Weasley, is the name of my family's solicitor. I'm told that he works with muggle and magical mind healers all the time. If Ginny needs one, Mister Fitzpatrick will take care of it." Harry held up his hand, hoping to stop Mister Weasley's protest before it could begin. "In my worry over her situation, I neglected to get Ginny a Christmas gift. Let me do this for her."
Arthur considered that for a moment, before nodding. He then folded the parchment and placed it in his robes. "Thank you, Harry. For everything."
Thank you, Chaser, thought Seeker. The mind healer idea was brilliant.
Glad it worked, replied Chaser.
Maybe she'll get Madam Cornwall? Marigold wondered. At Hermione's urging, she had seen her mind healer once a month, since she accidentally incinerated Professor Quirrell. It had not been long before they started unpacking her issues with the Dursleys - which was why Hermione had suggested the idea in the first place.
With the influence of the diary gone, Ginny could finally begin to heal.
oOoOoOoOo
As Arthur and Seeker were discussing mind healers in their world, Marigold was quietly walking up the stairs to Ginny's room in her own. She had not seen the girl in the sitting room, which made her wonder what had changed between her world and the other three. Bill suggested bringing Ginny down for a late afternoon snack or something, anything that would get her out of her room.
When she opened the door to Ginny's bedroom, she found Ginny on her bed, pale and feverish. Checking her pupils, Marigold saw that she was not asleep - she was out cold. Could the Diary have gotten wind of what she planned?
Standing, she cast her mage sight. Ginny was covered in a dark magic, writhing and pulsating as if it were alive. Two tendrils of power reached out from her chest, toward the opposite side of the room. Marigold turned, her wand in hand.
And found an older boy staring back at her. He had dark hair, and was wearing Hogwarts robes. There was something about him, though - he looked unfinished, a bit fuzzy around the edges, as if he were a memory or a projection of some sort. As she looked closer, Marigold saw the telltale green on his tie.
The boy was in Slytherin.
"She won't wake, you know." said the boy.
Marigold saw the diary, sitting on the desk. It, too, had tendrils of power. One connected it to the boy, and the other connected it to Ginny. She fought off a gasp when she saw a tiny finger of magic reaching toward her, as well.
"It's you." Marigold said, the realization hitting her. No no no no no.
"Yes," said the boy, a grin splitting his features. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, at your service."
A/N: Lots of moving parts, here. Rarely will I resort to cheap cliffhangers - this situation seemed to beg for it, however.
The scene with Luna and Spellforged on the path to the Burrow is one of the scenes I've had in mind since this story began. I hope it came out right.
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, and linked this story. We've passed 200 favorites, added close to fifty followers in a week, and are inching toward 200 reviews as well. Never thought I'd say this, but your feedback keeps me going. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Feedback, as always, is welcome.
